After Sondland bombshell, Democrats look to expand Trump probe to Pompeo, others

A senior Democratic aide said Democratic leaders are tightly focused on Trump, because of the clarity of his constitutional violations, and said veering off to investigating people like Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence could become a distraction. But the aide did not rule out looking at additional figures in the Ukraine scandal after Trump is impeached — the aide noted that Pelosi has not yet announced whether the House will vote on impeachment, although it is widely expected. Eliot Engel, the head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee — one of the three chairs running the original impeachment inquiry — said that Sondland's testimony had made Democrats reassess how to proceed.

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  Donald Trump criticises impeachment witness for failing to hang his photo while ambassador

  The Telegraph
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  Hill, Holmes impeachment hearing: Experts beat crackpots on Trump, Russia and Ukraine

  USA TODAY Opinion

Gabbard and Harris clash over visions for the Democratic Party

At the Democratic debate in Atlanta on Wednesday, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and Sen. Kamala Harris of California clashed over their differing visions for the party, particularly when it comes to foreign policy. Gabbard had criticized Hillary Clinton as the “personification of the left that has sickened the Democratic Party” after the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee suggested in an interview last month that she believed Republicans were “grooming” Gabbard to be a spoiler as a third-party candidate. Clinton, who did not mention Gabbard by name, further suggested that the Hawaii Democrat is “the favorite of the Russians.

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  Democratic debate takeaways: Buttigieg unscathed as candidates focus on impeachment

  The Guardian
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  2020 Democratic candidates face off in Atlanta

  CBS News Videos

Russia 'ruined' Ukrainian naval vessels before handing them back, says Ukrainian navy

Three Ukrainian navy boats seized by Russia a year ago were vandalised before being handed back to Ukraine, the country's navy said. The fast gunboats Nikopol and Berdyansk and the tugboat Tany Kapu were welcomed by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy and onlookers waving national flags arrived in Ochakiv, a Ukrainian naval port on the Black Sea on Wednesday evening. But Ukraine's navy said the vessels had been stripped bare and left so badly damaged that they had to be towed home by tug.

A man in India dressed up as a pilot and used his disguise to skip lines and get free upgrades, police say

The police arrested a man at a Delhi airport Monday who they say dressed up as a pilot and tried to use his status to get preferential treatment like free upgrades. Officers say Rajan Mahbubani tried to pass himself off as a Lufthansa pilot while getting on an AirAsia flight from Delhi to Kolkata. The police said Mahbubani had also previously impersonated an army colonel.

Daughter's 911 call for pizza was actually a domestic violence report. The dispatcher knew

When dispatcher Tim Teneyck answered the 911 call, he was confused by the caller's request: a pizza order. The incident led to a domestic violence arrest, and authorities in Oregon, Ohio, praised Teneyck for his quick thinking, which helped a woman and her mother who needed a discreet way to call for police assistance. "This dispatcher did a great job," Oregon Police Chief Michael Navarre said.

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  Why This Woman Pretended to Order Pizza When Calling 911 on Mom's Alleged Abuser

  Inside Edition CBS
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  Ohio Authorities Arrest Man For Domestic Violence After Victim's Daughter Calls 911 to 'Order Pizza'

  People

Woman accused of encouraging boyfriend to kill himself releases last text message they sent

A 21-year-old woman accused of encouraging her boyfriend to kill himself has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges after publicly releasing the last text messages the pair sent to each other before his death. Ms You and her 22-year-old boyfriend Alexander Urtula exchanged more than 75,000 texts in the last two months of their relationship, prosecutors said, before he killed himself on 20 May — the day of his graduation from Boston College. Prosecutors described their relationship as toxic and abusive, and that Ms You would isolate Mr Urtula from his friends and constantly tell him to “go die” and “kill yourself”.

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  A Boston College Student Faces Charges For Texting Her Boyfriend Before His Suicide

  Refinery29
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  Inyoung You Is Charged In Her Boyfriend's Death by Suicide. Will Their Texts Exonerate Her?

  Elle

Federal Judge Rules Covington Student’s $275M Libel Lawsuit against NBC May Proceed

Federal judge William Bertelsman on Thursday allowed Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann's $275 million libel lawsuit against NBCUniversal to move forward, rejecting the media company's attempt to have the suit dismissed in full even as he threw out parts of it. Sandmann, 16, sued NBC and other major news outlets in the aftermath of their coverage of a controversial interaction he and several of his classmates had with Native American activist Nathan Phillips near the Lincoln Memorial on January 18. Viral video of the incident showed Sandmann and Phillips standing face to face as Phillips loudly beat on a drum and Sandmann smirked from time to time.

Ninth family member dies after Israeli strike: ministry

A Palestinian wounded in an Israeli strike that killed eight members of his family has died, the health ministry in the Hamas-run strip said on Friday. Mohammed Abu Malhous al-Sawarka, 40, succumbed after being wounded in "the massacre in which eight members of a family died when they were targeted in their homes," ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said in a statement. It said he was the brother of Rasmi Abu Malhous who was killed when his home was hit by an air strike on November 14.

Billionaire Michael Bloomberg files paperwork to run for U.S. president

Billionaire Michael Bloomberg filed paperwork on Thursday with the Federal Election Commission to run for U.S. president as a Democrat, the latest sign that the former New York City Mayor is joining the crowded nominating contest. The filing allows Bloomberg to raise money in a bid for the White House, but an aide said on Thursday that no final decision on whether he will run has been made. Bloomberg, 77, has signaled that he plans a late-entry in the Democratic primary, suggesting he feels the field of nearly 20 candidates is vulnerable.

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  Michael Bloomberg Is One Step Closer to Entering the 2020 Presidential Race

  Vogue
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  Bloomberg files paperwork to run for president, but isn't entering the race yet

  CBS News Videos

GOP claim that Trump cares about corruption takes a hit at impeachment hearing

In his questioning of David Hale, undersecretary of state for political affairs, Ratcliffe reprised a now familiar defense of the president, that putting a hold on military aid to Ukraine was done out of concern about corruption in the country. The reasons for the hold in summer 2019, during Ukraine's ongoing war with Russia, were not communicated either publicly or within the diplomatic and national security bureaucracy. Citing other recent instances in which congressionally approved U.S. foreign aid had been withheld without explanation, Ratcliffe asked Hale, “So, having no explanation for why aid is being withheld is not uncommon?

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  Newsmax's Ruddy on Trump: No impeachable crime

  BBC News
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  Why Jay Leno, A$AP Rocky And The Kardashians Got Name Checked During Impeachment Testimony

  Deadline

Military: 2 airmen killed in crash at Oklahoma base during training

Two airmen were killed Thursday in an accident involving two jets during the landing phase of a training exercise at a U.S. Air Force base in northwestern Oklahoma, a military official said.

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  Jet accident at Oklahoma base kills 2

  ABC News Videos
• The Latest: 2 airmen died while landing at Oklahoma base

  Associated Press

Exclusive: Acting Homeland Security chief Chad Wolf makes unannounced visit to privately funded border wall

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf made an unpublicized visit Wednesday to the site of a privately constructed border wall during his first official trip to the southern border, Yahoo News has confirmed. The stop at the half-mile stretch of crowdfunded steel bollard fencing, which was built without permits this spring on private land in Sunland Park, N.M., was not mentioned in a media advisory sent by the DHS press office ahead of Wolf's trip to El Paso, Texas, where he was slated to “participate in an operational tour of DHS facilities on the southwest border, meet with local DHS leadership, survey new border wall construction, and meet with state, local and community officials.

A mother who claims Hunter Biden fathered her child went public with a DNA test because he stopped paying child support, lawyers say

The mother of Hunter Biden's previously unknown child outed him as the father because he stopped paying to support the child, her lawyers say. Attorneys for Lunden Alexis Roberts submitted a court filing on Wednesday declaring "with scientific certainty" that Biden was the father of the child, born in August 2018. Attorneys say the decision was made over Biden's "refusal to continue to support his child." They are seeking $11,058 in fees, and filed a petition for paternity and child support.

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  U.S. Republican senators ask Treasury for suspicious activity reports on Hunter Biden

  Reuters
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  Joe Biden on son Hunter's paternity case: 'That's a private matter, I have no comment'

  FOX News Videos

Google's Tour Builder Is a Great Way to Make Your Friends Hate You

Now you can create virtual tours of your annoying vacations. From Popular Mechanics

A New Zealand man has been convicted of the harrowing murder of backpacker Grace Millane on their Tinder date, but it's still illegal to report his name

Hannah Peters/Getty Images The man's name has been suppressed by the New Zealand legal system since last year after his lawyer convinced a judge that anonymity was needed for a fair trial. The restriction follows a principle in the law of New Zealand, which also exists in closely-related systems like those of the UK and Australia, that sometimes reporting of jury trials should be restricted in order to make sure the jurors reach their verdict only on the evidence given in court. US courts do not have this rule.

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  Man found guilty of murdering Grace Millane

  Cosmo
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  New Zealand convicts man of murdering tourist

  Reuters Videos

Arrest made at Syracuse, chancellor bows to student demands as racist hate incidents continue

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse Police Department has made an arrest after a series of new graffiti markings were discovered on school grounds, authorities said Thursday. The announcement came hours after Syracuse Chancellor Ken Syverud agreed to the demands of students protesting the university's handling of a two-week run of almost daily racist, anti-Semitic incidents that have prompted tension on the campus 250 miles north of New York City. Kym McGowan, 18, was arrested on charges of fourth-degree criminal mischief and marking graffiti, both misdemeanors, police said.

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  Syracuse University students call for chancellor to resign amid racist incidents

  ABC News
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  Syracuse students have been besieged by racist attacks, and more than a dozen told us they're scared and angry with the school's tepid response

  INSIDER

Putin honours 'hero' pilots for Russian corn field landing

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday bestowed the country's top state honour on two pilots who safely landed a plane carrying more than 230 people in a corn field after a bird strike. At a ceremony in the Kremlin, Putin handed pilot Damir Yusupov and co-pilot Georgy Murzin the Hero of Russia awards, praising the crew's courage and professionalism. "They were able to land the plane literally in an empty field and saved dozens of lives," Putin said.

Meghan McCain Snaps at Sunny Hostin: ‘Take Your Cheap Applause Line!’

Things are just going swimmingly on The View. Following a week's worth of dramatic impeachment hearings, conservative co-host Meghan McCain lashed out at her View colleagues on Friday over Republican belief that President Trump did not commit an impeachable offense—specifically getting into a heated, personal clash with co-host Sunny Hostin. After McCain pointed out that retiring Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) said that he has not heard evidence proving Trump committed bribery or extortion, liberal co-host and frequent sparring partner Joy Behar wondered aloud whether Hurd was “deaf” since “we all heard it.

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  Meghan McCain Says She and Her Co-Hosts Are Treated Unfairly Because of 'Sexism'

  TheBlast
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  Meghan McCain and Abby Huntsman Open Up About Their 'Salt and Pepper' Friendship, The View and Donald Trump Jr.

  People

Iran says 'world war' against it foiled; blames U.S., Saudi Arabia and Israel

Iran's Basij militia said unrest sparked by fuel price hikes amounted to a "world war" against Tehran that was thwarted, and blamed the United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

20 of the Most Beautiful Bridges in the World

Designed by world-renowned architects such as Zaha Hadid and Santiago Calatrava, these bridges are travel destinations in their own right Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

Hong Kong court reinstates mask ban ahead of elections

A Hong Kong court that had struck down a ban on face masks at protests said Friday that the government could enforce it for one week, as police readied for any unrest during keenly contested elections this weekend. The High Court granted the temporary suspension “in view of the great public importance of the issues raised in this case, and the highly exceptional circumstances that Hong Kong is currently facing. Anti-government protests have rocked the semi-autonomous Chinese city for more than five months.

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  Legislation Aimed at Protecting Human Rights in Hong Kong Is Heading to the White House. Here's What to Know

  Time
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  Ted Cruz Threatens to Override Possible Trump Veto of Hong Kong Legislation

  National Review

Mexicans sue Walmart over Texas shooting that left victims on both sides of border

Ten Mexican citizens have sued Walmart over the shooting at a store in the U.S. border town of El Paso, Texas, that killed eight Mexicans and left eight more injured, saying that Walmart did not do enough to protect its customers, Mexico said on Wednesday. The suspected gunman told police he was targeting "Mexicans" in the August shooting, which killed 22 people in total. Mexico's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the lawsuit, which was filed in Texas state court in El Paso County, aimed to hold the retailer accountable "for not taking reasonable and necessary measures to protect its customers."

Former FBI Lawyer Under Criminal Investigation for Altering Document in Russia Probe: Report

A former FBI lawyer is under criminal investigation for allegedly altering a document pertaining to the 2016 surveillance of a Trump campaign adviser. The document will likely factor into Justice Department inspector general Michael Horowitz's review of the FBI's attempts to obtain a FISA warrant to surveil former Trump campaign official Carter Page, CNN first reported. At the time, the FBI was looking into allegations that the Trump campaign worked with Russian operatives to influence the 2016 presidential election.

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  Watchdog Faults FBI in Trump Campaign Probe, But Sees No Bias

  Bloomberg
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  A former FBI staffer is reportedly being investigated over an altered document in the Russia probe

  Business Insider

Nearly ¾ of transgender people slain since 2017 killed with guns

Nearly three-fourths of transgender and gender non-conforming Americans slain in the last three years were killed with a firearm, according to data published this month by the gun violence prevention advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety. The data sheds grim new light on the role of guns in what's been called an epidemic of violence against transgender Americans, as advocates honor the victims with nationwide vigils Wednesday during the Transgender Day of Remembrance. The data is available for the first time publicly via EveryStat for Gun Safety, the group's database detailing gun deaths in America.