| Bernie Sanders says 'there should be a study' on slavery reparations Posted: 05 Apr 2019 09:28 AM PDT  Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders slightly modified his position on reparations when he joined a slew of other Democratic presidential candidates on Friday, saying he now supports studying the possibility of payments.
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| Joe Biden jokes about touching allegations at first public event, leading to criticism Posted: 05 Apr 2019 02:42 PM PDT  Joe Biden spotted several children in the room and invited four of them on stage. After introducing himself, Biden joked as he draped his arm around a boy that "he gave me permission to touch him."
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| Woman who posed as black makes plea deal in fraud case Posted: 05 Apr 2019 10:52 AM PDT  SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A former NAACP leader in Washington state who was exposed in 2015 as a white woman pretending to be black has reached an agreement to avoid trial on charges of welfare fraud.
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| One of Europe's Largest Airlines Is Changing Gates for Erdogan Posted: 05 Apr 2019 09:00 PM PDT  The move -- a 45-hour sprint slated to end at midnight on Saturday -- is a massive undertaking, involving transporting more than 1,000 tons of equipment every hour from the 1950s-era Ataturk hub to the giant new airport, which occupies an area larger than Manhattan. The transfer by Europe's fifth-largest airline was delayed several times in recent months because of the complexity of starting a facility designed to eventually handle 200 million passengers a year -- roughly triple Ataturk's current traffic. Turkish Airlines plans to wind down services at its old base, with the last flight departing for Singapore at 2 a.m. local time on Saturday.
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| To vote or not to vote? The question facing Arab Israelis Posted: 04 Apr 2019 07:57 PM PDT  In the days ahead of Israel's April 9 elections, activists in the country's north were not trying to convince some residents who to vote for -- but just to vote. Israel's Arab citizens, who account for some 17.5 percent of the population, have been engaged in a debate over whether to boycott the upcoming elections. There have long been boycott calls by Israeli Arabs, but the debate has taken on renewed relevance.
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| A Japanese spacecraft just shot at an asteroid... to try and make a crater Posted: 04 Apr 2019 10:58 PM PDT  Tell you what, it's certainly not everyday someone shoots at an asteroid.Japan's space agency, JAXA, tried to do just that with its Hayabusa-2 spacecraft, which was launched in 2014. It's been hanging out on asteroid called Ryugu since June 2018, where it's been studying the surface. SEE ALSO: Astronaut Anne McClain shares stunning moonset from the International Space StationA bit before midday Japan Standard Time (JST) on Friday, the spacecraft attempted to blast a new crater on Ryugu by firing something called a "small carry-on impactor" (SCI) toward the asteroid.> [SCI] April 5 at 11:56 JST. The SCI operation time has passed and we have confirmed there is no problem with the spacecraft during the evacuation operation.> > -- HAYABUSA2@JAXA (@haya2e_jaxa) April 5, 2019The SCI is a 2 kilogram (4.41 pound) copper lump which was fired toward the asteroid at a speed of 2 km per second (4,473 mph). Shaped like a cone and containing an explosive, the SCI is designed to create an artificial crater on the surface. The SCI was shot from an altitude of 500 metres (1,640 feet) from the asteroid's surface, and the time from release and explosion was about 40 minutes.In a press conference following the explosion, mission managers were worried about the potential debris from the operation, but said none of it made contact with the spacecraft.You can catch the feed of the operation in its entirety below.The purpose of the experiment is so researchers can analyse changes to the asteroid's surface after shooting at it, and capture materials that might be hidden underneath.You can see what it looks like when they shoot the SCI into Ryugu, thanks to a ground test simulating the experience. The fragments of gravel are meant to simulate the asteroid's surface, but you can imagine the lack of gravity in space would make for a lot more debris floating about.It'll be a few more weeks until the team goes hunting for the crater, with the search operation set to begin the week of Apr. 22.Researchers will take images of the surface where they think the bullet has hit, then look through the images by eye to see where they've made their mark. As for Hayabusa-2, it's expected to make its return to Earth sometime between November and December, with landing set for late-2020. WATCH: NASA's Administrator Jim Bridenstine warns India's anti-satellite test could be dangerous for the ISS
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| Alexa-enabled Amazon earbuds in development to compete with Apple AirPods: report Posted: 05 Apr 2019 03:12 AM PDT ![Alexa-enabled Amazon earbuds in development to compete with Apple AirPods: report]( "Alexa-enabled Amazon earbuds in development to compete with Apple AirPods: report") On Thursday, Bloomberg reported that Amazon is working on making Alexa more mobile via a pair of wireless earbuds styled like a pair of Apple AirPods. As reported by Bloomberg Thursday, Amazon.com Inc. is allegedly developing a set of Alexa-enabled truly wireless earbuds that will "look and act" like Apple AirPods but with higher audio quality. According to Bloomberg's unidentified sources, the upcoming product "is one of the most important projects at Amazon's Lab126 hardware division." Previously, it was reported that the lab is also working on an Alexa home robot code-named Vesta.
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| Labour can do Brexit deal with PM May but needs new referendum: deputy leader Posted: 05 Apr 2019 12:47 AM PDT  Britain's opposition Labour Party can do a deal with Prime Minister Theresa May on customs arrangements but the party might not support any Brexit proposal unless it includes a new referendum, deputy leader Tom Watson said. Labour is meeting the government for a third day of talks on a possible solution to the impasse over Brexit, with May seeking a further delay while she seeks to find a deal that can get parliamentary support. "We're genuinely going in with an open mind, but if it comes out of that process without the idea of a confirmatory ballot, I think we would have a bit of difficulty with our parliamentary party," Watson said in an interview with BBC radio, adding that talks on customs arrangements could be easier.
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| MeToo founder Tarana Burke condemns Joe Biden’s ‘inexcusable’ responses to unwanted touching allegations Posted: 06 Apr 2019 05:46 AM PDT  The founder of the MeToo movement has hit out at Joe Biden for jokingly referring to complaints made against him by women about unwanted physical contact. Tarana Burke, who founded the movement against sexual harassment and assault, said the former vice president's light-hearted response was "disrespectful and inexcusable".Ms Burke, who first started using the phrase "MeToo" to raise awareness about the prevalence of sexual misconduct in 2006, said the women were right to speak out against the veteran Democrat. But she Mr Biden appeared to be misconstruing the point they were attempting to make."So now he's making jokes? This is disrespectful and inexcusable," she wrote on Twitter. She added: "It's not that people become more 'sensitive' over time as Biden suggested. And it's not just about personal space or intention – it's about bodily autonomy, it's about power and leadership, and it's about living into who we say we are and who we want to be.""He has *not* been accused of sexual assault. No one is calling for him to be incarcerated or sent away. He has been called to task for deeply problematic behaviour that many folks, particularly men, engage in regularly – and that's a GOOD thing."Society could not only be angry when it is a "Weinstein situation", Ms Burke said, referring to disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein who has been accused by more than 80 women – including some of the most famous actors in Hollywood – of varying degrees of sexual misconduct going back decades.He is currently facing criminal charges on five counts of sexual abuse, including rape, relating to two accusers – charges he denies.Ms Burke said that "lesser talked about, often ignored violations and indignities" serve to intensify a "culture of silence around all sexual harassment and violence".Mr Biden did not directly address the accusations in his first public appearance since several women came forward with allegations of unwanted physical contact.> Yes, Biden has been instrumental in work to support women. No, that doesn't mean he's above reproach or can't course correct – but FIRST – he has to do some personal work and not just 'being mindful' but apologizing and using the tons of resources available to him.> > — Tarana (@TaranaBurke) > > April 5, 2019The 76-year-old, who is widely expected to enter the 2020 presidential race, was introduced by the president of the union, Lonnie Stephenson, as he took the stage in Washington at a gathering of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers on Friday."I just want you to know – I had permission to hug Lonnie," Mr Biden quipped.The crowd, which was largely male, burst into laughter. The politician later made a similar joke after inviting a group of children onstage and putting his arm around a young boy."By the way, he gave me permission to touch him," he said, again sparking laughter.Mr Biden said: "Everybody knows I like kids more than people".The politician, who has been jointly elected twice as the running mate of former president Barack Obama, has not been accused of sexual assault or harassment but the women have said they felt he violated their personal space.Before his appearance Mr Biden, who is likely to be among Democratic favourites if he were to launch his third run for the White House, promised to change his behaviour in a video.He said: "Social norms are changing. I understand that, and I've heard what these women are saying. Politics to me has always been about making connections, but I will be more mindful of personal space in the future. That's my responsibility and I will meet it."Speaking to reporters after Friday's event, Mr Biden was asked if he would apologise to the women directly.He said: "I'm sorry I didn't understand. I'm not sorry for any of my intentions."He added: "I literally think it is incumbent upon me and I think everybody else to make sure that if you embrace someone, if you touch someone, it's with their consent, regardless of your intention."At least four women have recently come forward to accuse Mr Biden of unwanted physical contact.Lucy Flores, a Democrat who served in the Nevada state assembly, former congressional aide Amy Lappos, Caitlyn Caruso and DJ Hill. All said he either touched them or hugged them in a way that made them uncomfortable.Donald Trump, who was accused of sexual harassment or assault by two-dozen women when he ran in 2016, has capitalised on the allegations to mock Mr Biden and tweeted a doctored video showing Mr Biden appearing to put his hands on his own shoulders.Pressed about whether he deemed Mr Biden a threat on Friday, the president replied: "No, I don't see Joe Biden as a threat. No. I don't see him as a threat. I think he's only a threat to himself."
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| Plane diverted after losing cockpit screens mid-flight Posted: 04 Apr 2019 11:20 PM PDT  United Airlines flight safely landed at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Thursday after dealing with mechanical issues, according to an airline representative.
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| 2020 Vision: Warren calls for end to filibuster in Senate Posted: 05 Apr 2019 11:45 AM PDT  Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on Friday endorsed eliminating the legislative filibuster in the Senate if Democrats take the White House.
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| Duterte Stakes Rare Claim, Tells China to ‘Lay Off’ Thitu Island Posted: 04 Apr 2019 08:51 PM PDT  "I'm trying to tell China, Pag-Asa is ours," Duterte said, calling Thitu Island by its local name. The president's comments came hours after his Foreign Affairs Department said the presence of about 275 Chinese vessels near Thitu Island is "illegal" and violates Philippine sovereignty.
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| California woman fired after confronting man wearing MAGA hat at Starbucks Posted: 05 Apr 2019 05:21 AM PDT ![California woman fired after confronting man wearing MAGA hat at Starbucks]( "California woman fired after confronting man wearing MAGA hat at Starbucks") The woman was fired after posting on social media that she "yelled at him about how it was not okay to hate brown people."
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| Pro-Haftar militia forces reach outskirts of Tripoli Posted: 04 Apr 2019 06:59 PM PDT  Forces loyal to Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar reached a security barrier within 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the capital Tripoli late Thursday, an AFP journalist saw, as world powers warned of consequences for military action. General Abdessalem al-Hassi, head of operations for Haftar's self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) in the eastern region, said his forces had seized the roadblock without any fighting. Haftar's forces announced Wednesday they were gearing up for an offensive in the west of the country to purge it of "terrorists and mercenaries", having seized key areas of the country's south since the start of the year.
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| The Stealth Fighter America Said No To: Boeing's X-32 Posted: 05 Apr 2019 05:00 AM PDT  It would have taken the place of the F-35.
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| Penn State hazing sentence sends a message to frat boys, college students: Grow up Posted: 06 Apr 2019 05:06 AM PDT  Penn State's Beta Theta Pi fraternity didn't invent the ritual that killed Timothy Piazza. It's a rite of passage we've tolerated for far too long.
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| Every Photo From Our Mid-Size SUV Battle Between the 2019 Honda Passport and Chevrolet Blazer vs. the Ford Edge, Nissan Murano, and Hyundai Santa Fe Posted: 05 Apr 2019 11:50 AM PDT |
| The Latest: False ID is 'like reliving the day,' family says Posted: 04 Apr 2019 07:30 PM PDT  CINCINNATI (AP) — The Latest on efforts to confirm the identity of a person who told police he is Timmothy Pitzen, an Illinois boy who has been missing since 2011 (all times local):
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| Elizabeth Warren Issues Her Strongest Indictment of the Filibuster Yet Posted: 05 Apr 2019 05:14 AM PDT  Lev Radin/GettySen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is expected to issue the strongest indictment of the Senate filibuster of her campaign for president thus far during a speech at the National Action Network convention on Friday morning. "Last year the Senate passed a bill that would make lynching a federal crime," Warren will say, according to prepared remarks viewed by The Daily Beast. "Last year. In 2018. Do you know when the first bill to make lynching a federal crime was introduced? 1918. One hundred years ago. And it nearly became the law back then. It passed the House in 1922. But it got killed in the Senate—by a filibuster. And then it got killed again. And again. And again. More than 200 times. An entire century of obstruction because a small group of racists stopped the entire nation from doing what was right."Warren goes on to say that the filibuster has been used in recent years "by the far right as a tool to block progress on everything." "I've only served one term in the Senate—but I've seen what's happening," she says, according to the remarks. "We all saw what they did to President Obama. I've watched Republicans abuse the rules when they're out of power, then turn around and blow off the rules when they're in power."Democrats running for president in 2020 have been debating Senate rules for months, as activists push for a change that would not necessitate a 60-vote supermajority to pass sought-after legislation like Medicare for All or the Green New Deal, both of which have been endorsed by a large share of the Democratic candidates currently running. But many of the same candidates, including the senators in the race, have been resistant to institutional changes. The one candidate who has affirmatively campaigned on its elimination in order to address climate change is Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. Many others, like Warren before Friday, had said they'd consider it, and she previously said "all the options are on the table."But these new comments mark a shift in Warren's thinking on the matter, arriving as the Republican-led Senate invoked the "nuclear option" again this week to expedite the appointment of President Trump's nominees. "So let me be as clear as I can," Warren says in the remarks. "When Democrats next have power, we should be bold and clear: We're done with two sets of rules—one for the Republicans and one for the Democrats. And that means when Democrats have the White House again, if Mitch McConnell tries to do what he did to President Obama, and puts small-minded partisanship ahead of solving the massive problems facing this country, then we should get rid of the filibuster."An aide to the senator told The Daily Beast that McConnell's actions alone this week didn't motivate the subtle change in thinking."We can't sit around for 100 years while the rich and powerful get richer and more powerful and everyone else falls further and further behind," Warren continues. "We can't sit around for 100 years while climate change destroys our planet, while corruption pervades every nook and cranny of Washington, and while too much of a child's fate in life still rests on the color of their skin."Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here
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| May and Corbyn Battle With Parties on New Brexit Referendum Posted: 05 Apr 2019 12:24 AM PDT  While the prime minister's own cabinet is split over whether she should remain open to the possibility of a public vote on a deal, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is facing pressure from within his parliamentary party to backtrack on his promise of another vote. Unable to convince her allies to back her own deal -- Parliament has rejected it on three separate occasions -- she's turned to Corbyn for help. May will write to European Council President Donald Tusk on Friday seeking a further delay to Brexit, a U.K. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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| Who is running for president in 2020? An interactive guide Posted: 05 Apr 2019 09:06 AM PDT  The 2020 field has become crowded in recent weeks. Here's a look at who has announced their candidacy or opened an exploratory committee in the hunt for the presidency.
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| Erdogan accuses US, Europe of 'meddling' after Turkey vote Posted: 05 Apr 2019 02:36 PM PDT  President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday accused the US and Europe of "meddling" in Turkey's affairs after statements from Western allies following his ruling party's challenge to local election results. Erdogan and his AKP suffered an upset in Sunday's ballot when results showed the party lost the capital Ankara and was narrowly defeated in Istanbul, the country's largest city and economic hub. While the United States has called on Turkey to accept the results, the European Union urged Ankara to allow elected officials to "exercise their mandate freely".
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| Study suggests cats are capable of learning their own names Posted: 04 Apr 2019 08:07 PM PDT  Most cat owners would tell you that their furry little friends definitely know their own names. As someone with a cat, I suppose I'd be inclined to believe that the animal I have been calling by name for over a decade does truly know what I've labeled him, but science has never been totally on board with that notion.Unlike past research efforts conducted with dogs, there hasn't been a ton of scientific effort put into determining whether cats are capable of understanding how names work. Whether any cats can tell the difference between their names and the names of other animals in the same home, or even random words, was something scientists from the Sophia University in Tokyo wanted to find out.To either prove or disprove the ability of cats to recognize their own names the researchers, led by Atsuko Saito, observed 78 cats in various settings that included individual homes as well as a public cat cafe.The challenge in determining how to test each animal's name recognition abilities led the team to devise a somewhat obvious experiment. First, the researchers chose random words and/or other names and repeated them to each animal so that they became used to hearing them. It's call habituation, and the idea is that once an animal is habituated to a word and realizes that it has no impact on them personally, they essentially ignore it.Then, the team mixed in each cat's name with the repeated words, testing whether or not the cats would remain attentive when they heard their own name even in the presence of words that had no meaning to them. The responses of the cats were scored based on how they reacted, with things like ear and tail movement considered positive signs that the animal was recognizing their name.What the researchers discovered was that while some of the animals did indeed seem to respond to their name while ignoring other repeated words, it wasn't a universal response. Household cats seemed to respond the most, and were able to tell their own names apart from fellow pets and random words. The cats in the cafe, however, seemed far less interested in their name, potentially revealing that being overwhelmed with stimuli or failure to learn their own names early on in life led caused them to be less responsive.Even among the household cats, the responses weren't totally convincing, with some cats responding to random words and others ignoring their own names.There are still a lot of questions to be answered here, including how an owner's voice combined with a cat's name (or even a nickname) affects the responses from the animals, but the study definitely leaves the door wide open for anyone who firmly believes their cat knows its own name.
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| Boeing cutting production rate of troubled 737 Max jet Posted: 05 Apr 2019 04:00 PM PDT  Boeing will cut production of its troubled 737 Max airliner this month, underscoring the growing financial risk it faces the longer that its best-selling plane remains grounded after two deadly crashes.
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| Tucker Carlson slapped down by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after complaining that 'feminists do science' Posted: 05 Apr 2019 09:35 AM PDT  Tucker Carlson has been criticised by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after lamenting the fact feminists "do science" in America.The Fox News host, who has faced an advertising boycott over sexist and racist remarks, made the comment while discussing academic research into how men perceive environmentally sustainable behaviour to be a threat to their masculinity.Speaking to climate change sceptic Mark Steyn during his show on Thursday, Carlson said: "How did we wind up with a country in which feminists do science? I mean … we're sort of bound to get a study like this, right?"Ms Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic congresswoman, responded on Twitter: "Democracy and civil rights is how we got a country where 'feminists do science.'"She added it "tells you a lot" that the Fox News presenter is "drumming up fear around women's rights to create suspicion around climate change policy".Mr Carlson has previously attacked the New York representative over her calls for action to combat climate change, deriding her as "a 29-year-old former bartender [here] to teach you about science".He devoted a whole segment on his Monday programme to Ms Ocasio-Cortez and the Democrats' Green New Deal, proposals designed to tackle the impacts of global warming.During the show, he said: "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a moron and nasty and more self-righteous than any televangelist who ever preached a sermon on cable access. She's not impressive, she's awful."The Democrat responded in a tweet: "You know we're winning when the GOP resort to vapid, personal insults."Mr Carlson's discussion with Mr Steyn – a regular Fox News commentator – focussed on research which shows environmentalism is perceived to be feminine.A 2016 study by academics at five US and Chinese universities found that, as a result of this stereotype, suggested men "may be motivated to avoid or even oppose green behaviours in order to safeguard their gender identity".The research, led by James Wilkie, assistant professor of marketing at Indiana's University of Notre Dame, found men were more willing to buy environmental products if they were marketed and packaged as "more masculine".Mr Steyn mocked the study, saying it was "very difficult to tell ... whether or not it's an ingenious parody", before ranting about US universities spending money on social science research.
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| Ohio ex-convict charged after claiming to be long-lost Illinois boy Posted: 05 Apr 2019 10:33 AM PDT  Brian Michael Rini of Medina, Ohio, was charged with lying to federal agents after he appeared looking confused in Newport, Kentucky, outside Cincinnati on Wednesday and claimed he was 14-year-old Pitzen, federal officials said. Rini's claim was debunked on Thursday after DNA test results conducted at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital confirmed he was not the long lost boy from Aurora, Illinois. "Law enforcement confronted him with the DNA results, and at that point the person immediately stated that he was not Timmothy Pitzen, and of course law enforcement knew by virtue of the DNA analysis that he was in fact Brian Rini," said U.S. Attorney Benjamin Glassman during a briefing with reporters.
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| Mitch McConnell is destroying the Senate – and American government Posted: 06 Apr 2019 04:22 AM PDT  The majority leader cares only for winning, not rules or democracy itself. He is doing more damage than Trump * The Hill to Die On: Trump and a Republican dumpster fireDonald Trump speaks to the press alongside Mitch McConnell. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty ImagesNo person has done more in living memory to undermine the functioning of the US government than the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell.Yes, Donald Trump has debased and defiled the presidency. He has launched blistering attacks on Democrats, on judges he disagrees with, journalists who criticize him and the intelligence community.But McConnell is actively and willfully destroying the Senate.Last Wednesday he used his Republican majority to cut the time for debating Trump's court appointees from 30 hours to two – thereby enabling Republicans to ram through even more Trump judges.McConnell doesn't give a fig about the Senate, or about democracy. He cares only about winning. On the eve of the 2010 midterm elections he famously declared that his top priority was for Barack Obama "to be a one-term president".Between 2009 and 2013, McConnell's Senate Republicans blocked 79 Obama nominees. In the entire history of the United States until that point, only 68 presidential nominees had been blocked.> McConnell's long game is destroying what was once known as the world's greatest deliberative bodyThis unprecedented use of the filibuster finally led Senate Democrats in 2013 to change the rules on some presidential nominees (but not the supreme court), to require simple majorities.In response, McConnell fumed that "breaking the rules to change the rules is un-American". If so, McConnell is about as un-American as they come. Once back in control of the Senate he buried Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland for the supreme court by refusing even to hold hearings.Then, in 2017, McConnell and his Republicans changed the rules again, ending the use of the filibuster even for supreme court nominees and clearing the way for Senate confirmation of Trump's Neil Gorsuch.Step by step, McConnell has sacrificed the Senate as an institution to partisan political victories.There is a vast difference between winning at politics by playing according to the norms of our democracy, and winning by subverting those norms.To Abraham Lincoln, democracy was a covenant linking past and future. Political institutions, in his view, were "the legacy bequeathed to us".On the eve of the Senate's final vote on repealing the Affordable Care Act in July 2017, the late John McCain returned to Washington from his home in Arizona, where he was being treated for brain cancer, to cast the deciding vote against repeal.> In a small town where people don't lock their doors or windows, the first thief can effortlessly get into anyone's houseKnowing he would be criticized by other Republicans, McCain noted that over his career he had known senators who seriously disagreed with each other but nonetheless knew "they had an obligation to work collaboratively to ensure the Senate discharged its constitutional responsibilities effectively".In words that have even greater relevance today, McCain added that "it is our responsibility to preserve that, even when it requires us to do something less satisfying than 'winning'."Political success should never be measured solely by partisan victories. It must also be judged by the institutional legacy passed onward. The purpose of political leadership is not merely to win. It is to serve.In any social or political system it's always possible to extract benefits by being among the first to break widely accepted norms. In a small town where people don't lock their doors or windows, the first thief can effortlessly get into anyone's house. But once broken, the system is never the same. Everyone has to buy locks. Trust deteriorates.Those, like Mitch McConnell, who break institutional norms for selfish or partisan gains are bequeathing future generations a weakened democracy.The difference between winning at politics by playing according to the norms and rules of our democracy, and winning by subverting them, could not be greater. Political victories that undermine the integrity of our system are net losses for society.Great athletes play by the rules because the rules make the game. Unprincipled athletes cheat or change the rules in order to win. Their victories ultimately destroy the game.In terms of shaping the federal courts, McConnell has played "the long game", which, incidentally, is the title of his 2016 memoir. Decades from now, McConnell will still be shaping the nation through judges he rammed through the Senate.But McConnell's long game is destroying what was once known as the world's greatest deliberative body.He is longest-serving leader of Senate Republicans in history but Mitch McConnell is no leader. He is the epitome of unprincipled power. History will not treat him kindly. * Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. He is also a columnist for Guardian US
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| May's Bid to Break Brexit Impasse Stalls as Labour Disappointed Posted: 05 Apr 2019 04:07 PM PDT  Prime Minister Theresa May's attempt to break the deadlock over Brexit stalled after the opposition Labour Party said she hasn't offered "real change" to her policy. The stalemate will make it harder for May to argue at a summit next week that she needs only a short extension to Britain's EU membership to get a Brexit deal approved at home. May has failed to get the accord she negotiated with EU leaders ratified by a divided Parliament and so has turned to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for help.
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| Curtis: Biden should reach out to Hill Posted: 05 Apr 2019 01:34 PM PDT  Jamie Lee Curtis discusses potential Democratic presidential candidates and says Joe Biden would be more likely to get her vote if he were to privately apologize to Anita Hill. (April 5)
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| British PM asks EU to delay Brexit until June 30 Posted: 05 Apr 2019 02:15 AM PDT  Prime Minister Theresa May asked the European Union on Friday to delay Britain's departure from the bloc until June 30, with the extension ending earlier if parliament approves her Brexit deal. "The United Kingdom proposes that (the extension) should end on June 30 2019. If the parties are able to ratify before this date, the government proposes that the period should be terminated earlier," May wrote in a letter to EU Council president Donald Tusk.
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| Attorney: Former OU president Boren met with investigators Posted: 06 Apr 2019 11:40 AM PDT  OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The attorney for former University of Oklahoma President David Boren says Boren met with investigators for the university who are looking into allegations that he sexually harassed male subordinates.
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| Exposition Park fatal crash: Police investigate crash that killed 14-old-girl, injured her 12-year-old sister Posted: 05 Apr 2019 02:49 PM PDT  Police are continuing to investigate the cause of a big rig crash that killed a 14-year-old girl walking to school near Exposition Park.
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| The Latest: Boeing to cut production rate of 737 Max jet Posted: 05 Apr 2019 01:42 PM PDT ![The Latest: Boeing to cut production rate of 737 Max jet]( "The Latest: Boeing to cut production rate of 737 Max jet") DALLAS (AP) — The Latest on Boeing's ongoing issues with the troubled 737 Max (all times local):
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| New Zealand attack suspect Brenton Tarrant to undergo mental health tests Posted: 04 Apr 2019 10:45 PM PDT  A New Zealand judge on Friday ordered that the man accused of killing 50 people at two Christchurch mosques undergo two mental health assessments to determine if he's fit to stand trial. High Court judge Cameron Mander made the order during a hearing in which 28-year-old Australian Brenton Tarrant appeared via video link from a small room at the maximum security Paremoremo prison in Auckland. Mr Mander said nothing should be read into his order for the mental health assessments, as it was a normal step in such a case. Lawyers said it could take two or three months to complete. The judge said Tarrant was charged with 50 counts of murder and 39 counts of attempted murder. Police initially filed a single, representative murder charge before filing the additional charges this week. Tarrant was wearing handcuffs and a gray-coloured sweater when he appeared on a large screen inside the Christchurch courtroom, which was packed with family members and victims of the shooting, some in wheelchairs and hospital gowns and still recovering from gunshot wounds. A man in a wheelchair is escorted from outside the High Court in Christchurch Credit: AP Tarrant had stubble and close-cropped hair. He showed no emotion during the hearing. At times he looked around the room or cocked his head, seemingly to better hear what was being said. The judge explained that from his end, Tarrant could see the judge and lawyers but not those in the public gallery. Tarrant spoke only once to confirm to the judge he was seated, although his voice didn't come through because the sound was muted. It wasn't clear if his link had been deliberately or inadvertently muted. The courtroom was filled with more than two dozen reporters and about 60 members of the public. A court registrar greeted people in Arabic and English as the hearing got underway. Some of those watching got emotional and wept. In the March 15 attacks, 42 people were killed at the Al Noor mosque, seven were killed at the Linwood mosque and one more person died later. The day after the attacks, Tarrant dismissed an appointed lawyer, saying he wanted to represent himself. But he has now hired two Auckland lawyers to represent him, Shane Tait and Jonathan Hudson. Brenton Tarrant, charged for murder in relation to the mosque attacks, is seen in the dock during his appearance in the Christchurch District Court last month Credit: Reuters Legal experts have said he may try to use the hearings as a platform to present his ideology and beliefs. "If he has lawyers, he will be speaking a lot less in court," said Graeme Edgeler, a Wellington-based barrister and legal commentator. "He can still give evidence...that's possible, but if he's represented by lawyers and it goes to trial he won't be asking questions of people." The next court hearing was scheduled for June 14, and the mental health findings would determine whether he is required to enter a plea then. Outside the courtroom, Yama Nabi, whose father died in the attacks, said he felt helpless watching. "We just have to sit in the court and listen," Nabi said. "What can we do? We can't do nothing. Just leave it to the justice of New Zealand and the prime minister." Tofazzal Alam, 25, said he was worshipping at the Linwood mosque when the gunman attacked. He felt it was important to attend the hearing because so many of his friends were killed. Alam said he felt upset seeing Tarrant. "It seems he don't care what has been done. He has no emotion. He looks all right," Alam said. "I feel sorry. Sorry for myself. Sorry for my friends who have been killed. And for him."
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| U.S. to designate elite Iranian force as terrorist organization Posted: 05 Apr 2019 06:23 PM PDT  The decision, which critics warn could open U.S. military and intelligence officials to similar actions by unfriendly governments abroad, is expected to be announced by the U.S. State Department, perhaps as early as Monday, the officials said. The Pentagon declined comment and referred queries to the State Department. The State Department and White House also declined to comment.
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| Cohen Offers to Turn Over Hard Drive Files in Leniency Bid Posted: 05 Apr 2019 06:42 AM PDT  Cohen's lawyers Lanny Davis, Michael Monico and Carly Chocron wrote to lawmakers Thursday that Cohen has recently been able to access a hard drive with 14 million files from his computers and telephones that they believe have significant value to investigators. On Friday, Davis sent a 133-page letter with further documents supporting his February testimony to Congress, as well as financial statements reviewed by Trump's accountants. The documents provided Friday detail Cohen's earlier testimony and provide guidance on how that could be used to make a case against Trump.
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| Early tests show Verizon’s new 5G network is insanely fast Posted: 05 Apr 2019 08:58 AM PDT  Remember how painstakingly slow the arrival of 4G LTE support felt a few years ago? Well, get ready to experience the same feeling as you wait for your carrier to roll out 5G in your area. Just like a few years ago, carriers around the world will gradually expand their new networks, starting with the busiest areas. If you're not in one of the major cities or locations that are going to be part of the first wave of the 5G rollout, you're surely going to envy the lucky few who get to use it. Take Verizon's first 5G markets, including Chicago and Minneapolis, where you can already take advantage of the next-gen network. And early speed tests will tell you that you indeed have every reason to be jealous.It'll be several years until we get the 5G speeds we really want, but the early tests aren't bad either, as they show that 5G is a lot faster than LTE in regular conditions. Verizon spokesman David Veissmann posted the following clip on Twitter, showing 5G speeds of up to 760Mbps registered in Minneapolis. Needless to say, that's pretty impressive.https://twitter.com/djweissmann/status/1113484741561290756CNET tested Verizon's 5G network in Chicago and saw real network speeds of over 516Mbps. Again, this isn't the maximum theoretical speed for 5G, but the following video will show you how incredibly fast 5G can be, at least when it comes to download speeds compared to 4G.https://twitter.com/CNET/status/1113885699558842368As the video shows, 5G connectivity is still spotty and that's only to be expected this early on. That means you might run in and out of 5G depending on where you are in the city, in which case you're going to fall back to 4G. Engadget's Chris Velazco also ran a 5G test in Chicago using the same Moto Z3 with a 5G Moto Mod attached to the phone on the bottom. Speeds went all the way up to nearly 600Mbps, which is almost four times faster than 4G LTE.https://twitter.com/chrisvelazco/status/1113826024717004803Velazco also mentioned in subsequent tweets that the connection is "very finicky," but he did manage to download the 1.81GB PUBG app in 4.5 minutes.If you live in Chicago or Minneapolis, the only way to get on 5G is to buy Verizon's only compatible phone. You guessed it, that's the Moto Z3 with the 5G Moto Mod. Or, you can wait a few more weeks to purchase Samsung's Galaxy S10 5G, which will be released soon.
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| Canada Supreme Court rejects Ecuador damages appeal against Chevron Posted: 04 Apr 2019 06:20 PM PDT  Canada's Supreme Court on Thursday declined to hear an appeal from a group of Ecuadoran villagers seeking compensation from the Canadian subsidiary of US energy giant Chevron over oil pollution in the Amazon jungle. The indigenous villagers from central Ecuador want the company to pay for pollution of native lands between 1964 and 1992 by Texaco, a US oil subsidiary the firm bought in 2001. The decision, for which the court did not offer a reason, puts an end to the group's attempt to sue Chevron Canada Limited for $9.5 billion in compensation.
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| Sanders Backs Committee to Study Slavery Reparations Posted: 05 Apr 2019 08:34 AM PDT  Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) said Friday that if he is elected president in 2020 he would sign legislation that would create a commission to explore the payment of reparations to African Americans.Following his remarks at Al Sharpton's National Action Network Conference, Sanders was asked whether he would support a bill, introduced by Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D., Texas), that would form a commission to study the institution of American slavery and devise a plan to compensate living descendants of slaves."If the House and the Senate pass that bill, of course I would sign it. There needs to be a study. But I think what we need to do is to pay real attention to the most distressed communities in America," Sanders said.The bill, which was dubbed H.R. 40 in a nod to the government's promised provision of "40 acres and a mule" to newly freed slaves after the Civil War, has already received the backing of a host of 2020 Democratic hopefuls, including Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, former representative Beto O'Rourke of Texas, and Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii."In short, the Commission aims to study the impact of slavery and continuing discrimination against African-Americans, resulting directly and indirectly from slavery to segregation to the desegregation process and the present day," Jackson Lee said in a statement announcing the bill's introduction in January. "The commission would also make recommendations concerning any form of apology and compensation to begin the long delayed process of atonement for slavery."Sanders has proven more hesitant to embrace reparations than many of his primary opponents and recently said direct payments to the descendants of slaves would not be the best way to help "distressed communities.""I think what we have got to do is pay attention to distressed communities — black communities, Latino communities, and white communities. And as president, I pledge to do that," Sanders said in interview on ABC's The View.
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| 2020 Jeep Gladiator Launch Edition Sells Out In One Day Posted: 05 Apr 2019 09:36 AM PDT  The special Gladiator is based on a fully optioned Rubicon, and its buyers will be qualified to enter a contest for a $100,000 prize.
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| These Easy Lunch Ideas Are Perfect For Mother's Day Posted: 05 Apr 2019 12:22 PM PDT |
| Venezuela street rallies show deep divide in power struggle Posted: 06 Apr 2019 02:28 PM PDT  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Rival political factions took to the streets across Venezuela on Saturday in a mounting struggle for control of the crisis-wracked nation, where U.S.- backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó is attempting to oust socialist President Nicólas Maduro.
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