News Daypop Archives

U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth Will Be First Senator To Give Birth In Office

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Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill, said she and her husband “are thrilled” to announce that she is pregnant with their second child, making her the first acting senator to give birth. The soon-to-be mother of two, who’s baby girl is due this spring, thanked friends, family and hospital staff for helping in their “decades-long journey to complete” their family. Duckworth is a decorated Iraq War veteran who lost both her legs in combat.  She was elected to the Senate in 2016 after previously serving two terms in the House of Representatives. The senator’s latest pregnancy news makes her one of 10 women to have a baby while serving their term in Congress, and Duckworth will reportedly be the first acting senator to do so. Duckworth, 49, first became a mom in 2014 after giving birth to daughter Abigail. She was a member of the House at the time.  ... [Read Full Story]

Kentucky High School Shooting Leaves 2 Dead, 17 Injured

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A 15-year-old student killed two classmates and hit a dozen others with gunfire Tuesday, methodically firing a handgun inside a crowded atrium at his rural Kentucky high school. Seventeen students were injured, 12 of them hit with bullets and five others hurt in the scramble as hundreds of students fled for their lives from Marshall County High School.  The gunman kept firing until he ran out of ammunition and tried running away. Police arrested him moments later, leading him away in handcuffs to be charged with murder and attempted murder. Authorities did not identify the gunman responsible for the nation’s first fatal school shooting of 2018, nor did they release any details about a motive.  The attack marked the year’s first fatal school shooting, 23 days into 2018.... [Read Full Story]

Former Fiat Chrysler VP Pleads Guilty In U.S. Union Corruption Probe

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Former Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV vice president Alphons Iacobelli pleaded guilty on Monday in connection with a U.S. investigation into allegations he made at least $1.5 million in improper payments to senior union officials, the U.S. attorney’s office in Detroit said. Iacobelli, 58, a former Fiat Chrysler vice president of employee relations, was charged in July in U.S. District Court in Detroit with taking part in a conspiracy to pay prohibited money and gifts to United Auto Workers union officials. Sentencing was set for May 29. Iacobelli faces a statutory maximum of eight years in prison, and prosecutors said he will be required to repay $835,000. ... [Read Full Story]

Senate Vote To Fund Government For 3 Weeks As Immigration Debate Continues

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Congress agreed to a short-term bill to fund the government for three weeks and end the three-day long federal government shutdown Monday after Senate Republicans provided assurances to Democrats that immigration reform and other contentious issues would be addressed in the near future.  After the Senate passed the bill by an 81-18 margin Monday afternoon, the House of Representatives concurred with the measure 266-150, sending it to President Donald Trump, whose signature would bring an end to the impasse. Between 700,000 and 800,000 federal employees were furloughed during the standoff, according to the Office of Management and Budget.... [Read Full Story]

Senate To Vote Monday On Ending Government Shutdown As It Enters Third Day

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The Senate will vote at noon on Monday on whether to cut off a Democratic filibuster of legislation to end the government shutdown, as the shutdown continues into it’s third day. Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said there is still no agreement to pass the stopgap funding bill. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell set the vote after Schumer blocked a bid for an immediate vote Sunday night. McConnell said he intends to bring up free-standing immigration legislation in February. Democrats have blocked a House-passed temporary funding bill to reopen the government’s doors through Feb. 16. The pending Senate measure would last through Feb. 8. ... [Read Full Story]

Train Hits Barrier In Sydney, Australia; At Least 15 Hurt

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At least 15 people were injured on Monday when a train crashed into a barrier in the northwest of Sydney, Australia’s largest city, and were being treated by emergency services personnel, an ambulance spokesman said. Pictures taken at the scene showed the train had run into buffers at the end of the railway line at Richmond, about 40 miles northwest of central Sydney. The injured were being carried on stretchers into waiting ambulances. Train operator NSW Trains said on Twitter the train had hit a buffer at the end of the line. Television footage showed that it was still upright on the tracks and that its carriages did not appear to be crumpled.... [Read Full Story]

New Details Emerge Of Abuse Endured By 13 Siblings Held Captive

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New details have emerged about the shocking abuse 13 children allegedly endured at the hands of their own parents when they were held captive in their own home in California. Riverside County district attorney Mike Hestrin revealed on Thursday that David and Louise Turpin’s 13 children, aged 2 to 29, had been tied up for years as a punishment; when one child managed to break free, the parents shackled them to beds with chains and padlocks and were not even released from their shackles to go to the toilet. Mr Hestrin said all 13 children were severely malnourished. The parents, who appeared in court on Thursday dressed in black and with their legs shackled, appeared calm as they plead not guilty to multiple counts of torture and abuse. Disturbing stories have been revealed, including that the couple would bring home food for themselves but not allow the children to eat it. A law enforcement official said that the children were served only one rationed meal per day and that several of the kids were cognitively impaired as a result of the starvation, had nerve damage because of the “extreme and prolonged physical abuse” and “lacked a basic knowledge of life”. He also revealed that the children were permitted to shower only once a year.... [Read Full Story]

Arizona Serial Killer Suspect Linked To Nine Killings In Three Weeks

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An Arizona man has been accused of a murder spree in which he allegedly killed nine people in three weeks, a rampage that would make him one of the most prolific serial killers in the state’s history. Cleophus Cooksey Jr., 35, was arrested on Dec. 17, 2017, after police responded to a call of shots fired in Phoenix. When officers arrived they found Cooksey’s mother and stepfather dead. Cooksey was not linked to the other homicides until he was in custody, police said Thursday.  Investigators used shell casings to link the other murders, police said. Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton said new technology allowed officers to determine the evidence was linked to the suspect quickly. Cooksey’s other alleged victims include the brother of his ex-girlfriend and various men and women of black, white and Hispanic race and ethnicity.... [Read Full Story]

Apple Plans New U.S. Campus To Pay $38 Billion In Foreign Cash Taxes

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Apple Inc. will open a new campus as part of a five-year, $30 billion U.S. investment plan and will make about $38 billion in one-time tax payments on its overseas cash, one of the largest corporate spending plans announced since the passage of a tax cut signed by President Donald Trump. The company has been under increasing pressure to make U.S. investments since the 2016 presidential campaign, when Trump targeted the iPhone maker for making products in Asian factories. While Apple has announced no plans to change that practice, the company has begun to emphasize its U.S. economic impact, from developers who sell software on its App Store to the tens of billions of dollars per year it spends with U.S. suppliers. On Wednesday, Apple estimated it would spend $350 billion in the United States over the next five years.... [Read Full Story]

Democrats Confident They Can Win Government Shutdown Fight

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Senate Republicans rejected a bipartisan deal to protect DREAMers and are going back to the drawing board, despite a threat by Democrats to shut down the government within days without one. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday Congress would be “just spinning our wheels” if it voted on an immigration deal reached by a bipartisan group of senators without assurances from President Trump that he will sign it. Republicans overwhelmingly say there is no chance for a deal to get done by this week and talks will be restarting from scratch. Democrats will have to choose between potentially forcing a government shutdown over DACA, or taking the CHIP funding for now and hoping for an immigration bill to pass before the March deadline.... [Read Full Story]

U.S. Homeland Security Chief Says She Did Not Hear President Trump Use Vulgarity During Meeting

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U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said on Tuesday she did not hear President Donald Trump use a vulgarity to describe African countries during an impassioned White House meeting last week. Nielsen’s testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee echoed statements she has made since the meeting on Thursday with Trump and Republican and Democratic legislators, which continued the debate on an immigration law deal and generated accusations of racism toward Trump. Nielsen said she did not remember Trump categorizing African countries in a specific way. “The conversation was very impassioned. I don’t dispute that the president was using tough language,” Nielsen said, adding that several people in the room were using profanity. ... [Read Full Story]

Former CIA Officer Arrested For Keeping Classified Information

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A former CIA officer has been arrested and charged with illegally retaining classified records, including names and phone numbers of covert CIA assets. 53 year-old Jerry Chun Shing Lee was arrested Monday night after arriving at JFK International Airport. He made an initial appearance Tuesday in federal court in New York, but will face charges in northern Virginia, where the CIA is located. According to court documents, Lee, a Hong Kong resident, served in the CIA from 1994 to 2007 as a case officer. A court affidavit states that Lee traveled to northern Virginia with his family in 2012, when the FBI searched Lee’s possessions and found two small books with handwritten notes containing names and numbers of covert CIA employees and locations of covert facilities.... [Read Full Story]

Shutdown Deadline Looms As Congress Deal Remains Elusive

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A firestorm ignited by President Donald Trump’s remarks last week has impaired lawmakers’ ability to reach a deal on immigration and spending levels, according to congressional aides. Sources also caution of a possible government shutdown at week’s end. Congressional aides say they are expecting a short-term deal funding the government for a few weeks to come to the table, but by no means do they feel it is guaranteed. Prospects for any deal diminished because of controversial reported comments last week from President Trump in a meeting with lawmakers about his desire to stop immigration from “shithole countries.”  Mr. Trump denied reports of his remarks, saying “they weren’t made,” and accused Democrats of backing away from a deal. Two Republican senators also called into question the reports quoting Mr. Trump, though others in attendance have confirmed them.... [Read Full Story]

Thirteen People Found Shackled Inside California Home

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Two parents were arrested after police discovered that 13 people were being held captive in their California home, shackled to beds with chains and padlocks in filthy conditions, officials said Monday. David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Anna Turpin, 49, were charged Sunday with torture and child endangerment and bail has been set at $9 million each. The couple was taken to the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside. Their victims ranged in age from 2 to 29, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. One victim, a 17-year-old girl, managed to escape from the residence in Perris, California on Sunday and called 911 from a cell phone she found in the house, police said. The girl claimed her 12 brothers and sisters were being held captive inside the home by her parents, some of them bound with chains and padlocks. The children and adults were being treated at medical facilities in the area. ... [Read Full Story]

7.1 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off The Coast Of Peru

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A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Peru Sunday morning, leaving at least one person dead and dozens injured. A 55-year-old man died in the town of Yauca after being crushed by a rock said Yamila Osorio, governor of the southwestern city of Arequipa. Osorio said at least 20 people also were injured in the quake. The earthquake hit offshore at about 4:18 a.m. at a depth of 24.4 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Its epicenter was in the Pacific Ocean, 25 miles from the town of Acari. Effects of the quake were also felt in Chile, and power was lost in the cities of Acari, Jaqui, Tanaca Yauza, Salamanca, Condesuyos and others, said Acari Mayor Jorge Alfonso De La Torre Velarde.... [Read Full Story]

FCC Head Says Hawaii Lacked Safeguards To Prevent False Missile Alert

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Hawaii’s emergency authorities lacked reasonable safeguards to prevent the kind of false alert that panicked residents with a warning of an imminent ballistic missile attack, the head of the Federal Communications Commission said.  FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement on Sunday that an investigation into the incident is well under way with federal and state officials.  Hawaiian residents were sent into a panic on Saturday by the false missile alert. The alert was sent when an employee at the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency “pushed the wrong button,” according to Governor David Ige. The FCC has jurisdiction over the emergency alert system. Federal and state lawmakers have also called for an investigation into Hawaii’s incident.... [Read Full Story]

House Of Representatives Passes Bill Renewing Foreign Electronic Surveillance

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On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives passed a bill to renew sweeping surveillance powers for the government’s intelligence agencies. The vote on Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which must be renewed every five years and is set to expire on January 19, passed by a 256 to 164 margin. Contradictory early morning tweets by President Donald Trump sparked confusion prior to the House vote. Initially in his tweet, he seemed opposed to the bill. A little over an hour later he had completely reversed himself, tweeting: “We need it! Get smart!”... [Read Full Story]

Missouri Governor Eric Greitens Admits Affair After Blackmail Accusations Surface

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Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens admitted late Wednesday that he had been “unfaithful” in his marriage, after a St. Louis television station reported he had an affair before he became governor and that he allegedly threatened to blackmail the woman about their sexual encounter. The allegations prompted the opening of a probe by the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office and prompted calls by Republican Missouri state senators for an immediate investigation by the state’s attorney general.  They asked that the Senator resign if the blackmail allegations are proven to be true. Greitens has denied through his attorney, James Bennett, that he had tried to blackmail the woman to keep her quiet, and said there were multiple false allegations in the TV station’s report.... [Read Full Story]

President Trump Open To US-North Korea Talks ‘Under Right Circumstances’

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President Donald Trump is telling South Korea’s president that he’s open to U.S.-North Korean talks “at the appropriate time, under the right circumstances.” That’s according to a White House readout of the president’s call Wednesday with South Korean President Moon Jae-In. The phone call comes after the Koreas held their first high-level talks in two years. North Korea agreed to send a delegation to the Olympic Games and both sides agreed to hold talks on reducing tensions along their border. Moon has said he’s open to meeting with Kim Jong Un to resolve the North Korean nuclear standoff.... [Read Full Story]

President Trump Criticizes Court’s DACA “Dreamers” Ruling

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A federal judge’s decision to stop President Trump from ending protections for so-called Dreamers offered the young immigrants a temporary reprieve, but may have stalled the urgency in Congress toward a more lasting legislative solution. On Wednesday, Trump denounced the federal courts as “broken and unfair” after a district judge in San Francisco issued a temporary ruling keeping the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in place, despite Trump’s decision to end it this year. Pressure had been mounting for Congress to broker a deal by Jan. 19 as part of a must-pass budget package to fund the government. The White House suggested the court’s ruling would make a legislative deal harder to obtain. “We find this decision to be outrageous,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. “An issue of this magnitude must go through the normal legislative process.”... [Read Full Story]

8 Dead After Flooding And Mudslides Force Thousands To Flee In California

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At least eight people are dead and 25 are injured in California from weather-related incidents, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. The southern part of the state has been drenched with severe rain just weeks after several fires tore through the area. Flash flooding, debris flow and mudslides are affecting counties hit hard by the Thomas and La Tuna fires. In the community of Montecito, some homes have been ripped from their foundations as a result of the torrential conditions, and excessive flooding and debris made some parts of Santa Barbara impassable. Routes in and out of Santa Barbara have been shut down from the south, and various roadways have been swallowed by the floods. The only way into some of the washed-out homes is by air.... [Read Full Story]

Steve Bannon Steps Down From Breitbart News

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Steve Bannon, who returned to run Breitbart News after a stint as White House chief strategist last year, said on Tuesday that he was stepping down from his post as the outlet’s executive chairman. The move comes as Bannon deals with backlash from Michael Wolff’s explosive book, Fire and Fury, in which Bannon harshly disparaged several members of the president’s inner circle, including Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Jared Kushner. On Sunday, Bannon offered a quasi-apology for his statements, but it does not seem to have stopped the fallout.  Reports claim that Bannon’s departure was forced by Rebekah Mercer, a Republican mega-donor whose investment in Breitbart gave her a seat on the board. In an article on Breitbart News, the site announced that “Bannon and Breitbart will work together on a smooth and orderly transition.”... [Read Full Story]

Sports Journalist Found Safe After Reportedly Being Followed Home

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A college football reporter was found unharmed Monday morning, 36 hours after she vanished and told friends she had been followed home by a suspicious man. Courtney Roland disappeared late Saturday after covering a Texas A&M elite football camp in Houston, her family said in social media posts. “We believe she was confused because of a reaction to medications that she had been taking,” Houston Police Capt. Mark Lentini said during a news conference Monday afternoon. Roland was discovered at around 8:15 a.m. local time Monday morning by a citizen who said she was passing underneath an overpass walking toward a Chick-fil-A. Roland was taken to a local hospital for a routine evaluation, where she remains with family and friends, police said.... [Read Full Story]

Thousands In California Ordered To Evacuate Over Threat Of Mudslides

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Officials have ordered thousands of people who were affected by recent wildfires in Southern California to evacuate as an upcoming winter storm poses a threat for mudslides and flash floods. Mandatory evacuations were issued for about 7,000 people in mountainous areas affected by the Thomas, Whitter, Sherpa and Rey fires. Another 23,000 people were under evacuation warnings, officials said. The storm is the West Coast’s first significant winter storm of the season, and heavy rain and strong winds are expected in the area through Tuesday, bringing “strong potential” for flash flooding and mud in areas where wildfires recently burned through.... [Read Full Story]

Golden Globes Red Carpet Turns Black In Honor Of #MeToo And Time’s Up Movements

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The first Hollywood awards show of 2018 kicked off with a focus on social issues instead of fashion. Actors descending upon Sunday’s Golden Globes red carpet were in black to ban together in support of the newly created “Time’s Up” initiative and the already widespread #MeToo movement. Reese Witherspoon,  The movement to wear black was to represent Hollywood taking a stand against the numerous sexual harassment cases uncovered last year, declaring that time is up on inequality and mistreatment of women. Tracee Ellis Ross, Rashida Jones, Brie Larson and Tessa Thompson created a viral video together to urge those at the Globes to join them in wearing black. ... [Read Full Story]

New York’s JFK Airport Terminal Evacuated After Water Main Breaks And Floods Baggage Claim

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A water main broke in a JFK International Airport terminal on Sunday, flooding a baggage claim area and adding to travelers’ misfortunes at the airport this week. The water main broke about 1:30 p.m. in Terminal 4, which was later evacuated and had to be shutdown to international flights, according to the airport. A JFK spokesperson said that a frozen pipe caused the main to break, and that about three to four inches of water are on the ground. The flooding has caused further delays and cancellations at JFK as New York City recovers from the “bomb cyclone” that hit the northeast last Thursday. Thousands of flights were cancelled because of the winter storm, leaving many travelers stranded at the airport for days.... [Read Full Story]

At Least 6 Dead As Monster ‘Bomb Cyclone’ Wallops Northeast

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At least six people have died and more than 4,000 U.S. flights have been canceled due to a massive winter storm hitting the East Coast, with heavy snow, gusty winds and the coldest air of the season. State officials said three of the deaths occurred in North Carolina and a fourth happened in South Carolina, as the weather system barreled up the eastern coast. Two people were killed in Virginia on Thursday, according to authorities. Meanwhile, U.S. airlines canceled at least 4,020 flights within, into and out of the United States, according to airline tracking. Most of the cancellations were in New Jersey, Boston and New York.... [Read Full Story]

U.S And Canada Investigating Possible E. coli Link To Romaine Lettuce

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 U.S. and Canadian health officials are investigating whether contaminated romaine lettuce caused dozens of E. coli infections leading to one death.The Public Health Agency of Canada said it found enough evidence to link 41 cases of E. coli to the vegetable, though the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is still attempting to determine the cause. The CDC said it’s unable to recommend whether Americans should stop eating romaine lettuce, but Consumer Reports issued a warning Wednesday. It’s also advising that stores remove the item from store shelves.... [Read Full Story]

President Trump Dissolves Voter Fraud Commission After Pushback From States

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order to dissolve his voter fraud commission Wednesday, the White House said. Trump cited lack of cooperation from states as the reason for his decision to dissolve the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, which faces a series of lawsuits over privacy. Trump established the commission in May to research “improper” voter registration procedures, systemic vulnerabilities and voting irregularities including any scenario where a person ineligible to vote becomes an eligible voter in a particular jurisdiction.  ... [Read Full Story]

‘Bomb Cyclone’ Forming Off The East Coast Could Bring Blizzard Like Conditions And Coldest Temperatures In 100 Years

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As record cold temperatures paralyze much of the country, a “bomb cyclone” forming off the East Coast is threatening to douse the area in ice and snow. Meteorologists are calling the event Winter Storm Grayson, and they say it could bring snow to the Southeast on Wednesday, as well as possible blizzard conditions to the Northeast Wednesday night and Thursday. The weather event has the potential to make 2018 one of the worst winters in the U.S. yet. A bomb cyclone typically brews over the water where drops in barometric pressure can make it an extra forceful weather event. Making matters worse, forecasters say the storm could trap the bone-chilling cold currently putting the middle of the U.S. in a deep freeze over the Atlantic coastline later this week.... [Read Full Story]