- PoliticsUSA TODAY
Jared Kushner says investigations 'more harmful to our country' than anything Russia did
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner said Tuesday that the investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election have done more harm to American democracy than any action by the Kremlin. "I thought the whole thing was kind of nonsense, to be honest with you," Kushner said during an interview at the 2019 TIME 100 Summit. "Quite frankly, the whole thing's just a big distraction for the country."
NewsAssociated PressArmed border group shuts down camp at border in New Mexico
An armed group that has been patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border left its post in the New Mexico desert Tuesday amid pressure from law enforcement following videos that showed militia members stopping migrants who had illegally crossed into the country. Sunland Park police and security officers with a railroad company told members of the United Constitutional Patriots on Tuesday they needed to move their trailers and equipment. Union Pacific Railroad said the group crossed its land to access the site and requested that the group not trespass onto its property.
- NewsThe Independent
Brothers sue Jussie Smollett over 'staged attack' as prosecutor receives death threats for dropping charges
Two brothers who said they helped “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett stage what he had claimed was a racist and homophobic attack, have sued the celebrity's lawyers for allegedly making statements about them they knew were untrue. As it was reported that a prosecutor who decided to drop charges against the 36-year-old actor had received death threats, brothers Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, filed a suit accusing Mr Smollett's legal team of defamation. In a suit filed in Chicago on Tuesday against lawyer Mark Geragos, attorneys for the brothers claimed Mr Geragos and members of his team, continued to claim they had “led a criminally homophobic, racist and violent” attack, even after police said the incident was staged and all charges had been dropped.
WorldAFPSri Lanka attacks show Islamic State influence outlives caliphate
The devastating bomb attacks in Sri Lanka, claimed by Islamic State jihadists, show that the influence of the group's extremist ideology remains dangerously intact even after the collapse of its so-called caliphate in Iraq and Syria, experts say. Over 320 people were killed in a string of deadly suicide bomb blasts on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka targeting churches and luxury hotels. Colombo said it believes that the little-known Islamic extremist group National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ) was behind the attacks.
- NewsAOL.com
Pennsylvania woman dies after falling into industrial meat grinder at work
A Pennsylvania woman was reportedly killed when she fell into a commercial meat grinder at work on Monday afternoon. Lycoming County Coroner Charles E. Kiessling Jr. confirmed to ABC News that 35-year-old Jill Greninger died after she fell into the piece of heavy machinery at the Economy Locker Storage Company, likely while she was standing on a set of wheeled stairs. "This is just a tragedy," Kiessling told the outlet.
- NewsNational Review
Elizabeth Warren's College Plan Is a Dance with Elves
Elizabeth Warren may be the least jolly member of the Senate, but she is nonetheless offering up her best Santa Claus impersonation as she seeks the Democratic presidential nomination, complete with a trillion-dollar-a-decade student-loan giveaway — to be paid for by those on her naughty list. Senator Warren proposes to pay off Americans' student loans in a tiered fashion: Up to $50,000 in bailouts for those earning up to $100,000 a year, gradually phased out to $0.00 for those earning $250,000 a year or more. Lest this be taken as a warrant to go out and borrow big on the chance that there will be another round of debt forgiveness in the future, Senator Warren also proposes to make college free for all students, not only eliminating tuition costs but also radically expanding federal higher-education spending to cover books, student housing and living expenses, and child care — a parallel welfare state for undergraduates.
- PoliticsBloomberg
Kamala Harris Vows to Impose New Gun Limits by Executive Action
Senator Kamala Harris vowed to use executive actions to tighten rules on firearms sales if she's elected president and Congress fails to act on gun control in her first 100 days in office. The California Democrat's proposals to bypass Congress with actions that include expanding requirements for background checks and revoking licenses for gun manufactures and dealers found to have broken the law would almost certainly face legal challenges. But they represent her attempt to lean into a cause that has gained strong support in the Democratic Party following a wave of mass shootings over the past several years.
- BusinessReuters
US STOCKS-S&P 500 hovers below record highs on mixed earnings
U.S. stocks hovered below their all-time highs on Wednesday, as investors digested a mixed batch of earnings reports and losses in energy stocks limited gains on the indexes. The S&P 500 is 0.3% below its record high of 2,940.91 hit in September. The index has rallied 17% this year, supported by a dovish Federal Reserve, hopes of a U.S.-China trade resolution and a largely upbeat earnings season.
- TechnologyUSA TODAY
Galaxy Fold review: Should you pay $2,000 for Samsung's delayed folding phone tablet?
Samsung's new $1,980 Galaxy Fold has been making waves over the last two weeks, not necessarily for all the right reasons. At Samsung's request, we are returning our review unit Tuesday, but USA TODAY's Ed Baig and Eli Blumenthal have been messing around with the device for the last week. The saga that led to the delay began after reviewers from CNBC, The Verge, Bloomberg as well as influential YouTuber Marques Brownlee, who (like USA TODAY) were among those given pre-release test units, reported screen damage that broke the Fold.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Kim Jong-un heads to Russia for first meeting with Putin
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has left for the Russian city of Vladivostok for his first meeting with president Vladimir Putin, during which the two are expected to discuss sanctions, regional security and Pyongyang's growing need for food aid. Kim "left here by a private train at dawn on Wednesday to visit the Russian Federation," the North's official Korean Central News Agency reported, kicking off a 20-hour journey to the far north-east of his country, where it has a short border with Russia. An aide to Mr Putin said the two leaders would focus on the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula but were not planning to make a joint declaration or sign any agreements.
- PoliticsBloomberg
Georgian Businessman Offers More Texts With Cohen to Rebut Mueller Footnote
In a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr on Tuesday, lawyers for Giorgi Rtskhiladze demanded a retraction to a footnote in Mueller's 448-page report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The letter says the footnote includes only part of Rtskhiladze's text exchange with then-Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen, failing to provide the full context.
NewsAssociated PressPolice: Sketch of suspect in 2 girls' killings more accurate
A newly released sketch of a man suspected of killing two Indiana teenagers in 2017 "more accurately represents" the man believed to be their killer than a sketch released months after the girls were slain, state police said Wednesday. The statement from Indiana State Police sought to clarify information about the two sketches on behalf of the multi-agency task force that's investigating the February 2017 killings of 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abigail Williams. Master Trooper Taylor Bryant told The Indianapolis Star on Monday that he drew the sketch that was released this week just three days after the girls' bodies were found in a wooded area where they had been hiking near their northern Indiana hometown of Delphi.
WorldAFPModi among tens of millions to vote in India's 'Super Tuesday' polls
Tens of millions of Indians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, voted on India's "Super Tuesday" in the latest round of polls when the biggest number of seats are decided in the country's marathon election. Nearly 190 million voters were eligible to vote on 117 seats spread across 15 Indian states, stretching from the Himalayas to the Indian ocean, in the third of the seven phases of the mega polls. Heavy security has been put in place, with violent clashes erupting between rival groups in eastern India's West Bengal state, killing one political worker.
- BusinessCar and Driver
Ford Is Getting a New Electric Vehicle from Michigan Startup Rivian
Rivian and Ford will partner on a Ford-branded electric vehicle. Ford's number-two executive will sit on Rivian's board of directors. Rivian intends to begin production of both the R1S SUV and R1T pickup in 2020.
- LifestyleDelish
These Decadent Strawberry Desserts Will Have You Dreaming of Summer
These count as our daily serving of fruit, right? From Delish
- BusinessThe National Interest
Growing U.S. Pressure is Emboldening Iranian Hardliners
Sina Toossi, Assal Rad Security, Middle East As the influence of Iranian hardliners increases, so does the likelihood that Iran will tap into its underused leverage to raise the costs for U.S. actions against it. The ingredients for a war with Iran are falling into place. The Trump administration's termination of oil waivers for importers of Iranian oil and designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a branch of Iran's state-run military, as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) are dangerous acts of escalation.
WorldFOX News VideosWhy won't the media acknowledge that the Sri Lanka massacre was an attack on Christianity?
Nightly news broadcasts avoid mentioning that Christians were targeted by the attacks. Muslim scholar Dr. Qanta Ahmed responds.
BusinessUSA TODAYGlobal groundings of Boeing 737 Max lower company's profit, revenue in first quarter
Boeing hinted Wednesday at the financial jolt arising from the global grounding of its 737 Max following two deadly crashes, and while the aerospace giant said it was making "steady progress" on a fix, it didn't predict when the jets will return to the skies. The company reported a $1 billion increase in production costs connected to the 737 Max defect and warned that the crisis would force it to revise its earnings expectations for the full year. CEO Dennis Muilenburg said fixing the Max and having the changes recertified is the company's top goal.
WorldAssociated PressThe Latest: Kim upbeat on eve of 1st summit with Putin
The Latest on the summit between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un (all times local): 2:20 a.m. Thursday North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has stepped out of his khaki-green armored train in far-eastern Russia, smiling and upbeat ahead of a much-anticipated summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin The summit Thursday comes amid deadlocked global diplomacy over North Korea's nuclear program. Dressed in a black coat and a fedora, Kim first met Wednesday with Russian officials at Russia's Khasan train station near its border with North Korea before traveling on to Russia's Pacific port city of Vladivostok for a summit Thursday with Putin.
- PoliticsThe Independent
Trump news: President vows to 'fight all subpoenas' as Democrats increasingly call for impeachment
The Trump administration is being accused of “stonewalling” Congress by ignoring a deadline for the Treasury to hand over Donald Trump's tax returns and defying a subpoena requesting ex-personal security director Carl Kline appear before a House investigative committee. “It appears that the president believes that the Constitution does not apply to his White House, that he may order officials at will to violate their legal obligations, and that he may obstruct attempts by Congress to conduct oversight,” said Elijah Cummings, chairman of the House Oversight Committee. President Trump made his feelings on Democrat-led investigations in the wake of the Mueller report perfectly clear in an interview on Tuesday, stating: “There is no reason to go any further, and especially in Congress where it's very partisan - obviously very partisan.
NewsAssociated PressCalifornia woman charged with dumping puppies in trash
A California woman could face up to seven years behind bars on a slew of charges filed Tuesday after authorities say surveillance video showed her casually tossing a bag of 3-day-old puppies into a trash can on a sweltering day. Deborah Sue Culwell, 54, was charged with seven felony counts of injuring the palm-sized puppies and seven misdemeanor counts of abandoning them. The puppies' mother may have been among 38 dogs found inside Culwell's home following her arrest, and authorities were determining whether a reunion would be possible, according to the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.
BusinessReutersTeva stops testing its migraine drug as cluster headache treatment
The drug, known generically as fremanezumab, competes with rival treatments from Eli Lilly & Co and Amgen Inc. Lilly in November received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's "breakthrough" status for its migraine drug Emgality in treating episodic cluster headaches. In a late-stage trial, three out of four patients treated with Lilly's drug saw at least a 50 percent reduction in weekly cluster headaches. Teva's decision could be positive for Lilly's drug in differentiating it from its rivals, BMO Capital Markets analyst Alex Arfaei said.
- NewsThe Guardian
Elizabeth Warren's plan to end student debt is glorious. We can make it a reality
That protest represented a watershed moment, the point when student debt went from being a personal problem to a political one, the result of decades of disinvestment in public colleges and universities that turned education into a consumer product instead of a public good. We kicked things off with the Rolling Jubilee fund, a public education campaign that bought and cancelled more than $30m in medical, student debt, payday loans and private probation debts. Then, in 2015, the Debt Collective launched the country's first student debt strike.
BusinessBloombergJPMorgan's Bob Michele Says 'Enjoy the Ride' as Risk Assets Rally
The chief investment officer at JPMorgan Asset Management said money managers are sitting on too much cash and should be boosting their allocations to high-yield assets after the Federal Reserve's dovish pivot. The firm is putting its weight behind emerging markets as investors from BlackRock Inc. to Fidelity International warn of a break in the rally.
- PoliticsThe Daily Beast
It's Early, but Kamala Harris Isn't Betting on New Hampshire
MANCHESTER, New Hampshire—Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and New Hampshire Democratic primary voters seem to be in the same boat with each other: They might not be each other's first choice, but they're at least checking the requisite boxes just in case. Granite State voters—who relish their many opportunities to hear from presidential candidates directly—are being courted by almost two dozen of them, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who won the New Hampshire primary in 2016 and owns a commanding share of support here, according to several recent polls. Meanwhile, of the top-tier candidates, Harris so far seems to have her sights set furthest beyond the first-in-the-nation primary state.
