Barr accuses Dems of using criminal justice process as ‘political weapon,’…
May 1, 2019
Paris May Day Protests…
May 1, 2019
Private payrolls surge by 275,000 in April, blowing past estimates and biggest gain since July…
May 1, 2019
- Private payrolls grew by 275,000 last month, the biggest increase since July, when they expanded by 284,000.
- Services-providing jobs increased by 223,000 in April, led by a gain of 59,000 jobs in professional and business services.
- “The job market is holding firm, as businesses work hard to fill open positions,” says Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics.
The road to 4.0 GDP is being paved.
ODNI Releases Annual Intelligence Community Transparency Report…
The National Security Agency released or “unmasked” the identities of over 16,000 “U.S. persons” referenced in intelligence reports on foreign targets to other agencies in 2018 according to the report ...
May 1, 2019
Today, consistent with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA), as amended (codified in 50 U.S.C. § 1873(b)), and the Intelligence Community’s (IC) Principles of Intelligence Transparency, we are releasing our sixth annual Statistical Transparency Report Regarding Use of National Security Authorities presenting statistics on how often the government uses certain national security authorities.
Top US and Chinese trade negotiators held productive talks in Beijing on Wednesday, the American side said…
May 1, 2019
The US and Chinese officials posed for pictures but made no statements to journalists about the outcome of the talks after they emerged from their hours-long meeting at the Diaoyutai state guest house.
Liu and the Americans exchanged pleasantries before and after the behind-closed-door talks, joking about wearing the same colour red ties. The Chinese vice premier gave US Ambassador Terry Branstad a blue album with the Chinese state crest on it.
Mnuchin told reporters earlier that he had a "nice" working dinner with Liu on Tuesday night.
Meet Naruhito, the New Emperor of Japan…
World leaders from Trump to Xi and Moon send congratulations to Japan's new emperor...
May 1, 2019
Japanese Emperor Naruhito formally took up his post on Wednesday a day after the abdication of his father, saying he felt a “sense of solemnity” but pledging to work as a symbol of the nation and the unity of its people... “We are determined to create, amidst the fast-changing international environment, a bright future for a proud Japan that is peaceful and full of hope,” he said...
Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro claimed to have defeated the military coup attempt by the opposition leader, Juan Guaidó…
May 1, 2019
...in a defiant TV address, President Maduro said Mr Guaidó had failed to turn the military against him. Mr Guaidó insists that Mr Maduro has lost control of the armed forces, and that a peaceful transition is at hand...
Current President Maduro is backed by Russia, China, and the top of Venezuela's military. He has publicly refused to cede leadership to his rival.
Maduro announces ‘criminal prosecutions for rebellion’…
May 1, 2019
"This will not go unpunished," Maduro said in an address broadcast on television and the radio. "I have spoken to the attorney general. I have chosen three prosecutors who will interrogate all people involved and they will launch criminal prosecutions for the serious crimes that have been committed against the constitution, the rule of law and the right to peace."...
Alabama house votes to BAN abortion with doctors facing up to 99 years in jail if they carry out the procedure in the state including cases of rape or incest…
May 1, 2019
The proposal passed after Democrats walked out of the chamber after sometimes emotional debate with opponents and supporters crowding the gallery. The bill now moves to the Alabama Senate.
For the first time ever, a drone successfully delivered an organ for transplant…
May 1, 2019
Doctors believe the use of drones to make organ deliveries could make them more widely available than traditional methods of transporting organs...
Leakin’ Lyin’ James Comey writes Op’Ed in the NYT…
May 1, 2019
James Comey: How Trump Co-opts Leaders Like Bill Barr. "Accomplished people lacking inner strength can’t resist the compromises necessary to survive this president."
FDA approves the marketing of new Philip Morris tobacco product even through they expressed alarm on teen use of E-cigarettes…
May 1, 2019
The agency says it’s less harmful than cigarettes and may help some smokers quit... the agency has flashed a green light for a new tobacco product that some critics argue is very similar to electronic cigarettes. The FDA has authorized the marketing of a new Philip Morris product called a “tobacco heating system.” It consists of an electronic device that heats tobacco-filled sticks wrapped in paper to generate a nicotine-containing aerosol.
Migrant Who Assaulted 11 Swedish Women Gets Off With Fines, Probation…
May 1, 2019
The 23-year-old man attacked nearly a dozen women in the city of Uppsala between January and February while wearing a surgical mask disguise, with many of the women reporting that the encounters left them feeling vulnerable and afraid to walk the streets alone...
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for skipping bail in England, 1 day before facing extradition hearing…
May 1, 2019
His seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy cost British taxpayers $21 million, and the judge said he sought asylum as a "deliberate attempt to delay justice."
Washington needs to show Beijing who is the boss in the Pacific. And they did it using submarines…
May 1, 2019
Submarines seemed to fit the bill, as if Washington were saying to Beijing, “Sure, you might surprise us with your missiles. But we remember we have plenty of missiles of our own — and they’re not far from you.” Nuclear powers rarely go to war with each other, but that doesn’t mean they don’t threaten to do so...
China’s African swine fever epidemic could cause global heparin shortage…
May 1, 2019
The disease "has the potential to cause an unprecedented shortage of heparin's raw material"... In 2018, China had some 440 million of the world's roughly 770 million pigs. But since African swine fever was first reported there in August, that number has fallen sharply. Early this year, the Chinese government reported culling 1 million hogs to help contain the outbreak. However, experts believe the actual number of lost animals is far greater -- and will continue to climb.
Heparin is an anticoagulant (blood thinner).
Ex-Peruvian President Alan Garcia Accused Of Receiving $200k Bribes For Contracts…
May 1, 2019
The bribe is said to have been sent in 2006 as a contribution to Garcia’s 2006 election campaign, which was to be the start of his second term as president. Contributions were sent on the understanding that the company would be privileged in the granting of large state contracts. Odebrecht is the scandal-ridden Brazilian construction company that is accused of paying bribes for public contracts in numerous Latin American countries.
US Air Force ties to Greece may grow as relations with Turkey sour…
May 1, 2019
Now, Washington and Ankara are involved in a public spat over Turkey’s decision to acquire the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, despite the Pentagon’s warning that such a purchase would compromise the F-35 stealth fighter, in which Turkey is a partner. Greece may want to capitalize on the tensions in order to strengthen its own security posture vis-à-vis Turkey. The two countries have historic tensions over territorial waters and airspace...
Deep learning outperformed 136 of 157 dermatologists in a head-to-head dermoscopic melanoma image classification task on all the different levels of experience (from junior to chief physicians) in terms of average specificity and sensitivity…
May 1, 2019
So, is there any chance we could get our hands on these tools in order to get a preliminary estimate before dropping hundreds on biopsies? Maybe in a few years someone will create the ability to use the camera on your phone to give a diagnosis.
Fossil of 85-foot blue whale is largest ever discovered…
May 1, 2019
That’s just shy of the largest modern blue whales on record, which reach up to a hundred feet. Perhaps even more surprising to scientists, though, is the fact that a whale of this size swam the seas around 1.5 million years ago, during the early Pleistocene—far earlier than previously thought.