Markets Right Now: Stocks plunge again, Dow sinks 464 points

NEW YORK (AP) — The latest on developments in financial markets (all times local):

How a Government Shutdown Could Affect You

If Congress and President Donald Trump are unable come together on a stopgap spending measure by a midnight deadline tonight, the federal government could be forced to partially shut down—the thi...

Student who vandalized roommate's property with racist slur also slowly poisoned him, prosecutors say

Yukai Yang turned himself in Thursday for allegedly attempting to kill his longtime roommate by slowly dosing him with toxic amounts of thallium.

Car bomb claimed by al Shabaab kills at least five in Somali capital

Police said at least five people were killed and four wounded in a car bomb attack claimed by al Qaeda-linked group al Shabaab close to the president's residence in the Somali capital.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2BAzINL

Exclusive: India anti-Vedanta protesters killed by shots to head, chest; half from behind - autopsies

Twelve of the 13 protesters killed when police opened fire on a demonstration against Vedanta's copper smelter in southern India in May were hit by bullets in the head or chest, and half of those were shot from behind, autopsy reports show.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2BDX3hE

British police arrest two over Gatwick Airport drone disruption

Police have arrested two people after rogue drone operators crippled London's Gatwick Airport for three days by repeatedly flying onto the airfield, playing cat-and-mouse with the army.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2QMyLMu

On Politics: The Biggest Stories of the Week

By Unknown Author from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2SeuONj

U.S. plan to keep asylum seekers in Mexico sows confusion

Mexico's government said on Friday it wanted more details from the United States on the plan, and vowed not to deport people seeking refuge. It is not clear how Mexico plans to house what could be thousands of people from Central America for the months, or years, it takes U.S. immigration cases to be heard. There is currently a backlog of more than 800,000 cases pending in immigration courts.

The internet roasts Trump for saying the wall will be made of 'artistically designed steel slats'

As of lunchtime Thursday, Capitol Hill was still in chaos over an impending government shutdown unless Trump abandons his demand for border wall funding. On Tuesday night, as all of this debate was really heating up, Trump dropped this pair of tweets over his demands for the wall and what, exactly, he envisioned it would look like. The Democrats, are saying loud and clear that they do not want to build a Concrete Wall - but we are not building a Concrete Wall, we are building artistically designed steel slats, so that you can easily see through it....

Groups of illegal immigrants apprehended in Arizona where no border fence is present as lawmakers debate funding on Hill

Border Patrol apprehends two large groups of illegal immigrants in a remote area of desert between Yuma and Tucson, Arizona; William La Jeunesse reports.

Charging of Chinese hackers signals aggressive new cyber strategy here to stay

The Justice Department indicted two Chinese nationals allegedly involved in an international hacking scheme that targeted “dozens of companies in the United States and around the world,” Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced Thursday.

Ford recalls 874,000 pickups in US, Canada on fire risk

Ford is recalling 874,000 of its best-selling F-series pickup trucks due to fire risk from the engine block heater system, the company announced Friday. The problem occurs when there is corrosion in a connector in the engine block heater, which is used in trucks to keep engines warm on cold days. Corrosion can make the system inoperable, or cause a short circuit, the company said.

The Latest: Exec: 4 on jet that crashed with no survivors

ATLANTA (AP) — The Latest on the crash of a business jet in Atlanta (all times local):

Why Jim Mattis' Resignation Has Military Leaders and Allies Rattled

News of James Mattis' resignation as Defense secretary sent chills through halls of the Pentagon.

Drones paralyze British airport, grounding Christmas travelers

As thousands of passengers waited at Gatwick Airport, south of London, police hunted unsuccessfully for the operators of the large drones which reappeared near the airfield every time the airport tried to reopen the runway. "The assessment earlier on today was that we wouldn't be using firearms," Detective Chief Superintendent Jason Tingley said late on Thursday. "This is continually reviewed so you will know and have seen that we have firearm officers deployed." Europe's air traffic control agency Eurocontrol said the airport would remain closed until 0600 GMT on Friday.

House panel to give Trump ally Stone's transcript to Russia probe

Democrats who take control of the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee next month have signaled they plan to send Special Counsel Robert Mueller the transcripts of testimony given under oath by some of Trump's closest associates so they can be reviewed for evidence and possible falsehoods. During the 2016 campaign, longtime Republican political operative Stone posted messages on Twitter implying that he had inside knowledge of data in the possession of hackers and WikiLeaks that would embarrass the Democrats. Stone's lawyer Grant Smith said on Thursday that he sent a letter to the committee's outgoing Republican chairman requesting that the full transcript of the private Sept. 26, 2017 interview be publicly released.

Third Canadian held for working in China illegally

A third Canadian detained in China is being held for working illegally in the country, the foreign ministry said Thursday, in a case which appears unrelated to previous detentions that have sparked diplomatic tensions. The Canadian, a woman named Sarah McIver, faces "administrative penalties", said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a press briefing in Beijing, without specifying what the penalties entail. Canada's National Post newspaper identified McIver as a teacher from Alberta who had been working at a school in China.

Car bomb kills at least five people in Somali capital: police

At least five people were killed and four wounded when a car bomb exploded in the Somali capital on Saturday, a police officer said.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2SeHmEA

U.S. to send migrants back to Mexico to wait out asylum requests

Immigrant advocates and human rights experts quickly denounced the policy change as illegal and violating the rights of refugees. Mexico's government said that it would accept some of those migrants for humanitarian reasons, in what many will see as an early concession to U.S. President Donald Trump's administration by Mexico's new president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who took office on Dec. 1. "We want to discourage those who are claiming asylum fraudulently," U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told a congressional committee on Thursday, describing the plan.

Ford Recalls Full-Sized Pickup Trucks Due to Engine Fire Risk

Ford is recalling 410,289 full-sized pickup trucks due to a risk of fire from an engine block heater. Water and contaminants may get into the block heater cable's connector and cause corrosion, a...

Rogue Drones Have Shut Down Britain's Second Busiest Airport. Here's What to Know

Officials said Thursday morning that police were still trying to bring the drones down over Gatwick airport, near London.

Markets Right Now: Stocks plunge again, Dow sinks 464 points

NEW YORK (AP) — The latest on developments in financial markets (all times local):

Putin Boosts Private Military Groups Outlawed in Russia

The problem is, mercenaries are illegal under Russian law. The president’s endorsement of mercenaries came in response to a question at his annual press conference Thursday about the Wagner group, a shadowy military contractor said to be controlled by Yevgeny Prigozhin, who’s known as “Putin’s Cook” because one of his companies provides food services to the Kremlin. While Russian law bans mercenaries, private security companies are allowed to operate.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy: The government shutdown comes down to Sen. Schumer

House majority leader speaks out on 'The Ingraham Angle' after Congress adjourns without reaching a spending deal before the midnight deadline.

Trump to pull half of US troops from Afghanistan

US President Donald Trump has decided to pull about 7,000 troops from Afghanistan, a US official said Friday, but the Afghan presidency brushed off concerns the drawdown would affect security. The move stunned and dismayed diplomats and officials in Kabul who are intensifying a push to end the 17-year conflict with the Taliban, which already controls vast amounts of territory and is causing "unsustainable" Afghan troop casualties. "If you're the Taliban, Christmas has come early," a senior foreign official in the Afghan capital told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

Woman Hit, Killed by Car During Argument with Roommates

Two 24-year-olds are behind bars after police say they purposely slammed a car into their car into their roommate.

London's Gatwick airport reopens after drone saboteur creates chaos

The British army and police are continuing to hunt for a rogue drone operator as the nation's second largest airport reopens after a 36-hour shutdown.

Mueller to Save Trump for Later as Prosecutor Readies Next Steps

Mueller is planning to continue building out his case brick-by-brick in a set of legal filings, as he offers his most detailed narrative yet of Russia’s election interference. Mueller is also looking into whether the president sought to obstruct justice. “Real-life cases, especially complex ones like this, rarely have one piece of irrefutable smoking-gun evidence,” said Elie Honig, a former federal prosecutor.

Wall Street falls again with Nasdaq near confirming bear market

U.S. stocks slid on Thursday, with the Nasdaq close to confirming bear market territory as the Federal Reserve's rate hikes fueled investor anxieties.

Syria Kurds say to keep up anti-IS fight unless Turkey attacks

Ras al-Ain (Syria) (AFP) - Syrian Kurdish forces said Thursday they will keep fighting the Islamic State group in eastern Syria unless they come under Turkish attack, after their US allies announced their withdrawal. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stressed they would freeze operations if Turkey attacked, as widely expected after a pullout of US forces which have served as a buffer. "The Hajin battles continues," said Mustefa Bali, a spokesman for the Kurdish-dominated force, referring to the main front against IS in the Euphrates Valley.

Pope vows Church will 'never again' ignore abuse accusations

Pope Francis vowed Friday that the Catholic Church will never again treat abuse allegations without "seriousness and promptness", calling on abusers to hand themselves in to police. "The Church will never seek to hush up or not take seriously any case," the pope said in his annual address to the Church's governing Curia at the Vatican. "Let it be clear that before these abominations the Church will spare no effort to do all that is necessary to bring to justice whosoever has committed such crimes".

Iraqi PM discusses U.S. withdrawal from Syria with Pompeo

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has assured Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi that the U.S. is still committed to fighting Islamic State in Iraq and other areas despite its planned withdrawal of troops from Syria, the latter's office said on Saturday.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2rLPpgy

At least five killed in two explosions in Somali capital

At least five people were killed and four wounded when a car bomb exploded in the Somali capital on Saturday, a police officer said.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2EGmWkR