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Showing posts from June 22, 2019

Jussie Smollett incident isn't over: Chicago judge appoints special prosecutor to investigate

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A Cook County judge appointed a special prosecutor to probe the decision to drop charges against Empire actor Jussie Smollett. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Ye2z4F via Latest News

Trump Says Major Sanctions on Iran Monday After Drone Downed

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(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said the U.S. will impose major new sanctions on Iran Monday, days after he abruptly called off a plan for airstrikes against the Islamic Republic based on the concept of proportionality after Iran shot down a U.S. Navy drone.The sanctions move, announced on Twitter with no additional detail, came as Trump spent the day at the Camp David presidential retreat having meetings and phone calls. The president foreshadowed the sanctions action earlier, in remarks at the White House.Trump told reporters he intended to impose additional economic sanctions and that military action is “always on the table until we get this solved” and that if Iran’s leadership “behaves badly, it’s going to be a very bad day for them.”He also said that having the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping is less important to the U.S. because of its large domestic oil production, and benefits China, Japan, Indonesia and other countries much more.“We’ll see with Iran,” he said. “Everyo

Curtis Flowers: Death row inmate has conviction quashed due to lack of black jurors

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The US Supreme Court has quashed the murder conviction of a black man on death row in Mississippi because of a prosecutor’s “relentless” efforts to stop African Americans appearing on the jury at successive trials.Curtis Flowers, 49, has already been tried six times and now could face a seventh trial following the decision by the country’s highest federal court.He has been in jail more than 22 years, ever since his arrest after four people were found shot dead in a furniture store in Winona, Mississippi, in July 1996.The removal of black jurors deprived inmate Mr Flowers of a fair trial, the Supreme Court ruled in a 7-2 decision written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh.A series of trials stretching back more than 20 years shows District Attorney Doug Evans made a “relentless, determined effort to rid the jury of black individuals,” with the goal of an all-white jury in Flowers’ case, Justice Kavanaugh wrote.“The numbers speak loudly,” Justice Kavanaugh said in a summary of his opinion that h

Merkel cautions EU leaders over choice of EU Commission chief

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday that EU leaders could provoke a crisis if they did not take into account the views of the European Parliament when choosing the next head of the EU executive. This wouldn't be good for the work of the Commission in the next five years," she told reporters after leaders failed to settle on a name during their summit. Merkel also said an agreement on top jobs should be reached before the new European Parliament meets for a first time on July 2. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Yb7kvq via Latest News

Trump: president for all eternity?

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President Donald Trump on Friday again joked about ignoring constitutional term limits by retweeting a meme showing him staying in the White House not just for one more term, but for eternity. The meme, ripping off an authentic Time magazine cover from October last year, portrays Trump re-election posters starting in 2024, then progressing steadily into the future. The date then rattles increasingly quickly through presidential terms, spinning past not just four years, but centuries at a time and then entire millennia. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2RtoIJl via Latest News

Despite gaffes, Biden holds strong support among blacks in South Carolina

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As nearly two dozen Democratic presidential candidates here for a ritual fish fry event that marks the symbolic kickoff of the South Carolina campaign, former Vice President Joe Biden appears to be enjoying considerable early support, especially from the capital’s tight-knit black community. South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn’s “World Famous Fish Fry” gathers African-American party leaders, deep-pocketed Democratic donors, presidential candidates and reporters in a backyard-style cookout full of free food and hokey line dances during the state’s customary Democratic weekend. While the state’s black Democrats are hardly monolithic, interviews with prominent Democratic operatives and Columbia locals reflect what the polls already appear to indicate: Biden, in spite of his recent gaffes, appears to have a clear leg up with black voters here. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Y71T0O via Latest News

Missouri Officials Won't Renew Planned Parenthood's License to Perform Abortions

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The St. Louis facility is the state's only abortion provider from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2x58SLQ via Latest News

Trump’s Deportation Numbers Continue to Lag Behind Obama’s Despite Strong Rhetoric

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Despite President Trump's zealous immigration enforcement rhetoric, his administration has deported few illegal immigrants than Barack Obama's had at this point in his term.With four months still remaining, the Trump administration has deported 282,242 illegal immigrants this fiscal year, its highest annual total since Trump took office, but still significantly fewer than Obama deported in each of the early years of his administration, according to Department of Homeland Security data review by Axios.Under Obama, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported more than 385,000 immigrants each fiscal year from 2009-2011 before reaching a high of 409,849 in 2012. In contrast, the Trump administration deported only 226,119 in fiscal year 2017, and roughly 250,000 in fiscal year 2018.As he launched his 2020 reelection campaign last week, Trump vowed to deport “millions” of illegal immigrants.> ….long before they get to our Southern Border. Guatemala is getting ready to sign

What you need to know about canceling/re-booking trips to the Dominican Republic

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Following the deaths of several U.S. tourists in the Dominican Republic, many travelers who have already booked trips there are questioning whether it is a safe destination. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2FqeV1T via Latest News

What to know about Iran's uranium enrichment program

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Iran has announced it was 10 days away from breaking their uranium stockpile limit. What does this mean for the Iran Deal? from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Kqu3ka via Latest News

Jussie Smollett: Judge orders special prosecutor to review State Attorney Kim Foxx's handling of 'Empire' actor's case

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A Cook County judge ruled Friday to appoint a special prosecutor to review State's Attorney Kim Foxx's handling of the Jussie Smollett case. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2FnFRzo via Latest News

11 dead as plane crashes in Hawaii, believed during skydiving trip

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The twin-engine King Air plane, with eleven people onboard, went down soon after takeoff from Dillingham Airfield and there were no survivors, the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) said. "We are still gathering information as to the intent of the flight and what they were doing," Honolulu Fire Department Chief Manuel Neves told a news conference. CNN said the plane was on a skydiving excursion and the Federal Aviation Administration would investigate the crash. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2N52DCD via Latest News

Gold glistens as US-Iran tensions fuel flight to safety

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Gold prices struck near six-year highs on Friday as a weaker dollar and escalating US-Iran tensions fueled a flight to safer investments, while oil futures built on strong gains. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2N1Zi72 via Latest News

E. Coli scare leads to multi-state recall of brownie mix

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With the weekend upon us it might seem like a lovely time to make yourself a tasty treat. If you've got a box of brownie mix in your pantry -- and you happen to live in Alabama, Iowa, Ohio, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, New York, or South Carolina -- you might want to think again.The FDA just posted a new product recall bulletin for cookie and brownie mixes sold in those states, and the risks of accidentally consuming the tainted product could be high. The flour used in the various mixes may be contaminated with E. Coli.According to the recall notice, the flour used in mixes carrying the brand names Brand Castle, Sister's Gourmet, and In The Mix comes from supplier ADM Million Co., and that's where the trouble originated.> The product is being recalled because an ingredient supplier, ADM Milling Co., has issued a recall for the flour used in these products due to E. coli contamination found in a single lot code of H&R Flour at their Buffalo production plant.

One of the creepiest series in YouTube history is now a decade old and can’t seem to die - The Verge

One of the creepiest series in YouTube history is now a decade old and can’t seem to die    The Verge Ten years ago this week, a video appeared on the Something Awful forum describing a trove of unlabeled tapes that had been recorded as part of a student film ... from Technology - Latest - Google News http://bit.ly/2YbHFTK via Technology

The Latest: Trump says still considering military action

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President Donald Trump says he's still considering military action against Iran after it downed an unmanned U.S. military aircraft. Trump said: "I don't want to kill 150 Iranians. Trump said "we very much appreciate" a decision by Iran's Revolutionary Guard not to shoot down a U.S. spy plane carrying more than 30 people. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2X0CMAl via Latest News

Former top U.S. diplomat deplores policy toward Iran 'untethered to any coherent strategy'

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President Trump seriously miscalculated when he scrapped the U.S.-Iran nuclear deal, embarking on a policy “untethered to any coherent strategy,” according to a scathing assessment by William Burns, the former U.S. diplomat who negotiated the nuclear agreement. Burns said the move was certain to embolden hard-liners in Tehran and contribute to military tensions in a way that will backfire against the U.S. — which was already happening this week, as news broke that Iran had shot down an American military drone. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2XvvSSQ via Latest News

Oregon Governor Orders State Police to Find GOP State Senators Avoiding a Climate Vote

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“Send bachelors and come heavily armed,” a Republican state senator said from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2XsOTVX via Latest News

Spain's top court convicts 5 men in gang rape case

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Spain's Supreme Court on Friday overruled two lower courts and sentenced five men to 15 years in prison for raping an 18-year-old woman. The case had triggered an outcry because the lower courts last year convicted the men of the lesser crime of sexual abuse and handed down nine-year sentences. Women's rights advocates had expressed anger about what they saw as the lower court's leniency and the confirmation of that sentence by a second court. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Fp3HL5 via Latest News

'You'll soon find out' if US retaliates after Iran shoots down drone, Trump warns

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U.S.-Iranian tensions heightened Thursday when a  U.S. Global Hawk spy drone was shot down by Iran's Revolutionary Guard. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2IsocIE via Latest News

Southeast Asian leaders throw weight behind China-led trade pact

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Southeast Asian leaders gathered in Bangkok on Saturday determined to drive forward the world's largest commercial pact, with the trade war between the US and China clouding the outlook for their export-led economies. Disputes in the flashpoint South China Sea, Myanmar's persecution of Rohingya Muslims and plastic pollution in the seas are also set to be discussed at the two-day Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, chaired by Thailand. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Fp680e via Latest News

Biden attack ads featuring his comments on race to be launched by right-wing group

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Club for Growth, a conservative political group, will launch new attack ads against Democratic presidential frontrunner Joe Biden targeting his past statements about race next week.The ads, which come amid criticism of Mr Biden’s work with segregationists in the 1970s, will run during his first Democratic debate appearance.The decision to attack Mr Biden is based on internal polling Club for Growth conducted that has been viewed by Reuters. The ads will air on MSNBC and NBC stations in Des Moines, Iowa, according to the organisation.Iowa holds the nation's first nominating contest.Club for Growth, whose stated top policy goals include reducing income tax rates, a full repeal of Obamacare and reducing the size of the federal government, will never back a Democrat for president, but it is wading into the Democratic primary likely because Mr Biden poses the greatest risk to Donald Trump's re-election bid. Early national polling and surveys in important swing states have repeatedly