- 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 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.
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.
U.S.ReutersTeen kills father, opens fire on schoolyard in South CarolinaBy Harriet McLeod CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - A 14-year-old South Carolina boy shot and killed his father then drove to an elementary school where he opened fire with a handgun, wounding two children and a teacher before being tackled by a firefighter who held him for police, authorities said on Wednesday. The suspect, whose name has not been released, shot dead his 47-year-old father, Jeffrey DeWitt Osborne, then drove a pickup truck about 2 miles (3.2 km) to Townville Elementary school where he crashed into a fence surrounding the playground, authorities said. Police arrived within 7 minutes of a teacher calling 911 to take the suspect into custody at the school in Anderson County, located near the Georgia state line about 100 miles (160 km) northeast of Atlanta.
- 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.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.
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 .
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.
- 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.
PoliticsDylan StablefordThis is the surreal 1997 press conference Donald Trump held to discuss Alicia Machado’s weightOn May 17, 1996, in Las Vegas, Alicia Machado, a 19-year-old from Venezuela, was crowned Miss Universe, the beauty pageant that Donald Trump would buy later that same year. Eight months later, in New York City, Trump, the contest’s new executive producer, stood next to Machado as she rode a stationary bike surrounded by a scrum of local cameramen and news reporters and flanked by a personal trainer. “I went to the Miss Universe contest last year,” Trump told reporters.
- 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.
WorldAFPTourists flee volcano at popular Indonesia hiking spotHundreds of tourists have fled a volcanic eruption at a popular Indonesian hiking destination, an official said Wednesday, expressing fears some may have stayed behind to document the natural wonder. Around 1,000 tourists, including about 600 foreigners, were believed to be in the area when Mount Barujari sent columns of ash and smoke shooting high into the sky over holiday island Lombok Tuesday, according to the official disaster agency. Barujari is a small cone within the crater of Mount Rinjani, Indonesia's second-highest volcano and a major attraction for foreign tourists visiting the archipelago.
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.
- SciencePopular MechanicsSpaceX Test Fires the Engine That Might Bring Humans to Mars
Just ahead of Elon Musk's big keynote address tomorrow on colonizing Mars, "Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species," SpaceX test fired the new engine that Musk hopes will lift the first astronauts to the red planet. The Raptor engine is SpaceX's first liquid methane and liquid oxygen fueled engine, unlike the family of Merlin engines that uses Rocket Propellant-1, or RP-1, a highly refined form of kerosene as well as liquid oxygen as a source of fuel.
- U.S.Christian Science MonitorThe sheriff of Ericson Street
Not long after Mike Costello moved into a renovated brick ranch on Ericson Street earlier this year, he was helping the cable guy at his house when shots rang out – first one, then another. As a cop, Mr. Costello knew exactly what the pops were. At first, he couldn’t see anything amiss, but then Raymond Hinton came running fast around the corner.
- 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.
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.
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.
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.
- 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
- 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.
- U.S.WABC – NYHouston gunman had 2 weapons, thousands of rounds at scene
A disgruntled lawyer wearing military-style apparel with old Nazi emblems had two weapons and more than 2,500 rounds of live ammunition when he randomly shot at drivers in a Houston neighborhood before he was shot and killed by police, authorities said.
- WorldReutersUkraine says MH17 crash probe points to Russia's 'direct involvement'
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday hailed the findings by international prosecutors into the shooting down of a Malaysian airliner in eastern Ukraine, saying it pointed to Russia's "direct involvement" in the air crash that killed 298 people. The report is "an important milestone" in bringing to justice all those responsible for downing the aircraft, the Foreign Ministry said. "This puts an end to all of Russia's attempts to discredit activities of the Joint Investigation Team and conclusions by spreading distorted or fabricated information," the ministry said.
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.
- 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.
