PoliticsAssociated PressThe Latest: Booker says he would reverse transgender ban
Democratic White House hopeful Cory Booker said Sunday night he would reverse President Donald Trump's ban on transgender individuals serving in the military if elected president. It was one of a handful of Trump Administration policies he pledged to undo if elected president, including Trump's tax cuts and his revocation of protections from deportation for undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children. De Blasio called Obama's pursuit of health care legislation noble but lamented that it played out over a long period and was treated politically as a narrow instead of universal item.
WorldAFPSaudi crown prince approved 'intervention' against dissidents: report
More than a year before the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved a secret campaign to silence dissenters, The New York Times reported on Sunday. American officials referred to it as the Saudi Rapid Intervention Group, the Times said. At least some of the clandestine missions were carried out by members of the team that killed and dismembered Khashoggi in October at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, suggesting his murder was part of a wider campaign against dissidents, the report said, citing the US officials and associates of some Saudi victims.
- WorldNational Review
Stop Politicizing the Christchurch Killings
As the families of the 50 Muslims gunned down at two New Zealand Mosques on Friday mourned, Senator Fraser Anning of Queensland put out a widely condemned statement that effectively blamed the victims: Later, as Anning was being interviewed by media, a teenage boy smashed an egg on his head. Anning responded by throwing punches at the young man. All this was caught on camera, of course, much as the massacre itself had been livestreamed on Facebook.
LifestyleUSA TODAYI got into 39 colleges without cheating: What applying to schools looks like in 2019
Jordan Nixon has received 39 college acceptance letters so far, all without celebrity parents or $500,000 bribes. It just took years of planning, a private college adviser, 50-plus applications and the unwavering support of family. As the nation's largest-ever college admissions scandal surfaces this week, with celebrity parents and rich CEOs accused of cheating to get their children into prestigious schools, the Nixons are navigating college admissions like the rest of us.
- PoliticsBloomberg
Mystery Mueller Subpoena Fight Gets Supreme Court Look This Week
The U.S. Supreme Court gets a chance to join the fray over Special Counsel Robert Mueller for the first time this week as the justices consider whether to hear an appeal in a mystery case that's kept people guessing for months. The partially redacted appeal, filed by an unidentified foreign government-owned company in a fight over a grand jury subpoena, centers on U.S. courts' power over businesses owned by foreign governments. It's the first known effort to get the nation's highest court to weigh in on Mueller's probe into Russian meddling with the 2016 election and possible obstruction of justice.
WorldReutersU.S.-backed force says it has taken positions in Islamic State Syria camp
U.S.-backed fighters said they had taken positions in Islamic State's last enclave in eastern Syria and air strikes pounded the tiny patch of land beside the Euphrates River early on Monday, a Reuters journalist said. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia said in an update on Monday that tens of militants had been killed during what it called fierce clashes, and one SDF fighter had been injured. It said Islamic State had sent four suicide bombers to points close to SDF fighters.
- WorldMashable
New Zealand's biggest online classifieds site bans sale of semi-automatic guns
In the aftermath of the Christchurch terrorist attack, New Zealand is looking to step up on gun control. It's led to the country's biggest online marketplace, Trade Me, stopping the sale of semi-automatic firearms until it receives further instruction from the government. SEE ALSO: Facebook has removed 1.5 million videos of the New Zealand shooting, but questions remain "We have listened to public sentiment following Friday's terrorist attack in Christchurch and decided to remove all semi-automatic firearms sales and parts associated with those weapons today," Trade Me's statement reads.
- NewsThe Independent
US weather: Thousands flee midwest as three die amid flooding triggered by 'bomb cyclone'
Thousands of people are being forced to leave their homes after a so-called bomb cyclone brought flooding to huge swathes of the American midwest. From Nebraska to Kansas, and Missouri to Illinois, residents have been evacuated amid flooding that has killed at least three people. The governors of Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin have declared states of emergency.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Outrage over Pope's decision to reject resignation of archbishop convicted of protecting predator priest
Catholic campaigners condemned as “shocking” a decision by Pope Francis not to accept the resignation of a French archbishop who was given a suspended prison sentence this month for failing to report the sexual abuse of boy scouts by a known predatory priest. Tuesday's surprise decision came just a month after the Vatican convened an unprecedented conference of cardinals in which it pledged to get tough on priests who abuse children and the bishops who cover up for them. French cardinal Philippe Barbarin travelled to Rome on Monday and offered his resignation to Pope Francis.
U.S.FOX News VideosVandals target WWII memorial in Boston
The South Boston community is outraged after an oily substance is left on the World War II monument.
- PoliticsThe Guardian
Beto O'Rourke raises $6.1m in first 24 hours, smashing Bernie Sanders' record
Democratic hopeful Beto O'Rourke raised an unprecedented $6.1m during the first 24 hours of his official run for the White House, his campaign announced on Monday. The stunning sum is more than rival Bernie Sanders and every other 2020 Democratic rival who has disclosed their first-day fundraising totals. O'Rourke brought in $6,136,763 in online donations from all 50 states and territories, his campaign said.
PoliticsReutersTrump renews attack alleging social media's political bias
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused social media platforms Facebook, YouTube and Twitter of favoring his Democratic opponents over him and his fellow Republicans. "But fear not, we will win anyway, just like we did before! #MAGA," he said in a tweet. MAGA refers to Trump's 2016 campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again." Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc declined to comment.
NewsAssociated PressColleges weigh fate of students with tainted applications
In the wake of a massive college bribery scheme, the schools caught in the middle have been left facing a thorny question: What to do about the students who may have been admitted through fraud? The University of Southern California announced late Monday it had placed holds on an undisclosed number of students, meaning they can't register for classes or obtain transcripts until their cases are reviewed. At Yale, the president declined to comment on specific cases but said it's a "longstanding policy is to rescind the admission of students who falsified their Yale College applications." Stanford similarly noted that students could be "disenrolled" or have offers of admission rescinded.
- WorldBloomberg
Ardern Says She Will Never Speak Christchurch Terrorist's Name
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she will never speak the name of the terrorist accused of gunning down 50 people in attacks on two Christchurch mosques on Friday. He sought many things from his act of terror, but one was notoriety, and that is why you will never hear me mention his name,” Ardern told parliament Tuesday as lawmakers paid tribute to the victims of the massacre. He is a terrorist, he is a criminal, he is an extremist, but he will, when I speak, be nameless.
- PoliticsUSA TODAY
Biggest obstacle to passage of Green New Deal? Democratic lawmakers
If the Green New Deal came up for a vote in the Democrat-controlled House, it would have trouble passing. Party moderates leading a new climate-change panel said Thursday that they can't support the ambitious resolution led by liberal firebrand Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that calls not only for combating the environmental crisis but also champions broad social reforms such as free housing, medical coverage and higher education for all Americans. Reps. Don Beyer, D-Va., Sean Casten, D-Ill., Elaine Luria, D-Va., and Susan Wild, D-Pa, the four co-chairs of the New Democrat Coalition's Climate Change Task Force, said they oppose the Green New Deal as currently written.
BusinessAFPIndian tycoon Ambani pays debt after court threatened jail
Indian tycoon Anil Ambani has settled a multi-million debt with Sweden's Ericsson, the company said Monday, after judges threatened the billionaire with jail if he did not pay his dues. The Supreme Court in February found that Ambani, 59, had refused to pay telecom giant Ericsson 5.5 billion rupees ($77 million), as previously ordered by India's top court. The judges warned that Ambani would be jailed for three months if 4.5 billion rupees were not stumped up within a month.
NewsAssociated PressThe Latest: Up to 500 homes damaged in 1 Nebraska county
The state's emergency management agency says more record crests are expected in various rivers by Tuesday. Nebraska has had much of the worst of the late-winter flooding that's been seen across the Midwest. Hundreds of homes are damaged and the state says 660 people are staying in shelters.
- BusinessCar and Driver
The Porsche Taycan EV Is Coming into Clearer Focus
Sketches and photos give us additional glimpses of what the electric Porsche will look like in its final form. From Car and Driver
- WorldThe National Interest
Navy vs. Nukes: U.S. Navy Plans to Test Missile Defenses Against ICBM
The Pentagon plans a “first-of-its-kind” test of an unprecedented weapons capability to intercept and destroy an enemy Intercontinental Ballistic Missile "ICBM" -- from a Navy ship at sea using a Standard Missile-3 Block IIA. The concept, as articulated by Pentagon officials and cited briefly in this years' DoD “Missile Defense Review,” would be to use an advanced SM-3 IIA to “underlay” and assist existing Ground-Based Interceptors (GBI), adding new dimensions to the current US missile defense posture.
- WorldUSA TODAY Opinion
New Zealand shooting is warning for US: Get serious about white supremacist terror threat
Yet, while these examples reached the national news cycle, there are dozens of attacks (not all of them fatal) by white supremacists that are not widely known, such as the racially motivated attack on an African-American DJ in Lynwood, Washington; the bombing of a mosque in Bloomington, Minnesota by two members of a white nationalist militia; or the regular violence perpetrated by the white supremacist Rise Above Movement. Extremist violence like this is sometimes difficult to track because domestic terrorism law is simply not prosecuting the reality. There is seldom a mention of “terror” in the prosecutorial charge sheets.
- BusinessReuters
Boeing CEO says company understands 'lives depend' on plane safety
Boeing Co Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg, facing the biggest crisis of his tenure, said on Monday that the company understands "lives depend on the work we do" and was taking steps to "fully ensure" the safety of the 737 MAX jet in the wake of deadly crashes. Investigators into the Boeing Co 737 MAX crash in Ethiopia eight days ago have found striking similarities in a vital flight angle with the 737 MAX that came down off Indonesia, a source told Reuters, piling pressure on the world's biggest planemaker. The Ethiopian Airlines disaster on March 10 that killed 157 people led to the grounding of Boeing's marquee MAX fleet globally and sparked a high-stakes inquiry for the aviation industry.
NewsAssociated PressBusinessman pleads not guilty in slaying of brother's family
A New Jersey businessman accused of killing his brother, his brother's wife and two children pleaded not guilty Monday to felony murder and other charges, the same day his defense lawyers withdrew from the case due to recently discovered conflicts of interest. Michael Wicke, a public defender for Paul Caneiro, 52, entered the pleas on his behalf during a five-minute court hearing in Freehold, New Jersey. Monmouth County prosecutors have said Caneiro's brother, Keith, was planning to cut him off financially because he was suspicious of Paul over missing money from two companies they owned at the Jersey shore.
- NewsU.S.News & World Report
3 Things Students Should Know About AP Registration Changes
The College Board, the not-for-profit organization that oversees the Advanced Placement program, recently announced its plans to alter AP registration policies. Since this decision directly affects students who are considering enrolling in AP courses, you must know exactly which changes will take place, as well as when. -- AP exam registration will now take place in November.
- PoliticsUSA TODAY
Joe Biden comes close to announcing presidential candidacy, denounces Trump
Although he didn't officially announce his 2020 candidacy, his speech sounded like one he could make on the campaign trail, as he denounced President Donald Trump, criticized Republican policy and emphasized the importance of restoring America and its middle class. We're living in the battle for the soul of America," Biden said. "We have an overwhelming need to restore the backbone of America.
NewsAFPDutch police arrest tram attack suspect after huge manhunt
Dutch police on Monday arrested a Turkish-born suspect over a possible terror attack on a tram in the city of Utrecht that left three people dead and five wounded. Heavily armed officers later surrounded a building following the bloodshed in the Netherlands' fourth largest city and his arrest was dramatically announced at the end of a news conference. Dutch authorities said they were still investigating a likely terrorist motive for the attack but said they "cannot exclude" other motives, including a family dispute.
