5 Key Moments From Trump and Kim's Second Summit

They reached no new deal

Cohen testimony: Trump's former lawyer will return to give further evidence - 'I will be back'

Michael Cohen says he is committed to the truth and will return to Capitol Hill in March with further evidence, after three days in Washington that has captivated the country. "I am committed to telling the truth and I will be back on March 6th to finish up," Cohen said after that closed door meeting.

Elon Musk Finally Announces the $35,000 Tesla Model 3, but It's Actually $36,200

The new Standard Range model promises 220 miles of range and has a far more basic interior.

Business leaders, lawmakers to Amazon: please come back to NY

Top business leaders, lawmakers and others are urging Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos to reconsider his decision not to move forward with plans for a new headquarters in New York, to build an "exciting future" for the city. In mid-February, Amazon abandoned its plans for a new headquarters in New York, to be located in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, blaming opposition from community leaders angry at the huge subsidies on offer. "New York attracts the best, most diverse talent from across the globe.

Kraft pleads not guilty to solicitation charges

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft pleaded not guilty to solicitation of prostitution charges and is requesting a non-jury trial.

Pakistan and India step back from the brink, tensions simmer

A flare up between arch-foes India and Pakistan appeared to be easing on Saturday after Islamabad handed back a captured Indian pilot, but tensions continued to simmer amid efforts by global powers to prevent a war between the nuclear-armed neighbors

from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2EISgOv

South Korea to work with U.S., North Korea after failed nuclear talks

The second meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in Vietnam, was cut short after they failed to reach a deal on the extent of sanctions relief North Korea would get in exchange for steps to give up its nuclear program. Moon has been active in efforts to end confrontation on the Korean peninsula, meeting Kim three times last year and trying to facilitate his nuclear negotiations with the United States. "My administration will closely communicate and cooperate with the United States and North Korea so as to help their talks reach a complete settlement by any means," Moon said in a speech in Seoul.

Pakistan returns Indian pilot in 'peace gesture'

A pilot shot down in a dogfight with Pakistani aircraft returned to India on Friday, after being freed in what Islamabad called a "peace gesture" following the biggest standoff between the two countries in years. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, shot down on Wednesday over Kashmir -- divided between the nuclear-armed rivals since 1947 -- crossed into India at the famed Wagah crossing point, sporting a black eye from his ordeal. In New Delhi the announcement of the experienced pilot's release was seen as a diplomatic victory, but India warned that its military remained on "heightened" alert.

In U.S. charm offensive, China's Huawei launches ad to combat dark image

Huawei Technologies ran a full page ad in major U.S. newspapers on Thursday urging readers not to believe "everything you hear," about the Chinese tech firm, as it defends itself against government accusations its equipment can be used to spy. The world's largest telecommunications equipment maker, which has been charged with bank fraud related to U.S. sanctions against Iran, touted its relief efforts in disaster-torn countries like Chile and Indonesia, and its work to connect the undeserved around the world. The advertisement ran in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Politico, USA Today and the Los Angeles Times, said Huawei spokesman Chase Skinner.

SpaceX to launch test for resumption of manned US flights

SpaceX will try to send a dummy to the International Space Station this weekend in a key test for resuming manned US space flights, perhaps this year if all goes well. NASA pays Russia to get its people up to the orbiting research facility at a cost of 82 million dollars a head, round trip. In 2014, the US space agency awarded contracts to SpaceX and Boeing for them to take over this task.

The Next India-Pakistan Crisis Will Be Worse

With both sides now willing to climb higher up the escalation ladder, a future nuclear exchange could become a far less remote prospect.

Inside the World of CPAC

The Conservative Political Action Conference is the biggest annual gathering of conservatives, making it a microcosm of arguments in the GOP

Nancy Pelosi downplays impeachment talk after Michael Cohen's testimony

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants to 'see what the facts are' following the testimony of President Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen; reaction from Fox News contributor Kimberly Strassel, editorial board member for the Wall Street Journal.

Trump Was Right to Walk Away From Kim

On Thursday afternoon, President Donald Trump cut short his summit in Hanoi with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. “Sometimes you have to walk,” Trump explained later at a press conference. Trump said Kim demanded a full lifting of sanctions in exchange for only partial denuclearization.

Ripley, the SpaceX test dummy, is buckled in and ready for launch

Space travel is set to take a pivotal step forward this weekend. SpaceX, in the first test demonstration of a commercial crew capsule designed to eventually send astronauts to the International Space Station, plans to launch its Crew Dragon spacecraft on Saturday, March 2, at 2:49 a.m. ET, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The commercial spaceflight company has worked closely with NASA engineers to design a capsule that meets the agency's rigorous safety standards. This six-day mission — which carries along a test dummy covered in sensors, nicknamed Ripley — endeavors to blast into space, attach to the space station, and then parachute back down to Earth.  (There will be no humans aboard.) "I’m very comfortable with where we’re headed with this flight. I fully expect we’re going to learn something on this flight. I guarantee you everything will not work exactly right. And that’s cool," Bill Gerstenmaier, the associate administrator for NASA’s human spaceflight program, said during a launch briefing last week, The Washington Post reports.  We are excited that Ripley, an anthropomorphic test device, will be making the trip to and from @Space_Station. She is outfitted with many sensors to provide teams detailed information to further understand the effects on future crew members who will be traveling in Crew Dragon. https://t.co/yo19LYZwCy — NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) March 1, 2019 "... We want to maximize our learning so we can get the stuff ready so when we put crew on we’re ready to go do a real crew mission,” Gerstenmaier said. This launch is the opening gun in a new space race, specifically as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The program involves NASA working with two partners, SpaceX and Boeing, to build revolutionary spacecraft to bring astronauts to the space station and low orbits around Earth.  SEE ALSO: NASA dropped a space exploration robot into Cape Cod’s waters to reach the darkest unknowns The Dragon capsule holding Ripley — which NASA calls an "anthropomorphic test device" — will launch atop SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9 rocket — the same rocket the company uses to launch supplies to the space station.  Unlike Elon Musk's Starman — which SpaceX strapped tightly to a Roadster during last year's sensational test launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket — Ripley serves an engineering purpose. Ripley, donning a sleek white spacesuit, is covered in sensors to measure the vibrations and sound occurring inside the capsule during its high-speed journeys to, around, and back to Earth.  SpaceX and @NASA have completed thousands of hours of tests, analyses, and reviews in preparation for Crew Dragon’s first test flight to the @space_station pic.twitter.com/JvJqeoLKVy — SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 28, 2019 If the early Saturday morning launch goes as planned, the Dragon capsule will dock with the space station at 6:00 a.m. March 3, where it will stay for five days. Then, on Friday, March 8 at around 2:30 a.m. ET, the capsule will leave the space station and some five hours later fall through Earth's atmosphere. Soon after, the spacecraft will deploy four large parachutes to slow down.  NASA expects a gentle splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean off of Cape Canaveral, Florida at around 8:45 a.m. ET.  The U.S. has lacked both a rocket and spaceship to launch astronauts into space since the retirement of the Shuttle program, in 2011. Since then, NASA has had to purchase pricey seats aboard Russia's Soyuz rocket, which cost $81 million per seat. The Demo-1 Flight Readiness Review has concluded. The Board set March 2 at 2:48 a.m. EST as the official launch date for @SpaceX's flight to @Space_Station. #LaunchAmerica https://t.co/2DIJ99guG2 pic.twitter.com/86lV29gVNS — NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) February 22, 2019 Acknowledging that there may be delays with the SpaceX and Boeing crew capsules, NASA has purchased two more future seats aboard the Soyuz rockets, one in 2019 and one in 2020, Space News reports. But when SpaceX and Boeing's spacecraft do start carrying real passengers — not test dummies — the price for a ride into space will fall considerably, to around $58 million per seat, NASA said.  WATCH: This "horror" was spotted off the coast of the Carolinas

US slaps new sanctions on Venezuela regime as Russia ups support

The United States and Russia clashed Friday over how to assist crisis-wracked Venezuela, with Moscow pledging new relief channeled through President Nicolas Maduro and Washington slapping sanctions over the blocking of US aid it tried to push through the border. A day after Russia and China vetoed a US and European resolution at the UN Security Council that called for unimpeded aid deliveries, Washington said it was targeting six Venezuelan military officers for stopping last weekend's US-led convoy. Four people were killed in the melee as Maduro's forces prevented the 178 metric tonnes of rice, beans and other food from crossing into the country from Colombia.

Kim pays respects at embalmed body of Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un paid his respects Saturday to Vietnamese revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh, whose embalmed body is on permanent display, just like Kim's own father and grandfather in North Korea.

Roots of Spain’s Crisis: One Word Fought Over at Birth of Constitution

By PATRICK KINGSLEY from NYT World https://ift.tt/2tJT2EF

The Latest: Pakistan, Turkish leaders discuss India standoff

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Latest on escalating India-Pakistan tensions (all times local):

Trump abruptly leaves Kim Jong Un summit without a deal

President Trump abruptly ended his planned deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday, declaring that sometimes you have to walk. This was his second summit with the dictator about the regime's nuclear weapons.

Pakistan pledges to release captive Indian fighter pilot

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's prime minister pledged on Thursday his country would release a captured Indian fighter pilot, a move that could help defuse the most serious confrontation in two decades between the nuclear-armed neighbors over the disputed region of Kashmir.

Trump says Kim 'felt very badly' after Otto Warmbier death

President Trump says Kim Jong Un "tells me that he didn’t know about” the treatment of Otto Warmbier, the U.S. college student who died in 2017 after being held in a Pyongyang prison. “And I will take him at his word.”

Russia Offers Warm Words, Little Cash to Visiting Venezuela Ally

Russia will continue to provide “legitimate humanitarian assistance” to Venezuela, which faces a “cynical campaign” by the U.S. and its allies against President Nicolas Maduro’s government, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after talks with Rodriguez in Moscow on Friday. There are no discussions “at the presidential level” about financial help for Venezuela, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, adding that President Vladimir Putin has no time in his schedule to meet with Rodriguez.

Patriots owner pleads not guilty to prostitution charges

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has pleaded not guilty to two counts of misdemeanor solicitation of prostitution in a Florida case, according to court documents released Thursday.

Trump allies worry federal investigations in New York could lead to president’s downfall

Members of Donald Trump’s inner circle have publicly and privately expressed worries that federal investigations underway in the Southern District of New York could spell the beginning of the end for his presidency. Chris Christie, the former Republican governor of New Jersey and a friend of the president, said in an interview with Fox News on Friday morning the SDNY probes “have no restriction in what they can look at” and have been provided a “tour guide” in Michael Cohen. Cohen “said he was in constant contact with the Southern District of New York, and that he believes the president committed other crimes but he can’t talk about it because he’s working with the Southern District of New York”, the governor said about Cohen’s explosive public testimony on Capitol Hill earlier this week.

On Politics: The Biggest Stories of the Week

By Unknown Author from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2XvZahk

Bulls Beat Hawks, 168-161, in Third-Highest-Scoring N.B.A. Game Ever

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports https://ift.tt/2GTGrHy

How the N.Y. Public Library Fills Its Shelves (and Why Some Books Don’t Make the Cut)

By WINNIE HU from NYT New York https://ift.tt/2GTFr6f

What’s on TV Saturday: ‘S.N.L.’ and ‘Barbara’

By SARA ARIDI from NYT Arts https://ift.tt/2tIqwmX

Meredith Whittaker on Tech Workers

By THE NEW YORK TIMES from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2UfFqwz

Who’s Investigating Justin Trudeau — and What Do They Hope to Find?

By IAN AUSTEN from NYT World https://ift.tt/2ILzDgX

Colombian Prosecutor Investigating FARC Is Accused of Taking Bribe for Ex-Rebel

By JENNY CAROLINA GONZÁLEZ and NICHOLAS CASEY from NYT World https://ift.tt/2XvJMl4

Tulsa Police Officer Who Killed Unarmed Black Man Won’t Face Civil Rights Charges

By LIAM STACK from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2VsvBeN

Quotation of the Day: Trudeau Promised a Fresh Approach to Politics. Now He’s Embroiled in Scandal.

By Unknown Author from NYT Today’s Paper https://ift.tt/2UhB8EK

A Welcome Failure

Donald Trump walked away from talks with North Korea, the best possible outcome given that he never should have walked into the talks to begin with.In the unlikely event that North Korea wanted to give up its nuclear program, it could have demonstrated its commitment over time in low-level talks building toward an agreement. Instead, President Trump took the high-wire route of two direct meetings with Kim Jong-un, giving the North Korea dictator, if nothing else, an incalculable propaganda coup by enhancing his international standing.Worse, Trump couldn’t help but make boosterish comments about the Supreme Leader, who enslaves and immiserates his people. In Hanoi, he even professed to take seriously Kim Jong-un’s denial that he had anything to do with Otto Warmbier’s murder, as if rogue security services are kidnapping and torturing Americans on their own initiative in the most tightly controlled society on Earth.All signs were that the North Koreans were heading to a diplomatic win, getting sanctions relief — as well as a U.S. liaison office in Pyongyang and a formal end to the Korean War — in exchange for steps to dismantle its Yongbyon enrichment facility. This is a version of the sucker’s deal that the U.S. has fallen for time and again with the North. Pyongyang’s play is to pocket any economic relief and diplomatic recognition, and then cheat on its commitments. Indeed, President Trump revealed that we are aware of a second, heretofore unknown enrichment facility.For whatever reason, though, the North Koreans pushed Trump on sanctions relief further than he was willing to go, and the president left the table.This avoids, for the time being, making the mistake Trump’s personal diplomacy was headed toward. Now, the president should abandon hopes that Kim is going to be coaxed out of a nuclear program central to his regime’s existence, and instead return to the robust program of economic, military, and diplomatic pressure that his administration was pursuing prior to this detour.It is a temptation for all leaders, especially Trump, who makes everything personal, to overestimate how much a relationship and direct talks can overcome ineluctable strategic and ideological considerations. It’s time to realize that Kim Jong-un is not a promising young man. He’s not going to give up his nuclear program. And he’ll realistically sign on only to a deal that he believes extends the life of his dictatorship. We hope the failure in Hanoi is the beginning of wisdom.

India says 'happy' Pakistan is releasing downed pilot

The Indian government was "happy" that Pakistan had decided to return its captured air force pilot and it looked forward to his return, defense officials told reporters on Thursday. Wing Commander Abhinandan, who was captured by Pakistan's army on Wednesday, will return to India on Friday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan told the country's parliament. Asked about the damage caused when India warplanes struck a suspected militant camp in Pakistan, the officials said it was premature to provide details about casualties.

In U.S. charm offensive, China's Huawei launches ad to combat dark image

Huawei Technologies ran a full page ad in major U.S. newspapers on Thursday urging readers not to believe "everything you hear," about the Chinese tech firm, as it defends itself against government accusations its equipment can be used to spy. The world's largest telecommunications equipment maker, which has been charged with bank fraud related to U.S. sanctions against Iran, touted its relief efforts in disaster-torn countries like Chile and Indonesia, and its work to connect the undeserved around the world. The advertisement ran in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Politico, USA Today and the Los Angeles Times, said Huawei spokesman Chase Skinner.

Ripley, the SpaceX test dummy, is buckled in and ready for launch

Space travel is set to take a pivotal step forward this weekend. SpaceX, in the first test demonstration of a commercial crew capsule designed to eventually send astronauts to the International Space Station, plans to launch its Crew Dragon spacecraft on Saturday, March 2, at 2:49 a.m. ET, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The commercial spaceflight company has worked closely with NASA engineers to design a capsule that meets the agency's rigorous safety standards. This six-day mission — which carries along a test dummy covered in sensors, nicknamed Ripley — endeavors to blast into space, attach to the space station, and then parachute back down to Earth.  (There will be no humans aboard.) "I’m very comfortable with where we’re headed with this flight. I fully expect we’re going to learn something on this flight. I guarantee you everything will not work exactly right. And that’s cool," Bill Gerstenmaier, the associate administrator for NASA’s human spaceflight program, said during a launch briefing last week, The Washington Post reports.  We are excited that Ripley, an anthropomorphic test device, will be making the trip to and from @Space_Station. She is outfitted with many sensors to provide teams detailed information to further understand the effects on future crew members who will be traveling in Crew Dragon. https://t.co/yo19LYZwCy — NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) March 1, 2019 "... We want to maximize our learning so we can get the stuff ready so when we put crew on we’re ready to go do a real crew mission,” Gerstenmaier said. This launch is the opening gun in a new space race, specifically as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The program involves NASA working with two partners, SpaceX and Boeing, to build revolutionary spacecraft to bring astronauts to the space station and low orbits around Earth.  SEE ALSO: NASA dropped a space exploration robot into Cape Cod’s waters to reach the darkest unknowns The Dragon capsule holding Ripley — which NASA calls an "anthropomorphic test device" — will launch atop SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9 rocket — the same rocket the company uses to launch supplies to the space station.  Unlike Elon Musk's Starman — which SpaceX strapped tightly to a Roadster during last year's sensational test launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket — Ripley serves an engineering purpose. Ripley, donning a sleek white spacesuit, is covered in sensors to measure the vibrations and sound occurring inside the capsule during its high-speed journeys to, around, and back to Earth.  SpaceX and @NASA have completed thousands of hours of tests, analyses, and reviews in preparation for Crew Dragon’s first test flight to the @space_station pic.twitter.com/JvJqeoLKVy — SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 28, 2019 If the early Saturday morning launch goes as planned, the Dragon capsule will dock with the space station at 6:00 a.m. March 3, where it will stay for five days. Then, on Friday, March 8 at around 2:30 a.m. ET, the capsule will leave the space station and some five hours later fall through Earth's atmosphere. Soon after, the spacecraft will deploy four large parachutes to slow down.  NASA expects a gentle splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean off of Cape Canaveral, Florida at around 8:45 a.m. ET.  The U.S. has lacked both a rocket and spaceship to launch astronauts into space since the retirement of the Shuttle program, in 2011. Since then, NASA has had to purchase pricey seats aboard Russia's Soyuz rocket, which cost $81 million per seat. The Demo-1 Flight Readiness Review has concluded. The Board set March 2 at 2:48 a.m. EST as the official launch date for @SpaceX's flight to @Space_Station. #LaunchAmerica https://t.co/2DIJ99guG2 pic.twitter.com/86lV29gVNS — NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) February 22, 2019 Acknowledging that there may be delays with the SpaceX and Boeing crew capsules, NASA has purchased two more future seats aboard the Soyuz rockets, one in 2019 and one in 2020, Space News reports. But when SpaceX and Boeing's spacecraft do start carrying real passengers — not test dummies — the price for a ride into space will fall considerably, to around $58 million per seat, NASA said.  WATCH: This "horror" was spotted off the coast of the Carolinas

Mark Meadows: Republican claims ‘there is not a racial bone’ in his body after ‘birther’ comments unearthed

Republican representative Mark Meadows defended himself from allegations of racism this week, one day after his testy argument over race erupted during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing for former Trump campaign fixer Michael Cohen. In the resurfaced video, Mr Meadows is seen speaking to a crowd while campaigning for his congressional seat. 2012 is the time that we’re going to send Mr. Obama home to Kenya or wherever it is,” Mr Meadows said in the video.

Trump hopeful India-Pakistan crisis will be resolved

US President Donald Trump was hopeful Thursday of a resolution to an ongoing crisis between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan which has ignited fears of an all-out conflict in South Asia. Trump, speaking at a press conference in Hanoi after a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said he had had "reasonably attractive news from Pakistan and India". The comments were his first since India and Pakistan both claimed to have shot down each other's fighter planes after a rare aerial engagement in the skies over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir early Wednesday, with Pakistan capturing one Indian pilot.

There are red flags common in human trafficking cases. Here's how the Florida spas compare

The red flags present in Florida that human trafficking possibly occurred are similar to those experts describe in a variety of other cases.

AOC Threatens to Put Moderate Dems on a Primary ‘List’ If They Vote With GOP

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) threatened her moderate colleagues during a Thursday Democratic caucus meeting, telling the lawmakers she plans to provide progressive activists searching for primary targets with a list of Democrats who work across the aisle.Speaker Nancy Pelosi began the meeting by chastising the two dozen moderates who voted on Tuesday in favor of a Republican amendment to a gun control bill that requires gun retailers to report illegal immigrants who attempt to buy a gun.“We are either a team or we’re not, and we have to make that decision,” Pelosi said, two people who were present told the Washington Post.Ocasio-Cortez, who routinely wields her massive social media following to pressure her establishment colleagues into supporting her agenda, sought to add force to Pelosi's call for unity by threatening to expose to the ire of progressive activists any Democrats willing to compromise with Republicans.Corbin Trent, a spokesman for Ocasio-Cortez, told the Post that any Democrats who cooperate with Republicans “are putting themselves on a list.”“She said that when activists ask her why she had to vote for a gun safety bill that also further empowers an agency that forcibly injects kids with psychotropic drugs, they’re going to want a list of names and she’s going to give it to them,” Trent said, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.The rift between the establishment and the younger, more progressive wing of the party was brought into sharp relief this week moments before the House passed legislation that would require a federal criminal background check for all gun purchases, including private transactions. While the bill's passage represented a significant victory for the Democratic majority, the inclusion of a provision that will facilitate deportations at the hands of ICE agents incensed progressives, many of whom have called for the agency to be abolished.

After summit diplomacy collapse, what's Donald Trump's North Korea Plan B?

In the aftermath of the scrapped Hanoi summit, it's time to formulate a new plan for dealing with the strategic challenge posed by the Kim regime.

Islamic State faces final territorial defeat in eastern Syria battle

Islamic State faced final territorial defeat on Saturday as the U.S.-backed Syrian force battling the jihadists said it was closing in on their last bastion near the Iraqi border, capping four years of efforts to roll back the group.

from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2TbPtGw