NewsReutersRain, flooding expected in U.S. Southern Plains after deadly storms
Weather forecasters on Wednesday expected drenching rains to roll into the storm-ravaged U.S. southern and central states, where thunderstorms and tornadoes killed at least three people and triggered widespread flooding. More than 30 tornadoes struck a swath from Texas to Iowa since Monday, according to the National Weather Service, and residents in at least three Oklahoma riverfront communities were urged to evacuate due to flooding. One person was killed and another was injured when a tornado struck the rural town of Adair, Iowa, about 50 miles (80 km)west of Des Moines, at about 1:30 a.m. local time, the weather service said.
PoliticsAFPDemocrat impeachment talk gains as Trump blocks lawyer testimony
Democratic Party talk of impeachment intensified Tuesday after Donald Trump's former lawyer Don McGahn refused to testify about obstruction allegations against the US president. House Democratic leaders held off fresh pressure from rank-and-file legislators to launch an effort to remove the president, after the White House again stymied their probe into Trump's actions in the Russia meddling investigation.
NewsUSA TODAYGuatemalan teen dies at Border Patrol station, 5th minor to die in US custody in 6 months
Customs and Border Protection said the 16-year-old from Guatemala was found unresponsive during a welfare check in the Rio Grande Valley.
NewsAssociated PressAbducted Idaho girl found safe in Arizona, suspect jailed
SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — A 17-year-old girl abducted from an Idaho fast-food restaurant where she worked was found safe in Arizona on Tuesday and the man accused of taking her was jailed on a $1 million bond, authorities said.
- ScienceBGR News
Researchers say a tiny planet slammed into the Moon a long time ago
Earth's Moon only ever shows us one face. It's locked into its current orientation, with a permanent nearside and farside, but it wasn't until the Apollo missions that scientists were able to see just how different the two sides really are. The nearside, with its sea of dark gray basins standing in contrast to the brilliant white powder that covers the rest of its face, varies dramatically from the farside, which is marked with countless smaller craters in a more uniform distribution.The debate over how the Moon's split personalities developed has raged for decades, but new research seems to indicate that one of the possible explanations does indeed hold water. The theory, that Earth's Moon was struck by a tiny dwarf planet long ago, is the subject of a new research paper published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.Using computer models to simulate what may have happened to the Moon's surface long ago, researchers suggest the most likely scenario seems to be the collision between the Moon and a very large body. The impact of a dwarf planet as large as 480 miles across would have struck what we see today as the Moon's nearside at a speed of 14,000 miles per hour.This theory stands in contrast to other proposed explanations, including the theory that Earth may have once had not one Moon, but two. The two-moon theory suggests that Earth's moon duo may have at one point collided and merged, leaving the Moon as we see it today looking oddly unsymmetrical.The dwarf planet collision scenario assumes that whatever the body that struck the Moon was, it was in its own path around the Sun and just happened to be in the right place at the right time to strike Earth's natural satellite. This, the researchers say, would also explain why the crust on the farside of the Moon is different than that of its nearside."We demonstrate that a large body slowly impacting the nearside of the Moon can reproduce the observed crustal thickness asymmetry and form both the farside highlands and the nearside lowlands," the paper explains. "Additionally, the model shows that the resulting impact ejecta would cover the primordial anorthositic crust to form a two‐layer crust on the farside, as observed."
- LifestyleCar and Driver
Don't Just Vacation in Any Old Airbnb When You Can Choose One on Wheels
Get a taste of #VanLife without the full-time commitment.From Car and Driver
- PoliticsThe National Interest
Iran Bluster Is about Red Lines, Not War
In the past week, American-Iranian tensions flared to heights not seen since the Reagan years, when U.S. and Iranian ships and planes faced off in the Persian Gulf. Not only have Iranian irregular forces apparently sabotaged four ships off the major Emirati port of Fujairah with either magnet bombs or underwater drones, but a subsequent drone attack on a Saudi pipeline amplified tensions to a new level.Even on the best of days in hyper-partisan Washington, there are enough polemics to go around. The fact that national security in general—and Iran policy in particular—have become political footballs only makes the problem worse. Never one to miss an opportunity to throw fuel on the rhetorical fire, President Donald Trump threatened via tweet, “If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!”Happily, however, nothing in the American military posture makes it appear that war—or even a limited engagement—is imminent, let alone likely.Consider the U.S. Navy’s posture: The Trump administration has reportedly dispatched an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf, but if a war against Iran really was on the table, then this would be the worst possible move.
PoliticsYahoo NewsHUD Secretary Ben Carson stumped during congressional hearing
The HUD secretary faced a tough hearing before the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday.
- WorldBloomberg
Pound Gains as May's Latest Offer Revives Brexit Deal Chances
Sterling gained the most in more than two weeks before the rally eased as May spoke in London. Lawmakers have already voted against holding a second referendum in a series of choices on Brexit options, though last month there were only 12 votes in it. Sterling has been weighed down this month as the prospect of a more hardline Brexit candidate replacing May has increased the risk of a no-deal exit from the European Union.
BusinessReutersAfter Huawei, U.S. could blacklist Chinese surveillance tech firm - media
The U.S. administration is considering Huawei-like sanctions on Chinese video surveillance firm Hikvision, media reports show, deepening worries that trade friction between the world's top two economies could be further inflamed. The restrictions would limit Hikvision's ability to buy U.S. technology and American companies may have to obtain government approval to supply components to the Chinese firm, the New York Times reported https://nyti.ms/2MfgBS3 on Tuesday. The United States stuck Huawei Technologies on a trade blacklist last week, effectively banning U.S. firms from doing business with the world's largest telecom network gear maker, in a major escalation in the trade war.
- PoliticsNational Review
REPORT: Mueller Resists Dems’ Request to Testify Publicly about Details Outside His Report
Special Counsel Robert Mueller is resisting congressional Democrats' request that he testify publicly about details of his investigation that were not included in his final report, the Washington Post first reported Tuesday.Mueller and his representatives have reportedly reached an impasse in their negotiations with House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerry Nadler, who would like him to speak publicly about a range of issues, including whether the president could be charged with obstruction of justice absent Department of Justice guidelines that prohibit the indictment of a sitting president.As they navigate the question of whether the obstructive behavior attributed to Trump in the Mueller report warrants impeachment, a number of top Democrats have repeatedly insisted that lawmakers must hear from Mueller himself before a decision can be made. They have also suggested that they would like to question Mueller about whether he believes Attorney General William Barr's summary of his report misrepresented its findings.Barr told the Wall Street Journal that he has no problem with Mueller testifying before Congress, but Democrats have accused the Department of Justice of intentionally delaying negotiations over any such testimony. Trump has said it is Barr's decision whether Mueller can appear before Congress.News of the impasse comes hours after former White House counsel Don McGahn failed to appear before the House Judiciary Committee to answer questions about Trump's alleged efforts to interfere in the Mueller probe.“Let me be clear: This committee will hear Mr. McGahn’s testimony, even if we have to go to court to secure it,” Nadler said after the hearing.During the Tuesday hearing, Representative Doug Collins of Georgia, the ranking republican on the Judiciary Committee, accused Democrats of delaying Mueller's testimony out of a reticence to accept his findings.“We've subpoenaed the documents, we've subpoenaed the underlying documents, we've subpoenaed stuff that we can't get, but the one thing that we seem to avoid is Mr. Mueller himself, the one who wrote it,” Collins said. “We've asked since April about Mr. Mueller coming. But every time we seem to get close to Mueller, Mueller just gets pushed on a little bit. Haven't seen a subpoena here, and this is what's really amazing -- we'll get back to subpoenas in a moment -- but just think about that. You wanted the work of the author, but you don't want to talk to the author.”The House Intelligence Committee, led by Chairman Adam Schiff (D., Calif.), is also currently in negotiations to secure Mueller's public testimony.“I feel very confident saying Mueller’s going to testify,” Schiff told ABC News. “There’s no way that he cannot, and the public won’t stand for it. I think the Justice Department knows they’re on the poorest of ground in trying to prevent his testimony.”
- PoliticsThe Independent
Trump impeachment considered 'inevitable' by growing number of House Democrats, congressman says
A senior Democrat in the House has suggesting increasing numbers of his colleagues expect Donald Trump to be impeached.Many in the party have resisted calls for proceedings to be initiated, with many suggesting that doing so would aid the president's repeated and unsubstantiated claims that he is the victim of a "deep state" conspiracy.But John Yarmuth, chairman of the House budget committee, said: “I think what we have … is we have a situation in which I think a growing majority of our caucus believes that impeachment is going to be inevitable.Speaking to CNN, he continued: "But they also believe that we need to pursue the investigations that are going on to make sure that certain conduct of the administration and the president that they need to be held accountable for is discovered"The comment comes as Democrats have become increasingly frustrated with the White House, which on Tuesday instructed former White House counsel Don McGahn to defy a congressional subpoena to give evidence.In response, top Democrats threatened further action and then issued two more subpoenas for two top former White House aides.Mr McGahn was a key witness in the investigation conducted by special counsel Robert Mueller, who looked into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. His testimony to that investigation indicated Mr Trump repeatedly asked him and others to subvert or end the investigation.Mr Yarmuth is far from the only Democrat in the House who has acknowledged that impeachment is a popular idea among those in his party.House whip James Clyburn told the same CNN programme: “The vast majority [of House Democrats] would, in fact, support impeachment — just not now."The issue now is whether or not that is something that should be done today or tomorrow, or whether or not we go through a process by which we build a foundation upon which to successfully impeach the president. So that’s where we are.”It comes after influential Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the initiation of impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump was "entirely appropriate".
WorldAssociated PressThe Latest: Iran supreme leader critical of FM in nuke deal
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The Latest on increased tensions between the U.S. and Iran (all times local):
- CelebrityCar and Driver
New Feature on 2020 Chevrolet and GMC Models Won't Let Car Move Till Driver Fastens Seatbelt
The new tech is called Buckle to Drive, and it rolls out on several Chevrolet and GMC models for 2020 as part of the Teen Driver package.
- BusinessThe National Interest
Could One of America's Allies Take Down the F-35 Program?
What does America need to save its troubled F-35 stealth fighter?Turkey, that’s what.Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan recently warned that the multinational F-35 program, of which Turkey is a member, would fail if Turkey were excluded. Turkey is facing sanctions, including being dropped from the F-35 program if it goes ahead with purchasing Russia’s S-400 anti-aircraft missile system, which has raised Washington’s fears that F-35 secrets might be leaked to Russia. The U.S. has stopped shipping equipment to Turkey for that nation’s planned purchase of 100 F-35s, while the first two aircraft officially delivered to Turkey are still in the United States.For its part, Ankara is adamant that it has a right to purchase both American stealth fighters and Russian anti-aircraft missiles, despite the fact that the S-400 is one of the most likely Russian weapons to be used against the F-35. “We were surely not going to remain silent against our right to self-defense being disregarded and attempts to hit us where it hurts,” Erdogan said at a Turkish defense trade show. “This is the kind of process that is behind the S-400 agreement we reached with Russia.”“Nowadays, we are being subject to a similar injustice - or rather an imposition - on the F-35s ... Let me be frank: An F-35 project from which Turkey is excluded is bound to collapse completely.”
- U.S.WPVI – Philadelphia
Tornado touched down in Lancaster County, officials confirm
Officials have confirmed that a tornado touched down in Lancaster County as severe storms hit the region.
- BusinessUSA TODAY
American Airlines blames mechanics for 2,200 flight delays, cancellations, warns of summer travel trouble
American Airlines says a slowdown by mechanics led to nearly 2,200 flight cancellations, delays since February and has intensified.
WorldAFPFears rise China could weaponise rare earths in US tech war
The US has hit China where it hurts by going after its telecom champion Huawei, but Beijing's control of the global supply of rare earths used in smartphones and electric cars gives it a powerful weapon in their escalating tech war. A seemingly routine visit by President Xi Jinping to a Chinese rare earths company this week is being widely read as an obvious threat that Beijing is standing ready for action. Xi's inspection tour "is no accident, this didn't happen by chance," said Li Mingjiang, China programme coordinator at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore.
- WorldReuters
Iran's reach puts U.S. forces, allies in striking range
BAGHDAD/DUBAI/KABUL (Reuters) - Threats of conflict between the United States and Iran have highlighted the places and ways their forces, proxies or allies could clash. Iran backs militias in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, where U.S. troops are also based, and in Lebanon and Yemen, located next to Washington's closest regional allies Israel and Saudi Arabia. It is situated opposite Saudi Arabia on the Gulf, and along the Strait of Hormuz, passageway for almost a fifth of the world's daily crude oil consumption.
BusinessAFP Relax News'Plan B': Huawei's operating system headache after Android ban
Google's decision to partially cut off Huawei devices from its Android operating system has presented the Chinese tech titan with one of its most dramatic challenges yet: how to keep up with the competition if it cannot use the platform that powers nearly every other smartphone in the world? If it should be the case that we can no longer use these systems (like Android)... we would therefore need to be well-armed," Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei's Consumer Business Group, told German newspaper Die Welt in an interview published in March. Washington last week imposed a ban on the sale or transfer of American technology to the firm -- which could impact hundreds of millions of Huawei phones and tablets around the world.
- PoliticsNational Review
Trump Storms Out of Infrastructure Talks with Dems after Pelosi Comments
President Trump stormed out of infrastructure talks with Democratic congressional leaders Wednesday, railing against House speaker Nancy Pelosi's claim that he is "engaged in a cover-up."“I don’t do cover ups,” the president told reporters in the White House Rose Garden. “I walked into the room and I told Senator Schumer and Speaker Pelosi, ‘I want to do infrastructure. I want to do it more than you want to do it. I’d be really good at that. That’s what I do. But you know what, you can’t do it under these circumstances.'""Get these phony investigations over with," Trump added. “I’ve said from the beginning that you probably can’t go down two tracks. You can go down the investigation track or you can go down the investment track."The president's ire was piqued by a meeting of the House Democratic caucus earlier Wednesday, in which members discussed the possibility of impeaching him.During the closed-door meeting, Pelosi reportedly clashed with rank-and-file members who are upping the pressure on her to begin impeachment proceedings against the president. She was said to have argued that most of the party is against impeachment, a divisive and cumbersome process, as well as a political risk for Democrats. But she emerged from the meeting with harsh words for the president."We believe the president of the United States is engaged in a cover-up," Pelosi said told reporters afterward. "We believe that no one is above the law, including the president of the United States."Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer accused Trump of planning the dramatic exit from the infrastructure meeting.“To watch what happened in the White House would make your draw drop,” Schumer said back on Capitol Hill. “It’s clear this was not a spontaneous move on the president’s part. It was planned.”
U.S.Yahoo News VideoDog sitter caught walking around naked in customer's home
A dog sitter has been caught on camera walking around her client’s house naked. Rosie Brown hired Casey Brengle to look after her two dogs, Penny and Daisy, while she went to a wedding for four days.
WorldBloombergMay’s Desperate Gamble on a New Brexit Referendum Falls Flat
Theresa May made a desperate final gamble to get her Brexit deal through the British Parliament before she’s thrown out of office -- but her efforts looked doomed. In a hastily arranged speech on Tuesday, the embattled prime minister promised to give members of Parliament a vote on whether to call another referendum to ratify Britain’s divorce from the European Union. It’s something many MPs -- including scores in the opposition Labour Party -- have been calling for, but she made it conditional on them backing her deal first.
NewsAssociated PressProsecutor: Agent called migrants 'savages' before hitting 1
PHOENIX (AP) — A Border Patrol agent in Arizona sent texts calling immigrants "savages" and "subhuman" the month before using his patrol vehicle to knock over a Guatemalan man who was trying to flee, prosecutors say.
- Lifestylemotorious
1967 Ford Mustang Fastback Restoration Is A Work Of Art
The Ford Mustang is an American automotive icon known the world over. Ford’s pony car is the four-wheeled embodiment of the American dream. Petty’s Garage is well-known for its work on modern Mustangs, enhancing their performance and producing limited edition special models.
