| Trump appears to accidentally share Twitter dis Posted: 15 Aug 2017 05:12 AM PDT  The Twitter user who called President Trump a fascist and frequently shares anti-Trump sentiment, joked Tuesday that the president "agrees with him."
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| Could Trump's Comments Lead To a GOP Presidential Primary? Posted: 15 Aug 2017 12:21 PM PDT  Trump's media availability drew intense criticism from the right. Former GOP Rep. David Jolly says today may be the start of a primary movement to replace Trump. He joins O'Donnell and Jarvis DeBerry to discuss Trump's long pattern of bigoted behavior.
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| Baltimore Quietly Removed All 4 Of Its Confederate Statues Overnight Posted: 16 Aug 2017 04:48 AM PDT  All four of Baltimore's Confederate statues were removed overnight, just days after a white nationalist rally erupted into chaos and violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.
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| Robert E. Lee's Descendant Denounces White Nationalists Posted: 15 Aug 2017 06:07 PM PDT  "We don't want people to think that they can hide behind Robert E. Lee's name for these senseless acts of violence."
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| Search on in 2 countries for woman missing since sub sank Posted: 15 Aug 2017 06:19 AM PDT  COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Police from Sweden assisted their Danish counterparts on Tuesday with pursuing leads in the search for a missing Swedish woman who was on an amateur-built submarine the night before it sank, while volunteers and authorities combed the countries' waterways for signs of her.
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| Mattis warns of risk of war if NKorea fires at US soil Posted: 14 Aug 2017 02:20 PM PDT  Defense Secretary Jim Mattis warned Monday that an attack by North Korea against the United States could quickly escalate into war, and said the military would try to shoot down any missile that threatened Guam. "If they fire at the United States, it could escalate into war very quickly," Mattis told Pentagon reporters. Mattis's comments came after he and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said America has "no interest" in regime change in Pyongyang or the accelerated reunification of the two Koreas, and stressed the importance of a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
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| Offshore drilling mergers raise hopes for sector recovery Posted: 16 Aug 2017 12:17 AM PDT  By Liz Hampton HOUSTON (Reuters) - Mergers among offshore oil drillers are raising hopes that consolidation could bring relief to a sector struggling to emerge from an industry downturn triggered by low crude prices. Transocean Ltd, one of the world's largest offshore drilling contractors, on Tuesday agreed to buy Norwegian rival Songa Offshore SE for $1.1 billion. The deal follows Ensco Plc's pending purchase of Atwood Oceanics Inc in a transaction valued at $839 million.
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| The world's most livable cities for 2017 revealed Posted: 16 Aug 2017 05:24 AM PDT  For the seventh year in a row, Melbourne has been named the world's most livable city, in a new list dominated by cities in Australia and Canada. Analysts at The Economist's Intelligence Unit released the 2017 edition of their Global Liveability Report, which ranks 140 cities based on their quality of life across five broad categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. This year's list saw 44 cities get bumped or promoted on the index, be it for falling crime rates, increased terror threats, instability, or increased tourist activity.
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| Dizzying artwork video uses oil, paint, and soap to create otherworldly movement Posted: 15 Aug 2017 01:07 PM PDT ![Dizzying artwork video uses oil, paint, and soap to create otherworldly movement]( "Dizzying artwork video uses oil, paint, and soap to create otherworldly movement") These dizzying images use oil, soap and paint to create movements that feel otherworldly, and seem to psychedelically burst from their surroundings.
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| Donald Trump’s teleprompter is back from vacation to denounce racism Posted: 14 Aug 2017 11:17 AM PDT  After a weekend of violence in Charlottesville prompted by rallying white supremacists, President Donald Trump went on camera Monday to... read off a teleprompter. Trump isn't known for his extemporaneous speaking (or tweeting) skills. On Saturday his lukewarm tweet condemning violence in Charlottesville from "many sides" was swiftly and strongly critiqued for its failure to address white supremacist ideology, the KKK and neo-Nazis directly. SEE ALSO: You can honor Heather Heyer and other Charlottesville heroes starting today So, on Monday, Trump gave a statement from the White House, this time reading prepared remarks directly from a teleprompter which, after three days of silence on racism, struck many as too little, too late. Trump has a famously tenuous relationship with the teleprompter. Though he frequently criticized Hillary Clinton for her use of them during the 2016 campaign, he has since made use of it himself, which is par for the presidential course. But when it takes you three days and a prepared script to say, "the KKK is bad," you might have a problem. It's also a bold reversal for a man who, per CNN, said at a 2015 rally: "I've always said, if you run for president, you shouldn't be allowed to use teleprompters ... Because you don't even know if the guy's smart." Take from that what you will. Naturally, Trump's ability to read on command has left Twitter unimpressed. so it appears trump read a teleprompter statement, with no ad-libs. takes no questions & ignores shouted ones as he leaves. — kelly cohen (@politiCOHEN_) August 14, 2017 He literally cannot deliver this without a teleprompter. Sad! https://t.co/b48PW9xl3n — Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) August 14, 2017 I hate when Trump throws in his really obvious ad-libs when he's reading the teleprompter. "so sad," "I know," "it's about time" — built to shrill (@theshrillest) August 14, 2017 He can't even read the teleprompter normally. These words are killing him. And no you haven't said anything about the color of skin. — ProfB (@AntheaButler) August 14, 2017 Trump looks like a hostage reading the teleprompter. We don't believe you, you need more people. — Britni Danielle (@BritniDWrites) August 14, 2017 "please, sir, for the love of god, read the teleprompter and walk away, no improv" — every aide — ಠ_ಠ(@MikeIsaac) August 14, 2017 Its striking that he has to carefully read it off a teleprompter. He railed against prompters yet he can't speak from the heart about racism https://t.co/olP7gXjR80 — Katy Tur (@KatyTurNBC) August 14, 2017 Renouncing racism off a teleprompter 72 hours too late, after endless prodding, kinda just proves that you're both a racist and a wimp, no? — Ben Reininga (@BenReininga) August 14, 2017 It felt like @realDonaldTrump read the TelePrompTer message condemning hate groups like a hostage forced to read a statement by his captors. — Bryan Cranston (@BryanCranston) August 14, 2017
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| Charlottesville: Man pictured using homemade flame thrower on white supremacists speaks out Posted: 15 Aug 2017 06:01 AM PDT  A care worker who fought off white supremacist attackers in Charlottesville with an improvised flame thrower said he had set out for a peaceful protest against "Nazis who took over my town". Corey Long had joined the hundreds of demonstrators in the Virginia city who turned out to heckle at radicals including Ku Klux Klan members who were marching in an ultra right-wing rally. Another extremist later lunged at Mr Long with a confederate flag and he fought back with a spray can he said he found on the ground, putting a lighter to the nozzle and turning it into a weapon.
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| White Supremacist In Charlottesville Wearing 82nd Airborne Hat Gets Called Out... By 82nd Airborne Posted: 15 Aug 2017 03:16 AM PDT  The 82nd Airborne Division fought several campaigns against Nazi Germany during World War II.
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| 'Bloodiest 24 hours' of Philippines drugs war, as 32 shot dead by Duterte's police Posted: 16 Aug 2017 10:25 AM PDT  Thirty two suspected drug dealers were killed in police shootouts in the Philippines on Tuesday night, during the bloodiest 24 hours so far of a state war on drugs that has killed over 7,000 people in the last year. The police conducted 49 "buy-bust" operations, using undercover officers to attempt to buy drugs from suspected dealers, and 14 raids, in the province of Bucalan, just north of the capital, Manila, said police superintendent Romeo Caramat. Filipino students stage a protest rally against the war on drugs in Manila Credit: EPA Describing his forces' actions as "one time, big time", he said that 25 of these operations had "resulted in armed encounter" during which 32 were killed and 107 were arrested. Officers also confiscated over 200 grams of methamphetamine, 786g of marijuana, and firearms. Mr Caramat told reporters that while the police tried to avoid casualties during their operations, that "we do not have control of the situation." He repeated a common line issued by the Philippine authorities, that the suspects were killed because they fought back. "The subjects are notorious drug pushers and we all know that they are called notorious because they will refuse to be caught alive," he said, according to local news-site, Rappler. More than 3,200 alleged drug offenders have been killed in gunbattles with law enforcers since President Rodrigo Duterte unleashed a brutal war on drugs after coming to power last year. #Philippines mandatory student drug testing may create a "school-to-cemetery track" for kids testing positive @hrwhttps://t.co/OC0MQMce3upic.twitter.com/Jpysuh1pTs— Phelim Kine æž—æµ· (@PhelimKine) August 14, 2017 Human rights groups have accused the police of acting with impunity and deliberately staging shoot-outs to kill suspects without giving them the right to a trial. They report that at least 7,000 alleged drugs dealers and users in total have been killed, with the majority being gunned down by vigilante assassins accused of having links to the authorities. Critics of Duterte have demanded an investigation into his possible role in the violence. Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Philippines researcher at Amnesty International said it was "extremely worrying" that the killings had picked up pace in recent weeks. "This is another horrific milestone in President Duterte's bloody 'war on drugs'," she said of Tuesday night's death toll. "This shows clearly the urgent need to establish an international-led investigation into the carnage taking place every night." Phelime Kine, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, added his voice to calls for an independent inquiry, urging the United Nations to investigate Duterte's drugs war "slaughter." "Duterte's consistent cheerleading for an unlawful killing campaign that killed at least 7,000 – and perhaps as many as 12,000 – of the country's most poverty-stricken citizens makes him complicit in the incitement and instigation of mass killings" he said. In quotes | Rodrigo Duterte, President of the Philippines Meanwhile, HRW has warned that the safety of Philippine high school and college students could be endangered by government plans to introduce random mandatory drugs tests on campus. The ministry of education has approved a proposal to introduce drugs tests at the start of the school year to deter and determine the prevalence of drug abuse among students. "Imposing mandatory drug testing of students when Philippine police are committing rampant summary killings of alleged drug users puts countless children in danger for failing a drug test," said Mr Kine. "Education officials should be protecting students, not putting them in harm's way through mandatory drugs tests."
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| Nigeria suicide bombers kill 28, wound 82 Posted: 15 Aug 2017 08:10 PM PDT  Three women suicide bombers blew themselves up at the entrance to a camp for displaced people in northeast Nigeria on Tuesday, killing 28 people and wounding 82, local sources said. The attack -- the latest in a string of assaults in the troubled region -- took place in the town of Mandarari, 25 kilometres (15 miles) from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, said Baba Kura, a member of a vigilante force set up to fight jihadists. "Three female bombers triggered their explosive outside of the IDP (internally displaced persons) camp... killing 28 people and wounding 82 others," Kura said.
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| Protesters in North Carolina Tear Down Confederate Statue Posted: 14 Aug 2017 05:22 PM PDT  The group said its actions are in response to the violence in Charlottesville
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| U.S. court rules Arkansas can block Planned Parenthood funding Posted: 16 Aug 2017 10:57 AM PDT  A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday reversed a ruling that prevented Arkansas from cutting off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood following the release of controversial videos secretly recorded by an anti-abortion group. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis reversed a federal judge's ruling forbidding Arkansas from carrying through with Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson's directive to suspend Medicaid reimbursements to a Planned Parenthood affiliate.
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| Study Explores How To Talk To Climate Change Deniers Posted: 15 Aug 2017 03:40 PM PDT  A new study shows how climate change advocates should talk to those who don't believe in global warming. Hint: put the data graphs down.
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| Richard Spencer vows to carry on protests in Charlottesville because 'I always win' Posted: 14 Aug 2017 11:42 AM PDT  A white nationalist who organised the rally in Charlottesville has vowed to carry on protesting, despite the violent clashes which left one person dead and 35 injured. Richard Spencer, who heads up the white nationalist National Policy Institute, told the Daily Mail that he had "the will to win" in the battle not to pull down the statue of a Confederate General, Robert E Lee. Mr Spencer took to Twitter to blame the Mayor of Charlottesville, Mike Signer, for the violence.
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| The O.J. Bronco was for sale on "Pawn Stars," but didn't sell Posted: 15 Aug 2017 11:00 AM PDT  The second Bronco was the white one that Al Cowlings used to drive O.J. on that dramatic slow-speed highway chase. Originally owned by Cowlings, the Bronco was sold to O.J.'s manager Mike Gilbert. Now Gilbert is ready to part with the Bronco and he wants to see if the "Pawn Stars" will pony up his asking price.
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| Student, 18, Arrested After Allegedly Threatening Teacher's Life On Facebook: Cops Posted: 15 Aug 2017 05:38 AM PDT  Desiree Zio is charged with making written threats to kill or do bodily harm.
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| Tiki torch maker sad to see its product used at racist rally Posted: 14 Aug 2017 06:03 PM PDT  A manufacturer of garden torches of the kind used for parties and family gatherings said it was saddened to see its products used over the weekend at a white supremacist rally in Virginia that turned violent and deadly. For many in America such torches evoke horrible memories of Ku Klux Klan events in which members of the southern-based racist group carried torches during marches, cross-burnings or lynchings of black people. On Friday evening in Charlottesville, white supremacists raised many an eyebrow by carrying Tiki torches as they marched across the campus of the University of Virginia.
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| 'It still fits': Engagement ring missing for more than a decade turns up on garden carrot Posted: 16 Aug 2017 03:46 AM PDT  A woman who was resigned to never seeing her beautiful engagement ring ever again - and had bought a smaller one as a replacement - was shocked when her daughter-in-law found it on a carrot. The family had harvested some carrots from their farm in Alberta, Canada, for dinner, and one had grown around the engagement ring, which was then pulled from the ground. Mary Grams, 84, had lost her beloved ring in 2004 while she was in the garden, and thought she would never see it again. "I recognized it right away," she said. Mary Grams, 84, got her missing ring back when her daughter-in-law found it while harvesting carrots on the family farm in Alberta, Canada. Credit: CBC News She thinks she lost it while pulling a large weed from the garden. "We looked high and low on our hands and knees," she told CBC news. "We couldn't find it. I thought for sure either they rototilled it or something happened to it." Mrs Grams has had the ring since 1951, a year before she married her husband, Norman. Mary, 84, says she didn't know if they were kidding or not, but when her granddaughter brought the carrot over - she knew: "It's mine!" #yegpic.twitter.com/Ft7IMUeSMR— Sarah Kraus Global (@SarahNKraus) August 15, 2017 The ring was found by her daughter-in-law, Colleen Daley. "I knew it had to belong to either grandma or my mother-in-law," she said, "because no other women have lived on that farm. "I asked my husband if he recognized the ring. And he said yeah. His mother had lost her engagement ring years ago in the garden and never found it again. And it turned up on this carrot." A few weeks after losing her engagement ring, Mary bought herself this one, much smaller, to replace it. #Camrosepic.twitter.com/sg9WN4y1Pb— Sarah Kraus Global (@SarahNKraus) August 15, 2017 Mrs Grams said she is pleased the ring was found. "I'm going to wear it because it still fits," she said.
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| Iran's military chief in rare visit to Turkey for Syria talks Posted: 16 Aug 2017 07:27 AM PDT  By Parisa Hafezi and Tuvan Gumrukcu ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish and Iranian military leaders held talks on Wednesday over cooperation in the Syrian conflict and counter-terrorism, officials said, during a rare visit to NATO-member Turkey by the Islamic Republic's military chief of staff. Turkey's ties with Washington have been strained by U.S. support for Kurdish fighters in Syria, and the visit by Iranian General Mohammad Baqeri is the latest sign that Ankara is increasing cooperation with other powers such as Iran and Russia. Baqeri met his Turkish counterpart on Tuesday and Turkey's Defence Minister Nurettin Canikli on Wednesday in what Turkish media said was the first visit by an Iranian chief of staff since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.
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| Mischievous pup who found the wrong side of the law is still a very good dog Posted: 15 Aug 2017 07:38 AM PDT  We all know all dogs are good dogs. It's a scientific fact. But sometimes they get in a bit of trouble. Maybe not arrested and thrown in the back of a police car kind of trouble, but they can be pretty sneaky. Don't be fooled — this pup is still very good, but he did take a little run in the wild that got him in a bit of a pickle. A very nice policeman brought him back in the only way he could — in the back of his cop car. Reddit user Ayayoska posted a photo of the extremely cute incident. SEE ALSO: Spoiled doggo with 5 dog beds prefers the floor This pup gave his pregnant owner a hard time! C'mon pup, you know better than that. Even though this little ride looks like a punishment, the doge looks like he couldn't possibly be having a better time. Just look at that smile. Even the policeman is having a great time with his new friend. Everyone on Reddit loved these two, especially the policeman who got to hang out with the pup. Image: reddit Image: reddit Image: reddit Image: reddit Image: redditGood dog, good human. WATCH: Grownups will love riding this all-electric smart scooter but it comes at a hefty price
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| Paul Ryan opponent says he believes 'pizzagate' conspiracy Posted: 14 Aug 2017 07:09 PM PDT  MADISON, Wis. (AP) — House Speaker Paul Ryan's Republican challenger says he believes an unfounded right-wing online conspiracy theory dubbed "pizzagate."
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| Argentinian Hunter Trampled And Killed By Elephant In Namibia Posted: 14 Aug 2017 01:42 PM PDT  He was with four other trophy hunters at the time of his death.
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| Donald Trump's lawyer makes collage of himself with black people to show he isn't racist Posted: 16 Aug 2017 09:00 AM PDT  Donald Trump's lawyer has been ridiculed online after making a collage of himself pictured with black people to prove he is not racist. Michael Cohen tweeted a selection of selfies in an apparent bid to distance himself from anger over the President's response to white supremacist violence in Charlottesville. "As the son of a holocaust survivor, I have no tolerance for racism," Mr Trump's personal attorney wrote alongside eight pictures of himself with African Americans.
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| Charlottesville: Man 'outing Nazis' on Twitter says he will continue despite receiving death threats Posted: 15 Aug 2017 04:21 AM PDT  The man gaining international attention for outing alleged white supremacists on Twitter has said he will continue his campaign despite receiving death threats in the wake of the Charlottesville violence. Logan Smith runs the Yes, You're Racist Twitter account, which has shared a number of posts since the weekend calling for users to publicly identify members of the Virginia rally. University of Arkansas biomedical engineering professor Kyle Quinn, who runs a laboratory dedicated to wound-healing research, was incorrectly named by the account and was hit with a barrage of online abuse.
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| Parents Who Came Under Fire for YouTube Prank on Kids Could Face 10 Years in Prison Posted: 16 Aug 2017 08:36 AM PDT  Michael and Heather gained notoriety after a video of them playing an expletive-laced prank on their children went viral.
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| India, China troops in high-altitude clash: officials Posted: 16 Aug 2017 01:42 AM PDT  Indian and Chinese troops clashed briefly on a disputed area of land in the Himalayas, officials said Wednesday, exacerbating tensions during a months-long standoff between the two armies. Chinese troops threw stones at Indian soldiers near Pangong Lake, a major tourist attraction in the picturesque mountain region of Ladakh on Tuesday, an Indian defence official said. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she was not aware of the latest reports, but she added that "Chinese border troops are always committed to maintaining peace on the India-China border".
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| Wendy's Chicken Is Going To Change Drastically Posted: 14 Aug 2017 02:00 PM PDT  A change we can get behind.
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| How To Wash Radioactive Material From Your Body After A Nuclear Blast Posted: 16 Aug 2017 03:04 AM PDT  According to certain guidelines, hair conditioner could bind radioactive material to your hair after exposure.
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| Trump Scraps Obama-Era Rule To Protect Infrastructure From Climate-Change Flooding Posted: 15 Aug 2017 02:14 PM PDT  WASHINGTON — Furthering his attack on Obama-era climate policies, President Donald Trump has rescinded a rule that requires federal, state and local agencies to account for rising sea levels caused by climate change and to construct buildings, highways and other infrastructure to withstand flooding.
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| Here’s Where You Can See Every Total Solar Eclipse for the Next 50 Years Posted: 16 Aug 2017 06:00 AM PDT  Check out where and when the next total solar eclipses will take place
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| Trump arrives home in New York, but protesters don't see him Posted: 14 Aug 2017 08:24 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump went home to Trump Tower on Monday for the first time since his inauguration, with a throng of chanting protesters awaiting — but never seeing — him.
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| Charlottesville driver previously accused of beating mother Posted: 15 Aug 2017 05:19 PM PDT  CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — The driver charged with killing a woman at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville was previously accused of beating his mother and threatening her with a knife, according to police records released Monday.
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| Seaworld: Another killer whale dies after suffering from a bacterial infection for 10 years Posted: 16 Aug 2017 09:51 AM PDT  "Despite their best efforts, her health and appetite significantly declined over the past several days despite continually tailored treatments," SeaWorld said in a statement. There are now 10 orcas in the San Diego theme park, including five males and five females.
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| 20 Crazy Delicious Things To Do With Brown Bananas Posted: 15 Aug 2017 11:26 AM PDT |
| Russia, Syria Surround 3,000 Square Miles of ISIS Land Posted: 14 Aug 2017 02:27 PM PDT  After reportedly doubling their control of the country, Syrian troops conducted a nighttime raid behind enemy lines with the help of Russia.
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| Objects spotted near suspected MH370 crash site - Australia Posted: 16 Aug 2017 02:03 AM PDT  Several "probably man-made" objects were floating near the suspected crash site of MH370 just weeks after it vanished, Australian researchers revealed Wednesday, more than six months after the hunt for the doomed jet was called off. A massive underwater search for the Malaysia Airlines plane, which disappeared in March 2014 with 239 people on board, ended in January after no trace of the aircraft was found in a 120,000 square kilometre (46,000 square mile) zone in the remote southern Indian Ocean off Australia's west coast. On Wednesday, two new studies said photos taken by French military satellites two weeks after the plane's disappearance, but not released to the public, showed at least 70 identifiable objects floating close to the so-called "northern area".
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| Philippines says China agrees on no new expansion in South China Sea Posted: 15 Aug 2017 06:34 AM PDT  By Manuel Mogato MANILA (Reuters) - China has assured the Philippines it will not occupy new features or territory in the South China Sea, under a new "status quo" brokered by Manila as both sides try to strengthen their relations, the Philippine defense minister said. Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano also said the Philippines was working on a "commercial deal" with China to explore and exploit oil and gas resources in disputed areas of the South China Sea with an aim to begin drilling within a year. The defense minister, Delfin Lorenzana, told a congressional hearing the Philippines and China had reached a "modus vivendi", or a way to get along, in the South China Sea that prohibits new occupation of islands.
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| Mother Dies While Trying To Save Son While Tubing In Creek Posted: 14 Aug 2017 11:23 AM PDT  The Colorado mother tried to save the boy when his tube capsized last month.
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| South Korea in plea to avoid North Korea war after Trump's 'locked and loaded' comment Posted: 14 Aug 2017 12:33 PM PDT  South Korea's President Moon Jae-in has called on the US to help bring about a "peaceful solution" to the deepening diplomatic crisis with its northern neighbour after days of threat and counter threat. Donald Trump's recent comments that the US military is "locked and loaded" to deal with North Korea are part of an escalating war of words, with that warning coming in response to Pyongyang's threat to attack the US territory of Guam, a small Pacific island about 3,540 kilometres (2,200 miles) southeast of the Korean peninsula. "There must be no more war on the Korean peninsula.
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| T-Mobile just took a huge step towards beating Verizon once and for all Posted: 16 Aug 2017 06:00 AM PDT 
This April, T-Mobile spent $8 billion on new low-band spectrum to improve its wireless network. As of right now, that network is online. A "cluster site" in Cheyenne, Wyoming, is the first place in the country to be lit up with T-Mobile's 600MHz LTE network. Neville Ray, T-Mobile's Chief Technology Officer, described the rollout as a "massive milestone" for T-Mobile, and one that should "materially close" T-Mobile's existing coverage gap with Verizon "by the end of the year."
To call it a "massive milestone" is really an understatement. Normally, rolling out new spectrum takes years. Verizon, for example, bought 700MHz spectrum from the FCC in a similar auction in 2008, and didn't turn the network on until 2010. Ray said that "the FCC only granted the licenses in June, so to have the network online by August...is much faster than anyone expected." 600MHz spectrum is going to be a big deal for T-Mobile as it should finally fix the network's coverage problems. Cell networks operate across dozens of different "bands," and broadly speaking, the lower the frequency, the better the coverage. Lower-frequency radio waves travel further and penetrate objects better, which in the real world means superior coverage in rural areas and inside buildings -- everywhere that Verizon's network, thanks to a wealth of low-band spectrum, currently excels. 
The site in Wyoming that's live today is the first of many that should go live by the end of the year. The map above (from a FCC filing) shows where T-Mobile is planning on building out coverage to in 2017, and that includes 600MHz sites in Wyoming, Northwest Oregon, West Texas, Southwest Kansas, the Oklahoma panhandle, Western North Dakota, Maine, Coastal North Carolina, Central Pennsylvania, Central Virginia and Eastern Washington. Rolling out 600MHz is particularly challenging because in most cases, there are TV stations using the spectrum right now. Those stations are moving to different frequencies, and T-Mobile is paying out of its own pocket to accelerate the process. Unfortunately, all that doesn't mean that T-Mobile's customers are going to have fantastic service overnight. 600MHz isn't a frequency that's been used for LTE anywhere in the world before, so no current devices support it. Ray confirmed that "Samsung and LG will have phones in stores by the end of the year" that support 600MHz, and also said that "as T-Mobile gets more partners and devices, there will be a tidal wave of [600MHz compatible devices] in 2018." He also stressed that T-Mobile is putting" as much, if not more effort into devices than the network," but "the network has to come first." In other words: it's an exciting time to be a T-Mobile customer. 
Everywhere that T-Mobile's 600MHz network will reach within a few years 600MHz isn't the only place that T-Mobile is working to improve its network, either. Right now, T-Mobile is deploying thousands of small cell sites across the US, all of which are compatible with License Assisted Access (LAA), a technology that uses Wi-Fi spectrum to achieve crazy-fast speeds. That will help with network congestion in places like airports and shopping malls, where thousands of devices can be trying to download a Snapchat at once. Ray also mentioned one piece of news to BGR that bodes well for the future: all the 600MHz radios that T-Mobile is deploying right now should be compatible with the 5G standard when it's finalized next year. T-Mobile has already committed to having a nationwide 5G network by the end of the decade, and this is is going to be a big part of it. When the 5G standards are finalized, T-Mobile shouldn't have to change anything on the cell towers to convert its 600MHz LTE network to 5G. The bottom line is simple. Right now -- depending on which benchmark you look at -- T-Mobile is equal or better than Verizon and AT&T on download speed, but a little behind in coverage. The record-speed 600Mhz deployment will close that coverage gap, and then some. At the same time, T-Mobile is building out much of the infrastructure that will power 5G in the coming years, all while also deploying advanced LTE tech that can deliver gigabit speeds right now. Verizon and AT&T are officially on notice.
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