| Veterinarian Accused Of Shooting Neighbors' Dog In The Head Posted: 20 Dec 2017 10:52 AM PST  A veterinarian in Louisiana was arrested on Tuesday and charged with aggravated animal cruelty after allegedly fatally shooting her neighbors' dog in the head.
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| Kim Jong Un expands his war on Christmas with new ban on singing and drinking Posted: 19 Dec 2017 06:57 PM PST  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has upped the ante in his war on Christmas with a new rule that prohibits any "gatherings that involve alcohol and singing."
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| Chuck Schumer Warns GOP: 'You're Messing Up America. You Could Pay Attention.' Posted: 20 Dec 2017 04:55 AM PST  "We believe you're messing up America. You could pay attention for a couple of minutes" Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer asks for order during debate over GOP tax bill on Senate floor. pic.twitter.com/NeGgV28qvV— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 20, 2017
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| Mexico Tour Bus Crash Kills At Least 12 Posted: 20 Dec 2017 07:43 AM PST  A bus carrying cruise ship passengers on a tour of ancient Mayan ruins flipped on a highway in southeast Mexico early Tuesday, killing at least 12 people and injuring 18.
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| Ivanka Trump surprise visit to Connecticut school prompts some parents to pull children from class Posted: 20 Dec 2017 07:05 AM PST  Ivanka Trump's surprise unannounced visit to a school in Connecticut has prompted some parents to pull their children from class. The US president's daughter addressed secondary school students at the Norwalk Early College Academy about the importance of education in the sciences, technology, mathematics, and engineering. Ms Trump, who serves as an unpaid advisor to her father, said: "To see the passion and enthusiasm for bringing real-life skills into a classroom environment, but then coupling it with real-life experience through internship, creates this really beautiful virtuous angle".
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| Video shows car dragging office up to 60 mph Posted: 20 Dec 2017 08:05 AM PST  When Florida police officer Jon Cusak approached a man and woman sitting in a car, they quickly took off, and with Cusak clinging to the driver-side door. The whole incident was caught on his body camera.
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| U.S. cancels student loan debts for 12,900 college fraud victims Posted: 20 Dec 2017 03:56 PM PST ![U.S. cancels student loan debts for 12,900 college fraud victims]( "U.S. cancels student loan debts for 12,900 college fraud victims") The U.S. Education Department on Wednesday canceled the student-loan debts of 12,900 people defrauded by defunct Corinthian Colleges, but its announcement that it will give varying amounts of debt relief in the future set off fierce criticism. For-profit higher education provider Corinthian collapsed in 2015 amid government investigations into how many of its graduates found gainful employment. An internal review released this month showed the Education Department had stopped discharging loans of former attendees of Corinthian and other failed for-profit schools once President Donald Trump took office.
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| Latest: Virginia election, and House control, up to chance Posted: 20 Dec 2017 01:01 PM PST  NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — The Latest on election recounts for the Virginia House of Delegates (all times local):
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| US aims to keep steep duties on Bombardier jets after Boeing complaint Posted: 20 Dec 2017 04:51 PM PST  The U.S. Commerce Department on Wednesday finalised steep anti-subsidy duties on Bombardier Inc's CSeries jets, setting up the next round of a fierce international trade dispute between the United States and Canada. The move announced by the department to impose duties of nearly 300 percent stems from a complaint by rival Boeing Co. The company claimed Bombardier had been unfairly and illegally subsidised by the Canadian government, allowing the planemaker to dump its newest jetliner in the U.S. market below cost. "Today's decision validates Boeing's complaints regarding Bombardier's pricing in the United States, pricing that has harmed our workforce and U.S. industry," Boeing said in a statement after the department decision. Delta Air Lines, the second largest U.S. carrier by passenger traffic, has an order for 75 of the 100-to-150 seat CSeries jets. The aircraft starts at $79.5 million, according to list prices, or some $5.9 billion for the total order, but carriers typically receive steep discounts. Bombardier C300 Series Poster Credit: Bombardier If imposed, the duties would more than triple the cost of a CSeries aircraft sold in the United States, based on Boeing's assertion that Delta received the planes for $20 million each, well below an estimated cost of $33 million and what Bombardier charges in Canada. The Commerce Department's penalty against Bombardier will only take effect if the lesser-known US International Trade Commission (ITC) rules in Boeing's favour, as it so far has, in its final decision expected in early 2018. In its two-part complaint, Boeing called for countervailing duties of 79.41 percent to offset what it described as harmful Canadian subsidies to Bombardier. It also identified a "dumping margin" of 80.5 percent, based on the unpublished prices at which it claims Bombardier sold the CSeries planes to Delta. The department decision follows Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross' pledge to aggressively police unfairly traded imports to help shrink U.S. trade deficits. The move comes as the United States, Canada and Mexico are involved in a three-way negotiation to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The rift between the two plane makers could, however, move to a larger stage as Canada weighs a complaint to the World Trade Organization or through NAFTA regarding the dispute. At a contentious Monday hearing of the ITC, Canada warned that a positive finding of material harm to Boeing by the group could represent a possible violation of international trade agreements and prompt a formal objection. Canada earlier this month scrapped plans to buy 18 Boeing Super Hornet fighter jets, underlining Ottawa's anger over the trade challenge. Boeing has said it considered all potential risks before deciding to launch its trade case. US-Canadian trade relations have also chilled recently over disputes over Canadian softwood lumber and U.S. milk protein products.
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| Cardinal Bernard Law, the Disgraced Archbishop at the Center of 'Spotlight,' Has Died Posted: 19 Dec 2017 11:58 PM PST  An official with the Catholic Church says Cardinal Bernard Law, the disgraced former archbishop of Boston, has died at 86.
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| Teen Gets 25 Years In Mental Health Facility For 'Slender Man' Stabbing Posted: 21 Dec 2017 02:51 PM PST  A Wisconsin teenager accused of stabbing a classmate to please a fictional horror character named "Slender Man" has been ordered to receive 25 years of mental health treatment.
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| Scotland Bans Traveling Circuses From Using Wild Animals In Performances Posted: 20 Dec 2017 12:10 PM PST  Scotland has banned the use of wild animals in traveling circuses, handing an important victory to animal welfare advocates.
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| Paul Ryan Dismisses Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against Trump As 'This Other Stuff' Posted: 20 Dec 2017 05:59 AM PST  wouldn't say whether sexual misconduct allegations against President Donald Trump merit attention, but pledged to help "change the culture" for women in the workplace.
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| Last piece of Amtrak train wreckage removed from Washington state highway Posted: 20 Dec 2017 02:08 PM PST ![Last piece of Amtrak train wreckage removed from Washington state highway]( "Last piece of Amtrak train wreckage removed from Washington state highway") The affected southbound stretch of Interstate 5, which runs from the Canadian border to Mexico, will remain closed indefinitely, the Washington State Department of Transportation has said. Federal investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are seeking answers about the crash's cause in interviews with the train's engineer and a trainee conductor who were in the locomotive's cab. NTSB members say they are focused on whether the engineer was distracted, but are timing their interviews with the crew this week around their recuperation from injuries.
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| Why Coinbase Halted Bitcoin Cash GDAX Trades, Just Minutes After Launch Posted: 20 Dec 2017 12:22 AM PST  The launch got off to a rocky start.
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| The Latest: Recounts end, control in Virginia House unclear Posted: 21 Dec 2017 01:56 PM PST  NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — The Latest on recount elections in Virginia (all times local):
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| China's Didi raises $4 bn to fund global turf war with Uber Posted: 20 Dec 2017 11:10 PM PST  Chinese ride-sharing firm Didi Chuxing said Thursday it had raised $4 billion from investors, months after a funding round that made it Asia's most valuable startup, as it presses on with a global battle with US giant Uber. Local and foreign groups contributed to the huge pot, which will be used to fuel Didi's global expansion and support new developments in artificial intelligence and new energy vehicles, the company said in a statement. Didi, which bought Uber's China operations last year, has nearly half a billion users around the world and handles up to 25 million rides per day.
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| Pope Francis says reforming Vatican as hard as cleaning Sphinx with toothbrush Posted: 21 Dec 2017 06:54 AM PST  Pope Francis issued a stinging new critique of the Vatican's top administration on Thursday, saying "traitors" stood in the way of his reforms and made any change as hard as cleaning Egypt's Sphinx "with a toothbrush". For the fourth year running, Francis used his annual Christmas greetings to the Roman Catholic Church's central bureaucracy, or Curia, to lecture the assembled cardinals, bishops and other department heads on the need for change. "Reforming Rome is like cleaning the Sphinx of Egypt with a toothbrush," he said, quoting a 19th-century Belgian churchman. The phrase did not evoke much laughter when the pope read it in the frescoed Clementina Hall of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace. Since his election as the first Latin American pope in 2013, Francis has been trying to reform the Italian-dominated Curia to bring the Church's hierarchy closer to its members, to enact financial reforms and guide it out of scandals that marked the pontificate of his predecessor, former Pope Benedict. But he has encountered resistance, particularly as some departments have been closed, merged or streamlined. In his address on Thursday, Pope Francis spoke of those "traitors of trust" Credit: AFP Francis said some in the bureaucracy - the nerve centre of the 1.2-billion-member Church and whose members are entrusted with carrying out the pope's decisions - were part of "cliques and plots". Francis called this "unbalanced and degenerate" and a "cancer that leads to a self-referential attitude". In his address on Thursday, he spoke of those "traitors of trust" who had been entrusted with carrying out reforms but "let themselves be corrupted by ambition and vainglory." When they are quietly let go, he said, "they erroneously declare themselves to be martyrs of the system ... instead of reciting a 'mea culpa'" (Latin for "my fault"). Francis did not cite any specific examples. Last June the Vatican's first auditor general resigned suddenly. He later said he was forced to step down because he had discovered irregularities but the Vatican said he had been spying on his superiors. Earlier this month, the Vatican bank's deputy director was fired under circumstances that have not been explained. In July, in a major shake-up of the Vatican administration, Francis replaced Catholicism's top theologian, a conservative German cardinal who has been at odds with the pontiff's vision of a more inclusive Church. Francis said the overwhelming majority of Curia members were faithful, competent and some saintly. Later, in a separate meeting with lay Vatican employees and their families, Francis asked forgiveness for the failings of some Church officials. He spoke hours before the funeral of Cardinal Bernard Law, the ex-Archbishop of Boston who resigned in disgrace after covering up years of sexual abuse of children by priests and whose name became a byword for scandal in the Catholic Church.
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| The Latest: South Africa's new party leader: Graft must end Posted: 20 Dec 2017 02:52 PM PST  JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The Latest on the new leader of South Africa's ruling party (all times local):
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| 18 Cakes Perfect For Your Kids Posted: 21 Dec 2017 04:14 PM PST |
| AT&T Hands Trump A Reason To Boast As Firm Faces Critical DOJ Lawsuit Posted: 20 Dec 2017 03:16 PM PST  WASHINGTON ― Almost immediately after Congress passed legislation that will slash the corporate tax rate, AT&T announced that it would give a $1,000 bonus to 200,000 of its workers.
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| Mistrial declared for Nevada rancher who led revolt over U.S. land dispute Posted: 20 Dec 2017 02:44 PM PST ![Mistrial declared for Nevada rancher who led revolt over U.S. land dispute]( "Mistrial declared for Nevada rancher who led revolt over U.S. land dispute") By John L. Smith LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - A federal judge on Wednesday declared a mistrial in the criminal case against Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and three others for their role in a 2014 armed standoff with U.S. government agents, and rebuked prosecutors for withholding evidence from the defense. Bundy, two of his sons and another man were charged with 15 counts of conspiracy, assault and other offenses stemming from the confrontation, which galvanized right-wing militia groups challenging federal authority over vast tracts of public lands in the American West. U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro told federal prosecutors they had willfully violated evidence rules in failing to turn over pertinent documents to the defense, adding that "the failure is prejudicial" to ensuring a fair trial.
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| Woman gives birth to child conceived 24 years ago Posted: 20 Dec 2017 01:52 AM PST  A 26-year-old Tennessee woman gave birth to a child who was conceived and frozen as an embryo 24 years ago.
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| Why I Stayed At A Job Where I Was Sexually Harassed Posted: 20 Dec 2017 12:05 PM PST  With the #MeToo movement gaining in the world in which I am bringing up my teen and preteen daughters, they want answers I don't always have.
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| The Latest: Amtrak speed-control technology was months away Posted: 19 Dec 2017 08:04 PM PST  DUPONT, Wash. (AP) — The Latest on an Amtrak train derailment in Washington state (all times local):
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| China outcry as Taiwan arrests pro-Beijing party members accused of spying Posted: 20 Dec 2017 04:45 AM PST  China has accused Taiwanese authorities of "persecution" after four members of a pro-Beijing political party were detained in connection with a spying case. Police in Taiwan arrested Wang Ping-chung, a prominent media personality, along with three colleagues from the pro-unification New Party on Tuesday. The Taipei District Prosecutors' Office released a statement saying that Mr Wang and other people of interest were being investigated on suspicion of violating the National Security Act. Taipei prosecutor Lin Chun-ting, who is leading the investigation, is also in charge of the probe into Zhou Hongxu, a Chinese student convicted in September for trying to obtain classified information and recruiting people to a spy network. According to the Taipei Times, Mr Wang was allegedly friends with Mr Zhou and played a key role in introducing him to Taiwanese government officials. Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen speaks on the phone with Donald Trump Credit: Reuters Another detained member of the New Party, Lin Ming-cheng, told reporters after his release that he was questioned about the spying case and his relationship with Mr Zhou, but he denied the allegations. "It is absurd for them to make a link between Zhou and us all because they found a mention of us on Zhou's computer," Mr Lin said, according to Hong Kong's South China Morning Post. China's Taiwan Affairs Office praised the New Party for upholding the "one China" principle in a short statement released late on Tuesday. "Recently, the Taiwan authorities have shielded and connived with Taiwan independent splittists, and taken various moves to wantonly crack down on and persecute forces and people who uphold peaceful reunification," it said. "We strongly condemn this and are paying close attention to developments." The investigation is the second in recent months into a minority party supporting unification with the Chinese mainland, and comes amid heightened tensions between the government of self-ruled Taiwan and Beijing. Relations across the Taiwan Strait have deteriorated since the election of President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016, whose ruling DPP rejects Chinese claims of sovereignty over the island of 23 million. While parties which are strongly pro-Beijing have little traction with the electorate, the majority of whom identify as Taiwanese, there are growing fears among Taipei's elite that China is seeking to undermine their country's democracy from within. In September, government agencies launched a probe into the Chinese Unification Promotion Party (CUPP), run by Chang An-lo, a former triad leader known as White Wolf, over concerns that Beijing was funding its activities. Mr Chang has denied the accusations.
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| YouTube prankster pleads guilty to fatally shooting boyfriend Posted: 20 Dec 2017 02:03 PM PST  A YouTube prankster from the US state of Minnesota has admitted fatally shooting her boyfriend in a botched video stunt she hoped would go viral. Monalisa Perez, a 20-year-old mother-of-two, believed her husband Pedro Ruiz would be shielded by a thick book as she took aim from close range in front of onlookers. Perez and Ruiz, 22, were recording the stunt in June for their YouTube channel, where they published videos of their daily lives and pranks they performed.
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| 18 Realistic Ways To Become A Happier, More Chill Person In 2018 Posted: 20 Dec 2017 02:46 AM PST  Say goodbye to 2017 ― and some of the negative emotions that came with it ― by adopting a few of these expert- and research-backed habits in the new year. Research shows that negative news can poorly affect your mental health. Experts recommend this to their patients, and do it themselves to keep their own stress under control.
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| Uber Now Classified as a Transport Service in the EU: Here's Why It Matters Posted: 20 Dec 2017 08:56 AM PST  Is it more than just an app?
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| Trump celebrates 'amazing' tax cuts experts say will most benefit wealthy Americans Posted: 20 Dec 2017 12:31 PM PST  Donald Trump celebrated delivering a huge tax overhaul, a moment he said was "an amazing experience" but which was slammed by critics and independent analysts who said the move would disproportionately benefit the wealthiest Americans. Speaking on the South Lawn of the White House where he was surrounded by senior officials and legislators, Mr Trump beamed over what will be considered his signature legislative achievement. "It's very simple," said Mr Trump.
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| Student Finishes College Final Exam While In Labor Posted: 20 Dec 2017 09:07 AM PST  Nayzia' Thomas' Twitter was still blowing up with interview requests and well wishes on Wednesday, because this young woman knows how to multitask.
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| Strikes kill 19 in rebel village in Syria's Idlib: Observatory, rescue service Posted: 20 Dec 2017 05:57 AM PST ![Strikes kill 19 in rebel village in Syria's Idlib: Observatory, rescue service]( "Strikes kill 19 in rebel village in Syria's Idlib: Observatory, rescue service") Air strikes killed 19 people in a village in Syria's rebel stronghold of Idlib overnight, a rescue service there and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday. The strikes pounded Maar Shureen in the northwestern Idlib province and injured 25 other people, the Britain-based Observatory said. The war monitoring group added that Syrian government or Russian aircraft had struck the village.
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| If You Want A Better Relationship In 2018, Do This Posted: 21 Dec 2017 01:19 PM PST  It's easy to get off track with your New Year's resolutions when you're the only one holding yourself accountable.
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| Official: Train brake automatically activated in fatal wreck Posted: 19 Dec 2017 08:26 PM PST  DUPONT, Wash. (AP) — Investigators are looking into whether the Amtrak engineer whose speeding train plunged off an overpass, killing at least three people, was distracted by the presence of an employee-in-training next to him in the locomotive, a federal official said Tuesday.
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| Major fire at public sauna in South Korea kills at least 29, injures dozens Posted: 21 Dec 2017 05:04 AM PST  At least 29 people were killed and 29 more were injured on Thursday in a major blaze at a building housing a sports centre and public bath in the South Korean city of Jecheon, officials said. The fire broke out around 4:00pm local time (7am GMT) and quickly engulfed the entire eight-storey building, leaving many trapped inside. Sixteen victims were found at a public sauna and two elsewhere in the building, the National Fire Agency said. Television footage showed the building consumed by flames and issuing dark plumes of smoke, as several people stood waiting to be rescued from an outdoor terrace. The fire - believed to have started in a parking lot on the first floor - has been mostly put out, but the death toll may rise further as firefighters continue to search the building, an agency spokesman said. Smoke rises from a burning building in Jecheon, South Korea Credit: YONHAP/REUTERS "The fire produced so much toxic smoke so quickly, leaving many people unable to evacuate," the spokesman said. Jecheon is in central South Korea, about 120 kilometres (75 miles) southeast of the capital Seoul. President Moon Jae-In expressed regret over the accident and urged officials "utmost efforts" for rescue and search operations, his office said. The worst fire accident ever to hit the modern South Korea was an arson attack on a subway station in the southeastern city of Daegu that killed 192 people in 2003. A survivor jumps down to an air mattress as he waits for rescue from the burning building in Jecheon Credit: REUTERS
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| Governor Commutes Sentence of Woman, 68, After She Served 35 Years in Prison Posted: 21 Dec 2017 09:55 AM PST  Judy Henderson was sentenced in 1982 for her "relatively minor" role in a robbery-turned-murder.
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| ‘She’s in My Dreams’: How the Boyfriend of a N.D. Woman Killed for Their Baby Is Haunted by Her Death- HOLD FOR POST 12/21 Posted: 20 Dec 2017 06:09 PM PST  Four months after Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind's killing, her longtime boyfriend and father of her only child remains haunted.
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| 27 Low-Carb Breakfasts You'll Actually Want To Eat Posted: 21 Dec 2017 05:14 PM PST |
| Tom Brokaw Says Fox News Is 'On A Jihad' To Destroy FBI's Credibility Posted: 21 Dec 2017 12:08 PM PST  Veteran broadcaster Tom Brokaw accuses Fox News of waging "a jihad" against the FBI to discredit the investigation into whether President Donald Trump's campaign colluded with Russia.
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| Jeff Sessions Reportedly Revives Probe Of Uranium One Deal Posted: 21 Dec 2017 05:02 AM PST  The Justice Department is reviving an inquiry into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the government's controversial approval of the Uranium One deal, NBC News reported on Thursday.
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| Candy Canes Are Everywhere During Christmas. Here’s Why Posted: 20 Dec 2017 11:06 AM PST  They weren't always the most popular Christmas candy
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| Saudi, Lebanon diplomats caught in diplomatic tussle Posted: 20 Dec 2017 08:43 AM PST  BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon's ambassador to Saudi Arabia and his Saudi counterpart are caught in what appears to be a diplomatic tussle over representation, with each country delaying accreditation of the other's diplomat, though both were named months ago.
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| Sea turtle found trapped in cocaine bundles worth $53m Posted: 20 Dec 2017 03:37 AM PST  A sea turtle trapped among floating cocaine bales worth $53m (£40m) has been rescued by the US Coast Guard. The boat crew discovered the large loggerhead turtle entangled in blue rope connecting bales containing 800 kilos (1,800lb) of the Class A drug in the Pacific Ocean on November 19. The US Coast Guard helps rescue a sea turtle trapped among bundles of cocaine Credit: US Coast Guard/Facebook Coast Guard Ens. Mark Krebs and his team noticed the injured sea turtle after launching a small boat to investigate a debris field. "They saw significant chaffing from the lines on his neck and flippers," said the US Coast Guard. "They briefed the commanding officer and went to work, carefully cutting the lines wrapped around the sea turtle and then eventually freeing him. "The boat crew recovered over 75-feet of line to prevent further entanglement of sea life and returned to the law enforcement mission recovering over 1,800 pounds of cocaine valued at over $53 million dollars from international waters." The struggling marine reptile was rescued during a 68-day counter drug patrol by the US Armed Forces branch in the Eastern Pacific along the Central American coast. By the end of the operation, the crew had seized a total of 6,755 kilos (14,800lb) of cocaine, 14 pounds of marijuana and arrested 24 suspected smugglers. The large sea turtle was entangled in $53m worth of cocaine Credit: US Coast Guard/Facebook The seizure was part of Operation Martillo, an international operation involving 18 countries targeting criminal organisations moving illicit cargo. In November, hundreds of dead sea turtles were found by environmental officials floating off the coast of El Salvador. The BBC series Blue Planet II recently highlighted the devastating effect plastic and human rubbish is having on the ocean.
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| Six bodies hung from bridges near Mexico's Los Cabos tourist resort Posted: 20 Dec 2017 11:59 AM PST ![Six bodies hung from bridges near Mexico's Los Cabos tourist resort]( "Six bodies hung from bridges near Mexico's Los Cabos tourist resort") The bodies of six men were found hanging from three different bridges near the Mexican tourist resort of Los Cabos on the Baja California peninsula on Wednesday, local authorities said. The authorities did not give details on what happened to the men, but drug gangs often hang the bodies of their murdered victims in public to intimidate rivals. Two bodies were found on a bridge in Las Veredas, near Los Cabos International Airport, and two on a different bridge on the highway between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, local prosecutors said in a statement.
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| 7 Ways to Find Part-Time Work in Retirement Posted: 20 Dec 2017 06:55 AM PST ![7 Ways to Find Part-Time Work in Retirement]( "7 Ways to Find Part-Time Work in Retirement") There are many reasons to keep working after retirement. Of course, there's the money. But beyond that, it's something that gets you out of bed in the morning -- a place to go, a schedule to keep and a routine to anchor your life. You may also want the social interaction you find at work, and perhaps the sense of accomplishment for a job well done.
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| Thanks to Net Neutrality, Comcast Gives Employees $1,000 Bonuses Posted: 21 Dec 2017 08:35 AM PST ![Thanks to Net Neutrality, Comcast Gives Employees $1,000 Bonuses]( "Thanks to Net Neutrality, Comcast Gives Employees $1,000 Bonuses") Comcast is celebrating the death of net neutrality.
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