Saturday, August 31, 2019

DNC will reject Iowa Democrats' virtual caucus plan, throwing the state's first-in-the-nation status into question

DNC will reject Iowa Democrats' virtual caucus plan, throwing the state's first-in-the-nation status into questionThe decision follows a meeting of the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee last week in San Francisco, where members voiced concerns about cybersecurity.




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China rejected HK plan to withdraw bill: sources

China rejected HK plan to withdraw bill: sources

China recently rejected a formal submission from Hong Kong for a "full withdrawal" of an unpopular extradition bill.

That's according to three government sources who spoke exclusively with Reuters.

The bill is a key issue that's sparked months of protests in the city.

China's rejection represents concrete evidence of Beijing's control over the Hong Kong government's response to the protests.

It also calls into question China's promise that Hong Kong would have a high degree of autonomy.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) HONG KONG CHIEF EXECUTIVE CARRIE LAM, SAYING:

"I reiterate here, there is no such plan. The bill is dead."

Dead - but not 'withdrawn.'

Lam has stopped short of using that term, only saying work on the bill has stopped.

The protests didn't stop. They've lasted twelve straight weeks.

In press conferences, Lam has not been clear on whether she has the autonomy to withdraw the bill herself.

But one source told Reuters, Lam herself has said that her hands are tied and that Beijing wouldn't allow her to withdraw the bill.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) REUTERS' SENIOR CORRESPONDENT JAMES POMFRET (OFF-CAMERA), SAYING:

"Do you have the autonomy or not to withdraw the extradition bill? You have not answered the question, you have evaded the question."

Protesters' concerns have grown over the last few months, outlined in a list of five demands, including calls for fully democratic elections.

Protesters are also demanding a probe into excessive use of police force during the protests.

One source said that the demands were outlined in Lam's proposal to Beijing, and that even President Xi Jinping was aware of it.

Beijing rejected all five demands.

In recent weeks there have been signs of Beijing taking a harder line, with officials likening the protests to 'terrorism', paramilitary police conducting drills near the border and pressuring Hong Kong companies to suspend staff that supported the protests.

Lam's office did not comment directly on whether it has made a request to withdraw the bill.

China's central government also did not respond to requests for comment.




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'Your numbers are fake': Puerto Rico newspaper slams Trump for touting hurricane aid claim

'Your numbers are fake': Puerto Rico newspaper slams Trump for touting hurricane aid claim"Mr. President: Your Numbers Are Fake," reads El Nuevo Dia's headline, referring to Trump's claim that the U.S. has allocated $92 billion for P.R.




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Convicted RFK assassin Sirhan Sirhan stabbed in California prison: reports

Convicted RFK assassin Sirhan Sirhan stabbed in California prison: reportsSirhan Sirhan, the Palestinian refugee found guilty of shooting U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy to death in 1968, was wounded in a stabbing at a California prison on Friday, according to media reports. Celebrity website TMZ, citing unnamed sources, was first to report that Sirhan, 75, had been stabbed. Replying to a request for confirmation that Sirhan was wounded, Jeffrey Callison, a spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said an inmate had been stabbed at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility near San Diego.




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Boston's Straight Pride Parade draws hundreds of marchers and even more counter protesters

Boston's Straight Pride Parade draws hundreds of marchers and even more counter protestersAfter months of debate, a Straight Pride Parade took place place Saturday in Boston. They were outnumbered by counter protesters.




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One dead, nine wounded in French knife attack

One dead, nine wounded in French knife attackA 19-year-old man was killed and another nine wounded, three seriously, on Saturday in a knife attack near the French city of Lyon, a regional official and emergency services said. Two men, one armed with a knife and the other with a skewer, carried out the attack in Villeurbanne, a Lyon suburb, in southeastern France, the official said, without giving further details on the motive for the stabbing.




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Hurricane Dorian track update: Storm strengthens to Cat 4 storm, may turn before FL landfall

Hurricane Dorian track update: Storm strengthens to Cat 4 storm, may turn before FL landfallHurricane Dorian has gained fearsome new muscle as an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm. Latest models show Dorian turning before landfall in Florida meaning possible impact near the NC coast later this week.




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Hurricane Dorian is churning towards Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina – Here is where and when it's due to strike

Hurricane Dorian is churning towards Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina – Here is where and when it's due to strikeHurricane Dorian's path is nearing Florida, where it is no longer projected to make landfall, but still cause 'devastating hurricane-force winds.'




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Kashmiris say Indian officers tortured them and shoved mud in their mouths so they couldn't scream. The army denies it ever happened.

Kashmiris say Indian officers tortured them and shoved mud in their mouths so they couldn't scream. The army denies it ever happened.A new BBC report details gruesome allegations from civilians living in Kashmiri villages known to be hubs of anti-India militant groups.




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Illinois governor pardons Army vet deported to Mexico

Illinois governor pardons Army vet deported to MexicoThe governor of lllinois said Friday he's erased the drug conviction of an Army veteran who was deported to Mexico in 2018, a step that the man's supporters hope will help him return to the U.S. "I recognize this pardon is not a perfect solution, but it is the most just action to take to allow a U.S. veteran the opportunity to be treated fairly by the country he served," Gov. J.B. Pritzker said. Miguel Perez Jr., 41, who was born in Mexico, doesn't have U.S. citizenship but had a green card as a permanent U.S. resident.




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Hurricane Dorian path update shows storm track could turn, potentially impact Carolinas

Hurricane Dorian path update shows storm track could turn, potentially impact CarolinasHurricane Dorian has gained fearsome new muscle as an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm. Latest models show Dorian turning before landfall in Florida meaning possible impact near the NC coast later this week.




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What If Obama Endorses Warren?

What If Obama Endorses Warren?Barack Obama thinks about his brand and his legacy a lot, and he dreads what Joe Biden might do to it. This month alone, Biden mistook New Hampshire for Vermont even though the sole reason he was in that part of the country was the first-in-the-nation primary, which is famously not held in Vermont. He said RFK was assassinated in the 1970s. He said he couldn’t remember the name of the British prime minister in the midst of bragging about his foreign-policy chops. And he speculated about what it might have been like if Obama had been assassinated.This last, ghastly gaffe might be too much for Obama to take. Obama believes his brand is cool, technocratic, tightly controlled, a bit wonkish and professorial, inspirational, buttoned-down, Ivy League, definitely forward-looking. Biden is warm, free-wheeling, intellectually ungifted, frank and unguarded to the point of outright sloppiness, so old he served in the Senate alongside segregationist Democrats, and so out of touch he actually touts his friendship with these guys. Obama thought back in 2008 Biden was so old that he would never again run for president, his team strongly discouraged Biden from entering the race in the fall of 2015, and Biden’s jaw-dropping string of verbal blunders indicates a strong possibility of incipient cognitive decline.As Barack Obama surveys the Democratic contenders for 2020, he must be thinking: 1) None of these people has half my political skills but 2) Elizabeth Warren is my kind of gal. Warren is also cool, wonky, and professorial, also a Harvard product. Though she is 70, she looks younger and hasn’t displayed any signs of cognitive decline. Like Obama, she would be labeled a “historic” president. If she reached the Oval Office, he wouldn’t have to cringe every time she opened her mouth. He wouldn’t have to worry that her back-slapping tendencies would allow her to get rolled by Mitch McConnell. He trusts her so much that he let her guide one of his signature achievements, setting up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.One poll released in late August gave Warren a one-point lead over Biden. Two other polls released in the second half of August show her within three points of Biden. True, most others give him a double-digit lead, and some have her in third place, albeit narrowly, behind Bernie Sanders. Yet she’s close enough that Obama must be wondering if his endorsement could vault her into the lead position.What then? Like everyone else on earth, Obama notices that Biden looks like a much stronger candidate than Warren in a matchup against Trump. Warren might well be Hillary 2.0: She’s off-putting. She’s smug. She’s . . . a she. Polls show Democrats are extremely worried that the American people won’t accept  a woman president. The more she uses words like “My Daddy” and ostentatiously drinks beer, the less relatable she is. It’s hard to imagine the American people are thinking, “Yes, this is the voice I want to listen to every day for the next four years.”So there would be risk involved in backing Warren. But from Obama’s perspective, there’s also risk involved in Biden’s becoming president and embarrassing him every day. Maybe even, in his dotage, Biden might let what’s left of the Obama legacy slip away. If Obama thinks like most Democrats, he probably believes that nonsensical hullabaloo about email servers, not Hillary Clinton’s deficiencies as a candidate or sexism, was what cost her the presidency.Obama proved to be a failure at almost everything except getting Obama elected to office, but he is not a man notable for a modest view of his own skills. He must be thinking his star power could restore black turnout to levels approaching where it was when he was on the ballot. He must be thinking that with a push from him, and a little help from his turnout wizards, Elizabeth Warren could avoid Hillary Clinton’s errors and enter the White House.If Obama were to endorse Warren, the 2020 Democratic primaries would be upended, and Obama would be praised for lighting a path to a genuinely progressive presidency. And if Biden won the nomination anyway, no biggie: Obama could simply campaign for him in the general election and settle for a less-than-ideal Democratic presidency. I’m guessing Obama comes out strong for Warren.




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Statue resembling Trump erected in Melania's home country Slovenia

Statue resembling Trump erected in Melania's home country SloveniaA large wooden sculpture that strongly resembles Donald Trump was erected this week in Slovenia, home country of Trump's wife Melania, though its designer insists it is meant to represent a "statue of liberty", not the U.S. president. Tom Schlegl's 8-metre (26 foot) statue in the village of Sela, north of the capital Ljubljana, depicts a man with blond hair and an angry expression, wearing a blue suit, white shirt and red tie. "I designed the statue because people have forgotten what the Statue of Liberty stands for.




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US police fire pepper spray after pro-Trump 'Straight Pride' parade

US police fire pepper spray after pro-Trump 'Straight Pride' paradeUS police fired pepper spray Saturday after counter-demonstrators accused them of protecting "Straight Pride" advocates who support President Donald Trump, and refused to let officers re-open a road. The unrest came after the counter-protesters and "Straight Pride" group -- considered homophobic extremists by their opponents -- staged dueling rallies in Boston. Officers fired pepper spray and made several arrests.




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President says decision on whether to order evacuations in Florida will be made on Sunday

President says decision on whether to order evacuations in Florida will be made on SundayDonald Trump has said the decision on whether to evacuate residents of Florida to protect them from Hurricane Dorian, would be made on Sunday after meeting with officials.As he left the White House for the presidential retreat at Camp David in Maryland, he said members of the federal emergency management agency (FEMA) would be joining him to monitor events.




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Hong Kong activists freed on bail, protest march banned

Hong Kong activists freed on bail, protest march bannedHong Kong activist Joshua Wong and another core member of a pro-democracy group were granted bail after being charged with inciting people to join a protest in June, while authorities denied permission for a major march Saturday as they took what appears to be a harder line on this summer's protests. The organizers of the march on the fifth anniversary of a decision by China against allowing fully democratic elections for the leader of Hong Kong said they were calling it off after an appeals board denied permission. The police commander of Hong Kong island, Kwok Pak Chung, appealed to people to stay away from any unauthorized rallies, warning that those caught could face a five-year jail term.




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Iran goes further in breaching nuclear deal, IAEA report shows

Iran goes further in breaching nuclear deal, IAEA report showsIran has gone further in breaching its nuclear deal with world powers, increasing its stock of enriched uranium and refining it to a greater purity than allowed, the U.N. atomic agency report said on Friday. The quarterly report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is policing the 2015 deal, confirms Iran is progressively backing out of the deal in retaliation for Washington's withdrawal form the accord and renewal of sanctions that have hit Iranian oil sales. Iran has said it will breach the deal's limits on its nuclear activities one by one, ratcheting up pressure on parties who still hope to save it.




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2020 Vision: 'Gaffe machine' in high gear, Biden's campaign says it doesn't matter

2020 Vision: 'Gaffe machine' in high gear, Biden's campaign says it doesn't matterA new poll shows Trump trailing the top Democratic contenders in a hypothetical 2020 general election match-up. The next step for Democrats is a strong debate performance on Sept. 12. Also crucial is a campaign’s follow-through.




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View Photos of the 2020 Ford Explorer ST

View Photos of the 2020 Ford Explorer ST




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Dorian is forecast to become a Category 3 'major' hurricane. What does this mean?

Dorian is forecast to become a Category 3 'major' hurricane. What does this mean?The latest forecast has Dorian strengthening into a major Category 3 hurricane with winds of 115 mph by Sunday off the U.S. East Coast.




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We need Unions for All. It's a bold agenda for helping everyone get ahead in our economy.

We need Unions for All. It's a bold agenda for helping everyone get ahead in our economy.We need serious plans to empower all workers to form unions, no matter what job they do. 'Unions for All' is our litmus test for 2020 candidates.




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Wreck of paddle steamer throws light on British support for Confederacy slave states during US Civil War

Wreck of paddle steamer throws light on British support for Confederacy slave states during US Civil WarBritain has long been proud of its historically progressive attitude to slavery, frequently pointing to the fact that this country abolished the trade across its territories as early as 1833. But beneath the waters of Liverpool Bay lies something that should dent our complacency about this country’s role in the ending of human bondage. The wreck of the paddle steamer Leila, which sank on its maiden voyage in 1865, sheds new light on the actions of some British businessmen in supporting the southern slave states of the Confederacy during the US Civil War. Now the wreck - described by historians as “one of the most historically-significant in the north west” - is to be granted protected status on the advice of Historic England. The 19th century paddle steamer was on its maiden voyage from Liverpool to Bermuda loaded with guns and supplies for Confederate forces when it foundered on 14th January 1865 during stormy weather in Liverpool Bay, with the loss of 47 lives. The wreck on the Leila on the seabed in Liverpool Bay Credit: Historic England Leila was secretly built in Liverpool on behalf of the Confederate Government late in the American Civil War of 1861 to 1865 as a purpose-built vessel to run the blockade imposed on the southern states by the Union forces of Abraham Lincoln. She was technically advanced for her day and was designed to evade the northern Union ships enforcing the blockade. Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England said: “The Lelia is one of a small group of British ships involved in British complicity in running guns and munitions to the Confederates. “Though the UK remained officially neutral throughout the American Civil War, the Leila comprises evidence of the British financing of blockade runners that sent munitions and luxuries to Confederate ports in return for cotton and tobacco. As such it is very significant as historical evidence.” Although the British Government’s position on the blockade was officially neutral, opinion in Britain over the issue of the Civil War was split. Many Lancashire cotton workers supported the blockade and the Union’s fight against the slave states, even though it resulted in a downturn in the weaving industry and severe hardship for their families. Such was their support for the abolitionist cause that a statue of Lincoln was erected in their honour in 1919, with a plaque reproducing his letter of 19th January 1863 to the Manchester cotton workers thanking them for their support. Statue of Abraham Lincoln, Lincoln Square, Manchester, inscribed with his letter of thanks to the city's cotton weavers Credit: Phil Portus / Alamy Stock Photo But there were those in Britain willing to take advantage of the war and help supply the slave states with goods and materials. At the start of the Civil War, the Confederacy lacked the manufacturing capacity to compete with the more industrialised northern states and so relied on importing war supplies, including guns and ammunition, to sustain its war effort. It acquired fast steamships, mainly paddle steamers, from British and other shipbuilders, intended to breach the naval blockade of its main ports imposed by the Union in 1861 in an attempt to strangle the southern war effort.  They hoped a combination of speed and stealth would help them to break the blockade, enabling them to carry cotton and tobacco to Europe and war supplies back to the Confederacy. The Lelia was built in Millers shipyard in Toxteth, Liverpool, where shipbuilders had been experimenting with the early use of steel, which, being lighter than iron, allowed for larger cargo space and greater speed - perfect for blockade runners. The paddle steamer was only identified in 1997 after a bell marked ‘Lelia 1864’ was recovered from close to the wreck beneath Liverpool Bay by a local diver. An infra-red photograph of the wreck of the Leila Credit: Historic England The partially-buried remains of the Leila include one of the paddle wheels, the engine and boiler rooms, less well-preserved cargo areas and a steam winch.  The deck and all structures that were on it have not survived, but as much as 1.9m of its hull remains buried in the seabed, raising the prospect that its cargo of British-manufactured munitions and machinery may have been partially preserved . The Leila is one of three blockade busters to have been discovered in British waters. The other is the paddle steamer Iona II, which sank in 1864 in foggy conditions close to the Isle of Lundy in the Bristol Channel on her first trans-Atlantic voyage. The Iona II’s sister ship Iona I, also a paddle steamer believed to be involved in gun-running, was lost in 1862 in the inner Clyde Estuary, near Greenock, in Scotland. Rebecca Pow, Heritage Minister at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said: “Protecting sites like the wreck of the Lelia helps us to preserve an important story about Britain’s role in the American Civil War.  “Although the conflict happened over a hundred years ago, it is right that we ensure the protection of this site so we can learn more about one of the most significant shipwrecks off the coast of North West England and broaden our knowledge about our nation's seafaring history." A print depicting the upsetting of the Liverpool lifeboat during its ill fated attempt to rescue the crew of the Leila Credit: Historic England




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October Democratic presidential primary debate to be held in Ohio, state party says

October Democratic presidential primary debate to be held in Ohio, state party saysThe debate could stretch into two nights if more candidates meet the polling and fundraising qualifications before Oct. 1.




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Friday, August 30, 2019

North Carolina student arrested with guns in his dorm room was planning shooting spree, police say

North Carolina student arrested with guns in his dorm room was planning shooting spree, police sayA 19-year-old freshman arrested in his dorm room at a North Carolina university with two firearms was planning a shooting spree, police say.




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Rep. Omar dismisses questions about alleged affair, campaign funds as 'stupid'

Rep. Omar dismisses questions about alleged affair, campaign funds as 'stupid'Rep. Ilhan Omar under fire from Federal Election Commission; Gillian Turner has the details.




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Veterans condemn new citizenship policy for kids of overseas U.S. service members

Veterans condemn new citizenship policy for kids of overseas U.S. service membersA policy change announced by the Trump administration this week that would end automatic citizenship for the children of certain U.S. military personnel or government employees stationed abroad was denounced as “disgusting and disgraceful” by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.




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Trump suggests he should have extra time as president, in rant over ‘dishonest fool’ Comey’s leaks

Trump suggests he should have extra time as president, in rant over ‘dishonest fool’ Comey’s leaksDonald Trump has suggested he should be given “stolen time back” due to “how unfairly” he has been treated by the FBI and its investigations into him.“The disastrous IG Report on James Comey shows, in the strongest of terms, how unfairly I, and tens of millions of great people who support me, were treated,” Mr Trump tweeted on Friday morning.




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'Very graphic’ evidence, including satanic elements, in Ohio child porn case, police say

'Very graphic’ evidence, including satanic elements, in Ohio child porn case, police sayAn Ohio man confessed to raping and photographing a 5-year-old boy in a case authorities say is the worst they’ve ever seen.




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Woman Claims She Gave Birth Alone in Denver County Jail Cell with No Medical Treatment

Woman Claims She Gave Birth Alone in Denver County Jail Cell with No Medical TreatmentA woman has filed a lawsuit after she said she was forced to deliver a baby alone on a bench in a jail cell at the Denver County Jail.




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US service member killed in Afghanistan: NATO

US service member killed in Afghanistan: NATOAn American service member was killed in Afghanistan, the US-led NATO mission said Friday, the latest US fatality as talks between the US and the Taliban continue. "A US service member died during combat operations in Afghanistan, August 29, 2019," NATO's Resolute Support mission said in a statement. The death brings to at least 15 the number of members of the US military to be killed in action in Afghanistan this year, just as Washington is seeking a way out of its longest war.




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ICE says it will not conduct immigration enforcement operations in affected areas during Hurricane Dorian

ICE says it will not conduct immigration enforcement operations in affected areas during Hurricane DorianA spokesman for the federal agency said in a statement Friday that "we must stand as one community to focus on aiding the victims."




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Appeals court reinstates lawsuit in SC church shooting case

Appeals court reinstates lawsuit in SC church shooting caseA lawsuit over a faulty background check that allowed a South Carolina man to buy the gun he used to kill nine people in a racist attack at a Charleston church was reinstated Friday by a federal appeals court. A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a ruling from a lower court judge who threw out the claims brought by relatives of people killed by Dylann Roof in the 2015 massacre, and by survivors. The FBI has acknowledged that Roof's drug possession arrest in Columbia, South Carolina, weeks before the shooting at AME Emanuel Church should have prevented him from buying a gun.




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Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has dropped out. Here are the 3 big winners.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has dropped out. Here are the 3 big winners.Insider has been tracking how many candidates' fans like other candidates. Gillibrand's exit could help Sen. Elizabeth Warren consolidate support.




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Why the Resignation of a Key Scottish Leader Is a Sign the U.K. Could Break Apart Over Brexit

Why the Resignation of a Key Scottish Leader Is a Sign the U.K. Could Break Apart Over BrexitThe leader of the Conservative Party in Scotland has quit her post one day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson moved to suspend Parliament ahead of Brexit.




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155 migrants force entry into Spain's Ceuta enclave

155 migrants force entry into Spain's Ceuta enclaveA group of 155 migrants forced their way into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco on Friday, Spanish authorities said. "They are all from sub-Saharan Africa, the majority from Guinea," a spokesman for the central government's office in Ceuta told AFP.




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Hurricane Dorian gains strength as Florida braces for potential ‘monster’ storm

Hurricane Dorian gains strength as Florida braces for potential ‘monster’ stormLandfall anticipated early Tuesday on state’s east coast with maximum sustained winds of 140mphRich DiGiulio removes an awning from the Mulligans Beach House Bar & Grill in preparation for Hurricane Dorian, Friday, 30 August 2019, in Vero Beach, Florida. Photograph: Lynne Sladky/APResidents of Florida braced for what could be a historically damaging storm on Friday as Hurricane Dorian lingered in the western Atlantic, building strength in advance of its anticipated landfall early on Tuesday on the state’s east coast.The storm strengthened into a category 3 hurricane on Friday afternoon, amid fears it could prove to be the most powerful hurricane to hit Florida’s east coast in nearly 30 years. Forecasters warned that Dorian could wallop the state with “extremely dangerous” 140mph (225 kph) winds.“It could be an absolute monster,” Donald Trump said in a video address, pledging federal support for local disaster relief efforts.Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, declared a state of emergency for every county in the state and warned of a potential “multi-day” event, but stopped short of declaring any emergency evacuations.Emergency preparations were under way up and down the Atlantic coast, from Jacksonville in the north to Miami and the Florida Keys, as well as in Orlando and inland areas.Ominously, on Friday morning the storm had developed a distinct eye and slowed its westward progress, meaning it could spend more time over land – and do more damage.Meteorologists said Dorian could make landfall in Florida on Tuesday as a category 4 hurricane.“If it makes landfall as a category 3 or 4 hurricane, that’s a big deal,” the University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy told the Associated Press. “A lot of people are going to be affected. A lot of insurance claims.”Hurricane Dorian gains strength as it tracks towards the Florida coast, on 30 August. Photograph: NOAA GOES-East/Handout/Getty ImagesDeSantis acknowledged fuel shortages across the state as residents formed long lines at petrol stations, supermarkets and hardware stores. Officials advised residents to stockpile canned food, water and other supplies and to refill essential prescriptions.Coastal residents were amassing sandbags against potential flooding and tacking plywood over windows and doors. Officials directed residents in the hurricane’s path to check their preparedness plan against advice on the state’s storm emergency website and to be on guard against price gouging and fraud.DeSantis announced that highway patrol cars would escort fuel trucks to expedite distribution.“We’re doing all we can on the fuel,” he said.Earlier predictions of an arrival of the storm early on the Labor Day holiday, Monday, were revised in anticipation of an early Tuesday arrival. Storm surge could be made worse by extreme tides associated with the new moon, which fell on Friday.A hurricane watch was in effect for the north-western Bahamas, with a risk of life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds. Heavy rainfall and flash flooding were anticipated in all affected areas.While it was unclear where on the Florida coastline Dorian would make landfall, Trump compared the storm to the 1992 Hurricane Andrew, which likewise tore into Florida along the Atlantic coast, killing 65 and tallying $27bn in damage.“It does seem almost certain that it’s hitting dead center, and that’s not good,” Trump said. “Somebody said bigger, or at least as big as Andrew.”Trump is traveling to Camp David in Maryland, where he will monitor the storm after he canceled his planned trip to Poland this weekend.Forecasters have put Trump’s luxury resort of Mar-a-Lago in the crosshairs of the storm. Late Friday, the National Hurricane Center’s projected track showed Dorian hitting near Fort Pierce, some 70 miles north of the so-called “winter White House”, then running along the coastline as it moved north. However forecasters cautioned that the storm’s track was still highly uncertain and even a small deviation could put Dorian offshore or well inland.The major models of the storm showed it most likely deflecting up the Atlantic coast after making landfall but the risk remained, DeSantis said, that the storm could cross Florida and move into the Gulf of Mexico, to potentially grow in strength once again over relatively warm and shallow waters.“Obviously a storm that cuts across the state, crosses the Gulf and then slams the Panhandle is a bad, bad thing for us,” DeSantis said.“Not every path of the storm has the same probability but you’ve got to be prepared for that. It’s too soon to tell.”Dorian’s approach has played havoc with people’s Labor Day weekend plans. Major airlines began allowing travelers to change their reservations without a fee. The big cruise lines began rerouting their ships. Disney World and the other resorts in Orlando found themselves in the storm’s projected path.Jessica Armesto and her one-year-old daughter, Mila, had planned to have breakfast with Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy at Disney World. Instead, Armesto decided to take shelter at her mother’s hurricane-resistant house in Miami with its kitchen full of nonperishable foods.“It felt like it was better to be safe than sorry, so we canceled our plans,” she said.




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Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey apologizes for appearing in racist sketch while in college in 1960s

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey apologizes for appearing in racist sketch while in college in 1960sIn a 1960s radio interview, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey's then-fiancee said Ivey wore blackface in a college sketch. Ivey apologized in a statement Thursday.




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Veterans say the Trump administration's confusing new rule may be 'targeting' immigrants who serve in war zones

Veterans say the Trump administration's confusing new rule may be 'targeting' immigrants who serve in war zonesThe new policy applies to Green Card holders who serve in uniform. "Why are we targeting people who want to serve?" a leading veterans advocate said.




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Portuguese national interrupts TV interview, gives moving speech about Brexit's impact

Portuguese national interrupts TV interview, gives moving speech about Brexit's impactAnother spanner has been thrown into the works in the countdown to Brexit. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked the Queen to suspend parliament which will scupper MPs chances to block a no-deal Brexit. On Wednesday, the Queen approved Johnson's request, prompting a national outcry and protests across the country.During a Central London protest against prorogation (the official term for the suspension of parliament), a Portuguese woman, who has lived and worked in the UK for 20 years, interrupted an interview and delivered an impassioned and extremely moving speech about Brexit's impact on her life."I'm Portuguese and I worked here for 20 years and I have no voice and the Settlement Scheme is not working," the woman -- whose name is unknown -- told Sky News. The woman is referring to the EU Settlement Scheme, which allows EU citizens to apply to continue living in the UK once it's no longer part of the European Union. She had been attending the protest, stating her reason for attending as "because I need a voice." "I gave this country my youth, I'm very grateful for what you taught me but you must make me part of all this process," she said. "I can't just be kicked out, I've built things for you, I've looked after your children, I looked after the elderly in this country, now you kick me out with what?"> A Portuguese national interrupted an interview to speak passionately to Sky News during protests against prorogation, saying she had "given her youth" to the UK > > For more on this story, head here: https://t.co/Bw9GJrZl0b pic.twitter.com/sFCZ1cnvrO> > -- Sky News (@SkyNews) August 28, 2019Per BBC News, a no-deal Brexit would result in the UK immediately exiting the EU with no agreement on Oct. 31. "Overnight, the UK would leave the single market and customs union -- arrangements designed to help trade between EU members by eliminating checks and tariffs (taxes on imports)," the BBC explains.The woman said she is "very, very hurt" by what's happening to the country. As she was about to walk away from the interview, the Sky News journalist urged her not to go away, and asked what was happening with her Settlement Status application. She explained that she'd been told her National Insurance number (the UK version of Social Security) didn't "correspond to the right thing" and she's been told she has to restart the whole process. "Oct. 31 is fast approaching, what am I going to do? What am I going to do? How am I going to stay? What are my rights?" she said.  WATCH: Watch Zuckerberg's face freeze after a far-right politician credited Facebook for Trump's win and Brexit




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West Virginia state senator charged with prostitution

West Virginia state senator charged with prostitutionWest Virginia state Sen. Mike Maroney has been charged with soliciting a prostitute. The Republican lawmaker turned himself in and was arraigned Wednesday morning, a Marshall County court clerk said. Maroney exchanged text messages to discuss prices and set up meetings with a woman who has acknowledged being a prostitute, according to a criminal complaint.




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Omar tweets she received death threat targeting her at the Minnesota State Fair

Omar tweets she received death threat targeting her at the Minnesota State Fair"I hate that we live in a world where you have to be protected from fellow humans," said Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota.




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Brigitte Macron speaks out against sexism amid G7 Amazon fire funding row with Brazilian president

Brigitte Macron speaks out against sexism amid G7 Amazon fire funding row with Brazilian presidentFrance’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, hit back on Thursday at mockery of her age and appearance on Jair Bolsonaro’s Facebook page amid a war of words between the Brazilian president and her husband that has left £18m in emergency funding for the Amazon in limbo. Her comments came as Mr Bolsonaro, accused by critics of allowing tens of thousands of fires to rage unchecked in the Amazon rainforest, announced a two-month ban on fires deliberately started by farmers. Critics have accused the Brazilian president of allowing farmers to start fires in order to clear forest for crops or grazing. Mrs Macron, 65, did not mention Mr Bolsonaro by name, but implied that the 64-year-old president was out of tune with contemporary attitudes to women.  Mrs Macron thanked the thousands of Brazilians who had offered apologies on social media for their president’s approval of a post deriding her for being nearly 25 years older than her husband, Emmanuel Macron, the French president. The post implied that Michelle Bolsonaro, the 37-year-old wife of Mr Bolsonaro, 64, was better looking than the French first lady. Mrs Macron said: “Times are changing. There are those who are on the train of change, women are there with you, like you, you’ve almost all understood, gentlemen. Not everyone, some are still on the platform and I’m sure they will soon get on the train.” A fireman works to extinguish a fire at a forest near Porto Velho, Brazil, 28 August 2019 Credit: REX Her comments won sustained applause as she inaugurated a newly refurbished museum devoted to the Battle of Agincourt at a ceremony with the British ambassador, Edward Llewellyn, at the site of the 1415 English victory over the French in northern France. “It’s not just for me, it’s for all women,” Mrs Macron said. “Things are changing and everyone must realise it.” The diplomatic clash between the French and Brazilian presidents came as Mr Macron tried to lead international efforts to help Brazil put out the fires, which he sees as a global problem because the world’s largest rainforest produces 20 per cent of its oxygen. Mr Bolsonaro, whose critics have labelled him “Captain Chainsaw” because of what they say is his disregard for the environment, rejected £18 million in aid from the G7 announced at a summit hosted by Emmanuel Macron, the French president, in the coastal resort of Biarritz at the weekend. But he has accepted a separate £10m offer of assistance from the United Kingdom. State governors and agribusiness leaders from the Amazon region have implored Mr Bolsonaro to accept financial aid from the G7, fearing that continued tensions could harm Brazil’s exports. Mr Bolsonaro has now outlawed all uses of fire in the region except for farming in indigenous communities, but he stressed that the ban was only temporary. “The people there set these fires, it's a tradition,” he said. Data from Brazil's Institute of Space Research has shown the increase in fires this year is linked to a rise in deforestation, with illegal land grabbers clearing areas of virgin forest in order to sell to agribusiness firms. Under domestic and international pressure, the government is expected to launch a series of environment-related measures next week including curbs on deforestation and gold panning. Local media have warned of a new Amazon gold rush stemming from relaxed oversight and poverty. On Wednesday, Donald Trump lent his support to Mr Bolsonaro. “I have gotten to know [Mr Bolsonaro] very well during our dealings with Brazil”, Mr Trump tweeted. “He is working very hard on the Amazon fires and in all respects doing a great job for the people of Brazil.” Mr Bolsonaro thanked him, saying that the “fake news campaign built against [Brazilian] sovereignty will not work.”




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View Photos of the 2020 Volvo XC60 Polestar

View Photos of the 2020 Volvo XC60 Polestar




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Wave of child sex abuse lawsuits threatens Boy Scouts

Wave of child sex abuse lawsuits threatens Boy ScoutsThe Boy Scouts of America is facing a threat from a growing wave of lawsuits over decades-old allegations of sexual abuse. The Scouts have been sued in multiple states in recent months by purported abuse victims, including plaintiffs taking advantage of new state laws or court decisions that are now allowing suits previously barred because of the age of the allegations. A lawyer representing 150 people who say they were abused as Boy Scouts is planning a suit in New Jersey when the state's new civil statute of limitations law takes effect Dec. 1.




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We need Unions for All. It's a bold agenda for helping everyone get ahead in our economy.

We need Unions for All. It's a bold agenda for helping everyone get ahead in our economy.We need serious plans to empower all workers to form unions, no matter what job they do. 'Unions for All' is our litmus test for 2020 candidates.




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Thursday, August 29, 2019

India's top ports on alert for attacks from 'Pakistan-trained commandos'

India's two main ports said on Thursday they had been warned by the coastguard and intelligence officials that Pakistan-trained commandos have entered Indian waters to carry out underwater attacks on port facilities. The Mundra Port, run by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd, and the state-owned Kandla Port had asked their employees and ship operators to be vigilant, port officials and the ports said in advisories seen by Reuters. Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated since India revoked the special status of its portion of the Himalayan region of Kashmir on Aug. 5 and moved to quell objections by shutting down communications and clamping down on local leaders.



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How Undocumented Students Can Access Financial Aid for College

One of the first roadblocks undocumented immigrant youths living in the U.S. might face because of their status is learning they are ineligible for federal financial aid like student loans and the Pell Grant, used to pay for college. When Damian, an undocumented immigrant who preferred to only give his first name, decided he wanted to study beyond high school, he relied on private scholarships and paid out of pocket to cover the remaining tuition bills at a local community college. Achieving a community college education required sacrifices, like working 12-hour weekend shifts instead of spending time with friends and eating at McDonald's on a daily basis.



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Surgeon General to teens and pregnant women: Weed is way too risky for developing brains

Surgeon General to teens and pregnant women: Weed is way too risky for developing brains'No amount of marijuana use in pregnancy or adolescence is safe,' said Surgeon General Jerome Adams.




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Trump cancels Poland visit as hurricane heads for Florida

Trump cancels Poland visit as hurricane heads for FloridaUS President Donald Trump on Thursday canceled a trip to Poland as Hurricane Dorian bore down on Florida, where it could make landfall as a dangerous Category 4 storm. Trump, who had been scheduled to attend World War II anniversary commemorations in Poland this weekend, said he would focus instead on preparations for the approaching hurricane. Vice President Mike Pence would go to Poland in his place, Trump said.




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US intelligence suggests Russia was fishing Putin's doomsday missile out of the sea when it mysteriously exploded

US intelligence suggests Russia was fishing Putin's doomsday missile out of the sea when it mysteriously explodedSources familiar with an intelligence report told CNBC that Russia was trying to recover the weapon after another unsuccessful flight test.




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Detained writer urges Australia to help free him from China

Detained writer urges Australia to help free him from ChinaA Chinese Australian writer detained in Beijing on suspicion of espionage since January has urged Australia to maintain diplomatic pressure for his release. "I implore the prime minister to help me go home as soon as possible," Yang, 54, said in the statement provided to The Associated Press by Feng Chongyi, an academic who was detained in China for two weeks in 2017 while researching human rights lawyers. Yang was taken into custody upon arriving in southern China's Guangzhou from New York on Jan. 19 with his wife, Yuan Xiaoliang, and his 14-year-old stepdaughter.




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Another Iranian rocket launch has ended in failure after it apparently blew up on the launch pad

Another Iranian rocket launch has ended in failure after it apparently blew up on the launch padIran has tried three times this year to put a satellite into space, but each time, something has gone wrong with the rocket.




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U.S. driver Jessi Combs killed in bid to break land-speed record

U.S. driver Jessi Combs killed in bid to break land-speed recordRace car driver Jessi Combs, host of the television series "All Girls Garage," was killed in a high-speed crash while trying to set a new land-speed record, her family said on Wednesday. Combs, 39, was attempting to become the fastest woman on Earth when she was killed while racing on Tuesday on the Alvord Desert, a dry lake bed in southeastern Oregon, the family said in a statement.




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Guardian identified for small child found wandering Sunday morning by Fort Myers police

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