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Trump doubts U.S. needs to send more troops to Middle East

"I would certainly send troops if we need them." If needed, "we'll be there in whatever number we need," he added. Trump, who has been focused on trying to reduce the number of U.S. troops deployed around the world, spoke shortly before he was to be briefed at the White House on a new deployment plan by acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan. Shanahan said the Pentagon was considering sending additional U.S. troops to the Middle East as one of the ways to bolster protection for American forces there amid tensions with Iran.

Missouri: destructive tornado leaves three people dead and severe damage

Series of devastating storms led to multiple tornadoes, leaving people injured and trapped in homes as torrid weather pummels parts of midwest A large and violent tornado has left at least three people dead in Missouri as torrid weather continues to pummel parts of America’s midwest. A series of devastating storms hit the area on Wednesday night leading to multiple tornadoes. The region has already endured days of torrential rain and flooding. The National Weather Service confirmed that the deadly tornado moved over Missouri’s capital, Jefferson City, shortly before midnight. “Across the state, Missouri’s first responders once again responded quickly and with strong coordination as much of the state dealt with extremely dangerous conditions that left people injured, trapped in homes, and tragically led to the death of three people,” Governor Mike Parson said. Authorities said the three were killed in the Golden City area of Barton county, near Missouri’s south-west corner, as the severe weather moved in from Oklahoma, where rescuers struggled to pull people from high water. Kenneth Harris, 86, and his 83-year-old wife, Opal, were found dead about 200 yards from their home, and Betty Berg, 56, was killed and her husband, Mark, seriously injured when their mobile home was destroyed, authorities said. The tornado hit during a week that has seen several days of tornadoes and torrential rains in parts of the southern plains and midwest. No deaths were reported in the capital, but city police officials said about 20 people were rescued by emergency personnel as the tornado caused damage to multiple buildings. Emergency workers reported about two dozen injuries, Williams said, and around 100 people went to shelters. Hospitals reported treating injuries such as cuts and bruises. The weather service reported that a “confirmed, large and destructive tornado” was observed over Jefferson City at 11.43pm local time on Wednesday, moving north-east at 40mph . The capital city has a population of about 40,000 and is located about 130 miles west of St Louis. “It’s a chaotic situation right now,” said Lt David Williams of Jefferson City police. A car is trapped under the fallen metal roof of the Break Time gas station and convenience store in Jefferson City, Missouri. Photograph: David A Lieb/AP The tornado was described as a “wedge”, meaning it was wider than it was tall. According to reports it moved at 40mph at some points, and dispersed debris 13,000ft into the air, including overturning vehicles. The weather service said it had received 22 reports of tornadoes by late Wednesday; some could be duplicate reporting of the same twister. One tornado skirted just a few miles north of Joplin, Missouri, on the eighth anniversary of a catastrophic tornado that killed 161 people in the city. The tornado caused some damage in the town of Carl Junction, about four miles north of the Joplin airport, where several injuries were reported. Storms and torrential rains have ravaged the midwest, from Texas through Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois. Authorities urged residents of several small towns in Oklahoma and Kansas to leave their homes as rivers and streams rose. Deaths from this week’s storms include a 74-year-old woman found early on Wednesday morning in Iowa. Officials there say she was killed by a possible tornado that damaged a farmstead in Adair county. Missouri authorities said heavy rain was a contributing factor in the deaths of two people in a traffic accident on Tuesday near Springfield. A fourth weather-related death may have occurred in Oklahoma, where the highway patrol said a woman apparently drowned after driving around a barricade on Tuesday near Perkins, about 45 miles north-east of Oklahoma City. The unidentified woman’s body was sent to the state medical examiner’s office to confirm the cause of death. Keli Cain, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma department of emergency management, said she was not yet listed as what would be the state’s first storm-related death. Catastrophic flooding in the area even swept some homes into a river. The Associated Press contributed reporting

The Democrats' Pointman on Impeachment

Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler has a tough job in Congress amid Democrat impeachment pleas and Trump allies denying subpoenas.

The F-21 Could Be One Tough Fighter (With F-35 DNA). Here's the Problem.

For the purposes of Lockheed's marketing campaign, the F-21 is a new fighter, although it shares many of its major features with the F-16V the company has sold to Bahrain, Greece, Slovakia, South Korea and Taiwan. Lockheed can build new F-16Vs or upgrade older F-16s to the V-standard.Lockheed Martin is developing a new variant of its iconic F-16 single-engine fighter in order to compete in India’s 2019 tender for 110 new warplanes.(This first appeared earlier in the month.)But don’t count on the American firm’s “F-21” to win the contract.According to journalist Angad Singh, the likely winner is French company Dassault’s Rafale twin-engine fighter.Singh explains his rationale in the May 2019 issue of Combat Aircraft magazine. India previously ordered 36 Rafales as part of an earlier fighter tender. “With 36 aircraft already on order and the infrastructure in place for an additional 36, a case could certainly be made that training, basing and sustainment costs for additional aircraft would not be an impossible burden.”Other candidates for the Indian tender are the Saab Gripen from Sweden, the European Eurofighter Typhoon, the MiG-35 from Russia and the Boeing Super Hornet from the United States. Whichever fighter New Delhi selects, it needs the new jets now, according to Singh.

Memphis teen overcomes homelessness to earn $3 million in scholarships, valedictorian honors

Tupac Mosley, 17, received $3 million in scholarships and was recognized as his high school's valedictorian at Raleigh Egypt High School in Memphis.

In new charges against Assange, groups see cause for concern

WASHINGTON (AP) — New charges filed against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange quickly drew alarm Thursday from media organizations and others. The groups are concerned that the Justice Department is charging Assange for actions that ordinary journalists do routinely in their jobs.

Runaway barges smash into dam

This incredible video shows two barges that became loose during flooding on the Arkansas River, and then crashed into the Webbers Falls Lock and Dam in Oklahoma on May 23.

Across US, women have unequal access to abortion

While abortion is legal nationwide, Americans have unequal access to the procedure, depending on their location in the United States and how much they are able to spend. The disparities are great indeed, from the more than 150 abortion clinics available in the most populous state of California, to only one in states like Mississippi in the South or Missouri in the Midwest. State laws also vary widely on other matters like speed limits for drivers and marriage age requirements, but the Supreme Court has set a "minimum standard throughout the entire country," noted Meg Penrose, of the Texas A&M School of Law.

A $1.4 Trillion India Spending Push Tops Modi 2.0 Agenda

The Bharatiya Janata Party pledged cash handouts to farmers, $1.44 trillion to build roads, railways and other infrastructure, a boost to manufacturing, and a doubling in exports. Consumer spending has taken a knock as a crisis among shadow banks curbed lending. The government has already widened its budget deficit target for the year through March 2020 to 3.4% of gross domestic product.

Facebook accused of leaving 'broken children' in wake of its commercial aims, abuse inquiry hears

Facebook has been accused of leaving 'broken children' as collateral damage in the wake of their commercial aims, the child sex abuse inquiry has heard. Barrister William Chapman, representing the victims of abuse at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), said social media companies were not preventing paedophiles reaching children as it was “contrary to their business model” and that their apps needed to be “fundamentally redesigned”. Police also warned that tech firms were going ahead with plans to encrypt more features "in the certain knowledge" it would lead to more children being abused. The warnings came as the inquiry’s hearing into online child abuse drew to a close yesterday. Over the last fortnight IICSA has heard evidence from Facebook, Apple, Microsoft and Google about their efforts to combat child abuse online. Giving his closing statement, Mr Chapman singled out Facebook as the “unacceptable face of social media”, citing that over half of reported grooming offences in 2017 and 2018 related to the company or its Instagram and WhatsApp apps. William Chapman giving his closing address to the inquiry He said that social networks scanned for evidence of abuse after it happened and that they now needed to change their business model to stop abusers easily contacting children. Mr Chapman said: “What they will not do, because it is contrary to their business model, is to restrict the opportunities for abuse before it takes place.” He added: “They leave behind broken children like so much collateral damage. “Money, they say, is no object but none you heard from has a dedicated budget to tackling this problem.” Among the recommendations being made to the inquiry on behalf of victims are for tech companies pay compensation to those abused via their services and that a new criminal offence be made of posing online as a child online without a reasonable excuse. Mr Chapman also accused tech companies of not giving the inquiry a “straight answer” about the scale of abuse on their sites and selectively releasing figures without context. Earlier in the hearing Microsoft failed to provide figures for how many children had been groomed on its live chat services Xbox Live and Skype and Facebook was similarly unable to say how many registered sex offenders had been caught using its services. “It is not acceptable to hide the extent of the problem on your platform in a black box out of which you prick pinholes for others to see only hints of the full horror within," said Mr Chapman. Later in the hearing, Debra Powell QC, speaking for the National Police Chiefs Council, warned that tech giants' plans to make ever more services encrypted would lead to more children being abused. Last month Facebook announced plans to add end-to-end encryption to its 1.3 billion-user Messenger service, meaning not even it will be able to see the content of messages. Ms Powell said: “Currently many technology companies are building in and offering to their users ever greater privacy protections, including end-to-end encryption, in the certain knowledge that this will make the detection and prevention of child sexual abuse and exploitation more difficult. “The inevitable result must be that more children will be abused and exploited and that their ordeals will go on for longer before the perpetrators can be caught, if they are caught at all.”

Poll finds wide support for Mueller and McGahn to testify in Congress

Despite the president's claim that "you can’t investigate and legislate simultaneously," most Americans want Congress to continue asking questions.

The Air Force Loves the F-22 Raptor. So Why Not Build More of Them?

“Just as F-22 production would compete for fiscal and contractor resources with other Air Force programs, any F-22 export would compete with FMS customers' resources as well, including countries already committed to F-35 purchases. Most nations are not likely to have the resources available for procurement of an export F-22, which extremely limits the ability of FMS to reduce the costs associated with restarting production.”A 2017 Pentagon report to Congress detailing production retail costs for Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor show that reviving the powerful stealth air superiority fighter would be prohibitively expensive. Moreover, it would take so long to reconstitute the production line that it would not be until the mid to late 2020s before the first “new” F-22s would have flown. By that time, the F-22 would be increasingly challenged by enemy—Russian and Chinese—capabilities.(This first appeared last year.)

China slams US 'lies' about Huawei's government ties

China ramped up a war of words with the United States over Huawei on Friday, accusing Washington of spreading "lies" about the telecom giant thrust to the centre of their trade war. The fiery response came hours after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rejected Huawei's denials that the Chinese company works with the Communist government. The Trump administration has infuriated Beijing by blacklisting the smartphone and telecommunications company over worries that China uses it as a tool for espionage, and allegations of breaking sanctions on Iran.

The Latest: Runaway barges cause 'minimal' damage to dam

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Latest on severe weather moving across the central United States (all times local):

Trump antagonist Avenatti indicted for ripping off Stormy Daniels, extorting Nike

The Nike indictment concerns charges announced in March that Avenatti tried to extort more than $20 million from the athletic wear company by threatening to expose what he called its improper payments to recruits for college basketball teams it sponsored. Avenatti also faces dozens of charges in southern California, where prosecutors on April 11 accused him of stealing millions of dollars from clients to pay for personal and business expenses, and lying to the Internal Revenue Service and a Mississippi bank about his finances. If convicted on all charges, Avenatti could face more than 400 years in prison, but would likely face a lesser punishment.

Group seeks $100M for woman killed by US border agent

HOUSTON (AP) — Advocates demanded $100 million in damages Thursday on behalf of the family of a 20-year-old Guatemalan woman who was shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent last year.

The Harriet Tubman $20 bill was supposed to drop in 2020, but Trump's Treasury secretary has delayed it

"The ultimate decision on the redesign will most likely be another secretary's down the road," Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said Wednesday.

Samsung’s next foldable smartphone may avoid the pitfalls of the Galaxy Fold

The age of the foldable smartphone stumbled right out of the gate as multiple Galaxy Fold review units suffered from serious malfunctions before the device could even make it to market. As a result, Samsung was forced to delay the launch of its first foldable smartphone (which still doesn't have a release date).With that in mind, it's worth noting the Galaxy Fold won't be Samsung's last foldable phone, and this week, Patently Mobile dug up a recent Samsung patent for a device with similar ambitions, but a completely different design. Rather than have the main screen fold in on itself and slap a tiny screen on the outer shell, the device described in the patent would feature a "fold-out" form factor, with the main display on the outside.The patent says the fold-out phone will have a flexible display spread across two cases which are joined by a hinge with a sliding mechanism. When the phone folds outward, the slide cover slides along a rail groove, which allows the phone to fold out evenly. Samsung has also including a locking unit to keep the unfolded device firm.In the first image from Patently Mobile, you can see what the device would look like fully unfolded:In the second image, you can see what the phone looks like when it is completely folded in half, as well as when it is in the process of being unfolded. This is clearly a totally different concept than the Galaxy Fold:As exciting as new form factors can be, the Galaxy Fold has shown the potential pitfalls of releasing an exciting new device before it's ready for primetime. Hopefully, Samsung has learned its lesson, so when or if this fold-out foldable smartphone ever hits the market, it will be sturdy enough to last.

Trump calls 'treason' on Comey, McCabe and 'a number of people'

President Trump on Thursday escalated his attacks on those involved in launching the federal investigation into his campaign’s contacts with Russia, saying “a number of people” are guilty of treason.

Scouted: The Best Memorial Day Tech Deals from Amazon, Target, Best Buy, and More

Memorial Day means one thing: it's basically summer. Okay, two things. There are a ton of really awesome sales happening on all your favorite gear. Here, we've rounded up all the best tech deals that are going on right now and through the long weekend. Check our main post for all the apparel and home goods deals that you won't want to miss. Echo Wall Clock, $25 on AmazonTP-Link AC1750 Smart WiFi Router, $57 on AmazonUp to 40% off computers, TVs, headphones and more from Walmart30% off phone cases and accessories from SpecksSave $79 when you buy a Google Nest Hub and Nest Hello doorbell from Lowe’s Save up to $150 on certified refurbished Sonos products from Sonoseero Home WiFi System, $119 on AmazonAd by HP: Shop the Memorial Day sale to save up to 60%. Highlights: 15t touch optional Pavilion Laptop for $430 (36% off), McAfee’s LiveSafe for $80 (56% off), or the Envy 5055 printer for $60 (50% off). Save on Philips Hue Smart Lights for every room on AmazonWithings / Nokia | Body+ Smart Body Composition Wi-Fi Digital Scale, $79 on AmazonSamsung 55" Class LED NU6900 Series 2160p Smart 4K UHD TV with HDR, $400 from Best BuyLG 65" Class LED UK6090PUA Series 2160p Smart 4K UHD TV with HDR, $450 from Best BuyApple MacBook Air 13.3" 8GB Memory 128GB Flash Storage Space Gray, $950 from Best BuyApple MacBook Air 13.3" 8GB Memory 256GB Flash Storage Silver, $1150 from Best BuyApple iPad with Wi-Fi 32GB Space Gray, $280 from Best BuyApple iPad with Wi-Fi 128GB Space Gray, $330 from Best BuyApple iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular 32GB Space Gray, $410 from Best Buy Apple iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular 128GB Space Gray, $460 from Best BuyScouted is internet shopping with a pulse. Follow us on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter for even more recommendations and exclusive content. Please note that if you buy something featured in one of our posts, The Daily Beast may collect a share of sales.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

Alabama Republicans call for Supreme Court to reconsider Roe v Wade in wake of abortion ban vote

Top politicians in Alabama have resulted to publicly calling for the Supreme Court to review Roe v Wade in the wake of the state passing the most severe restrictions against abortions in America. Del Marsh, one of the 25 all-male senators who voted for the abortion ban earlier this month, defended the legislation against criticism for not including exceptions for rape or incest by saying its sole purpose is to challenge the Supreme Court’s 1973 ruling. “At the end of the day, the bill passed with the only exemption the health of the mother,” he said in an interview with Sky News. “What I voted for was a bill to get to the Supreme Court to challenge Roe v Wade.”“That’s what the instrument is,” he continued. “We understand that this is not the end game. The federal courts are going to have to make a determination. What we're trying to do is force, then reconsider. That's what this is all about."Alabama’s abortion ban arrived amid a national trend in which states are passing restrictive legislation surrounding women’s reproductive health. Kentucky, Ohio, Georgia and Mississippi have also approved similar laws in which abortions on banned when a fetal heartbeat is detected. Those restrictions can occur six weeks into a pregnancy, when most people are not yet aware they are with a child. Not all states have taken a conservative approach towards abortion access in recent months, however. Nevada’s state legislature passed a bill relaxing decades-old policies surrounding abortion that critics said deterred women from seeking access. Alabama’s Governor Kay Ivey also called for the Supreme Court to reconsider its landmark ruling when signing the abortion ban. “Many Americans, myself included, disagreed when Roe v Wade was handed down in 1973,” she said in a statement at the time. “The sponsors of this bill believe that it is time, once again, for the US Supreme Court to revisit this important matter, and they believe this act may bring about the best opportunity for this to occur.”The wave of bans have sparked major protests across the country, with many 2020 presidential hopefuls speaking out against the restrictive measures against women’s reproductive rights. “Our democracy only works when the people of this country stand up and demand it,” Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York senator running for the White House, said at a StopTheBans rally in Washington on Tuesday. “Do not allow this moment to pass without putting everything you have behind it … organise, advocate and vote.”

The Real Green New Deal Doesn’t Belong to AOC

Climate change has long been a disaster in the making, but until recently the American public tended to treat it as an afterthought. The Green New Deal brought climate change front and center, and made Americans think about big bold solutions instead of technical tweaks and half measures. The think tank Data for Progress has a plan that actually predates Ocasio-Cortez’s, but which goes into much greater detail about how to combat climate change both at home and abroad.

Explainer: China's rare earth supplies could be vital bargaining chip in U.S. trade war

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?

Serial cyberstalker could avoid prison again under plea deal

Only hours before women marched through many U.S. cities in January, Christopher Cleary set off a manhunt when he posted a Facebook message threatening to kill "as many girls as I see" in retaliation for years of romantic rejection. Cleary, 27, called himself a virgin who never had a girlfriend, stoking fears of another deadly rampage by a man blaming women for his problems. When police tracked his cellphone and arrested the Colorado resident at a McDonald's restaurant in Provo, Utah, Cleary said he had been upset and wasn't thinking clearly.

India's ruling party takes 303 of 525 seats in election win

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with leaders of his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday following his thunderous victory in national elections.

Results Released of Months-Long Investigation Into Racist Photo on Virginia Gov. Yearbook Page

A four-month investigation into the racist photo that appeared on Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook page could neither confirm nor deny that the governor was one of the people in the photo, nor how it ended up on his page.

IMF warns US-China trade war will 'jeopardize' 2019 global growth

The IMF warned Thursday that the escalating US-China trade war will "jeopardize" 2019 global growth, undermining confidence and raising prices for consumers. "Consumers in the US and China are unequivocally the losers from trade tensions," Gita Gopinath, the International Monetary Fund's chief economist, said in a blog post.

Google unveils a fresh new look for Search on mobile devices

Google unveiled a new look and feel today for the way it presents Google Search results on mobile, and the update has been regarded in a few corners now as somewhat News Feed-like.It's easy to see why that's the case, as the search giant's changes include putting emphasis on a website name and favicon above the search results. Whereas the source of results had previously not been so clearly emphasized, which makes the new design for showing results feel a little like scrolling through a feed of posts from publishers and the like."With this new design, a website's branding can be front and center, helping you better understand where the information is coming from and what pages have what you're looking for," explains Google Senior Interaction Designer for Search Jamie Leach in a company blog post today. "The name of the website and its icon appear at the top of the results card to help anchor each result, so you can more easily scan the page of results and decide what to explore next."The post notes that the refreshed look for what's arguably Google's most important product will start showing up to users over the coming days. As part of the changes, Leach continues, when you search for a product or service and Google feels like it's got a relevant, "useful" ad that would be worth including in the results, you'll now see an ad label in bold at the top of a search results card. The web address will also be included, so you can quickly determine where the information you're seeing is coming from.The other important thing to note about the Google Search refresh on mobile is that this also lays the foundation for Google to add more action buttons and information previews to search results cards, with Google wanting you to be able to now do everything from buying movie tickets to playing podcasts right there from within the results. "Our goal with Search always has been to help people quickly and easily find the information that they're looking for," Leach says. "Over the years, the amount and format of information available on the web has changed drastically -- from the proliferation of images and video to the availability of 3D objects you can now view in AR." Which is why the company thought a "visual refresh" of Search on mobile would do a better job of helping people find the information they need and quickly determine where it came from.

Ilhan Omar condemns ‘religious fundamentalists’ over anti-abortion laws in speech to Congress

Ilhan Omar has accused “religious fundamentalists” in the US of “trying to manipulate state laws...to impose their beliefs on an entire society” after anti-abortion bills were passed across the country.Recently passed laws in Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio ban abortion after cardiac activity can be detected in an embryo.This can be as early as six weeks – at which point most women do not yet know they are pregnant.Women’s rights groups have reacted to the wave of state legislation with dismay, but the US religious and political right has largely supported the move.“Religious fundamentalists are currently trying to manipulate state laws in order to impose their beliefs on an entire society,” Ms Omar said, speaking on the floor of the House of Representatives on Wednesday.“All with complete disregard for voices and the rights of American women.”Georgia’s bill imposes jail sentences for women found guilty of aborting or attempting to abort their pregnancies, with the potential for life imprisonment and the death penalty.The Minnesota lawmaker said the bills were “only the latest in a long history of efforts to criminalise women for simply existing. To punish us when we don’t conform to their attempts to control us.“Because it’s happening here, with the support of the ultra-conservative religious right we call it religious freedom,” she added, going on to accuse anti-abortion activists of hypocrisy.“Let’s just be honest – for the religious right, this isn’t simply about their care or concern for life.“If they cared about or were concerned about children, they would be concerned about the children that are being detained and those that are dying in camps across our borders.“Or the children who are languishing in hunger and facing homelessness.”At least five migrant children have died in US detention since December.Ms Omar’s speech comes after Alabama governor Kay Ivey signed the most restrictive abortion bill in the US last week.Under the law, doctors would face 10 years in prison for attempting to terminate a pregnancy and 99 years for carrying out the procedure. Politicians in 16 further states are proposing further legislation to restrict abortion.

The 'AOC primary': Can Warren steal the prized endorsement away from Bernie?

While the Democratic star says she'll support whoever wins her party's nomination, she's leaning toward two candidates.

Scouted: Shop the Best Memorial Day Deals on Apparel, Home Goods, Tech and More

It’s Memorial Day, which means summer is unofficially here. And that means a ton of retailers are having a sale on everything you could possibly need. We're rounding up some of the best, so you can bookmark it and come back when your boss isn't looking at your screen. There's everything from furniture from Burrow, to discounted tech on Amazon. It's a free-for-all of discounts, so it wouldn't hurt even just to look. HomeNomad Leather Sectional, $2236 from Burrow, Evee Rug, $198 from Lulu and Georgia, Staub Steam Griddle, $120 from Sur la TableSave 20% on all design packages at Modsy: Use code MEMORIALTake up to 60% off select luxury bedding, sheets and home décor from Crane + CanopyUp to 20% off sitewide from Burrow: Use code SUMMER19Get a free monogrammed terrycloth robe with $250+ purchases from Riley Home25% off full price products from Outdoor Fellows: Use code SUMMERFUNUp to 25% off furniture, lighting, rugs, and more at Lulu and Georgia: Use code GOOD to get 15% off order of $300 and up. Use code BETTER to get 20% off order of $600 and up. Use code BEST to get 25% off orders of $900 and up. Up to 45% off outdoor and indoor cookware at Sur La Table: Up to 20% off BBQ cookware, up to 45% off KitchenAid products, and up to 45% off cast iron cookware from Staub, Le Cresuset, Lodge, and more. Up to 30% off top-rated grills at Lowe’sUp to 30% off patio and home goods from Target TechEcho Wall Clock, $25 on Amazon, Refurbished Play:1, $119 from Sonos, Presidio Inked iPhone Case, $31 from SpecksEcho Wall Clock, $25 on AmazonTP-Link AC1750 Smart WiFi Router, $57 on AmazonUp to 40% off computers, TVs, headphones and more from Walmart30% off phone cases and accessories from SpecksSave $79 when you buy a Google Nest Hub and Nest Hello doorbell from Lowe’s Save up to $150 on certified refurbished Sonos products from Sonoseero Home WiFi System, $119 on AmazonSave on Philips Hue Smart Lights for every room on AmazonWithings / Nokia | Body+ Smart Body Composition Wi-Fi Digital Scale, $79 on AmazonSamsung 55" Class LED NU6900 Series 2160p Smart 4K UHD TV with HDR, $400 from Best BuyLG 65" Class LED UK6090PUA Series 2160p Smart 4K UHD TV with HDR, $450 from Best BuyApple MacBook Air 13.3" 8GB Memory 128GB Flash Storage Space Gray, $950 from Best BuyApple MacBook Air 13.3" 8GB Memory 256GB Flash Storage Silver, $1150 from Best BuyApple iPad with Wi-Fi 32GB Space Gray, $280 from Best BuyApple iPad with Wi-Fi 128GB Space Gray, $330 from Best BuyApple iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular 32GB Space Gray, $410 from Best Buy Apple iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular 128GB Space Gray, $460 from Best Buy Apparel and AccessoriesMen's Cresta Hiking Shorts, $4 from L.L.Bean, Women's Scoop V Tee, $19 from Richer Poorer, 7/8 Compression Legging, $24 from Danskin25% off summer-ready bathing suits, shoes, accessories and more from ban.do20% off sitewide from GREATS: Use code SUNNY20Up to 50% off almost everything from Gap: Use code WARMUP40% off your entire purchase from Perry Ellis40% off sitewide from DanskinUp to $200 off custom suitcases at ROAM: Use code MEM200 to get $100 off orders up to $600, $150 off orders between $600 and $1,000, and $200 off orders over $1,000.20% off your entire purchase from L.L.Bean: Use code SUMMERExtra 30% off outlet items from Under Armour: Use code MAY3025% off select styles from Columbia25% off plus free shipping from PrAna25% off sitewide from Skagen: Use code SALE2525% off sitewide on gifts, apparel, and more from Vida: Use code 3DAYGETAWAYUp to 50% off apparel and gear from REI: Members can save 20% on one eligible item with code ANNV19.Take an extra 25% off sale items from Clarks: Use code EXTRA25Up to 50% off select apparel and gear from Backcountry50% off everything from Eddie Bauer: Use code TRAIL50Up to 50% off men’s and women’s apparel, home goods, and more from NordstromExtra 10-20% off select items from Macy's: Use code MEMDAYUp to 40% off select styles from Shopbop 40% off plus extra 30% off sale items from Kenneth ColeGet an extra 20% off sale items at Richer Poorer: Use code MEMORIAL20 to get the discount on men’s and women’s sale items. Get 20% off all lenses at Lensabl: Use code MDW at checkout to get the discount.Scouted is internet shopping with a pulse. Follow us on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter for even more recommendations and exclusive content. Please note that if you buy something featured in one of our posts, The Daily Beast may collect a share of sales.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

Lawmaker's censure sought after comments about Trump Jr.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers abruptly adjourned after one lawmaker called for the censure of another over comments that included calling the president's son "evidently retarded."

Teen arrested in attack on off-duty firefighter defending elderly couple on Upper East Side

The 17-year-old suspect told reporters that he was "defending his friend." He's charged with second-degree assault.

Trump Spurns Infrastructure Talks With Democrats Over Investigations He Calls ‘Phony’

“Get these phony investigations over with,” Trump said he told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday at the White House. Minutes later, reporters were abruptly summoned to the White House Rose Garden, where a podium had been prepared for Trump to speak.

Surprise: The ‘AI bot’ people talk to on Google Duplex calls is sometimes actually a person

When Google unveiled Google Duplex last year at I/O 2018, the brand new Assistant feature looked terrific. It was the kind of futuristic technology nobody else had. With a simple voice command, you could instruct the Assistant to make restaurant reservations for you by placing a phone call using an AI bot. But soon after that keynote, it became clear that Duplex is somewhat creepy, as Google failed to identify the robocall to the other person. It was also kind of disingenuous, since the entire demo wasn't live.Google dealt with those issues at the time and Google Duplex deployment continued, culminating with this year's I/O announcement that the feature will be available in 44 states. Also, Google said that Duplex is getting similar functionality for booking reservations on the web. But a brand new report reveals additional details that were previously not known about Duplex, which brings the creepy back. It turns out that Google employees are actively involved in making many of these Duplex calls.A report from The New York Times reveals that about 25% of calls placed through Duplex started with a human. Beyond that, 15% of calls that started off with the Duplex AI bot had a human intervene at some point.The whole point of using the Assistant to make restaurant reservation is to eliminate the human side of things. That's why Google Duplex appeared to be so amazing in the first place. Having humans involved in the whole thing is where things get strange. Yes, maybe Duplex needs human oversight and the best way to train AI is by having it work with a lot of examples to learn from. But Google never really mentioned this human aspect of Google Duplex, which sort of ruins the magic of it all. Yet again, it's somewhat disingenuous.Also, there's user privacy to take into account. A human interacting with a restaurant on your behalf is different from a computer doing it, as the human is also let in on the booking information. It may seem trivial, but where does one agree to involve a Googler in setting up one's dinner plans?Google does say on its support pages that Duplex calls are recorded for quality assurance, which means someone may listen to your reservations:> If the customer wants to book an appointment, the Assistant will confirm specific details like the customer's preferred time, type of service, or size of party. Once this information is confirmed, the Assistant will try to book an appointment with your business by using an online booking partner (if available) or by calling your business using the automated voice-calling technology Duplex (calls are recorded for quality assurance).Also, Google has a tiny note that a manual operator might start calls in the frequently asked questions section, although it's hardly enough (emphasis ours):> At the start of the call, you'll hear the reason for the call and that the call is from Google. You can expect the call to come from an automated system or, in some cases, a manual operator.Google Duplex is clearly a far less polished product that Google led us to believe a year ago. Also, considering its renewed interest in protecting the user's privacy, Google should do a much better job explaining what goes on behind the scenes of a Google Duplex call when it comes to your privacy. The full Times report, complete with examples that explain what a human-made Google Duplex call looks like, is available at this link.

Trip bundling is growing: Here are 6 places you can plan a trip from start to finish

Trip bundling is becoming more popular as it saves time and often money.

The 2020 Cadillac CT5-V Officially Debuts May 30

Could the 500-plus-hp Blackwing V-8 make its way under the hood of Cadillac's newest sports sedan?

May stares at defeat in final Brexit gambit

British Prime Minister Theresa May stared at the prospect Thursday of her political career coming to an inglorious end after her final attempt to save her unpopular Brexit deal was met with condemnation in parliament and the resignation of a senior government figure. The beleaguered premier is in the last throes of a tumultuous rule focused all-but exclusively on guiding her fractured country out of the European Union.

Turns Out This Game of Thrones Character Was Originally Supposed to Survive Season 8

His watch could have continued

Huawei handsets draw fewer clicks after U.S. ban: PriceSpy

"It's not just network providers and tech giants who are turning their backs on Huawei," said Vanessa Katsapa, UK and Ireland country manager at PriceSpy. "Over the last four days, Huawei handsets have slumped in popularity – receiving almost half as many clicks as they did last week in the UK and 26% less on the global stage," Katsapa said. PriceSpy compiles data from customers in Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and the UK.

Trump Justice Department Crosses New Line, Charges Assange With Publishing U.S. Secrets

Daniel Leal-Olivas/GettyIn a stunning escalation of the Trump administration’s war on the press, the Justice Department has indicted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for revealing government secrets under the Espionage Act. It’s the first time a publisher has been charged under the World War I-era law.The indictment charges Assange with 16 counts of receiving or disclosing material leaked by then-Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in 2009 and 2010. The charges invoke broad provisions of the Espionage Act that make it a crime to disclose or retain any defense information knowing it “could be used to injure” the U.S. The act has no exception for reporters or publishers, but prior administrations have balked at invoking the law against journalists for fear of colliding with the First Amendment. The Justice Department immediately sought to draw a distinction between Assange and the press in a briefing for reporters announcing the new indictment.“The department takes seriously the role of journalists in our democracy and we thank you for it,” said John Demers, head of the department’s National Security Division. “It has not and never has been the department’s policy to target them for reporting. But Julian Assange is no journalist.” Demers cited WikiLeaks’ publication of the names of U.S. government sources, saying it endangered people in China, Iran, and Syria.WikiLeaks on Twitter called the prosecution “the end of national security journalism and the First Amendment.”Assange is currently serving an 11-month sentence in the U.K. for jumping bail in a Swedish rape investigation, while the U.S. pushes its request to extradite him to the United States on computer hacking charges revealed in April. He was kicked out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London that month after taking refuge there from authorities for seven years. The leaked documents comprised 250,000 State Department cables, 90,000 Army field reports from Afghanistan and 400,000 from Iraq, and 800 detainee assessment briefs from Guantanamo Bay. Assange released most of that material without redaction, and the new indictment claims that the U.S. sources identified in the leaks were put in harm’s way as a result. “By publishing these documents without redacting the human sources’ names or other identifying information, Assange created a grave and imminent risk that the innocent people he named would suffer serious physical harm and/or arbitrary detention,” the indictment alleges. He is also charged with two counts of conspiracy for allegedly working with Manning to violate the Espionage Act and the anti-hacking Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The FBI and federal prosecutors in Alexandria, Virginia, first began investigating Assange in 2010 and amassed a wealth of internal WikiLeaks chats and documents from informants and subpoenas. But the Obama administration was reluctant to indict Assange. A former senior Justice Department official told The Daily Beast last month that the Trump administration saw Assange’s case as a way to pursue its war on leaks. “There was renewed interest under the new administration to revisit issues of what qualifies as the media and to look back at the Assange case,” said Mary McCord, who was acting head of DOJ’s National Security Division. Despite the barrage of leaks in the years following the Manning disclosures, there were signs as early as 2017 that the Justice Department was still focused on the leaks that first put WikiLeaks on the map. A witness at the grand jury proceedings that produced Thursday’s indictment told The Daily Beast that prosecutors were specifically probing Assange’s reluctance to redact his leaks for any reason.“They showed me chat logs in which I was arguing vehemently with him about releasing documents that would leave people vulnerable and put people’s lives at risk,” said David House, a former WikiLeaks volunteer, in an interview last March. “That was the only thing they put in front of my face that made me think, ‘This may be what they’re going after him for.’”No U.S. sources are known to have come to harm as a result of the leaks, likely in part because of a massive remediation effort launched in the weeks before Assange published the material. The indictment takes pains to distinguish WikiLeaks from conventional journalism outfits in other ways as well, quoting Assange’s own description of his site as an “intelligence agency of the people” and lingering on Assange’s chats with Manning in which he encouraged and guided the soldier in the leaking. It also claims Manning deliberately sought out military secrets that were listed on a “most wanted leaks” section on WikiLeaks’ website.None of this is strictly relevant to the Espionage Act. If the Justice Department included these details to make the Assange prosecution more palatable to journalists and free speech advocates, it’s not working.  “Any government use of the Espionage Act to criminalize the receipt and publication of classified information poses a dire threat to journalists,” said Bruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in a statement.  “This is an extraordinary escalation of the Trump administration’s attacks on journalism, and a direct assault on the First Amendment,” said the ACLU’s Ben Wizner. “It establishes a dangerous precedent that can be used to target all news organizations that hold the government accountable by publishing its secrets.”How Assange Could Beat the U.S. and Stay Out of JailRead more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. 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The Latest: Coats says spy agencies to cooperate with Barr

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Trump and the Russia investigation (all times local):

The top 10 Memorial Day sales we are shopping this weekend

This year, there is certainly no shortage of awesome Memorial Day sales