| Israel, Hamas clash over Gaza, then truce reached Posted: 25 Mar 2019 02:57 PM PDT  Rocket sirens sounded in southern Israel after the late-night truce was supposed to take effect, sending residents running for shelter. In Gaza, Palestinians reported Israeli planes attacked at least two targets. Hamas, the Islamist militant group that rules Gaza, and smaller Palestinian factions put out a statement that Egypt had mediated a ceasefire even as the rockets were fired.
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| Avenatti arrested and charged with extortion, embezzlement, bank and tax fraud Posted: 25 Mar 2019 12:35 PM PDT  The lawyer who represented Stormy Daniels faces the prosepect of spending the rest of his life behind bars.
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| Xi Jinping and Huawei Are a Serious Threat to European Unity Posted: 26 Mar 2019 04:30 AM PDT  It is going to become a 2 square kilometer test bed for a new 5G mobile network from Huawei, the Chinese telecoms equipment maker. The deal has been promoted by Monaco as an attempt to build a "smart nation," and China is happy no doubt to have a display window in the heart of Europe. China's president Xi Jinping visited the principality this week, on his way to see Emmanuel Macron and other leaders in Paris.
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| Yale rescinds admission of student whose family allegedly paid $1.2M to bribe entry Posted: 26 Mar 2019 01:56 PM PDT  Yale University has rescinded the admission of a student whose family allegedly paid $1.2 million in bribes to get her into the Ivy League school.
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| 'Russian playbook' remains after Mueller report wraps up Posted: 26 Mar 2019 03:33 PM PDT  ATLANTA (AP) — The collusion question now answered, another one looms ahead of 2020: Will U.S. elections be secure from more Russian interference?
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| Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou was carrying an iPhone when she was arrested last year Posted: 25 Mar 2019 01:42 PM PDT  The tech industry certainly has its share of scandals, but the drama surrounding Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou certainly takes things to the next level. This past December, Wanzhou was arrested in Canada (at the behest of the United States) on charges of wire fraud and improper business dealings with Iran. Wanzhou may ultimately be extradited to the U.S. as China, not surprisingly, has vehemently denied the allegations on Wanzhou's behalf. As Huawei executives would have you believe, the charges are simply a means to hinder the company's growth.The legal case involving Wanzhou is still playing out, but recently released court documents include a surprising revelation regarding the gear Wanzhou had in her possession when she was arrested. Originally made public by the Twitter account theBreakerNews, it turns out that Wanzhou had a penchant for Apple products.Upon her arrest, Wanzhou had a MacBook Air, an iPad Pro, and an iPhone 7 Plus in her possession. She was also carrying a Huawei Mate RS Porsche Design which was likely her primary device. Still, it has to be somewhat embarrassing for an executive of a company looking to dethrone Apple to be apprehended with a slew of Apple products.No you might be naturally thinking: "So she had a few Apple products on her, what's the big deal?" Well, if we go back just a few months, you may recall that two Huawei employees who were manning the company's Twitter account were demoted after they sent out a celebratory New Years tweet from an iPhone. The tweet was promptly deleted once word began to spread, but the higher-ups at Huawei were quite displeased and also cut the salary of the employees in question.Further, an internal Huawei memo obtained by Reuters at the time revealed that Huawei executives believed "the incident caused damage to the Huawei brand."All that said, Wanzho's penchant for Apple products isn't a good look.
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| Norway wants to know why cruise ship sailed in stormy weather, forcing air evacuation Posted: 25 Mar 2019 04:20 PM PDT  Norwegian officials began investigating why a cruise ship was sailing in stormy weather when it developed engine trouble that triggered an evacuation.
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| German billionaire family to donate €10m after Nazi past revealed Posted: 25 Mar 2019 11:01 AM PDT  One of Germany's richest families has spoken of its "shame" and pledged to donate €10 million (£8.5 million) after historic ties to the Nazi regime were uncovered. The Reimann family owns major interests in brands including Krispy Kreme donuts, the Pret a Manger sandwich chain and Clearasil skincare products, and is estimated to be worth as much as €33 billion (£28 billion). It emerged at the weekend that the family business had close ties to the Nazi regime and used slave labour during the Second World War. Albert Reimann Sr and Albert Reimann Jr, the two men who headed the business during the Nazi era, were "avowed Hitler supporters" and "convinced National Socialists", according to details published by Bild am Sonntag newspaper. Albert Reimann Sr donated funds to the SS as early as 1931, two years before Hitler rose to power. "Reimann Sr and Reimann Jr were guilty. Both businessmen have passed away, but they belonged in prison," Peter Harf, the family spokesman and chairman of its JAB Holding Company, told Bild. Mr Harf said the details were not new to the family, which commissioned a historian to research its Nazi-era history three years ago and was horrified by the results "We were speechless," he said. "We were ashamed and white as sheets. You cannot gloss over that. Those crimes are abhorrent." His comments were a rare public statement from a family which usually avoids the limelight and does not give interviews. Mr Harf said Albert Reimann Sr and Albert Reimann Jr had not talked about their Nazi past, and that the family had assumed the full details had emerged in a 1978 report, but younger members began to ask questions after discovering old family documents. Bild submitted its findings to Professor Christopher Kopper of Bielefeld University, a leading expert on German economic history in the Nazi era. "In my opinion, the Reimanns were convinced National Socialist entrepreneurs," Prof Kopper told the newspaper. "While most company bosses and managers only sided with the Nazis after they seized power, this was already the case with the Reimanns in 1931. Father and son Reimann were obviously not political opportunists, but National Socialists out of conviction." The family said the donation would be made "to a suitable organisation".
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| US not looking at IS court, urges repatriation from Syria Posted: 25 Mar 2019 01:31 PM PDT  The United States said Monday it was not looking at an international court to try Islamic State extremists and urged countries to repatriate them after Syria's Kurds proposed a tribunal. Two days after the United States announced the complete defeat of the Islamic State group, the Kurdish force that holds some 9,000 foreign jihadists and their relatives -- 6,500 of them children -- voiced regret at the lack of response to US-led calls on Western nations to bring back their citizens for trial. The Syrian Kurdish administration said that a better idea would be to set up an international tribunal in northeastern Syria to prosecute the fighters also known as ISIS, who at their zenith imposed a brutal interpretation of Islam on millions of people across Iraq and Syria and carried out widespread beheadings and sexual assaults.
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| 'Let us see this report': Pelosi Posted: 26 Mar 2019 09:45 AM PDT  U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday said the full Mueller report needs to be made available, not an "interpretation" by an attorney general appointed "to make sure the president is above the law." Rough Cut (no reporter narration).
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| Rep. Omar says it is about one Benjamin: Netanyahu Posted: 26 Mar 2019 09:09 AM PDT  After weeks of fending off accusations of anti-Semitism, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., responded to a gibe by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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| Father of Sandy Hook victim latest apparent suicide after deadly school shootings Posted: 25 Mar 2019 05:34 PM PDT  The father of one of the 20 first-grade students killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook School shooting was found dead of an apparent suicide Monday.
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| Bahrain to use Huawei in 5G rollout despite U.S. warnings Posted: 26 Mar 2019 06:23 AM PDT  Washington has warned countries against using Chinese technology, saying Huawei could be used by Beijing to spy on the West. China and Huawei have strongly rejected the allegations. VIVA Bahrain, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabian state-controlled telecoms firm STC, last month signed an agreement to use Huawei products in its 5G network, one of several Gulf telecoms companies working with the Chinese company.
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| The 2020 Hyundai Sonata in Photos Posted: 26 Mar 2019 05:00 PM PDT |
| Widespread computer outage briefly affects passengers on American, Alaska and JetBlue airlines Posted: 26 Mar 2019 01:05 PM PDT  The troubles, which lasted about 30 minutes, were due to a technical glitch at Sabre, a major airline reservations system.
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| May Says No-Deal Won't Occur Without Commons Vote: Brexit Update Posted: 25 Mar 2019 11:24 AM PDT  Theresa May said she doesn't yet have enough support to put her Brexit deal to a vote in Parliament but will continue to try to convince MPs to back it. David Lidington, May's effective deputy, tried to win MPs over by promising that the government will set aside a day this week for votes on Brexit options -- if Parliament rejects tonight the so-called Letwin-Grieve amendment (see 5:50 p.m.) which seeks to give Parliament control of the process. When asked by Oliver Letwin himself if it would match the strategy laid out in his amendment, Lidington said he couldn't commit to the details.
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| This 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado Would Look Great In A Collection Posted: 26 Mar 2019 09:04 AM PDT  It was a sad day when Oldsmobile was mothballed by General Motors in 2004 after a 117-year history. At that found it was the oldest surviving American manufacturer, and fourth overall in the world. This 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado listed with Midwest Car Exchange is a good example.
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| Lindsey Graham advises Dems against impeachment: Learn from GOP’s mistakes Posted: 25 Mar 2019 11:47 AM PDT  "By any reasonable standard, Mr. Mueller thoroughly investigated the Trump campaign," said Graham. "Mr. "Mr. "Mr. I want Trump to win." "There's politics and there's the rule of law," continued Graham.
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| The Latest: Group says Newtown dad's death is devastating Posted: 25 Mar 2019 07:44 PM PDT  FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on the community of Parkland, Florida, focusing on suicide prevention programs after two survivors of a high school massacre there killed themselves (all times local):
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| Wary calm as Egyptian-brokered ceasefire ends fighting between Hamas and Israel in Gaza Posted: 26 Mar 2019 04:05 AM PDT  A wary calm returned to Gaza and southern Israel on Tuesday after an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire brought an end to hours of intense fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas. Israeli jets struck targets throughout Gaza on Monday night, including the offices of the Islamist group's leader, while Hamas and other Palestinian factions fired rockets at Israeli towns and cities. No fatalities were reported on either side although several people were injured in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The escalation was sparked by Hamas firing a rocket that wounded several members of a British-Israeli family on Monday morning. At around 10pm on Monday, Egyptian mediators managed to broker a ceasefire between the two sides, as they have done during several other flare-ups of violence in recent months. The ceasefire took several hours to take hold and airstrikes and rocket fire continued in the early hours of Tuesday. Millions of civilians on both sides spent the night in fear as the fighting continued. Palestinians sit with their belongings in a street outside their destroyed house after an Israeli missile targeted a nearby Hamas site, in Gaza City Credit: REUTERS/Mohammed Salem However, by mid-morning the situation was tense but calm. Palestinian children went to school in Gaza as usual but school was cancelled for Israeli children in several districts in the country's south. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, cut short a trip to Washington to return to Israel to manage the situation. Mr Netanyahu, who is also Israel's defence minister, was due to arrive in Israel in the afternoon and hold meetings with security chiefs. "We have responded very, very forcefully," Mr Netanyahu said before departing Washington. "Hamas needs to know that we will not hesitate to go in and take all necessary steps – regardless of anything, any date, other than Israel's security needs." The Israeli leader is seeking re-election for a fifth term in office when Israelis go to the polls on April 9. He is under pressure from political opponents on both the Centre and the Right to strike forcefully against Hamas. Hamas hailed Monday night's violence as a victory for its cause. "Gaza and the resistance in Gaza are unbreakable. The will of Gaza will always defeat the occupation; Gaza will break the siege and live free and in dignity," a spokesman said. Hamas is under intense pressure within Gaza to raise living standards and deal with horrendous economic conditions in the strip, where unemployment is at around 50 per cent. Anti-Hamas protesters took to the streets last week under the slogan "We Want To Live". Hamas responded with a major crackdown and arrested dozens of people. Egypt and the UN have been trying to broker a long-term deal which would see Hamas promise to stop attacks on Israel in return for Israel lifting its crushing 12-year blockade on Gaza. However, the negotiations have yielded few results and Hamas is believed to be trying to inject fresh urgency into the talks by firing rockets while at the same time avoiding a full-blown war.
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| Fewer first-time home buyers likely to qualify for mortgages under tougher FHA standards Posted: 25 Mar 2019 02:48 PM PDT ![Fewer first-time home buyers likely to qualify for mortgages under tougher FHA standards]( "Fewer first-time home buyers likely to qualify for mortgages under tougher FHA standards") Fewer first-time and lower-income homebuyers are likely to get mortgages under tougher standards adopted by the Federal Housing Administration
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| Russian troops in Venezuela violates constitution: Guaido Posted: 26 Mar 2019 12:18 PM PDT  Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guiado charged Tuesday that the deployment of Russian troops in the troubled South American country violates its constitution. Guaido, who is recognized by the US and more than 50 countries as Venezuela's interim president, raised the issue in a speech to the National Assembly, which he heads. "It seems (the government of President Nicolas Maduro) doesn't trust its own troops, because it is importing others ... once again violating the constitution," he said.
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| Verizon to release free features this week to help stop robocalls and catch spam calls Posted: 27 Mar 2019 09:42 AM PDT ![Verizon to release free features this week to help stop robocalls and catch spam calls]( "Verizon to release free features this week to help stop robocalls and catch spam calls") Verizon is just the latest carrier to help consumers stop unwanted robocalls. Its blocking app and spam alert feature is due later this week.
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| British Airways plane lands in Scotland, not Germany Posted: 25 Mar 2019 08:25 PM PDT  The British Airways flight from London City Airport was supposed to head to Duesseldorf, Germany, but ended up in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.
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| For 2020 Democratic Candidates, Russia Probe Remains a Sideshow Posted: 25 Mar 2019 10:15 AM PDT  Voters rarely mention it, and the Democrats running for president in 2020 are largely following their lead. "It is worth noting that the only 2020 presidential candidate making the Mueller investigation central to their political argument is Donald J. Trump," Ian Sams, a spokesman for Senator Kamala Harris, said Sunday. One of the lessons of the 2018 midterm elections, in which Democrats retook the House and scored significant wins in state and local elections, was that the Russia investigation doesn't sway many voters.
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| Linked by pain: 2 school massacre survivors, dad kill selves Posted: 25 Mar 2019 04:11 PM PDT  FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Tragedies like the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High and Sandy Hook Elementary school massacres eventually fade from view, blunted by other mass shootings and the passage of time. But for the survivors, the pain can never end.
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| Israel, Hamas trade blows as Gaza tensions simmer Posted: 25 Mar 2019 10:54 PM PDT ![Israel, Hamas trade blows as Gaza tensions simmer]( "Israel, Hamas trade blows as Gaza tensions simmer") GAZA/JERUSALEM, March 26 (Reuters) - Gaza militants fired rockets into southern Israel and Israeli aircraft carried out strikes in the Hamas-ruled territory overnight Tuesday, though the level of violence appeared to abate after Palestinians said a ceasefire had been reached. Beset by corruption scandals, he faces a strong challenge from a centrist coalition led by a top general.
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| Amazon sale gets you an extra large $150 air fryer for just $90 Posted: 26 Mar 2019 01:37 PM PDT ![Amazon sale gets you an extra large $150 air fryer for just $90]( "Amazon sale gets you an extra large $150 air fryer for just $90") If you want a well-reviewed air fryer that has huge capacity that costs less than most models half it's size, we've got just what the doctor ordered. The Power Air Fryer XL 5.3 Quart Fryer retails for $150, and it's worth every penny. It cooks up wonderfully crispy food with little or even no oil, so it's much healthier than traditional deep fryers. It also has plenty of capacity -- 5.3 quarts is enough room to feed a large family, and then some. The $150 price tag is more than fair, but hurry up and you can snag one on Amazon for $90.Here are the key details from the product page:> The secret to the Power AirFryer XL is Rapid Air Technology. The Power AirFryer XL surrounds your food with Turbo Cyclonic Air instead of oil. Your meals are cooked in a whirlwind of superheated air, not oil or lard. That means any of your favorite fast foods can be made with fewer calories from added cooking fat/oil, without sacrificing taste. You get the same, crispy fried taste & texture you love. With little to no oil, no trans fats, and no greasy mess! The best part is the state-of-the-art digital touchscreen & 7 one-touch easy pre-sets for French fries, chicken, steak, roasts, shrimp & baked goods. Making your favorite waffle fries from childhood? Just press the French Fries button, and the Power AirFryer XL does the rest!
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| Boeing fix will prevent repeated activation of anti-stall system: sources Posted: 25 Mar 2019 04:08 PM PDT  SEATTLE/LONDON (Reuters) - A Boeing Co software fix for the grounded 737 MAX will prevent repeated operation of an anti-stall system at the centre of safety concerns and deactivate it altogether if two sensors disagree widely, two people familiar with pilot briefings said. The anti-stall system - known as MCAS, or Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System - has been pinpointed by investigators probing October's fatal Lion Air crash and faces new scrutiny in the wake of another fatal accident in Ethiopia. MCAS was designed to counter this but some experts say it overcompensated and the latest changes give some authority back to the pilot.
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| The 2020 Mercedes-AMG A35 Sedan Is the 302-HP "Entry Level" AMG Posted: 26 Mar 2019 04:01 PM PDT  The hotted-up version of Benz's littlest A-class sedan is the first in a new line of lower-tier four-cylinder AMGs.
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| Top Reasons Your Dishwasher Isn't Drying Posted: 26 Mar 2019 12:37 PM PDT  You'd think that cleaning would be the most difficult—and important—task for a dishwasher. It turns out, maybe not. "Drying is harder than cleaning because dishes and glasses have areas that trap...
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| British Parliament considers its own Brexit plans Wednesday Posted: 26 Mar 2019 03:50 PM PDT  The government, which usually controls the scheduling of votes in Parliament, said the lawmakers' move "sets a dangerous, unpredictable precedent for the future."
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| Kathie Lee Gifford talks 'crippling loneliness' of losing her husband and mother Posted: 26 Mar 2019 05:59 AM PDT  "I found myself dealing with crippling loneliness," Gifford told AARP's magazine after losing husband Frank Gifford and mother Joan Epstein within two years of each other. "I had to make moves and spiritual moves. You gotta make new memories or the old ones are going to kill you."
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| These Easy Lunch Ideas Are Perfect for Entertaining Posted: 26 Mar 2019 10:16 AM PDT |
| McConnell Blocks Resolution Urging That Mueller Report Be Made Public Posted: 25 Mar 2019 03:55 PM PDT  Senator Mitch McConnell on Monday blocked a resolution that urged the Justice Department to publicly release Special Counsel Robert Mueller's final report.The Senate majority leader blocked a request by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for unanimous consent on the nonbinding resolution."Whether or not you're a supporter of President Trump or not, of what you feel, there is no good reason not to make the report public," Schumer told his colleagues in a floor speech. "It's a simple request for transparency. Nothing more, nothing less."McConnell argued that "the special counsel and the Justice Department ought to be allowed to finish their work in a professional manner.""To date the attorney general has followed through on his commitments to Congress," McConnell said. "One of those commitments is that he intends to release as much information as possible."Mueller submitted his final report to Attorney General William Barr on Sunday, ending the two-year probe into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. The investigation "did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election," according to the summary of the report Barr provided Congress.Democrats, including most of the high-profile Democratic presidential candidates, have called on Barr to release the entire report to Congress and the public. Barr has said he will confer with Mueller and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to determine which parts of the report can be released legally.Earlier this month, Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, a frequent Republican defender of Trump, blocked Schumer's first request to pass the resolution, shortly after the measure passed the House 420 to 0.
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| Israel, Gaza militants in 2nd day of cross-border fighting Posted: 25 Mar 2019 09:34 PM PDT  JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli aircraft bombed targets across the Gaza Strip and Gaza militants fired rockets into Israel early Tuesday, the second day of cross-border fighting that erupted in the last stretch of a closely contested race for Israeli prime minister between the long-serving incumbent and an ex-army chief.
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| Father of Sandy Hook victim found dead in apparent suicide: police Posted: 25 Mar 2019 01:19 PM PDT  The father of one of the children killed in the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School was found dead of an apparent suicide on Monday morning at his office in Newtown, Connecticut, police said. Jeremy Richman, 49, was the father of Avielle Richman, one of 20 children, all 6 or 7 years old, killed along with six adult staff members by a man with a semi-automatic rifle at the school in Newtown. "The death appears to be a suicide, but police will not disclose the method or any other details of the death, only to state the death does not appear to be suspicious," the Newtown Police Department said in a statement.
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| A new biography explains why Apple is more successful than ever under Tim Cook Posted: 26 Mar 2019 08:06 PM PDT ![A new biography explains why Apple is more successful than ever under Tim Cook]( "A new biography explains why Apple is more successful than ever under Tim Cook") In Tim Cook: The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level, a pundit at one point tries to make the case to author Leander Kahney that Apple's current chief executive is the best one the company has ever had. Better even than Cook's legendary predecessor, the product visionary responsible for many of the company's hit devices.An eyebrow-raising claim? Sure, but the gist of that argument seems to be kind of the whole point of the book -- which appears to be the first biography of Cook and which was written by the editor and publisher of the Cult of Mac news website. It will be published on April 16, so a few weeks after Cook presided over one of the most important media events of his tenure, one that heralds a high-stakes shift of Apple's emphasis to content and services as opposed to the outsized importance ascribed to its devices.One of the themes of the book appears to be that not only is Cook "his own man," in Leander's words, but that -- well, good for him for being so. That he's barely made any missteps since taking over for Steve Jobs in one of the most closely watched handovers of all time in corporate America, and that the company is empirically all the better for it.In terms of what readers are in store for, Apple apparently participated and made several top executives available for the book. As a result, Leander is promising potentially fascinating anecdotes such as an inside look at how Cook handled facing off against the FBI over whether Apple would give in to the bureau's request to unlock the phone of the San Bernardino shooter.Which leads to Cook-as-privacy-champion, another theme that will be explored, along with him inspiring Apple to become a greener and more charitable company. The book hits all the important biography milestones, revisiting his childhood in rural Alabama and tracing his encounters with racism and discrimination in the South on through his maturation as an IBM executive and eventually an Apple recruit who became a quiet, influential force that Steve Jobs ultimately groomed for the CEO job.Today, the book notes, Apple is worth three times as much as it was when Steve died, it keeps making piles of money and is stretching into new businesses it hasn't tried before, such as becoming a kind of entertainment production studio. Will the shift Apple teased on Monday, into new areas like commissioning TV shows and movies from top Hollywood talent, end up being a hit or miss? This new biography would argue to definitely be wary of underestimating the quiet chief executive overseeing it all.
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| Parliament Will Take Its Time to Find a Plan B: Brexit Update Posted: 26 Mar 2019 09:53 AM PDT  Brexit hardliner Jacob Rees-Mogg indicated he's willing to back Theresa May's deal, a move that could be a game-changer for the prime minister if others follow suit. It's now a race between May, who is still fighting to get her deal through, and members of Parliament who have seized control of the agenda and could force the government to seek a softer divorce.
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| 'Ugly' prosthetics get French design treatment Posted: 26 Mar 2019 10:07 AM PDT  French manufacturers of prosthetics are breaking from tradition to develop fashionable artificial limbs with patterns and colour so that wearers don't mind showing off some leg. Two companies, Algo Orthopedie and U-Exist, have taken the lead in France and are trying to redefine the image of replacement limbs, which are manufactured from plastic resin and are usually skin-coloured. "A prosthetic worn with your granny's stocking is just ugly," said Alain Le Guen, an orthopedic surgeon and manager of Algo Orthopedie, which was created in 2004 in Brittany in northwestern France.
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| 2019 Ford Ranger truck buyers want custom design, sexy 'black package' Posted: 26 Mar 2019 08:42 AM PDT  In response to demand from its new 2019 Ford Ranger buyers, Ford Motor Co. has introduced an all-new "Black Appearance Package."
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| U.S. calls Russia deployment of planes to Venezuela 'reckless escalation' Posted: 25 Mar 2019 04:43 PM PDT  The Russian planes and military personnel arrived outside the Venezuelan capital Caracas on Saturday, according to local media reports, two months after the Trump administration disavowed President Nicolas Maduro. Washington has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's legitimate president and demands that Maduro leave power, which Russia has described as a U.S.-backed coup against the socialist government. "The United States condemns Russia's deployment of military aircraft and personnel to Caracas, which is another contradiction of both Nicolas Maduro's and Russia's calls for non-intervention in Venezuela and is a reckless escalation of the situation," a State Department spokesman said.
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| Democrats refuse to retreat on Trump legal issues despite Mueller disappointment Posted: 25 Mar 2019 04:22 PM PDT  House committee chairs call on attorney general William Barr to send them full Mueller report by 2 April * Follow the latest US politics newsJerrold Nadler, the House judiciary committee chairman, has has announced he will summon the attorney general, William Barr, to testify. Photograph: Craig Ruttle/APAs Donald Trump declared victory following the conclusion of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, Democrats showed no signs of backing down from the numerous legal questions encircling the president and his associates.The completion of the highly anticipated Mueller report prompted an intense debate in Washington over how to proceed as Democrats said a summary of its findings by the attorney general, William Barr, "raises as many questions as it answers", even though it probably laid the issue of collusion with Russia firmly to rest.Since taking control of the House of Representatives in January, Democrats have launched an onslaught of investigations into the president, his administration and his family business. It thus came as an undeniable blow to Democrats that Mueller's report did not find that the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow to swing the 2016 election, or produce a more definitive conclusion on whether the president himself engaged in any criminal activity.But as Trump and his allies seized on the account to falsely claim "total exoneration", Democrats signaled the legal and political battle lines were far from settled, especially when it came to Barr's decision not to pursue the obstruction of justice issue.Jerrold Nadler, the chairman of the House judiciary committee, announced he would summon Barr, who was confirmed as Trump's attorney general earlier this year, to testify on Capitol Hill as Democrats seek more answers from the conclusion of the nearly two-year federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.> In light of the very concerning discrepancies and final decision making at the Justice Department following the Special Counsel report, where Mueller did not exonerate the President, we will be calling Attorney General Barr in to testify before @HouseJudiciary in the near future.> > — (((Rep. Nadler))) (@RepJerryNadler) March 24, 2019In a four-page letter to Congress, Barr said Mueller's report did not find criminal collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow during the 2016 presidential election but was inconclusive on the question of whether the president obstructed justice."It's a shame that our country has had to go through this," a defiant Trump said Sunday. "To be honest, it's a shame that your president has had to go through this."Democrats nonetheless demanded the release of the full Mueller report, while suggesting Barr's summary could not be trusted given his prior criticisms of the special counsel investigation."The fact that Special Counsel Mueller's report does not exonerate the president on a charge as serious as obstruction of justice demonstrates how urgent it is that the full report and underlying documentation be made public without any further delay," the Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi said in a statement."Given Mr Barr's public record of bias against the special counsel's inquiry, he is not a neutral observer and is not in a position to make objective determinations about the report."Democrats took particular issue with the claim by Barr and Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, that Mueller's evidence was insufficient to prove Trump had obstructed justice.The special counsel examined several actions by Trump in considering the question of obstruction, including his firing of the former FBI director James Comey, public and private attempts to pressure the former attorney general Jeff Sessions, and role in misleading the public about a meeting between his campaign and a Russian lawyer during the campaign.In a joint statement, the Democratic chairmen of the House intelligence, judiciary and oversight committees called for the complete release of Mueller's report and "all underlying documents"."It is unacceptable that, after Special Counsel Mueller spent 22 months meticulously uncovering this evidence, Attorney General Barr made a decision not to charge the president in under 48 hours," the chairmen said."The special counsel's report should be allowed to speak for itself," they added.On Monday evening, six Democratic House committee chairs, including the chairmen of the intelligence and judiciary subcommittees, sent a letter to Barr requesting that he send them the full Mueller report by 2 April. They also asked Barr to start transmitting the evidence underlying the report to the relevant committees.Barr has not made clear how much of the report he intends to make public, teeing up a potentially major dispute that may ultimately be settled in the courts. By a tally of 420-0, the House voted overwhelmingly last month in favor of making the Mueller report public.But even as they seek a full accounting of Mueller's investigation, Democrats have sought to temper expectations of impeachment – a subject that has polarized the American public.The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, has on multiple occasions thrown cold water on what several Democrats refer to as "the I-word", leaving it to voters at the 2020 ballot box to determine Trump's fate.Some strategists said the initial read of the Mueller report may have lifted the burden of impeachment from Democrats' shoulders, enabling them to focus instead on drawing a policy contrast to Trump as he seeks re-election next year."I think Democrats need to allow the investigations to continue while focusing on the rest of their legislative agenda," said Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist who served as an aide to the former Senate majority leader Harry Reid."It's pretty clear impeachment is not in the cards, at least not right now."To impeach Trump, Democrats would need not just a majority in the House but also a two-thirds vote in the Republican-led Senate to convict – an outcome as unlikely as ever before given the widespread support Trump enjoys from members of his own party.Polling has found Americans largely split on whether Trump should be impeached.There are countless other legal perils looming over Trump's presidency, however, that remain unresolved and which Democrats are likely to focus on.Among them are hush money payments to women claiming affairs with Trump and attempts by the president and his allies to cover them up.In public testimony on Capitol Hill last month, Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen directly implicated the president in the hush money payments – a violation of US campaign finance law – while also accusing Trump of various other criminal acts.Those allegations are being investigated by prosecutors of the southern district of New York and increasingly a subject of the inquiries launched by House Democrats."Reading the coverage today one would assume that the release of the Mueller report ended the criminal investigations into Trump his inauguration, his business, and his foundation," Dan Pfeiffer, a former senior adviser to Barack Obama, tweeted."It didn't. He still has more criminal exposure than all the other presidents combined."
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| Whataburger-inspired gun turning heads in Houston Posted: 26 Mar 2019 06:24 AM PDT  The custom, orange and white Whataburger firearm from HTX Tactical might just be the most Texan thing you'll see all day.
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