VP Mike Pence tours islands wrecked by Hurricane Maria

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Surveying the twisted metal wreckage in one San Juan neighborhood, Vice President Mike Pence came face-to-face with Puerto Rico's post-hurricane urgency.

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Comedian Ralphie May Dead At 45

Comedian Ralphie May died Friday at age 45, TMZ was first to report.

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Three men charged over alleged Isil plot to bomb New York

Three men have been arrested since May of last year on charges of plotting attacks in New York City for the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil) during the summer of 2016, US prosecutors said on Friday. The planned attacks, which were thwarted by law enforcement, included detonating explosives in Manhattan's Times Square and in the city's subway, according to the office of acting US Attorney Joon Kim in Manhattan. One of the men, 19-year-old Canadian citizen Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy, has been in US custody since May 2016, when he was arrested in New Jersey. He pleaded guilty to terrorism charges in October 2016, the prosecutors said. Talha Haroon, a 19-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested in Pakistan, where he lives, around September 2016, and Russell Salic, a 37-year-old citizen of the Philippines, was arrested in that country in April of this year, according to Mr Kim's office. Prosecutors said they expected Haroon and Salic to be extradited to the United States to face the charges, which include conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism and to support a terrorist organisation. If convicted of the most serious charges, they face a maximum sentence of life in prison. Acting Manhattan US Attorney announces unsealing of charges in foiled 2016 NYC terror plot http://ift.tt/2z5AtMq US Attorney SDNY (@SDNYnews) October 6, 2017 Lawyers for the three men could not immediately be identified. Prosecutors said El Bahnasawy bought bomb-making materials and helped secure a cabin near New York City from which to stage attacks. They said Haroon planned to travel from Pakistan to help El Bahnasawy carry out attacks, and that Salic helped fund the plot. According to documents unsealed in federal court in Manhattan on Friday, El Bahnasawy and Haroon planned to carry out attacks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ran from early June to early July. El Bahnasawy told an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a supporter of Isil that he wanted to "create the next 9/11," prosecutors said. El Bahnasawy told the officer of plans to detonate a car bomb in Times Square and "shoot up concerts," according to prosecutors. A member loyal to the ISIL waves an ISIL flag in Raqqa Credit: Reuters Haroon likewise told the officer that Times Square was "a perfect spot to hit them," prosecutors said. Salic, who maintained a pro-Islamic State social media presence, told the undercover officer that he had been communicating with El Bahnasawy, and sent the officer about $423 from the Philippines to help pay for the attacks, according to prosecutors. El Bahnasawy bought bomb-making materials in Canada, and was arrested the same day he came to the United States, the prosecutors said

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U.S. approves possible $15 billion sale of THAAD missiles to Saudi Arabia

The U.S. State Department has approved the possible sale of a THAAD anti-missile defense system to Saudi Arabia at an estimated cost of $15 billion, the Pentagon said on Friday, citing Iran among regional threats. The approval opens the way for Saudi Arabia to purchase 44 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launchers and 360 missiles, as well as fire control stations and radars. "This sale furthers U.S. national security and foreign policy interests, and supports the long-term security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region in the face of Iranian and other regional threats," the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation agency said in a statement.

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Philippines 'breeding ground for terrorists' says NY plotter

A Filipino suspect in a thwarted jihadist plot targetting New York City had boasted that his country was "a breeding ground for terrorists", the US Justice Department said Saturday. Russell Salic and two others have been charged with involvement in the plan to carry out the attacks in the name of the Islamic State group during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in 2016. A statement released by the US embassy in Manila said Salic, 37, transferred money to the other suspects for the operation, saying he could safely do this from the Philippines without attracting attention.

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Kim Jong-un not mad but a 'rational actor', CIA says

Kim Jong-un, who Donald Trump recently referred to as a “madman” has been rebranded a “rational actor” by senior CIA officials. The North Korean dictator is infamous for executing his own officers, threatening the US with nuclear war and increasing hostile long-range missile tests – the latest of which prompted harsh new international sanctions by the UN. “There’s a clarity of purpose in what Kim Jong-un has done,” said Yong Suk Lee, deputy assistant director of the CIA’s Korea Mission Centre, at an agency conference in George Washington University on Wednesday.

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Photos of the week: 9/29 - 10/6

The deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history left the nation in mourning this week.

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In Bizarre Photo Op, Trump Tells Press 'This Is The Calm Before The Storm'

The White House summoned the media to a last-minute photo op on Thursday evening, during which President Donald Trump made a series of cryptic comments while surrounded by “the world’s great military people.”

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Cops Investigating Las Vegas Shooting Turn to the Public for Help: 'We Have Looked at Literally Everything'

They still don't have a motive for the shooting

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Survivalist spends 45 years filling huge basement with food — then decides Puerto Ricans need it more

A grieving widower survivalist and a young Puerto Rican couple have found a way to turn tragedy into hope. Forty barrels, filled with over 300 pounds of food each are making their way to Puerto Rico after Joseph Badame ran into Victoria Barber at an estate sale where bankers were selling of Mr Badame’s New Jersey home. The food — amassed over 45 years as Mr Badame prepared with his late wife for a potential national or international crisis — were not for sale, and the 74-year-old was concerned it would all get tossed.

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‘Calm Before the Storm’: Trump Makes Cryptic Remark at Military Dinner

It's unclear whether the president’s comment was intended to deflect from the political storm engulfing his administration or actually previewing some new action.

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Police officer saves life of exhausted cancer patient during Las Vegas mass shooting

An off-duty police officer saved the life of a woman with cancer who was too exhausted from treatment to flee gunfire at the mass shooting in Las Vegas. Cassidy Huff, who had recently finished a course of chemotherapy and was at the Route 91 festival with her mother, collapsed behind a car when she tried to run. Officer Mitchell Tosti, a member of the Los Angeles Police Department who was at the festival with his fiancee and friends, spotted Ms Huff and carried her to safety.

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Trump Makes it Legal for Employers to Refuse to Pay for Birth Control

The new rule allows broader exemptions for companies who choose not to subsidize birth control for moral or religious reasons, making it harder for some women to get birth control through their insurance.

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VP Mike Pence tours islands wrecked by Hurricane Maria

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Surveying the twisted metal wreckage in one San Juan neighborhood, Vice President Mike Pence came face-to-face with Puerto Rico's post-hurricane urgency.

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FEMA restores count showing Puerto Rico clean water, power

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration, criticized for its slow response to hurricane victims in Puerto Rico, said Friday it had restored an online tally of how many people have access to clean drinking water and electricity. The figures had quietly disappeared from the Federal Emergency Management Agency website earlier in the week.

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Russian police detain 66 anti-Putin protesters: monitors

Russian police on Saturday violently broke up an opposition rally in Saint Petersburg and detained more than 60 people protesting against President Vladimir Putin on his birthday, a monitoring group said. Artyom Platov, spokesman for OVD-Info, a group that monitors politically motivated arrests, said at least 66 had been arrested in Russia's second city and Putin's hometown. Witnesses said police violently broke up the rally in which some 3,000 people took part, throwing protesters into police vans, injuring several demonstrators and forcing some to run for cover.

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Nevada trial of Cliven Bundy postponed after Las Vegas massacre

The case against Bundy stems from a 2014 revolt he is alleged to have led against federal authorities at his ranch in Bunkerville, Nevada, about 75 miles northeast of Las Vegas. U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro in Las Vegas granted the delay for Bundy and several co-defendants, including his sons, who are accused of conspiracy, assault and other charges, Bret Whipple told Reuters.

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Elon Musk Floats Solar Overhaul Of Puerto Rico Power Grid, Governor Says 'Let's Talk'

With 90 percent of Puerto Rico still without power, Elon Musk has made hurricane-wrecked island an offer its governor couldn’t refuse.

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Russian protesters rally on Vladimir Putin's birthday

Police detained more than 100 supporters of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Saturday as thousands rallied nationwide on President Vladimir Putin's 65th birthday, calling for the leader to retire.  Mr Putin, who has now reached the official retirement age of lower-ranking state employees, is widely expected to run again in next year's presidential election and enjoys a high approval rating. Mr Navalny has declared his intention to run in the election next March and was campaigning in provincial cities as part of his long-shot bid for the presidency.  He was arrested late last month and a court last week sentenced him to 20 days in jail on charges of repeatedly violating a law on organising public meetings. Demonstrators attend an unauthorised anti-Kremlin rally called by opposition leader Alexei Navalny Credit: AFP Mr Navalny's arrest galvanised supporters in 80 cities, who turned out on Saturday in a nationwide protest against the ruling. "I came out to support the opposition because I don't agree with the course our country has taken," said Anatoly Morozov, a student dressed in a fox costume at the St Petersburg protest. "The ignorance and insanity has reached impossible levels." Protesters chanted "Free Navalny," "Putin's a theif" and "Fourth term in prison," referring to the president's expected run for re-election. Last year Mr Putin played hockey on his birthday, but the mood this year was not as light. The Kremlin said on Friday he would be taking phone calls and attending a meeting of the security council in Sochi. Russian riot-police seen blocking Liteiny Prospekt on today Navalny support march in St-Petersburg Credit: DMITRI BELIAKOV for The Telegraph Local authorities refused permission for many of the demonstrations and told residents not to attend. Mr Putin's spokesman warned that violators could be prosecuted, but activists declared they would go ahead anyway. “Many supporters want to see Navalny as president, they come out on the streets because for now that's the only format in which they can express this,” said Polina Kostyleva, the head of Mr Navalny's St Petersburg campaign office. She was detained and fined this week after police raided the office and found fliers about the protest. A demonstrator chats slogans during an unauthorised anti-Kremlin rally Credit: AFP Police in several cities detained campaign activists before the protests even began. In the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, where an estimated 700 people came to the demonstration including maverick mayor Yevgeny Roizman, police detained at least 18 people, according to independent monitoring group OVD-Info. In Moscow, protesters chanted “down with the tsar” and marched toward the Kremlin before running into a wall of riot police. Russian riot-police seen arresting protester on today Navalny support march in St-Petersburg Credit: DMITRI BELIAKOV for The Telegraph At least one protester was detained, but there were no mass arrests that took place at protests in June, when 850 people were taken into custody. Police said 700 people had participated while activists put the number as high as 2,000.

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Las Vegas survivor faces backlash after standing to greet President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump

The president and first lady Melania Trump visited Gunderson, who was among the more than 500 people wounded at the Route 91 Harvest Festival last weekend, at the city’s University Medical Center on Wednesday, where they posed for photographs and chatted. The 28-year-old from Newport Beach, California, took to Facebook shortly after to post a video of the encounter which later went viral, writing: “I will never lie down when the President of this great country comes to shake my hand! Since then, Gunderson has received an overwhelming amount of positive responses and well wishes.

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