NewsAFPMarines commandant protests US border deployments, wall
America's top marine warned that deployments to the US-Mexico border and President Donald Trump's plan for a wall pose an "unacceptable risk" to the force, according to documents revealed Thursday by The Los Angeles Times. In memos addressed to acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan and Navy secretary Richard Spencer, General Robert Neller wrote that he had been forced to cancel or reduce exercises in five countries. Marines will miss exercises in Indonesia, Scotland and Mongolia, and their participation in joint exercises in Australia and South Korea will be reduced, Neller said in the documents dated March 18 and 19.
WorldAssociated PressThe Latest: New Zealanders to observe Muslim call to prayer
People across New Zealand will listen to the Muslim call to prayer on Friday as the nation marks one week since a gunman attacked two mosques and killed 50 people. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and thousands of other people plan to congregate in Hagley Park opposite the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch to observe the call to prayer at 1:30 p.m. Many radio and television stations plan to broadcast the event live. At least 42 people died at the Al Noor mosque and at least seven at the nearby Linwood mosque in last Friday's attack.
NewsReutersMissouri River flooding forces evacuation of 7,500 from waterfront city
Record floodwaters that submerged vast stretches of Nebraska and Iowa farmland along America's longest river reached a new crest on Friday at the waterfront city of St. Joseph, Missouri, forcing chaotic evacuations of thousands from low-lying areas. With emergency sirens blaring as the Missouri River rose to the top of the three-story-high levee wall in St. Joseph, about 55 miles (88 km) north of Kansas City, Missouri, sheriff's deputies rushed door-to-door urging residents to flee to higher ground. The abrupt evacuation, coming as the river rose about 9 feet above flood stage, appeared to take authorities and residents by surprise.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Who was Renty? The story of the slave whose racist photos have triggered a lawsuit against Harvard
Lanier describes Renty, born in the Congo in central Africa and a slave in South Carolina, as "larger than life" – someone respected in his community, who taught other slaves how to read despite laws against it and was proud of his African roots. The photos of Renty and his daughter Delia, taken in the nude in March 1850 against their will for a Harvard University professor, are now the subject of a lawsuit that Lanier, 54, filed against Harvard this week. Lanier, a Connecticut resident who says she's Renty's great-great-great granddaughter, has accused Harvard of the wrongful seizure of the photos, profiting from them and failing to recognize that she's Renty's direct descendant.
- NewsThe Independent
JetBlue pilots who drugged and raped flight attendants continued working for airline without repercussion, lawsuit says
Three female flight attendants claim they were drugged and two of them raped by two JetBlue pilots during a layover in Puerto Rico, a new lawsuit filed this week in New York federal court has claimed. At least one of the female flight attendants said she was forced to work with one of the accused pilots after the alleged rape. After making their way to a beach in Puerto Rico near the hotel they were staying during their layover in May of last year, the women were offered sips from one of the flight attendant's alcoholic beverages.
- BusinessThe National Interest
Bringing the Sting: The U.S. Navy Is Getting New F/A-18E/F Super Hornets
David Axe Security, The Super Hornets would be the first new-build examples of the Block III variant of the F/A-18E/F. The Block III flies farther and carries more weapons than an older F/A-18E/F can do and also is stealthier than earlier Super Hornet models are. The U.S. Navy in mid-March 2019 awarded Chicago plane-maker Boeing a $4-billion contract to build 78 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets for the U.S. Navy. The Super Hornets would be the first new-build examples of the Block III variant of the F/A-18E/F. The Block III flies farther and carries more weapons than an older F/A-18E/F can do and also is stealthier than earlier Super Hornet models are.
BusinessAFPIndonesia's Garuda says to cancel 49-jet Boeing 737 deal after crashes
Indonesia's national carrier Garuda has told Boeing it will cancel a multi-billion-dollar order for 49 Boeing 737 Max 8 jets after two fatal crashes involving the plane, in what is thought to be the first formal cancellation for the model. "We have sent a letter to Boeing requesting that the order be cancelled," Garuda spokesman Ikhsan Rosan said. "The reason is that Garuda passengers in Indonesia have lost trust and no longer have the confidence" in the plane, he said, adding that the airline was awaiting a response from Boeing.
WorldReutersDruze on Golan Heights reject Trump backing for Israeli sovereignty
Druze Arabs and Israeli settlers on opposite sides of the dispute over U.S. President Donald Trump's support for Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights agree on one thing - it won't change matters on the ground. The fertile hillsides of the Israeli-occupied Golan are scattered with villages inhabited by 22,000 Druze, an Arab minority who practice an offshoot of Islam. Many still have relatives on the Syrian side of the fortified boundary.
- NewsUSA TODAY Opinion
Robert Kraft's plea deal offer for prostitution charges hinders real progress on sex trafficking
Almost 300 people were charged last month with soliciting prostitution in conjunction with a massive human sex trafficking investigation in Florida. The Palm Beach State Attorney's Office said this week that it offered New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and 24 other men a standard diversion program traditionally given to first-time offenders. The program requires the men concede their guilt, attend a class about prostitution, perform 100 hours of community service, and pay a fine of $5,000 per count.
PoliticsYahoo NewsKellyanne Conway says Trump is 'protective of me' in feud with her husband
I appreciate the president defending what he thinks is unfairness,” Conway said. Conway's defense is the latest twist in an ongoing three-way psychodrama involving her, her husband and the president, which began when earlier this month George Conway called for a “serious inquiry” into Trump's mental health “whether or not impeachment is in order. In recent days George Conway, a prominent conservative lawyer, tweeted about his wife's boss.
WorldAssociated PressAnalysis: Victory over Islamic State may be short-lived
In a campaign that spanned five years and two U.S. presidencies, unleashed more than 100,000 bombs and killed untold numbers of civilians, the U.S. military engineered the destruction of the Islamic State group's self-proclaimed empire in Iraq and Syria. The Islamic State group is down, but it is not done. President Donald Trump on Wednesday flashed a color-coded map to illustrate what he called the imminent demise of IS in its last speck of Syrian territory.
- U.S.KSTU - Salt Lake City
Remains of Missing WWII Pilot Returned Family in Utah
The remains of a World War II pilot who disappeared 74 years ago while flying a mission over Germany were returned to his family in Utah.
- NewsTime
'Unprecedented' Spring Flood Season to Put 200 Million People in the U.S. at Risk, NOAA Warns
Large parts of the U.S. could experience a “potentially unprecedented flood season” through May as forecasts anticipate record levels of precipitation, according to a report released Thursday. More than 200 million people in 25 states are at risk, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warned. Much of the Midwest, including Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa, has already be hit with historic flooding this year after the wettest winter in known history.
- BusinessCar and Driver
See Photos of the New 2020 Porsche Cayenne Coupe
Porsche joins competitors Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz with a coupe version of its Cayenne SUV at a modest price premium over the standard Cayenne and Cayenne Turbo. From Car and Driver
- WorldUSA TODAY
New Zealand women wear headscarves in solidarity with Muslims after Christchurch mosque shootings
A week after a gunman opened fire at two mosques that left 50 people dead, women across New Zealand showed solidarity with Muslims Friday by wearing headscarves. As Christchurch was set for prayers near the Al Noor mosque, where most of the victims were slain in the country's worst terrorist attack in modern history, women and some children in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch posted pictures of themselves in headscarves. The move stemmed from a doctor in Auckland's idea to wear the garments, traditionally known as a hijab, after she was told about a woman who was too afraid to go outside because she thought that wearing a headscarf would make her a target for attacks, according to Reuters.
NewsAFPSchool shooting survivor stricken by 'survivor's guilt' takes own life
A teenager who survived the Parkland school shooting in Florida has killed herself while struggling with survivors' guilt, local media reported Friday. Sydney Aiello, 19, was a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas last February 14 when a former student opened fire with a semiautomatic weapon, killing 14 students and three staff members. Among the dead were two of Aiello's best friends, Meadow Pollack and Joaquin Oliver.
BusinessReutersU.S. lawmaker seeks Boeing whistleblowers, some MAX 737 orders in jeopardy
American Airlines pilots were preparing to test Boeing's planned software upgrade for an anti-stall system on MAX simulators this weekend, saying they want their own safety guarantees on the software fix. The 737 MAX was Boeing's fastest selling jet before an Ethiopian Airlines crash near Addis Ababa on March 10, which followed a Lion Air crash in Indonesia on Oct. 29. Ethiopian and French investigators have pointed to "clear similarities" between the two crashes, which killed 346 people, putting pressure on Boeing and U.S. regulators to come up with an adequate fix.
- BusinessU.S.News & World Report
Economic Inequality: What It Is and How It Impacts You
Economic inequality is a broad term that encapsulates the gap between the income and wealth amassed by different groups in a society. Americans reference it when questioning why CEOs earn so much more than their employees or how historical and current policies have barred families of color from accumulating wealth. "Economic inequality is the more generic name and within that you could talk about income inequality and wealth inequality," says Jim Freeland, professor of business administration at Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Donald Trump scraps North Korea sanctions 24 hours after his own administration announces move
Donald Trump said on Friday that he would lift economic sanctions linked to North Korea which his own administration had announced just 24 hours earlier. In a bizarre public about-turn, the US president tweeted that he would withdraw the sanctions despite two members of his cabinet endorsing them on Thursday. His comment appeared to refer to the US Treasury's action against two Chinese shipping companies who were punished for helping North Korea evade existing sanctions.
- WorldAssociated Press
Palestinian official: Israel kills unarmed man in West Bank
The governor of the West Bank city of Bethlehem said Thursday that Israeli soldiers shot and killed an unarmed Palestinian man who was trying to aid another near the city. Governor Kamel Hmeid said Israeli troops in the adjacent village of al-Khader fired at a car and wounded the driver late on Wednesday night. He said Ahmad Manasra was in the car behind and got out of his vehicle to help the wounded man, who was shot in the abdomen.
- LifestyleNational Review
More Misconceptions about College
Now that we've all had a good airing of grievances about elite colleges and their attendant injustices, let's get some perspective. While the numbers of high-school graduates heading off to college have increased in recent years, the percentages graduating with a four-year degree have not increased much. Many students, especially those who are the first in their families to attend college, drop out before receiving a degree.
- WorldMashable
Giant inland sea created by the disastrous Mozambique cyclone
Cyclone Idai left death, destruction, and a sprawling inland sea in its wake. The powerful tropical cyclone — which struck Mozambique last Thursday as the equivalent of a Category 2 or 3 hurricane with winds of around 100 mph — has left at least 150 dead and 600,000 in need of help in the flooded nation said the EU, though the Associated Press reports over 300 fatalities as of March 21 when accounting for deaths in neighboring Zimbabwe. The cyclone's widespread flooding — in part overshadowed by simultaneous and historic flooding in the Midwest — has left behind an inundated area some 200 square miles in size (518 square kilometers), with the inland sea reaching up to 15 miles wide, accordin...
- BusinessTime
Facebook Employees Had Access to 'Hundreds of Millions' of Users' Passwords
Facebook on Thursday confirmed that it had improperly secured “hundreds of millions” of user's passwords, leaving them open to be viewed by company employees. The unsecured passwords were discovered amid a “routine security review in January,” after which Facebook says it fixed the improper storage issue. The company's internal investigation claimed to find no evidence of password-related impropriety.
- NewsUSA TODAY
We examined the gun laws of a dozen countries to show how they compare to New Zealand's new ban on semi-automatic weapons
New Zealand's rapid decision to ban the semi-automatic weapons used in last week's mosque massacres brings the country in line with such stricter-gun-law countries as Australia, the United Kingdom, and, to a lesser extent, Canada. At the same time, New Zealand is one of only three countries, including the United States and much of Canada, that does not require registration of most firearms other than handguns, a "loophole" to those who support registration as a key pillar of gun control. The New Zealand ban also is not across the board.
- LifestyleArchitectural Digest
See How Snøhetta's Architecture Brought the Best of Scandinavian Design to the World
A new book surveys the AD100 firm, which has designed such high-profile structures as the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion to lesser-known buildings like the Norwegian Wild Reindeer Pavilion
