- WorldAssociated Press
Kim inspects new sub, wants North Korea's military bolstered
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has inspected a newly built submarine and ordered officials to further bolster the country's military capabilities, state media reported Tuesday, as the North increases pressure on the United States ahead of the possible resumption of nuclear diplomacy. Last week, North Korea said it may lift its 20-month suspension of nuclear and missile tests to protest expected military drills between the United States and South Korea that Pyongyang says are an invasion rehearsal. The submarine report comes as the U.S. and North Korea work to resume talks after a meeting late last month on the Korean border between Kim and President Donald Trump.
- PoliticsYahoo News
Sorry, Al Franken: 7 senators regret pushing Franken to resign, as new reporting casts doubt on key allegation
Seven Democratic senators have said they regret calling on former Minnesota Sen. Al Franken to resign over accusations of sexual harassment. In a new story in the New Yorker, investigative reporter Jane Mayer found a number of holes in the story of Franken's primary accuser. In November 2017, a conservative talk-radio station released a photo of Franken pantomiming grabbing radio host Leeann Tweeden's breasts while on a 2006 USO tour.
- NewsReuters
After 110 years, a North Dakota bridge yields to a load of beans
After more than 110 years, a historic bridge in rural North Dakota has given way to a load of beans. The 56-foot wooden bridge over the Goose River collapsed on Monday as the driver of a tractor trailer truck tried to haul a load of dried beans over it, the Grand Forks County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. While the cab of the 2005 Peterbilt truck made it to the other side, pictures posted online by the sheriff's office showed the trailer "hung up" on the west side of the now V-shaped bridge that had bottomed out in the shallow river about 30 miles southwest of Grand Forks.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Miss Michigan stripped of title over 'offensive' social media posts
DETROIT, Mich. A beauty queen was stripped of her title for what she claims is discrimination against her conservative political views. Kathy Zhu, also a University of Michigan student, was dismissed as a Miss World America pageant participant a day after she was crowned when the organization claimed the content of her social media was "offensive, insensitive and inappropriate."
- WorldThe National Interest
U.S. Navy Identifies Missing Sailor Who Reportedly Went Overboard from Aircraft Carrier
Task and Purpose Security, A sad day. The Navy has identified the missing sailor from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln as Aviation Electronics Technician 2nd Class Slayton Saldana, who was assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 5, with Carrier Air Wing 7. Saldana has been listed as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown since July 17.
- WorldBloomberg
Venezuela Says Widespread Power Outage Caused by Electromagnetic Attack
The incident, which the government said was caused by an “attack,” was reminiscent of another failure in March which dragged on for as long as 10 days in some areas and prompted Nicolas Maduro's administration to begin power rationing outside of the capital city Caracas to normalize the grid. Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said that school and work activities would be suspended on Tuesday in order to keep power demand lower and state-run electricity company Corpoelec said that service had been restored to all of Caracas, with work still to be done in other states nationwide. Maduro and his government have insisted that the country's electrical problems are a product of sabotage and sophisticated attacks by the U.S. and local opposition who are seeking to remove him, while industry experts and critics point to a lack of investment and maintenance.
- PoliticsPolitico
Sarah Huckabee Sanders shows up to govs shindig as Arkansas rumors swirl
Sarah Huckabee Sanders made an appearance Sunday at an exclusive Republican Governors Association-hosted retreat, further stoking anticipation that the former White House press secretary may pursue a bid for statewide office. Sanders, who is seen as a possible 2022 Arkansas gubernatorial candidate, attended a dinner hosted by the family of the late Fred Malek, a major GOP donor and former RGA finance chairman who died in March. The dinner kicked off a two-day retreat the RGA is hosting in Aspen, Colo., which is expected to draw an array of GOP governors and donors.
- ScienceLiveScience.com
Diver Has Epic Nose-to-Nose Encounter with One of the Most Elusive Sharks Lurking in the Deep Sea
But on a recent submarine dive shark expert Gavin Naylor caught amazing footage of one on camera cozying up to his research vessel, seeming to almost flirt and play with the vessel. "I'm literally nose to nose with this animal," Naylor, who does research at the Florida Museum of Natural History, told Live Science, referring to his trip in a submersible. Bluntnose sixgills are the oldest living shark lineage, said Dean Grubbs, a deep-sea ecologist at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
WorldAFPAfghan president seeks 'clarification' after Trump war comments
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Tuesday the US should clarify remarks President Donald Trump made about Afghanistan, including a claim he could easily win the war but didn't "want to kill 10 million people". The US leader made several surprising statements Monday alongside Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House, including that he had plans for a quick end to the Afghan conflict, but which would wipe the country "off the face of the Earth". Afghanistan "would be gone.
- NewsAssociated Press
The Latest: Puerto Rico warrants in leaked chat case
A Puerto Rico judge has issued search warrants for the cellphones of government officials tied to an online chat that has sparked a political crisis in the U.S. territory. Territorial Justice Department spokesman Kelvin Carrasco told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the warrants were approved overnight and were issued for those who have not yet turned over their phones. The warrants follow massive protests demanding the ouster of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, who participated in an offensive, obscenity-laden online chat between him and his advisers that was leaked and triggered the crisis.
- PoliticsYahoo News
Warren warns of a 'coming economic crash'
Several years before the Great Recession began in 2008, a Harvard Law professor predicted that reckless home-mortgage lending could lead to a banking crisis. “I warned about an economic crash years before the 2008 crisis, but the people in power wouldn't listen,” Warren wrote in a Medium blog post published Monday. Then in 2004, she “warned that families were getting deeper into debt and hanging on only by borrowing against their homes, which put them in a vulnerable position if costs rose or a family member lost a job.” The median down payment for first-time home buyers was just 3 percent of the purchase price, she noted.
U.S.FOX News VideosOutrage after NYPD officers are drenched with water while on duty
A 'Fox & Friends' law enforcement panel reacts to the treatment of police officers in America.
- NewsUSA TODAY
A boy stole two planes for a joyride. Pilots now want to teach him how to fly
A 13-year-old boy in eastern China has reportedly been fined for stealing two planes and taking them on a joyride at a local airport. But there's a small silver lining: Airport staff were so impressed by his skill that he'll soon be taking lessons from a pilot, according to the South China Morning Post. On June 15, the unidentified boy trespassed at a small airport in Huzhou, a city in eastern China, taxiing and soon crashing a SeaRey seaplane worth $273,000 onto a guardrail, the Post reported.
- WorldThe National Interest
Why No Enemy Would Dare Sink a U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier
Robert Farley Security, Americas The response would be overwhelming. Circumstances obviously matter for an attack on a U.S. aircraft carrier. An out-of-the-blue attack from a conventionally armed state actor would enjoy the highest levels of success, but would also have an impact on elite and public opinion in the United States that might drive calls for dire retribution.
- SportsCar and Driver
View 2019 Toyota Yaris XLE Photos
Toyota's budget sedan provides driving fun and an upscale interior. From Car and Driver
- WorldReuters
Turkey seizes $271 mln in counterfeit U.S. currency -newspaper
Turkish authorities confiscated about $271 million in fake U.S. $100 banknotes in a raid on an Istanbul printing press - the country's biggest counterfeit currency seizure in recent years, Hurriyet newspaper reported on Monday. The raid was carried out on Friday in Istanbul's Esenyurt neighbourhood and five people were arrested, it said. Hurriyet said one of those arrested was previously released after being detained for suspected membership in a network that Ankara blames for orchestrating a failed military coup in 2016.
- EntertainmentThe Daily Beast
Stephen Colbert Goes Easy on Anti-Science Presidential Candidate Marianne Williamson
On Monday night, comedian Stephen Colbert welcomed Marianne Williamson, the “spiritual guru” turned 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, to his late-night program. After reading off her list of accomplishments, which includes activism work and a series of bestselling self-help books, Colbert asked Williamson what sets her apart from the rest of the packed Dem field. “Now, love is not always associated with the presidency… would you be able to order other people to go kill our enemies?” asked Colbert—a question that seemed mildly sexist when posed to a woman candidate.
- WorldThe Telegraph
More than 36 Syrian civilians killed in Idlib 'by Russian and Assad regime strikes'
Dozens of civilians, including at least five children, have been killed in recent days as Russia and the Assad regime stepped up their assault on the rebel-held province of Idlib. At least 59 civilians were killed in strikes on Monday, according to the UN, in one of the most intensive days of bombardment since the regime offensive began three months ago. The bloodiest airstrikes fell on the market town of Maaret al-Numan, where around 40 people died, including eight women and five children, the UN said.
- NewsAssociated Press
Lawyer: Man who killed mob boss thought he was helping Trump
A man charged with killing a reputed New York mob boss was deluded by internet conspiracy theories and thought he was helping President Donald Trump defend Democracy, his attorney said in court papers filed Friday. Anthony Comello is facing murder charges in the March 13 shooting of Francesco "Franky Boy" Cali, an alleged leader in the Gambino crime family. In a legal filing, attorney Robert Gottleib said Comello was gripped by an irrational belief that Cali was part of a "deep state" that secretly controls the U.S., and went to the gangster's home on Staten Island with handcuffs with the intention of arresting him.
WorldAFPBritain plans European-led Gulf force after tanker seizure
Britain on Monday said it was planning a European-led protection force for shipping in the Gulf after Iranian authorities seized a British-flagged tanker in a dramatic escalation of tensions in the region. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt condemned Iran's actions as "state piracy" while at the same time emphasising that Britain did not want confrontation. "We will seek to establish this mission as quickly as possible," Hunt said, adding that a second warship that Britain has sent to the region would arrive by July 29.
- WorldBloomberg
Taiwan Spy Chief Quits Over $200,000 Tax-Free Cigarettes Scandal
Taiwan's intelligence chief quit after accusations that an agent attempted to use President Tsai Ing-wen's overseas trip to secure some $200,000 worth of tax-free cigarettes. National Security Bureau Director-General Peng Sheng-chu resigned Monday, hours after the smuggling attempt was discovered upon Tsai's return from a visit to the Caribbean that included a U.S.-stopover. Tsai said in a Facebook post that the allegations represented unacceptable conduct by government officials and undercut the trip's diplomatic mission, “leading to ignorance of the achievements of visits to allies.
- BusinessWLS – Chicago
Good Samaritans rescue driver after pickup truck flips over on I-88
A group of good Samaritans came to the rescue of a driver of a pickup truck that flipped over on I-88 in west suburban Oak Brook Monday morning.
- PoliticsThe National Interest
Bernie Sanders Employees Demand $15 Hourly. 1 Strategist Calls That ‘Ridiculous’.
Why? Bernie Sanders Employees Demand $15 Hourly. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders's campaign staffers are demanding wages of at least $15 hourly, but a campaign strategist is calling that prospect “ridiculous,” saying productivity would have to be cut to stay within budget. “I'm very proud to be the first presidential candidate to recognize a union and negotiate a union contract,” he told the Des Moines Register on Friday.
BusinessAFP Relax NewsElectric trim of Cadillac's upcoming Escalade to have 400-mile range
According to a media report, Cadillac's upcoming Escalade plans reveal that the 2021 model year edition will go electric. After speaking with "sources familiar with future Cadillac product plans," web publication Cadillac Society reported earlier this week that the next generation of the Escalade will be available in a fully-electric trim, offering at least 400 miles of range on a single charge. According to the media outlet, this fifth-generation model -- likely to be designated as a 2021 model year -- will be available in three powertrain options.
- WorldReuters
Putin gives Russian citizenship to Novatek's finance chief, a U.S. national
President Vladimir Putin handed Russian citizenship to gas producer Novatek's veteran finance chief Mark Gyetvay on Monday, a move that could potentially help the U.S. national bypass some sanctions restrictions. U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia in 2014 ban U.S. nationals and companies from helping organize long-term funding for some major Russian firms, including Novatek. When the U.S. and the EU imposed sanctions on Russia, executives with foreign passports at companies affected including Novatek - the country's largest non-state natural gas producer - and state bank VTB handed over responsibility for organizing new debt or equity issuance to colleagues without EU or U.S. passports.
