President Avenatti? Lawyer for Stormy Daniels and Julie Swetnick wants the 2020 Democratic nomination, arguing that no one will swing harder at Trump

Attorney Michael Avenatti joins protesters outside the White House on July 17, 2018. WASHINGTON — “I’m one of the few people who can beat Donald Trump if I decide to run for the U.S. presidency.” The man who confidently utters these words is not a senator or governor, not even a junior congressman. Michael Avenatti, the Los Angeles lawyer, is best known for representing Stephanie Clifford, an adult film actress (you may know her as Stormy Daniels) who claims to have had an affair with President Trump.

• Watch Colbert on Trump’s Feud With Stormy Daniels, ‘Delusional’ Defense of Saudi Arabia

  Rolling Stone
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  Provocateur Stormy Daniels Takes an Unexpected Turn in the National Spotlight

  Meredith Videos

Evangelical Leader Pat Robertson On Saudi Arabia: 'We've Got To Cool The Rhetoric'

Evangelical Christian leader Pat Robertson called this week for Americans to “cool the rhetoric” on Saudi Arabia over the apparent killing of U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi because the Middle Eastern nation is an ally and has a lucrative arms deal with the United States. Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen and Washington Post contributor, is believed to have been killed by Saudi operatives in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has called for the United States to “sanction the hell out of Saudi Arabia.” The Middle Eastern kingdom has warned that it will retaliate if sanctions are put in place.

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  Trevor Noah: Count On Trump To Create Random Suspects For Obvious Crimes

  HuffPost
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  Saudi Arabia ETF Sinks as Mnuchin Pulls Out of Riyadh Conference

  Bloomberg

Democrats Pounce On Mitch McConnell For Blaming Debt On Social Security, Medicare

For months now, Democratic leaders and congressional candidates have argued that the budget-busting Republican tax cuts put Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid at risk. It was only a matter of time, they warned, before the GOP seamlessly pivoted from adding $1.9 trillion to the national debt to decrying the poor state of the nation’s finances, as if they had nothing to do with it, and demanding that the budget be balanced on the back of the country’s three biggest social insurance programs. As evidence to support their concerns, Democrats had pointed to remarks by House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) immediately after the passage of the tax cut legislation, and more recently to comments by top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow.

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  McConnell says Senate Republicans might revisit Obamacare repeal

  Reuters
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  McConnell blames rising deficit on entitlements, ignores GOP tax cuts

  Yahoo View

Police officer lectures boys playing with BB gun: 'Do you think I want to shoot an 11-year-old?'

An Ohio police officer is being praised online after turning a call that could have ended in tragedy into a teaching moment for two teenagers. Officer Peter Casuccio, of the Columbus Police Department, received a call on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. about two young black males who were spotted "flashing" a weapon, which turned out to be a BB gun.

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  Video shows police officer teaching boys ‘lesson’ for carrying BB gun

  Yahoo View
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  Ohio Cop Uses Words, Not Bullets On 11-Year-Old Carrying Realistic BB Gun

  HuffPost

Yahoo News Explains: What Canada's cannabis legalization will look like

Oh, Canada! Weed is now legal in the great white north, making it the second country to legalize cannabis, after Uruguay. “We will soon have a new system in place, one that keeps cannabis out of the hands of our kids and keeps profits out of organized crime,” said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In the U.S., states with legalized cannabis have a minimum age of 21, while Canada’s minimum age will vary depending on location.

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  Canada:People flock to cannabis store to buy newly-legalized pot

  AFP Videos
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  Canada's Legal Pot Debut Greeted by Plunging Cannabis Stocks

  Bloomberg

Woman charged in death of toddler found buried in park

A toddler's caregiver was charged with murder in the suffocation death of the baby whose body was found partially buried in a public park with the top of her head exposed, police said Thursday. Police arrested Nyishia Corbitt, 33, for the death of 22-month-old Alicia Barnes, who she'd been taking care of. This shouldn't happen to a child," Philadelphia Police Captain Jack Ryan said during a news conference.

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  Couple Allegedly Waited Hours to Help Toddler Burned in Scalding Bathwater

  WTKR - Norfolk
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  Toddler abandoned outside a Houston home

  ABC News Videos

Chief Justice John Roberts Stresses Court's Independence After Kavanaugh Confirmation

Acknowledging what he described as “the contentious events in Washington in recent weeks,” Roberts ― speaking to a packed auditorium at the University of Minnesota ― stressed the importance of keeping the judiciary separate from “political branches” and warned of the dangers that can arise when the court bows to political pressure. “We do not speak for the people, but we speak for the Constitution.

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  How Difficult Is It To Get An Abortion? Here Are The Laws For Every State.

  Refinery29
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  Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who tangled with Kavanaugh at hearing, says judge's behavior wasn't 'dignified'

  ABC News

Tesla Announces New Model 3 Variant That's $9000 Cheaper

Tesla has finally launched a cheaper version of its Model 3 sedan that starts at $45,000 in what the electric automaker is calling its Mid Range battery. While the true entry-level Model 3 has yet to arrive-that’s the car former CEO Elon Musk has promised would cost $35,000 and deliver 220 miles of range-this mid-spec, rear-wheel-drive version achieves 260 miles of EPA-estimated range. On its website, Tesla estimates deliveries for the Mid Range between six and 10 weeks, which means that some buyers will be able to take the full $7500 federal tax credit and others will only be eligible for half, depending if factory production queues allow them to take delivery by December 31.

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  Tesla is finally making a lower-cost Model 3 (TSLA)

  Business Insider
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  Tesla Starts Taking Orders for Shorter-Range Model 3 at $45,000

  Bloomberg

Julián Castro says he's 'likely' to run for president in 2020

Sen. Bernie Sanders (77), former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (76), former Vice President Joe Biden (75), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (69), Sen. Kamala Harris (53), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (51), Sen. Cory Booker (49) and lawyer Michael Avenatti (47) are all older. “I disagree with people who say that we have no Democratic bench,” Castro said. “He was mayor when I was mayor in San Antonio,” Castro said. “I’m sure that whoever’s in that Democratic primary, as is the nature of politics, the contrasts are going to become clearer,” Castro said.

Beto goes negative on Cruz in new ads

A day after he aggressively challenged Ted Cruz in their last scheduled debate, Democratic Senate hopeful Beto O’Rourke is out with new ads in which he criticizes his Republican opponent by name, breaking with his usual message of hope and unity as he tries to make up ground in the final weeks of Texas’s closely watched U.S. Senate race. According to the Texas Tribune, which first reported the ads and obtained video of two of the new spots, O’Rourke is airing at least three new television ads around the state, each focused on a different issue: immigration, education or health care. In each 30-second ad, O’Rourke speaks directly to the camera, offering a contrast between Cruz’s approach to the policy and his own.

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  Beto O'Rourke Gently Reminds Cruz How Much Trump Hates Him

  GQ
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  Beto O'Rourke fights to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas midterm battle

  ABC News Videos

Washington Post Publishes Jamal Khashoggi's Final Column Before Disappearance

The Washington Post on Wednesday published the final column written by Jamal Khashoggi before his disappearance on Oct. 2 in Istanbul, Turkey. Khashoggi left Saudi Arabia after the kingdom’s government banned him from using Twitter and pressured the popular Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat to cancel his column.

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  Khashoggi disappearance: Turkish officials search Saudi diplomat’s house

  Yahoo View
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  President Trump Says It 'Certainly Looks' Like Saudi Journalist Jamal Khashoggi Is Dead

  Meredith Videos

New Banksy Video Suggests Shredded Painting Stunt Didn't Go Entirely To Plan

Banksy stunned the art world this month with the partial shredding of his “Girl With Balloon” artwork moments after it sold at Sotheby’s auction house in London for $1.4 million. The clip, titled “Shred The Love,” purportedly shows Banksy, originally from Bristol in southwest England, testing out the secret shredding mechanism that he’d inserted into the frame prior to the sale. Banksy’s new video also showed extended footage from the auction house on the day of the painting’s sale, and offered further insight into how the prank was pulled.

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  Banksy reveals how Sotheby's shredding stunt went wrong

  The Independent
• Behind the scenes of Banksy’s glorious-but-failed shredder stunt

  Quartz

Astronaut remembers failed launch

NASA astronaut Nick Hague recounted last week's failed launch to the International Space Station and how he and another astronaut were able to escape. ABC News' David Kerley reports.

Multidrug-resistant salmonella linked to chicken products sickens nearly 100 people across 29 states

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) is monitoring an outbreak of Salmonella Infantis after at least 92 people were sickened by the bacteria and 21 were hospitalized across 29 states. The source of the outbreak remains unclear, as a multitude of products which tested positive for the bacteria — including whole chickens, ground chicken and even pet food — did not share a common supplier. Salmonella Infantis was also recently discovered in live chickens, indicating the outbreak might be widespread in the chicken industry.

• Tainted Corn from Unnamed Supplier Causing Recalls at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods & More

  Better Homes & Gardens
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  'Widespread' Salmonella Outbreak from Raw Chicken Sickens 92 People in 29 States

  People

The Latest: Data wiped from Crimea suspect's computer

An official in Crimea says all information had been deleted from the computer of the teenager who killed 19 people at his vocational school. Russian state news agency Tass quoted Crimea's human rights ombudswoman as saying a computer was among the items investigators took from the residence where 18-year-old Vladislav Roslyakov lived with his parents. The missing data could frustrate investigators trying to determine why Roslyakov opened fire at the school in the city of Kerch on Wednesday before killing himself.

• Kremlin says blast at Crimean college may be act of terrorism

  Reuters
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  Putin says Crimean school shooting result of 'globalisation'

  The Telegraph

White Woman Calls Police On Black Man Watching His Son's Soccer Game

A white woman who called the police on a black man cheering on his son at a soccer game in Florida has earned the nickname “Golfcart Gail.”It is the latest incident in which a white woman has called the police on a black person despite there having been

• 
  Woman fired after blocking man from entering building speaks out

  Yahoo7 News
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  Woman defends herself after video shows her refusing to let black man into his own apartment building

  ABC News

Returning home — Panhandle residents rebuild lives after Hurricane Michael

Missing relatives and worries that looters are just outside the door. Daily life is a series of fears and frustrations, both large and small, for thousands of people living on the edge, more than a week after Hurricane Michael flattened thousands of square miles in the hurricane zone of the Florida Panhandle. With power still out in much of the Panhandle and thousands of buildings destroyed or damaged by Michael, almost nothing is normal.

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  Donations are best way to help us aid Hurricane Michael victims: Red Cross spokesperson

  Fox Business Videos
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  Dogs, cats affected by Hurricane Michael arrive at PAWS Chicago from Florida

  WLS – Chicago

The Republican who shocked the world 4 years ago could lose because of redistricting

Virginia Rep. Dave Brat, a member of the conservative Republican House Freedom Caucus, smiles before the vote on the House farm bill, which failed to pass, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, May 18, 2018. When Dave Brat shocked the political world in 2014, beating the man who was set to become the next speaker of the House in a Republican primary, his congressional district was more favorable to Republicans than it is now. The outcome of Brat’s contest against Democrat Abigail Spanberger will speak volumes on election night — less than three weeks from now — about how big a potential Democratic wave could be.

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  GOP Rep. Dave Brat Tells Addict in Jail: ‘Think You’re Having a Hard Time? I’ve Got $5M Worth of Negative Ads Coming at Me.’

  The Daily Beast
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  GOP Rep. Dave Brat Gripes To Addicted Jail Inmate About His Campaign Rival's Ads

  HuffPost

Mattis says too soon to say if Afghan attack will affect ballot

Thursday's attack underlined how precarious the situation remains in Afghanistan after more than 17 years of war and even after Taliban and U.S. officials have opened preliminary contacts aimed at establishing the basis for future peace talks. Mattis, who had known General Abdul Razeq, the police commander in southern Kandahar, on Friday described his death as "the loss of a patriot." But he predicted that the brazen attack would not have a long-term impact on security in Kandahar, one of Afghanistan's most strategically important and contested provinces in America's longest war. "We need to find who's done this," Mattis told reporters traveling with him in the southeast Asian city-state of Singapore.

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  Taliban sofa bomb kills prominent Afghan election candidate

  The Telegraph
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  Top Afghan police chief killed in shooting, U.S. general unhurt

  Reuters

State Department Aide Heather Nauert Dragged Over 'Stunningly Tone Deaf' Saudi Arabia Photo

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert visited Saudi Arabia this week for meetings related to the disturbing disappearance of Saudi critic and journalist Jamal Khashoggi ― but that didn’t stop her from playing tourist on Instagram. On Tuesday, the former Fox News host shared a photo of herself smiling in the capital city of Riyadh, where Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had arrived hours earlier to question Saudi officials about the missing reporter. “#SaudiArabia at The Royal Court,” Nauert captioned the photo.

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  U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin withdraws from Saudi conference

  Reuters
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  A History Of Donald Trump Believing Denials -- When They Come From His Allies

  HuffPost

Mark Peterson awarded 2018 W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund Grant in Humanistic Photography

The W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund announced on Wednesday evening, Oct. 17, that Mark Peterson is the recipient of this year’s $35,000 Grant in Humanistic Photography for his project, The Past Is Never Dead. The W. Eugene Smith Grant will help Peterson further explore the social life of the resurgent Confederacy, the removal of Confederate statues and names on schools and streets, and record the process of the long-term impact of these initiatives. Peterson’s project was selected from 314 entries from 53 countries, the most ever submitted to the Smith Grant since its inception in 1980.

Dear Abby, Here's What It’s Really Like To Have A 'Foreign' Name In America

It’s tradition for Sikh parents to turn to the Guru Granth Sahib, our holy book, after a child is born and open it to a random page. That page will have a hukamnama ― an order of the day ― and whatever the letter is of the first word of the message should

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  Padma Lakshmi calls ‘Dear Abby’ column ‘deeply racist and problematic’

  Yahoo Lifestyle Videos
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  Padma Lakshmi slams 'deeply racist and problematic' column by 'Dear Abby' advising against giving kids 'foreign names'

  Yahoo Lifestyle

'Active shooter' in Virginia puts major defence company building on lockdown

Police are investigating reports of reports of an "active shooter" at a defence company General Dynamics in Portsmouth, Virginia. The call was received earlier in the day fro a security guard on site and Portsmouth police have called for people to stay clear of the area. Police are investigating a report of an active shooter at 2 Harper Ave. Dispatch received the 911 call at 1146am.

• Virginia police investigate active shooter report

  Reuters
• The Latest: Navy: No evidence of shooting at shipyard

  Associated Press

Harvey Weinstein accuser told by investigator to delete texts she wanted to keep private

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has informed Harvey Weinstein’s attorneys that the lead detective investigating alleged sexual assault allegations against the disgraced Hollywood producer told an accuser to delete texts from her phone before handing it over to authorities. The new revelation comes as questions have arisen about the handling of the investigation, with the district attorney’s office dropping part of the case against Mr Weinstein after it was discovered the the same detective had allegedly coached another witness. Mr Weinstein, who has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex or touching, has been accused by dozens of women of sexual misconduct, but is facing an investigation in New York related to three accusations.

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  Prosecution admits to new error in Weinstein case

  AFP
• 
  ShowBiz Minute: CMT, Weinstein, Royals

  Associated Press Videos

Simple Debate Question Stumps Ted Cruz Into 6 Seconds Of Painful Silence

It was the kind of softball question often used in debates to break up the tension and give the candidates a chance to show their personal sides.  But for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), one of those questions led to a long and awkward pause during his Tuesday

• 
  Julian Castro considers two things ahead of 2020

  Yahoo View
• 
  Midterm elections: Beto O'Rourke says he would definitely vote to impeach Donald Trump at Texas town hall

  The Independent