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Mueller Spells Out Trump’s ‘Multiple Acts’ to Undermine Russia Probe

“We concluded that Congress has authority to prohibit a president’s corrupt use of his authority in order to protect the integrity of the administration of justice," he said in his report sent to Congress on Thursday. The 448-page report summarizing Mueller’s 22-month investigation cited actions including Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey and efforts to have former Attorney General Jeff Sessions take control of the investigation.

Views of the Notre Dame Cathedral before, after, and during blaze

The beloved landmark has been declared saved after suffering extensive damage

Columbine focuses on healing as questions loom after manhunt

LITTLETON, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado community changed forever by the attack that killed 13 people at Columbine High School moved ahead Thursday with ceremonies marking the anniversary of the tragedy while awaiting more details on what led a Florida teen "infatuated" with the shooting to buy a shotgun and kill herself in the snowy foothills nearby.

France salutes 'exemplary' firefighters for saving Notre-Dame

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday hailed as "exemplary" hundreds of firefighters who saved Notre-Dame in the devastating blaze, as efforts intensified to shore up the still fragile cathedral. Some 600 firefighters worked throughout the night Monday to put out the fire at the Paris landmark and prevent an even worse disaster, in a blaze that felled the spire and destroyed two-thirds of its roof. A prayer vigil was held at another of Paris's landmark churches, the Sacre-Coeur (Sacred Heart), on Thursday which was due to remain open all night.

In Notre-Dame's shadow, a 'village' faces uncertain future

The owners of restaurants and souvenir stores, flower stalls and gourmet food markets in an area known to residents simply as the "village", they have all been forced to close since Monday's devastating fire at the UNESCO World Heritage landmark. Few at the gathering Thursday morning in the Quasimodo cafe -- named after the hunchback in Victor Hugo's celebrated novel set at the cathedral -- seemed optimistic about the chances of re-opening in the near future. Police are letting only residents and business owners onto the River Seine island known as the Ile de la Cite where the cathedral stands, choking off the tourist traffic that is their lifeblood.

The 2019 Porsche 911 Speedster Isn't Even Out Yet, and There's Already a Factory Trim Package for It

Hey buddy, wanna buy a really nice Porsche Design watch? It comes with a car.

Relatives of German bus crash victims arrive in Madeira

FUNCHAL, Portugal (AP) — Relatives of some of the 29 German tourists who died in a bus crash in Madeira arrived on the Portuguese island on Friday as investigators pushed on with the task of finding out why the bus veered off the road and plunged down a slope.

Judge upholds New York City's mandatory measles vaccination order

In a six-page decision rendered hours after a hearing on the matter, Judge Lawrence Knipel denied the parents' petition seeking to lift the vaccination order, imposed last week to stem the worst measles outbreak to hit the city since 1991. The judge sided with municipal health officials who defended the order as a rare but necessary step to contain a surge in the highly contagious disease that has infected at least 329 people so far, most of them children from Orthodox Jewish communities in the borough of Brooklyn. Another 222 cases have been diagnosed elsewhere in New York state, mostly in a predominantly ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Rockland County, northwest of Manhattan.

President Trump Told Mueller He Was Just Joking When He Asked Russia to Hack Hillary Clinton

President Donald Trump told Robert Mueller that when he publicly asked Russia to hack Clinton it was "in jest and sarcastically."

2020 Lincoln Corsair Preview

All-New 2020 Lincoln Corsair Gains Interior Glamour and Tech Lincoln unveiled its all-new Corsair at the New York International Auto Show this week, replacing the MKC luxury compact SUV. But thi...

Israel destroys family apartments of accused Palestinian killer

Israeli forces destroyed two apartments in the occupied West Bank on Friday that housed the family of a Palestinian accused of killing an Israeli woman in February, the army said. Some clashes broke out between Palestinian residents and Israeli forces during the operation, AFP journalists reported.

Lori Loughlin's husband Mossimo Giannulli never enrolled in USC, took parents' tuition cash

Mossimo Giannulli took his parents' tuition money for University of Southern California (USC) but never actually enrolled, according to reports.

Delayed by Notre-Dame, Macron to answer protests next week

French President Emmanuel Macron is to outline a reform plan drawn up in response to nationwide protests next week after the key policy action was delayed by the Notre-Dame fire, the presidency said Friday. Macron will hold a press conference on Thursday at 6:00 pm (1600 GMT) to make the announcements. It was to have set out his recipe for ending five months of often violent "yellow vest" protests that have rocked France.

How the U.S. Navy Sunk Imperial Japan's Top Secret Aircraft Carrier

“No doubt he intends to act as a decoy at some point to lure away our screening destroyers. That accomplished, his comrades can approach Shinano unopposed. We must guard against any such ploy,” grumbled the thoughtful skipper.The first torpedo struck farthest aft. Over the next 30 seconds three more warheads detonated against the massive aircraft carrier’s hull, working their way forward. The explosions and instant flooding immediately killed scores of men, many asleep in their bunks.As tons of seawater cascaded into the wounded colossus, men below deck could see the extent of the damage, were seized with panic, and stampeded topside. The missiles had hit 10 feet below the water line, and on the bridge and upper levels the commander and his officers were not yet aware of how sorely they were hurt. Many had survived earlier torpedo attacks, and aboard less formidable vessels than this one. Even as their gargantuan ship began to list, they remained optimistic.“Expressing the Flavor of an Ancient Samurai”

The Latest: Egypt begins vote on extending el-Sissi's rule

CAIRO (AP) — The Latest on Egypt's vote on a referendum potentially extending President el-Sissi's rule to 2030 (all times local):

George Conway calls for impeachment: 'Trump is a cancer on the presidency'

The husband of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway believes the Mueller report is so “damning” for President Trump that he should be impeached immediately.

This Is the Longest Flu Season in a Decade Due to Surprising Second Viral Wave

The previous longest recent flu season was 20 weeks, which occurred in 2014-2015

Holiday island mourns after bus crash kills 29 German tourists

Caniço (Portugal) (AFP) - Portugal and Germany mourned on Thursday after 29 German tourists died when their bus tumbled down a slope and crashed into a house on the tourist island of Madeira. Trendtour said the bus had been hired by a local operator and crashed off the road "for a reason still unknown".

How to Get Rid of Lawn Weeds

Unless you stop them, weeds are going to grow in your lawn. Here's what you need to do.

Google is making it easier for Android users in Europe to pick a new browser

We've known for a while now that Google offered Android users in Europe a different experience than international customers, and that's because the European Union really wants Google to behave a lot less like a monopoly than before. Google lost three major anti-trust cases in the region, including one that concerns Android.The European Commission slapped Google with three multi-billion fines in each case, which Google has contested. But the company agreed to make changes to its business models, and the changes also concern its mobile operating system. We know now what changes are in place for Android in Europe.Google explained in a new blog post on the matter that Android users in Europe will get search app and browser options, and showed the world what those prompts will look like.The new screens will be shown the first time a user opens Google Play after receiving an update. We're looking at two screens, one for search and one for browsers, as follows below.Each screen will present the user five apps, including the ones that are installed. The apps that are not installed will show up based on their popularity, but they'll show up in a randomized order.A third screen will be shown to users when they install a search app. Google will ask whether they want to change Chrome's default search engine the next time they open the browser.These screens will show up on both existing and new Android phones in Europe in the coming weeks, Google explained, and their implementation will "evolve" over time.

Assad urges progress on Idlib deal ahead of Syria talks

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Friday called for progress on a stalled buffer zone deal around jihadist-dominated Idlib region ahead of fresh talks aimed at ending his country's eight-year war. Assad met envoy Alexander Lavrentiev from key ally Russia in Damascus to discuss the negotiations due April 25-26 in Kazakhstan. Iran and Russia are the major supporters of the Syrian regime, and along with rebel backer Turkey have sponsored repeated rounds of talks in the Central Asian nation.

Police official: Short-circuit likely caused Notre Dame fire

PARIS (AP) — Paris police investigators think an electrical short-circuit most likely caused the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral, a police official said Thursday, as France paid a daylong tribute to the firefighters who saved the world-renowned landmark.

U.S. court upholds most of California's 'sanctuary' migrant laws

The U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment. California's Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a statement, "We continue to prove in California that the rule of law not only stands for something but that people cannot act outside of it." Scores of Democrat-controlled cities and counties have adopted policies to limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, making them a target for President Donald Trump.

Mueller report: Trump said 'this is the end of my presidency', and other key findings from special counsel's investigation

The release of the 400-page, redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election meddling and possible links to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign is one of the most eagerly-awaited events of his first term.Following the release of attorney general William Barr’s summary of the report last month, many have been waiting for a more detailed look at Mr Mueller’s findings. There have been particular questions still lingering over the issue of possible obstruction of justice by Mr Trump since the release of that summary.Here are the key points in the report, which has been split into two volumes.The first section covered the issue of Russian election interference and the second dealswith the evidence surrounding possible obstruction.The instances of possible obstruction by the presidentMr Mueller’s report makes clear that he did not feel able to pass a traditional legal judgement on whether Mr Trump obstructed justice, but the report “does not exonerate him” with a number of episodes of possible obstruction examined. There were at least 10 such episodes, such of which will be explained in greater detail later in this article. They include: * The Trump campaign’s response to reports about Russian support for the would-be president * Conduct involving FBI Director James Comey, who initially led the Russia investigation until Mr Trump fired him in May 2017, and former White House national security advisor Michael Flynn * Mr Trump’s reaction to the Russia investigation as it was taking place – including angry tweets deriding the investigation * The president’s termination of Mr Comey * The appointment of Mr Mueller special counsel and efforts to remove him. This includes attempts to have White House lawyer Don McGahn deny that Mr Trump ordered him to have Mr Mueller removed[[gallery-0]] * Efforts to curtail Mr Mueller’s investigation * Efforts to prevent public disclosure of evidence that could prove useful to the investigation * Further efforts to have the attorney general take control of the Russia investigation * Conduct towards Mr Flynn, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and another redacted individual * Conduct involving Mr Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael CohenMr Mueller’s says at the start of the report: “A statement that the investigation did not establish particular facts does not mean there no evidence of the facts.”Mr Barr and attorney general Rod Rosenstein have decided that none of this evidence passes the threshold required to bring a criminal case.The investigation team involved dozens of investigators and lawyers At its height, the investigation had 19 attorneys, five from private practice, and 14 from the Department of Justice. There was also a number of other lawyers used to shift possible evidence. There were also three paralegal staff, nine administrative staff and more than 40 other FBI workers. There were 500 witnesses, 80 of whom were out in front of a grand jury.Trump thought he was “f*****” after Mr Mueller was appointedThe president did not react too kindly to Mr Mueller being given the job as special counsel by Mr Rosenstein. The president is said to have “slumped back in his chair and said: “Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I’m f*****.”Trump’s campaign ‘expected’ help from Russia but nobody conspired The report concludes that Russia definitely interfered in the 2016 election, but there was no conspiring between those on Trump’s team and people connected to Russia – despite a number of “links” between individuals.Here is what the report says: “[T]he investigation established that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome, and that the campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts.”The investigation was slowed by messages being deleted, including by Trump campaign officials As well as numerous guilty pleas from a number of people over lies told to Congress and the FBI during the Muller investigation, the report also registers the seeming frustration of the Mueller team that a number of potentially useful communications were deleted by those investigated. This included some people in the Trump campaign.“Some of the individuals we interviewed or whose conduct we investigated – including some associated with the Trump campaign – deleted relevant communications or communicated… using applications that feature encryption,” the report says.Mueller chose not to subpoena TrumpThe report states that the written responses by the president to questions from investigators were “inadequate”, including that possible questions over obstruction of justice being left unanswered.However Mr Mueller said that due to the “late stage” of the investigation at the time, calling the president for testimony would cause a “substantial delay” and therefore one would not be issued.Trump’s attempts to fire Mr Mueller and influence Jeff Sessions were stoppedMr Mueller reports that aides and advisors in the White House refused to “carry out orders” from the president, preventing him from influencing the special counsel’s investigation through there own efforts.“The president’s efforts to influence the investigation were mostly unsuccessful, but that is largely because the persons who surrounded the president declined to carry out orders or accede to his requests,” the report says.White House counsel Don McGahn received a phone call at home from Mr Trump on 17 June, 2017 directing him to call Mr Rosenstein and tell him Mr Mueller “had conflicts of interest and must be removed.” Mr McGahn is said to have refused and responded he would “rather resign”. In another section, a message from Mr Trump to then-attorney Jeff Sessions about limiting the special counsel’s investigation to “future election interference” was not passed on as the White House official involved, Rick Dearborn “was uncomfortable with the task”.Mueller decided not to prosecute Trump Jr or Jared Kushner over Trump Tower meetingMr Mueller decided that prosecuting either Donald Trump Jr, or White House advisor, and President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner over actions in accepting and attending a meeting in June 2016 at Trump Tower with a Russian national who promised damaging information about election rival Hillary Clinton.Investigators could not prove Trump Jr or the other campaign officials at the meeting “willfully” violated the law.The other Trump official at the meeting was campaign chair Paul Manafort, who agreed to meet with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. The special counsel concluded that prosecuting the campaign officials present for campaign-finance violations would be too difficult to pursue.Mueller has left door open for Congress to investigateAs part of the special counsel’s constitutional justification for its own investigation, it also points out that Congress can also apply obstruction laws in investigating and impeaching a sitting president.“The conclusion that Congress may apply the obstruction laws to the president’s corrupt exercise of the powers of office accords with our constitutional system of checks and balances and the principle that no person is above the law,” the report states.

Don't Wait to Book Summer Air Travel | 737 Max

737 Max Fallout: Don't Wait to Book Summer Air Travel If you’re thinking of taking a summer vacation but haven’t yet booked your airline tickets, here’s one bit of advice: This is not the year t...

Driver with STAYUMBL license plate, notorious for cutting people off around Durham, charged in incident with bus

The STAYUMBL license plate is notorious on the road and social media. Folks say the driver behind the wheel will speed up, cut people off and then slam on her brakes, sometimes causing a crash.

Thousands of Peruvians say goodbye to ex-president following suicide

Garcia shot himself in the head on Wednesday to avoid arrest in connection with alleged bribes from Brazilian builder Odebrecht, in the most dramatic turn yet in Latin America's largest graft scandal. Friends, allies and leaders across the political spectrum paid homage to Garcia at the headquarters of his APRA party, one of Latin America's oldest political parties, and one which twice helped usher Garcia to the presidency. Vizcarra ordered flags to be flown at half mast at the country's Congress and other public buildings to honor the ex-President and former lawmaker.

Ukraine comedian vows to break old system in pre-vote debate

A comedian tipped to take over Ukraine's presidency vowed on Friday to dismantle the old political system as he went head-to-head with his incumbent rival in an extraordinary stadium debate before this weekend's vote. The hour-long debate at Kiev's Olympic Stadium capped a weeks-long sensational campaign in a war-torn country seen as a buffer between the European Union and Russia. "I am not a politician," said Zelensky, opening the first and only policy debate of the presidential race.

Spy game? Can China's Huawei be trusted with our 5G?

Depending on whom you believe, Huawei is either a key provider of cellular equipment in the transition to 5G, or a Chinese agent of espionage

Journalist who covered Columbine reflects on lives unlived

NEW YORK (AP) — Daniel. Rachel. Isaiah.

N. Korea Says Bolton Comments on Third Summit Are Foolish: KCNA

“We never expected anything logical from Bolton, but as national security adviser, he should at least know the context of dialogue that took place between the two leaders regarding a third summit before he says anything,” North Korea’s Foreign Ministry diplomat Choi Sun Hee was quoted by the news agency as saying.

'Democratic socialists' Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez, and Tlaib prefer socialism to democracy

“Democratic socialism” turned out to be a chimera, and today’s “democratic socialists,” care more for socialism than democracy.

AP PHOTOS: Czech believers revive Easter rattling procession

CESKE BUDEJOVICE, Czech Republic (AP) — Participants in black suits with white masks are marching in the southern Czech city of Ceske Budejovice, beating drums and pushing small carts in a revival of an Easter tradition.

California couple sentenced to life in prison in severe child abuse case

David Turpin, 57, and his wife Louise Turpin, 50, had agreed to be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison as part of an agreement with Riverside County prosecutors that saw them plead guilty in February to torture, child abuse and false imprisonment charges. The couple cried during the sentencing hearing, where they listened to statements from their children and delivered statements of their own, according to video footage from ABC News. "I'm sorry for everything I've done to hurt my children.

Suicide bombers in deadly attack on Afghan ministry

Suicide bombers and gunmen attacked the communications ministry in central Kabul on Saturday, officials said, in a deadly, hours-long assault that destroyed weeks of relative calm in the capital. The Taliban said it had "nothing to do" with the attack, which left some 2,000 people stranded in the tall office building for hours at the start of the Afghan work week. "As a result of today's explosion/attack in Kabul city, two people have been martyred (killed) and 6 others are wounded," the health ministry spokesman wrote in a tweet, adding 3 of the injured were women.

BlackBerry Messenger or BBM to be shut down for consumers on May 31

The mobile messaging service BBM, one of the last remnants from BlackBerry’s heyday is about to be closed for consumers.

Want to Live Longer? Science Says to Do These 5 Things

These habits can improve your health and lifespan

NFL defensive back Ha Ha Clinton-Dix's college degree withheld for $1 debt

Chicago Bears defensive back Ha Ha Clinton-Dix tweeted Thursday that the University of Alabama is holding his degree, which he earned in 2018, over a $1 unpaid debt. It's unclear why Clinton-Dix owes Alabama a single dollar but he should have no problem finding the pocket change as he recently signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Bears in the offseason.

Trump attacks 'total bulls***' in 'the Crazy Mueller Report'

President Trump on Friday lashed out at the damning portrayal of his presidency in special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, attacking witnesses who gave the special counsel notes to back up their testimony.

Speed test between the US Galaxy S10 and the global version might surprise you

Every year, Samsung releases two versions of its flagship phones: One with a Qualcomm processor, and one with its own Exynos processor. This is once again the case for the Galaxy S10, which comes equipped with the Snapdragon 855 in the United States, and the Exynos 9820 in several other regions around the world.In past years, the Exynos chipset has often outperformed Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon, but there were signs early on that Samsung's new processor might struggle to match Qualcomm's in 2019. As it turns out, the Snapdragon 855's impressive benchmark scores did indeed translate over to real-world usage, as PhoneBuff shows in a video featuring a speed test that pits the Snapdragon Galaxy S10 against the Exynos Galaxy S10.As in his other speed test videos, the self-proclaiming PhoneBuff has both phones open sixteen apps consecutively, while waiting for each of them to load before moving on to the next. Although most of the apps opened at about the same speed on both phones, the Snapdragon S10 was never slower than the Exynos S10. Any time there was a discrepancy, the phone with the Snapdragon processor came out on top:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts6DWsktKxYAgain, due to the benchmarks, this shouldn't surprise anyone, but after lagging behind in previous years, it's nice to know that American Android fans are getting the "better" version of the phone this time around. That said, phones are so ridiculously fast at this point, that the differences between top-of-the-line processors are going to be minuscule (as demonstrated by the twelve second difference above), but at least we know we're not missing out this time.

2020 campaign trail runs through churches in South Carolina

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — By now, most Democratic presidential candidates have polished their stump speeches. But when they're in South Carolina, they may need to add in a sermon.