| In the age of Trump, can Democrats turn Orange County blue? Their first target is Darrell Issa Posted: 08 Mar 2017 02:00 AM PST  Republican Representative Darrell Issa enters Trump Tower in New York, Dec. 14, 2016. Democrats and Republicans don't agree on much these days. Since 2001, Issa has represented the coastal suburbs of northern San Diego and southern Orange counties.
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| ‘Day Without a Woman’ strike seeks to continue legacy of massive D.C. march Posted: 08 Mar 2017 06:06 AM PST  This "general strike" action, held in connection with International Women's Day and in solidarity with the International Women's Strike, has been criticized by some U.S. movement supporters for asking women to risk their jobs in a nation where only 10.2 percent of women are in unions. "Protesting itself is not enough, which is why we stepped to the next level of asking people to sacrifice, you know, being a part of the strike," Tamika Mallory, co-chair of the Women's March organization, said in a video posted to Facebook.
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| ‘That energy is still here’: New Yorkers rally for ‘A Day Without a Woman’ strike Posted: 08 Mar 2017 02:53 PM PST  With the Plaza Hotel, which President Trump once owned, as a backdrop, a crowd gathered at the southeast corner of Central Park on Wednesday afternoon as part of the "A Day Without a Woman" strike. Set to coincide with International Women's Day, the protest was organized by the same team behind January's Women's March on Washington, a massive Saturday protest that coincided with many sister marches across the country and ultimately became the largest single-day demonstration in United States history. Wednesday's gathering was promoted as "a show of solidarity and revolutionary love," ahead of another rally in Manhattan's Washington Square Park on Wednesday evening, and the crowd, overwhelmingly female but otherwise diverse, was appropriately buoyant.
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| Resistance Report: Hawaii kicks off challenges to revised travel ban Posted: 08 Mar 2017 07:36 AM PST  ALOHA MEANS HELLO AND GOODBYE. Hawaii will sue over Trump's new travel ban. "The state of Hawaii said in a court filing Tuesday that it intended to file a legal challenge to President Trump's revamped executive order pausing refugee resettlement and immigration from six majority-Muslim countries," reports the Los Angeles Times. "In a court filing in the state, Hawaii Atty. Gen. Douglas Chin asks the court to approve a swift briefing schedule on the state's intended request for a temporary restraining order blocking the new travel ban before it takes effect on March 16."
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| Four killed when freight train hits bus in Mississippi Posted: 07 Mar 2017 07:45 PM PST ![Four killed when freight train hits bus in Mississippi]( "Four killed when freight train hits bus in Mississippi") City officials said the tour bus, which originated in Austin, Texas, and was heading to a casino, was stopped on the tracks for an unknown reason. Witnesses told local television station WLOX it got stuck. Biloxi city spokesman Vincent Creel confirmed the crossing had signs warning of its low ground clearance, which means a large vehicle could potentially become lodged on the tracks.
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| 'Angry' Australian summer weather smashes records Posted: 07 Mar 2017 07:59 PM PST  Australia endured a summer of record-breaking extremes, scientists said on Wednesday, with climate change tipped to increase the frequency and severity of such phenomena. Intense heatwaves, bushfires and flooding plagued the December-February summer season with more than 200 records broken over 90 days, the independent Climate Council said in a report. "Climate change -- driven largely by the burning of coal, oil and gas -- is cranking up the intensity of extreme weather events," the "Angry Summer" report said.
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| Judge won't stop construction of Dakota Access pipeline Posted: 07 Mar 2017 08:52 PM PST  BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A federal judge declined Tuesday to temporarily stop construction of the final section of the disputed Dakota Access oil pipeline, clearing the way for oil to flow as soon as next week.
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| China offers a plan to deal with North Korea: Will it work? Posted: 08 Mar 2017 06:01 PM PST ![China offers a plan to deal with North Korea: Will it work?]( "China offers a plan to deal with North Korea: Will it work?") After nearly a decade away from the negotiating table, China has a proposal to lure North and South Korea and the United States back. Most analysts consider China's proposal, on its face, to be a nonstarter. Recommended: Kim 101: How well do you know North Korea's leaders?
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| Republicans rush Obamacare repeal-and-replace through House committees Posted: 08 Mar 2017 03:35 PM PST  House Republicans continued to push their controversial bill to repeal and replace Obamacare through two committees Wednesday evening, as angry Democrats sought to delay the votes as long as possible. Republicans on the Committee on Ways and Means voted down Democrats' numerous amendments, one by one, and ignored their repeated complaints that the majority was rushing through a vote to change the nation's health care system without first receiving an estimate of its cost and impact from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
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| Best-Paying Jobs in America: Report Posted: 09 Mar 2017 03:04 AM PST  A report that lists 25 of the best paying jobs in America from fields such as health care, technology and law found the highest salaries are going to physicians, followed by pharmacy managers and patent attorneys.
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| In Arizona, fighting the legacy of ‘America’s toughest sheriff’ Posted: 09 Mar 2017 02:00 AM PST  Paul Penzone, Democratic candidate for Maricopa County sheriff, speaks to supporters during an election night party, on Nov. 8, 2016, in Phoenix. Penzone unseated longtime incumbent Joe Arpaio. PHOENIX, Ariz. — Last Friday morning, Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone walked a few blocks from his office in downtown Phoenix to Arizona State University's Cronkite School of Journalism, where he patiently took questions from a room full of Latino journalism students from high schools around the county.
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| Illinois budget impasse increasingly hurts universities: Moody's Posted: 09 Mar 2017 09:14 AM PST ![Illinois budget impasse increasingly hurts universities: Moody's]( "Illinois budget impasse increasingly hurts universities: Moody's") Illinois' record-breaking budget impasse, which has led to sporadic funding for higher education, is increasingly pressuring the finances and competitiveness of state universities, Moody's Investors Service said on Thursday. The credit rating agency said the lack of complete state funding has forced schools to take "considerable steps," including cutting academic programs and raising tuition, in order to keep operating and preserve financial liquidity. "Material programing reductions and staffing cuts, while necessary to keep the state's public universities operational in the short-term, will further impair the universities' abilities to sustain their strategic competitiveness and attract students for the upcoming fall 2017 class," Moody's said in a report.
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| Deadly bus-train wreck puts railroad crossing under scrutiny Posted: 08 Mar 2017 04:55 PM PST  JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The site of a train-tour bus crash that killed four people in Mississippi has a troubling history of accidents, including two this year, local and federal officials said Wednesday.
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| Australia, Malaysia hope MH370 will be found one day Posted: 07 Mar 2017 11:52 PM PST  CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The Australian government minister in charge of the suspended seabed search for the Malaysia Airlines jet told victims' families and friends at an anniversary church service on Wednesday that he remained hopeful that Flight 370 would be found.
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| Gatorpalooza: Hundreds of Alligators Photographed Congregating at Watering Hole Posted: 08 Mar 2017 01:50 PM PST  The photographer told InsideEdition.com that he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
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| Chinese survey ships entering Philippine territory: Manila Posted: 08 Mar 2017 11:40 PM PST  Chinese survey ships have been entering waters recognised by the United Nations as Philippine territory, Manila's defence secretary said Thursday, in a move he described as "very concerning". Delfin Lorenzana said the ships were seen last year near Benham Rise -- a Philippine territory 250 kilometres (155 miles) off the east coast of the main island of Luzon -- as well as Reed Bank in the South China Sea, which is claimed by both Manila and Beijing.
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| SitRep: Wikileaks Says CIA Is In Your iPhone; U.S., Russian, Turkish Generals Meet; New Russian Sub Missiles Posted: 08 Mar 2017 04:48 AM PST  China Reacts to U.S.; North Korean Tensions; Iranian Losses in Syria; EUCOM Fights off Drones; And Lots More
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| How Planned Parenthood Could Derail Obamacare Repeal Posted: 08 Mar 2017 01:00 AM PST ![How Planned Parenthood Could Derail Obamacare Repeal]( "How Planned Parenthood Could Derail Obamacare Repeal") In yet another political fight over abortion, Republicans are divided over a provision in the new House bill that blocks funding for the women's healthcare provider.
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| San Diego-Los Angeles Fault Could Cause 7.4-Magnitude Earthquake Posted: 08 Mar 2017 01:33 AM PST  The fault system, which runs mostly offshore but also on land, was earlier thought to be two separate faults, according to a study published Tuesday.
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| Tennessee man charged in trash compactor killing of mom's dog Posted: 08 Mar 2017 11:14 AM PST ![Tennessee man charged in trash compactor killing of mom's dog]( "Tennessee man charged in trash compactor killing of mom's dog") A Nashville man has been arrested on charges linked to the death of his mother's pet dog, a diminutive Shih Tzu that was dumped while still alive in the trash compactor of an apartment complex, Tennessee police said on Wednesday. Security video from Feb. 21 showed Terrence Clark, 27, placing the dog in a grocery bag, putting the bag in the compactor, pushing the machine's button four times and then driving away, the Nashville Police Department said in a statement. Firefighters rescued the animal after a resident of the Arbor Hills Apartments in southeast Nashville heard it "whimpering and barking inside the compactor," police said.
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| Internet-connected 'smart' devices are dunces about security Posted: 08 Mar 2017 04:44 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — These days, it's possible to use your phone — and sometimes just your voice — to control everything from your TV to your lights, your thermostat and shades, even your car or medical device. (At least, once you have gadgets that can listen.)
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| Kuwait turns Silk Road into a massive causeway Posted: 07 Mar 2017 08:31 PM PST  Kuwait is building one of the world's longest causeways to its remote north where it will pump billions into "Silk City", aiming to revive the ancient Silk Road trade route. The oil-rich emirate is eager to inject life into the uninhabited Subbiya region on its northern tip that has been chosen as the location for Silk City. The plan is to reinvigorate the ancient Silk Road trade route by establishing a major free trade zone linking the Gulf to central Asia and Europe.
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| Israel takes action against boycotters. Is that counterproductive? Posted: 08 Mar 2017 12:02 PM PST ![Israel takes action against boycotters. Is that counterproductive?]( "Israel takes action against boycotters. Is that counterproductive?") A law passed by parliament this week to bolster Israel's defenses against what it sees as a significant external threat – the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement – is being criticized here as violating free speech and damaging democracy. Recommended: How much do you know about Israel? Sponsors of the bill say it is primarily designed to keep out foreign activists from the BDS movement, which has gained traction in the United States and Europe in recent years.
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| China to launch lunar space probe before year's end Posted: 07 Mar 2017 09:32 PM PST ![China to launch lunar space probe before year's end]( "China to launch lunar space probe before year's end") China announced plans on Tuesday to launch a space probe to bring back samples from the moon before the end of the year, in what state media cast as competition to U.S. President Donald Trump's ambitions to revitalise U.S. space exploration. The Chang'e-5 lunar probe is undergoing a final round of tests and is expected to be on standby for launch from August, the official People's Daily said, citing the China National Space Administration. The launch will involve new challenges for China in sample collection, taking off from the moon and high-speed reentry to the Earth's atmosphere, making it "one of China's most complicated and difficult space missions", Hu Hao, an official from China's Lunar Exploration Programme, told the paper.
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| Iran Blames US For Spy Ship Incident Posted: 08 Mar 2017 04:04 AM PST  On Saturday, U.S. Navy's spy ship was forced to change its course after fast-attack vessels from Iran's Revolutionary Guards sailed in close proximity in the Strait of Hormuz.
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| Scarred survivors inspire Italy to fight domestic violence Posted: 08 Mar 2017 04:27 AM PST  ROME (AP) — Lucia Annibali's face was rebuilt for the price of atrocious pain and 18 surgeries after an acid attack ordered by her ex-boyfriend corroded her eyelids, cheeks and forehead almost to the bone and left her nearly blind.
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| Hawaiian island gets a huge renewable energy boost thanks to Tesla Posted: 08 Mar 2017 03:43 PM PST  A Hawaiian island is one step closer to getting 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources. Tesla, the clean energy powerhouse run by Elon Musk, has built a 13-megawatt solar farm on Kauai to help reduce the island's dependence on diesel-burning power plants. Unveiled on Wednesday, the Kapaia project features 54,000 solar panels. But that's not what makes it so unique. SEE ALSO: Looking for hope on climate change under Trump? Cities are where the action is. Perhaps most importantly, it includes over 270 of Tesla's Powerpack batteries, which will store some of the solar power created during the day and supply those electrons to the grid in the evening. The project — the largest of its kind — is expected to displace about 1.6 million gallons of diesel per year, Tesla said in an email. Energy experts say storage is essential for making renewables competitive with fossil fuels. Unlike coal and natural gas plants, which operate on command, solar and wind farms operate intermittently and at different hours. Batteries could also help utilities to harness the collective power of thousands of rooftop solar systems. With "virtual power plants," utilities can digitally aggregate solar-battery systems in an area to utilize their power all at once, simulating the flow from a singular power plant. Tesla's Kapaia project features 272 Powerwall batteries. Image: Tesla Across the Hawaiian islands, utilities are required to get 100 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2045 — the most ambitious Renewable Portfolio Standard of any U.S. state. Kauai's main utility says it is well on its way to meeting that target thanks to a growing number of solar, small-scale hydropower and biomass projects. Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) is the lone purchaser of power from Tesla's solar-battery system on the island. The arrangement marks the first time a U.S. utility has contracted out a system that stores and releases solar power after sunset. Before this week, KIUC could operate using 100 percent of renewables, but only during occasional mid-day periods of high solar generation. The Kapaia project will allow the utility to operate at 100 percent renewables more often, and with greater stability, in the middle of the day, Tesla said. Tesla's Powerpack batteries in Kauai were made at its $5 billion Gigafactory in Nevada. WATCH: Elon Musk's $2.6 billion bet on a clean energy empire
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| 2018 Toyota C-HR SUV Targets a Younger Audience Posted: 08 Mar 2017 01:00 AM PST   Toyota is finally entering the burgeoning subcompact SUV segment with its all-new C-HR. The C-HR is based on Toyota's new midsized global platform, which also underpins the latest Prius and upco...
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| What WikiLeaks CIA Hack Means for You and Your Gadgets Posted: 08 Mar 2017 04:40 AM PST  The WikiLeaks revelation might be part of a Russian disinformation campaign meant to undermine the U.S. intelligence agencies in general, and to more immediately lend credence to President Donald Trump's allegations that former President Barack Obama spied on him. Some of the CIA hacking tools mentioned in the WikiLeaks dump are real.
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| Bolivia expands coca production Posted: 08 Mar 2017 11:40 AM PST  Bolivia passed a controversial measure Wednesday to expand production of coca, the raw material for cocaine. Leftist president Evo Morales dismissed warnings that an increase in coca crops would fuel the illegal drug trade. The coca leaf is commonly chewed or drunk like tea, but drug gangs make it into cocaine in a chemical process that brings out its narcotic qualities.
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| Seattle judge weighs fate of arrested Mexican 'dreamer' Posted: 08 Mar 2017 12:44 PM PST ![Seattle judge weighs fate of arrested Mexican 'dreamer']( "Seattle judge weighs fate of arrested Mexican 'dreamer'") A Seattle federal judge on Wednesday wrestled with whether he has the power to release a Mexican immigrant with a work permit who was arrested by U.S. authorities last month. Daniel Ramirez Medina was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers who went to his house to arrest his father. Ramirez's lawyers have denied their client has any gang involvement or criminal record, and called his arrest unconstitutional.
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| The Latest: Poland's women show the government red cards Posted: 08 Mar 2017 12:02 PM PST  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Latest on International Women's Day events (all times local):
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| U.S. general says Russia deploys cruise missile, threatens NATO Posted: 08 Mar 2017 10:56 AM PST ![U.S. general says Russia deploys cruise missile, threatens NATO]( "U.S. general says Russia deploys cruise missile, threatens NATO") By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russia has deployed a land-based cruise missile that violates the "spirit and intent" of an arms control treaty and poses a threat to NATO, Vice Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General Paul Selva said on Wednesday. It was the first public accusation by the U.S. military of the deployment after reports said last month that Russia had secretly deployed the ground-launched SSC-8 cruise missile that Moscow has been developing and testing for several years, despite U.S. complaints that it violated sections of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty.
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| Neanderthal used 'aspirin' for tooth pain: study Posted: 08 Mar 2017 01:44 PM PST  Nearly 50,000 years before the invention of penicillin, a young Neanderthal tormented by a dental abscess ate greenery containing a natural antibiotic and pain killer, analysis of his teeth revealed Wednesday. The male, who lived in El Sidron in what is now Spain, ate an antibiotic fungus called Penicillium and chewed on bits of poplar tree containing salicylic acid -- the active ingredient of modern-day aspirin, researchers said. The youngster's fossilised jawbone reveals the ravages of an abscess, and his dental plaque contained the remnants of an intestinal parasite that causes acute diarrhoea, "so clearly he was quite sick," they wrote in the journal Nature.
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| Hit man in San Antonio murder-for-hire slaying put to death Posted: 07 Mar 2017 09:46 PM PST  HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — A paid hit man was executed Tuesday night in Texas for gunning down a San Antonio woman in a life insurance scheme nearly a quarter-century ago.
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| UN urges probe of DR Congo violence Posted: 08 Mar 2017 02:09 AM PST  The UN's top rights official on Wednesday called for a high-level investigation into abuses committed against civilians in the violence-wracked Democratic Republic of Congo following the discovery of mass graves. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein praised the DR Congo government for quickly investigating the killings and other severe human rights violations in the isolated Kasai and Lomani provinces, but said a UN probe was also needed. "I commend the swift action taken by the government to begin processes of investigation and accountability in some of the alleged killings attributed to soldiers, and offer the assistance of my office," Zeid told the UN Human Rights Council.
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| 2018 Porsche 911 GT3: The Manual Is Back Posted: 08 Mar 2017 11:26 AM PST  The new GT3 gets naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six from a race car and real manual gearbox. We're in heaven.
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| Encrypted Apps Used By White House Staff Have Security Flaws Posted: 08 Mar 2017 05:19 PM PST  Confide, an encrypted communications app that has become popular within the White House, was shown to have significant security flaws that could leave accounts and messages compromised.
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| Northvolt: $4 billion electric-car battery plant planned for Sweden by former Tesla execs Posted: 08 Mar 2017 04:00 AM PST  Tesla is currently ramping up lithium-ion battery cell production at its U.S. "Gigafactory" near Reno, Nevada. While Tesla continues to mull that second battery factory, two of its former executives are planning one of their own.
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| Ahead of king's visit, China says hopes Saudi, Iran can resolve problems Posted: 07 Mar 2017 11:46 PM PST ![Ahead of king's visit, China says hopes Saudi, Iran can resolve problems]( "Ahead of king's visit, China says hopes Saudi, Iran can resolve problems") Describing China as a friend to both Saudi Arabia and Iran, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday he hopes both countries can resolve their differences through talks, ahead of a visit by the Saudi king to China. China has traditionally played little role in Middle East conflicts or diplomacy, despite its reliance on the region for oil. Last year China also offered support for Yemen's government, which is backed by a Saudi-led Gulf Arab coalition in a war against the Iranian-aligned Houthi movement that controls much of the country.
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| Hawaii-bound flight diverted over blanket dispute Posted: 08 Mar 2017 04:54 PM PST  A flight from Las Vegas to Honolulu was diverted to Los Angeles on Wednesday after a passenger refused to pay $12 for a blanket and was accused of being unruly, police said. The incident unfolded after the Hawaiian Airlines flight took off from Las Vegas and the passenger -- a 66-year-old man -- requested a blanket as he was cold, Officer Rob Pedregon, a spokesman for the Los Angeles airport police, told AFP. When told he would have to fork out $12 for the blanket, the unidentified man got upset and demanded to speak to a corporate representative from the airline, Pedregon said.
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| New York, New Jersey pols ask Trump to stop Emirates flight Posted: 08 Mar 2017 05:37 AM PST ![New York, New Jersey pols ask Trump to stop Emirates flight]( "New York, New Jersey pols ask Trump to stop Emirates flight") NEW YORK (AP) — Twenty-five members of the New York and New Jersey Congressional delegation sent a letter asking President Donald Trump to stop a Gulf-based airline from starting a roundtrip flight between Newark, New Jersey, and Athens this month, the latest salvo in a dispute over claims of unfair competition.
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| Texas wildfires kill four, blazes also hit nearby states Posted: 07 Mar 2017 09:01 PM PST ![Texas wildfires kill four, blazes also hit nearby states]( "Texas wildfires kill four, blazes also hit nearby states") By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A cluster of late-winter prairie fires in the Texas Panhandle has killed four people, including three ranch hands racing to herd livestock to safety, while scorching hundreds of thousands of acres of grasslands, officials said on Tuesday. Wildfires stoked by high winds and tinder-dry vegetation also raged across Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas, prompting thousands of evacuations and destroying numerous structures. One motorist, reported to be a truck driver, died in southern Kansas on Monday night from smoke inhalation, authorities said.
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| Harley-Davidson Introduces New Model – And it's Not a Cruiser! Posted: 09 Mar 2017 01:02 AM PST  Harley-Davidson Introduces New Model – And It's Not a Cruiser! With 2017 Street Rod Harley Takes Step in New Direction Harley-Davidson has pulled the cover off a new motorcycle that is set to take American motorcycling in a new direction. With standard
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| Anti-abortion stance denies women their future: Trudeau Posted: 08 Mar 2017 10:00 AM PST  "When we take a stand against abortion... we are taking away the power of women to choose their path, their future, when, how, (and) with whom to start a family," he said at an event to announce Can$650 million over three years for women's health initiatives overseas. The prime minister's support of a woman's right to choose to have an abortion sharply contrasts with US President Donald Trump's anti-abortion stand. Trump nixed federal funding for NGOs that offer or promote abortions abroad.
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