- PoliticsUSA TODAY Opinion
Mueller report: Findings prove Donald Trump never colluded with Russia, obstructed justice
The first page of special counsel Robert Mueller's report about purported Trump collusion with Russians during the 2016 presidential campaign stated that the original source about hacking was the Democratic National Committee. "In June (2016), the Democratic National Committee and its cyber response team publicly announced that Russian hackers had compromised its computer network," notes the report. The federal government spent more than $70 billion on intelligence in 2016, including $10 billion for the National Security Agency to undertake electronic surveillance globally. That the origin for claims of foreign activity in the election came from a political party and not lavishly funded intelligence agencies should have raised red flags about the seriousness of the allegations.
WorldAssociated PressEx-Marine arrested in North Korea embassy attack in Madrid
A man suspected of involvement in a mysterious dissident group's February raid on North Korea's Embassy in Madrid was arrested in Los Angeles by U.S. authorities. Christopher Ahn, a former U.S. Marine, was arrested and charged Friday, according to a person familiar with the matter. Separately, on Thursday, federal agents raided the apartment of Adrian Hong, a leader of the Free Joseon group, the person said.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Macron's polls rise to highest level since yellow vest revolt as French approve his handling of Notre-Dame fire
Emmanuel Macron's approval ratings have risen to levels not seen since before the “yellow vest” revolt erupted last autumn with most French feeling he “rose to the occasion” over the Notre-Dame fire, a poll out on Friday suggests. President Macron's popularity plummeted last September following a tax rise on pensioners and a backlash over plans to raise fuel taxes. According to BVA, Mr Macron has clawed back three points in the past month and is now on 32 per cent with six out of ten French feeling he did a good job handling the Notre-Dame inferno.
WorldAFPAssad urges progress on Idlib deal ahead of Syria talks
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Friday called for progress on a stalled buffer zone deal around jihadist-dominated Idlib region ahead of fresh talks aimed at ending his country's eight-year war. Assad met envoy Alexander Lavrentiev from key ally Russia in Damascus to discuss the negotiations due April 25-26 in Kazakhstan. Iran and Russia are the major supporters of the Syrian regime, and along with rebel backer Turkey have sponsored repeated rounds of talks in the Central Asian nation.
- U.S.WTVD – Raleigh/Durham
Driver with STAYUMBL license plate, notorious for cutting people off around Durham, charged in incident with bus
The STAYUMBL license plate is notorious on the road and social media. Folks say the driver behind the wheel will speed up, cut people off and then slam on her brakes, sometimes causing a crash.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Church apologizes after video shows cleric inviting kids to spit, slap and cut him for Easter lesson
Videos of the incident were posted to social media during a Monday afternoon after-school event held at the church at which Dempsey was speaking of Easter and the crucifixion. In one of the videos, Dempsey is seen standing still while students take turns spitting on him, some striking him, while other students are heard laughing. The mother of a youth, who reportedly employed a knife handed to him by Dempsey to cut the associate pastor at his invitation, said she was alerted to the video by a friend, according to an on-camera interview with WBNS-TV.
NewsAssociated PressNOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week
None of these is legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. CLAIM: Man who threw boy over Minnesota mall balcony is a Somali immigrant. THE FACTS: The man arrested in the case did not emigrate from Somalia, as posts circulating on social media said.
WorldAFPIsrael destroys family apartments of accused Palestinian killer
Israeli forces destroyed two apartments in the occupied West Bank on Friday that housed the family of a Palestinian accused of killing an Israeli woman in February, the army said. Soldiers surrounded the apartment block in the flashpoint southern city of Hebron beginning late on Thursday. They then destroyed the two apartments that were home to the family of Arafat Irfaiya, 29, with the use of heavy construction equipment in the early hours of the morning.
- HealthTime
This Is the Longest Flu Season in a Decade Due to Surprising Second Viral Wave
Three months ago, this flu season was shaping up to be short and mild in the U.S. But a surprising second viral wave has made it the longest in 10 years. This flu season has been officially going for 21 weeks, according to reports collected through last week and released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That makes it among the longest seen since the government started tracking flu season duration more than 20 years ago.
PoliticsYahoo NewsGeorge Conway calls for impeachment: 'Trump is a cancer on the presidency'
George Conway, husband of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, believes the evidence collected by special counsel Robert Mueller is so “damning” for President Trump, he should be impeached immediately. What the Mueller report disturbingly shows, with crystal clarity, is that today there is a cancer in the presidency: President Donald J. Trump,” Conway wrote in a scathing op-ed published in the Washington Post on Thursday night. Congress now bears the solemn constitutional duty to excise that cancer without delay.
LifestyleAFP Relax NewsIn Bosnia, 'master' blacksmith had to shoe an egg
To be worthy of the title of master, a blacksmith in Kresevo in central Bosnia had to perform a delicate task -- shoe an egg without breaking it. It's an Easter tradition requiring a blacksmith to decorate an egg shell by nailing on it a miniature iron horseshoe. Now Stjepan Biletic wants to have this ancient know-how recognised by UNESCO as part of the world's cultural heritage.
- NewsReuters
Reuters US Domestic News Summary
A judge on Thursday ordered banks to comply with a request from Puerto Rico's federally created financial oversight board to disclose customer information related to certain debt issued by the bankrupt U.S. commonwealth. The ruling boosts a potential effort by the board to recover billions of dollars in payments made to bondholders should a federal court hearing Puerto Rico's bankruptcy cases choose to invalidate disputed debt issued by the government and its agencies. Last month, Kaylee Tyner and other students at Columbine High School launched a campaign dubbed #MyLastShot, asking students across the country to pledge to publicize images of their deaths if they became victims of a mass shooting.
WorldAFPDelayed by Notre-Dame, Macron to answer protests next week
French President Emmanuel Macron is to outline a reform plan drawn up in response to nationwide protests next week after the key policy action was delayed by the Notre-Dame fire, the presidency said Friday. Macron will hold a press conference on Thursday at 6:00 pm (1600 GMT) to make the announcements. He had been scheduled to make an address last Monday but immediately cancelled its broadcast after the devastating fire erupted at Notre-Dame cathedral that caused significant damage to the Paris landmark.
WorldAssociated PressUkraine candidates: Experience vs image
Ukraine's presidential election on Sunday will pit image against experience, with polls suggesting TV comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy heading for an overwhelming victory against President Petro Poroshenko. Poroshenko has held the office for nearly five years — while Zelenskiy has played the role on television for more than three. A look at the two contenders to lead Ukraine's 42 million people: VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY Zelenskiy, a 41-year-old comic actor, is best known for his TV portrayal of a schoolteacher who becomes president after a video of him denouncing corruption goes viral.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Roman Polanski sues Oscars academy seeking reinstatement after 'improper' expulsion
Roman Polanski's expulsion from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences last year was "improper" and "invalid," the Oscar-winning filmmaker said in a lawsuit he filed Friday seeking to be reinstated. "The Academy's actions, sanctions, and decision against (Polanski) are invalid... on the grounds that the Academy failed to grant Petitioner any notice and a fair hearing," the lawsuit asserts.
WorldAssociated PressRelatives of German bus crash victims arrive in Madeira
Relatives of some of the 29 German tourists who died in a bus crash in Madeira arrived on the Portuguese island on Friday as investigators pushed on with the task of finding out why the bus veered off the road and plunged down a slope. German tour operator Trendtours said it had flown in some of the relatives and that it was working with Portuguese authorities to bring the survivors back. Visiting the island on Friday, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa praised the emergency services' swift response to Wednesday's accident in the coastal town of Canico.
- LifestylePopular Mechanics
8 Things We Learned Driving the Roush Ford F-150 SC, a Pickup Truck on Steroids
Eight things you should know about this beast, which is what happens when you turn a Ford truck into an off-road monster. From Popular Mechanics
WorldAFPFAA sets multi-nation review of Boeing's troubled Max planes
The US Federal Aviation Administration is planning what it calls a comprehensive multi-nation review of the control systems of the Boeing 737 Max airliner to include experts from nine civil aviation authorities. The review will "evaluate aspects of the 737 Max automated flight-control system, including its design and pilots' interaction with the system, to determine its compliance with all applicable regulations and to identify future enhancements that might be needed," the agency said. Boeing Max planes -- the aerospace firm's all-time best-seller -- have been grounded worldwide since then, while engineers and investigators seek the exact causes of the crashes.
- PoliticsThe Independent
Trump ordered Michael Flynn to find Clinton's emails during campaign, Mueller report finds
Donald Trump ordered the man who would later serve briefly as his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, to find thousands of missing emails from Hillary Clinton's computer server at the height of the 2016 presidential campaign, the special counsel's report revealed on Thursday. The episode is among the closest that investigators came to uncovering an instance in which Mr Trump himself appeared to use whatever means necessary to locate the messages. However, it stops short of saying he encouraged a breach of his opponent's computers, networks or email accounts.
NewsUSA TODAYLAX travelers again warned of measles and urged to get vaccinated, after third case hits airport
Public health officials are again warning travelers who flew in and out of Los Angeles International Airport of possible measles exposure after another traveler contracted the disease. Travelers who were at the airport on April 3 could be at risk for developing measles, which can be present up to 21 days after exposure, health officials said. The person with measles traveled through gate 70A in terminal 7 between 10 a.m.
- WorldReuters
Four Turkish soldiers killed in clashes with PKK - ministry
Four Turkish soldiers were killed on Friday in clashes with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) near the border with Iraq, Turkey's Defence Ministry said on Saturday. Demiroren News Agency said a military base had been attacked in the mountainous Cukurca district of Turkey's southeastern province of Hakkari, prompting the Turkish military to respond with a "large-scale" military operation. "As part of ongoing operations in the Turkey-Iraq border, two soldiers were killed in clashes with terrorists despite all efforts to save them," the ministry said, adding a total of four soldiers were killed and six wounded.
WorldAFP Relax NewsFrance salutes 'exemplary' firefighters for saving Notre-Dame
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday hailed as "exemplary" hundreds of firefighters who saved Notre-Dame in the devastating blaze, as efforts intensified to shore up the still fragile cathedral. Some 600 firefighters worked throughout the night Monday to put out the fire at the Paris landmark and prevent an even worse disaster, in a blaze that felled the spire and destroyed two-thirds of its roof. A prayer vigil was held at another of Paris's landmark churches, the Sacre-Coeur (Sacred Heart), on Thursday which was due to remain open all night.
- BusinessCar and Driver
View Photos of the Volkswagen I.D. Buggy
VW's I.D. Buggy, one of its ambitious lineup of EV concepts, will owe much to the classic Sixties beach-lifestyle icon if it ever makes it to production. From Car and Driver
- NewsUSA TODAY
Views of the Notre Dame Cathedral before, after, and during blaze
The structure of the Notre Dame Cathedral has been saved from a massive fire that had threatened to gut the 800-year-old landmark in Paris, fire officials said late Monday. The blaze collapsed the cathedral's spire and spread to one of its rectangular towers. "Two-thirds of the roofing has been ravaged,” and firefighters would work through the night to cool down the building, Gallet said.
NewsAssociated PressColumbine focuses on healing as questions loom after manhunt
A Colorado community changed forever by the attack that killed 13 people at Columbine High School moved ahead Thursday with ceremonies marking the anniversary of the tragedy while awaiting more details on what led a Florida teen "infatuated" with the shooting to buy a shotgun and kill herself in the snowy foothills nearby. Many questions remained unanswered about 18-year-old Sol Pais, but a friend disputed the contention by authorities that she posed a threat. Adrianna Pete painted a complex picture of Pais, saying she was deeply troubled, lonely and often talked about suicide but was also brilliant, kind and a talented artist who loved to draw.
