A look at the stories making news headlines in select sources today.
Trump warns evangelicals of ‘violence’ if GOP loses in the midterms
US President Donald Trump, facing scrutiny for hush money payments to a porn star and a former Playboy model, pleaded with evangelical leaders for political help during closed-door remarks on Monday, warning of dire consequences to their congregations should Republicans lose in November’s midterm elections.
Inside McCain’s surprise eulogy invitation to Obama
A parting lesson in American civility from Sen. John McCain lies in the roster of leaders he personally selected to pay tribute at his memorial service Saturday at the National Cathedral.
Trump’s bet on Kim Jong Un is looking increasingly shaky
President Donald Trump took a huge risk by holding a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and hailing it as a stunning history-changing success.
Pope: Meeting abuse survivors had ‘profound effect’ on me
Pope Francis said Wednesday that his meeting in Ireland with eight people who suffered sex abuse by clerics left a “profound mark” on him.
Steve Jobs’ widow pushes back on her stepdaughter’s memoir
Her book “Small Fry” ignited controversy because it portrays Jobs as a cold and sometimes inappropriate parent. But Laurene Powell Jobs and Mona Simpson, Jobs’ sister, say their memory of the late Apple cofounder “differs dramatically” from Brennan-Jobs’ recollection. They released a joint statement defending Jobs, which was originally published by Business Insider and obtained by CNN.
She wanted to be president, but ended up jailed instead
Rwanda is often described as the best place in the world for women in politics, with more female lawmakers in parliament than any other country, but supporters of jailed presidential hopeful Diane Rwigara say that’s not the case.
Facebook’s YouTube rival launches worldwide
Facebook’s Watch video-streaming service is rolling out worldwide, just over a year after its US launch. Users will be able to choose from a range of shows – from both established brands and new players – and have the ability to view clips saved from their News Feeds.
French and UK boats clash in ‘scallop war’
French fishermen have been accused of throwing insults, rocks and smoke bombs at their British rivals in the English Channel in a vicious scrap over scallops. The clash happened around 12 nautical miles (22km) off the Normandy coast, near the Bay of Seine. British boats are legally entitled to fish in the scallop-rich area.
Germany returns Namibia genocide skulls
Germany has handed back the human remains of indigenous people killed during a genocide in colonial Namibia more than 100 years ago. A Namibian government delegation received the skulls at a church service in the capital, Berlin. The bones had been sent to Germany for now-discredited research to prove the racial superiority of white Europeans.
Putin softens pension reforms after outcry
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has softened planned pension changes following angry protests and a slump in his approval rating. He said the retirement age for women would be increased from 55 to 60 instead of to 63. But a five-year increase for men, to 65, would stay.
Mum’s agony at nine-year-old son’s suicide
The mother of a US nine-year-old, who she says killed himself after enduring homophobic bullying, says she “should have seen the pain in his eyes”. Leia Rochelle Pierce from Denver, Colorado, said her son, Jamel Myles, had been proud to tell people he was gay when he returned to school.
Headless corpse found inside fish tank
A headless corpse has been found inside a fish tank at the home of a man missing for several weeks, police in San Francisco say. Homeowner Brian Egg, 65, had been reported missing by his family and neighbours late last month.
Hundreds of turtles found dead off Mexico
Fishermen in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca have found about 300 dead sea turtles entangled in fishing nets. The find comes just days after another 102 olive ridley turtles were found dead in neighbouring Chiapas state.
Trump Was Forced To Unblock His Twitter Critics. Now They’re Getting Sweet Revenge.
President Donald Trump ― or whoever has access to his Twitter account ― apparently spent part of Tuesday evening unblocking users. Since taking office, Trump has blocked a number of people for criticizing him or even just cracking jokes at his expense, including celebrities such as model Chrissy Teigen and author Stephen King.
Seaweed Is Being Sold As A Wonder Food. Will Americans Embrace It?
Seaweed covers the beaches you walk on, it’s dried in your instant miso packets, and researchers in labs all over the world are studying it. Scientists, food companies and environmental advocates want you to eat more of the product ― sometimes more appealingly titled “sea vegetables.”
Eric Trump Mocked For His ‘Most Beautiful Building’ In The World Boast
Tweeters couldn’t resist teasing Eric Trump after he called the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago “one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.” President Donald Trump’s son made the wild boast about the skyscraper on Twitter Tuesday: One of the most beautiful buildings in the world!
Facebook temporarily removed status updates cross-posted from Twitter
For ages, you could hook up your Facebook account to Twitter, allowing you to automatically post tweets as a status update. That feature stopped working earlier this month when Facebook made changes to its API, and as reported by TechCrunch, Facebook status updates that were crossposted from Twitter mysteriously vanished around Tuesday.
Here’s how to get verified on Instagram
Praised be, selfie queens! On Tuesday, Instagram began rolling out the ability to request verification badges to users worldwide. Previously, no one knew what went into the science of getting that blue badge. But now, there’s an official process in place for getting verified.
Bees swarm hot dog stand in Times Square
How many bees is too many bees? I am not 100 percent sure, but there sure were a lot of bees on this hot dog stand in Times Square. Twitter was abuzz with bee chatter on Tuesday after an enormous number of bees overtook a Sabrett’s umbrella on 43rd Street in Manhattan.
Facebook bans Myanmar military commander for inciting violence
Facebook has just removed a number of Facebook pages belonging to individuals and groups in Myanmar for spreading hate speech and fake news against Rohingya Muslims in the country. In a post titled “Removing Myanmar Military Officials From Facebook” on its Newsroom site, Facebook announced it had removed 52 Pages,18 accounts, and an Instagram profile related to spreading the type of misinformation used to incite violence and ethnic cleansing in Myanmar.
Yahoo and AOL will continue to scan your emails for precious advertising data
If you’re a Yahoo or AOL email user, advertisers have a pretty good picture of exactly who you are because Yahoo and AOL are scanning your emails. According to the Wall Street Journal , Oath, the Verizon subsidiary that owns both email providers, “has been pitching a service to advertisers that analyzes more than 200 million Yahoo Mail inboxes and the rich user data they contain.”
