PoliticsAssociated PressShutdown threat recedes as Trump softens stance on wall
President Donald Trump appeared Tuesday to back off his demand for $5 billion to build a border wall, signaling for the first time that he might be open to a deal that would avoid a partial government shutdown. The White House set the tone when press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders indicated that Trump doesn't want to shut down the government, though just last week he said he'd be "proud" to do so. Without a resolution, more than 800,000 government workers could be furloughed or sent to work without pay beginning at midnight Friday, disrupting government operations days before Christmas.
- WorldReuters
Two migrant youths from Honduras killed in Mexico: officials
The bodies of two slain Honduran migrant youths were found in the Mexican border city of Tijuana over the weekend, officials said on Tuesday, in a sign of the dangers facing Central Americans in Mexico as they seek asylum in the United States. The prosecutors' office in Tijuana said in a statement it was investigating the deaths of the two youths, who showed signs of having been stabbed and strangled. Alden Rivera, the Honduran ambassador to Mexico, said the two teens were from Honduras and that the attack on them had taken place on Saturday afternoon.
- PoliticsHuffPost
Chili's Weighs In On North Carolina Election Fraud And Immediately Regrets Decision
Chili’s social media department is getting ribbed after it weighed in on North Carolina’s election fraud scandal ― without really understanding it. It all started Monday when Andrew Bates, a spokesperson for the progressive super PAC American Bridge, offered a Chili’s gift certificate to North Carolina GOP Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse with a caveat: Stop trying to seat Republican congressional candidate Mark Harris, whose election has been marred by ballot fraud allegations. Woodhouse didn’t respond, but Chili’s social media person did and aggressively attempted to do some promotion piggybacking on Bates’ tweet.
- WorldBloomberg
U.S., Taliban Meet in U.A.E. to Discuss Afghanistan Peace
The Afghan Taliban said it was holding another round of talks with U.S. officials in the U.A.E. on Monday after peace negotiations failed last month. Representatives from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the U.A.E. will also attend the meeting, Zabihullah Mujahed, a spokesman for the militant group, said in a statement released on Sunday evening. Pakistan has also confirmed that talks will be taking place and hopes the meeting “will end bloodshed in Afghanistan and bring peace to the region,” Mohammad Faisal, a foreign ministry spokesman in Islamabad, said on Twitter.
- BusinessAutoClassics
1000mph Bloodhound SSC record car saved
The Super Sonic Car was set to raise the land speed record bar with the vehicle finished and undergoing final testing, but the project was stopped in its tracks when funding ran out. Related Video: Watch the Bloodhound SSC Team Show off Car Months of administration failed to find an investor willing to supply the £25 million ($31.5 million) required to set what might be the last record of this kind. Time was called on Bloodhound and we all shed a tear over a hard-fought challenge that seemingly fell at the final hurdle.
- CelebrityUSA TODAY
Cher ditches Facebook, Google for 'conspiring with Russia to destroy our democracy'
Facebook and Google have one less user to worry about. Cher, 72, vowed to boycott the two tech giants Tuesday, saying Facebook and Google's alleged love of money trumps their "(love) of country." "Won't use Google, getting rid of Facebook account I didn't know I had," Cher tweeted in all capital letters.
WorldAFPBritain, Switzerland reach post-Brexit aviation deal
Switzerland and Britain signed an agreement Monday guaranteeing that flights between the two countries can continue uninterrupted even if London opts to leave the European Union without a deal with Brussels. "We have managed to ensure a flawless transition, which is in the interest of both of our countries," Swiss Transportation Minister Doris Leuthard said in a statement after signing the deal in Zurich with her British counterpart Chris Grayling. Switzerland is not a member of the EU, but its relations with Britain are based on a long line of bilateral agreements between Bern and the bloc.
- LifestyleAccuWeather
The best and worst times to travel for Christmas
AAA predicts that more than one-third of Americans will travel this holiday season, so knowing the best and worst times for traffic and weather can cut down your trip time. According to AAA, the record-breaking 112.5 million travelers taking to the nation's runways, roads and rails for the year-end holidays represents a 4.4 percent increase over last year and the most since AAA has been tracking holiday travel. "'Tis the season for holiday travel, and more Americans than ever will journey to spend time with friends and family or choose to take a vacation," said Bryan Shilling, managing director, AAA Travel products and services.
BusinessReutersSears to take $443 million in charges arising from store closures
Total costs related to closing 73 Sears stores and 28 Kmart stores in the third quarter ended Nov. 3 amounted to $229 million, the company said earlier this month. The charges entail markdowns, severance costs and lease termination costs arising from store closures, which the company announced in October, when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Sears Chairman Eddie Lampert made a $4.6 billion offer to buy the U.S. retailer earlier this month, which called for about 500 Sears stores to remain open.
- BusinessArchitectural Digest
The 14 Most Anticipated Buildings of 2019
In the words of architect Robert Venturi, we believe these buildings will allow you to “see familiar things in an unfamiliar way”
PoliticsAssociated PressThe Latest: Portions of FBI interview with Flynn released
Portions of the FBI interview notes at the center of the false statements case against Michael Flynn have been released. Special counsel Robert Mueller's office has publicly filed a redacted version of the document in the case of President Donald Trump's former national security adviser. The documents show that FBI agents interviewed Flynn about his contacts with Russia, including past trips to the country and his conversations with Sergey Kislyak, then Russia's ambassador to the U.S.
- WorldThe Guardian
Fleeing home alone: the migrant children blocked at Mexican border
Guatemalan children caught in Mexico while trying to migrate into the US, queue before climbing into a minibus at Aurora international airport in Guatemala City. For years, Dora waited impatiently to turn 15, the age her mother had agreed she would be old enough to leave their home in El Salvador – where she suffered physical and sexual abuse at the hands of her grandfather – and head to the US, in search of a new life. “Seeing them leave together … that gave me hope and gave me the courage to finally leave,” said Dora, who is now living at a children’s shelter in Tijuana, on the border with California.
- PoliticsHuffPost
Sanders Lashes Comey For 'Corruption' After He Slams Spineless GOP On 'Lying' Trump
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders launched a scathing, unfounded attack on former FBI Director James Comey after he criticized Republicans for doing nothing about “lying” Donald Trump as the president subverts the “rule of law. The truth matters .... At some point, someone has to stand up, and in the face of fear of Fox News, fear of their base, fear of mean tweets, stand up for the values of this country and not slink away into retirement.
WorldAFPCanada mulls canceling Saudi arms deal over Yemen, Khashoggi murder
Canada is looking into ways to cancel a giant 2014 weapons deal with Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sunday, as criticism mounts over the kingdom's role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Riyadh-led war in Yemen. Trudeau had earlier said that it would be "extremely difficult" to withdraw from the contract, signed by the previous conservative administration, "without Canadians paying exorbitant penalties." But as evidence emerged of direct Saudi involvement in Khashoggi's murder on October 2, Canada in November announced sanctions against 17 Saudi nationals linked to killing.
- BusinessUSA TODAY
Delta adds Mexico City route from Minneapolis/St. Paul hub
Delta Air Lines will add nonstop service to Mexico City from its Minneapolis/St. Paul hub. Daily service will begin June 8, with Delta offering one daily round-trip flight on 132-seat Airbus A319 aircraft. Minneapolis/St. Paul will become the sixth city to get nonstop service to Mexico City on Delta.
- WorldUSA TODAY
‘One of a kind’ royal tomb is 4,400 years old, Egypt says
Egyptian officials said they have discovered a 4,400-year-old tomb linked to the fifth dynasty of pharoahs. According to Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities, the tomb — located at a site west of Cairo in Saqqara — belonged to a senior official of the pharoahs, reports The Associated Press. Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani tells CNN the tomb belonged to a royal purification priest named Wahtye.
WorldReuters VideosBritish Airways to resume Pakistan flights after a decade
British Airways will resume flights to Pakistan next year after a 10-year absence following an Islamist militant truck bomb that killed more than 50 people at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad. As Pascale Davies reports, BA will be the first Western carrier to restart flying to Pakistan.
WorldReutersTrump willing to look at extraditing Turkish cleric, but noncommittal
"The only thing he said is that we would take a look at it," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters. "Nothing further at this point beyond that ... nothing committal at all in that process." Turkey's foreign minister said on Sunday that Trump told Erdogan that Washington was working on extraditing the cleric, Fethullah Gulen, a former Erdogan ally who has lived in self-imposed U.S. exile for nearly two decades. Asked about the comment on Monday, another White House official said only that Trump did not commit to extraditing Gulen when he spoke to Erdogan at the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires last month.
LifestyleAFP Relax NewsVegan beauty gift sets for holiday 2018
With interest in vegan lifestyles growing, both specialist and mainstream beauty brands have a selection of gifts out this holiday for anyone committed to excluding animal-based products and shunning animal testing. Here's a look at some of the 100% vegan gift sets out this year. Snow Globe by Lush Lush, which offers a host of vegan products, has a Snow Globe gift set out for Christmas.
- WorldAssociated Press
Suspected gas explosion destroys eatery in Japan, hurts 42
A suspected gas explosion destroyed wooden buildings housing a restaurant and a real estate office in northern Japan on Sunday night, injuring 42 people, police and local media said. The powerful explosion in Sapporo, the capital city of Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido, shook nearby buildings, shattered windows and scattered wooden debris across the area. One person was in serious condition, but police said the other injuries were mostly mild.
- LifestyleAccuWeather
White Christmas 2018 forecast: Who has the best shot at snow?
Following far-reaching snowstorms from November and early December, a lack of Arctic air will generally limit the chances of a white Christmas to the northern tier states and the mountains of the West for Dec. 25, 2018. The standard for a white Christmas is an inch of snow on the ground during the morning, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). This map shows the probability of a white Christmas (1 inches of snow on the ground or greater), based on climatology and not anticipated conditions for Dec. 25, 2018.
- PoliticsHuffPost
Hillary Clinton Offers Encouragement To Third-Grader Who Lost School Election
An 8-year-old Maryland girl reportedly received some high-powered encouragement after she lost a school election for class president by one vote. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent a letter to Martha Kennedy Morales, a third-grader at Friends Community School in College Park, after hearing about the election results, The Washington Post reported. “As I know too well, it’s not easy when you stand up and put yourself in contention for a role that’s only been sought by boys,” wrote Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump.
- WorldBloomberg
General Dynamics Warns Trudeau Over Exit Penalties in Saudi Deal
Canada is looking for a way out of a $13 billion deal to export armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia -- a move the company warns could leave the government liable for billions. In a television interview Sunday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government was looking for a way to halt the sale of armored vehicles manufactured by a unit of U.S.-based General Dynamics Corp. We are engaged with the export permits to try and see if there is a way of no longer exporting these vehicles to Saudi Arabia,” Trudeau told CTV, without elaborating.
WorldAFPJesuits release list of 89 US priests accused of sex abuse
Jesuit authorities for 20 US states on Monday released the names of 89 priests with credible allegations of child sexual abuse dating as far back as 1950. The disclosures by the Jesuit provinces of Maryland and USA Midwest are the latest chapter in the ongoing sexual abuse scandal roiling the Catholic Church and come after 153 Jesuits were publicly identified by two other provinces earlier this month. Maryland released 24 names with allegations dating back to 1950 and USA Midwest released 65 names dating back to 1955.
- U.S.ABC News Videos
High surf warning in California
Strong storm brings 20-to-40-foot waves to the San Francisco area.
