Pelosi describes Trump's 'very serious meltdown' during White House meeting on Syria

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi walked out of a meeting with Donald Trump about the crisis in Syria Wednesday after she said the president had had a “very serious meltdown” and insulted her in front of other congressional leaders. Now we have to pray for his health, because this was a very serious meltdown on the part of the president,” Pelosi told reporters on Capitol Hill. It was the first face-to-face meeting between Trump and Pelosi since House Democrats began their impeachment inquiry of the president in late September, and it came just hours after the House passed a resolution by a bipartisan vote of 354 to 60 rebuking the president for abandoning Kurdish militias that the U.S. had recruited to fight ISIS.

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  The House voted to condemn President Trump's decision to pullout U.S. troops from Syria

  USA TODAY
• Pelosi said Trump had a 'meltdown' after the House overwhelmingly voted to condemn his Syria retreat

  Business Insider

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Will Endorse Bernie Sanders’ 2020 Bid

Bernie Sanders secured two endorsements from high-profile Democratic freshmen -- New York's Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Minnesota's Ilhan Omar -- giving him a star-power boost for his rally in New York this weekend. Ocasio-Cortez will join the Vermont senator's event on Saturday, according to Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir. She will help us build the multiracial working class coalition we need to win and transform this country,” Shakir said of the congresswoman from the Bronx.

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  Ocasio-Cortez endorsement gives Sanders shot in the arm at critical time

  The Guardian
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  White House hopeful Sanders gets endorsements from star progressives

  Reuters

China detains 2 US citizens who ran teaching program

China said Thursday it detained two U.S. citizens on suspicion of organizing others to illegally cross the border, amid sharpening tensions between the sides over trade, technology and other sensitive issues. Police in the eastern province of Jiangsu arrested Alyssa Petersen and Jacob Harlan on Sept. 27 and Sept. 29, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. "The department handling the case has informed the U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai in a timely manner, arranged U.S. diplomats to conduct consular visits and protected the legitimate rights and interests of the two," Geng said at a regular press briefing.

• China Confirms Two U.S. Citizens Detained As Tensions Rise

  Bloomberg
• China says two U.S. citizens arrested in September have been released on bail

  Reuters

The North Korean history behind Kim Jong Un's mountain horse ride

North Korea's ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun devoted its front page on Thursday to making sure Kim's impoverished people understood the significance of his ride up Mount Paektu, saying it symbolized their leader's resolve to protect the country in the face of outside pressure. North Korea is under a number of international economic sanctions, imposed because of its development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, and a record of human rights abuses. Many ordinary North Koreans are facing food shortages, international aid agencies say, due in part to government failures, poor weather, and the international sanctions.

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  A Brief History of World Leaders on Horseback

  GQ
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  Kim Jong Un rides white horse on sacred mountain, sparking policy rumors

  Yahoo News Video

Jeep Gladiator Gets Even More Rugged as a Military-Spec Vehicle

AM General is known for turning the Humvee into the civilian Hummer, but now the company is teaming with Jeep to build a military-grade Jeep Gladiator. The Gladiator XMT (Extreme Military-Grade Truck) features massive off-road tires, two 4x4 systems, skid plates and tow hooks, and the doors and roof are removed. The XMT could go into production as soon as late 2020, but only if the U.S. Army places the order.

This Is What Happens When a U.S. Navy Attack Submarine Crashes Into a 'Mountain'

In 2005, a U.S. Navy attack submarine collided head-on with an undersea mountain at more than thirty miles an hour. Despite the damage the ship sustained and the crew's injuries, the USS San Francisco managed to limp to her home port of Guam on her own power. The incident was a testament to the design of the submarine and the training and professionalism of her crew.

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  Meet USS Barb: The Navy's Special World War II Submarine That Terrified Japan

  The National Interest
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  Did a Small French Submarine Really 'Sink' a U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier?

  The National Interest

Mystery as plane carrying Russian arms smugglers crashes in Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo has one of the world's worst aviation safety records, so reports that an aircraft had tumbled into a remote forest last week caused few international ripples. Since then, however, a deepening mystery over the nature of the cargo and the identity of those on board has left the Congolese government facing awkward questions. The passengers were identified as the personal chauffeur of Felix Tshisekedi, Congo's president, and three of his bodyguards.

Elizabeth Warren Resurrects ‘You Didn’t Build That’ Line That Dogged Obama

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) made remarks in the Democratic debate Tuesday night that harked back to President Obama's “You didn't build that” line, which became fodder for Republican attacks in the 2012 presidential election. Look, I don't have a beef with billionaires,” Warren said at the debate, arguing for higher taxes on the ultra-wealthy.

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  Campaign: Warren's call to exit Mideast means combat troops

  Associated Press
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  Democratic debate: Who won and who lost the latest 2020 election showdown?

  The Independent

Scientists discover big storms can create 'stormquakes'

The shaking of the sea floor during hurricanes and nor'easters can rumble like a magnitude 3.5 earthquake and can last for days, according to a study in this week's journal Geophysical Research Letters. A stormquake is more an oddity than something that can hurt you, because no one is standing on the sea floor during a hurricane, said Wenyuan Fan, a Florida State University seismologist who was the study's lead author. "This is the last thing you need to worry about," Fan told The Associated Press.

View Photos of the 2020 Subaru Crosstrek

The popular crossover gets more safety and tech features, plus selectable driving modes standard on all models. From Car and Driver

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  2020 Subaru Crosstrek Keeps the Good Looks, Adds More Safety and Tech Features

  Car and Driver
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  Subaru to exit BTCC as Levorg deal ends, BMR Racing to continue

  Autosport

Polls show Americans have come to support Trump's impeachment much faster than Nixon's or Clinton’s

For the first time, a majority of Americans said this week that they supported the impeachment of President Trump. Not just in one, outlying poll — in an average of all current national polls compiled by the data journalists at FiveThirtyEight. For Trump this polling milestone comes less than one month after reports first surfaced of a Ukraine whistleblower and roughly three weeks after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the start of a formal impeachment inquiry — meaning that it represents a historical milestone as well.

• Trump tried to use a picture from ‘meltdown’ meeting to troll Nancy Pelosi. She made it her cover photo

  The Independent
• Trump news: 'Shaken' president insults Pelosi at Syria meeting, as he repeats discredited conspiracy theories about Ukraine

  The Independent

A N.J. school district wants to ban students from attending prom if they have more than $75 in school lunch debt

A school district in New Jersey passed a new policy this week that will allow schools to bar students from attending prom if they have a school lunch debt above $75.

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  California Is Officially Putting an End to Lunch-Shaming Students

  Fatherly
• Legislators Join the Effort to End 'Lunch Shaming' in Schools

  Food & Wine

U.S. Supreme Court wrestles over 'D.C. Sniper' life sentence appeal

U.S. Supreme Court justices on Wednesday questioned whether a lower court sufficiently considered that a man convicted in the deadly 2002 "D.C. Sniper" shooting spree in the Washington area was a minor at the time of the crimes when he was sentenced to life in prison. The nine justices heard arguments in an appeal by the state of Virginia objecting to the lower court's decision ordering that Lee Boyd Malvo's sentence of life in prison without parole be thrown out. The most likely contender based on questions he asked during the argument would be Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

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  Supreme Court to hear sentencing case for 'Washington sniper'

  AFP
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  Court seems split on possible resentencing for teen sniper

  Associated Press

Brexit Talks Drag on as Key Johnson Ally Threatens Hold-Out

U.K. and European Union officials edged closer to a last-minute Brexit deal -- but it risks being jeopardized by Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Northern Irish allies. Talks will resume in Brussels on Wednesday after dragging on late into the night, according to an EU official. The discussions were constructive and negotiators continued to make progress, a British official said.

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  Brexit news latest: Campaigners launch bid to ban Boris Johnson from putting deal before MPs

  Evening Standard
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  North Ireland's DUP says it cannot support Brexit deal as it stands

  Reuters

Did a Small French Submarine Really 'Sink' a U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier?

The Saphir, a French nuclear attack submarine, reportedly penetrated the defenses of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and scored simulated torpedo hits on her. The incident, originally reported by the French Navy, was later suppressed. On March 4th, 2015 the French Navy announced in a blog post that the submarine Saphir (“Sapphire”) had simulated stalking and killing the carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt.

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  Satellite images show construction of China's first full-size aircraft carrier

  Yahoo News Video
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  Armored Aircraft Carriers: A Military Flop or World War II Wonder Weapon?

  The National Interest

Putin signals Russia's return to Africa with summit

President Vladimir Putin hosts dozens of African leaders next week as Russia seeks to reassert its influence on the continent and beyond. The heads of some 35 African countries are expected for the first Africa-Russia Summit in the Black Sea resort of Sochi next Wednesday and Thursday. For Putin, the summit is a chance to revive Soviet-era relationships and build new alliances, bolstering Moscow's global clout in the face of confrontation with the West.

Trevor Noah Exposes Eric and Don Jr.’s Hunter Biden Nepotism Hypocrisy

What I don't understand is why these people are complaining about that. With that, he cut to a clip of Donald Trump Jr. accusing Hunter Biden of trading on his name and Eric Trump arguing that he and his brother are exempt from criticism because they do not sit on any corporate boards. First of all, I'm not surprised nobody has put Beavis and Forehead on any corporate boards,” Noah said.

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  Joe Biden Tells Trump: ‘Release Your Tax Returns Or Shut Up’

  HuffPost
• 
  Joe Biden coming to Durham for campaign trip

  WTVD – Raleigh/Durham

Troops in Kashmir exchange fire, 4 civilians killed

Pakistani and Indian troops exchanged gunfire in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, killing four civilians and wounding nearly a dozen others, officials from both sides said Wednesday, as tensions remain high between the two South Asian countries. Kashmir is split between Pakistan and India and claimed by both countries in its entirety. India sparked a new round of tensions in August, when it downgraded the autonomy of its side of Kashmir and imposed tighter controls on the area.

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  Five killed in Indian Kashmir as violence spikes

  AFP
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  Three militants, two civilians killed as violence spreads in Kashmir

  Reuters

US border patrol says they tried to send UK family back after illegal crossing but Canada wouldn't take them

US border patrol officials say they tried to return a British family who crossed the northern border illegally but Canada refused to take them back. On October 2, seven members of the Connors family were detained by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents after they accidentally drove on a dirt road from British Columbia into Washington state. "Canada refused to allow their return and two attempts to contact the consulate for the United Kingdom were unsuccessful," a CBP spokesperson told Insider on Tuesday.

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  US deports British family and deny they crossed border accidentally ‘after taking wrong turn to avoid animal in road’

  The Independent
• 
  UK tourist family detained over US-Canada border row arrive home

  The Telegraph

Trump says PKK is worse than ISIS, and that Graham would stay in Middle East for ‘the next thousand years’

At a press conference with the president of Italy, President Trump said that the Kurdish group PKK is worse than ISIS, and that Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. would keep the U.S. in the Middle East for “the next thousand years with thousands of soldiers fighting other people's wars.

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  Turkey, US agree on Syria ceasefire to allow Kurdish forces to withdraw

  AFP
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  Pence and Pompeo in Turkey to meet with Erdogan on Syria conflict

  CBS News Videos

GM-UAW deal calls for 9,000 jobs, $9,000 ratification bonus, e-truck at Detroit-Hamtramck

The proposed deal between General Motors and the UAW includes promised investments in U.S. manufacturing that would result in 9,000 jobs retained and created, people familiar with provisions of the proposal said. Workers were told to remain on the picket line at least until the union's National GM Council reviews the proposal Thursday and decides whether to submit it to members for ratification. Some details of the agreement were leaking out, and the creation and retention of 9,000 jobs is a boost from GM's initial proposal to the union that offered a $7 billion investment in U.S. facilities over four years, resulting in 5,400 new or retained jobs.

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  UAW deal with GM to end strike includes pay raises, but three plants would close

  Reuters
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  Workers celebrate deal with GM, show union power in industry

  WPVI – Philadelphia

Demise of Tasmanian Tiger may be greatly exaggerated after reported sightings of extinct marsupial

More than 80 years since the last thylacine in captivity died and almost 40 years since it was declared extinct, rumours of the Tasmanian Tiger's survival have been reignited by a newly published document. The thylacine, or Tasmanian Tiger, was once Australia's top predator but the last one in captivity died in 1936. Tasmanian officials say “there is no evidence to confirm the thylacine still exists” but a document published this week by the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE) features numerous accounts from farmers, bushwalkers, tourists and others claiming to have seen the striped carnivore over the past three years.

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  Tasmanian tiger declared extinct 80 years ago ‘spotted’ eight times

  The Independent
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  Recently Released Sightings Have Some Wondering if Extinct Tasmanian Tiger Is Still Alive

  People