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Accused Russian Agent Maria Butina Reaches Plea Deal With Federal Prosecutors: Reports

Maria Butina, a Russian gun-rights activist accused of working as an agent for

Trump on Comey's testimony to Congress: 'All lies!'

President Trump claimed that former FBI director James Comey lied to Congress and questioned why he couldn’t remember details about the Justice Department leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

NYPD Investigates 'Troubling' Video Of Cops Ripping 1-Year-Old From Mother’s Arms

The New York Police Department is investigating a video shared on Facebook

EU Said Open to Assurances But Not Renegotiation of Brexit Deal

The EU is prepared to add wording to the effect it has no wish to force the U.K. into a never-ending “backstop” arrangement in the absence of a broader trade deal and it will do all it can to avoid it, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing the sensitivity of the matter. May told U.K. lawmakers on Monday that she would do “everything I possibly can” to secure assurances on the backstop from the EU.

Neon sea creatures light up ocean with vibrant colors

Incredible neon sea creatures have been captured lighting up the ocean with their vibrant colors – in what looked like a scene from Avatar. Photographer Simon Pierce, 39, took the images over several months after visiting both Nosy Sakatia in Madagascar and Mafia Island in Tanzania recently. He was thrilled to spot the biofluorescence creatures – which produce their own light – he managed to capture, including fireflies and glow worms. Simon, who is also a marine biologist, from New Plymouth, New Zealand, said: “I felt like I was in the film Avatar capturing these images. ...

Columbia University denounces student filmed harassing black students in 'racially charged' rant

Columbia University has denounced a "racially charged" tirade from a student who was caught on video telling a group of fellow students that white people “built modern civilization” and “did everything”. The student reportedly followed a group made up mostly of black students from the school’s library as they left. It was there he was filmed shouting white supremacist comments at his classmates, according to the Columbia Daily Spectator.

The Best Green Monday 2018 Deals We've Seen So Far

Regret missing out on some of those Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals last

Verizon says to shed 10,400 jobs by mid next year

As part of the separation program, the employees will get a salary of up to 60 weeks, bonus and benefits, depending on the length of their service, Verizon said. "This program coincides with Verizon's recently announced realigned organization structure designed to optimize growth opportunities in the 5G era," the company said. The company said it had 152,300 employees at the end of the third-quarter ending Sept. 30.

Congo's Kabila doesn't rule out seeking presidency in future

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congo's President Joseph Kabila is stepping down after this month's election but he doesn't rule out seeking the post again in the future.

‘Yellow Jacket’ protests paralyze Paris and threaten Macron’s government

The fourth weekend of violent protests in France paralyzed the capital, as demonstrators called for the resignation of President Emmanuel Macron.

Cyntoia Brown, Sex-Trafficking Victim, Must Serve 51 Years Before Release, Court Says

Cyntoia Brown, a Tennessee woman who was convicted as a teenager for shooting

Would Taiwan Fight China Without U.S. Support?

It is in the interests of the United States to send reassuring signals to the public in Taiwan about the U.S. determination to assist and defend Taiwan.

Government spent £100,000 on Facebook adverts to promote Brexit deal in week before vote was pulled

The government spent almost £100,000 on Facebook adverts to promote Theresa May’s Brexit deal in the week running up to her decision to pull the Commons vote. Figures released by the social media giant showed the government spent £96,684 on 11 adverts from December 2 to 8 as it became increasingly clear the prime minister faced defeat over her deal. It dwarfed the £50,000 the government spent on Brexit social media ads in the previous three months to November 20. Three videos, intending to explain the deal in terms of free trade, the economy and “controlling our borders”, cost between £10,000 and £50,000 each to promote, reaching between 500,000 and 1m Facebook users apiece. Theresa May's approval rating through the Brexit negotiations The money also included videos on “what the Brexit Deal means for you - explained in 60 seconds” and others focusing on immigration and jobs. Last night the spending was slated as an “inappropriate” and “wasteful” use of taxpayers’ money. Jon Trickett, Shadow Cabinet Office minister, said: "Not only is this a completely inappropriate use of public money, but it turns out to have been entirely wasted. When official resources are used for the Prime Minister's personal purposes it threatens our democracy." Layla Moran, LibDem education spokesman, said: “Given that the vote won’t even happen now, it is an absolute insult to taxpayers that the Prime Minister has been throwing our money down the drain promoting a deal that not even she can back.” Eloise Todd, head of the Best for Britain campaign group, said the absurdity of spending almost £100,000 on a vote that “you know you are going to pull shows flagrant disregard of taxpayers’ cash to waste it like this.” The figures showed the Conservative Party also spent £39,967 on Facebook adverts supporting the deal. Theresa May is listed as spending £1,659. The government spending was double that of the People’s Vote, of £47,313. The figures were published by Facebook as part of new advert transparency measures following sustained criticism of the platform through 2018. It included the Vote Leave campaign being sanctioned over advertising spending on the social network during the Brexit campaign. A government spokesman said: “Communicating government policy effectively to the public is a core function of the Civil Service. “We have reached a deal that is good for the UK, good for its citizens, and good for business and we will be communicating that to the country. Any costs associated with this will be published in the usual way." Adverts have included one paid for to push it to the top of Google’s rankings and linked to a website called Brexit Deal Explained which sets out the government’s case for the EU withdrawal agreement - and warns about the dangers of a no-deal Brexit. Another Facebook video featured the prime minister hailing the deal as offering “certainty for business and economy”, concluding: “Now is the time to come together to build a brighter future.”

An '(Unintentional) Grinch' Tried To Ban Christmas From The Classroom

An elementary school principal from Omaha, Nebraska has been placed on

Heavy snow batters North Carolina and Virginia, leaving thousands of drivers stranded

At least four deaths have been blamed on "mammoth" snowstorm in the Southeast, causing drivers to abandon their cars on the road due to dangerous conditions.

Marco Rubio: Pardoning Paul Manafort would be a 'terrible mistake'

Sen. Marco Rubio said President Trump would be making a 'terrible mistake' if he decides to pardon Paul Manafort.

2 Nuns Accused Of Embezzling $500,000 From Catholic School

Two Roman Catholic nuns have admitted to embezzling $500,000 from a parochial

Indian tycoon Mallya to find out extradition fate

Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya will appear in a London court on Monday to find out whether he will be extradited to his homeland, where he is accused of fraud. Mallya, chairman of the UB Group drinks conglomerate and chief executive of the Force India Formula One team, will discover his fate at Westminster Magistrates' Court. The loans from the state-owned IDBI bank were intended to bail out his failed carrier Kingfisher Airlines.

Maria Butina: Alleged Russian spy files to change plea in US federal court

Maria Butina’s lawyers and federal prosecutors have filed a request for a court hearing so that the accused Russian agent can change her plea from not-guilty, a joint filing shows. The request shows that Ms Butina and her lawyers may have managed to negotiate such a plea deal with federal prosecutors, who have accused the former American University student of attempting to infiltrate Republican political circles during the 2016 election in order to advance Russian interests. The alleged Russian agent is being held in an Alexandria, Virginia jail following her indictment by a grand jury earlier this year.

I Drove Drunk And It Cost 6 People Their Lives. Here's How My Own Life Changed Forever.

On Nov. 1, 2003, I was involved in a drinking and driving accident. I cost six

Teachers union: Tentative deal to end charter schools strike

CHICAGO (AP) — The nation's first teachers' strike against a charter school operator will end after their union and management struck a tentative deal Sunday that includes protections for students and immigrant families living in the country illegally.

May Said to Pull Parliament Vote on Her Deal: Brexit Update

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May has called off a crucial vote in Parliament on whether to approve her Brexit deal, after being warned she was on course for a devastating defeat, according to a person familiar with the matter. May’s office publicly insisting it was going ahead as recently as 11.20 a.m. on Monday but the prospect of an overwhelming revolt from members of Parliament forced the premier to think again. “The British people gave a clear instruction to leave, and we are delivering on that instruction,” a government spokesman said in response to the ECJ ruling on revoking Article 50.

11 Useful Gifts For The Person Who Can't Cook To Save Their Life

Learning to cook can be intimidating for a lot of people. Maybe they are a

Inside the Navy's flyover farewell for President George H.W. Bush

Navy pilots who participated in the 21 aircraft flyover at George H.W. Bush's funeral in Texas describe what it was like to be part of that historic tribute for the late president.

Jared Kushner Gave Saudi Crown Prince Advice After Khashoggi Slaying: NY Times

Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, flouted

U.S. arrests religious leaders, activists at border protest

More than 400 demonstrators, many leaders of churches, mosques, synagogues and indigenous communities, sought a halt to detention and deportation of migrants and for the United States to welcome the caravan that arrived in Tijuana, Mexico in November. Singing and praying, religious leaders moved forward in lines of four to six, some wearing T-shirts reading, "Love Knows No Borders." They were handcuffed and led away by federal agents upon entering a restricted area in front of the fence. "As a Quaker who believes in our shared humanity...We’re calling on the U.S. to respect the rights of migrants," said Joyce Ajlouny, general secretary of the American Friends Service Committee, which has run a week of actions to back migrants.

Former beauty queen sent nude pictures to 15-year-old student on Snapchat, police say

A former beauty pageant queen is facing up to 20 years in prison after allegedly sending nude photographs of herself to a 15-year-old boy. Ramsey Bearse, now a teacher at Andrew Jackson Middle School outside Charleston, West Virginia, was arrested and charged with distribution or display of obscene matter to minors after allegedly sending the lewd images to the former student. According to the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office, Ms Bearse sent the teenager at least four topless photos using multimedia messaging app Snapchat over a period of three months.

US sees 'hard deadline' for China trade negotiations

The US negotiator in charge of trade talks with China said Sunday he considers March 1 to be a "hard deadline" for reaching an agreement that would avert an intensifying trade war. Lighthizer also said that he did not expect the arrest in Canada of a top Chinese executive, Meng Wanzhou of telecom giant Huawei, to interfere with the trade talks. China has strongly protested the arrest and the US demand that Meng be extradited over allegations that Huawei has violated US sanctions against Iran.

Why you should buy an Escort Cosworth over a Ford Focus RS

The recently discontinued MK3 Ford Focus RS is destined to become a future classic, but should you buy an Escort RS Cosworth instead? We find out...

Delta adds four new routes from Boston as airlines battle for business travelers

The Atlanta-based carrier plans to offer nonstop flights between Boston and Chicago, Cleveland, Newark and Washington, D.C. in 2019.

Theresa May Admits Major Brexit Failure

British Prime Minister Theresa May scrapped a scheduled vote on her Brexit plan that faced near-certain defeat, throwing the EU divorce deal into chaos.

French Government Slams Trump: Stop Interfering And 'Leave Our Nation Be'

The French government has asked President Donald Trump to keep his nose out of

New Zealand leader apologies for death of British tourist

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made an emotional apology Monday to the family of a 22-year-old British tourist who police say was murdered.

Why Israel Confronted Hezbollah’s Tunnel Threat

The impact of Israel’s operation will have wider regional implications.

Mexico's new president boosts Pemex budget by $3.7 bn

Mexico's new President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Sunday he would reverse shrinking investment in the state oil company by pouring $3.7 billion into Pemex in 2019, in a bid to boost crude and refined products' output. "We are going to increase investment in Pemex by 75 billion pesos from what was authorized for 2018," the leftist president said in a speech in his home state of Tabasco. The state oil giant has seen a drop in its production since 2004, when it extracted some 3.4 million barrels per day.

GoPro to move U.S.-bound camera production out of China

The company had previously said it was being "very proactive" about the situation regarding tariffs as U.S. and China ramped up its bitter trade war, in which both nations have imposed tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of each other's imports. GoPro said international-bound camera production will remain in China. In the company's earnings call in November, GoPro said it had the option to move U.S.-bound production out of China in the first half of 2019, if necessary.

3 tools for learning a new language, on sale for an extra 15% off with code

Wish you could give someone the world this holiday season? Well, now you can — (somewhat) literally — with the gift of language lessons. Whether your Secret Santa aspires to be a polyglot or just wants to brush up on their vocabulary so they don't sound like an idiot the next time they dine at their local Mexican place, they'll find it easier to navigate the world around them with a subscription to any of these three online language courses and apps. SEE ALSO: Learn Python for cheap: Shop online classes on sale Oh, and speaking of presents — we have a gift for you, dear reader: You can take an additional 15% off your purchase of any of these already-discounted programs by entering the coupon code MERRY15 at checkout. Mondly: Lifetime Subscription Mondly takes a fresh approach to learning a new language by integrating speech-recognition technology into its education. It actually listens to you when you speak, and only offers positive feedback if you correctly pronounce a new word or phrase. (Cool, right?) It's structured around short lessons that emphasize conversational tools in your choice of 33 languages but also lets you take part in chats with native speakers and supplement your learning with a dictionary and a verb conjugator. A $1,199.75 value, you can snag a lifetime subscription to training in five languages through Mondly for only $69.99 plus an extra 15% off using the coupon code MERRY15. Image: ATi Studios Mondly: Lifetime Subscription See Details uTalk Language Education: Lifetime Subscription  Take your pick from more than 130 different tongues and start busting language barriers through uTalk. Available on any device, its lessons emphasize practical vocabulary and verified translations that help you understand how native speakers actually talk. Valued at $64.99, you can purchase lifetime access to any one language's lessons through uTalk for just $19.99, plus an additional 15% off if you enter the coupon code MERRY15 at checkout. Image: uTalk uTalk Language Education: Lifetime Subscription See Details busuu Premium Subscriptions When it comes to learning a new language, "I'm too busy!" is no longer an excuse thanks to busuu Premium. Since it works both on- and offline, you can brush up on your learning from virtually anywhere with its advanced grammar units, vocabulary trainer, and other useful features. By the time you've completed 22 hours of training with busuu Premium, you'll have reportedly learned the equivalent of an entire college semester of language classes. A $69.96 value, you can get lifetime access to 12 different language courses through busuu Premium for only $34.99 — plus an extra 15% off with the promo code MERRY15. Image: busuu busuu Premium Subscriptions See Details

Meet the Nissan Skyline GT-R with a single owner since 1972

Finding an unmolested Nissan Skyline C10 is difficult enough, yet an S20-powered example boasting only one owner over the last 46 years? Surely impossible…

Huawei CFO Cites $12 Million Home and Health Troubles in Bail Bid

In court filings, her attorneys paint a picture of a cancer survivor who’s undergone multiple surgeries and needs daily medication to cope with a plethora of health issues, while outlining how her entire family has deep roots in Vancouver, where she’s being held. The CFO’s bail hearing resumes Monday in the Canadian city after Friday’s proceedings yielded no result. The 46-year-old mother of four, accused of guiding a global effort to mask violations of sanctions on sales to Iran, has languished in jail since her arrest.

Key House Democrat Jerry Nadler Says Trump Payments May Be 'Impeachable Offenses'

Allegations that President Donald Trump directed his former personal attorney

Indiana teen charged with killing pregnant schoolmate

MISHAWAKA, Ind. (AP) — An Indiana high school football player told investigators that he killed a 17-year-old schoolmate because he was angry that she waited so long to tell him she was pregnant with his child that it was too late to get an abortion, authorities said Monday.