- WorldReuters
Iran can sink U.S. warships with "secret weapons," military official says
Iran can sink U.S. warships sent to the Gulf region using missiles and "secret weapons," a senior Iranian military official was quoted as saying by the semi-official news agency Mizan on Saturday. The United States on Friday announced the deployment of 1,500 troops to the Middle East, describing it as an effort to bolster defenses against Iran as it accused the country's Revolutionary Guards of direct responsibility for this month's tanker attacks. "America..
WorldAssociated PressUS sanctions on Iran felt in Iraqi Shiite tourist districts
For years, Karar Hussein has sold sweets in his shop near the entrance to one of Shiite Islam's holiest shrines, accepting whatever currency was offered to him by his clients, many of them religious tourists from neighboring Iran. Hussein and many other shop owners in Baghdad's northern Shiite holy neighborhood of Kadhimiya have seen sales drop sharply over the past year since President Donald Trump began re-imposing sanctions on Iran, home to the largest number of Shiite Muslims around the world. The value of Iran's currency, the rial, has decreased almost fourfold, pushing the price of nearly everything beyond the reach of ordinary Iranian consumers in Iran and abroad.
NewsUSA TODAY51 attorneys general call on Betsy DeVos to cancel up to 42,000 disabled veterans' student debts
In April last year, DeVos announced a new partnership between the Departments of Education and Veterans Affairs that would match borrowers in the Department of Education's records system with disabled veterans in the Department of Veterans Affairs records system. People deemed eligible for loan discharges would be mailed a letter including an application for "totally and permanently disabled" (TPD) status. Under the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, if student borrowers die or become permanently disabled, they are eligible to have their loans forgiven, so a successful granting of TPD status would allow for the complete discharge of student loans.
- 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.
- WorldThe National Interest
Eating Way Too Much Rice Almost Doomed Japan's Imperial Navy
After the war, the Emergency Beriberi Investigative Committee investigated the disease's devastation of Japanese ranks. In August 1882 in Incheon Bay near Seoul, four Japanese warships were locked in a tense stand-off with two Chinese warships that had brought troops to quell a revolt on the Korean peninsula. On paper, the Japanese flotilla outnumbered the Chinese, but the hulls of the Japanese ships hid a deadly secret.
WorldAFPBattered EU centre holds off populist surge in vote
Europe's mainstream political parties took a hit in elections on Sunday but held off a strong surge by the populist right of Marine Le Pen, Matteo Salvini and Nigel Farage. In one of the world's biggest democratic votes, the main centre-right and centre-left groups lost their combined majority in the European Parliament in the face of a challenge by eurosceptic and nationalist forces. The symbolic clash of the campaign saw French far right leader Le Pen's National Rally on course to come in just ahead of President Emmanuel Macron's centrist movement, damaging his drive for deeper European integration.
NewsReutersRescuers search for survivors after Oklahoma tornado kills at least two
The tornado that hit El Reno on Saturday night was the latest in a barrage of violent weather that is expected to continue after pounding the Central Plains states last week with deadly tornadoes, high winds, drenching thunderstorms and widespread flooding. In addition to the two fatalities, 29 people suffered minor to critical injuries in the El Reno twister and hundreds more were displaced, the city's mayor said. People have absolutely lost everything." Rescue workers searched the debris field that had been a mobile home park and an Americas Best Value Inn motor lodge where the tornado did its worst damage in the community about 25 miles (40 km) west of Oklahoma City.
- EntertainmentKFSN – Fresno
102-year-old woman facing eviction gets offer of help from Schwarzenegger
A 102-year-old woman is being evicted from her Ladera Heights home of nearly 30 years - but friends like former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and local officials are vowing to help her.
- BusinessThe Daily Beast
Scouted: The 10 Best Memorial Day Mattress Sales, According to Experts
Memorial Day Weekend is famous for the many mattress sales it surfaces — and this year is no exception. To help you sift through all of your options, we teamed up with the expert reviewers over at Mattress Advisor to help us break down each of the best mattress deals around right now. Using a 6-point testing procedure and 8-point evaluation* in their Mattress Lab for every single mattress, they gave us some tips on what Scouted readers should know and keep in mind as they're shopping this Memorial Day weekend for the greatest savings and highest quality mattress.
WorldReutersNorway says Venezuela government, opposition to hold new round of talks
Norway said on Saturday that representatives of Venezuela's government and opposition will return to Oslo next week following an initial round of preliminary talks about how to address the country's political crisis. quot;We announce that the representatives of the main political actors in Venezuela have decided to return to Oslo next week to continue a process facilitated by Norway," the Scandinavian country's foreign ministry said in a statement. quot;We reiterate our commitment to continue supporting the search for an agreed-upon solution between the parties in Venezuela," it said.
PoliticsAssociated PressTrump's orders to AG on Russia probe worry critics
On Thursday, Trump gave Barr full authority to publicly disclose information about the origins of the investigation the president has repeatedly dismissed as a "hoax." "You have to get down to what happened because what happened is a tremendous blight on our country," Trump said, adding that Barr is highly respected and will be impartial in reviewing documents. But Trump's critics are wary of leaving the decision of what intelligence to release — and what should remain hidden — in Barr's hands.
- NewsThe 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.
- WorldThe Independent
Pope Francis likens abortion in any scenario to ‘hiring a hitman’
Pope Francis has compared having an abortion to hiring a hitman and said the procedure can never be condoned, even when the foetus is gravely sick. Speaking at a Vatican-sponsored anti-abortion conference, he urged doctors and priests to support families to carry all pregnancies to full term. The pontiff said that the matter was not a religious issue but a human one.
- LifestyleBGR News
10 deals you don’t want to miss on Saturday: 4K TV for $199, $25 true wireless earbuds, Apple Watches, more
The weekend is here but the daily deals are just as good as they have been all week long. Highlights from today's roundup include a 43-inch 4K TV with built-in Fire TV for just $199.99 (and discounts up to $70 on the 50-inch and 55-inch models), AirPods 2 for just $139.99 (order now to lock in the deal and they'll ship when they're back in stock), another pair of awesome true wireless earbuds for only $25.49 if discounted AirPods 2 are still too pricey, all-time low prices on Apple Watch Series 3 models from $199 and Series 4 models from $349, deep discounts on SanDisk Ultra microSD cards, renewed Philips Hue white LED bulbs for $10 each when you buy a 4-pack, a fantastic compact Vizio sound bar for just $79, and a $20 Alexa smart speaker that's just as good as a $50 Echo Dot.
- BusinessArchitectural Digest
AD PRO's 20 Favorite Furnishings from ICFF
Miss New York's International Contemporary Furniture Fair? Senior style and market editor Benjamin Reynaert shares his favorite new products that launched at the fair Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldAFP'Green wave' in EU vote amid climate crisis
With double-digit scores across Europe's biggest countries including a stunning 20 percent in Germany, the Greens bagged record gains in European elections on Sunday with younger voters leading calls for action to halt global warming. The environmental party doubled its score in Germany from the last EU elections in 2014, knocking the Social Democrats off their traditional second place. In France, the Greens came in number three with 12 percent, while in Austria, Ireland and the Netherlands, they garnered double-digits.
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.
- WorldReuters
RPT-Hong Kong protestors demand China be held to account for 1989 Tiananmen crackdown
Thousands of protesters marched through central Hong Kong on Sunday as part of annual demonstrations demanding that China be held accountable for its democracy crackdown in and around Tiananmen Square three decades ago. Human rights groups and witnesses say that hundreds, perhaps thousands, died in the bloodshed as Chinese tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square and soldiers fired on student-led democracy protesters, beginning on the night of June 3, 1989. The Tiananmen crackdown is a taboo subject in China and authorities have refused to accept full accountability or release the death toll.
- WorldReuters
UPDATE 3-Iran will defend itself against any aggression, says foreign minister
Iran will defend itself against any military or economic aggression, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Sunday, calling on European states to do more to preserve a nuclear agreement his country signed. Speaking at a Baghdad news conference with his Iraqi counterpart Mohammed al-Hakim, Zarif said Iran wanted to build balanced relations with its Gulf Arab neighbors and had proposed signing a non-aggression pact with them. "We will defend against any war efforts against Iran, whether it be an economic war or a military one, and we will face these efforts with strength," he said.
- PoliticsUSA TODAY
Bolton says latest North Korea missile test violates U.N. resolution
U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said Saturday that recent short-range missile tests by North Korea that President Donald Trump had dismissed as "very standard" were a violation of U.N. Security Council Resolutions. North Korea's test of short-range ballistic missiles on May 4 and 9 ended a pause in launches that began in late 2017. U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibit North Korea from firing any ballistic missiles,” Bolton told reporters in Tokyo ahead of the president's four-day visit to Japan.
- U.S.WTVD – Raleigh/Durham
Man charged in murder of missing mother, son in Oregon
A man has been charged in connection with the murder of a young mother and her son in Portland, Oregon.
- 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.
- LifestyleThe Daily Beast
Scouted: These Portable Bluetooth Speakers Have a 4.9-Star Average Rating — and Are On Sale Right Now
The folks at one of Scouted readers' favorite electronics brands Anker has repackaged their extremely highly rated Bluetooth speakers into a perfect Father's Day gift — and marked down the price by 23%. The Soundcore Flare portable speakers, which play multi-directional sound and sync to each other for custom style surround sound, are $50 right now (that's the lowest price they've ever been) and come with a limited edition travel case. The enhanced bass, all-around 360-degree sound, and LEDs that phase, pulse, and shine in sync with your music, got reviewers to rate the Flares 4.9 stars, on average — a rare occurrence to be that well-liked.
- WorldTime
India's Economy Needs Tougher Reform. How Will Modi Use His Election Mandate?
In an atmosphere where trade differences between New Delhi and Washington have slowly escalated, the latter prospect would suggest even rougher economic roads ahead. Will Modi make the tough choices? Due to his pro-business orientation and road-show pitches for investment, Modi has gained a reputation among U.S. industry as someone with a reformist mindset.
WorldAFPBritish, Irish climbers become Everest victims
The deaths of an Irish and a British climber on Mount Everest took the toll from a deadly season on the world's highest peak to 10, expedition organisers said Saturday. British climber Robin Fisher, 44, reached the summit Saturday morning but collapsed when he had got just 150 metres back down the slope. "Our guides tried to help but he died soon after," Murari Sharma of Everest Parivar Expedition told AFP.
