| U.S. says no precise threat to homeland from Islamic State Posted: 29 Aug 2014 11:00 AM PDT  By Doina Chiacu and Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is not aware of any specific threat to the U.S. Islamic State militants and their supporters, however, "have demonstrated the intent and capability to target American citizens overseas," Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement.
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| U.S. judge halts major part of Texas law restricting abortions Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:57 PM PDT By Jon Herskovitz and Lisa Maria Garza AUSTIN Texas (Reuters) - A U.S. judge struck down parts of a law restricting abortions in Texas, saying in a decision on Friday that a provision requiring clinics to have certain hospital-like settings for surgeries was unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel said the so-called "ambulatory surgical center requirement" was unjust because it placed an undue burden on women by reducing the number of clinics where they could seek abortions and the regulations had no compelling public health interests. ... |
| Police officer resigns, another is fired after Ferguson incidents Posted: 29 Aug 2014 01:55 PM PDT  By Brendan O'Brien (Reuters) - A police officer has resigned after pointing a rifle at protesters during racially charged demonstrations in Ferguson, Missouri, and another has been fired for inappropriate social media posts stemming from the two weeks of civil unrest, officials said on Friday. Violent protests erupted in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson after white police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed black 18-year-old Michael Brown on Aug. 9, drawing global attention to the state of race relations in the United States. Police and demonstrators in Ferguson clashed nightly for days after the shooting, with authorities coming under fire for mass arrests and the what critics said were the use of heavy-handed tactics and military gear. At a protest on Aug. 19, Ray Albers, a police officer in the neighboring community of St. Ann, pointed his rifle at a Ferguson protester during a heated verbal exchange, an episode that was captured on video and widely circulated on social media.
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| Palestinian president: Hamas caused prolonged war Posted: 29 Aug 2014 11:32 AM PDT  Palestine's president blames Hamas for extending fighting with Israel in Gaza.
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| Putin: 'Best not to mess with us' Posted: 29 Aug 2014 08:48 AM PDT  The Russian president tells an assembly the nation is ready to meet any aggression.
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| Palmer opens with a 63 to lead in Boston Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:47 PM PDT  NORTON, Mass. (AP) — Ryan Palmer has felt all year that something special was going to happen. For now, he'll take his lowest round of the season.
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| Obama's tan suit buzzed around the world Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:45 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — Quick! What exactly did President Barack Obama say from the White House briefing room about Syria, Iraq and Ukraine while dressed in the tan suit buzzed 'round the world?
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| Director Martin Scorsese in early stages of Ramones movie project Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:40 PM PDT  Veteran filmmaker Martin Scorsese will be tapping into rock history with his next project, a movie on punk rockers the Ramones, his spokeswoman said on Friday. Scorsese, 71, who won a best director Oscar in 2007 for "The Departed," is in "way way early stages" of the project, his representative Michelle Margolis said. While Scorsese is best known for directing critically lauded films such as mob drama "Goodfellas" and most recently the acerbic comedy "The Wolf of Wall Street", he has also delved into music documentaries such as 2008's "Shine a Light", exploring the journey of The Rolling Stones. Founded in New York in 1974, the Ramones - formed by Johnny Ramone, Joey Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone and Tommy Ramone - spearheaded the punk-rock movement with aggressive, fast-driving songs such as "Blitzkrieg Bop," "I Wanna Be Sedated" and "Sheena is a Punk Rocker." Drummer Tommy Ramone, who was the last surviving original member of the band, died aged 65 in July this year.
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| Rescuers locate 20 of 24 trapped in Nicaragua mine Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:34 PM PDT  BONANZA, Nicaragua (AP) — Rescuers in Nicaragua raced Friday to reach at least 24 freelance gold miners trapped by a landslide, including 20 who have been located and have communicated with emergency crews.
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| Sara Errani outlasts Venus Williams at US Open Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:31 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — Sara Errani wagged her finger and cupped her hand to her ear for the U.S. Open fans who tried to will Venus Williams to victory.
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| Red-hot putting helps Palmer set Boston pace Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:30 PM PDT  American Ryan Palmer, whose putting has been razor sharp for the past six weeks, upstaged some of golf's biggest names as he surged into a two-shot lead at the Deutsche Bank Championship on Friday. The 37-year-old Texan, seeking a fourth PGA Tour victory, reeled off four successive birdies midway through the opening round and signed off by sinking an 18-foot putt on his final hole for an eight-under-par 63 at the TPC Boston. While world number one Rory McIlroy squandered a red-hot start with a messy finish to card a 70, Palmer mixed nine birdies with a lone bogey to seize control in the second of the PGA Tour's four lucrative FedExCup playoff events. Keegan Bradley gave his Ryder Cup prospects a timely boost as he fired an opening 65 to finish a stroke in front of fellow Americans Webb Simpson and Chesson Hadley and Australian Jason Day.
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| Comedian Tracy Morgan still struggling after crash Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:28 PM PDT  TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — An attorney for Tracy Morgan says the former "Saturday Night Live" actor is having a tough time recovering from a June accident on the New Jersey Turnpike that left a fellow comedian dead.
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| UN: 'Very fluid' situation on held peacekeepers Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:23 PM PDT  UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The plight of dozens of U.N. peacekeepers in Syria remained "very, very fluid" Friday, the secretary-general's spokesman said, as talks aimed at their release stretched into a second day.
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| U.N. was told Golan peacekeepers seized 'for their protection' Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:23 PM PDT  The United Nations on Friday said it had been informed that the Islamist militants who seized 44 Fijian peacekeepers in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights did so "for their own protection" and that all the detained blue-helmeted soldiers are safe. U.N. officials had been trying to establish the whereabouts of the peacekeepers, who were seized by al-Qaeda-linked rebels this week inside Syrian territory along the rocky frontier between Syria and the Golan Heights. "The United Nations has received assurances from credible sources that the 44 peacekeepers from the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) who were taken from their position on the morning of Thursday, 28 August, are safe and in good health," the U.N. press office said in a statement.
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| Federal judge halts key part of Texas abortion law Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:17 PM PDT  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal judge Friday threw out new Texas abortion restrictions that would have effectively closed more than a dozen clinics statewide in a victory for opponents of tough new anti-abortion laws sweeping across the U.S.
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| California mentally ill inmates get special units Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:08 PM PDT  SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — State corrections officials on Friday agreed to shift mentally ill inmates into separate specialized housing that will offer them more treatment instead of placing them in the same isolation units as other inmates, a decision that marks a major shift in how the system deals with such prisoners.
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| Washington judge upholds small city's pot shop ban Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:06 PM PDT  TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — A state judge said Friday that a small city can continue to ban state-licensed marijuana businesses, in a case with big implications for Washington's experiment in legal pot.
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| Final arguments unfold at ex-governor's trial Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:00 PM PDT  RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife took bribes and used their political muscle to promote a sketchy nutritional supplement because they were in deeply in debt and couldn't refuse the more than $165,000 in loans and gifts, including designer dresses and a Rolex watch, prosecutors said Friday.
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| Sen. Landrieu seeks re-election, faces flak over Louisiana address Posted: 29 Aug 2014 03:55 PM PDT  Senator Mary Landrieu, a Louisiana Democrat in the midst of a close re-election campaign, is under fire from her Republican challengers for listing her parents' house in New Orleans as her home address in election filings. The senator, who shares a Washington D.C. house with her husband, said that her parents' home, where she grew up, remains her primary Louisiana residence. Her brother, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, lives nearby. Moon Landrieu, the senator's father, is a former New Orleans mayor.
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| Woman who drank toxic tea hopes restaurants reform Posted: 29 Aug 2014 03:53 PM PDT  SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah woman who nearly died after unknowingly drinking iced tea mixed with chemicals spoke publicly for the first time on Friday, describing the incident that she hopes is a wake-up call for restaurants.
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| Yankees ace Tanaka sent home with general soreness Posted: 29 Aug 2014 03:52 PM PDT  TORONTO (AP) — Injured Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka is being sent back to New York because of general soreness in his right arm, a setback in his bid to rejoin the rotation this season.
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| Obama feeds critics with bid for more time on Syria Posted: 29 Aug 2014 03:50 PM PDT  By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has bought some time with his decision to slow the march toward U.S. The White House on Friday defended Obama's admission on Thursday that "we don't have a strategy yet" for confronting the militant group's operations in Syria. There was no timetable for making a decision and Obama will be on the road most of the next week. Obama spent Friday on a Democratic fund-raising trip, will attend the wedding of a former White House chef on Saturday, travels to Wisconsin for a Labor Day picnic on Monday and will visit Estonia and attend a NATO summit in Wales next week.
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| Obama immigration delay a pre-election curveball Posted: 29 Aug 2014 03:39 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's possible delay in taking action on immigration has thrown advocates and lawmakers from both parties a curveball, barely two months before the midterm elections.
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| Tony Stewart back at the track, looking to heal Posted: 29 Aug 2014 03:27 PM PDT  HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — Tony Stewart took his seat on the podium — unshaven, his eyes glassy — and unfolded a sheet of paper. His voice quivered as he read, pausing to maintain his composure as he described the death of a driver he hit as "one of the toughest tragedies I've ever had to deal with."
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| Obama: GOP captive to ideologically rigid group Posted: 29 Aug 2014 03:24 PM PDT  PURCHASE, N.Y. (AP) — President Barack Obama blamed dysfunction in Congress on a Republican Party he said is captive to an ideologically rigid, unproductive and cynical faction, as he urged like-minded Democrats on Friday to show up for November's midterm elections.
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| Pratt halted F-35 engine shipments in May over titanium Posted: 29 Aug 2014 03:12 PM PDT  United Technologies Corp's Pratt & Whitney unit briefly suspended delivery of the engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jet in May because of questions about titanium provided to a parts supplier. Pratt said on Friday it discovered conflicting documentation in late May that raised questions about the origin of the titanium, which was also used in parts for engines made by its Pratt & Whitney Canada division. The Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 strike fighter is the Pentagon's costliest weapons program. Pratt determined very quickly that the material did not pose a flight safety risk, company spokesman Matthew Bates said in an emailed statement.
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| Texas frontrunner for governor, Abbott, backs out of sole TV debate Posted: 29 Aug 2014 03:08 PM PDT  The frontrunner for the Texas race for governor, Republican Greg Abbott, has pulled out of the sole statewide televised debate, the debate's broadcaster, WFAA-TV, said on Friday. "Due to our inability to agree on specific details of the format, Attorney General Greg Abbott will regretfully not be participating in the WFAA debate," Robert Black, a senior campaign adviser, was quoted as saying by WFAA on Friday.
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| Obama faces a tough sell in Congress for Islamic State strategy Posted: 29 Aug 2014 03:05 PM PDT  President Barack Obama has pledged to consult Congress about any expanded military action against Islamic State militants operating in Iraq and Syria, but support from the divided legislature is unlikely to come quickly - if at all. Republicans are generally reluctant to vote for Obama's policy initiatives. If Congress were to be asked to approve extended military action or funding, it would probably be at a politically sensitive time just weeks before the Nov. 4 congressional elections in which Republicans hope to gain seats.
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| After hard bargaining, EU set for deal on new leadership Posted: 29 Aug 2014 03:02 PM PDT  By Alastair Macdonald and Julia Fioretti BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders are set to end weeks of wrangling over top jobs in Brussels and agree on Saturday on who will fill key posts in EU institutions that face major challenges from a combative Russia and a stuttering economy. A summit in Brussels that was called after a pre-vacation meeting two months ago ended in deadlock is likely, diplomats and officials said, to hand Poland's conservative prime minister the influential role of European Council president and Italy's little tested young foreign minister given the running of the EU's common diplomatic efforts.
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| Intel hires senior Qualcomm exec to boost mobile business Posted: 29 Aug 2014 03:00 PM PDT  By Noel Randewich SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Chipmaker Intel Corp has hired Amir Faintuch, a senior executive at rival Qualcomm Inc , to step up efforts in mobile and Internet-connected gadgets. Hiring a senior executive from a major competitor is rare for Intel, which is known in Silicon Valley for its insular culture, and it reflects the eagerness of the Santa Clara, California, chipmaker to improve its struggling mobile business. Faintuch, who previously oversaw Qualcomm's networking and connectivity businesses as president of Qualcomm Atheros, is joining Intel as a senior vice president and co-general manager of the Platform Engineering Group, Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy said on Friday.
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| Switcheroos: Refreshed Sushi Lounge & Izakaya Set for Shopping Center Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:46 PM PDT  The restaurant group behind Love Boat Sushi, who successfully opened a new concept, Carlsbad's Blue Ocean Robata and Sushi Bar, earlier this year, is now focusing on a revamp of their other eateries, starting with Fashion Valley's Love Boat...
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| Time running out for 'kidnapped' brain tumour boy taken to France Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:46 PM PDT  A frantic police hunt was underway Saturday for a five-year-old boy with a brain tumour taken from a British hospital by his family, as fears for his life intensified with every passing hour. Ashya King's parents took him Thursday from a hospital in the British south coast city of Southampton without doctors' consent and boarded a ferry to the French port of Cherbourg. It is not known why Brett King, 51, and Naghemeh King, 45, took their son. While they are Jehovah's Witnesses, the movement said Friday there was no indication their decision was motivated by religious convictions.
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| Star Apps: Nervo Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:39 PM PDT  Mim and Liv Nervo take work hard, play hard to heart.
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| Curbed Cuts: Twitter-Stalking the Rise of SFMOMA; Inside SF's Endangered Flower Mart; Historic Maps Guaranteed to Blow Your Mind Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:35 PM PDT  Welcome to Curbed Cuts, where Curbed SF editor Lamar Anderson shares the best real estate and neighborhood news of the week. SAN FRANCISCO—Continuing our obsession with all things historic, we bring you 10 vintage maps of San Francisco guaranteed to...
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| Ebola Drug 'ZMapp' Saves Infected Monkeys, Study Shows Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:31 PM PDT  An experimental drug called ZMapp, which contains a cocktail of three antibodies that fight the Ebola virus, has successfully treated 18 monkeys infected with the deadly disease, researchers reported today. The new results raise hope that the drug may also work in people who are infected in the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the researchers say. On the basis of these results in monkeys, several human patients had recently received the latest drug, before the details of the study were published today (Aug. 29) in the journal Nature. "The success was great," co-author Gary Kobinger, chief of special pathogens at the Public Health Agency of Canada, told reporters at a news conference about the study.
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| Nintendo just announced a new console, but not the one you were expecting Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:30 PM PDT  It's been a trying year for Nintendo as the Wii U struggles to compete with the PS4 and Xbox One, but with the holiday season approaching, the company has a few tricks up its sleeve to entice fans. Unfortunately, those plans do not include an upgraded home console on par with the next-gen system from Microsoft and Sony. Instead, Nintendo revealed the New Nintendo 3DS during a Japanese Nintendo Direct on Friday. The New Nintendo 3DS and New Nintendo 3DS LL will feature new shoulder buttons, a second analog stick and brightly colored buttons to match the old Super Nintendo controller. The internal hardware has been upgraded as well — with a new CPU, the handheld will be able to play
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| EaterWire: Portage Bay Cafe Opening in Roosevelt; Damn the Weather's Pastrami Burger Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:23 PM PDT  EATER HEATMAPS— The pastrami burger at Damn the Weather gets a shout out on Eater National's 30 Hot New Burgers For Labor Day Weekend roundup. The Pioneer Square craft cocktail bar features the burger made with house-cured, cold smoked chuck,...
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| Man wounded in daylight shooting in West Philadelphia Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:14 PM PDT  Authorities say a man was shot multiple times in broad daylight in West Philadelphia.
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| Coming Attractions: Jack's BBQ Is Almost Ready to Make its Debut Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:07 PM PDT  Jack's BBQ is getting ready to launch in a 6,000-square-foot space on Airport Way. The Texas-style barbecue restaurant from Seattle's "King of Brisket" Jack Timmons will serve meat smoked in a 13,500-pound, 21-foot-long, "giant steampunk, humungous smoker." A series...
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| The Round Up : The Ultimate Guide to Labor Day Festivities Posted: 29 Aug 2014 04:06 PM PDT  Photo courtesy of Gourmet on Gore Near or far, small or big, there are many events to consider attending this Labor Day weekend. We rounded up a diverse 10 for you to choose from. If there are more we should...
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