• 'It's a bunch of malarkey': Biden blasts Trump for stirring racial tensions
17 Jun 2019 at 7:46pm
Former Vice President Joe Biden told an anti-poverty gathering Monday that President Trump has pitted racial groups against one another, but pushed back against criticism of his calls for bipartisan compromise.
• China earthquake kills 13, injures 199
18 Jun 2019 at 2:49pm
The toll from a strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake in southwest China rose to 13 dead and 199 injured on Tuesday as rescuers pulled bodies and survivors from wrecked buildings. More than 8,000 people were relocated as a large number of structures were damaged or collapsed after the quake struck late Monday near Yibin, in Sichuan province, according to the city government. Other images were of a woman being helped out of another collapsed structure.
• Parkland school shooting survivor loses admission to Harvard after racist com...
18 Jun 2019 at 1:51pm
Gun rights supporter Kyle Kashuv said that he's grown since making the comments and that Harvard, which has its own racist history, should understand that.
• Daring maneuver brings NASA?s orbiter closer to an asteroid than ever before
17 Jun 2019 at 3:44pm
NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has been orbiting the space rock known as Bennu since the start of the year. It caught up with the asteroid in late December of 2018 and successfully inserted itself into orbit around the object around New Year's day. There have been several "firsts" along the way, but its latest maneuver is the most daring yet, and it allowed the spacecraft to break yet another record.A recent tweak to its orbit has brought the probe to an orbit of just 680 meters, or around 2,230 feet from the asteroid's surface. This is now the closest that any manmade spacecraft has orbited any planetary body.It's a stellar achievement for NASA, but it's worth noting that the previous record was actually already held by the OSIRIS-REx probe. What NASA did was break its own record and set itself even farther ahead from any competition to come in the future.This new orbit, which the research team calls the Orbital B phase, will give scientists a better understanding of the asteroid's surface and hopefully allow NASA to choose a suitable location where the probe can briefly snag a sample of its material.Actually pulling off such a daring maneuver will be incredibly risky, and nobody is quite sure if the spacecraft can make it happen. This is due in large part to the incredibly messy surface of Bennu, which surprised scientists when they got their first close look. The asteroid's surface is littered with debris ranging from tiny pebbles to massive boulders, and the spacecraft's handlers now have to find the safest place on the rock from which to gather a sample.Assuming it pulls off the sample grab, the probe will then leave Bennu and return to Earth with the sample material stowed safely for scientists on Earth to examine.
• Could GM Bring Hummer Back as an Electric SUV Brand?
18 Jun 2019 at 3:48pm
Reports are swirling about the revival of the military-inspired SUVs.
• Japan earthquake: Magnitude 6.8 quake strikes off northwestern Japan, tsunami...
18 Jun 2019 at 1:55pm
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck off northwestern Japan, triggering a tsunami warning.
• Alex Jones Faces Court Action After Threatening Sandy Hook Lawyer
17 Jun 2019 at 10:28pm
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via GettyA Connecticut judge could impose penalties on InfoWars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on Tuesday, after Jones aired a show where he punched a picture of an attorney representing Sandy Hook families and called the lawyer a ?pimp.?In a motion filed Monday in Connecticut, attorneys for the Sandy Hook families asked the court to review Friday?s episode of InfoWars. In that show, Jones raged at attorney Chris Mattei, who?s representing Sandy Hook families suing Jones for saying the 2012 elementary school massacre never happened.While sitting next to his own attorney, Norm Pattis, Jones accused Mattei without evidence of planting child porn on InfoWars?s servers.?Total war!? Jones said. ?You want it, you got it! I?m not into kids like your Democratic Party, you cocksuckers! So get ready!?Alex Jones Offers $1M Reward After Alleged ?Malware? Attack That He Says Planted Child Porn on His ServersWhile producing emails during the lawsuit?s discovery process, InfoWars accidentally handed over child pornography that had been emailed to the company by one or more anonymous people. The emails were then sent to a company handling document review for the Sandy Hook attorneys, the latest error in a discovery process that InfoWars and Jones have been frequently accused of hindering. After receiving the images, the Sandy Hook attorneys contacted the FBI, who took over the document review process. In their motion, the attorneys say InfoWars could have avoided forwarding the emails if they had conducted ?even minimal due diligence.? ?They transmitted images to the plaintiffs that if they were knowingly possessed is a serious federal crime,? the attorneys say in the motion. In a statement, Pattis said InfoWars employees hadn?t opened the emails when they were originally received. ?I spoke to federal prosecutors last week,? Pattis said. ?They report that there is no indication anyone at InfoWars knowingly possessed child pornography. The items were embedded in emails sent to folks at InfoWars without ever having been opened.?On his Friday show, Jones concocted a conspiracy theory that Mattei had planted the child porn himself in an attempt to discredit InfoWars. Jones fumed at Mattei, calling him a ?white-shoe boy that thinks he owns America.? Twitter Permanently Bans Alex Jones and InfowarsPattis appeared uncomfortable as Jones raged at the plaintiff?s attorney, at one point urging Jones to calm down and referring to Jones as ?young man.? At one point during the show, Jones punched a picture of Mattei. Pattis told Jones to stop showing Mattei?s face on air, adding that they didn?t know who had sent InfoWars the child pornography.?I didn?t come on your show to be made out to be a naive fool,? Pattis said. The Sandy Hook attorneys urged the judge in the case to consider action against Jones over the show at a hearing on Tuesday. They haven?t specified yet what kind of action they want, but say in their motion that the court has an ?obligation to protect? the lawyers on the case. Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
• Democrat Buttigieg cancels campaign events after South Bend shooting
17 Jun 2019 at 3:15pm
Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, canceled campaign events on Monday to return to his city after a fatal shooting by a police officer, his campaign said. One of two dozen Democrats running for the 2020 nomination, Buttigieg had been scheduled to appear at events in New York including an LGBTQ gala hosted by the Democratic National Committee. A campaign aide said he canceled his appearances and returned to South Bend on Sunday.
• Millions Were Left Without Power in Argentina and Uruguay After an 'Extraordi...
17 Jun 2019 at 12:54pm
"This was extraordinary. It shouldn't have happened."
• McConnell on Jon Stewart: 'I don't know why he's all bent out of shape' over ...
17 Jun 2019 at 3:23pm
The Senate majority leader says he can?t understand why the former ?Daily Show? host is angry over the handling of health care funding for 9/11 victims.
• How to Grill Pineapple for Tacos, Salsa, Sundaes, and More
18 Jun 2019 at 5:39pm
![How to Grill Pineapple for Tacos, Salsa, Sundaes, and More]( "How to Grill Pineapple for Tacos, Salsa, Sundaes, and More")
• US restores some aid to El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala
17 Jun 2019 at 11:22pm
The Trump administration said Monday it is easing previously announced cuts in hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Central American nations of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala but will not allow new funding until those countries do more to reduce migrant flows to the United States. The State Department said that after a review of more than $615 million in assistance that President Donald Trump ordered in March to be cut entirely, it would go ahead with $432 million in projects and grants that had been previously approved.
• Rock blasts cause quake near China-North Korea border
17 Jun 2019 at 4:03pm
Two explosions detonated to crush rocks in northeast China caused a small earthquake near the North Korean border on Monday, local authorities said. The explosions were set off by Jilin Longye Blasting Company due to the "manufacturing needs" of the rock-crushing facility, said the Hunchun city government through its official Twitter-like Weibo. Earthquakes at the border can raise alarm due to nuclear tests in North Korea that have caused tremors in China in the past.
• Huawei delayed the Mate X, but it just patented another foldable phone
17 Jun 2019 at 11:06pm
Huawei, the beleaguered Chinese consumer electronics giant that President Trump put on a US blacklist, just pushed back the launch of its much anticipated Mate X foldable phone from this month to September.The company said it wants to spend more time putting the device through rigorous testing, one more complication that comes at a time when Huawei is trying to figure out a way forward since the US ban will eventually cut it off from doing business with Google -- and, most critically, accessing Google's Android mobile OS.Nevertheless, even though Huawei has delayed the Mate X it actually appears to still have more foldable handsets up its sleeve. The company was granted a patent on May 31 by the World Intellectual Property Office for a handset design that shows a double-folding screen, allowing the phone to work as both a phone, tablet and a display that can be propped up on a desk.Reports Dutch tech news blog LetsGoDigital about the newly publicized patent, the design in contrast to the Mate X also shows an alternative Huawei has come up with for the side bar. Additionally, the patent depicts three models of the proposed device.In the first, a widescreen border housing the camera, sensors, and home button can be seen along the top and bottom of the phone. The second model includes only a top bezel that houses the front camera and relevant sensors, while the third proposed model shows a full-screen design with no edges at all. From front to back, the device is 100% a display surface.Based on the patent documentation, it seems that the flexible screen on this phone is held in place by magnets. The device also relies on two hinges, so that when the phone is folded out the hinges provide extra support for the display.We keep referring to this as a phone, but as mentioned above the patent also describes a "desk-stand" mode with this design. If you fold just one part of the screen, the device can be used as a quasi-laptop, with the user interface adjusting depending on how the device is folded.Of course, while this new device certainly sounds intriguing, the company has a lot more pressing matters confronting it at the moment. The effects of the US ban are the most serious, especially given that a new report from Bloomberg reveals internal Huawei estimates of as much as a 60% drop in its international phone shipments. That would be a crushing blow for a company that does about half of its smartphone business outside of China -- a company that at one point hoped to displace Samsung possibly as soon as this year as the biggest smartphone maker in the world.
• Death toll from China quakes rises to 11
18 Jun 2019 at 12:07am
![Death toll from China quakes rises to 11]( "Death toll from China quakes rises to 11")
BEIJING/SHANGHAI, June 18 (Reuters) - The death toll from two strong earthquakes in China rose to 11 on Tuesday, with 122 people injured, state media said, adding that rescuers pulled some survivors from rubble in a part of the country that often suffers strong tremors. The quakes, roughly 30 minutes apart, hit the southwestern province of Sichuan late on Monday, with shaking felt in key regional cities, such as the provincial capital of Chengdu and the metropolis of Chongqing. People rushed into the streets and cracks were left in some buildings by the quakes, pictures posted on the social media accounts of state media showed.
• Nearly 50 Jimmy Buffett fans reportedly fall ill in Dominican Republic
17 Jun 2019 at 5:48pm
Nearly 50 members of a Jimmy Buffet fan club got sick while vacationing in theDominican Republic in April, KFOR reports
• Attorney Michael Avenatti faces November trial in New York
18 Jun 2019 at 9:35pm
California attorney Michael Avenatti learned Tuesday that he faces a November trial date on charges he tried to extort millions of dollars from Nike. The Nov. 12 trial date was set by U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe at a pretrial hearing in Manhattan. Avenatti participated by telephone.
• Supreme Court rules against Republicans in Virginia dispute over use of race ...
17 Jun 2019 at 5:08pm
The Supreme Court ruled in a case involving the use of race in drawing maps for Virginia's state legislative districts.
• Buttigieg: There's Definitely Been Gay Presidents Before
17 Jun 2019 at 9:58am
Reuters / John Sommers IIIf he wins in 2020, Pete Buttigieg is pretty sure he won't be the first gay president. Speaking to Axios on HBO, the South Bend mayor was asked how he's going to respond to people who attack him during the campaign for being too young, too liberal, or too gay to be the American president. ?We have had excellent presidents who have been young,? he said. ?We have had excellent presidents who have been liberal. I would imagine we've probably had excellent presidents who were gay?we just didn't know which ones.? He went on to say that it was statistically ?almost certain? that there had been gay presidents, but he couldn't name names. ?My gaydar even doesn't work that well in the present, let alone retroactively,? he lamented.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
• 600 people on Monsanto 'watch lists' in Germany, France: Bayer
17 Jun 2019 at 1:12pm
US seeds and pesticides maker Monsanto kept lists of around 600 key pro- and anti-pesticides figures in Germany and France alone, its German parent company Bayer said Monday amid a widening probe. Bayer has admitted the lists covered politicians, journalists and others across seven European countries and in Brussels. "Update on Monsanto stakeholder lists: until the end of last week, the firm hired by Bayer contacted all the people on the German and French lists," Bayer's press department tweeted.
• Exclusive: President Trump Calls Alleged Iranian Attack on Oil Tankers 'Very ...
18 Jun 2019 at 3:41am
President Trump said that he might take military action to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, but not to protect oil supplies.
• The Latest: Indiana AG's office plans vigorous defense
18 Jun 2019 at 7:54pm
The Indiana attorney general's office says it will vigorously defend him against a federal lawsuit by four women who say he drunkenly groped them during a party last year. The lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges sexual harassment by Republican state Attorney General Curtis Hill on a state lawmaker and three legislative staffers in March 2018 at an Indianapolis bar. Hill has denied wrongdoing and rebuffed calls from Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb to resign.
• Hong Kong Leader Apologizes Amid Mounting Pressure to Resign
18 Jun 2019 at 9:37am
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam issued a public apology Tuesday amid a spiraling political crisis, stopping far short of demands from demonstrators that she completely cancel a controversial extradition bill, exonerate protesters and resign from her post
• NASA says there?s ?no doubt? SpaceX Crew Dragon explosion has pushed back cre...
18 Jun 2019 at 6:48pm
NASA desperately needs a way to get its astronauts into space without paying for pricey seats aboard Russian rockets, but the agency's two best hopes -- SpaceX and Boeing -- are stumbling a bit at the finish line. Boeing's Starliner has been plagued by delays nearly from the start, and SpaceX is now dealing with its own list of problems.In remarks to reporters at the Paris Airshow, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine admitted that the recent destruction of a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule during static testing is a major setback for NASA's crewed flight schedule. The race to be the first to deliver a suitable solution for NASA's needs now appears to be anyone's game."There is no doubt the schedule will change," Bridenstine reportedly said during his brief talk. "It won't be what was originally planned."Back in late April, something went seriously wrong during a static test of Crew Dragon's thrusters. The thrusters being tested were those that would spring into action if a launch had to be aborted after it had already lifted off. They're designed to push the crew capsule away from the rest of the launch vehicle, keeping the crew safe.Unfortunately, a glitch that so far has been described only as "an anomaly" occurred and the entire Crew Dragon capsule was destroyed in a fiery explosion. Details regarding exactly what went wrong have been scant, but both NASA and SpaceX are still conducting their investigations into the matter.Up until that point, SpaceX was clearly beating competitor Boeing in the race to finish a crew-capable NASA spacecraft. However, an explosion can be a pretty big setback, and now it's unclear when SpaceX will be able to resume its testing and get back on track. In the meantime, NASA will just have to wait.
• Venezuela receives second shipment of Red Cross aid
18 Jun 2019 at 7:49am
Venezuela Monday received a second shipment of Red Cross humanitarian aid, including 24 tonnes of medical supplies and generators provided by Panama, intended for hospitals to help address the country's acute health crisis. In a statement, the Venezuelan Red Cross said it had received "medicines, medical supplies and power generators" that will be distributed in hospitals across the country, which is experiencing the worst crisis in its recent history. Six trucks moved the supplies to a Red Cross warehouse in Caracas, an AFP journalist confirmed.
