- WorldUSA TODAY
Donald Trump to speak with families of four Americans killed in Syria
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump traveled to the Dover, Delaware, military base Saturday to meet with relatives of four U.S. service members killed in an attack in Syria. "I think it's the toughest thing I have to do" as president, Trump told reporters as he left the White House. Earlier in the morning, Trump tweeted that he would be "leaving for Dover to be with the families of 4 very special people who lost their lives in service to our Country!" He did not provide further details.
WorldAFPSix suspects in court over Nairobi hotel attack
Six suspects, including a Canadian national, appeared in a Kenyan court on Friday in connection with a radical Islamist attack on a Nairobi hotel complex that left 21 dead. A magistrate granted a request from the prosecution to detain four men and one woman for 30 days while investigations continue. The suspects are accused of "possible involvement" in the almost 20-hour siege of the DusitD2 hotel and office complex by a suicide bomber and four gunmen who were killed by security forces, a court document said.
- NewsTime
'We'll Have No Other Option Than Declaring Bankruptcy.' How the Shutdown Could Impact Government Workers for Months
As the longest government shutdown in history drags on for nearly four weeks and counting, its economic impact could have a long-term effect on many federal employees and contractors across the United States. Taylor Gautreaux, who is expecting a baby in March, works in software development for a private company under a government contract. After her work came to a halt under the shutdown, she was told by her company to use any remaining paid time off and then take leave without pay.
NewsReutersWinter storm disturbs travel as it rolls toward U.S. Midwest, Northeast
A major winter storm was expected to clobber a large swath of the northern United States with heavy snow, gusty winds and frigid temperatures making travel difficult and dangerous starting on Friday and through the weekend, forecasters said. The storm system will dump 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) of snow in the Plains and Midwest on Friday night and Saturday and as it moves east at least a foot of snow in parts of the Northeast on Saturday and Sunday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said in several advisories. The system was expected to also bring freezing rain, wind gusts of 35 miles (56 km) per hour and quickly dropping temperatures that will to dip into the teens and even below zero Fahrenheit in several areas, the service said.
WorldAssociated PressPalestinian forces soldier on amid Israeli raids, US neglect
The Palestinian Authority has faced mounting protests over the security coordination as the Trump administration pursues policies seen by critics as obliterating whatever chance remains for a two-state solution, from recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital to cutting off economic aid to the Palestinians. And yet the security coordination with Israel has endured for more than a decade, through one crisis after another, including three wars in Gaza and clashes at Jerusalem's holiest site.
- NewsMashable
Mexican airline trolls Americans with brilliant ad
While the debate over immigration and a border wall between the United States and Mexico has helped grind the U.S. federal government to a halt, Mexico's national airline, AeroMexico, is trolling Americans with a new ad called "DNA Discounts." The ad features purported residents of Wharton, Texas, a town about 60 miles southwest of Houston, professing a variety of opinions about Mexico and its citizens. The ad also drops some knowledge about the long history of immigration from Mexico to the U.S., and notes that many in southern and southwestern states have a touch of Mexican DNA.
- BusinessBloomberg
Singapore Plans to Buy F-35 Fighter Jets to Replace F-16 Fleet
Singapore has identified Lockheed Martin Corp. s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as the most suitable replacement for its fleet of F-16 fighter jets and plans to buy a small number for evaluation, the Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Friday. The Air Force's F-16s that were in service since 1998 will retire soon after 2030, Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said in a Facebook post the same day.
- CelebrityCar and Driver
97-Year-Old Prince Philip Flips Land Rover, Gets Replacement Freelander Delivered
UPDATE, 1/18/19: The U.K.'s Telegraph newspaper reported on Friday morning that a replacement Land Rover Freelander has already been delivered to the royals' Sandringham estate, inside a delivery truck under guard, to replace the same model that Prince Philip crashed on Thursday. Prince Philip, the 97-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II, was involved in a car crash outside the queen's Sandringham estate near Norfolk, England, today. The elderly patriarch, who retired from royal duties in 2017, reportedly was merging onto a highway and flipped the Land Rover he was driving after making contact with a Kia.
- NewsYahoo News
Tulsi Gabbard apologizes, again, for past antigay views
One week after her 2020 presidential rollout, the campaign of Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, has hit a pothole. Gabbard issued an apology Thursday for antigay views she expressed in the past, attributing them to her conservative upbringing. “In my past, I said and believed things that were wrong,” said Gabbard, who represents Hawaii's second district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
CelebrityUSA TODAYDivers in Hawaii may have been swimming with biggest great white shark on record
A group of divers near Oahu were monitoring tiger sharks feeding off a decomposed sperm whale when they encountered a giant great white shark, reports The Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Ocean Ramsey, one of the divers who studies sharks, told The Star-Advertiser that, based on the shark's size and markings, the shark may be Deep Blue, one of the largest great whites on record. "I'm without words; it's heartwarming; she's probably the most gentle great white I've ever seen," Ramsey told The Star-Advertiser.
NewsAssociated PressThe Latest: Police chief calls 14-year-old's death 'tragic'
A suburban Phoenix police chief has offered her condolences to the family of a 14-year-old burglary suspect who was shot and killed by an officer. Tempe Police Chief Sylvia Moir called the death this week "tragic" and asked that the public withhold judgment until an investigation is completed. The boy, identified by his family as Antonio Arce, was carrying a replica handgun when he was shot by a Tempe officer identified only as Officer Jaen.
- PoliticsThe National Review
Debunking BuzzFeed and the Wages of Investigative Secrecy
uzzFeed published an explosive allegation that the president of the United States ordered his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to lie to congressional committees investigating Russia's interference in the 2016 election. Specifically, in a news story sourced to two anonymous law-enforcement officials said to be “involved in an investigation of the matter,” the site reported that Special Counsel Robert Mueller had learned, though multiple witnesses and documents, of President Trump's alleged instruction to Cohen; subsequently, upon being confronted by prosecutors, Cohen had supposedly admitted that Trump gave the order. As a rule, Mueller does not comment on press reports about his probe.
- NewsAccuWeather
State of emergency declared in Pennsylvania, New Jersey as Midwest, Northeast rush to finalize snowstorm preparations
A major snowstorm will strike the Midwest and Northeast this weekend, dumping mass amounts of snow and creating treacherous travel conditions. Local officials warn communities to prepare ahead of the dangerous winter storm. The National Weather Service (NWS) on Friday had winter storm watches and warnings in effect across the Northeast and Midwest.
- CelebrityAOL.com
Man makes terrifying jump from 11th story cruise ship balcony
Royal Caribbean has banned a group of thrill seekers after one of the men jumped off the cruise ship's high deck. The video, which has been gaining immense traction on social media, shows Nick Naydev of Vancouver, Washington, thoughtlessly plunging into the waters more than 100 feet below. Though the boat was docked, the stunt, equal to jumping from an 11-story building, was incredibly dangerous.
- WorldReuters
Syrian opposition sees window for political solution in Syria
Syria now has a good opportunity to reach a political solution to its devastating eight-year war as ceasefires have brought calm to many areas of the country, Syria's chief opposition negotiator said on Saturday. quot;I think now that we have an opportunity, because nearly in Syria we have a ceasefire now, in the northeast of Syria and the north of Syria, and the efforts of fighting terrorism has achieved good results," Nasr Hariri told Reuters in an interview in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh, where he is based. Hariri, the opposition's chief negotiator in U.N. peace talks, met with the newly appointed United Nations Special Envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen on Friday.
- BusinessCar and Driver
10 of the Kia Telluride's Coolest Design Details, from the Designer Himself
The new Telluride's design is big, blocky, and-hold on, this might be its most American SUV yet. From Car and Driver
- NewsUSA TODAY
Students appear to perform Nazi salute in 'sickening' photo, superintendent says
INDIANAPOLIS – High school officials in Indiana are investigating after a picture posted on social media appeared to show students using a Nazi salute. The photo, which was taken at Zionsville Community High School and posted to Instagram, was confirmed in an email sent to parents, staff and faculty Thursday night. In the email, Zionsville Superintendent Scott Robison said a concerned student sent the photo to a teacher, who sent it to Robison.
- U.S.KABC – Los Angeles
Calabasas campground murder: Family of Tristan Beaudette file $90M claim over his death
The family of the man shot and killed while camping with his daughters at Malibu Creek State Park has filed a $90 million claim over his death.
- WorldThe Independent
US Navy chief hints aircraft carrier could be sent through Taiwan Strait, despite threat of new Chinese missiles
The US Navy could still send an aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait in spite of Chinese military technology advances which pose a greater threat to American warships than ever before, the US chief of naval operations has said. Such an operation would inevitably increase the risk of military conflict between the world's largest superpowers, which are currently locked in an escalating trade war and ongoing disputes over territorial claims in the South China Sea. Washington sent ships through the strategic waterway, which separates Taiwan from the Chinese mainland, three times last year, but has not dispatched a carrier in more than 10 years.
- NewsAssociated Press
The Latest: Officer to plead not guilty after man's death
The Latest on the criminal case against a white Nashville police officer who shot and killed an armed black man who was fleeing (all times local): 4:05 p.m. The attorney for a white police officer indicted in Tennessee on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of an armed black man says the officer will plead not guilty. David Raybin says in an email that Nashville office Andrew Delke acted in accordance with his training and Tennessee law when he shot 25-year-old Daniel Hambrick from behind during a foot chase in July.
WorldAssociated PressMerkel's Bavarian allies elect new head, ushering in new era
Chancellor Angela Merkel's Bavarian allies elected a new leader Saturday, a change that offers Germany's center-right a chance to move past their persistent bickering over recent years. The 52-year-old Markus Soeder was elected unopposed in Munich with more than 87 percent of the votes to lead the Christian Social Union. The CSU is the Bavaria-only sister party to Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, an independent-minded and sometimes-awkward ally despite the fact that they have a joint group in Germany's national parliament.
- NewsAccuWeather
Reports: Snowstorm turns deadly in Midwest as it bustles toward Northeast
A winter storm is gaining strength over the Midwest and will clobber the Northeast into Sunday with significant, widespread impacts. A state of emergency has been declared in Pennsylvania and New Jersey ahead of the storm's arrival. "Feet of snow, blizzard conditions, a significant build-up of ice, tree-breaking winds and plunging temperatures will close roads, cause flight cancellations and disrupt daily activities over a large part of the northeastern United States this weekend," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.
- LifestyleThe Telegraph
Netflix tidying guru sparks charity shop boom
A Netflix tidying guru has sparked a charity shop boom, as branches of Salvation Army, Scope and the British Heart Foundation have said she has led to increase in donations. It comes as decluttering expert Marie Kondo has rapidly risen to fame with her "KonMari" household organisation method, which promises to provide not only a de-cluttered house, but also a clean mind. Through her hit Netflix show she is teaching those with messy tendencies to get their homes in order by throwing out old and unwanted items to create a calmer home environment.
BusinessReutersU.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin weighs lifting tariffs on China: WSJ
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin discussed lifting some or all tariffs imposed on Chinese imports and suggested offering a tariff rollback during trade discussions scheduled for Jan. 30, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the internal deliberations. But Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has resisted the idea, and the proposal had not yet been introduced to President Donald Trump, according to the Journal. U.S. stocks advanced on the news even as a Treasury spokesman working with the administration's trade team denied the report.
- BusinessCar and Driver
Tesla Is Cutting 3150 Jobs to Increase Model 3 Production
In an email sent to Tesla employees that was later published on its website, CEO Elon Musk announced that approximately 7% of Tesla's full-time employees will be let go. The cuts will hopefully help Tesla's quest to increase Model 3 production and finally introduce the $35,000 Standard Range variant that has been talked about since the Model 3's inception. In the email, Musk states "we unfortunately have no choice but to reduce full-time employee headcount," adding that "there isn't any other way" to achieve Tesla's goals.
