| Federal Ethics Chief Asks EPA To Address 'Concerns' Over Scott Pruitt Posted: 09 Apr 2018 12:09 PM PDT  The federal government's top ethics official says it's time for the
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| Florida Gov. Rick Scott Announces Senate Run Posted: 09 Apr 2018 05:26 AM PDT  Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) will run for U.S. Senate, hoping to unseat three-
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| PetSmart faces another dog death Posted: 09 Apr 2018 09:38 AM PDT  The nation's largest pet store chain is currently under fire as some owners claim that at least four dogs have died during grooming appointments at the PetSmart stores within the last five months.
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| Boy, 4, beaten to death by mom and her boyfriend for spilling cereal Posted: 09 Apr 2018 12:53 PM PDT  A Pennsylvania couple is charged with first-degree murder after they allegedly
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| As prince visits, Saudi Aramco to sign $10 billion of deals in France Posted: 09 Apr 2018 10:30 AM PDT  Saudi Aramco will sign eight deals worth $10 billion with French firms on Tuesday, the chief executive of the state-run oil giant said on Monday - the main contracts expected to be sealed during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to France. The powerful young prince who is behind modernising reforms in Saudi Arabia is on a three-day trip at a time when relations between the two countries have become more complicated, including over how to address Iran's role in the region. Aramco and French oil major Total plan to sign an agreement to expand their joint venture refinery in Saudi Arabia, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on April 5.
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| Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch speaks out Posted: 09 Apr 2018 08:50 AM PDT  In an exclusive interview with NBC's Lester Holt, Lynch discusses former FBI Director James Comey, her airplane meeting with President Bill Clinton during the 2016 campaign, and more.
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| White House Stands By Trump's Voter Fraud Claim, But Offers No Evidence Posted: 09 Apr 2018 02:58 PM PDT  The White House on Monday stood by its claim that millions of votes were cast
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| Syrian government celebrated after targeting and killing journalist Marie Colvin, defector claims Posted: 10 Apr 2018 05:41 AM PDT  The Syrian government celebrated after they targeted and killed veteran war correspondent Marie Colvin, a former Syrian intelligence officer has claimed. Ms Colvin, an American journalist working for the Sunday Times, and French photographer Remi Ochlik were killed by rockets fired at a house they were staying at in the Baba Amr neighbourhood of Homs, western Syria, in 2012. British photographer Paul Conroy, French reporter Edith Bouvier, and Syrian interpreter Wael al-Omar were all wounded in the same attack. The claims were made by the officer in newly released court documents filed as part of a wrongful death suit by Ms Colvin's family. The former intelligence officer, code named Ulysses, provided a detailed account of how Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's regime sought to capture or kill journalists and activists in Homs, a centre of the pro-democratic revolution that erupted across the country in 2011. Photographer Remi Ochlik was also killed in the strike. Credit: AP The defector claimed that when Ms Colvin's death was confirmed, Syrian Maj. Gen. Rafiq Shahadah exclaimed: "Marie Colvin was a dog and now she's dead. Let the Americans help her now." His account appears to be corroborated by Syrian government documents filed as evidence in the case, which suggest the regime targeted her to silence her reporting on its atrocities. The defector claimed that as an intelligence officer, he reviewed intelligence and surveillance reports from around the country during 2011 and 2012 and was privy to open and secure communications. He currently lives legally in Europe because he fears he is wanted by Syrian intelligence officials. The lawsuit alleges that Syrian forces tracked Western journalists' movements and located their media centre so they could be captured or killed. President Bashar al-Assad's government claimed after the attack that they had not known who was in the house, or that any of the journalists were in the country as they had entered "illegally". Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, speaks with Syrian troops during his visit to the front line in Damascus. Credit: Syrian official news agency SANA However, the lawsuit alleges that Ms Colvin was in fact being tracked from neighbouring Lebanon after Syrian officials received information that she and Mr Conroy were planning to smuggle into the war-torn country. She was reporting on the Syrian government's bombing of residential areas when she was killed by a rocket attack on a media centre. The pair entered Homs through an underground water tunnel and toured a field hospital and a cellar called the "widow's basement" where mostly women and children sought shelter from the bombs. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, speaks with Marie Colvin during a service at St. Bride's Church in London. Credit: Getty As part of her reporting, Ms Colvin gave live interviews to the BBC and CNN. Syrian forces were "shelling with impunity and a merciless disregard for the civilians who simply cannot escape," she said. The highest levels of the Syrian government, including President Assad's brother, were behind the plan to track the journalist once she entered Syria, the lawsuit claims, using a mobile satellite interception device that could tap broadcast signals and locate their origin as well as an informant on the ground. As part of his testimony, the defector identified eight Syrian officials, including Mr Assad's brother Maher, who he claims were involved in the attack on the media center. Marie Colvin at St Bride's Church in London in 2012. Credit: Getty "The actual maliciousness that the Syrian regime had against Western reporters and their Syrian counterparts and sources is on display through multiple witnesses and multiple documents," said Scott Gilmore, the lawyer acting on behalf of Ms Colvin's family. Her sister Cathleen is seeking an undetermined amount for the emotional pain of losing her sister, compensatory damages for her three children, who are beneficiaries of Ms Colvin's estate, and punitive damages against the Syrian government. So far, the Syrian government has not filed any response to the lawsuit. At least 100 journalists, most of them Syrian, have been killed in the country since the conflict began in 2011. Ms Colvin's killing came early on in the Syrian civil war, when, as the lawsuit claims, President Assad's regime was trying to silence local and international media "as part of its effort to crush political opposition". A veteran foreign correspondent, Ms Colvin had years of experience reporting in war zones. She covered conflicts in Chechnya, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, East Timor and Sri Lanka where she lost the sight in her left eye in a blast. The black patch she wore over her eye became her trademark.
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| 2018 Ford F-150 5.0L V-8 4x2 SuperCrew Posted: 09 Apr 2018 02:00 PM PDT  It's a closet hot rod.
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| Woman dies after being given formaldehyde instead of saline drip during routine surgery Posted: 09 Apr 2018 12:02 PM PDT  A Russian woman tragically died after she was administered embalming fluids
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| 24 Hilarious Comics About Sibling Relationships Posted: 10 Apr 2018 02:45 AM PDT  Sibling relationships are really special.
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| 131 Awesome No Bake Desserts Posted: 09 Apr 2018 01:35 PM PDT |
| Police find body of Tennessee man who confessed to killings on Facebook Posted: 09 Apr 2018 10:58 AM PDT ![Police find body of Tennessee man who confessed to killings on Facebook]( "Police find body of Tennessee man who confessed to killings on Facebook") The corpse was located in the unincorporated community of Vossburg, about 100 miles southeast of Jackson, said Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson in a statement on Facebook. The dead man was believed to be Casey Lawhorn who on Sunday said in a Facebook post that he had killed his mother and his friend in his home in East Ridge, Tennessee, outside Chattanooga, according to East Ridge Assistant Police Chief Stan Allen on Monday. Allen would not confirm details of the Facebook post but said police found Lawhorn's 44-year-old mother and a 22-year-old friend inside the home.
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| Air Showdown: America's F-22 & F-35 Stealth Fighters vs. Russia's S-400 (Who Wins?) Posted: 09 Apr 2018 11:02 AM PDT  For the Russians, solving the problem of targeting a low observable aircraft is something that they continue to work on—but it is doubtful the Moscow has resolved the issue. Russia's strong investment in layers of air defenses tells us that the Kremlin believes the primary threat to its ground forces comes from U.S. airpower. As such, defeating stealth technology is one of Moscow's top priorities, Kofman notes, and the Kremlin has dedicated a lot of resources to that end.
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| Pope Francis: Helping Poor And Migrants Is 'Equally Sacred' As Fighting Abortion Posted: 09 Apr 2018 11:39 AM PDT  Pope Francis issued a scathing rebuke of Catholics who prioritize some church
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| Conservative Pollster Sounds The Alarm: GOP Could Lose Both House And Senate Posted: 08 Apr 2018 07:25 PM PDT  A conservative pollster has some bad news for the GOP: President Donald
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| Fugitive who announced 2 killings on social media found dead Posted: 09 Apr 2018 12:46 PM PDT ![Fugitive who announced 2 killings on social media found dead]( "Fugitive who announced 2 killings on social media found dead") EAST RIDGE, Tenn. (AP) — A fugitive who announced on social media that he had fatally shot his mother and a friend in Tennessee has apparently killed himself, authorities said after the man's body was found Monday in neighboring Mississippi.
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| Stanley Cup odds: Vegas predicts which NHL playoff team will win it all Posted: 09 Apr 2018 10:30 AM PDT  The Nashville Predators fell short in last year's Stanley Cup Final -- but
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| South Africa's top court dismisses Pistorius' bid to appeal murder sentence Posted: 09 Apr 2018 08:43 AM PDT  South Africa's Constitutional Court has dismissed an application by paralympic gold medallist Oscar Pistorius to appeal his sentence for murdering his girlfriend, legal documents showed on Monday. Pistorious was initially jailed for six years for shooting dead Reeva Steenkamp, but prosecutors argued that sentence had been "shockingly lenient" and an appeal court agreed in November to more than double the term to 15 years. Pistorius challenged the appeals court's ruling in the Constitutional Court.
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| Report: China Has Installed Military Jamming Equipment in the South China Sea Posted: 10 Apr 2018 04:46 AM PDT  The US military is saying that China has installed equipment on islands in the South China Sea capable of jamming communications and radar systems, according to a report on Monday. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the development, also cited US intelligence sources as saying the equipment was deployed within the last several months. "While China has maintained that the construction of the islands is to ensure safety at sea, navigation assistance, search and rescue, fisheries protection and other nonmilitary functions, electronic-jamming equipment is only for military use," a US Defense Department official said.
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| Los Angeles Thieves Steal Second Ambulance In A Week Posted: 09 Apr 2018 05:06 AM PDT  For the second time in a week, thieves took off with an ambulance in Los
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| 9 Signs Your Relationship Isn't Worth Fighting For Posted: 09 Apr 2018 11:26 AM PDT  No one said relationships were easy ― even the strongest couples will
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| 12 Raspberry Cakes To Obsess Over Posted: 09 Apr 2018 01:47 PM PDT |
| For a Second Strike on Syria, Trump Will Have to Go Big Posted: 09 Apr 2018 04:03 PM PDT  With little to show for last year's missile attack, the Trump administration is contemplating a larger campaign against the Assad government.
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| The Latest: Russia: 'We will never bend under ultimatums' Posted: 09 Apr 2018 08:54 AM PDT  MOSCOW (AP) — The Latest on the international furor over the poisoning of a Russia ex-spy in England (all times local):
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| Georgia reignites border war with northern neighbors Posted: 09 Apr 2018 11:19 AM PDT  Georgia looks to lap up a portion of the Tennessee River in its latest push to shift borders.
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| Facebook's Zuckerberg contrite ahead of grilling in Congress Posted: 10 Apr 2018 12:43 AM PDT  Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg placed the blame for privacy and security lapses at the world's largest social network squarely on himself as he girded for appearances this week on Capitol Hill before angry lawmakers. In prepared remarks released by a congressional panel, Zuckerberg admitted he was too idealistic and failed to grasp how the platform -- used by two billion people -- could be abused and manipulated. The 33-year-old is to testify before senators on Tuesday and House lawmakers on Wednesday amid a firestorm over the hijacking of data on millions of Facebook users by the British firm Cambridge Analytica, which worked with Donald Trump's campaign.
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| China denies moves toward second military base abroad on tiny Pacific island nation of Vanuatu Posted: 10 Apr 2018 12:39 AM PDT  China on Tuesday was forced to deny it wants to establish a military base on the tiny Pacific island of Vanuatu, after reports piqued concern about Beijing's increasing influence in the region. The facility, which would be China's second overseas base, would not only signal a new stage in Beijing's growing military ambition, but also alter the delicate balance of power in the South Pacific. Vanuatu is located about 1,200 miles from Australia. However officials in Vanuatu angrily rejected they had spoken to Chinese officials about the facility, which was first reported in the Sydney Morning Herald. China's defence ministry later said the report "completely did not accord with the facts", while a foreign ministry spokesman described it as "fake news". Australia and New Zealand both said they were monitoring developments. The Herald said the base would be established over a number of years after Chinese ships had already used the island as a base for refuelling and servicing. A Chinese military base in Vanuatu? If true, this would be a troubling turning point in Indo-Pacific security, with an emphasis on the Pacific. I will publish my own follow-up commentary soon https://t.co/xPAgmbQS6t— Rory Medcalf (@Rory_Medcalf) April 9, 2018 The report said: "The prospect of a Chinese military outpost so close to Australia has been discussed at the highest levels in Canberra and Washington." Professor Rory Medcalf, the head of the national security college at the Australian National University, said the most "troubling implication" with a base in Vanuatu is that it "would give China a foothold for operations to coerce Australia, outflank the US and its base on US territory at Guam, and collect intelligence in a regional security crisis". The base "would mark an accumulative and long-term failure of bipartisan Australian policy", he added. The tiny Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti with less than 1 million inhabitants, has become a military outpost for China Credit: Elias Messeret/ AP Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who visited the island last weekend with Prince Charles, said: "I remain confident that Australia is Vanuatu's strategic partner of choice". New Zealand's Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, said: "We of course keep a watching eye on activity within the Pacific." China established its first naval base in the East African nation of Djibouti last year. Officials called the new facility a 'support base' and said it would have mainly logistical functions. However observers see it as a key part of Beijing's plans to expand its global reach through military might. Regional powers - particularly India - are suspicious of China's intentions with the base. China's base in Djibouti was established after Beijing nurtured deep investment links with the tiny nation. China has also been investing heavily in Vanuatu, a country of 270,000 people, and across the South Pacific region. But Vanuatu Foreign Minister, Ralph Regenvanu, said: "No one in the Vanuatu government has ever talked about a Chinese military base in Vanuatu of any sort. Prince Charles visited Vanuatu in April, where he was given a grass skirt to wear prior to receiving a chiefly title Credit: Reuters "We are a non-aligned country. We are not interested in militarisation, we are just not interested in any sort of military base in our country," he told ABC radio. Chinese experts also believe Beijing has no interest in setting up a military base in the remote location. Wei Dongxu, an independent Beijing-based military expert, told The Telegraph: "I think China is seeking to improve local living standards and set up tourist possibilities with its construction work in Vanuatu. It is not trying to risk war with other countries." Additional reporting by Christine Wei
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| Prosecutor says Cosby paid accuser nearly $3.4M Posted: 09 Apr 2018 03:07 PM PDT  NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Bill Cosby paid nearly $3.4 million to the woman he is charged with sexually assaulting, a prosecutor revealed to jurors Monday, answering one of the biggest questions surrounding the case as the comedian's retrial got underway.
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| Why People Don’t Need To Hide From ‘Roseanne’ Posted: 09 Apr 2018 03:53 PM PDT  People are shying away from watching the "Roseanne" revival because of Roseanne Barr's politics … but that may be just the reason to give it a chance.
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| NHL Teams Honor Victims Of Canada's Junior Hockey Bus Crash Posted: 08 Apr 2018 10:56 AM PDT  Professional hockey teams across North America came together to pay tribute to
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| Trump Responds To FBI Raid Of Lawyer Michael Cohen's Office Posted: 09 Apr 2018 03:31 PM PDT  > Trump on raid of Michael Cohen: "It's an attack on our country in a true
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| This week's earthquake cluster is the new normal in Oklahoma. Here's why. Posted: 09 Apr 2018 12:42 PM PDT  A cluster of earthquakes hit Oklahoma over the past few days, unsettling thousands of the state's residents. As of 11 a.m. ET Monday the U.S. Geological Survey says that 2,274 people reported feeling a 4.3 magnitude quake Sunday night. There have been at least 16 noticeable earthquakes (above 2.5 in magnitude) observed by the Geologic Survey since Friday, April 6. While nerve-rattling, the quakes are normal for the area — at least since 2009. That's when the problematic quakes began, Jeremy Boak, Director of the Oklahoma Geological Survey, said in an interview. SEE ALSO: Hey, how about we helicopter grizzly bears into this remote National Park? "It's not out of the ordinary," said Boak. "In the frame of what's been going on, it's normal." Oklahoma's dramatic rise in quakes has been stoked by oil and gas extraction activity in the region. There have been 8 earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 2.5 to 4.6 between Perry and Covington in northern Oklahoma in the past 24 hours. The latest, having a preliminary magnitude of 4.6, occurred at 7:16 CDT this morning. #okquake https://t.co/JwfpIrHgSb pic.twitter.com/UbqUwya6jX — USGS in Oklahoma (@USGS_Oklahoma) April 7, 2018 This quake activity — associated with the "fracking revolution" that has also propelled historically high U.S. oil exports — comes in two forms. The first is fracking itself, an oil extraction process more formally known as "hydraulic fracking." Broadly, this means injecting millions of gallons of water, sand, and a small percentage of chemicals into a deeply-drilled hole. This breaks apart rocks to release oil deposits, sometimes creating earthquakes. But most Oklahoma quakes aren't caused by fracking itself, but by a secondary process called "wastewater injection." After water is used to fracture apart rocks thousands of feet below, it comes back up as "wastewater," and is usually injected back into the ground nearby (the mixture has to go somewhere). Water is extremely heavy, so, this can put pressure on deep-lying faults. And if enough pressure is applied to these cracks in the Earth's crust, they'll rupture and move, causing sizeable quakes. While a U.S. Geologic Survey spokesperson said it's too early to officially confirm the cause of the northwestern Oklahoma earthquake burst, Boak said it's almost certainly due to wastewater injection. That's the common cause of quakes in this part of northwestern Oklahoma, and generally, has been the prevailing story for years. Earthquakes of 3.0 magnitude or higher measured in Oklahoma as of July 2017.Image: U.S. Geologic survey But, overall, earthquakes have been on the decline in Oklahoma since the especially rattling years of 2014, 2015, and 2016. The year 2015 saw nearly 900 quakes of 3.0 or higher in Oklahoma (around 2.5 or above is noticeable to most people). For perspective, before 2009, Oklahoma usually recorded one or two quakes of 3.0 magnitude or higher each year. By 2015, earthquake activity peaked for a time at around 4 and a half quakes each day, Boak previously said. But this year, Boak expects around 200 noticeable quakes to occur in Oklahoma. This recent cluster of quakes, then, is "part of the continuing pattern which in general is declining," he said. There are two major reasons for the decline, said Boak. One is the falling price of oil. This means that oil and gas extraction isn't quite as lucrative as it once was a few years ago (it's a famously boom and bust industry). Accordingly, there's a bit less fracking activity. Oklahoma resident Lisa Griggs believes cracks in her home have been caused by Oklahoma's manmade earthquakes.Image: The Washington Post/Getty ImagesThe second reason is mandatory state requirements that oil and gas companies find ways to reduce quaking. The rattled citizens of Oklahoma made quite clear to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which regulates the gas industry, that the quakes must stop — or at least be limited. "We needed to shut this down and it actually appears to have worked," said Boak. Oil and gas companies accomplish this reduction in a variety of ways, which includes stopping wastewater injections when seismic activity begins. As for Boak, he has still yet to feel one of Oklahoma's big quakes — even though he studies them. He's too far south of most the activity, in the quieter confines of Norman, Oklahoma. "I've never had the privilege of feeling one of the Oklahoma earthquakes," he said. WATCH: Scientists found a weird galaxy without dark matter
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| The 2019 Chevrolet Camaro Gets a New Face Posted: 09 Apr 2018 07:30 AM PDT  The SS looks like Bumblebee from the last Transformers movie and there's a new four-cylinder 1LE.
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| Taiwan warships drop anchor in Nicaragua amid sinking ties with China Posted: 10 Apr 2018 02:49 AM PDT ![Taiwan warships drop anchor in Nicaragua amid sinking ties with China]( "Taiwan warships drop anchor in Nicaragua amid sinking ties with China") A Taiwanese naval "Friendship Flotilla" of warships dropped anchor in Nicaragua on Monday just weeks after China urged Taiwan's dwindling diplomatic allies to ditch the self-ruled island in favor of Beijing. Three ships, carrying around 800 crew, arrived in El Salvador on Friday and will visit other allies in Central America, Taiwan's Defence Ministry said. China claims Taiwan as its sacred territory, part of "one China", and Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring what it considers to be a wayward province under Chinese control.
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| The Latest: Witness says shelter shooting was justified Posted: 08 Apr 2018 04:22 PM PDT  PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Latest on the fatal shooting of a carjacking suspect at a Portland homeless shelter (all times local):
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| Pope Francis warns 'culture of zapping' blocks path to holiness Posted: 09 Apr 2018 09:45 AM PDT  Pope Francis warned on Monday that the internet can prevent young people and other Christians achieving holiness by ensnaring them in a "virtual reality" that fosters indifference to the suffering of others. "All of us, especially the young, are immersed in a culture of zapping," the Pope wrote in an 'apostolic exhortation,' entitled Gaudete et Exsultate (Rejoice and Be Glad), a major document containing the pontiff's reflections on the call to holiness in the contemporary world issued by the Vatican. "We can navigate simultaneously on two or more screens and interact at the same time with two or three virtual scenarios," Pope Francis wrote. "Hedonism and consumerism can prove our downfall. Similarly when we allow ourselves to be caught up in superficial information, instant communication and virtual reality, we can waste precious time and become indifferent to the suffering flesh of our brothers and sisters." He added that using social media to attack people anonymously also leads people away from the path to holiness. "Christians too can be caught up in networks of verbal violence through the internet and the various forums of digital communication. Even in Catholic media, limits can be overstepped, defamation and slander can become commonplace, and all ethical standards and respect for the good name of others can be abandoned. "It is striking at times," he wrote, that "in claiming to uphold the other commandments, they completely ignore the eighth, which forbids bearing false witness or lying." All of us, especially the young, are immersed in a culture of zappingPope Francis The Argentinian pope, 81, rejected criticism from conservative prelates that he has given social problems, such as migration, priority to the detriment of traditional Catholic doctrine. "We often hear it said that, with respect to relativism and the flaws of our present world, the situation of migrants, for example, is a lesser issue," the Pope wrote. "Some Catholics consider it a secondary issue compared to the 'grave' bioethical questions. Pope Francis kisses the foot of an inmate at the Regina Coeli prison during the Holy Thursday celebration in Rome Credit: REUTERS "That a politician looking for votes might say such a thing is understandable, but not a Christian," he continued. "Welcoming the stranger at the door is fundamental." Pope Francis urged people to eschew elaborate demonstrations of faith and be content with bringing up children, working hard to support families and representing what he called "a holiness found in our next-door neighbours, the middle class of holiness." He wrote there is no doubt that the devil is real, following a Vatican rebuke last month of a journalist who quoted him as saying hell does not exist. "We should not think of the devil as a myth, a representation, a symbol, a figure of speech or an idea," he wrote. "This mistake would lead us to let down our guard, to grow careless and end up more vulnerable to the devil's temptations." The title of the apostolic exhortation is the phrase used in Matthew 5:12, the end of the Beatitudes, which reads: "Rejoice and be glad for your reward will be great in heaven."
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| 'SNL' Host Chadwick Boseman Appears On Black Jeopardy As T'Challa Posted: 08 Apr 2018 10:46 AM PDT  Chadwick Boseman hosted "Saturday Night Live" this weekend and not only did he
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| This Mashup Of People On Fox News Advising Trump On TV Is Alarming Posted: 09 Apr 2018 04:15 PM PDT  A mashup video made by Media Matters puts a spotlight on the hosts and guests
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