Trump defends false claim that predecessors didn't call fallen soldiers' families: 'There’s nothing to clarify'

President Trump is refusing to clarify his false claim that former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama did not call all of the families of fallen U.S. soldiers. “There’s nothing to clarify,” Trump said in a Fox News Radio interview on Tuesday. Kelly’s son, Marine 1st Lt. Robert Michael Kelly, died while serving in Afghanistan in 2010.

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  Donald Trump denies telling grieving widow of US soldier 'he knew what he signed up for'

  The Independent
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  Obama aides slam Trump over claim about past presidents, fallen soldiers

  Reuters

ISIS Losing Its 'Capital' Is A Pivotal Defeat For The Terrorist Group

Raqqa has been ISIS’ de facto capital for years and was one of the first cities that fell under the group’s control during its rapid takeover of territory in 2014. Raqqa’s recapture marks a major blow for ISIS, culminating a steady depletion of its coveted territory that included losing the Iraqi city of Mosul earlier this year. The extremist group has lost thousands of fighters during the ongoing international anti-ISIS offensive and has seen its influence in Iraq and Syria dwindle.

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  President Trump thinks he is responsible for defeat of ISIS in Raqqa. Is he?

  Newsweek
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  Defeated Isil 'cowards' take the bus home as Raqqa, capital of terrorism, is defeated at last

  The Telegraph

Man tortured girlfriend’s son to death because he thought he was gay: prosecutor

Isauro Aguirre's defense attorney said his client admits to causing the injuries on Gabriel Fernandez's body, but that it only happened because Aguirre exploded in rage after Gabriel told his mom to leave her boyfriend. Aguirre, 32, is charged with murder with a special circumstance of torture. Prosecutor Jon Hatami detailed the acts allegedly committed by Aguirre and the boy's mother, Pearl Fernandez, who also faces trial.

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  Horrific Details Emerge At Trial Of 8-Year-Old's Death

  CBS 2 Los Angeles
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  Awful Details Revealed About The Murder Of 8-Year-Old Boy Allegedly Abused Because His Mom And Her Boyfriend Thought He Was Gay

  YourTango

Woman Claims Delta Stopped Her From Singing National Anthem For Slain Soldier

A Georgia doctor claims that Delta Air Lines prevented her from singing the national anthem to honor a slain soldier whose casket was on her plane. Pamela Gaudry, an obstetrician in Savannah, said the incident happened last weekend on a flight from Philadelphia

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  Delta Responds to Claims of National Anthem Ban

  Newsweek
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  Doctor Claims Attempt to Sing National Anthem on Plane to Honor Soldier Was Shut Down

  Inside Edition

Still standing: Photos capture abandoned buildings after years of neglect 

A photographer has released a collection of photos of abandoned buildings that are still standing despite years of neglect. Roman Robroek, 30, of the Netherlands, traveled all over France in a bid to capture the beauty of these decaying buildings.

U.S. diplomat warns to be 'prepared for the worst' right after N. Korean official reportedly shuts down diplomacy

"Before we can engage in diplomacy with the Trump administration, we want to send a clear message that [North Korea] has a reliable defensive and offensive capability to counter any aggression from the United States," the North Korean official reportedly told CNN.

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  US: 'We fit still follow N Korea talk'

  BBC News Pidgin
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  Hillary Clinton: 'Picking fights with Kim Jong-un puts a smile on his face'

  The Telegraph

Col. Jack Jacobs: Trump Gold Star Family Remarks 'Almost Obscene'

Medal of Honor recipient, retired U.S. Army Colonel Jack Jacobs, reacts to Pres. Trump dragging presidential conversations with Gold Star families into the political fray.

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  Trump's Gold Star Widow Call Is Just His Latest Insult to Military Veterans

  Newsweek
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  Gold Star Moms Blast Trump For Delayed Response To Soldiers' Deaths

  HuffPost

Confederate monuments vandalized in 2 Virginia cities

Two Confederate monuments in two Virginia cities have been vandalized this week. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports the word "racist" was found painted in red on the Jefferson Davis statue in Richmond on Tuesday. The Virginian-Pilot reports Norfolk police spokesman Daniel Hudson says a memorial to the Confederate dead was spray-painted with "#2 BETTER LUCK NEVER" early Monday morning.

• Hillary Clinton takes a knee on NFL protesters

  Fox News
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  Get tough on 'Confederate sanctuaries,' not athletes who take a knee

  USA Today

Rohingya man refugee again 40 years after leaving Bangladesh

Nearly four decades ago Fazol Ahmed returned to his native Myanmar with his family under a Rohingya repatriation scheme. Now he is back in the teeming camps of Bangladesh with his wife and children, a refugee once again. Ahmed is among the hundreds of thousands of refugees who have crossed into Bangladesh since an upsurge in violence in neighbouring Myanmar in August that the UN has said amounts to ethnic cleansing.

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  Amnesty: Myanmar army killed at least hundreds of Rohingya

  Associated Press
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  New report says Myanmar security forces have killed hundreds of Rohingya Muslims

  The Week

Trump Claims Congresswoman Lied About His Call To Army Widow

Wilson stood by her account of the president’s phone call with the widow, telling CNN’s “New Day” that she, too, has proof of Trump’s conversation. In an interview before Trump’s tweet on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Wilson called Trump’s conversation with Johnson’s widow “absolutely crazy” and said the president didn’t even remember her husband’s name. Democrat Congresswoman totally fabricated what I said to the wife of a soldier who died in action (and I have proof).

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  Trump says he has 'proof' on his call to soldier's wife, and the nation waits

  Yahoo News
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  Donald Trump Told Slain Soldier's Widow Her Husband 'Knew What He Signed Up For'

  Fortune

Air Berlin pilots suspended after saying 'dignified goodbye' with fly-by stunt at Düsseldorf Airport

The pilots of an Air Berlin flight that performed a fly-past during the insolvent carrier's last long-haul flight to its hub in Düsseldorf have been suspended, the airline said on Wednesday. The Air Berlin pilot had requested permission from the tower to make a left turn should a go-around be necessary. "We wanted to make a mark, a dignified and emotional goodbye," the Air Berlin pilot was quoted as saying by German broadcaster ZDF.

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  Air Berlin Pilots Suspended After Farewell Fly-By

  Fortune
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  Air Berlin pilot's goodbye draws watchdog's scrutiny

  Reuters

Capital Murder Charges Filed Against Muslim Teen's Accused Killer

A man accused of killing 17-year-old Nabra Hassanen in Sterling, Virginia in June may face the death penalty after a grand jury charged him with capital murder and rape on Monday. The Fairfax County Circuit Court indicted Darwin Martinez-Torres, 22, on eight charges, including four counts of capital murder in the killing of the Muslim teen, who was walking back to the local mosque with a group of friends when she was abducted. Monday’s indictment was the first time prosecutors officially brought charges of a sexual crime against Martinez-Torres.

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  Man Killed Girlfriend's 8-Year-Old Son Because He Might Have Been Gay: Prosecutor

  Inside Edition
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  Grand jury indicts suspect in Lawrence County quadruple slayings

  The Columbus Dispatch

Bill Cosby Accusers Demand Academy Kick Out Cosby And Polanski Too

Two of the more than 50 women who have accused comedian Bill Cosby of sexual assault are demanding he and film producer Roman Polanski be immediately removed from the Academy of Motion Pictures. The letter, sent to Academy executives John Bailey and Teni Melidonian and obtained by HuffPost, asks for the removal of the two men following the Academy’s decision to kick Harvey Weinstein out after dozens of women came forward with stories of the film producer sexually harassing or assaulting them.

• U.S. appeals court rejects Cosby accuser's bid to revive defamation suit

  Reuters India
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  Court refuses to revive defamation suit against Bill Cosby

  Associated Press

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.

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  Mom Shares Clever Hack For Giving Babies Medicine

  The Huffington Post
• Mother's ingenious hack for getting children to take medicine

  Daily Mail

China's Xi lays out vision for 'new era' led by 'still stronger' Communist Party

By Christian Shepherd and Stella Qiu BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday laid out a confident vision for a more prosperous nation and its role in the world, stressing the importance of wiping out corruption and curbing industrial overcapacity, income inequality and pollution. Opening a critical Communist Party congress, Xi pledged to build a "modern socialist country" for a "new era" that will be proudly Chinese and steadfastly ruled by the party but open to the world. Although his wide-ranging address made clear there were no plans for political reform, Xi said China's development had entered a "new era", using the phrase 36 times in a speech that ran nearly 3-1/2 hours.

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  The Xi Jinping economy: What's next for China?

  CNN Money
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  Photos: In China, there’s nothing like a dry three-hour Xi Jinping speech to get the party going

  Quartz

Missing Joshua Tree hikers' bodies discovered ‘locked in embrace’

Locked in an embrace, the bodies of a pair of hikers who went missing three months ago in California’s Joshua Tree national park are thought to have been found. Joseph Orbeso, 21, and Rachel Nguyen, 20, had been missing since 28 July, after they failed to check out of their Airbnb. Mr Orbeso’s father, Gilbert, was with the Joshua Tree search and rescue team when the bodies were found.

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  Body found in Yosemite river IDd as missing Navy serviceman

  San Francisco Chronicle
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  Presumed bodies of missing hikers found embracing at Joshua Tree National Park

  KTRK – Houston

Zimbabwe bans fruit, vegetable imports to save scarce forex

Zimbabwe has banned the importation of fruit and vegetables to save scarce foreign currency in the face of a worsening economic crisis, state media reported Tuesday. Agriculture Minister Joseph Made told The Herald that President Robert Mugabe had directed that the importation of horticultural products be stopped "as they waste much-needed foreign currency". "The foreign currency being wasted on the importation of carrots and grapes will now be utilised towards the purchase of more fertilisers and pesticides," he said.

• Zimbabwe bans fruit, vegetable imports as forex crunch deepens

  Reuters
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  Zimbabwe: Mugabe don ban fruit import

  BBC News Pidgin

Conspiracy theorists claim first lady Melania Trump has been using a body double

Internet conspiracy theorists are beside themselves amid claims that first lady Melania Trump has a body double. The only "evidence" of this theory is footage taken of Trump standing next to her husband, President Donald Trump, as he gave remarks regarding the Iran nuclear deal and hurricane relief for Puerto Rico Friday. In the short clip, the president calls out Melania Trump during a press conference, a move conspiracy theorists on Twitter claim to be an effort to cover up his wife's alleged absence.

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  Donald Trump’s Latest Approval Rating Down 20 Points After Puerto Rico Hurricane Response

  Newsweek
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  Melania Trump issues PSA for hurricane relief

  CNN

Freed Taliban Hostage Caitlan Coleman Reportedly Rushed To Hospital

Caitlan Coleman, the American woman who spent five years as a hostage of the Taliban, was reportedly rushed to the hospital less than a week after her release from captivity. Coleman was admitted on Monday and remains in the hospital, her Canadian husband, Joshua Boyle, who was also detained by the Taliban, told The Associated Press. Coleman and Boyle had been backpacking in Afghanistan in 2012 when they were abducted by the Taliban-allied Haqqani network.

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  Freed Hostage Talks Starting 'Dream Family' with Wife During 5 Years in Captivity

  People
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  Freed hostage tells AP couple decided to start family under Taliban captivity to 'make the best of this'

  The Japan Times

Delaware indicts 18 inmates in deadly prison riot

Sixteen inmates have been charged with first-degree murder and assault, and face life in prison if convicted in the death of a corrections officer during February's riot at Delaware's maximum-security lockup. The indictment announced Tuesday also charges 18 inmates in all with kidnapping, riot and conspiracy in the uprising, during which three guards and a female counselor were taken hostage in a standoff that lasted nearly 20 hours. "This was an extremely important and time-consuming investigation that involved unique challenges." Attorney General Matt Denn said in a statement announcing Monday's indictment by a New Castle County grand jury.

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  Sixteen inmates charged with murder in Delaware prison uprising

  Reuters
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  Delaware DOJ Announces 18 Inmates To Be Charged In Deadly Prison Uprising

  CBS Philadelphia

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. Southwest was unable to immediately identify the women in the photo but confirmed that they were all staff members.

GOP Lawmaker Says Emergency Rooms Should Be Able To Turn People Away

Black's emergency room comments begin at the 4:30 mark in video above. Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) proposed on Friday that hospital emergency rooms should be able to turn patients away to help keep health care costs down. “I’m an emergency room nurse,” Black told MSNBC host Chuck Todd on Friday.

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  Why Obamacare didn’t lower visits to emergency rooms

  MarketWatch
• 
  New study: Nearly half of US medical care comes from emergency rooms

  medicalxpress.com

Abedin Sent Government Emails on Weiner Laptop: Report

The FBI reportedly has found that top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin sent more than 2,800 government emails from disgraced former husband Anthony Weiner’s laptop. Abedin reportedlhy could face legal trouble after State Department officials, in a three-page court filing last week, informed the conservative foundation Judicial Watch about the emails sent from Weiner’s laptop, the Daily News reported Tuesday.

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  Nearly 3,000 gov't docs from Abedin uncovered on Weiner's laptop

  New York Daily News
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  Thousands of Abedin file found on Weiner laptop

  FOX News Videos

Billy Joel, 68, and wife Alexis Roderick are expecting a baby

Billy Joel will soon have three Uptown Girls to worry about! The iconic artist, 68, unexpectedly shared with the Belfast Telegraph that he and his wife are expecting their second child. He wed Alexis Roderick, 35, in July 2015, and she gave birth to their

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  Third Child on the Way for Billy Joel

  People
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  Billy Joel, 68, will soon be a new dad. Here's what he needs to know

  CNBC