| Exclusive: Here's Jeff Sessions’ Draft Master Plan For The Justice Department Posted: 08 Mar 2018 02:54 PM PST  WASHINGTON ― Attorney General Jeff Sessions is rapidly shifting the Justice Department's focus from Obama-era goals such as civil rights enforcement and criminal justice reform to conservative priorities. A draft version of the department's five-year strategic plan obtained by HuffPost shows the Trump administration's plans for the DOJ include cracking down on undocumented immigrants, aggressively prosecuting national security leaks, zeroing in on campus speech issues, targeting the MS-13 gang and restoring the "rule of law" throughout the country. The special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and President Donald Trump's attacks on Sessions have grabbed headlines in the attorney general's first year in office.
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| Second Ankle Bracelet for Manafort After Plea on Latest Charges Posted: 08 Mar 2018 12:55 PM PST  Rachel Maddow reports on Paul Manafort pleading not guilty to his second set of charges in Virginia, earning him a second ankle bracelet as he faces potentially 23 to 30 years in prison if he is convicted in both cases.
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| Democrats push 'Medicare for All' bills, but not all in the party are onboard Posted: 08 Mar 2018 06:45 PM PST  Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders have introduced bills for universal health care, which will be a tough sell for many in their own party.
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| UK police officer harmed by nerve agent now talking: minister Posted: 08 Mar 2018 12:35 AM PST  A British police officer who was harmed by a nerve agent used in an attack on a Russian ex-spy is now able to talk to people although his condition remains serious, interior minister Amber Rudd said on Thursday. Former double agent Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found unconscious on Sunday on a bench in the southern English city of Salisbury and have been in a critical condition in hospital since then. An unnamed police officer who was at the scene was also hospitalized.
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| U.S. Government barring employees from traveling to Playa Del Carmen Posted: 08 Mar 2018 08:08 AM PST  American are still free to travel to the popular Mexican resort city, but after last month's ferry explosion that injured at least 25 people, the U.S. Government is urging caution.
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| 'Booth babes' on verge of extinction at Geneva Motor Show Posted: 08 Mar 2018 09:07 AM PST  Long synonymous with scantily-clad women draped over pricy vehicles, this year's Geneva Motor Show is almost void of "booth babes", as automakers strive to polish their images following the #MeToo movement. Carmakers have for several years been scaling back the use of skin-flashing models to draw in an overwhelmingly male audience at events like the one in Geneva. "I'm very glad because we are not objects," said Julie, a hostess wearing a knee-length beige dress and heels at one of the stands in Geneva.
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| NRA Sues To Block Brand-New Gun Law In Florida Posted: 09 Mar 2018 03:44 PM PST  The National Rifle Association filed a lawsuit in federal court on Friday to block a new gun law in Florida just over an hour after it was signed by Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who is an NRA member. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act — passed three weeks after a mass shooting at the school killed 17 people — raises the minimum legal age for buying any guns in Florida from 18 to 21 and would allow some teachers and other staff in the Florida school system to be armed after training. SB 7026 also prohibits gun ownership by people mental health problems and expands the three-day waiting period that had applied only to handguns to now include long gun purchases.
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| US jobs rise at fastest rate in two years in February, but wage growth cools Posted: 09 Mar 2018 05:50 AM PST  The US added an impressive 313,000 jobs in February, but wage growth cooled, according to the latest official employment report. It was the biggest monthly increase in American non-farm payrolls since July 2016. The January wage growth figure was revised down to 2.8 per cent.
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| Trump and the Russians: A new book describes how it all began — at a Las Vegas nightclub Posted: 08 Mar 2018 06:00 AM PST  A party at a raunchy Las Vegas nightclub in 2013 greased the wheels for Trump's later cooperation with a Russian oligarch close to Putin, and yet another Trump Tower meeting comes to light: revelations in "Russian Roulette," a new book by investigative journalists Michael Isikoff and David Corn.
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| FBI opens criminal probe over police beating of North Carolina man for jaywalking Posted: 08 Mar 2018 07:59 AM PST  Body camera footage shows two police officers confronting Johnnie Rush, who was accused of jaywalking — with an officer tackling, punching and tasering Rush.
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| Japan punishes crypto exchanges after hack Posted: 07 Mar 2018 07:48 PM PST  Japanese authorities Thursday ordered two cryptocurrency exchanges to suspend operations as part of a clampdown following a massive hack that saw thieves steal hundreds of millions of dollars in virtual currency. The Financial Services Agency (FSA) said in a statement it had ordered FSHO and Bit Station, exchanges based in Yokohama and Nagoya, to temporarily halt their operations for a month from Thursday. Immediate comments from the two exchanges were not available.
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| Equifax Wins In Latest Version Of Senate Bank Bill Posted: 09 Mar 2018 11:53 AM PST  WASHINGTON ― Companies that are notorious for mistreating U.S. consumers could benefit from a bipartisan Senate bill that is supposed to protect those consumers. Legislation by Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and supported by more than a dozen Democrats would give credit monitoring companies like Equifax a chance to expand their role in the mortgage industry. The bill would require government-backed mortgage companies to solicit applications for credit scoring models for evaluating the creditworthiness of people seeking home loans.
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| There Have Been 756 Copycat Threats Against Schools Since the Parkland Shooting, Group Says Posted: 08 Mar 2018 07:20 AM PST  It's about 73 threats and violent incidents a day
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| Kenya's president and opposition leader pledge to heal divisions in surprise announcement Posted: 09 Mar 2018 06:16 AM PST  Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga promised on Friday to unite the country after elections last year in which around 100 people were killed mainly in clashes between opposition supporters and security forces. The surprise announcement is likely to lower political tension in a country that is East Africa's richest economy and a key regional hub for security, diplomacy and trade. In a live television address with Kenyatta on the steps of the president's office, Odinga said the time had come to resolve their differences. It was the first joint public appearance of its kind by the two politicians since 2013. Kenyatta said: "We have a responsibility as leaders to find solutions. Elections come and go but Kenya remains." They said in a statement they have agreed to establish a new office staffed by advisers to tackle the divisions ranging from opposition complaints over the election to tensions between ethnic groups and corruption. Kenyatta was sworn in last November for a second term after winning a repeat presidential election last Oct. 26 that Odinga boycotted. The Supreme Court earlier nullified an August presidential poll and order the October re-run. Murithi Mutiga, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, said the meeting between the two "titans" of Kenyan politics was key because they have been feuding for so long. Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta (L) and National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition opposition leader Raila Odinga shake hands after addressing a press conference on March 9, 2018 Credit: AFP "The symbolism is very important but it is vital that they also invest heavily in ensuring that a more lasting settlement emerges from their talks," he said, citing the need to stamp out violence every time elections are called. The election season blunted growth in Kenya, East Africa's richest economy and a Western ally in a volatile region. In January, Odinga took a symbolic presidential oath in a Nairobi park in a direct challenge to Kenyatta. Before the Friday meeting, the two men had defied calls from Kenyan civil society, religious leaders and Western diplomats to hold talks to overcome deep divisions opened up by the disputed elections. Odinga said the opposition had decided to change tactics for the sake of the country's unity. "We refuse to allow our diversity to kill our nation," he said. Odinga's allies in his NASA coalition, including his running mate in last year's poll, Kalonzo Musyoka, said they were not aware of the meeting and promised to give a detailed statement later. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrives in the Kenyan capital later on Friday as part of a seven-day visit to Africa and one analyst said his arrival could be linked to the rapprochement between Kenyatta and Odinga. "The U.S. should not be dismissed or discounted. They have successfully engineered this," said Aly Khan Satchu, an independent analyst in Nairobi. One lawmaker said Kenyatta, who is in his final term, and Odinga, who turned 73 in January, may be keen on securing their legacies with the new found unity of purpose. Moses Kuria, a legislator for Kenyatta's Jubilee party said the meeting could be the start of ending the cycle of disputed elections and their ruinous impact on economic growth. "We are the only country that goes for elections and ends up with an economic slump... It is good for the country," said.
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| Woman discovers she has a twin she was separated from at birth Posted: 09 Mar 2018 06:29 AM PST  Sharon Morello, who was adopted as a baby, learned that she was separated at birth from her twin sister, who was adopted by a different family.
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| Charlize Theron Explains How Her Mom Became Her Weed Dealer Posted: 08 Mar 2018 08:27 AM PST  The 42-year-old "Gringo" actress revealed during an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Wednesday that her mom, Gerda, recently started buying her weed. It all started because the two have trouble sleeping, Theron said. They wanted to try a strain of weed that would help, rather than their usual sleep medication. "Last week she showed up at my house, literally drove in in her little tennis outfit, and brought me a little container and just left it on my kitchen table," Theron said.
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| The Latest: Scene of officer's killing was drug house Posted: 08 Mar 2018 08:31 AM PST  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Latest on a Missouri shooting that left one police officer dead and two others wounded (all times local):
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| The 20 Funniest Tweets From Women This Week Posted: 09 Mar 2018 08:15 AM PST  The ladies of Twitter never fail to brighten our days with their brilliant ― but succinct ― wisdom. Each week, HuffPost Women rounds up hilarious 280-character musings. To see this week's great tweets from women, scroll through the list below. Then visit our Funniest Tweets From Women page for our past collections.
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| Pennsylvania Republicans make case for scrapping new Congress map Posted: 09 Mar 2018 01:09 PM PST  By David DeKok HARRISBURG, Pa. (Reuters) - A panel of three federal judges heard arguments on Friday in the latest attempt by Pennsylvania Republicans to block a court-imposed map of voting districts that could boost Democrats' chances of winning control of the U.S. Congress this year. Lawyers for the Republicans requested an injunction to stop the implementation of the new map and instead grant the Republican-controlled state legislature two months to come up with congressional districts that the court would find acceptable. The state's Supreme Court issued the revised map last month after finding the Republican-controlled legislature had drawn districts to marginalize Democratic voters in violation of the Pennsylvania Constitution.
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| IBM's Michelle Peluso Thinks Men Play a Key Role in the Fight for Gender Equality Posted: 08 Mar 2018 06:00 AM PST  We must all roll up our sleeves
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| Philippine president needs 'psychiatric evaluation': UN rights chief Posted: 09 Mar 2018 02:10 AM PST  The UN human rights chief said Friday that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who has launched profanity-laced diatribes against United Nations rapporteurs, needs "psychiatric evaluation". Zeid and other UN rights officials have focused significant attention on Duterte's controversial drug war.
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| Seven years after tsunami, Japanese live alongside high walls Posted: 09 Mar 2018 02:52 AM PST  Thousands of people in Japan's northeast coast have rebuilt their lives alongside huge sea walls that experts say will protect them if another giant tsunami occurs.
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| Oakland Mayor Dings Trump After He Calls It A 'Disgrace' That She Tipped Off Immigrants Posted: 08 Mar 2018 07:19 PM PST  "I'm so appreciative of the Oakland community ... the feelings of being supported, of being heard, of being stood up for, those have been really wonderful for me to hear," she added. After learning late last month that Immigration and Customs Enforcement was planning local raids, Schaaf warned residents to take precautions, saying it was her "duty and moral obligation" to warn her constituents. Oakland is a "city of law-abiding immigrants and families who deserve to live free from the constant threat of arrest and deportation," Schaaf said.
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| Cops: Missing girl changed paperwork to list man as stepdad Posted: 09 Mar 2018 03:33 PM PST  ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A 45-year-old man who signed out a 16-year-old girl from her Pennsylvania school 10 times in the last few months before the two went missing was able to do so because she had changed school documents to list him as her stepfather, according to police.
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| Malaysia says MH370 report to be released after latest search ends Posted: 07 Mar 2018 07:51 PM PST ![Malaysia says MH370 report to be released after latest search ends]( "Malaysia says MH370 report to be released after latest search ends") The full investigation report into the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will be released after the latest search efforts are completed, officials said on Thursday, four years after the aircraft first went missing. Flight MH370, carrying 239 people onboard, became one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries when it disappeared on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. Malaysia agreed in January to pay U.S. firm Ocean Infinity up to $70 million if it found the plane during an offshore search effort that is underway and expected to end in June.
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| Fact box about the trial of Danish inventor Peter Madsen Posted: 08 Mar 2018 01:30 AM PST ![Fact box about the trial of Danish inventor Peter Madsen]( "Fact box about the trial of Danish inventor Peter Madsen") COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish inventor Peter Madsen goes on trial Thursday for the killing of journalist Kim Wall in his submarine. A look at the key facts in the case:
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| Interior Department Spending $138,670 To Replace Doors In Zinke's Office Posted: 08 Mar 2018 02:12 PM PST  The agency awarded the contract to Conquest Solutions LLC, a Greenbelt, Maryland-based company that specializes in automation systems. The Interior Department also did not respond to HuffPost's inquiry.
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| China's Air Force May Soon Get More Russian Su-35 Fighters Posted: 09 Mar 2018 07:09 AM PST  Moscow and Beijing may have struck a deal. Multiple sources within Russia and the People's Liberation Army Air Force suggest that Beijing and Moscow may have struck a preliminary deal for procurement by the PLAAF of more of Russian-made Sukhoi Su-35 fighters. Hong Kong-based military monthly Kanwa Defense Review reported in February that the second batch of the highly maneuverable aircraft with thrust-vectoring engines had already descended on PLA airbases in southern China.
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| Florida passes bill to restrict guns, arm some teachers Posted: 08 Mar 2018 12:18 AM PST  The US state of Florida, scene of America's latest school shooting, on Wednesday passed bill that raises the minimum age to buy firearms to 21 while funding a program that allows some teachers and school employees to be armed. The "Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act," which takes its name from last month's mass shooting in which 17 people including 14 students were killed, passed the legislature's lower house a day after clearing the senate. It will now be sent to Governor Rick Scott to sign.
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| 4 Things to Look for During the Job Interview Posted: 08 Mar 2018 08:41 AM PST ![4 Things to Look for During the Job Interview]( "4 Things to Look for During the Job Interview") Are you obsessed with how you'll sell yourself during the interview? Highlighting your skills, talents and abilities is certainly important, but equally important is finding a job that will be a good fit for you. You are interviewing to assess the job opportunity, your potential manager and the company. So how do you do this? You ask questions. You can, and should, level the playing field by asking questions which will turn the interview into a mutually beneficial exchange of information.
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| Adam Rippon says he will talk to Mike Pence Posted: 08 Mar 2018 01:58 AM PST  U.S. Olympic medalist Adam Rippon says he turned down an invitation to meet Vice President Mike Pence during the Olympics but now he's open to a discussion.
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| Intel casts doubt on report of interest in Broadcom Posted: 09 Mar 2018 03:52 PM PST  The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Intel's competitive concern about Broadcom's attempt to buy mobile chip rival Qualcomm Inc had led it to consider buying Broadcom, as one of several responses. Responding to an inquiry about the Journal's report, Intel said it does not comment on "rumors or speculation" related to mergers and acquisitions but that it is focused on its previous acquisitions.
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| Dramatic Video Captures Rescue of Woman Who Went Overboard While Taking Cruise Ship Selfie Posted: 09 Mar 2018 11:44 AM PST  The 53-year-old woman had been in the water off the Bahamas for more than an hour.
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| A 17-Year-Old Girl Was Shot to Death at an Alabama High School Posted: 07 Mar 2018 07:12 PM PST  The shooting is being investigated as an accident
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| The Latest: Lawyer: Not charging LAPD officer was right call Posted: 08 Mar 2018 02:51 PM PST ![The Latest: Lawyer: Not charging LAPD officer was right call]( "The Latest: Lawyer: Not charging LAPD officer was right call") LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest on prosecutors' decision against filing charges against a Los Angeles police officer over the shooting of an unarmed homeless man (all times local):
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| Democrats seek subpoenas for White House security clearance data Posted: 09 Mar 2018 02:24 PM PST  By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats on a congressional committee investigating the White House's security clearance procedures on Friday urged the panel's Republican chairman to compel the Trump administration to turn over records they said were being withheld. In a letter to U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, Representative Elijah Cummings, the panel's top Democrat, asked that a subpoena be issued to force the White House to turn over the security clearance documents.
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| 9 Incredible Bars and Restaurants That Used to Be Other Things Posted: 09 Mar 2018 05:00 AM PST |
| Dozens treated for breathing problems after raids on Syria's Ghouta Posted: 08 Mar 2018 12:34 AM PST  Dozens of people were treated for breathing difficulties after air strikes slammed into Syria's Eastern Ghouta late Wednesday, a monitor said, with medics reporting symptoms consistent with a toxic attack. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 60 people in the besieged rebel enclave were left struggling to breathe after air strikes and barrel bombs hit the towns of Saqba and Hammuriyeh. Doctors at one medical facility in Eastern Ghouta said they treated at least 29 patients with signs of exposure to chlorine, according to the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS).
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| Disney's 'Star Wars' Land Takes Shape In New Video -- And It's Huge Posted: 09 Mar 2018 02:06 AM PST  The "Star Wars" themed area at the Disneyland resort in Anaheim, California, is rapidly taking shape. "At Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, guests will be transported to the planet of Batuu, a remote outpost on the galaxy's edge that was once a busy crossroads along the old sub-lightspeed trade routes," the company said in a news release. A second and largely identical version of "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge" is also under construction at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida. A hotel themed to the franchise is also planned.
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| US 'a long way' from negotiations with N.Korea: Tillerson Posted: 08 Mar 2018 05:39 AM PST  Washington's top diplomat Rex Tillerson said Thursday the United States was "a long way from negotiations" with North Korea, which this week made a shock offer to discuss denuclearisation. Tillerson, who is in Ethiopia on his first-ever Africa tour, said the signals from Pyongyang may be positive but stressed negotiations with Kim Jong Un's regime were not going to happen soon. "I think as President Trump has indicated, (there are) potentially positive signals coming from North Korea by way of their intra-Korean dialogue with South Korea," he told journalists.
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| Wynn Resorts to pay $2.6 billion to settle lawsuit with Japan's Universal Posted: 09 Mar 2018 07:45 AM PST  Wynn Resorts Ltd has agreed to pay $2.6 billion to settle a lawsuit brought by Japan's Universal Entertainment Corp and its U.S. unit, ending a six-year old dispute that pitted casino mogul Steve Wynn against his former associate Kazuo Okada. The size of the compensation was lower than market expectations and sent shares in Universal, a maker of Japanese-style slot machines and the operator of a casino in the Philippines, plunging 16 percent in Thursday trade in Tokyo. The lawsuit relates to Wynn Resorts' 2012 forced redemption of a stake held by Universal's unit Aruze USA at a 30 percent discount after an internal investigation by former FBI director Louis Freeh alleged Okada had violated U.S. anti-corruption laws.
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| The Latest: Official: Metal detectors at school not in use Posted: 08 Mar 2018 01:56 PM PST  BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The Latest on a high school shooting in Birmingham, Alabama (all times local):
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| Cops Search for Alleged Arsonist Seen Dousing SUV in Accelerant, Setting It on Fire Posted: 09 Mar 2018 07:22 AM PST  The Stockton, Calif., police are asking for help identifying the alleged firebug.
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