| Pompeo briefs Iraqi leaders on U.S. security concerns over Iran Posted: 07 May 2019 04:12 PM PDT  U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made an unannounced visit to Baghdad on Tuesday and met with Iraq's prime minister and other top officials to discuss the safety of Americans in Iraq and explain U.S. security concerns amid rising Iranian activity. The visit came two days after U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said the United States was deploying the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and a bomber task force to the region because of a "credible threat by Iranian regime forces." The concern about a threat from Iranian forces comes after Washington has ramped up sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program in recent months and designated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group. "We talked to them about the importance of Iraq ensuring that it's able to adequately protect Americans in their country," Pompeo told reporters after meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi.
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| Student killed in US school shooting near Columbine Posted: 07 May 2019 06:49 PM PDT  A teenaged student was fatally shot and multiple others were wounded Tuesday in a school shooting by fellow pupils in the US state of Colorado, across town from one of the worst gun massacres in the country's modern history. "It is with extreme sadness that we can confirm that 1 student at the STEM School was killed," the Douglas County Sheriff's Office said on Twitter, putting the deceased victim's age at 18. Sheriff Tony Spurlock had earlier said several of the wounded students -- of whom there were a total of eight -- were in critical condition, including some in surgery.
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| The Latest: House panel votes to hold AG Barr in contempt Posted: 08 May 2019 07:54 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Congress and special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report (all times local):
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| New York moves to release Trump’s tax returns and reduce his pardon powers Posted: 08 May 2019 02:29 PM PDT  New York state has steadily passed legislation in recent days that seeks to limit the president's pardon powers and curtail his ability to withhold his tax returns from Congress. The state's senate voted on Wednesday in favour of a bill that requires local agencies to comply with requests for state tax returns from the heads of Congress's House ways and means committee, the Senate finance committee or the joint committee on taxation. New York's senate also voted to support legislation that allows state prosecutors — including attorney aeneral Letitia James — to file charges against certain members of the president's orbit if they have received pardons for federal crimes. Those who received presidential pardons would need to be members of the president's family, former employees, or there must be a clear and present conflict of interest in order for New York state to invoke its new so-called "double-jeopardy loophole".The senate's tax return legislation is expected to pass in the state assembly before governor Andrew Cuomo — a prominent opponent to Mr Trump — signs it into law. That means Mr Trump's home-state could be the first to provide Congressional committees probing the president's financial dealings with copies of his tax returns after the president defied modern precedent by refusing to disclose his returns. It also means the state's attorney general — who sailed to victory in her recent election on a message of holding the nation's most powerful institutions accountable — could soon be able to file new charges against Mr Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who the president has suggested he may pardon. Manafort is a former New York state resident currently serving a prison sentence over bank and tax fraud charges, as well as for witness tampering and failing to disclose lobbying work.Discussing the possibility of pardoning his ex-campaign boss in a November interview with the New York Post, Mr Trump said: "It was never discussed, but I wouldn't take it off the table. Why would I take it off the table?"New York has been one of the most important states to have served as a form of checks-and-balances against Mr Trump's administration, launching subpoenas for multiple banks the president has been known to deal with and new investigations into his finances. "Here you have a president who is stonewalling the US Congress, a co-equal branch of government undertaking its important oversight responsibilities," New York state senator Brad Hoylman told CBS News about the tax legislation. He added, "Lo and behold, we have Donald Trump's tax returns here in the state of New York and we can provide them to Congress if the IRS, if the treasury department won't."
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| US ends support for Japan crashed fighter jet search Posted: 09 May 2019 03:02 AM PDT  The US Navy has ended operations assisting Japan's search for a stealth fighter jet that crashed in the Pacific, after some of its debris was recovered. "A US Navy salvage team aboard a contracted vessel completed its mission supporting search and recovery operations with the Japan Self-Defense Forces," the US 7th Fleet said in a statement on Wednesday. Japan will continue searching for the remains of the plane, a defence spokesman said.
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| Twitter suspended 166,153 accounts for terrorism content in second half 2018 Posted: 09 May 2019 06:36 AM PDT  Twitter is making headway in tackling online terrorism content on its platform as it suspended over 166,000 accounts in the second half of last year, about a fifth less than in the previous period, the social media company said on Thursday. Together with Facebook and Google, Twitter is under pressure from regulators and governments worldwide to remove extremist content more rapidly or face more heavy-handed legislation. Announcing its latest transparency report, the company said its technical tools were producing results, with 91 percent of accounts promoting terrorism content proactively suspended by its internal technology, the majority of which happened before their first tweet because the data used to set them up raised red flags.
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| US removes sanctions on Venezuelan intelligence chief after he abandoned Maduro Posted: 07 May 2019 03:52 PM PDT  The former head of Venezuela's feared intelligence service Sebin has had sanctions on him lifted by the United States, in a move designed to encourage others to follow his lead and abandon Nicolas Maduro. Mr Maduro's government announced shortly afterwards that it was taking control of three private airfields, in a move widely seen as trying to stop others following the general's lead and fleeing the country. Nestor Reverol, head of public works, said the Metropolitana air field in Caracas, the airport in the town of Higuerote, and Aeropuerto Caracas, south of the capital, had been taken over "to avoid illicit acts which would compromise the safety of civil aviation." Mike Pence, the US vice president, announced on Tuesday that sanctions would be lifted from General Manuel Cristopher Figuera after he resigned on April 30. "You can't live in misery in a country this rich," wrote Mr Figuera, in a letter of resignation that received national attention. Mike Pence, pictured with Venezuela's interim president Juan Guaido on February 25, praised Mr Figuera for cutting ties with Mr Maduro Mr Pence, speaking in Washington, hailed Mr Figuera as an example for all other senior Venezuelan officials to follow. "The United States will give sanctions relief to all those willing to step forward, stand up for the constitution, and support the rule of law," he said. Mr Figuera was placed on a list of US-sanctioned Venezuelans on February 15. The US treasury said on Tuesday that he was being rewarded for denouncing Mr Maduro. "The delisting of Cristopher also shows the good faith of the United States that removal of sanctions may be available for designated persons who take concrete and meaningful actions to restore democratic order, refuse to take part in human rights abuses, speak out against abuses committed by the illegitimate Maduro regime, or combat corruption in Venezuela," it said in a statement. "As a result of today's action, all property and interests in property, which had been blocked solely as a result of Cristopher's designation, are unblocked and all otherwise lawful transactions involving US persons and Cristopher are no longer prohibited." Nicolas Maduro, flanked by his defence minister Vladimir Padrino, greets troops on May 2 after successfully repressing an uprising lead by Juan Guaido Mr Figuera had been head of Sebin since October 2018. He graduated from Venezuela's military academy in 1989, and served as Hugo Chavez's aide-de-camp for 12 years. In 2017 he became head of military intelligence. When he was promoted to head of Sebin, replacing Gustavo Gonzalez Lopez after a suspicious death of a Sebin agent inside a Sebin building, the opposition party Primero Justicia accused Mr Figuera himself of having a questionable past. "This means more torture, more violations of human rights, and more persecution," the party said in a statement, accusing him of "abuse and torture". Since Mr Figuera's resignation, Mr Gonzalez Lopez has been reinstated as Sebin head.
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| The Next-Gen Honda Fit Debuts This October—but Will It Come to the U.S.? Posted: 08 May 2019 11:36 AM PDT  The new Fit will offer a new hybrid drivetrain, but what we still don't know is when-or if-it will come to America.
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| Get Ready, Iran: B-52 Bombers Are Headed to the Middle East Posted: 08 May 2019 03:11 AM PDT  Here come the bombers. Four US B-52 bombers have been deployed to the Middle East in response to threats of a possible attack by Iran against local American troops in the region, according to U.S. officials.The bombers, which made up the bulk of the aerial nuclear response fleet during the Cold War and have been serving ever since were deployed from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana on Tuesday.In addition to the bombers, the U.S. deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, which will be heading into the US Central Command region in case immediate strikes are needed.According to CBS News, White House national security adviser John Bolton insisted that while the US isn't looking for a war, it is more than willing to finish one."The United States is not seeking war with the Iranian regime, but we are fully prepared to respond to any attack, whether by proxy, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or regular Iranian forces," he said.It is unknown what kind of payload the bombers were carrying.This first appeared in WarISBoring here.
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| Health funding gap means 1,700 in Gaza may face amputations: U.N. Posted: 08 May 2019 04:22 PM PDT  A lack of health funding in Gaza means 1,700 people shot by Israeli security forces may have to have amputations in the next two years, Jamie McGoldrick, the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for occupied Palestinian territory, told reporters on Wednesday. McGoldrick said 29,000 Palestinians had been wounded in protests in the past year, and 7,000 of them had gunshot wounds, mostly in the lower legs. "You've got 1,700 people who are in need of serious, complicated surgeries for them to be able to walk again," McGoldrick said.
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| The Latest: Pelosi signals methodical approach on Barr vote Posted: 09 May 2019 08:15 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Congress and special counsel Robert Mueller's report (all times local):
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| Walmart managers take home an average of $175,000 a year. How much do their workers make? Posted: 09 May 2019 09:47 AM PDT ![Walmart managers take home an average of $175,000 a year. How much do their workers make?]( "Walmart managers take home an average of $175,000 a year. How much do their workers make?") All of Walmart's U.S. employees earn more than the federal minimum wage of $7.25, with the average wage for full-time hourly workers $14.26 per hour.
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| Juan Guaido's deputy arrested and dragged away by tow truck in Venezuela Posted: 08 May 2019 09:17 PM PDT  Venezuela's government was condemned on Thursday for the arrest of opposition leader Juan Guaido's deputy, which the European Union described as "another flagrant violation" of the country's constitution. Edgar Zambrano, the vice president of the national assembly, which Mr Guaido leads, had his car surrounded on Wednesday night by agents from Sebin, the military intelligence. When he refused to get out of the car Sebin used a tow truck to take Mr Zambrano to El Helicoide, Sebin's headquarters and cells. "We warn the people of Venezuela and the international community: the regime has kidnapped the first vice-president" said Mr Guaido. Juan Guaido, right, and Edgar Zambranoleave the congress in Caracas Credit: Reuters "They are trying to destroy the power representing all Venezuelans, but they will not achieve it." At the end of March Mr Guaido's chief of staff, Robert Marrero, was also arrested by Sebin – dragged from his home in a dawn raid. Mr Guaido himself had his parliamentary immunity stripped on April 2, but so far Nicolas Maduro's regime has not dared to detain him. Mr Guaido, head of the national assembly, was declared interim president on January 23 and has been recognised as the country's legitimate leader by more than 50 countries. Mr Maduro, however, is clinging on – despite an uprising last week which saw thousands of protesters and some military defectors take to the streets to back Mr Guaido. Mr Zambrano is one of 10 opposition officials charged with treason, conspiracy and rebellion by the pro-Maduro Supreme Court, in connection to the plot. Opposition supporters took to the streets on May Day to back Mr Guaido Credit: AFP President Donald Trump, who was the first world leader to recognise Mr Guaido, was today reported to be questioning his administration's strategy, and accusing his advisors of underestimating Mr Maduro. Mr Trump described Mr Maduro as "a tough cookie," according to three senior officials who spoke to The Washington Post. They told the paper that Mr Trump felt he was misled, and has accused John Bolton, his hawkish national security advisor, of wanting to get the US "into a war". But Marco Rubio, the Florida senator who has emerged as one of the most influential voices in the administration on Venezuela, insisted that Mr Trump was unwavering in his commitment to oust Mr Maduro. Mr Rubio condemned Mr Zambrano's arrest, as did a series of Latin American nations. The EU's foreign affairs spokeswoman, Maja Kocijancic, described the kidnapping as "a politically motivated action aimed at silencing the National Assembly." She added: "The European Union calls for Edgar Zambrano's immediate release and holds the relevant authorities responsible for his safety and integrity." Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro greeting troop members during military exercises on May 4 Credit: AFP Washington called the detention "illegal and inexcusable", and warned of "consequences" if Mr Zambrano is not immediately released. Mr Trump said today he was "discussing the terrible abuses by Maduro." Mr Trump did not mention Mr Zambrano, but said the US will stand with the people of Venezuela "for however long it takes!" Mr Trump has insisted for the past three months that all options remain on the table to dislodge Mr Maduro. However, Russian, Chinese and Cuban support for the Chavista leader have made him tricky to remove. And any military intervention risks becoming a quagmire. La dictadura ha secuestrado al Vicepresidente de la @AsambleaVE a manos de su policía política. Llegaron al absurdo de llevárselo en una grúa, a bordo de su vehículo, violando todos los procesos y exhibiendo el autoritarismo al cual obedecen.— Juan Guaidó (@jguaido) May 9, 2019 Mike Pence, the vice president, announced earlier this week that he was lifting sanctions on the head of Sebin, who abandoned Mr Maduro on April 30. The move, Mr Pence said, was designed to encourage senior military and intelligence officials to let Mr Maduro go. He also announced that the US was sending a hospital ship to the Venezuelan coast. Other options under discussion to pressure Mr Maduro include sending additional military assets to the region, increasing aid to neighbouring countries such as Colombia, and even sending Navy ships to waters off Venezuela as a show of force. Mr Maduro mocked Mr Pence on Wednesday as a "ridiculous" white supremacist, adding: "All that is left for Mike Pence to do is to put on the hood of the KKK.
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| The 2021 Ford F-150, Spied Testing, Looks Pretty Evolutionary Posted: 08 May 2019 01:20 PM PDT  The new F-150 looks pretty much like the old F-150-a wildly popular traditional pickup truck, just like God and Henry Ford intended.
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| US sanctions scare EU firms from Iran, imperilling nuke deal Posted: 08 May 2019 09:10 PM PDT  The Iran nuclear deal requires that its partners take action to boost the country's economy, but European companies remain fearful of exposing themselves to US sanctions, experts told AFP. Iran's Supreme National Security Council on Wednesday sent a letter to the deal's other signatories, saying it had decided to suspend commitments it made under the deal, some immediately and some after 60 days, if no progress was made on its economy. Leaders of China, France, Germany, Britain and Russia all received a letter, but it is of particular relevance to the European countries who have so far proved unable to deliver the promised economic advantages.
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| War without end in Gaza: Why Israeli army is battling the government Posted: 07 May 2019 01:40 PM PDT ![War without end in Gaza: Why Israeli army is battling the government]( "War without end in Gaza: Why Israeli army is battling the government") It's being described now as Israel's longest war of attrition. Israel and Hamas, the militant Islamic group that has controlled Gaza since 2007, have been locked in conflict, punctuated with outbursts of violence, for more than a decade now. Within 48 hours this weekend, Israeli television reports lurched from updates on incoming rocket barrages that kept tens of thousands inside bomb shelters, to images of black smoke floating over the Gaza Strip from retaliatory bombings, to announcements of a cease-fire.
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| Vegetarian Meals That Aren't Just Pasta or Salads Posted: 09 May 2019 07:30 AM PDT |
| Colorado shooting: Student died tackling college killer to let friends escape classroom Posted: 09 May 2019 01:26 AM PDT  A student killed in a school shooting in Denver, Colorado, was hailed a hero after classmates described how he attempted to tackle the gunman as shots rang out. Kendrick Castillo led the charge against their teenage classmate with two others, one of whom managed to wrestle the gun away.But 18-year-old Mr Castillo slumped to the ground. He was the only student to be killed, while eight others were injured.Authorities said the actions of Mr Castillo, his close friend Brendan Bialy and Joshua Jones minimised the bloodshed from Tuesday's attack at the school south of Denver."Kendrick went out as a hero," Mr Bialy said. "He was a foot away from the shooter and instead of running the opposite direction he ran toward it.""Kendrick lunged at (the gunman), and he shot Kendrick, giving all of us enough time to get underneath our desks, to get ourselves safe, and to run across the room to escape," fellow classmate Nui Giasolli told NBC.Some are now calling for the school to be renamed in his honour. A member of the school's robotics club, Mr Castillo had an infectious smile and gentle sense of humour, according to friends.He worked part-time at a local manufacturing company that had offered him a job after an internship because he was such a standout employee."To find he went down as a hero, I'm not surprised. That's exactly who Kendrick was," said Rachel Short, president of the company, Baccara.Police said the shooting happened after two shooters walked into the school, "got deep inside the school, and engaged students in two separate locations".The injured includes Mr Jones, who was shot twice, according to a statement released by his family.Mr Bialy acknowledged that he was scared, but he said he was not going to cower for attackers he repeatedly called cowards."They lost," he said. "They completely and utterly lost to good people."He was speaking as two teenagers made their first court appearances in connection with the shooting.Devon Erickson, 18, kept his head down with his black hair, streaked with purple dye, covering his face as he nodded in response to most of District Court Judge Theresa Slade's questions.At one point, the judge requested a verbal answer to whether he had any questions about the proceedings. Erickson simply replied "No".Maya McKinney, 16, whose lawyer said uses male pronouns and the name Alec, and has short brown hair, made eye contact with the judge and answered questions in a clear but quiet voice, saying "Yes, your honour" and "No, your honour".District attorney George Brauchler said he has not decided whether to file adult charges but added that McKinney is old enough to be charged as an adult without a judge's review.Formal charges are expected to be filed by Friday. Mr Brauchler said he could not discuss any motive or weapons used in the attack.Both suspects were students at the school, and they were not previously known to authorities, officials said.Additional reporting by AP
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| Nine-Year-Old Boy in Michigan Accused of Killing His Mother Posted: 08 May 2019 07:32 PM PDT  A nine-year-old boy in St. Joseph County is facing murder charges, accused of killing his mother.
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| Southwest Airlines updates family boarding policy after same-sex couple claims discrimination Posted: 08 May 2019 09:39 AM PDT ![Southwest Airlines updates family boarding policy after same-sex couple claims discrimination]( "Southwest Airlines updates family boarding policy after same-sex couple claims discrimination") Two men said they were stopped with their three young children and the children's grandmother during family boarding on a flight to Fort Lauderdale.
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| Trump tax returns from 1985 to 1994 show $1 billion in losses: NY Times Posted: 07 May 2019 05:46 PM PDT ![Trump tax returns from 1985 to 1994 show $1 billion in losses: NY Times]( "Trump tax returns from 1985 to 1994 show $1 billion in losses: NY Times") U.S. President Donald Trump's businesses lost a total of more than $1 billion from 1985 to 1994, according to the New York Times, which said it obtained printouts from Trump's official Internal Revenue Service tax transcripts. The newspaper said Trump posted losses in excess of $250 million in both 1990 and 1991, which appeared to be more than double any other individual U.S. taxpayer in an annual IRS sampling of high-income earners. Trump lost so much money that he was able to avoid paying income taxes for eight of the 10 years, the Times said.
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| Early F-150 Lightning Up For Auction With GT40 Cylinder Heads Posted: 08 May 2019 11:40 AM PDT  This 1993 Lightning comes in black and looks ready for both the builders merchant and the drag strip. Out of all the names seen on special production vehicles over the years, Lightning has to be one of the coolest. In 1993, Ford decided to drop their first performance orientated truck, the F-150 Lightning, like the one featured here by GAA Classic Cars.
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| Russia planned to influence South African elections in favour of the ruling ANC, report suggests Posted: 08 May 2019 12:27 PM PDT  A Kremlin-linked Russian misinformation outfit attempted to sway Wednesday's general election in South Africa in favour of the ruling African National Congress, according to documents obtained by investigators. An organisation with ties to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman close to Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, allegedly drew up plans to discredit South African opposition parties, including the pro-western Democratic Alliance. The claims, which emerged as voting was underway in South Africa, are the latest to link Mr Prigozhin to a growing network of Russian influence over the continent's politics. Known as "Putin's chef" because his company provided catering services to the Kremlin, the businessman may have deployed as many as 200 political strategists across the continent to help sitting presidents win elections, Russian newspapers have reported. Mr Prigozhin, who is also linked to the paramilitary Wagner Group, is under US sanctions after he was accused of running an online "troll factory" to bolster Donald Trump in the 2016 election. People queue in the early morning cold to cast their votes in the mining settlement of Bekkersdal Credit: AP Photo/Ben Curtis Attempts to influence South Africa's election were coordinated by Peter Bychkov, a political strategist working for Mr Prigozhin, according to documents obtained by the Daily Maverick, a respected South African newspaper, and the Dossier Centre, a London-based investigative unit. Funded by Mikhail Khordovkosky, a Russian oligarch and Putin critic, the Dossier Centre says it "investigates the criminal activities of various people associated with the Kremlin." Mr Bychkov's team purportedly created a think tank to act as a vehicle to tarnish Mmusi Maimane, the DA leader, and Julius Malema, the populist leader of the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters. The team drew up documents, obtained by the investigators, that listed its proposed tactics, ranging from "generating and disseminating video content" and "coordinating with a loyal pool of journalists" to find ways "to discredit" the opposition. While it is not unusual for political parties to engage foreign political strategists, most spin doctors act on a commercial basis rather than for shadowy outfits linked to foreign governments. Inside Russia's 'troll factory': The agency accused of interfering in the US election There is no evidence to suggest that Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa's president and the leader of the ANC, was aware of the plans or whether they were ever implemented. Given that opinion polls show the ANC winning an overall majority, it is unclear what the Russian group hoped to achieve. However, the documents show it predicted, disingenuously, that the party would fall short of 50 percent, raising the possibility of Mr Ramaphosa having to rule in coalition with Mr Malema - an attempt, perhaps, to show its indispensability should the ANC achieve a clear win. Other documents suggest that Mr Prighozin also hoped to secure lucrative assets in South Africa's mining sector and to sign a deal to sell the government arms. The allegations may cast a shadow over Mr Ramaphosa's predicted victory. Profile | Cyril Ramaphosa But, despite growing political disillusionment, election day in South Africa still evinces an atmosphere rarely seen elsewhere, with older black voters still revelling in an experience that was denied them so long under apartheid. Emily Sefelane, a 62-year-old domestic worker voting in the Johannesburg suburb of Houghton, remembered how tough life used to be before white rule ended. "It was so hard here in those days," she said, recalling how she and her friends were often detained by police because they did not have permission to work in Johannesburg. But if voting remains an exciting and moving experience for older black South Africans, the country's younger generation are turning away from politics amid anger over corruption and the government's failure to lower unemployment, lift the economy and reduce inequality. Some six million people, most of them thought to be young, failed to register to vote and although the ANC will win, enthusiasm for the party that Nelson Mandela led to triumph a quarter of a century ago on Friday is arguably more tepid than it has ever been.
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| Priyanka Chopra champions skincare inclusivity with Obagi Posted: 09 May 2019 12:51 AM PDT  Actress Priyanka Chopra has landed a new role -- as the ambassador of the skincare brand Obagi. The star has joined forces with the brand to help publicize its new 'Skinclusion' initiative, which aims to open up the discussion about the need for inclusion and diversity when it comes to skincare, highlighting awareness of "unconscious biases" and celebrate the beauty in individuality. The initiative will see Obagi supporting groups working to expand diversity and inclusion efforts around the world, including the non-profit International Cultural Diversity Organization (ICDO) and Project Implicit.
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| Where to get Meghan Markle's 'mummy' necklace — and 11 others like it under $100 Posted: 08 May 2019 12:59 PM PDT  Over the past few months, Duchess Meghan has been wearing a "Mummy" pendantnecklace made by her friend and LA-based jewelry designer Jennifer Meyer
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| House intelligence committee subpoenas DOJ for materials related to Mueller probe, unredacted report Posted: 08 May 2019 05:23 PM PDT  The subpoena requires the Justice Department to turn over the documents by May 15.
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| France suggests sanctions could be reimposed if Iran reneges on deal Posted: 07 May 2019 04:05 PM PDT  The U.S. military said on Tuesday that B-52 bombers would be part of additional forces being sent to the Middle East to counter what the Trump administration says are "clear indications" of threats from Iran to U.S. forces there. Iran dismissed announcement of a U.S. aircraft carrier deployment as old news, recycled for psychological warfare, and said it would soon announce plans to roll back some of its commitments under the 2015 deal. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made an unannounced visit to Iran's neighbor Iraq on Tuesday and met with the Iraqi prime minister after telling reporters Washington was concerned about Iraqi sovereignty because of increasing Iranian activity.
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| Stock markets take cover as Trump trade fears escalate Posted: 07 May 2019 02:30 PM PDT  Global equity investors ran for cover on Tuesday, fearing this week's hoped-for end to the US-China trade war could instead see an drastic escalation.
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| How a Political Tug-of-War Between America and Russia Could Ruin Venezuela Posted: 08 May 2019 03:55 AM PDT  Venezuelan leader Juan Guaidó is gambling that massive civilian protests and nationwide strikes will shake the military's loyalty to embattled dictator Nicolas Maduro and end the extended political standoff in Caracas. Several have already died, and more violence appears inevitable. But avoiding it is key, because nonviolence tears down dictators better than anything else.The oft-seen trajectories of domestic protest movements is confrontation, violence and foreign intervention. Indeed, in Venezuela, Vladimir Putin has already personally inserted himself, reportedly urging Maduro not to flee while sending Russian operatives and weapons. The Venezuelan National Assembly has considered invoking the Constitution to openly call for foreign military assistance under the precept of responsibility to protect. And some are urging President Donald Trump to end a festering threat. But invading Venezuela is not the answer, at least not yet.Studying successful efforts that mirror those of Guaidó and his fellow Venezuelans reveals a workable model: For the movement to be successful, it must have numbers, discipline, and, most importantly, inspire loyalty shifts within the state's security forces.The Numbers
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| California Police Release Body Camera Footage of Officer Body Slamming Woman Posted: 07 May 2019 08:31 PM PDT  Eight videos were released by the Rio Vista Police Department from a traffic stop that resulted in an officer body slamming a woman over the weekend.
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| The 20 Ugliest Crossovers and SUVs of All Time Posted: 07 May 2019 11:32 AM PDT |
| China's Luckin Coffee Is More 7-Eleven Than Starbucks — And That Could Be a Big Problem Posted: 08 May 2019 07:51 AM PDT  The high-tech Chinese coffee company is brewing up an IPO — but can it compete?
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| Pixel 3a vs. Pixel 3: Great camera for the price makes Google's $399 phone the better buy Posted: 08 May 2019 02:17 PM PDT  Google's Pixel 3a smartphones costs way ess than the Pixel 3. Yet you still get many of the same features, right down to the superior camera.
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| Pompeo cuts short European visit to return early to Washington: U.S. State Department Posted: 08 May 2019 11:35 PM PDT  U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has postponed his visit to Greenland because he needs to return to Washington, the State Department said on Thursday. "Secretary Pompeo must postpone his visit to Greenland due to a need for the secretary to be in Washington, D.C., today," spokeswoman Mortgan Ortagus said.
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| From Trump claiming executive privilege to William Barr and the Mueller report - here's everything you need to know Posted: 08 May 2019 11:48 AM PDT  The feud between Donald Trump and House Democrats is escalating, as critics of the president seek a vast trove of information related to the Mueller report, and the White House has signalled it has no plans to help in that endeavour.The latest escalation comes as Democrats have moved forward to find attorney general William Barr in contempt of Congress — an act that would make Mr Barr only the second sitting top law man in America to be hit with the charge — for failing to honour a subpoena and hand over the Mueller report and related documents.The White House, meanwhile, has asserted executive privilege over the documents for the first time, increasing the likelihood that the clash between the House an Trump administration will end up end up in the courts.Here's what you need to know.What do Democrats want?Democrats in Washington have demanded a full account of the Mueller report, including underlying evidence and files that touch on dozens of federal criminal cases stemming from or related to the special counsel investigation.The calls for these materials began almost immediately after Mr Barr first received the Mueller report on 22 March. The demands have only gained momentum in time since as Washington has been divided by the report and the attorney general's representation of the report.How have they tried to get those documents?The House Judiciary Committee has attempted to force the Justice Department's hand by issuing subpoenas, and now are taking further action with a vote to proceed with a contempt resolution against Mr Barr.The measure has passed in the Judiciary Committee, but would still need a full vote in the House — a simple majority would do — before Mr Barr is actually hit with the charge.What has the Trump administration done?As Democrats increased pressure over the past few weeks, the Justice Department and House Judiciary have engaged in negotiations around what documents would be made public, but those talks have appeared to break down.The night before the contempt hearing in the House, Mr Nadler announced that he had received a letter from the Department of Justice indicating that the White House was asserting executive privilege to block their access to the Mueller report and underlying documents.That decision by the White House followed after Mr Barr sent a letter to the president suggesting that he makes a protective assertion of executive privilege, pending a final decision on whether to officially claim Executive Privilege on the entirety of the documents in question.In that letter, Mr Barr suggested that the Department of Justice was being rushed to hand over the documents, which number in the millions.Assistant attorney general Stephen Boyd said in a letter to Mr Nadler that the Department of Justice was "disappointed" that the Judiciary Committee would not honour a request for a delay on the vote of contempt over the subpoenas. Mr Boyd argued that the request would force the Justice Department to violate the law, court rules, and court orders, and would harm the independence of the department.What is contempt?Contempt sounds pretty serious, but a House decision to pass such a resolution against Mr Barr would likely be largely symbolic and would amount to a very powerful message to the attorney general.Overall, contempt charges follow after congressional subpoenas are repeatedly denied. The measure, if passed by the full House, would then be handed over to the executive branch (where it is likely that it will not be taken up).The next step would be for Congress to take Mr Barr and the Trump administration to court over the Mueller report, which could then force the courts to decide the matter.What is executive privilege, and what does it cover?The White House's assertion of executive privilege marks the first time the president has done so, and has been interpreted broadly as an escalation in tensions between House Democrats and the president.The claim is, essentially, that certain materials within the executive branch's possession should be withheld in the public interest, and allows the White House and other members of the executive to resist subpoenas from Congress.The Trump administration in this case has targeted the entire Mueller report and underlying documents, even though the measure is usually only used to target information pertaining specifically to executive branch functions.
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| Older Americans are relying too much on Social Security as a main source of income Posted: 08 May 2019 06:03 AM PDT ![Older Americans are relying too much on Social Security as a main source of income]( "Older Americans are relying too much on Social Security as a main source of income") Older Americans are relying too heavily on Social Security as their main income source. Many are claiming benefits at age 62, lowering monthly payouts
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| Venezuela to prosecute lawmakers who backed failed uprising Posted: 07 May 2019 09:57 PM PDT  Venezuela will prosecute seven lawmakers who backed last week's failed uprising orchestrated by opposition leader Juan Guaido, the country's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, as Washington removed sanctions against Caracas' sacked spy chief for backing the revolt. Soon after the announcement, the Constituent Assembly -- which effectively acts as a regime rubber stamp -- stripped the seven lawmakers of their parliamentary immunity.
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| Netflix is now streaming one of the biggest movies in the world Posted: 07 May 2019 03:35 PM PDT  One of the top-grossing movies in the world right now is a sci-fi blockbuster that's racked up an impressive global box office haul on par with some of Marvel's big 2019 hits, like Captain Marvel. An achievement that's seriously impressive when you stop to consider that this Chinese-made film in question, Wandering Earth, hasn't really been available to US audiences at all up to this point, other than via very quick, limited screening. And yet, it's currently the third highest-grossing film worldwide, even with the insane response to Avengers: Endgame.It likely won't be as under-the-radar among American audiences for much longer, however. Thanks to Netflix's acquisition of the rights to the film back in February and its debut on the streamer with pretty much no fanfare in recent days, that means the biggest non-Marvel movie released in 2019 thus far is now available to stream in the US.The movie is China's second-highest grossing film of all time and tells the story of people trying to save earth from being destroyed by the sun. Netflix -- which has been trying to appeal more to Chinese audiences -- quickly snatched it up, promising to translate it into 28 languages. Again, an impressive achievement for a non-Hollywood production, for that and many other reasons.As we've previously reported, the film was given a production scale rarely seen in Chinese films and included post-production and special effects work that took two years. All of that included more than 10,000 specifically-built props and the employment of some 2,000 special effects shots, in addition to a "substantial amount of computer graphics shots."Samir Ansari, a visual effects supervisor with VFX company Pixomondo, said he and his colleagues put a significant amount of work into the movie, working on more than 200 shots and creating over 180 different assets that were used in the film in some capacity. It's a movie about the potential destruction of the earth, so it involves elaborate sets of massive scale to give the movie a sweep and epic look and feel along the lines of sci-fi hits that American audiences are definitely used to seeing.Samir told BGR that Wandering Earth was among the most challenging movies he's worked on, partly because the VFX market in China for a sci-fi blockbuster like this is still quite new. There haven't really been any cinematic hits along these lines to come out of the country before, so there also wasn't much in the way of earlier movies that the Pixomondo could use for a visual reference.The movie itself is based on the book of the same name by Liu Cixin, the first Asian novelist to win the Hugo Award for Science Fiction."One of the reasons I think the movie has been such a success is just that it's actually a good movie," Ansari said. "It sounds silly to say. But it can be appreciated not on a national level - this is based on book that's internationally acclaimed. The production value is quite apparent, and you can see that quite a lot of money was spent on the filming of the movie."The costume design, the set quality that the heroes are found in, it's all quite well-polished. I think all those things come together, and you don't really look at this film and think, at least initially, that this is a Chinese movie. You could assume that it's come out of Hollywood. We've not had movies come from China on this scale before. And on top of that, it's just a really enjoyable movie to watch."
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| Ford plans to take medical transport venture nationwide Posted: 07 May 2019 11:30 AM PDT ![Ford plans to take medical transport venture nationwide]( "Ford plans to take medical transport venture nationwide") Ford Motor Co plans to expand its GoRide medical transportation service to 40 cities nationwide over the next four years, moving into Ohio and Florida this year and other large states by 2020, the company said on Tuesday. The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker has been testing various ways to grow beyond its traditional business of building and selling cars and trucks, aiming to compete with technology industry startups such as Uber Technologies Inc for a share of money spent on transportation as a service. GoRide uses Ford Transit and Transit Connect vans to give rides to people who need medical care but do not need an ambulance.
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