- WorldYahoo NewsDefense secretary pick Mattis calls Russia top threat, says Iran deal will be enforced
Defense secretary nominee James Mattis on Thursday ranked Russia and the national debt as top threats to U.S. national security and said that President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran was “imperfect” but must be enforced. “It’s not a deal I would have signed,” the retired Marine general said in a wide-ranging Senate Armed Services Committee hearing focused on his virtually certain confirmation. During a three-hour appearance before lawmakers who rarely challenged him, Mattis repeatedly criticized Russia, promised that President-elect Donald Trump would enforce NATO’s automatic mutual-defense agreement, and said he had no plans to roll back the role of women or LGBTQ Americans in the military.
- NewsYahoo NewsMore than $160,000 raised for victim of Chicago attack filmed on Facebook Live
A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $160,000 in just one week for an 18-year-old who was recently held captive and assaulted by four people in Chicago. A widely circulated Facebook Live video — which has since been removed — appeared to show the young man being tied up, beaten, cut, and verbally assaulted with anti-white slurs by a group of young African-American men and women. Last week, police arrested and charged four suspects with hate crimes, as well as counts of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated unlawful restraint, and aggravated battery.
NewsAssociated PressGOP lawmaker says Capitol pig painting coming downA GOP congressman reported Friday that a painting stirring controversy on Capitol Hill will be taken down Tuesday after the agency responsible for maintaining the Capitol complex determined it violated rules for a student arts competition. The painting depicts Ferguson, Missouri, with a pig in a police uniform aiming a gun at a protester. The painting was among hundreds completed by high school students that are featured in a tunnel leading to the Capitol.
NewsAFPAssange agrees to extradition if US releases whistleblowerWikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will agree to be extradited to the United States if President Barack Obama grants clemency to the former US soldier Chelsea Manning, jailed for leaking documents, the company said on Thursday. "If Obama grants Manning clemency Assange will agree to US extradition despite clear unconstitutionality of DoJ (US Department of Justice) case," WikiLeaks wrote on Twitter. Assange has been living in the Ecuadoran embassy in London since June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face sexual assault allegations.
NewsAssociated PressPassing driver kills man attacking Arizona trooper on roadTrooper Edward Andersson, a 27-year veteran of the Department of Public Safety, was shot in the right shoulder and chest in what authorities called an ambush and was in serious but stable condition after surgery at a Goodyear hospital. "My trooper would not be alive without his assistance," DPS Director Frank Milstead said of the driver who stopped. Arizona has a "defense of third person" law that allows someone to use deadly force against another who is threatening or injuring a third person.
- PoliticsABC News VideosObama-Biden Bromance Reduces VP to Tears
Joe Biden was moved to tears when the president surprised him with the Medal of Freedom. As want to dip some folks together to pay tribute to somebody who's not only been by my side. For the duration of this amazing journey and by somebody who has devoted
- WorldYahoo News Photo StaffStarry nights and empty streets in Syria
The stars fill the night sky over the eerily quiet streets of rebel-held Idlib, Syria, but the calm might not last much longer — now that Syrian government forces have recaptured Aleppo in a crushing offensive, they are likely to turn their attentions
- HealthInternational Business TimesSuperbug Killed Nevada Woman
A superbug resistant to every antibiotic available in the U.S. medical arsenal killed a Nevada woman last summer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday. The woman, who was in her 70s and had a two-year history of hospitalizations in India, was hospitalized in Reno for a carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infection. Investigators identified the specific microbe as Klebsiella pneumoniae, which usually causes urinary tract infections.
- NewsInside EditionHorrific House Fire Kills Six of Nine Children Belonging to Congressman's Aide: 'This Unimaginable Tragedy Is Shocking'
The fast-moving inferno collapsed the home’s second and third floors as mother Katie Malone managed to stagger outside, led by an 8-year-daughter, who had rounded up two little brothers, ages 4 and 5. Malone, who had nine children, is an aide to Maryland’s Democratic Rep. Elijah E. Cummings. “Sadly, six of her nine children perished.
- PoliticsYahoo NewsOnline trolls bombard Washington Post editor after falsely accusing her of spying on Trump nominee
A Washington Post editor was bombarded with attacks, many of them racist, after conservatives online falsely accused her of photographing the notes of Rex Tillerson, Donald Trump’s secretary of state nominee. On Tuesday evening, video from Tillerson’s Senate Foreign Relations confirmation hearing began to circulate on Twitter and conservative corners of the Internet.
- NewsUPROXXThe Warriors Hired And Almost Immediately Fired A Controversial Ex-Police Chief From A Security Position
The Golden State Warriors are renowned for their ability to identify personnel who will help their organization. This goes from the front office to coaches to players, as Golden State’s ability to bring talent on board is second to none (save for the Spurs) in the NBA. It is a strange scenario, one that could have been avoided if the Warriors read up on Suhr’s unsavory tenure as the city’s police chief.
WorldReutersU.S. probe clears forces over civilian deaths in northern Afghan cityA U.S. military investigation confirmed that dozens of Afghan civilians were killed in a special forces operation near the northern city of Kunduz last year, but found troops had acted in self-defense and decided no action would be taken against them. The report, published on Thursday, said 33 civilians were killed and 27 wounded last November when a U.S. and Afghan special forces unit returned fire against Taliban fighters in the village of Boz, near Kunduz, and called in air support. "The investigation concluded that U.S. forces acted in self-defense, in accordance with the Law of Armed Conflict, and in accordance with all applicable regulations and policy," the U.S. military in Afghanistan said in a statement.
- ScienceMashableStriking images capture the majestic beauty of seadragons
Researchers in Australia finally caught on camera what they were looking for: a new species of seadragon in its natural habitat. Footage released this week in Marine Biodiversity Records shows the elusive "Ruby Seadragon" in the waters off Australia'
NewsAssociated PressCorrection: California Tornado-Q&A storyIn a story Jan. 11 about a tornado in Northern California, The Associated Press reported erroneously that the tornado was south of Sacramento. It was actually north of Sacramento. LOS ANGELES (AP) — The latest storm to wallop Northern California whipped up a small tornado that downed trees and fences near Sacramento.
- WorldForeign Policy MagazineIn Asylum Limbo, Europe’s Forgotten Refugees Are Dying of Cold
Refugees and migrants in Europe are dying this winter and governments must do more to help, the U.N. warned on Friday. Cecile Poutilly, a spokesperson for the U.N. refugee agency UNCHR, said five had died so far in a unusual cold front settling in on southeastern Europe. The EU spent 198 million euro in 2016 on emergency support for Greece to help tens of thousands of refugees and migrants, according to the EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Department.
TechnologyBGR NewsOur favorite Google Pixel and Pixel XL clear case is on sale right now for $3The Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL are two of the hottest smartphones on the planet right now. Protecting your Pixel or Pixel XL doesn’t have to mean ruining the look or hiding the phones under a bunch of ugly plastic, however.
HealthAFPCannabis can relieve pain, but carries risks: US reportMarijuana and cannabis can help to safely alleviate pain for some patients but many uncertainties remain about their health and safety risks, according to a major scientific review published Thursday. A committee of the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine looked at more than 10,000 scientific abstracts to reach its nearly 100 conclusions. Cannabis, the scientific name for the plant whose dried buds and leaves make marijuana, is the most popular illicit drug in the United States.
- NewsInside EditionMan Wears Sign Supporting Suspected Cop Killer Outside Florida Sheriff's Office: 'God Bless the Shooter'
As Orlando police remain embroiled in a manhunt for a suspect wanted for the murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend and an officer in Orlando, a man took to the streets to show support for that alleged cop killer, donning a sign celebrating the death of police outside a Florida sheriff’s office. The man, identified in reports as Ian McGuire, 26, was seen outside the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, located about three hours southwest of Orlando, wearing a sign that read: "2 cops dead in Orlando.
PoliticsAssociated PressThe Latest: Trump says he may maintain some Russia sanctionsPresident-elect Donald Trump says he will probably maintain some of the Obama administration's recent sanctions against Russia, although he adds that he might do away with them if Russia works with the U.S. on battling terrorists and achieving other goals. President Barack Obama imposed the sanctions in retaliation for alleged Russian interference in the U.S. election. Trump also says he is open to meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin after his inauguration.
- NewsInternational Business TimesWoman With Black Boyfriend Raises Over 14k On GoFundMe After Lamenting Racist Parents
Allie Dowdle, 18, of Memphis said on the fundraising page that she has been dating her boyfriend, Michael, for about a year, but her parents are having a difficult time accepting him into the family. Dowdle mentioned that she is incapable of getting a job due to a lack of a consistent transportation.
- U.S.Yahoo News Photo StaffFuneral for paralyzed detective who forgave shooter
Escorted by police motorcycles and amid the wail of bagpipes, the hearse carrying the body of Detective Steven McDonald arrived Friday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral for the funeral of the officer known for forgiving a teenage gunman who left him paralyzed. Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner James O’Neill joined scores of police officers watched as the hearse pulled up in front of the Manhattan church. McDonald, 59, who suffered a heart attack last week, died at a Long Island hospital on Tuesday.
PoliticsReutersFBI investigated over pre-election decisions on Clinton emailBy Julia Edwards Ainsley and Julia Harte WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday said it would probe a Federal Bureau of Investigation decision to announce an inquiry into Hillary Clinton's emails shortly before the November presidential election, a move she has blamed as a factor in her defeat. The Justice Department's Office of Inspector General said in a statement that its investigation would focus in part on decisions leading up to public statements by FBI Director James Comey regarding the Clinton investigation and whether they may have been based on "improper considerations." The controversy involved Clinton's use of a private email server for official correspondence when she was secretary of state under President Barack Obama, including for messages that were later determined to contain classified information.
LifestyleAssociated PressCritics upset after Norwegian kids watch reindeer slaughterA preschool in Arctic Norway is facing online criticism for taking 5-year-old children on an outing to view the slaughter and skinning of reindeer at a nearby farm. The criticism erupted on Facebook after the school posted photos of eight children looking at reindeers, a culled animal hanging above a blood pool, a child dragging bloodied skins in the snow and snowsuit-clad children tossing carcass bits into a container. Dag Olav Stoelan, head of the Granstubben Barnehage preschool, says Tuesday's daytrip was designed to teach the children about the indigenous Sami who live in northern Norway and are often involved in reindeer herding.
- HealthInside EditionCards for Humanity: Boy, 10, Sells Baseball Card Collection to Raise Money for 2 Friends With Cancer
Few things are more valuable than a boy's baseball card collection, but when this Massachusetts 10-year-old heard two of his friends had cancer, he was more than happy to donate them to raise money for their treatment. "When I found out my friends were diagnosed with cancer, I had a lot of baseball cards so I decided to start selling them to raise money for [them]," Brady Kahle, 10, told InsideEdition.com. "I can't imagine ever having to deal with that as a mom," Brady's mom, Jessie Kahle, told InsideEdition.com.
- BusinessU.S.News & World ReportWhen You Do Everything Right But Your Retirement Plans Go Wrong
For some middle class families, saving for retirement can seem like a herculean task. A 2015 survey by FINRA Investor Education Foundation found that many retirement account owners had taken a loan (13 percent) or hardship withdrawal (10 percent) in the past year. Here's how to set things right when your retirement plan gets waylaid.
