NewsReutersU.S. states want federal government to forgive disabled veterans' student loans
Attorneys general from 47 U.S. states on Friday called on Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to forgive more than $1 billion of student loans burdening more than 42,000 veterans who became permanently disabled through their military service. Led by New Jersey Democrat Gurbir Grewal and Utah Republican Sean Reyes, the attorneys general said in a letter https://attorneygeneral.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/NAAG-Letter-to-Sec. DeVos.pdf they welcomed federal efforts to make loan discharges easier to obtain, but said the Department of Education should develop an automatic process to forgive loans rather than require veterans to apply for loan discharges.
- NewsThe Daily Beast
‘Embodiment of Evil’: Jayme Closs’ Kidnapper Sentenced to Two Life Terms
Jayme Closs, the Wisconsin 13-year-old who was kidnapped for over three months in October after her parents were murdered, had a message for the courtroom at her abductor's Friday sentencing hearing: “Jake Patterson will never have power over me. Patterson was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences plus forty years with no possibility of parole on Friday for abducting the teenager on October 15, 2018, and holding her hostage for 88 days after killing her parents at their home in Baron. Before giving Patterson his sentence, Barron County Judge James Babler called the 21-year-old “the embodiment of evil.
WorldAssociated PressIndia's president appoints Modi as premier for 2nd term
India's president on Saturday appointed Narendra Modi as the prime minister, soon after newly elected lawmakers led by Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party chose him as their leader following a thunderous victory in national elections. President Ram Nath Kovind said in a tweet that he also asked Modi to forward the names of those to be appointed as ministers in his government, and the date for swearing-in for his second five-year term as prime minister. Modi and some leaders of his alliance met the president earlier on Saturday.
WorldReutersThree Indian climbers die on crowded slopes of Mount Everest
Three Indian climbers and one Nepali guide died on Mount Everest in the past couple of days, taking to seven the total number killed or missing on the world's highest mountain in this year's climbing season, Nepali officials said on Friday. More than 120 climbers scaled Everest on Thursday, but some of them were caught in the crowd of people on the slopes, leading to exhaustion, dehydration and death, the officials said. Hiking officials say between five and ten climbers die on Mount Everest in an average climbing year.
- NewsAOL.com
Man lights cigarette on Spirit Airlines flight in startling viral footage
Wild footage from a Spirit Airlines flight to Minneapolis, Minnesota, shows a passenger who began smoking mid-flight, breaking one of the cardinal rules of air travel. The clip, recorded by a fellow passenger on May 21, captured a visibly intoxicated man in a dark tee shirt and khaki shorts light up and take a puff before lowering the smoking cigarette to his lap and seemingly falling asleep. A man sitting across the aisle from the rule-breaking passenger can be seen flagging down a flight attendant, who rushes over and hits the man's chest to wake him up and inform him what he's doing is illegal.
- PoliticsBloomberg
Why Pelosi Sees a Trump ‘Cover-Up’ Yet Balks at Impeachment
Faced with resistance from the Trump administration to committee probes, some Democrats are increasingly looking to an impeachment inquiry as the legal justification to enforce subpoenas, pushing Pelosi to begin the process despite the political risks. Ignoring subpoenas, obstruction of justice -- yes, these could be impeachable offenses,” Pelosi said Thursday. How we deal with it is a decision that our caucus makes, and our caucus is very much saying, whatever we do, we need to be ready when we do it.
BusinessAFPChinese carriers seek compensation for Boeing 737 Max groundings
China's official airline association said Friday it will help 13 member carriers seek compensation from Boeing for losses already approaching $580 million due to the grounding of the 737 MAX 8. "As time passes by, related losses will further increase," the China Air Transport Association said in a statement. On March 11, China became the first country to ground the 737 MAX, a day after a deadly crash of an Ethiopian Airways Boeing 737 MAX that killed all 157 people on board.
- NewsThe Independent
Violence and disruption against abortion clinics at highest rates since 1999
Violence and disruption against abortion clinics in the US increased to its highest levels since the 1990s last year, a report by the National Abortion Federation has found. The increase in violence was attributed, at least in part, to president Donald Trump and his administration's rhetoric. “Anti-choice individuals and groups have been emboldened by the rhetoric of president Trump, vice president Pence, and other elected officials and we are seeing this play out in more instances of activities meant to intimidate abortion providers and disrupt patient services,” said Dr Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, who serves as interim president and CEO of NAF.
- LifestyleCar and Driver
Photos of the 2020 Mercedes-AMG GLB45 Prototype
The GLB is said to take styling inspiration from the G-wagen, and it'll have multiple AMG variants just like its big sibling. From Car and Driver
- LifestyleThe National Interest
The Glock 36: A Really Big Gun in a Small Package
A derivative of the 1911A1 Government, in 2011 it was finally superseded by an even lighter pistol—the Glock 36. The 1911 .45 caliber pistol, designed by John Moses Browning, was one of the most successful pistols of all time.
- PoliticsTime
The U.S. Just Upped the Ante on Julian Assange's Extradition With Espionage Charges
Julian Assange was indicted by the U.S. under the Espionage Act on Thursday, setting the stage for a dramatic confrontation between U.S. and Swedish prosecutors, who each want to extradite Assange before the other. Sweden had, a week earlier, re-opened a rape investigation into the Wikileaks founder and began steps to request his extradition. The only U.S. charge against Assange before Thursday was one count of conspiring to hack a password, which came with a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
WorldAssociated PressThe Latest: US blames Iran for tanker bombings, Iraq attack
A senior Pentagon officer says the U.S. blames Iran and its proxies for the recent tanker bombings near United Arab Emirates and a rocket attack in Iraq. Vice Admiral Michael Gilday says the U.S. has a high degree of confidence that Iran's Revolutionary Guard was responsible for the explosions on four tankers, and that Iranian proxies in Iraq fired rockets into Baghdad.
- LifestyleThe Daily Beast
Scouted: Nordstrom’s Half-Yearly Sale is Here With Up to 50% Off Hundreds of Styles
During the Half Yearly Sale, you can get up to 50% off all of the brands you know and love from Nordstrom, like Madewell, Ted Baker, Cole Haan, Thule, and more. The PAIGE Verdugo Crop Skinny Jeans are 50% off and is the perfect denim to wear through the spring and into the summer because it's lightweight and a light wash. The Topman Triple Stitch Mac Coat is on sale for $72 (40% off) and is a stylish layer you'll need when those thunderstorms inevitably roll in.
- WorldTime
I've Reported on Modi for Over a Decade. His Hindu Nationalist Ideas Will Be Even More Dangerous Now
When the results started trickling in on Thursday showing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist BJP government were set for a landslide victory after a divisive and polarizing campaign, I was not shocked. As a journalist, I have covered Modi's career since his days as the Chief Minister of Gujarat and know his strategies all too well. Thakur, a Hindu priestess from the northern Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, is best known for being charged under a terror law for conspiring and carrying out the 2008 bomb blasts in a Muslim-majority city of Maharashtra that left 10 people dead. She swears allegiance to a radical Hindu outfit called Abhinav Bharat that aims to establish a Hindu rashtra (state) and the supremacy of Hindus not just in India but also extending to the neighboring states of Pakistan and Nepal.
- U.S.WTVD – Raleigh/Durham
Teen mom gets $1 million in college scholarships
Valedictorian, acceptance into more than two dozen colleges, and more than $1 million in scholarships. That's an impressive list of accomplishments for any student.
- PoliticsReuters
Subpoenas for Trump financial records on hold pending appeal -court filing
Deutsche Bank AG and Capital One Financial Corp will not have to immediately hand over the financial records of U.S. President Donald Trump, three of his children and the Trump Organization, according to a court filing on Saturday. The filing in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York followed an appeal submitted on Friday by Trump and his affiliates against an existing order from a federal judge allowing the banks to hand over financial records to Democratic lawmakers. Amid an ongoing legal battle between the Republican president and Democrats in Congress, the agreement to hold off for now on enforcing the subpoenas for Trump's financial records was a rare accord between Trump's attorneys, the banks and the House Intelligence and the Financial Services Committees.
BusinessAFPNovartis gets US approval for $2.1 million gene therapy
Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis on Friday announced it had received US regulatory approval for a gene therapy that treats a rare childhood disorder and has a price tag of $2.1 million, making it the most expensive drug in history. The company said Zolgensma was a one-time treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, a disease that affects about 1 in 10,000 births and which results in death or the need for permanent ventilation by the age of two in 90 percent of cases. Novartis defended the pricing by saying that gene therapy was a transformative new type of treatment and was 50 percent cheaper than current treatments.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Facebook accused of leaving 'broken children' in wake of its commercial aims, abuse inquiry hears
Facebook has been accused of leaving 'broken children' as collateral damage in the wake of their commercial aims, the child sex abuse inquiry has heard. Barrister William Chapman, representing the victims of abuse at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), said social media companies were not preventing paedophiles reaching children as it was “contrary to their business model” and that their apps needed to be “fundamentally redesigned”. Police also warned that tech firms were going ahead with plans to encrypt more features "in the certain knowledge" it would lead to more children being abused.
- BusinessBloomberg
Huawei Seeks $1 Billion in First Big Funding Test After U.S. Ban
Huawei Technologies Co. is seeking about $1 billion from a small group of lenders, its first major funding test after getting hit with U.S. curbs that threaten to cut off access to critical suppliers. The world's largest provider of networking gear is seeking an offshore loan in either U.S. or Hong Kong dollars, said people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing private information. The company is targeting maturities of five and seven years, the people said.
- EntertainmentKABC – Los Angeles
Boyle Heights taco truck gets love from Chrissy Teigen
Chrissy Teigen is known for being a foodie on social media, and her favorite taco spot is in Boyle Heights.
NewsAssociated PressBodies in submerged Missouri vehicle bring storm toll to 9
The bodies of a man and a woman were discovered Friday in a submerged vehicle near the Mississippi River in Missouri, bringing the death toll to nine from storms that have ravaged the central U.S. this week and threaten major flooding through the holiday weekend. John Reinhardt, 20, and Caitlin Frangel, 19, both of Hazelwood, Missouri, were reported missing May 15. Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Dallas Thompson said an autopsy determined they both drowned.
NewsUSA TODAYRape and incest account for hardly any abortions. So why are they now a focus?
This month Alabama passed a law banning abortions at any time period with no exceptions for rape or incest, only when the mother's health is at risk. Two other states – Ohio and Mississippi – have passed similar legislation, which also do not include exceptions for rape or incest. Georgia passed a bill banning abortions after six weeks and includes the exceptions, but requires an official police report alleging the crimes (research shows 3 out of every 4 sexual assaults are not reported, and out of every 1,000 rapes only five perpetrators are convicted). INTERACTIVE MAP: Where is abortion legal? Debate over the exceptions has dominated headlines and ignited Twitter wars.
- WorldTime
This Is the Fateful Decision That Led to Theresa May's Downfall
Looking back over the 34 months Theresa May spent as Britain's Prime Minister, it's hard to pick a low point. Was it the Conservative Party conference in October 2017 when she couldn't stop coughing, a protestor hijacked her big speech and the lettering behind her peeled off the wall? Was it the day President Donald Trump announced his arrival to the U.K. with a newspaper interview in which he poured scorn on her Brexit plan, just a few hours before they were due for a joint press conference?
- BusinessConsumer Reports
First American Financial Data Leak Exposed Millions of Mortgage-Related Files
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. The leak of hundreds of millions of records by real estate title insurance company First American Financial could put the most private personal information of many American consumers at risk.
- BusinessReuters
U.S. oil drillers cut rigs for third week in a row -Baker Hughes
U.S. energy firms this week reduced the number of oil rigs operating for a third week in a row as weaker oil prices encourage drillers to follow through on plans to cut spending. Drillers cut five oil rigs in the week to May 24, bringing the total count down to 797, the lowest since March 2018, General Electric Co's Baker Hughes energy services firm said in its closely followed report on Friday. RIG-OL-USA-BHI That compares with 859 rigs operating during the same week a year ago.
