| Trump mocks Biden's statement on 'personal space' with doctored video Posted: 04 Apr 2019 12:06 PM PDT  President Trump shared a crude video on Twitter mocking former Vice President Joe Biden's statement acknowledging allegations from multiple women of inappropriate behavior.
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| Court Ruling Implies That Barr Must Redact Grand-Jury Info from Mueller Report Posted: 05 Apr 2019 02:40 PM PDT  In disclosing the Mueller report, Attorney General William P. Barr will have to redact grand-jury information. That is the upshot of the ruling today by a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.I flagged this case, now called McKeever v. Barr (formerly McKeever v. Sessions), last week. It did not arise out of the Mueller investigation, but it obviously has significant ramifications for the Mueller report -- in particular, how much of it we will get to see.At issue was this question: Does a federal court have the authority to order disclosure of grand-jury materials if the judge decides that the interests of justice warrant doing so; or is the judge limited to the exceptions to grand-jury secrecy that are spelled out in Rule 6(e) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure? The D.C. Circuit's McKeever ruling holds that the text of Rule 6(e) controls. Consequently, judges have no authority to authorize disclosure outside the rule.This is significant for the Mueller report because Rule 6(e) does not contain an exception to secrecy that would permit disclosure to Congress.The case involves a writer, Stuart McKeever, who was researching a book on the disappearance of Columbia University professor Jesús de Galíndez Suárez in 1956. It was suspected that Galíndez, a very public critic of Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo, was kidnapped and flown to the D.R., where he was murdered. In the course of a federal investigation, suspicion fell on John Joseph Frank, a former FBI agent and CIA lawyer, who later worked for Trujillo. Frank was eventually prosecuted for failing to register as a foreign agent but never charged with any involvement in Galíndez's murder.In 2013, for purposes of his research, McKeever petitioned the court for release of records of the grand-jury proceedings that led to Frank's 1957 indictment. There is nothing in Rule 6(e) that would permit the veil of grand-jury secrecy to be pierced for an academic or literary research project. Yet the district judge asserted that federal courts have "inherent supervisory power" to disclose grand-jury materials, including those that are "historically significant." Ultimately, however, the judge denied the petition, reasoning that it was "overbroad."McKeever appealed. In opposition, the Justice Department argued not only that he should be denied the grand-jury records, but also that the lower court had been wrong to claim authority to disclose the materials outside the strictures of Rule 6(e). The three-judge panel agreed with the Justice Department, in an opinion written by Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg (now a senior judge, appointed by President Reagan) and joined by Judge Gregory Katsas (appointed by President Trump). Judge Sri Srinivasan (appointed by President Obama) dissented.The majority explained that the Supreme Court has long recognized the vital purposes served by grand-jury secrecy, and thus that secrecy must be protected unless there is some clear contrary indication in a statute or rule. Disclosure is the exception, not the rule.In Rule 6(e), Congress has prescribed grand-jury secrecy and its exceptions. Those who contend that a court may permit disclosure outside the rule argue that judges had such authority before the rule was enacted. The panel majority, however, emphasized the rule's sweeping language: Officials must refrain from disclosure "unless these rules provide otherwise." The rule also takes pains to spell out the situations in which a judge may authorize disclosure. Plainly, the intent of the rule was to limit disclosure; were an unwritten judicial power to ignore the limitations recognized, the rule would be pointless.The exceptions enumerated in the rule permit judges to authorize disclosure, to federal and certain non-federal officials, in order to aid in the enforcement of criminal laws. Clearly, it would be easy to conjure other worthy exceptions. Nevertheless, the panel majority observed, the Supreme Court has stressed that "not every beneficial purpose, or even every valid governmental purpose, is an appropriate reason for breaching grand jury secrecy."The panel rejected the claim that the D.C. Circuit's decision in a Watergate era case, Haldeman v. Sirica (1974), permits disclosure outside the rule. This is salient for purposes of the Mueller report because Haldeman involved an order by the district court (Judge John Sirica) permitting transmission of a sealed grand-jury report to the House Judiciary Committee, which was then considering possible grounds to impeach President Nixon.In his dissent, Judge Srinivasan maintained that Haldeman should control. Judges Ginsburg and Katsas disagreed, relating that the lower and appellate courts in Haldeman failed to conduct any "meaningful analysis of Rule 6(e)'s terms"; they merely offered policy arguments in favor of disclosure -- with Sirica, for example, suggesting that disclosure to the House of Representatives was analogous to disclosure to another grand jury (the rule allows the latter). Moreover, Haldeman was distinguishable, the majority reasoned, because the disclosure of the grand-jury report was technically done within the context of the criminal case against H. R. Haldeman and his co-defendant, Gordon Strachan; that is, it was not a direct transmission to the House.(For what it's worth, I believe Haldeman is distinguishable for an additional reason: The grand jury in that case was operating under a statute that permitted it to file a report, as distinguished from an indictment, which the grand jury itself recommended be transmitted to the House. I described such reports nearly two years ago, when we first learned that Mueller had convened a grand jury; and Kim Strassel had an excellent Twitter thread about them earlier this week, specifically addressing Haldeman. Such grand-jury reports are very different from what is at issue in the Mueller report. The latter is a prosecutor's report based, in part, on grand-jury evidence; there are no grand-jury findings or recommendations that its proceedings be transmitted to Congress; and Democrats are asking for all the grand-jury information, with no view expressed by the grand jury or the witnesses who would be affected. The panel majority, however, did not address these differences -- no doubt because the Mueller report was not under consideration in the McKeever case.)It is foreseeable that McKeever could be further appealed, to the full D.C. Circuit (an en banc review) and to the Supreme Court. Not only was the panel divided, but there is a split in the circuits -- which the panel majority acknowledges, discussing the relevant cases at the conclusion of its opinion. For now, however, McKeever is the law in the D.C. Circuit, where the Mueller investigation took place. Naturally, the Justice Department must follow it -- and it is, again, an affirmation of the Justice Department's position on the law.This means Attorney General Barr must redact grand-jury material from the Mueller report before disclosing it to Congress. Democrats will complain long and loud about this, but I don't see how Barr can be reasonably faulted for following the law. Congress, after all, has the power to legislate an amendment to Rule 6(e) that would permit disclosure of grand-jury materials from a special counsel investigation to appropriate congressional committees.
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| Dutch PM says UK 'doesn't answer' Brexit delay questions Posted: 05 Apr 2019 07:11 AM PDT  British Prime Minister Theresa May's request to delay Brexit until June 30 "doesn't answer" the EU's key questions about London's plans, Dutch premier Mark Rutte said on Friday. Rutte said May's letter seeking the extension "raises many questions" and there will have to be "intense discussions" ahead of a crucial summit of European leaders next Wednesday that will decide on the issue. "The plan was that the British would explain what they wanted from the EU," Rutte told a weekly press conference.
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| Pilots of doomed Boeing 737 MAX fought the plane’s software and lost Posted: 04 Apr 2019 02:33 PM PDT  New details into the horrific crash of a Boeing 737 MAX commercial airliner reveal just how messed up the plane's flight control software really was when it brought the plane crashing down in early March. A preliminary look at the crash report for Ethiopia Airlines flight 302, obtained by CNN, suggests that the pilots of the doomed airliner were absolutely powerless to keep the plane in the air, and it was Boeing's flight software that was to blame.The investigation reportedly revealed that the pilots fought against the plane's own systems for almost the entire flight. After taking off, the plane's software erroneously believed the plane was in danger of stalling, and began to force the nose of the plane down.According to CNN, the report reveals that the captain of the flight repeatedly yelled "pull up" to his first officer, but the plane refused to obey their wishes. The system repeatedly fought back against the pilots, causing the plane to dive no less than four times.After requesting a return to their departing airport, the pilots managed to turn the plane around but it dove yet again, and this time the angle was too severe for the pilots to control, ultimately leading to the crash and the deaths of all 157 people on board.If you've been following the trickle of information coming out of the ongoing investigation this is probably no surprise, since we've known for weeks now that the plane was responsible for the crash, not the pilots. Nevertheless, it's still shocking to hear how bad the situation was, and the fact that the pilots repeatedly saved the plane from destruction in the span of just six minutes before it finally came down.It wasn't long after this latest crash that Boeing finally got around to updating its flight control software to make it easier for pilots to override the systems that appear to be responsible for not just the Ethiopia Airlines crash but also the crash of another 737 MAX which occurred back in 2018. Had this problem been addressed sooner, the 157 people aboard the Ethiopia Airlines plane would likely still have their lives.
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| How a Russian S-400 Could Shoot Down an F-35 (Thanks to Turkey) Posted: 04 Apr 2019 01:00 PM PDT  Russian and American technology don't mix.
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| 4 women arrested in high-end prostitution ring bust, OC officials say Posted: 05 Apr 2019 11:24 PM PDT  Four women were arrested for allegedly running an all-female high-end prostitution ring that spanned three states, including California.
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| Aloha! Hawaiian Airlines' debuts Boston to Honolulu flights as longest route between states Posted: 05 Apr 2019 09:32 AM PDT  The airline announced that its Honolulu-Boston flight made history as the country's longest interstate route.
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| 'He gave me permission': Joe Biden jokes about touching complaints Posted: 05 Apr 2019 10:31 AM PDT  Former vice-president's comments came during first public appearance since allegations from at least seven women surfacedJoe Biden has twice made joking references to complaints from women that his physical behavior made them uncomfortable.The former vice-president's comments on Friday came during his first public appearance since the allegations began to surface last week.Taking the stage in Washington at a gathering of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Biden was introduced by the president of the union, Lonnie Stephenson.Biden quipped: "I just want you to know – I had permission to hug Lonnie."The crowd, which was mostly male, erupted in laughter. Later, Biden made a similar joke after inviting a group of children onstage and putting his arm round a young boy."By the way, he gave me permission to touch him," the former vice-president said, again to laughter."Everybody knows I like kids more than people," Biden said.Sign up for the US morning briefing Biden, who is widely expected to enter the 2020 presidential race, has faced allegations from at least seven women that they were troubled by physical interactions with him.Although he has not been accused of sexual assault or harassment, the women have said they felt Biden violated their personal space.On Wednesday, Biden pledged in a video to change his behavior."Social norms are changing. I understand that, and I've heard what these women are saying," Biden said. "Politics to me has always been about making connections, but I will be more mindful of personal space in the future. That's my responsibility and I will meet it."Speaking to reporters after Friday's event, Biden was asked if he would apologize to the women directly."I'm sorry I didn't understand," he said. "I'm not sorry for any of my intentions."He added: "I literally think it is incumbent upon me and I think everybody else to make sure that if you embrace someone, if you touch someone, it's with their consent, regardless of your intention."The controversy began when Lucy Flores, a former Nevada state assemblywoman, alleged Biden put his hands on her shoulders, leaned in to smell her hair and kissed the back of her head at a political event in November 2014.Other women have shared similar accounts. Several prominent Democratic women have come to Biden's defense, suggesting such behavior is part of his affectionate demeanor.Donald Trump, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by at least 17 women, has sought to weaponize the issue.The president posted a derisive tweet featuring Biden's apology video doctored to include an image of the former vice-president creeping up behind himself and grabbing his own shoulders."WELCOME BACK JOE!" Trump tweeted.Biden hit back, tweeting: "I see that you are on the job and presidential."
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| Bernie Sanders says 'there should be a study' on slavery reparations Posted: 05 Apr 2019 09:28 AM PDT  Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders slightly modified his position on reparations when he joined a slew of other Democratic presidential candidates on Friday, saying he now supports studying the possibility of payments.
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| California Man Doesn’t Want Neighbors to Know He Lent Paul Manafort $1 Million Posted: 04 Apr 2019 12:43 PM PDT  The lender is "a U.S. citizen residing in Southern California, where President Trump is highly unpopular," according to the filing on Thursday in response to a request by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's prosecutors. "It is well known that friendships and other relationships have shattered over political views in our current 'tribal' society," and so the man doesn't want his name made public, Woodlawn's lawyer, David Smith, wrote.
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| Tucker Carlson slapped down by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after complaining that 'feminists do science' Posted: 05 Apr 2019 09:35 AM PDT  Tucker Carlson has been criticised by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after lamenting the fact feminists "do science" in America.The Fox News host, who has faced an advertising boycott over sexist and racist remarks, made the comment while discussing academic research into how men perceive environmentally sustainable behaviour to be a threat to their masculinity.Speaking to climate change sceptic Mark Steyn during his show on Thursday, Carlson said: "How did we wind up with a country in which feminists do science? I mean … we're sort of bound to get a study like this, right?"Ms Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic congresswoman, responded on Twitter: "Democracy and civil rights is how we got a country where 'feminists do science.'"She added it "tells you a lot" that the Fox News presenter is "drumming up fear around women's rights to create suspicion around climate change policy".Mr Carlson has previously attacked the New York representative over her calls for action to combat climate change, deriding her as "a 29-year-old former bartender [here] to teach you about science".He devoted a whole segment on his Monday programme to Ms Ocasio-Cortez and the Democrats' Green New Deal, proposals designed to tackle the impacts of global warming.During the show, he said: "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a moron and nasty and more self-righteous than any televangelist who ever preached a sermon on cable access. She's not impressive, she's awful."The Democrat responded in a tweet: "You know we're winning when the GOP resort to vapid, personal insults."Mr Carlson's discussion with Mr Steyn – a regular Fox News commentator – focussed on research which shows environmentalism is perceived to be feminine.A 2016 study by academics at five US and Chinese universities found that, as a result of this stereotype, suggested men "may be motivated to avoid or even oppose green behaviours in order to safeguard their gender identity".The research, led by James Wilkie, assistant professor of marketing at Indiana's University of Notre Dame, found men were more willing to buy environmental products if they were marketed and packaged as "more masculine".Mr Steyn mocked the study, saying it was "very difficult to tell ... whether or not it's an ingenious parody", before ranting about US universities spending money on social science research.
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| Woman who posed as black makes plea deal in fraud case Posted: 05 Apr 2019 10:52 AM PDT  SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A former NAACP leader in Washington state who was exposed in 2015 as a white woman pretending to be black has reached an agreement to avoid trial on charges of welfare fraud.
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| Labour can do Brexit deal with PM May but needs new referendum: deputy leader Posted: 05 Apr 2019 12:47 AM PDT  Britain's opposition Labour Party can do a deal with Prime Minister Theresa May on customs arrangements but the party might not support any Brexit proposal unless it includes a new referendum, deputy leader Tom Watson said. Labour is meeting the government for a third day of talks on a possible solution to the impasse over Brexit, with May seeking a further delay while she seeks to find a deal that can get parliamentary support. "We're genuinely going in with an open mind, but if it comes out of that process without the idea of a confirmatory ballot, I think we would have a bit of difficulty with our parliamentary party," Watson said in an interview with BBC radio, adding that talks on customs arrangements could be easier.
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| Fatal flights: What we know about Boeing MAX 8 crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia Posted: 04 Apr 2019 07:11 PM PDT  The plane crashes that led to the Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane to be grounded worldwide had clear similarities, but not everything about them was alike.
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| Presidential candidate Andrew Yang thinks way outside the box on climate change, artificial intelligence and more Posted: 05 Apr 2019 09:03 AM PDT  Andrew Yang, the entrepreneur turned 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, has thought through issues big and small, and because he has crossed the 65,000 individual donor threshold to participate in the Democratic debates, we'll likely be hearing more about his ideas in the next year.
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| Ocasio-Cortez Pushes ‘Agenda of Reparations’ at Sharpton Conference Posted: 05 Apr 2019 02:08 PM PDT  Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) called on fellow Democrats to pursue an "agenda of reparations" through a dramatic expansion of the welfare state during her remarks at Al Sharpton's National Action Network Conference in New York on Friday.Describing the restructuring of the American economy articulated in her Green New Deal proposal, the freshman Democrat argued that, in addition to combating climate change, the plan would result in a massive redistribution of wealth administered by the federal government."That is the moral, political, and economic underpinning of making bold investments and dignified jobs, because that is the necessary plan to fix the pipes in Flint and clean the air in the South Bronx and create unionized energy jobs for transitioning workers in Appalachia and West Virginia, for single-payer health care and Medicare-for-all and tuition-free public colleges and universities to prepare our nation for the future, and for the end of mass incarceration, the war on drugs, examining and pursuing an agenda of reparations, and fixing the opioid crisis too," she said.The reference to reparations is reflective of the Democratic party's embrace of legislation introduced by Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D., Texas) in January that would create a commission to explore how best to compensate the descendants of American slaves.The legislation, known as the Commission to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans Act, has already received the backing of a host of 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls, including Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, former representative Beto O'Rourke of Texas, and Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii.Speaking ahead of Ocasio-Cortez at the conference on Friday, Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), who has previously dismissed the idea of direct cash payments to the descendants of slaves, said he would back Jackson Lee's bill if he's elected in 2020."If the House and the Senate pass that bill, of course I would sign it. There needs to be a study. But I think what we need to do is to pay real attention to the most distressed communities in America," Sanders said.
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| Trump visits U.S.-Mexico border, Kathie Lee Gifford leaves 'Today': 5 things to know Friday Posted: 05 Apr 2019 01:31 AM PDT  President Trump tours the U.S.-Mexico border in California, Kathie Lee Gifford says goodbye to "Today" and more things to start your Friday.
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| Jamie Dimon Says He Didn't Seriously Consider Running for President Posted: 04 Apr 2019 04:24 PM PDT  "I tell people, I thought that I should think about it," Dimon said Thursday, drawing laughs from the audience at a Council on Foreign Relations event in New York. CNBC reported earlier in the day that Dimon spent much of 2018 mulling a possible run for president.
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| 30+ Healthy Ways To Eat Eggs—And Keep Your Breakfast From Ever Getting Boring Posted: 05 Apr 2019 02:06 PM PDT |
| Turkey opposition says ahead in Istanbul election recount Posted: 05 Apr 2019 03:33 AM PDT  Turkey's opposition candidate for Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said Friday he was still winning by nearly 19,000 votes after the ruling AKP demanded a recount following Sunday's tight election race. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his AKP suffered an upset in local elections when results showed the party lost the capital Ankara and was narrowly defeated in Istanbul, the country's largest city and economic hub. The two rival Istanbul candidates declared victory soon after the vote when initial results showed them in a dead heat.
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| Man arrested in reported sword attack over 'MAGA' hat spat Posted: 04 Apr 2019 05:31 PM PDT ![Man arrested in reported sword attack over 'MAGA' hat spat]( "Man arrested in reported sword attack over 'MAGA' hat spat") SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Officers arrested a man who slashed another man with a sword after the victim allegedly knocked his "Make America Great Again" hat from his head, San Francisco police said Thursday.
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| Brexiteer Lords try to thwart law forcing May to request EU exit delay Posted: 04 Apr 2019 01:11 PM PDT  May has already committed to seek a short extension to Britain's European Union membership and work with the opposition Labour Party to come up with a different exit plan, in a last-ditch attempt to keep control after her own Brexit deal was rejected three times by the lower House of parliament. The process of passing the bill through the Lords got off to a rocky start on Thursday when some members of the debating chamber - also known as peers - launched a series of attempts to delay or even halt the process. "All that lies between us and tyranny is that we respect the conventions of both Houses," said Michael Forsyth, a pro-Brexit Conservative member of the Lords, accusing Labour Party spokeswoman Dianne Hayter of setting a dangerous precedent to try and block Brexit.
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| The Stealth Fighter America Said No To: Boeing's X-32 Posted: 05 Apr 2019 05:00 AM PDT  It would have taken the place of the F-35.
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| NATO plans for Russian 'aggression' on 70th anniversary Posted: 04 Apr 2019 01:31 PM PDT  NATO said Thursday it was taking new action to counter Russia's "aggression," finding a united message amid other differences within the Western alliance on its 70th anniversary. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance approved new surveillance measures and naval exercises in the Black Sea to back Ukraine and Georgia, aspiring members of NATO that are facing Russian-backed separatist forces. Stoltenberg urged Russia to return three Ukrainian navy vessels and its sailors which it seized in November near Crimea -- the peninsula that Moscow annexed in 2014, in a move not recognized internationally.
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| Will Jussie Smollett be forced to pay back the $130,000 he owes the city of Chicago for their investigation? Posted: 06 Apr 2019 06:16 AM PDT  Deroy Murdock says if Jussie Smollett was smart he would pay back the $130,000 the city of Chicago has requested before the city sues him for triple that amount.
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| Mitch McConnell is destroying the Senate – and American government Posted: 06 Apr 2019 04:22 AM PDT  The majority leader cares only for winning, not rules or democracy itself. He is doing more damage than Trump * The Hill to Die On: Trump and a Republican dumpster fireDonald Trump speaks to the press alongside Mitch McConnell. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty ImagesNo person has done more in living memory to undermine the functioning of the US government than the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell.Yes, Donald Trump has debased and defiled the presidency. He has launched blistering attacks on Democrats, on judges he disagrees with, journalists who criticize him and the intelligence community.But McConnell is actively and willfully destroying the Senate.Last Wednesday he used his Republican majority to cut the time for debating Trump's court appointees from 30 hours to two – thereby enabling Republicans to ram through even more Trump judges.McConnell doesn't give a fig about the Senate, or about democracy. He cares only about winning. On the eve of the 2010 midterm elections he famously declared that his top priority was for Barack Obama "to be a one-term president".Between 2009 and 2013, McConnell's Senate Republicans blocked 79 Obama nominees. In the entire history of the United States until that point, only 68 presidential nominees had been blocked.> McConnell's long game is destroying what was once known as the world's greatest deliberative bodyThis unprecedented use of the filibuster finally led Senate Democrats in 2013 to change the rules on some presidential nominees (but not the supreme court), to require simple majorities.In response, McConnell fumed that "breaking the rules to change the rules is un-American". If so, McConnell is about as un-American as they come. Once back in control of the Senate he buried Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland for the supreme court by refusing even to hold hearings.Then, in 2017, McConnell and his Republicans changed the rules again, ending the use of the filibuster even for supreme court nominees and clearing the way for Senate confirmation of Trump's Neil Gorsuch.Step by step, McConnell has sacrificed the Senate as an institution to partisan political victories.There is a vast difference between winning at politics by playing according to the norms of our democracy, and winning by subverting those norms.To Abraham Lincoln, democracy was a covenant linking past and future. Political institutions, in his view, were "the legacy bequeathed to us".On the eve of the Senate's final vote on repealing the Affordable Care Act in July 2017, the late John McCain returned to Washington from his home in Arizona, where he was being treated for brain cancer, to cast the deciding vote against repeal.> In a small town where people don't lock their doors or windows, the first thief can effortlessly get into anyone's houseKnowing he would be criticized by other Republicans, McCain noted that over his career he had known senators who seriously disagreed with each other but nonetheless knew "they had an obligation to work collaboratively to ensure the Senate discharged its constitutional responsibilities effectively".In words that have even greater relevance today, McCain added that "it is our responsibility to preserve that, even when it requires us to do something less satisfying than 'winning'."Political success should never be measured solely by partisan victories. It must also be judged by the institutional legacy passed onward. The purpose of political leadership is not merely to win. It is to serve.In any social or political system it's always possible to extract benefits by being among the first to break widely accepted norms. In a small town where people don't lock their doors or windows, the first thief can effortlessly get into anyone's house. But once broken, the system is never the same. Everyone has to buy locks. Trust deteriorates.Those, like Mitch McConnell, who break institutional norms for selfish or partisan gains are bequeathing future generations a weakened democracy.The difference between winning at politics by playing according to the norms and rules of our democracy, and winning by subverting them, could not be greater. Political victories that undermine the integrity of our system are net losses for society.Great athletes play by the rules because the rules make the game. Unprincipled athletes cheat or change the rules in order to win. Their victories ultimately destroy the game.In terms of shaping the federal courts, McConnell has played "the long game", which, incidentally, is the title of his 2016 memoir. Decades from now, McConnell will still be shaping the nation through judges he rammed through the Senate.But McConnell's long game is destroying what was once known as the world's greatest deliberative body.He is longest-serving leader of Senate Republicans in history but Mitch McConnell is no leader. He is the epitome of unprincipled power. History will not treat him kindly. * Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. He is also a columnist for Guardian US
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| Jury: Hart mothers drugged, killed all six children by driving SUV over California cliff into Pacific Ocean Posted: 05 Apr 2019 03:43 PM PDT  Jennifer and Sarah Hart gave their six children as many as 19 doses each of Benadryl before driving their SUV over a steep cliff, a jury ruled.
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| May and Corbyn Battle With Parties on New Brexit Referendum Posted: 05 Apr 2019 12:24 AM PDT  While the prime minister's own cabinet is split over whether she should remain open to the possibility of a public vote on a deal, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is facing pressure from within his parliamentary party to backtrack on his promise of another vote. Unable to convince her allies to back her own deal -- Parliament has rejected it on three separate occasions -- she's turned to Corbyn for help. May will write to European Council President Donald Tusk on Friday seeking a further delay to Brexit, a U.K. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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| FBI rejects young man's claim to be long-missing boy Posted: 04 Apr 2019 05:54 PM PDT  CINCINNATI (AP) — A young man's claim to be an Illinois boy who disappeared under tragic circumstances eight years ago was disproved by DNA tests and pronounced a hoax Thursday, dashing hopes that the baffling case had finally been solved.
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| Losing its luster - how Erdogan party's campaign put off Istanbul voters Posted: 05 Apr 2019 05:31 AM PDT  The candidate of the secularist Republican People's Party (CHP) for mayor of Ankara was comfortably ahead in the capital, but in Istanbul - the biggest prize in Sunday's local elections - Erdogan's ruling AK Party candidate had declared victory. CHP politicians and supporters, who had endured more than a dozen election and referendum losses at the hands of Erdogan's Islamist-rooted AKP since 2002, were well accustomed to crushing disappointment once the ballots were counted. "At around 12 a.m. we realized that we were clearly the winners of the election, that we had won," said Suleyman Celebi, an aide to CHP Istanbul candidate Ekrem Imamoglu.
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| Boeing to slow production of 737 Max as it continues working on software fix Posted: 05 Apr 2019 10:35 PM PDT Boeing said that it will slow the production of its prized 737 Max jet as it works on the software update
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| Social media gets thumbs-down in new US poll Posted: 05 Apr 2019 06:41 AM PDT  Americans are fearful about the impact of social media firms such as Facebook and Twitter, with many saying they spread misinformation and divide the country, even though most people still use these networks, a new poll showed Friday. The NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found 57 percent of Americans believe social media sites do more to divide the country, and 55 percent said the networks are more likely to spread "lies and falsehoods" than genuine news and information. "Social media -- and Facebook, in particular -- have some serious issues in this poll," said Micah Roberts of the Republican firm Public Opinion Strategies, which conducted the survey with the Democratic firm Hart Research Associates.
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| You'll Never Guess How Many Miles This Mercedes Has Covered Posted: 05 Apr 2019 06:21 AM PDT  This pristine Mercedes-Benz 220 has clocked over 449,000 miles, most of that with its owner of 54 years. Some classic vehicles live their lives as garage queens, never seeing the light of day in fear of getting dusty. While impressive specimens in their preserved state, museum pieces are far more interesting when they have a story to them.
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| VIDEO: Chase ends in crash with civilian SUV in Pasadena; victim injured Posted: 04 Apr 2019 06:29 PM PDT  A chase suspect is in custody for leading an erratic pursuit through several Los Angeles County cities before crashing into an SUV at a Pasadena intersection.
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| Trump just a blowhard on windmills, lawmakers say of 'idiotic' comments Posted: 04 Apr 2019 11:08 AM PDT  Chuck Grassley and Nancy Pelosi reach the same conclusion about the president's remarks on wind power.
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| May's Office Says Talks With Labour ‘Productive’: Brexit Update Posted: 04 Apr 2019 11:17 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Theresa May's government said it held "detailed and productive" Brexit talks with the opposition Labour Party, and both sides said they are planning to meet again. A House of Lords debate on a controversial bill to block a no-deal Brexit that passed the Commons by a single vote Wednesday looks set to run long into the night.
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| US charges 23-year-old with falsely claiming to be missing boy Posted: 05 Apr 2019 11:57 AM PDT  Brian Rini was charged with a single count of lying to federal authorities for allegedly claiming Wednesday that he was Timmothy Pitzen -- missing since 2011, when he was six years old. When questioned further, Rini stated that he wished he had a father like Timmothy's because if he went missing, his father would just keep drinking," the complaint said. Authorities said they were charging Rini because false reports harm families of missing children and needlessly divert police resources.
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| Pompeo says confident of 'path forward' with Turkey over S-400 dispute Posted: 04 Apr 2019 03:15 PM PDT  The United States is continuing discussions with Turkey over its plans to buy a missile defense system from Russia, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday, adding he was confident the two NATO allies could find a path forward. "There's great opportunities for the United States and Turkey to work closer together," Pompeo told a news conference at the end of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers.
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| Attorney general defends handling of Mueller's Russia report Posted: 05 Apr 2019 02:52 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr is defending his handling of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the Russia investigation, saying the confidential document contains sensitive grand jury material that prevented it from being immediately released to the public.
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| 'We cannot have perfection as a litmus test': Stacey Abrams defends Biden amid allegations Posted: 04 Apr 2019 02:56 PM PDT Abrams said there was no truth to the reports that Biden approached her about entering the 2020 race as his vice presidential running mate.
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| Every Photo From Our Mid-Size SUV Battle Between the 2019 Honda Passport and Chevrolet Blazer vs. the Ford Edge, Nissan Murano, and Hyundai Santa Fe Posted: 05 Apr 2019 11:50 AM PDT |
| Ford's ‘Mustang-inspired' future electric SUV to have 600-km range Posted: 05 Apr 2019 07:34 AM PDT  During the #GoElectric event in Amsterdam, Ford revealed its schedule for releasing 16 new electric models (light hybrid, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and 100% electric) for Europe by 2021. One of the fully electric vehicles mentioned at the event is a Mustang-inspired performance SUV but the model remains largely shrouded in mystery. While Ford has not yet confirmed any more information or released a photo of what it will look like, it did however announce that the SUV will have a 600-km (370-mile) range, which would place it for example slightly above the Tesla Model Y (300 miles or 482 km announced for its "long-range" version in the US, 540 km for the EU norm), just unveiled and whose first shipments are expected in 2020, in the United States.
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| US remains committed to private sector-led 5G wireless: Kudlow Posted: 04 Apr 2019 01:44 PM PDT  A top advisor to President Donald Trump said Thursday the United States is committed to private sector deployment of 5G wireless networks, brushing aside the notion of a nationalized system. Larry Kudlow, the top White House economic advisor, sought to quell speculation that Washington would seek to nationalize ultrafast fifth-generation networks for national security reasons in view of the dominant position of Chinese firms like Huawei, which has been banned from US government contracts. "I want to note how well we did on 4G, and we will apply the exact same free-market principles to 5G," Kudlow told a gathering of the wireless industry group CTIA.
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