- NewsYahoo News
FBI warned six months ago about loophole Pensacola shooter used to obtain a gun
WASHINGTON — More than six months before the Dec. 6 shooting at a naval base in Pensacola, Fla., where a Saudi gunman used a weapon obtained using a hunting license exemption, the FBI issued a report warning about precisely this loophole. The FBI warning, dated May 22 and titled “Federal Hunting License Exception Could Be Exploited by Extremists or Criminal Actors Seeking to Obtain Firearms for Violent Attacks,” was sent from the bureau's Office of Private Sector, according to a copy reviewed by Yahoo News.
- BusinessBusiness Insider
Boeing removed a feature that protects its 787 planes during lightning strikes as a cost-cutting measure, even after FAA experts objected
SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images) Boeing removed a feature that protects its 787 planes during lightning strikes even after Federal Aviation Administration experts objected, The Seattle Times reported. The FAA approved the change after Boeing appealed its rejection, which had said Boeing could not sufficiently prove that the fuel tank would not ignite. The FAA's decision will today be scrutinized by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in light of its oversight of Boeing's 737 Max planes, which was involved in two fatal crashes.
- WorldThe National Interest
Deadliest Weapon After a Nuclear Bomb: Meet Russia's TOS-1 MLRS 'Buratino'
Key point: Buratino is a unique Russian self-propelled multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS) that has seen action in global hotspots like Afghanistan, Chechnya, Iraq and Syria. The TOS-1 Buratino is a unique Russian self-propelled multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS) that has seen action in global hotspots like Afghanistan, Chechnya, Iraq and Syria. Like the enormous 240-millimeter 2S4 self-propelled mortar, the TOS-1's specialty is obliterating heavily fortified positions.
- WorldReuters
New climate pact is EU's 'man on the moon moment': chief executive
The European Union's executive wants to mobilize 100 billion euros worth of investment to help the bloc's economies become more environmentally friendly, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday. Von der Leyen will propose her hallmark "Green Deal" for the EU later on Wednesday to commit the bloc to achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Her proposal will feed into a discussion on Thursday and Friday by the bloc's national leaders, where Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic are reluctant to go further in cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
- WorldBloomberg
Volatility Hits the Pound After World-Topping Rally
The pound swung between gains and losses as British voters headed to the polls to decide between Conservatives hoping to deliver Brexit in January and a Labour Party promising a second referendum. The currency has been the world's best performer in recent months, on speculation a majority for Boris Johnson's party would allow him to get his Brexit deal through Parliament and provide more economic stability. “Our base case is for the Tory Party to secure a comfortable, at least a 20-seat majority and the outcome should be sufficient to keep the pound supported over the long run,” wrote Credit Agricole SA strategists including Valentin Marinov in a research note.
- NewsAssociated Press
Ready for prisoner swaps, Iran says US holding 20 Iranians
Iran said American authorities are holding about 20 Iranian nationals in jail, its official news agency reported Tuesday, a day after Tehran said it was ready for more prisoner swaps with the U.S. A prisoner exchange over the weekend saw Iran free a Chinese-American scholar from Princeton who had been held for three years on widely criticized espionage charges. It was seen as a rare diplomatic breakthrough between Tehran and Washington after months of tensions. We told the American side that our figure is more or less 20 but this is not final, Mohsen Baharvand, an aid to Iran's foreign minister, was quoted as saying by IRNA.
- PoliticsUSA TODAY
Democratic Rep. Van Drew to vote against Trump impeachment, says others could join him
Democratic Rep. Jeff Van Drew said Wednesday that he will vote against articles of impeachment that outline the case for President Trump's removal from office, becoming the first Democrat to publicly say he will not vote with his colleagues. Van Drew, a Democrat who represents a district in New Jersey that favored Trump by five points in 2016, has been a vocal opponent to the impeachment effort examining whether Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. Trump denies the allegations and has called the inquiry a "hoax."
- WorldThe Guardian
Outrage after Colombia riot police force young woman into unmarked car
Outrage has erupted in Colombia after a young woman participating in anti-government protests was grabbed by riot police in body armour, forced into an unmarked vehicle and driven away. Video of the incident showed the woman sobbing and screaming “Help! The police have kidnapped me!
- CelebrityCBS News
Elizabeth Smart's dad describes kids' reaction to him coming out as gay
In our exclusive interview, Smart reveals how difficult it was to come out as gay to his family and friends – and how it's affected his relationship with his children. "The thing about it is I never looked at myself as being gay. I know this sounds crazy," Smart told "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King.
- NewsTime
'Suspect in Custody' at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi After Lockdown
A suspect has been taken into custody at the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas after an incident caused the base to be put under lockdown early Wednesday. The lockdown has since been lifted. An alert posted on the NAS Corpus Christi's Facebook page just before 8 a.m. local time said the base was on lockdown and warned people to shelter in place.
- NewsINSIDER
The New Jersey shootout that left 6 people dead was a 'targeted' attack on a Jewish-owned grocery store, officials say
Seth Wenig/AP Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said Wednesday that a kosher supermarket was clearly "targeted" in a shooting that left six dead on Tuesday, including the two perpetrators and a police officer. Fulop tweeted that "anti-Semitism" has "never had a place in [Jersey City]." Two other officers and a civilian were injured in the gunfight, which lasted for more than an hour.
- BusinessBusiness Insider
San Francisco is so expensive, Oracle is moving its annual mega-conference to Las Vegas instead
AP OpenWorld, Oracle's biggest annual conference, is moving to Las Vegas because of skyrocketing prices to host events in San Francisco, CNBC's Ari Levy first reported. OpenWorld, which attracts over 60,000 customers and partners every year, will take place in Las Vegas starting in 2020. While it used to take place at the Moscone Center downtown San Francisco, Oracle has signed a three-year agreement to host its event at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas instead, CNBC reported.
PoliticsYahoo News VideoHouse passes defense bill, parental leave for federal workers
The House on Wednesday passed its annual defense policy measure, which combined a $738 billion Pentagon price tag with legislation to provide federal employees with 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
- BusinessBloomberg
Buttigieg Says McKinsey Clients Included Blue Cross, Best Buy
Pete Buttigieg on Tuesday released the names of clients that he worked for as a consultant at McKinsey & Co., a list that includes Blue Cross Blue Shield Michigan, the U.S. Postal Service and the Department of Defense. Buttigieg, who has risen to the top tier of candidates in the Democratic primary, had come under fire from Democratic rivals, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, for not giving voters a full picture of his private sector experience. He made public the names one day after the firm released him from a nondisclosure agreement.In his three years at the firm from 2007 to 2010, Buttigieg also worked for Loblaw Cos.
- WorldReuters
Germany contradicts Russia over Georgian murdered in Berlin
Germany contradicted Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, saying it was not aware Russia had requested the extradition of a Georgian man who was murdered in Berlin in August. In an escalation in already tense relations, Germany last week expelled two employees at the Russian embassy in Berlin, saying Moscow was not cooperating sufficiently in the investigation into the murder. Putin described the victim on Monday as a "cruel and blood-thirsty person" who had fought on the side of anti-Moscow separatists in Russia's mainly Muslim north Caucasus region, and said Moscow's requests for his extradition had not been heeded.
PoliticsAFPTrump stirs controversy with new Judaism definition
US President Donald Trump celebrated the Jewish festival of Hanukkah on Wednesday with a controversial change to the definition of Judaism -- a move that will allow clamping down on boycotts of Israel. "I will always stand with our treasured friend and ally the state of Israel," Trump told a gathering in the White House's ceremonial East Room. Trump, who calls himself the most pro-Israeli US president in history, used the annual event to reinforce his determined effort to win over traditionally pro-Democratic American Jewish voters ahead of next year's presidential election.
- EntertainmentArchitectural Digest
The Real Locations That Inspired 13 Famous Paintings
From Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night Over the Rhône to Pablo Picasso's Au Lapin Agile Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
- WorldAssociated Press
Afghan bomber hits medical facility near US base, 2 killed
A powerful suicide bombing targeted an under-construction medical facility Wednesday near Bagram Air Base, the main American base north of Afghanistan's capital, the U.S. military and Afghan officials said. The Taliban later claimed responsibility for the attack and Afghan officials said all the insurgents were killed. The Bagram airfield was not in danger, said Col. Sonny Leggett.
- NewsThe National Interest
Why the Marines Love Their LAV-25 "Destroyers"
Key point: The LAV-25 has served in many conflicts and proven its usefulness. The LAV-25, the U.S. Marine Corps' main armored reconnaissance vehicle, has its origins in an effort to develop a new, highly mobile strike force for the Middle East. Fast, lightly armored and armed with a Bushmaster chain gun, the LAV acts as the marines' cavalry, scouting ahead of other friendly forces and seeking out the enemy.
- NewsBloomberg
Giuliani Ally Parnas Got $1 Million From Russia, U.S. Says
Rudy Giuliani's associate Lev Parnas got $1 million from an account in Russia in September, a month before he was charged with conspiring to funnel foreign money into U.S. political campaigns, according to U.S. prosecutors who asked a judge to jail him for understating his income and assets. The majority of that money appears to have been used on personal expenses and to purchase a home,” prosecutors said in a court filing Wednesday. Parnas failed to disclose the payment to the government, prosecutors said.
- PoliticsThe Daily Beast
Pro-Trump Network OAN Tried to Get This Ukrainian Millionaire a Visa Before His Arrest
Before catching the eye of German law enforcement, former Ukrainian parliamentarian Oleksandr Onyshchenko drew attention from the conservative TV channel One America News. Before his arrest, though, the Trump-friendly media outlet tried to help him get a visa to travel to the U.S. The effort, which has not been previously reported, was part of a push by OAN to unearth information on Burisma Holdings, the energy company that retained Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice President and current Trump rival Joe Biden.
- HealthINSIDER
A woman caught her boyfriend cheating when his Fitbit activity spiked at 4 a.m.
Last week, a woman tweeted that she once caught a boyfriend cheating when his Fitbit recorded a 4 a.m. spike in physical activity. Sex can indeed raise your heart rate, burn calories, and show up on fitness tracking devicees, according to an exercise science expert. NFL Reporter Jane Slater went viral last week after sharing her story of fitness gift-giving gone wrong.
- BusinessBusiness Insider
Photos show how San Francisco's new buildings built in the last decade have permanently changed the city
Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group via Getty Images It was originally named Transbay Tower, after the neighborhood's name at the time, but cloud computing giant Salesforce bought the naming rights as part of a real estate deal with developer Boston Properties. Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images The company will pay nearly $560 million over the course of 15 years to lease 30 floors in the building, which will serve as the 20-year-old company's global headquarters. Lorin Eleni Gill/AP CEO Marc Benioff's decision to plant the company's "vertical village" in San Francisco was unusual compared to other tech giants at the time building campuses in the valley south of the city.
U.S.Yahoo News VideoSupreme Court rejects a challenge to free speech about Berkeley cellphone law
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a free speech challenge brought by a trade group against a regulation issued by the California city of Berkeley that requires cellphone retailers to tell customers of certain radiation risks.
- PoliticsReuters
Former FBI lawyer Lisa Page sues Justice Department over media disclosures
Former FBI attorney Lisa Page, who came under fire from President Donald Trump and other Republicans for sending text messages that disparaged Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, on Tuesday sued her former employer over what she called "unlawful disclosure of information about her to the media." Page, in a lawsuit filed against the FBI and the Department of Justice in federal court in Washington, D.C., alleges violations of a 1974 law known as the Privacy Act. Page alleged that her rights were violated in December 2017 when government officials invited journalists to view politically charged text message conversations with FBI agent Peter Strzok.
