Palm Desert

DHS Secretary Blames Migrant Family For Child's Harrowing Death

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on Friday blamed

AP FACT CHECK: Trump falsely claims Flynn didn't lie to FBI

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is skimming over the facts when it comes to former national security adviser Michael Flynn's guilty plea for lying in the Russia investigation.

Man who sexually assaulted woman on flight while she slept is jailed for nine years

Prabhu Ramamoorthy, 34, was also sitting next to his wife on the overnight flight in January. Ramamoorthy had molested the victim while unbuttoning her blouse and unzipping her trousers as she slept. US attorney Matthew Schneider said: “Everyone has the right to be secure and safe when they travel on aeroplanes.

Yemen's warring parties agree to ceasefire in Hodeidah and U.N. role

At the close of a week of talks in Sweden, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a framework for political negotiations would be discussed at the next round of talks at the end of January between the Iranian-aligned Houthis and the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Western nations, some of which supply arms and intelligence to the Saudi-led coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015, had pressed the two sides to agree confidence-building steps to pave the way for a wider truce and a political process to end the war, which has killed tens of thousands of people. The conflict has pushed Yemen, the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula, to the verge of famine.

Police departments nationwide sent scrambling by flood of emailed bomb threats

Although no explosive devices were found, New York, San Francisco, Oklahoma City are among the cities forced to check out the threats.

Former Canadian Envoy Is Now at Center of Feud With China

The former Canadian diplomat who has written about some of the touchiest geopolitical issues in the world, including China’s expanding military footprint in Africa and the North Korea nuclear crisis, is now at the center of a stand-off between two global super-powers. Kovrig was detained by China’s spy agency during a visit to Beijing on Monday, just nine days after Canadian authorities, acting on a U.S. request, arrested a top Huawei Technologies Co. executive in Vancouver. The Chinese government confirmed Kovrig has been detained, according to a Canadian government official briefing reporters Wednesday evening in Ottawa.

Chinese tech workers told not to travel to US 'unless it's essential' after Huawei exec arrested

Technology researchers in China have been ordered to not travel to the US unless it is absolutely necessary, amid rising tensions between the two countries. Staff working in sensitive tech sectors were given the warning following the arrest of a Chinese tech executive in Canada, a source told the South China Morning Post. The warning comes after a similar order from US tech giant Cisco to some of its employees, which asked them the to any non-essential travel to China.

PHOTOS: French police kill suspect in Strasbourg Christmas market attack

The gunman who killed three people at a Christmas market in Strasbourg was shot dead by French police on Thursday as the Islamic State jihadist group claimed him as one of its “soldiers”.

EU's Tusk says no more Brexit negotiations

By Gabriela Baczynska and Jan Strupczewski BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Council President Donald Tusk said on Friday he had no mandate to reopen Brexit negotiations with Britain, while the head of the bloc's executive, Jean-Claude Juncker, said he "admired" Prime Minister Theresa May. Tusk and Juncker were speaking at a news conference after two days of talks at an EU summit that were dominated by the issue of Brexit and saw the other 27 national leaders of the bloc offer May only vague assurances over their Brexit deal. "I have no mandate to organize any further negotiations. ...

CBS Pledges $20M From Les Moonves' Severance To Combat Sexual Harassment

Scandal-ridden CBS is shelling out $20 million to more than a dozen

Beto O'Rourke still undecided as 2020 White House buzz grows

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — When it comes to a 2020 presidential run, Beto O'Rourke is still playing hard to get — even as the buzz around him intensifies.

Pope-appointed missionary travels US to do good

Father Jim Sichko had a calling and it wasn't just to God. It was to, well, everybody. Pope Francis named the Kentucky-based priest to a newly created fleet of Papal Missionaries, ministers who travel the world offering acts of mercy. (Dec. 14)

Man rescued in coal mine: Four-day ordeal was 'terrible'

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Their faces covered in black soot, three adults safely rescued after several days in an inactive West Virginia coal mine were mobbed by loved ones in a teary reunion, then they thanked the crews that got them out.

Iran urges West to end 'absurdities' on missiles

Iran on Thursday urged the United States and its allies to stop their "absurd" accusations about Iranian missile tests, a day after Washington urged the UN to adopt punitive measures against Tehran. "US & allies should cease their hypocritical absurdities abt Iran's missiles," Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter. Beneath the text, Zarif published a graphic detailing arms exports to Saudi Arabia from 2013 to 2017 using figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Brazil take first step in program to join nuclear-powered sub club

President Michel Temer and his right-wing successor, President-elect Jair Bolsonaro, both pressed the button that lowered into the sea the 1,700-ton submarine named Riachuelo at a Rio de Janeiro naval base. Temer's wife, Marcela, had christened the vessel, by smashing a champagne bottle against its hull. The submarines being built by the Brazilian Navy in partnership with France's defense company Naval Group, formerly known as DCNS, are a modified version of the Scorpene class diesel-powered submarine.

Jared Kushner Calls U.S. Criminal Justice System The 'Best In The World.' It's Not.

Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, made a rare television

In farewell speeches, senators bemoan downfall of the 'world's greatest deliberative body'

In their farewell addresses on the Senate floor, senators call out the hyperpartisan atmosphere that has taken hold of the U.S. Capitol.

Our 2018 Range Rover Velar Is Exhibiting Electronic Bugs at 22,000 Miles

Midway through its long-term test, electronic gremlins continue to mar our experience with the otherwise classy crossover.

1984 Bertone Ramarro Corvette: The concept we forgot

Named after a green lizard, this Chevrolet Corvette C4 with sliding doors was born in Italy and looks futuristic to this day

Russian Orthodox church calls on UN for help in Ukraine

MINSK, Belarus (AP) — The Russian Orthodox Church on Friday called on the United Nations, the leaders of Germany and France, the pope and other spiritual leaders to protect believers in Ukraine in the face of pressure on Moscow-affiliated clerics.

With tech exec arrest, Canada squeezed between China, US

The arrest of a top Chinese tech executive at the request of the US has snared Canada in the middle of a major international dispute involving Beijing and Washington. Ottawa confirmed on Thursday that China had detained two Canadian nationals under what Beijing has said is suspicion of threatening its national security. The resulting crisis is to blame on "a trade war between China and the United States," Fred Bild, a former Canadian diplomat and Asian studies professor at the University of Montreal, told AFP.

Police want direct talk with missing Colorado woman's fiance

DENVER (AP) — An official leading the search for a missing Colorado woman urged her fiance to speak with investigators, saying Friday that police believe he is the last person to see the 29-year-old "face to face" since Thanksgiving.

EU to Step Up Plans for No-Deal Brexit as Bloc Plays Hardball With May

May had come to Brussels hoping to secure some additional "assurances" on the most controversial part of her Brexit deal -- the so-called Irish border backstop. “Theresa May has led a courageous fight but unfortunately we are not seeing the results," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told reporters.

First new Mustang Shelby GT500 to be sold by Barrett-Jackson

The buyer gets to pick the color and the options for their special muscle car

Brad Ford and The Hudson Company Team Up for a Connecticut Showroom That Emphasizes Craftsmanship

The designer and Hudson Company founder Jamie Hammel bring their shared passion for fine craftsmanship to Ridgefield

NY sues Walmart, Target for selling toys with high lead levels

New York state authorities on Thursday announced a lawsuit against retail giants Walmart and Target for selling Chinese-made toys that had up to 10 times the legal limit of lead. The lawsuit seeks up to $6,000 in penalties for each of the thousands of Cra-Z-Jewelz jewelry kits the retailers and importer LaRose Industries sold from 2015 to 2016 before they were recalled. Authorities also are asking the three companies to take steps to prevent dangerous toys from reaching store shelves.

Iran says U.N.-led ceasefire in Yemen's Hodeidah is step toward peace: TV

Iran welcomed on Friday initial agreements reached at talks in Sweden by the opposing sides in Yemen's war, which include the Iran-aligned Houthi group, were a step toward a final peace accord, Iranian state TV reported on Friday. The war in Yemen is seen as a proxy war between Iran and its key regional rival Saudi Arabia. U.N.-backed talks in Sweden ended on Thursday with an agreement between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to cease fighting for the Houthi-held port city of Hodeidah and withdraw their troops.

On criminal justice reform, policy prevails over politics

The First Step Act is expected to be passed by the Senate soon and then to be signed by President Trump, reversing more than two decades of tough-on-crime policies.

Ken Paxton: Tijuana migrants will go through a slow process

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says that the caravan migrants waiting in Tijuana will be going through a slow process, sending a message that they are unable to walk across the border.

Montana man pleads guilty to killing 2, putting them in acid

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — A Montana man pleaded guilty Friday to stabbing two people to death, including a teenage girl, dismembering their bodies and then trying to dissolve them in tubs filled with acid in the basement of a home.

The 2020 Toyota Supra Finally Debuts in January and the First One Will Be Auctioned for Charity

The long wait for Toyota's revived sports car is almost over.

In an African first, a cannabis expo...without cannabis

What it didn't have, however, was a cannabis plant. The four-day expo, which opened in South Africa's capital Pretoria on Thursday, was a stark illustration of the legal grey area the nascent industry occupies in the continent's most developed economy. In September, the Constitutional Court decriminalised the use and cultivation of cannabis in private space.

Apple unveils plan for $1 bn campus in Texas, US expansion

Apple unveiled plans Thursday for a $1 billion campus in Texas that will create jobs for the tech giant outside Silicon Valley, a move made without the fanfare of the recent Amazon headquarters bidding war. Currently, Apple employs some 6,200 in the Texas capital, the largest cluster outside its headquarters in Cupertino, California. In January, Apple said it would invest $30 billion in the US over the next five years and create 20,000 new jobs, using some of the overseas profits repatriated at a tax rate lowered under a law passed by Congress last year.

Australia recognises west Jerusalem as Israel’s capital

Australia has decided to formally recognise west Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, but won’t move its embassy until there’s a peace settlement between Israel and Palestinians, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Saturday. He said in a speech that Australia will recognise east Jerusalem as Palestine’s capital only after a settlement has been reached on a two-state solution. The Australian Embassy won’t be moved from Tel Aviv until such a time, he said. While the embassy move is delayed, Mr Morrison said his government will establish a defense and trade office in Jerusalem and will also start looking for an appropriate site for the embassy. "The Australian government has decided that Australia now recognizes west Jerusalem, as the seat of the Knesset and many of the institutions of government, is the capital of Israel," Mr Morrison said. He said the decision respects both a commitment to a two-state solution and longstanding respect for relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Mr Morrison had earlier floated the idea that Australia may follow the contentious US move of relocating its embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, but it was seen by many Australians as a political stunt. Critics called it a cynical attempt to win votes in a by-election in October for a Sydney seat with a high Jewish population. The consideration had sparked backlash from Muslim-majority Indonesia and Malaysia, threatening a free trade deal which has now been delayed. Opposition leader Bill Shorten said Saturday that the decision to recognize west Jerusalem as Israel’s capital but not move the embassy there was a "humiliating backdown" from the October by-election campaign. "What I’m worried is that Mr. Morrison put his political interest ahead of our national interest," Shorten told reporters.  

Trump Says He Never Directed Michael Cohen to Break the Law

“I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law. It is called ‘advice of counsel,’ and a lawyer has great liability if a mistake is made,” Trump said Thursday on Twitter. Cohen drew a three-year prison sentence Wednesday after pleading guilty to breaking campaign-finance laws by arranging hush payments to women who alleged affairs with Trump, as well as lying to Congress and banks.

Georgia officer killed after traffic stop; suspect dead

DECATUR, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia police officer and a suspect died Thursday night after a traffic stop led to a foot chase and shooting just east of Atlanta, authorities said.

Due to fly WOW Air next year? Your trip might be canceled

The struggling budget carrier says holiday flights will not be affected. Flight cuts will begin in January. Affected passengers will be notified.

China urges Japan to ensure rights of 2 in shrine protest

BEIJING (AP) — China has urged Japan to ensure the legal rights of two Hong Kong residents who staged a protest this week at a Tokyo shrine honoring Japan's war dead, the foreign ministry said Friday.

Cadillac's 3-row XT6 SUV loses camouflage for Detroit Auto Show

Cadillac confirmed this week that the forthcoming XT6 crossover SUV will be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show next month. The Caddy that we got a camouflaged sneak peek at a couple months ago has been confirmed for the Detroit Auto Show in January according to Automotive News. The XT6 SUV is expected to fill the vacancy in the Cadillac portfolio between the midsize XT5 crossover and the full-size Escalade, featuring three-rows of sets like its bigger sibling.

Chirp perp: Finches found in luggage at NY airport

A man was caught at New York's JFK airport last weekend trying to smuggle dozens of South American finches into the country, a bird that Guyanese immigrants covet for chirping but officials fear could spread disease, officials said on Thursday. About 70 finches were found hidden inside a shipment of hair rollers at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday when a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialist inspected the unidentified male passenger's luggage. The birds may have been destined for sale to Guyanese immigrants for a game that involves betting on how often the finches chirp per minute, said Customs spokesman Anthony Bucci.