- PoliticsHuffPost
Jeff Sessions Once Again Dodges Questions About Trump's Firing Of Former FBI Director
Sessions, appearing Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee for a Justice Department oversight hearing, said he could not speak about certain communications he had with Trump earlier this year because the president had not yet decided whether he would invoke executive privilege. Trump’s firing of Comey is part of the special counsel investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election, which is being conducted by former FBI director Robert Mueller.
- PoliticsYahoo News
White House slams lawmaker's 'disgusting' criticism of Trump's call to soldier's widow
The White House wouldn’t deny on Wednesday that President Trump told the widow of Army Sgt. La David Johnson that the fallen soldier “knew what he signed up for” — but it was willing to accuse the Florida congresswoman who brought it to America’s attention of politicizing the exchange. “I think it is appalling what the congresswoman has done and the way that she has politicized this issue,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters Wednesday afternoon. On Tuesday afternoon, Trump spoke on the phone with Johnson’s pregnant widow, Myeshia Johnson, and the families of the three other Green Berets killed in an ambush in Niger on Oct. 4.
- NewsHuffPost
FBI Rescues More Than 80 Children In Nationwide Human Trafficking Sting
The FBI, along with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, recovered 84 children and arrested 120 suspected traffickers as part of a nationwide initiative to clamp down on the sex trafficking of minors. The staging grounds included hotels, casinos, truck stops, street corners and online, the FBI said. The baby was rescued in Denver, where she and a 5-year-old girl were being offered to an undercover officer in exchange for $600.
- LifestyleAOL.com
Mom's incredible hack for getting her child to take medicine goes viral
No matter the flavor, from orange to grape, we have vivid memories of being force-fed a spoonful, only to quickly chase it down with a glass of milk or a treat. England's Helena Lee was trying to feed her newborn Calpol when she remembered reading about this trick -- all you need is a bottle and syringe.
- WorldTime
Want to Clap Your Heart Out for Xi Jinping? There's an App for That
As if the propaganda surrounding the twice-in-a-decade Communist Party Congress wasn’t enough of an onslaught, Chinese tech giant Tencent is turning love for President Xi Jinping into a competitive game. The game, called Clap for Xi Jinping, is self-explanatory.
- NewsHuffPost
Cub Scout Ousted From Den After Asking Politician Tough Questions
A cub scout in Colorado has been cast out of his den after he asked a state legislator pointed questions about racially charged comments she made about African-Americans in 2013 and a gun bill she co-sponsored. Ames Mayfield, 11, and other members of his den in Broomfield had a question-and-answer session with state Sen. Vicki Marble (R) at an Oct. 9 meeting. Topics raised by the scouts included the border wall, fossil fuels, and former President Barack Obama, according to The Denver Post.
- CelebrityPeople
Newlywed Dies While Snorkeling with His Wife During Honeymoon in the Maldives
A 30-year-old newlywed from Dublin, Ireland, died while snorkeling on his honeymoon in the Maldives — just two weeks after getting married
NewsReutersZimbabwe First Lady sues in dispute over $1.35 million ring: state media
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's wife Grace has sued a Belgium-based businessman for failing to deliver a $1.35 million ring she ordered for a wedding anniversary, state media reported on Wednesday. Grace, 52, an influential figure in Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party and seen as a potential successor to her husband, is nicknamed "Gucci Grace" for her reputed dedication to shopping. The Herald, a government-controlled newspaper, reported that Grace was suing businessman Jamal Hamed after a deal to have Hamed supply the First Lady with a diamond ring turned sour.
- LifestyleAOL.com
Reddit user reveals what the 2017 Starbucks holiday cups supposedly look like
It may only be October, but Starbucks is already on their Christmas game. With only two months until the holiday season, the mega-popular coffee chain has seemingly already perfected their limited-time holiday cups. Granted, they did come out with the pumpkin spice latte right after labor day -- so this holiday reveal isn't quite so premature.
WorldAssociated PressIraqi gov't assumes control after Kurds leave disputed areas
Kurdish fighters pulled out of disputed areas across northern and eastern Iraq on Tuesday, one day after giving up the vital oil city of Kirkuk — a dramatic redeployment of forces that opened the way for government troops to move into energy-rich and other strategically important territories. The vastly outnumbered Kurdish forces, known as the peshmerga, appeared to have bowed to demands from the central government that they hand over areas outside the Kurds' autonomous region, including territory seized from the Islamic State group in recent years. The evacuations exposed a Kurdish leadership in turmoil in the wake of last month's vote for independence as Iraq's central government shores up its hand for negotiations over resource-sharing with the country's self-ruling minority.
- PoliticsHuffPost
John Kelly 'Stunned' By 'Selfish' Congresswoman Who Recounted Trump's Call With Soldier's Widow
“I was stunned when I came to work yesterday morning, and brokenhearted, at [what] a member of Congress was doing,” Kelly said during a press briefing at the White House, referring to Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.). “It stuns me that a member of Congress would have listened in on that conversation. Kelly called Wilson’s behavior “selfish” and indicated she had eroded the standards of decency in America.
- WorldForeign Policy Magazine
SitRep: U.S. Warships on Alert; Taliban Rip Through Afghan Forces
As 3,000 more U.S. troops begin to flow into Afghanistan, and others push out of their bases to work more closely with small Afghan units, the Taliban has underscored just how dangerous the country still is. The attack came two days after the Taliban drove several captured Humvees into police outposts in Ghazni and Paktia, killing about 40 officers. After a North Korean missile test in mid-September, a U.S. warship patrolling the Sea of Japan received a warning order, or WARNO, to be prepared to fire Tomahawk missiles at North Korean targets, a military source told Foreign Policy’s Jenna McLaughlin, Dan De Luce, and Elias Groll.
- LifestyleHuffPost
CIA Fires Dog From Bomb Sniffer Program Because It Just Wasn't For Her
Lulu the black Labrador wasn’t cut out for a career as a bomb sniffer dog. “All dogs, just like most human students, have good days and bad days when learning something new,” the CIA wrote on its website. “But for some dogs, like Lulu, it becomes clear that the issue isn’t temporary.
- U.S.Yahoo News Photo Staff
Deadly shooting at business park in Edgewood, Md.
A man with a lengthy criminal past who showed up for work at a countertop company on Wednesday and shot five of his co-workers has been arrested, authorities said. Less than two hours later, Radee Labeeb Prince drove to a used car lot about 55 miles (90 kilometers) away in Wilmington, Delaware, and opened fire on a man with whom he had “beefs” in the past, wounding him, police said. Police cruisers were stationed in medians, and overhead highway signs displayed a description of Prince’s sport utility vehicle and its Delaware license plate.
WorldAFP'My god, 3.5 hours': Xi gives marathon speech, China listens
As Chinese leader Xi Jinping delivered his three-plus-hour speech at the Communist Party congress, delegates ranging from men in suits to military officers and former presidents dutifully turned every page as they read and listened to his words. On the internet, government bureaus peppered social media with their favourite phrases from Xi's speech, while photos circulated of children watching Wednesday's congress in classrooms. The carefully orchestrated address was in keeping with the cult of personality that state media have crafted around the Chinese leader, who is expected to consolidate his already formidable power at the week-long conclave.
- ScienceAOL.com
Uranus will be visible to the naked eye tonight -- here's how to see it
Grab a pair of binoculars and your lamest jokes because Uranus will be visible to the naked eye on Thursday night. This combined with tonight's dim, waning crescent moon will make Uranus appear much brighter than any other time of the year. Uranus will begin to rise in the sky during sunset on October 19 and will appear directly overhead around midnight.
NewsNational Constitution CenterRemembering William Seward’s Alaska ‘folly’
Today marks the 150th anniversary of one of the most controversial land deals in American history: the Alaska Purchase or Seward's Folly. On October 18, 1867, the United States took possession of Alaska from Russia under the terms of a formal land transfer, in a ceremony in the town of Sitka. In today’s popular culture, William Seward is best known for his association with Abraham Lincoln.
- BusinessHuffPost
Southwest Celebrates First 'Unmanned' Max 8 Flight While Shutting Down Haters
Southwest Airlines on Wednesday celebrated its first “unmanned” flight on the company’s new fleet of Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. The flight staff took a photo of themselves after realizing that the day’s shift was made up of all women, a Southwest spokeswoman told HuffPost in an email.
WorldReutersOn Iran, U.S. asks U.N. Security Council: 'Where's the outrage?'
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States accused Iran on Wednesday of violating several United Nations Security Council resolutions, saying it would no longer "turn a blind eye" and asking the 15-member council of Tehran's behavior: "where's the outrage?" U.S. President Donald Trump struck a blow on Friday against a 2015 Iran nuclear deal when he refused to formally certify that Tehran is complying with the accord curbing its nuclear program, even though international inspectors say it is. "Judging Iran by the narrow confines of the nuclear deal misses the true nature of the threat.
- EntertainmentAOL.com
Gretchen Carlson wants sexual harassment legislation on Trump's desk
Author and former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson has become a champion and prototype for speaking out against workplace sexual harassment, and now she is determined to take her advocacy to the next level by putting sexual harassment legislation on President Donald Trump’s desk. In 2016, her groundbreaking lawsuit against Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes led other high profile women, like Megyn Kelly, to speak out about their own stories within the Fox organization -- which ultimately led to Ailes’ resignation and apology. Sitting with Carlson before she took the stage at the BUILD Series and MAKERS event on Tuesday, she spoke about the next steps for her platform, which comes in the form of new bipartisan legislation aimed to remove arbitration clauses from employee and consumer contracts.
- NewsHuffPost
The University Of Florida Really Does Have To Let Richard Spencer Speak
About 40 percent of the student body at the University of Florida in Gainesville is non-white. This Thursday, their school will host a famous white supremacist who has called for the “peaceful ethnic cleansing” of the U.S. to create a “white ethno-state.” Some Nazi-enthusiast fanboys will be there to cheer him on. The university said legally it has no choice but to let Richard Spencer speak at the school, however evil and repugnant his views might be, and even if it means spending $500,000 on security — roughly equal to the yearly tuition for 78 in-state undergraduate students.
- WorldForeign Policy Magazine
No Plans to Withdraw U.S. Troops Even After ISIS Defeat
Islamic State militants have lost almost their entire so-called caliphate in Iraq and Syria, but that doesn’t mean the United States will be withdrawing thousands of troops sent to fight the terrorists. Despite conquering the Islamic State’s de facto capital of Raqqa and kicking it out of nearly all of Iraq, commanders are scarred by what happened after the 2011 withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, which ultimately led the newly-trained Iraqi army to melt away in front of a few hundred militant fighters just three years later.
NewsAssociated PressList of missing people shrinking as California fires ease
The number of people missing in the deadliest and most destructive series of wildfires in California history peaked at more than 2,000 in the hardest hit county but now stands at 50, with authorities believing nearly all of them will be found alive. "The number of dead people we're finding has really slowed down," Sonoma County sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Spencer Crum said. Sonoma County bore the brunt of the fires, with 23 deaths and 3,000 homes destroyed in the city of Santa Rosa alone.
- NewsYahoo View
Las Vegas Security Guard Breaks Silence on Ellen DeGeneres’ Show
“You being shot in the leg saved so many people’s lives,” said Ellen DeGeneres, Wednesday, to the Mandalay hotel security guard who was allegedly the first to confront Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock.
- WorldThe Telegraph
'He's getting younger!' Former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin sets social media abuzz during congress
Rumoured to have died a few months ago, 91-year-old former Chinese president Jiang Zemin roused social media users on Wednesday by taking a prominent place at the ruling Communist Party’s leadership Congress. Proving that reports of his death were greatly exaggerated, the former leader sat next to President Xi Jinping and stood for the national anthem as the twice-a-decade congress opened with a speech by Xi in Beijing’s vast Great Hall of the People.
