RT

Shares in the US e-commerce behemoth Amazon dropped by nearly five percent, wiping over $30 billion from its market value, after reports that President Donald Trump wants to curb the firm’s growing power.

According to a report by the US news and information website Axios, Trump is planning to “go after” the world’s largest online retailer amid growing concerns that Amazon’s business is killing physical shopping malls and mom-and-pop retailers. “He’s obsessed with Amazon,” the media reported, citing one of five sources familiar with the issue.  Continue reading “Amazon stock plunges after Trump pledges to “go after” Bezos’ online retail giant”

Mail.com

WOODLAND, Wash. (AP) — The two women and their six adopted children traveled to festivals and events, offering free hugs and promoting unity, friends said. They raised animals and grew vegetables and last year moved onto a piece of land in rural southwest Washington, a dream of theirs.

The Hart Tribe, as they were known, also took spontaneous road trips to hike or camp, and friends believe they may have been on one of those adventures when their SUV plunged off a scenic California highway.   Continue reading “Family killed in cliff plunge: free spirits or troubled?”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — Armed security officers are becoming more prevalent at America’s schools, according to a federal study released Thursday amid a heated debate over whether teachers and other school officials should carry guns.

Armed officers were present at least once a week in 43 percent of all public schools during the 2015-16 school year, compared with 31 percent of schools a decade before, according to data from a survey conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics.  Continue reading “Study: Armed security officers are on the rise in US schools”

RT

American stocks could see a significant decline in the coming months due to a number of trends that point to a downturn in the global economy, according to Saxo Bank Chief Economist Steen Jakobsen.

Citing several factors including growing credit loans and a widening fiscal deficit in the US, he expressed doubts over infrastructure spending plans and a potential global trade war.   Continue reading “Third of US stock market may be wiped out as consumer spending ‘maxed out’”

RT

Russia must confess to the Salisbury ‘chemical attack’ in order to mend relations with the US and NATO, said the US State Department, adding that the only evidence the US needs for Moscow’s culpability was the word of its UK ally.

“If Russia wants to improve relations, it needs to first acknowledge its responsibility for this attack and cease its recklessly aggressive behavior,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters on Tuesday.  Continue reading “‘Russia has lots of tentacles’: US says it needed no proof, only UK’s word to expel diplomats”

Mail.com

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A blinding national spotlight is shining on the family of Stephon Clark, the 22-year-old unarmed black man killed by Sacramento police last week. “You don’t know what it’s like until you experience it,” Clark’s uncle, Curtis Gordon, told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday. “You can see it on TV, it’s totally OK to deal with those realities when it’s just through a television and they’re not in your home. It’s different now.”  Continue reading “Family of Sacramento man slain by police skeptical of change”

Politico – by Matt Friedman

TRENTON — The last time a mass shooting spurred New Jersey Democrats to seek to toughen the state’s already strict gun laws — after the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012 — they ran into a wall in then-Republican Gov. Chris Christie.

Now, in the aftermath of last month’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Democrats are trying again, with many of the same measures Christie rejected. Only this time, they’re almost certain to be signed by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.   Continue reading “Assembly passes 6 bills to toughen state’s gun control laws”

RT

President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa has suggested creating a single currency for Africa which, according to him, could boost trade across borders and match international currencies.

The idea was first mooted by Ramaphosa during a meeting of the African Union in Rwanda, where 44 countries gathered to sign the African Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) treaty.  Continue reading “‘Time has arrived for Africa to establish a single currency’ – South African president”

Mail.com

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants a full pardon for hemp. The Kentucky Republican on Monday previewed legislation seeking to free the plant from its ties to marijuana and let it take root as a legitimate crop.

Hemp — marijuana’s non-intoxicating cousin — would be removed from the controlled substances list under the bill he’s offering, McConnell said. The result would legalize hemp as an agricultural commodity.  Continue reading “McConnell looks to complete hemp’s comeback as crop”

Mail.com

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — As a girl in Kansas, Linda Brown’s father tried to enroll her in an all-white school in Topeka. He and several black families were turned away, sparking the Brown v. Board of Education case that challenged segregation in public schools.

A 1954 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court followed, striking down racial segregation in schools and cementing Linda Brown’s place in history as a central figure in the landmark case. Funeral officials in Topeka said Brown died Sunday at age 75. A cause of death was not released. Arrangements were pending at Peaceful Rest Funeral Chapel.  Continue reading “Linda Brown, central figure in school segregation case, dies”

RT

Recent violence in the US seems to have caught analysts by surprise without having an ISIS-inspired terrorist ideology.

The last three attacks were carried out by young people with largely unknown motivations, yet we continue to ignore the larger issue of mental health in America’s youth and what exactly had led to this violent uprising.    Continue reading “Technology, Violence, Vulnerability: Rising phenomenon young people carrying out mass violence in US”

RT

Almost four years ago, the shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by police led to nationwide US protests, but similar controversial deaths continue to take place. The latest three happened in Texas, California and Illinois.

Texas authorities are currently investigating an incident which saw an unarmed Danny Ray Thomas, 34, fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy at a busy Houston intersection. The incident took place on March 22.   Continue reading “‘It’s a phone, not a gun’: 3 recent fatal police shootings in America that raise questions”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has already heard a major case about political line-drawing that has the potential to reshape American politics. Now, before even deciding that one, the court is taking up another similar case.

The arguments justices will hear Wednesday in the second case, a Republican challenge to a Democratic-leaning congressional district in Maryland, could offer fresh clues to what they are thinking about partisan gerrymandering, an increasingly hot topic before courts.  Continue reading “Another key redistricting case goes in front of high court”

RT

Three cities in affluent Orange County, California are suing over proposals to set up temporary homeless shelters in their area. California has the largest homeless population in the US and the plans have residents fearful.

“This freaks me out. I moved to O.C. because I thought it would be a safe place. Now it’s getting more and more like L.A.,” Rob Howard, an office manager in Irvine, told the LA Times. “Who wants tons of traffic, high prices and all kinds of unwanted people around you?   Continue reading “‘Not near our kids’: Wealthy Californians fight homeless shelters”

RT

Gun rights activists, bloggers and second amendment advocates are outraged at YouTube’s ban on videos and channels which promote websites that sell firearms and accessories. And some believe Pornhub is the solution.

Online gun vlogger InRangeTv has already begun migrating their videos to Pornhub. The group referred to YouTube’s rule changes as “vague” and “one-sided.”  Continue reading “Gun vloggers vent fury as YouTube bans firearms videos, switch to PornHub”

Mail.com

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Two officers yelled for a suspect to show his hands, then shouted “Gun! Gun! Gun!” moments before fatally shooting the man, who turned out to be unarmed, audio from body camera footage released by Sacramento police shows.

Footage from body cameras and an overhead helicopter does not clearly depict what the man, who was only holding a cellphone, was doing in the moments before the police fired on Sunday night. The shooting happened in the backyard of the man’s grandparents’ home, where he was staying. The police did not find a gun at the scene.  Continue reading “Police release videos of fatal shooting of unarmed man”

Mail.com

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — A man wanted for a bombing that targeted the Palestinian premier’s convoy as he visited Gaza last week was killed in a firefight Thursday with Hamas forces, the militant Islamic group that rules the territory said.

The Interior Ministry in Gaza said the suspect, Anas Abu Khousa, 26, refused to surrender when Hamas surrounded his hideout. It said Abu Khousa was killed in the exchange of fire along with two Hamas policemen. Another suspect later died of his wounds at a hospital, it said.  Continue reading “Hamas kills man wanted in attack on Palestinian PM”

RT

Chemical weapon production facilities have been discovered in the areas liberated from militants in Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry says.

More than 40 tons of chemical weapons were abandoned by retreating militants in the war-ravaged country, the ministry said on Wednesday. “The Syrian Foreign Ministry pointed out that more than 40 tons of poisonous substances were found on the territories, liberated from terrorists,” Igor Kirillov, the commander of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Forces, said on Wednesday.  Continue reading “40 tons of chemical weapons left by militants found in Syria – Russian MoD”

RT

Israel Defense Forces have shared details of an airstrike that destroyed an alleged nuclear reactor under construction in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor back in 2007, for the first time officially acknowledging carrying out the secret raid.

For over a decade Israel refused to officially acknowledge taking out the suspected nuclear reactor in the Deir ez-Zor region of Syria on the night of September 6, 2007. Although, in October 2007, the IDF indirectly admitted the attack by lifting some censorship on media coverage of the incident, Tel Aviv still continued to censor details of the intended target of the strike.  Continue reading “Israel officially admits striking ‘Syrian nuclear reactor’ in 2007”

Mail.com

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minneapolis police officer was charged Tuesday with murder and manslaughter in the fatal shooting of an unarmed Australian woman in July minutes after she called 911 to report a possible sexual assault behind her home.

Officer Mohamed Noor turned himself in after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He shot Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a 40-year-old life coach, on July 15. Damond’s death drew international attention, cost the police chief her job and forced major revisions to the department’s policy on body cameras.  Continue reading “Complaint: 2 officers ‘spooked’ before 911 caller is shot”