Middle East attack jolts oil-import dependent Asia

The blasts detonated far from the bustling megacities of Asia, but the attack this week on two tankers in the strategic Strait of Hormuz hits at the heart of the region's oil import-dependent economies. While the violence only directly jolted two countries in the region — one of the targeted ships was operated by a Tokyo-based company, a nearby South Korean-operated vessel helped rescue sailors — it will unnerve major economies throughout Asia. Officials, analysts and media commentators on Friday hammered home the importance of the Strait of Hormuz for Asia, calling it a crucial lifeline, and there was deep interest in more details about the still-sketchy attack and what the United States and Iran would do in the aftermath.

Memphis Man Killed in Police Shooting That Sparked Violent Protests Was Wanted for Assault, Robbery, Authorities Say

A Memphis man who was killed by a U.S. marshals task force, sparking violent protests in his neighborhood, was wanted for shooting a man multiple times and stealing his car after posing as an interested buyer, authorities in Mississippi said. Authorities had previously not said why police has been trying to arrest 20-year-old Brandon Webber. Thirty six police officers were hurt in protests Wednesday night in north Memphis after police shot and killed Webber as they tried to arrest him.

2020 Vision: The Democratic debate stage is set — both of them

Reminder: There are 234 days until the Iowa caucuses and 507 days until the 2020 presidential election. On Thursday, the Democratic National Committee named the 20 participants for the first debates of the 2020 primary, set to occur in Miami the nights of June 26 and 27. The DNC had laid out criteria in January for qualifying: At least 1 percent in three approved polls (either national or of early states) and/or 65,000 donors, with candidates who hit both marks securing a spot.

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  DNC unveils matchup of candidates for first primary debate

  CBS News Videos
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  Democrats set Miami as location for first DNC primary debate

  ABC News Videos

The Hyundai Sonata's Complete History Visualized, from 1986 to Today

See the Sonata's progression from backwater budget play to the most stylish, advanced mid-size sedan out there. From Car and Driver

Father's Day 2019: Paganism, roses and how the campaign to celebrate dads was won

Father's Day, the official calendar date to honour our wonderful dads and celebrate fatherhood, is just around the corner. Recognised each June, the day sees children around the world present their dads with cards and gifts as a thank you for all they do. But when did the first observance of Father's Day take place and who helped establish the annual celebration of paternal figures?

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  Dad Shaming is a Thing: More Than Half of Fathers Say They Face Criticism of Their Parenting

  Parents
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  Four in 10 dads have not seen their kids on Father’s Day, survey finds

  The Telegraph

California and New Mexico team up to try and make sure the border wall is never built

Sen. Kamala Harris calls it 'inhumane' to tell migrants to go back to their native countries.

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  Mexico releases the terms of the immigration deal

  FOX News Videos
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  For U.S.-bound Central American migrants, better to stay in Mexico than be sent home

  Reuters

Report: Marine and Navy F-35 Pilots Need to Ration Afterburners at High Altitudes

Sebastien Roblin Security, Americas Another problem for this very expensive stealth fighter. After eighteen years of troubled and controversial development, the Lockheed F-35 Lightning stealth fighter may soon enter mass production, many of its bugs having been expensively squashed after delivery of an initial four-hundred “low-rate-of-initial-production” aircraft. However, a June 2019 scoop by Defense News journalists Valerie Insinna, David Larter and Aaron Mehta has revealed thirteen serious Category-1 flaws remain.

Saudi crown prince accuses rival Iran of tanker attacks

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in remarks published Sunday that the kingdom will not hesitate to confront threats to its security and joined the U.S. in accusing its bitter rival Iran of being behind the attacks on two vessels traveling near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital trade route for Arabian energy exports in Asia. The U.S. has blamed Iran for the suspected attacks on two oil tankers, denouncing what it called a campaign of "escalating tensions". The U.S. alleges Iran used limpet mines to target the tankers, pointing to black-and-white footage it captured that American officials describe as Iranian Revolutionary Guard troops removing an unexploded mine from the Japanese-operated tanker Kokuka Courageous.

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  Crew Members of Attacked Norwegian-Owned Tanker Now in Dubai

  Time
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  Pompeo Blames Iran For Taliban Attack As Administration 'Itches For War,' Says Expert

  HuffPost

Israel PM's wife Sara Netanyahu convicted of misusing public funds

An Israeli court Sunday convicted the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of fraudulently using state funds for meals, under a plea bargain which saw her admit to lesser charges. Sara Netanyahu was found guilty of exploiting the mistake of another person and ordered to pay a fine and compensation, in a deal approved by Jerusalem magistrates' court justice Avital Chen. Netanyahu was also fined 10,000 shekels ($2,800) and ordered to reimburse the state a further 45,000 shekels, the latter of which she will pay in nine installments, at her request.

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  Benjamin Netanyahu's wife Sara admits to misuse of public funds

  The Independent
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  Israeli PM's wife sentenced for misusing state funds

  Associated Press

Trump tries to clarify stance on foreign dirt: 'If you don't hear what it is, you don't know what it is'

President Trump on Friday attempted to clarify his stunning assertion that he would accept damaging information against his political rivals from foreign governments without necessarily alerting the FBI. In an interview with “Fox & Friends,” Trump said he would “absolutely” notify federal law enforcement if a foreign power presented his campaign with “incorrect or badly stated” information about an opponent. “If you don't hear what it is, you don't know what it is,” Trump said.

Planned Parenthood builds Ala. clinic despite abortion law

Planned Parenthood is building the stage for another possible fight over abortion in Alabama: a large women's clinic that's under construction despite the state's passage of a near-total ban on abortions. Located beside an interstate highway in downtown Birmingham, the 10,000-square-foot structure is now nothing but a steel frame and roof. Abortion critics vow to oppose the opening, but a spokeswoman for the women's health organization said neither the new law nor opponents were a factor in the project.

Democrats Struggling With Black Voters Target South Carolina

Four Democratic presidential candidates are trying to make up ground with black voters by visiting the early primary state of South Carolina this weekend, as they look to chip away at front-runner Joe Biden's edge with a key party constituency. Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Beto O'Rourke and Cory Booker each appeared at the event hosted by the Black Economic Alliance in downtown Charleston. All four highlighted issues such as bridging the racial wealth gap, creating opportunity and emphasizing the legacy of slavery that are important to black voters in South Carolina and nationally.

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  Beto O’Rourke visits Gullah Geechee Nation in SC

  USA TODAY
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  O'Rourke: White Americans don't know full story of slavery

  Associated Press

China probes FedEx after Huawei parcels misrouted

China on Friday launched an investigation into FedEx for "failing to deliver express packages" to the correct addresses in the country, state media said, after the US delivery service misrouted some Huawei parcels. FedEx apologised earlier this month for the delivery mishap after Chinese telecoms giant Huawei said it was reviewing its ties with the package service over the incident. The US delivery firm said at the time that "no external parties requested that FedEx transfer these packages".

How the AH-64 Apache Became the Ultimate Attack Helicopter

At 2:30 a.m., the choppers fanned out and set to work in teams of two. Rocket motors flashed as Hellfire missiles streaked towards two Iraqi radars powerful enough to potentially pick up the faint signature of a stealth plane. Nearly three decades later, the Apache's status as the world's premier attack helicopter remains largely unchallenged, and the type continues to see extensive action in the Middle East and in demand in countries as diverse as the UK, Egypt, India and Taiwan.

Pope Francis’ Arch Nemesis Comes Out of Hiding to Slam Him on Predator Priests

ROME—There are few scandals in the sordid history of the American Catholic church more painful than the saga of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a high-ranking prince of the church who fell from grace amid a slew of lies and cover-ups. McCarrick was forced to resign and later defrocked after credible allegations that he sexually abused a boy from the age of 11 until the young man was 29, starting long before the Boston Spotlight probe and Pennsylvania Grand Jury report came to define priests behaving badly. Unlike in Boston and Pennsylvania, where the local dioceses were easy to blame for bad management, McCarrick was a man of the popes, which makes him an easy target for those who oppose the direction of the church.

Sarah Sanders's 5 biggest whoppers

March 5, 2017: Sanders appeared on ABC's “This Week,” where she was asked about Trump's claim that former President Barack Obama had ordered then-candidate Trump's phones to be wiretapped. Everybody acts like President Trump is the one that came up with this idea,” Sanders said, adding that “there are multiple news outlets” that reported the claim. While Sanders and her defenders can point to articles in right-wing media outlets to justify the claim that Trump wasn't the only person to believe this conspiracy theory, multiple fact checks of the underlying allegation about Obama ordering that Trump's phones be wiretapped have shown it to be false.

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  News on the Move: Alleged New Zealand Shooter Pleads Not Guilty, Sarah Sanders to Step Down

  Yahoo Finance Video
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  With Sarah Sanders leaving the White House, Trump now lies alone

  USA TODAY Opinion

Doctors will conduct health checks at facility with preemie

The teenage girl with pigtail braids was hunched over in a wheelchair and holding a bunched sweatshirt when an immigrant advocate met her at a crowded Border Patrol facility in Texas. "You look at this baby and there is no question that this baby should be in a tube with a heart monitor," said Hope Frye, a volunteer with an immigrant advocacy group who travels the country visiting immigration facilities with children to make sure the facilities comply with federal guidelines. Frye and other advocates said the case highlights the poor conditions immigrants are held in after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border as the government deals with an unprecedented number of families and children arriving daily.

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  Teen Mother & Her Premature Newborn Neglected For A Week In Border Patrol Custody

  Refinery29
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  Mexico releases the terms of the immigration deal

  FOX News Videos

New Toyota Cars Will Automatically Go into Park and Shut the Engine Off

Many Toyota models will get two new safety features starting with the 2020 model year. Starting with the 2020 model year, Toyota is adding two new safety technologies to many of its models, calling the move part of the brand's "relentless commitment to continuous improvement." The new features are focused on the safety of parked-or almost parked-vehicles. The first of the two systems is called Automatic Park, which is pretty self-explanatory.

US grants energy-hungry Iraq new Iran sanctions waiver: source

The United States has granted Iraq another 90-day waiver to continue with vital energy imports from neighbouring Iran despite re-imposed sanctions, a government source said Saturday. The extension came after "long discussions" with Washington ahead of a looming deadline on a previous extension granted in December, the official, close to the negotiations, told AFP on condition of anonymity. The talks came amid spiking tensions between Iraq's two closest allies -- the US and Iran -- following a twin attack on tankers in the Gulf that US President Donald Trump has blamed on Tehran.

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  Oil Flat Despite Middle East Tensions

  Oilprice.com
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  Japanese tanker owner: Trump administration providing ‘false’ information about Gulf of Oman attack

  Yahoo News Video