| White House officials, Washington Post spar over coverage of Trump Posted: 06 Sep 2019 11:53 AM PDT ![White House officials, Washington Post spar over coverage of Trump]( "White House officials, Washington Post spar over coverage of Trump") White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said on Twitter on Friday the Post had not reported on a Trump measure. Others pointed out that it had.
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| Ukraine releases 'key MH17 suspect' ahead of expected prisoner swap with Russia Posted: 05 Sep 2019 11:43 AM PDT  A Kiev court has released a "key suspect" in the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight 17 shortly before Vladimir Putin said prisoner swap negotiations with Ukraine were in their final stages, raising fears among European politicians that the man will be sent to Russia. That would put him out of the reach of international investigators, as Russia doesn't typically extradite its citizens. Vladimir Tsemakh, a former fighter for Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine who was captured and smuggled across the frontlines in June, was released from custody on his own recognisance on Thursday. He is slated to go on trial for terrorism in October but has not been fitted with an electronic tag. Ukrainian nationalists later protested with road flares outside the court, calling it a "terrorist accomplice" and "branch of the FSB". Mr Tsemakh reportedly commanded anti-aircraft defences in the town of Snizhne when a Buk missile fired from the area brought down MH17 in July 2014, killing 298, including 10 Britons. The Dutch-led joint investigative team has said the Russian military deployed the Buk launcher to eastern Ukraine, findings denied by Moscow, and charged three Russians and a Ukrainian with murder in June. Court proceedings are scheduled for March. Nationalists protest outside the court after Mr Tsemakh was released Credit: Sergii Kharchenko/EPA-EFE/REX Discussing the downing of MH17 in a 2015 Russian nationalist video interview, Mr Tsemakh said that he "got that guy out" and "hid" something. Although the exact word was bleeped out, many believe that he was saying he had hid the "Buk" after the plane was shot down. Rumours began appearing in recent weeks that Mr Tsemakh could be included in the prisoner exchange that Moscow and Kiev have been negotiating since Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy called Mr Putin in July. A Russian newspaper quoted sources on Thursday as saying that Moscow demanded Mr Tsemakh in exchange for freeing Crimean director and Amnesty International prisoner of conscience Oleg Sentsov. If true, that would be an unusual level of interest by Moscow in the fate of a foreign national, as Mr Tsemakh is a Ukrainian citizen, and suggest it does not want him to be questioned. In a letter to Mr Zelenskiy on Wednesday, 40 MEPs including Catherine Rowett of the United Kingdom opposed Russia's alleged requests to trade for Mr Tsemakh, calling him a "key suspect" in the MH17 investigation who should testify in the case. Dutch chief prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said in a leaked letter to his Ukrainian counterparts last week that Mr Tsemakh's status as a suspect meant that "keeping him available for (further) questioning by the joint investigation team is therefore of the utmost importance". A spokeswoman for the team told media on Thursday that it wanted him to remain in Ukraine, as it would be difficult to question him if he was sent to Russia. Vladimir Putin speaks at a forum in Vladivostok on Thursday Credit: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg The Ukrainian prosecutor general's office also objected to the release of Mr Tsemakh, whom it called "an important element of truth-seeking in this case". Mr Putin breathed new life into the prisoner exchange process on Thursday when he said at the eastern economic forum in Vladivostok that a "fairly large" swap was close to being agreed. "We're approaching the finalisation of the negotiations that we are holding with the official authorities, among others," he said. "I think this will become known in the near future." Ukrainian officials had said the trade of 33 prisoners from each side would happen last Friday, only to have Moscow dismiss this. Among others, Kiev is hoping to bring home 24 sailors captured when their three navy vessels were seized in November trying to pass through the Kerch strait, which since the annexation of Crimea has been controlled by Russia. Several Ukrainian prisoners in Russia have been moved from far-flung prison colonies to Moscow in recent weeks. Mr Tsemakh's dramatic seizure in separatist territory by a grab team of Ukrainian agents who reportedly drugged him and smuggled him across the de facto border in a wheelchair was the first of its kind. Some 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict in eastern Ukraine since 2014.
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| Trial opens of US cop who killed neighbor in his own apartment Posted: 06 Sep 2019 09:14 AM PDT  A white policewoman went on trial in Dallas Friday for shooting and killing a black man in his own apartment, having mistaken it for hers. Exactly one year after Amber Guyger, 31, killed Botham Shem Jean, 26, jury selection in the racially charged murder case began in the Texas city. Guyger's attorneys have sought to move the case to another jurisdiction, on grounds that potential jurors in Dallas may already have strong views on the case, given the heavy media coverage it has fuelled.
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| Hurricane Dorian updates: After making landfall in North Carolina, the storm is moving up the coast. At least 30 people have died in the Bahamas. Posted: 06 Sep 2019 02:45 PM PDT  Hurricane Dorian is moving away from North Carolina and Virginia. The storm passed over North Carolina's Outer Banks at 8:35 a.m. ET on Friday.
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| Mexico president says El Chapo's drug wealth should go to Mexico Posted: 05 Sep 2019 11:17 AM PDT  Mexico's president on Thursday welcomed a proposal to give the alleged fortune of drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to the country's indigenous people, and said the wealth of Mexican criminals in the United States should be returned to Mexico. Jose Luis Gonzalez Meza, a lawyer for Guzman, said this week his client had proposed that billions of dollars in revenue that U.S. authorities had attributed to his business operations should be handed to indigenous communities in Mexico. Speaking at his regular morning news conference, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who earlier this year announced the creation of a "Robin Hood" institute to return ill-gotten wealth to the Mexican people, gave his approval to the idea.
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| Kamala Harris Supports Mandatory Buyback of Assault Weapons Posted: 06 Sep 2019 03:18 PM PDT ![Kamala Harris Supports Mandatory Buyback of Assault Weapons]( "Kamala Harris Supports Mandatory Buyback of Assault Weapons") (Bloomberg) -- Kamala Harris said Friday she supports a mandatory buyback of military-style assault weapons, taking a more aggressive position than her main rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination."I think it's a good idea," she told reporters after a campaign event in Londonderry, New Hampshire."We have to work out the details -- there are a lot of details -- but I do" support a forced buyback, Harris said when asked about the policy. "We have to take those guns off the streets."Harris's higher-polling rivals Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren back banning sales of semi-automatic rifles like those used in recent mass shootings but stop short of calling for a forced buyback of guns already owned. Beto O'Rourke has said he would require owners of such weapons to sell them to the government.A recent Quinnipiac poll found that 49% of Americans oppose a mandatory buyback of assault weapons while 46% favor the idea. But among Democrats, 71% support the idea while just 23% are against it.To contact the reporter on this story: Sahil Kapur in Washington at skapur39@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Laurie Asséo, Joe SobczykFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| 'I don’t see any path for Biden to win the nomination without South Carolina' Posted: 06 Sep 2019 02:01 AM PDT  The former vice president is betting it all on the black vote.
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| NASA Stumped by Weird Green Blobs Posted: 06 Sep 2019 08:25 AM PDT  What are they doing up there?
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| Mike Pence accused of humiliating hosts in Ireland Posted: 05 Sep 2019 08:26 AM PDT  The vice-president's comments on Brexit while visiting Ireland and his stay at his boss's golf course did not go down wellVice-President Mike Pence arrives in Doonbeg to dine with relatives at a seafood restaurant. Photograph: Jacob King/PAMissteps during Mike Pence's visit to Ireland that included controversial praise of the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, have led to accusations of betrayal and "humiliation".One Irish Times columnist concluded that the vice-president, a "much-anticipated visitor", turned out to have "shat on the … carpet".Pence's problems started with his decision to stay for two nights at Donald Trump's golf resort in Doonbeg, County Clare, more than 140 miles from Dublin, necessitating costly and logistically complex travel. The move quickly drew fire from ethics experts and political rivals.The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, called Trump's properties a "cesspool of corruption" and accused the president of "prioritizing his profits over the interests of the American people"."Pence is just the latest Republican elected official to enable President Trump's violations of the constitution," she said.A spokesman for the vice-president said the decision was partly based on the president's suggestion Pence stay there, and partly on secret service concerns about costs and logistics. Questioned about the decision on Wednesday, Trump claimed he had "no involvement, other than it's a great place".But that was only the start of the controversy.The Irish Times columnist Miriam Lord responded to a tense meeting between the vice-president and the taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, in which Pence urged the republic to protect the "United Kingdom's sovereignty". That Varadkar is gay and Pence a past champion of anti-LGBTQ legislation in Indiana also caused widespread comment.Pence laid on platitudes about being "deeply humbled" and "honoured" to be visiting Doonbeg, the home of his mother's grandmother. But in Dublin he offered his hosts a clear lesson in his administration's political priorities.Pence told Varadkar in a prepared statement: "As the deadline for Brexit approaches, we urge Ireland and the European Union, as well, to negotiate in good faith with Prime Minister Johnson, and work to reach an agreement that respects the United Kingdom's sovereignty and minimizes the disruption to commerce."He continued: "Let me be clear: the US supports the UK decision to leave the EU in Brexit. But we also recognise the unique challenges on your northern border. And I can assure you we will continue to encourage the United Kingdom and Ireland to ensure that any Brexit respects the Good Friday agreement."Among media responses, Irish Central asked: "Did VP Pence betray Ireland in his Brexit comments during Irish trip?"The Irish Examiner accused Pence of trying to "humiliate" the republic.But Lord struck the most telling blow.She described the impact of the Pence visit on Ireland as "like pulling out all the stops for a much-anticipated visitor to your home and thinking it has been a great success until somebody discovers he shat on the new carpet in the spare room, the one you bought specially for him"."As Pence read from the autocue and Irish eyes definitely stopped smiling," she added, "it was clear he was channeling His Master's Voice. Trump is a fan of Brexit and of Boris.""Pence," Lord continued, "is Irish American and wastes no opportunity to go misty-eyed about his love for the 'Old Country' as he lards on his Mother Machree schtick on both sides of the Atlantic."Lord wasn't alone in her criticism. The Examiner's political editor, Daniel McConnell, wrote: "The cheek of him coming here, eating our food, clogging up our roads and then having the nerve to humiliate his hosts."• The headline on this article was amended on 6 September 2019 in line with Guardian style guidance.
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| ‘A beautiful soul’: Mourners gather to remember 15-year-old victim of Texas shooting Posted: 06 Sep 2019 03:31 PM PDT  Upwards of 1,000 people gathered in Odessa to mourn15-year-old Leilah Eliana Hernandez, the youngest person to die in Saturday's shooting rampage
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| Florida inmate says beating by guards left her paralyzed Posted: 05 Sep 2019 02:00 PM PDT  A female inmate at a Florida prison is suing the state corrections agency, saying she was left paralyzed after being beaten by four guards. Cheryl Weimar and her husband, Karl, said in their lawsuit that her civil rights were violated when she was nearly beaten to death by guards last month at the Lowell Correctional Institution in Ocala, Florida. Weimar was left with a broken neck and is now a paraplegic because of the guards' use of force, according to the lawsuit.
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| Pope Francis says it is ‘an honour that the Americans attack me' Posted: 06 Sep 2019 03:28 AM PDT  In an offhand remark on the papal plane en route to Mozambique, Pope Francis acknowledged the sharp opposition he has faced from conservative Catholic detractors in the United States, calling it an "an honour that the Americans attack me".His remark came at the start of a six-day trip to Africa, as the pope shook hands in the back of the plane with a French reporter who handed him a copy of his new book How America Wanted to Change the Pope.
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| A woman in the Bahamas says a family dog saved her sister-in-law after she was trapped under a collapsed roof for 17 hours during Hurricane Dorian Posted: 06 Sep 2019 04:26 AM PDT  Sandra Cooke, a resident of Nassau, Bahamas, says her family on the Abaco Islands were rescued and transported to safety with the help of their dog.
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| 2 New Jersey police officers charged in vandalism-as-retaliation case Posted: 05 Sep 2019 03:44 PM PDT  Asbury Park officers Stephen Martinsen, 29, and Thomas Dowling, 26, face conspiracy, weapons and criminal mischief charges.
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| After Robert Mugabe's death, what next for Grace? Posted: 06 Sep 2019 10:02 AM PDT  Shorn of her late husband's protection, Grace Mugabe is likely to be feeling more than a little exposed as she begins her widowhood. Often derided as Zimbabwe's Lady Macbeth, her reputation for greed and her ruthless determination to succeed Robert Mugabe helped destroy both his presidency and her ambitions. For the military coup that overthrew Mr Mugabe in November, 2017 might never have taken place had he not let himself be persuaded to ditch his most loyal lieutenants in the ruling Zanu-PF party and make her his heir. Mrs Mugabe was by her husband's side when he died in Singapore and she will almost certainly be allowed pride of place during his funeral. But, after the mourning ends, her many enemies could well begin circling. Emmerson Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe's president and the man who overthrew her husband, promised last year that the Mugabes would be "left in peace", but he pointedly ruled out granting them immunity. He is certainly no fan of the former first lady, accusing her of trying to kill him by poisoning his ice-cream as they jostled to be named Mr Mugabe's successor in the months before the coup. Out of deference to his former boss, President Mnangagwa left her alone. With him gone, he may be less circumspect. Few politicians or ordinary Zimbabweans would rally to her cause. From the moment the former typist, 40 years her husband's junior, married Mr Mugabe in 1996, excess seemed to follow excess. When white-owned farms were seized, ostensibly to be redistributed to the poor, she allegedly received 20 of the very best, becoming one of Zimbabwe's largest landowners. Mr Mugabe's three children adored their father, who lavished them with presents, such as luxury homes, and a fabulous lifestyle. In a country brought to penury by her husband's misrule, Mrs Mugabe's extravagance will not be forgotten quickly. Mr Mnangagwa would also welcome the distraction a trial of the former first lady would bring from the continuing financial woes Zimbabwe is suffering. Criminal charges would not come without risk, however. If Mrs Mugabe is placed in the dock, there is no knowing what uncomfortable secrets about Zimbabwe's ruling elite she may reveal.
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| U.S. Treasury warns anyone fueling Iran tanker risks being blacklisted Posted: 05 Sep 2019 01:33 PM PDT  The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday warned that anyone around the world who helps fuel Iranian vessels blacklisted by Washington runs the risk of being designated as well. The Treasury Department blacklisted the Adrian Darya, a tanker at the center of a confrontation between Washington and Tehran, on Aug. 30. Washington has warned that it would regard any assistance given to the ship as support for a terrorist group, namely, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
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| Tensions mount between Trump, Pence camps heading into 2020 election Posted: 05 Sep 2019 02:00 AM PDT  Tensions mount between President Trump's and Vice President Mike Pence's camps as the 2020 election draws closer, amid discussion of their personal relationship and the recent rumors that Pence may be replaced by Nikki Haley.
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| China slams Canada after Trudeau criticizes detentions Posted: 06 Sep 2019 05:18 AM PDT  China accused Canada of not abiding by international norms Friday in response to comments from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who accused Beijing of arbitrarily detaining two Canadians. Trudeau's remarks are "purely unfounded countercharges that confound black and white," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou — Chinese telecom giant Huawei's chief financial officer and the daughter of its founder — on Dec. 1 at the request of the U.S, where she is wanted on fraud charges.
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| A NASA satellite captured Hurricane Dorian and three other cyclones lined up across the globe in one image Posted: 05 Sep 2019 03:41 PM PDT  Hurricane Dorian lines up with Hurricane Juliette and two tropical storms in a NASA satellite image of the Americas. This is peak hurricane season.
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| Jewish lawyers back Texas death row inmate's retrial push Posted: 05 Sep 2019 04:38 PM PDT  Some one hundred Jewish lawyers and Jewish law organizations offered their support Thursday to a Texas death row inmate who wants a retrial because he says the judge who presided over his original trial was anti-Semitic. Randy Halprin is set to be executed on October 10. According to those claims, Judge Vickers Cunningham, who presided over the trials of some of the gang members in 2003, made anti-Semitic and racist comments about the defendants.
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| Jeffrey Epstein accuser denies Prince Andrew photo is a 'fake' in letter to the Duke of York Posted: 06 Sep 2019 11:47 AM PDT  Lawyers for the Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre have denied claims that a photograph showing the Duke of York with his hand around her waist is a fake. Two attorneys for Ms Roberts wrote to Prince Andrew in a letter dated Tuesday to push back on "troubling" suggestions that the image was doctored. Their letter countered comments from "sources close to" the Duke which circulated in the UK press recently suggesting he is taller and has "much chubbier" fingers than in the photograph. Ms Roberts Giuffre has claimed she was made to have sex with the Duke when she was 17 after being recruited by Epstein, a US financier and multimillionaire. The Duke has always vehemently denied the allegation. Ms Roberts Giuffre's lawyers, Brad Edwards and David Boies, wrote: "While your recent press statements indicate your sincere desire to help the victims of sexual abuse, we are concerned that certain statements attributed to you (which we hope do not reflect your actual views) are quite inconsistent with a desire to deal responsibly with the serious allegations that have been made. "We now see, for instance, a troubling assertion attributed to you that a well-documented photograph depicting you, Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell in each other's company is a 'fake'." Jeffrey Epstein in 2017 Credit: New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP, File They also request a meeting with the Duke to discuss the photograph and Ms Roberts Giuffre, suggesting a meeting in New York, London or another venue could be arranged. The lawyers noted they had approached the Duke years ago for a meeting about the "long-held photograph", writing: "We were puzzled and, we must admit, disappointed that you did not cooperate at that time. They added: "Nevertheless, given your new attention to the subject and your pledge to cooperate, we renew our request for your cooperation." The photograph first emerged in 2011 when the Mail on Sunday published the image and detailed Ms Roberts Giuffre's account of meeting Prince Andrew. It is said to have been taken at the home of Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of media tycoon Robert Maxwell, in London in 2001, when Ms Roberts Giuffre was 17. The allegation against the Duke is facing renewed attention after Epstein, 66, killed himself in prison last month following an arrest over sex trafficking of underage girls. Prince Andrew was one spotted at the door of Jeffrey Epstein's New York home in 2010 Credit: Mail on Sunday/2010 by Mail on Sunday The Duke released a statement last month saying it was "a mistake and an error" to see Epstein after the financier had pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution in 2008. The Duke said he did not "see, witness or suspect any behavior of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction". He added: "I deplore the exploitation of any human being and would not condone, participate in, or encourage any such behaviour." Epstein's death in prison has triggered an investigation in the US Department of Justice given he had been taken off suicide watch just days before. Guards who were meant to be checking in on him every 30 minutes failed to do so. He was also meant to have another prisoner sharing his cell but was alone. US prosecutors have vowed not to drop the investigation despite Epstein's death, insisting that if there are any co-conspirators in his crimes they will be brought to justice. A Buckingham Palace spokesman declined to comment on the letter. The spokesman reissued a previous statement: "It is emphatically denied that The Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation."
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| At destroyed airport, Bahamians tell stories of survival and death Posted: 06 Sep 2019 10:17 AM PDT  After Hurricane Dorian destroyed her home in Central Pines, she needed food for her two-year-old daughter. What she found first, it turned out, was a bloated body by the store's entrance. Later, Smith and a friend went to a trailer park to check on a coworker who lived there.
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| Bill de Blasio: We've got to end the availability of assault weapons in this country Posted: 05 Sep 2019 06:04 PM PDT  Democratic presidential candidate and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio takes on gun control, discusses his campaign plans on 'Tucker Carlson Tonight.'
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| CIA predicted the Iran crisis that spiraled out of Trump pulling the US from the 2015 nuclear deal Posted: 05 Sep 2019 01:04 PM PDT  A year before Trump withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear deal, the CIA circulated a classified document offering a "simple" and prescient conclusion.
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| Elon Musk Is Sending a Tesla Model S to the Nurburgring Posted: 06 Sep 2019 10:00 AM PDT  Sure looks like Tesla is taking on the Porsche Taycan in a hot-lap EV grudge match.
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| The Latest: Merkel in China says HK freedoms should be safe Posted: 06 Sep 2019 12:18 AM PDT  German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents should be protected and a solution to the Chinese city's political crisis can only be garnered through dialogue while violence should be avoided. Merkel spoke at a news conference in Beijing on Friday alongside Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. The German leader says she indicated during her talks with him "that the rights and freedoms agreed upon in Hong Kong's Basic Law should be safeguarded." The Basic Law is Hong Kong's de facto constitution, which promises the semi-autonomous territory certain democratic rights not afforded to the mainland.
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| Southern US to feel like middle of summer as record heat builds into this weekend Posted: 06 Sep 2019 04:45 AM PDT  Record-challenging heat will make it feel like the middle of summer across the southern United States through the weekend.Dry conditions and plenty of sunshine will stretch from eastern Texas to Georgia on Saturday as an area of high pressure settles over the region.Temperatures across much of this area will climb into the middle to upper 90s F, while farther west in Louisiana and eastern Texas, highs are expected to peak near 100 F."In fact, record highs may be challenged in several locations, such as Dallas, Houston and Shreveport, Louisiana, just to name a few," AccuWeather Meteorologist Ryan Adamson said.Several cities from Texas to Florida set new record high temperatures for the date on Friday, including New Orleans and Miami. Sweltering heat will spread farther north across the Southeast on Saturday in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.Heat will peak in most places on Saturday with high temperatures ranging from the middle 90s along the Southeast coast to the lower 100s in eastern Texas.Normal highs for the beginning of September across this region range from the middle 80s to lowers 90s.It will feel even hotter across the region as AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures reach above 100 F. It may even feel as hot as 110 F away from the coast. Several record highs were tied or broken across the south on Thursday. In Vero Beach, Florida, which had been at risk from impacts from Dorian earlier in the week, the high temperature of 97 broke the old Sept. 5 record of 96 set back in 1996. New Orleans tied its record of 97; the last time the city hit 97 on Sept. 5 was in 2000.Those along the Southeast coast left without power in the wake of Dorian will need to take extra precautions, such as drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated and taking frequent breaks in the shade during strenuous activity.While Sunday will still be hot, the arrival of some spotty showers and thunderstorms can help to keep temperatures a couple of degrees lower from eastern North Carolina to the panhandle of Florida.Temperatures will remain on the higher side into the beginning of next week, but more widespread showers and thunderstorms will knock temperatures down by a couple degrees in most locations."Temperatures should fall below 100 degrees in most areas by Sunday and Monday," added Adamson, "but it will still likely be above normal for early September, with widespread mid-90s."Download the free AccuWeather app to keep track of temperature trends in your area. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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| Heartwarming stories of people rescuing animals from Hurricane Dorian Posted: 06 Sep 2019 06:08 AM PDT  Hurricane Dorian is destroying people's homes and lives. But don't forget animals are affected, too. Here are some of their stories.
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| Gun Used in Texas Shooting Was Illegally Manufactured and Sold: REPORT Posted: 05 Sep 2019 02:19 PM PDT  Authorities believe the gun used in the drive-by shooting in Midland and Odessa, Texas this past weekend was illegally manufactured and sold by a Lubbock, Texas man, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is currently investigating a man who they believe illegally manufactured and sold the AR-15-style rifle that Seth Ator used to kill seven people and injure 22 more on Saturday, before he was shot and killed by police.Ator, 36, had previously attempted to purchase a gun from a licensed seller in January 2014, but failed the requisite background check because he'd been declared mentally unfit by a local court. A nationwide criminal-background check identified the court order and prevented the purchase, according to local authorities.If Ator did in fact purchase the weapon through a private transaction, its seller was under no obligation to conduct a background check, but could be held criminally liable if evidence emerges that he knew his prospective customer came to him due to a previous background-check failure.Authorities intercepted Ator outside of a movie theater, killing him only after he rampaged down a highway that links Midland and Odessa shooting indiscriminately.Partisan tensions over gun-control legislation have escalated in recent weeks following separate mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio. Congressional Democrats continue to insist on universal-background-check legislation that would apply to private sales, a version of which passed the House earlier this year.Republicans, meanwhile, remain non-committal as Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell refuses to endorse specific legislation.
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| UPDATE 2-California boat fire victims likely died of smoke inhalation Posted: 06 Sep 2019 02:01 PM PDT ![UPDATE 2-California boat fire victims likely died of smoke inhalation]( "UPDATE 2-California boat fire victims likely died of smoke inhalation") The 34 people killed when a dive boat caught fire and sank off the California coast likely died from smoke inhalation and may have been dead before flames consumed their bunk area, the local sheriff said on Friday. The disclosure raises questions over whether crew members, who told investigators they tried desperately to rescue the passengers in their below-decks sleeping quarters, were already too late to save them by the time they were alerted to the blaze. Divers have so far recovered the burned remains of 33 victims, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown told a news conference.
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| Ed Henry returns to 'Fox & Friends' after donating part of liver to sister Posted: 06 Sep 2019 04:55 AM PDT  Fox News chief national correspondent Ed Henry stops by the 'Fox & Friends' live audience show two months after the life-changing surgery.
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| China braces for 'uninvited rhetoric' at top UN rights body Posted: 06 Sep 2019 10:06 AM PDT ![China braces for 'uninvited rhetoric' at top UN rights body]( "China braces for 'uninvited rhetoric' at top UN rights body") A Chinese ambassador said Friday his country is ready for any "undesirable or uninvited rhetoric" on issues like Hong Kong unrest or government detention centers in the Xinjiang region as the U.N.'s top human rights body meets for three weeks starting Monday. Chen Xu, China's envoy to U.N. institutions in Geneva, also insisted that Beijing doesn't believe that the Human Rights Council is the "right venue" to discuss issues like the protests in Hong Kong.
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| Ex N.Korea prisoner says he was CIA spy: German media Posted: 06 Sep 2019 08:07 AM PDT  A former prisoner in North Korea has told German media that he used to spy for the CIA, seeking out nuclear secrets and taking pictures with a concealed wristwatch camera. In a TV report by public broadcaster NDR, South Korean-born US citizen Kim Dong-chul, 67, recounts his former espionage operations, arrest and the abuse and torture he suffered behind bars. Kim Dong-chul was one of three American detainees freed by Pyongyang in May 2018, in the lead-up to the first summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
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| A US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt accidentally fired off a rocket over Arizona Posted: 06 Sep 2019 07:08 AM PDT  It happened again. This is the second time this year an A-10 has unintentionally released munitions in an area where it shouldn't have.
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| 2019 Honda Civic Type R vs. 1991 Acura NSX in Photos Posted: 06 Sep 2019 04:59 AM PDT |
| A Fast-Moving Wildfire Has Burned 2,000 Acres in Southern California. What to Know About the Tenaja Fire Posted: 05 Sep 2019 12:06 PM PDT  Fire officials have issued mandatory evacuation orders to over 400 homes in Riverside County
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| Insurer Starr sues to rescind coverage of lawyer Avenatti's plane Posted: 06 Sep 2019 03:27 PM PDT  Avenatti was also charged with bankruptcy fraud for making false statements in a 2017 bankruptcy proceeding involving his law firm, Eagan Avenatti. A lawyer for Avenatti declined to comment on Friday.
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| Business class passenger racially abuses Asian crew member and demands to be served by 'white girl', court hears Posted: 06 Sep 2019 09:47 AM PDT  An IT consultant racially abused a female British Airways cabin crew member and demanded he be served only by a "white girl," a court has heard.Peter Nelson, 46, became irate after being woken up by Sima Patel-Pryke while flying business class from London's Heathrow to Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil, jurors were told.
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| ‘Spare Our Passengers’: Hong Kong Airport's Plea to Protesters Posted: 06 Sep 2019 04:26 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong's airport used a newspaper advertisement to appeal to protesters, asking them not to target the transport hub ahead of another weekend of anti-China demonstrations in the city."Spare our passengers further disruption," read a half-page ad from the Airport Authority Hong Kong in the South China Morning Post, the territory's main English-speaking newspaper, on Friday.In the ad, the authority urged demonstrators "not to disrupt the journey of tens of thousands of travelers who use our airport every day."The train connecting the city center and the airport will not stop at three other stations on the line Saturday because protests are expected to take place, according to a Friday statement from the Airport Authority Hong Kong. The train will only stop at the airport and Hong Kong Station from 9 a.m. until end of service.Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department said it was urging the public not to fly drones near the airport, saying that it had seen online posts discussing the possibility.Last weekend saw some of the most violent confrontations since the unrest broke out in Hong Kong three months ago. Protesters, who oppose China's tightening grip on the former British colony, vandalized turnstiles at train stations to the airport and the high-speed rail link to the terminal was suspended.Hundreds of flights at what is Asia's busiest hub for international traffic were delayed or canceled, leaving queues of people stuck at the terminal sitting on suitcases, while others walked down the highway pushing luggage.It's not the first advertisement by Hong Kong authorities to combat the unrest. The government took out a full-page ad in Thursday's edition of the Australian Financial Review to reassure investors the city is stable and the economy is strong. Tycoons and businesses in the city have also appealed for calm in the city with newspaper ads.There have been repeated calls online for protesters to block traffic to the airport again this weekend, and passengers should allow extra time to catch their flights, the authority said in its ad on Friday. The airport obtained a court injunction last month against people holding protests inside the terminal, and a later one preventing them from blocking the roads.The demonstrations are set to continue, even after Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam formally withdrew the contentious extradition bill that sparked the pushback against Beijing in June. Pro-democracy activists and lawmakers say her concession is too little too late, with protesters also demanding an independent inquiry into police behavior and the right to nominate and elect Hong Kong's leader.Turnstiles and ticket machines at a subway station were vandalized on Wednesday night, spurring the operator, MTR Corp., to "strongly condemn" attacks on staff and destruction of their facilities. The railway network has been a key target of the demonstrators, with several lines closed last weekend amid heightened tensions. Footage showed police swinging batons at protesters as they clung to each other in subway cars.(Updates with partial shutdown of airport train in fourth paragraph, warning about drones in fifth paragraph..)To contact the reporter on this story: Angus Whitley in Sydney at awhitley1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Young-Sam Cho at ycho2@bloomberg.net, Emma O'BrienFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Mugabe, Zimbabwe hero-turned-despot, dies aged 95 Posted: 06 Sep 2019 11:27 AM PDT  Robert Mugabe, the former guerrilla hero turned despot who ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years until the military forced him out, has died aged 95. First heralded as a liberator who rid the former British colony Rhodesia of white minority rule, Mugabe used repression and fear to govern until he was finally ousted by his previously loyal generals in November 2017. President Emmerson Mnangagwa said his predecessor had been declared a "national hero" and that Zimbabwe would mourn him until the burial.
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| Mexican national shot by ICE in Tennessee recovering Posted: 06 Sep 2019 01:00 PM PDT ![Mexican national shot by ICE in Tennessee recovering]( "Mexican national shot by ICE in Tennessee recovering") A Mexican man shot while fleeing from immigration agents in Tennessee was recovering Friday, an attorney for his family said. Andrew Free said in an interview the man was shot in the stomach and elbow Thursday morning by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. Free and another attorney later negotiated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the man surrendered Thursday afternoon.
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