Mail.com

CAMP NELSON, Calif. (AP) — At the foot of a giant sequoia in California’s Sierra Nevada, two arborists stepped into harnesses then inched up ropes more than 20 stories into the dizzying canopy of a tree that survived thousands of years, enduring drought, wildfire and disease.

There, the arborists clipped off tips of young branches to be hand-delivered across the country, cloned in a lab and eventually planted in a forest in some other part of the world. The two are part of a cadre of modern day Johnny Appleseeds who believe California’s giant sequoias and coastal redwoods are blessed with some of the heartiest genetics of any trees on Earth — and that propagating them will help reverse climate change, at least in a small way.   Continue reading “Group clones California giant trees to combat climate change”

Mail.com

CLEVELAND (AP) — Ohio Gov. John Kasich once envisioned a scenario where he would swoop into the party’s convention and seize the Republican presidential nomination from Donald Trump. On Tuesday, Kasich came to Cleveland but stayed away from the convention.

Two months after dropping out of the GOP race, the governor is openly boycotting the Trump coronation in his home state. As the convention rolled on, Kasich met privately with state delegations and headlined a state party reception at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, about a mile from the convention site at Quicken Loans Arena.   Continue reading “Kasich comes to Cleveland, but not to go to the convention”

RT

Police discovered a hand-painted Islamic State flag in the room of the Afghan teen who attacked passengers on a train in Germany. The group claimed responsibility, but the Bavarian interior minister said evidence indicates the teen could be self-radicalized.

Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) has said the attacker was one of its fighters, according to IS-affiliated Amaq news agency.   Continue reading “Hand-painted ISIS flag found in room of Bavaria train attacker, terror group claims responsibility”

Mail.com

The U.S. government has issued a report on fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards for U.S. cars and trucks that were first established in 2012. The report Monday kicked off a two-year review process leading to a government decision on whether to leave the standards in place through 2025 or change them.

A look at the standards:   Continue reading “Questions and answers about US fuel economy standards”

Mail.com

DENVER (AP) — Police departments across the country are ordering officers to pair up after ambush attacks left eight officers dead in Texas and Louisiana, a precaution that could slow response times to low-level crimes and drive up overtime for already exhausted police.

Some agencies that normally let officers patrol alone began forcing them to double up throughout their shifts, even during meals or other breaks during their shifts. Los Angeles police assigned members of specialized crime-fighting units to back up officers responding to routine calls. Baltimore police began sending two squad cars to every call received. Dispatchers in Denver urged officers to travel in pairs indefinitely and “keep their head on a swivel” to protect themselves against the new threat. Police in Fort Worth extended the order beyond their uniformed officers to plainclothes detectives and high-ranking supervisors.   Continue reading “Police across US patrolling in pairs after ambush attacks”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — Experts say the development of self-driving cars over the coming decade depends on an unreliable assumption by many automakers: that the humans in them will be ready to step in and take control if the car’s systems fail.

Instead, experience with automation in other modes of transportation like aviation and rail suggests that the strategy will lead to more deaths like that of a Florida Tesla driver in May. Decades of research shows that people have a difficult time keeping their minds on boring tasks like monitoring systems that rarely fail and hardly ever require them to take action. The human brain continually seeks stimulation. If the mind isn’t engaged, it will wander until it finds something more interesting to think about. The more reliable the system, the more likely it is that attention will wane.   Continue reading “Plans for self-driving cars have pitfall: the human brain”

Mail.com

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — The founder of Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba warned in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press that violence in Indian-ruled Kashmir will escalate. Hafiz Saeed, designated a terrorist by the United States with a $10 million bounty on his head, also said he will lead nationwide demonstrations in Pakistan to force its government to sever ties with the United States if it cannot convince Washington to intervene in the decades old Kashmir dispute.   Continue reading “Pakistan militant warns of Kashmir violence”

Mail.com

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Despite demands that he “Show both hands!” and shouts that “You’re going to get shot man!” a 19-year-old in California refused to pull one hand from behind his back and to stop walking toward Fresno police. Officers then shot him four times, killing him.

Dramatic and graphic body-camera video shows the man, identified as Dylan Noble, was struck twice after he already had gone down from the first two bullets. “Get on the ground now!” officers continually shout at Noble in the video released by police Wednesday. One yells: “Drop whatever you have in your hand!”   Continue reading “In video, man ignores police demands and is fatally shot”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — The vast majority of Americans say they are afraid of at least one of the two major candidates — Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump — winning the White House, a remarkable finding that reflects an unsettled nation unhappy with its choice.

Eighty-one percent of Americans say they would feel afraid following the election of one of the two polarizing politicians, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll. That includes a quarter who say it doesn’t matter who wins: they’re scared of both.   Continue reading “Fear Factor: Americans scared of their presidential options”

Mail.com

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The final moments before Philando Castile was killed by a police officer during a traffic stop in suburban St. Paul revolved around a gun he was licensed to carry, trained to use safely and instructed to tell authorities about when stopped.

But just how he informed the officer — and whether the officer followed his own training — gets to the heart of the investigation into Castile’s death last week. Castile, who was black, was fatally shot July 6 after he was pulled over by St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez, who is Latino. Castile’s girlfriend streamed the aftermath live on Facebook and said Castile was shot while reaching for his ID after telling the officer he had a gun permit and was armed.   Continue reading “How Castile told officer about gun critical in final moments”

RT

On Tuesday, Senator Bernie Sanders gave up his presidential campaign and endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “She must become our next president,” Sanders declared – a direct contradiction with what he has spent the past six months saying.

“There is no doubt in my mind that, as we head into November, Hillary Clinton is far and away the best candidate to do that,” Sanders announced to a cheering audience in New Hampshire – the first state the senator won in the primary process. Since that fateful February day, Sanders has spent a lot of time and energy convincing voters that Clinton had no place in the Oval Office.    Continue reading “Sanders endorses Clinton, reversing everything he’s said about ‘Wall Street candidate’”

RT

Just when it seemed former President George W. Bush was at a safe enough distance from the public eye, he sparked another media storm by swaying side to side to organ music at a memorial service for slain Dallas police officers, as the nation watched on.

Enjoying himself a little too much, Bush threatened to spoil the entire somber mood of the occasion as he held hands with Michelle Obama, who in turn held the hand of her husband, the incumbent president, forming a chain of hands that included other senior White House officials. To his right, Bush held hands with his wife Laura, followed by Joe Biden and his spouse.   Continue reading “Party time: George Bush shocks America with little dance at Dallas police memorial service”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Iran nuclear accord is fragile at its one-year anniversary. Upcoming elections in the U.S. and Iran could yield new leaders determined to derail the deal. The Mideast’s wars pit U.S. and Iranian proxies in conflict, with risks of escalation. Iran’s ballistic missiles are threatening the Middle East, raising pressure on the United States to respond forcefully.

But for now, the seven-nation nuclear pact is holding. Washington and Tehran are expanding cooperation beyond any level imaginable back when the Iranians were edging closer to nuclear weapons capability. And Boeing’s recent announcement of a multibillion-dollar plane deal with Iran Air suggests some of the agreement’s early problems may be working out.   Continue reading “A year later, Iran nuclear deal is holding but fragile”

Mail.com

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Accident-prone tank cars used to haul crude oil and ethanol by rail could remain in service for another 15 years under federal rules that allow companies to phase in upgrades to the aging fleet, according to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.

Transportation officials and railroad representatives have touted the rules as a key piece of their efforts to stave off future disasters, following a string of fiery derailments and major spills that raised concerns about the crude-by-rail industry.   Continue reading “Upgrades to unsafe tank cars could take 15 years, board says”

RT

American aeronautics giant Boeing has voiced concern over a US legislative move passed earlier in the week that would block its $25 billion deal with Iran, saying that all other companies that have deals with Tehran should be scrapped of their contracts as well.

Last month Boeing signed a tentative agreement to sell jetliners to Iran after trade sanctions on Tehran were eased following a nuclear deal last year. According to Iranian Transport Minister Abbas Akhoundi, the country plans to introduce 737 and Boeing’s newest 777-9 long-haul planes, worth $25 billion.   Continue reading “‘Sure as heck’ no one can deal with Iran, Boeing says after Hill blocks deal”

NJ.com

PENNS GROVE — As Yasime Taylor rushed to aid her dying boyfriend, the man who just shot him jumped into the distraught woman’s car and took off with her one-year-old son in the back seat.

For Taylor, the news about her son would be good — he was found safe and unharmed. But for her boyfriend, Jakaye Ingram, his wounds were fatal, authorities said.   Continue reading “Suspect who allegedly murdered man, stole car with toddler inside, surrenders”

Mail.com

BAGHDAD (AP) — The United States will send 560 more troops to Iraq to help establish a newly retaken air base as a staging hub for the long-awaited battle to recapture Mosul from Islamic State militants, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Monday on an unannounced visit to the country.

Most of the new troops will be devoted to the build-up of the Qayara air base, about 40 miles south of Mosul, and include engineers, logistics personnel and other forces, Carter said. They will help Iraqi security forces planning to encircle and eventually retake the key city.   Continue reading “Carter announces 560 more US troops to Iraq”

Mail.com

PARIS, Texas (AP) — Gun-rights activists, some of them wearing camouflage and military-style gear and openly toting rifles and handguns, marched alongside the hundreds of people who flocked to downtown Dallas last week to protest police shootings of blacks.

Their presence was part of the new legal landscape in Texas, which earlier this year allowed people to openly carry firearms in public. Moments later, when a sniper gunned down officers patrolling the peaceful march, killing five, the attack ignited panic and confusion. Who was shooting? Were the people with weapons friend or foe?   Continue reading “Friend or foe? Open-carry law poses challenge to police”

RT – by Sam Gerrans

Predictably, there has been a round of attempts to ride the wave of the sensational event in Orlando to push forward the ongoing project to wrest guns from the hands of American citizens.

The latest manifestation of this tedious program featured Democrats staging a sit-in in a rather silly parody of the human rights protests of the sixties.   Continue reading “Americans: Don’t give up your guns”

RT

A US-trained Syrian rebel unit was reportedly defeated and forced to flee by Islamic State during a desert battle near the town of Bukamal, after American jets abandoned them at a critical moment to bomb another target in neighboring Iraq.

The Pentagon-trained rebel unit, the New Syrian Army (NSA), was on a ground offensive to re-take the Islamic State-held (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) town of Bukamal in southeast Syria last week, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.    Continue reading “Syrian rebels lose ISIS battle after being abandoned by US jets – report”