| Alleged commander of militia reportedly said group was training to assassinate Clinton, Obama Posted: 23 Apr 2019 03:51 AM PDT  The group has posted social media videos of its volunteers apprehending migrants crossing the U.S. border in New Mexico.
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| North Korea's Kim on way to Russia to meet Putin on Thursday Posted: 23 Apr 2019 04:31 PM PDT  MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for a much-anticipated summit Thursday, the Kremlin said, ending weeks of speculation about the meeting's timing and venue.
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| US STOCKS-S&P 500 hovers below record highs on mixed earnings Posted: 24 Apr 2019 10:07 AM PDT ![US STOCKS-S&P 500 hovers below record highs on mixed earnings]( "US STOCKS-S&P 500 hovers below record highs on mixed earnings") U.S. stocks hovered below their all-time highs on Wednesday, as investors digested a mixed batch of earnings reports and losses in energy stocks limited gains on the indexes. The S&P 500 is 0.3% below its record high of 2,940.91 hit in late September.
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| Kushner Backs CIA Finding of Saudi Blame for Khashoggi Death Posted: 23 Apr 2019 09:24 AM PDT  "Look, I'm not going to dispute American intelligence services' recommendations. Trump has played down the role of the crown prince in Khashoggi's murder at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul last year.
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| First picture of 'mastermind' behind Sri Lanka suicide bomb attacks as identity of UK student is revealed Posted: 24 Apr 2019 07:43 AM PDT  This is the first image of Inshaf Ahamed Ibrahim, the Sri Lankan suicide bomber and alleged mastermind of the atrocity which killed 359 people. Ibrahim, 33, blew himself up at the Shangri-La Hotel at just before 9am local time in a third-floor restaurant. The hotel was full of tourists including British victims Anita Nicholson, 42, and her two children Alex, 14, and 11-year-old daughter Annabel. Ibrahim's younger brother Ilham also killed himself when he detonated a suicide bomb at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, also in the capital Colombo, five minutes later. The father of the two dead terrorists is a senior and wealthy businessman in Sri Lanka who ran a large spice trading company. Inshaf Ibrahim was involved in the spice export company but also ran a copper factory where it is thought the bombs were manufactured. It also emerged one suicide bombers who perpetrated the Easter Sunday attacks was former UK student Abdul Lathief Jameel Mohamed, The Telegraph has learned. A group of men claiming to be the the Sri Lanka bomb attackers appear in an Isil propaganda video Credit: Twitter Mohamed is understood to have studied in south east England at some point between 2006 and 2007 before later enrolling on a postgraduate course in Australia. He is then believed to have returned to Sri Lanka. He was one of nine terrorists who carried out a series of blasts targeting churches and hotels in the country, killing 359 people - including eight from Britain. More than 500 were injured. His identity came to light after Sri Lanka's deputy defence minister Ruwan Wijewardene said earlier today that one of the bombers had studied in the UK. "We believe one of the suicide bombers studied in the UK and then later on did his postgraduate in Australia, before coming back to settle in Sri Lanka," said Mr Wijewardene, without naming the suspect. He said one of the bombers was a woman. He told a press conference in the capital, Colombo, that most of the suicide bombers were "well-educated and come from middle or upper-middle class," adding that they were "financially quite independent." Some held law degrees," he added. Mr Wijewardene's comments came as the police confirmed that the death toll for Sunday's massacre had risen to 359. The attacks were claimed on Tuesday by the Islamic State militant group, which did not give any evidence to support its claim. If true, it would make it one of the worst attacks linked to the group outside Iraq and Syria. The deputy defence minister said that 60 people "have been arrested on possible links to the attacks" and 32 of those are still in custody. All are Sri Lankan. Sri Lanka attacks - Locator map Among those assisting police, reported India's First Post, is Mohammed Yusuf Ibrahim, a wealthy spice trader and pillar of the Sri Lankan business community, whose two sons Imsath Ahmed Ibrahim, 33, and Ilham Ahmed Ibrahim, 31 allegedly bombed the breakfast buffets at the Cinnamon Grand and Shangri La hotels. Indian intelligence sources told the website that a third son Ijas Ahmed Ibrahim, 30, was also reportedly asked about the attack. Police are understood to be investigating possible links to overseas jihadist networks and training camps that had been hidden on a remote compound near Wanathawilluwa, on the island's west coast. The compound, believed to be linked to the chief suspects in the Easter Sunday bombings, the National Thawheed Jamaath group, was raided by police in January. Read more | Sri Lanka attacks Officers found 100kg of military grade explosives and arrested four suspects, all of whom were released on bail. One Sri Lankan minister alleged on Monday that political pressure had been applied to free them. Outside the Ibrahim family home in Colombo, neighbours told The Telegraph that Imsath was the business brains and Ilham was more aloof and awkward. "Imsath was the best of the sons. He runs the business and he drives good cars and wears Western brands," said one neighbour. "Ilham was not so bright and not well educated." At a copper factory owned by Imsath in the Colombo suburb of Wellampitiya, workers said they had not seen him for a week. Sri Lankan staff and supervisors at Colossus Ltd had been arrested for questioning leaving only abandoned Bangladeshi migrant workers.
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| Bernie Sanders Got It Right on CNN: Felons Ought to Be Allowed to Vote Posted: 24 Apr 2019 02:21 AM PDT  Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/GettyIn their CNN town halls Monday night, Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders and Mayor Pete Buttigieg disagreed on whether current prisoners should be able to vote. Sen. Kamala Harris refused to endorse a plan for expanding the franchise to incarcerated people, but supported voting rights for former prisoners.Sanders was specifically asked about Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and "those convicted of sexual assault." What sane person would want them to vote? Our political system is already run by crooks. Do we want to add murderers and rapists too?In European history dating to Roman times, criminals could be stripped of their legal personality after committing a crime. They could not sign contracts or own property. They were outlaws, banished from the city walls. John Locke and other political theorists argued that criminals broke an implicit social contract: a rule-breaker should lose the right to make rules for others. But Locke lived in a time when only white, male, wealthy landowners could vote. Today, the right to vote is enshrined in democratic constitutions and international treaties. In American history, many states' exclusions of those with a criminal record from voting date to the post-Civil War period and were clearly aimed at denying the franchise to African Americans. Criminal justice reform advocates argue that suffering a Medieval-style "civil death" dehumanizes prisoners, prevents their reintegration into society, and perpetuates inequalities in our political system. We should not assume that prisoners are less knowledgeable about politics than those outside of prison—that's a pretty low bar, after all. Encouraging prisoners to feel involved in the political process can have real benefits too. Isolating prisoners from the political process during and after their incarceration further stigmatizes and isolates them, and that can encourage reoffending.Prisoners lose many of their rights when they go to prison. They can't serve on a jury from a prison cell, or own guns; both of those are probably reasonable proscriptions. They probably should not own guns. But prisoners do not lose all their rights in prison. They are entitled to practice their religion and can challenge the conditions of their confinement. Taking away prisoners' liberty is already a heavy punishment. Allowing them to cast an absentee ballot is not an unreasonable privilege.The most important consequence of allowing prisoners to vote is that it would remove the incentives for "prison gerrymandering." In most U.S. states, prisoners are counted by the census based on where they are incarcerated, not where they are registered to vote. Because most large prisons are in sparsely populated rural areas, prison complexes have an important effect on gerrymandering. Many prisoners are racial minorities or people who live in urban areas, which means these places lose voting population, while more conservative areas gain nonvoting population. This advantages Republican congressmen in places like upstate New York, who benefit from inflated populations for redistricting purposes, but have nothing to fear at election time. Prisoner disenfranchisement therefore contributes to a structural disparity that causes Congress and state legislatures to be more conservative than the public at large.While many states are in the process of revising their laws to allow ex-prisoners to vote, voting by current prisoners only exists in Maine, Puerto Rico, and Vermont—the latter represented by Sanders in the U.S. Senate. In addition, the trend across the developed world is to allow at least some prisoners to vote. The supreme courts of South Africa, Canada, and Israel have legalized voting for at least some prisoners. The European Court of Human Rights has also rejected blanket prohibitions on prisoner voting, though it has allowed exceptions.The policy options are far broader than a single audience question would suggest. In Germany, prisoners can vote unless they were convicted of terrorism or political violence, an exception that would encompass Tsarnaev's marathon attack. Other European countries prevent violent criminals, those serving lengthy or life sentences, or war criminals from voting. Exceptions for crimes of dishonesty or fraud might be reasonable as well. In a few countries, only those convicted of misdemeanors can vote, rather than felonies.These are policy debates we should be willing to have. Even if we allowed only persons serving misdemeanor sentences in local jails to vote, this alone might add nearly 300,000 voters to the rolls. Prisoner voting is already underway in some states and developed countries, so it is hardly a revolutionary position. Overbroad restrictions on voting help ensure that politicians select their own voters, rather than voters electing their own politicians.Andrew Novak is Assistant Professor of Criminology Law and Society at George Mason University.Read more at The Daily Beast.
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| UPDATE 2-PG&E get approval to pay employees $350 mln to meet safety goals after wildfires Posted: 23 Apr 2019 04:18 PM PDT ![UPDATE 2-PG&E get approval to pay employees $350 mln to meet safety goals after wildfires]( "UPDATE 2-PG&E get approval to pay employees $350 mln to meet safety goals after wildfires") PG&E Corp can pay employees up to $350 million in bonuses this year to spur them to help meet the bankrupt California power provider's safety goals to prevent wildfires, a judge said on Tuesday. PG&E's management has said the company needs to implement the bonus plan to carry out tasks such as clearing trees and branches around power lines to avert contact that triggers wildfires. While the maximum cost of the plan is $350 million, PG&E has said it expects the likely cost will be around $235 million.
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| The 2020 Nissan 370Z Commemorates 50 Years with a $2600 Special Anniversary Edition Posted: 23 Apr 2019 08:38 AM PDT  The legendary Z turns 50 and celebrates with a unique livery inspired by the iconic BRE 240Z race car.
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| Today’s top deals: $15 Wi-Fi extender, $8 wireless charger, $20 128GB microSD, $10 Philips Hue bulbs, more Posted: 23 Apr 2019 07:12 AM PDT  Today's roundup of the best daily deals we could find has some truly outstanding deals, but perhaps none are quite as good as the one-day sale that gets you Amazon's best-selling Wi-Fi range extender for just $14.99 after a discount and a $5 coupon you can clip. It works with any router, it has more than 20,000 5-star ratings, and it has never been anywhere close to this price! Other top daily deals on Tuesday include a terrific fast wireless charger for just $7.99, a SanDisk 128GB microSD card for $19.99, Philips Hue white LED bulbs for an all-time low of $10 a piece when you buy a 4-pack, another all-time low price for Philips Dusk-to-Dawn LED light bulbs that automatically turn on at night and off in the morning, $40 off the best-selling 8-quart Instant Pot, a $140 stand mixer that's just as good as a KitchenAid, a blazing-fast internal SSD with 120GB of capacity for under $26, Avengers: Infinity War for just $9.99, Netgear's most popular Orbi mesh Wi-Fi bundle at an all-time low price of just $159.99, and plenty more. See all of today's best deals below.
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| Meeting with North Korean leader gives Putin more leverage Posted: 23 Apr 2019 07:09 PM PDT  MOSCOW (AP) — For Russian President Vladimir Putin, a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offers a chance to raise Moscow's clout in the region and gain more leverage with Washington.
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| WWII shipwreck discovered off Australian coast Posted: 23 Apr 2019 06:00 AM PDT  The SS Iron Crown, an Australian freighter sunk by a Japanese submarine during World War II, has been discovered.
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| Democrats Consider Fines for Trump Officials Who Spurn Subpoenas Posted: 24 Apr 2019 01:00 AM PDT  At a meeting of House leaders earlier this month, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler suggested fining officials personally if they deny or ignore subpoenas, according to a person who attended the meeting. Nadler even mentioned jailing administration officials as a consequence for contempt of Congress, though he surmised such a plan might be unrealistic, added the person, who requested anonymity to discuss a closed-door session. The person said the idea surprised many in the room but seemed to have been researched as a serious option by Nadler or his staff.
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| View Photos of the 2019 Lexus LS500h Hybrid Posted: 23 Apr 2019 11:05 AM PDT |
| Self-styled citizen border patrol abandons New Mexico camp: police Posted: 23 Apr 2019 03:28 PM PDT  SUNLAND PARK, N.M./TAOS, N.M. (Reuters) - An armed group that has been stopping migrants illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border honored a request to leave their camp in New Mexico on Tuesday and appeared to be heading home, the local police chief said. The group's leader Larry Hopkins appeared in court in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on Monday to face firearms charges following his arrest on Saturday by the FBI. Sunland Park, New Mexico, Police Chief Javier Guerra said the group left their campsite outside the town following a request by the Union Pacific Railroad, which said they had trespassed on its land.
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| This 1965 Superformance Shelby Cobra Will Break All The Necks Posted: 24 Apr 2019 11:50 AM PDT  This may be a replica, but it's the only one licensed by Shelby. This 1965 Superformance Shelby Cobra has the sleek, instantly recognizable looks of the original Shelby Cobra, making it a standout in a sea of cool cars.
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| Sony's latest TVs range in price from $650 to $70,000 Posted: 23 Apr 2019 06:00 AM PDT  On Monday, Sony announced the pricing of the flagship Master Series televisions as well as that of its new LCD and OLED models originally revealed at CES earlier this year. While the smaller three televisions of the Master segment, the A9G TVs, measure in at 65", 55", and 77" and feature 4K OLED displays with over eight million pixels, the two larger models -- the Z9G TVs -- are 8K HDR televisions with 33 million pixels.
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| Former Texas tennis coach pleads guilty in court in college admissions scandal Posted: 24 Apr 2019 05:34 PM PDT  Michael Center, a former tennis coach at the University of Texas, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in the college admissions scandal.
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| Kim Jong-un heads to Russia for first meeting with Putin Posted: 23 Apr 2019 03:24 PM PDT  North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has left for the Russian city of Vladivostok for his first meeting with president Vladimir Putin, during which the two are expected to discuss sanctions, regional security and Pyongyang's growing need for food aid. Kim "left here by a private train at dawn on Wednesday to visit the Russian Federation," the North's official Korean Central News Agency reported, kicking off a 20-hour journey to the far north-east of his country, where it has a short border with Russia. An aide to Mr Putin said the two leaders would focus on the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula but were not planning to make a joint declaration or sign any agreements. "This visit cannot be seen as a singular event and it has to be looked at in the context of North Korea test-firing some sort of new weapon last week and demanding that the US replace Secretary of State [Mike] Pompeo as Washington's lead negotiator with the North", said Stephen Nagy, a senior associate professor of international relations at Tokyo's International Christian University. "This summit is a third pillar that is designed to demonstrate to the US that North Korea has options that allow it to diversify its diplomatic outreach as it tries to break the US sanctions stranglehold", he said. "It's a strong signal that it has lots of options and that it won't be forced into a bad deal with the US," he told The Telegraph. North Korean and Russian flags fly from lampposts on Russky island where the leaders will meet Credit: STR/AFP/Getty Talks between Kim and US president Donald Trump in Hanoi in February broke down after the United States refused to completely lift sanctions in exchange for the dismantling of the Yongbyon nuclear weapons research facility. Mr Putin's aide said Russia was seeking to follow a 2017 road map for denuclearisation it drafted with China, which called for the end of US missile tests in the area. There are growing indications that North Korea is being affected by sanctions imposed by the United Nations as a result of its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, and Mr Kim is likely to appeal to Mr Putin for assistance in having those sanctions lifted as well as exploring ways to get around them. Russia has already donated 50,000 tonnes of grain to the North as emergency food aid and Mr Kim is expected to ask for more, as well as assistance with energy supplies. The issue of North Korean "slave" labourers abroad, a key source of income for Pyongyang, could be raised after Russia said it had sent home two-thirds of some 30,000 such workers to comply with UN sanctions. Mr Nagy added that the North Korean dictator may also seek ways to obtain the luxuries that he bestows on the key people in his regime that he needs to keep happy in order to retain power. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un departs to visit Russia at undisclosed location Credit: Reuters Mr Putin - whose government is also under US sanctions - could be receptive to requests for aid. He has criticised Washington's pressure on Pyongyang, suggesting that US belligerence has forced it to continue developing weapons. Russia has been accused of helping North Korea dodge the UN embargo on fuel shipments. Attempts to increase his diplomatic influence in the region complement the trade deals and military exercises undertaken for what Mr Putin has called a "pivot to Asia". Moscow has previously sought to revive the six-party talks that temporarily achieved the closure of North Korean nuclear facilities in 2007. "It's clear that Mr Putin is trying to complicate the US diplomatic presence in the region and efforts to achieve the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and he wants Moscow to have a greater say in what happens in the region," Mr Nagy said. North Korea is one of the few topics on which the United States continues to consult with Russia, most recently sending a special envoy to Moscow last week. For his part, Mr Kim is believed to be playing Russia off against its neighbouring superpower rival, China, as he seeks assistance and concessions that permit him to remain in power in the North. Russian media have reported that Mr Kim and Mr Putin will hold talks at the Far Eastern Federal University on Thursday before the Russian leader goes on to a conference in Beijing scheduled for Friday and Saturday. Mr Kim will remain in Vladivostok until Friday for a "cultural programme," Russian media said. The summit between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump in Hanoi in February failed to produce an agreement Credit: Evan Vucci/AP It is his first visit to Russia, as he cancelled a 2015 trip to attend the Victory Day parade on Red Square. Reports in Japan have suggested that North Korean officials have visited a number of sites ahead of his arrival, indicating that he will visit the city's Mariinsky Ballet theatre, the headquarters of the Russian Pacific Fleet and possibly the city's aquarium. He will be following in the footsteps of his father Kim Jong-il, who inspected a Russian warship and purchased several dozen cakes at a bakery during his 2002 visit to meet Mr Putin. Preparations were in full swing on Tuesday as two unscheduled planes believed to be carrying Mr Kim's security detail landed at Vladivostok airport. The leader will reportedly have an entourage of 230 people. Mobile phone footage showed a motorcade with two limousines driving into the Far Eastern Federal University, which met Mr Kim's security demands thanks to its location on an island outside the city proper. Workers at the Vladivostok railway station reportedly even had to deepen an exit ramp by 20 centimetres so Mr Kim's limousine would be able drive out.
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| Amazon customers can now return their items at Kohl's Posted: 23 Apr 2019 11:28 AM PDT  Kohl's announced Tuesday that Amazon customers will be able to return items atall of its stores beginning in July
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| Hillary Clinton: Russian interference 'certainly had an impact' on the 2016 election Posted: 23 Apr 2019 12:58 PM PDT  Amid efforts by President Trump and the White House to downplay the effectiveness of Russian meddling during the 2016 presidential election, Clinton said it's clear that Moscow's efforts affected the outcome.
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| Teva stops testing its migraine drug as cluster headache treatment Posted: 23 Apr 2019 07:34 AM PDT  The drug, known generically as fremanezumab, competes with rival treatments from Eli Lilly & Co and Amgen Inc. Lilly in November received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's "breakthrough" status for its migraine drug Emgality in treating episodic cluster headaches. In a late-stage trial, three out of four patients treated with Lilly's drug saw at least a 50 percent reduction in weekly cluster headaches. Teva's decision could be positive for Lilly's drug in differentiating it from its rivals, BMO Capital Markets analyst Alex Arfaei said.
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| Kamala Harris Vows to Impose New Gun Limits by Executive Action Posted: 22 Apr 2019 07:15 PM PDT  The California Democrat's proposals to bypass Congress with actions that include expanding requirements for background checks and revoking licenses for gun manufactures and dealers found to have broken the law would almost certainly face legal challenges. "Upon being elected, I will give the United States Congress 100 days to get their act together and have the courage to pass reasonable gun safety laws, and if they fail to do it, then I will take executive action," Harris said Monday night at a town hall event hosted by CNN in New Hampshire, site of the first primary in the 2020 nomination contest.
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| Iran FM proposes swap for jailed British national Posted: 24 Apr 2019 01:23 PM PDT  Iran's foreign minister on Wednesday proposed a prisoner swap for a British-Iranian mother detained in Tehran, saying the United States should drop charges against an Iranian woman it is seeking in Australia. Britain has been trying unsuccessfully to free Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a dual national who worked for the Thomson Reuters Foundation and was arrested in 2016. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif drew a parallel to Negar Ghodskani, an Iranian woman who was arrested by Australia in 2017 and separated from her newborn child as the United States asks for her extradition.
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| In-Depth Photos of Our Long-Term 2019 Mazda CX-5 Turbo Posted: 24 Apr 2019 12:04 PM PDT |
| Student sues Apple for $1 billion, claims face-recognition caused false arrest Posted: 23 Apr 2019 08:47 AM PDT  Apple is being sued for $1 billion by a college student who blames the company's facial recognition software for his wrongful arrest.
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| Sri Lanka Struggles to Come to Terms With the Implications of the Easter Sunday Bombings Posted: 23 Apr 2019 04:05 AM PDT  With the 2009 ending of the civil war, Sri Lankans thought they had put strife behind them
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| Samsung delays folding phone launch after breaking issues Posted: 22 Apr 2019 07:30 PM PDT  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Samsung is pushing back this week's planned public launch of its highly anticipated, $2000 folding phone after reports that reviewers' phones were breaking.
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| Don McGahn, ex-White House counsel, subpoenaed over Mueller report Posted: 22 Apr 2019 07:00 PM PDT  House judiciary committee chair demands McGahn testify before Congress as Democrats escalate investigation of Trump Don McGahn speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference at National Harbor, Maryland, on 22 February 2018. Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/AP The Democratic chairman of the House judiciary committee has issued a subpoena ordering that the former White House counsel Don McGahn testify before Congress. The move came as the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, vowed to hold Donald Trump to account following the release of Robert Mueller's report on Russian influence on the 2016 US election. The subpoena, issued on Monday, escalates the congressional investigations into Trump, his finances and accusations that he sought to obstruct justice, as Democrats debate how to proceed with the evidence contained in the special counsel's 448-page report. McGahn cooperated extensively in the special counsel's investigation and emerged as a key witness in several incidents at the heart of whether Trump obstructed justice. "The special counsel's report, even in redacted form, outlines substantial evidence that President Trump engaged in obstruction and other abuses," said Jerry Nadler, the chairman of the House judiciary committee, which has the power to launch impeachment proceedings. "It now falls to Congress to determine for itself the full scope of the misconduct and to decide what steps to take in the exercise of our duties of oversight, legislation and constitutional accountability." Sign up for the US morning briefing In a statement, Nadler said the committee asked for McGahn to turn over documents and records related to the federal investigations into Trump by 7 May and to testify before his committee by 21 May. Meanwhile, at a prime-time town hall meeting of five Democratic presidential contenders on Monday in New Hampshire, the California senator Kamala Harris said Congress should "take the steps towards impeachment" but believed such an effort would probably fail. Only one candidate at the event, Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren, issued a full-throated call for Congress to try to remove Trump from office. "If any other human being in this country had done what's documented in the Mueller report, they would be arrested and put in jail," Warren said Nadler had issued the subpoena for McGahn as Democrats came together for the first time since the report was released on a conference call to discuss how the House would proceed. Nancy Pelosi cautioned Democrats against hastily moving toward impeachment, making clear that their immediate focus would be on investigating the president and that those inquiries would guide their actions. "This isn't about Democrats or Republicans," Pelosi told her colleagues, according to multiple officials on the call. "It's about saving our democracy." Ahead of the call, Pelosi acknowledged the divide within her caucus over whether to pursue impeachment – a step supported by many on the party's left flank, including 2020 contenders Elizabeth Warren and Julián Castro. "While our views range from proceeding to investigate the findings or proceeding directly to impeachment, we all firmly agree that we should proceed down a path of finding the truth," Pelosi said in a letter to her colleagues. "It is also important to know that the facts regarding holding the president accountable can be gained outside of impeachment hearings," she wrote. She vowed that Democrats would "scrupulously assert Congress's constitutional duty to honor our oath of office to support and defend the constitution and our democracy" by escalating its investigation into the president. She added: "Whether currently indictable or not, it is clear that the president has, at a minimum, engaged in highly unethical and unscrupulous behavior which does not bring honor to the office he holds." In her letter, Pelosi also admonished congressional Republicans – who, with a few notable exceptions, have largely fallen in line and supported Trump's assessment that the report clears him of wrongdoing – for what she called an "unlimited appetite for such low standards" set by the president. "The GOP should be ashamed of what the Mueller report has revealed, instead of giving the president their blessings," she wrote. This is the second subpoena issued by Nadler since the release of the report: on Friday he demanded that the justice department turn over an unredacted version of the report as well as the underlying evidence by 1 May, when the attorney general, William Barr, is due to testify before Congress. Nadler, a New York Democrat, has also invited Mueller to testify before his committee next month. The Republican congressman Doug Collins, the ranking member of the House judiciary committee, called the subpoenas "premature" and criticized Democrats for seeking delicate information that the justice department believes should remain confidential. "Instead of looking at material that Attorney General Barr has already made available, Democrats prefer to demand more documents they know are subject to constitutional and common-law privileges and can't be produced," he said. Barr offered to brief a select, bipartisan group of lawmakers on a version of the report that was less redacted than the copy made public. Democrats refused the offer arguing that Congress is entitled to the full, unredacted report. Trump has maintained that the report represents a "total exoneration" and has insisted repeatedly that there are no grounds for impeachment. After the subpoena was issued, he tweeted: "PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT". This weekend, senior Democrats blanketed TV talkshows and refused to rule out impeachment. However, they remained firm that there was more to investigate before making a final determination. "I do think, if proven – which hasn't been proven yet – if proven, some of this would be impeachable, yes," Nadler said NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday. "Obstruction of justice, if proven, would be impeachable." Democrats believe Mueller's report offered them a "roadmap" to further investigate Trump for obstruction of justice. They point to a passage from the report, in which Mueller writes: "Congress has authority to prohibit a president's corrupt use of his authority in order to protect the integrity of the administration of justice."
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| Tesla Model S and X get new drivetrains, longer range Posted: 24 Apr 2019 06:11 AM PDT  Without changing or upgrading the battery, Tesla has updated the Model S and Model X to increase each vehicle's driving range to 370 miles and 325 miles respectively. On Tuesday, Tesla announced that it has upgraded the powertrains of the Model S liftback and Model X SUV to increase the range by 10 percent for each, and significantly improve the power and torque for all model variants. The new drive unit technology increases the drivetrain efficiency by 93 percent, according to Tesla.
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| Flying Southwest to Hawaii: Coconut rum, snack packs and 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' Posted: 24 Apr 2019 08:12 AM PDT  USA TODAY flew to Hawaii on Southwest Airlines and back on Hawaiian Airlines to compare the experience.
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| Exclusive: Sri Lanka was warned of threat hours before suicide attacks - sources Posted: 23 Apr 2019 05:50 PM PDT  Indian intelligence officers contacted their Sri Lankan counterparts two hours before the first attack to warn of a specific threat on churches, one Sri Lankan defense source and an Indian government source said. Another Sri Lankan defense source said a warning came "hours before" the first strike. One of the Sri Lankan sources said a warning was also sent by the Indians on Saturday night.
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| The Latest: Hearing about missing boy's brother continued Posted: 23 Apr 2019 05:20 PM PDT  CHICAGO (AP) — The Latest on the missing suburban Chicago 5-year-old boy (all times local):
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| View Photos of the 211-MPH Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante Posted: 23 Apr 2019 04:01 PM PDT |
| DHS Secretary: Separating Migrant Families ‘Not Worth It’ Posted: 23 Apr 2019 12:21 PM PDT  Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan said Tuesday that border authorities are not considering resuming the separation of migrant families, a practice that was ended by the Trump administration last year after it drew outrage from both sides of the aisle."We're not pursuing that approach," McAleenan said. "Prosecuting violations of the law does have a consequence and it does deter behavior but it [does] not work if you lose the public trust."The DHS secretary added that the separation policy was "not worth it" from an enforcement perspective.DHS's "zero tolerance" immigration-enforcement policy was spearheaded by former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The family-separation component of the policy continued for at least a year until President Trump signed an executive order last June ending it."We're going to have strong, very strong borders, but we're going to keep the families together," Trump said at the time. "I didn't like the sight or the feeling of families being separated."The government never had a concrete plan to reunite separated families, according to documents that emerged as part of a court battle over the policy. And while the precise number of separated families is unknown, it is believed to be in the thousands."They were always intended to be reunited," McAleenan said of minors who were detained separately from their parents. "Really a better system, as I've said many times, would allow us to detain families together during fair and expeditious immigration proceedings and getting actual immigration results from courts, so that's what's missing from the current situation."McAleenan took over at DHS after Kirstjen Nielsen was forced out of the job earlier this month, reportedly due to Trump's dissatisfaction with her failure to secure the border as migrants continue to flow into the country at a record pace. Nielsen took the lion's share of public criticism for the family-separation policy, which was implemented under her tenure and which she defended vigorously.
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| These premium true wireless earphones make AirPods sound like dollar store earbuds Posted: 23 Apr 2019 06:26 AM PDT  Apple's first-generation and new second-generation AirPods are great. They offer seamless integration with iOS devices and the sound is pretty impressive too, though most of the bass leaks out since they don't have silicone tips. If you have them and you love them, that's certainly fine. But if you're thinking about buying a pair and your primary concern is sound quality as opposed to image, there's an alternative that makes AirPods sound like those cheap no-name earbuds you might find in a dollar store.The Master & Dynamic MW07 True Wireless Earphones offer a fantastic design, incredible sound quality thanks in part to 10mm beryllium drivers, and a wonderful fit that locks in all that incredible sound. They also come with a very cool aluminum charging case, and they're in stock right now on Amazon. At the time of this writing, Amazon actually had a half-dozen pairs on sale at a sizeable $70 discount, dropping the price to $229.98. That's an all-time low, and those six units will definitely sell out quickly.Here's more info from the product page: * Master & Dynamic MW07 True wireless earphones are built on cutting-edge technology and feature beautifully handcrafted acetate and a richly appointed hand-polished stainless steel charging case to deliver a superior mobile sound tool. Technically sophisticated components such as custom 10mm Beryllium drivers, proprietary "fit wings, " improved antenna technology and optical sensors that detect in-ear placement to automatically play and pause the earphones demonstrate that when it comes to designing the ultimate True wireless listening experience, no detail is too small. * Premium materials: beautifully handcrafted and eye-catching acetate and durable finish, with a lightweight, slim Design * Exceptional acoustics: custom, high-performance 10mm Beryllium drivers deliver rich, expansive sound * Superior comfort & fit: proprietary silicone "fit wing" innovation available in two detachable sizes for a custom and extra secure in-ear fit
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| JPMorgan's Bob Michele Says ‘Enjoy the Ride’ as Risk Assets Rally Posted: 23 Apr 2019 07:52 AM PDT  The chief investment officer at JPMorgan Asset Management said money managers are sitting on too much cash and should be boosting their allocations to high-yield assets after the Federal Reserve's dovish pivot. The firm is putting its weight behind emerging markets as investors from BlackRock Inc. to Fidelity International warn of a break in the rally.
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| 'Do Hard Things.' Fred Swaniker Gives Inspirational Toast at 2019 TIME 100 Gala Posted: 23 Apr 2019 08:20 PM PDT  'The most difficult thing is to keep going'
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| Family Members Ordered to Face Trial After Teen Found Starving in Barn Posted: 24 Apr 2019 01:42 PM PDT  Two suspects charged after a teenage boy was found starving on a property near Meeker, Oklahoma were bound over for trial on charges of child neglect, but not child abuse.
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| Bernie Sanders says felons, even Boston Marathon bomber, should have right to vote in prison Posted: 23 Apr 2019 08:42 AM PDT  Bernie Sanders offered his stance at a CNN town hall Monday when asked whether he thought felons should be allowed to vote while they're incarcerated.
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| Islamic State claims Sri Lanka blasts, as government says probe making progress Posted: 23 Apr 2019 11:16 AM PDT  The claim, issued through the group's AMAQ news agency, was made after Sri Lanka said two domestic Islamist groups with suspected links to foreign militants were suspected to have been behind the attacks at three churches and four hotels. Three sources told Reuters that Sri Lankan intelligence officials had been warned hours earlier by India that attacks by Islamists were imminent. President Maithripala Sirisena said he would change the heads of the defense forces following their failure to act on the intelligence.
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| Trump’s Iran Sanctions Are a Risk Worth Taking Posted: 23 Apr 2019 10:15 AM PDT  After months of debate inside his administration, President Trump has finally decided to further tighten sanctions on Iran. Iran hawks have for months been urging the president to end the waivers that granted eight nations to continue importing Iranian oil, the Islamist regime's main source of foreign cash. In doing so, Trump is taking a substantial risk. But it is one worth taking.The fallout from the move could lead to a substantial hike in oil prices this summer. It could also greatly complicate relations with China -- Iran's largest remaining customer for oil -- just as the administration nears the end of complicated trade negotiations with Beijing. And Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz and thereby shut down the shipping of oil to the West from its enemies on the Arabian Peninsula, which could potentially lead to the sort of war scenario that Trump most wants to avoid.These are strong reasons for caution. Yet far from a foolhardy gamble, Trump's decision is the most sensible choice available to him.Why did Trump do it? He knows that the sanctions he re-imposed after pulling out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action have had a powerful impact on Iran. As the New York Times recently reported, the sanctions, contrary to the predictions of Trump's critics, have had a devastating impact. Among those most feeling the pinch from the austerity imposed by American restrictions on commerce with Iran are the terrorist groups that it funds.The sanctions, reports the Times, have created an economic crisis for Tehran, causing it to cut down on the money it spends funding both terrorists and the barbarous Assad regime it helped prop up via military intervention in the Syrian civil war. Even Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah recently conceded that U.S. sanctions have hurt the ability of his Iranian masters to fund his group's misdeeds.The Obama administration lifted sanctions and gave to companies and countries thousands of waivers that permitted them to do business with Iran, despite U.S. laws that forbade such conduct. The Trump administration has tried both to shut down legal methods of commerce with the ayatollah's regime and to ferret out illegal scams. Last month, the Treasury Department announced that it had disrupted a billion-dollar currency-trading scheme that Tehran used to help fund the military adventures of the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).But so long as Iran was still able to count on China, India, Japan, Turkey, Italy, Greece, South Korea, and Taiwan to buy its oil, it could fund terror and work to achieve its goal of regional hegemony. Proceeds from oil sales also allowed these brutal theocrats to keep the restive Iranian people from threatening the regime.With the Iranian economy tanking, this is the right moment for the U.S. to tighten the noose around Tehran and send a signal to our European allies, who, valuing their own financial interests more than the collective security of the West, have continued to trade with Iran using "special-purpose vehicles." The administration's goals — to force Iran to cease its ballistic-missile tests, end its support for terrorism, roll back its effort to create a land bridge to the Mediterranean, and renegotiate the disastrous nuclear agreement that gave it a legal path to a bomb — remained out of reach so long as the waivers stood.Trump is particularly sensitive to rising gas prices and has tweeted about the need for Saudi Arabia and other Gulf State allies to increase oil production. This would help cushion the impact of ending Iran's exports. Luckily, these states regard restraining Iran as essential to their own security.As for China, there are reasons to cut off its financial trickery, which allow it to evade American sanctions. Even if Trump makes concessions to China in return for their cooperation on Iran, this will be a decision worth making.Iran's talk about menacing the shipping traffic in the Gulf is more worrisome. But this is far from the first time Tehran has made such threats. And though the downsides of a confrontation should not be underestimated, the Iranian regime has always been extremely cautious when it comes to confronting a superior military power like the United States.In any case, allowing Iran to engage in such commerce only strengthens the regime. Obama enriched Iran by unfreezing assets and ending sanctions. That put weapons and money in the hands of Hezbollah and the IRGC. It also helped other terror groups such as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Houthis in Yemen create more grave threats to regional security. Obama's media "echo chamber" was certain that a unilateral re-imposition of sanctions wouldn't accomplish anything.Yet the first stage of re-imposed sanctions has begun to work. If Trump is to finish the job, gas-price hikes, Chinese threats, and Iran's latest bluffs shouldn't hold him back now that the ayatollahs' backs are really up against the wall.
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