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Read Attorney General William Barr's Full Remarks Ahead of the Mueller Report Release

Democrats criticized the press conference and called for Mueller to testify

Jussie Smollett purposely misled police by saying assailants were white, lawsuit alleges

"Empire” actor Jussie Smollett purposely attempted to mislead police by falsely describing the men who he said attacked him on a cold January night as white men, the city of Chicago claimed in a civil lawsuit filed Thursday.

UK condemns U.S. application of Cuba sanctions to foreign companies

Britain said it was concerned by new attempts by the United States to require foreign companies to abide by U.S. sanctions on Cuba that have been rejected by Britain and other European countries. "The extraterritorial application of ... sanctions, which we consider to be illegal under international law, threaten to harm UK and EU companies doing legitimate business in Cuba by exposing them to liability in U.S. courts," Britain's foreign office said in a statement on Thursday.

66 minutes: The frantic race to save Notre Dame

PARIS (AP) — Fueled by a lattice of centuries-old timbers, the fire moved hungrily across Notre Dame's rooftop toward the cathedral's iconic spire. It belched yellow smoke, spitting out gritty particles of wood, stone, lead and iron and wanted more. Far below, their vision obscured by fumes and tears, firefighters, priests and municipal workers passed treasures hand-to-hand, hoping the speed of desperation could outrun the flames.

These Are the Health Companies at Risk in the ‘Medicare for All’ Debate

Health insurers and now hospitals have led the sector-wide plunge even as policy analyst like Veda’s Spencer Perlman argue that Medicare for All has a slim shot at becoming law. “There may be more pain to come but the worst of it may be behind us (let’s hope),” Evercore ISI equity analyst Ross Muken told clients in a note.

North Korea test-fires new tactical guided weapon as it tells US to replace Mike Pompeo in nuclear talks

North Korea announced on Thursday that it had test-fired a new type of tactical guided weapon, in its first public weapons test since February’s failed summit with the US in Hanoi.  Shortly after the test, North Korea demanded that Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, be removed from nuclear disarmament talks in another sign of deteriorating diplomatic relations with Washington since the failure of their second summit in Hanoi in February.  Pyongyang wanted a replacement for Mr Pompeo who would be “more careful and mature,” the North’s state media reported on Thursday, accusing the senior US official of undermining negotiations.  Adding to the stand-off, the Kremlin yesterday announced that Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this month, an apparent attempt to insert Russia into the delicate talks. The firing of the unspecified weapon, which was personally overseen by Kim from an observation post, was a possible attempt to express dissatisfaction with Washington’s refusal to budge over sanctions, without jeopardising the future of the currently deadlocked diplomatic talks.  It is not believed to have been a banned ballistic missile test, a provocative move which could have torpedoed negotiations with South Korea and the US over North Korea’s disarmament.  One South Korean analyst told the AP that the North’s state media report indicated it could have been a test of a new type of cruise missile. Pak Jong-chon, an artillery official, was also reportedly at the site.  Kim Jong-un and Mike Pompeo meeting in Pyongyang Credit: Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File Vipin Narang, a North Korea expert and associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told The Telegraph that it might have been an anti-tank guided missile, a multiple launch rocket system or another system related to coastal or air defence.  If it was, “it would seem to be consistent with Kim potentially reminding both the US and ROK [South Korea] - in a calibrated way - where things could go if the US especially doesn’t moderate its negotiating position,” he said.  The test is part of a broader pattern of events since talks collapsed between Kim and Donald Trump, the US President, over mismatched demands from North Korea over sanctions relief and from the US over the speed of Pyongyang’s nuclear disarmament.  The weapons test followed a visit by Kim to the North Korean Air and Anti-aircraft Force on Tuesday to express “great satisfaction” at their combat readiness. Pyongyang's request to remove Mr Pompeo from negotiations presents Donald Trump, the US president, with the dilemma of whether to cave in to North Korea’s rejection of his lead negotiator or to stand firm and risk the total collapse of talks to persuade Kim to give up his nuclear weapons.  The stinging rebuke was conveyed to the state-run Korean Central News Agency by Kwon Jong-gun, a senior foreign ministry official, who claimed that the summit showed that when Mr Pompeo “pokes his nose in, talks between the two countries go wrong without any results.”  "I am afraid that, if Pompeo engages in the talks again, the table will be lousy once again and the talks will become entangled," Mr Kwon, director general of the ministry's American affairs department, said, in remarks translated by South Korea’s Yonhap agency.  The Hanoi summit made a promising start but collapsed over a disagreement about sanctions relief Credit: Evan Vucci/AP "Therefore, even in the case of possible resumption of the dialogue with the US, I wish our dialogue counterpart would not be Pompeo but another person who is more careful and mature in communicating with us," he added. The sudden cold shoulder treatment of Mr Pompeo, who has travelled to Pyongyang several times over the past year to personally meet with the North Korean leader, is being viewed as part of Kim’s strategy to project his strength to Washington and his domestic audience.  The North Koreans have accused Mr Pompeo of playing down the significance of comments by Kim during a meeting of his rubber-stamp parliament last week when he gave Washington an end of year deadline to offer mutually acceptable terms to salvage deadlocked nuclear talks.  Meanwhile, recent satellite images obtained by the US-based Centre for Strategic Studies show movement at the North’s main nuclear site of Yongbyon that could be associated with the reprocessing of radioactive material into bomb fuel.   Just days after the end of the summit, satellite images also suggested increased activity at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station at Tongchang-ri, which Pyongyang had previously pledged to dismantle.  “With rebuilding Sohae, continued activity at ballistic missile facilities and Yongbyon, and this, Kim seems to be suggesting ‘I’ve loaded my gun, but I am not going to fire... just yet’,” said Mr Narang.  The state-controlled Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) did not give an exact description of the new weapon but reported that Kim said "the development of the weapon system serves as an event of very weighty significance in increasing the combat power of the People’s Army." It added that it had a “peculiar mode of guiding flight” and “a powerful warhead.” In November, Kim oversaw the test of another unidentified “tactical weapon” which could protect North Korea like a “steel wall”, which experts said was part of his initiative to shift to high-tech weapons.  A man watches a TV news programme reporting about North Korea's test-fire of a "new-type tactical guided weapon"  Credit: AP However, he has not breached his pledge in April 2018 to stop nuclear tests and launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles, which he said at the time was because Pyongyang’s nuclear capabilities had been “verified.”  Mintaro Oba, a former state department official who focusses on Korea, said North Korea was unlikely to take action that would be perceived as a very serious escalation.  During a speech at his rubber-stamp parliament on Friday, Kim set an end of year deadline for Washington to offer mutually acceptable terms for a deal, suggesting he is willing to continue along a diplomatic route.  “There are two possibilities here. One, that North Korea did this as a calculated escalation of tension to put pressure on the United States,” said Mr Oba.  “Or two, Kim Jong-un needed to demonstrate strength domestically given the lack of diplomatic progress. It's always tempting to view everything North Korea does as tactical, but we always have to consider whether there are internal factors at play as well.” The White House and the Pentagon said they were aware of the report but had no further comment.  Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security chair for the Hudson Institute, said the US might react with tough statements and the tightening of sanctions, but only in a “cosmetic” way.  He suggested that Kim might be trying to tap into the US domestic political agenda as Washington gears up for the Thursday disclosure of Robert Mueller’s report on Russian election meddling and obstruction of justice.  “In a strange way you could say that he is maybe reaching out to the president at a time when the Mueller report is going to be released and he is offering the president a mini-crisis to resolve,” said Mr Cronin.

Porsche Collection Destroyed in Explosion

A large explosion rocked Durham, North Carolina on 10 April 2019, something that sadly claimed the life of one individual and injured 15. The building itself also contained one of America’s largest Porsche collections according to the Charlotte Observer. The rather unassuming red brick building didn’t boast about the treasures within, but video from the Charlotte Observer revealed a huge hole in the roof and the charred remains of what appears to be a 550 Spyder amongst other less identifiable wreckage.

28 killed on Portuguese island of Madeira as tourist bus plunges off embankment and hits a house

A bus carrying German tourists plunged off an embankment on the Portuguese island of Madeira, leaving 28 dead.

20-year-old college student falls 100 feet off cliff to her death

A 20-year-old college student plummeted 100 feet to her death off a cliffduring a school trip last weekend

US doctors, pharmacists charged in crackdown on opioid prescriptions

The US Justice Department announced charges Wednesday against 60 people, including doctors, nurses and pharmacists alleged to have illegally written hundreds of thousands of prescriptions for opioids that have underpinned the country's addiction crisis. Most of the charges involved health professionals in the Appalachia region, where poverty is deep and doctors and pharmacies pumped out millions of highly addictive pills for years without controls. A doctor who was charged in Tennessee called himself the "Roc Doc" and traded prescriptions for sex as he prescribed 800,000 oxycodone and hydrocodone pills and 600,000 benzodiazepine tablets over three years, the Justice Department said.

Former Congressman Keith Ellison: Trump’s Attacks on Ilhan Omar Are ‘Violent Incitement’

Win McNameeFormer congressman Keith Ellison has a theory for why President Donald Trump is working to make Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) public enemy number one.“She, simply by her existence, is a person who he doesn’t believe belongs,” Ellison said in an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast. “She’s a Muslim, she’s a woman, she wears a hijab, she’s black, before she ever opens her mouth she’s offensive to him."Omar has been a constant lightning rod for controversy since arriving in Washington, where her comments about the Israel lobby have drawn intense criticism from her Democratic and Republican colleagues alike. After conservatives seized on a snippet of a speech in which Omar appeared to downplay the September 11th attacks, the president took his criticism of her to a new level,  tweeting to his millions of followers last weekend a video of the congresswoman’s remarks, superimposed with images of the Twin Towers burning.Ellison, now the attorney general of Minnesota, has an idea of what the freshman lawmaker who holds his old seat is going through. He arrived in Congress in 2007 as the first Muslim to ever serve in that body, and faced suspicion and allegations of disloyalty from his colleagues from the moment he was sworn in on a copy of the Quran. Twelve years later, there are three Muslim members of Congress, and more Muslim-American officeholders around the country than ever.But the environment that Omar faces, said Ellison, is probably the most hostile one ever for a Muslim elected official – which is saying quite a bit, considering that Ellison faced death threats of his own and casual suggestions from his colleagues, like former Rep. Michele Bachmann and Rep. Steve King, that he was aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood and failed to sufficiently renounce Sharia law.Since Trump tweeted the video of Omar, death threats on her have increased exponentially, her office has told media. Speaker Nancy Pelosi is moving to increase the congresswoman’s security detail, as Trump insists he was right to go after the congresswoman and claims she has “a way about her” that is “very, very bad for our country.”Asked if he worried for Omar’s safety, Ellison sighed. “Sure I do. There’s crazy people out there,” he said. “We live in a very dangerous political environment and she’s in the danger zone as much as anyone. I pray for her and I urge people to calm the rhetoric down.”Ellison also urged Twitter to do more to censure Trump’s video. “That is incitement, that’s violent incitement,” he said of the video. “There’s no two ways about it.”“Everyone knows what happened to Gabby Giffords,” he went on, referencing the former Arizona congresswoman who was shot in the head during a constituent event in 2011. “It makes it difficult for you to engage the public because you don’t know where the hostility is coming from, and it is unnatural to be the target of that much unwarranted hatred. It’s strange, it’s weird. She’s bearing a burden.”Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), the number two Republican in the House, Ellison noted, was also shot at a baseball practice in 2017. To congressional Republicans who have spent months going after Omar and forcing all Democrats to answer for her, Ellison also had some choice words. “It’s wildly irresponsible,” he said. “I don’t know if they don’t realize they’re risking her safety or they just don’t care… ‘Just don’t care’ is a real option, because they have every reason to suspect their rhetoric could lead to some very negative, foreseeable consequence. They should know it.”Ellison predicted things would get worse before they get better, and tied Trump’s rhetoric on Omar to his 2020 reelection strategy. “I keep thinking there’s gotta be a floor with him but there absolutely simply is no floor, there’s no low depth he won’t go to,” he said. “It’s clear to me he is trying to whip up nativism, tribalism, bigotry of all kinds, and turn the country against itself for his own benefit.”He cautioned Omar against getting pulled into these spats, advising that she focus instead on why she came to D.C. in the first place.Omar, said Ellison, “should pivot back to those issues that made her want to be a member of Congress, and just stay on them. She wanted to do something about student debt, jobs and the economy, the environment… Get back to that, and don’t let them pull you off. Use the heightened profile to raise the issues you’re passionate about.”Read more at The Daily Beast.

India's Struggling Jet Airways Has Grounded All Flights

India’s Jet Airways announced Wednesday that it will be cancelling all flights due to a lack of funding.

Man with two cans of petrol and lighters arrested inside New York cathedral days after Notre Dame fire

A man has been arrested after walking into St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York with two cans of petrol, lighter fluid and lighters just days after a fire tore through Notre Dame in Paris.The 37-year-old New Jersey man allegedly pulled up in a minivan outside the landmark in Manhattan on Wednesday night, walked around the area, and then returned to the vehicle to retrieve the items, said New York Police Department (NYPD).“As he enters the cathedral he’s confronted by a cathedral security officer who asks him where he’s going and informs him he can’t proceed into the cathedral carrying these things,” said NYPD deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism John Miller.“At that point some gasoline apparently spills out onto the floor as he’s turned around.”Security then raised the alarm with counter-terrorism officers who were standing outside, Mr Miller said. The officers caught up with the man and he was arrested after he was questioned and his story was found to be inconsistent.“His basic story was he was cutting through the cathedral to get to Madison Avenue,” said Mr Miller.“That his car had run out of gas. We took a look at the vehicle – it was not out of gas and at that point he was taken into custody.”He added: “It’s hard to say exactly what his intentions were, but I think the totality of circumstances of an individual walking into an iconic location like St Patrick’s Cathedral carrying over four gallons of gasoline, two bottles of lighter fluid and lighters is something that we would have great concern over.”Mr Miller said the suspect is known to police and officers are currently looking into his background. St Patrick’s Cathedral was built in 1878 and has installed a sprinkler-like system during recent renovations. Its wooden roof is also coated with fire retardant.Much of Notre Dame Cathedral’s roof was damaged and its spire collapsed after a fire broke out at about 6.43pm local time on Monday.It is not yet clear what caused the blaze, which took firefighters 15 hours to put out.French president Emmanuel Macron vowed the 850-year-old Gothic landmark would be rebuilt within five years.A combined €800m (£693m) has already been pledged by a number of companies and business tycoons to help rebuild the Unesco World Heritage site.

Israeli envoy: no action on West Bank until after peace plan

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Israel's U.N. ambassador said Wednesday he believes his government will take no action on annexing Jewish settlements in the West Bank until after the Trump administration releases its long-awaited Israeli-Palestinian peace plan.

Cheap solar panels power consumer appliance boom in North Korea

Electricity shortages have been a perennial concern for North Korea, and leader Kim Jong Un has called for greater use of renewable energy as part of his drive for self-sufficiency as sanctions have ratcheted higher in response to the country's nuclear and missile programs. Now ever more households, factories and businesses are equipped with solar panels, leading to a greater variety of home electronics products available in increasingly common private markets known as jangmadang, defectors and recent visitors say. Among the hottest selling items are water purifiers, hair straighteners and electric bicycles, mostly from China but some made in North Korea or even smuggled in from South Korea.

NTSB investigating American Airlines JFK flight that 'struck an object' at takeoff

The plane reportedly tipped in strong wind, and a wingtip hit a runway marker during takeoff.

These carrot cake cookies with cream cheese frosting will be a hit at Easter brunch

Welcome to Best Bites, a twice-weekly video series that aims to satisfy yournever-ending craving for food content through quick, beautiful videos for theat-home foodie

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: I invited Barr to the Bronx to talk climate change. He said no.

Ocasio-Cortez continued to tease a Kentucky Republican lawmaker for backpedaling on his invitation for her to visit the Bluegrass State.

Teenage girl 'infatuated' with Columbine school massacre found dead from self-inflicted gunshot

An armed 18-year-old girl "infatuated" with the Columbine school massacre was found dead after fears she was seeking to replicate the shooting 20 years on. Sol Pais, a high school pupil, made threats online and then flew from her home in Miami Beach, Florida to Denver, Colorado, where Columbine is located. She then bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition and was seen near the school wearing camouflage trousers, black boots and a black T-shirt. Columbine and more than 20 other schools in the Denver area were closed on Wednesday, with 500,000 pupils staying at home as the FBI and police searched for her. She was later found dead from what police called an "apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound" in woodland near a camp ground 60 miles southwest of Denver. Police, including a SWAT team, had flooded into the area after hikers reported seeing a naked woman with a gun running through the woods". An FBI spokesman said: "There is no longer a threat to the community." Police at Columbine high school Credit: AFP On April 20,1999 two heavily armed teenage gunmen -  Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold - killed 12 fellow pupils and a teacher before taking their own lives. It set off an era of mass shootings in American schools and other public venues. Police said Pais had "made threats to commit an act of violence" in the Denver area, and had written "deeply disturbed" posts on the internet. She had been "infatuated with the perpetrators of Columbine". She sought advice online on how to buy a gun in Colorado, which she did at a gun shop near Columbine. Local sheriff Jeff Shrader said: "The firearm was purchased legally. I'm sure there will be some ongoing evaluation in that regard." During the massive search police declared her "armed and extremely dangerous". Jared Polis, the Colorado governor, said there had been "a lot of anxiety". Peter Langman, an expert on the psychology of school shooters, said more than 30 other attacks, from California to Germany, have been inspired in some manner by Columbine.

'What's with @FoxNews?': Trump fumes after Bernie Sanders town hall

Bernie Sanders drew big ratings and rave reviews for his Fox News town hall on Monday night. And President Trump isn’t happy about it.

The Royal Navy Wants Robotic Submarines (Here's Why That Matters)

The U.K. Ministry of Defense in April 2019 launched a $3.3-million competition to begin developing a large, robotic submarine.The contest could lead to the acquisition of an operational autonomous sub for the Royal Navy -- and could help the British fleet partially to fill the undersea gap resulting from deep cuts to its sub force.The ministry asked industry by June 2019 to submit proposals for an extra-large unmanned underwater vehicle, or XLUUV.“The Royal Navy says that contract will have two stages, a one-year long research, design and refit stage and a testing and trialing stage,” U.K. Defense Journal explained. “In the latter stage it is expected that the system will be tested in representative environments for extended periods; the sea trials in stage two may be up to two years long.”The government’s request for proposals sketched three different operational scenarios for the possible, future robo-sub.In the covert intelligence-gathering role, the XLUUV “is tasked to gather covert intelligence of traffic transiting in a maritime operational area,” according to the RFP.

Iran Rouhani says floods revealed 'vicious' nature of US

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that the United States' reaction to floods that killed dozens of people had revealed Washington's "vicious" nature. At least 76 people have died after torrential rainfall which has also caused billions of dollars worth of damage since March 19. Iran's Red Crescent has repeatedly complained that US banking sanctions re-imposed last year make it impossible to receive donations from outside the country.

Storms batter South, kill 2 in Mississippi, 1 in Alabama

LEARNED, Miss. (AP) — Strong storms again roared across the South on Thursday, killing two Mississippi drivers and a woman in Alabama while leaving more than 100,000 people without power across Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

2020 Lincoln Corsair Preview

All-New 2020 Lincoln Corsair Gains Interior Glamour and Tech Lincoln unveiled its all-new Corsair at the New York International Auto Show this week, replacing the MKC luxury compact SUV. But thi...

Sentencing of Man in Killing of NYC Jogger Postponed Amid Jury Misconduct Allegations

The sentencing of Chanel Lewis, who is convicted in the killing and sexual assault Queens jogger Karina Vetrano, was postponed Wednesday amid allegations of jury misconduct.

National Mustang Day at New York Auto Show marks 55 years of Ford's icon

The Mustang car takes a bow at the New York Auto Show and around the country. April 17 is its big day.

Thousands of Peruvians say goodbye to ex-president following suicide

Garcia shot himself in the head on Wednesday to avoid arrest in connection with alleged bribes from Brazilian builder Odebrecht, in the most dramatic turn yet in Latin America's largest graft scandal. Friends, allies and leaders across the political spectrum paid homage to Garcia at the headquarters of his APRA party, one of Latin America's oldest political parties, and one which twice helped usher Garcia to the presidency. Vizcarra ordered flags to be flown at half mast at the country's Congress and other public buildings to honor the ex-President and former lawmaker.

North Korea calls for 'immature' Mike Pompeo to be dropped from nuclear talks with US

North Korea has called for US secretary of state Mike Pompeo to be removed from nuclear talks because of his reckless and immature behaviour, according to reports.The official KCNA news agency quoted Kwon Jong Gun, a senior foreign ministry official, as accusing Mr Pompeo of “fabricating stories like a fiction writer.”“Whenever Pompeo pokes his nose in, the talks go wrong without any results even from the point close to success,” Mr Kwon said.“I am afraid that, if Pompeo engages in the talks again, the table will be lousy once again and the talks will become entangled.“Therefore, even in the case of possible resumption of the dialogue with the US, I wish our dialogue counterpart would be not Pompeo but other person who is more careful and mature in communicating with us.”The statement was made shortly after North Korea announced that its supreme leader Kim Jong-un had overseen the testing of a new tactical guided weapon.It was the North’s first weapon’s test since negotiations over nuclear disarmament and US sanctions broke down at the second summit between Mr Kim and US President Donald Trump in February.Last week the North Korean leader announced that he would only consider a third summit if the US brought the “right attitude” to talks and changed its “hostile” policy, including tough sanctions, before the end of the year.On Monday, Mr Pompeo responded by saying that Mr Kim had promised to denuclearise during his first summit with Mr Trump and that officials were trying to “chart a path forward so we can get there.” The North Korean statement by Mr Kwon accused Mr Pompeo of “talking nonsense”.“We cannot be aware of Pompeo’s ulterior motive behind his self-indulgence in reckless remarks; whether he is indeed unable to understand words properly or just pretending on purpose,” said Mr Kwon.“However, it is a very dangerous situation if he really did not grasp the meaning. If his behaviour is intended, I think it is none other than silly calculation to be free from the constraint that the US should make a move until the end of the year, misrepresenting the meaning of our requirement as the finalization of the working level negotiation by the end of the year by help of his talented skill of fabricating stories like a fiction writer.”Mr Pompeo was also accused of “spouting reckless remarks hurting the dignity of our supreme leadership” – believed to be a reference to the secretary of state’s agreement that Mr Kim was a “tyrant”.Additional reporting by agencies

Trump took steps to fire Mueller, stop probe after campaign welcomed Russian dirt on Clinton, Mueller report says

The Justice Department released a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's final report, capping a two-year inquiry.

There Is Only 1 Way To Make the F-22 and F-35 Better: Stealth Refueling Tankers

The Air Force has additional ideas for making its future tankers more survival, including incorporating active protection systems to shoot down incoming missiles—yes, possibly with lasers. Another concept, however, would involve using next-generation radar jammers that employ a cognitive intelligence system to automatically adjust frequencies to keep up with frequency-agile radars. Such jammers could obscure or even misrepresent the position of an aircraft on radar. The Pentagon also would like its next-generation tankers to feature more autonomation to reduce the number of necessary crew and speed up the refueling process.The United States has devoted billions of dollars to building stealth fighters, stealth bombers, stealth cruise missiles and stealth spy drones. Surely a stealth tanker for refueling aircraft midflight would be an extravagance too much?(This first appeared late last year.)However, the concept of a stealth tanker is not as absurd you’d think for one simple reason: the Pentagon’s F-35 and F-22 stealth fighters, which it has made the lynchpin of its twenty-first century air warfare strategy, simply can’t fly far enough.

Rich vs poor: Donations row shatters French unity over Notre-Dame

France's culture minister pleaded Thursday for an end to the controversy over the 850 million euros (950 million dollars) pledged to restore Notre-Dame cathedral, which critics have suggested would be better spent on the poor. Some of France's biggest companies and billionaires, including luxury goods tycoons Francois-Henri Pinault and Bernard Arnault, have pledged amounts of 100 million euros or more to rebuild the landmark after it was gutted by fire on Monday evening. The vast sums have drawn fire in a country where wealth inequality and the plight of the low-income households have been highlighted during five months of demonstrations by "yellow vest" protesters.

EU threatens to tax $20 billion of US goods over Boeing aid

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has drawn up a list of $20 billion worth of U.S. products it could tax in an escalating feud over plane industry subsidies, the EU's executive commission said Wednesday.

2020 Highlander makes world premiere in New York

For the 2020 model year, Toyota transitioned the Highlander onto the TNGA-K Platform, a new foundation that's shared with several other recent models in the company's portfolio. In terms of entertainment and media-oriented technology, all Highlander trims come standard with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Alexa In-Car compatibility, Waze, SiriusXM, and Wi-Fi connectivity. Two powertrain options are available for the Highlander: a V6 engine offering 22 MPG combined fuel economy or a hybrid engine offering 34 MPG combined fuel economy.

Paloma Contreras Launches Linen, Lighting, and Decor Collection with Williams Sonoma Home

The interior designer brings her classic yet contemporary touch to her first product collaboration, a 19-piece series with the retailer

Verizon just made it more expensive to activate or upgrade a phone in-store

Verizon appears to be incentivizing consumers to make purchases online rather than at one of its brick-and-mortar retail stores, as CNET reports that the mobile carrier is lowering activation and upgrade fees on its site and in its My Verizon app from $30 to $20 starting this Thursday. Alternatively, if you prefer a "full-service experience" at a Verizon store, you'll now have to pay $40 to activate a line or upgrade to a new device.CNET's report doesn't include many details about this new policy, and as The Verge points out, Verizon's fees often go up or down depending on a variety of factors, such as if you're on a prepaid or monthly plan, or if you're activating a new line or just upgrading to a new phone. Unless Verizon sends out a news release ahead of this purported price change, we'll have to wait until later this week to see how it will be implemented.Provided that you are willing to go through with the process of activating a line or upgrading to a new device on the Verizon website or on the My Verizon app, the price is actually lower at Verizon than at its competitors. AT&T charges $25 to bring a new phone over to its network (or $45 for a two-year plan, which only applies to certain phones), Sprint charges $30, and T-Mobile claims that it doesn't have an activation fee at all, but will still make you pay $25 for a SIM starter kit (which you will need to activate your phone on their network).So, while charging an addition $10 for a "full-service experience" at a brick-and-mortar store might be ludicrous, the price cut of the activation and upgrade fee for online customers is a welcome one.

Ukraine says it captured Russian military intelligence hit squad

Ukraine's security service SBU said on Wednesday it had captured a Russian military intelligence hit squad responsible for the attempted murder of a Ukrainian military spy in the run-up to a presidential election on Sunday. The issue of how to deal with Russia, which annexed Crimea in 2014 and backs pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, is prominent ahead of the vote, with incumbent Petro Poroshenko casting himself as the commander-in-chief Ukraine needs to defend the country.

GoFundMe campaign raises more than $700,000 for boy thrown off mall balcony

A GoFundMe campaign for a 5-year-old boy who was tossed over a third-floorbalcony at the Mall of America in Minnesota has raised over $700,000

Trump, Congress clash over Yemen war. What to know about America's role in the Mideast conflict

Here’s why Republicans and Democrats alike are increasingly willing to push back against President Donald Trump on his controversial Yemen policy.

Fossil hunter tries to sell baby T-Rex skeleton on eBay for £2.25m, enraging scientists

A fossil hunter’s attempt to sell a young Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton on eBay for $2.95 million (£2.25 million) set off a furore among scientists who warned that it needed to be studied, not sold to the highest bidder.The skeleton’s owner, Alan Detrich, defended his decision to try to sell the 15-foot fossil to a wealthy private collector, arguing that it could still be subject to research.“It’s very hard to reach a billionaire,” he said Wednesday, noting that he hoped a wealthy bidder from Europe or Asia would emerge. “Putting it on eBay is one way to do it.”That outlook has angered scientists who have questioned why Mr Detrich lent the skeleton to the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum two years ago, saying that putting it on public view was part of a strategy to sell the specimen to a rich investor.“Mr Detrich has tried to capitalise on the museum’s good faith by using the exhibition and scientific attention as selling points” on eBay, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology said in a letter last week.It added: “These events undermine the scientific process for studying past life as well as the prospect for future generations to share the natural heritage of our planet.”The skeleton, believed to be a four-year-old T-Rex, was displayed at the museum until recently and has been returned to Mr Detrich.The museum asked that Mr Detrich remove all references to the museum from the original eBay listing, which advertises the fossil’s 21-inch skull and 12 teeth in the lower jaw. The fossil hunter complied.“Most Likely the Only BABY T-Rex in the World!” the ad reads. “It’s a RARE opportunity indeed to ever see a baby REX.”Mr Detrich, who lives in Overbrook, Kansas, said he hoped the exposure from the eBay sale would attract a billionaire wealthy enough to pay his $2.95 million price tag. He did not inform the museum of the sale, he said, but did offer to give it a cast of the specimen.He said he agreed to lend the fossil to the museum two years ago after he and his brother, Robert, unearthed it in 2013 on property he leased near Jordan, Montana, where he hunts for fossils.Mr Detrich said it was not the first time he had received pushback from the scientific community for selling fossils.In 1999, he sought to sell a T-Rex skeleton on eBay for $5.8 million (£4.5 million) and was unsuccessful after pranksters flooded the auction with fake bids. He said he wanted the juvenile skeleton to be studied even if it ended up with a wealthy collector.Mr Detrich, who said he is in his 70s, began hunting fossils three decades ago.He is also a sculptor who creates religious iconography and other works from dinosaur bones, petrified wood and steel. During the interview, he pointed out that he was voted one of People magazine’s “Top Bachelors” in 2001.Leonard Krishtalka, the director of the museum, declined to be interviewed.But Anne Tangeman, a spokeswoman for the museum, said in an email: “Our intent was to keep the specimen in the museum sphere to be enjoyed by visitors until it was sold to a museum.”She added, “We learned early last week that the owner had abruptly listed the specimen for sale on eBay without prior warning or checking with us.”Mr Detrich said he had recently tried to find a museum to buy the skeleton but had no luck.That caused a rift with the Kansas museum, he said, because the original eBay listing made it appear as if the museum was promoting the sale to a wealthy investor. It was not.Early this month, Mr Detrich said, he received an email from Krishtalka balking at the eBay sale.“He said, ‘What are you doing?’” Mr Detrich recalled.“Well, I own this thing,” Mr Detrich said of the T-Rex. “It is mine. I can do whatever I want.” So far, he has not received any bids.The New York TImes

US North Korea envoy in Moscow as Russia plans for Kim-Putin talks

The US special envoy for North Korea was due in Moscow on Wednesday as the Kremlin said it was preparing for possible talks between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un. Media reports said the first summit between the two leaders could come as early as next week. "Active preparations for a potential meeting are underway," Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said in comments reported by news agencies.

St. Patrick's Cathedral arrest: Man had 2 gas cans, prior arrest and 1-way ticket to Rome

Marc Lamparello, 37, was also arrested on Monday after he allegedly refused to leave Sacred Heart Cathedral in Newark. Police say he had a one-way ticket booked for Thursday night from Newark to Rome.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue Will Fight Nissan's Kicks in the Entry-Level Crossover Space

Hyundai's new entry-level crossover blends appealing looks with the right equipment to chase Nissan's Kicks.

Apple is still interested in self-driving cars as it explores ‘revolutionary’ LIDAR sensor design

Apple's automotive initiative, unofficially dubbed Project Titan, appears to still be alive and kicking. According to a report from Reuters, Apple is currently looking into advanced lidar sensor technology that "would be smaller, cheaper and more easily mass produced than current technology."What's more, the report relays that Apple, in addition to exploring third-party solutions, also has a team of engineers working on developing an Apple-branded lidar sensor.While it remains to be seen if anything comes of Apple's exploration, the larger point here is that Apple still has grand ambitions in the automotive space. This may come as something of a surprise given the series of layoffs Apple's Project Titan has endured over the past few years.Just about three months ago, for instance, word surfaced that Apple cut upwards of 200 employees from the Project Titan team. Far more than a rumor, Apple at the time confirmed the cuts and issued the following statement to various media outlets:> We have an incredibly talented team working on autonomous systems and associated technologies at Apple. As the team focuses their work on several key areas for 2019, some groups are being moved to projects in other parts of the company, where they will support machine learning and other initiatives, across all of Apple.> > We continue to believe there is a huge opportunity with autonomous systems, that Apple has unique capabilities to contribute, and that this is the most ambitious machine learning project ever.At this point, it will be fascinating to see what, if anything, ever comes out of Project Titan. As far as we can tell, Apple has abandoned any desire to design and release a car from the ground-up and has instead opted to focus on self-driving car technologies.To this end, Tim Cook himself acknowledged this nearly two years ago when he told Bloomberg: "We're focusing on autonomous systems. It's a core technology that we view as very important. It's probably one of the most difficult A.I. projects actually to work on."

Sporadic violence as millions vote in second phase of India's mammoth election

The Election Commission said 66 percent of more than 155 million eligible Indians had voted, as per provisional data, in 95 constituencies in 12 states. Results of the election to India's 545-member parliament are expected on May 23. In focus are the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, where the main opposition Congress party and its allies need to win big if they hope to stop Prime Minister Narendra Modi from securing a second straight term.

Where the investigations related to President Trump stand

WASHINGTON (AP) — A look at where investigations related to President Donald Trump stand and what may lie ahead for him: