| Critic of Duterte's anti-drug crusade charged with receiving bribes from drug lords Posted: 23 Feb 2017 02:09 PM PST ![Critic of Duterte's anti-drug crusade charged with receiving bribes from drug lords]( "Critic of Duterte's anti-drug crusade charged with receiving bribes from drug lords") Philippine Sen. Leila de Lima has been one of the harshest critics of President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs. Now, she herself has been charged with receiving bribes from drug dealers. Senator de Lima has announced that she will submit to arrest and face the charges.
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| Meeting hate with love in St. Louis Posted: 23 Feb 2017 01:49 PM PST ![Meeting hate with love in St. Louis]( "Meeting hate with love in St. Louis") After vandals damaged nearly 200 tombstones in a Jewish cemetery near St. Louis last weekend, it wasn't only Jews who rose up to denounce the act of hate. Muslim groups helped raised more than $120,000 to repair the damage and offered a reward to catch those responsible. Some 2,000 people – Jews, Christians, and Muslims – helped clean up the mess.
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| CPAC dismisses Richard Spencer: How conservatives are severing alt-right ties Posted: 23 Feb 2017 01:31 PM PST ![CPAC dismisses Richard Spencer: How conservatives are severing alt-right ties]( "CPAC dismisses Richard Spencer: How conservatives are severing alt-right ties") Richard Spencer, a white nationalist and a leader of the so-called "alt-right" movement, says he has been booted from the Conservative Police Action Committee (CPAC) by organizers who disagree with his views. A controversial figure, Spencer is credited with coining the term alt-right, which refers to a branch of the right-wing that has roots in white supremacy. Spencer has also addressed crowds where his cry of "Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory!" was met with what looked like Nazi salutes.
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| What do those red Xs on Facebook mean? Posted: 23 Feb 2017 01:26 PM PST ![What do those red Xs on Facebook mean?]( "What do those red Xs on Facebook mean?") Facebook users may have noticed a sudden proliferation of red Xs in their news feeds on Thursday, thanks to a campaign to raise awareness of human trafficking.
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| Behind raucous town halls, a return to messy roots of democracy? Posted: 23 Feb 2017 01:10 PM PST ![Behind raucous town halls, a return to messy roots of democracy?]( "Behind raucous town halls, a return to messy roots of democracy?") Across the United States, Republican representatives have been enduring unruly "town hall" meetings, facing down angry questions from constituents unhappy with their handling of President Trump's new administration. Some GOP lawmakers have even canceled town hall appearances or opted for teleconferences in order to avoid the outpouring of protests. Town halls, especially in smaller districts, can be poorly attended, even dull events.
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| Museum or church? St. Isaac's becomes bone of contention in Russia Posted: 23 Feb 2017 01:06 PM PST ![Museum or church? St. Isaac's becomes bone of contention in Russia]( "Museum or church? St. Isaac's becomes bone of contention in Russia") The immense, golden-domed St. Isaac's Cathedral dominates the skyline of historic St. Petersburg, occupies a special place in the hearts of its citizens, and is a main tourist attraction. It's been a state museum for 80-plus years, is a UNESCO heritage site, and receives 4 million paying visitors per year.
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| Where next for Putin and Trump?, China: storming the seas by stealth, Nigeria's forgotten violence, The world must take a stand, Peace can prevail in Cyprus Posted: 23 Feb 2017 12:49 PM PST ![Where next for Putin and Trump?, China: storming the seas by stealth, Nigeria's forgotten violence, The world must take a stand, Peace can prevail in Cyprus]( "Where next for Putin and Trump?, China: storming the seas by stealth, Nigeria's forgotten violence, The world must take a stand, Peace can prevail in Cyprus") "The latest flare-up of violence in Eastern Ukraine ... is not about changing the status-quo or a warming-up for ... another major escalation," writes Vladimir Frolov. "It is an inescapable result of the fog of war, which the Minsk peace agreements [have] failed to completely stop.... [T]he Kremlin was quick to use the episode to remind the Trump administration that the Ukraine crisis demands the urgent attention of the superpowers.... It isn't clear whether Moscow is interested in making the concessions that Trump seems to be expecting.... But Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview ... that Russia was prepared to 'walk her part of the road' towards better relations with the US.
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| In Somali diaspora, lessons for refugees – and their host countries Posted: 23 Feb 2017 12:49 PM PST ![In Somali diaspora, lessons for refugees – and their host countries]( "In Somali diaspora, lessons for refugees – and their host countries") For Casiman Abdullahi, Jan. 30 was a very good day. After four years, this was to be one of the very last steps in his application to leave South Africa, where he had been a victim of xenophobic violence, for the United States. Recommended: Think you know Africa?
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| This man has created a different kind of urban school for students of color Posted: 23 Feb 2017 12:46 PM PST ![This man has created a different kind of urban school for students of color]( "This man has created a different kind of urban school for students of color") Should an urban school serving black and Hispanic students try to emulate schools for affluent white kids? In many struggling cities like Oakland, Calif., the answer has been no. That's true in the regular public schools, where resources often don't exist to replicate programs offered at high-income suburban or private schools, as well as among the crop of urban charter schools intent on making up for those resource deficits. Urban charter schools have been stereotyped as embracing a boot camp-like environment that elevates test prep and tough discipline, while playing down arts and athletics.
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| The logistical case for Trump's deportation plan – and the legal case against it Posted: 23 Feb 2017 12:17 PM PST ![The logistical case for Trump's deportation plan – and the legal case against it]( "The logistical case for Trump's deportation plan – and the legal case against it") When the Trump administration outlined its rationale this week for ramping up immigration enforcement, it cited the "unacceptable" delays that currently plague the country's immigration courts. The department's resources are already "significantly strained," the DHS memo noted – even as it outlined plans to deport and detain a far broader range of illegal immigrants than the Obama administration. The Trump administration has promised a "surge" of immigration judges and asylum officers to handle the long-standing backlog, with additional plans to allocate billions for a massive border wall, new detention centers, and thousands of newly hired border and enforcement officers.
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| Pulling out of ICC would be unconstitutional, South African court rules Posted: 23 Feb 2017 11:56 AM PST ![Pulling out of ICC would be unconstitutional, South African court rules]( "Pulling out of ICC would be unconstitutional, South African court rules") South Africa was poised to leave the International Criminal Court in October, making it the first state to withdraw from the human rights tribunal. On Wednesday, a South African court ruled that the government cannot pull South Africa from the ICC without parliamentary consent. Siding with the opposition Democratic Alliance party, High Court Judge Phineas Mojapelo told the government that its withdrawal notice was "unconstitutional and invalid" without that consent, and ordered it to be torn up.
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| Why Trump inauguration singer wants a private meeting with the president Posted: 23 Feb 2017 11:10 AM PST ![Why Trump inauguration singer wants a private meeting with the president]( "Why Trump inauguration singer wants a private meeting with the president") Jackie Evancho, the teenage singer who performed the national anthem at President Trump's inauguration in January, is "disappointed" with the president's decision to roll back Obama-era guidelines on transgender bathroom rules in public schools. Take the quiz!
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| With explosion in upscale mall, terror attacks continue in Pakistan Posted: 23 Feb 2017 09:04 AM PST ![With explosion in upscale mall, terror attacks continue in Pakistan]( "With explosion in upscale mall, terror attacks continue in Pakistan") A bomb detonated in an upscale shopping center in the Pakistani city of Lahore on Thursday has killed at least eight people and wounded 20 others, in the latest of a blitz of terror attacks to strike cities across the country. Since then, suicide bombers claiming affiliation with multiple Islamic groups have also struck a courthouse in northwestern Pakistan and a famed Sufi shrine in the southern province of Sindh, with the total death toll reaching well over 100. Recommended: How much do you know about Pakistan?
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| Survey says the majority of Americans trust the media over Trump Posted: 23 Feb 2017 08:44 AM PST ![Survey says the majority of Americans trust the media over Trump]( "Survey says the majority of Americans trust the media over Trump") In a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday, 52 percent of respondents chose the media over Mr. Trump when asked who they trusted to "tell you the truth about important issues." Just over one-third, 37 percent, reported finding Trump more trustworthy. Recommended: Are you smarter than a Fox News viewer?
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| Flood waters force thousands from homes in Northern California Posted: 23 Feb 2017 08:39 AM PST ![Flood waters force thousands from homes in Northern California]( "Flood waters force thousands from homes in Northern California") Hit by a once-in-100 years flood, more than 14,000 residents near the swollen Coyote Creek that runs through San Jose, Calif., were ordered to evacuate on Wednesday. While some were able to return to their homes early Thursday morning as the water levels began to subside, an evacuation order remained for some parts of the city, a hub of high-tech Silicon Valley. Recommended: Are you a weather nerd?
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| Hundreds protest in Anaheim after an off-duty cop fired shots at teens Posted: 23 Feb 2017 07:40 AM PST ![Hundreds protest in Anaheim after an off-duty cop fired shots at teens]( "Hundreds protest in Anaheim after an off-duty cop fired shots at teens") Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday to express their outrage after a video surfaced that appears to show a local police officer roughing a young teen and eventually firing his weapon. The protest followed a Tuesday incident, in which an off-duty, white Los Angeles police officer allegedly fired shots in an altercation with a group of Latino teenagers who had walked across his lawn. Recommended: Can you pass the written police officer exam?
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| Cressida Dick becomes Scotland Yard’s first female top cop Posted: 23 Feb 2017 07:04 AM PST ![Cressida Dick becomes Scotland Yard's first female top cop]( "Cressida Dick becomes Scotland Yard's first female top cop") Senior counter-terrorism officer Cressida Dick was named chief of police in London on Wednesday, making her the first woman to head a 31,000-member force in what is often considered the top police job in Britain. Ms. Dick, a former assistant commissioner of the force who left in 2015 to join Britain's Foreign Office, led the security operation for the 2012 London Olympics, and is highly regarded by many ordinary officers. Among main longer-term challenges are likely to be budget pressures and the need to incorporate diverse communities into the work of a predominately white force, a priority for London Mayor Sadiq Khan, according to The Guardian.
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| Md. appeals court upholds 'assault weapon' ban: a new challenge to scope of Second Amendment? Posted: 23 Feb 2017 05:20 AM PST ![Md. appeals court upholds 'assault weapon' ban: a new challenge to scope of Second Amendment?]( "Md. appeals court upholds 'assault weapon' ban: a new challenge to scope of Second Amendment?") A Maryland law banning so-called assault rifles survived its day before a federal appeals court Tuesday, marking a victory for gun control advocates that could bring the question of whether military-style weapons receive Second Amendment protection before the nation's highest court. At its core, the argument examines whether or not weapons such as AR-15s and AK-47s are the kind of firearms necessary for legal purposes, such as self-defense, or if they constitute "dangerous and unusual" weapons that have been historically prohibited in some states.
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| Trump's been quieter lately. Is that a trend? Posted: 22 Feb 2017 03:39 PM PST ![Trump's been quieter lately. Is that a trend?]( "Trump's been quieter lately. Is that a trend?") On Tuesday, for instance, President Trump went to the African-American Museum in Washington, and the visit seemed ... normal. Mr. Trump walked the halls like any respectful visitor, paying particular attention to Nat Turner's Bible and an exhibit on boxer Muhammad Ali. Nothing more important," Trump said.
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