• New Mexico Border Militia Leader Allegedly Said Group Planned to Assassinate ...
22 Apr 2019 at 7:49pm
PAUL RATJEThe border militia leader who was arrested in New Mexico over the weekend on weapons charges allegedly said that his far-right group was training to kill prominent Democratic figures because of their ?support of Antifa.?According to an arrest warrant for Larry Mitchell Hopkins, witnesses told authorities that he?d said the United Constitutional Patriots were training to ?assassinate? liberal billionaire George Soros, former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, and former President Barack Obama.The 69-year-old and his armed militia, which spreads conspiracies and searches for asylum seekers on the border, have been accused of illegally detaining migrants. Hopkins was arrested Saturday on charges of possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon. The Las Cruces Sun-News reports he could face three years probation and a $250,000 fine.Witnesses also told authorities in Oct. 2017 that the group ?had its ?base? at Hopkins?s residence, was supported by approximately 20 members, and was armed with AK-47 rifles and other firearms,? the arrest warrant states. During a search of his property, the FBI found 10 guns in Hopkins? ?office,? which he claimed were owned by Fay Sanders Murphy, his ?common law wife.? Hopkins told authorities there were two more guns in his bedroom?a shotgun and a handgun?and another handgun in his kitchen. All told, the FBI seized nine guns from Hopkins? home as evidence, including shotguns and long rifles. Saturday?s arrest marks the third time the militia leader has been arrested on weapons charges. In 1996, he was convicted for possessing a loaded firearm in Michigan. In 2006, he was also convicted in Oregon of felony possession of a firearm and criminal impersonation of a peace officer.UCP and Hopkins claim to do work with Border Patrol, but the federal law-enforcement agency has denied having any ties to the vigilante group. A UCP spokesperson named Jim told The Daily Beast that there was ?no question? about their work together, pointing to the group?s publicity videos in which Border Patrol agents can be seen in the background.?That?s all documented, and not just once. It?s documented hundreds and hundreds of times over in the videos that I post,? he said.Border Patrol, however, said it does ?not endorse private groups or organizations? that take ?enforcement matters into their own hands.?UCP produces a radio show that spreads conspiracy theories, QAnon beliefs, and misinformation about migrants being connected to terrorists. Hopkins has also claimed President Trump has asked him about ?Muslim immigration.?According to the Las Cruces Sun-News, Hopkins made his initial court appearance Monday morning and has a detention hearing scheduled for April 29.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here
• Trump: Congress 'can't impeach' him
22 Apr 2019 at 7:38pm
President Donald Trump said Monday that Congress "can't impeach" him over the findings of the Mueller report into Russian election meddling and his alleged attempts to hamper the investigation. Defiantly insisting that he did nothing wrong, Trump also denied a portrait of dysfunction in the White House where disobedient aides are said to have saved him from committing obstruction of justice by refusing to carry out his instructions.
• Demoted and sidelined: Google walkout organizers say company retaliated
22 Apr 2019 at 10:25pm
Staff who organized mass protests say in internal letter their roles were changed after November 2018 demonstration Workers protest against Google on 1 November 2019 in Mountain View, California. Photograph: Noah Berger/AP They helped to organize an unprecedented global protest that saw tens of thousands of Google employees walk off the job in November 2018. Now two Google employees, Meredith Whittaker and Claire Stapleton, are alleging that Google is retaliating against them and other employee activists. ?Google has a culture of retaliation, which too often works to silence women, people of color, and gender minorities,? reads a letter from Whittaker, Stapleton and 10 other employees that was published internally on Monday and seen by the Guardian. ?Retaliation isn?t always obvious. It?s often confusing and drawn out, consisting of icy conversations, gaslighting, project cancellations, transition rejections, or demotions. Behavior that tells someone the problem isn?t that they stood up to the company, it?s that they?re not good enough and don?t belong.? Stapleton, a nearly 12-year veteran at Google, wrote that two months after the walkout, she was demoted, had a previously approved project cancelled, and was ?told to go on medical leave, even though I?m not sick?. ?Only after I hired a lawyer and had her contact Google did management conduct an investigation and walked back my demotion, at least on paper,? she wrote. ?While my work has been restored, the environment remains hostile and I consider quitting nearly every day.? Whittaker, who co-founded the AI Now Institute, wrote that after Google decided to scrap its AI ethics council, she was told that her ?role would be changed dramatically?. ?I?m told that to remain at the company, I will have to abandon my work on AI ethics and the AI Now Institute,? she wrote. Neither Whittaker nor Stapleton responded immediately to a request for comment. The letter was first reported by Wired. A Google spokeswoman said that the company has already investigated these cases and determined there was no retaliation. ?We prohibit retaliation in the workplace, and investigate all allegations,? the spokeswoman said in a statement. ?Employees and teams are regularly and commonly given new assignments, or reorganized, to keep pace with evolving business needs. There has been no retaliation here.? Google employees have been at the forefront of a wave of tech worker activism that has swept the industry over the past year. Employee-organized protests have taken aim both at the company?s business decisions ? such as its work for a Department of Defense drone project or plans to build a censored search engine for China ? and its treatment of employees and contractors. The November walkout was sparked by a New York Times report that revealed that a former executive, Andy Rubin, had received a $90m severance package despite being forced out over an allegation that he had forced a female employee to perform oral sex. The report unleashed a flood of anger and frustration among Google employees who had faced harassment or discrimination. In Monday?s letter, the organizers say that they ?collected over 350 stories? during the walkout, and discovered a ?sad pattern?: ?People who stand up and report discrimination, abuse, and unethical conduct are punished, sidelined, and pushed out. Perpetrators often go unimpeded, or are even rewarded.? The organizers are planning to host a Retaliation Town Hall for workers on Friday. They have reserved conference rooms and plan to live stream the discussion internally.
Have you experienced retaliation for workplace activism in the tech industry? Contact the author: julia.wong@theguardian.com or julia.carrie.wong@protonmail.com
• Isil claims Sri Lanka attack as prime minister says there are militants with ...
23 Apr 2019 at 3:35pm
Sri Lanka's prime minister has warned there are more explosives and militants "out there" after the Easter suicide bombings that killed 321 people. Ranil Wickremesinghe made the comment Tuesday at a news conference, and said some officials will likely lose their jobs over intelligence lapses surrounding the attack. His warning came as Islamic State claimed responsibility for the terror attack on its official Amaq news agency. The group posted an image of seven masked attackers and the unmasked ringleader, Zahran Hashim, in front of its black flag. In a statement the men were named as Abu Ubaida - thought to refer to Hashim - Abu Khalil, Abu Hamza, Abu al-Baraa, Abu Muhammad, Abu Abdulla and Abu al-Mukhtar. Isis's official news agency, Amaq, posted this image of eight attackers, including the previously identified Zahran Hashim (centre) Sri Lanka's defence minister on Tuesday declared the attacks were retaliation for a recent attack on mosques in New Zealand, adding that two domestic Islamist groups were believed to be responsible. Ruwan Wijewardene?s comments were made as the South Asian island held its first mass funeral for about 30 of the victims of Sunday?s serial suicide bombings in three high profile churches and three luxury hotels. Sri Lankan intelligence has named the mastermind behind the Easter Sunday attacks as Moulvi Zahran Hashim, an extremist local cleric who incited his followers to violence with fiery sermons on his social media channels. CCTV video shows suspected suicide bomber entering St Sebastian's Church in Negombo Isil's brief statement said they targeted ?nationals of the Crusader alliance and Christians?, but made no specific reference to the New Zealand mosque attacks. At the same time, AFP agency reported that two Muslim brothers carried out two of the hotel suicide blasts. The brothers, sons of a wealthy Colombo spice trader, blew themselves up as guests queued for breakfast at the Shangri-La and Cinnamon Grand hotels in the capital Colombo. The brothers, whose names have not been revealed, were in their late twenties and operated their own "family cell", an investigation officer said. A suspected suicide bomber carries a backpack on a street in Negombo, Sri Lanka The Sri Lankan government revealed in 2016 that 32 Sri Lanka Muslims had travelled to Syria to join Isil. ?All these (Muslims) are not from ordinary families. These people are from the families which are considered as well-educated and elite,? Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, the country?s Justice Minister told parliament. said, adding that the government was aware of some foreigners coming to Sri Lanka to spread what he called Islamic extremism. A Syrian national was also arrested on Tuesday. It was not yet clear if he played a role in the attacks. Read more | Sri Lanka attacks Mr Wijewardene told the Sri Lankan parliament the massacre was carried out by the obscure local National Thawheed Jamaath group along with another group called the JMI, an apparent reference to a little-known radical Islamist group in India called the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen. Some experts have pointed out that the sophisticated nature of the attacks suggest that they would have required preparation that began before the Christchurch atrocity. Little is known about JMI, other than reports it was established last year and is affiliated to a similarly named group in Bangladesh. "The preliminary investigations have revealed that what happened in Sri Lanka was in retaliation for the attack against Muslims in Christchurch," said Mr Wijewardene. A suspected suicide bomber carries a backpack on a street in Negombo, Sri Lanka Fifty people were killed in shooting attacks on two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch on March 15, and horrific footage of the bloodbath was livestreamed on social media channels. The Sri Lankan authorities are still investigating how local militants gained the training and equipment to carry out an assault that is now considered to be one of the worst global terrorist atrocities since the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. One theory is that Sri Lankan extremists could have been assisted by returning fighters from Iraq and Syria. It also emerged on Tuesday that Sri Lankan police are holding a Syrian national in custody for questioning over the Easter Sunday attacks. "The terrorist investigation division of the police arrested a Syrian national following the attacks for interrogation," a source told Reuters. Two other officials with knowledge of the investigation confirmed the detention. "He was arrested after interrogation of local suspects," a second source said. Police have now detained 40 suspects in connection with the attack. Sri Lanka attacks - Locator map The first mass funeral took place at St Sebastian church in Negombo, north of Colombo, which was one of the places targeted in Sunday's blasts. A moment of silence was observed at 08:30, to mark the timing of the first bomb on Sunday morning. Flags were lowered to half-mast and people, many of them in tears, bowed their heads in respect.
• NASA probe records first likely 'marsquake' detected on red planet
23 Apr 2019 at 9:31pm
NASA's robotic probe InSight has detected and measured what scientists believe to be a "marsquake," marking the first time a likely seismological tremor has been recorded on another planet, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California reported on Tuesday. The breakthrough came five months after InSight, the first spacecraft designed specifically to study the deep interior of a distant world, touched down on the surface of Mars to begin its two-year seismological mission on the red planet. The faint rumble characterized by JPL scientists as a likely marsquake was recorded on April 6, the lander's 128th Martian day, or sol.
• Sen. McConnell: 'Think of me as the grim reaper' of socialism
23 Apr 2019 at 5:40pm
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promises that if Republicans remain in control of the Senate, the Democrats' progressive agenda won't land on the president's desk.
• Can Elon Musk's robotaxi plan help Tesla owners make $30,000 a year?
23 Apr 2019 at 11:58pm
![Can Elon Musk's robotaxi plan help Tesla owners make $30,000 a year?]( "Can Elon Musk's robotaxi plan help Tesla owners make $30,000 a year?")
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he is ?very confident? Tesla would be able to offer robotaxis next year as a rival to ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft.
• The 2020 Jaguar XE in Photos
22 Apr 2019 at 6:47pm
![The 2020 Jaguar XE in Photos]( "The 2020 Jaguar XE in Photos")
• The Latest: UK intercepts total of 36 migrants in Channel
22 Apr 2019 at 3:16pm
THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) ? The Latest on the flow of migrants in Europe (all times local):
• Armed border group shuts down camp at border in New Mexico
24 Apr 2019 at 1:44am
SUNLAND PARK, N.M. (AP) ? An armed group that has been patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border left its post in the New Mexico desert Tuesday amid pressure from law enforcement following videos that showed militia members stopping migrants who had illegally crossed into the country.
• Pelosi fails to back immediate impeachment of Trump - in sharp contrast to ot...
22 Apr 2019 at 7:13pm
Nancy Pelosi has urged caution to those Democrats pushing for the immediate impeachment of Donald Trump, a move that puts her at odds with a number of high profile and influential members of her party.As Democrats consider whether or not to pursue impeachment, perhaps the most consequential decision the party will take over the next 18 months other than its selection of a presidential candidate, the House speaker said it was ?important to know that the facts regarding holding the president accountable can be gained outside of impeachment hearings?.While condemning Mr Trump?s ?highly unethical and unscrupulous behaviour? as revealed in Robert Mueller?s report, Ms Pelosi warned her party not to become overly obsessed with the specific way it responded, as the party prepared for congressional hearings on the president.?While our views range from proceeding to investigate the findings of the Mueller report or proceeding directly to impeachment, we all firmly agree that we should proceed down a path of finding the truth,? Ms Pelosi wrote to colleagues ahead of a conference call. Later, in a call to members of the party who were scattered across the country during a two-week recess, Ms Pelosi and other senior leaders said they had no plans to immediately open impeachment proceedings, according to the Washington Post. Ms Pelosi, the most senior elected Democrat and considered a highly skilled political tactician, has long believed the best way of dealing with Mr Trump is to defeat him in 2020, rather than seeking to remove him through congressional censure.Ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, she urged members of her party to talk about issues such as healthcare and the economy, which polls suggest are of key importance to most voters, rather than impeachment. Following the publication of the Mueller report, which cleared the president of colluding with Russia but indicated many instances when he sought to interference with the probe itself, some in her party want to try and immediately proceed with impeachment hearings.Amongst the mot high profile of those members are New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, senator Elizabeth Warren, who is among those seeking the 2020 nomination, and Michigan congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, who last month tabled a measure to impeach the president.?The Mueller report lays out facts showing that a hostile foreign government attacked our 2016 election to help Donald Trump and Donald Trump welcomed that help. Once elected, Donald Trump obstructed the investigation into that attack,? Ms Warren tweeted last week.?Mueller put the next step in the hands of Congress: ?Congress has authority to prohibit a President?s corrupt use of his authority in order to protect the integrity of the administration of justice?. The correct process for exercising that authority is impeachment.?Remembering the backlash some Republicans faced after they sought to impeach Bill Clinton in 1998, Ms Pelosi has said any censure of Mr Trump would need to have widespread bipartisan support, a situation unlikely to emerge.In her letter to her colleagues, according to Roll Call, Ms Pelosi added: ?As we proceed to uncover the truth and present additional needed reforms to protect our democracy, we must show the American people we are proceeding free from passion or prejudice, strictly on the presentation of fact.?
• Turkish police hold ruling party member, five others after opposition chief a...
22 Apr 2019 at 4:52pm
Turkish police on Monday were holding six people, including a member of the ruling AKP party, after a mob attack on opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu that sparked widespread criticism. Kilicdaroglu, 70, of the Republican People's Party (CHP) was assaulted on Sunday in a crowd as he attended a funeral in Ankara for a soldier killed fighting Kurdish militants in the southeast. The attack came days after the opposition CHP won Ankara and Istanbul from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AKP in March 31 local elections, seen as a major setback for the ruling party after a decade-and-a-half in power.
• British father whose entire family were wiped out in Sri Lanka attack tells o...
23 Apr 2019 at 4:06am
A British father whose entire family were killed in the suspected terror attack in Sri Lanka has paid tribute to his "talented and thoughtful" children and his "brilliant, loving" wife. Ben Nicholson said his wife Anita, 42, son Alex, 14, and daughter Annabel, 11, had been killed as they sat at a table for breakfast in the Shangri-la Hotel in Colombo on Easter Sunday. "Mercifully, all three of them died instantly and with no pain or suffering," Mr Nicholson said. They were on the second floor of the luxury hotel when two suicide bombers walked in and blew themselves up as part of eight co-ordinated attacks which killed 310 people. Billy Harrop, 56, a retired firefighter, and his wife Sally, originally from Manchester, were also killed, while a British teenage brother and sister were also killed in the attack. Ben Nicholson with his son Alex and daughter Annabel Daniel Linsey, 19 and his younger sister Amelie, 15,were having breakfast with their father Matthew at the luxury Shangri-La Hotel. Mr Linsey, 63, an American city fund manager, returned to the family home in central London, on Monday to be with his British wife Angelina, 51, and his other two sons ? aged 12 and 21 ? who were not on the holiday. In a statement released by the Foreign Office, Mr Nicholson said: "I am deeply distressed at the loss of my wife and children. Anita was a wonderful, perfect wife and a brilliant, loving and inspirational mother to our two wonderful children. The holiday we had just enjoyed was a testament to Anita?s enjoyment of travel and providing a rich and colourful life for our family, and especially our children. Read more | Sri Lanka attacks "Alex and Annabel were the most amazing, intelligent, talented and thoughtful children and Anita and I were immensely proud of them both and looking forward to seeing them develop into adulthood. They shared with their mother the priceless ability to light up any room they entered and bring joy to the lives of all they came into contact with." Waisale Serevi, a retired professional rugby player and member of the World Rugby Hall of Fame, told The Telegraph that he and Mr Nicholson would coach aspiring young players in Singapore together. Mr Serevi said Alex had dreamed of being a professional player and he had coached him at a rugby camp only weeks ago. Mr Nicholson said he was "deeply distressed" by the loss of his family Mr Serevi said: ?Ben is a really nice guy. Alex wanted to be a professional rugby player and he said thank you for the drill, I will use it, and he said I want to play like you, and I said to Alex, nothing is impossible in life, you can do it. ?And he was smiling and I hugged him and wished him well and I said all the best to you. Little did I know it was the last time we would meet.? Hospital staff have described the harrowing moments after the bomb blast in which Mr Nicholson wandered the streets and hospitals desperately trying to find his loved ones in the aftermath of the blasts. "I saw him covered in blood like this, walking up and down just there," Pushpa Zoysa, who is in charge of the emergency triage at the National Hospital in Colombo, told Mail Online. "He just kept asking about his family members." Anita Nicholson was killed along with her two children Credit: Facebook The Nicholson family were based in Singapore and in the country for a family holiday at the time of the attack. Mr Nicholson is a partner at Kennedys Legal Solutions while his wife was a former legal adviser to the UK Treasury. According to her LinkedIn profile, she was currently managing counsel at the mining and metals company Anglo American. Mr Nicholson also thanked the medical teams at General Hospital, Colombo "for treating Anita, Alex and Annabel with great dignity and me with kindness and sympathy" as well as "the Sri Lankan people I have encountered in Colombo following this catastrophe". "Anita, Alex and Annabel leave behind a large extended family and many close and cherished friends who are now grieving this tragic loss," he said. "We shall all miss them dearly. We are all grateful for the many expressions of support and good wishes.?
• UPDATE 2-PG&E get approval to pay employees $350 mln to meet safety goals afte...
23 Apr 2019 at 11:18pm
![UPDATE 2-PG&E get approval to pay employees $350 mln to meet safety goals after wildfires]( "UPDATE 2-PG&E get approval to pay employees $350 mln to meet safety goals after wildfires")
PG&E Corp can pay employees up to $350 million in bonuses this year to spur them to help meet the bankrupt California power provider's safety goals to prevent wildfires, a judge said on Tuesday. PG&E's management has said the company needs to implement the bonus plan to carry out tasks such as clearing trees and branches around power lines to avert contact that triggers wildfires. While the maximum cost of the plan is $350 million, PG&E has said it expects the likely cost will be around $235 million.
• Warren?s 2020 Platform Calls For ?Ultra-Millionaire Tax? to Pay Off Student Debt
22 Apr 2019 at 1:02pm
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) rolled out a policy proposal Monday that calls for the use of public funds to pay off hundreds of billions of dollars in outstanding student loan debt.Under the proposal, the government would pay off some $600 billion in outstanding student loan debt over the next ten years using revenue derived from a so-called ?ultra-millionaire tax,? an annual 2 percent tax on wealth over $50 million plus an additional 1 percent on wealth over $1 billion.?Higher education opened a million doors for me. It?s how the daughter of a janitor in a small town in Oklahoma got to become a teacher, a law school professor, a U.S. Senator, and eventually, a candidate for President of the United States,? Warren wrote in a blog post announcing the policy. ?Today, it?s virtually impossible for a young person to find that kind of opportunity.?The Democratic presidential contender's plan, which aims to eliminate $1.25 trillion in total student debt over ten years, also calls for a $100 billion increase in federal student aid that does not have to be paid back. It also asks states to partner with the federal government to make public two and four-year universities completely tuition-free.Debt-relief for lower-income Americans would be prioritized under the plan: Every person with a house-hold income of under $100,000 would be eligible for $50,000 in debt forgiveness, regardless of whether their loans were held in the private or public sector. Relief would then taper off by $1 for every $3 in income above $100,000 before eventually subsiding totally at $250,000.A group of Brandeis University professors said the economic growth that will result from the proposal ?will create additional tax revenue that reduces the overall cost.?Much of the Democratic primary field has prioritized the cancellation of student debt but Warren is the first to release a policy proposal addressing the issue.
• Should Catholics keep their faith? Sex abuse scandals prompt more to personal...
22 Apr 2019 at 5:44pm
Amid the latest spate of allegations of sexual abuse by priests, an increasing percentage of Catholics are re-examining their commitment to the religion, new poll shows.
• Fast charge your iPhone to 80% in under an hour for $29
22 Apr 2019 at 3:44pm
Want to fast charge your iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or iPhone XS Max with accessories from Apple? You'll pay $29 for an 18W wall adapter and another $19 for a USB-C to Lightning cable, for a grand total of $48. That's a lot of money to spend when you've already spent as much as $1,499 on your iPhone. If you're looking for a way to charge your iPhone just as quickly but you don't want to cough up another $50 to Apple, there are two sales right now on Amazon that you should definitely check out. The iClever 18W USB C Power Delivery Charger is down to $14 plus another 5% off courtesy of an on-site coupon, dropping the final price to $13.29. Then you can pick up an Anker USB C to Lightning Cable for $13.99 with the coupon code ANKERCTL. That brings your total to only $27.28, and you'll be able to fast charge your iPhone from 0% to 50% in about 30 minutes, or from 0% to 80% in less than an hour! iClever 18W USB C Power Delivery Charger * Universal Power Delivery USB-C Port: It doesn't matter if it's a phone, a tablet, a power bank, or something in between--if it's a USB-C device, the iClever 18w USB-C Compact Wall Charger can do it all at full speed. Just insert your USB-C cord * Lightning-fast Charging: Bring your devices back to life in record time. This small but mighty adapter pumps 18W of power into your devices for quick, effortless charging. It's ideal for high-powered devices like iPhone XS/XS Max/XR/X/8 Plus/8, Google Pixel 2/2 XL, a variety of Huawei models, and so much more * Safe and Reliable: Worried about device damage? Don't be! We've built in a variety of safeguards to protect your devices from harm. This USB-C PD charger prevents short circuits, over-current, over-voltage, overheating * Compact and Travel Ready: There are few things more annoying than a dead phone in the middle of the day. The travel-friendly iClever wall plug will keep you * What's in My Order? Each order includes iClever 18W Wall Charger and a handy user manual. You'll also get a 30-day money back guarantee, an 18 month replacement warranty, and a lifetime of friendly customer service Anker USB C to Lightning Cable * Power Delivery: Use this cable with your USB-C Power Delivery charger (including Apple 29W, 30W, 61W, or 87W USB-C Power Adapter) to charge your iOS device, and access fast-charging for iPhone 8, 8 Plus, X, XS, XR, XS Max, and later models. * Charge and Sync: Connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod with Lightning connector to your USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) enabled Mac and iPad Pro to seamlessly sync & charge. * Ultimate Durability: Lasts 12× longer than other cables and proven to withstand over 12000 bends in strict laboratory tests. * MFi: MFi certification and strict quality testing ensure your Apple devices are charged safely, at their fastest possible speed.. * A Cable for Life: We're so confident about Powerline II's long-lasting performance that we gave it a hassle-free, lifetime warranty.
• How Does the Geely Geometry A Measure Up to the Tesla Model 3?
23 Apr 2019 at 2:40pm
Is the Chinese automaker capable of making a Tesla Model 3 fighter? We do the math.
• Self-styled citizen border patrol abandons New Mexico camp: police
23 Apr 2019 at 10:28pm
SUNLAND PARK, N.M./TAOS, N.M. (Reuters) - An armed group that has been stopping migrants illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border honored a request to leave their camp in New Mexico on Tuesday and appeared to be heading home, the local police chief said. The group's leader Larry Hopkins appeared in court in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on Monday to face firearms charges following his arrest on Saturday by the FBI. Sunland Park, New Mexico, Police Chief Javier Guerra said the group left their campsite outside the town following a request by the Union Pacific Railroad, which said they had trespassed on its land.
• Trump Drops Plan to Put Herman Cain on Fed as Moore Faces New Scrutiny
22 Apr 2019 at 9:10pm
?My friend Herman Cain, a truly wonderful man, has asked me not to nominate him for a seat on the Federal Reserve Board,? the president said in a tweet on Monday. Cain, 73, is bowing out after a path to Senate confirmation appeared blocked. A fourth Senate Republican said earlier this month he?d oppose Cain.
• Iranian parliament labels entire US military as terrorist
23 Apr 2019 at 10:26am
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Iranian lawmakers on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a bill that labels all U.S. military forces as terrorist, state TV reported, a day after Washington ratcheted up pressure on Tehran by announcing that no country would any longer be exempt from U.S. sanctions if it continues to buy Iranian oil.
• Who was behind the Sri Lanka bombings? Everything we know so far about the Ea...
23 Apr 2019 at 4:10am
Easter Day bomb blasts at three Sri Lankan churches and four hotels killed 310 people and wounded around 500, following a lull in major attacks since the end of the civil war 10 years ago. The explosions, some of which officials said were suicide bomb attacks, led to an immediate clampdown, with the government declaring a curfew and blocking access to most major social media and messaging sites. What happened? The powerful blasts - six in quick succession and then two more hours later - wrought devastation, including at the capital's well-known St Anthony's Shrine, a historic Catholic Church. The three hotels hit in the initial attacks were the Shangri-La Colombo, Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo and the Cinnamon Grand Colombo. pic gallery The first six explosions were all reported within a short period in the morning just as church services were starting. Hours later there were two further attacks in the outskirts of Colombo. Police the attacks were carried out by suicide bombers. Who were the victims? The death toll rose to 310 on Tuesday after several people died of their injuries overnight, a police spokesman said. There were hundreds of people injured in hospitals. There were eight British citizens killed in the attack, two of whom had dual US nationality. Ben Nicholson said his wife Anita, 42, son Alex, 14, and daughter Annabel, 11, had been killed as they sat at a table for breakfast in the Shangri-la Hotel in Colombo on Easter Sunday. "Mercifully, all three of them died instantly and with no pain or suffering," Mr Nicholson said. Ben Nicholson (right) with the other members of his family who were killed Daniel Linsey, 19 and his younger sister Amelie, 15, were having breakfast with their father Matthew at the luxury Shangri-La Hotel when the suicide bomber struck. Dr Sally Bradley and her husband Bill Harrop were staying in the Cinnamon Grand Hotel when one of the seven suicide bombers struck. The Manchester couple had been living in the Australian city of Perth since 2013 where Dr Bradley was practising medicine, but were due to return to the UK soon. Read more | Sri Lanka attacks Tulip Siddiq, the Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, said she lost a relative in the attacks. "It is all so devastating," she wrote on Twitter. "Solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka." The first American victim of the Sri Lanka terror attack has been named as 40-year-old Dieter Kowalski. Mr Kowalski, from Denver, Colorado, checked into the luxury Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo just hours before it was targeted by the bombers. Sri Lanka?s foreign ministry said the nationalities of 11 foreigners killed in the Easter Sunday blasts have been verified. Three Indians, one Portuguese and two Turkish nationals were killed, while a further nine foreigners were also reported missing. A Dutch national and a Chinese national also have been reported among the victims. Read more about the victims. Who was behind the attacks? A police spokesman said on Tuesday 40 people were now under arrest in connection with the attacks. A Sri Lankan government official said the attacks were carried out by seven suicide bombers from a domestic militant group named National Thowfeek Jamaath. There was no claim of responsibility on Monday. All of the bombers were Sri Lankan citizens, but authorities suspect foreign links, Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said at a news conference. Earlier, Ariyananda Welianga, a government forensic crime investigator, said an analysis of the attackers' body parts made clear that they were suicide bombers. He said most of the attacks were carried out by a single bomber, with two at Colombo's Shangri-La Hotel. Documents seen by AFP show that Sri Lanka's police chief Pujuth Jayasundara issued an intelligence alert to top officers 10 days ago, warning that suicide bombers planned to hit "prominent churches". "A foreign intelligence agency has reported that the NTJ (National Thowheeth Jama'ath) is planning to carry out suicide attacks targeting prominent churches as well as the Indian high commission in Colombo," the alert said. The NTJ is a radical Muslim group in Sri Lanka that was linked last year to the vandalism of Buddhist statues. Sri Lankan police were holding a Syrian national in custody for questioning, three government and military sources told Reuters on Tuesday. "The terrorist investigation division of the police arrested a Syrian national following the attacks for interrogation," a source said. Two other officials with knowledge of the investigation confirmed the detention. "He was arrested after interrogation of local suspects," a second source said. Key intelligence on a possible terrorist attack was not passed onto the Sri Lankan government weeks before the attack. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe acknowledged late on Sunday that ?information was there? about possible attacks, adding that ?we must also look into why adequate precautions were not taken.? How did Sri Lanka react? The government beefed up security and imposed an immediate and indefinite curfew across the country. It also put in place a "temporary" ban on social media platforms "in order to prevent incorrect and wrong information being spread". Security at Colombo's airport was also enhanced, according to Sri Lankan Airlines, which advised its passengers to arrive four hours before their flights. It added that passengers with passports and tickets will be able to reach the airport during the curfew. he front page of a Sri Lankan newspaper, showing coverage of the Easter Sunday blasts, hangs at a newsstand in Colombo Credit: AFP The Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, called on Sri Lanka's government to "mercilessly" punish those responsible "because only animals can behave like that." Two Muslim groups in Sri Lanka also condemned the church attacks. The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka said it mourned the loss of innocent people in the blasts by extremists who seek to divide religious and ethnic groups. The All Ceylon Jammiyyathul Ulama a body of Muslim clerics, said targeting Christian places of worship cannot be accepted. Embassies in Sri Lanka have warned their citizens to shelter in place. Here is a round-up of the world's reaction to the atrocity.
• US stocks lifted to records amid earnings deluge, oil gains again
24 Apr 2019 at 12:34am
Wall Street stocks surged to fresh records on Tuesday following a plethora of mostly good quarterly earnings that reinforced confidence in the economic outlook.
• Will Trump Go to War with Iran?
22 Apr 2019 at 3:32pm
The Trump administration?namely, the hardline faction led by National Security Advisor John R. Bolton?furthered its de facto criminalization of Iran on Monday, announcing the cessation of sanctions waivers for major petrol importers.?This decision is intended to bring Iran?s oil exports to zero,? White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said. The development is a sequel to labeling the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran?s preeminent security force, a terrorist organization; the State Department made the designation earlier this month.Unusually, for a procedural move, the president himself got in on the action Monday, casting the maneuver, as he is wont to do, in more personal terms: ?Saudi Arabia and others in OPEC will more than make up the Oil Flow difference in our now Full Sanctions on Iranian Oil. Iran is being given VERY BAD advice by @JohnKerry and people who helped him lead the U.S. into the very bad Iran Nuclear Deal.? Donald Trump tweeted. Will they and is it?The president added that former Secretary Kerry?s machinations could be a ?big violation of the Logan Act,? an eighteenth-century law that?s gained renewed currency in the Trump era.
• 75+ Perfect Mother's Day Gifts For $50 or Less
22 Apr 2019 at 3:26pm
![75+ Perfect Mother's Day Gifts For $50 or Less]( "75+ Perfect Mother's Day Gifts For $50 or Less")
