| Joe Biden's physicality is a mark of old-school politicians, not a creepy old man Posted: 04 Apr 2019 07:32 AM PDT  In the fifty years I have spent in the company of politicians one of the things that most surprised me was their public physicality, like Joe Biden's.
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| Trump tells Republican lawmakers to be more 'paranoid' about how votes are counted in 2020 Posted: 03 Apr 2019 08:30 AM PDT  "We have to be a little bit careful, because I don't like the way the votes are being tallied. I don't like it and you don't like either," Trump said.
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| UPDATE 7-Ethiopian crash report highlights sensors, software, leaves questions Posted: 04 Apr 2019 01:36 AM PDT ![UPDATE 7-Ethiopian crash report highlights sensors, software, leaves questions]( "UPDATE 7-Ethiopian crash report highlights sensors, software, leaves questions") ADDIS ABABA/SEATTLE, April 4 (Reuters) - Faulty sensor readings and multiple automatic commands to push down the nose of a Boeing plane contributed to last month's fatal crash in Ethiopia, leaving the crew struggling to regain control, according to a preliminary accident report. The first substantial account of the last minutes of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 from Addis Ababa to Nairobi on March 10 described how the captain three times called out: "Pull up" and was acknowledged by the first officer, but to no avail. Boeing's top-selling aircraft, the 787 MAX, has been grounded worldwide since the March 10 disaster, which killed 157 people and came just five months after a Lion Air crash in Indonesia that killed 189 in a plane of the same model.
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| ‘It Was a Clusterf*ck’: How the Waco Biker Shooting Case Fell Apart Posted: 03 Apr 2019 10:23 AM PDT  Rod Aydelotte/Waco Tribune-Herald via APKiller bikers could still be walking free in Waco, Texas, according to the county's top prosecutor.McLennan County District Attorney Barry Johnson on Tuesday dropped all remaining charges related to the biker shooting in 2015 that left nine men dead and another 20 injured. Johnson told The Daily Beast he dropped the charges against 24 people because he claims his predecessor botched the case. As a result, he said, some people who may be responsible for murder may never face justice.On May 17, 2015, a gun battle broke out between members of the Cossacks and Bandidos motorcycle clubs at a Twin Peaks restaurant at a quiet outdoor shopping mall. The bedlam ended in seconds, and—with bodies piled in the parking lot—then-District Attorney Abel Reyna arrived on the scene and began working with police to round up the more than 200 motorcyclists who were being held at gunpoint by officers.Most were arrested and sent to jail on identical charges of engaging in organized criminal activity. A grand jury indicted 155 of those people, but only one man, Bandidos Dallas County chapter president Jacob Carrizal, was tried. Carrizal's six-week trial ended in a mistrial in November 2017. Johnson said the trial that failed to convict Carrizal cost the county $1.5 million. After Carrizal's mistrial, Reyna dropped all but 24 of the bikers' charges."They were trying to get the whole group on a conspiracy theory," Johnson told The Daily Beast on Wednesday. "They spent a lot of resources trying to go that route. That's the train that they got on."Johnson listed several charges that may have been successfully pursued by Reyna, including aggravated assault, attempted murder, and felony with a deadly weapon. But the statutes of limitations on those charges have expired, he said. "In my opinion, had this action been taken in a timely manner, it would have, and should have, resulted in numerous convictions and prison sentences against many of those who participated in the Twin Peaks brawl," Johnson said in a statement on Tuesday. "Over the next three years the prior district attorney failed to take that action, for reasons that I do not know to this day."As it stands, some of the shooters may be walking free. Preliminary autopsy reports showed that four of the bikers were killed by three police officers. The Waco Police Department, Texas Rangers, and a McLennan County grand jury cleared the officers of any wrongdoing last year. Unfortunately, Johnson said authorities don't know exactly who killed the other five men. "There still may be some open murder cases that may develop down the road, but that's probably unlikely," Johnson acknowledged."We were not able to meet our burden by putting a gun in the hand of whoever it was that shot and killed those other five people," he said. "We just weren't able to meet our burden to prove a murder.""You just had 25 officers and over 200 combatants in basically a war zone when the police got there," he explained. "We watched those videos hundreds of times," Johnson continued. "It was just my opinion that it was going to end up being another two to three years worth of trials back to back and it was not the right decision to go down that road."Reyna declined to respond to specific questions but provided a statement to The Daily Beast on Wednesday: "I absolutely disagree with the overall result as well as several statements and accusations within Mr. Johnson's press release; however, it is solely his decision on how to proceed with any case in the District Attorney's Office. I respect the fact that the voters of McLennan County chose Mr. Johnson to make these types of decisions."Meanwhile, the bikers' defense attorneys threw their hands up in collective relief on Wednesday, pointing the blame squarely at Reyna for arresting innocent people and letting potential murderers go free."I don't think we can conclude who shot who," said San Antonio attorney Alfonso Cabanas, whose client's case was dismissed in May 2018. "I don't think we're ever going to find out.""The case was tainted the minute that Abel Reyna stuck himself into the process at the scene and started telling people what to do, arresting everyone," said Cabanas. "The only people who should have been arrested are the shooters themselves. Not just the people there drinking iced tea, like my clients."Houston lawyer Paul Looney claimed "the case was dead before Johnson ever got elected.""He just didn't have a chance," Looney added."We have 177 people whose lives were just utterly devastated," Looney continued. "There's no winner whenever the law is manipulated that badly."Dallas attorney Clint Broden, meanwhile, called the prosecution "a clusterfuck.""It fell apart because they charged too many people and tried to create a false narrative," said Broden, who at one point represented five defendants involved in the case. "When the false narrative—that bikers were out to get Waco residents—was exposed, it was too difficult to convince people that the prosecution was in good faith. You had a hard time sorting the guilty from the not guilty at that point.""A lot of people's lives were ruined because they were innocent, but a lot of people did die," said Broden. "There are victims and victims' families who are being denied closure. The mess that was created prevented anyone who was guilty from being prosecuted. There's enough injustice to go around on both sides of this."Seth Sutton, who was the first attorney hired after the shooting, said his client, Bandido and Marine veteran Jeffrey Lee Battey, was "vilified by the courts, by the prosecution.""And every biker here paid the price for the false narrative," said Sutton. "They were so treated like cardboard cutout monsters and villains." "The motorcycle culture is a tight-knit group; it's a family," Sutton added. "He's a real victim here at the hands of the state."More than 130 of the bikers have filed civil rights lawsuits against Reyna, the city of Waco, McLennan County, and officers who were involved in the arrests.Even Judge Ralph Strother, who presided over dozens of hearings on the case, told The Daily Beast on Wednesday that he was glad to be done with it."No matter what perspective you view this episode from, it leaves an unpleasant taste in your mouth," Strother said.Read more at The Daily Beast.
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| Will Moisturizers With SPF Protect Your Skin? Posted: 03 Apr 2019 12:08 PM PDT  If your morning beauty routine involves applying both sunscreen and moisturizer, you may have decided to simplify things by using a moisturizer with SPF instead. That's a fine move, assuming you ...
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| BB&T, Wells Fargo Get Failing Grades From Gun-Control Group Posted: 04 Apr 2019 11:59 AM PDT ![BB&T, Wells Fargo Get Failing Grades From Gun-Control Group]( "BB&T, Wells Fargo Get Failing Grades From Gun-Control Group") JPMorgan Chase & Co. also received an F, for providing $273 million in financing and failing to ban gun-company investments, while Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Bank of America Corp. received C grades. Citigroup Inc. got a B, the highest grade among the banks scored. Key InsightsThe scorecard comes as corporate America faces pressure to take stands on controversial political issues.
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| Apple announces Powerbeats Pro true wireless earbuds for $250 Posted: 03 Apr 2019 10:33 AM PDT  As previously rumored, Beats earlier today officially unveiled a brand new pair of wireless Powerbeats headphones with an AirPods-inspired design. In other words, imagine the current Powerbeats3 design without the connecting cord.The new headphones, dubbed Powerbeats Pro, naturally incorporate many of the same technologies Apple recently introduced with AirPods 2, including hands-free Siri functionality and the company's brand new H1 chip. As an exercise-oriented pair of headphones, Powerbeats Pro will of course be sweat and water-resistant.The new Powerbeats Pro headphones don't have an official release date, though Apple notes that they will be coming sometime this spring. Price wise, Powerbeats Pro will retail for $250. Powerbeats Pro will be available in four colors: ivory, moss, navy, and black.With respect to battery life, each individual earbud offers up 9 hours of playback and "more than 24 hours of combined playback with the magnetic closure case." Further, the earbuds can charge up to 1.5 hours of playback after just 15 minutes of charging. It's also worth noting that the new Powerbeats Pro earbuds are 23% smaller "than its predecessor and 17 percent lighter."https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWbijRYhuZsSome other interesting tidbits via the press release include:> Sound> > Sound was the highest priority in the development of Powerbeats Pro. Completely re-engineered from the inside out, the earphones boast an upgraded linear piston driver that leverages an efficient, pressurized airflow to create a powerful acoustic response in a small package. Enhanced sound quality means incredibly low distortion and great dynamic range across the entire frequency curve.> > Fit> > A great solution for comfort, fit and stability was paramount to Powerbeats Pro because of its direct impact on sound delivery. To achieve the best possible fit on the widest array of ears, over 20 configurations were electronically modeled and physically tested. The result is a completely new, ergonomically angled acoustic housing that nests comfortably in the concha bowl of the ear with an off-axis nozzle. It comes with four sizes of ear tips and a redesigned, adjustable earhook--an iconic part of the Powerbeats line since its launch in 2010.> > FUNCTIONALITY> > Powerbeats Pro features a fully functional, ambidextrous design with identical, physical volume and track controls on each earbud. This means full control over your music and phone calls, regardless of whether you use the left, right or both earbuds.> > Long- and short-range optical sensors drive automatic play/pause and call handling when the earphones are placed in or removed from your ears.> > Telephony> > Powerbeats Pro delivers incredible voice performance for phone calls. A first for Beats, a speech-detecting accelerometer in each earbud and two beam-forming microphones per side target your voice and filter out external sounds such as wind and ambient noise. This means you can answer a quick mid-workout call at the gym with clarity and confidence.> > No power button means no worries. Powerbeats Pro earphones power on when taken out of the case and power off (and charge) when placed inside. Motion accelerometers detect when the earphones are idle and not in use, automatically entering them into sleep mode.You can read more about Powerbeats Pro over on the Beats website.
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| From Soup to Salmon: Slow-Cooker Recipes for a Fast and Healthy Dinner Posted: 03 Apr 2019 01:04 PM PDT |
| Democrats using obscure federal statute to try and get Trump's tax returns Posted: 04 Apr 2019 04:13 AM PDT  Democrat lawmakers are demanding six years of the president's personal and business tax returns. Judge Andrew Napolitano explains how House lawmakers can make it happen.
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| As Biden faces 2 more accusations of improper conduct, Trump jokes, 'You having a good time, Joe?' Posted: 03 Apr 2019 08:08 AM PDT  Speaking Tuesday night, Trump said Biden would not pose a threat to him if he entered the 2020 presidential race.
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| UPDATE 3-Boeing software re-activated before Ethiopian crash -sources Posted: 03 Apr 2019 07:17 AM PDT ![UPDATE 3-Boeing software re-activated before Ethiopian crash -sources]( "UPDATE 3-Boeing software re-activated before Ethiopian crash -sources") SEATTLE/PARIS/WASHINGTON, April 3 (Reuters) - Boeing anti-stall software on a doomed Ethiopian Airlines jet re-engaged and pushed the jet downwards after the pilots initially turned it off due to suspect data from an airflow sensor, two people familiar with the matter said. It was not immediately clear whether the crew intentionally re-deployed the MCAS system, which was designed to push the nose of the 737 MAX down to prevent a stall but which is suspected of exacerbating a different scenario linked to two recent crashes. A person with knowledge of the aircraft said the system cannot re-activate itself unless prompted by pilots.
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| NATO plans for Russian 'aggression' on 70th anniversary Posted: 04 Apr 2019 01:31 PM PDT  NATO said Thursday it was taking new action to counter Russia's "aggression," finding a united message amid other differences within the Western alliance on its 70th anniversary. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance approved new surveillance measures and naval exercises in the Black Sea to back Ukraine and Georgia, aspiring members of NATO that are facing Russian-backed separatist forces. Stoltenberg urged Russia to return three Ukrainian navy vessels and its sailors which it seized in November near Crimea -- the peninsula that Moscow annexed in 2014, in a move not recognized internationally.
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| The FDA Is Investigating a Possible Link Between Vaping and Seizures Posted: 03 Apr 2019 10:33 AM PDT  Nicotine poisoning may be to blame
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| Brexit compromise may rest on UK odd couple May and Corbyn Posted: 04 Apr 2019 09:15 AM PDT  LONDON (AP) — She is the strait-laced daughter of an Anglican priest who has championed conservative values all her life; he has for decades campaigned on issues dear to left-wingers around the world.
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| Teen Found Wandering Around Kentucky Is Not Missing Boy Timmothy Pitzen. He’s Actually a 23-Year-Old Man. Posted: 04 Apr 2019 01:58 PM PDT  Photo Illustration The Daily Beast/ReutersThe person who claimed to be Timmothy Pitzen after he was found wandering in Kentucky is not the Illinois boy who vanished in 2011, but a 23-year-old man, the FBI confirmed through DNA testing on Thursday.The young man, who was found battered and alone in Newport, Kentucky, on Wednesday, told police he was the 6-year-old boy who went missing seven years ago after his mother picked him up at his Aurora, Illinois, elementary school for a road trip. In 2011, police found Pitzen's mother dead by suicide alongside a note saying her son was with people who "would care for him and love him." "You will never find him," the note added. Investigators confirmed the person claiming to be Pitzen was not the missing teen after a 24-hour DNA test. Furthermore, Newport police said, the boy was no boy at all: He is a 23-year-old man named Brian Michael Rini from Medina, Ohio."We know that you are out there somewhere, Tim, and we will never stop looking for you, praying for you and loving you," Pitzen's aunt, Kara Jacobs, said in a press conference after the DNA results were released.The FBI said in a tweet that a local investigation continues "into this person's true identity.""To be clear, law enforcement has not and will not forget Timmothy, and we hope to one day reunite him with his family. Unfortunately, that day will not be today," the agency said.Pitzen's grandmother, Alana Anderson, said the family has been on "tenterhooks," hopeful that their Timmothy was coming home."I feel so sorry for the young man who's obviously had a horrible time and felt the need to say he was someone else in hope that they can find his family," Anderson said.On Wednesday, Rini told Campbell County police that he escaped two male kidnappers while they were staying at a Cincinnati Red Roof Inn and ran across a bridge just over the Ohio River before knocking on a car window to ask for help, authorities said."He walked up to my car and he went, 'Can you help me? I just want to get home. Can you just please help me?' And I asked him what was going on and he told me he's been kidnapped," a good Samaritan who called police told WCPO.The Campbell County Sheriff's Office immediately contacted other nearby law-enforcement agencies, including the FBI field office, and searched all of the Red Roof Inns in its jurisdiction, according to the police report. Rini described his alleged captors as having "bodybuilder-type build" and were last seen in a "newer" Ford SUV with Wisconsin plates. Police were unable to find the described men. According to the police report, one of the men allegedly wearing Mountain Dew shirt and jeans was described as having "black curly hair...and a spider web tattoo on his neck," while the other "is short in stature and had a snake tattoo on his arms."Newport Police confirmed they are looking into Rini's claim of being kidnapped and acknowledged that he has given false statements in the past 24 hours when he claimed to be a kidnapped teenager. His motive is still unknown, and it's unclear whether he'll be charged with a crime.The 23-year-old man has reportedly been arrested three times, once in 2015 for allegedly making false reports that involved an Ohio law-enforcement agency, according to the Medina Post. Along with three other men, Rini was also arrested in 2017 for allegedly hosting a party in Medina, Ohio, and causing over $1,250 of damage in a model home, according to The Medina Gazette."Although we are disappointed that this turned out to be a hoax, we remain diligent in our search for Timmothy, as our missing person's case remains unsolved," Aurora police spokesman Sgt. Bill Rowley said in a press conference Thursday, adding that they will be investigating "this hoax."The FBI tested genetic material belonging to the man claiming to be Pitzen and compared them to a DNA sample from the missing teen, a spokesperson told The Daily Beast, adding that the results were "top priority.""We still have no confirmation of the identity of the person located, but hope to have something later this afternoon or early this evening," an Aurora Police spokesperson told The Daily Beast. "Unless or until his identity is confirmed, we have no official statement to mark, and nothing of substance to add."On May 11, 2011, 43-year-old Amy Fry-Pitzen checked her 6-year-old son out of his elementary school for a three-day vacation, which included a trip to a local zoo and a waterpark. She did not inform the boy's father of her intentions. The pair were last seen at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisc., according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.Three days later, Fry-Pitzen was found dead inside a motel room and her son missing. Aurora police told The Daily Beast on Thursday that the mother who openly struggled with depression suggested in her note that she might have "dropped her son off with a friend.""We never forgot, never stopped thinking about him everyday, stayed in touch with the police," Anderson, told NBC Chicago on Wednesday when she heard the news. "It just went cold and I just prayed that when he was old enough that he would remember us and contact us—that was kind of the best I could hope for for a long time."Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here
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| Beats launches its new wireless Powerbeats Pro headphones Posted: 04 Apr 2019 09:28 AM PDT  The Powerbeats Pro are 23% smaller than current-gen Powerbeats and 17% lighter. The headphones automatically light up when taken out of the box, and switch off (and charge) when put back in. The headphones are of course also compatible with iOS and Android devices.
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| She was kidnapped in Uganda. They want $500K. Posted: 03 Apr 2019 06:47 PM PDT  From an American kidnapped on a safari in Uganda to the first photo of a black hole, here's Wednesday's news.
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| Ethiopian Airlines: Pilots followed Boeing emergency procedures but could not stop plane going down, report says Posted: 04 Apr 2019 04:09 AM PDT  Pilots of an airliner that crashed last month in Ethiopia initially followed Boeing's emergency steps for dealing with a sudden downturn of the nose of their plane but could not regain control, according to a published report. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that pilots of the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max turned off a flight-control system but still couldn't get the plane to climb. They turned the system back on and tried other actions before the plane crashed, the paper said, citing people familiar with preliminary findings of the crash investigation. The findings were confirmed by Ethiopia Airlines on Thursday. In a statement, Boeing urged against speculating before the preliminary report and flight data from the plane are released. The Journal says the pilots' actions are still being evaluated by investigators but could raise questions about assertions made by Boeing and US regulators in the aftermath of another Max crash in October that pilots could regain control simply by following steps to turn off a specific anti-stall system. Flight ET302's final moments in the air Investigators are examining the crashes that killed all 346 aboard the 737 Max 8 jets operated by Indonesia's Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines, including the role of a flight-control system called MCAS, which under some circumstances could automatically turn the plane's nose down to prevent an aerodynamic stall. The Journal reported that data downloaded from the plane's black boxes indicates that the Ethiopian Airlines pilots followed recommendations to flip two switches that disconnected the system, but the plane kept sinking. They turned a manual wheel that adjusts the plane's tail, and used electric switches in an effort to climb, but that reactivated MCAS, which continued to push the plane's nose lower. Ethiopian investigators are expected to release their preliminary findings in the next few days. Boeing is the focus of investigations by the Justice Department, the Transportation Department's inspector general, and congressional committees. Investigations are also looking at the role of the Federal Aviation Administration, which certified the Max in 2017 and declined to ground it after the first deadly crash in October. Sign up for your essential, twice-daily briefing from The Telegraph with our free Front Page newsletter.
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| Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Meet the Trump supporter trying to take her down through campaign finance complaints Posted: 03 Apr 2019 03:48 PM PDT  The man trying to bring down Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her staff for allegedly breaking campaign finance laws during the 2018 midterm elections, is a devout partisan and proud Donald Trump supporter, known for his distaste for the very campaign finance regulations he is using to try and stir up controversy.Dan Backer, a Virginia attorney, filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Wednesday, alleging that Ms Ocasio-Cortez and her chief of staff Seikat Chakrabarti engaged in a "scheme" to undercut normal "market value" for campaign services for her and several other progressive candidates.It is a complaint that Mr Backer says shows Ms Ocasio-Cortez's "hypocrisy" as an advocate for campaign finance reform, even if he does not personally agree with the underlying law. And, it is Mr Backer's own duality on these issues that campaign finance experts say illustrates how easy it is for partisan complaints to be filed with the FEC and make news with little in-depth scrutiny."I think much of what they set out to do SHOULD be legal, and the provisions restricting people from engaging in robust political activity in this way are likely unconstitutional, but it's still the law," Mr Backer told The Independent in an email.He continued: "And it's self-aggrandising 'reformers' like [Ms Ocasio-Cortez] who seek to make the laws even more burdensome. I would be thrilled if the adjudication here resulted in overturning some of these restrictions, but until then it's still the law and a self-professed reformer ought to follow the laws."A request sent to Ms Ocasio-Cortez's office seeking comment on Mr Backer's allegations received no reply. She has previously claimed the campaign finance allegations against her originated from a "conspiracy machine".In the newest complaint, Mr Backer charges that Ms Ocasio-Cortez and Mr Chakrabarti controlled three overlapping entities — the Justice Democrats PAC, the Brand New Congress PAC and Brand New Congress LLC — with a goal to "subsidise cheap assistance for Ocasio-Cortez and other candidates at rates far below market value".The complaint details a string of allegations, with multiple different ways that Mr Backer says Ms Ocasio-Cortez may have violated campaign finance laws."Dan Backer is a longtime actor in this space who has scored some notable victories. He has won, but he also has a reputation for taking a kind of kitchen sink approach," said Daniel Weiner, the senior counsel for the Brennan Centre for Justice."He sues the FEC constantly and loses much more often than he wins, though he has won," Mr Weiner continued. "He's also, frankly, he's a very, very committed partisan. Not unlike many people in this bar. He's also a committed — one might even say ferocious — opponent of campaign finance regulation generally."Mr Backer's complaint was filed on Wednesday on behalf of the Coolidge Reagan Foundation, a conservative activist group that has challenged Ms Ocasio-Cortez for campaign finance violations on at least one other occasion.The foundation is run by Mr Backer and by Shaun McCutcheon, a Republican donor and delegate for Mr Trump who once challenged — and won with Mr Backer's help — the FEC over limits on aggregate campaign donations to federal candidates during a two year period.In addition to his complaints against Ms Ocasio-Cortez, Mr Backer has been active in Republican politics organising against former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.Mr Backer helped to establish the Stop Hillary PAC, for instance, which was highly critical of her handling of the 2012 attacks on US government facilities in Benghazi, Libya, where a US ambassador was killed. The PAC was later renamed following Mr Trump's election as the Committee to Defend the President.Mr Backer was also involved in a complaint accusing the Clinton campaign in 2016 of campaign violations related to payments to Fusion GPS – the company that helped produce the dossier compiled by ex-British spy Christopher Steele.With Mr Backer's signature behind it, the Committee to Defend the President and a separate pro-Trump PAC called Great America PAC have already begun spending big to support the president's re-election bid. By mid-February, for instance, those two groups had already spent $441,038 and $821,280, respectively, according to the Centre for Responsive Politics.
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| Bankrupt California utility PG&E announces new CEO, board shakeup Posted: 04 Apr 2019 12:29 AM PDT  Troubled California utility PG&E on Tuesday named Bill Johnson as its new CEO, as it faces contentious bankruptcy proceedings and billions of dollars in potential liabilities over its role in a series of deadly wildfires. The largest utility in the most populous American state, Pacific Gas and Electric Company has been under intensifying scrutiny in the wake of the 2018 Camp Fire in northern California that left 86 people dead and destroyed some 18,000 buildings. PG&E could face massive liabilities if investigators find that its equipment was responsible for the fire.
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| Former gang member warns about the dangers of open borders Posted: 02 Apr 2019 07:48 PM PDT  2020 Democratic candidate Julian Castro wants to decriminalize illegal border crossings; former Rockwood St. Locos gang member Casey Diaz weighs in.
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| U.K. Parliament Acts to Block a Potentially Chaotic No-Deal Brexit Posted: 04 Apr 2019 01:25 AM PDT  Britain took a decisive step away from a damaging no-deal Brexit as members of Parliament and political leaders backed efforts to prevent a disorderly departure from the European Union. The House of Commons vote shortly before midnight Wednesday to block a no-deal divorce destroyed the dream of some of Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative Party members for a clean break with the bloc as soon as next week. The vote makes a no-deal split from the EU "very unlikely," Health Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC Radio on Thursday.
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| Man arrested in reported sword attack over 'MAGA' hat spat Posted: 04 Apr 2019 05:31 PM PDT ![Man arrested in reported sword attack over 'MAGA' hat spat]( "Man arrested in reported sword attack over 'MAGA' hat spat") SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Officers arrested a man who slashed another man with a sword after the victim allegedly knocked his "Make America Great Again" hat from his head, San Francisco police said Thursday.
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| Crazy deal slashes a popular wireless charger to just $7 Posted: 03 Apr 2019 04:54 AM PDT  If you need a new wireless charger, there's really only one model you should even consider buying right now. It's the CHOETECH Wireless Charger, and it's somehow on sale right now for just $7.31. Seriously, that's not a typo! This excellent wireless charging pad has more than 3,400 5-star ratings on Amazon and it normally sells for $12, which is a terrific price. But if you clip the 5% coupon on the Amazon page and use the special coupon code VYARO3T3 at checkout, the price drops to just $7.31. This deal will almost certainly sell out, so definitely grab one while you still can!Here's more info from the product page: * 【About Brand CHOETECH】As the expert in wireless charging industry for more than 6 years, CHOETECH has already shared 70% of the international market, attracted more than 3,000,000 loyal users around the world. All these are obtained on the strength of our extremely premium products and fully considerate services all the time. * 【Safer Charging】Using highly efficient components and an advanced chipset, charging intelligently, Qi & ETL Certified, integrated smart chip inside it that resist the wireless charging pad from over-heating, over-voltage and short circuit. * 【Case Friendly】Our wireless charger is suitable for phone case which is within 4mm/0.16inch. But for more efficient charging, we still recommend you to remove the case before charging. (As metal attachments or credit cards may damage your phone.) * 【Universal Compatibility】This qi charger works with fully Qi-enabled devices like iPhone X, XS, XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone 8/8 Plus,New AirPods, Samsung Galaxy S10, S10+, S10E, Note 9, S9, S9 Plus, Note 8, S8, S8 Plus, S7, S7 Edge, S6, S6 Edge, Google Pixel 3/3xl, Nokia 9, Nexus 4, 5, Lumia 920 and other Qi-Enabled devices. * 【Ultra Slim & Anti-Slip】 0.3 inches thickness, through countless data analysis, we have designed the most suitable size charging pad, which is perfect for small places but it's also big enough to put phone anywhere on it to charge., with anti-slip rubber to keep it stays in place.(CHOETECH Qi Wireless Charger comes with 18-months free warranty and friendly customer service)
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| American woman kidnapped in Uganda; $500K ransom demanded Posted: 04 Apr 2019 01:38 AM PDT  An American tourist and a local guide were ambushed and kidnapped by four armed men who demanded a $500,000 ransom, Ugandan police said.
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| Boeing 737 MAX Crashed After System Forced Its Nose Down 'Uncommanded,' Ethiopia Says Posted: 04 Apr 2019 03:37 AM PDT  The pilots of a Boeing 737 Max jetliner that crashed in Ethiopia last month struggled as the plane's automated commands pushed the nose down, investigators said.
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| Did Joe Biden miss his moment? Posted: 02 Apr 2019 06:05 PM PDT  Former VP Joe Biden is under fire after Nevada legislator Lucy Flores said he inappropriately planted a "big slow kiss" on her head at a 2014 campaign rally. What happens next?
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| Nato chief makes unprecedented pitch to US Congress on need for trans-Atlantic unity Posted: 03 Apr 2019 12:51 PM PDT  Nato's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg made an unprecedented pitch to Congress for unity amid transatlantic tensions on Wednesday, as he marked 70 years since its founding charter was signed in Washington. Mr Stoltenberg gave a ringing defense of "the most successful alliance in history," which has often been derided by Donald Trump, the US president. He used the speech to underscore America's "enduring support" for the historic alliance and downplayed disagreements with Mr Trump, saying: "Nato has been good for Europe, but Nato has also been good for the United States." He added: "We have to be frank. Questions are being asked on both sides of the Atlantic about the strength of our partnership. And, yes, there are differences. "The strength of Nato is that despite our differences, we have always been able to unite around our core task: to defend each other, protect each other, and to keep our people safe". Jens Stoltenberg addresses a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill Credit: Reuters Members of Congress, who greeted Mr Stoltenberg with repeated cheers and standing ovations, said they viewed his address as a chance to reaffirm the American commitment to the Nato alliance. His address to a joint session of Congress - a rare honour usually reserved for heads of state - is the first by a Nato chief. The invitation from Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic House Speaker, and Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader of the Senate, has been seen as a rebuke of Mr Trump and his repeated bashing of the alliance. An invitation to meet with Mr Trump at the White House was later extended to Mr Stoltenberg. The Trump administration's relationship with Nato has been fractious, with the president publicly pressuring other partners to pay their "fair share" in defence spending. During an on-camera meeting in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Mr Stoltenberg appeared at times stony faced as Mr Trump criticised German defence spending and predicted the US would get along with Russia. However he acknowledged that Mr Trump's demand appeared to be paying off, telling the president: "As you just mentioned, after years of cutting defense budgets, Nato allies have now started to invest more. And by the end of next year, they will have added $100 billion more into their defense budgets since you took office." Mr Trump has continued to criticise other allies' spending commitments Credit: Rex Mr Stoltenberg also used his speech Wednesday to warn of the threat "a more assertive Russia" posed to the alliance, including its violations of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. "Nato has no intention of deploying land-based nuclear missiles in Europe," Mr Stoltenberg said. "But Nato will always take the necessary steps to provide credible and effective deterrence." Mr Stoltenberg's address is part of a two-day meeting in the US capital for foreign ministers from the 29-member alliance to mark its 70th anniversary. The celebrations are also intended to show a tough, united front on a resurgent Russia but Mr Trump's rhetoric is not the only chord of disunity among the allies. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu insisted Wednesday that his country would push ahead with buying Russia's S-400 missile defense system. "The S-400 deal is a done deal and we will not step back from this," he told a think-tank forum in Washington. Mr Cavusoglu went on to say that Turkey still backed Nato on core concerns with Russia and would never recognise Moscow's 2014 takeover of Crimea from Ukraine. But he said Turkey turned to Russia as it could not buy US Patriot missiles and claimed Mr Trump had said in a phone call that his predecessor Barack Obama had made a "mistake" not to sell the system to Ankara. It was also announced this week that Nato is to fund a $260 million weapons store at an airbase in central Poland to ward off Kremlin aggression. Mr Stoltenberg said the weapons store, along with improved infrastructure will "underpin the increased US presence in Poland". Sign up for your essential, twice-daily briefing from The Telegraph with our free Front Page newsletter.
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| The 2020 Toyota Supra Gets Better MPG Than a Lot of Other Sports Cars Posted: 04 Apr 2019 10:43 AM PDT |
| Roadmap for Syria's Manbij moving slower than desired: Turkish military sources Posted: 04 Apr 2019 06:39 AM PDT  Work between Turkey and the United States to implement an agreement over the Syrian town of Manbij is proceeding more slowly than desired, Turkish military sources said. Turkey is making efforts to speed up the process, the sources said, referring to an agreement between the NATO allies to a complete withdrawal of the Kurdish YPG militia from the town. Turkey and Russia have conducted three coordinated patrols in the mainly Kurdish-controlled northern Syrian region of Tel Rifaat and plan to continue the patrols, the sources said.
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| Turkey recounts Istanbul votes after Erdogan's party appeals loss Posted: 03 Apr 2019 09:17 AM PDT  Turkish electoral authorities on Wednesday recounted votes in more than a dozen Istanbul districts after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AKP challenged results giving the opposition a narrow victory in a weekend election. The AKP won most votes nationwide in Sunday's municipal ballot, but tallies also showed the party lost the capital Ankara and the country's economic hub Istanbul in one of its worst setbacks in a decade and a half in power. AKP officials on Tuesday filed a challenge with electoral authorities saying they had found irregularities in ballots in both Ankara and Istanbul.
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| Dalai Lama lauds New Zealand PM for handling mosque attacks Posted: 04 Apr 2019 04:17 AM PDT  NEW DELHI (AP) — The Dalai Lama on Thursday praised New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for her compassionate handling of a recent attack on two mosques by a gunman that left 50 Muslim worshippers dead in Christchurch.
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| Google’s $900 Pixel 3 XL is only $522 on Amazon if you get a refurb Posted: 04 Apr 2019 06:49 AM PDT  Before you go and blow $900 or more on a new Pixel 3 XL, there's a limited-time deal on Amazon that you'll definitely want to check out. Pixel Phone 3 XL Smartphones in Just Black with 64GB of storage are down to just $522 and change right now. Or, if you want white instead of black, you can snag one for $530. These awesome Pixel phones are factory unlocked and they come with US warranties. Hurry before they sell out!Here are the bullet points from the product page: * This Certified Refurbished product has been tested and certified to work and look like new, with minimal to no signs of wear, by a specialized third-party seller approved by Amazon. The product is backed by a minimum 90-day warranty and may arrive in a generic brown or white box. Accessories may be generic and not directly from the manufacturer. * Create, share and stay connected with this black or white Google Pixel 3 XL smartphone. Its 64GB of storage lets you save important files and apps, and the 12.2-megapixel rear camera has autofocus to take professional-looking photos easily. The 6.3-inch touch screen on this Google Pixel 3 XL smartphone is water-resistant and dust-resistant. * Google Pixel 3 XL (64GB, 6.3") Factory Unlocked US Warranty, Brand: Google, Model: Pixel 3 XL Factory Unlocked, GSM MPN: G013C, Operating System: Latest Android 9 Pie (3 years of OS and security updates), Cellular Band: Unlocked, Lock Status: Network Unlocked, Screen Size: Fullscreen 6.3 inches QHDplus OLED at 523ppi * Glass: Corning Gorilla Glass 5, Network: Unlocked World-wide network/carrier compatibility with GSM/EDGE: Quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) CDMA EVDO Rev A: BC0/BC1/BC10 WCDMA: W1/W2 Camera Resolution: 12.2MP HDR Support (UHDA certification), 4K Video Recording Rear Camera: 12.2MP dual pixel, f/1.8 aperture, Autofocus and dual pixel phase detection, Optical and electronic image stabilization, Spectral and flicker sensor Dual Front Cameras: 8MP wide angle and normal FoV cameras. * RAM: 4 GB, Storage Capacity: 64GB, Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (2.5GHz plus 1.6GHz), 64Bit Octa Core Adreno 630 ,Battery: 3430 mAh battery, 18w fast charging, Qi wireless charging, 18w/2A USB Type C charger, Wireless and Location: Wi Fi 2.4GHz plus 5.0GHz 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0 LE Materials: Aluminum frame plus hybrid coating, Style: Bar
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| First Parent to Plead Guilty in College Admissions Scandal Posted: 03 Apr 2019 02:34 PM PDT  A dozen others appeared in federal court in Boston on Wednesday, where the 100-seat courtroom was standing room only. Among the parents were actors Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin and attorney Gordon Caplan, the former co-chairman of Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Moments earlier, Peter Jan Sartorio, a 53-year-old packaged-food entrepreneur from Menlo Park, California, filed notice of his intended guilty plea.
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| Hundreds gather for funeral of Samantha Josephson, student killed after getting into wrong car Posted: 04 Apr 2019 09:03 AM PDT  Family and friends gathered to mourn the death of the New Jersey woman killed after getting into a car she thought was her Uber.
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| How Joe Biden could make me start forgiving him for Anita Hill (first, stop touching) Posted: 04 Apr 2019 07:33 AM PDT  Maybe this outcry will teach Biden and a whole generation of entitled old white guys that uninvited touching is paternalistic and patronizing.
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| 4 arrested after video shows wild fight inside Atlantic City McDonald's Posted: 03 Apr 2019 04:05 AM PDT  Police said a 21-year-old and three 17-year-old girls are being charged for attacking McDonald's employees and using pepper spray.
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| DHS Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen to Tucker Carlson: Getting Rid of Birthright Citizenship Is ‘on the Table’ Posted: 02 Apr 2019 07:27 PM PDT  Hours after President Trump declared he would "100 percent" close America's southern border if he can't make a deal with Congress on border security and immigration, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told Fox News host Tucker Carlson that eliminating birthright citizenship is "on the table" as a way to stop the flow of undocumented immigrants and asylum-seeking migrants.Nielsen, who recently requested additional resources from Congress as border officials aim to quadruple the number of deportations of asylum seekers, appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight Tuesday evening to discuss the influx of Central American migrants at the southern border, and Carlson immediately began grilling her about what the administration was doing to "fix this."At times, it even seemed as if the Fox News host might be gunning for Nielsen's job as he bombarded her with his own proposed solutions to the border crisis.What about punishing employers "who are setting the bait in this trap, who are encouraging illegal aliens to come into this country?" he asked. (Interestingly, the president's own businesses allegedly employed numerous undocumented workers—until they were caught by the press.)"That is part of the problem," Nielsen said, adding that steps are already being taken to address just that issue. "We're looking to do everything we can throughout the system to apply penalties where we can," she said. Carlson was not satisfied with that answer. "Well how bout this, why wouldn't your agency write an executive order, present it to the president, have him sign it and do it tomorrow?"Nielsen went on to argue that "there's a debate in Congress" regarding the executive branch on implementing an order like that, prompting Carlson to blast Congress while advocating for more direct executive actions."It looks like Congress is not going to act because one party has a vested interest in changing the population and the other party is, in effect, controlled by people who want illegal immigration," Carlson asserted. "So would there be a downside for the president to act unilaterally on that question or, for example, birthright citizenship? Would you be willing to draft an executive order eliminating birthright citizenship?"The Homeland Security chief responded that Trump has been clear that it is "all on the table" and he's serious about shutting down the border."Yes, everything is on the table," she reiterated.Carlson, after noting that "things seem less under control now" at the border than before Trump was elected, asked later in the interview if the administration would send the military to the border since "it's really a crisis of that magnitude." Nielsen said they "are looking into that" and have sent a request to the Department of Defense, causing Carlson to ask who is in charge and if it would be possible for the commander-in-chief to move "troops to the border tomorrow.""He has full authority to defend our country," Nielsen said of Trump. "That's what he is moving to do. His statements about closing the border are a perfect example. We will take all action to do this. It's on the table."One topic that did not get addressed in Carlson's interview with Nielsen, however, was Tuesday's scoop by the Daily Beast that DHS was disbanding its terror intelligence unit even though white supremacist terrorism is on the rise. Read more at The Daily Beast.
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| The Buick LaCrosse Gets a Nice Facelift for China, Is Still Dead in America Posted: 03 Apr 2019 08:45 AM PDT  Buick's biggest sedan is now dead in the U.S., but it lives on in China with a new front end.
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| Remains of Israeli soldier missing since 1982 Lebanon war returned Posted: 03 Apr 2019 09:58 AM PDT  Israel announced Wednesday that the remains of a soldier missing since the 1982 Lebanon war had been returned to the country, bringing to a close a highly sensitive case for Israelis. Sergeant First Class Zachary Baumel had been missing since what is known as the Battle of Sultan Yacoub, said Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus. "It is one of the most moving moments in all my years at the head of the country," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address from his Jerusalem office.
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| Removing Turkey from F-35 jet's supply chain could slow work on 75 jets: Navy officer Posted: 04 Apr 2019 07:34 AM PDT  If Turkey were removed from the F-35 jet supply chain amid a dispute with the United States over its planned purchase of a Russian missile system, it would impact the production rate for up to 75 of the fighters, a Pentagon official said on Thursday. The United States has halted delivery of equipment related to the stealthy fighter aircraft to Turkey. It was the first concrete American step to block delivery of the jet to the NATO ally in light of the planned purchase of Russia's S-400 missile defense system.
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| These 5 vehicles were the winter's hottest sellers Posted: 03 Apr 2019 08:28 AM PDT ![These 5 vehicles were the winter's hottest sellers]( "These 5 vehicles were the winter's hottest sellers") America's love affair with SUVs is still burning strong, but it wasn't bright enough to lift the auto industry to growth in the first quarter.
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| The Latest: Lightfoot says election is a movement for change Posted: 03 Apr 2019 02:34 AM PDT  CHICAGO (AP) — The Latest on the Chicago mayoral election (all times local):
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