President Obama declared a major disaster in Louisiana earlier this week, ordering the Federal Emergency Management Agency to respond to the flooding that left at least 12 people dead and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people. “Last week, as torrential rains brought death, destruction and misery to Louisiana, the president continued his vacation at Martha’s Vineyard, a playground for the posh and well-connected,” the Advocate wrote in a Thursday editorial. “We’ve seen this story before in Louisiana, and we don’t deserve a sequel.
Donald Trump struck a compassionate tone at a rally Thursday night, saying he “regrets” some of his past statements. “Sometimes, in the heat of debate and speaking on a multitude of issues, you don’t choose the right words or you say the wrong thing,” Trump said in Charlotte, N.C., reading prepared remarks off a teleprompter. Trump opened his talk with an appeal to American unity, a theme he carried throughout the evening.
Twenty other people were killed during the incident at a ranch in the western Mexico state of Michoacan, while one police officer died, an imbalance that had raised questions about what happened on May 22, 2015. The National Human Rights Commission said Thursday that in addition to 22 unjustified slayings, there were also two cases of torture and four more deaths caused by excessive force by federal police. “The investigation confirmed facts that show grave human rights violations attributable to public servants of the federal police,” commission President Luis Raul Gonzalez Perez said.
At the annual Pebble Beach concours, new cars tend to pale before the classics—but not the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 concept. This cherry-red stretch of billionaire’s taffy recalls history’s most over-the-top coupes, even as it couches a modern Tesla threat with electric drive, ultra-fast charging and an interior that adjusts to human vital signs. Unveiled at Mercedes’ Star Lounge, a shanked drive off the third tee of the famed Pebble Beach Golf Links, the boat-tail Maybach coupe thumbs its lengthy nose at critics who see the current Maybach S600 sedan as merely a tarted-up S-Class—even if the tart in question starts from $190,000.
Google searches related to voter registration are up 323% compared to four years ago, led by swing states like Ohio and Pennsylvania. Vermont, home base of former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, saw the biggest spike in searches related to the election, a rise of 358% compared to 2012. “This is a special election, where we’re seeing a huge increase in the information needs people are coming to us in terms of the election,” said Emily Moxley, Google’s project manager for the “how to vote” search feature.
If you were one of the many who were shot down by the Blue Oval after applying to buy one of its shiny new $450,000 super cars, you might soon be granted a second chance. Ford is adding two years to GT production, giving loyal brand enthusiasts and social media influencers alike another opportunity to be considered for ownership. Originally, Ford planned on producing the 600-plus horsepower Ford GT for two years, building just 500 of the supercars in the process. Wishful potential GT owners who already applied but were declined or wait-listed by Ford will have to wait until the first round of production ends in 2018 to reapply.
A Connecticut state worker fired after he was caught smoking marijuana on the job was punished too harshly and should get his job back, the state Supreme Court ruled Friday. Gregory Linhoff was fired from his maintenance job at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington in 2012 after a police officer caught him smoking pot in a state-owned vehicle. The state appealed and a Superior Court judge overturned the arbitrator's decision on the grounds that it violated Connecticut's public policy against marijuana use.
A shocked Syrian boy pictured sitting in an ambulance covered in blood and dust after an air strike has become a symbol of civilian suffering in Aleppo, drawing worldwide attention. The announcement Thursday followed pleas from the United Nations and the European Union for a halt in the fighting in divided Aleppo to allow aid deliveries. Omran was pulled from the rubble after an air raid on Wednesday in the rebel-held district of Qaterji in the southeast of Aleppo, which has been devastated by the five-year war.
By Krystian Orlinski WRIGHTWOOD, Calif. (Reuters) - The main highway linking Southern California to Las Vegas reopened on Thursday as authorities battled a fast-moving wildfire that raged for a third day in mountains east of Los Angeles. More than 80,000 residents remained under evacuation orders from the so-called Blue Cut Fire, named for a narrow gorge near its origin. It erupted on Tuesday in the Cajon Pass near Interstate 15, the primary traffic route between greater Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Nevada, to the northeast and quickly devoured canyons and hillsides filled with dense, drought-parched brush and chaparral.
Donald Trump gestures during a media event at the site of his future golf course near Aberdeen, Scotland. (David Moir/Reuters/File)Donald Trump took to Twitter on Thursday to declare he will soon have a new nickname: “Mr. Brexit.” The name refers to Britain