PoliticsYahoo NewsTrump is 'looking into' Facebook 'bias' as aide melts down over suspension
President Trump threatened an investigation into Facebook over perceived bias after a White House staffer was temporarily banned from posting comments on the site. Trump's social media director, Dan Scavino, complained Monday that Facebook had banned him from posting comments. “Dear Facebook,” wrote Scavino, posting a screengrab of the blocking notice he received, “AMAZING.
NewsAssociated PressCorrection: Mob Shooting story
A corrected version of the story is below: Suspect arrested in murder of reputed mob boss New York police say a man is in custody in the shooting death of the reputed Gambino crime family boss NEW YORK (AP) — A 24-year-old man was arrested Saturday in the shooting death of the reputed boss of the Gambino crime family, New York City police said. Anthony Comello was arrested in New Jersey in the death of Francesco Cali on Wednesday in front of his Staten Island home, said Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea, who stressed that the investigation is in its early stages. "There are multiple, multiple angles that we are exploring," Shea said at a news conference at police headquarters.
WorldReutersU.S.-backed force says it has taken positions in Islamic State Syria camp
U.S.-backed fighters said they had taken positions in Islamic State's last enclave in eastern Syria and air strikes pounded the tiny patch of land beside the Euphrates River early on Monday, a Reuters journalist said. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia said in an update on Monday that tens of militants had been killed during what it called fierce clashes, and one SDF fighter had been injured. It said Islamic State had sent four suicide bombers to points close to SDF fighters.
- WorldWTVD – Raleigh/Durham
3 dead as hundreds of homes flooded across Midwest; VP Mike Pence to visit Nebraska
Hundreds of homes flooded in several Midwestern states after rivers breached at least a dozen levees following heavy rain and snowmelt in the region.
LifestyleUSA TODAYI got into 39 colleges without cheating: What applying to schools looks like in 2019
Jordan Nixon has received 39 college acceptance letters so far, all without celebrity parents or $500,000 bribes. It just took years of planning, a private college adviser, 50-plus applications and the unwavering support of family. As the nation's largest-ever college admissions scandal surfaces this week, with celebrity parents and rich CEOs accused of cheating to get their children into prestigious schools, the Nixons are navigating college admissions like the rest of us.
- NewsThe Independent
US State Department under fire for secrecy surrounding 'faith-based media' press conference
The US State Department has raised concerns among the American press after conducting a conference call exclusively with “faith based media” outlets. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo reportedly participated in the Monday afternoon press call. Reporters from networks across the country are typically provided the opportunity to listen to these State Department calls and ask questions about news developments and upcoming announcements.
BusinessAFPBayer shares plunge on new US cancer ruling
Shares in German chemicals and pharmaceuticals giant Bayer plunged as markets opened Wednesday, after a second US jury ruled that blockbuster pesticide Roundup -- made by recently-acquired Monsanto -- causes cancer. The Leverkusen-based group's stock toppled 11.6 percent to 61.60 euros ($69.88) at around 09:40 am in Frankfurt (0840 GMT), making it the worst performer on the DAX index of blue-chip German shares. On Tuesday a California jury found that Monsanto's Roundup -- a herbicide built on active ingredient glyphosate -- caused cancer in a man who sprayed it on his garden over decades.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Supreme Court will decide if convicted sniper in 2002 District of Columbia-area killings can get new sentence
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether life-without-parole sentences for the primary gunman in a series of murders that terrorized the Washington region in 2002 must be reconsidered. The justices will hear the state of Virginia's appeal of a federal appeals court ruling that Lee Boyd Malvo should be resentenced because he was a teenager at the time of the crimes. Malvo was 17 during the shooting spree that killed 10 people in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.
WorldReutersUK's May urges lawmakers to back her Brexit deal now
Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday she deeply regretted her decision to seek a Brexit extension from the European Union and she urged lawmakers, who have twice previously rejected her plan, to back her now. "I passionately hope that (lawmakers) will find a way to back the deal I have negotiated with the EU, a deal that delivers on the referendum and is the very best deal negotiable, and I will continue to work night and day to secure the support" for the deal. Earlier on Wednesday, May asked the EU to allow Britain to delay its departure date by three months to June 30, and EU leaders are expected to discuss the matter at a summit on Thursday.
- NewsNational Review
Beto Doubles Down on Support for Third-Trimester Abortions
Beto O'Rourke confirmed his support for unrestricted access to abortion regardless of gestational age during a campaign stop in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, one day after refusing to answer directly when asked about the morality of third-trimester abortion. “I just want to make sure that I had clarity: Yesterday when you were asked about abortion, you said it's a woman's right to choose, correct? Does that include up into the third trimester?” asked the Washington Examiner's Salena Zito, who trailed O'Rourke as he was walking the Penn State University campus.
WorldAssociated PressNew Zealand police: Mosque gunman had planned a 3rd attack
A father and son who fled the civil war in Syria for "the safest country in the world" were buried before hundreds of mourners Wednesday, the first funerals for victims of shootings at two mosques in New Zealand that horrified a nation known for being welcoming and diverse. The funerals of Khalid Mustafa, 44, and Hamza Mustafa, 15, came five days after a white supremacist methodically gunned down 50 worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch — a massacre that he broadcast live on Facebook. During the funerals, Hamza's high school principal described the student as compassionate and hardworking, and said he was an excellent horse rider who aspired to be a veterinarian.
- BusinessPopular Mechanics
Lion Air Pilots Were Checking the 737 Max 8's Handbook Right Before the Plane Crashed
Moments before Lion Air Flight 610 plunged into the Java Sea killing all 189 people onboard last October, pilots of the plane searched through a handbook looking for guidance on how to rescue the aircraft from its downward trajectory, Reuters reports. Three sources familiar with the investigation of the Boeing 737 Max 8's flight data recorders gave a visceral play-by-play of what ensued inside the cockpit, when a faulty sensor on the plane's fuselage triggered an automated anti-stall system that sent the plane into a nosedive. Boeing's 737 Max 8 aircraft have been grounded by aviation authorities across the world after two catastrophic crashes in five months.
- BusinessBloomberg
Trump Pours Gas on GM's Already Smoldering Relations With UAW
In a series of tweets starting Saturday, Trump attacked both General Motors Co. and the UAW over the closing of a Chevrolet Cruze factory in Lordstown, Ohio. GM and the UAW each pushed back, but the two have otherwise been very much at odds entering bargaining over a new four-year labor contract. The president is making no bones about inserting himself in crucial talks that will determine the wages, health care and job security of thousands of Americans in states pivotal to his re-election bid.
- WorldUSA TODAY
'We assume a terror motive': 3 killed on tram in Dutch city of Utrecht; suspect arrested
Three people died and five were hurt in a brazen shooting on a tram in a bustling residential neighborhood in the Dutch city of Utrecht on Monday, an assault authorities said was likely terrorism. Following a sweeping manhunt across the historic city of nearly 350,000 people, Gokmen Tanis, 37, was arrested by authorities. Justice Minister Ferd Grapperhaus said Tanis was known to justice authorities and had a criminal record, but would not elaborate. Later, authorities downgraded the alert to a 4.
- PoliticsThe Independent
Fox News hires former DNC chair Donna Brazile who left CNN after tipping off Clinton about 2016 debate questions
Fox News' newest pundit is one CNN rejected after she colluded with Hillary Clinton's campaign before campaign events in 2016. Fox said on Monday that it has hired Donna Brazile, the former interim Democratic National Committee chair and a long-time CNN commentator before she became embroiled in controversy in 2016. CNN forced Ms Brazile to resign as an on-air contributor in October 2016 after emails revealed that she had tipped off Ms Clinton's aides about questions likely to be asked by CNN moderators during the debates and town hall meetings carried by CNN.
WorldAFP'Generation Nazarbayev' jokes, hopes after Kazakh leader resigns
People under 30 in Kazakhstan have only known one leader -- Nursultan Nazarbayev, who announced his resignation this week after shepherding the country from the Soviet era. His stage-managed departure -- he will keep key posts and significant political influence -- has left Kazakh millennials wondering what will come next. "The word 'Nazarbayev' means something like the word 'parent'," said 18-year-old film student Madi Makanov, who lives in the country's largest city Almaty.
- BusinessCar and Driver
See Spy Photos of the Jeep Wrangler Plug-In Hybrid
The plug-in hybrid Jeep Wrangler could function as an alternative power source in addition to offering improved fuel efficiency. From Car and Driver
WorldReutersU.S.-backed forces capture Syria suspects tied to American deaths: sources
The bombing killed Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan Farmer, Navy Chief Cryptologic Technician Shannon Kent and Scott Wirtz from the Defense Intelligence Agency. It also killed Ghadir Taher, a naturalized U.S. citizen working as a civilian interpreter for a U.S. contractor. "The investigation is ongoing as are efforts to bring all of those terrorists responsible to justice." The attack was the worst single incident involving U.S. personnel in Syria since they deployed on the ground there in 2015 and took place at a cafe in the town of Manbij, which was controlled by a militia allied to U.S.-backed Kurdish forces.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Danish MP told her baby not welcome in parliament
A Danish MP said on Tuesday she was ordered to remove her infant daughter from parliament's chamber, sparking surprise in a country often hailed as a pioneer in women's rights. "You are not welcome with your baby in the parliament's chamber," speaker Pia Kjaersgaard, an outspoken former leader of the far-right Danish People's Party, allegedly told MP Mette Abildgaard. "I didn't ask for permission to bring her since I had previously seen another colleague bring a child into the chamber without any problems," Ms Abildgaard, whose Conservative party is part of the ruling centre-right coalition, wrote on Facebook.
WorldAssociated PressColombia: 1,000 Venezuelan forces crossed border since Feb.
About 1,000 members of the Venezuelan security forces have fled to Colombia since last month, giving up weapons and uniforms as they abandoned the government of President Nicolas Maduro, Colombian authorities said Monday. Colombia's foreign ministry released the updated number of Venezuelan police and soldiers who crossed the border, many around the time of a Feb. 23 attempt by opposition leader Juan Guaido to deliver U.S.-provided humanitarian aid to Venezuela. The attempt failed because Venezuelan forces blocked trucks trying to cross from Colombia into Venezuela.
CelebrityReutersCalifornia university says students tied to admissions scam could face expulsion
The University of Southern California said it may expel students tied to a brazen U.S. college-admissions scam after reviewing their records, which could lead the college to throw out "Full House" actress Lori Loughlin's two daughters. The school said on Monday night it has already "placed holds on the accounts of students who may be associated with the alleged admissions scheme," preventing them from registering for classes or acquiring transcripts. quot;Following the review, we will take the proper action related to their status, up to revoking admission or expulsion," the college said in a tweet on Monday night.
- WorldBloomberg
Novartis Probe Finds No Trace of Payoffs to Greek Officials
Novartis AG said its own internal investigation found no evidence of bribery to Greek state officials as an upcoming election puts the Swiss drugmaker back in the spotlight. Greece is investigating reports of payoffs by Novartis in a high-profile case that implicates two of the country's former prime ministers and a European Union commissioner. The U.S. is investigating similar allegations.
- BusinessUSA TODAY
Jump-seat pilot reportedly saved Boeing Max jet one day before Lion Air crash
The day before a Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed off of Indonesia last year, killing all 189 people aboard, pilots struggled for control of the same aircraft but were saved by an off-duty pilot on the plane, a report says. Lion Air Flight 610 slammed into the Java Sea on Oct. 29, and a preliminary investigation has focused on a malfunctioning flight control system. Information from the cockpit voice recorder suggests the pilots of the doomed plane pored over a handbook trying to determine why the jet was lurching downward in the desperate moments before the crash, according to multiple media reports.
NewsYahoo NewsTrump administration plays favorites with faith-based media
The State Department barred members of traditional news outlets from covering a briefing with “faith-based media” on Monday. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held the telephone briefing with reporters from religious media groups, but the State Department denied requests from mainstream outlets for a transcript of the call or a list of who had been invited to attend. In a statement to CNN, a State Department spokesman said the phone meeting differed from typical “briefings and sprays” in that it was tailored for “audience-specific media.
WorldAFPBrexit delay request sends pound reeling
The pound fell sharply on Wednesday after Prime Minister Theresa May announced Britain was seeking a delay to its exit from the European Union until June 30, while investors awaited the US Federal Reserve's interest rate call. "The pound's Wednesday only got worse after the confirmation that Theresa May is seeking a short delay from the EU, one that arguably does not give the government enough time to get through a sterling-positive Brexit deal," Spreadex analyst Connor Campbell told AFP. The European Commission, for its part, warned EU leaders in an internal briefing note ahead of an summit in Brussels that delaying Brexit to June 30 would bring "serious legal and political risks".
