| Civilians, including many children, leave IS-held enclave Posted: 20 Feb 2019 11:58 AM PST  BAGHOUZ, Syria (AP) — Young girls and boys stared out of the back of trucks, their faces dirty, their eyes filled with terror, exhaustion and uncertainty, as hundreds of men, women and children were evacuated from the Islamic State group's last enclave in eastern Syria on Wednesday. The evacuation may signal an imminent end to the territorial rule of the militants self-declared "caliphate" that once stretched across much of Syria and Iraq.
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| Victims testify at child sex abuse conference Posted: 22 Feb 2019 02:53 AM PST ![Victims testify at child sex abuse conference]( "Victims testify at child sex abuse conference") Francis convened Catholic leaders from around the world for the four-day meeting to address the scandal that has ravaged the Church's credibility in the United States - where it has paid billions of dollars in settlements - Ireland, Chile, Australia, and elsewhere over the last three decades. "Faced with the scourge of sexual abuse committed by men of the Church against minors, I wanted to reach out to you," Francis told the assembled bishops and heads of religious orders.
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| US judge grants ex-Trump lawyer prison delay Posted: 20 Feb 2019 12:09 PM PST  A US judge on Wednesday granted a request by Michael Cohen, US President Donald Trump's former personal attorney, to delay the start of his prison term by two months. Cohen, 52, had been scheduled to report to prison on March 6 to begin a three-year sentence for fraud, tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions and lying to Congress. In a letter to Judge William Pauley, one of Cohen's lawyers asked that the date be pushed back to May 6 so Cohen can recover from shoulder surgery and prepare for upcoming testimony before Congress.
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| Canada looks to reunite Syrian family after fire claims seven kids Posted: 21 Feb 2019 10:18 AM PST  Canada is looking to quickly bring over siblings of a Syrian refugee distraught over the loss of her seven children in a Halifax house fire, the prime minister said Thursday. "The immigration minister is seized with this particular case," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said when asked if Ottawa would fast-track the immigration or asylum process to bring the woman's brothers to Canada in order to provide her with family support. The family was among tens of thousands of Syrian refugees welcomed by Canada over the past four years.
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| Carbon dioxide in our atmosphere may soar to levels not seen in 56 million years Posted: 21 Feb 2019 12:17 PM PST  Emissions of carbon dioxide – the greenhouse gas most responsible for global warming – could soar to levels not seen in 56 million years, scientists warned.
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| Malnourished Venezuelans hope urgently needed aid arrives soon Posted: 22 Feb 2019 04:12 AM PST  The 38-year-old is one of many Venezuelans suffering from malnutrition as the once-prosperous, oil-rich OPEC nation has seen its economy halve in size over the last five years under President Nicolas Maduro. Venezuelans' diets have become ever more deficient in vitamins and protein, as currency controls restrict food imports and salaries fail to keep apace with inflation that is now above 2 million percent annually. Growing malnutrition is one of the reasons Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido has moved ahead with his plans to bring supplies of food and medicine into Venezuela by land and sea on Saturday, despite resistance from Maduro.
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| Saudi Crown Prince Set to Arrive in China as Asian Tour Rolls On Posted: 20 Feb 2019 04:52 PM PST  The visit will include a meeting with President Xi Jinping and a high-level joint dialogue aimed at boosting relations after the nations agreed to promote a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2016. China overtook the U.S. as the kingdom's biggest trading partner in 2013. The world's most populous nation accounted for about 15 percent of all Saudi imports and exports last year compared with 8 percent a decade earlier, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
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| Obama talks self-confidence with Steph Curry: ‘If you’re confident with your sexuality, you don’t need 8 women twerking around you’ Posted: 20 Feb 2019 10:22 AM PST  In a wide-ranging interview about what it means to be a man, Barack Obama said that you don't need women "twerking around you" if you are "very confident about your sexuality". During a town hall in Oakland, California as part of the former president's My Brother's Keeper programme, Mr Obama engaged in a candid conversation with Golden State Warriors basketball star Steph Curry. When it came to self-confidence, Mr Obama suggested that those who know who they are do not always flaunt it.
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| Driver hurt by air bag shrapnel as investigation drags on Posted: 20 Feb 2019 12:23 PM PST ![Driver hurt by air bag shrapnel as investigation drags on]( "Driver hurt by air bag shrapnel as investigation drags on") DETROIT (AP) — Nearly four years ago, the U.S. government's highway safety agency began investigating air bag inflators made by ARC Automotive of Tennessee when two people were hit by flying shrapnel after crashes.
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| A global look at the Catholic Church's sex abuse problem Posted: 21 Feb 2019 11:35 AM PST  VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis' high-stakes sex abuse prevention summit is meant to call attention to the crisis as a global problem that requires a global response.
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| Russia Threatens to Target U.S. if Trump Admin. Deploys Missiles in Europe Posted: 20 Feb 2019 11:25 AM PST  Russian president Vladimir Putin warned Wednesday that Russia would target the U.S. if America deploys missiles in Europe."Russia will be forced to create and deploy types of weapons which can be used not only in respect of those territories from which the direct threat to us originates, but also in respect of those territories where the centers of decision-making are located," Putin said in his annual state-of-the-nation address."It's their right to think how they want. But can they count? I'm sure they can. Let them count the speed and the range of the weapons systems we are developing," he added.The warning comes after the U.S. pulled out of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty earlier this month, asserting that Russia had violated the agreement, which bans medium-range ground-launched missiles with a range of 310 to 3,400 miles. Russia denied that charge, and pulled out of the agreement while accusing the U.S. of violating it.Putin stressed that Russia would not make the first move to deploy intermediate-range missiles after the dissolution of the Cold War-era treaty, and would only aim its new hypersonic missiles at America if the U.S. deployed missiles in nearby European countries. The Russian president claimed the new Zircon missiles can be shot up to 620 miles and fly at about nine times the speed of sound."We don't want confrontation, particularly with such a global power as the U.S.," Putin said.
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| Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez faces backlash after Amzaon’s decision to pull out of building a new NYC headquarters Posted: 21 Feb 2019 10:45 AM PST  Job Creators Network bought a billboard in Times Square blasting New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for her role in Amazon's decision to no longer build a new headquarters in New York City; Doug McKelway reports.
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| Pakistan bans groups linked to Mumbai attack suspects Posted: 21 Feb 2019 09:05 AM PST  Pakistan on Thursday banned two groups believed to be fronts for the group blamed for the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, amid heightened pressure on Islamabad to act against militants. Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation were designated "proscribed organisations", the interior ministry said in a statement, adding that Prime Minister Imran Khan had ordered officials to accelerate action against banned groups. JuD and FIF are considered by the UN to be fronts for Lashkar-e-Taiba, a group accused by Washington and New Delhi of carrying out the Mumbai attack, which killed 166 people and brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.
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| Southwest Airlines cancels nearly 400 flights as maintenance woes, winter storms linger Posted: 21 Feb 2019 06:07 PM PST  The airline continues to have a higher-than-usual number of aircraft out of service due to maintenance and is dealing with snow in Las Vegas.
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| US Venezuela envoy departs for Colombia on aid flight Posted: 22 Feb 2019 07:06 AM PST  US special representative Elliott Abrams departed the US on Friday for the Colombian city of Cucuta on a plane carrying American humanitarian aid for crisis-hit Venezuela. The US Air Force C-17 cargo plane left Homestead, south of Miami, and was to arrive in Cucuta later on Friday, a day before the deadline set by Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido for the entry of humanitarian assistance that President Nicolas Maduro is seeking to prohibit.
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| The Latest: Cardinal condemns how church handles sex abuse Posted: 21 Feb 2019 01:10 PM PST  VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Latest on the Vatican's conference on dealing with sex abuse by priests (all times local):
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| U.N. permits North Koreans to travel to Vietnam for Trump summit Posted: 20 Feb 2019 10:58 AM PST  The 15-member Security Council has unanimously boosted sanctions on North Korea since 2006 in a bid to choke funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, banning exports including coal, iron, lead, textiles and seafood, and capping imports of crude oil and refined petroleum products. Under the sanctions, 12 North Koreans are subject to a global travel ban and asset freeze. While it was not known if any of them will travel to Vietnam, the council's North Korea sanctions committee approved Vietnam's request for a blanket exemption, according to an internal document dated Tuesday seen by Reuters.
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| Jussie Smollett Now Considered a Suspect for Allegedly Filing a False Hate-Crime Report Posted: 20 Feb 2019 02:52 PM PST  Embattled Empire actor Jussie Smollett is now considered a "suspect" for filing a false police report, evidence of which has been presented before a grand jury, a Chicago Police Department spokesman announced on Wednesday.> Case Update: Jussie Smollett is now officially classified as a suspect in a criminal investigation by ChicagoPolice for filing a false police report (Class 4 felony). Detectives are currently presenting evidence before a Cook County Grand Jury. pic.twitter.com/FhDcbBKsuU> > -- Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) February 20, 2019The announcement came after Smollett's attorneys met with prosecutors and detectives on Wednesday. Smollett initially told police that he was attacked outside of a Subway restaurant at around 2 a.m. on January 29 by two masked men who allegedly beat him, poured an unknown chemical on him, and placed a noose around his neck. Smollett later added that the men had yelled, "This is MAGA country" as they fled, a detail he reported only after TMZ claimed it had taken place.Chicago police announced last Friday that the focus of their investigation had "shifted" after interviewing two Nigerian brothers, one of whom worked as an extra on Empire, and both of whom claimed that Smollett had paid them to stage the attack. The brothers also told police that Smollett was motivated to stage the attack after he sent himself a threatening a letter and did not receive the attention from co-workers and fans that he believed the letter warranted."We are not racist. We are not homophobic and we are not anti-Trump. We were born and raised in Chicago and are American citizens," the brothers said in a statement provided to CBS Chicago on February 19.Smollett has repeatedly denied that he staged the attack and has maintained that he was the victim of a hate crime.Cook County state's attorney Kim Foxx, Chicago's top prosecutor, recused herself from the Smollett investigation on Tuesday, citing "familiarity with potential witnesses.""Out of an abundance of caution, the decision to recuse herself was made to address potential questions of impartiality based upon familiarity with potential witnesses in the case," spokeswoman Tandra Simonton said.Filing a false police report is a class-four felony and typically results in a prison sentence of one to three years.
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| House Speaker Nancy Pelosi among those targeted by Coast Guard officer Posted: 20 Feb 2019 09:08 PM PST  A U.S. Coast Guard officer will appear in court Thursday to answer domestic terrorism charges and plotting against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
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| A 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback Is the Latest to Be Immortalized in Legos Posted: 22 Feb 2019 06:00 AM PST  The Lego Creator Ford Mustang kit includes 1471 pieces.
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| 'Ice can be unforgiving': Huge winter storm moves east as snow, sleet, heavy rain target 39 states Posted: 20 Feb 2019 02:20 PM PST  Every state east of the Mississippi is likely to get winter storm effects Wednesday, including Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Washington.
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| Trump demands 6G technology in rant against American companies: 'We must be the leader in everything we do' Posted: 21 Feb 2019 07:30 AM PST  Donald Trump has called on American companies to become leaders around the world in "5G, even 6G" technology in a series of tweets. "I want 5G, and even 6G, technology in the United States as soon as possible," the president tweeted on Thursday morning. "I want the United States to win through competition, not by blocking out currently more advanced technologies.
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| Masood Azhar, militant leader at the heart of the Kashmir crisis Posted: 21 Feb 2019 10:00 PM PST  For eight days in 1999 the world watched in horror as hijackers diverted an Indian Airlines flight to Afghanistan and held the passengers hostage, the drama ending only when Delhi agreed to release three Kashmiri militants. Nearly 20 years later, India is still paying the price for that decision. One of the militants freed was Masood Azhar, who later went on to found Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), the militant group which claimed responsibility for the deadliest attack in three decades in Indian-held Kashmir.
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| Mercedes-Benz Recall | Automated System Problem Posted: 21 Feb 2019 12:26 PM PST  Mercedes-Benz Vehicles Recalled for Partially Automated Driving System Problem Mercedes-Benz is recalling 6,200 S-Class sedans, coupes, and convertibles from the 2018 and 2019 model years becaus...
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| Girl's death haunted police until arrest made 45 years later Posted: 20 Feb 2019 05:39 PM PST  SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — Investigators searched for decades for the killer of an 11-year-old girl who disappeared while walking home from summer school in a case that gripped a California seaside community.
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| 20 Affordable Indoor Planters We Love Posted: 21 Feb 2019 02:03 PM PST |
| Woman who joined Islamic State cannot return to U.S., Pompeo says Posted: 20 Feb 2019 04:28 PM PST  Hoda Muthana, 24, traveled to Syria over four years ago to join Islamic State, also known as ISIS. In media interviews this week from a detention camp in Syria, Muthana said she was sorry for her actions and wanted to return to her family in Alabama with her toddler son. Pompeo said Muthana was not a U.S. citizen and would not be admitted into the United States.
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| Warren Backs Government Reparations for African Americans Posted: 21 Feb 2019 12:49 PM PST  Senator Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) on Thursday followed fellow Democratic presidential contender Senator Kamala Harris (D., Calif.) in calling for the government to pay reparations to African Americans to atone for slavery and subsequent discrimination.Warren's campaign told the New York Times that she does support some form of government reparations for the descendants of slaves, but did not specify what policy she we would pursue if elected in 2020.Warren's support for reparations came after Harris came out in support of the idea during a radio interview last week."We have to be honest that people in this country do not start from the same place or have access to the same opportunities," she said. "I'm serious about taking an approach that would change policies and structures and make real investments in black communities."Since angering much of the progressive-activist community last year by publicizing the results of her DNA test to substantiate her claim of Native American ancestry, Warren has prioritized racial equity in laying out her 2020 presidential platform. She has called for a special home-buying-assistance program that would help alleviate the effects of racial red-lining, a phenomenon in which African Americans are prevented from buying homes in certain neighborhoods. She has also presented a universal-child-care proposal that would create a network of government-backed child-care centers available to families making under 200 percent of the federal poverty level.Other prominent Democratic presidential contenders, including Senators Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Cory Booker of New Jersey, and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, have not yet come out in support of reparations. Senator Bernie Sanders (D., Vt.) dismissed the idea of paying reparations to the descendants of slaves as impractical during his 2016 presidential run but has not weighed in on the issue since.
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| Japan wants frictionless UK-EU trade after Brexit: ambassador Posted: 21 Feb 2019 10:35 AM PST  Japan wants Britain to have frictionless trade with the European Union after Brexit, its ambassador said Thursday, insisting a damaging no-deal scenario should be avoided. Japanese companies are looking to expand their investment in Britain but are holding back due to uncertainty over Brexit, Koji Tsuruoka said during a talk in London.
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| Green New Deal: Why the GOP secretly likes Democrats' climate change plan Posted: 20 Feb 2019 11:31 AM PST  It's not because the GOP supports the transformation of the electric grid away from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
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| Day one highlights from Milan Fashion Week Posted: 21 Feb 2019 03:59 AM PST  Hot on the heels of Benetton, which opened Milan Fashion Week Tuesday, February 20, fashion houses Gucci, Alberto Zambelli, Annakiki, Alberta Ferretti and Moncler showed their fall/winter 2019-2020 collections in the Italian city. This first official day reiterated certain trends spotted in New York and London with some colorful displays, notably at Byblos and Annakiki, mixing bright shades and prints, as well as at Gucci. Like in London and New York, plays on volume and proportion -- especially with outerwear designs -- were also on the agenda in Milan, with several extravagant pieces covered with frills and furbelows.
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| Venezuela shooting: At least one dead after troops fire on indigenous people near Brazil border Posted: 22 Feb 2019 07:26 AM PST  At least one person has been shot dead by Venezuelan security forces during a clash on the border with Brazil, according to local officials. Gran Sabana mayor Emilio Gonzalez identified the woman shot dead as Zoraida Rodriguez, a member of an indigenous community. The mayor said members of the Pemon indigenous group clashed with the Venezuela National Guard and the army, who were moving tanks to the border.
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| Courtroom video shows man punch own attorney after sentencing Posted: 21 Feb 2019 08:18 AM PST  Courtroom video shows a man attacking his own attorney after he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 47 years.
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| Customers angry that disabled Walmart greeter could lose job Posted: 20 Feb 2019 03:02 PM PST  Pretty much anyone who shops at the Walmart in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, knows store greeter Adam Catlin, who's been welcoming customers with a huge smile and a hearty hello for more than a decade.
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| Israel's Netanyahu to meet Putin in Moscow next week -statement Posted: 21 Feb 2019 09:38 AM PST  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Feb. 27, Netanyahu's office said on Thursday, with the focus likely to be on Middle East issues led by Syria. At the time, the Kremlin said Netanyahu and Putin were to discuss the situation in the Middle East, including Syria.
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| NYT publisher: Trump 'retreating from a distinctly American principle' Posted: 20 Feb 2019 10:16 AM PST  The publisher of the paper admonished the president over his use of a familiar phrase.
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| These are the 10 best cars, SUVs and pickups of 2019, according to Consumer Reports Posted: 21 Feb 2019 11:45 AM PST  Consumer Reports reveals its Top 10 picks for the best vehicles of 2019. It's an influential annual list that serves as a guide for many car shoppers.
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| Pakistan military warns India against 'misadventure' Posted: 22 Feb 2019 07:47 AM PST  Pakistan's military warned India on Friday against "misadventure", saying it was capable of responding to any threats as tensions simmer between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. "We hope you will not mess up with us," military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor told a press briefing in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, the second such message Pakistan has sent to New Delhi in as many days. Tensions have risen in the days following a suicide attack in Kashmir that killed 41 Indian paramilitaries and was claimed by Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), based in Pakistan.
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| 2019 10Best Cars Posted: 22 Feb 2019 06:52 AM PST |
| Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism, warns Emmanuel Macron Posted: 21 Feb 2019 05:52 AM PST  France is to recognise anti-Zionism, the denial of the state of Israel, as a form of anti-Semitism in response to a surge in acts against Jews not seen "since the Second World War". Emmanuel Macron, the French president, also promised new legislation in May to fight hate speech on the Internet, which could see platforms such as Facebook and Twitter fined for every minute they fail to take down racist or violent content. Speaking at the annual meeting of France's largest Jewish organization, CRIF, Mr Macron said that France and other countries in Europe had recently witnessed "a resurgence of anti-Semitism that is probably unprecedented since World War II." "We have denounced it a lot, adopted plans, passed laws sometimes. But we haven't been able to act efficiently," he said. While stopping short of calling for new legislation, the President said the working definition of anti-Semitism drawn up by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance would help guide police forces, magistrates and teachers in their daily work. That definition stipulates that anti-Semitism can take the form of "denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour". "Anti-Zionism is one of the modern forms of anti-Semitism," said Mr Macron. "Behind the negation of Israel's existence, what is hiding is the hatred of Jews." Such guidelines in no way infringed on people's right to criticise to the Israeli government and its policies, he said. Mr Macron also said that his party would introduce a bill in parliament in May to force social media to withdraw hate speech posted online and use all available means to identify the authors "as quickly as possible." Digital minister Mounir Mahjoubi said: "There will be an obligation for results: if the content is not taken down then there will be a fine, and a large fine," Mr Mahjoubi told France Info radio. "Each minute that content remains online, it increases the harm to society. Twenty-four hours is far too long." Anti-Semitic acts surged by 74 per cent last year in France, according to government figures Credit: Getty Images Europe France has been pressuring Internet companies to better regulate their content ever since a series of terror attacks starting in 2015. The recent "yellow vest" protests have largely been orchestrated online. Many postings have included links to anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant and anti-vaccine messages, as well as a string of conspiracy theories. Mr Macron's speech came a day after thousands attended rallies across France to denounce a rise in anti-Semitic acts and in a week in which almost 100 gravestones spray-painted with swastikas were discovered in a Jewish village cemetery in eastern France. The number of anti-Semitic incidents rose last year by 74 per cent from 311 in 2017 to 541, the government announced last week.
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| The Latest: Smollett's lawyers vow 'aggressive defense' Posted: 20 Feb 2019 05:57 PM PST  CHICAGO (AP) — The Latest on the attack reported by Jussie Smollett (all times local):
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| What Amazon Didn’t Get From New York Posted: 21 Feb 2019 06:00 AM PST  My view is that local governments overuse such subsidies. Consider, by way of illustration, entitlement and discretionary spending on the federal level. Much of discretionary spending, by contrast, is research grants and procurement contracts.
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| Deadly crackdown stokes fear among protesters in Venezuela Posted: 20 Feb 2019 02:49 PM PST  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Jhonny Godoy had taken to Twitter to proclaim his opposition to President Nicolas Maduro, posting a video that showed him running through the streets waving the national flag as protests erupted across Venezuela's capital.
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| Charity says 24 Polish bishops covered up sex abuses of minors Posted: 21 Feb 2019 09:00 AM PST  A Polish charity helping victims of child abuse committed by Catholic priests accused 24 bishops on Thursday of concealing perpetrators of sexual molestation of minors. The "Have No Fear" charity made the allegation in a report released as Pope Francis convened Catholic leaders from around the world to address scandals over child sexual abuse by priests that have ravaged the Church's credibility over the last three decades. The report, which has been delivered to the pope, named Polish bishops whom it said had "concealed clerical crimes and moved pedophilic priests from one parish to another".
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