| Mike Pence Suggests Legal Abortions In U.S. Could End ‘In Our Time’ Posted: 28 Feb 2018 02:39 AM PST  Standing before a roomful of anti-abortion activists in Nashville on Tuesday, Mike Pence described the "great progress" made under President Donald Trump to limit women's access to legal abortions in the U.S. and abroad. Speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Susan B. Anthony List and Life Institute, an anti-abortion group, the vice president announced that "life is winning in America once again," before ticking off the many policies enacted under Trump aimed at limiting access to abortions.
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| Missing CDC doctor was passed up for promotion before his disappearance Posted: 28 Feb 2018 01:29 PM PST  Missing CDC doctor Timothy Cunningham was passed up for a promotion shortly before he disappeared without a trace more than two weeks ago, according to police. Cunningham, a highly regarded epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, went missing after he left work mid-day on Feb. 12. Atlanta Police Department Major Michael O'Connor said that on the morning of his disappearance, Cunningham called his sister before going to work and talking with his supervisor about a promotion that he didn't receive.
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| Independent group, now called Unite America, names its Senate candidates — all two of them Posted: 27 Feb 2018 02:47 PM PST  Unite America, formerly The Centrist Project, a group hoping to create a third political force in America, on Tuesday named the two candidates it plans to run for the U.S. Senate in November.
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| What did Hope Hicks lie about? Newsroom readers have thoughts Posted: 28 Feb 2018 02:43 PM PST  "She tells Trump how great he is." "Does Hicks realize that she is not a contestant on 'The Bachelor'?" Hope Hicks resigned one day after reports claimed she told "white lies" for President Trump, but it's unclear what about. Newsroom readers have some theories. During a closed-door testimony, White House communications director Hope Hicks reportedly admitted her job has sometimes required her to tell "white lies" on the president's behalf. The admission has sparked questions and concern. Newsroom commenters believe: "Lies are lies" no matter how big or small. Others think that "anyone who doesn't take truth seriously … cannot be trusted." According to reports, Hicks insisted she didn't lie about the investigations into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election. What do you think Hicks lied about? Should "white lies" get a pass? Join the conversation in Newsroom.
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| Lion kills woman at refuge of South African 'lion whisperer' Posted: 28 Feb 2018 06:21 AM PST  JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A lion that mauled a young woman to death in South Africa was under the care of a man known as the "lion whisperer" for his close interactions with the predators.
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| Alex Jones Decries YouTube's Temporary Ban On Infowars, Asks Parkland Teen To Debate Posted: 27 Feb 2018 06:22 PM PST  According to The Hill, Infowars claimed it had received a notice from YouTube on Tuesday morning that it would be temporarily barred from uploading new content after receiving a second strike for videos it had posted about the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida. InfoWars got another strike on their YouTube account for a Florida shooting video, now one strike left before they get banned.
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| Satanic Temple sues Arizona city to lead city council prayer Posted: 27 Feb 2018 04:23 PM PST  FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A group that invokes the name Satan as a metaphor for opposing religious tyranny has sued the well-off Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale, accusing officials of discrimination after being denied an opportunity to give the opening prayer at a City Council meeting.
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| Are we at a tipping point on guns? Posted: 28 Feb 2018 02:00 AM PST  Aroused activists helped end slavery and Jim Crow, and they're bringing about big changes in how men treat women at work. Can they do something about school shootings?
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| Protesters Descend On ICE San Francisco Headquarters After Immigration Raids Posted: 28 Feb 2018 03:49 PM PST  SAN FRANCISCO ― Hundreds of activists gathered on Wednesday outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building here to protest the arrests of more than 150 undocumented immigrants in recent days. Local activist groups organized the "emergency rally" to respond to the mass arrests in Northern California, just two weeks after more than 200 people were arrested in similar raids in the Los Angeles area. "We have come together today to show that the Northern California region stands together in denouncing the mass arrests that happened in the last three days," Blanca Vazquez, a media spokesperson for the protest, told HuffPost.
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| Nikolas Cruz's Biological Mom Was a Drug Addict Who Gave Him Up for a $50,000 Fee: Report Posted: 28 Feb 2018 10:28 AM PST  He was given up for adoption when he was days old.
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| North Carolina Facebook Live Murder Suspect Arrested Posted: 27 Feb 2018 11:55 AM PST  The motive for the shooting is still unclear
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| Powerful Men Who Lose Their Jobs Over Harassment Can Still Get Big Payouts Posted: 26 Feb 2018 09:17 PM PST  WASHINGTON ― The Me Too movement has a pattern: Someone accuses a powerful man of sexual misconduct. Steve Wynn, the Las Vegas casino mogul accused of pressuring workers to perform sex acts, made news earlier this month — not because he's getting a severance payment, but because he's not. NBC apparently did not plan to give a payout to Matt Lauer, but the network was reportedly considering a severance package for his onetime booker Matt Zimmerman, who was also dismissed over inappropriate conduct.
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| Rubio Bill Would Let 18-Year-Olds In D.C. Buy Assault-Style Guns -- Despite What He Just Said Posted: 28 Feb 2018 10:11 AM PST  WASHINGTON ― Following the deadly school shooting in his home state, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) last week expressed support for raising the minimum age for certain gun purchases from 18 to 21, yet he is not backing away from a bill he proposed that would reduce restrictions on young people obtaining such weapons in the nation's capital. "I absolutely believe that in this country, if you are 18 years of age, you should not be able to buy a rifle," he said at a CNN town hall last week, where he faced questions from students and parents affected by the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
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| Anger as Israel denies its forces shot Palestinian teen Posted: 27 Feb 2018 07:41 AM PST  Israel on Tuesday denied its forces shot a Palestinian teenager and said he suffered a severe head injury when he fell off his bicycle, sparking outrage from activists and his family. Mohammed Tamimi, 15, confirmed to AFP that after being arrested from his home in the middle of the night he had told Israeli interrogators the cause of his misshapen skull was falling off his bike, not being shot. A cousin of prominent jailed Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi, he says he was shot in the head with a rubber bullet during a protest in the occupied West Bank in December, leaving part of his skull missing.
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| In free speech case, justices troubled by Fla. man's arrest Posted: 27 Feb 2018 03:52 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court justices seemed troubled Tuesday by the arrest of a Florida man during a city council meeting in Florida, an arrest he says was retaliation for being an outspoken critic of the city.
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| Russia 'both arsonist and firefighter' in Syria: U.S. general Posted: 27 Feb 2018 02:24 PM PST  By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior U.S. general accused Russia on Tuesday of playing a destabilizing role in Syria and acting as "both arsonist and firefighter," as a brief truce unilaterally declared by Moscow in the eastern Ghouta region collapsed. The United States and Russia have been on different sides of the seven-year-old war, with Moscow heavily backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad whose forces are besieging eastern Ghouta, a rebel-held area near Damascus.
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| Disneyland Paris to add Star Wars zone in $2.5 bn upgrade Posted: 27 Feb 2018 09:06 AM PST  The Walt Disney Company on Tuesday announced a two-billion-euro ($2.5-billion) expansion of its Paris amusement park which will add a new Star Wars-themed zone to the huge site. Disneyland Paris will also build new areas devoted to its hit animated film "Frozen" and the Marvel comics franchise (Spider-Man, The Hulk, X-Men) as part of the makeover, which will take several years. The work will start in 2021 and significantly expand the park, which is Europe's most popular private tourism destination with 320 million visits since it opened in 1992.
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| North Carolina Man Broadcasts His Own Killing On Facebook Live Posted: 27 Feb 2018 02:20 AM PST  A man in Wingate, North Carolina live-streamed his own killing on Monday, police said. Prentis Robinson, 55, had been broadcasting a visit to the local police station on Facebook Live when he was shot multiple times on camera. Wingate police confirmed that Robinson captured the shooting on film, reported the Charlotte Observer.
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| The ice on Lake Michigan has turned blue. Here's why. Posted: 28 Feb 2018 03:52 PM PST  The ice on portions of Michigan's Great Lakes has turned blue, but don't worry, there's a perfectly good reason why. The phenomenon is common on glaciers, but not so much on large swathes of lake ice. It's happening where Lake Michigan meets Lake Huron, at a place called the Straits of Mackinac. There, fat slabs and mounds of cracked blue ice have collected near the shorelines. Local photographer Tori Burley captured the image above. SEE ALSO: Gas-filled vessel barrels solo through pathetic Arctic sea ice during dead of winter The ice, however, is not actually turning blue. The color is a result of the way sunlight is bouncing off this particular ice, explained Ted Scambos, a research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, in an interview. Sometimes, weather conditions — such as a lack of high winds — allow water to freeze slowly and evenly, resulting in ice composed of large crystals (unlike snow, which is formed quickly and made up of small crystals). When light hits these big ice crystals, it can travel deep into the structures (compare this to snow, wherein light hits a sharp edge and reflects off of it right away, resulting in blinding white). When the light travels deeper into slowly formed ice, some of the red wavelengths of sunlight — which is the longest wavelength of visible light — get absorbed into the ice structure. The blue, which is the shortest wavelength of visible light, bounces back out, meet our eyes, and results in a deep aqua color. Sunlight reflecting off the Thwaites glacier in Antarctica, which makes the water look an aqua color.Image: nasaBut this isn't the complete story. Blue ice is also composed of relatively pure, untainted water, which allows the blue reflection to be so vivid and dominant. "It's a tribute to how clean the upper surface of Lake Michigan is," said Scambos, adding, "At least somewhere in Lake Michigan." WATCH: 'Beast from the East' to plunge UK, rest of Europe into historic deep freeze
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| University Faculty Votes To Revoke Donald Trump's Honorary Degree Posted: 28 Feb 2018 03:42 AM PST  Faculty members at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, have voted by a large majority that the school should annul the honorary degree awarded Donald Trump in 1988. Almost 83 percent of faculty members who participated in this week's ballot approved the motion calling on the school's board of trustees to rescind Trump's degree, reports Lehigh Valley Live. BREAKING: 83 percent of @LehighU faculty voted in support of a motion to rescind @realDonaldTrump's honorary degree.
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| Taiwan urges calm over panic buying of toilet paper Posted: 27 Feb 2018 02:50 AM PST  Shelves usually stacked with toilet paper, kitchen paper and boxed tissues stood empty in many hypermarkets and supermarkets as residents stockpiled supplies. Major online retailers had also run out, including PChome which reportedly sold five million packs of toilet paper in three days. The panic buying started after major hypermarkets were informed by toilet paper manufacturers of a 10 to 30 percent price hike from mid-March due to rising international pulp prices.
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| Use of private firm for Greitens investigation questioned Posted: 27 Feb 2018 06:01 PM PST  JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The St. Louis prosecutor's office said Tuesday that it has hired a Michigan firm to aid its investigation into Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens to try to ensure that the probe remains independent.
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| North Korea shipping chemical weapons supplies to Syria, United Nations investigators say Posted: 27 Feb 2018 11:17 PM PST  North Korea has shipped supplies to the Syrian government that could be used to make chemical weapons, United Nations investigators have revealed. The disclosure, in a confidential 200-page long report seen by the New York Times, comes as the US and other countries have accused Syria of using chemical weapons on its own civilians, including a suspected chlorine gas attack in Eastern Ghouta in the past few days. The report indicates there have been major flaws in international efforts to isolate both countries, and the new evidence could dampen efforts to bring North Korea to the negotiating table following a diplomatic détente at the South Korean Winter Olympics. The items provided by North Korea reportedly included acid-resistant tiles, valves and thermometers. Investigators also detailed sightings of North Korean technicians working at chemical weapons and missile facilities inside Syria. The report appears to confirm long-standing fears that Pyongyang may be funding its own weapons of mass destruction programme by trading its technological expertise with third parties. It also supports suspicions since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011 that President Bashar al-Assad has been assisted by the North Korean regime. People receive treatment at a hospital after alleged chlorine gas attack earlier this month Credit: Getty The possible chemical weapons components were part of at least 40 previously unreported shipments from North Korea to Syria between 2012 and 2017 of prohibited ballistic missile parts and materials that could be used either for civilian or military purposes. The UN declined to comment on the report, which was written by a panel of eight experts tasked with checking North Korea's compliance with sanctions. It may never be publicly released, but a spokesperson stressed that the "overarching message is that all member states have a duty and responsibility to abide by the sanctions that are in place." Experts who reviewed the document for the Times described it as the most detailed account to date of efforts to circumvent sanctions intended to curb the military powers of both countries. Syria war timeline But they concluded that it did not prove definitively that there was current, continuing collaboration between North Korea and Syria on chemical weapons. Hopes have been rising on the Korean peninsula that talks between South and North Korea over the Olympic Games could be expanded to include the US and eventually lead to a breakthrough over Pyongyang's nuclear and weapons programme. On Tuesday, senior US diplomat, Joseph Yun told South Korean newswire Yonhap that he remained "very hopeful" about the prospect of talks. Syrian warplanes strike eastern Ghouta despite Russian truce
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| Walmart To Raise Age Requirement To Buy Firearms And Ammunition Posted: 28 Feb 2018 03:59 PM PST  Walmart has vowed to raise its age requirement to 21 years old for customers looking to purchase firearms or ammunition from their stores. The retail giant decided to change its firearms policy "in light of recent events," Walmart said in a statement to reporters on Wednesday. "We take seriously our obligation to be a responsible seller of firearms and go beyond Federal law by requiring customers to pass a background check before purchasing any firearm," the company's statement read.
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| Harrowing Video Shows Mom Handing Kids to Firefighters Before Saving Herself Posted: 27 Feb 2018 07:12 AM PST  The family of four made it out of the building safely.
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| Delta is sued by Port Authority over 2015 skid at New York's LaGuardia Airport Posted: 27 Feb 2018 01:48 PM PST ![Delta is sued by Port Authority over 2015 skid at New York's LaGuardia Airport]( "Delta is sued by Port Authority over 2015 skid at New York's LaGuardia Airport") Delta Air Lines Inc was sued on Tuesday by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for damage caused when a jet skidded off a runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport during a March 5, 2015, snowstorm. The complaint seeks $750,047 for property damage and other costs that allegedly occurred when Flight 1086 veered off Runway 13 after touchdown, struck a fence and came to rest on an embankment, just short of plunging into frigid Flushing Bay. According to the Port Authority, which operates the airport, the incident "was caused solely by the negligence of Delta and its agents," including the pilot of the MD-88 aircraft.
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| Oprah Says She Would Run For President Under One Condition Posted: 28 Feb 2018 07:24 AM PST  "I've always felt very secure and confident with myself in knowing what I could do and what I could not," Oprah said in an interview with InStyle, conducted three weeks before her Globes speech. "Gayle ― who knows me as well as I know myself practically ― has been calling me regularly and texting me things, like a woman in the airport saying, 'When's Oprah going to run?'" Oprah revealed to InStyle. If Oprah did run, the "A Wrinkle In Time" actress already has experience with attention she'd receive from President Donald Trump.
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| Is Ivanka Trump unqualified? Newsroom readers respond Posted: 27 Feb 2018 03:24 PM PST  "Ivanka and Jared must return to NYC and stay out of U.S. politics." "She's qualified, she's designed handbags, stilettos and a wonderful perfume fragrance, Ugh!" Newsroom readers are joining the chorus questioning if Ivanka Trump has too much power. The first daughter and adviser to dad President Trump recently traveled to the Winter Olympics in South Korea, the latest eyebrow-raising appearance as part of her controversial post. Pundits and the public have long questioned her role and influence, but now White House chief of staff John Kelly is also said to be concerned. This week he made the call to downgrade the security clearance of Ivanka's husband, Jared Kushner. According to a report, Kelly is frustrated and questioning whether the first daughter has the qualifications to represent the administration. Newsroom seems to agree: "We have children playing king and queen while poppa plays President," one reader wrote. Another chimed in: "To represent the U.S. should be an earned honor, not appointing relatives." What do you think? Does Ivanka deserve her power in the White House? Join the conversation in Newsroom.
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| Court Orders Trump To Stop Revoking Dreamers' Protections Without Notice Posted: 27 Feb 2018 04:27 PM PST  WASHINGTON ― The Trump administration has to stop revoking undocumented young people's deportation protections without due process, a federal judge ruled on Monday. The new order does not affect President Donald Trump's effort — launched in September but currently on hold because of a separate court ruling — to end the broader Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez issued a preliminary injunction to halt that practice.
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| Protests as sanctioned Iran minister addresses UN rights meet Posted: 27 Feb 2018 10:09 AM PST  Demonstrators gathered outside the UN in Geneva Tuesday and some diplomats left in protest over an address by Iran's justice minister to the rights council, despite facing Swiss and EU sanctions over rights violations. Alireza Avaie took the podium at the Human Rights Council, slamming "appalling deficiencies" there and in other UN rights mechanisms, and accusing Washington and others of "exploiting human rights for their political ends". Standing near a large pyramid of shoes meant to represent the thousands killed in a 1988 massacre of political prisoners, demonstrator Safora Mohammadi, a 35-year-old law student, insisted Avaie was "a killer".
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| Prison work boot sales halted after guard kicked, killed Posted: 27 Feb 2018 02:49 PM PST  HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania prison official said Tuesday the sale of work boots at all prison commissaries was halted because an inmate is accused of killing a guard by knocking him to the floor and kicking him in the head with a boot.
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| Will the Syria Conflict Continue to Escalate? Posted: 27 Feb 2018 05:33 PM PST  Moscow, Washington, Tehran and Ankara are all jockeying for power. In early February, western media reported that the United States had led a strike on the Russian mercenaries of Wagner PMC. Bloomberg News reported hundreds, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced a smaller number and noted that "Russian citizens" were injured.
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| China's military flexes muscles for domestic objective: more funding Posted: 27 Feb 2018 10:05 PM PST  By Ben Blanchard and Michael Martina BEIJING (Reuters) - With stealth jets entering service, leaked pictures of new high-tech naval artillery and proud reports of maneuvers that "dare to shine the sword," China's armed forces are putting on a show of power as they lobby for greater defense spending. Although it is the world's largest military, the People's Liberation Army has been privately unhappy that it got less than double-digit funding increases the past two years. In the run-up to the defense budget's release at the annual meeting of China's parliament next week, state media outlets have been filled with coverage of military drills, advanced new equipment and thrilling tales of derring-do in a new film very loosely based on China's evacuating people from Yemen's civil war in 2015.
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| 36 Tweets That Sum Up Life With 6-Year-Olds Posted: 28 Feb 2018 02:47 AM PST  Every year of a child's life is filled with new adventures, new ideas, new skills ... and new challenges for their parents.
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| Michelle Obama Appears To Diss Trump: I Use Twitter 'Like A Grownup' Posted: 28 Feb 2018 04:01 AM PST  Michelle Obama doesn't need to overtly zing President Donald Trump about his tweeting habits. "I don't just tweet off the top of my head, which I don't encourage people to do ― especially kids," Obama said during a panel at Klick Health's MUSE New York event, People reported.
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| Denver Mayor Apologizes for 'Inappropriate' Text Messages, Vows to Stay in Office Posted: 28 Feb 2018 07:42 AM PST  Denver Mayor Michael Hancock admitted text messages he sent a woman who worked on his security detail in 2012 were inappropriate but says he will not step down.
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| US makes symbolic cut to Cambodia aid Posted: 27 Feb 2018 07:13 AM PST  The White House on Tuesday said it was cutting $8.3 million worth of aid programs to Cambodia, a largely symbolic move to protest against an anti-democratic crackdown. In a statement, the White House said it was cutting programs designed to support Cambodia's tax department, local government and the military.
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| Donald Glover Needed 'White Translator' To Convince FX To Allow 'N-Word' In 'Atlanta' Posted: 27 Feb 2018 09:13 AM PST  Donald Glover says he had to convince FX to allow him use the "N-word" in his show "Atlanta" by having a "white translator" talk to executives.
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| Nikolas Cruz court hearing cancelled: Appearance of Florida school shooting suspect dropped at last minute Posted: 27 Feb 2018 12:43 PM PST  A scheduled court appearance by the teenager alleged to have carried out the Florida high school massacre has been cancelled at the last minute. Nikolas Cruz, 19, was expected to make his third appearance at a Broward County criminal court on Tuesday morning charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder. The court had been set to hear prosecutors apply for hair samples, fingerprints, DNA and photographs of Mr Cruz as they build a case against him.
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| Woman sues Delta, says she was groped on flight Posted: 27 Feb 2018 05:29 PM PST ![Woman sues Delta, says she was groped on flight]( "Woman sues Delta, says she was groped on flight") SEATTLE (AP) — A woman who says she was groped during an international flight, prompting her to launch a campaign to draw attention to such mid-flight assaults, sued Delta Air Lines on Tuesday over what she described as its anemic response to her case.
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| Syrian government ground forces attack Ghouta despite Russian truce plan Posted: 28 Feb 2018 12:18 PM PST  BEIRUT/GENEVA (Reuters) - Syrian government forces launched a ground assault on the edge of the rebel-held eastern Ghouta enclave on Wednesday, seeking to gain territory despite a Russian plan for five-hour daily ceasefires, a war monitor and sources on both sides said. Hundreds of people have died in 11 days of bombing of the eastern Ghouta, a swathe of towns and farms outside Damascus that is the last major rebel-controlled area near the capital. The onslaught has been one of the fiercest of Syria's civil war, now entering its eighth year.
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| Wisconsin's Top Election Official Resigns After GOP Votes To Oust Him Posted: 27 Feb 2018 01:39 PM PST  Wisconsin's top election official announced Tuesday that he would step down from his post, ending a confrontation with Republicans who suddenly voted to oust him in retaliation for his work on a government board that investigated Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R). Republicans in the state Senate voted in January not to officially confirm Wisconsin elections administrator Michael Haas to that role, which he'd held since 2016 on an interim basis.
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