- U.S.Olivier KnoxDefying critics, Obama nominates Cuba ambassador
Secretary of State John Kerry, right, is greeted on the tarmac by Jeffrey DeLaurentis at José Martí International Airport in Havana, Aug. 14, 2015. Facing down congressional opponents of his historic outreach to Cuba, President Obama announced Tuesday that he has chosen highly respected career diplomat Jeffrey DeLaurentis to be the first U.S. ambassador to Havana in 55 years. DeLaurentis is currently the top official at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba.
- 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.
- BusinessThe DriveMercedes Is STILL Running "Self-Driving Car" Ads For The NOT Self-Driving E-Class
Just when you thought the saga of Mercedes-Benz claiming the 2017 E-Class was a “Self-Driving Car” was over, well, it’s not over. The saga began with early ads for the new E-Class stating “Introducing A Self-Driving Car from a very Self-Driven Company.” As I pointed out in my review of Mercedes’ DrivePilot, in no universe does the Mercedes system make it a Self-Driving Car, or anywhere near Level 4 Autonomy. Mercedes DrivePilot is no more than ADAS, and nowhere near Tesla’s state-of-the-art Autopilot system, which is at or slightly above Level 2.
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.
- 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.
BusinessAFPOPEC agrees shock oil output cutOPEC shocked markets with a deal to cut oil output after kingpin Saudi Arabia allowed bitter rival Iran to be exempted, but analysts warned Thursday the move would not likely have a lasting impact. At the end of six hours of negotiations and weeks of horse trading, OPEC announced the plan to cut production to 32.5-33 million barrels per day from the 33.47 million in August, the International Energy Agency said. The deal, in Algiers during an informal meeting with Russia, was hammered out after the group's biggest producer Saudi Arabia agreed Iran, which is ramping up output after years of Western economic sanctions, would be exempted from the cut.
- WorldReutersIndonesia evacuates hundreds of tourists after volcano erupts
Indonesian rescuers on Wednesday evacuated hundreds of tourists from a volcano that erupted a day earlier and were searching for as many as 50 climbers. Authorities closed the gates to Mount Rinjani, one of Indonesia's most visited active volcanoes on the resort island of Lombok, next to Bali, and told visitors to keep at least three km away. The erupting cone is called Barujari, a volcano within Mount Rinjani.
BusinessAFP Relax NewsNew Jeep Compass set to navigate the global SUV marketFiat Chrysler has taken the wraps off a new compact SUV that it hopes will be a hit in 100 markets around the world. The Compass will offer class-leading all-wheel-drive off road ability despite its diminutive dimensions -- when it goes on sale in 2017 it will slot between the Renegade and the Cherokee in Jeep's current lineup -- but will also be comfortable on the road, too. There were rumors that the new Compass would make its global real-world debut at this week's Paris motor show, however, on Wednesday Jeep confirmed that it won't be meeting the public until November at the LA Auto Show, instead.
U.S.Associated PressThe Latest: Friend: Starbucks victim was naturalized citizenThe man killed in a shooting at a Starbucks coffee shop in Las Vegas was a naturalized U.S. citizen from Tblisi, Georgia, where he served in the military and learned not to back away from conflict. The defendant in the slaying case, 34-year-old Pedro Jose Garcia, made an initial court appearance Wednesday on murder and other charges in the Sunday slaying.
- 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.
PoliticsChristopher WilsonDown Ticket #15: The most fascinating House contest of 2016, how the Clinton-Trump debate will shake up down-ballot races (and more!)Republican candidate Jason Lewis and Democrat Angie Craig vie for Minnesota’s Second Congressional District. ST. PAUL, Minn. — As you may have heard, there’s a race this year between a well-organized and well-financed centrist Democratic woman (with an Arkansas background) and a political newcomer, a Republican who ran against the party establishment with some far-right views and a long history of controversial, even offensive, statements.
- 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.
ScienceReutersBillionaire Elon Musk outlines plans for humans to colonize MarsBy Irene Klotz GUADALAJARA, Mexico (Reuters) - SpaceX is developing a massive rocket and capsule to transport large numbers of people and cargo to Mars with the ultimate goal of colonizing the planet, company chief and tech billionaire Elon Musk said on Tuesday. Musk outlined his plans for the Mars rocket, capable of carrying 100 passengers plus cargo per voyage, even as SpaceX is still investigating why a different rocket carrying a $200 million Israeli satellite blew up on a launch pad in Florida earlier this month. SpaceX intends to fly to Mars about every 26 months when Earth and Mars are favourably aligned.
- 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.
WorldAFPStudent protests spread in South AfricaStudent protests in South Africa spread Wednesday with police firing rubber bullets at demonstrators on campuses in Johannesburg and Grahamstown as unrest over tuition fees roils universities across the country. The University of Johannesburg's Doornfontein campus was hit by violent clashes between students and campus security guards as running battles erupted through the evening, AFP photographers witnessed. Police in Grahamstown, in Eastern Cape province, arrested at least 11 Rhodes University students after they allegedly violated a court interdict which barred protests on the university grounds.
- LifestyleYahoo News PhotoWildfire in California's Santa Cruz Mountains
Firefighters worked to control a wildfire on Tuesday in the Santa Cruz Mountains south of San Francisco Bay area that has forced hundreds of residents to evacuate, despite its relatively small size, officials said. The so-called Loma Fire broke out on Monday afternoon and has scorched more than 1,000 acres (405 hectares) about 10 miles (16 km) northwest of the town of Morgan Hill, fire officials said. Firefighters have built containment lines around 5 percent of the blaze.
- U.S.ABC News VideosInside the Apartment Where Garrett Phillips Was Found Dead
Potsdam Police Chief Mark Murray takes us back to the scene of the crime to show Elizabeth Vargas how police think Garrett Phillips' killer escaped. Enter the apartment. Don't always. For Specter here the door was open is on responsive don't show floor
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.
- WorldChristian Science MonitorHow Thailand's military junta has cracked down on dissent
Police and soldiers in Thailand have committed at least 74 cases of torture and other ill treatment since the military seized power in a 2014 coup, according to an Amnesty International report released on Wednesday. Martial law and post-coup decrees, wrote the human-rights group, have created "legal incentives" for Thai authorities to target suspected insurgents and political opponents, in addition to migrants, ethnic minorities, suspected drug users, and other members of vulnerable sectors of society. "Empowered by laws of their own making, Thailand's military rulers have allowed a culture of torture to flourish, where there is no accountability for the perpetrators and no justice for the victims," said Rafendi Djamin, Amnesty International's Director for South East Asia and the Pacific, in a statement accompanying the report's release.
- PoliticsJon WardThe surprising agreement between Trump and Clinton on gun control
In the four-dimensional chessboard on which the politics of gun control plays out, anything can happen — and for a brief moment in Monday night’s presidential debate, it did, as Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton found themselves in agreement on at least one small aspect of it. At issue was a ban on gun sales to people on the government’s terror watch lists, a move that has taken on huge symbolic importance since Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., began pushing for it earlier this year in the wake of the deadly attack at an Orlando nightclub.
U.S.Yahoo News PhotoMidwest flooding subsidesOfficials in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, say their elaborate system of temporary floodwalls is successfully protecting thousands of homes and businesses from floodwaters as the river that runs through the city reached its second-highest peak ever, on Tuesday. Heavy rain flooded homes, closed major highways and stranded motorists in several Midwestern states over the last week. (AP) See more news-related photo galleries ,and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Tumblr .
- 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.
HealthAFP Relax NewsBeware the air we breatheHealth-damaging atmospheric pollutants, which the World Health Organization warned Tuesday affected nine out of every 10 people, originate mainly from industry, heating and transport. Chronic exposure has been linked not only to respiratory ailments, but also cancers, heart disease and stroke.
- 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.
WorldAFPMorocco signs deal for major Boeing hubMorocco signed an agreement with Boeing on Tuesday to build a new hub for the US aerospace giant that officials hope will create thousands of skilled jobs. King Mohammed VI oversaw the signing of a memorandum of understanding in the northern port city of Tangiers to establish an industrial zone where up to 120 Boeing suppliers and sub-contractors could operate. "This is a very important strategic project as we move into a new aeronautical era in Morocco," Industry Minister Moulay Hafi Elalamy told AFP.
