- PoliticsUSA TODAY
AOC to DHS chief: Border agents shared 'images of my violent rape' in secret Facebook group
After a week fielding racist attacks from President Donald Trump, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez questioned Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan about the whereabouts of Border Patrol agents who threatened her in a secret Facebook group. The intense and personal line of questioning Thursday happened as McAleenan appeared before the House Oversight and Reform Committee to testify about his role in separating migrant children from their families and worsening conditions at the migrant detention centers along the southern U.S. border. After the group's existence was revealed by a ProPublica report, McAleenan announced DHS was investigating the "disturbing" and "inexcusable" posts.
- NewsThe Independent
Chappaquiddick 50 years on: The car crash that forever tarnished Ted Kennedy
Heavily favoured to win the Democratic nomination for the presidency, Ted Kennedy looked set to square-off against Republican incumbent Richard Nixon at the 1972 election. A car crash in Chappaquiddick would claim the life of a young female political campaigner and forever tarnish his reputation. On 18 July, 1969, Kennedy, aged 37 at the time, had been attending a party on Chappaquiddick Island, part of the affluent Massachusetts resort Martha's Vineyard.
- WorldReuters
UPDATE 1-U.S. amphibious group patrols Arabian Sea as Iran tensions simmer
At a thumbs-up sign from a sailor, a U.S. Harrier fighter jet takes off from the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer in the Arabian Sea as an oil tanker passes, a nautical mile away. The patrol is "standard" but the situation - growing tension between the United States and Iran - is not. "We want to make sure that we assure allies in the region and to ensure freedom of navigation and free flow of commerce," says Colonel Fridrik Fridrikson, commanding officer of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
WorldAFPAustralia calls on China to let Uighur mother and son leave
Australia's government on Wednesday called on China to allow an Australian child and his Uighur mother to leave the country, days after co-signing a letter denouncing Beijing's treatment of the Muslim minority. China has rounded up an estimated one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic-speaking minorities into re-education camps in tightly controlled Xinjiang region, in the country's northwest. Sadam Abdusalam has campaigned for months for his Uighur wife, Nadila Wumaier, and their son Lutifeier, whom he has never met, to be allowed to come to Australia.
- NewsAssociated Press
The Latest: Arkansas state police ID sheriff's deputy killed
The Latest on a sheriff's deputy killed in a shooting in northern Arkansas (all times local): 3:30 p.m. Arkansas State Police have identified a sheriff's deputy killed in a shooting in northern Arkansas as Sergeant Mike Stephen. State Police spokesman Bill Sadler said Stephen responded to a domestic welfare check at a house in Leslie, about 77 miles (124 kilometers) from Little Rock, around 8:40 Thursday morning.
- LifestyleCar and Driver
View Photos of the Lexus GXOR Concept
The off-road-ready SUV was created using readily available modifications. From Car and Driver
- Lifestylemotorious
Rally Red 1972 Dodge Challenger Shows Off Its Muscles
If you have been in the market for an iconic American muscle car, then you're in luck. GR Auto Gallery is pleased to announce this bold and beautiful 1972 Dodge Challenger up for sale. Dressed in a brilliant Rally Red paint job, the exterior shines at every angle and is in pristine condition.
- NewsThe National Interest
Marine Corps Tells Rep. Duncan Hunter He Can’t Use Trademarked Corps Material for His Campaign
"It is personally disappointing to Congressman Hunter that he is now being told that he cannot use this motto or image that thousands of Marines like Congressman Hunter, who went to war under this banner, have used for tattoos, coins, and multiple other items of personal sentiment," Harrison told Task & Purpose. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) has been told to stop using the Marine Corps' emblem and the 1st Marine Division's motto in his campaign literature, Corps officials confirmed. The Marine Corps Trademark Licensing Office has sent Hunter, a Marine veteran, a cease and desist letter telling him to quit using the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor emblem along with the phrase, "No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy," on a fundraising mailer that accuses his political opponent of having links to terrorism, NBC News first reported on Wednesday.
- NewsAOL.com
North Carolina father of 7 dies trying to save his drowning children at beach
A North Carolina father drowned Sunday while rescuing two of his young children who were swept away by a wave while walking on a submerged jetty at Wrightsville Beach. Johnny Lee Vann Jr., a 35-year-old father who recently moved to Durham from Detroit, Mich., with his family, did not hesitate to jump into the rough waters after watching two of his seven children go under, his widow, Dawn Vann, told WNCN. Vann Jr. successfully brought one child to shore but struggled to stay afloat after heading back out for the second, Capt. Jason Bishop of the Wrightsville Beach Police Department told ABC News.
- PoliticsPolitico
McConnell: Trump 'on to something' with attacks on four congresswomen
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday that Donald Trump is "on to something" with his inflammatory attacks against four congresswomen, attempting to frame the president's racist rhetoric as rooted in ideological differences between the Republican and Democratic parties. "I think the president is on to something," McConnell told the Fox Business Network, citing his opposition to policy proposals, including the "Green New Deal" and "Medicare for All," espoused by some progressive lawmakers and 2020 White House hopefuls. "We're in a big debate now and next year about what we want America to be like," McConnell said.
- CelebrityUSA TODAY
'Not what your mom sent you:' Teen takes legendary senior photos in a bathrobe
When Tiffany Clark, owner of Chaos and Clark Photography, went to pick up her cousin for his senior photo session, she wasn't expecting anything crazy. Evan Dennison got in the car wearing sweatpants and carrying a bag. Clark asked him where his clothes were. Dennison assured her they were in his bag and he would change once they got to their location.
- WorldThe Independent
Satellite images ‘show US military buildup in Saudi Arabia’ amid Iran tensions
The United States is preparing to send hundreds of troops to Saudi Arabia where satellite images appear to show a build up of American forces on the ground. The moves would likely strengthen the US' controversial relationship with Saudi Arabia, while also responding to rising tensions with Iran which escalated dramatically in recent months. After the US unilaterally withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal last year and reimposed tight sanctions, Iran announced in July that it had surpassed limits on enriched uranium imposed in the agreement.
PoliticsFOX News VideosHouse votes to hold Attorney General William Barr, Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt of Congress
House lawmakers accused Attorney General Barr and Commerce Secretary Ross of failing to provide Congress with information about the citizenship question for the census; reaction and analysis from the 'Special Report' All-Stars.
- NewsAssociated Press
Feds: Man charged with killing 3 had been deported twice
A Guatemalan man who apparently entered the U.S. illegally after being deported twice has been charged with killing an Iowa woman and her two children. Marvin Oswaldo Escobar-Orellana, 31, made an initial court appearance Thursday in Des Moines, where the judge set his bond at $3 million cash and scheduled his next hearing for July 29. Escobar-Orellana was arrested Tuesday night in the fatal shootings of 29-year-old Rossibeth Flores-Rodriguez and her two children, 11-year-old Grecia Daniela Alvarado-Flores and 5-year-old Ever Jose Mejia-Flores.
- BusinessReuters
Pakistan lost $50 million from airspace restrictions: minister
Pakistan's aviation minister on Thursday said that his country suffered loses of over eight billion rupees ($50 million) from airspace restrictions imposed since February which affected hundreds of commercial and cargo flights. Pakistan closed its airspace after an attack by a Pakistan-based militant group in Indian-controlled Kashmir led to clashes between the nuclear-armed powers, adding flight time for passengers and fuel costs for airlines. “Over eight billion rupees worth of losses have been suffered by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority,” Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Pakistan's aviation minister told a press conference in Karachi.
- ScienceTime
Here's Every Single Mission to the Moon in One Chart
Humans started to work in earnest to get to the moon in the 1950s, when the U.S. and U.S.S.R. initiated a bracing Cold War space race. The Soviets drew first blood in 1959: in that one year, Luna 1 became the first spacecraft to reach the moon. Luna 2 was the first to reach the lunar surface, and Luna 3 sent back the first images of the dark side of the moon.
- NewsThe National Interest
Big Guns: Army Prototypes Range-Doubling New Artillery Weapon to Outgun Russia
The Army is building prototypes of a new artillery cannon that can more than double the range of existing weapons and vastly alter the strategic and tactical landscape shaping land war into the future. “This prototype phase will address capability gaps in the Army's indirect fire systems and improve the rate and range of fire with the development of power distribution software and hardware integration solutions,” a BAE Systems statement said.
- WorldBloomberg
China Is Drafting Urgent Plan to Resolve Hong Kong Chaos, SCMP Says
Chinese officials in charge of Hong Kong affairs are working on an urgent strategy to solve the city's political chaos and have ruled out the use of military force, the South China Morning Post reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the discussions. They will soon present top leaders in Beijing with both an immediate plan to handle the mass protests and a longer-term strategy that could result in China overhauling its management of the former British colony, the newspaper said, without elaborating on a date. Beijing maintains that the crisis is best left for Hong Kong authorities to resolve and doesn't want to get directly involved, according to the report.
- NewsPolitico
Flynn had $4.6M unpaid legal tab, records show
Michael Flynn built up unpaid legal bills of more than $4.6 million during the Trump-Russia investigation before parting ways with his attorneys last month, according to records introduced at a federal court trial this week. Law firm Covington & Burling appears to have billed Flynn about $5 million after he became a client in early 2017, when his lobbying and consulting work came under Justice Department scrutiny. Covington partners Robert Kelner and Stephen Anthony initially helped the retired Army lieutenant general and his consulting firm, Flynn Intel Group, navigate a Justice Department inquiry into the firm's work on Turkey-related issues.
- PoliticsYahoo News
‘I am disgusted’: New Yorkers react to Trump telling congresswomen to ‘go back’ to their countries
New Yorkers, like much of the country, have some strong opinions about the latest controversy engulfing President Trump. Randi was among the random New Yorkers Yahoo News asked about Trump's incendiary declaration that four progressive congresswomen of color should “go back” to their “broken and crime infested” countries. The four newly elected congresswomen, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., are all U.S. citizens.
- NewsThe Independent
‘I saw hate in his eyes’: White security guard pulls gun on black police officer
In a matter of seconds, what began with a routine errand at the IRS escalated into a frightening standoff between a white security guard and a black police officer, who said he heard hate in the guard's shouts and believed he would be shot. You don't expect to be ambushed by someone who you think is on the same team,” Mr Gaston told The Washington Post. I feel there was definitely some racial overtones involved.
- PoliticsUSA TODAY
Here are the candidates who will be on stage for the second 2020 Democratic debate
WASHINGTON – The nation will once again hear from 20 Democratic presidential candidates later this month. The candidates who qualified for the second Democratic debates, which are being held on July 30 and 31 in Detroit and hosted by CNN, were announced Wednesday. To qualify, candidates had to poll at 1% or more in at least three qualified polls or receive donations from at least 65,000 individual donors, with a minimum of 200 individual donors per state in at least 20 states.
- WorldAssociated Press
Argentina acts against Hezbollah, blamed for terror attacks
Argentina's government on Thursday branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization and froze its assets, 25 years to the day after a bombing blamed on the Lebanese-based group destroyed a Jewish community center in Argentina's capital, killing 85 people. The nation's Financial Information Unit took the action a day after President Mauricio Macri's government created a list of terrorist organizations to help coordinate actions with other nations and as the nation held memorial services for victims of the attack, for which no one has been convicted. The unit noted that Hezbollah has been accused of responsibility for a 1992 attack on the Israeli Embassy in Argentina that killed 29 people, as well as the 1994 attack on the Argentine-Israelite Mutual Association in Buenos Aires.
- WorldReuters
Cannonball highlights how close Napoleon came to victory at Waterloo
A cannonball discovered this week by archaeologists provides a further indication of how close Napoleon Bonaparte came to winning the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The 3 kilogramme (6-pound), rusty cannonball was found on Monday near the site of a field hospital about 600 metres behind Anglo-Allied lines on the battlefield in Belgium. Tony Pollard, the head archaeologist at the site, told Reuters Television he believed it was fired by the French army, another sign of near Napoleon's troops came to victory in the battle described by the Duke of Wellington as a close-run thing.
- NewsNational Review
Surprise — The Future of Planned Parenthood Is Abortion
Planned Parenthood's board has fired the organization's president, Leana Wen, after less than a year on the job. According to reports, Wen was dismissed because the board deemed her insufficiently dedicated to expanding Planned Parenthood's political advocacy, particularly on abortion. For one thing, Wen was appointed just last fall to replace Cecile Richards, who resigned on good terms after leading the institution for twelve years.
