What’s on TV Wednesday: ‘The Looming Tower’ and ‘Waco’

By ANDREW R. CHOW from NYT Arts http://ift.tt/2CK4hil

As Xi Tightens His Grip on China, U.S. Sees Conflict Ahead

By MARK LANDLER from NYT U.S. http://ift.tt/2BTTBkt

Hope Hicks Acknowledges She Sometimes Tells White Lies for Trump

By NICHOLAS FANDOS from NYT U.S. http://ift.tt/2Fdx6cB

11 Sickened by Hazardous Envelope Opened on Military Base

By THOMAS GIBBONS-NEFF from NYT U.S. http://ift.tt/2F9Q0AL

Judge Orders Tarps Removed From Confederate Statues in Charlottesville

By MATTHEW HAAG from NYT U.S. http://ift.tt/2BWXLs5

Quotation of the Day: N.R.A. Battle Pits Business Against G.O.P.

By Unknown Author from NYT Today’s Paper http://ift.tt/2EYl6MG

Review: ‘The Amateurs’ Takes On God, Noah’s Ark and the Plague. For Laughs.

By JESSE GREEN from NYT Theater http://ift.tt/2F86dXk

Flying Taxis May Be Years Away, but the Groundwork Is Accelerating

By DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI from NYT Technology http://ift.tt/2F7jbVj

Corrections: February 28, 2018

By Unknown Author from NYT Corrections http://ift.tt/2CO6N7j

What We’re Reading

By Compiled by ANDREA KANNAPELL from NYT Times Insider http://ift.tt/2GPr7aU

Marching Orders

By DEB AMLEN from NYT Crosswords & Games http://ift.tt/2FBKzZp

Steve Wynn Is Accused of Rape and Coercion in Police Reports

By ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Business Day http://ift.tt/2CMHqmz

The Life, Death and Career of Harper Lee

By THE NEW YORK TIMES from NYT Arts http://ift.tt/2owlmZ7

Toys R Us and Maplin face collapse with 5,500 jobs at risk

The two chains are understood to have put administrators on standby after failing to secure sale deals.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2F0GkoS

Levi Strauss to use lasers instead of people to finish jeans

The company has developed new software that works with lasers to speed up its jean-making process.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2HMVyQp

Foxtons hit as London housing market ebbs

The estate agent reports a slump in profits as it warns that the London market is near historic lows.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2ovJj2v

Cannes property show accused of sleaze and sexism

The organisers of MIPIM, held in Cannes, say they are reminding delegates of its code of conduct.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2GL6soc

iQiyi: 'China's Netflix' to list on US stock market

Baidu's iQiyi streaming platform has a growing user base but has yet to make a profit.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2BWdxn1

Amazon buys 'smart' doorbell firm Ring

Ring makes doorbells that stream videos of people approaching or ringing the front door to phones.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2CNYfxf

Disney plans €2bn expansion at Disneyland Paris

The firm plans to expand with new areas devoted to hit films Frozen and Star Wars.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2HS3nV0

Takata airbag scandal: Australia recalls 2.3 million cars

Millions of vehicles have faulty Takata airbags, forcing one the nation's biggest consumer recalls.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2GQxydP

Trump reaches informal Air Force One deal with Boeing

The White House says it has reached an informal deal with Boeing to provide two Air Force One planes.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2BVJw6T

Diesel ban approved for German cities to cut pollution

German cities will be able to ban older, more polluting vehicles from some areas in a landmark ruling.

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Doorstep lender to return £169m to customers

Provident Financial reports loss for 2017 and is raising £330m to cover compensation bill.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2ETv6GM

Ryanair to axe Glasgow Airport base

The airline will close its base at Glasgow Airport, warning that 300 jobs could go as a result.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2GMxQ5k

Credit card debt: Deadline set for new rules

Firms have made large profits from those in persistent debt but must do more to help them by September.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2EWkl2p

The app that helps feeds kids

Marie Farmer came up with the idea during her maternity leave, and it has now led to her quitting her job.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2GOZ8bm

Moon to get 4G mobile network

Vodafone and Nokia lay out plans to put a 4G mobile network on the Moon in 2019.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2otVPzp

Huawei: US scared we are too competitive

Huawei says the US wants to keep the Chinese firm out of the country because it is "too strong".

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2ovKC1m

Drink up

Indian beer company Bira 91 has be ambitions to dominate global beer sales, says founder Ankur Jain.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2CqiXHO

Waiting game

After Beijing moved on the insurance and financial giant, others are likely to be worried.

from BBC News - Business http://ift.tt/2FB3pjp

Florida Survivors Defend Sheriff Against Republican Calls To Oust Him

Students who survived the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, earlier this month don’t blame Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel for missing various red flags in the shooter’s behavior.

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Trump says he would have tried to stop Parkland shooter — with his bare hands

President Trump on Monday criticized the armed sheriff's deputies who reportedly failed to enter Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., during the Feb. 14 mass shooting, suggesting he would have done so even if he didn't have a gun.

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West Virginia Governor Tells Striking Teachers To Get Back In The Classroom

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) told his state’s striking teachers they “need to be back in the classroom” as he spoke at a series of town halls on Monday. Speaking and taking questions in Wheeling, Martinsburg and Morgantown throughout the day, Justice urged the state’s educators to end their strike Tuesday and promised he’d establish a task force in the next seven to 10 days to look into some of their concerns. The comments come days after Justice faced criticisms that he’s missing in action at the state Capitol. His administration has denied a Freedom of Information Act request to view his calendars and appointment books.

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ICE officials say Oakland mayor put lives at risk

Head of ICE's enforcement and removal blasts Mayor Libby Schaaf's decision to announce raids; Claudia Cowan rides along with federal immigration agents trying to enforce the law.

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Ex-presidents, friends, family pay respects to Billy Graham

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton first saw the late Rev. Billy Graham as a boy when a Sunday School teacher brought him to a football stadium for a crusade.

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I Am a School Shooting Survivor. This Is the First Time I’ve Had Hope in 25 Years

Students are standing up to the gun lobby, the NRA and politicians

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Russia 'both arsonist and firefighter' in Syria: U.S. general

By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior U.S. general accused Russia on Tuesday of playing a destabilizing role in Syria and acting as "both arsonist and firefighter," as a brief truce unilaterally declared by Moscow in the eastern Ghouta region collapsed. The United States and Russia have been on different sides of the seven-year-old war, with Moscow heavily backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad whose forces are besieging eastern Ghouta, a rebel-held area near Damascus.

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FedEx Says It Will Continue Offering NRA Members Discounts

FedEx will not end its partnership with the National Rifle Association, the company said Monday, even as other companies are heeding calls from activists and severing their ties with the organization. 

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Prison work boot sales halted after guard kicked, killed

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania prison official said Tuesday the sale of work boots at all prison commissaries was halted because an inmate is accused of killing a guard by knocking him to the floor and kicking him in the head with a boot.

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UK weather: Warning for commuters as further heavy snow hits UK

Disruption is expected across roads and public transport, and hundreds of schools remain closed.

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EU to publish first draft of Brexit treaty

It is expected to say Northern Ireland may have to follow EU single market rules to avoid a hard border.

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Toys R Us and Maplin face collapse with 5,500 jobs at risk

The two chains are understood to have put administrators on standby after failing to secure sale deals.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2F0GkoS

'Bucket list' killer Jemma Lilley gets 28 years for murder

Briton Jemma Lilley garrotted, stabbed and buried Aaron Pajich at her home in Australia.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2ozE5C2

Vandal destroys Washington DC traffic camera

Police believe these could be the people who attacked 11 traffic cameras in one day in Washington DC.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2HSnIJw

Most UK cannabis 'super strength skunk'

High-potency cannabis now makes up 94% of the UK market, samples seized by the police suggest.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2GOu2R3

N Korea 'providing materials to Syria chemical weapons factories'

Pyongyang has been sending equipment to the country, a UN report finds.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2FBYu1D

BBC charity sacked six over sexual misconduct

International development charity BBC Media Action reveals six people were dismissed over 10 years.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2GPTkyi

Oxfam: What's gone wrong with the foreign aid sector?

After Oxfam's handling of a sex scandal in Haiti, the foreign aid sector faces tough questions.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2HTj12q

Satisfaction with GP services at record low

And overall public happiness with the NHS falls to its lowest level since 2011, a survey finds.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2EUdGd8

Worker died in fall at 'lethal' Qatar World Cup stadium

Zachary Cox fell to his death while working at a stadium that will host the 2022 World Cup.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2CN69a4

Trump son-in-law's security clearance downgraded

President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser will no longer receive top-level briefings.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2FAI5ua

Newspaper headlines: 'Snow storm chaos' and prospect of hard Irish border raised

Winter weather sweeps across the UK and Boris Johnson raises the prospect of a hard border in Ireland after Brexit.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2BWMojS

News Daily: Big freeze worsens and Brexit legal draft published

Your morning briefing for 28 February 2018.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2CoiCFu

Skins: The TV show with an A-list alumni

How one hit E4 show of the 2000's has produced the Oscar nominees of today.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2GOPAwX

Meet the woman teaching others how to fight off sex attackers

Emily Moser was beaten up in an attempted rape. Now she teaches women self-defence.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2Coq8QH

Star Wars: The Last Jedi visual effects revealed

Click meets Ben Morris of the Oscar nominated visual effects team behind Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2EWZpfS

The app that helps feeds kids

Marie Farmer came up with the idea during her maternity leave, and it has now led to her quitting her job.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2GOZ8bm

Homeless students: Finding shelter outside the classroom

One in five students in Los Angeles face housing insecurity - so where are they living?

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2GNXC9s

UK weather: Snowy scenes across the UK

Bitterly cold weather and heavy snow sweep in from the east, causing disruption and delight.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2F5kDYl

UK weather: How to stay fashionable in the freeze

London College of Fashion students and staff tell us how they look cool in the cold.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2oxCJrw

Boris Johnson's Irish border remarks lampooned

The foreign secretary is ridiculed for comparing the border to London's congestion charge zone.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2FCodae

Nando's confirms it uses McCain chips

The chicken chain confirms it uses frozen chips - but says they're not the ones sold in shops.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2F71K7c

Is there a problem with unregistered schools?

Inspectors say there are more than 350 unregistered schools but they have few powers to investigate.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2oBoemG

Blackburn: The town that fails to elect Asian women

Areas with a similar demographic have managed it, so why hasn't Blackburn?

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2GLFOMb

Superorganism interview: 'We're a non-stop pop production house'

At home with Superorganism - the eight-piece pop group who made a hit single before they'd even met.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2HTdWXW

Oscars 2018: What's up for best foreign language film?

What you need to know about the five movies competing for the best foreign language film Oscar.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2GORxcL

Beast from the East: How the weather got a Hollywood makeover

No longer is it enough to simple refer to the weather as "winter". So what's changed?

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2HMMbA1

Winter Olympics: Is window for US-N Korea peace closing?

A small window for diplomacy emerged during the "peace Olympics" in Pyeongchang, but it's closing fast.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2ou8WR8

Papua New Guinea Quake Killed at Least 15, Governor Says

A powerful earthquake two days ago killed at least 15 people, injured dozens and brought work to a halt at four oil and gas fields in a remote Papua New Guinea region, the local governor said Wednesday.

from CBNNews.com http://ift.tt/2GOCMqo

Democrats appear to extend streak with another red/blue flip

Rachel Maddow reports on the apparently victory of Democrat Linda Belcher in a Kentucky state special election, at least the 37th flip by Democrats of a district that went heavily for Donald Trump in 2016.

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CDC doctor's disappearance: Parents share chilling last text message from missing son

The parents of missing doctor Timothy Cunningham shared the last text message they received from their son before his disappearance two weeks ago. Cunningham, a highly regarded epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, went missing after he left work mid-day on Feb. 12, complaining of feeling ill. After Cunningham, 35, failed to report to work or contact his family over the next two days, his parents, Terrell and Tia-Juana Cunningham, drove down to Georgia from their house in Maryland to check on their son.

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Gun-Carrying GOP Lawmaker Calls For Assault Weapon Ban: 'Not One More School Shooting'

Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), a combat veteran and gun-carrying National Rifle Association member, is supporting a ban on “assault-style weapons” in the wake of a deadly mass shooting earlier this month. 

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Supreme Court hears arguments on power of public employee unions

The justices will decide whether state government workers who choose not to join a union must still pay a share of union dues to cover the cost of negotiating contracts.

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Jared Kushner's Security Clearance Has Been Downgraded: Reports

All other White House aides working on high-level interim clearances also had their access downgraded, according to a memo reportedly sent to staffers on Friday. Earlier that same day, Trump said he would leave it up to his chief of staff, John Kelly, to decide what access Kushner should have.

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Two stowaways on US-bound flight from Ecuador die after falling from aircraft

Two men thought to have been stowaways on a US-bound flight from Ecuador have died after they fell from the aircraft, it has been reported. The Jose Joaquin de Olmedo airport in Guayaquil was closed for an hour and a half as their bodies were removed from the runway. Employees at the airport noticed three objects falling from the plane and officials believe the pair either fainted or were ejected.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines http://ift.tt/2ouB5rE

Florida student who threatened to kill classmates arrested with pipe bomb, weapons

A 16-year-old Florida boy who allegedly threatened to kill other students at his school had weapons in his possession when he was arrested on Monday night, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office. An anonymous person tipped off the Boca Raton Police Department, who notified Broward County authorities after they found that the teen lived in Pompano Beach, Florida. Deputies with the sheriff's office bomb squad, along with representatives of Homeland Security and the FBI, went to the teen's residence on Monday night and discovered a homemade pipe bomb along with other weapons in his possession, officials said.

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Disparate dots find connections in Robert Mueller indictments

Rachel Maddow looks at the relationships that bring today's charges by Robert Mueller against lawyer Alex van der Zwaan right into Vladimir Putin's inner circle.

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#BackfireTrump Will Tweet Every Gun Death At The President

A new gun-control campaign aims to show President Donald Trump the scale of gun violence via Twitter.

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After Saying He'd 'Monitor Every Penny,' Ben Carson's Office Spent $31,000 On Dining Set

The Department of Housing and Urban Development spent more than $31,000 on a new dining set for Secretary Ben Carson’s office last year, according to procurement documents obtained by The New York Times. It was purchased by a staffer in Carson’s office shortly after another HUD employee expressed concerns over a costly redecoration request that would’ve exceeded federal limits. Tuesday’s report also comes as HUD is facing a $6.8 billion cut to its fiscal budget that would affect elderly and poor Americans.

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Citigroup refunding $330 million to customers after overcharging interest

Citibank is promising to refund nearly 2 million credit card holders an average of nearly $190 dollars, admitting the bank failed to reduce some annual interest rate charges for cardholders in good standing.

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Former White House photographer Pete Souza drags Trump over Florida high school shooting comment

President Donald Trump said on Monday he would have personally run into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School to help during the mass shooting earlier this month, even if he was unarmed.

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Prison fight caught on camera

A fight broke out in the maximum security section of the Cook County Jail in Illinois. Two inmates were taken to area hospitals for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Sixteen inmates were charged with 'mob action.'

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Family Dog Walks Out Of Rubble After 5 People Killed in Tornado, Deadly Floods

Central U.S. through Appalachia experienced gale force winds and heavy rains over the weekend.

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Doyle Lee Hamm execution: Repeated jabbing of death row inmate in attempted lethal injection amounts to torture, says lawyer

Convicted murderer Doyle Lee Hamm, 61, who has spent more than half his life on death row, was returned to his cell after more than two hours of effort by the execution team. Bernard Harcourt, who has represented Hamm for 28 years, claimed the “botched” execution attempt led to at least 12 puncture wounds from failed needle placements. “It was a gory, botched execution," he said.

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In free speech case, justices troubled by Fla. man's arrest

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court justices seemed troubled Tuesday by the arrest of a Florida man during a city council meeting in Florida, an arrest he says was retaliation for being an outspoken critic of the city.

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Fire breaks out in overhead storage on Chinese aircraft

A fire broke out in the overhead storage of a Chinese passenger jet moments before it was scheduled to take off. Flight attendants and a passenger threw water and juice over a bag in the luggage compartment as it was engulfed in heavy smoke and flames. The fire was thought to have been triggered by a power bank that was being carried in the bag, reports said. The owner was taken away by police for questioning. All the passengers were forced to disembark the Boeing 777 following the fire, which happened while the plane was parked on the tarmac at Guangzhou Airport in southern China. It was scheduled to fly to Shanghai. The passengers and crew were taken to a different aircraft which took off just after 3pm, three hours after the original flight was scheduled to depart. Fire caused by portable charger on China Southern flight in Guangzhou was put out promptly, while passengers were relocated to another plane pic.twitter.com/HYwShVN1t3— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) February 25, 2018 The power charger was not in use when the fire started, Chinese media said. The video of the fire was shared widely on Chinese social media, where many were commenting on why only bottles of water and juice were used to extinguished the flames. “Don’t they have proper fire extinguishers on planes,” said one comment on Sina Weibo, China’s version of Twitter. The fire on the aircraft Credit: Weibo However, other observers said the crew reacted to the fire correctly. “Using water is standard operation procedure,” said a Tweet from ChinaAviationReview, which tweets updates on Chinese aviation news.  “Water is actually better than… extinguisher in case of lithium battery fire.” Chinese airlines allow lithium batteries to be taken onto aircraft in hand luggage, but they are not allowed to be packed in checked-in luggage. Additional reporting by Christine Wei

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Poll: Most Voters Think The NRA Is Bad For America

Most voters think the National Rifle Association supports policies that are bad for the country, new polling finds, as an increasing share favor stricter gun laws. In a Quinnipiac University National Poll conducted after the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, 51 percent of voters said the NRA supports policies that are bad for the U.S. That’s an uptick from October, when the poll found that 47 percent of respondents thought the NRA supported bad policies.

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Major quake cuts communications, halts oil and gas operations in Papua New Guinea

By Charlotte Greenfield and Sonali Paul WELLINGTON/MELBOURNE (Reuters) - At least one company began evacuating non-essential personnel after a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit Papua New Guinea's energy-rich interior on Monday, causing landslides, damaging buildings and closing oil and gas operations. The tremor hit in the rugged, heavily forested Southern Highlands about 560 km (350 miles) northwest of the capital, Port Moresby, at around 3.45 a.m. local time (1545 GMT Sunday), according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). A spokesman at Papua New Guinea's National Disaster Centre said by telephone the affected area was very remote and the agency could not properly assess damage until communication was re-established.

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NSA chief: Trump 'has not ordered disruption of Russia election meddling'

A top national security official told lawmakers on Tuesday he had not been directed by Donald Trump to disrupt Russian efforts to meddle in US elections, and that Vladimir Putin had come to the conclusion there was “little price to pay” for such actions.

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US deputy branded a 'coward' breaks silence, defends actions

Now, after nearly two weeks of opprobrium, the sheriff's deputy accused of failing to take action during the Florida high school shooting is fighting back. Scot Peterson, 54, broke his silence on Monday and defended his conduct during the shooting at Marjory Douglas Stoneman High School in Parkland, Florida, which left 14 students and three adult staff members dead. "Let there be no mistake, Mr. Peterson wishes that he could have prevented the untimely passing of the 17 victims on that day, and his heart goes out to the families of the victims," his attorney, Joseph DiRuzzo III, said in a statement.

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So That Baby Definitely Wasn't Crying On 'Walking Dead,' Right?

By all accounts, the most recent episode of “Walking Dead” was tragic (RIP Carl). In the Season 8 midseason premiere on Sunday, Carl enjoyed a touching moment with his sister Judith (Chloe and Sophia Garcia-Frizzi), saying goodbye before his inevitable death from a zombie bite.

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The Latest: Obama not planning to attend Graham memorial

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on those paying respects to the Rev. Billy Graham in Charlotte (all times local):

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Oakland mayor warns residents of ICE immigration raids

Escalating California’s resistance to federal immigration enforcement, Oakland’s mayor has warned residents that she believes an operation was imminent. “I am sharing this information publicly not to panic our residents but to protect them,” Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a press release, citing her “moral obligation” and directing people to immigration law resources. “I know that Oakland is a city of law-abiding immigrants and families who deserve to live free from the constant threat of arrest and deportation,” she added, saying immigration authorities have “used activity rumors in the past as a tactic to create fear”.

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No Jail For Texas Teen Who Lied About Being Raped By 3 Black Men

On Thursday, 19-year-old Breana Harmon of Pottsboro pleaded guilty to four felony charges of tampering with physical evidence and government documents in relation to false reports of kidnapping and sexual assault. “She’s very remorseful for what she did and what she said, and that’s why she decided to plead guilty,” Harmon’s attorney Bob Jarvis told the Sherman Herald Democrat. On March 8, 2017, Harmon was reported missing to the Denison Police Department after witnesses noticed the door to her vehicle was open with personal items, including a phone and keys, scattered on the ground.

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After Unsuspecting Mom Is Crushed in Central Park, How to Spot a Troublesome Tree

Anne Monoky is still in a neck brace after the incident six months ago.

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China Communist Party proposes removing presidential term limits, paving way for Xi to lead beyond 2023

China's ruling Communist Party is seeking to remove a restriction on the president serving 10 years, paving the way for Xi Jinping to remain in office beyond 2023 and perhaps for life. The official Xinhua news agency said on Sunday that the Party had proposed to "remove the expression" that the president and vice-president “shall serve no more than two consecutive terms” from the country’s constitution. The move would set in motion a more authoritarian future for China under Mr Xi, and is being described by experts as confirmation that Beijing has no interest in further opening up or delivering real democracy. Steven Tsang, the director of the China Institute at SOAS, University of London told The Telegraph: "Democratization was never on the agenda under the Communist Party, which is a consultative Leninist system, one that fundamentally rejects liberal democracy, despite its claim that China is democratic ‘with Chinese characteristics’. "It should now be so obvious that anyone who still cannot see it must be politically blind." Mr Xi had already cemented his position as the country's strongest leader since Mao Tse-tung at last October's 19th Party Congress, when he began his second term as Chinese leader. Chinese President Xi Jinping, third from left, waves near Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, third from right, as they walk in with other members of the Chinese Politburo Beijing's at the Great Hall of the People Credit: AP The 64-year-old leader has been steadily eroding the collective model of leadership set up in China since the Cultural Revolution and the emergence of the reform era under Deng Xiaoping. Mr Xi's presidency has also seen the return of a personality cult, and the targeting of political rivals and critics through a corruption crackdown and a wider war on human rights. While some observers had previously predicted that Mr Xi might seek to break with precedent and rule beyond two terms - which would usually have ended in 2023 - many were expressing shock at the nature of Sunday's announcement. Prof Tsang said many experts had expected Mr Xi to remain as China's 'behind the scenes' leader, but give up the role of president. He could have continued as General Secretary of the Communist Party and chief of China’s military, leaving a ceremonial president in place.  Presidents Li Xiannian (1983 to 1988) and Yang Shangkun (1988 to 1993) were largely symbolic figures before Jiang Zemin assumed power. "The implication is that the vanity dimension seems to stand out," said Prof Tsang.  "He wants to be formally received and treated as state president wherever he will travel post 2022." Mr Xi is nine months younger than Russian leader Vladimir Putin and will be 69 in 2023. Chairman Mao ruled China until 1976, when he died aged 82. Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao - Mr Xi's two predecessors - both served two five-year terms, but there had been signs that China's current ruler might break with tradition. No clear successor emerged at the party congress with the unveiling of a new seven-member Standing Committee, China's top ruling body and cabinet. Kerry Brown, a former British diplomat in China and author of CEO China: The Rise of Xi Jinping, said Beijing's decision to signal Mr Xi's continued rule suggested China was determined to be "the winner" on the global stage. "I wouldn't interpret this as too much a sign of strength, more one further indication that the Xi leadership will do anything - repeat anything - to ensure that China's moment up to 2021 of finally being restored to its status as a great power is completely assured," he told The Telegraph. "So leadership changes and things like that will be treated with absolute micro management, and the elite positions are unlikely to shift much. "This is just a sign of how high the stakes are. With an ailing and declining US, and Europe just muddling on, China is determined finally to be a winner. And you don't change the jockey on a winning horse half way through a race." Additional reporting by Christine Wei

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Martin Shkreli responsible for $10.5m in securities scheme losses, judge rules

Shkreli is perhaps best known for boosting the price of a life-saving drug Daraprim by 5,000%. In a significant blow to the fortunes of disgraced “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli a judge ruled Monday that he was responsible for nearly $10.5m in losses in a securities fraud scheme. The decision could result in a harsher sentence for the eccentric former pharmaceutical company CEO who faces up to 20 years in prison.

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