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Showing posts from October, 2019

Brazil wildfires: Blaze advances across Pantanal wetlands

The area is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, and a popular tourist destination. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2qbOtUY

FREE SPEECH VICTORY: Kentucky Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Christian Print Shop Owner 

The Kentucky Supreme Court handed a victory Thursday to Lexington promotional print shop owner Blaine Adamson.  from CBNNews.com https://ift.tt/2C1XiDG

Maids for sale: How Silicon Valley enables online slave markets

Domestic workers have been illegally sold via Instagram and other apps on Google and Apple's stores. from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2Nx2gxk via IFTTT

Islamic State vows revenge against U.S. for Baghdadi killing

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Islamic State confirmed on Thursday that its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a weekend raid by U.S. special forces in northwestern Syria, and vowed revenge against the United States. The Iraqi rose from obscurity to lead the ultra-hardline group and declare himself "caliph" of all Muslims, holding sway over huge areas of Iraq and Syria from 2014-2017 before Islamic State's control disintegrated under U.S.-led attacks. The group confirmed his death in an audio tape posted online and said a successor, identified as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi, had been appointed. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2PGGla1

2 women have been criminally charged over their partners' suicides. Why do men escape the same blame?

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Experts told Insider they could not recall a similar instance of a man being charged with manslaughter in connection with his partner's suicide. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2BVkx29

Tulsi Gabbard says she wants to defeat the 'Bush-Clinton doctrine' on foreign policy

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"Those who follow the Bush-Clinton doctrine believe the only way to interact with other nations is by bombing them or starving them with draconian sanctions," Gabbard wrote. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2WsypKy

IS names Baghdadi successor, threatens US: statement

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The Islamic State jihadist group confirmed the death of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a statement Thursday and named his replacement as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi. "We mourn you... commander of the faithful," said Abu Hamza al-Quraishi -- presented as the jihadist group's new spokesman -- in an audio statement. Baghdadi, who led IS since 2014 and was the world's most wanted man, was killed in a US special forces raid in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib on Sunday. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2PBQgNQ

What Fiat Chrysler and PSA Peugeot Citroën Merger Will Mean for U.S. Car Buyers

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Now that FCA and PSA confirm they're doing a 50/50 merger, we're more likely to see technology being shared than cars being added to the U.S. market. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2WA44do

These Salvador Dali–Painted Tarot Cards Are as Spooky as You’d Imagine

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/31VqIhe

North's Kim sends condolences to Moon over mother's death

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sent a message of condolence to South Korean President Moon Jae-in over his mother's recent death, Moon's office said Thursday. It was later in the day handed over to Moon, who was staying in the southeastern city of Busan where his mother's mourning station was located, Moon's spokeswoman Ko Min-jung said. Ko said Kim expressed his "deep commemorating (of Moon's mother) and condolence" over her death. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2NtVRTI

Trump impeachment: Official says she was repeatedly urged to oust Ukraine ambassador by Republican lobbyist

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A US government official has reportedly told politicians leading the impeachment hearings against Donald Trump that she was urged by a Republican-linked lobbyist to remove the US ambassador to Ukraine from her post, as the president's allies launched a smear campaign against her.Catherine Croft, a Ukraine expert who worked at the US State Department, said she was repeatedly contacted by lobbyist Robert Livingston about ousting Marie Yovanovitch, according to prepared remarks obtained by NPR. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2Wzjqig

Al-Baghdadi paid rival for protection but was betrayed by his own

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Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was able to hide out in an unlikely part of Syria, the base of a rival group, because he was paying protection money to its members, according to receipts for the payments recovered by researchers. But he was ultimately betrayed by a close confidant, leading to his death in a raid by U.S. Special Operations forces last weekend. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/33epijz

Death sentence confirmed against four men in Morocco backpacker murders

A Moroccan appeals court upheld, late on Wednesday, death sentences against three Moroccan men for murdering two Scandinavian women in the Atlas mountains last December. A fourth man was also handed capital punishment after he was sentenced to life in prison by an anti-terrorism court on July 18. The other three were handed death sentences at the time. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2NvE3HI

Girl hit by car while trick or treating in Croxteth

Shots were fired at a car which then struck the 12-year-old girl in a street on Merseyside. from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2qWTu4c via IFTTT

The Papers: Trump's 'derailing' words and voters' sign-up rush

Many of Thursday's front pages focus on the US president's "extraordinary" election intervention. from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2pwDdCD via IFTTT

POWERFUL: Hungary's President Posts Photo to Social Media of Nick Vujicic and Himself Praying 

The president of Hungary posted a powerful image of himself kneeling to pray with evangelist Nick Vujicic. from CBNNews.com https://ift.tt/33eYGPr

UPDATE 4-Islamic State vows revenge against U.S. for Baghdadi killing

Islamic State confirmed on Thursday that its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a weekend raid by U.S. special forces in northwestern Syria, and vowed revenge against the United States. The Iraqi rose from obscurity to lead the ultra-hardline group and declare himself "caliph" of all Muslims, holding sway over huge areas of Iraq and Syria from 2014-2017 before Islsmic State's control disintegrated under U.S.-led attacks. The group confirmed his death in an audio tape posted online and said a successor, identified as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi, had been appointed. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2N1Dma8

Reading Scores on National Exam Decline in Half the States

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WASHINGTON -- The average eighth grade reading score on a nationally representative test declined among public school students in more than half of the states, according to data released Wednesday by the National Center for Education Statistics, the research arm of the Education Department.The dismal results were part of the release of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the "nation's report card." The test assesses a sample of fourth and eighth grade students -- more than 290,000 in each subject in 2019 -- every other year."Over the past decade, there has been no progress in either mathematics or reading performance, and the lowest-performing students are doing worse," Peggy Carr, the associate commissioner of the center, said in a statement.Such findings will inevitably prompt demands for policy change. In a statement, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who is championing a $5 billion school choice program, said that the results "must ...

Putin faces Syria money crunch after U.S. keeps control of oil fields

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Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing an unwelcome new financial challenge in Syria after the U.S. pullback enabled his ally Bashar Assad to reclaim the biggest chunk of territory in the country still outside his control. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/332gzkj

Graphic: Examining the weapons and tactics used by police and protesters in Hong Kong

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As the showdown between police and protesters in Hong Kong has intensified, officers have used increasing force, deploying an arsenal of crowd-control weapons, including tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, sponge grenades and bean bag rounds. Protesters have also stepped up their actions, hurling petrol bombs, vandalizing mainland Chinese banks and businesses believed to be pro-Beijing, throwing bricks at police stations and battling officers in the streets, sometimes with metal bars. Reuters scrutinized hundreds of images of the protests, as well as dozens of police reports and video footage, and combined this research with reporting on the ground to document the weapons used by the police and protesters, and how the violence has increased from day to day. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2oCxRpc

Top NSC Russia official confirms key testimony linking Trump to quid pro quo

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President Donald Trump’s top Russia aide on Thursday corroborated aspects of a key U.S. diplomat’s testimony connecting the president to a quid pro quo with Ukraine, according to people familiar with the aide’s testimony to House impeachment investigators. Timothy Morrison, the Europe and Russia chief for the National Security Council, was cited more than a dozen times in William Taylor’s opening statement to investigators last week. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/34hfEwr

Islamic State group announces successor to al-Baghdadi

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The Islamic State group declared a new leader Thursday after it confirmed the death of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi days earlier in a U.S raid in Syria. In its audio release by the IS central media arm, al-Furqan Foundation, a new spokesman for IS identifies the successor as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi — tracing his lineage, like al-Baghdadi, to the Prophet Muhammad's Quraysh tribe. The speaker in the audio also confirmed the death of Abu Hassan al-Muhajir, a close aide of al-Baghdadi and a spokesman for the group since 2016. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2N0sl94

Donald and Melania Trump place candy on top of child's Minion Halloween costume, video goes viral

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Video of the encounter went viral along with a flood of social media commentary. Some accused Trump of playing a Halloween trick at the kid's expense. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2qSZniP

Man loses foot, another seriously injured in shark attack while snorkeling in Australia

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The shark attack occurred in Hook Passage in the Whitsunday Islands off Australia's Queensland coast, rescuers say. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2BQYklJ

Exclusive: How Lebanon's Hariri defied Hezbollah

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After hitting a dead end in efforts to defuse the crisis sweeping Lebanon, Saad al-Hariri informed a top Hezbollah official on Monday he had no choice but to quit as prime minister in defiance of the powerful Shi'ite group. The decision by the Sunni leader shocked Hussein al-Khalil, political advisor to Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who advised him against giving in to protesters who wanted to see his coalition government toppled. The meeting described to Reuters by four senior sources from outside Hariri's Future Party captures a critical moment in the crisis that has swept Lebanon for the last two weeks as Hariri yielded to the massive street protests against the ruling elite. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/36cyvdQ

Ilhan Omar refuses to back vote recognising Armenian genocide

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Ilhan Omar declined to vote in favour of a resolution recognising the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as a genocide, saying any "true acknowledgement" of such crimes must include other historical "mass slaughters".The Minnesota Democrat was one of just three House members to vote “present” on the resolution that passed in an overwhelming 405-11 vote. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/36jWJmB

What Baghdadi’s Death Means for al Qaeda—and Why It Matters

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SITE Intelligence GroupWith ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed one day and the group’s official spokesman Abu Hassan al-Muhajir the next, there’s a giant hole in the pseudo-Caliphate structure of the so-called Islamic State. The group must now, by its strict religious tenets, find a new (supposed) descendant of the Prophet Muhammed to fill the role of Caliph. But the deaths of those two are equally consequential for al-Qaeda, the bitter rival of ISIS for leadership of global jihad. Al-Qaeda has spent the last six years branding the Caliphate as illegitimate, too extreme, and ultimately harmful. When ISIS declared the establishment of its so-called Caliphate spanning territory in Syria and Iraq in 2014, al-Qaeda and its affiliates unanimously rejected it. To this day, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri’s speeches rarely come without some critique of the “epidemic” put forth by ISIS.Trump Officials Had No Clue Where He Got ‘Whimpering’ Detail in His Baghdadi Raid AccountOddl...

The Kincade Fire in California has burned an area more than twice the size of San Francisco. Here are the latest updates.

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The Kincade Fire in California's Sonoma County has burned 76,825 acres. PG&E; told regulators that a broken jumper cable may have started the blaze. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/31PZybn

Trump Administration Challenges California Sanctuary Law in Supreme Court

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The Trump administration has petitioned the Supreme Court to strike down California's "sanctuary law," which hinders cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.The administration is challenging several provisions in the California Values Act, or S.B. 54. The law prohibits officials from sharing information with ICE about a suspect's release from custody, eliminating any opportunity for ICE agents to take illegal immigrants into custody before they are released from local jails. It also prohibits local law-enforcement officers from sharing physical descriptions of suspects with immigration authorities."The practical consequences of California’s obstruction are not theoretical; as a result of SB 54, criminal aliens have evaded the detention and removal that Congress prescribed, and have instead returned to the civilian population, where they are disproportionately likely to commit additional crimes," the Trump administration ...

The Latest: Islamic State leader buried at sea, US says

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The head of United States Central Command says Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was buried at sea after a weekend raid on his compound. Gen. Frank McKenzie told reporters Wednesday that al-Baghdadi died after he exploded a suicide vest just before U.S. troops were going to capture him. McKenzie says two children were killed in the explosion set off by the Islamic State leader. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2qR1fsn

Disaster for Trump? What If the Philippines Became Russia's Ally?

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How could that happen? from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/333x4fJ

Biden's communion denial highlights faith-politics conflict

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A Roman Catholic priest's denial of communion to Joe Biden in South Carolina on Sunday illustrates the fine line presidential candidates must walk as they talk about their faiths: balancing religious values with a campaign that asks them to choose a side in polarizing moral debates. The awkward moment for Biden came during a weekend campaign swing through South Carolina, a pivotal firewall in his hopes to claim the Democratic presidential nomination. The former vice president on Sunday visited St. Anthony Catholic Church in Florence, a midsize city in the state's largely rural northeast. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2MUhmOq

Breastfeeding suites increasing in popularity in the US

Private breastfeeding spaces are increasing in the US, including in train stations and supermarkets. from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2PvI29V via IFTTT

How to Eat Alone (and Like It)

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By BY JESS MCHUGH from NYT Smarter Living https://ift.tt/31WLbCt

Georgia Plans to Purge 300,000 Names From Its Voter Rolls

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By BY NICHOLAS CASEY from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2WrdJ5X

Stick to Sports? No Way. Deadspin Journalists Quit en Masse.

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By BY MARC TRACY from NYT Business https://ift.tt/31YbsQz

Hundreds of U.S. Troops Leaving, and Also Arriving in, Syria

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By BY ERIC SCHMITT AND HELENE COOPER from NYT World https://ift.tt/331hmlz

Iraq Prime Minister Pressed to Quit as Protests Clog Streets

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By BY ALISSA J. RUBIN from NYT World https://ift.tt/2pqzoyQ

UK's Conservatives hold 8-point lead over Labour in Daily Mail poll

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party holds around an 8-point lead over the opposition Labour Party, according to a Survation poll conducted by Daily Mail. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2WrcHa5 via IFTTT

Trump judicial nominee breaks down during Senate hearing

Lawrence VanDyke broke down when asked whether he was biased against LGBT people. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2qRpsPg

Comedian Kevin Hart shares emotional video after crash

The US comedian shared the video of his recovery after a severe car accident in September. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2qY0del

US House overwhelmingly votes to recognize Armenian genocide

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Resolution comes at delicate time in US-Turkey relationship, shortly after House votes to impose sanctionsPeople take part in a torchlight procession as they mark the 104th anniversary of the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman forces, Yerevan, Armenia. Photograph: Karen Minasyan/AFP/Getty ImagesThe US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to recognize the Armenian genocide of a century ago, stepping into a fraught historical debate at a particularly tense moment for the US-Turkey relationship.The House voted 405-11 in favor of the resolution, which is not legally binding, to formally recognize the systematic killing of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians under the Ottoman Empire in 1915, modern-day Turkey, as a “genocide”.Earlier on Tuesday, the House voted 403 to 16 to impose sanctions on Turkey, in a striking rebuke of Donald Trump after he pulled American forces from northern Syria following a phone call with the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, pa...

A California couple who was forced to evacuate their home and winery share what it's really like to endure the wildfires engulfing the state

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California's Sonoma wine country dealt with destructive wildfires in 2017. Here's how one winery is dealing with 2019's Kincade Fire. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2BUhQ0N

John Bolton: Former national security adviser 'summoned to testify in Trump impeachment probe'

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House impeachment investigators have invited John Bolton, a former national security adviser to Donald Trump, to testify before Congress next week, according to reports.Mr Bolton was reportedly called on by House investigators to give evidence for their impeachment inquiry into Mr Trump surrounding the president’s dealings with Ukraine. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2N4hMSF

Texas police officer shot his own son, thinking he was a home intruder, police say

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The incident occurred Saturday evening when the off-duty Dallas police officer returned home and thought someone might be inside, DeSoto police said. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/31QJBSr

Why are California's wildfires different this year?

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Destructive wildfires have ripped through California, threatening homes and famous landmarks, and forcing power outages that have plunged millions into darkness. Everything from climate change to corporate negligence has been blamed for the chaos, which has seen hundreds of thousands evacuated, and hundreds of structures destroyed. The 20 worst California wildfires on record all destroyed over 500 structures, or burned 140,000 acres, according to state agency Cal Fire. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2PEkvDI

Congresswoman's exit prompts question of equity amid scandal

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The resignation of a female Democratic congresswoman over a consensual, sexual relationship with a campaign aide has sparked questions about whether women are held to higher standards in public life. At the center of the controversy is Katie Hill, a first-term lawmaker from California and a rising Democratic Party star. In a video released Monday, Hill said she was stepping down because she was "fearful of what might come next" following the online publication of explicit pictures that outed her relationship with a female staffer. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2MTbvJ8

Chile’s Pinera Fires Top Economic Ministers Amid Protests

(Bloomberg) -- Ten days of riots, protests and reprisals claimed their first political victims Monday as Chile’s President Sebastian Pinera fired eight ministers, including the biggest hitters in the cabinet.The interior, finance and economy ministers were all dismissed, with Pinera naming a younger, more centrist team to convince protesters that their voice has been heard.A wave of riots, looting and protests has caused more than a billion dollars of damage this month, before spawning the largest peaceful demonstration in the country’s history. Yet, today’s announcement is unlikely to placate a movement that has demands ranging from tax reform to constitutional change, via the resignation of the billionaire president himself.“These have been difficult days,” Pinera said at a ceremony in the presidential palace. “Our government has heard the loud and clear message of the Chilean people who want a more fair and more inclusive society.”The president’s approval rating slumped to 14% last ...

Elected Arizona official accused of selling babies suspended

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An elected official in Arizona was suspended Monday after he was charged with running a human smuggling scheme that brought pregnant women from the Marshall Islands to the U.S. to give birth and then paid them to give up their children for adoption. Leaders in Arizona's most populous county suspended Assessor Paul Petersen without pay for 120 days. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors doesn't have the power to permanently remove him from his office, which determines the value of properties for tax purposes in Phoenix and its suburbs. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2BSLJP7

Federal Prosecutors Are Lining Up Witnesses Against Jeffrey Epstein’s Cronies

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Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Photos GettyIt’s been more than two months since Jeffrey Epstein killed himself, but the investigation into possible accomplices is still very much alive. In recent days, federal prosecutors probing the financier’s sex-trafficking ring have been asking Epstein victims if they could serve as witnesses in the criminal case they are building.Representatives from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York traveled to Florida for an Oct. 15 meeting with several of Epstein’s victims and their counsel. The staffers, who worked in the victim services unit, held a similar meeting in New York on Oct. 23, lawyers for the women and a law enforcement source told The Daily Beast.Two people familiar with the investigation said that prosecutors have heard from “dozens” of witnesses or victims since Epstein’s arrest in July.Following Epstein’s death in August, which was ruled a suicide by hanging, the Department of Justice said that it would c...

UPDATE 1-Iraq's Sadr calls on rival to join him in ousting PM

Populist Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has invited his biggest political rival to work with him on ousting the country's prime minister as thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets for a fifth day. In a statement on Tuesday Sadr, who leads parliament's largest bloc, asked Hadi al-Amiri, leader of the second-largest, to help him introduce a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi. "To answer brother Abdul Mahdi, I thought asking you to call an early election would preserve your dignity but as you have refused, I invite brother Amiri to work with me on withdrawing confidence from you immediately," he said. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2pYJrLI

Schiff to handle impeachment witness testimony in break from precedent

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Under past precedent in 1974 and 1998 — the last two times the House conducted an impeachment inquiry — the House Judiciary Committee was the hub for investigations, hearings, and a committee vote on articles of impeachment. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2Nia3z6

Woman Who Oversaw Robberies Targeting Asians and Indians Gets 37 Years in Prison

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By BY MARIEL PADILLA from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/369Aa3Q

72 British Lawmakers Condemn ‘Colonial’ Coverage of Meghan

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By BY ALAN YUHAS from NYT World https://ift.tt/2BRnK2I

House Passes Resolution Recognizing Armenian Genocide

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By BY CATIE EDMONDSON AND RICK GLADSTONE from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2Nq4qPo

Despair for Many and Silver Linings for Some in California Wildfires

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By BY THOMAS FULLER, JULIE TURKEWITZ AND JOSE A. DEL REAL from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/32WbkCw