Here are some links to stories making headlines today.
From the GOP with love — Trump gets gift from Russia panel
The President is now wielding a powerful new weapon in his war of credibility with America’s spy agencies over their view that Russia helped put him in the White House, after House Republicans suddenly shuttered their probe into election meddling.
Russian spy attack nerve agent was rare, dangerous and sophisticated
But Novichok, the substance confirmed by UK Prime Minister Theresa May to have been used in the attempted murder of Russianex-spySergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, is not merely lethal, it’s also highly unusual. It’s so unusual in fact, that very few scientists outside of Russia have any real experience in dealing with it.
‘Bookkeeper of Auschwitz’ dies before serving sentence
Oskar Groening, 96, was sentenced for being an accessory to murder in 2015, but never went to jail due to a series of appeals for clemency on grounds of old age and ill-health. He died in a hospital on Friday, according to Spiegel Online.
Fashion designer Givenchy dies at age 91
Written by Saskya Vandoorne, CNN Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN Fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy, a pioneer in high-end ready-to-wear clothing and famous for styling Audrey Hepburn’s little black dress in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” has died at the age of 91, the House of Givenchy confirmed on Monday via its official Twitter account.
Video shows Navy jet’s encounter with a UFO, group says
To The Stars Academy of Arts and Science — an organization leading on the issue that includes a former head of the now-defunct Pentagon program and was co-founded by former Blink182 musician Tom DeLonge — released the video titled “GO FAST” on Friday.
Putin says he gave order to shoot down plane in 2014
In a two-hour documentary titled “Putin” that was posted on social media on Sunday, the Russian President said he was told about the impending attack moments before the Games were due to start. But the threat turned out to be a false alarm, Putin said, and the plane was not shot down.
‘The world is watching’: GOP braces for potential upset in Pennsylvania special election
Democrat Conor Lamb, a 33-year-old Marine veteran and former prosecutor, holds a slight lead among likely voters over Republican state Rep. Rick Saccone, a Monmouth University poll released on the eve of the 18th District election shows. It’s left the GOP bracing for what would be its most embarrassing — and ominous — loss since Donald Trump took office.
Eminem Rips NRA In A Rap: ‘They Love Their Guns More Than Our Children’
Rapper Eminem let loose with a blast at the National Rifle Association at a music award show Sunday in Southern California, accusing the gun rights lobbyists of loving “their guns more than our children.” Eminem performed the new lyrics on stage at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in Inglewood, the Detroit News reported.
Viral Photo Of Joe Biden’s Chat With A Homeless Man Is Melting Frozen Hearts
Joe Biden may have been a meme machine during his eight years as vice president under Barack Obama, but a new image of him is going viral for an entirely different reason. Caleb Baca photographed Biden speaking to a homeless person outside of a Washington-area movie theater last week.
Stormy Daniels Wants To Return The $130,000 And End Her Silence
Adult film actress Stephanie Clifford, known professionally as Stormy Daniels, said she is willing to give back the $130,000 she received from Donald Trump ‘s attorney Michael Cohen in October 2016. In exchange, Clifford wants to end the deal she made with Cohen not to discuss a relationship she says she had with Trump starting in July 2016 and lasting nearly a year.
Cryptocurrency exchange puts $250,000 bounty on hackers
Binance is done playing nice. The cryptocurrency exchange was the target of an attempted hack last week, and although the company claims that the attackers were largely unsuccessful in their efforts, they nevertheless still made someone at the exchange mad. So mad, in fact, that on Sunday, Binance announced the equivalent of a $250,000 bounty on the hackers.
UN officials blast Facebook over spread of Rohingya hate speech
Facebook has long been criticised for its role in the Rohingya crisis, an assessment now underscored by comments by United Nations investigators. Marzuki Darusman, chairman of the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission in Myanmar told reporters that social media had a “determining role” in spreading hate speech in the country, according to Reuters.
Spotify takes a page from Wikipedia’s playbook
Spotify is dabbling in crowdsourced information, taking a leaf out of Wikipedia’s book. The music streaming platform has started collecting suggested metadata edits from its users. Spotify has allowed listeners access to its music metadata editor, Line-In, in an effort to collect a wide range of different user responses.
Trump points to national security in blocking Broadcom’s attempted Qualcomm takeover
Donald Trump just put his presidential foot down, and made serious waves in the world of tech in the process. However, instead of declaring his latest whim via Twitter, the 45th president of the United States turned Monday afternoon to something a little more official to drop the metaphorical bomb: a presidential order.
Taylor Swift’s new music video has a secret message
“Look What You Made Me Do” may have kicked off Taylor Swift’s reputation era in headlines, mood setting and score settling, but it was Sunday night’s release of the music video for Taylor Swift’s “Delicate” that will ultimately be looked at as the definitive visual representation of this point in Swift’s career.
Snapchat ad asked would you rather ‘Slap Rihanna’ or ‘Punch Chris Brown’
A disturbing advertisement slipped through the Snapchat review process, despite the ad’s flippant reference to violence against women, and to Chris Brown’s infamous domestic assault against his then-girlfriend Rihanna. Screenshots of the advertisement for a “Would You Rather!” game appeared on Twitter over the weekend and into Monday.
