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Today's News: April 27, 2018

World News
 
New era, no more war: Two Koreas agree on complete denuclearization
RT – A new era of peace is beginning, according to a declaration signed by the leaders of North and South Korea after their first meeting in over a decade. Both nations are aiming to completely denuclearize the Korean peninsula.
 
Gaza Protesters Charge Fence; 3 Killed, 100s Wounded
New York Times – Urged on by a Hamas leader who told them not to fear death but to welcome martyrdom, hundreds of Palestinian protesters stormed the Gaza security barrier and tried to cross into Israel on Friday.
Israeli troops responded with lethal force, killing at least several people and wounding hundreds, according to Gaza health officials.
 
NATO Foreign Ministers Urge Russia, Iran to Support Peace Process in Afghanistan
Sputnik – Earlier in the day, foreign ministers of NATO states on Friday held a meeting in Brussels to discuss the situation in the Middle East, cooperation with the EU and relations with Russia. They also urged Iran and Russia to contribute to the peace process in Afghanistan.
 
Knife Attack at Chinese Middle School Leaves Seven Children Dead
New York Times – A man wielding a knife killed seven children and injured a dozen others outside a middle school in central China on Friday, the authorities said, in one of the worst attacks at a Chinese school in recent years.
The incident took place shortly after 6 p.m., officials said, as students were being dismissed at the Mizhi County No. 3 Middle School in Shaanxi Province, about 500 miles southwest of Beijing.
 
U.S. News, Politics & Government
 
Took DNA test? You may be ‘genetic informant’…
USA Today – You just wanted to find out if you were Portuguese or Spanish, but instead you found out you were related to a mass murderer.
This is a reality in a world where the alledged Golden State Killer, now known as Joseph James DeAngelo, was arrested after DNA found at one of the killer’s crime scenes was checked against genetic profiles from genealogical websites that collect DNA samples.
Popular genetic testing companies 23andMe and Ancestry.com are holding on to more than information about your family tree, which raises privacy conerns. Experts confirm DNA in these databases can be accessed by law enforcement and third party companies under certain circumstances, revealing intimate information about user’s medical history and biological relationships.
“People don’t realize that unlike most medical tests where you find out information, it isn’t just about you,” said Arthur Caplan, director of the Division of Medical Ethics at New York University’s School of Medicine.
 
Manafort loses effort to challenge Mueller’s authority in civil court
CNN – Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has lost his lawsuit claiming that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and special counsel Robert Mueller exceeded their authority in charging him with alleged crimes that he says have nothing to do with the 2016 campaign.
A judge said Friday that Manafort can’t use this lawsuit to stop the special counsel’s office from continuing to pursue an investigation of him.
 
House report backs claim that FBI agents did not think Flynn lied, despite guilty plea
True Pundit – House Intelligence Committee Republicans, in their newly released report concluding their Russia investigation, seemed to back up reports that FBI agents did not think ex-White House national security adviser Michael Flynn lied to them – despite his eventual guilty plea for making false statements.
Among the 44 findings in the report was a line stating that “Federal Bureau of Investigation agents did not detect any deception during Flynn’s interview.”
The Washington Examiner’s Byron York first reported earlier this year that fired FBI boss James Comey had briefed lawmakers amid allegations Flynn had lied to Vice President Pence about conversations with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak and speculation he may have misled FBI agents who questioned him in January 2017. Comey reportedly told lawmakers at the time that agents who interviewed Flynn did not believe he lied in that Jan. 24 meeting, and that any inaccuracies in his account were unintentional.
Fast-forward to December, after the probe takeover by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and Flynn would plead guilty to one count of making false statements to the FBI during that meeting.
Comey, however, denied that he ever told lawmakers agents didn’t believe Flynn intentionally lied.
 
Feds Charge, Sanction Major Chinese Fentanyl Traffickers
Washington Free Beacon – Four Chinese nationals face charges, and another five face economic sanctions, related to a multistate fentanyl trafficking conspiracy that claimed at least four American lives, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Friday.
 
Teachers to descend on Arizona, Colorado Capitols for second day of walkouts
Chicago Tribune – Arizona and Colorado teachers plan to don red shirts and descend upon their respective Capitols for a second day in a growing educator uprising.
Educators in both states want more classroom resources and have received offers either for increased school funding or pay, but they say the money isn’t guaranteed and the efforts don’t go far enough. The walkouts are the latest in demonstrations that spread from West Virginia, Oklahoma and Kentucky.
 
Tom Brokaw cancels commencement speech amid allegations
Town Hall  – A Connecticut university says former news anchor Tom Brokaw has withdrawn as commencement speaker after facing allegations of sexual harassment.
The Hartford Courant reports Sacred Heart University announced the cancellation Friday.
 
Former president George HW Bush to remain hospitalized over weekend
USA Today – Former president George H.W. Bush will remain hospitalized over the weekend as he continues to recover and regain his strength, his spokesman said Friday.
“He is in excellent spirits, and is looking forward to resuming his schedule and going to Maine next month,” spokesman Jim McGrath said in a statement.
 
Economy & Business
 
Recalls this week: ceiling fans, hard hats
Town Hall – More than 100,000 ceiling fans are being recalled because of faulty brackets connecting the fan blades. Other recalled consumer products include defective hard hats.
 
Energy & Environment
 
Environmentalist Non-Profit Group Tied To Big Money
Daily Caller – An investigation into EarthRights International — an environmental advocacy organization behind a high-profile climate lawsuit in Colorado — reveals a laundry list of wealthy progressive donors.
The County and City of Boulder, along with San Miguel County, Colo., are suing ExxonMobil and Suncor, claiming the two companies have done damage to the environment and contributed to climate change, the state entities announced April 20. The plaintiffs are citing “public nuisance” laws as the grounds for their case. Another notable detail: EarthRights International will be providing pro bono legal support for the lawsuit.
 
Science & Technology
 
Ethics debate as pig brains kept alive without a body
BBC – Researchers at Yale University have restored circulation to the brains of decapitated pigs, and kept the organs alive for several hours.
Their aim is to develop a way of studying intact human brains in the lab for medical research.
Although there is no evidence that the animals were aware, there is concern that some degree of consciousness might have remained.
Details of the study were presented at a brain science ethics meeting held at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda in Maryland on 28 March.
The research has also been reported on this week in the MIT Technology Review.
 
What travelling on Hyperloop would really be like: BMW reveals its vision of a 760mph capsule
Daily Mail – A stunning Virgin Hyperloop One pod that could carry passengers at speeds of up to 760mph (1,200 kmh) when it launches in 2020 has been unveiled.
The prototype pod is equipped with luxury adjustable leather seats and built-in touchscreen displays that let passengers personalise their entertainment.
Floor lighting could help travellers to find their way around and there are also personally-controlled lights for reading.
The BMW-designed concept pods give a glimpse of the luxurious conditions inside the futuristic transport vehicles, which could launch in Dubai within the next two years.
Hyperloop’s low-friction design means passengers will be able to travel through 87 miles (140 km) of high-pressure tubes between the city and neighbouring Abu Dhabi in 12 minutes, a journey that takes around 90 minutes by car.
 
Health
 
Romaine lettuce outbreak update: 98 people sick in 22 states
Town Hall – The food poisoning outbreak linked to romaine lettuce has spread to three more states.  Health officials on Friday said they now have reports of 98 cases in 22 states, with the addition of Mississippi, Tennessee and Wisconsin. The outbreak is blamed on E. coli bacteria in romaine lettuce grown in Yuma, Arizona.
 
8 Beets Benefits You May Not Believe

  1. High in Antioxidants
  2. Relieve Inflammation
  3. Promote Heart Health
  4. Aid in Detoxification
  5. Boost Brain Function
  6. Support Digestive Health
  7. Enhance Athletic Performance
  8. Increase Weight Loss

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