| New election ordered in disputed North Carolina House race Posted: 21 Feb 2019 04:30 PM PST  RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's elections board Thursday ordered a new election in the nation's last undecided congressional race after the Republican candidate conceded his lead was tainted by evidence of ballot-tampering by political operatives working for him.
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| When rich men like Robert Kraft get charged with soliciting prostitutes, we forget so fast Posted: 22 Feb 2019 01:35 PM PST  Allegedly the New England Patriots owner went looking for prostitutes at 'Orchids of Asia', but don't forget trafficking victims across the country.
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| Relatives of US oil industry ‘hostages’ in Venezuela make emotional appeal for their release Posted: 22 Feb 2019 12:38 PM PST  The six men – five US citizens and one permanent resident, and all employees of Citgo, the US subsidiary of Venezuela's state-run Petróleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) – were detained in November 2017 after being called to Caracas from Houston for a meeting. President Nicolas Maduro went on television to denounce them as "traitors", saying: "They're properly behind bars, and they should go to the worst prison in Venezuela." Asdrubal Chavez, a cousin of the late president, was appointed company's new president. For 16 months, the relatives of the Venezuelan Americans, who have become known as the Citgo 6, were advised to remain silent.
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| Fake news: Kim and Trump lookalikes draw crowds in Hanoi Posted: 22 Feb 2019 02:38 PM PST  Days before the second summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump, to be held in Vietnam's capital, a Kim impersonator appeared at the Metropole Hotel, a back-up location for the meeting. Howard X, an Australian, has been cashing in on his resemblance to North Korea's leader, especially his haircut. It looks awful," Howard X said, adding it takes him three hours to prepare his outfit and get into character.
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| Winter weather isn't just battering the eastern US. It's even snowing in Las Vegas Posted: 21 Feb 2019 04:20 AM PST  While winter weather has battered the east for the past couple days, the National Weather Service said up to 3 inches of snow will fall in the outskirts of the Las Vegas Valley.
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| Indict the ‘ISIS Bride’ Posted: 21 Feb 2019 07:23 AM PST  I had a column in the New York Post yesterday morning about the so-called "ISIS bride," Hoda Muthana, who is detained in a Syrian refugee camp and now pleading to come back home to her family in Alabama. I argued that, despite the fact that she has treasonously waged war against our country, she had a right to be readmitted if she tried to enter because she was -- according to the facts available at the time -- a natural-born American citizen.Now Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced that Muthana will not be allowed to reenter the U.S. because she is not an American citizen: While born in America, she was the daughter of a diplomat and thus not subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. As the secretary put it in his statement, "Ms. Hoda Muthana is not a U.S. citizen and will not be admitted into the United States. She does not have any legal basis, no valid U.S. passport, no right to a passport, nor any visa to travel to the United States."This conclusion is disputed by Muthana's family and allies, and they may have a case. I would strongly urge the Justice Department to file an indictment against Muthana for treason, material support to terrorism, and any other readily provable offenses. She is less likely to press the issues of citizenship and right to enter if she understands that she faces prosecution and, very likely, lengthy imprisonment if she succeeds in coming here.But it's worth taking a closer look at the citizenship question itself. To my mind, the concept of citizenship implies not just the benefits of being a full-fledged member of the body politic, but also a duty of fealty to the nation. In a rational world, then, a citizen who made war against the United States would be stripped of citizenship.Alas, that is not the law. As I related in the Post column, Supreme Court precedent holds that natural-born citizens may not have their citizenship revoked without their consent. (This is in contrast to naturalized citizens, who may have their citizenship revoked if they join a subversive organization within five years of being naturalized, but this is not relevant to Muthana's case.)Reports indicate that Muthana, the daughter of Yemeni immigrants, was born in New Jersey in 1994. For the most part, she appears to have grown up in Alabama, attending high school and starting college there. As we've noted here at NR when the issue is debated from time to time, the prevailing interpretation of the 14th Amendment generally provides for birthright citizenship: If you were born here, you are a citizen, regardless of whether your parents were citizens -- even regardless of whether your parents were legally in the United States. But there is an exception, and the State Department is seizing on it here.According to the New York Times, government officials contend that Muthana's father was not merely a Yemeni immigrant but a diplomat of that country. Children born of diplomats are deemed to be citizens of the diplomat's sovereign. Apparently, Muthana's camp concedes that Muthana père was a Yemeni diplomat, but contends that she was born 30 days after Yemen discharged him from his diplomat position. We are not told what his immigration status supposedly was at that point, or if he had a legal status. But Muthana would no doubt argue that even if she was an illegal alien, she'd be as entitled to birthright citizenship as any other child of an illegal alien born in the U.S.Pompeo emphasized that Muthana does not have a valid U.S. passport or a visa to travel to the U.S. That is true, but probably irrelevant. Passports and visas are just forms of travel authorization. They have no bearing on whether an American citizen may be denied entry into her own country. If an American citizen presents herself at a port of entry, the government has no authority to bar the citizen from entering (although the citizen may, of course, be detained while the authorities make certain that she is who she claims to be; and she may be prosecuted for violating travel regulations).The Times further reports that Pompeo is taking a hard-nosed position here because President Trump has directed him "not to allow Hoda Muthana back into the Country" -- as the president put it on Twitter. It is entirely appropriate for the official constitutionally responsible for protecting the nation from foreign threats to direct his subordinates to take all legal steps to prevent a terrorist enemy combatant from entering the country. But, to reiterate, if Muthana is an American citizen, she has the right to enter the U.S. if she presents herself at a port of entry; she may not be barred just because the president wants her turned away.Again: If the president and the secretary do not want Muthana to try to come back to the United States, the best strategy is to have the Justice Department indict her on serious felony charges. She may seek another alternative if she knows the risk of coming back here is decades of imprisonment. Of course, Muthana may decide to come anyway. After all, (a) she might see life in an American prison as better than her other alternatives, and (b) if she is an American citizen, there is a good argument that her young son is a citizen, too -- he'd have a more promising chance of survival and a decent life here than in Syria (or wherever else in that godforsaken region they could end up).In any event, the State Department has made its decision. Now it is up to Muthana's supporters to establish her citizenship if they can, and for the Trump administration to indict her if it chooses.
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| Tucker Carlson: Fox News host laughs along with guest after he suggests black people ‘need to move on’ from slavery Posted: 22 Feb 2019 06:55 AM PST  A guest who appeared on Tucker Carlson's Fox News show said African Americans "need to move on" from slavery because it was abolished "a century-and-a-half ago". Mark Steyn, a cultural commentator, made the comments on Thursday during a segment discussing 2020 presidential candidates who are in favour of reparations for African Americans. During his rant, Steyn said: "Slavery was abolished a century and a half ago, nobody alive today has a grandparent who was a slave, and in that sense I think you reach a point where, you know, you need to move on.
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| Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez faces backlash after Amzaon’s decision to pull out of building a new NYC headquarters Posted: 21 Feb 2019 10:45 AM PST  Job Creators Network bought a billboard in Times Square blasting New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for her role in Amazon's decision to no longer build a new headquarters in New York City; Doug McKelway reports.
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| Vatican's legal procedures for handling sex abuse, explained Posted: 20 Feb 2019 11:31 PM PST  VATICAN CITY (AP) — For centuries, the Vatican's canon law system busied itself with banning books and dispensing punishments that included burnings at the stake for heretics.
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| Maduro's Troops Kill 1; Guaido Defies Travel Ban at Border Posted: 22 Feb 2019 04:35 PM PST  The violence began a weekend in which Venezuela's opposition plans to confront autocratic President Nicolas Maduro by attempting to bring food and medicine through heavily guarded international crossings around the nation. Supporters of National Assembly leader Juan Guaido were spurring on volunteers with a music festival in the western border town of Cucuta, Colombia, and he defied Maduro's order not to leave to country to appear there. Maduro, meanwhile, mounted a smaller competing event in Las Tienditas on the Venezuela side.
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| IRS employee charged in leak of Trump attorney records Posted: 21 Feb 2019 04:47 PM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — U.S. prosecutors have charged an IRS employee with leaking banking records of President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen that flagged suspicious activity, the U.S. attorney's office in San Francisco said Thursday.
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| Google moves to fix YouTube glitch exploited for child porn Posted: 21 Feb 2019 12:22 PM PST  Google-owned YouTube said Thursday it was taking action to close a loophole that enabled users to share comments and links on child pornography over the video-sharing service. The response came after a YouTube creator this week revealed what he called a "wormhole" that allowed comments and connections on child porn alongside innocuous videos. "Any content -- including comments -- that endangers minors is abhorrent and we have clear policies prohibiting this on YouTube," a spokesman said in an email to AFP.
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| How long should it take to get my tax refund this year? Posted: 21 Feb 2019 06:05 PM PST  In general, the IRS expects most tax refunds to be issued in less than 21 days. Here's how to find out the status of your tax refund.
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| Israel's Netanyahu to meet Putin in Moscow next week -statement Posted: 21 Feb 2019 09:38 AM PST  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Feb. 27, Netanyahu's office said on Thursday, with the focus likely to be on Middle East issues led by Syria. At the time, the Kremlin said Netanyahu and Putin were to discuss the situation in the Middle East, including Syria.
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| Warren Backs Government Reparations for African Americans Posted: 21 Feb 2019 12:49 PM PST  Senator Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) on Thursday followed fellow Democratic presidential contender Senator Kamala Harris (D., Calif.) in calling for the government to pay reparations to African Americans to atone for slavery and subsequent discrimination.Warren's campaign told the New York Times that she does support some form of government reparations for the descendants of slaves, but did not specify what policy she we would pursue if elected in 2020.Warren's support for reparations came after Harris came out in support of the idea during a radio interview last week."We have to be honest that people in this country do not start from the same place or have access to the same opportunities," she said. "I'm serious about taking an approach that would change policies and structures and make real investments in black communities."Since angering much of the progressive-activist community last year by publicizing the results of her DNA test to substantiate her claim of Native American ancestry, Warren has prioritized racial equity in laying out her 2020 presidential platform. She has called for a special home-buying-assistance program that would help alleviate the effects of racial red-lining, a phenomenon in which African Americans are prevented from buying homes in certain neighborhoods. She has also presented a universal-child-care proposal that would create a network of government-backed child-care centers available to families making under 200 percent of the federal poverty level.Other prominent Democratic presidential contenders, including Senators Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Cory Booker of New Jersey, and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, have not yet come out in support of reparations. Senator Bernie Sanders (D., Vt.) dismissed the idea of paying reparations to the descendants of slaves as impractical during his 2016 presidential run but has not weighed in on the issue since.
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| Bobby Berk to Launch Collection for A.R.T. Furniture at High Point Posted: 21 Feb 2019 09:00 AM PST  The collaboration marks the first time A.R.T. is working with an outside designer
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| Tesla Model 3 Loses CR Recommendation | Reliability Posted: 21 Feb 2019 09:34 AM PST  Tesla Model 3 Loses CR Recommendation Over Reliability Issues Consumer Reports can no longer recommend the newest Tesla—the Model 3 electric sedan—because members say they've identified a number...
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| Chicago police on Jussie Smollett arrest: Actor 'took advantage of the pain and anger of racism' Posted: 21 Feb 2019 07:18 AM PST  Jussie Smollett was taken into custody by police in Chicago early Thursday, three weeks after the 36-year-old "Empire" actor claimed he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack.
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| NYC’s Amazon Negotiator Laments What Might Have Been Posted: 21 Feb 2019 07:15 AM PST  James Patchett, president of the city's Economic Development Corp., made clear that he was still smarting from the deal's collapse while speaking to business executives Thursday at a Crain's Magazine breakfast forum. "I remain incredibly proud of the work we all did together," Patchett said. The deal fell apart, Patchett said, because Amazon wasn't prepared to respond to questions about how it would operate in the city.
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| Southwest responds to passenger complaints after reported system-wide outage Posted: 22 Feb 2019 04:03 AM PST  Some Southwest Airlines passengers took to social media expressing their concerns about not being able to board their flight.
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| Disabled greeter meets with Walmart about job; no resolution Posted: 22 Feb 2019 02:44 PM PST  A beloved, longtime Walmart greeter with cerebral palsy met with store management in Pennsylvania on Friday in a bid to keep his job but came away with no guarantees, and his family is girding for a fight.
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| China says humanitarian aid should not be forced into Venezuela Posted: 22 Feb 2019 12:33 AM PST  Humanitarian aid should not be forced into Venezuela, lest it cause violence, China's Foreign Ministry said on Friday, warning that Beijing opposed military intervention in the country. Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro threatened to close the border with Colombia on Thursday as opposition leader Juan Guaido and some 80 lawmakers ran a gauntlet of roadblocks trying to get to the frontier to receive humanitarian aid. Guaido, who is recognized by dozens of countries as Venezuela's legitimate head of state, was poised for a showdown with Maduro's government on Saturday, when the opposition will attempt to bring in food and medicine being stockpiled in neighboring countries.
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| Donald Trump: Russian Asset? Posted: 22 Feb 2019 11:45 AM PST  'I think it's possible" that President Donald Trump is a Russian asset, disgraced former FBI acting director Andrew McCabe told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Tuesday. McCabe also said to The Atlantic that FBI brass felt "concern about the president and whether or not he posed a national-security threat that we should be investigating."On Wednesday, Russian president Vladimir Putin addressed the Federal Assembly in Moscow. "Let me be loud and clear," he told lawmakers near the Kremlin. "If the U.S. really is going to deploy missiles on the European continent, it will exacerbate the international situation and create a genuine danger for Russia, as there will be missiles with a 10–12-minute flight time to Moscow." Putin lamented America's February 1 withdrawal from the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty and added: "We are ready for disarmament talks, but we are no longer going to knock on a closed door."McCabe's bizarre comments perfectly echo the Trump-hating Left's exhausted yet unsinkable theory that the president of the United States secretly works for Russia, Russia, Russia, and that he and Putin somehow swiped the White House from Hillary Clinton, who had waited her turn patiently to become America's commander-in-chief.But only a thoroughly rotten Russian asset would create genuine danger for the Kremlin and close doors to Moscow. Indeed, President Trump routinely gives Putin ulcers.A Russian asset worth his borscht would work quietly to erode America's military. Instead, Pentagon spending has soared from Obama's final $521 billion allocation to Trump's $634 billion in outlays for 2017 (up 21.7 percent) and another $716 billion last August (up 12.9 percent).Not satisfied simply to bolster the U.S. armed forces, Trump has pressured America's NATO allies to do the same. Some criticize Trump for supposedly abusing our European partners. Actually, he has lavished them with tough love."By the end of next year, NATO allies will add $100 billion extra toward defense," NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said January 27 on Fox News Sunday. "So we see some real money and some real results. And we see that the clear message from President Donald Trump is having an impact." Stoltenberg added: "NATO is united because we are able to adapt to deliver. North America and Europe are doing more together now than before."None of this makes Vladimir Putin smile.Putin must have groaned last October when President Trump persuaded German chancellor Angela Merkel to spend $576 million on a terminal to receive U.S. liquefied natural gas. The Wall Street Journal called this "a key concession to President Trump as he tries to loosen Russia's grip on Europe's largest energy market." This promises less revenue and leverage for Moscow and more profits and employment for American gas exporters.Adjacent to Russia, Trump restored Poland's purchase of U.S. Patriot air-defense missiles (which Obama canceled to appease Moscow). Trump also shipped Javelin anti-tank missiles to Ukraine.Last June, and in January 2017, Trump imposed financial sanctions and travel restrictions on Russian companies and oligarchs. This was payback for Moscow's invasions of Ukraine and Crimea and its interference in U.S. political campaigns. As Trump said: "We must unite as Americans to protect the integrity of our democracy and our elections."If anyone behaved like a Russian asset, it was Obama. Trump's predecessor launched the soft-on-Moscow "Russian Reset." He was caught on a hot mic in March 2012 whispering to Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev: "This is my last election," Obama said at a conference in Seoul. "After my election I have more flexibility," especially on matters like anti-ballistic missiles in Europe, on which Russia frowned. "I understand," Medvedev replied. "I will transmit this information to Vladimir."As The Weekly Standard recalled, "the Obama administration removed a group of missile launchers from near the Russian border with Poland after Moscow objected to their placement." Obama refused to arm Ukraine's anti-Putin fighters. Obama's first secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, said in March 2010: "Our goal is to help strengthen Russia." This apparently included encouraging Cisco Systems, Google, and Intel to open shop at Skolkovo, a sort of Russian Silicon Valley. The Pentagon and FBI eventually learned that the entire project was a giant technology-theft scam.Strengthening Russia also involved greenlighting Moscow's purchase of Uranium One Inc. and its 20 percent share of U.S. uranium reserves. This company's top investors donated $145 million to the Clinton Foundation. What a coincidence.Alas, fact-o-phobic Trump haters like Andrew McCabe consider him a pro-Moscow mole even as they wink at Obama's and Hillary's Russophilia.Michael Malarkey furnished research for this opinion piece.
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| Pakistan bans groups linked to Mumbai attack suspects Posted: 21 Feb 2019 09:05 AM PST  Pakistan on Thursday banned two groups believed to be fronts for the group blamed for the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, amid heightened pressure on Islamabad to act against militants. Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation were designated "proscribed organisations", the interior ministry said in a statement, adding that Prime Minister Imran Khan had ordered officials to accelerate action against banned groups. JuD and FIF are considered by the UN to be fronts for Lashkar-e-Taiba, a group accused by Washington and New Delhi of carrying out the Mumbai attack, which killed 166 people and brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.
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| Manafort Faces March 8 Sentencing for Virginia Fraud Convictions Posted: 21 Feb 2019 10:58 AM PST  U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III set the date on Thursday, giving Manafort until March 1 to reply to Mueller's recommendation that he serve between 19.6 and 24.4 years in prison. Manafort, 69, was convicted by jurors last August of bank fraud, tax fraud and failure to file a foreign bank account report. Manafort, who was President Donald Trump's campaign chairman in 2016, also faces a March 13 sentencing in federal court in Washington.
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| Milan fashion week: catwalk beauty looks from day one Posted: 21 Feb 2019 08:52 AM PST  The Fall/Winter 2019 ready-to-wear shows have moved into Milan, where day one kicked off with some major hair and beauty looks. Gucci's beauty look was somewhat abstract, thanks to a series of face masks and sculptural jewelry pieces, such as this metal ear covering which was inspired by the 24-karat gold work 'Fashion Fiction #1' by the artist Eduardo Costa. Lit-from-within skin formed the basis of the beauty look at Alberta Ferretti, where the dewy complexions were teamed with the faintest hint of smudgy eyeliner and a dab of lip gloss for an elegant, feminine aesthetic.
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| 2019 10Best Cars Posted: 22 Feb 2019 06:52 AM PST |
| Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism, warns Emmanuel Macron Posted: 21 Feb 2019 05:52 AM PST  France is to recognise anti-Zionism, the denial of the state of Israel, as a form of anti-Semitism in response to a surge in acts against Jews not seen "since the Second World War". Emmanuel Macron, the French president, also promised new legislation in May to fight hate speech on the Internet, which could see platforms such as Facebook and Twitter fined for every minute they fail to take down racist or violent content. Speaking at the annual meeting of France's largest Jewish organization, CRIF, Mr Macron said that France and other countries in Europe had recently witnessed "a resurgence of anti-Semitism that is probably unprecedented since World War II." "We have denounced it a lot, adopted plans, passed laws sometimes. But we haven't been able to act efficiently," he said. While stopping short of calling for new legislation, the President said the working definition of anti-Semitism drawn up by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance would help guide police forces, magistrates and teachers in their daily work. That definition stipulates that anti-Semitism can take the form of "denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour". "Anti-Zionism is one of the modern forms of anti-Semitism," said Mr Macron. "Behind the negation of Israel's existence, what is hiding is the hatred of Jews." Such guidelines in no way infringed on people's right to criticise to the Israeli government and its policies, he said. Mr Macron also said that his party would introduce a bill in parliament in May to force social media to withdraw hate speech posted online and use all available means to identify the authors "as quickly as possible." Digital minister Mounir Mahjoubi said: "There will be an obligation for results: if the content is not taken down then there will be a fine, and a large fine," Mr Mahjoubi told France Info radio. "Each minute that content remains online, it increases the harm to society. Twenty-four hours is far too long." Anti-Semitic acts surged by 74 per cent last year in France, according to government figures Credit: Getty Images Europe France has been pressuring Internet companies to better regulate their content ever since a series of terror attacks starting in 2015. The recent "yellow vest" protests have largely been orchestrated online. Many postings have included links to anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant and anti-vaccine messages, as well as a string of conspiracy theories. Mr Macron's speech came a day after thousands attended rallies across France to denounce a rise in anti-Semitic acts and in a week in which almost 100 gravestones spray-painted with swastikas were discovered in a Jewish village cemetery in eastern France. The number of anti-Semitic incidents rose last year by 74 per cent from 311 in 2017 to 541, the government announced last week.
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| National emergency: House will vote on rejecting Trump’s declaration in coming days, Pelosi says Posted: 21 Feb 2019 05:28 AM PST  Nancy Pelosi has said that the House will vote in the coming days on a resolution rejecting Donald Trump's national emergency declaration, while encouraging fellow Democrats to support the effort as they try to stop the president's push to expand efforts to build a barrier along the US-Mexico border. Ms Pelosi announced that the House would move "swiftly" to pass a disapproval resolution written by Texan Democrat Joaquin Castro, although she did not specify an exact date and indicated that it would move through a House committee before coming to the floor.
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| Venezuela braces for dueling government, opposition concerts Posted: 21 Feb 2019 11:28 PM PST  The spectacle will play out on opposite ends of a 300-meter bridge connecting Venezuela with Colombia to the west. The bridge is now blocked with freight containers left there by the military, with President Nicolas Maduro refusing to let aid in and arguing it would be the first step toward a foreign invasion. The opposition charity concert organized by British billionaire Richard Branson -- called "Venezuela Aid Live" will be held in the Colombian border town of Cucuta.
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| The Latest: US ambassador: Protect children, stop sex abuse Posted: 22 Feb 2019 08:23 AM PST  VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Latest on Pope Francis' sex abuse summit at the Vatican (all times local):
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| Roger Stone Faces Judge After Posting Her Image With Crosshairs Posted: 21 Feb 2019 01:00 AM PST  On Monday, Stone, a sometime adviser to President Donald Trump who faces charges of lying to Congress and obstructing a federal investigation, posted a photo of U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson on his Instagram account, along with a short diatribe saying she's the judge overseeing his "upcoming show trial." Beside the head shot of Jackson was an image of what looked like rifle-scope crosshairs. After the post caught the attention of social media, Stone took it down and apologized to the judge, conceding it was improper. On Thursday, Stone will appear before Jackson as she weighs whether to tighten a gag order or change the terms of his bail.
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| CORRECTED: Microsoft workers demand it drop $480 million U.S. Army contract Posted: 22 Feb 2019 03:30 PM PST  The organising effort, described to Reuters by three Microsoft workers, offers the latest example in the last year of tech employees protesting cooperation with governments on emerging technologies. Microsoft won a contract in November to supply the Army with at least 2,500 prototypes of augmented reality headsets, which digitally displays contextual information in front of a user's eyes. In a petition to Microsoft executives, posted on Twitter, workers said they "did not sign up to develop weapons, and we demand a say in how our work is used." They called on the company to develop "a public-facing acceptable use policy" for its technology and an external review board to publicly enforce it.
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| Consumer Reports' Top Picks Quiz Posted: 21 Feb 2019 09:47 AM PST  A lot of research goes into determining which vehicles achieve a spot as one of Consumer Reports' Top Picks. Take our quiz to see how well you know our annual list of the best SUVs, cars, and tru...
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| Day one highlights from Milan Fashion Week Posted: 21 Feb 2019 03:59 AM PST  Hot on the heels of Benetton, which opened Milan Fashion Week Tuesday, February 20, fashion houses Gucci, Alberto Zambelli, Annakiki, Alberta Ferretti and Moncler showed their fall/winter 2019-2020 collections in the Italian city. This first official day reiterated certain trends spotted in New York and London with some colorful displays, notably at Byblos and Annakiki, mixing bright shades and prints, as well as at Gucci. Like in London and New York, plays on volume and proportion -- especially with outerwear designs -- were also on the agenda in Milan, with several extravagant pieces covered with frills and furbelows.
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| Cold snap: Snow flurries possible for all of Southern California except coast Posted: 21 Feb 2019 02:30 PM PST  BRR! Low-lying regions of Southern California may see some rare snow Thursday as a big blast of cold air moves into the region.
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| Check Out Every Photo of the 2020 Volvo XC90 R-Design Posted: 22 Feb 2019 09:17 AM PST |
| Trump border wall: Third of Pentagon money president plans to use for wall is already spent, officals say Posted: 22 Feb 2019 05:30 AM PST  Up to a third of the $6.7bn (£5.2bn) in Pentagon funds Donald Trump has identified to spend on a US-Mexico border wall has already been spent, officials have revealed. During his emergency powers declaration last month, the US president announced he would divert billions of dollars from other Department of Defense projects towards the wall, in order to circumvent Congress. It included $3.6bn (£2.8bn) in unspent military construction money, as well as $2.5bn (£1.9bn) in counterdrug funds and $600m (£462m) from an asset forfeiture account – the latter two not dependent on the emergency delaration.
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| Sajid Javid defends stripping Shamima Begum of her nationality, saying he would not make someone 'stateless' Posted: 21 Feb 2019 12:54 AM PST  Home Secretary Sajid Javid has defended his decision to strip the jihadi bride Shamima Begum of her British citizenship, saying he would never leave someone "stateless". The 19-year-old from London, who fled to Syria aged 15, wanted to return to the UK with her newborn baby. But the Home Secretary revoked her British citizenship in a move only permissible under international law if it does not leave the individual stateless. The Telegraph understands Begum has inherited Bangladeshi dual nationality through her parents, but the country's minister of state for foreign affairs Shahriar Alam denied this on Wednesday, saying she was "nothing to do with Bangladesh". Asked about the situation on ITV's Peston, Mr Javid said: "I'm not aware of any Home Secretary in any party in any previous government that has taken a decision that would leave anyone stateless. "I'm not going to talk about an individual, but I can be clear on the point that I would not take a decision and I believe none of my predecessors ever have taken a decision that at the point the decision is taken would leave that individual stateless." Britons returning from Syria | The facts The Home Secretary would not be drawn to comment on Begum's case specifically, but speaking generally, he said: "Let's say they are in the UK and they radicalise others and groom others, they carry out a terrorist attack themselves or incite others to do that. "What about the danger and the risk to the country of that? What about the impact on community cohesion if people come back to the country and use their presence here to try and racialize others? I have to weigh that up too." The exact situation surrounding Begum's citizenship remains unclear, and the waters were further muddied on Wednesday night when Mr Alam, Bangladesh's foreign minister, said: "The Government of Bangladesh is deeply concerned that she has been erroneously identified as a holder of dual citizenship shared with Bangladesh alongside her birthplace, the United Kingdom. "Bangladesh asserts that Shamima Begum is not a Bangladeshi citizen. She is a British citizen by birth and has never applied for dual nationality with Bangladesh. "It may also be mentioned that she never visited Bangladesh in the past despite her parental lineage. So, there is no question of her being allowed to enter into Bangladesh." The statement added that Dhaka had only been made aware of the situation by the media, suggesting Mr Javid had not pre-warned Bangladesh of his plans. International law forbids nations from making people stateless by revoking their only citizenship, but The Telegraph understands that the Home Office made the decision to revoke Begum's British citizenship based on Bangladeshi law. There, until the age of 21, it is understood the Isil bride automatically retains dual nationality due to the fact her parents are both from the country. At the age of 21, a child born to Bangladeshi parents has the right to waive their right to dual nationality, but not before. The complication lies in how she would be able to get to Bangladesh - where it is understood her father is currently living - and how she proves that she is Shamima Begum. The teenager has never visited the country and does not have a Bangladeshi passport. Her old British passport is invalid due to her citizenship being revoked and she has previously said she used her sister's passport to travel to Syria back in 2015. One possible option for her would be to travel to Turkey via the notoriously penetrable border with Syria and present herself to the Bangladeshi embassy. But officials in Dhaka may well appeal the Home Office's decision to make Begum their responsibility, insisting that she has never even been to the country. The Home Office letter Credit: ITV News Asked whether she had been left stateless by Britain, the Begum family's lawyer Tasnime Akunjee said: "It's certainly something we will be adding to the mix in terms of our appeal." He has said Ms Begum was born in the UK, has never had a Bangladeshi passport and is not a dual citizen. A Home Office spokesman said Mr Javid's priority was the "safety and security" of the country. Decisions to deprive people of citizenship were "based on all available evidence and not taken lightly," the spokesman added. Ms Begum was one of three schoolgirls to leave Bethnal Green to join the terror cult in 2015 and resurfaced heavily pregnant at a Syrian refugee camp last week. When shown a copy of the Home Office letter that announced her British citizenship would be stripped, she said it was "a bit unjust on me and my son". She went on to say she may try for citizenship in the Netherlands, where her husband is from. Mr Javid suggested the action to prevent Ms Begum returning will have no impact on her baby son's nationality. While insisting he could not discuss individual cases, he told the Commons: "Children should not suffer. "So, if a parent does lose their British citizenship, it does not affect the rights of their child." Ms Begum's situation has sparked intense debate about the UK's responsibilities to those seeking to return from Syria. The British Nationality Act 1981 provides the Home Secretary with the power to strip people of citizenship if it is "conducive to the public good". Lord Carlile, former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said Ms Begum could challenge the Home Secretary's decision, and described it as a "complex issue" that could take a while to resolve. Figures for 2017 show that 104 people were deprived of their British citizenship, up from 14 in the previous year.
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| French bishops agree to compensation for sex abuse victims Posted: 21 Feb 2019 11:31 PM PST  PARIS (AP) — Still struggling to come to terms with their share of responsibility in the clerical sex abuse scandal rocking the Catholic Church, France's bishops have agreed to award financial compensation to victims whose cases fall outside of France's statute of limitations.
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| What Amazon Didn’t Get From New York Posted: 21 Feb 2019 06:00 AM PST  My view is that local governments overuse such subsidies. Consider, by way of illustration, entitlement and discretionary spending on the federal level. Much of discretionary spending, by contrast, is research grants and procurement contracts.
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| Apple teams with Ant Financial, banks for interest-free iPhone financing in China Posted: 21 Feb 2019 08:32 PM PST ![Apple teams with Ant Financial, banks for interest-free iPhone financing in China]( "Apple teams with Ant Financial, banks for interest-free iPhone financing in China") Apple Inc has teamed up with Chinese payments giant Ant Financial Services Group and several local banks to offer interest-free financing, its first such move in the country as it looks to boost waning smartphone sales. The U.S. tech behemoth issued a rare revenue warning last month citing weaker iPhone sales in China, one of its most important markets, where consumer spending has taken a hit due to a slowdown in economic growth. On its China website, Apple is promoting the new scheme, under which customers can pay 271 yuan ($40.31) each month to purchase an iPhone XR, and 362 yuan each month for an iPhone XS.
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| These are the 10 best cars, SUVs and pickups of 2019, according to Consumer Reports Posted: 21 Feb 2019 11:45 AM PST  Consumer Reports reveals its Top 10 picks for the best vehicles of 2019. It's an influential annual list that serves as a guide for many car shoppers.
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