| High school journalist nabs interview with Defense Secretary Mattis Posted: 10 Jul 2017 12:53 PM PDT  Few high schools get interviews with Cabinet officials. One in Washington state did, because one of its reporters was observant and daring.
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| Afghanistan combat vet charged with killing wife, trooper Posted: 10 Jul 2017 04:09 PM PDT  A New York state police trooper responding to reports of gunfire was shot to death by a soldier who had just killed his wife at their home near his Army base, authorities said Monday.
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| Lawmakers Asking Questions After String of Recent Deaths Tied Posted: 09 Jul 2017 08:36 AM PDT  Eliza Sears lost her son Caleb after he was put under general anesthesia to have an extra tooth removed. His death is one of many that has lawmakers asking questions and demanding answers.
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| N. Korea warns of nuclear 'tipping point' over US bomber drill Posted: 08 Jul 2017 09:45 PM PDT  North Korea on Sunday lashed out at a live-fire drill the US and South Korea staged in a show of force against Pyongyang, accusing Washington of pushing the peninsula to the "tipping point" of nuclear war. The allies held the rare live-fire drill as tensions grew over the peninsula following the North's first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test held last week.
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| Casey Anthony 'Blacked Out' Daughter Caylee's Death, Lawyer Says Posted: 10 Jul 2017 08:35 AM PDT  "She didn't know what she was doing or what she was saying," said defense attorney Cheney Mason.
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| Video Captures Horrific Moment Cyclist Is Struck - Allegedly by School Dean - in Hit and Run Posted: 10 Jul 2017 02:02 PM PDT  The suspect, Marshall Neely, was charged with reckless endangerment and leaving the scene of an accident.
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| Australian reporter tears into Trump’s performance at G-20 Posted: 09 Jul 2017 10:35 AM PDT  "Donald Trump has pressed fast-forward on the decline of the United States as a global leader. He managed to isolate his nation, to confuse and alienate his allies and to diminish America."
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| ‘If Not Us, Who’s Going to Do It?’ Parents Fight for Fraternity Changes After Son's Penn State Hazing Death Posted: 10 Jul 2017 02:00 AM PDT  "If not us, who's going to do it? We're going to wait for another tragedy?"
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| Man, 20, linked to search for missing men held on $1M bail Posted: 10 Jul 2017 05:33 PM PDT  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A 20-year-old linked to the property where the FBI is searching for four missing Pennsylvania men was arrested Monday and held on $1 million bail on a gun charge, although authorities did not call him a suspect in the feared foul play.
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| Teen Survives Bear Attack After Waking To Animal 'Crunching' On His Head Posted: 10 Jul 2017 01:59 AM PDT  Dylan, 19, was sleeping at Glacier View Ranch — 48 miles northwest of Denver — when he woke up to a crunching sound on Sunday, and found his head inside the mouth of a bear.
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| What Comes After ISIS? Posted: 10 Jul 2017 05:30 AM PDT  The jihadi group's defeat in Mosul and Raqqa is about to usher in a new era — and new conflicts — across the Middle East.
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| Turkey marks failed coup that changed country Posted: 10 Jul 2017 12:10 AM PDT  Turkey marks one year on July 15 since a coup attempt aiming to topple President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that failed within hours but etched far-reaching consequences into its society and politics. The country is in the throes of the biggest purge in its history against alleged coup supporters while Erdogan has seen his grip on power tightened rather than weakened. "One year on from the coup bid, President Erdogan is stronger than ever," said Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, Ankara office director of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
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| FDA panel to focus on safety of Novartis gene therapy drug Posted: 10 Jul 2017 06:27 AM PDT  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will ask a panel of advisors to focus on the safety of Novartis AG's experimental gene therapy drug when it meets to review the product on Wednesday. The keenly anticipated preliminary review of the leukemia treatment, posted on the FDA's website on Monday, comes two days ahead of the advisory panel meeting, which will discuss the drug and vote on whether the benefits exceed the risks. If approved, the drug, tisagenlecleucel, would be the first gene therapy to be approved in the United States.
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| G-20 shut Trump out on climate, strike deal on trade Posted: 08 Jul 2017 05:53 PM PDT  HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — World powers lined up against U.S. President Donald Trump on climate change, reaffirming their support for international efforts to fight global warming.
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| 19-year-old wins the lottery twice in 1 week, proving life isn't fair Posted: 10 Jul 2017 02:36 PM PDT  Winning the lottery is a stroke of luck few have the privilege of experiencing even once in their lives. This 19-year-old just did it twice. In one week. California resident Rosa Dominguez was driving home from Arizona when she stopped at a gas station in Paso Roble, California where she bought a $5 Power 5 scratch off ticket. SEE ALSO: Someone in Tennessee just won a $420.9 million Powerball jackpot A few scratches later, Dominguez won $555,555 — the top prize for the ticket. Testing her luck, Dominguez decided winning the lotto once just wasn't enough, so she bought a different $5 scratcher, this time from a local gas station in Greenfield. Again, she won the top prize — a cool $100,000 — on the ticket. Dominguez revealed to the California Lottery what she would like to buy with her lucky winnings. "She wants to go shopping and buy herself a new car," the lottery representatives wrote on its website. How typical. WATCH: Amazon Echo review
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| 3 Ways the LSAT Prepares Students for Law School Posted: 10 Jul 2017 07:00 AM PDT ![3 Ways the LSAT Prepares Students for Law School]( "3 Ways the LSAT Prepares Students for Law School") The exam plays a large role in your law school admissions results and requires extensive studying. With the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law and Harvard University Law School accepting GRE scores in lieu of the LSAT, aspiring J.D.s may hope that other programs will follow suit. Here are three ways your LSAT preparation pays dividends beyond test day .
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| Mesmerizing storm clouds Posted: 10 Jul 2017 02:00 AM PDT ![Mesmerizing storm clouds]( "Mesmerizing storm clouds") Mike Olbinski, 42, captured the stunning scenes while storm chasing with a group of friends northeast of Bismarck, N.D.
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| Official: FBI arrests Hawaii-based soldier on terror charges Posted: 10 Jul 2017 05:23 PM PDT ![Official: FBI arrests Hawaii-based soldier on terror charges]( "Official: FBI arrests Hawaii-based soldier on terror charges") HONOLULU (AP) — An active duty Army soldier has been arrested by the FBI in Hawaii on terrorism charges after he allegedly attempted to provide classified documents and a drone to the Islamic State group, officials said Monday.
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| UK warns more to do to combat IS after Mosul victory Posted: 09 Jul 2017 12:47 PM PDT  Britain's Defence Minister Michael Fallon praised Iraq on Sunday for defeating the Islamic State group in Mosul but warned that more has to be done to combat the jihadists. Earlier on Sunday Iraq announced victory against IS in the northern city, the country's second largest, from where the group declared a self-styled caliphate three years ago. "I congratulate Prime Minister (Haider) Abadi, and the Iraqi forces who have been fighting on the ground with great bravery and care against a brutal opponent," Fallon said in a statement.
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| Tiger Shark Bites Man's Hand After He Tried Grabbing Its Tail Posted: 10 Jul 2017 05:55 AM PDT  After being injured, the man is seen making his way to the shore of Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, clutching his wounded hand.
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| Dying "Mother Ganga": India's holy river succumbs to pollution Posted: 10 Jul 2017 04:44 AM PDT  By Danish Siddiqui DEVPRAYAG/VARANASI/SAGAR ISLAND, India (Reuters) - India's holy Ganges begins as a crystal clear river high in the icy Himalayas but pollution and excessive usage transforms it into toxic sludge on its journey through burgeoning cities, industrial hubs and past millions of devotees. Lokesh Sharma, a 19-year-old priest in Devprayag, a small hill town where two rivers converge to form the Ganges, is his family's fourth generation to lead riverbank prayers. Devprayag is a heaven for me.
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| 2 GOP senators suggest bill to repeal health care law 'dead' Posted: 09 Jul 2017 06:55 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The initial GOP bill to repeal and replace the nation's health law is probably "dead" and President Donald Trump's proposal to just repeal it appears to be a "non-starter," two moderate Republican senators indicated Sunday as their party scrambled to salvage faltering legislation.
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| Amelia Earhart mystery: Forensic dogs scent human remains on remote Pacific island Posted: 10 Jul 2017 01:32 AM PDT  Four dogs trained to detect the scent of human bones have located a site on a remote Pacific atoll where Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, may have died on their ill-fated attempt to circumnavigate the globe in 1937. The four border collies were taken to Nikumaroro, part of the Republic of Kiribati, as part of the latest expedition to the atoll by The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) and the National Geographic Society. TIGHAR believes Ms Earhart managed to land on Nikumaroro - which was at the time an uninhabited British territory known as Gardner Island - but soon succumbed to hunger, thirst or illness. Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, vanished on their ill-fated attempt to circumnavigate the globe in 1937. The Delaware-based organisation has carried out numerous visits to the island and discovered some compelling indications that Ms Earhart's Lockheed Electra landed there after being unable to find Howland Island, its intended target. That evidence included aluminium skin from an aircraft, plexiglass from a cockpit, a zip made in Pennsylvania in the mid-1930s, a broken pocket knife of the same brand that was listed in an inventory of Ms Earhart's aircraft and the remains of a 1930s woman's compact. Amelia Earhart - Jaluit Atoll The theory is supported by British colonial records in Fiji reporting the discovery of the partial skeleton of a castaway who perished shortly before the island was settled in 1938. The bones were found in the shade of a tree in a part of the island that fits the description of the encampment that TIGHAR has been excavating. The site is dotted with the remains of small fires on which meals of birds, fish, turtle and even rat were cooked. In an attempt to locate conclusive evidence, such as a bone or DNA, forensic dogs were brought to the island for the latest search, with all four dogs independently sitting at the bases of a tree at the castaways' site and locking eyes with their handler - the way they are taught to "alert" for the scent of human remains. Amelia Earhart, Fred Noonan Scientists say the dogs are able to detect the odour of human bones long after the bones have decomposed and subsequent excavation of the site did not recover human remains. Instead, archaeologists have recovered soil samples from different depths and will submit the samples to a laboratory in Germany that specialises in extracting DNA. Amelia Earhart final flight map Researchers told National Geographic magazine that DNA from Neanderthals has been extracted from soil in a cave in France, although "the odds of securing DNA from a tropical environment like Nikumaroro are very long". The TIGHAR expedition has coincided with the airing of a documentary on The History Channel in the US that claims a photo discovered in US archives proves that Ms Earhart and Mr Noonan were captured by the Japanese and transported to Jaluit in the Marshall Islands. The theory adds that they were both later executed. This 1937 photo shows Amelia Earhart before takeoff in Miami for an attempted round-the-world flight. Les Kinney, a long-time proponent of the theory that Ms Earhart and Mr Noonan were on a spying mission for the US government shortly before the outbreak of World War II, told the Associated Press the image shows Ms Earhart sitting on a sea wall with her back to the camera, Mr Noonan standing with a group of islanders and a Japanese survey ship identified as the Koshu towing a barge carrying the Electra. TIGHAR researchers say they have been aware of the photo for several years but have discounted it for a number of reasons. Documentary argues Amelia Earhart was captured by the Japanese military 02:47 The person identified as Ms Earhart in the grainy picture has hair much longer than when she took off on the final leg of her journey, they claim, while the image used to corroborate the suggestion that the man is Noonan has been horizontally reversed, meaning that his distinctive parting and hairline no longer match. TIGHAR also points out that the ship is too small to be the Koshu and that what Mr Kinney claims is the aircraft on a barge "is just an indistinct blob". It has also been pointed out that the photograph is marked as being taken in 1940, three years after Ms Earhart's disappearance. Profile | Amelia Earhart
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| 5 Things to Know About Your Social Security Statement Posted: 10 Jul 2017 07:34 AM PDT ![5 Things to Know About Your Social Security Statement]( "5 Things to Know About Your Social Security Statement") The Social Security Administration stopped mailing paper Social Security statements to everyone under age 60 in 2017. The SSA says more than 30 million people have created a my Social Security account since they became available in May 2012. Most Social Security statements contain an estimate of how much you will receive if you sign up for Social Security at your full retirement age, age 62 and age 70.
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| A Man Killed His Stepfather and Then Posted Photos of His Body Online Posted: 09 Jul 2017 07:52 AM PDT  Police say they have arrested a man accused of killing his stepfather and posting photos of the body on social media
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| Why Does Coffee Upset My Stomach? Posted: 09 Jul 2017 07:00 AM PDT  For specialty-coffee professionals (that is, baristas and roasters and coffee importers), "acidity" is actually a positive attribute: It's the term used to describe the fruit-like sparkle a certain coffee will have in its flavor profile.
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| Scientists say 'prelude' to the sixth mass extinction is happening right now Posted: 10 Jul 2017 12:20 PM PDT  When plant and animal species go extinct, it's usually a clear sign that humans have messed up. We've over-hunted, destroyed habitats, polluted waterways, and altered the climate by burning fossil fuels, wiping species off the planet for good. We tend to study extinctions to understand just how much we have disrupted the planet's ecosystems. But in a new scientific study published on Monday, scientists said we're not paying nearly enough attention to the "prelude" to global extinction — as in, the dwindling population sizes and ranges of existing species that can be a warning sign of a bigger extinction event to come. SEE ALSO: 800 wildlife species at risk from Trump's 'beautiful' border wall As with extinctions, these declines have serious consequences for the natural systems we all depend on for clean air and water, food, and shelter. "This is the case of a biological annihilation occurring globally, even if the species these populations belong to are still present somewhere on Earth," Rodolfo Dirzo, the study's co-author and a biology professor at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, said in a press release. TROPICAL FOREST LOGGING HAS CONTRIBUTED TO POPULATION DECLINES IN MANY ANIMALS, INCLUDING THE BORNEAN GIBBON, KNOWN FOR ITS WHOOPING CALL.Image: GERARDO CEBALLOS/UNAMFor their analysis, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dirzo and his colleagues mapped the ranges of 27,600 species of birds, amphibians, mammals, and reptiles worldwide. The sample represents nearly half of all known land-based vertebrate species. Scientists estimated that, of these species, nearly one-third of the vertebrates are declining in population size and range. Shrinking ranges mean animals — especially migratory species — have less room to hunt, breed, and hunker down. As ranges decline, population numbers also dwindle, pushing a species closer to the edge of extinction. Tropical regions saw the greatest number of decreasing species, particularly in south and southeast Asia. In Thailand and Myanmar, for instance, illegal hunting and logging of rosewood trees has drastically reduced the population of Indochinese tigers. Indonesia's Sumatran orangutan has lost roughly 60 percent of its habitat as farmers burn and drain swamp forests to produce palm oil. Temperate regions had similar or higher proportions of decreasing species compared to tropical regions, according to the study. A Kakapo flightless parrot seen in January 2011.Image: Shane McInnes/REX/ShutterstockDirzo and his co-authors also looked at 177 well-analyzed mammal species and examined population losses between 1990 and 2015. Within this group, all have lost 30 percent or more of their geographic ranges. Some had been hit especially hard: more than 40 percent of the species have lost over 80 percent of their ranges. "It is a prelude to the disappearance of many more species and the decline of natural systems that make civilization possible," Gerardo Ceballos, the study's lead author and an ecology professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said in the press release. Monday's research adds to the broader scientific debate about the "sixth extinction" — which is likely happening to the planet right now, and might be the biggest mass extinction since the dinosaurs disappeared 66 million years ago. During Earth's 4.5-billion-year history, five major extinction events have wiped out nearly all the species on the planet, the geological record shows. Asteroid strikes, volcanic eruptions, and natural climate shifts were likely to blame for those past events. Asian giant softshell turtle.Image: YOEUNG SUN/WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETYHowever, this sixth mass die-off is largely due to human activities, such as population growth, habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change. In their paper, Dirzo, Ceballos, and Stanford professor Paul Ehrlich suggested that billions of animal populations that once roamed the Earth are gone. A separate 2016 study by World Wildlife Fund said global populations of vertebrates have declined by 58 percent between 1970 and 2012. The authors of Monday's paper said their research shows "Earth's sixth mass extinction has proceeded further than most assume." They added that the steep population declines amount to a "massive erosion of the greatest biological diversity" in Earth's history. WATCH: China's big, beautiful, green 'vertical forests' will suck up toxic smog
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| U.S. deploys advanced anti-aircraft missiles in Baltics for first time Posted: 10 Jul 2017 10:04 AM PDT ![U.S. deploys advanced anti-aircraft missiles in Baltics for first time]( "U.S. deploys advanced anti-aircraft missiles in Baltics for first time") The United States deployed a battery of Patriot long-range anti-aircraft missiles in Lithuania to be used in NATO wargames from Tuesday - the first time the advanced defense system has been brought to the Baltics where Russia has air superiority. The Patriot battery was brought to the Siauliai military airbase on Monday, ahead of the Tobruk Legacy exercise, and will be withdrawn when the exercise ends on July 22, a Lithuanian defense ministry spokeswoman told Reuters. The NATO wargames take place ahead of the large-scale Zapad 2017 exercise by Russia and Belarus which NATO officials believe could bring more than 100,000 troops to the borders of Poland and the three Baltic NATO allies - the biggest such Russian maneuvers since 2013.
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| 6 Ways To Reduce Dementia Risk Posted: 09 Jul 2017 05:27 AM PDT  Dementia is thought of as an inevitable part of growing older, but it doesn't have to be.
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| Tillerson urges Moscow to take 'first step' to ease Ukraine conflict Posted: 09 Jul 2017 08:48 AM PDT  US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Russia Sunday to take the "first step" to ease the bloody separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, which Kiev and the West believe is being fuelled by Moscow. Tillerson said sanctions will remain in place against Russia "until Moscow reverses their actions". "It is necessary for Russia to take the first step to de-escalate the situation in the east part of Ukraine," Tillerson said as he made his first visit as Washington's top diplomat to Kiev.
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| Westar, Great Plains announce new plans for $14B merger Posted: 10 Jul 2017 08:39 AM PDT ![Westar, Great Plains announce new plans for $14B merger]( "Westar, Great Plains announce new plans for $14B merger") TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Westar Energy and Great Plains Energy, the parent company of Kansas City Power & Light, are proposing a new plan to merge, after Kansas regulators scuttled an earlier deal.
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| Decomposing Bodies of 3 Women Found at Farmhouse Posted: 09 Jul 2017 02:19 PM PDT  Police are searching nationwide for the owner of an Idaho farmhouse where the badly decomposing bodies of three slain women were discovered
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| Tennessee parents charged in hot car death of 11-month-old Posted: 10 Jul 2017 10:09 AM PDT  Tennessee parents charged in hot car death of 11-month-old.
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| Amazon Prime Day 2017 deals: leaked offers and latest updates Posted: 10 Jul 2017 12:56 AM PDT  Amazon Prime Day, Amazon's annual Black Friday-style sales bonanza, returns this evening from 6pm for a bumper 30-hour period. It is the third year running that the retail giant will release thousands of items at a fraction of their usual price. Prime Day is exclusively for members of the £79-a-year Prime service, which offers subscribers quicker delivery times, as well as access to music, film and TV. The 30-hour spell is six hours longer than last year, giving shoppers extra time to access all the best deals. Here's everything we know about what will be on offer and how to find the best discounts. Amazon Prime Day countdown Will there be any deals or offers released in advance? Yes, in the run up to the day Amazon is also offering Prime members certain deals. The first is a trial of Amazon Music Unlimited, its music streaming service, which is £0.99 for four months. There will also be the chance for members to save up to 40pc on a Kindle Unlimited membership, while between July 3 - August 6 members will be able to save up to 25pc with vouchers on everyday essentials from the Prime Pantry. What is Amazon Prime? Do we know what deals will be released on the day? Most deals will be announced from Monday, but some 'leaked' deals have already surfaced. Two of Amazon's flagship products, the Fire tablet and the Amazon Echo, will be made available at heavily reduced prices. The Amazon Echo, which provides hands-free access to music, news, sports and other information and doubles up as a top speaker, can be accessed with a 47pc discount. The Fire 7, one of Amazon's bestselling tablets, will cost a mere £29.99 as opposed to the usual £49.99. Black+Decker's 18 V Lithium-Ion Flexi Vacuum will be reduced by 55pc, and coffee-lovers can look forward to 50pc off the De'Longhi Nespresso Lattissima coffee machine. The Fire 7" Kids edition tablet will be reduced from £99.99 to £69.99, and the Fire 8" Kids edition will go from £129.99 to £89.99. Pet owners should be prepared for some retail therapy come Monday. This PetSafe automatic ball launcher, which is certain to keep dogs entertained for hours, will be at least 30pc cheaper on Amazon Prime Day. Parents seeking greater security for their children should look no further than the Motorola MBP36S Digital Video Monitor, set for a 20pc discount. Anyone in need of a new vacuum cleaner should pay attention. The stylish and compact Hoover FD22G's price will be cut by a whopping 65pc. Last year, there were two different types of deals: Lightning Deals, which run for a fixed period of time with a finite number available, and Deals of the Day, which ran for the entire 24 hours. This year, Amazon says almost 40pc of Lightning Deals worldwide will come from small businesses and entrepreneurs. To avoid missing out on deals, you can add them to a watchlist ahead of time and activate notifications on the Amazon smartphone app when they go live. The best TV shows on Amazon Prime Anything else to look out for? Amazon is going to show Prime members a teaser video of season 2 of The Grand Tour on Prime Day Between July 7 and July 11, it says users of Amazon Video will be able to win £100,000 by watching Amazon Video on a Fire TV device or app on a games console or smart TV. How much does Amazon sell on Prime Day? Last year, Amazon boosted year-on-year Prime Day sales by 60pc, shifting 90,000 TVs, two million toys, 200,000 headphones and 14,000 Lenovo laptops. Amazon Prime Day grid The Telegraph makes a small amount of money by adding affiliate links to products mentioned in this article, however all products are picked independently by our journalists.
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| The Exact Words to Use When Negotiating Salary Posted: 10 Jul 2017 08:05 AM PDT ![The Exact Words to Use When Negotiating Salary]( "The Exact Words to Use When Negotiating Salary") You may not feel very powerful before you've officially signed a job offer to accept a position. Think about it: The hiring manager has already tipped her hand by letting you know she wants to bring you on board. The team has invested time and resources in the interview process, they have consensus on hiring you and they're eager to seal the deal and put you to work.
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| The 11 Best Small Beach Towns in the World Posted: 10 Jul 2017 07:54 AM PDT |
| Kenya president, chief justice clash as elections approach Posted: 10 Jul 2017 12:26 AM PDT  By George Obulutsa NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's chief justice warned President Uhuru Kenyatta on Sunday not to undermine public confidence in the judiciary, in an unusually sharp exchange between the two men less than a month before national elections are due. Kenyatta had earlier responded to a court victory for the opposition against Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) by cautioning against any use of the court process to delay the elections.
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| What Happened To Donal Logue’s Daughter Jade? Posted: 09 Jul 2017 12:45 AM PDT  Donal Logue's openly transgender daughter, Jade, has finally been found!
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| Trump to lawmakers: get health care reform done by summer break Posted: 10 Jul 2017 10:35 AM PDT  President Donald Trump heaped fresh pressure on US lawmakers Monday to pass an unpopular health care reform bill before Congress goes on its August recess next month. As Senators returned for work in Washington after a week off, Trump challenged fellow Republicans to make good on their signature campaign promise: repeal and replace "Obamacare," the reforms of his White House predecessor. "I cannot imagine that Congress would dare to leave Washington without a beautiful new HealthCare bill fully approved and ready to go!" Trump wrote in an early morning tweet burst.
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| Graft probe of Pakistan PM finds wealth 'disparity' Posted: 10 Jul 2017 08:49 AM PDT  ISLAMABAD (AP) — An official investigation into corruption allegations against Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family has found a "significant disparity" between their declared wealth and known sources of income.
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| Tesla’s Model S is far more popular than most other luxury vehicles Posted: 09 Jul 2017 12:01 PM PDT 
Deliveries of Tesla's Model S and Model X during the second quarter of 2017 weren't as strong as some analysts were anticipating, with the company announcing that it delivered 22,000 vehicles over the last three months. The figure was a tad lower than the 25,000 vehicles Tesla delivered during the first quarter of 2017. Still, the 22,000 vehicles Tesla delivered during Q2 marked a 53% increase compared to the same quarter a year-ago, an impressive feat no matter how you look at it. What's more, demand for Tesla vehicles during the quarter remained robust, with the company explaining that a production issue involving its 100 kWh battery packs led to delayed deliveries and a delivery figure that was lower than some were hoping for. All told, Tesla during the first half of 2017 delivered 47,100 vehicles, a figure it said it will likely eclipse during the latter half of 2017.
Nonetheless, Goldman Sachs earlier this week downgraded Tesla amidst fears that demand for the company's Model X and Model S may have already peaked. In a note obtained by Business Insider, analyst David Tamberrino writes: We believe the excess production above deliveries, the discontinued 'order rate' metrics, and the company's 2H17 guidance (Model S and Model X deliveries to likely exceed) in combination with the past four quarters of delivery results point to a plateauing of demand for its current products.
In turn, Tamberrino placed a $180 price target on Tesla shares, a uniquely pessimistic projection given that Tesla shares are currently trading in the $300 range. Following Tamberrino's report, shares of Tesla plummeted by more than 50 points. Funny thing is, if we take a look at Model S sales exclusively, a different narrative emerges. As highlighted by Zachary Shahan over at Clean Technica, Model S sales are particularly impressive when measured up against other luxury sedans. 
"Another dramatic point from the table and chart above is how far ahead the Model S seems to be," Shahan observes. "Even if you add up Audi A6, Audi A7, and Audi A8 sales, they don't get up to the Tesla Model S sales estimate for 2017. It looks even worse for the old automakers if you add up BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class sales. Adding up Audi A6 and Mercedes-Benz S-Class sales is the only way to actually get two models to surpass Model S sales." Indeed, the notion that demand for current Tesla vehicles has plateaued seems a bit misplaced. Especially in a field littered with industry veterans, the ability for Tesla to sell more Model S vehicles than more established luxury cars is truly remarkable. And besides, with the Model 3 release looming on the horizon, it stands to reason that Tesla's best days are ahead of it. As a final point, it's worth noting that most Tesla sales shortfalls typically have nothing to do with demand but more to do with Tesla's ability to furnish supply, a good problem that most other automakers would love to have.
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