| The 4 Legal Challenges Facing Trump's Emergency Declaration Posted: 19 Feb 2019 10:59 AM PST  Since President Donald Trump declared a national emergency to build a border wall multiple groups are already challenging the move in court.
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| Pakistan to honour Saudi crown prince after $20bn deals Posted: 17 Feb 2019 10:25 PM PST  Pakistan will confer its highest civilian honour on the Saudi crown prince on Monday, a day after he signed investment deals worth $20 billion on the first stop of an Asian tour clouded by his alleged role in the grisly murder of a dissident journalist. President Arif Alvi will award Mohammad bin Salman the Nishan-e-Pakistan (Order of Pakistan), the foreign office said in a statement, before the crown prince leaves the country for his next stop, Islamabad's arch-rival India. Pakistan is facing a serious balance of payments crisis and hopes the huge deals signed over the two-day visit -- seven separate agreements and memorandums of understanding -- will boost its struggling economy.
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| Farrakhan Praises Omar’s Anti-Semitic Remarks: ‘Shake Up That Corrupt House’ Posted: 18 Feb 2019 01:57 PM PST  Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan on Sunday praised Representative Ilhan Omar's (D., Minn.) recent endorsement of an anti-Semitic trope and urged the freshman lawmaker not to bow to pressure from critics."Ms. Omar from Somalia – she started talking about 'the Benjamins' and they are trying to make her apologize. Sweetheart, don't do that. Pardon me for calling you sweetheart, but you do have a sweet heart. You sure are using it to shake the government up, but you have nothing to apologize for," Farrakhan said during his annual Saviour's Day address in Chicago, in comments first reported by the Washington Free Beacon."Israel and AIPAC pays off senators and congressmen to do their bidding, so you're not lying. So if you're not lying, stop laying down. You were sent there by the people to shake up that corrupt House," he added.Farrakhan, who has long engaged in anti-Semitic conspiracy-mongering, went on to mock Omar's Democratic allies, who have defended her remarks as the result of inexperience and lack of knowledge regarding the historic plight of the Jewish people."'Oh she's just young. She just got here. Don't be so hard on her,'" he said, mocking Omar's defenders. "My beautiful sisters, you were sent there to shake that House up. Your people voted you in, but God is the overseer."Omar argued in a series of tweets sent last week that the pro-Israel stance held by many of her colleagues can be attributed to the nefarious influence of jewish donors and organizations, such as the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). She subsequently apologized after being publicly urged to do so by Democratic leadership.Since being elected in November, Omar has been confronted with allegations of anti-Semitism by critics who cite both her past tweets, one of which accused Israel of "hypnotizing the world," and her more-recent statements and associations with noted anti-Semitic pro-Palestinian activists.Farrakhan has managed to maintain ties with a number of prominent Democratic lawmakers and activists despite his extensive record of bigotry. Women's March co-chair Tamikah Mallory was roundly criticized for praising Farrakhan as the "GOAT" or "greatest of all time" on social media following his 2018 Saviour's Day address, during which he labeled Jews "satanic.""I didn't call him the greatest of all time because of his rhetoric. I called him the greatest of all time because of what he's done in black communities," Mallory said during an appearance on ABC's The View last month when asked about the Instagram post.
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| Mexico announces plans to close shelter housing 1,600 migrants: Will they go to Texas? Posted: 18 Feb 2019 07:06 AM PST  Residents in Eagle Pass, Texas, express concerns about an influx in illegal immigrants after a shelter on the other side of the border closes; Jacqui Heinrich reports from the scene.
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| Huawei founder says Huawei CFO arrest was politically motivated - BBC Posted: 18 Feb 2019 07:24 PM PST  "Firstly, I object to what the U.S. has done. This kind of politically motivated act is not acceptable," Ren told the BBC in an interview. Canada arrested Meng on Dec. 1 at the request of the United States.
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| American and British ISIS brides Hoda Muthana and Shamima Begum plead to go home Posted: 18 Feb 2019 01:05 PM PST  Hoda Muthana and Shamima Begum fled to Syria to marry Islamic State group fighters. Now they want to come home.
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| How to see tonight's super Snow moon in the UK Posted: 19 Feb 2019 02:22 AM PST  Dust off those binoculars because space fans are in for a celestial treat tonight. February's Snow Moon will be the second super moon of 2019 to grace our skies, appearing bigger and brighter to the human eye than usual as it makes its closest approach to Earth in the lunar cycle. As one of 12 full moons to admire every year, February's moon was nicknamed the Snow Moon by early Native Americans to symbolise the country's heavy snowfall and challenging hunting conditions. But when and how can you see it? Here we've compiled a complete guide to our moon, Earth's only natural satellite and the largest and brightest object in our night sky which has enchanted and inspired mankind for centuries. From super moon to blue moon, here's everything explained in one place. How often does a full moon occur? A full moon occurs every 29.5 days and is when the Moon is completely illuminated by the Sun's rays. It occurs when Earth is directly aligned between the Sun and the Moon. Why do full moons have names? The early Native Americans didn't record time using months of the Julian or Gregorian calendar. Instead tribes gave each full moon a nickname to keep track of the seasons and lunar months. Most of the names relate to an activity or an event that took place at the time in each location. However, it wasn't a uniform system and tribes tended to name and count moons differently. Some, for example, counted four seasons a year while others counted five. Others defined a year as 12 moons, while others said there were 13. Colonial Americans adopted some of the moon names and applied them to their own calendar system which is why they're still in existence today, according to the Farmer's Almanac. January: Wolf Moon This moon was named because villagers used to hear packs of wolves howling in hunger around this time of the year. Its other name is the Old Moon. The first full moon of 2019 was a spectacular sight, dubbed the 'super blood wolf moon'. Occurring as the product of three different phenomena: it was a supermoon, a wolf moon and a blood moon. While it was said to be the UK's last visible total lunar eclipse for 10 years, it was pictured across skies around the world with a deep orange hue. In January 2018 there were two Wolf Moons, both of which were supermoons. When two moons occur in one month, the second is called a blue moon. While blue moons typically occur only once every two to three years, last year we were treated to two moons - the second appearing at the end of March. When? January 21 Super Wolf Blood Moon: The total lunar eclipse, in pictures from around the world February: Snow Moon The Snow moon is named after the cold white stuff because historically it's always been the snowiest month in America. It's also traditionally referred to as the Hunger Moon, because hunting was very difficult in snowy conditions. While February 2018 had no full moon at all, this year's Snow Moon will also be the second of three supermoons to occur in 2019. Rising in the sky at 3.53pm, the moon will make its closest approach to Earth all year and appear visibly bigger and brighter to the naked eye. When? February 19 March: Worm Moon As temperatures warm, earthworm casts begin to appear and birds begin finding food. It's also known as Sap Moon, Crow Moon and Lenten Moon. This year's Worm Moon will also be the third super moon of 2019, appearing 30 per cent brighter and 14 per cent bigger to the human eye. When? March 21 April: Pink Moon April's full moon is known as the Pink Moon, but don't be fooled into thinking it will turn pink. It's actually named after pink wildflowers, which appear in the US and Canada in early spring. This moon is also known as Egg Moon, due to spring egg-laying season. Some coastal tribes referred to it as Fish Moon because it appeared at the same time as the shad swimming upstream. This moon is important because it is used to fix the date of Easter, which is always the Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. This year, that moon appears on Friday April 19, which means Easter Sunday falls two days later, on Sunday April 21. When? April 19 May: Flower Moon Spring has officially sprung by the time May arrives, and flowers and colourful blooms dot the landscape. This moon is also known as Corn Planting Moon, as crops are sown in time for harvest, or Bright Moon because this full moon is known to be one of the brightest. Some people refer to it as Milk Moon. When? May 18 June: Strawberry Moon This moon is named after the beginning of the strawberry picking season. It's other names are Rose Moon, Hot Moon, or Hay Moon as hay is typically harvested around now. This moon appears in the same month as the summer solstice, the longest day of the year (June 21) in which we can enjoy approximately 17 hours of daylight. When? June 17 July: Thunder Moon Named due to the prevalence of summer thunder storms. It's sometimes referred to as the Full Buck Moon because at this time of the year a buck's antlers are fully grown. When? July 16 August: Sturgeon Moon Tribes in North America typically caught Sturgeon during this month, but also it is when grain and corn were gathered so is also referred to as Grain Moon. August will also see what is known as a 'black moon' in the UK, which is when there are two new moons in one month. The first will be on August 1 and the second on August 30. This month's full moon appears in the same month as the Perseid meteor shower, which peaks on August 12. When? August 15 September: Harvest Moon The Harvest Moon is the name given to the first full moon that takes place closest to the Autumn equinox, which this year will come on September 14. The Harvest Moon arrived late in 2017, on October 5 - it normally rises in September. It was during September that most of the crops were harvested ahead of the autumn and this moon would give light to farmers so they could carry on working longer in the evening. Some tribes also called it the Barley Moon, the Full Corn Moon or Fruit Moon. When? September 14 October: Hunter's Moon As people planned ahead for the cold months ahead, the October moon came to signify the ideal time for hunting game, which were becoming fatter from eating falling grains. This moon is also known as the travel moon and the dying grass moon. When?October 13 November: Frost Moon The first of the winter frosts historically begin to take their toll around now and winter begins to bite, leading to this month's moon moniker. It is also known as the Beaver Moon. When? November 12 December: Cold Moon Nights are long and dark and winter's grip tightens, hence this Moon's name. With Christmas just a few weeks away, it's also referred to as Moon before Yule and Long Nights Moon. When? December 12 Total lunar eclipses Space fans will remember that a total lunar eclipse graced our skies on January 21. In total the phenomenon - which was also a full moon and a supermoon - lasted five hours, 11 minutes and 33 seconds, with its maximum totality peaking at 5.12am. The celestial spectacle, otherwise known as a 'blood moon', occurs when the moon moves into the Earth's shadow. At the distance of the moon this shadow appears like the bull's eye at the centre of a dartboard. The umbral shadow slowly creeps across the moon's disc until it engulfs it completely. You might think the moon would disappear from view at this point but this is typically not the case. The Earth's atmosphere acts like a lens, refracting or bending the Sun's red light to infill the otherwise dark umbra. This results in the moon's usual bright white hue transforming into a deep blood orange. July 2018 saw the longest total lunar eclipse of the 21st century, lasting from 8.49pm to 10.13pm in London. Making the phenomenon even more spectacular, Mars was at its closest point to Earth since 2003, meaning the Red Planet was close to maximum brightness. Once in a blue moon Does this well-known phrase have anything to do with the moon? Well, yes it does. We use it to refer to something happening very rarely and a blue moon is a rare occurrence. It's the name given to a second full moon that occurs in a single calendar month and this typically occurs only once every two to three years. There's lots of other moons, too - how many do you know? Full moon: We all know what these are. They come around every month and light up the night at night. Harvest moon: The full moon closest to the autumn equinox. Black moon: Most experts agree that this refers to the second new moon in a calendar month. The last black moon was at the start of October 2016 and the next one is expected in August 2019; the first of the month will be on the 1st and the second will fall on the 30th. Blood moon: Also known as a supermoon lunar eclipse. It's when the shadow of Earth casts a reddish glow on the moon, the result of a rare combination of an eclipse with the closest full moon of the year. There was one in the UK in January 2019, but the next one won't be until 2029. Strawberry moon: A rare event when there's a full moon on the same day as the summer solstice. It happened in June 2016 for the first time since 1967 when 17 hours of sunlight gave way to a bright moonlit sky. Despite the name, the moon does appear pink or red. The romantic label was coined by the Algonquin tribes of North America who believed June's full moon signalled the beginning of the strawberry picking season. What is a supermoon? Ever looked up at the night sky to see a full moon so close you could almost touch it? Well you've probably spotted a supermoon. The impressive sight happens when a full moon is at the point in its orbit that brings it closest to Earth. To us Earth-lings, it appears 30 per cent brighter and 14 per cent bigger to the naked eye. How a supermoon is generated Supermoon is not an astrological term though. It's scientific name is actually Perigee Full Moon, but supermoon is more catchy and is used by the media to describe our celestial neighbour when it gets up close. Astrologer Richard Nolle first came up with the term supermoon and he defined it as "… a new or full moon which occurs with the moon at or near (within 90 per cent of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit", according to earthsky.org. How many supermoons are there in 2019? The first full moon supermoon of 2019 appeared on January 21. Two more supermoons will take place on February 19 and March 21. The first of these supermoons was a total lunar eclipse, with the totality lasting 1 hour, 1 minute and 58 seconds in the UK. However, the peak of the eclipse was at 5:12am, which meant stargazers had to get up early to catch it. There will also be three new moon supermoons in 2019: one on August 1, one on August 31 and another on September 28. Unfortunately, stargazers may be unable to see these moons as new moons are generally obscured by the light of the sun. What do I look for? Head outside at sunset when the moon is closest to the horizon and marvel at its size. As well as being closer and brighter, the moon (clouds permitting) should also look orange and red in colour. Why? Well, as moonlight passes through the thicker section of the atmosphere, light particles at the red end of the spectrum don't scatter as easily as light at the blue end of the spectrum. So when the moon looks red, you're just looking at red light that wasn't scattered. As the moon gets higher in the sky, it returns to its normal white/yellow colour. Will the tides be larger? Yes. When full or new moons are especially close to Earth, it leads to higher tides. Tides are governed by the gravitational pull of the moon and, to a lesser extent, the sun. Because the sun and moon go through different alignments, this affects the size of the tides. Tell me more about the moon The moon is 4.6 billion years old and was formed between 30-50 million years after the solar system. It is smaller than Earth - about the same size as Pluto in fact. Its surface area is less than the surface area of Asia - about 14.6 million square miles according to space.com Gravity on the moon is only 1/6 of that found on Earth. The moon is not round, but is egg-shaped with the large end pointed towards Earth. It would take 135 days to drive by car to the moon at 70 mph (or nine years to walk). The moon has "moonquakes" caused by the gravitational pull of Earth. Experts believe the moon has a molten core, just like Earth. How was the Moon formed? How the Moon was formed Man on the Moon Only 12 people have ever walked on the moon and they were all American men, including (most famously) Neil Armstrong who was the first in 1969 on the Apollo II mission. The last time mankind sent someone to the moon was in 1972 when Gene Cernan visited on the Apollo 17 mission. Although Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon, Buzz Aldrin was the first man to urinate there. While millions watched the moon landing on live television, Aldrin was forced to go in a tube fitted inside his space suit. Buzz Aldrin Jr. beside the U.S. flag after man reaches the Moon for the first time during the Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969. Credit: AP When the astronauts took off their helmets after their moonwalk, they noticed a strong smell, which Armstrong described as "wet ashes in a fireplace" and Aldrin as "spent gunpowder". It was the smell of moon-dust brought in on their boots. The mineral, armalcolite, discovered during the first moon landing and later found at various locations on Earth, was named after the three Apollo 11 astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. An estimated 600 million people watched the Apollo 11 landing live on television, a world record until 750 million people watched the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. An estimated 600 million people watched the Apollo 11 landing live on television, a world record until 750 million people watched the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. How the Daily Telegraph reported Neil Armstrong's first steps on the Moon in 1969 One of President Nixon's speechwriters had prepared an address entitled: "In Event of Moon Disaster". It began: "Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay to rest in peace." If the launch from the Moon had failed, Houston was to close down communications and leave Armstrong and Aldrin to their death.
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| An 11-Year-Old Student Was Arrested in Florida After Refusing to Stand for the Pledge of Allegiance Posted: 18 Feb 2019 11:03 PM PST  The 11-year-old was charged with disruption and resisting arrest
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| Venezuela armed forces on 'alert' for border violations Posted: 19 Feb 2019 09:21 AM PST  Venezuela's armed forces said Tuesday they were on "alert" for border violations following threats by US President Donald Trump who urged them to back opposition leader Juan Guaido. "The armed forces will remain deployed and on alert along the borders... to avoid any violations of territorial integrity," said Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, reading out a statement in a public appearance alongside top commanders. "We reiterate unrestrictedly our obedience, subordination and loyalty" to President Nicolas Maduro, he added.
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| McCabe and 60 Minutes Avoid Discussing Why Russia Factored in Comey’s Firing Posted: 18 Feb 2019 07:51 AM PST  Andrew McCabe is a good witness and he made a favorable impression, at least on me, in his 60 Minutes interview with Scott Pelley. Pelley and his editors did a great job highlighting McCabe's down-to-earth likability. Unlike Jim Comey, a career prosecutor and corporate lawyer before he became FBI director, former deputy director McCabe is a career agent; his relation of events smacks of the Bureau's "just the facts, ma'am" ethos. And McCabe's account of Trump telling him to ask his wife what it was like to be a "loser" (after she lost a Virginia state senate race) is devastating, precisely because it sounds just like something Trump would say.That aside, there are problems with McCabe's story.First, Pelley failed to ask him the screamingly obvious questions: What about Russia did Trump want included in Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein's memo supporting Comey's dismissal? McCabe obliquely said Trump wanted Rosenstein "to put Russia in" the memo about Comey (I'm quoting from memory). But Pelley never asked what in particular about Russia Trump wanted included. What about Russia was Trump referring to when he spoke — in conversations with NBC News and Russian diplomats — of Russia's part in Comey's firing? Pelley highlighted the word "Russia," but he sidestepped what Trump was concerned about regarding Russia.The viewer was thus left to conclude, from McCabe's other comments, that Trump must have fired the FBI director because he was fearful of the Bureau's investigation of Russia's interference in the election; because he was concerned that the FBI would find that Russia intended to benefit Trump and would therefore deduce that Trump was complicit.But that is misleading. We know that what Trump wanted made public was something very specific about Russia, namely, that Comey repeatedly told the president he was not a suspect in the Russia investigation. Trump was frustrated — over time, ballistic — over the fact that Comey was privately telling him that he was not under investigation, yet making statements that would lead the public to believe Trump was suspected of conspiring in Russia's hacking operations. Trump wanted Comey to state publicly that he was not a suspect; Comey's refusal to do so made no sense to the president, especially after Comey gratuitously implied, in his stunning March 2017 House testimony, that Trump was a suspect.Pelley never asked McCabe about this. It might have been interesting. McCabe's statements in the interview support the theory I have long posited here: Trump was always the main subject in the investigation. The real reason Comey did not want to repeat publicly the assurances he made to Trump privately is that these assurances were misleading. The FBI strung Trump along, telling him he was not a suspect while structuring the investigation in accordance with the reality that Trump was the main subject. This is why, as Comey conceded in Senate testimony, a member of his advisory team was very uncomfortable with the director's decision to assure Trump he was not a suspect. (See the last section of my column, here.) Just because the president's name was not put on the file, just because he was not named as the intended target of a surveillance warrant, did not mean that they were not investigating him. They were hoping to surveil him incidentally, and they were trying to make a case on him. I believe that a big part of the reason Comey did not inform the congressional Gang of Eight about the investigation (even though such sensitive matters are what the Gang of Eight is for) is that he would not have been able to explain the contradiction of claiming both that the FBI was investigating the Trump campaign for complicity with Russia to help Trump win and that Trump himself was not a suspect.Obviously, what Trump wanted Rosenstein to put in his memo was not just anything about Russia but specifically that Comey had said Trump was not a suspect. We know that because Trump put on Rosenstein's memo a cover letter pointing out that Comey had told him three times that he was not a suspect.When Trump spoke to NBC, he explicitly said he was not shutting the Russia investigation down; he simply did not trust Comey to do it right. Trump even acknowledged that the effect of firing Comey might be to "expand" and "lengthen" the investigation but that this was worth it because he lacked confidence in Comey. One can disagree with Trump's assessment of Comey's capabilities. (I know from experience that Comey is highly capable.) But Trump is president, he gets to make that judgment, and making it does not mean he is obstructing an investigation, especially when he took no steps to limit it. (McCabe's suggestion that the Russia investigation might have disappeared if he didn't open an investigation of Trump after Comey's firing is absurd.)While Trump's abomination of Comey in remarks to the Russian diplomats was disgraceful, his statement that removing Comey relieved pressure on him owing to Russia did not mean Comey's removal ended the Russia investigation. Again, he never took any step to close or even restrict the investigation; in his mind, the pressure was off him because he was finally able to inform the American people that their president was not suspected of a traitorous conspiracy with the Kremlin — information he was livid at Comey for withholding.The second big problem with McCabe's story involves his stated fear that Trump could be interfering in the FBI's probe of Russia's interference in the election. This brings us to my oft-rehearsed focus on salient differences between counterintelligence and criminal investigations.Let's put aside that Trump has never lifted a finger to prevent the FBI and other intelligence agencies from examining Russia's meddling in the campaign. It is illogical to speak of a president obstructing a counterintelligence investigation. Unlike criminal investigations, which are designed to uphold the rule of law through court prosecution, counterintelligence investigations are done strictly for the president's benefit. They gather intelligence in order to help the president carry out his mission to protect the nation against foreign threats. In our constitutional system, that mission is assigned to the president, not to the FBI — notwithstanding McCabe's apparent belief to the contrary. If the president suddenly decided that quite enough investigation had been done to determine the nature and extent of Russia's election interference, and that he wanted those intelligence resources to be targeted at other threats, that would be his call to make.You could argue that it was a foolish call, even a reckless one. I thought it was reckless for President Obama to ignore intelligence that Iran was the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism so that he could cut a naïve nuclear deal with Tehran; but that was his call to make — the American people having elected him to be responsible for our security against foreign threats.Significantly, it would be different if McCabe had said that the FBI had a factual basis in evidence to believe that Trump was complicit in a criminal conspiracy with the Kremlin. In that situation, if Trump tried to restrict or shut down the probe, he would be obstructing a criminal investigation into his own suspected crimes. But McCabe does not make that claim. He concedes, instead, that FBI agents were conducting a counterintelligence investigation in which they suspected that Russia favored Trump in the election but did not claim to have evidence that Trump was complicit in any violations of criminal law.As to Trump, then, the FBI was not conducting a criminal investigation that the firing of Comey could conceivably have obstructed. The Bureau was conducting a counterintelligence investigation, which is done in support of the president's constitutional duties. It is up to the president, not the FBI, to determine what the president's intelligence needs are. (By McCabe's lights, a mid-level FBI supervisor can shut down a counterintelligence investigation conducted for the purpose of informing the president, but the president himself may not interfere in any way.)In any event, the president merely removed the FBI director, which he did not need any reason to do; which he is empowered to do at will, even for dumb reasons. Trump did not order the Russia investigation closed or restricted. And to the extent he said the Russia investigation played a role in Comey's firing, he was clearly referring to Comey's refusal to state publicly what he was assuring the president privately — that the president was not a suspect.
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| See Photos of the 2020 Mercedes-Benz SL Grand Edition Posted: 19 Feb 2019 03:01 PM PST |
| United Airlines: Three new routes for fast-growing Denver hub Posted: 19 Feb 2019 10:18 AM PST ![United Airlines: Three new routes for fast-growing Denver hub]( "United Airlines: Three new routes for fast-growing Denver hub") United Airlines will add three new domestic routes at its Denver hub, all of which will go head-to-head against budget rival Frontier Airlines.
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| Indian journalist condemns Twitter for blocking account after abuse online Posted: 19 Feb 2019 01:17 AM PST  Dutt said some people had posted and circulated her phone number on Twitter, enabling the harassment, which she said included threats of rape and images of genitalia being sent to her phone. Dutt tweeted some of the threats and images on Monday, and she included phone numbers and names of the men who allegedly threatened her, after which her account was suspended. "I would like to place on record my absolute horror and disgust at Twitter's encouragement of sexual abuse and gender inequality," said Dutt, a former managing editor at news channel NDTV and a regular columnist with the Washington Post.
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| Pakistan Vows Retaliation If India Launches Military Strikes Posted: 19 Feb 2019 06:06 AM PST  "Pakistan will not think of retaliation, Pakistan will retaliate," Khan said in a televised speech on Tuesday. Tensions between the historic arch-rivals have been high since a militant car bombing, claimed by a Pakistani-based group Jaish-e-Mohammed, on Feb. 14 in Kashmir killed 40 members of India's security forces -- the deadliest strike in the region in decades.
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| Israel's first lunar mission to launch this week Posted: 18 Feb 2019 08:33 AM PST  Israel is to launch its first moon mission this week, sending an unmanned spacecraft to collect data to be shared with NASA, organisers said Monday. The 585-kilogram (1,290-pound) Beresheet (Genesis) spacecraft is to lift off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida at around 0145 GMT on Friday. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and technology NGO SpaceIL announced the date at a press conference.
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| Aurora gunman's family: 'We deeply apologize' for shootings Posted: 19 Feb 2019 01:13 PM PST  AURORA, Ill. (AP) — The family of the man who fatally shot five people at a suburban Chicago manufacturing warehouse is offering condolences to the victims' families, with one relative saying "we deeply apologize" for the killings.
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| 10 Non-Hybrid Crossovers and SUVs That Get 30 MPG or More Posted: 19 Feb 2019 04:37 PM PST |
| Pence and Biden in Munich: Stark contrast shows how Trump is ruining relations with Europe Posted: 18 Feb 2019 02:04 PM PST  Former ambassador: We're safer in NATO than outside it, but Donald Trump doesn't seem to realize that and is separating us from our closest allies.
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| Isil bride Shamima Begum suggests she is prepared to go to prison if Britain allows her back Posted: 18 Feb 2019 12:57 PM PST  The schoolgirl who ran away to join Isil has indicated that she is prepared to go to prison if she gets her wish to return to Britain. Shamima Begum said that she was still determined to come back from Syria despite knowing that UK authorities have the "option" to send her to jail. In an interview with the BBC yesterday, while cradling a newborn baby, the teenager was asked what she thought would happen on her return. "My first priority is my son, obviously," she replied. "Because I don't know whether he'd be taken away from me or they'll let me keep him or give him to my family while the UK decides what to do with me. To put me in prison, to put me in a de-radicalisation course, I don't know." Isil bride Shamima Begum | Read more Ms Begum flew to the Middle East four years ago to join the terror group.There, she married a Dutch-born fighter with whom she had three children. Her two eldest children have died, but she reportedly gave birth at a refugee camp in northeastern Syria at the weekend. Since she was discovered, Ms Begum has faced criticism for a lack of remorse, and an apparent reluctance to disavow Isil teachings. When asked about the enslavement and rape of Yazidi women by jihadist fighters, she replied yesterday: "Shia do the same in Iraq." Shamima Begum has indicated she is prepared to go to prison if she is allowed back to Britain Credit: Enterprise/Enterprise Later she likened the deaths of 22 innocent people in the terrorist attack on an Ariana Grande concert in 2017 to the "women and children" being bombed in Baghuz, where Isil fighters are currently making their last stand. "I do feel that it's wrong that innocent people did get killed," she said. "It's one thing to kill a soldier that is fighting you, it's self-defence, but to kill the people like women and children... "Just people like the women and children in Baghuz that are being killed right now unjustly, the bombings. It's a two-way thing really. "Because women and children are being killed back in the Islamic State right now and it's kind of retaliation. Like, their justification was that it was retaliation so I thought 'OK, that is a fair justification'." Ms Begum said she was old enough at 15 to make her own decisions, and added that she was partly inspired by videos hostages being beheaded, and also by propaganda videos showing "the good life" under IS. Isil schoolgirl | The schoolgirl who turned to Isil She added that she had watched videos of the murders of British hostages but did not know the names of the victims. "I just want forgiveness really, from the UK," she said. "Everything I've been through, I didn't expect I would go through that. "Losing my children the way I lost them, I don't want to lose this baby as well and this is really not a place to raise children, this camp." The teenager also admitted that her disappearance had been a propaganda coup for Isil but insisted that she did not ask to be the subject of international media attention. She said: "I didn't want to be on the news at first. I know a lot of people, after they saw that me and my friends came, it actually encouraged them. "I did hear, yeah, a lot of people were encouraged to come after I left but I wasn't the one that put myself on the news. "The poster girl thing was not my choice."
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| After IS, ammunition among the IV drips at Syria clinic Posted: 18 Feb 2019 04:29 PM PST  At a clinic in eastern Syria, the Islamic State group have fled leaving a floor strewn with medical supplies -- but also explosives and a foreign passport. US-backed fighters took the three-storey building in the village of Baghouz in recent days, and now use its roof to survey the frontline against the jihadists. Under three mounds of earth, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces had buried a woman and two IS fighters found wearing ammunition jackets.
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| Third migrant dies in Border Patrol custody in as many months Posted: 19 Feb 2019 02:12 PM PST  A migrant man died in Border Patrol custody on Monday, following the deaths of two Guatemalan children in the agency's custody in December.
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| Huawei founder says will not share data with China - CBS News Posted: 19 Feb 2019 05:01 AM PST  Huawei Technologies Co Ltd's founder and chief executive pledged not to share any customer information with the Chinese government and said the company had never done so, in an interview with CBS News that aired on Tuesday. Asked if it had shared data with China's government, Huawei's Ren Zhengfei said in a translated interview with the television news outlet: "For the past 30 years, we have never done that. On Monday, Ren said in a separate interview with the BBC that the technology company would not undertake any spying activities and that it could shift its business investments to other countries amid an ongoing U.S. pressure campaign.
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| Venezuela shuts border with Caribbean islands ahead of aid efforts Posted: 19 Feb 2019 01:24 PM PST  Maduro has rejected offers of foreign aid, denying there are widespread shortages and insisting that the country's economic problems are the result of sanctions by Washington. Opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has been recognized by dozens countries as the legitimate head of state, has said that food and medicine provided in part by the United States will enter Venezuela by land and sea on Saturday. The closure blocks movement of boats and aircraft between the western Venezuelan coastal state of Falcon and the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, said Vice Admiral Vladimir Quintero, who heads a military unit in Falcon.
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| 7 Stocks Warren Buffett Just Bought or Sold Posted: 19 Feb 2019 09:40 AM PST ![7 Stocks Warren Buffett Just Bought or Sold]( "7 Stocks Warren Buffett Just Bought or Sold") Warren Buffett is wheeling and dealing. The most anticipated 13-F filing each quarter is that of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (ticker: BRK.A, BRK.B). Here are seven stocks Buffett has been buying and selling according to this month's filing.
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| The Best Thing in IKEA's New Summer Collection Is . . . Posted: 19 Feb 2019 11:36 AM PST  Hint: It's going to transform your backyard BBQ setup
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| One-time US head of Russia probe to leave office soon: reports Posted: 18 Feb 2019 11:26 PM PST  The US Justice Department official who once oversaw the Russia probe, Rod Rosenstein, plans to resign in mid-March, US news outlets reported. Rosenstein's departure from his post as deputy attorney general has been expected for some time. CNN late Monday quoted a department official as saying it has nothing to do with recent explosive claims by the former acting director of the FBI, Andrew McCabe.
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| American Airlines denies man was on flight from Los Angeles Posted: 19 Feb 2019 08:35 AM PST  American Airlines had a huge mix-up when they claimed to have no trace of a passenger.
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| Lindsey Graham says redirected funds for Trump border wall ‘better for school kids’ than new school Posted: 19 Feb 2019 03:02 AM PST  The children of Fort Campbell Mahaffey Middle School will indeed have a new construction project to look forward to in the coming year - just maybe not that new schoolhouse they were expecting. Instead, they might get a border wall - or a fence, or barbed wire, or something like that - about 1,000 miles southwest of their school, which sits on a military base straddling the Kentucky-Tennessee line. "I would say it's better for the middle school kids in Kentucky to have a secure border," Mr Graham said on CBS News' Face the Nation.
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| Official cites 'unlawful' balloting in U.S. congressional vote Posted: 18 Feb 2019 03:44 PM PST  Kim Strach, executive director of the state election board, on Monday said investigators had uncovered a "coordinated, unlawful and substantially resourced absentee ballot scheme" orchestrated by a political operative working for Harris. Strach said operative Leslie McCrae Dowless hired workers to collect absentee ballot requests from voters and then return to retrieve the ballots, in violation of state law. Lisa Britt, who worked for Dowless on the absentee ballots, testified that he instructed his workers to fill in responses for races left blank to avoid "red flags" with the local elections board.
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| 10 of the Best Car-Upholstery Cleaners Tested Posted: 19 Feb 2019 11:57 AM PST |
| Jussie Smollett case: FBI investigates whether actor had any role in threatening letter Posted: 19 Feb 2019 05:25 PM PST  Over the weekend, Chicago police said the "trajectory" of their investigation had shifted to include the possibility that the Jan. 29 attack on "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett was faked. Here's where things currently stand.
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| Man Charged with Pulling Gun on Couple in MAGA Hats Posted: 19 Feb 2019 08:09 AM PST  A Tennessee man was arrested Tuesday for pulling a gun on a couple who were wearing the Make America Great Again hats popularized by Donald Trump's presidential campaign.James Phillips, 57, of Cottontown, Tenn., was charged with first-degree wanton endangerment after he reportedly pulled the gun in a Kentucky Sam's Club store amid an argument, according to his arrest citation. Phillips allegedly told the woman, "It's a good day to die, b****," and exchanged obscene hand gestures with the man. He said he did so because of their hats.Phillips, who wore a hat indicating he was a military veteran, has a concealed-carry permit for his gun.The incident comes amid the continuing controversy over Empire actor Jussie Smollett's claim that he was beaten and left with a noose around his neck by two men shouting pro-Trump slogans, which has been increasingly scrutinized as a possible hoax.
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| Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez taken to task by fellow progressives Posted: 18 Feb 2019 08:55 PM PST  New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio criticizes Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over her opposition to the Amazon deal.
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| Factbox: Europeans who joined Islamic State Posted: 19 Feb 2019 06:22 AM PST ![Factbox: Europeans who joined Islamic State]( "Factbox: Europeans who joined Islamic State") The fate of foreigners who joined Islamic State has become an increasingly urgent issue as U.S.-backed fighters prepare to capture the militant group's last stronghold in eastern Syria. The Kurdish-led, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces say they are holding 800 foreign fighters, with 700 of their wives and 1,500 of their children living separately in camps. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday European countries must do more to take back their citizens or they will be released.
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| A Small Group of Labour Politicians Could Quit the Party Over Brexit Tensions Posted: 18 Feb 2019 01:03 AM PST  Speculation of a break-away intensified on Monday when it emerged that some Labour members of Parliament will be holding a joint event on the future of British politics in London. Politicians touted in the media as being on the verge of quitting the party include Chuka Umunna, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith, and Luciana Berger. Backbench lawmaker Stephen Kinnock said on BBC Radio late Saturday a Labour split was almost inevitable.
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| How Social Security could get benefits boosted to help most vulnerable like widows Posted: 19 Feb 2019 02:54 PM PST ![How Social Security could get benefits boosted to help most vulnerable like widows]( "How Social Security could get benefits boosted to help most vulnerable like widows") Despite a looming funding shortfall, proposals to enhance Social Security benefits are being circulated.
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| Israel hosts east European leaders after summit scrapped Posted: 19 Feb 2019 08:08 AM PST  JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosted his Czech, Slovakian and Hungarian counterparts Tuesday in a series of sit-downs that replaced a high-profile summit in Jerusalem that was cancelled over a rift with Poland.
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| Global stocks mixed as US-China trade talks resume Posted: 19 Feb 2019 01:54 PM PST  Global stocks finished mixed on Tuesday following a meandering session as investors eyed ongoing US-China trade talks.
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