- PoliticsUSA TODAY
Jeff Sessions, mocked then fired by President Trump, returns to Justice for applause and a chair
WASHINGTON – It was a show of political civility increasingly rare in the hypercontentious capital. The Justice Department paused on Thursday to applaud former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who returned to plaudits four months after he was abruptly ousted by President Donald Trump, who disparaged him while he was in office and has kept at it since. As recently as Wednesday, Trump lashed out at his former attorney general for recusing himself – as the agency's rules require – from overseeing its investigation into Russian interference in the election that put Trump in office.
NewsReutersJustice Thomas speaks as U.S. top court confronts racial bias in jury selection
U.S. Supreme Court justices appeared poised to side with a black Mississippi death row inmate put on trial six times for a 1996 quadruple murder who accused a prosecutor of repeatedly blocking black potential jurors, though the court's only black member sounded skeptical. Justice Clarence Thomas, who had not posed a question during an oral argument in three years, asked several in the case involving Curtis Flowers, 48, who has argued that his constitutional right to a fair trial was violated. Thomas, an idiosyncratic conservative and only the second African American ever appointed to the court, signaled through his questions he might vote against Flowers, who otherwise drew broad support among the other justices, both liberal and conservative.
- EntertainmentTime
'Change Is Closer Than We Think.' Inside Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Unlikely Rise
It's almost always a harmless fan, one of dozens who arrive each day, leaving neon-colored Post-it notes as devotional offerings. But in her first three months in Congress, aides say, enough people have threatened to murder Ocasio-Cortez that Capitol Police trained her staff to perform risk assessments of her visitors. This is the daily reality for America's newest human Rorschach test.
- NewsThe Telegraph
Pilot who hitched a ride in cockpit saved doomed Lion Air Boeing 737 Max day before it crashed
The previously undisclosed detail on the earlier Lion Air flight represents a new clue in the mystery of how some 737 Max pilots faced with the malfunction have been able to avert disaster while the others lost control of their planes and crashed. The presence of a third pilot in the cockpit wasn't contained in Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee's November 28 report on the crash and hasn't previously been reported. The so-called dead-head pilot on the earlier flight from Bali to Jakarta told the crew to cut power to the motor driving the nose down, according to the people familiar, part of a checklist that all pilots are required to memorise.
WorldAssociated PressAustralia says tensions with Turkey ease after WWI remarks
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday tensions between his country and Turkey had eased after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office said comments by the Turkish leader that sparked the row had been taken out of context. A diplomatic dispute flared over Erdogan's comments in the wake of Friday's gun massacre in which 50 people were killed at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, attacks for which an Australian white supremacist has been charged with murder. Speaking while campaigning for local elections, Erdogan warned Australians and New Zealanders going to Turkey with anti-Muslim views would return home in coffins, like their ancestors who fought at Gallipoli in World War I.
BusinessAFPGlyphosate under fire from San Francisco to Sri Lanka
Glyphosate, the world's most widely used herbicide and the active ingredient in Monsanto's weedkiller Roundup, is the subject of fierce controversy across the globe and is classified by the World Health Organization as "probably" being carcinogenic. After the second US cancer victim in a year won a surprise court victory against Monsanto over the weedkiller on Tuesday, here is the state of play regarding lawsuits and restrictions on the use of glyphosate around the world: - United States - A California court on Tuesday found that Roundup was a "substantial factor" in Edwin Hardeman, 70, getting non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after spraying the weedkiller on his garden for decades.
- NewsReuters
Flooding will continue into next week in storm-ravaged Midwest
The flooding that devastated the U.S. Midwest is likely to last into next week, as rain and melted snow flow into Kansas, Missouri and Mississippi, the National Weather Service said. Floods driven by melting snow in the Dakotas will persist even as Nebraska and Iowa dig out from storms that have killed four people, left one missing and caused more than a billion dollars in damage to crops, livestock and roads. "It's already not looking good downstream for the middle and lower Mississippi and Missouri (rivers) into Kansas, Mississippi and Missouri," Bob Oravec, a meteorologist with the NWS's Weather Prediction Center, said early Wednesday.
- BusinessBGR News
Apple's $79 AirPods wireless charging case is finally here – buy this $19 case instead
Good news, Apple's Wireless Charging Case for AirPods is finally here! You can buy it right now on Apple's website for $79… but you definitely shouldn't. Because the NeotrixQI Wireless Charging Cover for Apple AirPods slides right over the AirPods case you already have, and it adds wireless charging for just $19. 【WIRELESS CHARGING】: Enjoy Wireless Charging for your AirPods! Place your AirPods into wireless charging case and put it on Qi wireless charger for wireless charging experience.
- LifestyleArchitectural Digest
Punctuation Marks
Sculptural side tables in bold hues or luxe materials add that functional finishing touch
PoliticsUSA TODAYRepublican Sen. Johnny Isakson says Trump to get 'whipping' over John McCain attacks
WASHINGTON – Donald Trump's renewed rhetorical attacks on John McCain are not sitting well with other Republicans – particularly one senator who said he plans to deliver a verbal "whipping" to the president. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., told the website The Bulwark that he plans to give a speech Wednesday on Trump's criticisms of the late Arizona senator, who was the GOP presidential nominee in 2008.
- NewsUSA TODAY Opinion
Robert Kraft's plea deal offer for prostitution charges hinders real progress on sex trafficking
Almost 300 people were charged last month with soliciting prostitution in conjunction with a massive human sex trafficking investigation in Florida. The Palm Beach State Attorney's Office said this week that it offered New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and 24 other men a standard diversion program traditionally given to first-time offenders. The program requires the men concede their guilt, attend a class about prostitution, perform 100 hours of community service, and pay a fine of $5,000 per count.
WorldReutersCitigroup to sell Venezuelan gold in setback to President Maduro: sources
Maduro's government has since 2014 used financial operations known as gold swaps to use its international reserves to gain access to cash after a slump in oil revenues left it struggling to obtain hard currency. Under the terms of the 2015 deal with Citigroup's Citibank, Venezuela was due to repay $1.1 billion of the loan on March 11, according to four sources familiar with the situation. Citibank plans to sell the gold held as a guarantee - which has a market value of roughly $1.358 billion - to recover the first tranche of the loan and will deposit the excess of roughly $258 million in a bank account in New York, two of the sources said.
BusinessConsumer ReportsSome Pickups Lag in Passenger Crash Protection
Because of the results, CR's Overall Score for the Toyota Tundra fell below the threshhold for the vehicle to be recommended, leaving only the Ford F-150 as a CR recommended truck in the full-size category. Pickup trucks are becoming increasingly popular for hauling families as well as cargo,” says Jennifer Stockburger, director of operations at CR's Auto Test Center. That means assessments like this one—that look at passenger safety as well as driver safety—are just as important for pickups as they are for cars and SUVs.
- WorldNational Review
Sanders: 'We Must Follow New Zealand's Lead' on Assault-Rifle Ban
Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) on Thursday praised New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern for immediately banning military-style semi-automatic weapons in response to the Christchurch mosque shootings, and suggested the executive action should serve as a blueprint for the U.S. This is what real action to stop gun violence looks like. The ban, which applies to semi-automatic rifles and shotguns that can be equipped with detachable magazines capable of holding more than five rounds, went into immediate effect Thursday to prevent stockpiling, and legislation codifying it is expected to pass Parliament in the coming days.
PoliticsFOX News VideosSamantha Bee skewers Democratic 2020 hopefuls on late-night talk show
Late-night TV host Samantha Bee ripped into the growing field of Democratic 2020 presidential hopefuls Wednesday night. The 'Full Frontal' host commented on everything from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's campaign slogan, to former Vice President Joe Biden not making a decision on his third potential presidential run. The TBS star also went after former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke, Sen. Cory Booker and Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
NewsAssociated PressThe Latest: Forecasters: 'historic' flooding could hit South
Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say flooding could reach unprecedented levels in parts of the U.S. later this spring, as winter snow melts and swollen rivers rise. NOAA spokeswoman Lauren Gaches said during a conference call Thursday that existing flooding along the Mississippi River and other waterways is expected to get worse, possibly even worse than historic floods in 1993 and 2011. Forecasters have said that rapidly melting snow in the upper Midwest is contributing to flooding that will eventually make its way downstream to the Gulf Coast.
WorldAFP'Generation Nazarbayev' jokes, hopes after Kazakh leader resigns
People under 30 in Kazakhstan have only known one leader -- Nursultan Nazarbayev, who announced his resignation this week after shepherding the country from the Soviet era. His stage-managed departure -- he will keep key posts and significant political influence -- has left Kazakh millennials wondering what will come next. "The word 'Nazarbayev' means something like the word 'parent'," said 18-year-old film student Madi Makanov, who lives in the country's largest city Almaty.
- NewsTime
USC Just Named a New President. Here's What She Said About the Admissions Scandal
As the University of Southern California (USC) grapples with the fallout from a sweeping college admissions scandal, officials announced the appointment of a new president who vowed to bring lasting change to a campus that has been plagued by controversy. Carol Folt, who stepped down in January as chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), will take over as USC president on July 1, becoming the first permanent female president at the school. USC was one of several schools named in last week's indictment of wealthy parents who are accused of bribing athletic coaches and facilitating cheating on standardized tests to get their children into elite colleges, including Georgetown, Yale, Stanford and USC.
- PoliticsThe Independent
Trump rages about Electoral College reform and lowering voter age to 16 in midnight Twitter tirade
The president's outburst came after Elizabeth Warren, a leading Democratic contender for 2020, called for a popular vote to replace the complex Electoral College system, in which a president is selected by “electors” that people in each state vote for. Pete Buttigieg and Beto O'Rourke, two other leading Democratic candidates, have also expressed similar approval for voting reform. "Come a general election, presidential candidates don't come to places like Mississippi, they also don't come to places like California or Massachusetts, because we're not the battleground states," Ms Warren said at a Mississippi town hall on Monday.
BusinessUSA TODAYDevin Nunes sued a Twitter account dedicated to a cow. Now it has more followers than he does
Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., filed a $250 million lawsuit earlier this week against Twitter and a number of parody accounts that poked fun at the congressman, a fierce defender of President Donald Trump. Two days after the lawsuit was filed Monday, @DevinCow, which had less than 2,000 followers, now boasts a following of nearly half a million on Twitter.
- U.S.WREG - Memphis
11-Year-Old Charged With Attempted Murder Appointed Public Defender
An 11-year-old charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder made his first court appearance in Memphis.
- BusinessReuters
UPDATE 1-Southwest pilots say extra training required after 737 MAX software update
Extra computer-based training will be required after a planned update to the software on the Boeing Co 737 MAX aircraft, Southwest Airlines Co's pilot union said on Wednesday, adding that it was seeking additional information for pilots. Boeing has been working on a software update to an anti-stall system called MCAS since a Lion Air plane crashed in Indonesia in October, killing all 189 aboard. That effort has become urgent after a second 737 MAX 8 crashed in Ethiopia last week, with the death of 157 people, and regulators grounded the global fleet of the aircraft.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Juan Guaido's chief of staff snatched from his home at 2am
The United States has threatened Venezuela with severe consequences unless President Nicolas Maduro immediately release a senior aide to Juan Guaido, who was snatched from his home by masked intelligence agents in the early hours of Thursday. Roberto Marrero, chief of staff to Mr Guaido, shouted out loud that Mr Maduro's agents had planted two rifles and a grenade on him, Mr Guaido tweeted. On Thursday afternoon, 12 hours later, Mr Marrero was still being held.
- BusinessBGR News
Google slapped with massive $1.7 billion antitrust fine – its third in three years
Reports a few days ago said that Google would receive a new massive fine in Europe, and the EU on Wednesday delivered its latest ruling against the tech giant. This time around we're looking at a €1.5 billion ($1.7 billion) antitrust fine as a result of illegal practices in Google's AdSense business. The EU says that Google abused its dominant position again, this time concerning its AdSense business.
NewsAssociated PressThe Latest: Minnesota to help Nebraska flood fight
The order came after Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts requested Minnesota Army National Guard helicopter support. Minnesota sent one CH-47 Chinook helicopter with 10 personnel to support flood response operations in Nebraska on Wednesday morning. Minnesota Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Jon Jensen says in a statement that the emergency executive order will remain in effect until the emergency flood conditions in Nebraska ease.
