America

• Reports: US Gets $100M Saudi Payment as Pompeo Arrives in Riyadh
  
  The same day Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Riyadh to discuss the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the United States got a payment of $100 million from Saudi Arabia, according to reports.
• McGahn Exits WH After 21-Month Tenure
  
  After a tumultuous 21-month tenure, White House counsel Don McGahn left the Trump administration Wednesday, according to reports.
• Report: Mueller Team Pressing Manafort for Info on Roger Stone
  
  Special counsel Robert Mueller's team is questioning convicted former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort about ex-business partner and friend Roger Stone, according to ABC News.
• Report: Obesity Poses Risk to National Security
  
  According to the law enforcement nonprofit Council for Strong America's "Mission: Readiness" project, 31 percent of youth in the United States are disqualified from military service due to obesity, and the epidemic is now "posing a threat to our nation's security."
• Chelsea Clinton Slams Farrakhan for Comparing Jews to Termites
  
  Denouncing Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, Chelsea Clinton called on Democrats to for hold him accountable for comparing Jewish people to "termites" in a recent speech.
• Rosenstein Defends Mueller Probe as 'Appropriate,' 'Independent'
  
  Standing by the special counsel's investigation into Russian election meddling, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein called it both "appropriate and independent" in a rare interview with The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.
• Bot Teaches At West Point
  
  The first-ever robot to complete a college course has now taught one - at West Point, Axios reported Wednesday.The brainy bot, Bina48 - who has her own Facebook page - was part of an experiment at the Military Academy to see if artificial intelligence can "support a liberal...
• Larry Klayman to Newsmax TV: WH 'Being Played' by Mueller
  
  Former federal prosecutor Larry Klayman claimed on Newsmax TV the special counsel is illegally leaking details and the White House is "being played."
• Eric Trump to Newsmax TV: 'Nice to Have a Fighter' as Prez
  
  With skills missing in the White House for years, President Donald Trump is a "counter-puncher" and "fighter," according to Eric Trump on Newsmax TV's "The Joe Pags Show."
• Report: California Girl Hands Out Cookies Baked With Grandma's Ashes
  
  A California high school student reportedly served cookies baked with her grandmother's ashes to unsuspecting classmates - a morbid ruse now under police investigation.
• Heitkamp Apologizes for Naming Sex Assault Survivors
  
  Sen. Heidi Heitkamp's, D-N.D., outing of sexual-assault survivors in a Senate campaign ad, some of whom were not victims nor had given permission to be identified, forced her to deliver an apology Tuesday.
• CNN Sister Station HLN Makes Drastic Cuts
  
  A CNN sister station is making drastic cuts to its broadcast lineup as it tries to cope with the changing media landscape.
• First CIA Officer-In-Residence On US Campus Heads to UT Austin
  
  The Central Intelligence Agency's first resident intelligence officer on a U.S. campus is coming to the University of Texas at Austin, the school announced Tuesday.
• Commission Recommends Anti-Racism Training For Police Following Starbucks Incident
  
  Philadelphia's Police Advisory Commission on Tuesday recommended anti-racism training for police officers following a review of the April arrests of two black men who were waiting for a friend inside a Starbucks, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
• Lord to Newsmax TV: Trump 'Blindsided' by GOP Spending
  
  President Donald Trump is determined to cut government spending while keeping taxes down, according to conservative commentator Jeffrey Lord on Newsmax TV's "America Talks Live."
• Retired U.S. Air Force General Rand Named CEO of Gary Sinise Fdn.
  
  Retired U.S. Air Force General Robin Rand has been named the Chief Executive Officer of the Gary Sinise Foundation, replacing Sinise, the organization announced Monday."Robin is a tremendous leader and, after 40 years of service to our country, we are honored by his...
• As Cities and Hotel Industry Struggle to Curb Airbnb, Voters Are Pushing Back
  
  The rapid growth of short-term rentals nationwide has pushed local governments, with the help of the hotel industry, to try to rein in the practice - but some rental firms and property owners are fighting the threat to the lucrative enterprise.The Washington Post reported...
• Baldwin Talk Show Premiere Tanks in Ratings
  
  Alec Baldwin's Sunday night primetime talk show premiere drew 2.2 million viewers, with just an 0.4 rating in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 age demographic, according to Entertainment Weekly.
• Two Viral Videos Renew Outrage Over Racism
  
  Viral videos recently have kicked up outrage over racism, including one where a woman wrongfully accused a 9-year-old black boy of sexually assaulting her at a deli, according to NBC News.
• NYPD to Charge 9 Members of Right-Wing Group 'Proud Boys'
  
  The New York Police Department is looking to charge nine members of the right-wing group known as the "Proud Boys" and three anti-fascist protesters for their role in a New York city altercation.
• Bezos Touts Plans to Help Populate Solar System
  
  Mega-billionaire Jeff Bezos is predicting a population explosion of 1 trillion humans in the solar system one day - and says his rocket company, Blue Origin, will help pave the way.In remarks at the 25th anniversary summit of tech site Wired in San Francisco, the Amazon...
• AI Can Analyze Facebook Posts, Detect Depression Earlier
  
  Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Stony Brook University have created an algorithm that can help diagnose depression at least three months earlier than health services by analyzing Facebook posts....
• Report: Family Helps Hispanic Suicide Rates Steady
  
  Because of the support they receive from their family and their Latino community, Hispanics seem to be relatively immune to the increase in suicide rates – nearly 30 percent nationwide since 2001 – according to a report from Kaiser Health News.
• Report: New Study Fuels Fear of 'Bugpocalypse'
  
  Insects are disappearing from the national forest in Puerto Rico, according to a new report published Monday - the latest indication of an alarming "bugpocalypse" around the world, The Washington Post reported.
• Pew: Little Partisan Consensus on Major Problems Facing Nation
  
  As the midterm elections quickly approach, Republican and Democratic voters differ widely in views of the seriousness of numerous problems facing the United States, according to a Pew Research Center poll released on Monday....

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