AOC's first congressional endorsements reflect subtle shift away from outsider status

It was seemingly an offbeat choice for the first endorsement by the leader of the Democratic insurgency heading into a presidential election year, when New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez threw her support behind Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., last week. Markey is a 73-year-old incumbent, and AOC's announcement was part of an effort by Markey to roll out as many endorsements as possible, to demonstrate that the party is with him and not with his 38-year-old challenger, Rep. Joe Kennedy III.

• 
  Rep. Ayanna Pressley Declines to Weigh in on Kennedy vs. Markey Primary Battle. 'The Electorate Will Decide'

  Time
• 
  Joseph Kennedy III Formally Announces His Run for Senate

  Town & Country

Texas man wanted for allegedly divorcing his wife without her knowledge

A Texas man is wanted by police after he allegedly filed for and completed divorce proceedings against his wife without her knowledge. Paul Nixon, 51, was accused of aggravated forgery — a felony charge — after authorities discovered his fraudulent divorce paperwork, the Houston Chronicle reports. Nixon apparently filed the paperwork on Feb. 15, the day after Valentine's Day.

'It's happening': Alien enthusiasts descend on Area 51 for a UFO party

The RVs, packed with UFO enthusiasts, conspiracy theorists and those just looking to party in a remote area of the Nevada desert for “Storm Area 51,” a gathering that began as an internet joke but is expected to attract several thousand people here over the next three days. It's here,” said Connie West, co-owner of the Little A'Le'Inn, which is hosting one of two competing “Alienstock” events this weekend. The original “Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us'” Facebook post was supposed to be a joke inspired by a recent documentary on the once secret military research site known as Area 51, part of the Nevada Test and Training Range, where conspiracy theorists allege the U.S. government is engaged in extraterrestrial research.

• A group of people ready to ‘Storm Area 51' were met by armed guards at the gate

  Mashable
• 
  Storm Area 51: Hundreds of people gather at US military base to 'see them aliens'

  The Independent

Bill de Blasio's net worth as he pulls out of 2020 presidential race

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this week he is officially out of the 2020 presidential race. The official statement comes after weeks of speculation that the presidential hopeful planned on dropping his 2020 bid. De Blasio joins the likes of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Rep. Eric Swalwell and Gov. Jay Inslee, among others, who have given up ambitions to potentially become the 48th President of the United States.

• 
  President Trump trolls Bill de Blasio, welcomes 'part time' mayor back to New York

  FOX News Videos
• 
  'I wish I had more time': De Blasio ends 2020 bid

  Reuters Videos

Officials: Political donor caused deadly overdose during sex

Federal prosecutors released new details Thursday as they charged Buck, 65, with distributing methamphetamine resulting in Moore's death on July 27, 2017. A criminal complaint and accompanying affidavit detailed multiple allegations that Buck injected men with meth against their wishes during sexual encounters. The investigation found at least 10 alleged victims, several of whom described in salacious detail Buck's apparent fetish to pay men to use drugs and have sex, which often took a dark turn and led to several suspected overdoses.

Friday's global strike was likely the largest climate rally ever

Millions of people around the world took part in Friday's climate strike, and estimates of total crowd sizes are still rolling in — some as high as 4 million. From New Delhi to Antarctica, protesters marched to draw attention to the climate crisis ahead of the United Nations Climate Action Summit, which kicks off Monday. In New York City, where schools excused the city's 1.1 million students from class to participate, Mayor Bill de Blasio put preliminary crowd estimates at 60,000.

• 
  WATCH IN 60 SECONDS: Global climate strike in Bay Area, Antonio Brown released from Patriots, PG&E power shutoff, Wheelmobile Bay Area stop

  KGO – San Francisco
• 
  Global climate strike begins with huge crowds in Australia and millions more set to take to streets worldwide

  The Independent

Saudi Aramco has emerged from attacks 'stronger than ever': CEO

Saudi Aramco has emerged from attacks on its oil facilities "stronger than ever", Chief Executive Amin Nasser told employees in a message, adding that full oil production would resume by the end of this month. "The fires that were intended to destroy Saudi Aramco had an unintended consequence: they galvanized 70,000 of us around a mission to rebound quickly and confidently, and Saudi Aramco has come out of this incident stronger than ever," Nasser said in the internal message, on the occasion of the Saudi national day, to be celebrated on Sept. 23. Six days after the assault, which hit at the heart of the Saudi energy industry and intensified a decades-long struggle with arch-rival Iran, the state oil giant Aramco invited reporters on Friday to observe the damage and the repair efforts.

• 
  Saudi Aramco sees full oil production from attacked sites by end September

  Reuters
• 
  US to deploy additional troops, military equipment to Saudi Arabia, UAE after attack on oil facilities

  KFSN – Fresno

Israel scientists unveil appearance of ancient human relative

Very few clues exist about the lives of the Denisovans -- cousins of Neanderthals -- who went extinct around 50,000 years ago three teeth, a pinky bone, and a lower jaw. But that was enough for researchers at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem to draw conclusions on their appearance. The mission was challenging, according to Professor Liran Carmel, one of two scientists leading the study.

3 people have died as Tropical Depression Imelda strikes Texas with flash floods 'worse than Harvey'

Tropical Depression Imelda is hitting southeastern Texas with devastating flooding. Fannet, Texas saw 43 inches of rain, making it one of the top ten wettest cyclones in United States history. Officials say the flooding could be worse than that of Hurricane Harvey, which hit the same area two years ago.

• 
  2 Reported Dead in Texas Floods as Mattress Salesman Turns Showroom Into Shelter for Victims

  People
• 
  Death toll rises from catastrophic flooding in Texas

  CBS News Videos

High school sparks controversy over 'ridiculous' lunch: 'It's honestly sad'

A Minnesota high school is facing criticism for serving a meal that many people have since called "ridiculous." Last Friday, Maryn Holler, a student at Apollo High School in St. Cloud, shared two photos of a lunch tray filled with baby carrots, a cup of marinara sauce and a hot dog bun filled with melted cheese. "Alright so i paid for this to eat at lunch today," she wrote on Facebook.

Jeffrey Epstein victim says Prince Andrew bought her vodka at a London club when she was 17 before having sex with her

Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has accused Jeffrey Epstein of sex trafficking her, explained how the late financier's close associate Ghislaine Maxwell coerced her into having sex with Prince Andrew of Britain.

• 
  TD reportedly took Jeffrey Epstein's business after Deutsche Bank dumped him

  American City Business Journals
• 
  British victim of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein speaks out over her ordeal

  The Telegraph

Israel Could Not Survive Hamas' Missiles Without The Iron Dome

Key point: Israeli missile defense technology is cutting edge. On July 15th, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced it was deploying more Iron Dome missile defense systems near Tel Aviv and other parts of southern Israel. The Iron Dome is Israel's most effective defense system against short-range projectiles.

• 
  Iran's Nightmare: Israeli F-35s Armed with Hypersonic Missiles.

  The National Interest
• 
  Russia Can't Stop Israel's F-35 Stealth Fighters

  The National Interest

History buff finds ships that sank in 1878 in Lake Michigan

A diver and maritime history buff has found two schooners that collided and sank into the cold depths of northern Lake Michigan more than 140 years ago. Bernie Hellstrom, of Boyne City, Michigan, said he was looking for shipwrecks about 10 years ago when a depth sounder on his boat noted a large obstruction about 200 feet (60 meters) down on the lake bottom near Beaver Island. "I've made hundreds of trips to Beaver Island and every trip I go out the sounder is on," he told The Associated Press on Friday.

Architect Reinaldo Leandro on the Art of Building Design and Personal Style

The prominent architect and co-founder of the multidisciplinary design firm Ashe Leandro shares his thoughts on how the way he dresses relates to his design sensibility Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

2 Muslim men say American Airlines canceled flight after crew 'didn’t feel comfortable'

Two Muslim men from Texas say American Airlines profiled them and canceled their flight after crew members said they “didn't feel comfortable” flying with the pair. Abderraoof Alkhawaldeh and Issam Abdallah said they filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation against the Fort Worth-based airline, asking the federal agency to investigate the incident. The men say American Airlines discriminated against them Saturday for appearing Muslim and Middle Eastern during a flight from Birmingham, Alabama, that was headed to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

• 
  Two Muslims claim American Airlines flight was cancelled because 'they made crew feel uncomfortable'

  Yahoo News UK
• 
  Flight cancelled because airline staff ‘not comfortable’ with Muslim passenger after he flushed toilet twice, pair claim

  The Independent

'This Is an Emergency. Our House Is on Fire.' Greta Thunberg Addresses New York's Climate Strike

The strike, which is organized by The Climate Strike Coalition, was intended to kick off a week events to highlight climate change. One of the flagship protests on Friday was in New York City, three days before the U.N. Climate Summit. Tens of thousands of people turned out for the strikes with climate group 350.org estimating that as many as 300,000 attended.

• 
  Global climate strike begins with huge crowds in Australia and millions more set to take to streets worldwide

  The Independent
• 
  Students step up for climate strike in San Jose

  KGO – San Francisco

U.S. Plan to Add Mideast Troops After Attack Draws Pelosi Rebuke

The U.S. will send a “moderate” number of troops to the Middle East and additional missile defense capabilities to Saudi Arabia in response to last weekend's attack on oil facilities, top Pentagon officials said. The top Democrat in Congress said the actions are unacceptable. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Friday that the decision came at the request of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and represented a “first step” in the U.S. response.

• 
  Saudi Aramco confident Khurais full output to resume by end-September

  Reuters
• 
  The Iran Dilemma, the Saudi Dilemma, and the Iran–Saudi Dilemma

  National Review

Boy, 4, who was diagnosed with autism and cancer within months of each other beats odds

A 4-year-old boy who was diagnosed with autism and cancer within three months has impressively beaten the odds, the Cleveland Clinic recently announced in a news release. Two years ago, Simon McKenzie reportedly became reserved, raising concerns from his grandparents. "I think you need to have him evaluated for autism," the child's grandmother recalled telling his parents, Mark McKenzie and Autumn Ziemba.

Thousands of Paris police deployed over 'yellow vest' clash fears

More than 7,000 police officers are to be deployed for rallies in Paris on Saturday over fears that yellow vest protesters and their radical, anarchist "black blocs" could try to infiltrate a march against climate change in the French capital. The yellow vest movement erupted 10 months ago and blindsided President Emmanuel Macron, who protesters accused of being out of touch with the needs of ordinary French people. Their weekly demonstrations prompted Macron to loosen the state's purse strings to the tune of nearly 17 billion euros ($18.8 billion) in wage boosts and tax cuts for low earners, but tapered off over the summer.

• 
  Violence erupts in Paris as police clash with anarchists who hijacked climate protest

  The Independent
• 
  Paris draws new climate rally; police vie with 'yellow vests', 'black blocs'

  Reuters

5 Reasons Why the Saudi Oil Attacks Won’t Lead to War with Iran

Almost immediately after Saturday's attack on a major Saudi Aramco oil production facility in Abqaiq, the first fingers were pointed at Iran. While Tehran's Houthi allies in Yemen claimed responsibility, unnamed U.S. officials told the media Iran had launched cruise missiles and drones from its territory. As Saudi oil production halved and U.S. gasoline prices spiked, President Donald Trump raised the stakes.

• 
  US to deploy additional troops, military equipment to Saudi Arabia, UAE after attack on oil facilities

  KTRK – Houston
• 
  United States sending troops to bolster Saudi defenses after attack

  Reuters

House votes to end forced arbitration in business disputes

The House approved a bill Friday to end forced arbitration clauses that prevent workers and consumers from filing lawsuits in disputes with companies over employment practices, billing or civil rights. Supporters, mostly Democrats, said the bill would restore access to justice for millions of Americans who are now locked out of the court system and forced to settle disputes against companies in a private arbitration system that often favors the company over the individual. Opponents, mostly Republicans, said the measure would make it harder for individual workers or consumers by forcing them into lengthy, expensive court fights that may end up shutting them out of the justice system entirely.

A car crashed through a Sears in Woodfield Mall outside Chicago and kept driving, injuring at least 2 shoppers

Videos on social media show a car driving erratically through the Woodfield Mall, about 40 minutes outside Chicago. Early reports saw a driver crashed through the Sears located on the outer perimeter of the mall and continued driving, allegedly hitting shoppers. A driver crashed through a Sears storefront and kept driving inside Woodfield Mall, approximately 40 minutes outside Chicago.

• 
  SUV crashes, rolls through suburban Ill. mall

  USA TODAY
• 
  Car Crashes Into Sears Store, Drives Through Illinois Mall

  Time

Dozens detained in Kazakhstan at anti-China protests

ALMATY/NUR-SULTAN (Reuters) - Police detained dozens in Kazakhstan's two largest cities on Saturday as they took part in the latest protest against China's influence in the Central Asian republic. Neighboring China is already one of Kazakhstan's largest investors and trade partners and a plan to relocate a number of Chinese plants and factories to the former Soviet republic has faced public opposition. The latest round of protests on Saturday was organized by supporters of Mukhtar Ablyazov, a fugitive banker living in France who has been the fiercest critic of Kazakhstan's first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev.