Youngstown

Stacey Abrams Acknowledges Loss In Georgia Governor's Race

In a speech to her supporters on Friday night, Democrat Stacey Abrams

Leaked chat logs on hacks may be part of case against Julian Assange

While transparency advocates and First Amendment activists have consistently worried that Assange’s arrest and conviction would set a bad precedent for the media if Assange is charged with espionage for publishing classified documents, it’s possible the charges will have to do with his solicitation of those materials.

Argentina Finds Missing Sub One Year Later But Lacks Resources To Surface It

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -- The Argentine government acknowledged on

Fire Deaths Rise To 71 With More Than 1,000 Missing

CHICO, Calif. (AP) -- With the confirmed death toll at 71 and the list of

Netanyahu heads into cabinet showdown as allies demand early Israeli elections

Benjamin Netanyahu faces a showdown with his coalition government partners on Sunday as he tries to stop them from forcing early elections in the wake of his unpopular decision to agree to a ceasefire with Hamas.  Three of the smaller parties in the Israeli prime minister’s coalition have demanded elections as soon as possible and want to use today’s cabinet meeting to formally agree on a date for the vote.  However, Mr Netanyahu said he wants to keep the government together and is eager to push the date of the elections off for several more months.  “Prime Minister Netanyahu stressed that it is important to make every effort to preserve the Right-wing government,” said a spokesman for his Likud party. Mr Netanyahu on Saturday said he wanted his government to see out the end of its term, blaming the centre-Right Kulanu party for the turmoil. "If the Kulanu faction doesn't bring the government down - there is a government," he said on Twitter. "All Likud members want to keep serving the country for another whole year until the end of the term in November 2019."   Education Minister Naftali Bennett demanded to be given the defence portfolio, threatening to withdraw his eight seats from Mr Netanyahu's governing coalition Credit: MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Images He is hoping a delayed election will leave more time for the Right-wing voters of his base to forget about last week’s ceasefire agreement with Hamas to stop fighting in Gaza.   Many Israelis on the Right wanted to see Israeli forces move more aggressively against the Islamist militants, who fired around 460 rockets and mortars into southern Israel during the fighting.  Mr Netanyahu’s defence minister resigned over the ceasefire and civilians in the southern city of Sderot, which is regularly targeted by Hamas rockets, burned tyres and blocked streets in protest. If the prime minister holds his ground and refuses to grant elections then coalition party leaders face a choice: they can stay in the government and allow Mr Netanyahu to limp on or leave the government and bring the coalition crashing down.  The smaller parties may be loathe to bring down the government because it will allow Mr Netanyahu to present himself as a responsible leader who tried to maintain Israel’s stability while other parties clamored for elections.  Profile | Benjamin Netanyahu The two sides may reach a compromise where Mr Netanyahu agrees to elections but on a longer timetable, possibly with elections in late March, which favours his own political interests.   Mr Netanyahu goes into the cabinet facing off against three of his own ministers. His main irritant is Naftali Bennett, the 46-year-old education minister and leader of the Right-wing Jewish Home party.  Mr Bennet, who was once Mr Netanyahu’s chief of staff, is trying chip away Right-wing voters from the Likud by promising a tougher line against Hamas.  The two men have a frosty personal relationship, with Mr Netanyahu’s allies accusing Mr Bennett of leaking material from cabinet meetings to undermine the prime minister.  Despite the chaos in the coalition and the corruption scandal swirling around him and his wife, Mr Netanyahu appears well placed to win an election and form a new Right-wing government.  A poll for Israel’s Channel 2 found that Mr Netanyahu’s Likud would win 29 seats in an election, making it by far the biggest party. The centrist Yesh Atid party would take 18 seats while the centre-Left Zionist Union would win only 11.  Mr Netanyahu has been prime minister since 2009 and served a brief three-year stint as prime minister in the late 1990s. If he is still prime minister in July next year, he will have overtaken David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, as the longest-serving leader of Israel.  The current government could continue serving until November 2019 but Israel’s coalition governments rarely serve out their full four-year terms.  The current coalition has 61 seats in the 120 parliament, known as the Knesset. One of Mr Netanyahu’s Likud MPs, Oren Hazan, was suspended for six weeks this week after insulting a defence ministry official.  Mr Hazan, who previously embarrassed the prime minister by taking a selfie with Donald Trump, can still vote but is barred from any other parliamentary activity. His suspension gives Mr Netanyahu’s weakened government even less room for manoeuvre.     

Photos of the week: 11/9 - 11/16

Devastating wildfires continued to ravage parts of Northern and Southern

Betsy DeVos proposes new sexual assault reporting rules for US campuses that ‘could help shield rapists’

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has proposed a major change in the way American universities deal with campus sexual assault and harassment allegations in a move rights groups say could harm survivors. Ms DeVos has wants to add protections for those accused and limit situations in which schools would be required by law to investigate complaints brought forward by alleged victims, changes she said will treat both sides fairly. The requirements for investigation include only incidents which occurred on the universities’ campuses or property under the school’s authority and in those cases, only if the incident is reported to certain officials.

North Korea deports American even as it boasts of new weapon

WASHINGTON (AP) — North Korea on Friday deported an American citizen it says it detained for illegal entry, a U.S. official said, an apparent concession that came even as the reclusive nation announced the test of a newly developed but unspecified "ultramodern" weapon that will be seen as a pressuring tactic by Washington.

Women Won The House For Democrats, But Men May End Up Running It

WASHINGTON ― They ran for office at record levels. They came to the polls in

California presses search for fire victims, number of missing soars

Remains of at least 63 people have been recovered so far in and around the Sierra foothills hamlet of Paradise, which was home to nearly 27,000 residents before the town was largely incinerated by the deadly Camp Fire on the night of Nov. 8. More than a week later, firefighters have managed to carve containment lines around 45 percent of the blaze's perimeter, up from 35 percent a day earlier, even as the burned landscape grew slightly to 142,000 acres (57,000 hectares). More than 11,000 evacuees were being housed in 14 emergency shelters set up in churches, schools and community centers around the region, American Red Cross spokeswoman Greta Gustafson said.

Joe Biden Just Adopted An Adorable Shelter Dog

Joe Biden is welcoming a furry new member to his family.

Trump Calls Report That He’s Questioning Pence Loyalty ‘Phony’

“I can’t imagine any President having a better or closer relationship with their Vice President,” he said in a tweet Saturday. The New York Times report on Friday cited unidentified sources who said Trump was repeatedly asking aides and advisers about whether Pence was loyal. “The New York Times did a phony story, as usual, about my relationship with @VP Mike Pence.

Is Amazon about to turn into Lockheed Martin? What the company's move to Crystal City says about its future

Amazon will doubtlessly change Crystal City beyond recognition. But perhaps not before Crystal City, with its proximity to the Pentagon and the Capitol, exercises its own influence on Amazon.

Andrew Gillum Concedes Florida Gubernatorial Race To Ron DeSantis

Andrew Gillum, the Democratic mayor of Tallahassee running for governor of

List of retailers that will be closed on Thanksgiving 2018

While many stores push the limits of Black Friday and offer store hours on

Toxic Bay Area air quality is among worst in world right now

Schools across the Bay Area in California are closed due to bad air quality.

78-year-old man in California claims he killed at least 90 people over four decades

A man now thought to be one of the most prolific serial killers in the US claims he killed as many as 90 people over four decades. Investigators have been able to close four unsolved murder cases because of the confessions of Samuel Little. The 78-year-old, also known as Samuel McDowell, was already serving a life sentence in California for three murders when he confessed to a Texas investigator.

Florida County Submits Recount 2 Minutes Late And State Rejects It

Volunteers in Broward County, a Democratic stronghold in Florida, recounted

Cab Drivers Refuse To Pick Up Racists After Philly Rally With Proud Boys

Racists in Philadelphia were apparently denied a quick escape Saturday after

Trump Insists 'Raking' Will Help Stop Forest Fires; Twitter Reels

With 76 people dead and nearly 1,300 unaccounted for and feared dead in

Protectionism 'doomed to failure': China's Xi

Protectionist actions are short-sighted and doomed to fail, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Saturday ahead of an APEC summit at which US-China trade tensions are likely to take centre stage. "We should say no to protectionism and unilateralism," urged Xi, in a veiled swipe at the "America First" policies of the US administration. APEC members the US and China have become embroiled in a trade war that experts warn could be catastrophic for the global economy, with the world's top two powers going head to head.

Harris under fire for drawing parallels between ICE and KKK

Potential 2020 hopeful Sen. Kamala Harris is facing backlash after comparing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the Ku Klux Klan during a hearing on Capitol Hill; reaction and analysis on 'The Five.

The Latest: Kemp says Georgia race over, state to look ahead

ATLANTA (AP) — The Latest on the Georgia governor's race (all times local):

Camp Fire’s Missing Person List Climbs To 1,011 As Statewide Death Toll Rises To 74

The number of names on the missing person's list for Northern California's

Honda Recalls 64,000 SUVs and Minivans for Brake Issue

Honda is recalling 64,785 SUVs and minivans because an improper coating on a brake component may lead to reduced braking performance, which raises the risk of a crash, according to the National H...

Owner of three million mile Volvo P1800S dies

Irv Gordon, owner of the Volvo P1800S which holds the Guinness World Record for highest vehicle mileage, has died aged 77

Facebook's Top Brass Say They Knew Nothing About Definers. Don't Believe Them.

Sweet, wide-eyed Mark Zuckerberg swears he didn't know anything.

Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker Hit With Supreme Court Challenge

President Donald Trump's appointment of Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney

Lamborghini Supercars Exist Because of a 10-Lira Tractor Clutch

The founder's feud with Enzo Ferrari inspired the first Lamborghini sports car.

North Korea's Deadly Artillery Has the “Potential to Affect Millions of South Korean Citizens”

About that "ultramodern" weapon from last week: it could have been some fancy new artillery. 

Zimbabwe: the year since Mugabe's ousting

Here is a summary of key developments since Robert Mugabe was ousted as president of Zimbabwe a year ago after 37 years in charge of the southern African country. Military generals had seized power days earlier after he fired Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, amid concern Mugabe was positioning his wife Grace to succeed him. Mnangagwa returns to Zimbabwe from South Africa the following day, having fled after his dismissal two weeks earlier.

A weighty issue: scientists redefine the kilogram after 129 years

The kilogram will no longer be measured against an actual weight, after scientists voted to start using an electromagnetic current. Since 1889, a kilogram has been defined by a single lump of platinum-iridium which is housed inside three glass bell jars at the headquarters of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) , just outside Paris. But the master copy, known as ‘Le Grand K’, has been picking up microparticles of dust, or losing mass in cleaning, causing consternation for scientists using it to measure ever more accurate weights. Now, after a week-long meeting at the Palace of Versailles representatives of 60 nations agreed to redefine the kilogram based on the unchanging value of the ‘Planck constant.’ Instead of checking it against an actual weight, scientists can now find an exact kilogram by measuring the amount of electricity needed to lift it, using a special set of scales known as The Kibble balance.   Scientists have been trying for decades to define a constant value for the kilogram that is derived from laws of physics, in the same way they have done for other standard units. For example, a metre is not defined as 100 centimetres but "the length of the path travelled by light in a vacuum during a time interval of 1/299,792,458 of a second". Scientists Yuning Duan and Gert Rietveld celebrate after the vote on the redefinition of four base units of the International System of Units Credit: Reuters  Describing what impact the new kilogram would have, the BIPM said: "In the same way that if you replaced the decaying foundations of a house with robust new ones, it may not be possible to identify the difference from the surface, but some substantial changes would have taken place to ensure the longevity of the property." The BIPM also voted to update definitions for the ampere (electrical current), the kelvin (thermodynamic temperature) and the mole (amount of a substance). Martin Milton, director of the BIPM, said: “The SI redefinition is a landmark moment in scientific progress. "Using the fundamental constants we observe in nature as a foundation for important concepts such as mass and time means that we have a stable foundation from which to advance our scientific understanding, develop new technologies and address some of society's greatest challenges." Barry Inglis, who heads the committee for weights and measures, said the implications were immense. "We will now no longer be bound by the limitations of objects in our measurement of the world, but have universally accessible units that can pave the way to even greater accuracy, and even accelerate scientific advancement," he said. The new definitions agreed by the BIPM will come into force on May 20, 2019.

Giving Tuesday Encourages Philanthropy During the Holiday Season

Black Friday, Small-Business Saturday, Cyber Monday . . . The beginning of the year-end holiday season seems to be forever tied to a frenetic shopping spree for gifts. But in recent years, attent...

Rouhani sees Iran, Iraq expanding trade despite U.S. sanctions

Iran and Iraq could raise their annual bilateral trade to $20 billion from the current $12 billion, President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday, despite concerns over the impact of renewed U.S. sanctions. Rouhani's remarks, after a meeting with visiting Iraqi President Barham Salih, came two weeks after the United States restored sanctions targeting Iran’s oil industry as well as its banking and transportation sectors. "... through bilateral efforts, we can raise this figure (for bilateral trade) to $20 billion in the near future," Rouhani said in comments broadcast live on state television.

Planning My Wedding Is Making Me Feel Like I've Stepped Back 50 Years

When I got engaged last year, I expected wedding planning to be fun, if a

Trump Returns To Bashing The Migrant Caravan, Calling It A 'Big Con'

After a brief respite from attacking the migrant caravan traveling to the U.S.

Bill Maher Trashes Fans Mourning Stan Lee And Adults Who Read Comics

Comedian Bill Maher is getting the ire of the comic book world this weekend

A mother's decision to donate son's face: How doctors approach, support families

Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, a renowned reconstructive surgeon at NYU Langone Health who performs face transplant surgeries, shares how 3-D printing of the donor's face is used to help the family cope.

Florida official Brenda Snipes: racism 'probably' a factor in attacks against me

A top elections official in Florida who endured national humiliation after missing a midterms recount deadline by two minutes has told the Guardian that racism is “probably” a factor in the backlash against her. Brenda Snipes, elections supervisor of Broward county, was condemned by Republicans and Democrats after failing to submit tallies in the US Senate race between Rick Scott and Bill Nelson on schedule.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Accepts Deputy’s Resignation Over Protest

Simeonov, deputy premier in charge of economic and demographic policy, personally took the decision to step down on Friday over “his reluctance to cause tension in the government,” the cabinet in Sofia said in an email. Borissov is heading his third cabinet since 2009 in the European Union’s poorest nation, with goals including adopting the euro.

Police called on diplomats as APEC summit tensions boil over

Police were called when Chinese officials attempted to "barge" into the office of Papua New Guinea's foreign minister, it emerged Sunday, as APEC summit tensions boiled over. The Chinese delegates "tried to barge in" to Rimbink Pato's Port Moresby office Saturday, in an eleventh-hour bid to influence a summit draft communique, but were denied entry, three sources with knowledge of the situation told AFP. "Police were posted outside the minister's office after they tried to barge in," one source privy to summit negotiations told AFP, requesting anonymity.

PG&E shares surge 40 percent on report regulator wants to avoid bankruptcy from wildfire

SAN FRANCISCO/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - PG&E Corp shares soared 40 percent in after-hours trade on Thursday following a report that a regulatory official told investors the agency does not want the utility to go into bankruptcy should it be found responsible for this month's deadly wildfire in northern California. Bloomberg reported the comment by a California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) official on a call hosted by Bank of America Corp, citing a person familiar with the matter. A CPUC spokesman said he could not confirm the remarks and Bank of America declined to comment.

The 2020 Toyota Corolla Sedan Will Be the First Corolla Hybrid in the U.S.

It's based on the all-new Corolla sedan.

Trump Calls Saudi Arabia A 'Spectacular Ally' Despite CIA's Khashoggi Findings

President Donald Trump is still praising Saudi Arabia as a "truly spectacular

‘Green New Deal’ Gains Momentum, But Few Progressive Caucus Democrats Pledge Support

Just three Democrats in the Congressional Progressive Caucus have pledged this