- PoliticsLiz GoodwinClinton: Trump ‘bragged’ about not paying taxes
“He actually bragged about gaming the system to get out of paying his fair share of taxes,” Clinton told the crowd of roughly 1,500 at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh. “I think there’s a strong possibility he hasn’t paid federal taxes a lot of years, and this is a man who goes around calling our military a disaster, who goes around criticizing every institution from health care to education, our vets,” Clinton said. During the debate, Clinton brought up that the last tax returns Trump turned over to the public — from the 1970s — show that he paid nothing in federal income tax for several years.
WorldAFPUS owes blacks reparations over slavery: UN experts"There has been no real commitment to reparations and to truth and reconciliation for people of African descent," the report said. Working group chairman Ricardo A. Sunga told reporters that the panel believed several models of reparations could work in the US context, including "elements of apology" and a form of "debt relief" to the descendants of enslaved people. "We are very troubled that these are on the rise," he added, without naming Trump specifically but calling on officials and "even candidates" to watch their words.
- BusinessThe DriveHere's Our First Look at Mercedes-Benz's Futuristic Electric Concept Car
Automakers across the board are filling more and more of their lineups with utopian people-movers for the 21st Century, and Mercedes-Benz is no exception. To tease its new electric concept car before its full reveal at the Paris Motor Show this week, Mercedes-Benz released a short clip of the vehicle showing off a few details and hinting at other clues on the new car. Previously, The Drive reported on how Daimler, Mercedes-Benz's parent company, has been looking to start up its own electric car sub-brand to rival Tesla.
U.S.ReutersTeen kills father, opens fire on South Carolina schoolyard: policeA 14-year-old South Carolina boy shot and killed his father then drove to an elementary school playground where he wounded two children and a teacher with a handgun before being tackled by a firefighter who held him for police, authorities said on Wednesday. The suspect, whose name has not been released, was accused by police of fatally shooting his 47-year-old father, Jeffrey DeWitt Osborne, then driving a pickup truck about 2 miles (3.2 km) to Townville Elementary School where he crashed into a fence surrounding the playground. After the teenager began shooting, volunteer firefighter Jamie Brock pinned him down while staff led children to safety inside the building, Anderson County emergency services director Taylor Jones told a news conference.
- U.S.Yahoo News PhotoDeadly house explosion in the Bronx
A battalion chief who had been considered a rising star in the New York Fire Department was killed Tuesday when a row house exploded as he was supervising an evacuation following the report of a gas leak. Authorities are looking into whether the building
- U.S.Christian Science MonitorWhy did an Ohio cop drive a man 100 miles to his sister's funeral?
A man rushing to meet up with his family after the sudden death of his 15-year-old sister was shown some kindness from an Ohio state police officer who sympathized with him, offering to escort him on the 100-mile journey back home. “Everybody knows how much I dislike Cops but I am truly Greatful for this Guy,” Mark Ross wrote in a Facebook post Sunday. In a time when tensions between white police officers and the black community run high, the heartwarming story was a breath of fresh air for many, quickly becoming a viral Facebook post that was shared nearly 100,000 times as of Tuesday afternoon.
- WorldForeign Policy MagazineSitRep: Russia Implicated in Airline Shoot Down; U.S. Strike in Afghanistan Under Investigation
Russia shot down airliner. A Dutch-led investigation to be released Wednesday has concluded that a Russian surface-to-air missile system shot down a Malaysia Airlines plane over Ukraine two years ago, killing all 298 on board.
HealthAFP Relax NewsOver 90% of world breathing bad air: WHONine out of 10 people globally are breathing poor quality air, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, calling for dramatic action against pollution that is blamed for more than six million deaths a year. New data in a report from the UN's global health body "is enough to make all of us extremely concerned," Maria Neira, the head of the WHO's department of public health and environment, told reporters. Poorer countries have much dirtier air than the developed world, according to the report, but pollution "affects practically all countries in the world and all parts of society", Neira said in a statement.
U.S.Associated PressSuspect in Dallas-area shooting rampage arrestedA man suspected in a pair of Dallas-area killings was arrested Tuesday at an apartment about 150 miles to the south near Austin, police said. Silvestre Franco-Luviano was arrested about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday after a standoff at an apartment in Georgetown, about 25 miles north of Austin, said Georgetown Police Chief Wayne Nero.
- PoliticsMichael WalshGiuliani digs up Lewinsky scandal to bash Hillary Clinton
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Monday night that Donald Trump is too much of a gentleman to dig up the Lewinsky scandal to attack his political opponent. After the presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., Giuliani delivered a litany of reasons he considers Trump to be a feminist despite frequent accusations of chauvinism against the GOP nominee, including about fair treatment of women at his organization. “Donald Trump is an honest person, and he was too reserved and gentlemanly in the end to say what I would’ve said about Hillary Clinton’s attack on him about not being a feminist,” Giuliani told reporters in a video shot by Alexandra Svokos of Elite Daily.
U.S.AFPUS Congress rejects Obama's veto of Saudi 9/11 billThe US Congress voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to override Barack Obama's veto of a bill allowing 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia, the first such rebuke during his eight-year presidency. The Senate overrode the veto in a 97-1 vote, followed a short time later by the House of Representatives, which knocked it down with a 348-77 vote. The rare act of bipartisanship was a blow to Obama, who lobbied hard against the bill, known as the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA).
- EntertainmentThe DriveThe Genesis G90 Lowballs Mercedes-Benz, Tweaks Lexus
Of course, Hyundai doesn’t actually have a doting mother. Then came the second-gen Hyundai Genesis sedan, surely the industry’s biggest surprise for 2015—and not only for its lavish features at a sub-$40,000 starting price. On its polished heels comes this Genesis G90.
WorldReutersTaiwan's third typhoon of the month kills at least four, injures hundredsBy J.R. Wu TAIPEI (Reuters) - The third typhoon to hit Taiwan this month killed at least four people and injured hundreds on Tuesday, knocking down trees and cutting power to millions. Major cities in Taiwan announced schools and offices would be shut for a second day on Wednesday as the island's weather authorities said that due to the large diameter of the typhoon, heavy rain and strong wind would not significantly abate until Wednesday afternoon. At least 329 people were injured and more than 14,000 evacuated, the government's Central Emergency Operation Center said late Tuesday.
- U.S.UPROXXA Bag Of Jose Fernandez-Autographed Baseballs Washed Ashore In Miami
As the baseball world continues to mourn the sudden and tragic death of Marlins pitching prodigy Jose Fernandez, authorities in Miami are trying to piece together just what led to the deadly boat crash Sunday morning. WSN-TV in Miami reports a bag containing Fernandez’s checkbook and four baseballs with his autograph on them were discovered on a beach near the crash site on Sunday afternoon. Ocean Rescue Division Chief Vincent Canosa told the station that a beachgoer found the black bag (which is believed to have come from Fernandez’s boat) “20 blocks North of the crash site” and handed it over to a lifeguard on duty.
- HealthU.S.News & World ReportShould a Part-Time Job Be Part of a Retirement Plan?
No longer can the average worker count on a defined pension plan to fund retirement. Social Security is estimated to become insolvent in 2034, and surveys show many workers are not saving enough on their own. Beyond that, people are living longer and health care costs are increasing at more than twice the rate of inflation, says Ann Minnium, certified financial planner and principal of Concierge Financial Planning in Scotch Plains, New Jersey.
- WorldForeign Policy MagazineNew Philippine Leader Wants to Boot U.S. Commandos as ISIS Seeks a Foothold
If Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte makes good on his threats to turn away from his country’s 65-year-old alliance with the United States, the first casualty would likely be the U.S. military mission there, which has become a model for successful counterterrorism operations worldwide. After warning earlier this month that the U.S. military contingent of several hundred troops has to go, Duterte said Monday that his country’s alliance with Washington had reached “a point of no return” and on Wednesday he said an upcoming joint military exercise would be the last with the United States. The threat to push out the team of up to 100 U.S. Special Operations Forces, along with an additional 300 to 500 American conventional troops, comes as concerns mount in Washington and Southeast Asia about the Islamic State’s efforts to spread its tentacles in the region.
- EntertainmentABC News VideosFirst Look at Starliner Capsule
Astronaut Bob Behnken gives us a first look at the Starliner capsule. Lima Bob bank and I am an astronaut at the Johnson Space Center and one of four astronauts identified as the commercial crew cadre. Doug Hurley Eric both Sonny Williams and myself Bob Franken are all assigned to work with those basics and mowing the develop the next vehicles that we'll take astronauts of the International Space Station.
U.S.Reuters'Bridgegate' witness says Governor Christie knew of lane closuresBy Joseph Ax NEWARK, N.J. (Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was aware of a politically motivated scheme to close lanes at the George Washington Bridge in 2013 as it was unfolding, a key prosecution witness testified on Tuesday at the criminal trial of two former Christie associates. David Wildstein, a former executive at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey who masterminded the plot, told jurors in Newark federal court that he and Bill Baroni, another Port Authority executive, discussed the lane closure with Christie before a memorial service marking the 12th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks at the World Trade Center. The testimony marked the first specific evidence federal prosecutors have presented to back their contention that the Republican governor knew at the time about the scandal known as "Bridgegate," despite his repeated denials.
PoliticsCaitlin Dickson‘There was no sniffles,’ Trump says after debateWas Donald Trump sniffling throughout his first presidential showdown with Hillary Clinton Monday night? “There was no sniffles,” he said. Trump has recently attacked Hillary Clinton’s health, using his Democratic rival’s recent bout of pneumonia to question whether she has the “stamina” to be president.
U.S.AFPObama names first ambassador to Cuba in five decadesThe United States has tapped Jeffrey DeLaurentis, America's top diplomat in Havana, to become the first official ambassador to Cuba in five decades. "The appointment of an ambassador is a commonsense step forward toward a more normal and productive relationship between our two countries," President Barack Obama said in a statement. Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced a thaw in relations in December 2014.
- BusinessThe DriveDJI's New Mavic Pro Drone Is Compact, Capable, and Can Fly Itself
With up to 27 minutes of flight time on a single charge, pilots can use the Mavic Pro's three-axis gimbal to take photos and record video from a stable aerial platform—making it ideal for aerial selfies or live-streaming video.
- WorldReutersNo more trade in endangered pangolins, U.N. meeting decides
By Tanisha Heiberg JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The United Nations on Wednesday banned global trade in highly endangered pangolins, a scaly animal with the dubious distinction of being the world's most poached mammal. Member states of the U.N.'s Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, known as CITES, voted to place the eight species of pangolin on the convention's "Appendix I," which prohibits any cross-border movement in the animals or their body parts for commercial purposes. Like other illicit wildlife commodity pipelines, such as elephant ivory and rhino horn, Africa is the main source of pangolin supply, while the demand comes from Asia.
- U.S.Inside EditionMother Charged With Murder After Driving Her 2 Dead Children to Police Station: Report
A woman is facing murder charges after her two children were found dead in the parking garage of a police station in Indiana Monday evening, police said. Police issued an Amber Alert for Liliana Hernandez, 7, and Rene Pasztor, 6, of Fort Wayne Monday morning, identifying their mother, Amber Pasztor, as a suspect. Later that afternoon, police said Pasztor, 29, approached an officer leaving the Elkhart Police Department at 5:25 p.m. and said her children were dead in the back of the car, which matched the one identified in the Amber Alert.
- BusinessThe DriveThe Lamborghini Urus Has Turbos So It Can Go Dune Surfing
When the Lamborghini Urus hits the streets sometime in the next couple of years, it won’t just be the first SUV the company has made since the the carmaker’s first SUV since the LM002. It’ll also be the company’s first time using a turbocharged engine in a production car. “We will have a turbo—and for one reason.
WorldAFPIraq requests more US troops ahead of Mosul battleIraq has asked Washington to deploy additional trainers and advisers as its forces prepare for the battle to retake Mosul from the Islamic State group, the premier's office said Wednesday. IS seized Mosul along with swathes of other territory in June 2014, but the country's forces have since regained significant ground from the jihadists and are readying for a drive to retake Iraq's second city. Iraq has requested "a final increase in the number of American trainers and advisers... to support the heroic Iraqi security forces in their impending battle to liberate Mosul," Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office said in a statement.
