Newz Monkey

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia principal accused of plagiarizing Ashton Kutcher in an address to his school's graduating class says he didn't mean to use someone else's work. from https://news.yahoo.com/principal-accidentally-plagiarized-ashton-kutcher-speech-092759248.html

Rare earth elements are used in a wide range of consumer products, from iPhones to electric car motors, as well as military jet engines, satellites and lasers. Rising tensions between the United States and China have sparked concerns that Beijing could use its dominant position as a supplier of rare earths for leverage in the trade war between the two global economic powers. WHAT ARE RARE EARTHS USED IN? from https://news.yahoo.com/chinas-rare-earth-supplies-could-051617597.html

Investors fled stocks for safe-haven assets Friday after being spooked by the latest salvos fired in the global trade war. from https://news.yahoo.com/asia-markets-fall-trump-announces-mexico-tariffs-034130041--finance.html

Befitting the former U.S. Marine, it’s thorough, exhaustive in detail, even exasperating in its attention to fine legal arguments and Justice Department policy guidelines. Speaking about it publicly for the first time on Wednesday, Mueller made a point to say that the pages contained his words, carefully chosen. It follows, then, that the report as reiterated by Mueller isn’t easily reduced to catch phrases. from https://news.yahoo.com/mueller-apos-insufficient-evidence-didn-080001052.html

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A border activist being tried in a federal court was helping two migrants with water, food and lodging last year and only intended "to provide basic human kindness," his lawyer told jurors Wednesday. from https://news.yahoo.com/arizona-border-activist-going-trial-helping-migrants-161737255.html

The 911 calls made after the disappearance of 5-year-old Elizabeth Shelley were released Thursday. from https://news.yahoo.com/911-calls-released-elizabeth-shelley-002737660.html

U.S. Attorney General Robert Barr on Wednesday promised Alaska Native leaders he would work to strengthen law enforcement in the state's rural areas hit by alarmingly high rates of violent crime. Native Alaskan leaders say police protection is scarce in their communities. The meeting was held on the day U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller appeared before reporters in Washington at the Department of Justice, which Barr oversees, to discuss his investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. from https://news.yahoo.com/alaska-native-leaders-seek-u-025952873.html

from https://news.yahoo.com/view-2020-lexus-rx-photos-142700298.html

America and its allies in the Middle East are planning to present evidence of Iranian complicity in the attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf to the United Nations Security Council, according to US National Security Advisor John Bolton.Speaking in London before Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK next week, Mr Bolton warned that the “threat was not over” from Iran and that the country “will be held accountable.”“There will be strong response,” to any further acts of violence, he added. He accused Tehran of involvement either directly, or through proxy forces, in carrying out attacks on international shipping, oil pipelines and port facilities in neighbouring countries.Mr Bolton made his charge amid rising tension in the region after the US dispatched an aircraft carrier strike group and B52 bombers and ordered the deployment of additional ground troops.It also comes during continuing friction between the Trump administration and Western allies, including Britain, over the Iran nuclear de...

Bob Iger says many Disney employees would not want to work there if law that bans abortion as early as six weeks takes effectDisney has filmed blockbuster movies such as Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame in Georgia. Photograph: Imagine China/REX/ShutterstockThe chief executive of the Walt Disney Company said Georgia’s new strict abortion law would make it “very difficult” for the media company to keep filming in the state.Walt Disney Co chief executive Bob Iger told Reuters on Wednesday that the law would cause many people to not want to work in the state if it were to go in effect.Georgia’s Republican governor Brian Kemp signed the legislation earlier this month. The law bans abortion once cardiac activity can be detected – which can be as early as six weeks, before many women even realize they are pregnant. The law is due to take effect on 1 January, if it survives court challenges.Disney has filmed blockbuster movies such as Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame in the state. It is ...

Bulgaria has agreed to buy U.S. natural gas for the first time, signing a deal for a delivery in the second quarter and another in the third, the country's energy minister said on Friday. Dutch-registered trader Kolmar NL will deliver a 90 million cubic meter (mcm) cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and a second of 50 mcm. "The ship carrying LNG from the United States has arrived at the Greek Revithoussa LNG terminal," Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova said. from https://news.yahoo.com/bulgaria-first-u-gas-deals-094949074.html

Gulf and Arab allies rallied around Saudi Arabia Friday as it ratcheted up tensions with regional rival Iran after a series of attacks, drawing accusations from Tehran of "sowing division". Tehran, which has strongly denied involvement in any of the attacks, expressed disappointment that Riyadh plans to level the same "baseless accusations" at a summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) early on Saturday. from https://news.yahoo.com/riyadh-rallies-allies-against-tehran-mecca-summits-102213636.html

A man was charged after police say a woman holding a "CALL 911" sign and her three children were found inside his car on Long Island. from https://news.yahoo.com/man-charged-nassau-county-police-123914702.html

A New Mexico mayor on Thursday said he and his staff received multiple death threats after they briefly halted construction of a crowd-funded, private border wall by a group that then urged supporters to tell the city to "stop playing games," and alleged it was tied to drug cartels. The Florida-based group has raised $23 million via crowd-funding site GoFundMe.com to build private border walls to halt smuggling and a surge in undocumented migrants, after funding for President Donald Trump's promised wall was blocked. Perea described the tactics of We Build the Wall as a "cheap blow," and the American Civil Liberties Union accused it of pursuing a "white Nationalist" agenda. from https://news.yahoo.com/mexico-town-gets-death-threats-234629390.html

JERUSALEM (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis met with Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, calling the embattled Israeli prime minister a "strong leader" on the governor's final day of a trade mission to Israel. from https://news.yahoo.com/florida-gov-desantis-meets-netanyahu-israel-203919977.html

The president said Thursday that 5% duties could be placed on all imports from Mexico on June 10, rising in increments to 25% in October unless Mexico halts the flow of immigrants heading to the U.S. border. “We appeal to President Trump to reconsider plans to open a new trade dispute with Mexico,” David Herring, president of the National Pork Producers Council and a hog farmer from Lillington, North Carolina, said Friday in an emailed statement. from https://news.yahoo.com/pork-producers-corn-growers-urge-192245940.html

Democrats are trying to avoid the missteps of the 2016 primary debates — a goal that has proven elusive as more candidates have announced. from https://news.yahoo.com/2016-debates-still-haunting-democrats-152740273.html

As the battle-hardened drill sergeant for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah has long been considered India's second most-powerful person, and his appointment Friday as home minister elevates his position to leader-in-waiting. While Modi is the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party's people person, firing up rallies and mastering Twitter, Shah has for years made sure that Modi's orders are carried out to the letter while turning the world's biggest political party into the undisputed force across the nation of 1.3 billion people. Shah's piercing stare and strongarm tactics have made him a feared and respected figure in the Hindu nationalist party -- opposition parties and critics call him "ruthless" -- a status only increased by his role masterminding the BJP's second straight landslide election victory this month as the party president. from https://news.yahoo.com/amit-shah-modis-enforcer-emerges-behind-indias-throne-091023643.html

Prosecutors focused their examination on Miller’s relationship with Stone and Stone’s connection to WikiLeaks founder Assange, Miller’s attorney Paul Kamenar told reporters after the proceeding. Stone was indicted by the grand jury in January on charges of lying to Congress about communications with Assange, obstruction and witness tampering. from https://news.yahoo.com/stone-uncle-roger-miller-testifies-191843878.html

After a revelation in the disappearance of the 4-year-old, Quanell X has told ABC13 a body was located during the search for the girl in Arkansas from https://news.yahoo.com/maleah-davis-remains-found-bag-200949650.html

The White House’s hopes of rolling out its Israeli-Palestinian peace plan this year were in chaos yesterday after Benjamin Netanyahu plunged Israel into unexpected new elections.   During a meeting with Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law and top aide on Middle East peace, Mr Netanyahu attempted to downplay the political turmoil in his country as “a little event”. But officials and analysts said the Israeli elections in September were likely to delay the peace plan and could cause it to be shelved altogether. One US official suggested it may now have to have wait until Mr Trump's second term.   The Palestinians, who are refusing to engage with the US on the peace plan, delighted in the prospect of its delay. Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian official, said the plan sometimes described as “the Deal of the Century” should now be called “the Deal of Next Century”.  The While House deliberately waited until after the Israeli election in April to make any moves ...

Attorney General William Barr said Friday that the FBI's counterintelligence investigation of the Trump campaign "crossed" a "serious red line" and should be "carefully looked at.""The use of foreign intelligence capabilities and counterintelligence capabilities against an American political campaign to me is unprecedented and it's a serious red line that's been crossed," Barr said in an interview with CBS.The attorney general is currently investigating the origins of the probe to determine whether the U.S. intelligence community's surveillance of the Trump campaign was warranted. He has expressed skepticism about the explanations for some of the investigative actions taken.During testimony to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee last month, Barr stated that "spying did occur" on the Trump campaign, angering Democratic lawmakers."I guess it's become a dirty word somehow," Barr told CBS. "I think ther...

The president’s announcement Thursday surprised many Republicans who hoped to focus on passing a new trade deal with Mexico and Canada known as the USMCA. Trump said he will impose a 5% tariff on all imports from Mexico -- ramping up 5 percentage points every month until hitting 25% in October -- unless Mexico takes "decisive measures" to stem migrants entering the U.S. from https://news.yahoo.com/trump-tariffs-mexico-irk-key-200840336.html

Tesla's largest all-electric hatchback will reportedly have an extended driving range and a simpler cabin design. from https://news.yahoo.com/updated-tesla-model-could-crib-200400469.html

President Donald Trump said he is planning to make a major statement on US immigration policy on Thursday or Friday, amid continuing frustration over thousands of migrants pouring over the border with Mexico. "I'm going to be making a statement, probably tomorrow but maybe today," Trump told reporters. Trump accused Democrats in Congress of not supporting legislation to end what he called "ridiculous" US policy on asylum seekers. from https://news.yahoo.com/trump-planning-dramatic-policy-statement-border-134806069.html

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A body believed to be a missing 5-year-old Utah girl was found Wednesday less than a block from her home, bringing a wide-ranging search to a grim close five days after the child was taken from her home and killed by her uncle, police said. from https://news.yahoo.com/uncle-charged-murder-disappearance-utah-girl-175314683.html

John Bolton, the US national security advisor, has publicly accused Iranian forces armed with naval mines of carrying out an attack on oil tankers earlier this month.  Speaking in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Mr Bolton said Iran “almost certainly” used mines in the sabotage attack which damaged two oil tankers and two smaller ships at the Emirati port of Fujairah.   “There is no doubt in anybody’s mind in Washington who is responsible for this and I think it’s important that the leadership in Iran know that we know,” he said.  But Mr Bolton also adopted a softer tone than in the past, saying the US was not planning military action in response to the Fujairah attack.  However, he warned and Iran its proxy groups that “that these kind of activities risk a very strong response from the Americans.” Mr Bolton also said Iran had unsuccessfully tried to carry out an attack at the Saudi port of Yanbu but gave no further details.  Pe...

Gov. Mike Parson said court intervention in the fight over whether to renew the license of Missouri's lone abortion provider would be "reckless." from https://news.yahoo.com/showdown-over-missouri-abortion-clinic-111229556.html

But stargazers worry more satellites could hinder our views of the night sky. from https://news.yahoo.com/spacexs-starlink-satellites-put-celestial-135200063.html

President Trump renewed his assertion that Robert Mueller’s report exonerated him of wrongdoing, claiming that the special counsel "would have brought charges" if he could, and adding that he “can’t imagine the courts allowing” him to be impeached. from https://news.yahoo.com/trump-says-t-imagine-courts-142454079.html

Syria's regime has increased its deadly bombardment of Idlib in recent weeks, but analysts say that is unlikely to signal an all-out offensive on the jihadist bastion. Eight years into Syria's civil war, the government has notched up a series of victories against rebels and jihadists, and controls around 60 percent of the country. Two regions largely remain beyond its control: a Kurdish-held swathe of the northeast and a northwestern region controlled by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. from https://news.yahoo.com/syrian-regime-retake-idlib-113508490.html

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The sinking of a boat carrying South Korean tourists in Hungary is touching a nerve in South Korea, where many are still traumatized over a 2014 ferry sinking that killed more than 300 people, mostly students. The grief is compounded by claims by some South Korean tour agents and travelers that there were past safety issues on the Danube River where the accident happened. from https://news.yahoo.com/safety-issues-hungary-boat-sinking-strike-nerve-skorea-122622452.html

The producer of the hit television series "The Walking Dead" and other major Hollywood film and TV studios said on Thursday they would reconsider locating productions in Georgia if a new state law restricting abortions takes effect. from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-abortion-at-t/major-hollywood-studios-may-reconsider-georgia-business-over-abortion-law-idUSKCN1T01YQ?feedType=RSS&feedName=entertainmentNews

MTV is flipping the script on dating, broadcasting what it says is the first reality dating competition show in which all the contestants identify as sexually fluid. from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-television-mtv-lgbt/mtv-dating-show-first-to-feature-sexually-fluid-cast-idUSKCN1T02J3?feedType=RSS&feedName=entertainmentNews

Grammy-winning singer R. Kelly was charged on Thursday with 11 new felony counts of sexual assault and abuse that could, if he is convicted, send the R & B singer to prison for 30 years, the Chicago Sun Times reported. from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-rkelly/r-kelly-charged-with-new-felony-sex-assault-abuse-counts-chicago-sun-times-report-idUSKCN1T02HK?feedType=RSS&feedName=entertainmentNews

Walt Disney Co Chief Executive Bob Iger told Reuters on Wednesday it would be "very difficult" for the media company to keep filming in Georgia if a new abortion law takes effect because many people will not want to work in the U.S. state. from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-abortion-walt-disney-exclusive/disney-ceo-says-it-will-be-difficult-to-film-in-georgia-if-abortion-law-takes-effect-idUSKCN1T003X?feedType=RSS&feedName=entertainmentNews

At a new "Star Wars" land at Disneyland Resort in California, Walt Disney Co will let visitors fly the Millennium Falcon and drink blue milk as it aims to satisfy a wide range of the space saga's fans with its most ambitious expansion ever. from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-walt-disney-starwars-parks/disney-aims-to-thrill-star-wars-fans-of-all-kinds-at-u-s-parks-idUSKCN1T0122?feedType=RSS&feedName=entertainmentNews