PoliticsReutersTrump blocks Pelosi trip as tensions mount over U.S. government shutdown
President Donald Trump's conflict with Democrats over a partial U.S. government shutdown escalated on Thursday with Trump denying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi use of military aircraft for an overseas trip in apparent retaliation for her suggestion that he delay the annual State of the Union address. The rising tension suggested that the shutdown, now in its 27th day, remains far from being resolved. In the meantime, the Trump administration continued to try to mitigate the shutdown's impact.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Aeromexico ad campaign trolls anti-Mexican sentiment in US with DNA discounts
The two-minute commercial, which features visuals of beautiful Mexican locations, could be seen as a trolling trifecta, tweaking anti-Mexican sentiment in the U.S. and, without mentioning him, President Donald Trump and his anti-illegal immigration comments aimed at countries south of the U.S. border. The slogan for the "DNA Discounts" campaign, "There are no borders within us," can be read as a swipe at Trump, whose disagreement with Congressional Democrats over money for a wall has led to a protracted partial-government shutdown. The commercial for the Mexican airline opens by saying, "Mexico's first destination is America," showing a fleet of jetliners flying north, before adding, "But America's first destination is not Mexico," as one lone plane flies in the opposite direction.
- NewsThe Independent
Iran state TV presenter arrested by FBI and moved to Washington DC, say reports
An American-born journalist working for Iran's state TV broadcaster has reportedly been arrested after flying into the US. Press TV interrupted its broadcast on Wednesday to report Marzieh Hashemi was arrested after she arrived at St Louis Lambert International Airport on Sunday. The English-language Iranian broadcaster, citing family members, said its TV presenter and documentary film maker was taken into FBI custody and brought to Washington, DC.
- WorldBloomberg
Al-Qaeda Hotel Attack Kills 21, Shaking Kenya Economy Pillar
Using hand grenades, automatic rifles and a suicide-bomber, the militants stormed 14 Riverside in Nairobi on Tuesday afternoon, a venue popular with business travelers and Kenya's elites and home to offices of companies including Pernod Ricard SA and Dow Chemical East Africa Ltd. That precipitated an 18-hour siege around the DusitD2 hotel, which President Uhuru Kenyatta said ended about 9 a.m. Wednesday with the attackers dead. Somalia-based al-Shabaab took responsibility for the assault, the latest in a recent wave of jihadist strikes across Africa, including in Nigeria and Mali, which a loose coalition of African, Western and United Nation troops are struggling to stop. It's al-Shabaab's first significant assault in Kenya since it killed 147 people at a northeastern university in April 2015 and echoed a September 2013 attack on Nairobi's Westgate mall that left 67 dead and rocked the tourism industry.
NewsAssociated PressFalling tree kills man as storm lashes California
A falling tree killed a man in Oakland on Wednesday as a powerful storm lashed Northern California with high winds and rain, authorities said. The man, who was homeless, may have been "just trying to stay dry," California Highway Patrol Officer Herman Baza said. The latest storm in a series that has pounded California all week closed a major freeway, triggered deadly wrecks on slick roads, had people in wildfire-ravished communities bracing for dangerous mudslides and mountain residents facing "potentially life-threatening" blizzard conditions in the Sierra Nevada.
BusinessAFPGoldman Sachs, Bank of America rock earnings
Goldman Sachs reported better-than-expected profits on Wednesday despite higher legal costs as it works through the 1MDB scandal, while Bank of America's earnings were lifted by higher interest rates. Goldman reported mixed operational performance across its trading, investing and lending businesses, while Bank of America saw its profits triple compared to a year earlier. Shares of both banks surged after the results, which were stronger than earnings of some rival banks earlier posted earlier this week.
U.S.USA TODAYGroup of 247 immigrants arrested at US border
U.S. Border Patrol agents in New Mexico say a group of nearly 250 immigrants are in custody after turning themselves in to authorities at the Antelope Wells Port of Entry. Jan.
- BusinessThe Telegraph
Apple boss Tim Cook attacks 'shadow economy' of data in call for new privacy law
Apple's chief executive Tim Cook has called for the US to introduce a national privacy law, attacking a “shadow economy” in which people's personal data is bought and sold without their knowledge. Mr Cook said companies should have to collect as little data as possible and make it easy for people to delete the information that is held about them. It is the latest attempt from Apple to position itself as the steward of consumers' privacy, and to draw a line between itself and companies such as Facebook and Google.
BusinessReutersOxford University suspends funding from China's Huawei
The University of Oxford said on Thursday it has stopped accepting funding from China's Huawei Technologies [HWT.UL], the leading global supplier of telecoms network equipment, after scrutiny over the company's relationship with China's government. quot;Oxford University decided on January 8 this year that it will not pursue new funding opportunities with Huawei Technologies Co Ltd or its related group companies at present," the university said in a statement. quot;The decision has been taken in the light of public concerns raised in recent months surrounding UK partnerships with Huawei.
- WorldYahoo News
Mike Pence amends claim that 'ISIS has been defeated' following deadly attack on U.S. troops
Vice President Mike Pence issued a statement Wednesday that sought to clarify remarks he delivered earlier in the day in which he claimed that “ISIS has been defeated” — several hours after the radical Islamic group set off a bomb that killed at least two U.S. service members and two American civilians in Syria. In a speech at the U.S. State Department Wednesday morning, Pence credited President Trump and the U.S. military with vanquishing Islamic State terrorists in Syria. “Thanks to the leadership of this commander in chief and the courage and sacrifice of our armed forces, we are now actually able to begin to hand off the fight against ISIS in Syria to our coalition partners,” Pence said, “And we are bringing our troops home.
- NewsThe National Review
David Webb's White Privilege
And here I thought I was the only black man with white privilege. Areva Martin, a CNN “analyst” — whatever in hell that means anno Domini 2019 — was in the middle of a spirited exchange with the conservative talk-radio host David Webb about racial preferences in hiring. Webb argued — as conservatives of many different races argue!
- WorldThe Independent
Enes Kanter: Turkey 'seeking arrest' of New York Knicks player
Turkish prosecutors are seeking the arrest and extradition of New York Knicks enter Enes Kanter, accusing him pf being a member of an "armed terrorist group". Mr Kanter is accused of ties to Fethullah Gulen, who Turkish authorities allege is behind the failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2016, the Daily Sabah reported. Mr Gulen has repeatedly denied any involved in the failed coup.
- WorldThe National Interest
The U.S. Navy's New Missile Defense Is a Bad Idea
The U.S. Navy will try for the first time to shoot down an intercontinental ballistic missile in the middle phase of the ICBM's flight, the Pentagon announced on Jan. 17, 2018. But it's not clear the Navy's SM-3 missile is up to the task. Even if it is, its deployment could lead to a dangerous arms race.
- EntertainmentCar and Driver
See the New 2019 McLaren 600LT Spider in Photos
All the better to listen to its top-exit exhaust pipes. From Car and Driver
NewsAssociated PressCalifornia storm moving out after battering state for 3 days
The storm that pummeled much of California for three days began moving east Thursday after causing at least six deaths, forcing wildfire victims threatened by floods to flee their homes and plunging nearly 300,000 utility customers into darkness. The winter storm is forecast to unleash heavy rain, snow and wind in Colorado and "will be slamming the East Coast by Sunday," National Weather Service forecaster Steve Anderson said. Anderson said most of California should be dry and sunny by Friday.
BusinessUSA TODAYSouthwest Airlines flights canceled, delayed due to computer issue in Baltimore
A four-hour Southwest Airlines computer glitch on Tuesday caused delays and cancellations for passengers traveling to and from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. The exact number of delayed and canceled flights isn't clear, though 37 Southwest flights were canceled leaving the airport Tuesday out of 174 scheduled. It's also not yet clear what caused the four-hour glitch between 10 a.m.
- BusinessAOL.com
Marriott is rolling out a brand new rewards program -- Here's everything you need to know
This included SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest), Marriott Rewards and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards — three previously unrelated loyalty programs that existed with separate point-value systems and benefits. The merger essentially unified the currency for all three separate rewards programs and allowed for members of any of the three programs to use their points across Marriott's entire combined portfolio of 29 brands and 6,700 participating resorts and hotels. Today, Marriott has solidified the mega-merger under the new name and introduction of Marriott Bonvoy, the new travel-focused loyalty program that will be taking the place of the three merged programs.
WorldReutersIn third year, U.S. women's marches turn to 2020 elections
Millions of people took part in the women's marches in Washington and other cities in the United States and abroad on Jan. 21, 2017, the day after the Republican president was sworn in. Vanessa Wruble, a co-founder of the original Women's March on Washington who left to start March On, a separate grassroots coalition, said the movement has evolved from being a reaction to Trump's presidency. Women's March, a national nonprofit organization that evolved from the initial Washington march, is using its #WomensWave marches in Washington and elsewhere on Saturday to roll out a 10-part policy platform that includes raising the federal minimum wage and protecting reproductive rights.
PoliticsAFPTrump grounds Democratic speaker's foreign travel
Deadlock in Washington reached a new low Thursday as Donald Trump hit his chief Democratic opponent Nancy Pelosi with a last-minute cancellation of her plan to take an air force plane to Afghanistan -- citing the four-week-old government shutdown as a motive. The mess in Washington, where swaths of government workers are not being paid while Congress feuds with the White House, already verged on the surreal. In a letter laced with sarcasm and accompanied by his dramatic signature, Trump told House Speaker Pelosi: "I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed.
- BusinessCar and Driver
Mega Gallery: Every Photo from 2019 10Best Trucks and SUVs
These are the best of the best in each category. From Car and Driver
- NewsYahoo News
Tulsi Gabbard apologizes, again, for past antigay views
One week after her 2020 presidential rollout, the campaign of Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, has hit a pothole. Gabbard issued an apology Thursday for antigay views she expressed in the past, attributing them to her conservative upbringing. “In my past, I said and believed things that were wrong,” said Gabbard, who represents Hawaii's second district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
- BusinessPopular Mechanics
What to Know About the 2020 Toyota Supra
That eight-speed automatic will make the Supra faster than a stick shift could, but the higher-ups at Toyota know enthusiasts are clamoring for a manual Supra and won't rule out that one could come down the line. As we wrote last year, the new Supra was developed in partnership with BMW and contains a lot of Bavarian parts on the inside, sharing a great deal with the new BMW Z4. We await pricing news, but expect the Supra to come in around $50,000.
- LifestyleBGR News
Amazon is offering rare discounts on the most popular Apple Watch Series 4 models
If you've been searching for a good deal on a new Apple Watch Series 4, you've undoubtedly come to the same conclusion as everyone else: there are none. Apple's fourth-generation smartwatch is simply too new to see any big discounts. But if you're a true bargain hunter who refuses to pay full price for anything, we've got some good news.
- WorldAssociated Press
Burkina Faso: Body of Canadian found days after abduction
A Canadian national has been found dead a day after reports of his kidnapping by suspected jihadists in Burkina Faso's volatile north near the Niger border, the West African nation's security ministry said Thursday. The ministry said Kirk Woodman's body was found 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the site where he worked for Progress Mineral Mining Company. Woodman's son, Matt Woodman, emailed The Associated Press confirming his father's death.
NewsUSA TODAYMore snow! Airlines expand change fees as new storms approach
Airlines are waiving change fees as two more winter storms are set to move across the Midwest and Northeast. American, Delta, Southwest, United, JetBlue, Alaska and Frontier airlines all rolled out waivers Thursday, with several carriers expanding the scope of the policies as forecasts solidified. The waivers come as two different winter storms were forecast to affect airports across large parts of the Midwest and Northeast.
