- NewsYahoo News
Trump's pick for defense secretary withdraws as past domestic incidents surface
President Trump announced on Twitter Tuesday that acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has withdrawn from consideration to be his permanent defense chief “so that he can devote more time to his family. Trump thanked Shanahan “for his outstanding service” and named Mark Esper, current secretary of the U.S. Army, to be the new acting secretary of defense. Yahoo News reported Monday that Shanahan's official nomination had been delayed over the FBI investigation into his personal life, including a messy divorce that involved an accusation of domestic violence from his ex-wife, who was arrested as part of the dispute.
- WorldReuters
Death toll from China quakes rises to 11
BEIJING/SHANGHAI, June 18 (Reuters) - The death toll from two strong earthquakes in China rose to 11 on Tuesday, with 122 people injured, state media said, adding that rescuers pulled some survivors from rubble in a part of the country that often suffers strong tremors. The quakes, roughly 30 minutes apart, hit the southwestern province of Sichuan late on Monday, with shaking felt in key regional cities, such as the provincial capital of Chengdu and the metropolis of Chongqing. People rushed into the streets and cracks were left in some buildings by the quakes, pictures posted on the social media accounts of state media showed.
- 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.
WorldAFPChina warns US against opening Mideast 'Pandora's box'
China on Tuesday warned against opening a "Pandora's box" in the Middle East after the United States announced the deployment of 1,000 additional troops to the region amid escalating tensions with Iran. Foreign Minister Wang Yi also urged Tehran to not abandon the nuclear agreement "so easily" after Iran said it would exceed its uranium stockpile limit if world powers fail to fulfil their commitments under the agreement in 10 days. The United States ratcheted up pressure on Iran Monday, announcing the deployment of additional troops to the Middle East and producing new photographs it said showed Tehran was behind an attack on a tanker ship in the Gulf of Oman last week.
- NewsAssociated Press
Florida officer guilty of negligence for shooting caretaker
A Florida police officer has been convicted of a misdemeanor but acquitted of attempted manslaughter for shooting at a severely autistic man and wounding the man's caretaker. A jury deliberated for four hours late Monday before finding North Miami police Officer Jonathan Aledda guilty of culpable negligence in the 2016 shooting of caretaker Charles Kinsey, who was trying to protect 27-year-old Arnaldo Rios Soto. Aledda faces up to a year in jail but because he was acquitted of a felony, he might be able to remain a police officer.
- 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.
- NewsThe Independent
Amazon denies Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s claim it pays warehouse workers ‘starvation wages’
Amazon has rejected Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's claim it pays its workers “starvation wages”, saying the New York congresswoman is “just wrong”. Speaking over the weekend, the 29-year-old said she was less worried about Amazon founder Jeff Bezos being the richest person in the world, than if he was paying his workers a living wage. “Whether Jeff Bezos is a billionaire or not is less of my concern than if your average Amazon worker is making a living wage, if they have guaranteed health care and if they can send their kids to college tuition-free,” she told ABC News.
- 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.
- EntertainmentYahoo News
McConnell on Jon Stewart: 'I don't know why he's all bent out of shape' over 9/11 victims' fund
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday said he can't understand why Jon Stewart is angry over the handling of health care funding for 9/11 victims. Appearing at a hearing of a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee last week, Stewart made an impassioned plea for lawmakers to reauthorize the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, which is set to expire next year amid mounting claims from first responders, construction workers and others involved in operations at Ground Zero up through May 30, 2002.
- PoliticsTime
Exclusive: President Trump Calls Alleged Iranian Attack on Oil Tankers 'Very Minor'
Facing twin challenges in the Persian Gulf, President Donald Trump said in an interview with TIME Monday that he might take military action to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, but cast doubt on going to war to protect international oil supplies. I would certainly go over nuclear weapons,” the president said when asked what moves would lead him to consider going to war with Iran, “and I would keep the other a question mark. Just hours earlier, Iran announced an escalation of its nuclear program, saying that within 10 days it will breach the limit on its stockpile of enriched uranium that was set under a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
- NewsAOL.com
Suspected home intruder chased off by 11-year-old boy with machete
An 11-year-old boy is making headlines after he chased off three home invaders by striking one of them with a machete last Friday morning, according to WTVD. Braydon Smith, of Mebane, N.C., was home alone and on the phone with his mother when 19-year-old Jataveon Dashawn Hall and two accomplices reportedly broke into his house. "He pointed a pellet gun at me that was located in our house," Smith told the station.
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.
- 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.
- WorldAssociated Press
The Latest: Amnesty urges Egypt to investigate Morsi's death
Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood leader who rose to office in the country's first free elections in 2012 and was ousted a year later by the military, has collapsed during a court session on Monday and died. Magdalena Mughrabi, deputy director for the Middle East at Amnesty International, says Morsi's death "raises serious questions about his treatment in custody." She called for Egyptian authorities to order "an impartial, thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances of his death, as well as his detention conditions and his ability to access medical care."
- NewsReuters
Democrat Buttigieg cancels campaign events after South Bend shooting
Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, canceled campaign events on Monday to return to his city after a fatal shooting by a police officer, his campaign said. One of two dozen Democrats running for the 2020 nomination, Buttigieg had been scheduled to appear at events in New York including an LGBTQ gala hosted by the Democratic National Committee. A campaign aide said he canceled his appearances and returned to South Bend on Sunday.
- 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
- BusinessThe National Interest
Russia's 1st 5th Generation Stealth Fighter: Meet the Secret MiG 1.44
Mark Episkopos Security, A stealth tragedy Over the prior decade, Russia's foray into fifth-generation jet fighter development has become synonymous with the upcoming Su-57. But the Su-57 was only Russia's second attempt at developing a fifth-generation aircraft, preceded by several decades with an altogether different project. This is the story of the ill-fated MiG 1.44.
- BusinessUSA TODAY
Boeing CEO calls handling of 737 Max crashes a 'mistake,' vows improvements
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said Sunday that his company made a "mistake" by failing to communicate the problems it was having with software aboard its 737 Max aircraft. Speaking to reporters in Paris ahead of the Paris Air Show, Muilenburg said that Boeing's communications on the matter were "not consistent" and that the approach was "unacceptable." The statement is the most direct apology yet by the Seattle-based airplane manufacturing giant, which came under intense scrutiny by regulators after two 737 Max aircraft accidents.
- PoliticsThe Independent
Trump threatens to deport millions starting next week as he prepares to announce 2020 bid
Writing on Twitter late on Monday night, the president, who is seeking to portray himself as a strong and confident candidate to an unconvinced electorate said those entering the US would be “removed as fast as they come in” and said US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would begin removals next week. Mexico, using their strong immigration laws, is doing a very good job of stopping people long before they get to our Southern Border. Mr Trump campaigned heavily on immigration during his 2016 presidential bid, and is expected to use similar tactics to fire up support among his base ahead of next year's election.
- ScienceBGR News
NASA’s Mars 2020 rover finally has its head
NASA's Mars 2020 mission will be its most ambitious trip to the Red Planet yet. The Mars 2020 rover is absolutely packed with the latest high-tech instruments, and while the mission isn't scheduled to begin until next summer, excitement is already building in a big way. Recently, NASA began hosting a live stream where viewers can watch its engineers slowly testing and assembling the components that will be shot skyward.
BusinessAFPBoeing's troubled 737 MAX gets huge vote of confidence from IAG
US aircraft giant Boeing got a welcome vote of confidence in its beleaguered 737 MAX plane on Tuesday when International Airlines Group, owner of British Airways, said it wanted to buy 200 of the planes. The companies said they had signed a letter of intent for the purchase, the first since the 737 MAXs were grounded in March after two of them crashed within six months of each other, killing 346 people. At list prices the order would be worth $24 billion, but IAG, whose airlines also include Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus, noted that it had negotiated "a substantial discount."
- WorldNational Review
Vatican Considers Relaxing Celibacy Requirement for Priests in Remote Areas of the Amazon
The Vatican has called for Church officials to study the possibility of ordaining married men living in remote areas of the Amazon in order to provide indigenous populations more regular access to the sacrament. In a working document released Monday, Catholic leaders affirmed the Church's commitment to celibacy as a general rule, but also suggested that officials study “the possibility of priestly ordination for older men, preferably indigenous and respected and accepted by their communities, even if they have stable families, for the region's most remote areas.
- 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.
- EntertainmentReuters
Democrat Bullock seizes spotlight after getting left out of presidential debate
Montana Governor Steve Bullock is making a flurry of appearances on television and the campaign trail after getting locked out of next week's Democratic Party presidential debate, a move aimed at turning the bad news into a boost for his candidacy. While 20 of his rivals meet over two nights on the debate stage in Florida, Bullock will be in Iowa and New Hampshire - the first states to have presidential nominating contests - holding televised town halls. A new ad being released on Tuesday and seen by Reuters complains that Bullock was "ousted" from the debate and urges supporters to donate to his campaign.
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.
