Devastating Trump book offers reporting leads

Rachel Maddow looks at some of the reportable, find-out-able claims in Michael Wolff's Fire and Fury, beyond the salacious stories that have left the Trump team sputtering with rage and humiliation.

White supremacist faces terror charge after train stopped

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An armed man believed to have ties to white supremacist groups has been charged with terrorism after he stopped an Amtrak train in Nebraska.

California recreational marijuana sales begin as Trump administration toughens laws

The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday reversed official policy that had tolerated the growing state-based movement to legalize marijuana sales, just three days after California formally permitted recreational use of the drug.

Turns Out Roy Moore’s Jewish Lawyer Is Actually A Christian Now

The Jewish lawyer Roy Moore’s wife invoked when responding to anti-Semitism claims on the eve of Alabama’s special election is now an evangelical Christian.

Missing Indiana Student's Mom Pens Heartbreaking Post: 'Too Many New Years Have Come and Gone'

Lauren Spierer‘s mother has again taken to social media to mourn the ongoing mystery surrounding the intelligent, vivacious 20-year-old Indiana University student who went missing in 2011, with a message that says “hoping 2018 is the year for truth”

Lead Negotiator In Iran Deal: Trump Is 'Misreading Situation'

Killing the deal will foment a nationalist mentality in Iran, says Wendy Sherman, the lead negotiator on the deal

Watchdog group calls on Saudi Arabia to release local journalist

DUBAI (Reuters) - The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Saudi Arabia to release a local journalist who was reportedly arrested this week after criticizing the government.

from Reuters: World News http://ift.tt/2qvbFgR

Eleven Saudi princes detained following protest: media

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi authorities have detained 11 princes after they gathered at a royal palace in Riyadh in a rare protest against austerity measures that included suspending payment of their utility bills, Saudi media reported on Saturday.

from Reuters: World News http://ift.tt/2F3Pdyq

Trump Talks About War With North Korea. Here's How Horrific That Would Really Be.

President Trump has hinted at the possibility of military action against North Korea, but any U.S. strike is likely to rapidly escalating into an all-out war.

Yara Shahidi Compares Iran Protests With Black Lives Matter: We're All Interconnected

Comparing the ongoing anti-government protests in Iran to demonstrations in the U.S. like Black Lives Matter, actress and activist Yara Shahidi is urging Americans to consider just how interconnected the situation in Iran is to the U.S. experience.

Plane Makes Emergency Landing Because of Man 'Spreading Feces Everywhere’

Sometimes flying can be a dirty business — just ask the passengers on United Airlines flight 895

Woman says mom made her use a wheelchair and invented illnesses leading to years of treatment

Gypsy Blanchard said she always knew she could walk but her mother Dee Dee Blanchard made her stay in a wheelchair.

Four Days Into 2018 And The Resistance Is Surging

Sure, Trump’s tweet in which he taunted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to use his “Nuclear Button” wasn’t exactly a great start to 2018.

‘Bomb cyclone’ paralyzes Massachusetts

NBC News’ Blake McCoy reports from Scituate, Massachusetts, where high winds and waves battered homes along the shore. Weather experts say the storm surge is nearing record highs in Boston, where rescues happened on the historic streets.

The Latest: Lawyers upset hearing canceled in 4 deaths case

TROY, N.Y. (AP) — The Latest on two men accused of killing two women and two children in a basement apartment (all times local):

Mike Pence swears in Doug Jones as gay son appears to stare him down

On Wednesday, Alabama's newest Senator Doug Jones was formally sworn after his surprise victory over controversial candidate Roy Moore last month.

‘I Absolutely Spoke to the President.’ Author of Explosive White House Book Refutes President Trump’s Claims

“I absolutely spoke to the president”

California has ample weapons to fight Trump on drilling

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — In the decades since a 1969 oil spill near Santa Barbara tarred sea-life and gave rise to the U.S. environmental movement, politicians and environmental activists have built up ample ways to make it difficult but not impossible for the Trump administration to renew drilling off California's coast.

White House Bans Personal Cell Phones for Guests and Staff Amid Flurry of Leaks

The move came as a new book details chaos among the ranks of President Trump's staff.

Missing Indiana Student's Mom Pens Heartbreaking Post: 'Too Many New Years Have Come and Gone'

Lauren Spierer‘s mother has again taken to social media to mourn the ongoing mystery surrounding the intelligent, vivacious 20-year-old Indiana University student who went missing in 2011, with a message that says “hoping 2018 is the year for truth”

Trump's Demands To Help Dreamers Could Doom Deal, Top Dem Says

WASHINGTON  ― President Donald Trump sent senators a lengthy set of demands on Friday that could tank a deal to help Dreamers ― young undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children ― and might risk a government funding agreement in the process.

Devastating Trump book offers reporting leads

Rachel Maddow looks at some of the reportable, find-out-able claims in Michael Wolff's Fire and Fury, beyond the salacious stories that have left the Trump team sputtering with rage and humiliation.

'I Screwed Up': Sean Spicer Says He Regrets Comments on Inauguration Crowd Size and Hitler

The former White House press secretary says it felt "really bad" when he messed up

California recreational marijuana sales begin as Trump administration toughens laws

The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday reversed official policy that had tolerated the growing state-based movement to legalize marijuana sales, just three days after California formally permitted recreational use of the drug.

Stay away from romaine lettuce, Consumer Reports advises

People should stay away from romaine lettuce until U.S. and Canadian health officials get to the bottom of an outbreak of E. coli infections, Consumer Reports says.

Earthquake hits San Francisco, shaking Berkeley awake

San Francisco Bay area residents have been shaken awake by a 4.5-magnitude earthquake, which hit the region in the early hours of Thursday. The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake's epicenter was two miles from Berkeley, California. The earthquake had a preliminary depth of eight miles. No damage or injuries was immediately recorded, but supermarket produce was shaken from its shelves and ceiling panels knocked loose. The quake hit at 2:39am local time, and the USGS website said that people reported feeling the quake 40 miles south, in San Jose.  The Did You Feel It? survey form for the Berkeley, CA M4.4 EQ is back up and running: https://t.co/jY2poBayEX Please tell us what you felt. http://pic.twitter.com/OVb8r4p22q— USGS (@USGS) January 4, 2018 "Felt like a big truck drove into the building or something blew up downstairs. It just rocked the room and bed like two or three times quickly with a decently loud rumble in North Berkeley," Dale Fest wrote on the San Francisco Chronicle's Facebook page . Jack Boatwright, a geophysicist with the USGS Earthquake Science Center in Menlo Park, said the shaking from the quake "seemed a little weak, about half as strong as what you would expect." He told the Chronicle that by 4:15 a.m., there had been no aftershocks, which he called "a good sign. It may mean less likelihood of a larger earthquake to follow." San Francisco sits on the San Andreas Fault, a continental transform fault that extends roughly 750 miles through California. It forms the tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. The quake was on the Hayward Fault, part of the San Andreas Fault. The Hayward Fault is capable of producing a 7-magnitude fault, which would have caused significantly more damage.  Its last major earthquake was a 6.8-magnitude quake, which occurred on October 21st, 1868, destroying downtown Hayward and killing five people, injuring 30. It was considered the "Great Earthquake" until 1906, when San Francisco was hit by its last major quake, which killed 700 people. The region is considered overdue for another quake, given they usually occur every 140 years.  

Trump administration considers eliminating immigration policy seen as a lifeline for thousands

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is reviewing an judicial policy that could potentially reshape the way immigration courts work and thrust thousands of people’s legal status into question. Mr Sessions is questioning whether he should revoke judge’s ability to conduct “administrative closures” of immigration proceedings, which allow judges to close the cases without a decision. The announced review comes after Mr Sessions intervened Friday in the case of immigrant Reynaldo Castro-Tum, and could yield results that impact every immigration judge in the federal system.

The Government Could Shut Down in Two Weeks. Here's Why It Would Be Disastrous for Trump

A government shutdown in 2018 would all but guarantees losses for the the Republican Party in the White House.

Despite law changes lottery winners will face big tax bills

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Pity the Powerball and Mega Millions lottery game winners.

Divided UN Security Council to meet on Iran protests

Russia and the United States headed for a clash at the UN Security Council on Friday over a meeting called by Washington to discuss the wave of deadly protests in Iran. US Ambassador Nikki Haley has warned the demonstrations could escalate into full-blown conflict, drawing a comparison with Syria.

Amid Already Chaotic Week, Trump Faces New Questions On Potential Obstruction Of Justice

As the White House continues to grapple with the bombshell allegations outlined in a new book about the Trump presidency, a report that the president sought to control the early stages of the Justice Department’s Russia probe is likely to cause further headaches for the administration.

Ohio Man Gets Five Years for Rape That Victim Posted to Snapchat

A 78-year-old Ohio man was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday for raping a woman last year, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.

Mine blast injures Yemeni army chief-of-staff

ADEN (Reuters) - The chief of staff of the Yemeni army has been injured by a land mine that went off while he was visiting the northern al-Jouf province, where heavy fighting between government forces and Houthi fighters is underway, a senior government official said.

from Reuters: World News http://ift.tt/2m32iQY

Moore Accuser’s House Burned Down, No Link To Moore Allegations In Investigation So Far

Roy Moore accuser Tina Johnson lost her home in a fire on Tuesday, and an investigation is underway.

‘I Absolutely Spoke to the President.’ Author of Explosive White House Book Refutes President Trump’s Claims

“I absolutely spoke to the president”

'I Screwed Up': Sean Spicer Says He Regrets Comments on Inauguration Crowd Size and Hitler

Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Thursday that he “screwed up” during his time serving in the Trump administration.

Roy Moore Accuser Is Suing Him For Defamation

Leigh Corfman, one of several woman to accuse U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexual misconduct in November, is suing him for defamation, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.

Lead Negotiator In Iran Deal: Trump Is 'Misreading Situation'

Killing the deal will foment a nationalist mentality in Iran, says Wendy Sherman, the lead negotiator on the deal

North Korea agrees to talks after U.S., South Korea postpone military drills

By Christine Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea agreed on Friday to hold official talks with South Korea next week, the first in more than two years, hours after Washington and Seoul delayed a military exercise amid a standoff over the North's nuclear and missile programs. South Korea said the North had sent its consent for the talks to be held on Tuesday. The meeting will take place at the border truce village of Panmunjom where officials from both sides are expected to discuss the Winter Olympics, to be held in the South next month, and inter-Korean relations, South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun told reporters.

How Washington Can Influence the Outcome of Protests in Iran

The Trump administration would do well to focus on three concrete ways by which it can help Iran’s protests flourish. For more than a week now, thousands of Iranians have rallied publicly against their government, demanding accountability, transparency and an end to the repressive clerical status quo. In the process, they have presented Iran’s radical theocratic regime with one of the most profound challenges to its authority since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Want to make good on your weight loss resolutions? Here are the best diets for 2018, ranked

Determined to make 2018 the year you lose those last stubborn pounds? A new report that analyzed dozens of the most popular diets and weight-loss programs has identified the Mediterranean diet, DASH and Weight Watchers your best chances for success.