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LOS ANGELES (AP) — It’s a conspiracy: The 2016 campaign features one candidate who warned against the “vast right-wing conspiracy” and another who was a leader of the so-called “birther” movement. Donald Trump and his surrogates hint at a mysterious “illness” afflicting rival Hillary Clinton. Pushing back, Clinton warns of murky ties between Trump and the Russian government, insinuating that her Republican opponent may be a puppet of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Rumors and innuendo long confined to the far reaches of the Internet are dominating the presidential race, forcing Clinton to grapple — once again — with the kinds of whispers that have dogged her family for decades.   Continue reading “Welcome to the Trump-Clinton conspiracy election”

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Hundreds of University of Texas students waved sex toys at a campus rally during the first day of classes, protesting a new state law that allows concealed handguns in college classrooms, buildings and dorms.   Continue reading “Texas college students rally against gun law with sex toys”

Real Estate Weekly – by CHRISTIAN BRAZIL BAUTISTA

An affiliate of Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund has purchased a 9.9 percent stake in Empire State Realty Trust for $622 million.

“We welcome QIA as an ESRT shareholder and see their investment as an endorsement of ESRT’s strategy, team and portfolio of irreplaceable assets. We continue to plan for the future, now with more capital and one of the most sophisticated and reliable real estate investors in the world as our partner. As we continue our internal growth strategy execution, added strength and flexibility in our balance sheet expand our capacity to take advantage of opportunities through external growth,” said Empire State Realty Trust President and CEO John B. Kessler.   Continue reading “Qatari fund buys $622M stake in Empire State Realty Trust”

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A ballistic missile fired from a North Korean submarine on Wednesday flew about 500 kilometers (310 miles), the longest distance achieved by the North for such a weapon, Seoul officials said, putting all of South Korea, and possibly parts of Japan, within its striking distance.

North Korea already has a variety of land-based missiles that can hit South Korea and Japan, including U.S. military bases in those countries. But its development of reliable submarine-launched missiles would add weapons that are harder to detect before liftoff.   Continue reading “North Korean submarine missile launch shows improved ability”

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HONOLULU (AP) — Federal regulators are proposing to ban swimming with dolphins in Hawaii, a move that could imperil one of the Aloha State’s most popular tourist activities and the industry that has sprung up around it.

he National Marine Fisheries Service says spinner dolphins — the playful nocturnal species that humans in Hawaii routinely frolic with — are being deprived of rest during the day and becoming stressed out.   Continue reading “Feds want to ban swimming with Hawaii dolphins”

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina Highway Patrol is urging people not to jump to conclusions as state agents investigate how a deaf driver with a history of minor offenses ended up dead after leading a trooper on a 10-mile chase.

The family of Daniel Kevin Harris said he was unarmed and suggested the sequence of events last week was a tragic misunderstanding — the type the state’s training manual warns troopers to avoid when dealing with the hearing impaired.   Continue reading “Deaf driver’s shooting death by trooper under investigation”

RT

As the nation battles an opioid epidemic, one city wants to try something radical. Seattle’s Heroin Task Force has endorsed creating a safe heroin injection site and homeless shelter that would allow residents to use without costing them their housing.

Seattle is looking to kill two birds with one stone. The city’s rate of homelessness has increased by 19 percent since 2015, and in 2014, the city had the highest rate of deaths from heroin overdoses in 20 years.    Continue reading “Pins ‘n’ needles: First heroin free-use zone endorsed in Seattle”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — For more than a decade, lawmakers have been pointing at their counterparts to take the blame for what just about everyone agrees is a broken immigration system. Republicans say President Barack Obama’s immigration enforcement policies encourage more people to sneak into the country. Democrats blame Republicans for blocking legislation that would allow people already here to gain legal status and create a path for future, legal immigration.   Continue reading “Hunting for the root of immigration woes? Look to the past.”

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NEW DELHI (AP) — Doctors in northern India have surgically removed 40 knives from the stomach of a man who had swallowed them over the past two months, one of the physicians said Tuesday. The 42-year-old man is recovering in a hospital in Punjab state after undergoing surgery Friday in which doctors removed the knives — some folded and some with exposed blades up to 18 centimeters (7 inches) long.

Dr. Jatinder Malhotra, who assisted during the five-hour operation, said the man, who works as a police constable, was apparently suffering from a psychiatric disorder and is now being counseled. Malhotra said he had never before heard of a case of a person swallowing knives.   Continue reading “Doctors in India remove 40 knives from man’s stomach”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Traffic fatalities were up 9 percent in the first six months of this year compared with the same period last year, continuing a surge in deaths that began two years ago as the economy improved and travel picked up, according to preliminary estimates released Tuesday by the National Safety Council.

An estimated 19,100 people were killed on U.S. roads from January through June, said the council, a congressionally chartered nonprofit that gets its data from state authorities. That’s 18 percent more than two years ago at the six-month mark. About 2.2 million people also were seriously injured in the first half of this year.   Continue reading “Traffic fatalities continued to surge in first half of 2016”

RT

An unidentified patient in Florida is fighting for their life after contracting a microscopic brain-eating amoeba while swimming in “unsanitary water”.

The Florida Department of Health has confirmed that the patient – the fourth known US case this year – is suffering from a severe illness. Stage one symptoms include fever and vomiting and, as the condition progresses, the patient suffers severe hallucinations and eventually falls into a coma.   Continue reading “Florida resident contracts dangerous brain eating amoeba, the 4th US case this year”

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TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Russia has stopped using an Iranian air base for launching airstrikes on Syria for the time being, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday, just hours after the Iranian defense minister criticized Moscow for having “kind of show-off and ungentlemanly” attitude by publicizing their actions.

There was no immediate response from Moscow, which had used the Shahid Nojeh Air Base to refuel its bombers striking Syria at least three times last week. Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told reporters in Tehran that the Russian airstrikes on militants in Syria were “temporary, based on a Russian request.”   Continue reading “Iran: Russia has stopped using Iran base for Syria strikes”

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SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) — Authorities have lifted all evacuation orders affecting thousands of people, less than a week after a wildfire raged through mountainous terrain in Southern California and consumed hundreds of homes and other buildings.

About 82,000 people were ordered to leave their properties when the fire broke out Tuesday, 60 miles east of Los Angeles. As firefighters advanced on the blaze, evacuation orders were gradually lifted.   Continue reading “Thousands who fled California wildfire allowed to return”

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ATLANTA (AP) — The five people slain in a massacre at a south Alabama home included a woman who was five months pregnant, Mobile County authorities said. The suspect, Derrick Dearman, attacked them as they slept and then abducted his estranged girlfriend, Laneta Lester, and an infant from the home, a sheriff’s captain said. Both of them were found alive.

Dearman, 27, of Leakesville, Mississippi, will be charged with six counts of capital murder, Mobile County sheriff’s spokeswoman Lori Myles said Sunday. Five counts stem from the killing of Shannon Melissa Randall, 35; Justin Kaleb Reed, 23; Joseph Adam Turner, 26; and Robert Lee Brown, also 26. The additional count is because 22-year-old Chelsea Marie Reed, was 5 months pregnant, Myles said.   Continue reading “Sheriff: 5 slain in Alabama massacre included pregnant woman”

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VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, Hawaii (AP) — For the first time in three years, lava from a volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island has crept down miles of mountainside and is dripping into the Pacific Ocean — where it’s creating new land and a stunning show for visitors.   Continue reading “Lava from Hawaii volcano cascades into sea in vivid display”

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BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian opposition activists have released haunting footage showing a young boy rescued from a partially destroyed building in the aftermath of a devastating airstrike in Aleppo. The image of the stunned and weary-looking boy, sitting in an orange chair inside an ambulance, covered in dust and with blood on his face, encapsulates the horrors inflicted on the war-ravaged northern city. Photographs of the boy were widely shared on social media.   Continue reading “Haunting image of Syrian boy rescued from Aleppo rubble”

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SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) — A ferocious wildfire had swallowed up many homes as it spread across more than 49 square miles of mountain and desert east of Los Angeles. Exactly how many, however, and to whom they belonged, remained uncertain.

Firefighters were faced with the difficult task of tallying that damage while still battling the huge, unruly blaze amid hot, dry and gusty weather that was expected through Thursday evening. That left evacuees in a cruel limbo, forced to spend another night wondering whether anything they owned was still intact.   Continue reading “California wildfire brings destruction and uncertainty”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer people sought U.S. unemployment benefits last week, evidence that layoffs are scarce and employers are likely hiring at a solid clip. THE NUMBERS: Weekly applications for unemployment aid slipped 4,000 to a seasonally adjusted 262,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week average, typically a less volatile measure, rose 3,000 to 265,250.

The number of people receiving benefits ticked up 15,000 to 2.18 million. That’s nearly 4 percent lower than a year earlier. THE TAKEAWAY: Applications are a proxy for layoffs. They have remained below 300,000 for 76 straight weeks, the longest streak since 1970. The low readings are more impressive given the growth in the U.S. population since then.   Continue reading “Applications for US unemployment benefits fall to 262,000”

RT

A statement by the ‘Shadow Brokers’ hacking collective, claiming they have hacked an NSA affiliate and obtained a set of US government spying and surveillance tools, coincided with the NSA official website going offline for many hours.

The website of the US National Security Agency (NSA) went offline at about 10:54pm Monday and remained inaccessible for almost a full day, until about 5pm Tuesday, reports Politico.   Continue reading “NSA website down for 1 day after hackers take out its affiliate – media”

RT

A man has been reportedly detained by German police over plans to carry out a terrorist attack at a festival in the town of Eisenhuttenstadt. Explosives have been found in the suspect’s apartment, local media say, citing police.

Police have also found materials linked to Islamic State (IS, former ISIS/ISIL) as the search of the suspect’s apartment continues, German media report. According to news agency DPA, the suspect had a Salafist background and was under police supervision.   Continue reading “German police seize explosives, detain suspected Islamist for plotting attack on festival – reports”