- PoliticsUSA TODAY
Biden says if Trump mocks his age or mental state in a debate he'd challenge him to a push-up contest
When asked what he would do if President Donald Trump challenged him based on his age or mental fitness in a debate, former Vice President Joe Biden said he would challenge the president to a push-up contest. Biden made the comment during an interview with MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski that aired Monday on "Morning Joe." Brzezinski asked Biden about Democratic voters who wondered how he would handle someone like Trump, "who doesn't play fair," after he seemed unprepared for criticism from Sen. Kamala Harris in the Democratic debate in Miami. "I realize that some have concluded that because I didn't respond very tough back to her, that how can I take on Trump?
- NewsReuters
Italian, U.S. police make arrests as Mafia clan looks to regroup
Italian and U.S. police have launched a coordinated crackdown against major crime families who were looking to rebuild their Mafia powerbase in Sicily, Italian investigators said on Wednesday. More than 200 police, including officers from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), have been carrying out 19 arrest warrants since dawn targeting the Inzerillo clan in Sicily's capital Palermo and the New York-based Gambino family. Sicily's organised crime group, known as 'Cosa Nostra' (Our Thing), has been in a state of flux since the death of the feared boss of bosses Salvatore "Toto" Riina, who died in prison in 2017 after spending almost a quarter of century behind bars.
WorldAFPAustralia calls on China to let Uighur mother and son leave
Australia's government on Wednesday called on China to allow an Australian child and his Uighur mother to leave the country, days after co-signing a letter denouncing Beijing's treatment of the Muslim minority. China has rounded up an estimated one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic-speaking minorities into re-education camps in tightly controlled Xinjiang region, in the country's northwest. Sadam Abdusalam has campaigned for months for his Uighur wife, Nadila Wumaier, and their son Lutifeier, whom he has never met, to be allowed to come to Australia.
- NewsAssociated Press
Man arrested in slaying of 75-year-old community activist
The suspect in the slaying of a community leader who founded Baton Rouge's African American history museum was a tenant who owed her back rent, authorities said Tuesday. Ronn Jermaine Bell, 38, was arrested Tuesday on a charge of first-degree murder, city Police Chief Murphy J. Paul told news reporters. Bell is being held in the East Baton Rouge Parish jail.
- BusinessKGO – San Francisco
National $15 minimum wage expected to pass in House of Representatives this week
The "Raise the Wage Act" would make 15-dollars an hour a reality for all American workers by 2024.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Investigators 'discover mysterious 200lb load' on board MH370 after take-off
Investigators looking into the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have discovered a “mysterious 200lb load” added to the flight list after take-off, according to an engineer whose wife and two children were on board. Ghyslain Wattrelos said the cargo was revealed in a report on the passengers and baggage by French investigators. Mr Wattrelos, who believes the flight was deliberately downed, told Le Parisien newspaper: “It was also learned that a mysterious load of 89 kilos was added to the flight list after take-off.
- WorldThe National Interest
What If America Lost a Carrier in a War with Iran?
The Navy simply lacks enough ships and aircraft to meet the increasing demands of its global mission. The recent oil tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman reinforce the need to reestablish a highly visible U.S. naval deterrent in the Middle East. With the United States needing a more robust posture against Iran and confronting renewed challenges in Asia and Europe, several immediate measures and concerted longer-term efforts are critical to ensure America has the carriers it needs.
- NewsAOL.com
North Carolina father of 7 dies trying to save his drowning children at beach
A North Carolina father drowned Sunday while rescuing two of his young children who were swept away by a wave while walking on a submerged jetty at Wrightsville Beach. Johnny Lee Vann Jr., a 35-year-old father who recently moved to Durham from Detroit, Mich., with his family, did not hesitate to jump into the rough waters after watching two of his seven children go under, his widow, Dawn Vann, told WNCN. Vann Jr. successfully brought one child to shore but struggled to stay afloat after heading back out for the second, Capt. Jason Bishop of the Wrightsville Beach Police Department told ABC News.
- BusinessCar and Driver
How Kim Jong Un Got Mercedes-Benz Pullman Limos Home to North Korea
Researchers at a Washington, D.C., think tank, cited by the Wall Street Journal, have offered explanations as to how a pair of Mercedes-Benz limousines ended up in North Korean hands. Kim Jong Un must be used to convoluted means of getting at luxuries that the repressed populace he rules over cannot hope to touch. How else to explain why the North Korean dictator would pay a million dollars for a couple of 10-year-old Mercedes-Benz limousines?
- NewsUSA TODAY
Acting DHS chief Kevin McAleenan faces barrage of lawmaker questions on migrant detention facilities
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan is set to face a grilling on Capitol Hill today when he appears before a congressional panel eager to question him about overcrowded migrant detention facilities and other issues encircling his department. He is expected to be questioned by members of the House Oversight and Reform Committee on the separation of migrant children from their families, conditions at the detention centers and a secret Facebook group where border agents mocked the deaths of migrants and lawmakers.
- WorldReuters
U.S. judge blasts drug lord El Chapo's 'overwhelming evil,' imposes life sentence
Guzman, 62, berated the U.S. justice system, and a former associate described how he had paid a gang $1 million to try to kill her before U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan imposed the mandatory sentence of life plus 30 years. Cogan also ordered Guzman to forfeit $12.6 billion in a hearing in federal court in Brooklyn. A jury in February convicted Guzman of trafficking tons of cocaine, heroin and marijuana and engaging in multiple murder conspiracies as a top leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, long known as one of Mexico's largest, most violent drug trafficking organizations.
- LifestyleDelish
Over-the-Top Ice Cream Sandwich Recipes That Are Worth Every Calorie
No basic 'wiches here. From Delish
- PoliticsAssociated Press
US kicking NATO ally Turkey out of fighter program
In a significant break with a longtime NATO ally, the Trump administration on Wednesday said Turkey can no longer be part of the American F-35 fighter jet program. In a written statement, the White House said that Turkey's decision to buy the Russian S-400 air defense system "renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible." The White House did not say explicitly that Turkey will be kicked out of the F-35 program, but the Pentagon was expected to do so.
WorldAFPUK raises alarm after mother held by Iran is taken to mental ward
London demanded the immediate release Wednesday of a jailed British-Iranian aid worker whose husband said she has been transferred to the mental ward of a public hospital in Tehran. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's case has roiled Britain's relations with the Islamic republic since her 2016 arrest and conviction on sedition charges over which she has held a series of hunger strikes. "We are extremely concrned about Nazanin's welfare and call for her immediate release," Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman said.
- LifestyleBloomberg
Landlords Sue NYC Over New Rent Caps on a Million Apartments
The decades-old law that limits rent increases violates the U.S. Constitution by placing an unfair burden on property owners, particularly those who own pre-1974 buildings with six or more units, according to the suit, filed Monday in federal court in Brooklyn. The state legislature, now under full Democratic control, adopted sweeping tenant protections in June that further cap rent increases and restrict landlords' ability to evict residents. The massive rewrite of the rent rules, which cover about 2.4 million residents, aimed to preserve affordable housing by eliminating tools landlords used to remove units from regulation.
- WorldThe National Interest
Iran Loves This: The Royal Navy Doesn’t Have Enough Ships to Patrol Persian Gulf
The Royal Navy plans briefly to double its number of warships in the Persian Gulf following an attempted attack by Iranian forces on a British oil tanker on June 20, 2019. Iranian boats tried to “impede” the British oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz, the BBC reported. HMS Montrose, a Type 23 frigate, “was forced to move between the three boats and the tanker,” according to the BBC.
- NewsThe Independent
Couple kiss in photo with lion moments after shooting it dead
“There is nothing like hunting the king of the jungle,” the photo is captioned. Eduardo Goncalves, the founder of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, said: “It looks as though this lion was a tame animal killed in an enclosure, bred for the sole purpose of being the subject of a smug selfie. Legelela Safaris charges up to £2,400 for tours which include giraffe, zebra, leopard, elephant, rhino and lion hunts.
- BusinessBusiness Insider
Southwest and Boeing had a 'reckless, greedy conspiracy' to keep the 737 Max flying despite knowing about its flaws, a new lawsuit alleges
A lawsuit alleges that Boeing and Southwest Airlines conspired to cover up issues with the 737 Max from customers, pilots, and regulators. The lawsuit, from 11 passengers, said that Southwest and Boeing knew about "a fatal design defect" with the plane, but covered it up and insisted the plane was safe. It alleges that Southwest profited from a "collusive relationship" with Boeing, and that the two companies had a "reckless greedy conspiracy" to keep the plane flying despite knowing about defects.
- PoliticsUSA TODAY
Sen. Rand Paul delays attempt to reauthorize 9/11 first responder bill, cites cost as the reason
WASHINGTON – A billto reauthorize a fund that compensates victims of 9/11 and their families was delayed on the Senate floor Wednesday by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. Paul had objected to the projected cost of the bill, which would reauthorize the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund (VCF). The fund was created after 9/11 to help pay for medical and economic losses as a result of the terrorist attacks, but faced steep cuts to payments unless it was reauthorized.
- BusinessCar and Driver
These Are the 8 Best Books about the Chevy Corvette
Here are our favorite Corvette tomes for your reading pleasure. From Car and Driver
- WorldReuters
Ukraine says transport organizer of missile that shot down MH-17 plane in jail
Ukraine said on Wednesday a rebel who organized the trailer carrying the missile that shot down a Malaysian airliner in 2014 had been captured two years ago and was now serving a sentence in Ukraine. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH-17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot out of the sky over eastern Ukraine during a rebellion by Russian-backed separatists, killing all 298 people on board. A Dutch-led team of investigators has blamed Russia for supplying the surface-to-air missile that shot it down.
- U.S.KTLA - Los Angeles
LAPD Officer Charged With Raping 2 Victims, Was Linked to Earlier Sexual Assault After DNA Match
A 10-year veteran with the Los Angeles Police Department was charged with two counts of rape Wednesday after a DNA match linked him to a second sexual assault case, authorities announced.
- NewsAssociated Press
Florida expert captures elusive alligator at Chicago lagoon
The alligator had a good run as day after day the people hunting for him in a Chicago lagoon came up empty, but in the end he was no match for an expert the city shipped in from Florida. After local enthusiasts tried and failed to trap the reptile, Frank Robb arrived from St. Augustine on Sunday . "I brought my fishing rod and it went down pretty fast," Robb said at a news conference at the park Tuesday morning.
BusinessAFPFed's Powell doubles down on rate cut signal
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell added more weight to expectations the central bank will cut interest rates later this month, stressing Tuesday that the US inflation outlook is near historic lows. Economists and investors see it as a certainty that the Fed will lower the key borrowing rate at the policy meeting July 30-31, and Powell in recent statements has moved to solidify those predictions by pointing to some concerns about economic growth and persistent weak inflation. Central bankers have "raised concerns about a more prolonged shortfall in inflation below our 2 percent target," Powell said in a prepared speech at a Bank of France event.
- WorldThe National Interest
America and Iran: On a Path Towards War?
Iran's leader has taken a defiant stance against the United States and its allies, signalling a potential “fraying” of the 2015 deal limiting Iran's nuclear program, The New York Times reported. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on July 16, 2019 denounced “the vicious British” after U.K. forces earlier in the month seized an Iranian oil tanker off Gibraltar. In a speech to clerics, Khamenei “appeared to signal his intention to ignore diplomacy for the moment and stoke tensions with the West over the embattled nuclear accord,” the Times' Rick Gladstone wrote.
"The department was thrown together during George W. Bush's administration, forged in fear in the aftermath of 9/11."
"The Department of Homeland Security has kept us safe."
"The abysmal track record of DHS's various divisions suggest that the department should be broken up altogether."
"The department will always be the hastily assembled product of a dark, paranoid moment in American history."
"Why stop there? I’m guessing AOC doesn’t like the Department of Defense, either."
