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Democratic debate: Heavyweights Biden and Sanders to duel

Ten hopefuls will be on stage, but all eyes will be on two heavyweights battling for the party's soul. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2Jo96Ub

'I rented a mouldy flat from the deputy mayor'

When Jennifer Mbon's flat grew a layer of black mould she discovered her landlord was one of Marseille's top politicians. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/320hgdB

Khamenei Scorns Talks With U.S. After Being Sanctioned by Trump

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(Bloomberg) -- Iran’s supreme leader scorned the idea of negotiations to ease his country’s tense standoff with the U.S. in his first comments since being sanctioned by President Donald Trump.“If we agree in negotiations to their demands, they will make the nation miserable,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday, arguing Washington was attempting to strip Iran of its economic and defense capabilities. “And if we don’t, they will go on creating political frenzy, fueling propaganda and applying pressure.”Trump abruptly canceled planned airstrikes against Iran for shooting down last week an American drone, which U.S. officials say was flying through international airspace. But tensions have continued to escalate with leaders trading threats and insults as the risk of military escalation in the world’s top oil-exporting region soars.U.S. ‘Maximum Pressure’ Worked on Iran Before, It May Not AgainKhamenei spoke after Iranian officials said the wreckage of a U.S. drone was found four mile...

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says Beto O'Rourke and Cory Booker's Spanish is 'humorous'

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez described the Spanish being spoken on stage by presidential candidates including Cory Brooker and Beto O’Rourke at the first Democratic primary debate as “humorous”.The youngest ever congresswoman said there was “a lot of Spanglish in the building” as 10 presidential hopefuls sparred on policies and Donald Trump at the debate in Miami on Wednesday night.Speaking on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert after the debate, Ms Ocasio-Cortez, said:“I loved it, because, I represent the Bronx and there was a lot of Spanglish in the building.”“I thought it was humorous sometimes, at times. Especially because, sometimes, of the content of the question.”The Democratic congresswoman, who is of Puerto Rican heritage, added that she thought the candidates might start saying “I will not give you an answer to your question” in Spanish."But it was good,” she added. “I thought it was a good gesture to the fact that we are a diverse country.” Ms Ocasio-Cortez also compared the...

In Surprise Census Decision, Supreme Court Finally Calls BS on the Trump Administration

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Win McNamee/GettyThe Trump administration’s plan to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census—which it estimated would decrease Hispanic participation in the census by five percent—has been temporarily shelved by the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision.The reason? The administration lied.“Reasoned decisionmaking under the Administrative Procedure Act calls for an explanation for agency action,” Chief Justice Roberts wrote in the opinion for the Court. “What was provided here was more of a distraction.”That is music to the ears of Trump’s critics. Finally, there is a limit to how much this administration can lie and get away with it.Notably, the case was not a complete victory for opponents of the question. The Court held that a citizenship question is constitutional, and that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who is responsible for the census, was within his authority to set aside the dire warnings from the Census Bureau that the question would depress participation. Wilbur Ross Lied to ...

Iran 'never seeks war' with US, says Rouhani

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Iran "never seeks war" with the United States, President Hassan Rouhani said as he sought to rein in soaring tensions between the two archfoes. "Iran has no interest to increase tension in the region and it never seeks war with any country, including (the) US," the president said, quoted by state news agency IRNA on Wednesday. Rouhani was speaking by phone to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, as Tehran and Washington engaged in an escalating war of words following Iran's shooting down of a US drone last week. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/31R8a2N

U.S. regulator cites new flaw on grounded Boeing 737 MAX

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WASHINGTON/SEATTLE (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has identified a new risk that Boeing Co must address on its 737 MAX before the grounded jet can return to service, the agency said on Wednesday. The risk was discovered during a simulator test last week and it is not yet clear if the issue can be addressed with a software upgrade or will require a more complex hardware fix, sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The FAA did not elaborate on the latest setback for Boeing, which has been working to get its best-selling airplane back in the air following a worldwide grounding in March in the wake of two deadly crashes within five months. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2FAYlwl

Michigan AG sues to shut down oil pipeline in Great Lakes

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Michigan's attorney general sued Thursday to shut down twin 66-year-old oil pipelines in the Great Lakes, saying they pose an "unacceptable risk" and the state cannot wait five to 10 years for Enbridge Inc. to build a tunnel to house replacement pipes running through the Straits of Mackinac. Democrat Dana Nessel's move came the same day she also sought to dismiss the Canadian company's request for a ruling on the legality of a deal it struck last year with former Republican Gov. Rick Snyder to encase a new segment of its Line 5 in the proposed tunnel. "I have consistently stated that Enbridge's pipelines in the Straits need to be shut down as soon as possible because they present an unacceptable risk to the Great Lakes," Nessel said. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2XASq4H

Democratic debate winners and losers: Elizabeth Warren triumphs while Beto O'Rourke flounders

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The Democrat Party 2020 presidential election debate in Miami was the major chance for the many of the candidates involved to pitch themselves to a national audience.The 10 candidates on the stage, with another 10 debating tomorrow, had around 10 minutes maximum to make sure they stood out. Some triumphed, some failed.The candidates were: Cory Booker, Beto O'Rourke, Elizabeth Warren, JuliΓ‘n Castro, Amy Klobuchar, Tulsi Gabbard, Tim Ryan, John Delaney, Bill de Blasio, and Jay Inslee.Ms Warren is the frontrunner of those names when it comes to the national polls, with Mr Booker and Mr O'Rourke the other candidates with solid name recognition.Here are our winners and losers from the two hours of questions, impassioned statements and squabbles. WinnersElizabeth WarrenThe senator from Massachusetts was the person to beat in the debate and would have expected the other candidates to come after her. Getting through the two hours without a major slip or spat would have been enough.But ...

Millions of people are traveling to New York for WorldPride. Why are some opting to skip?

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WorldPride, the annual LGBTQ celebration, is in New York this year — and LGBTQ people of all stripes are making the global trek. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2INz6sL