Trump news: President 'crying out' for impeachment as he insists he is 'stable genius' in White House rant

Pressure is intensifying on Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi to launch impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump. An increasing number of Democrats - and even a Republican congressman - are openly calling for the measure in response to the Mueller report's findings and the Trump administration's refusal to submit documents to congressional investigations. Mr Trump on Wednesday sabotaged a planned White House meeting with Ms Pelosi on infrastructure, and said he would not work with Democrats until all probes into him were closed.

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  Pelosi pleads with Trump's family to 'stage intervention' and says she prays for him

  The Independent
• Trump says House Speaker Pelosi wants two weeks to learn U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal

  Reuters

The New Assange Indictment Endangers Journalism

When the Justice Department unsealed a March 2018 indictment of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange last month, there was a reasonable case to be made that his prosecution would avoid setting a dangerous precedent against press freedom. The original indictment charged Assange with computer hacking on the novel theory that he coached Private Chelsea Manning on how to crack passwords on Department of Defense computers that stored the reams of secret diplomatic cables Wikileaks eventually published. Journalists routinely encourage sources to encrypt their texts and phone calls.

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  Trump Justice Department Crosses New Line, Charges Assange With Publishing U.S. Secrets

  The Daily Beast
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  New charges against Julian Assange raise concerns about ripple effects on press freedom

  ABC News

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi loses his home seat in humiliating election defeat

The Indian National Congress Party went from understated optimism to shellshocked defeat within the space of a few hours on Thursday as Narendra Modi and his party celebrated another landslide victory. For the Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, the performance by his party was nothing short of a humiliation, with several members of his own party demanding he step down and lay the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty to rest for good. Mr Gandhi suffered the sting of losing the iconic seat of his family homestead in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, which he had held since 2004  and was controlled by his father before him. He won in his second constituency – candidates can run from two in India – but the symbolism of the defeat was one from which he may never recover. Modi vowed to build an 'inclusive' India after a first term marred by accusations of fomenting religious hatred Credit: AFP At a brief press conference as the results were still coming in, Mr Gandhi congratulated Mr Modi and said “the people are king and they have directed that the BJP and Modi have won this election”. He added: “I don't want to get into what went wrong today, this is not the time for that. I fully respect the Indian people's decision.” During the briefing he also conceded defeat in the Amethi election and congratulated his opponent Smriti Irani, of the BJP, who was more than 28,000 votes ahead at the time. Congress party officials did not return calls by The Telegraph but there were widespread reports in Indian media that the party had wildly miscalculated the margin of any potential loss with its internal polling, and now all that was left was to call for its talisman's head. “If they want to change anything, change the leadership,” a Congress official in Rajasthan told Reuters, referring to Mr Gandhi and the party's high command. “You need to give young people a chance.” However Mr Gandhi, 48, will probably not face an immediate leadership challenge as India's establishment party does some soul searching after an inglorious defeat. Some reports claimed Mr Gandhi had offered to resign. “According to sources, Sonia Gandhi and senior Congress leaders advised him to bring up the matter before the party forum,” reported India Today TV. “The CWC (Congress Working Committee) will meet in a week in which the proposal will be discussed,” it added. Ironically the youthful pretender had grown into his role as leader in the past 18 months after previously being seen as a reluctant heir to his political lineage which stretched back to India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. He campaigned vigorously and was not shy on calling out Mr Modi on the economy, national security, Hindu nationalism and women's rights. After a while the media started to take notice. However behind the scenes his inability to foster good relations with a host of regional party leaders that could have generated a tenable anti-Modi alliance may have damaged his chances. "The BJP fought these elections on the basis of social and religious divisive policies and the agenda was set by them on this basis," said Atul Kumar Anjaan, national secretary of the Communist Party of India, a potential ally.  "But more significant is the fact that the unity of the opposition has been damaged by the Congress. The policies and decisions of Rahul Gandhi has weakened opposition unity, led to divisions and opened the doors for Modi's victory.” Congress has ruled India for most of its history since independence from Britain in 1947, and boasts three prime ministers from the Nehru-Gandhi clan. But its weak performance in the last two elections seems to suggest it needs a drastic change of direction to take on someone with Mr Modi's political savvy.

• Foreign investors hope India dials back policy shocks after Modi win

  Reuters
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  India election result: What does Modi's victory mean for the south Asian giant

  The Independent

Amazon is blowing out renewed MacBook Pro with Touch Bar models, today only

If you've got Touch Bars on the brain but you've been unwilling to cough up the extra cash to get one, today is your lucky day. Amazon is running a one-day Gold Box deal on renewed MacBook Pro with Touch Bar models, and the prices are crazy. This product has been tested and certified to work and look like new, with minimal to no signs of wear, by a manufacturer or specialized third-party seller approved by Amazon.

How Abortion Became a Top Issue in the 2020 Democratic Primary

Abortion is also shaping up to be a clear campaign issue in the Democratic primary, even though the candidates largely agree.

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  How Democrats Can Stop Playing Defense on Abortion

  The Daily Beast
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  Missouri governor signs sweeping abortion bill with 8-week ban

  ABC News

China says U.S. needs to fix 'wrong actions' as Huawei ban rattles supply chains

China said the United States needs to correct its "wrong actions" in order for trade talks to continue after it blacklisted Huawei, a blow that has rippled through global supply chains and battered technology shares. Japanese conglomerate Panasonic Corp joined a growing list of global companies that is disengaging from Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, the world's second-largest seller of smartphones and the largest telecom-gear maker, saying it had stopped shipments of some components. Its move came a day after British chip designer ARM said it had halted relations with Huawei to comply with the U.S. supply blockade, potentially crippling the Chinese firm's ability to make new chips for smartphones.

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  Wall St. edges higher after Trump sparks U.S.-China trade hopes

  Reuters
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  Huawei worries keep stocks in the red

  Trading Central

Missouri: destructive tornado leaves three people dead and severe damage

The National Weather Service confirmed that the deadly tornado moved over Missouri's capital, Jefferson City, shortly before midnight. Across the state, Missouri's first responders once again responded quickly and with strong coordination as much of the state dealt with extremely dangerous conditions that left people injured, trapped in homes, and tragically led to the death of three people,” Governor Mike Parson said. Authorities said the three were killed in the Golden City area of Barton county, near Missouri's south-west corner, as the severe weather moved in from Oklahoma, where rescuers struggled to pull people from high water.

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  Tornados kill three in central US, damage Missouri state capital

  AFP
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  Death toll from storms lashing central U.S. rises to seven

  Reuters

The Worst Cover-Up of All Time

President Donald Trump may be guilty of many things, but a cover-up in the Mueller probe isn't one of them. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, attempting to appease forces in the Democratic party eager for impeachment, is accusing him of one, with all the familiar Watergate connotations. The charge is strange, not to say incomprehensible, in light of the fact that Congress is in possession of a 448-page report produced by the Trump Department of Justice cataloguing the alleged obstruction that Congress now wants to investigate.

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  Nancy Pelosi is not helping this country': Trump

  ABC News Videos
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  32 House Members Have Called For Congress To Start Trump Impeachment Proceedings

  HuffPost

Trump Justice Department Crosses New Line, Charges Assange With Publishing U.S. Secrets

In a stunning escalation of the Trump administration's war on the press, the Justice Department has indicted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for revealing government secrets under the Espionage Act. The charges invoke broad provisions of the Espionage Act that make it a crime to disclose or retain any defense information knowing it “could be used to injure” the U.S. The act has no exception for reporters or publishers, but prior administrations have balked at invoking the law against journalists for fear of colliding with the First Amendment.

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  Charges Against Julian Assange Violate First Amendment, Advocates Say

  Fortune
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  New charges against Julian Assange raise concerns about ripple effects on press freedom

  ABC News

Simulator training remains 'possible option' for Boeing 737 MAX pilots in Canada

Simulator training remains a "possible option" for Canadian Boeing 737 MAX pilots, but it's too early to say whether it would be mandatory, a Transport Canada official said on Thursday night, further distancing the regulator from previous remarks by the country's transport minister. "It would be premature not seeing what Boeing has fully proposed yet to determine if simulator training will in fact be included," said Nicholas Robinson, the regulator's director general, civil aviation, told reporters on a conference call following a meeting of global regulators in Texas. Canada's Transport Minister Marc Garneau called in April for pilots to received simulator training for Boeing's software fix.

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  FAA chief calls 8-hour meeting on Boeing 737 MAX 'exceedingly positive'

  Reuters
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  Boeing faces SEC probe into disclosures about 737 MAX problems: Bloomberg

  Reuters

View Photos of the 2019 Opel Corsa-e

View Photos of the 2019 Opel Corsa-eFrom Car and Driver

Theresa May is latest Conservative leader swamped by Europe

Theresa May has joined the ranks of Conservative prime ministers whose time in office has been overwhelmed — and cut short — by the issue of Europe. Ever since Edward Heath took the U.K. into what was then the European Economic Community in 1973, the Conservative Party has been anguished by how close the country's ties should be with the continent. On Friday, May announced she, too, would resign as party leader, effective June 7, because of her inability to deliver on a referendum to leave the European Union.

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  Trump 'friend' Boris Johnson, who was born in the US, is the favorite to replace British Prime Minister Theresa May

  USA TODAY
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  Boris Johnson prepares UK for no-deal Brexit as he leads race to replace Theresa May

  The Independent

President Trump defends decision to declassify Russian probe documents

Trump promises to show Americans how what he calls the 'Russia hoax' got started; Kevin Corke reports from the White House.

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  While stonewalling Congress, Trump says AG Barr's probe is about 'transparency'

  Yahoo View
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  Trump Gives Barr Green Light to Declassify Docs Related to FBI Campaign Surveillance

  National Review

Across US, women have unequal access to abortion

While abortion is legal nationwide, Americans have unequal access to the procedure, depending on their location in the United States and how much they are able to spend. The disparities are great indeed, from the more than 150 abortion clinics available in the most populous state of California, to only one in states like Mississippi in the South or Missouri in the Midwest. State laws also vary widely on other matters like speed limits for drivers and marriage age requirements, but the Supreme Court has set a "minimum standard throughout the entire country," noted Meg Penrose, of the Texas A&M School of Law.

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  How Democrats Can Stop Playing Defense on Abortion

  The Daily Beast
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  Missouri governor signs sweeping abortion bill with 8-week ban

  ABC News

Narendra Modi wins landslide victory in Indian election

Narendra Modi swept back into power on Thursday as his Hindu nationalist party made unexpected gains in a landslide victory. After a mammoth six-week election in which over 600 million people voted, all the results were tallied on Thursday and within hours the TV networks predicted a win for Mr Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Official data from the Election Commission showed Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party ahead in 300 of the 542 seats up for grabs, up from the 282 it won in 2014 and more than the 272 seats needed for a majority in the lower house of parliament. That would give his party the first back-to-back majority for a single party since 1984. "Together we grow," Mr Modi said on Twitter. "Together we prosper. Together we will build a strong and inclusive India. India wins yet again!" Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at BJP headquarters to attend a ceremony to thank the Union Council of Ministers for their contribution in India's general election, in New Delhi Credit: AFP The win by Modi and the BJP has surprised even the most hardened political analysts, with the consensus being that they would be returned to power but with a reduced majority. His re-election reinforces a global trend of right-wing populists sweeping to victory, from the United States to Brazil and Italy, often after adopting harsh positions on protectionism, immigration and defence. The result reinforces Mr Modi's immense popularity and vindicated what at times was a belligerent campaign by several parties, with the focus heavily on the economy, national security, and from the BJP's perspective, an affirmation of its underlying ideology of Hindu nationalism. Nalin Kohli, a senior BJP official, claimed his party had picked up votes from Muslims, especially Muslim women. “We are the party of power, we are the flavour of the season. It is the aspirations of 1 billion-plus people that have elected us." The main opposition Congress party was heading for a better performance than its nadir in 2014, but early results suggested it would get at least 52 seats. With its partners it makes up the United Progressive Alliance, which was predicted to hit the 110 mark. With some of the BJP's critics accusing it of making India a more divisive country, particularly for Muslims and other minorities, many are asking what happens next for India. सबका साथ + सबका विकास + सबका विश्वास = विजयी भारत Together we grow. Together we prosper. Together we will build a strong and inclusive India. India wins yet again! VijayiBharat— Chowkidar Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 23, 2019 Professor Santosh Kumar Rai, of Delhi University, said: “Certainly a second term means an ideological victory, even if it is more a personality cult. With a [BJP] majority, a rightist agenda with all the institutions of the state under its control, the party will be more likely to convert India into a majoritarian state. “Law, education and culture will be the major areas expecting paradigm shift. Foreign and Finance policies will continue as they are going on now.” The election has been the biggest democratic exercise in history with an electorate of 900million, more than 1 million polling booths, seen phases of polling, seven national parties and dozens more regional parties vying for seats in the New Delhi parliament. Commentators have said Mr Modi put himself at the centre of a more presidential style of campaign, often making himself and his party interchangeable. At a packed victory rally at the BJP headquarters in Delhi, Mr Modi said: "This victory will be an inspiration for generations in the country. Crores [tens of millions] of Indians have blessed us, my gratitude to the people. "This is the highest voter turnout since Independence, even in adverse weather conditions. I congratulate the Election Commission for conducting smooth elections in such a big democracy. "I have been saying that no party or candidate is fighting the polls but the people of India are. If anybody has won, it is the people of India. This is the biggest event in any democracy in the world." Referring to his rivals in the Congress Party, he said: "They used a fake tag of Secularism that they thought would wash all sins; today these people have been completely unmasked. Today, India has only two castes - those who are poor and those who want to eradicate poverty. "This is not Modi’s victory. This is victory of honest people’s hope, this is a victory of youths who have walked on the path of 21st century with dreams.”

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  Narendra Modi Wins New Mandate in Indian Election and Divides the Film Industry

  Variety
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  Foreign investors hope India dials back policy shocks after Modi win

  Reuters

The Latest: Runaway barges cause 'minimal' damage to dam

Army engineers say two runaway barges did "minimal" damage when they struck an Arkansas River dam. The barges, filled with 1,500 tons of fertilizer, swept down the flood-swollen river and hit the Webbers Falls Lock and Dam about noon Thursday and sank. Town officials in the riverfront town of Webbers Falls had warned residents to flee for fear such a collision would catastrophically breach the dam and flood the town.

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  Two Barges Sink After Hitting Dam in Oklahoma

  KFOR - Oklahoma City
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  Barges strike dam on Arkansas River in Oklahoma

  Associated Press Videos

George Conway mocks Trump on ‘cover-ups’ by tweeting Stormy Daniels payment check

Prominent Trump critic George Conway on Thursday posted a picture of President Trump's $35,000 check to his former lawyer Michael Cohen, along with a quote from Trump's Wednesday press conference: “I don't do cover-ups. Cohen has testified that the check was partial reimbursement for the $130,000 he paid actress Stormy Daniels as hush money to cover up a sexual encounter she says she had with Trump. The money changed hands shortly before the 2016 election and was part of the evidence in Cohen's plea deal with federal prosecutors that resulted in his prison sentence.

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  George Conway ribs Trump about 'I don't do cover-ups' line

  Yahoo News Video
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  George Conway Mocks Trump's 'I Don't Do Cover-Ups' By Posting Hush-Money Check

  HuffPost

Almost 40% of Americans Would Struggle to Cover a $400 Emergency

The Fed’s 2018 report on the economic well-being of households, published Thursday, indicated “most measures” of well-being and financial resilience “were similar to, or slightly better than, those in 2017.” The slight improvement coincided with a decline in the average unemployment rate to 3.9% last year, from 4.3% in 2017. The statistic, which was a bit better than in the 2017 report, has become a favorite rejoinder to U.S. President Donald Trump’s boasts about a strong economy among Democratic politicians, including 2020 presidential candidate Kamala Harris, the U.S. senator from California. “Relatively small, unexpected expenses, such as a car repair or replacing a broken appliance, can be a hardship for many families without adequate savings,” the report said.

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  Almost half of American adults do not have $400 to spare, study reveals

  The Independent
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  40% of Americans don’t have $400 in the bank for emergency expenses: Federal Reserve

  ABC News

China slams US 'lies' about Huawei's government ties

China ramped up a war of words with the United States over Huawei on Friday, accusing Washington of spreading "lies" about the telecom giant thrust to the centre of their trade war. The fiery response came hours after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rejected Huawei's denials that the Chinese company works with the Communist government. The Trump administration has infuriated Beijing by blacklisting the smartphone and telecommunications company over worries that China uses it as a tool for espionage, and allegations of breaking sanctions on Iran.

• GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks climb on muted trade hopes, dollar slips

  Reuters
• US STOCKS-Wall St edges higher after Trump sparks U.S.-China trade hopes

  Reuters

Rep. Nadler falls ill during public meeting on Upper West Side

Rep. Jerry Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, became ill during a public meeting on speed cameras with Mayor de Blasio on the Upper West Side.

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  Rep. Jerrold Nadler appears to faint in NYC

  Associated Press Videos
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  Rep. Jerry Nadler 'Feeling Much Better' After Sudden Health Scare

  HuffPost

OnePlus 7 Pro users report ‘ghost touches’ that occur without any input

OnePlus addressed criticism that it's misleading users with its 3x zoom claims earlier this week, but now, some users have discovered a more serious issue that might actually impact their overall experience, as this one concerns the sophisticated OnePlus 7 Pro display. OnePlus responds to claims that the OnePlus 7 Pro's best new camera feature is a lie How much does the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G really cost? OnePlus 7 Pro 5G is finally official, but only for EE customers in Britain The OnePlus 7 Pro features a brand new design, complete with an all-screen display that features no notches or holes.