- PoliticsThe Telegraph
Donald Trump scraps North Korea sanctions 24 hours after his own administration announces move
Donald Trump said on Friday that he would lift economic sanctions linked to North Korea which his own administration had announced just 24 hours earlier. In a bizarre public about-turn, the US president tweeted that he would withdraw the sanctions despite two members of his cabinet endorsing them on Thursday. His comment appeared to refer to the US Treasury's action against two Chinese shipping companies who were punished for helping North Korea evade existing sanctions.
NewsAssociated PressThe Latest: Flood levels reached record in 3 towns
This year's round of Midwestern flooding is the worst ever at three locations in Nebraska. National Weather Service hydrologist Kevin Low said during a conference call Friday that the Missouri River reached record levels at Plattsmouth, Nebraska City and Brownville. It crested just short of a record at several other places, including St. Joseph, Missouri, where the river reached 32.02 feet (9.76 meters) on Friday, inches short of the record of 32.07 feet (9.77 meters) set during the historic 1993 flood.
WorldReutersNew Zealand reopens mosques that were attacked; many 'march for love'
Smelling of fresh paint, the two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch where a gunman killed 50 worshippers last week reopened their doors on Saturday, with many survivors among the first to walk in and pray for those who died. At the Al Noor mosque, where more than 40 of the victims were killed by a suspected white supremacist, prayers resumed with armed police on site, but no graphic reminders of the mass shooting, New Zealand's worst. Aden Diriye, who lost his 3-year-old son, Mucad Ibrahim, in the attack, came back to the mosque with his friends.
- NewsThe Independent
JetBlue pilots who drugged and raped flight attendants continued working for airline without repercussion, lawsuit says
Three female flight attendants claim they were drugged and two of them raped by two JetBlue pilots during a layover in Puerto Rico, a new lawsuit filed this week in New York federal court has claimed. At least one of the female flight attendants said she was forced to work with one of the accused pilots after the alleged rape. After making their way to a beach in Puerto Rico near the hotel they were staying during their layover in May of last year, the women were offered sips from one of the flight attendant's alcoholic beverages.
PoliticsUSA TODAYMueller report, March Madness, Christchurch mosque reopens: 5 things to know this weekend
The announcement followers of American politics have long been waiting for finally arrived Friday: the completion of the Mueller report. Special counsel Robert Mueller has finished his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and his office delivered a report that signals the end of the inquiry that has loomed over Donald Trump's presidency. Attorney General William Barr acknowledged receiving the report, but he didn't offer the probe's conclusions and what the report says remains a mystery to most, including the White House. The Justice Department said a summary could become public as soon as Saturday. The NCAA tournament's second round tips off Saturday with Sweet 16 berths on the line. What transpired on Friday finally put the "Madness" in March Madness.
- U.S.KFSN – Fresno
Local officials applaud Gov. Newsom's wildfire emergency declaration
By declaring a state of emergency, Governor Gavin Newsom is able to forego a lot of the legal and environmental requirements to get things moving.
WorldAFPEichmann's captor, Israeli ex-spy Rafi Eitan dead at 92: media
Former Mossad spy Rafi Eitan, who commanded the audacious 1960 capture of top Nazi Adolf Eichmann, died on Saturday aged 92, Israeli public radio announced. Eitan, the handler for Jonathan Pollard, a US Navy analyst who passed Israel thousands of top secret documents, was himself wanted by American authorities for a time. "Rafi was one of the heroes of the state of Israel's intelligence service in countless acts for Israel's security," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
- BusinessReuters
UPDATE 2-U.S. airlines sending teams to review Boeing 737 MAX upgrade this weekend
The three U.S. airlines that own Boeing Co's 737 MAX are meeting the U.S. manufacturer this weekend to review a software upgrade for the jet that has suffered two fatal crashes in five months, officials from the airlines told Reuters. The meetings are a sign that Boeing's planned software patch is nearing completion, though it will still need regulatory approval. Southwest Airlines Co, American Airlines and United Airlines operate 34, 24 and 14 MAX jets respectively.
PoliticsYahoo News2020 Vision: Is Biden-Abrams the ticket for Democrats?
Former Vice President Joe Biden looks out into the audience as he delivers remarks at a dinner in Dover, Del., earlier this month. Reminder: There are 318 days until the Iowa caucuses, and 592 days until the 2020 presidential election. What is Joe Biden doing?
- BusinessConsumer Reports
IRS Loosens Tax Penalty for Millions
In more typical tax years, most taxpayers must pay at least 90 percent of their federal taxes for a given year, or 100 percent of what they owed the year before, in order to avoid an underpayment penalty. The change comes in response to public outcry. As the tax season progressed this year, reports of taxpayer outrage at lower refunds and higher-than-expected tax bills suggested far more people than expected were caught unawares.
NewsAssociated PressExperts warn Midwest flood risk may persist for months
Even as floodwaters receded in hard-hit places in in the Midwest, experts warned Saturday that with plenty of snow still left to melt in northern states, the relief may only be temporary. Rainfall and some snowmelt spurred flooding in recent weeks that's blamed in three deaths so far, with two men in Nebraska missing for more than a week. Thousands were forced from their homes in Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri, as water broke through or poured over levees in the region.
- WorldThe Telegraph
New Zealand broadcasts Muslim call to prayer on day of mourning for mosque shooting victims
At 1.32pm, exactly a week after a gunman began shooting people at two mosques in Christchurch, the nation of New Zealand observed a two-minute silence to remember the 50 victims. Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old suspected white supremacist from Australia, had launched the attack to try to repel “invaders” from New Zealand, he wrote in a manifesto. Yet, the nation came together on Friday to observe the Muslim call to prayer, which was sounded around the country — including on national radio and television — before ceremonies were attended by tens of thousands of people who paid tribute to the dead and heard calls for unity.
- BusinessReuters
UPDATE 1-U.S. adds criminal charges against ex-Autonomy CEO Lynch
U.S. prosecutors on Friday added three new criminal charges to their indictment against British entrepreneur Mike Lynch related to the $11.1 billion sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011. Lynch faces a new charge of securities fraud, which carries a maximum prison term of 25 years, as well as additional charges of wire fraud and conspiracy in the 17-count indictment filed with the federal court in San Francisco. The charges were revealed ahead of Monday's scheduled start of a $5 billion civil fraud trial in London's High Court, where HP is accusing Lynch and former Autonomy Chief Financial Officer Sushovan Hussain of involvement in accounting irregularities that ca...
- CelebrityUSA TODAY
Priyanka Chopra Jonas laughs off rumored beef with Duchess Meghan
Priyanka Chopra Jonas is setting the record straight – and no, we aren't referring to the JoBros' "Sucker." The former "Quantico" star stopped by the "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" clubhouse Thursday, where she fielded a question from a bold caller. "Are the rumors true that you were upset that Meghan Markle skipped your wedding to Nick Jonas?"
- LifestyleArchitectural Digest
Tour the 2019 AD Apartment
New York–based designer Sasha Bikoff's “uptown girl in a downtown world” aesthetic comes to life at this year's AD Design Show
WorldAFPSyria says Trump Golan U-turn ignores international law
The Syrian government on Friday condemned US President Donald Trump's pledge to recognise Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights, saying it flies in the face of international law. Trump said on Thursday it was time for Washington to recognise Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a strategic territory it seized from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967 and annexed in a move never recognised by the international community. His abrupt tweet broke with UN Security Council resolutions and with more than half a century of US foreign policy treating the Golan as occupied territory whose future would be negotiated in talks with Syria on a comprehensive peace.
- BusinessAssociated Press
Indonesian airline wants to cancel Boeing order after crash
In a blow for Boeing, Indonesia's flag carrier is seeking the cancellation of a multibillion dollar order for 49 of the manufacturer's 737 Max 8 jets, citing a loss of confidence after two crashes within five months. It is the first announcement of a cancellation since Boeing's new model aircraft were grounded following fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. PT Garuda Indonesia, which had ordered 50 Max 8 jets in 2014 and had received just one plane last year, sent a letter to Boeing last week requesting to cancel the order worth $4.9 billion, company spokesman Ikhsan Rosan said Friday.
- WorldReuters
Afghan suicide bomber hits family, kills one, injures four
A suicide bomber on Friday killed one person and injured four, all members of the same family, in an attack in Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar, police said. The explosion in the village of Chinar took place during celebrations of the new year festival, Nowruz, with media saying the family were on their way to a party. Friday's attack comes after six people were killed and 23 wounded in several explosions the previous day during Nowruz celebrations in Kabul, the capital.
WorldAFPSome remains of Guatemala volcano victims unidentified: official
Guatemalan investigators have been unable to identify about 110 pieces of remains from victims of a volcanic eruption that killed 202 people and left 229 missing last June, a forensic official said Saturday. After months of testing, which included sending some samples abroad, about 110 remains cannot be identified, said the head of the National Forensic Sciences Office, Fanuel Garcia. "We have all of them and we are holding on to them, awaiting a time to carry out a collective burial," he said of the unidentified remains.
- NewsTime
'Unprecedented' Spring Flood Season to Put 200 Million People in the U.S. at Risk, NOAA Warns
Large parts of the U.S. could experience a “potentially unprecedented flood season” through May as forecasts anticipate record levels of precipitation, according to a report released Thursday. More than 200 million people in 25 states are at risk, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warned. Much of the Midwest, including Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa, has already be hit with historic flooding this year after the wettest winter in known history.
- NewsTime
FEMA Released Personal Info of 2.3 Million Hurricane and Wildfire Survivors, Watchdog Says
The Federal Emergency Management Agency wrongly released to a contractor the personal information of 2.3 million survivors of devastating 2017 hurricanes and wildfires, potentially exposing the victims to identity fraud and theft, a government watchdog reported Friday. The Homeland Security Department's Office of Inspector General found the breach occurred when FEMA was working with a contractor that helps provide temporary housing to those affected by disasters. FEMA officials said that since the discovery of the issue, the agency was no longer sharing unnecessary data with the contractor and has conducted a detailed review of the contractor's information system and has found no indication to suggest data has been compromised.
- SportsReuters
Lakers G Ball fires family friend after $1.5M goes missing
Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball said he no longer is working with a family friend after $1.5 million from Ball's personal and business bank accounts apparently remains missing. The second-year player told ESPN that the man, Alan Foster, "used his access to my business and personal finances to enrich himself. Foster owns 16.3 percent of the family's Big Baller Brand and also has managed the family companies.
- LifestyleNational Review
More Misconceptions about College
Now that we've all had a good airing of grievances about elite colleges and their attendant injustices, let's get some perspective. While the numbers of high-school graduates heading off to college have increased in recent years, the percentages graduating with a four-year degree have not increased much. Many students, especially those who are the first in their families to attend college, drop out before receiving a degree.
NewsAssociated PressThe Latest: DA disagrees with verdict, respects process
The district attorney in Pittsburgh says he disagrees with a jury's decision to acquit a former police officer in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager as he ran from a car involved just minutes earlier in a drive-by shooting. A jury deliberated fewer than four hours Friday before clearing ex-East Pittsburgh Officer Michael Rosfeld of homicide in the shooting of Antwon Rose II last year. Rosfeld's lawyer called him "a good man." During the trial he said the officer feared for his life and had to make a split-second decision.
PoliticsYahoo NewsAmerican Jews, caught between Ilhan Omar and Donald Trump, are lost in a wilderness
The day after several major Democratic candidates announced that they would not be attending the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which begins in Washington on Sunday, President Trump did what he always does, pouring accelerant on an already hot-burning fire of public debate. “Frankly, I think they are anti-Jews.” Trump thinks himself very much pro-Jews. The day before, he broke through the tweets about Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders staying away from AIPAC with a perfectly timed tweet of his own, one that announced the United States would finally recognize the Golan Heights as belonging to Israel.
