Ravenna

Trump says he has 'proof' on his call to soldier's wife, and the nation waits

If the president's proof is anything like the evidence he’s promised to offer for some of his other controversial assertions, the nation will believe it when — or if — it sees it.

ISIS Losing Its 'Capital' Is A Pivotal Defeat For The Terrorist Group

The self-described Islamic State finally lost its tenuous grip on the Syrian city of Raqqa on Tuesday as U.S.-backed forces retook the extremist group’s last major urban territory following a four-month military campaign.

U.S. diplomat warns to be 'prepared for the worst' right after N. Korean official reportedly shuts down diplomacy

Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan told reporters on Tuesday that while the State Department remained focused on quelling tensions with North Korea through diplomatic channels, that the nation and world must remain prepared for the possibility that those efforts will fail.

Capital Murder Charges Filed Against Muslim Teen's Accused Killer

A man accused of killing 17-year-old Nabra Hassanen in Sterling, Virginia in June may face the death penalty after a grand jury charged him with capital murder and rape on Monday.

Woman Claims Delta Stopped Her From Singing National Anthem For Slain Soldier

A Georgia doctor claims that Delta Air Lines prevented her from singing the national anthem to honor a slain soldier whose casket was on her plane.

Philippine President Declares Marawi City 'Liberated' From Terrorists

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has declared Marawi City liberated from terrorists, signalling an end to almost five months of fighting in the southern Philippine city.

Rohingya man refugee again 40 years after leaving Bangladesh

Nearly four decades ago Fazol Ahmed returned to his native Myanmar with his family under a Rohingya repatriation scheme. Now he is back in the teeming camps of Bangladesh with his wife and children, a refugee once again. Ahmed is among the hundreds of thousands of refugees who have crossed into Bangladesh since an upsurge in violence in neighbouring Myanmar in August that the UN has said amounts to ethnic cleansing.

Confederate monuments vandalized in 2 Virginia cities

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Two Confederate monuments in two Virginia cities have been vandalized this week.

Crews push to contain California fires, search for bodies

By Jim Christie SANTA ROSA, Calif. (Reuters) - Crews fought their way across rugged, steep terrain on Tuesday in a push to gain full control of the deadliest wildfires in California history, as search-and-rescue teams picked through an ashy moonscape of destroyed homes looking for victims. "There are still some concerns that if the west winds come up or we get some erratic winds they could push our lines, but as of right now we're looking pretty good," Steve Crawford, a fire operations chief, told reporters at a briefing in Sonoma County in the heart of California's celebrated wine country. Already 41 people have been confirmed killed in the fires, which erupted last week and were driven by dry, hot winds into Northern California communities, giving residents little or no chance to escape.

McCain on Willingness to Work With Trump 'Dumb Question'

Sen. John McCain chastised a reporter who questioned if he would continue to work with Donald Trump after criticizing him. Lawrence O'Donnell says McCain, who likely won't seek another term, has "nothing left to lose."

Georgia State Senator Offers Free Bump Stock In Wake Of Vegas Massacre

A state senator in Georgia who is running for governor is asserting his stance on gun rights by giving away a bump stock “to one lucky winner” in the aftermath of the Las Vegas mass shooting.

Mom's incredible hack for getting her child to take medicine goes viral

No matter the flavor, from orange to grape, we have vivid memories of being force-fed a spoonful, only to quickly chase it down with a glass of milk or a treat. England's Helena Lee was trying to feed her newborn Calpol when she remembered reading about this trick -- all you need is a bottle and syringe.

Trial Begins For Man Who Allegedly Tortured, Killed 8-Year-Old Boy For Being Gay

The murder trial of an 8-year-old boy who was allegedly brutally abused and finally killed because he was thought to be gay has begun in Los Angeles, with a prosecutor detailing the “systematic torture” of the boy.

Judge Orders Trump Administration To Turn Over DACA Emails

The Trump administration must turn over all emails and memos used to make its decision to phase out Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the 2012 program created to protect undocumented youths from deportation, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

Bill Cosby Accusers Demand Academy Kick Out Cosby And Polanski Too

Two of the more than 50 women who have accused comedian Bill Cosby of sexual assault are demanding he and film producer Roman Polanski be immediately removed from the Academy of Motion Pictures.

Death toll from US drone strike in Pakistan rises to 26: officials

The death toll from a US drone attack on a compound used by the Taliban-allied Haqqani network has risen to 26, officials said Tuesday, less than a week after a US-Canadian family held captive by the militants was rescued. The barrage on Monday targeted a meeting of Haqqani fighters in Pakistan's remote tribal Kurram district along the Afghan border in the deadliest attack on the group this year. "First drone strike killed five fighters from Haqqani network and minutes apart a second drone then fired two more missiles after militants arrived to retrieve dead bodies from the rubble," a senior government official in Kurram told AFP Tuesday.

Woman facing deportation seeks sanctuary a second time

DENVER (AP) — A Peruvian woman has sought sanctuary for a second time in Colorado rather than board a Tuesday flight to her native country as ordered by U.S. immigration authorities, supporters said.

Billy Joel, 68, and wife Alexis Roderick are expecting a baby

Billy Joel will soon have three Uptown Girls to worry about!

Missing Fla. Woman’s Remains Found a Year Later Thanks to Ring She Was Wearing Engraved with ‘MOM’

Tia Bonta was by all accounts a doting mother living in Orlando, Florida, with her baby boy — so when the 25-year-old vanished last August, her family prepared for the worst

John McCain says he'll block Trump's defence nominees until he gets more details on Afghanistan plan

Senator John McCain has said he’ll hold up Donald Trump’s nominees for key Defence Department posts until the President articulates a more detailed strategy for the war in Afghanistan. Mr McCain, the chairman of the influential Senate Armed Services Committee, said the panel needs new information in order to properly outfit the US armed forces with training and equipment. “If we don't get the information we need, we can't do that,” Mr McCain told reporters.

Freed Taliban Hostage Caitlan Coleman Reportedly Rushed To Hospital

Caitlan Coleman, the American woman who spent five years as a hostage of the Taliban, was reportedly rushed to the hospital less than a week after her release from captivity.

Wanted man turns himself in after losing Facebook bet with police  

A wanted Michigan man has turned himself in after losing a bet he made with police on Facebook. Michael Zaydel had promised to give himself up to police if a Facebook post about an existing arrest warrant received more than 1,000 shares. The cocky 21-year-old even promised to bring Redford Township Police Department (RTPD) officers a dozen doughnuts if they were victorious in the challenge. “I’m not worried about it,” he wrote. “If your next post gets 1,000 shares I’ll turn myself in with a dozen doughnuts and that’s a promise. “And I’ll pick up every piece of litter around your public schools.” In a follow-up post, the department said he “may or may not be a man of his word,” adding, “it is our experience everyone gets caught at some point. He has drawn a lot of attention to himself, and that makes it hard to hide from reality.” The fugitive eventually surrendered to police, fulfilling his promise by arriving at the station with doughnuts and a bagel. “Zaydel made good on his promise to turn himself in to RTPD for his outstanding warrants,” the department said. “He walked in on his own, and not only did he bring the doughnuts, he brought one bagel! We would again like to express our gratitude for the support of all who followed this, shared it, and left us positive feedback.” Mr Zaydel was sentenced to 39 days in jail after pleading guilty to breaking the terms of his probation. Is this the world's most meta mugshot? 

California Becomes First State To Legally Recognize A Third Gender

California Governor Jerry Brown signed first-of-its kind legislation over the weekend that enables residents of the state to choose a third, non-binary gender category on California state-issued IDs, birth certificates and driver’s licenses.

Southwest Celebrates First 'Unmanned' Max 8 Flight While Shutting Down Haters

Southwest Airlines on Wednesday celebrated its first “unmanned” flight on the company’s new fleet of Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

China's Xi lays out vision for 'new era' led by 'still stronger' Communist Party

By Christian Shepherd and Stella Qiu BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday laid out a confident vision for a more prosperous nation and its role in the world, stressing the importance of wiping out corruption and curbing industrial overcapacity, income inequality and pollution. Opening a critical Communist Party congress, Xi pledged to build a "modern socialist country" for a "new era" that will be proudly Chinese and steadfastly ruled by the party but open to the world. Although his wide-ranging address made clear there were no plans for political reform, Xi said China's development had entered a "new era", using the phrase 36 times in a speech that ran nearly 3-1/2 hours.

Bidding war heats up for $5 billion second Amazon HQ

It's the prize of a lifetime -- a $5 billion investment creating 50,000 well-paid jobs that everyone wants, but only one US city will get. From East to West, from North to South, metropolises across the United States are locked in a frenzied bidding war desperate to woo Amazon into favoring them as the site of the e-commerce giant's second headquarters. From $7 billion in tax breaks in Newark, New Jersey -- 50 years ago aflame by deadly race riots -- to a giant cactus shipped inter-state, bids range from the colossally ambitious to the silly before Thursday's deadline for submissions.

Duchess Kate Middleton and Prince William reveal when baby No. 3 is due

It's official, Duchess Kate and Prince William have announced when we can expect the arrival of baby number 3! Today, Kensington Palace revealed that the new bundle of joy will be joining sister Charlotte, 2, and brother George, 4, in April 2018.

Mother Allegedly Killed Two Sons Inside Burning Oven

The single mother said taking care of her children was overwhelming and that she “couldn’t do it anymore.”

White House slams lawmaker's 'disgusting' criticism of Trump's call to soldier's widow

The back-and-forth dispute between the president and a Florida congressman over what Trump said to a soldier’s widow continued Wednesday afternoon. While not denying a remark that Rep. Frederica Wilson attributed to Trump, the White House criticized her for politicizing the issue.

Anita Hill: Harvey Weinstein's Behavior Is No Surprise

Anita Hill, who championed women’s ability to speak out against sexual harassment, didn’t mince words about the allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.

Iraqi gov't assumes control after Kurds leave disputed areas

BAGHDAD (AP) — Kurdish fighters pulled out of disputed areas across northern and eastern Iraq on Tuesday, one day after giving up the vital oil city of Kirkuk — a dramatic redeployment of forces that opened the way for government troops to move into energy-rich and other strategically important territories.

GOP Lawmaker Says Emergency Rooms Should Be Able To Turn People Away

proposed on Friday that hospital emergency rooms should be able to turn patients away to help keep health care costs down.

Obama administration approved nuclear deal with Kremlin after FBI uncovered Russian bribery plot

The Obama administration potentially knew of corruption at a Russian nuclear supplier years before it agreed to sign over 20 per cent of US's uranium supply to the company, a new report has claimed. The Hill claims federal agents found evidence of illegal payments made to an employee at a Russian nuclear company years before the Obama administration allowed the company to make a major business deal.

Donna Karan Apologizes Again For Victim-Blaming Harvey Weinstein Accusers

Donna Karan came under fire last week for comments she made in response to accusations of sexual assault and abuse leveled at disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship is ‘the largest in the world’

The ‘world’s largest ship’ comes with a giant water slide, zipline and other cool amenities

Gold Star Moms Blast Trump For Delayed Response To Soldiers' Deaths

The mother of a soldier killed in Iraq called President Donald Trump’s delayed response to the deaths of U.S. service members in Niger an abdication of his first duty as commander in chief ― “to acknowledge the sacrifice of one of his military members.”

Boeing could rebut Airbus deal with new plane, partner

Bombardier's alliance with Airbus creates new hurdles for Boeing, but the US giant could respond by deepening its collaboration with Brazil's Embraer and launching a new aircraft, analysts say. The surprise deal with Airbus was designed to let Bombardier proceed with its C Series program and avert draconian US sanctions that had been ordered in a preliminary Commerce Department decision in response to a Boeing complaint. "Anything that's good for Airbus is bad for Boeing of course," said Jim Corridore, an analyst at CFRA Research, summarizing the reaction of many observers to the Airbus-Bombardier venture.

No Deal Reached on NFL Players Protests

NFL players and owners had a "productive" meeting over social issues but no deal or decision made about players who choose to kneel during the playing of the National Anthem at football games.

Netanyahu says Israel won't tolerate Iran presence in Syria

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's prime minister warned Tuesday that he will not tolerate an Iranian military presence in neighboring Syria.

Stunning Photos Show Faces Of Poverty That Are Rarely Seen

A new portrait campaign asking people to think differently about people living in poverty appeared on billboards in New York City’s Times Square on Tuesday. 

Abedin Sent Government Emails on Weiner Laptop: Report

State Department officials have reportedly found more than 2,800 government-related work emails Huma Abedin sent from Anthony Weiner's laptop.

Woman Takes Insanity Plea in Death of Her 5-Year-Old Daughter Whose Body Was Found in Restaurant

MingMing Chen was charged with murder, tampering with evidence, obstructing justice, gross abuse of a corpse and two counts of endangering children.

Ford to recall 1.34 million trucks in North America for door latch fix

Ford Motor Co said on Wednesday it would recall 1.34 million 2015-17 Ford F-150 and 2017 Ford Super Duty trucks in North America to add water shields to side door latches at a cost of $267 million. The No.2 U.S. automaker said the safety recall is due to a frozen door latch or a bent or kinked actuation cable in the affected vehicles, that may result in a door not opening or closing. A Ford spokeswoman, Elizabeth Weigandt, said customers would be notified next month but did not have a timetable for when parts will be available.

Khizr And Ghazala Khan Denounce Trump's 'Selfish And Divisive Actions'

Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the parents of a Muslim service member killed in Iraq, denounced President Donald Trump’s “selfish and divisive actions” related to this week’s controversy of Trump’s comments on consoling the families of fallen troops.

American woman becomes princess after meeting a real prince in a nightclub

Most of us can but dream of rocking up to the club and casually meeting a member of a royal family. But, that's what happened to Ariana Austin on the dance floor of Washington D.C. nightclub Pearl back in December 2005 when she met Joel Makonnen, a.k.a. Prince Yoel.  The story didn't end there for Austin and Makonnen. Twelve years on from their nightclub meet-cute, the couple tied the knot, and Austin became a princess. SEE ALSO: Prince George's favourite film proves once and for all he just can't wait to be king Per the New York Times, Prince Yoel is the great-grandson of Haile Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia, part of the Solomonic dynasty. Austin also happens to be of noble blood: she's the granddaughter of the lord mayor of Georgetown, Guyana. A post shared by Ariana Austin Makonnen (@chezariana) on Sep 15, 2017 at 7:14am PDT Enough about royalty, we want to know what went down in that nightclub on that fateful night in 2005. That night, Makonnen strolled over to Austin and her friend and said: "You guys look like an ad for Bombay Sapphire," according to the NYT. It appears Makonnen's regal background didn't help him out in the chat-up line department. Apparently, it took Makonnen just five more minutes to tell Austin: "You're going to be my girlfriend." Well, he certainly didn't waste any time.  Official pics are here! All credit to the talented @dotunayodeji. Planning by @favoredbyyodit Dress @lazarobridal #AriJo #royalwedding #moretocome ❤️ A post shared by Ariana Austin Makonnen (@chezariana) on Oct 16, 2017 at 4:39pm PDT The couple were wed in an Ethiopian Orthodox ceremony in Temple Hills, Maryland, surrounded by family and friends.  And, in case you were wondering, the couple certainly don't sit on thrones all day long. Austin works at the Executives' Alliance for Boys and Men of Color, and Makonnen works at Otsuka America Pharmaceutical.  Congrats to the happy (royal) couple! WATCH: Prince George looks beyond cute for his first day of school

The Internet Couldn't Get Enough Of Gucci Mane And Keyshia Ka'oir's Luxurious Wedding

Gucci Mane and Keyshia Ka’oir threw the wedding of the year Tuesday night.