- PoliticsYahoo News
Shanahan's confirmation hearing for defense secretary delayed amid FBI investigation
As the United States faces the longest period in its history without a confirmed secretary of defense, and tensions build over American allegations that Iran is responsible for recent attacks on civilian ships in the Persian Gulf, the man slated to head the Pentagon is facing a protracted FBI investigation that has delayed his Senate hearing until at least next month. Despite announcing more than a month ago acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan as his pick to get the Pentagon job on a permanent basis, President Trump has yet to formally nominate Shanahan, forcing the Senate Armed Services Committee to postpone a confirmation hearing it had tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, June 18.
WorldAFPIran says CIA spy network dismantled
Iran said Tuesday it has dismantled a new espionage network linked to the US Central Intelligence Agency and arrested a number of spies. "Following clues in the American intelligence services, we recently found the new recruits Americans had hired and dismantled a new network," state news agency IRNA said, quoting an intelligence ministry official. In what it termed a "wide-reaching blow" to US intelligence, IRNA said Tehran had carried out the operation in cooperation with "foreign allies", without naming any state.
- NewsAssociated Press
Police: Arizona man beheads roommate's dog as she moves out
An Arizona man has been arrested on suspicion of mutilating and beheading his roommate's dog as she moved out of the home that the two shared in a Phoenix suburb. Jose Vega Meza, 21, told investigators that he killed the dog on Saturday because his roommate owed rent money to his mother, who owns the home in the city of Buckeye, police said. The man's roommate told police she lost track of her dog as she moved out her belongings and saw Vega Meza trying to sneak a box onto her truck.
- BusinessCar and Driver
Could GM Bring Hummer Back as an Electric SUV Brand?
There's a rumor that General Motors is considering bringing back the Hummer brand, this time as a future electric SUV. GM first acquired Hummer from AM General in 1998 but dropped the brand in 2010. With the continued rise of the SUV market and the remarkable success of brands like Jeep, it's almost surprising that General Motors hasn't yet dipped back into its rugged Hummer brand, which it killed off in 2010.
- WorldThe National Interest
U.S.-North Korea Summit Proves to Be All Talk, No Seoul
During that time he engaged in a “hackathon” with the Finlandian president, held talks with the Norwegian prime minister, and attended a state dinner with the king and queen of Sweden. It was an opportunity for the South Korean president to play the statesman and escape the rough-and-tumble politics of Seoul for at least a few days. Moon, however, has a big problem.
BusinessAFP600 people on Monsanto 'watch lists' in Germany, France: Bayer
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.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Supreme Court rules against Republicans in Virginia dispute over use of race in drawing election maps
WASHINGTON – A conservative Supreme Court gave Democrats a major victory over Republicans in Virginia Monday by spurning the GOP's defense of election maps drawn with both racial and partisan overtones. The justices ruled that the Republican-controlled House of Delegates lacked the authority to challenge a federal district court decision striking down the maps after the state's Democratic attorney general refused to do so. The decision was written by Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was joined by two conservative and two liberal colleagues.
- ScienceBGR News
Daring maneuver brings NASA’s orbiter closer to an asteroid than ever before
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.
- LifestyleDelish
30+ Healthy Snacks Better Than Anything In A Vending Machine
Say bye to mid-day hanger. From Delish
- PoliticsReuters
UPDATE 1-Guatemala says it has not pledged to accept U.S.-bound asylum seekers
Guatemala has not yet committed to becoming a "safe third country" for U.S.-bound migrants seeking asylum, but is analyzing with the United States how to contain flows of people from Central America, the Interior Minister said on Tuesday. U.S. President Donald Trump said in a Twitter post on Monday that Guatemala "is getting ready to sign a Safe-Third Agreement," suggesting Guatemala could receive asylum seekers https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-trump/trump-says-u-s-agency-will-begin-removing-millions-of-illegal-immigrants-idUSKCN1TJ04D from neighboring countries. Trump added on Tuesday that Guatemala was "different" than in past administrations https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-trump/trump-says-immigration-roundup-will-start-next-week-idUSKCN1TJ2RZ, without providing details.
- U.S.Meredith Videos
Harvard Rescinds Acceptance of Pro-Gun Parkland Survivor Over Past Racist Comments
Harvard University has rescinded the acceptance for a Parkland shooting survivor and pro-gun advocate after racist messages he sent in high school resurfaced last month.
- SportsTime
4 Injured, 3 Arrested After Reports of Shooting During Raptors Celebration, Toronto Police Say
Toronto police arrested three people after responding to reports of a shooting at Nathan Philips Square, amid celebrations for the Toronto Raptors winning their first NBA title. Toronto police said they identified four victims who were injured in the shooting. A Toronto police representative told TIME that the injuries were not life-threatening, though the specific extent to their injuries is unknown.
- NewsAssociated Press
The Latest: Indiana AG's office plans vigorous defense
The Latest on the allegations of groping made against Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill (all times local): 3:45 p.m. 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.
WorldAFPEgypt's former president Morsi quietly buried in Cairo
Egypt's first democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi was buried Tuesday, as the UN backed calls for an independent investigation into his death after he collapsed in a Cairo courtroom. The Islamist, who was overthrown in 2013 after a year of divisive rule and later charged with espionage, was buried at a cemetery in eastern Cairo's Medinat Nasr, one of his lawyers said. Abdel Moneim Abdel Maksoud said family members had washed Morsi's body and prayed the last rites early Tuesday at Leeman Tora Hospital.
WorldAFPRock blasts cause quake near China-North Korea border
Two explosions detonated to crush rocks in northeast China caused a small earthquake near the North Korean border on Monday, local authorities said. The 1.3-magnitude quake with a zero-metre depth occurred at 19:38 pm (1138 GMT) in Hunchun city in northeastern Jilin province, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. 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.
- PoliticsThe Daily Beast
Here Are Five New Takeaways From Trump’s ABC News Interview
Washington has already been rocked, for example, by the bombshell revelation that Trump was seemingly open to the idea of receiving dirt on his 2020 opponents from foreign entities and didn't think it was necessary to contact the FBI if approached. Discussing the president's claim a year ago that North Korea was no longer a nuclear threat, ABC News' George Stephanopoulos pressed the president on the fact that the reclusive nation still has stockpiles of nuclear weapons. Trump, meanwhile, insisted that there had been no nuclear testing by the country before boasting about his warm relationship with dictator Kim Jong Un.
- BusinessUSA TODAY
Hawaiian, Southwest, Allegiant top Forbes list of fastest airlines in the U.S.
According to Forbes, these numbers have flaws: If a flight lands within 15 minutes of its scheduled arrival time, DOT counts it as on time. AERA and Forbes came up with a new metric that's based on the "block time," which is the time from when a plane's brakes are released on departure through when the brakes are set at the arrival gate and the door opens. AERA reviewed all scheduled flights in the U.S. in 2018 to calculate the shortest flight time on each route.Forbes used the following example to illustrate the methodology: "For example, the minimum block time for the LaGuardia to Miami route was pegged at 164 minutes.
- LifestyleAOL.com
Reynolds Wrap will pay someone $5,000 a week to travel across America eating ribs
Grill masters and backyard barbecue bosses, listen up. Reynolds Wrap has announced it is searching for its next Chief Grilling Officer (CGO) — and the company is offering racks on racks for one lucky applicant who can sear the rest of the competition. "As CGO, you won't need a comfy corner office because for two weeks in August, you'll be busy tasting and savoring BBQ ribs from some of the top BBQ rib cities in the country," the company says in a listing for the temporary position.
- PoliticsThe Telegraph
Donald Trump 2020: US president launches re-election campaign at Orlando rally vowing political 'earthquake'
Donald Trump vowed to deliver another “earthquake at the ballot box” in 2020 as he formally launched his re-election campaign in front of 20,000 cheering supporters in Orlando, Florida. The US president warned that “the swamp” he had vowed to drain during his 2016 campaign was “fighting back so viciously and violently” that he needed another four years in office. Mr Trump boasted of his presidential achievements including creating a US economy that was “the envy of the world”, declaring: “The American dream is back.
- NewsReuters
Justice Thomas urges U.S. Supreme Court to feel free to reverse precedents
Writing in a gun possession case over whether the federal government and states can prosecute someone separately for the same crime, Thomas said the court should reconsider its standard for reviewing precedents. Thomas said the nine justices should not uphold precedents that are "demonstrably erroneous," regardless of whether other factors supported letting them stand. "When faced with a demonstrably erroneous precedent, my rule is simple: We should not follow it," wrote Thomas, who has long expressed a greater willingness than his colleagues to overrule precedents.
- BusinessBloomberg
Google Appoints New Chief to Oversee Tumultuous China Region
Stanley Chen will become managing director of Greater China sales, the company said Monday, taking up a post Scott Beaumont vacated after he was appointed Google's Asia-Pacific president in March. Google takes in about 15% of its annual revenue from the Asia Pacific even though it pulled its search engine from the world's No. 2 economy around 2010, citing censorship. The company came under fire last year for an unsuccessful attempt to bring a censored version of its search engine back to China.
- WorldAssociated Press
Earthquake in southern China kills 11 people, injures 122
A strong earthquake that hit Sichuan province in southern China late Monday night killed 11 people and injured 122, the local government said. The Yibin city government posted the casualty toll on its social media accounts Tuesday morning. Xinhua news agency said rescue efforts were underway in the stricken area.
- BusinessCar and Driver
See Photos of the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4
Back by popular demand, the enticing new GT4 is now the only Cayman with a flat-six. From Car and Driver
CelebrityAFPFar-right UK student jailed over Prince Harry online posts
A far-right university student who called Prince Harry a race traitor and created an image of him with a pistol to his head was on Tuesday jailed in Britain for more than four years. Michal Szewczuk, 19, posted the image, which also featured a blood-splattered swastika, on microblogging platform Gab in August last year, months after the prince married mixed-race actress Meghan Markle. Szewczuk, who was jailed for four years and three months, pleaded guilty to two counts of encouraging terrorism and five counts of possession of terrorist material, including the White Resistance Manual and an Al-Qaeda manual.
- WorldThe National Interest
Forget Stealth Fighters or Aircraft Carriers: China Will Beat America with This
Michael Peck Security, Think swarm war. What's particularly interesting about a Chinese drone swarm is China's predominance in drone production. Chinese manufacturer DJI makes nearly 80 percent of the drones used in the United States and Canada (U.S. authorities recently warned these robots could be stealing data from their users).
