Military Officers Punished After One Appears To Re-Enlist Using Dinosaur Puppet

An officer in the Tennessee National Guard has been removed from her position and is facing administrative actions after she appeared to use a dinosaur hand puppet to take her re-enlistment oath. Master Sgt. Robin Brown, a senior noncommissioned officer with the Tennessee Joint Public Affairs Office, appeared to reenlist Friday for the Guard by holding a dinosaur puppet in her right hand as she took the oath, according to WKRN-TV. The video of the oath has been viewed more than 2 million times, according to Stars & Stripes.

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  Airmen fired, demoted over dinosaur puppet video

  CNN
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  Tennessee Air Guardsman Re-Enlists Using Dinosaur Puppet

  Crystal Lake-Cary, IL Patch

Public figures react to the death of Barbara Bush

Within minutes of the news that former first lady Barbara Bush had died Tuesday at the age of 92, tributes began pouring in from political figures, including those in her own family. George H.W. Bush, her husband of 73 years, issued a statement that praised his wife as a “proponent of family literacy,” and noted that she is survived by 5 children, 17 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren and a brother. “As a wife, mother, grandmother, military spouse, and former First Lady, Mrs. Bush was an advocate of the American family,” the statement read.

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  Why people are mad about this Women's March tribute to Barbara Bush

  Yahoo Lifestyle
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  Barbara Bush Dead at 92: A Look Back at the Former First Lady's Life and Impact

  Entertainment Tonight Videos

Hero Southwest Airlines pilot Tammie Jo Shults praised after landing distressed aircraft

A Southwest Airlines pilot is being hailed as a hero after she made an emergency landing in Philadelphia on Tuesday after one of the jet's engines apparently exploded. Former Navy pilot Tammie Jo Shults remained calm as she safely brought down Flight 1380, which was heading from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Dallas, after the Boeing 737-700 began experiencing severe engine issues. "Southwest 1380, we're single engine," Shults can be heard telling air traffic control in a recording of her call for help.

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  A Southwest Airlines flight underwent an emergency landing after the engine exploded, and the photos are terrifying

  Hello Giggles
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  Pilot hailed as 'American hero' for landing stricken jet

  AFP

Trump squirming over Russia sanctions ties White House in knots

Carol Leonnig, national investigative reporter for The Washington Post, talks with Rachel Maddow about Donald Trump's panicked concern about appearing to sanction Russia more than other countries and turning back his own.

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  Trump has no reason to fear a Russian bear; in trade with U.S., Russia is more like a gnat

  MarketWatch
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  U.S. Told Russian Embassy No New Sanctions Due Soon, Russia Says

  Bloomberg

Unarmed Black Man Killed In 'Mind-Boggling,' Unjustified Barrage Of Police Gunfire: Lawyer

A lawyer representing relatives of an unarmed black man killed in a hail of police bullets in a California Walmart parking lot accuses officers of profiling, stalking and unjustifiably shooting him. Diante “Butchie” Yarber, 26, who had been driving his cousin and friends to a Walmart in Barstow, died when police fired what witnesses told The Guardian sounded like more than 30 bullets. “They saw a car full of black people sitting in front of a Walmart, and they decided that was suspicious,” Lee Merritt, an attorney representing Yarber’s family, told the paper.

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  'Stalked and murdered': Cops fired 30 shots at unarmed black man outside Walmart, attorney says

  Miami Herald
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  Anger spreads over police killing of black man in Walmart parking lot in Barstow

  Los Angeles Times

French man becomes first person to have two face transplants

Jerome Hamon, the first man in the world to twice undergo a face transplant poses this week at the Georges-Pompidou hospital in Paris. A French man is recovering in a Paris hospital after becoming the first person in the world to undergo two face transplants. Jérôme Hamon, who suffers from a condition which causes disfiguring tumours, underwent his first transplant in 2010, but his body eventually rejected his new face which had to be removed.

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  Man left faceless for 2 months undergoes second transplant after first deteriorates

  Fox News
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  Man's second face transplant is a world first

  CNN

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens May Have Committed A Felony: AG

The Missouri attorney general’s office has uncovered “evidence of potential criminal acts of wrongdoing” by Gov. Eric Greitens, Attorney General Josh Hawley announced Tuesday. At issue, Hawley said, is an electronic donor list Greitens obtained from a Missouri nonprofit called The Mission Continues. Evidence suggests Greitens unlawfully used that list to fundraise for his own political purposes, the AG said.

EPA chief sat in coach when not flying on taxpayer's dime

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt flew in coach-class seats on at least two trips home to Oklahoma when taxpayers weren't footing the bill, despite claims he needed to travel in first class at government expense because of security threats. Copies of Pruitt's official schedule released this week following a public records request show flights made in August and October to Tulsa on Southwest Airlines, a budget carrier that doesn't offer premium-class seats. The Associated Press reported earlier this month that an EPA official said the administrator sat in coach on personal flights to watch college football games using a companion pass obtained with frequent flyer miles accrued by Ken Wagner, a former law partner Pruitt hired as one of his senior advisers at EPA.

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  Head budget official says office will open probe into Scott Pruitt's spending

  ABC News
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  White House to Investigate Pruitt’s $43,000 Secure Phone Booth

  Bloomberg

New York governor to allow 35,000 paroled felons to vote

New York State plans to restore voting rights to about 35,000 New York felons on parole who previously were barred from casting a ballot until they completed their parole, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday. Cuomo will issue an executive order to restore voting rights to those felons already on parole as well as those who enter the parole system each month, a spokesman said. Most convicted felons in the United States face hurdles and roadblocks to voting, which vary by state.

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  New York wants power to prosecute criminals pardoned by Donald Trump

  The Independent
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  Cynthia Nixon tells Stephen Colbert why she's 100 percent serious about becoming New York's governor

  The Week (RSS)

Here's Why Congressman Blake Farenthold Resigned So Abruptly

WASHINGTON ― It’s been a mystery why Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas) abruptly resigned earlier this month. The House Ethics Committee was about to rule against Farenthold in its investigation into whether he sexually harassed members of his staff, used official money for campaign purposes and lied in previous testimony to the committee, according to the office of Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.). The committee gave Farenthold a heads-up about its ruling, which it is legally required to do before issuing a decision, so he quit, per Speier’s office.

2018 Ford F-150 Power Stroke Diesel Returns 30 MPG Highway

The fuel economy numbers are in, and Ford says these are best in class. Ever since Ford revealed the technical specifications of the diesel-powered F-150 back in January the Blue Oval said that it would do 30 miles per gallon on the highway. Fast forward to present day, Ford is happy to report its Power Stroke workhorse can achieve an EPA-estimated 30 mpg highway and 22 mpg city for a combined 25 mpg.

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  Dominant 2018 Ford F-150 Power Stroke diesel scores 30-mpg EPA highway rating

  Digital Trends
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  The 2018 Ford F-150 diesel rated at best-in-class 30 mpg highway

  Fox News

Pompeo N. Korea trip mean to boost flagging Trump nominee: report

Rachel Maddow reports on the difficulty CIA Director Mike Pompeo is having gathering enough votes for his nomination to make it out of committee, with final confirmation less than guaranteed. Just one of several struggling Trump nominations.

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  Senate panel divided over Pompeo for secretary of state

  Associated Press
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  The Big Question: Who speaks for the White House on foreign policy?

  NBC News

Sinclair Broadcast Boss Donated To GOP Rep Who Assaulted Reporter

Robert E. Smith, a director of Sinclair since 1986, donated $5,400 to Gianforte’s campaign last month, and the same amount last year, according to The Guardian, whose reporter, Ben Jacobs, was attacked by Gianforte.

State of emergency, rescues in Hawaii after severe flooding

More than 340 people have been airlifted to safety after nearly 30 inches of rain hit the Hawaiian island of Kauai, with another storm on its way.

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  Hawaii flood: Here's what travelers should know before visiting Kauai

  WTSP-TV Tampa
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  Over 200 Hawaii residents airlifted from Kauai flooding following 30 inches of rain

  USA Today

60 Seriously Delicious Healthy Breakfasts

These are way more delicious than that protein bar you were planning to eat.From Delish

US gains key witness in drug case against Colombian rebel

U.S. prosecutors have apparently won the cooperation of a key witness in the case of a top rebel ideologue arrested last week on charges of trying to import 10 metric tons of cocaine into the U.S. An official from Colombia's chief prosecutor's office said Marlon Marin was flown Monday to New York after agreeing to testify against co-defendant Seuxis Hernandez, better known by his alias Jesus Santrich. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss the politically charged case, which has upended the already stumbling peace process with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

Iran's Khamenei quits Telegram

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced Wednesday that he would no longer use the hugely popular messaging app Telegram, shifting instead to domestic services. President Hassan Rouhani quickly followed suit, announcing that he too was giving up Telegram shortly after issuing a directive banning the government and administration workers from using foreign messenger apps to communicate, according to the official IRNA news agency. The announcements came as rumours continued that Iran would soon block Telegram, built by Russian tech guru Pavel Durov and the most popular social media service in the country with some 40 million users -- roughly half the population.

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  Iran switches from dollar to euro for official reporting currency

  Reuters India
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  Iran bans state bodies from using Telegram app, Khamenei shuts account

  Reuters

Fox News' Judicial Analyst Absolutely Shreds Hannity's Cohen Claim

Hannity claimed he never hired Cohen but also insisted he had a right to privacy in his conversations with him under attorney-client privilege. “I love him and, you know, I’ve worked with him for 20 years,” Napolitano said Tuesday.

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  “You Only Hire Cohen for One Reason”: Inside Fox News, Sean Hannity’s Michael Cohen Disclosure Stokes a Crisis as Murdoch Wavers on Trump

  Vanity Fair
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  Why Samantha Bee Is Pretty Sure Sean Hannity Is a Serial Killer

  Vanity Fair

Conservative Pundit S.E. Cupp Hits Trump White House Right In The Balls

.@secupp just now on @HLNTV: "I for one hope Nikki Haley is looking to run for president in the near future. It would be nice to have someone with balls in the White House." https://t.co/JGddD8XMUD — SE Cupp Unfiltered (@UnfilteredSE) April 18, 2018

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  Don't Let Nikki Haley Fool You

  HuffPost
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  Nikki Haley's savage own of Larry Kudlow is one for the ages

  CNN

Most Expensive 2018 Ford Mustang: We Welcome Our One-Month Loaner

Ford asked us what sort of Mustang we’d like, so we ticked every box. Last fall our friends at Ford approached us with a tantalizing proposition: Build a 2018 Mustang anyway you’d like (short of a Shelby badge) and we’ll deliver the thing for a one-month test. Initially the conversation about how to build the car turned towards the predictable, auto-enthusiast mindset: give it a V8 engine, manual transmission, a smattering of performance options, and then leave well enough alone.

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  Ford Mustang fans refuse to let a little snow spoil a birthday party

  Autoblog
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  2018 Ford Mustang EcoBoost Quick Spin Review | MagneRide is a must-have

  Autoblog

We're Losing It Over the Design Within Reach 15% Off Outdoor Sale

Here are our 20 favorite sale items to get your patio ready for spring

Woman Partially Sucked Out Of Southwest Plane Died Of Impact Trauma: Report

An airline passenger who was killed Tuesday when an engine explosion caused a window to break died of blunt impact trauma to her head, neck and torso, according to the Philadelphia medical examiner. James Garrow of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health told reporters Wednesday evening that Jennifer Riordan’s death was ruled accidental. Riordan, a banker and community volunteer in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was aboard Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 from New York to Dallas when a jet engine on the left side failed and its debris crashed the window.

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  What we know about the bank VP who died after Southwest Airlines engine failure

  ABC News
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  Regulators to require inspections after jet engine explosion

  Winona Daily News

Barbara Bush funeral planned for Saturday at Houston church

A private funeral for former U.S. first lady Barbara Bush, the only American woman to see her husband and son both sworn in as president, will be held on Saturday at a Houston church where her family has been members since the 1950s, officials said. Bush, the wife of the 41st president, George H.W. Bush, and mother of the 43rd, George W. Bush, died on Tuesday at the age of 92. After the funeral at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston, Bush will be buried on Saturday on the grounds of the George H.W. Bush Library and Museum at Texas A&M University in College Station, about 100 miles (160 km) away, the university said.

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  Flags at half staff for Barbara Bush

  Reuters Videos
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  Where will Barbara Bush be buried? Former first lady’s grave will be near daughter Robin

  Newsweek

The Navy's Stealth Destroyer is a Giant Missile 'Carrier' (And It Will Soon Fire Some Missiles)

In preparation for all of this, the ship is now going through combat activation in San Diego, Calif., to pave the way toward preparing the weapons systems for the ship’s planned move to operational status in 2020, Navy officials say. This process will also carefully refine many of the ship’s other technologies, such as its advanced Integrated Power System and Total Ship Computing Environment, multi-function, volume-search SPY-3 radar and sonar systems. Navy developers of the new high-tech, stealthy USS Zumwalt destroyer are widening the mission envelope for the ship, exploring new ammunition for its guns and preparing to fire its first missiles next year.