| The Latest: Sri Lankan ministers warn of more attacks Posted: 30 Apr 2019 05:15 AM PDT  COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — The Latest on the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka (all times local):
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| Ilhan Omar Blames U.S. Policy for Upheaval in Venezuela Posted: 01 May 2019 01:41 PM PDT  Representative Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) blamed the U.S. on Wednesday for the "devastation" in Venezuela and accused America of "bullying" the country's socialist regime.Asked by Democracy Now! about the "U.S.-supported coup attempt against President Maduro," Omar said that America's push for regime change in Venezuela does not help the country's citizens."A lot of the policies that we have put in place has [sic] kind of helped lead [to] the devastation in Venezuela," Omar said. "And we've sort of set the stage for where we're arriving today.""This particular bullying and the use of sanctions to eventually intervene and make regime change really does not help the people of countries like Venezuela, and it certainly does not help and is not in the interest of the United States," she added.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that the U.S. supports the Venezuelan opposition's effort, led by self-declared interim president Juan Guaidó, to oust President Nicolás Maduro. After Guaidó called for opposition protesters to take to the streets, they gathered in Caracas -- Venezuela's capital -- and states around the country Wednesday, with some carrying the Venezuelan flag while others constructed molotov cocktails. Armored military trucks allied with Maduro were caught on film ramming into crowds of anti-government protesters.Omar has been highly critical of U.S. policy in Latin America, and of Special Envoy to Venezuela Elliott Abrams in particular. During Abrams's testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee in February, she said that she doubted his truthfulness, referencing his 1991 conviction on two counts of withholding information from Congress about his part in the Iran-Contra scandal."People like Elliott Abrams, neocons and warmongers, you know, for so long have pushed for policies that are now — we can see, not only in Central America, but many parts of the world, the kind of devastations that they've had for decades," Omar said Wednesday.
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| Who has Trump fired? All the top administration departures since the president came into office Posted: 30 Apr 2019 08:47 AM PDT  The resignation of deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein marks just the latest departure for an administration that has turned heads for its high level of turnover.After Donald Trump became president in January 2017, the administration gained notoriety for its tumult and chaos as the nascent governing operation found its legs.While the rate of removal has slowed somewhat following the 2018 midterms, the sheer number of high-level departures is notable.Here's a list of those departures, and how long they lasted in the White House. * Michael Flynn — national security adviser: Started 20 January 2017, left 13 February 2017 * Sean Spicer — communications director and press secretary: Started 20 January 2017, left 21 July 2017 * Reince Priebus — chief of staff: Started 20 January 2017, left 23 July 2017 * Anthony Scaramucci — communications director: Started 21 July 2017, left 31 July 2017 * Steve Bannon — chief strategist: Started 20 January 2017, left 18 August 2017 * Katie Walsh — deputy chief of staff: Started 20 January 2017, left 30 March 2017 * Michael Dubke — communications director: Started 6 March 2017, left 2 June 2017 * Sebastian Gorka — deputy assistant to the president: Started 20 January 2017, left 25 August 2017 * KT McFarland — deputy national security adviser: Started 20 January 2017, left 9 April 2017 * Tom Price — secretary of Health and Human Services: Started 10 February 2017, left 29 September 2017 * Omarosa Manigault Newman — assistant to the president and director of communications for the office of public liaison: 20 January 2017, left 13 December 2017 * James Comey — FBI director: Started 4 September 2013, left 9 May 2017 * Andrew McCabe — deputy director of the FBI: Started 1 February 2016, left 29 January 2018 * Dina Powell — deputy national security adviser: Started 18 January 2017, left 12 January 2018 * Walter Shaub — director of the office of government ethics: Started 9 January 2013, left 19 July 2017 * Angella Reid — chief usher: Started 4 October 2011, left 5 Maya 2017 * Rob Porter — staff secretary: Started 20 January 2017, left 7 February 2018 * Josh Raffel — senior communications official: Started 5 April 2017, left 27 February 2018 * Hope Hicks — director of strategic communications and communications director: Started 20 January 2017, left 29 Mac 2018 * Gay Cohn — director of the national economic council: Started 20 January 2017, left 2 April 2018 * John McEntee — personal aide to the president: Started 20 January 2017, left 12 March 2018 * Rex Tillerson — secretary of State: 20 January 2017, left 13 March 2018 * HR McMaster — national security adviser: Started 20 February 2017, left 22 March 2018 * David Sulking — secretary of Veterans Affairs: Started 13 February 2017, left 28 March 2018 * Michael Anton — national security council spokesperson: Started 8 February 2017, left 8 April 2018 * Tom Bossert — homeland security adviser: Started 20 January 2017, left 10 April 2018 * Scott Pruitt — EPA administrator: Started 17 February 2017, left 5 July 2018 * Nikki Haley — US ambassador to the United Nations: Started 24 January 2017, left December 2018 * Jeff Sessions — attorney general: Started 9 February 2017, left 7 November 2018 * Mira Ricardel — deputy national security adviser: Started 15 May 2018, left 14 November 2018 * John Kelly — chief of staff: Started 31 July 2017, left December 2018 * Nick Ayers — chief of staff of the vice president: Started July 28 2017, left December 2018 * Ryan ZInke — secretary of the Interior: Started 1 March 2017, left December 2018 * Jim Mattis — secretary of Defense: Started 20 January 2017, left February 2019 * Raj Shah — deputy press secretary, deputy assistant to the president: Started January 2017, left January 2019 * Brock Long — Fema administrator: Started June 2017, left February 2019 * Lindsay Walters — deputy press secretary: Started January 2017, left April 2019 * Scott Gottlieb — FDA commissioner: Started May 2017, left April 2019 * Bill Shine — communications director: Started 5 July 2018, left 8 Mach 2019 * Linda McMahon — head of the small business administration: Started 14 February 2017, left 29 Mach 2019 * Kirstjen Nielsen — secretary of Homeland Security: Started 6 December 2017, left 7 April 2019 * Randolph "Tex" Alles — US Secret Service director: Started 25 April 2017, left TBD * Rod Rosenstein — deputy attorney general: Started 26 April 2017, to leave 11 May 2019Mr Rosenstein's resignation is the latest for the administration. This list will be updated if and when further resignations or firings are announced.
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| 'Only medical exemptions': Buttigieg campaign clarifies vaccine position after uproar Posted: 01 May 2019 06:45 AM PDT  Buttigieg's campaign tried to clarify the mayor's position on vaccines after earlier comments indicated support for personal or religious exemptions.
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| Slain North Carolina college student confronted gunman, saved lives Posted: 01 May 2019 03:45 PM PDT  Environmental studies student Riley Howell of Waynesville, North Carolina, one of two campus students shot to death on Tuesday evening, played a key role in ending the attack by a former student, said Kerr Putney, chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Unfortunately he had to give his life to do so," said Putney, himself a UNC Charlotte alumnus. "He took the assailant off his feet." The other student killed in the shooting was Ellis Parlier, 19, officials said.
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| AP Photos: Japan witnesses rare imperial abdication Posted: 01 May 2019 04:24 AM PDT  TOKYO (AP) — Japan has witnessed a rare handover of its Chrysanthemum Throne by a living emperor.
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| Anti-Jewish hate consuming Europe and America, says French Nazi hunter Posted: 29 Apr 2019 10:47 PM PDT  France's most famous Nazi hunter Serge Klarsfeld on Monday slammed the resurgence of "anti-Jewish hate," days after a teenage gunman's deadly attack on a synagogue in California. "There is no safe place on earth right now for Jews," the 83-year-old told AFP in an interview in Washington. John Earnest, 19, posted a virulently anti-Semitic letter on right-wing internet forums and armed himself with an assault rifle before carrying out the attack on the Chabad of Poway synagogue, near San Diego, on Saturday.
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| 'Selfless' student killed in UNC Charlotte shooting reportedly jumped on gunman to shield peers Posted: 01 May 2019 01:59 PM PDT  The two University of North Carolina at Charlotte students who were killed during a campus shooting Tuesday evening have been identified as 19-year-old Ellis Parlier and 21-year-old Riley Howell, who reportedly died after jumping on the gunman to protect his classmates.
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| U.S. small business owners are preparing for a recession - Bank of America survey Posted: 30 Apr 2019 09:42 AM PDT ![U.S. small business owners are preparing for a recession - Bank of America survey]( "U.S. small business owners are preparing for a recession - Bank of America survey") Small business owners around the country are preparing for a recession, according to a new survey by Bank of America Corp, and the bank wants to put more business specialists in branches to help, an executive told Reuters. More than two-thirds of business owners surveyed by the bank said they had taken steps to prepare for an economic downturn, including setting cash aside or planning to reduce expenses. Of the 69 percent of owners who had started preparing for a recession, only 19 percent had opened a line of credit, a figure that Bank of America's head of small business Sharon Miller said was too low.
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| Will the Culture War Kill the NRA? Posted: 01 May 2019 03:30 AM PDT  The National Rifle Association has big troubles. It's wildly in debt. The attorney general of New York — where the NRA was founded in 1871 and where it remains incorporated — is investigating the tax-exempt status of what she has called a "terrorist organization." The NRA's longtime chief executive, Wayne LaPierre, is in a bitter feud with its outgoing president, Oliver North. Accusations are flying, including of attempted extortion and misuse of perhaps millions of dollars.On the surface, the NRA's problems have little to do with the typical criticisms hurled at it by its biggest detractors. To them, the villainous NRA is too rich, too powerful, and too well-run, not an outfit drowning in red ink and dysfunction. But it turns out that its real problems, in part, may stem from its outsized ambitions.For most of its history, the NRA was a sporting club dedicated to teaching gun safety and promoting hunting and marksmanship as a pastime. It was founded by two Union Army officers who had noticed that the Confederates tended to be better shots. In the 1930s, it started to dip its toes into lobbying, but in favor of limited gun control. The NRA, for instance, supported the Federal Firearms Act of 1938, which established federal gun licensing requirements. It wasn't until the mid-1970s, after passage of the federal Gun Control Act, that new leadership at the NRA made lobbying for gun rights central to its mission.Still, that mission was notably bipartisan. Working from the common-sense assumption that gun rights would be better protected if support came from both parties, the NRA once supported candidates on either side of the aisle. In the 2000 campaign cycle, it spent $372,000 on some 66 Democratic incumbents. But by 2016, it contributed to just four.What happened? The easy answer is that as the GOP increasingly embraced gun rights, the Democrats embraced gun control — or the other way around. Which side is guilty of policy extremism depends on your views on gun policy. Asking which side is guilty of rhetorical extremism is pointless, because both are. The NRA is not a "terrorist organization," but neither are its opponents a horde of anarchists, socialists, and goons, as the NRA's media arm often portrays them.The GOP-NRA alliance came downstream from two larger social shifts. The first is the "Big Sort" — shorthand for how American society has self-organized not just into "red" and "blue" regions, but also worldviews. The end of the NRA's bipartisan lobbying strategy simply reflected the facts on the ground. In 1989, 64 percent of Republicans had a favorable view of the NRA, and so did 49 percent of Democrats. Today, those numbers are 88 percent and 24 percent, respectively.The second reason is that the parties are weaker than they have ever been. The common assertion that Republican politicians are pro-gun because they've been bought off with NRA blood money is mostly a paranoid conspiracy theory. The NRA doesn't actually give very much money to politicians, at least compared with, say, organized labor or trial lawyers.What the NRA does do — incredibly effectively — is organize and inform voters, mobilizing them to vote reliably for philosophically aligned candidates. Historically, that was a function of political parties, but now it's been largely outsourced to special-interest groups such as the NRA but also Planned Parenthood for the Democrats. These groups are motivated to get out the vote, but they're also incentivized to monetize the voters.The net effect has been for these interest groups to go all in for the culture war — which is highly effective for fundraising — and take our elections with them.NRA folks today inveigh against "the socialists" with the same vehemence they used to reserve for gun-grabbers. UCLA law professor Adam Winkler, author of Gunfight: The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America, observes that NRATV, the online media outlet of the NRA, has strayed far from the gun lane. "Now it's focused on immigration, race, health care," he told The New Republic. Dana Loesch, an NRA spokeswoman, has called the mainstream news media "the rat bastards of the earth" who deserve to be "curb-stomped."We've come a long way since William F. Buckley came out in favor of the Brady Bill.Political parties once had the desire and resources to manage their own brands — keeping activists and interests at a more healthy distance. Those days are gone. Parties — and the institutions that really run them — are simply uniforms for combatants in the culture war. In such a climate, it's no surprise that things such as good corporate governance became an afterthought at the NRA.© 2019 TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY LLC
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| Conviction for Minneapolis cop prompts questions about race Posted: 01 May 2019 03:06 PM PDT  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — It's believed to be the first time a Minnesota police officer has been convicted of murder for an on-duty shooting.
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| ANALYSIS-Why Airbus isn't pouncing on Boeing's 737 MAX turmoil Posted: 30 Apr 2019 02:05 AM PDT ![ANALYSIS-Why Airbus isn't pouncing on Boeing's 737 MAX turmoil]( "ANALYSIS-Why Airbus isn't pouncing on Boeing's 737 MAX turmoil") When Boeing launched its 737 MAX jetliner in response to Airbus's record-selling A320neo, a wave of poker-faced satisfaction spread through Airbus headquarters in France. Its reasons for cheering Boeing's decision to make a similar jet, based on a similar strategy of engine efficiencies, partly explain why Airbus is wary of exploiting Boeing's misery over the global grounding of the MAX today, industry sources say.
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| Experts: Missing pins possibly caused Seattle crane collapse Posted: 29 Apr 2019 10:06 PM PDT  SEATTLE (AP) — It appears workers who were disassembling a construction crane had prematurely removed pins securing the sections of the crane's mast to each other, and that could explain why it toppled Saturday, killing four people, experts said.
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| Trump, US Democrats agree to forge $2 trillion infrastructure plan Posted: 30 Apr 2019 01:24 PM PDT  Democratic leaders said Tuesday they reached agreement with President Donald Trump to pursue a $2 trillion plan for improving America's creaking infrastructure, but deciding how to pay for the ambitious project could become a sticking point. "We agreed on a number which was very, very good: $2 trillion for infrastructure," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, in a sign the feuding sides may be willing to work together on accomplishing a major bipartisan goal to upgrade the nation's roads, bridges, airports, rail lines, energy grid, waterways and broadband internet access. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi added that the lawmakers and Trump agreed to pursue a "big and bold" proposal, but that Democrats would be waiting eagerly to see the president's plans for how to pay for it.
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| This is a fully electric Ford Bronco, and you can own one Posted: 30 Apr 2019 03:04 PM PDT  Electric vehicles might very well be the future, with nearly ever major automaker at least dabbling in fully electric cars and some of them betting big on the end of gas-guzzling cars entirely, but we're not there yet. An automotive revolution takes time, and people tend to look back on classic cars and trucks with near fanatical fondness.A company called Zero Labs Automotive has been doing its best to combine the two, marrying classic designs with all-electric technology. Its first big project is the production of a "new" electric Ford Bronco, complete with the body of the now-retro truck sitting atop all new guts, and boy does it look awesome.Gutting an old Bronco of its gas-burning motor and replacing it with a new electric powertrain is already a bold departure from what the vehicles were originally designed to be, but these reborn Fords will pull more than their fair share of weight. Zero Labs promises as much as 440 horsepower and a range of 190 miles from the truck's electric upgrades.Final specifications are still being hashed out, but Zero Labs says it's using over 1,000 totally redesigned parts for each restoration. The fact that these vehicles are being treated as restorations is also very important, since no company besides Ford would have the right to actually reproduce a classic Bronco and stick a Ford badge on it. The donor vehicles are registered with the DMV and will have to pass inspection after being completed, allowing them to retain their original branding.There's definitely something about the old Ford Broncos that tugs at the heartstrings of classic auto fans. It's big, boxy, and purely utilitarian, but it's also incredibly charming in its own way. It makes sense that Zero Labs would choose it as their first project, but if you want to get your hands on the all-electric version you're going to need to get lucky.Because of the nature of these restorations only a limited number can be produced at one time, by law. Just 150 of these reimagined classics will hit the road, and we don't know anything about pricing yet. Zero Labs is already taking reservations, however, through a no-money-down application process.
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| Russia accuses Venezuelan opposition of resorting to violence Posted: 30 Apr 2019 06:14 PM PDT  Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday accused the opposition in Venezuela of resorting to violence in what it said was a brazen attempt to draw the country's armed forces into clashes. The ministry made the allegation after Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido called for a military uprising to oust President Nicolas Maduro and armed factions exchanged gunfire outside a Caracas air base as the country hit a new crisis point after years of political and economic chaos. Russia, which has supplied weapons to Venezuela and acted as a lender of last resort, has accused the United States of trying to undermine Maduro, someone Moscow counts as one of its closest allies in Latin America.
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| Muslim US army veteran's plot to bomb white supremacist rally 'thwarted at last moment' Posted: 29 Apr 2019 10:20 PM PDT  An alleged terror plot by a Muslim army veteran to bomb a white supremacist rally has been thwarted, according to authorities.Mark Domingo, 26, an infantryman who served a combat stint in Afghanistan, was arrested by federal agents while allegedly putting the final touches to a plan to plant a bomb at a Nazi rally in Long Beach, prosecutors have said.Mr Domingo was arrested last Friday on a charge of providing material support to terrorists and a criminal complaint said he had been planning since March to "manufacture and use a weapon of mass destruction in order to commit mass murder".Court papers claim Mr Domingo discussed with an informant different types of attacks that included targeting Jews, churches and police officers.Mr Domingo allegedly said he wanted revenge for attacks on mosques in New Zealand that killed 50 people last month.He allegedly bought parts, including nails, for an improvised explosive device that would be remotely triggered, but in fact contained inert materials, FBI agent Tasha Coolidge said in an affidavit filed in US District Court in Los Angeles.If they survived the planned bombing at Bluff Park, Mr Domingo discussed launching further attacks on the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles or on a train, the papers said.White nationalists never showed up to the planned event in Bluff Park, but a large group of counter protesters demonstrated.A message left on a phone listed for Mr Domingo was not immediately returned.With Associated Press
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| UPDATE 2-U.S. FAA directive enshrines changes to Boeing 787 Dreamliner Posted: 01 May 2019 11:22 AM PDT ![UPDATE 2-U.S. FAA directive enshrines changes to Boeing 787 Dreamliner]( "UPDATE 2-U.S. FAA directive enshrines changes to Boeing 787 Dreamliner") The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday said it was mandating new flight control software and parts to Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner to address what it called an unsafe operating condition of certain products on the plane. The FAA's airworthiness directive to plane operators makes compulsory changes Boeing outlined in service bulletins in 2017 and early 2018 for certain areas in 787's tire and wheel "threat zones" that may be susceptible to damage, the company said. Boeing's carbon composite 787, of which there are nearly 800 in service, mostly competes with European rival Airbus' A350.
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| PG&E still lacks estimate on compensating wildfire victims Posted: 29 Apr 2019 07:52 PM PDT  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Pacific Gas & Electric Corp.'s top financial executives said during a bankruptcy meeting Monday they still haven't determined when the utility can start compensating victims of recent wildfires started by the utility's equipment.
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| Trump sues banks in bid to block Congress subpoenas Posted: 29 Apr 2019 10:55 PM PDT  US President Donald Trump, along with his family and businesses, on Monday sued Deutsche Bank and Capital One in an attempt to stop them from complying with Congressional subpoenas issued as part of a probe into foreign political influence. "The subpoenas were issued to harass President Donald J. Trump, to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses, and the private information of the President and his family, and to ferret about for any material that might be used to cause him political damage," said the suit, filed with the US federal court in the Southern District of New York. The suit accuses Congress of stepping beyond its law-making mandate into law enforcement, and says the subpoenas violate the privacy rights of Trump and his family.
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| When Ford Nearly Produced A Mid-Engined Mustang Posted: 30 Apr 2019 08:17 AM PDT  The up and coming mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette is arguably the industry's worst kept secret. Ford toyed with he idea of a mid-engine Mustang way back in the late 1960s. This is the story of the Ford Mustang sports car that never happened.
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| Armored Coffin: The M-4 Sherman Tank Was Hell on Wheels Posted: 30 Apr 2019 05:00 AM PDT  Heavily-modified "Super Shermans" even saw combat with the Israeli Defense Force during the Six Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973.The M-4 Sherman was the workhorse medium tank of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps during World War II. It fought in every theater of operation—North Africa, the Pacific and Europe.The Sherman was renown for its mechanical reliability, owing to its standardized parts and quality construction on the assembly line. It was roomy, easily repaired, easy to drive. It should have been the ideal tank.But the Sherman was also a death trap.Most tanks at the time ran on diesel, a safer and less flammable fuel than gasoline. The Sherman's powerplant was a 400-horsepower gas engine that, combined with the ammo on board, could transform the tank into a Hellish inferno after taking a hit.All it took was a German adversary like the awe-inspiring Tiger tank with its 88-millimeter gun. One round could punch through the Sherman's comparatively thin armor. If they were lucky, the tank's five crew might have seconds to escape before they burned alive.
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| State's attorney opposes special prosecutor in Jussie Smollett case Posted: 30 Apr 2019 11:32 AM PDT  Kim Foxx, Chicago's top prosecutor, is fighting a push to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate her office's handling of the case against Jussie Smollett.
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| Guatemalan migrant, a 16-year-old boy, dies in government custody in Texas Posted: 01 May 2019 12:44 PM PDT  For the third time since December, a migrant child died in government custody, raising questions about the treatment of minors along the border.
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| Israel's Netanyahu slams global rise in anti-Semitism Posted: 01 May 2019 11:47 AM PDT  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday denounced a rise in anti-Semitism around the world, at a ceremony on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day. "The extreme left and the extreme right (around the world) agree on only one thing: their hatred of the Jews," Netanyahu said at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. Netanyahu said anti-Semitism was also found in a New York Times cartoon depicting him as a guide dog wearing a Star of David collar and leading a blind US President Donald Trump donning a kippah, or Jewish skullcap.
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| Refile: Foxconn chairman travels to White House to discuss Wisconsin - source Posted: 30 Apr 2019 06:19 AM PDT ![Refile: Foxconn chairman travels to White House to discuss Wisconsin - source]( "Refile: Foxconn chairman travels to White House to discuss Wisconsin - source") The chairman of Apple supplier Foxconn will travel to the United States on Tuesday for a meeting in the White House that is believed to be related to an investment in Wisconsin, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. Foxconn said this month it remains committed to its contract to build a display plant and tech research facilities in Wisconsin, days after the U.S. state's governor said he wanted to renegotiate the deal. In January, Reuters reported that Foxconn is reconsidering plans to make advanced liquid crystal display panels at a $10 billion Wisconsin campus, and said it intends to hire mostly engineers and researchers rather than the manufacturing workforce the project originally promised.
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| Follower of Sri Lanka bomber sought India attack: police Posted: 30 Apr 2019 02:16 AM PDT  An alleged follower of Sri Lankan bombing mastermind Zahran Hashim was set to appear before an Indian court Tuesday after admitting he wanted to carry out an attack in India, investigators said. India has been concerned about Islamist extremists on its soil for some time and the April 21 Sri Lanka bombings that killed 253 people has left authorities alarmed that India might be at risk of a jihadist attack. The Indian national, identified as Riyas A, alias Riyas Aboobacker, 29, was arrested on Monday by India's National Investigation Agency (NIA), which handles counter-terrorism cases.
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| Appeals court denies Bill Cosby's latest bid for bail Posted: 30 Apr 2019 03:55 AM PDT  A Pennsylvania appeals court has denied Bill Cosby's latest effort to be released from prison on bail while he appeals his sex-assault conviction.
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| The Latest: Trump sues to block bank subpoenas Posted: 29 Apr 2019 07:55 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on congressional investigations of President Donald Trump (all times local):
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| Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL full specs leak ahead of official reveal Posted: 01 May 2019 07:12 AM PDT  Once again, a major smartphone vendor will have virtually nothing left to reveal at its reveal event, as Google's mid-range Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL smartphones have leaked in full this week. First, courtesy of Max J., we got a look at the retail packaging for the Pixel 3a XL on Tuesday night, then on Wednesday morning, the same source shared the most complete list of specifications for each phone that we have seen on the internet to date.As expected, these are lower-specced devices than the 2018 flagships that Google launched in the fall. Having had limited success competing with the likes of Samsung and Apple, it appears that Google is going to attempt to court a different crowd with a significantly more affordable device, but from a brand they know well.According to Max J., the Pixel 3a will feature a 5.6-inch gOLED Full HD+ display with 2220 x 1080 resolution, 441ppi and 18.5:9 aspect ratio. The smaller of the two 3a phones will also have a 3,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging support, an always-on display, and the Now Playing music identification feature. The Pixel 3a will weigh around 150g, and will come in three colors: Just Black, Clearly White, and Purple-ish.As for the Pixel 3a XL, Max claims that it will feature a 6.0-inch gOLED Full HD+ display with 2160 x 1080 resolution, 402ppi, and 18:9 aspect ratio. It will also have a larger battery at 3,700mAh and will weigh around 170g. Everything else about the phone is the same, including the Snapdragon 670 processor.Google will officially announce the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL at Google I/O 2019, which begins on May 7th.
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| View 2020 Aston Martin Vantage AMR Photos Posted: 30 Apr 2019 04:01 PM PDT |
| Just How Bad a South China Sea War Could Get Posted: 29 Apr 2019 07:00 PM PDT  Thus, China began its war for the South China Sea.China's claims of South China Sea (SCS) ownership are illegal, but Beijing's hyper-nationalistic officials increasingly encourage its forces to attack U.S. Navy ships operating lawfully there.The People's Republic of China (PRC) appears to be calling for war—a war it may well get. But it is a war that will not stay confined to that body of water, and a war that could ultimately end with regime change in Beijing.(This first appeared last month.)One People's Liberation Army (PLA) officer recently exhorted PLA Navy vessels to ram and sink U.S. Navy ships conducting freedom of navigation operations in the SCS. Another called for the sinking of two U.S. aircraft carriers and killing upward of 10,000 U.S. sailors to force the U.S. from these hotly contested waters."If the US warships break into Chinese waters again, I suggest that two warships should be sent: one to stop it, and another one to ram it," said PLA Air Force Colonel Commandant Dai Xu on December 8, 2018. Dai, president of China's Institute of Marine Safety and Cooperation, proposed these unprovoked acts of war in a highly publicized forum: at a conference sponsored by Beijing Global Times.
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| Ford partners with Amazon to allow package deliveries to owners' cars Posted: 30 Apr 2019 07:05 AM PDT ![Ford partners with Amazon to allow package deliveries to owners' cars]( "Ford partners with Amazon to allow package deliveries to owners' cars") Ford Motor Co said on Tuesday it partnered with Amazon.com Inc to allow members of the ecommerce company's loyalty club Prime to deliver packages to their cars when they are not at home. The world's largest online retailer last year started rolling out a program in the United States to deliver packages to its members' parked cars, as part of a drive to leave parcels where they cannot be easily stolen. The 'Key by Amazon In-Car delivery' offering will be available for owners of select Ford 2017 and later model vehicles equipped with connectivity service, as well as for owners of Lincoln 2018 and later model cars, Ford said https://medium.com/@ford/flipping-the-script-how-ford-is-bringing-more-services-directly-to-your-car-de468615e798.
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| April deals: Get a Chipotle freebie through DoorDash, plus other specials to end the month Posted: 30 Apr 2019 05:36 PM PDT  DoorDash and Chipotle are marking the first anniversary of their partnership with two deals. Find out the details and other April deals and freebies.
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| Correction: Synagogue Shooting-California story Posted: 30 Apr 2019 09:04 AM PDT  POWAY, Calif. (AP) — In versions of a story April 28-30 about a shooting at a California synagogue, The Associated Press misspelled the first name of the wounded rabbi. It is Yisroel, not Yishoel.
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| Five ways Trump's moves to stem asylum seekers have hit hurdles Posted: 30 Apr 2019 02:03 PM PDT  Increasingly frustrated, Trump on Monday issued a presidential memorandum directing officials to make it harder for asylum seekers to apply for work permits and to charge them application fees - drawing immediate fire from the United Nations. Many asylum protections are codified in U.S. and international law. Meanwhile, the flow of migrants continues to swell.
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| Gas Tax for Infrastructure Sparks Fears of Political Backlash Posted: 01 May 2019 01:00 AM PDT  Increasing the gas tax is so politically fraught that it hasn't been touched in 26 years and it didn't even come up at a meeting at the White House Tuesday between President Donald Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to discuss an infrastructure plan. While they agreed broadly on the need to upgrade roads, bridges and airports, they put off for three weeks the tougher conversation about coming up with ways to fund an estimated $2 trillion in public works.
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| Apple rallies as new services offset slump in iPhone sales Posted: 30 Apr 2019 02:02 PM PDT  Apple said Tuesday that profits in the past quarter dropped amid falling iPhone sales, but the results were above Wall Street expectations and sent shares sharply higher. The California tech giant reported a 16 percent drop in profits in the just-ended quarter to $11.6 billion, as overall revenues dipped five percent to $58 billion. Apple shares rallied more than five percent in after-hours trade, with the results showing better-than-anticipated results from its new products and services in the fiscal second quarter to March 30.
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| Add an excellent backlit keyboard to your iPad for $65 Posted: 01 May 2019 01:07 PM PDT  If you have an iPad that you want to use for more than just browsing the web and streaming your favorite TV shows, a good keyboard is a must. Since there are so many options out there though, it can be difficult to choose a good one. If you want to turn your iPad into the iOS-powered laptop of your dreams, definitely check out the Yekbee Backlit iPad Keyboard Case. It's compatible with the iPad 6 that's currently being sold, iPad 5, iPad Pro 9.7, iPad Air and iPad Air 2, and it's only $65 right now!Here are the key details from the product page: * ✅ 1 BESTSELLING KEYBOARD CASE IN 2019: A stylish finish with grip-enhancing tech & smart business-grade protection make our high-quality hard clamshell case uniquely ideal for home, work & travel. The quiet keyboard's spacious layout & 10 backlight colors provide the freedom to read, browse & work anywhere at any time. The case is compatible with the latest 2018 iPad 6 (A1893-A1954), 2017 iPad 5 (A1822-A1823), iPad Pro 9.7 (A1675-A1674-A1673), iPad Air 2 (A1566-A1567) & Air (A1474-A1475). * ✅ 360 REASONS TO SMILE: Rotate the screen 360 degrees to effortlessly display your work presentation, watch your favorite show or read a new book while you enjoy your iPad a little more, even when you're out and about! Whether you're a blogger, writer, designer, professional or student, the Yekbee iPad keyboard case offers you a smart, stylish and practical solution to your everyday needs. The simple and elegant style makes it great for any accessory combo as well (stylus holder & more!). * ✅ SMART PROTECTION: Auto sleep/wake protects and conserves battery life while the durable polycarbonate shell with impact-resistant corners and reinforced aluminum hinge protects the rest. All 9.7 inches of your retina display are further protected by durable, 10,000,000 stroke-certified keys. The keyboard arrives in a premium hardshell, gift-ready box and includes an external USB charging cable and, our highly-praised product manual (with full-color photos!) that makes setup a breeze. * ✅ ULTRASLIM DESIGN: Combining our industry-leading keyboard design and adding more spacious chiclet keys means a more satisfying and tactile typing experience for you. With productivity maximized touch typists rejoice! The ultra-thin case is lightweight, portable, & guaranteed to get complements. * ✅ PLATINUM WARRANTY & SUPPORT: Free lifetime technical support and a 12-month manufacturer's warranty can give you peace of mind about your purchase and assurance that a great team is ready to help every step of the way.
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| Avengers: End Game — Bernie Sanders calls on Disney to use box office profits to pay workers ‘middle class wage’ Posted: 30 Apr 2019 12:47 PM PDT  Bernie Sanders has an idea of how Disney can write a "truly heroic" story following the box-office record shattering weekend from Avengers: End Game this past week: Spread the profits around.Mr Sanders, in a tweet, took the entertainment behemoth to task, criticising the salary of the company's CEO, Bob Iger, and urging better pay for the rest of the employees there.Mr Iger makes a reported $65.6m a year from his post as the head honcho at Disney — a salary that is 1,400 times as much as the income of an average worker there."What would be truly heroic is if Disney used its profits from 'Avengers' to pay all of its workers a middle class wage, instead of paying its CEO Bob Iger $65.6mn — over 1,400 times as much as the average worker at Disney makes," Mr Sanders wrote on Twitter.Avengers: End Game shattered box office records by taking in $356m in the US over the weekend, and more than $1.22bn internationally in its first week in theatres.> What would be truly heroic is if Disney used its profits from Avengers to pay all of its workers a middle class wage, instead of paying its CEO Bob Iger $65.6 million – over 1,400 times as much as the average worker at Disney makes. https://t.co/NrcFSk4LZc> > — Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) > > April 29, 2019
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| Recent developments surrounding the South China Sea Posted: 29 Apr 2019 09:08 PM PDT  BEIJING (AP) — A look at recent developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters crucial for global commerce and rich in fish and potential oil and gas reserves:
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