PoliticsAssociated PressReaction to AG William Barr's summary of Mueller report
Reaction to Attorney General William Barr's summary of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the investigation of Donald Trump's campaign and Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. "While this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him," Special counsel Robert Mueller, quoted by Attorney General William Barr in a summary of the Russia investigation report. "No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION.
- NewsUSA TODAY
12 defendants in biggest-ever college admissions cheating scandal plead not guilty in Boston court
BOSTON – Twelve defendants, including six former college athletic coaches and two test administrators, on Monday each pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy charges in federal court for their alleged roles in the nation's largest-ever college bribery scheme. The 12 defendants were arraigned Monday before Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley as they made their first appearance in a federal court in Boston, where the nationwide case is being tried by the Justice Department.
- WorldReuters
UPDATE 1-Israel says 6 hurt near Tel Aviv in apparent Gaza rocket attack
Sirens sounded in central Israel and police and medics said a house was on fire and six people were wounded on Monday after a suspected rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. The early morning incident in Mishmeret, an agricultural town north of Tel Aviv, came at a time of high tension ahead of the anniversary of Gaza border protests and an April 9 election campaign in Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is seeking a fifth term in next month's ballot, was in Washington on Monday and due to meet U.S. President Donald Trump.
- BusinessCar and Driver
The Ford Bronco Will Have a Removable Roof and Doors and Will Go on Sale in Late 2020
The new Ford Bronco SUV will come with either two or four removable doors and have a removable hardtop. The Bronco will go on sale in late 2020, according to Automotive News. According to Automotive News, which gleaned info from dealers who attended a Ford event last month where future products were shown, the Bronco will hit dealer lots in late 2020.
WorldReutersNorth Korean officials return to inter-Korean liaison office: South Korea
North Korea sent back its officials to an inter-Korean liaison office in the North's border city of Kaesong on Monday, reversing a decision two days ago to withdraw the officials, South Korea's Unification Ministry said. A group of four to five officials showed up at the office earlier in the morning saying they came to work "as usual," the ministry said in a statement. Though the presence of the North's head of the office was not confirmed, the two sides held a consultation and will "continue to operate the office as usual," the ministry said.
WorldAFPRelief, and questions, in Norway after dramatic cruise rescue
Norway breathed a collective sigh of relief on Monday after the dramatic rescue of a stricken cruise ship off its coast, but questions mounted about why the vessel chose to sail into notoriously perilous waters in a storm. It was one of the biggest rescue operations in modern times, with almost 500 passengers, many of them elderly, airlifted off the ship through day and night by a relay of helicopters fighting heavy winds. "The risk to the passengers and the vessel was high," Dag Sverre Liseth, director of the marine department at the Accident Investigations Board Norway, told AFP.
BusinessUSA TODAYMAX effort: Boeing tests changes to grounded planes to get them back in the air
The software believed to be linked to the catastrophic crashes of two new Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes in less than five months is getting a makeover. Pilots from five airlines, including the three U.S. carriers that flew the MAX jets before they were grounded worldwide, tested upgrades to the flight-control system over the weekend at Boeing's facility outside Seattle, the aircraft manufacturer confirmed. Boeing will also host more than 200 airline pilots, technicians and regulators in an informational session Wednesday that's among the initial steps in its attempt to get the MAX planes back in the air.
- BusinessBGR News
Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou was carrying an iPhone when she was arrested last year
The tech industry certainly has its share of scandals, but the drama surrounding Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou certainly takes things to the next level. This past December, Wanzhou was arrested in Canada (at the behest of the United States) on charges of wire fraud and improper business dealings with Iran. Wanzhou may ultimately be extradited to the U.S. as China, not surprisingly, has vehemently denied the allegations on Wanzhou's behalf.
- NewsThe Independent
Second survivor of Parkland shooting dies in 'apparent suicide', reports say
A second survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting has died, police have confirmed. The Coral Springs Police Department was quoted in US media as saying the student had died in an “apparent suicide” on Saturday. The case is being investigated further and officers did not release the student's age or cause of death.
- PoliticsBloomberg
Five Key Takeaways From Barr's Summary of the Mueller Report
Attorney General William Barr on Sunday delivered his highly anticipated summary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on his probe into whether President Donald Trump or those around him conspired in Russia's interference in the 2016 election. Here are the key takeaways from the most in-depth look yet into the 22-month investigation: Mueller Finds No Collusion The probe “did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election,” the summary says.
WorldAssociated PressBanning of manifesto raises free speech debate in N. Zealand
New Zealanders are debating the limits of free speech after their chief censor banned the 74-page manifesto written and released by the man accused of slaughtering 50 people at two mosques in the city of Christchurch. At the same time, many local media organizations are debating whether to even name the Australian man charged with murder in the March 15 attacks, 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant, after New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern vowed she would never mention him by name. In some ways, Tarrant's manifesto provides the greatest insight into his character and thinking, with neighbors and those he met in a gym in the sleepy seaside town of Dunedin recalling nothing particularly remarkable about him.
PoliticsReutersExplainer: Mueller says no collusion. Barr says no obstruction. What's next for Trump?
Special Counsel Robert Mueller has concluded that nobody associated with President Donald Trump's campaign "conspired or knowingly coordinated" with Russia during the 2016 presidential election, and U.S. Attorney General William Barr says he does not see enough evidence to charge Trump with obstruction of justice. But that does not necessarily mean Trump is in the clear - he still faces multiple investigations into his business and other aspects of his political campaign, and Democrats are launching a wave of probes from Capitol Hill.
- U.S.KGO – San Francisco
San Francisco police make arrests in fatal Fillmore St. shooting
San Francisco police say they've made arrests in a shooting on Fillmore Street Saturday night that left one person dead and five others injured.
- PoliticsReuters
Republican leader McConnell welcomes more information on Russia probe
The U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said on Sunday he was disturbed by Russia's ongoing efforts to interfere with U.S. democracy and looked forward to reviewing additional information from the special counsel's report, which was summarized by Attorney General William Barr. quot;I appreciate the Attorney General's commitment to continue to review the record in this matter over the coming days, in conjunction with Special Counsel (Robert) Mueller, with the goal of producing as much information as possible, consistent with the law. I look forward to reviewing that information," McConnell said in a statement.
WorldAFPJihadists emerge from tunnels to surrender after 'caliphate' falls
Islamic State group jihadists emerged from tunnels to surrender to US-backed forces in eastern Syria on Sunday, a Kurdish spokesman said, a day after their "caliphate" was declared defeated. An AFP reporter saw dozens of people -- mostly men -- file out of the battered jihadist encampment in the remote village of Baghouz to board pickup trucks. "They are IS fighters who came out of tunnels and surrendered today," said Jiaker Amed, a spokesman for the Kurdish units spearheading the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.
CelebrityUSA TODAYOlivia Jade, sister Isabella Giannulli are still enrolled at USC, college confirms
The University of Southern California is making it clear that sisters Olivia Jade and Isabella Giannulli remain enrolled at the college following investigations over a nationwide college admission scandal. On Monday, USC put out a statement concerning the student status of Olivia, 19, and Isabella, 20. Last week, media reports went viral that the daughters of "Fuller House" star Lori Loughlin and fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli had withdrawn from the school.
- BusinessCar and Driver
View Photos of the Aston Martin DBS GT Zagato
Renderings give a tantalizing glimpse of the car with which Aston is celebrating its 100th anniversary. From Car and Driver
- TechnologyBGR News
Apple rolls out iOS 12.2 with Apple News+ and support for new AirPods
In addition to Apple News+, iOS 12.2 includes new Siri functionality, four new Animoji (owl, boar, giraffe and shark), support for the second-generation AirPods, and a variety of improvements and new features for AirPlay, Apple Pay, Screen Time, Safari, and Apple Music. iOS 12.2 provides support for Apple News+, adds the ability for Siri to play videos from your iOS device to Apple TV, and includes for new Animoji,” reads the description. This update also includes bug fixes and improvements.
- WorldBloomberg
Israel Launches Strikes Across Gaza After Day of Rocket Fire
Israel carried out dozens of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Monday evening, following a tense day that began with a rocket attack on a home in central Israel and a counterstrike that reduced the office of Hamas's leader to ruins. Amid the escalation, both sides made preparations for the possibility of a broader confrontation. Israel moved troops closer to its southern border and declared closed military zones near Gaza.
WorldAssociated PressErdogan proposal to make Hagia Sophia a mosque irks Greece
The Greek government voiced opposition Monday to the suggestion from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Istanbul's Hagia Sophia — a Byzantine-era cathedral that now serves as a museum — could be reconverted into a mosque. In a television interview Sunday ahead of Turkey's March 31 local elections, Erdogan indicated that it was possible to "change its name from museum to Hagia Sophia Mosque." There have been increasing calls for the government to convert the symbolic structure back into a mosque, especially in the wake of reports that the gunman who killed Muslim worshippers in New Zealand left a manifesto saying the Hagia Sophia should be "free of minarets."
- BusinessReuters
UPDATE 2-Ethiopian Airlines commits to Boeing ties despite flight 302 crash questions
Ethiopian Airlines said on Monday it would keep close ties with U.S. planemaker Boeing even though questions remained about its 737 MAX 8 model, after a crash shortly after take off this month killed 157 people. CEO Tewolde Gebremariam also promised to work closely with an investigation into the March 10 incident, after reports that the probe was under strain because the Ethiopian authorities were not sharing information with international partners. Boeing has come under intense scrutiny since the crash, the second in five months involving its new 737 MAX 8 model.
LifestyleAFP Relax NewsAll black everything: Ford offers Black Appearance Package for 2019 Ford Rangers
Ford has announced the new Black Appearance Package available for the 2019 Ford Ranger lineup. Since the 2019 Ford Ranger pickup went on sale in January of this year, over half of the models have been outfitted in either the Sport Appearance Package or the Chrome Appearance Package. As of Monday, another option is now available: the Black Appearance Package.
WorldAssociated PressThai parties jostle for power after 1st election since coup
The two top parties began angling for the upper hand in forming a new government in Thailand on Monday after partial results showed no group won a majority of seats in the country's first national election since a 2014 military coup. The allegations highlight continuing deep divisions in Thailand, which has been wracked by political instability for nearly two decades. The junta-appointed Election Commission announced the results of 350 constituency races but said full vote counts, which are needed to allocate 150 other seats in the House of Representatives, won't be available until Friday after apparent counting problems.
WorldAFPRussia accuses US of plotting 'coup' in Venezuela
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Monday accused the United States of plotting a "coup" against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in a dispute over Russian military assistance for the crisis-hit country. Lavrov said in a statement he had complained of "attempts by Washington to organise a coup d'etat in Venezuela" during a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The statement said such moves "constitute violations of the UN charter and undisguised interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state".
