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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) — Google has created a crisis fund that could raise up to $4 million for four immigrant rights organizations. Google has confirmed a USA Today report that it is funding an initial $2 million for the fund that can be matched with up to $2 million in donations from employees. The money will go toward the American Civil Liberties Union, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, the International Rescue Committee and the U.N. Refugee Agency.   Continue reading “Google launches fund that could donate $4M to ACLU, others”

RT

Professors at a university in Seattle, Washington are calling out “bullsh*t,” offering students a course on identifying “BS.” The pair have already seen huge interest in the spring course, which would cover topics including publication bias and fake news.

“Can you see the problem with the latest New York Times or Washington Post article fawning over some startup’s big data analytics?” the course website reads. Developed by two professors from the University of Washington, ‘Calling Bullsh*t’ aims to enlighten its students on how to “identify BS, sift through the BS, to be able to respond to BS,” the professors told KOMO.   Continue reading “‘Calling bullsh*t’: University course teaches how to identify BS”

RT

Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has called on the US to put an end to the “illegal war” she believes it wages in Syria after visiting Damascus and Aleppo. During her trip, she spoke with civilians, religious leaders, opposition leaders, and President Assad.

Gabbard described her privately-funded seven-day trip to Lebanon and Syria as a “fact-finding mission” to learn the truth about the war by speaking directly to the Syrian people. The itinerary was kept secret until Gabbard’s return to the US for security reasons.  Continue reading “Rep. Gabbard calls on US govt to stop ‘supporting terrorists’ after meeting Syria civilians & Assad”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s wide-ranging executive actions tightening border security— and the prospect of additional measures restricting refugee flows — mark a sharp shift away from Washington’s elusive efforts to forge comprehensive immigration legislation.

“We do not need new laws,” Trump said Wednesday during remarks at the Department of Homeland Security. “We will work within the existing system and framework.” The centerpiece of the measures Trump signed was an order to jumpstart construction of his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall. He also ordered cuts in federal grants for immigrant-protecting “sanctuary cities” and a boost in the number of border patrol agents and immigration officers, pending congressional funding.   Continue reading “Trump’s immigration actions mark sharp shift in US policy”

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SAN DIEGO (AP) — As President Donald Trump announced his plans for a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico, Border Patrol agents in San Diego on the lookout for drugs and smugglers drove all-terrain vehicles along a barrier that reaches 18 feet, topped by razor wire and reinforced by cameras and lighting.

Mexicans shopped at an outlet mall that bumps up against the border. And dozens of migrants huddled in tents outside a shelter in Mexico hoping to get into the U.S. someday. To them, Trump’s executive order Wednesday to build a wall seemed more like a symbolic and worrisome gesture of a new chapter in U.S-Mexico relations than a real deterrent for people to enter the country illegally.   Continue reading “Trump’s wall met with skepticism, unease on US-Mexico border”

RT

Almost two years after Jane started ‘personal development’ course Access Consciousness, she realized she was no longer “thinking for herself.” Nearly £20,000 out of pocket and horrified at the group leader’s claim “children are sexy,” although not to be abused, she cut herself loose.

Access Consciousness claims to be about self-improvement – promising to assist people with their health, weight, money, sex, relationships and anxiety by helping members, known as ‘Accessories,’ to become more “conscious.”   Continue reading “‘Scientology knock-off’: Whistleblower exposes ‘cult’ that thinks ‘children are sexy’”

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MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — At least eight people were dead and 14 injured Wednesday as Somali security forces ended a siege by extremist fighters who stormed a hotel in the capital, police said. Four al-Shabab attackers were also killed in the attack on Dayah hotel, which is often frequented by government officials, said Col. Mohamoud Abdi, a senior police officer.

Survivors described chaotic scenes in which hotel residents hid under beds and others jumped out of windows of the four-story building to escape the attackers. “They kicked down room doors and at some point posed themselves as rescue teams by telling those inside to come out (only) to kill them,” said Hassan Nur, a traditional Somali elder.  Continue reading “Extremist gunmen storm hotel in Somali capital, 8 killed”

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two Los Angeles police officers acted in self-defense and will not face criminal charges after fatally shooting a mentally ill black man during a struggle over an officer’s gun in 2014, prosecutors said Tuesday.

The finding from the Los Angeles district attorney’s office comes more than a year after a police oversight board found the officers had no legal reason to stop 25-year-old Ezell Ford, violating department policy.   Continue reading “No charges for 2 LAPD officers in killing of black man”

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina state lawmaker accused of beating his wife bloody resigned rather than be expelled from the Statehouse. But Rep. Chris Corley still faces a felony aggravated domestic violence charge that could put him in prison for up to 20 years.

House Speaker Jay Lucas read Corley’s one-sentence resignation letter Tuesday to his colleagues, which came as he was preparing to introduce legislation forcing Corley from his House seat. “I am grateful that the House did not have to take such extraordinary measures,” said Lucas, R-Hartsville.   Continue reading “South Carolina lawmaker accused of beating his wife resigns”

RT

Beijing has deployed advanced Dongfeng-41 ICBMs in Heilongjiang Province, which borders Russia, according to reports based on images, possibly leaked to coincide with Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president.

“Pictures of China’s Dongfeng-41 ballistic missile were exposed on Chinese mainland websites,” the Global Times said citing reports in “some Hong Kong and Taiwan media.” Russian news agencies identified one of them as the Apple Daily, a Hong Kong-based tabloid-style resource.   Continue reading “China reportedly deploys ICBMs near Russia’s border”

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Despite a threat from cable giant Comcast to take legal action, Philadelphia has banned employers from asking potential hires to provide their salary history, a move supporters say is a step toward closing the wage gap between men and women.

Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney signed the measure on Monday, and said he’s confident the bill can withstand legal challenges. “I know that Comcast and the business community are committed to ending wage discrimination, and I’m hopeful that moving forward we can have a better partnership on this and other issues of concern to business owners and their employees,” he said. “This doesn’t need to be an either/or argument — what is good for the people of Philadelphia is good for business, too.”   Continue reading “Philadelphia bars employers from requesting salary history”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Even as President Donald Trump starts reaching out to lawmakers and business and union leaders to sell his policies, he’s still making false claims about election fraud. During a bipartisan reception with lawmakers at the White House Monday evening, Trump claimed the reason he’d lost the popular vote to his Democratic rival was that 3 million to 5 million immigrants living in the U.S. illegally had voted. That’s according to a Democratic aide familiar with the exchange who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting.   Continue reading “Trump undercuts bipartisan effort with voter fraud claim”

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LONDON (AP) — Britain’s government must get parliamentary approval before starting the process of leaving the European Union, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, potentially delaying Prime Minister Theresa May’s plans to trigger negotiations by the end of March.

The 8-3 ruling forces the government to put a bill before Parliament, giving pro-EU politicians a chance to soften the terms of Brexit — Britain’s exit from the EU. “Leave” campaigners had objected, saying Parliament shouldn’t have the power to overrule the electorate, which voted to leave the bloc in a June 23 referendum.   Continue reading “UK government loses Brexit case, must consult Parliament”

RT

A Republican-proposed House Resolution has quietly slipped past the public radar – proposing that the United States withdraw its membership from the United Nations, just as another bill was being concocted to cut US funding to the body.

The bill, proposed by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), entitled American Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2017, seeks a complete US withdrawal from the UN, that the international body remove its headquarters from New York and that all participation be ceased with the World Health Organization as well.   Continue reading “US exit from United Nations could become reality with fresh bill”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Some innocent observers, including two journalists, were improperly swept up in a group of 230 people arrested after self-described anti-capitalists began breaking windows in Washington on Inauguration Day, lawyers said.

The group was charged Saturday with felony rioting, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000. Protesters smashed the windows of an emergency vehicle as well as windows at a Starbucks and two banks and set fire to a limousine, court documents said. The total damage done by the anarchist group was over $100,000, court documents said.   Continue reading “Lawyers: Police wrongly arrested some on Inauguration Day”

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ASTANA, Kazakhstan (AP) — Syria’s government envoy and a rebel leader traded barbs as talks between the Mideast country’s warring sides got underway in Kazakhstan on Monday in the first face-to-face meeting between the Damascus government and rebel factions fighting to overthrow it.

The gathering in Astana, the Kazakh capital, is also the start of a new effort to end six years of carnage that has killed hundreds of thousands, displaced half of Syria’s population and sent millions of refugees to neighboring countries and Europe.   Continue reading “Harsh exchanges on first day of Syria talks in Kazakhstan”

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Pacific Gas & Electric Co. says it is prepared to pay the maximum fine of $3 million after a jury convicted the company of deliberately violating pipeline safety regulations before a deadly natural gas pipeline explosion in the San Francisco Bay Area.

But California’s largest utility is asking a federal judge not to restructure its bonus program for employees or require an advertising campaign publicizing its conviction. U.S. District Court Judge Thelton Henderson is scheduled to sentence PG&E on Monday, and prosecutors want him to impose the bonus and advertising requirements. They say a $3 million fine alone would be a “drop in the bucket” for PG&E.   Continue reading “Judge set to sentence PG&E in criminal case tied to blast”

RT

US bombers hit Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) camps outside the city of Sirte in Libya, killing 80 jihadists, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter told reporters.

“In Libya, our Africa Command conducted airstrikes against two ISIL camps south of Sirte,” Carter said in a press conference.    Continue reading “US bombers strike ISIS camps in Libya, kill 80 jihadists – DoD”

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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Authorities asked the courts on Wednesday to deny bond for the suspect in last week’s fatal shooting of an Orlando police officer as he was hospitalized for most of the day with injuries he got during his arrest.

An affidavit, filed with the Orange County Clerk of Courts a day after 41-year-old Markeith Loyd was arrested in an abandoned home, shows authorities want to make sure he remains in custody, as is customary for a fugitive facing murder charges.   Continue reading “Suspect in Florida officer’s killing released from hospital”

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TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A historic high-rise building in the heart of Iran’s capital caught fire and later collapsed Thursday, killing at least 30 firefighters and leaving their stunned colleagues and bystanders weeping in the streets.

The disaster at the 17-story Plasco building, inadvertently shown live on state television, came after authorities said they repeatedly warned tenants about blocking stairwells with fabric from cramped garment workshops on its upper floors.   Continue reading “Iran shocked by deadly fire, collapse of Tehran high-rise”