- PoliticsYahoo News
The White House and Mitch McConnell’s office tell very different stories about the failure of the health care bill
As the dust settled following Monday night’s collapse of the Republican effort to repeal Obamacare, a flurry of finger-pointing and competing narratives emerged with both the White House and the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell trying to minimize their own roles in the debacle. Some White House staffers threw McConnell under the proverbial bus, suggesting that the majority leader rushed the vote and limited President Trump’s involvement. McConnell’s allies denied he sought to dictate the process or have the president take a back seat.
- ScienceYahoo News
GOP Rep. Rohrabacher gets to the bottom of Martian civilization: There wasn’t any
“You have indicated that Mars had — was totally different thousands of years ago,” Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., asked during a hearing of the space subcommittee of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. The congressman’s question followed earlier testimony by NASA scientist Kenneth Farley about plans for the Mars 2020 mission, which involves looking for evidence of life on the red planet from the first billion years of the solar system. “Prior to about 3.6 billion years ago, Mars had rivers, lakes and possibly a vast northern ocean,” Farley said earlier in the hearing.
NewsAssociated PressMinneapolis police officer has yet to talk to investigators
Four days after a Minneapolis police officer fatally shot a woman who had called 911 to report a possible rape, the officer has yet to talk with investigators, and his attorney has given no indication he ever will. Details that have emerged raised new questions Wednesday about whether proper police procedures were followed. According to the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Noor's partner, Officer Matthew Harrity, told investigators he was driving in the alley with all of the vehicle's lights off when he was startled by a loud noise, which authorities did not describe.
- WorldYahoo News Video
Russia says ready to retaliate after U.S. talks end without deal
Russia said on Tuesday that it reserved the right to retaliate against the United States after a meeting in Washington ended without an agreement to return Russian diplomatic property the U.S. had seized.
NewsReutersCalifornia wildfire explodes in size as blazes scorch U.S. West
By Stephen Lam MARIPOSA, Calif. (Reuters) - A wildfire that has forced thousands of Californians to flee their homes exploded in size on Wednesday, threatening a picturesque gold rush town outside Yosemite National Park as dozens of blazes scorched the U.S. West. More than 2,000 firefighters have contained just 7 percent of the Detwiler Fire, which is approaching the town of Mariposa and tiny communities in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, the Cal Fire state agency said on its website. The blaze has mushroomed to 46,000 acres (18,000 hectares), an increase of about 20,000 acres (8,094 hectares) compared with the day before, and is threatening some 1,500 structures.
- BusinessInternational Business Times
All You Need To Know About USS Gerald Ford
The commissioning of the U.S. Navy’s newest aircraft carrier — USS Gerald R. Ford is set to take place in a ceremony presided over by President Donald Trump later this week. Designated CVN-78, it is the lead ship of the U.S. Navy’s supercarriers ( the unofficial descriptive term for the largest type of aircraft carrier —typically those that displace 64,000 metric tons). Costing about $12.9 billion, it has been built to replace the U.S. Navy's existing Nimitz-class carriers which are a class of ten nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
- NewsTime
86-Year-Old Arrested Again After Being Caught Red-Handed in a Walmart Check-Out Line
Octogenarian jewelry thief Doris Payne has been arrested yet again. This time, the notorious 86-year-old set her sights on a relatively humble target: She was nabbed trying to pilfer $86.22 in merchandise from a Walmart store near Atlanta, Georgia, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. According to police in Chamblee, her methods have also become less sophisticated since Payne was the subject of a 2013 documentary, The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Charlie Gard doctors remain 'unconvinced' after flying visit by US neurosurgeon who said he could treat him
The British doctors caring for Charlie Gard are understood to remain unconvinced by an American neurosurgeon who claimed he could treat the little boy. Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) staff spent five and half hours on Tuesday locked in discussions with Dr Michio Hirano, a US specialist who flew back to the US on Tuesday night. Charlie’s mother Connie Yates was also present at the meeting to determine the best course of action for her 11-month-old son.
NewsAssociated PressUS senator criticizes Pruitt in Oklahoma ethics probe
A Democratic member of the U.S. Senate committee that conducted confirmation hearings for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said in a letter Tuesday that Oklahoma's former attorney general presented "inconsistent and contradictory statements" to the panel. Pruitt's "misleading answers, evasiveness, and stonewalling" had stymied the committee's ability to provide oversight of the agency, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island wrote in a letter containing information about an ethics complaint against Pruitt being investigated by the Oklahoma Bar Association. "This conduct is unbecoming of an attorney who is also a public official and who, under law, is required to testify truthfully to Congress," Whitehouse said.
- PoliticsYahoo News
Democrats rolling out 2018 midterms message next week
Democrats will begin rolling out their message for the 2018 midterm elections next week, Rep. Joe Crowley, D-N.Y., the No. 4 House Democrat, told reporters Wednesday. “I recognize that waiting for Trump to implode … will not work,” Crowley said. Six months into Donald Trump’s presidency, the party has struggled to rally around a simple message, and most Americans say they don’t believe Democrats have one.
- WorldYahoo News Photo Staff
Putin shows off Russian advances at MAKS-2017 Aviation and Space Salon
MAKS-2017 Salon, one of the world’s largest aviation forums, kicks off in Zhukovsky, near Moscow, at the airfield of the Gromov Flight Research Institute. MAKS provides a comprehensive insight into the priorities and achievements of the Russian aerospace industry. Some prototypes of aircraft and combat systems, as well as experimental units, are demonstrated exclusively at MAKS. During MAKS, top Russian officials are available for business communication.
- NewsInside Edition
Fugitive on the Lam for 4 Years Gets Arrested After Flagging Down Cop for a Ride
A Louisiana man, who cops say has managed to avoid arrest in a 2013 assault case since 2013, was arrested over the weekend after flagging down a police cruiser. Fugitive Jansen Simon was walking along LA Highway 182 in Raceland when he flagged down a deputy early Sunday, according to Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre. Simon, 30, was transported to the Lafourche Parish Detention Center in Thibodaux where he was booked for aggravated second-degree battery, as well as two counts of contempt of court.
- PoliticsThe Independent
Fox News reporter walks out of off-camera press briefing and throws parting shot at White House
Fox News reporter John Roberts has thrown some shade at Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Donald Trump’s spokeswoman, for the White House’s refusal to hold daily on-camera press briefings. In recent weeks, the White House has begun to hold off-camera briefings almost daily – a departure from previous administrations when daily on-camera briefings were the norm. Mr Trump's press staff have said the change is meant to draw more attention to the President's remarks, but some reporters have asserted that the White House “should have the backbone” to answer questions during on-camera proceedings.
- NewsAssociated Press
The Latest: California wildfire destroys 29 structures
California fire officials say 29 structures have been destroyed by a blaze burning in the rugged mountains outside of Yosemite National Park. It is not clear how many of those structures are homes. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says the fire on Wednesday also grew to 75 square miles (194 square kilometers).
WorldAFPUkraine rebels announce new 'state'
Russian-backed rebels fighting against Kiev on Tuesday announced a plan to create a new "state" they said would take the place of Ukraine and have its capital in their territory. Ukraine's pro-Western authorities immediately ridiculed the idea as a Kremlin project that they would never allow to get off the ground. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in turn called the plan the "personal initiative" of rebel leader Alexander Zakharchenko and said that "Moscow learnt about it this morning from media", in comments to Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
- ScienceInternational Business Times
Tomb Of King Tutankhamun’s Wife’s Likely Discovered, Archaeologists Say
History buffs may have a reason to rejoice after a team of archeologists found evidence of a tomb, which they believe to be that of King Tutankhamun’s wife Ankhesenamun. "We are sure there is a tomb there, but we do not know for sure to whom it belongs," Hawass told Live Science in an email.
NewsReutersAustralian prime minister demands answers on Minneapolis police shooting
A Minneapolis police officer shot Justine Damond, who was originally from Sydney, around midnight Saturday while responding to an emergency call she had placed about a possible assault behind her house in a quiet residential neighborhood. Turnbull said he and the Australian consul-general in Chicago were "seeking answers," in a television interview on Wednesday morning in Australia (Tuesday evening in the U.S.). "It is a shocking killing, and yes, we are demanding answers on behalf of her family." The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which reviews shootings involving the police in Minneapolis, is seeking any civilian video of the incident and said the officer who shot Damond, who has been identified in local media as Mohamed Noor, and another officer who was in the patrol car with him have been placed on administrative leave.
- BusinessAssociated Press
The Latest: British American Tobacco buying Reynolds OKd
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on London-based British American Tobacco's purchase of Reynolds American Inc., the second-largest U.S. cigarette company (all times local):12:10 p.m.Shareholders of British American Tobacco and Reynolds American Inc. support
- HealthThe Telegraph
John McCain diagnosed with brain cancer as Trump and Obama lead outpouring of support for US senator
Senator John McCain has been diagnosed with a brain tumor after doctors removed a blood clot above his left eye last week, his office said on Wednesday. The news was met with shock in Washington and triggered an outpouring of support for the much-respected Republican lawmaker. "Senator John McCain has always been a fighter," President Donald Trump said. "Melania and I send our thoughts and prayers to Senator McCain, Cindy, and their entire family.
- U.S.ABC News Videos
Small plane makes emergency landing on Long Island highway
A Cessna plane pilot is being praised for his successful emergency landing on a Long Island highway that included flying under an overpass.
- NewsInside Edition
Boy, 10, Who Died After Trip to Neighborhood Pool Had Fentanyl in His System
A 10-year-old boy who collapsed at his Florida home last month and later died had the lethal painkiller fentanyl in his system, making him one of the state’s — and perhaps the country’s — youngest victims of the opioid crisis, officials said. Preliminary toxicology tests showed Alton had fentanyl in his system at the time of his death, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle told the Miami Herald. Read: Opioid Epidemic Series: What is Fentanyl?
- WorldTime
Thai Court Begins Handing Down Guilty Verdicts in a Landmark Human Trafficking Trial
A Thai court began handing down guilty verdicts Wednesday at the culmination of the country’s largest ever human trafficking trial, Reuters reports. Bangkok’s Criminal Court Division for Human Trafficking had been trying 103 suspects — including 20 government officials and a Thai army general — accused of trafficking stateless Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar and Bangladeshi nationals across the Thai-Malaysia border. Thai authorities began making arrests in 2015 after dozens of trafficking victims were found buried in a mass grave in a jungle in the country’s south.
- NewsAssociated Press
Brothers, 5 and 2, crash mom's car on way to see grandfather
Authorities in West Virginia say a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old who wanted to visit their grandfather took their mother's car for a 3-mile (5 kilometers) ride on a curvy, winding road before crashing it and escaping unharmed. Putnam County Sheriff Steve Deweese said officials think the brothers worked together to steer the vehicle, but aren't sure because they haven't confessed details about their Monday ride. The car crashed into a ditch, and a neighbor found them and called authorities.
WorldAFPRising anti-refugee sentiment stirs concern in Lebanon
An attack on Lebanese troops raiding a Syrian refugee camp has stirred violent debate and polarised opinions, with rising calls to repatriate refugees but also warnings against racist rhetoric. The uptick in pressure comes after Lebanese soldiers were attacked as they stormed two refugee camps near the eastern border with Syria last month. The incident has produced a campaign of incitement against Syrian refugees on social media, with many Lebanese pushing back and warning against stereotyping refugees as militants.
- NewsInternational Business Times
Frontier Airlines Beefs Up Destinations In Anticipation Of IPO
Frontier Airlines is a low-cost carrier based in Denver, Colorado, and its biggest hub is at Denver International Airport. The move comes as the company prepares for its initial public offering, according to the Denver Post Tuesday. Frontier will offer the second largest number of destinations from the Denver airport.
