Taiwanese sentiment was gloomy over inflation, investment and economic prospects in May, according to the results of a monthly survey Thursday.
2017年5月31日星期三
China establishes first college entrance exam room for HIV positive students
An examination room for HIV positive examinees has been established at the Green Harbor Red-Ribbon School in Linfen, central China's Shanxi province, for the country's upcoming annual National Higher Education Entrance Examination. Sixteen students from the school will test their knowledge in this very room. ...
China-built energy plant inaugurates to benefit 10 million Pakistani people
The first major power plant under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has started to generate electricity for Pakistani people and will meet power demand of 10 million locals. ...
Trump condemns Kabul bombing while mulling over increase of U.S. troops
WASHINGTON, May 31 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump condemned the massive bomb attack in the Afghan capital of Kabul in which at least 80 people were killed, the White House said on Wednesday. ...
S. Korea's ruling party to push hearings on unauthorized THAAD launchers delivery
SEOUL, June 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's ruling Democratic Party has planned to push for parliamentary hearing on the unauthorized delivery of four more mobile launchers of the U.S. missile shield to the country, which failed to be reported to President Moon Jae-in. ...
S. Korea's E-Mart to leave China amid heightened tension
Chung Yong-jin, the vice chairman and de facto head of South Korean department store franchise Shinsegae, announced on Wednesday that the company is pulling its discount chain E-Mart out of China. ...
Fire put out in north China's Tianjin Port
TIANJIN, June 1 (Xinhua) -- A fire that was raging at a paper company in north China's Tianjin Port for 12 hours has finally been put out, the authorities said Thursday. ...
Former provincial legislator sentenced for vote buying
Wang Yang, a former senior legislator in Northeast China's Liaoning province, was sentenced by a court to 16-and-a-half years in prison Wednesday for accepting bribes and vote buying.
Xi's remarks on cross-Straits ties inspire Taiwan business community
A number of Taiwan business people based on the Chinese mainland said they felt warmth and were inspired by Xi Jinping's recent remarks on cross-Straits relations.
Xi Jinping's remarks on scientific innovation
Chinese President Xi Jinping has asked society to learn from late geophysicist Huang Danian, who made outstanding contributions in education and scientific research.
June 1 2017
Being a good person is to live - first and foremost - with integrity, and also with knowledge and responsibility."
For a quiet life, more urbanites are heading to Dali
Su Jinning used to commute more than an hour a day to work in Beijing, sometimes driving through thick smog. Now, he spends his mornings under a blue sky, walking the 5 kilometers from his home to a small market to shop for fresh vegetables. ...
A Foreigner’s Chinese Dream and Love for China
When I left my country Trinidad and Tobago for China to study Chinese language and culture, never in my wildest imagination did I think that twenty-one years later I would still be here. Two decades is a long time, yet I often tell my friends that it feels like only two years. That is because, China is an exciting place to be, with lots of opportunities for go-getters or those who seek adventure, culturally. It so happens that I fall into both categories. ...
Experience life’s journey climbing China’s Great Wall
Hundreds of years ago, the urge and instinct of self preservation and security made China's leaders, emperors in the past dynasties, to embark on most daring and arduous measures – the building of walls hundreds of kilometers in and around most capitals and major cities. ...
Startimes workforce, like Africa in China
China's largest private sector media organisation with special focus on Africa remains undisputable hub of Africa employment in the country. ...
Shanghai's smoking ban is paying off
Three months after Shanghai introduced its strictest ban ever on indoor smoking, the number of venues in which inspectors have found violations has risen as a result of more vigorous enforcement and tighter regulations, according to a report released by the Shanghai Health Promotion Commission on Wednesday, which was World No Tobacco Day. ...
Thousands of test hours on C919 jet needed before OK
China will ramp up resources to accelerate the approval process for C919, the country's first large domestic passenger plane, to obtain an airworthiness certificate, which may require thousands of test flight hours, the industrial regulator and the aircraft's maker said. ...
Children's Day or kidults' fiesta?
June 1 marks International Children's Day, which is not merely an annual celebration for kids, but is also celebrated by a sizeable number of adults. Many netizens on social media have expressed willingness to join in Children's Day celebrations, asking their close friends and family members for gifts! Some companies even give their employees a day off on this special occasion. ...
Not even a hint May will resign as latest poll warns she could lose majority
LONDON, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Sterling fell in early dealings Wednesday after a shock opinion poll warned Prime Minister Theresa May could lose her majority in next week's general election. ...
Young Chinese dancer to tour US with piece inspired by daily life
With a table, two chairs and a white floor, Chinese dancer-choreographer Gu Jiani interprets the context of daily life and explores the delicate nature of human relationships in her piece Right & Left, which was staged at the Inside-Out Theater in Beijing over the weekend. ...
Ningxia's heady with success in trading wine
In 1984, Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region produced its first bottle of wine. And 33 years on, the beverage is not only a key local industry but Ningxia's mascot that the world recognizes. ...
Prison is price of graft for 6 'tigers'
Six former senior officials were convicted of bribery and given sentences ranging from six years to life imprisonment by Chinese courts on Wednesday. ...
SETTLING IN Obamas buy DC house for $8.1 million, report says
Former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle have purchased the home they've been renting in Washington, D.C. for $8.1 million, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Obamas reportedly closed on the home Wednesday.
"Given that President and Mrs. Obama will be in Washington for at least another two and a half years, it made sense for them to buy a home rather than continuing to rent property," Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis told the Sun-Times.
BARACK AND MICHELLE OBAMA HAVE BOOK DEALS
The 8,200-square-foot home in the Kalorama neighborhood, which was previously sold for $5.295 million in 2014, was once owned by former Clinton White House press secretary Joe Lockhart and his wife.
The Obamas elected to remain in Washington after leaving the White House until their daughter Sasha can finish high school. Sasha will start her junior year of high school at Sidwell Friends in the fall.
The former first family will also continue to own their Chicago home in the South Side Kenwood community, a source told the Sun-Times.
'SLOW AND SLURRED' Tiger Woods DUI arrest shown in dash-cam video
Video showing the DUI arrest of golfer Tiger Woods was released Wednesday night by the Jupiter Police Department.
Woods was asleep at the wheel when Florida police encountered the golfer and ultimately arrested him on suspicion of driving under the influence early Monday morning, according to a police report released on Tuesday.
Woods was alone in his 2015 black Mercedes-Benz when police approached his parked car about 3 a.m. in Jupiter. The car was still running at the time. Woods had "extremely slow and slurred, mumbled" speech and was "sluggish, sleepy [and] unable to walk alone" at the scene, according to the report.
TIGER WOODS WAS ASLEEP AT WHEEL, HAD 'SLURRED' SPEECH DURING DUI ARREST, REPORT SHOWS
Woods told officers that he took several prescription medications and was unsure of where he was at the time.
The Breathalyzer and urine tests showed no alcohol was in his system.
Woods later apologized for the incident, calling what happened an "an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications."
"I didn't realize the mix of medications had affected me so strongly," the golfer said in a Monday night statement. "I would like to apologize with all my heart to my family, friends and the fans. I expect more from myself, too. I will do everything in my power to ensure this never happens again."
Fire rages in north China's Tianjin Port
ANJIN, May 31 (Xinhua) -- A fire has broken out at a paper factory in north China's Tianjin Port, local authorities said Wednesday night. ...
China Focus: Suspension of table-tennis coach applauded
BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Former Olympic champion Kong Linghui has been suspended from his role as head coach of the Chinese women's table tennis team, after a Singaporean hotel filed a lawsuit over a gambling debt, which has stirred up heated discussion online. ...
China to use big data to help left-behind children
BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- A big data platform was launched Wednesday to help a special group of Chinese children, known as left-behind children. ...
On 30-year quest, man seeks home for photos
Gao Yuan has taken nearly 700,000 pictures of tourists in Tian'anmen Square since he first began plying his trade in 1979 at the age of 19.
Sci-tech's future: Ocean deep, sky high
On Tuesday, China celebrated its first Science and Technology Workers' Day, marking a year since the country declared its intention to become a leading power in the field by the middle of the century. And things have moved pretty swiftly, from the depths of the sea to the heavens.
New media reach expands further
New media in China is continuing to grow, according to a report released by the All-China Journalists Association on Wednesday.
Telescope looks for ripples in space
Since the detection of gravitational waves, scientists have been eager to find electromagnetic signals corresponding to them. This will be an important task for China's space telescope, the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope, which will be launched soon.
Women slammed in lecture
A lecture held at a university in Jiangxi province that included what to many seemed like discrimination against women - as well as flouting common sense in science - has remained a topic of heated discussion online over the past two weeks.
Acting governor named in Jiangsu
Wu Zhenglong, former top official of Nanjing, Jiangsu province, was appointed on Wednesday acting governor of the province, replacing Shi Taifeng.
Security key as cyberlaw takes effect
China's widely watched Cybersecurity Law, which takes effect on Thursday, is not meant to limit the cross-border flow of information or hamper international trade, despite the concerns of some foreign institutes, the country's cybersecurity watchdog said on Wednesday.
Chinese premier calls for joint efforts with Germany to promote trade liberalization
BERLIN, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday called for joint efforts to promote trade liberalization and investment facilitation during his visit to Germany. ...
World No. 1 Ma Long opens title defence in style
DUSSELDORF, Germany, May 31 (Xinhua) -- World No. 1 Ma Long opened his singles title defence in style with a comfortable 4-0 victory over Mihai Bobocica at the World Table Tennis Championships here on Wednesday. ...
China among fastest growing market for NYC tourism: official
NEW YORK, May 31 (Xinhua) -- China is one of the fastest growing international market for New York City as nearly one million Chinese visited the Big Apple in 2016, said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company, the city's tourism marketer. ...
Slovak diplomat elected UN General Assembly president
UNITED NATIONS, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Slovak diplomat Miroslav Lajcak was elected on Wednesday as president of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly. ...
China reiterates support for European integration
BERLIN, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday reiterated China's support for the European integration process. ...
Trump to announce decision on Paris climate agreement soon
WASHINGTON, May 31 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the world would know his decision on the Paris climate agreement over the next few days. ...
Banders brave elements for migration studies
On a fresh spring morning on Mao'er Mountain, about 100 kilometers from Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, 50-year-old Wu Wei begins the day with one of his regular inspections of 106 nets, carefully removing any trapped birds.
For a quiet life, more urbanites are heading to Dali
Su Jinning used to commute more than an hour a day to work in Beijing, sometimes driving through thick smog. Now, he spends his mornings under a blue sky, walking the 5 kilometers from his home to a small market to shop for fresh vegetables.
China among best in Asia for children
China was ranked as the best developing country for children in Asia, with its children experiencing the safest and happiest childhoods, according to a report released on Thursday, International Children Day.
Shanghai's smoking ban is paying off
Three months after Shanghai introduced its strictest ban ever on indoor smoking, the number of venues in which inspectors have found violations has risen as a result of more vigorous enforcement and tighter regulations, according to a report released by the Shanghai Health Promotion Commission on Wednesday, which was World No Tobacco Day.
Prison is price of graft for 6 'tigers'
Six former senior officials were convicted of bribery and given sentences ranging from six years to life imprisonment by Chinese courts on Wednesday.
Putting the sparkle back in Erhai Lake
For the past two months, Zhao Qiuhua has had to skip dinner most days, and he has rarely been able to get to bed before 2 am. Not that he minds, as he's helping to clean up China's treasured Erhai Lake.
Chongqing overpasses an impressive sight from the air
Chongqing overpasses an impressive sight from the air
Beekeeping has village buzzing
While nearly all young people in Shibadong village leave home seeking higher incomes in cities, 31-year-old Long Xianlan was one of a handful who returned to earn a living locally.
China Focus: Cyber security law boosts free flow of information, not a trade barrier
BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- China's new cyber security law, which will go into effect Thursday, is not aimed at limiting foreign companies' access to the Chinese market, the country's Internet regulator said Wednesday. ...
China urges Germany to help jumbo jet C919 get EU airworthiness certificate
BERLIN, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday called on Germany to help China-developed large passenger plane C919 get an airworthiness certificate from the European Union. ...
Chinese premier arrives in Germany for official visit
BERLIN, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived here Wednesday for an official visit to Germany. ...
Kenya launches flagship standard gauge railway set to transform nation
MOMBASA, Kenya, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday launched the passenger train service of the 480-km Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), paving way for the nation's endeavor for industrialization and prosperity. ...
Xi's Moments With Children
From visiting child victims of earthquakes to joining in school activities, President Xi Jinping has shown his fondness for children. On International Children's Day, let's look back at some of the touching moments.
Fire under control in north China's Tianjin Port
Fire at a paper company in north China's Tianjin Port has been under control, local authorities said Wednesday night.
Fire rages in north China's Tianjin Port
A fire has broken out at a paper factory in north China's Tianjin Port, local authorities said Wednesday night.
Poverty-stricken villagers find new hope in new homes
Since the adoption of targeted poverty-alleviation policy in the second half of 2015, 25 families have renovated their old houses or got finance to build new ones. Another 29 families have been moved to the resettlement sites built by the government.
DEEP OCEAN DISCOVERY Faceless fish found living in unexplored abyss
It was first dredged up in 1870s off Papua New Guinea, and now scientists say they've hauled one up from the deep once again: a so-called faceless fish.
The AFP reports on the scientific bounty collected two weeks into a month-long expedition off the eastern side of Australia, where researchers are exploring the Commonwealth marine reserves from northern Tasmania to central Queensland.
It's an abyss: waters up to 2.5 miles deep that have never been surveyed. Lead scientist Tim O'Hara calls it "the most unexplored environment on Earth," and what it has returned so far is everything from "tripod fish" to dinner plate-sized sea spiders—and that 16-inch faceless fish, Typhlonus nasus, which researchers are calling a Faceless Cusk.
"It's got eyes way under the surface but really you can't see any eyes," Di Bray tells Australia's ABC News. (See a photo of it here.) "It looks like two rear-ends on a fish, really," adds O'Hara, who explains the creature lives in an unforgiving environment of "crushing pressures," no light, and temps around 34 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Guardian reports the expedition's finds have been collected through the use of a "metal sled-style device" which is connected to the surface via 5 miles of wire and is dragged along the bottom.
The sled has also collected plenty of trash, some dating back two centuries. And while most media reports suggest this is the first time the fish has been collected since the crew of the HMS Challenger did so in 1874, an expedition blog post makes clear that isn't so: "Although rare, it's quite widely distributed ... in 1951, one trawl in deep water off East Kalimantan, Borneo, collected five specimens." The voyage will end June 16.
(This uninhabited island is home to trash, too.)
This article originally appeared on Newser: In an Unexplored Abyss, Faceless Fish Swim
More From Newser
Thousands of test hours on C919 jet needed before OK
China will ramp up resources to accelerate the approval process for C919, the country's first large domestic passenger plane, to obtain an airworthiness certificate, which may require thousands of test flight hours, the industrial regulator and the aircraft's maker said.
FREEDOM OR BIGOTRY? Supreme Court mulls gay wedding cake case
Two of the most precious rights Americans possess are the right to express themselves freely and the right to practice their religion as they see fit. Both are enshrined in the First Amendment.
But these rights are not absolute, and sometimes may clash with a duty toward others. The Supreme Court is now considering taking up a case that may test these limits, Masterpiece Cakeshop vs. Colorado Civil Rights Commission.
The case stems from a July 2012 incident at the Masterpiece Cakeshop. Charlie Craig and David Mullins asked Jack Phillips, who owned the cake shop, to create a custom wedding cake to celebrate their same-sex marriage. Phillips refused, saying he didn't want to promote a same-sex wedding due to his religious beliefs.
CHRISTIAN BAKER CAN BE FORCED TO MAKE GAY WEDDING CAKES, COLO. COURT SAYS
Craig and Mullins filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The Commission decided against Phillips, declaring he had discriminated on the basis of sexual orientation.
The Commission ordered the cake shop to change its policies, give its staff training on discrimination, and provide quarterly reports for two years regarding steps taken to comply with the order.
The Colorado Court of Appeals upheld the decision and the Colorado Supreme Court declined to hear the case. Last year, Phillips petitioned the Supreme Court to take the case, claiming the Colorado ruling violates the free speech and free exercise clauses of the First Amendment.
The court may make its decision any day regarding whether or not to hear the case.
John Eastman, a professor and former dean at Chapman University's School of Law, believes the free speech argument is strong because Phillips' work involved "expressive conduct."
WHY JUSTICE GORSUCH WILL HAVE AN IMMEDIATE (AND BIG) IMPACT ON THE SUPREME COURT
"Whether it's a photographer, or a cake maker, or a t-shirt designer," he notes, "they're engaged in expressive activity," which is covered by the First Amendment. In fact, he said, in the case of "t-shirts or language on a cake, it's actual speech."
But Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California at Irvine School of Law, counters that the expressive activity comes from the customers.
"If I choose the words on my cake, I'm engaging in expression," he said. "The baker is simply putting my words on a cake."
Chemerinsky said that "even if this is about speech," that doesn't mean the government can't intercede. And, in this case, "the interest in preventing discrimination outweighs" other interests.
For instance, he said, the baker would lose in court if he were against interracial marriage and won't bake a cake for an interracial couple.
Eastman suggests we "shift the facts" and imagine a "white racist who wants an African-American baker to bake a cake celebrating the Ku Klux Klan." If the courts tried to claim creating the cake "doesn't implicate free speech rights, people would be howling." Phillips, Eastman said, was willing to serve homosexuals in his shop, he just didn't want to be forced to support their beliefs.
As for the related free exercise of religion argument, Chemerinsky said that under the Supreme Court decision Employment Division v. Smith (1990), state law—such as Colorado's anti-discrimination laws—may limit what people claim is their religious right as long as the statutes are "neutral laws of general applicability" and not aimed at religion.
Eastman agrees that the Smith ruling makes the free exercise argument a tougher sell, though he does wonder, with Justice Scalia—who authored the opinion and is no longer on the Court — if it isn't time to revisit this precedent.
The general feeling is that the court will not take up the Masterpiece Cakeshop. The justices have had this case up for consideration an astonishing 16 times without putting it on the docket. Some experts believe the justices are waiting – before they drop the case – for one (or more) of the justices to write a dissent against denying the petition.
There's a good reason the Court would want to leave it alone, according to Professor Chemerinsky. They're worried about "opening the door to people discriminating in the name of religion."
But if the case is heard, experts said, it will likely be a blockbuster. Eastman believes it could be bigger than the Hobby Lobby opinion a few years back, which allowed a company to be exempt from a contraceptive mandate due to religious objections. That case was limited in scope, but if the court ruled in favor of Phillips, it could mean there's a constitutional right that would trump numerous statutes across the nation.
'UNMASKING' REVELATION? House Intel panel issues subpoenas to intel agencies, cites ex-Obama officials
Three of the nation's intelligence agencies received subpoenas Wednesday afternoon issued by the House Intelligence Committee, Fox News has confirmed, with each of the three demands for documents explicitly naming three top officials of the Obama administration: Susan Rice, who served as President Obama's White House national security adviser; former CIA Director John Brennan; and former U.N. ambassador Samantha Power.
The three subpoenas, among a total of seven signed by panel chairman Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), were served on the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the National Security Agency, and all three explicitly referenced "unmasking" – a signal that the House panel is intensifying its investigation into allegations that Obama-era aides improperly demanded the "unmasking" of names of associates of President Trump that had appeared, in coded form, in classified intelligence reports, then leaked the data to news media organizations.
The other four subpoenas were issued at the behest of the committee's ranking Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), and were said to be duplicative of subpoenas already issued by the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is conducting a parallel probe. These four are focused, sources said, on persistent – but as yet unsubstantiated – allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, as well as the case of Michael Flynn. The former White House national security adviser was dismissed after three weeks on the job because the White House concluded he had misled Vice President Pence about private conversations Flynn had had with the Russian ambassador late last year.
The other target of these four subpoenas is said to be Michael Cohen, a longtime Trump attorney. Cohen has denied participating in any effort at collusion with the Kremlin. Flynn, through attorneys, has unsuccessfully sought immunity from prosecution in exchange for congressional testimony.
The issuance of the seven subpoenas was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
The inclusion of Power's name on the subpoenas marks the first appearance of the former U.N. ambassador in the controversy surrounding the Obama administration's use of unmasking. Capitol Hill sources told Fox News they are devoting increasing scrutiny to Power – a former historian and winner of the Pulitzer Prize who worked as a foreign policy adviser in the Senate office of Barack Obama before joining his administration – because they have come to see her role in the unmasking as larger than previously known, and eclipsing those of the other former officials named.
Rice has previously denied any improper activity in her use of unmasking. "The allegation is somehow Obama administration officials utilized intelligence for political purposes, that's absolutely false," Rice told MSNBC on April 4. President Trump said at that time that he personally believed Rice had committed a crime. None of those named on the subpoenas has been formally accused of wrongdoing.
Inquiries placed with representatives of Power and Brennan were not immediately returned.
That Nunes signed the seven subpoenas, as is standard practice, underscored the chairman's continuing influence over key aspects of over his committee's probe, despite the fact that Nunes in early April "stepped aside" from his panel's Russia probe. He insists his decision was not a formal recusal, and he is still awaiting a hearing by the House Ethics Committee, which agreed at the time to investigate whether Nunes had improperly shared classified data with the White House before presenting it to Schiff and the rest of the intelligence committee.
Nunes told Fox News in an exclusive interview on May 19 that he is an active chairman, including continuing to preside over the unmasking angle of the investigation
Investigative sources on the committee's Republican majority staff told Fox News that the unmasking subpoenas do not reflect a "fishing expedition," but were issued because documentary evidence already in hand warranted demands for additional documents relating to Rice, Brennan and Power.
Where NSA had previously complied with the House panel's investigators, sources said that cooperation had ground to a complete halt, and that the other agencies – FBI and CIA – had never substantively cooperated with document requests at all. The investigators believe that even rudimentary document production as a result of the subpoenas will enable them to piece together a timeline linking the unmasking activity to news media reports, based on leaks, that conveyed the same information provided to the officials requesting unmasking.
President Trump and the White House have dismissed the long-running allegations of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign, and possibly the transition team, as "fake news," a scandal ginned up by supporters of President Obama and Hillary Clinton to explain the Democratic nominee's stunning loss to Mr. Trump last November.
However, the Trump administration belatedly acquiesced in the appointment of former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III as a special counsel to investigate the allegations "and related matters." Critics of the administration have also pointed to sustained reporting alleging undisclosed contacts between key Trump aides and various Russians – Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the probe at an early stage because of such contacts – and to a memorandum prepared in February by former FBI director James Comey, leaked a few days after his termination by President Trump, in which Comey alleged that the president had personally importuned him to abandon the FBI's probe of Flynn.
James Rosen joined Fox News Channel (FNC) in 1999. He currently serves as the chief Washington correspondent and hosts the online show "The Foxhole." His latest book is "A Torch Kept Lit: Great Lives of the Twentieth Century" (Crown Forum, October 4, 2016).
COMING OUT SWINGING Clinton blames Russia for election loss to Trump
Hillary Clinton came out swinging Wednesday, ripping Russia for her November loss to President Trump and accusing the White House of colluding with Moscow in weaponizing technology to bring her campaign down.
Clinton linked Russia's interference in the 2016 elections to Trump and said she hoped investigators would be able to unmask a plot to interfere in the U.S. elections.
"I take responsibility for every decision I made, but that's not why I lost," she said at the annual Code Conference in California. "Anti-American forces are going after our economy and they are going after our unity as a nation."
"Anti-American forces are going after our economy and they are going after our unity as a nation."
Clinton described how a Russian-led misinformation campaign was launched against her using social media networks like Facebook that weren't able to cut through the "fake news" circulated on the sites.
"What we saw in this election particularly the first time we had the tech revolution really weaponised politically," she said. "It was aimed at me but it's a much deeper more persistent effort to literally turn the clock back on so much of what we have achieved as a country."
She also didn't hold back when asked who she thought was responsible for directing the Russians.
"I'm leaning Trump," she said.
Related Image
Clinton blames Trump, the Russians and sexism for her loss, but says the decisions she made are her responsibility. (Associated Press)
Clinton also claimed she was treated unfairly for accepting millions of dollars in speaking fees from Wall Street firms amid an increasingly competitive race with self-proclaimed "democratic socialist" Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and then Trump.
"I have to say… I never thought someone would throw out my entire career because I made a couple of speeches," she said. "Men got paid for speeches they made… I got paid for the speeches I made."
VA’S GRIM PROGNOSIS: Shulkin says condition improving, but slowly
The head of Veteran Affairs on Wednesday candidly assessed the "chronic problems" facing U.S. vets, including barriers to quality health care, rampant drug addiction and a staggering 1,500 disciplinary actions brought against the federal employees charged with ensuring their well-being.
"The only way to fix the issues is to come out and talk about what those problems are," VA Secretary David Shulkin said. "There is still a lot of work to do."
Shulkin made the rare, on-camera appearance in the White House briefing room as calls for more transparency at the beleaguered agency grows.
On Monday, The Associated Press reported that the government will open dozens of new investigations into drug and opioid thefts from veterans' care facilities by employees.
Currently, veterans can get "same-day" services at medical centers but are still waiting too long for new appointments -- more than 60 days on average -- at about 30 locations nationwide. Many primary care centers are understaffed or running out of space. Appeals of disability claims remain backed up for years. Inventory systems at several VA facilities are woefully out of date, and employee accountability is "clearly broken," Shulkin said.
"Our veterans and their families have benefited from our early success, but have suffered due to the failures of the past to effect real change," Shulkin said.
Shulkin provided what he called a "top-to-bottom review" of the challenges ahead. It comes at a critical time. His biggest proposals for revamping the VA -- and fulfilling the campaign promises of President Trump -- will need to be taken up soon by an increasingly polarized Congress if measures are to be passed by this fall.
The wish list includes an accountability bill to make it easier to fire VA employees, expansion of the Veterans Choice program of private-sector care and perhaps more money to stem veterans' suicide.
Beginning this summer, veterans with "other than honorable" discharges from the military will be able to receive urgent mental health care. About 20 veterans take their lives each day.
"Nothing makes me lose sleep more than the veterans we are losing to suicide," Shulkin said. He told a House panel last week that he would welcome more money, even if it's not in Trump's budget proposal.
Other efforts include an overhaul of information technology systems, plans to reduce 400 vacant buildings and 735 underutilized facilities, consolidation at VA headquarters in Washington and partnerships with local governments and the private sector.
Trump's budget plan calls for a 3.7 percent increase in total VA funding, mostly to pay for rising costs of medical care. It specifically calls for $29 billion over the next decade for Choice, which allows veterans to seek outside medical care from private doctors.
To cover rising costs, the VA would cap the amount of educational benefits veterans could receive under the GI bill and halt "individual unemployability" benefit payments to out-of-work disabled veterans once they reach age 62. Major veterans' organizations oppose such cuts, with the American Legion describing the trade-offs as "stealth privatization." Veterans' groups worry the Trump administration is seeking to expand Choice to the detriment of core VA programs.
Besides Choice, Shulkin said he was seeking to implement two other campaign priorities -- a VA accountability office, established by executive order last month, and a White House hotline to receive veterans' complaints. A "soft launch" of that hotline begins Thursday, with plans to be fully operational by Aug. 15.
Shulkin said he still needed the Senate to pass accountability legislation that would give him broader authority, such as lowering the evidentiary standard to fire employees.
The Associated Press reported this week that federal authorities were investigating dozens of new cases of possible opioid and other drug theft by employees at VA hospitals, a sign the problem isn't going away after the VA announced "zero tolerance" in February. Since 2009, in only about 3 percent of the reported cases of drug loss or theft have doctors, nurses or pharmacy employees been disciplined.
The Senate votes on the bill June 6. "We need it now," Shulkin said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
'AVERTED A DISASTER' Guest at Trump Hotel arrested on gun charges
A Pennsylvania man was arrested on gun charges early Wednesday inside the Trump International Hotel, thanks to a tipster who police said may have "averted a disaster."
Bryan Moles, 43, of Edinboro, Pa., was arrested in just blocks from the White House, inside the former post office which Trump's real estate company leased and renovated during the presidential campaign. The bust came after a tipster reported seeing weapons inside the car.
Moles' vehicle was spotted near the Pennsylvania Avenue hotel shortly after midnight. Authorities promptly saw one firearm "in plain view" and found another inside the glove box, according to a police report.
Officers seized a Glock 23 pistol, a Bushmaster assault-style rifle and 90 rounds of ammunition, the report also states.
Moles was arrested inside the hotel without incident and charged with carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business and having unregistered ammunition.
However, authorities say they have yet to establish a clear motive and "don't have enough information" to charge Moles with making threats.
"I was very concerned about these particular circumstances," Metropolitan Police Department Chief Peter Newsham said. "I think law enforcement and the tipster averted a disaster here."
Newsham said his agency, after receiving the information, including a description of the vehicle, immediately contacted hotel security, which helped spot the vehicle and called the MPD bomb squad.
"We had an indication that he was going to the Trump hotel," he said. "I'm not going to read anything into it, but the detailed information provided by the tipster was really important for us to get over their quickly."
Newsham declined to say if Moles has a criminal record.
MPD made the arrest in conjunction with the Secret Service. Both agencies received information from the Pennsylvania State Police Department, which got the original tip.
"At no time were any Secret Service protectees at risk," said Brian Ebert, special agent in charge at the agency's Washington field office. "The Secret Service greatly appreciates its strong partnership with … all of our law enforcement partners. This investigation is still new and ongoing."
A hotel spokeswoman confirmed the person arrested was a guest at the luxury hotel and had been "behaving suspiciously." However, she declined to further discuss specifics, citing the ongoing investigation.
"We take the safety and security of guests very seriously. It is our first priority," the spokeswoman told Fox News.
Fox News' Ellison Barber and Joseph Weber and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
CNN SAYS SEE YA Parts ways with Griffin after sick photo stunt
CNN announced Wednesday the network will be ending Kathy Griffin's hosting duties for its New Year's Eve program after the comedian's disturbing photo shoot with a bloodied Trump mask.
"CNN has terminated our agreement with Kathy Griffin to appear on our New Year's Eve program," the network announced Wednesday on Twitter.
A spokesperson for the network called the photos "disgusting and offensive" on Tuesday.
CELEBS WHO WISHED THE PRESIDENT BODILY HARM
Griffin has co-hosted CNN's "New Year's Eve Live" with Anderson Cooper since 2007. Cooper criticized Griffin's actions as "disgusting."
"For the record, I am appalled by the photo shoot Kathy Griffin took part in. It is clearly disgusting and completely," Cooper wrote Tuesday on Twitter. Fellow anchor Jake Tapper also condemned the image.
Donald Trump Jr. called for the network to drop Griffin as a commentator shortly after the image went viral. "Dear CNN, I must have missed your statement banning your commentator #KathyGriffin from future shows. Please resend. Thx," he tweeted.
Both the president and first lady also called the photos "disturbing," Trump adding that the photo took a toll on his youngest son, Barron.
MELANIA TRUMP QUESTIONS KATHY GRIFFIN'S 'MENTAL HEALTH' AFTER BLOODIED MASK PHOTO SHOOT
Griffin received major backlash after a photo was published on Tuesday of her holding a bloodied mask that resembled President Donald Trump. She apologized for the photo shoot and YouTube video later, acknowledging she "went too far." However, by Wednesday morning, her attempt at a joke clearly fell flat among the public.
Squatty Potty, which designs bathroom products, announced Wednesday that its partnership with Griffin will also terminate, less than a month after it launched.
"We were shocked and disappointed to learn about the image Ms. Griffin shared today, it was deeply inappropriate and runs contrary to the core values our company stands for," CEO Bobby Edwards wrote in a statement sent to Fox News.
BORDER PATROL WOES Agents in holding pattern as they wait for Trump effect to kick in
The enthusiasm felt by Border Patrol agents following news of President Trump's strong stance on border and immigration enforcement is slowly dissipating as the reality sinks in that actual enforcement of stronger rules may not be changing much from the Obama years.
Agents hoped to be able to return to the days where they could inspect the immigration status of suspicious individuals at transportation hubs, jails or even businesses -- not only as an immigration enforcement measure, but to prevent terrorism.
According to some agents, there is a general feeling of a "disconnect" between what President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly both say they want and expect -- and what is actually happening at the Border Patrol operational level.
BORDER PATROL SEIZES 12 POUNDS OF HEROIN AFTER CHASE
One major issue is what is perceived as the continued foot-dragging to appoint the three operational heads of the agency, all of whom continue to have "acting" in front of their titles:
Kevin McAleenan, acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Ron Vitiello, acting deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection and Carla Provost, acting Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol.
Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, said this uncertainty contributes to confusion among field agents who don't know who is actually going to lead the agency.
McAleenan was nominated for the post in January but has not had a Senate confirmation hearing scheduled. And where McAleenan goes, so too will Vitiello and Provost, whose positions do not need Senate approval.
There is a sense among agents that nobody wants to make sweeping changes until the leadership positions are permanent.
Dan Hetlage, a spokesman for Customs and Border Protection, would not comment on the complaints.
BORDER WALL FUNDING INCLUDED IN TRUMP'S BUDGET PLAN, MULVANEY SAYS
Terence Shigg, president of the National Border Patrol Council, Local 1613, said the Border Patrol leadership has been hands-off even though Trump has vowed a zero-tolerance approach at the border.
"There seems to be no real reason for this, other than a group of senior Border Patrol leadership who wish to just go along to get along," Shigg said.
That's why, Shigg said, there is a business-as-usual attitude in the agency.
The plunge in apprehensions at the border has been heralded as a significant early policy success by the new administration. Apprehensions are down more than 61 percent since the January inauguration – but not because of any new Border Patrol initiative. Many credit Trump's tough rhetoric for being a deterrence to border crossers.
According to data on the Border Patrol website: In 2016, from January through the end of April, there were 121,235 apprehensions, compared to 47,573 over the same period this year.
Trump is the only presidential candidate the National Border Patrol Council has ever endorsed. Agents still have confidence in him, Judd said, but that could change if aggressive enforcement does not begin happening soon.
Judd said the controversial "catch-and-release" policy, where agents release illegal immigrants once they are apprehended, is still occurring in Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Border Patrol ended the "catch-and-release" shortly after Trump became president.
"We all thought on January 25, with the signing of the Border Security Executive Order, that catch-and-release would end," Judd said. "ICE is still walking people out the door without cases being adjudicated and our agents are questioning: 'What's the point?'"
Joseph J. Kolb is a regular contributor to Fox News.
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MELANIA'S MAN First lady blasts Griffin for ‘disturbing’ Trump photo
Melania Trump won't stand to see her husband mocked in a bloody "decapitated" head photo shoot.
The first lady fired back at Kathy Griffin on Wednesday, questioning the comedian's "mental health" after she posed in a picture with a bloodied Trump mask.
"As a mother, a wife and a human being, that photo is very disturbing. When you consider some of the atrocities happening in the world today, a photo opportunity like this is simply wrong and makes you wonder about the mental health of the person who did it," Trump said.
President Donald Trump and his eldest son criticized Griffin's photo shoot earlier on Twitter, saying the comedian "should be ashamed of herself."
"Kathy Griffin should be ashamed of herself. My children, especially my 11 year old son, Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick!" the president tweeted at 7:14 a.m., just hours after the photo and video caused an uproar on the internet.
Donald Trump Jr. echoed a similar sentiment earlier and accused the comedian of giving a "phony apology."
"The #kathygriffin phony apology would be a lot easier to believe if there was a video of her mocking the response she knew was coming," Trump Jr. wrote just before the president tweeted about it. On Tuesday, he posted an Instagram photo with a lengthy caption that condemned Griffin's actions.
Trump Jr. also called on CNN to ban the comedian as a commentator on its channel. He responded to hosts Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper's criticism to the photo shoot on Twitter as well.
"Dear CNN, I must have missed your statement banning your commentator #KathyGriffin from future shows. Please resend. Thx," the tweet read.
TMZ first published the gory photo of Griffin holding the bloodied mask of Trump late Tuesday afternoon. Griffin worked with photographer Tyler Shields to produce the photos and a "behind the scenes" YouTube video.
Griffin later apologized for the picture in a video posted on Twitter, recognizing that she "went too far" and that "it wasn't funny."
Fox News' Serafin Gomez contributed to this report.
NOT WELCOME Woman who 'identifies' as black booted from book fair
Organizers for the Baltimore Book Festival announced Tuesday they disinvited Rachel Dolezal, the controversial white woman who represented herself as African American for years, to this year's event after receiving major public backlash.
Festival organizers released a statement on its Facebook page, citing reaction from attendees and authors as the reason for rescinding Dolezal's invitation.
"A top priority of the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts is to listen to our constituents, and after hearing from a cross-section of opinions on having Rachel Dolezal participate in this year's festival, we had to consider how her appearance may affect both the audience and the other extraordinary authors we have planned for the Baltimore Book Festival," the statement read.
"For that reason, we believe it is appropriate to remove Ms. Dolezal from the festival lineup," the statement concluded.
RACHEL DOLEZAL, WHITE WOMAN WHO IDENTIFIES AS BLACK, NOW JOBLESS, MAY SOON BE HOMELESS
Dolezal was initially invited to the September festival to read her autobiography, "In Full Color: Finding My Place in a Black and White World." Organizers initially defended their decision to have the controversial figure at the festival when it was first announced last week.
"The Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts does not agree or disagree with the many authors that have appeared on the festival's stages for more than 20 years, but we do provide a platform for relevant and multi-layered conversations," they said in a statement posted last Thursday. The Baltimore Book Festival has hosted more than 3,000 writers in the past.
Many followers and attendees, however, were not pleased about the addition.
"Bad decision to include Dolezal," one woman said on Facebook.
"Rachel Dolezal is a big red flag. Not attending any event that she's been invited to. Are you paying her as well? I certainly hope not," another person said.
An online petition circulated soon after the announcement, calling the invite as "racially insensitive," according to The Baltimore Sun. The petition garnered more than 100 signatures by Tuesday morning.
"I saw it as a bad publicity stunt that was really hurtful to a community that has already suffered enough," petition organizer Kimberly Mooney told the newspaper.
Dolezal grabbed national attention in June 2015 when a local television crew asked her on camera if she was African American. Soon after, photos of Dolezal when she was young with pale skin and blonde hair surfaced. Dolezal was formerly the leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) chapter in Spokane, Wash. She was also accused of falsifying multiple reports of hate crimes.
Dolezal revealed to The Guardian in February that she has been rejected for 100 jobs, only receiving offers to do reality TV and pornography films. Her autobiography was turned down by 30 publishers before someone accepted it.
TINIEST VICTIMS Babies fill war-torn Afghanistan's hospitals
KABUL, Afghanistan – Hospitals have become the focal point of life in Afghanistan, and perhaps none more than the Surgical Center for War Victims, which has long been poised in the heart of the nation's deteriorating capital.
Operated by EMERGENCY, the Italian non-governmental organization (NGO), it runs on a somewhat controversial policy of neutrality. The staff don't ask questions when patients are rushed through the gate; they just get on with saving lives.
"We don't discriminate. We don't ask if they are Afghan Army or Taliban or ISIS or civilians," Cristina Contini, the hospital's country administrator, tells Fox News. "But most end up being civilians – and children. Too many children."
Currently, one-third of the 400 patients who pass through the starkly red and white cluster of buildings each month -- filling up some 109 beds in the facility -- are minors. This includes babies whose lives have been laid to waste by bullets, shells, mortars, land mines and even knives.
One child, not even 4 years old, lies languishing in the intensive care unit -- a close-range bullet lodged in his head from the fighting. Another, Abdullah, wakes up without his arm and much of his ability to physiologically function. His father wraps his son's tiny broken body in towels to preserve his dignity as the days grow darker, helping hospital staff to clean if only to pass the time and not knowing what will come next.
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A young woman fights for survival after being shot in an attempted car theft in Kabul, Afghanistan (Hollie McKay/Fox News)
Then there is 10-year-old Bakhtullah who bore the brunt of a shell that ripped open his torso. He weeps through the day and night as his brother -- with a face far too lined in grief for a child -- watches over him in silence, occasionally clipping his nails or combing his hair.
And while many are victims of the country's seemingly intractable war between government forces and an array of Islamic terrorist outfits, many are merely caught in the crossfire of random attacks born out of senseless criminal activity gripping the nation.
"There is another kind of war here, the violence of this city. This is a country that has an enormous number of thieves, drug addicts and high unemployment that leads to kidnappings and other attacks," notes Giorgia Novello, a nurse and the hospital's medical coordinator. "Every year it is worse and worse. Disputes because this land is mine or this goat is mine – and the value of a human life loses its worth."
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Cristina Contini, the country administrator and Giorgia Novello, the medical coordinator for EMERGENCY's hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan (Hollie McKay/Fox News)
Inside another ward, a young woman – barely 20 years old – writhes in agony and moans. Days ago, her body was battered with bullets from an AK-47 in the backseat of her family's car after a thief arbitrarily decided to steal it. She is the only one in the vehicle to have survived. Another elderly woman, all alone, pleads with glazed eyes to no one in particular. Her skin was scorched and her nerves destroyed by a shell, all while innocently praying in a mosque.
The other women and girls inside the ward were seared by missiles and rockets cracking through their windows while they slept or were left for dead en route to school because a bomb exploded near them. Some scream, some sob, some simply lie in their beds, silent.
Medical conditions are often made worse by the fact that many of the injured travel for days from remote parts of the country, given that there is limited access to quality care. This, along with poor living conditions, often renders them prone to severe infection. Novello points to one case in which it took 30 hours for a child who was shot in the chest to reach them.
"There is an infection behind every corner," she continues bluntly.
The uptick in homemade bombs filled with a wide assortment of objects also has become an increased cause for concern. Medical staff are now finding not only the expected shrapnel and nails embedded in the flesh of their patients, but miscellaneous objects like bones belonging to other people, making them all the more difficult to treat effectively.
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Outside the Emergency Center for War Victims in Kabul, Afghanistan (Hollie McKay/Fox News)
"Our job is to make them survive," Contini continues. "But sometimes that is worse than dying. Every day, it is heartbreak."
Yet the generosity of the international community in recent years has alleviated at least a little of that pain, with donations paving the way for expanded and improved medical facilities. The hospital opened in early 2001 when the city was still under Taliban control -- a deserted, bombed-out nursery school was transformed into a center for survival.
But the Surgical Center for War Victims is now comprised of everything from an emergency room and three operating theaters where an average of 20 surgical procedures are performed daily, to an intensive care unit, sub-intensive care unit and a physiotherapy section to assist those learning to walk again. It employs just more than 300 staff, including six surgeons. The center even endeavors to give jobs to some of the patients who survive.
Three of the facility's permanent tailors are amputees and the soft-spoken man whose occupation it is to clean the corridors has found a way to do so despite having lost both his hands.
The biggest challenge EMERGENCY faces is in dealing with Afghan customs. While they use local suppliers for medical needs where possible, the surgical materials are imported from Europe for quality purposes -- and will almost always be left for months at the nearby airport awaiting clearance.
"It is frustrating," Novello acknowledges. "But we won't bribe."
AFGHAN GOVERNMENT WELCOMES KABUL'S 'BUTCHER'
US ROCKER USES MUSIC TO BRING HEALING, HOPE TO AFGHAN CHILDREN
Perhaps the saddest section – yet pertinent to any country in conflict – is the designated open area in the far back of the facility, which is designed to quickly be filled with the wounded for the occasions when a mass attack such as suicide bombing strikes and there simply aren't enough beds elsewhere. The code word is "old falcon" and that signals medical staff to quickly fill the space with cots and mattresses and bed sheets and fluids.
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Premature baby girl fights for survival in EMERGENCY's hospital in Panjshir Valley, Afghanistan (Hollie McKay/Fox News )
"We have a triage system when this happens," Novello explains, "where we have to determine who must be treated first, and who can wait."
Meanwhile, some 80 miles north in the secluded province of Panjshir Valley, sits another EMERGENCY hospital in the form of converted war barracks from the Soviet invasion. There, the staff contend with a war of yet another kind -- helping mothers and babies in a country plagued by the highest infant mortality rate in the world; The CIA's World Factbook, stands at 112 per 1,000 live births.
When it first opened in 1999, the hospital primarily focused on tending to the war wounded, but the hospital was soon transformed into a pediatric and maternity hub. Expectant mothers commute from far and wide -- sometimes on donkeys from the mountain tops -- to give their young a better chance at survival.
Starting in 2015, the center underwent construction to meet the growing demand. It now holds 160 beds with four delivery rooms, two operating theaters, a neonatal intensive care ward and intensive care ward for those suffering complications.
"We want to reduce the injustice of being far from a hospital," said the facility's medical coordinator, Gabriella Rivera.
And for all the hardships currently afflicting the conflict-punctured country, it's a gentle place teeming with life and the welcome sounds of newborn cries. The hospital delivers an average of 700 babies per month and patients, distinguished by their white pajamas and red headscarves, sit together in their cots cradling their young.
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EMERGENCY Maternity Hospital in Panjshir Valley, Afghanistan (Hollie McKay/Fox News)
EMERGENCY has also implemented a prenatal care program from women in these remote areas, which includes periodical monitoring and training local midwives.
But perhaps its greatest life-saving addition has been the development of a special section for babies born prematurely. The hospital has 10 incubators, all of which are occupied by the tiniest of the tiny, every little breath supported by medical advancements that just a few years ago would have been unheard of by those in the quaint village.
The maternity center also is a space that, slowly but surely, is challenging the archaic gender norms that have encumbered medical care for Afghan women. The doctors are almost all male.
"At first, many of the husbands and wives had problems with this. They feared having a male doctor do the delivery," Rivera adds. "But it is less so now. It is about exposing them to something new, and we find most are willing to accept the change."
Hollie McKay has been a FoxNews.com staff reporter since 2007. She has reported extensively from the Middle East on the rise and fall of terrorist groups such as ISIS in Iraq. Follow her on twitter at @holliesmckay
ANCHOR'S AWAY Pelley cut from CBS News while on assignment
Scott Pelley is out at "CBS Evening News," Page Six has exclusively learned.
JOSH ELLIOTT FIRED BY CBS AFTER ON-AIR FLUB
Sources tell us that 'Poison Pelley's' office was being cleared out on Tuesday while the anchor was away on an assignment for the network's news magazine "60 Minutes."
We're told that he's being shifted permanently to "60 Minutes."
'HAWAII FIVE-O' STUNTMAN SUES CBS CLAIMING HE WAS HIT BY A CAR ON SET
Insiders tell us that CBS News president David Rhodes "is making [Pelley] move to '60 Minutes,' " and that the pair "don't get on."
Another TV insider said while Pelley's ratings have been down, "There's also been friction between him and [Rhodes]."
DEMOCRATS' GRAND PLAN Party hopes to ride Trump fatigue to a 2018 House takeover
Democrats are banking on Trump fatigue and discontent with the GOP-led Congress as they vow to compete in 79 House races next year, but the ambitious plan to retake the chamber will also require a big dose of cash.
Capitol Hill Republicans' struggles with ObamaCare reform and the flood of negative news about the White House may give the Democrats an opening to win back the House. Needing to capture at least 24 net seats in 2018 to take the House, party leaders identified 59 potentially competitive races in January and 20 more last week.
"No district is off the table," New Mexico Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, co-chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said at a press conference last week.
Lujan said the group has raised more money online so far this year than in all of 2015, but added, "I know (Republicans) will outraise us."
Jesse Hunt, national spokesman for the Republican National Congressional Committee, on Tuesday told Fox News: "It appears House Democrats haven't given up on the old shotgun approach. Throwing out races to see which ones stick is the same strategy that's kept them in the minority since 2010."
Republicans have controlled the Senate since 2014 and won control of the House seven years ago in the same kind of midterm wave election Democrats are hoping to ride next year.
Democrats missed a rare opportunity last year to retake the Senate, considering Republicans had to defend two dozen senators seeking reelection.
But they've wasted no time this year trying to capitalize on the voter resentment from Trump's upset victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton -- holding town hall events in which they question Trump leadership and argue that millions of Americans will lose their health insurance under Republicans' ObamaCare repeal-and-replace efforts.
New York Rep. Joe Crowley, who leads the DCCC with Lujan, said at the press conference last week on Capitol Hill that Dems are eyeing even more seats.
"The number in play is (really) well over 80," Crowley said.
He also said the group has more than 350 candidates lined up for the races and is targeting such high-profile GOP incumbents as Fred Upton, of Michigan; David Brat, of Virginia; and Arizona's Martha McSally, considered a rising star in the party.
Brat, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, the chamber's most conservative wing and major ObamaCare critic, is seeking a third term representing Virginia's 7th congressional district, which has voted Republican for nearly a half century.
"Dave is keeping his promises, and doing what he said he would do," Brat campaign spokeswoman Sara James told Fox News. "The DCCC has no position when it comes to the $20 trillion debt or the $100 trillion in unfunded liabilities we're facing. … We have a plan to win again that people can get excited about because it will make their lives better -- and the DCCC has outdated politics, at best."
Rory McShane, Republican strategist with Harris Media, argued Tuesday that the Washington press corps "keeps pushing this notion that there's some kind of groundswell. But we haven't seen it. Democrats have no national message other than 'We don't like Trump.' "
Still, the possibility that Democrats could ride public opposition to ObamaCare reform is not unfounded.
After the House passed its Obama Care overhaul bill in earlier this month, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report downgraded the likelihood Republican winning in 20 House races next year.
"Not only did dozens of Republicans in marginal districts just hitch their names to an unpopular piece of legislation, Democrats just received another valuable candidate recruitment tool," wrote Cook's expert on House races, David Wasserman, who also suggested early signs of a wave election.
Lujan said last week that competing in the Midwest will be a big part of the DCCC's plan, following criticism last year that the party has long overlooked once-loyal voters in those states.
"The heartland is critically important to the strategy we've laid out," he said. "We're going to earn trust where we have lost trust."
Lujan also attempted to downplay Democrats having yet to win a 2017 special House election, amid so much purported enthusiasm.
He argued Washington Republicans have had to spend tens-of-millions to defend several "deep red seats" already this year and expressed measured optimism about Democrats next month winning the House seat in Georgia left open when GOP Rep. Tom Price become secretary of Health and Human Services.
"The very nature that we're even having a conversation about these seats ought to concern them," Lujan said.
PARIS PULLOUT? Sources: Trump leaning toward leaving climate pact
President Trump is expected to soon announce he is pulling the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement, two sources told Fox News.
A very senior administration official cautioned that Trump had not yet made a final decision and continued to weigh his options.
"I will be announcing my decision on the Paris Accord over the next few days. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Trump tweeted Wednesday morning.
The accord, agreed to by the Obama administration along with almost 200 other countries in 2015, would have forced the U.S. to reduce fossil fuel emissions by nearly 30 percent by 2025.
During Trump's overseas trip last week, European leaders pressed him to keep the U.S. in the landmark agreement.
Trump promised during his presidential campaign to pull the U.S. out of the deal.
In a possible jab at the likely U.S. pullout, the United Nations tweeted on Wednesday a quote from Secretary General Antonio Guterres: "Climate change is undeniable. Climate action is unstoppable. Climate solutions provide opportunities that are unmatchable."
Word of Trump's decision comes a day after the president met with Scott Pruitt, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Like his boss, Pruitt has questioned climate scientists who claim the Earth is warming and that man-made climate emissions are to blame.
Since taking office, Trump and Pruitt have moved to delay or roll back federal regulations limiting greenhouse gas emissions while pledging to revive the long-struggling U.S. coal mines.
What is not yet clear is whether Trump plans to initiate a formal withdrawal from the Paris accord, which under the terms of the agreement could take three years, or exit the underlying U.N. climate change treaty on which the accord was based.
The U.S. is the world's second largest emitter of carbon, following only China. Beijing, however, has reaffirmed its commitment to meeting its targets under the Paris accord, recently canceling construction of about 100 coal-fired power plants and investing billions in massive wind and solar projects.
Fox News' John Roberts and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
WHAT IS 'COVFEFE?' Trump's cryptic tweet mystifies, amuses web
The investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election took a backseat Wednesday morning to a more pressing mystery: Who or what is "covfefe"?
President Trump tweeted the word just after midnight as part of a since-deleted message ostensibly decrying the media's coverage of his administration.
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"Despite the constant negative press covfefe," Trump wrote in a tweet that received more than 100,000 retweets and 100,000 likes before being deleted.
But what appeared to be a simple typo – albeit one that took until 5:30 a.m. to be detected and removed – became the No. 1 Twitter trend and an instant meme for the night owls of social media.
Comedian Jimmy Kimmel lamented: "What makes me saddest is that I know I'll never write anything funnier than #covfefe."
The Kentucky Fried Chicken customer service account for the United Kingdom and Ireland reacted in shock.
"I can't believe it. The final secret ingredient has at last been revealed…A sprinkle of #Covfefe," @KFC_UKI wrote.
Trump's critics, including Rosie O'Donnell, used the opportunity to poke fun at his blunder.
Merriam-Webster also jabbed Trump.
Meanwhile, Twitter accounts belonging to midieval warrior and wizard wannabes such as "Covfefe the Strong" and "the Wizard Covfefe" suddenly emerged, claiming Trump had summoned them with the three syllable nonsense word.
"I HAVE BEEN SUMMONED," wrote @CovfefeS.
"No, you fool! It is I who have been summoned! By the Great Orb of T'kketh!" @CovfefeW wrote, referencing a second meme: the recent picture taken by Trump and several Arab leaders around a glowing globe at the Saudi Arabia counter-terror center.
Even Trump joined in on the joke later Wednesday morning: "Who can figure out the true meaning of 'covfefe'??? Enjoy!"
TARGETING TRUMP Griffin only the latest celeb to 'joke' about killing president
Can criticism of a President go too far?
Kathy Griffin's photo shoot with controversial photographer Tyler Shields in which she is shown holding a bloodied mask of Donald Trump that makes it look as if the President was beheaded has ignited a firestorm of criticism.
But Dan Gainor, VP Business and Culture for the Media Research Center, said Griffin's stunt was par for the course.
"Kathy Griffin has long gone too far -- even kissing the crotch of CNN anchor Anderson Cooper during a New Year's Eve show," Gainor told Fox News. "She's a shrill, low-talent has-been begging for attention."
Gainor said Griffin is just one of scores of Hollywood celebrities who are out of touch.
"From Oscar winning actress Meryl Streep to Captain America's Chris Evans, entertainers have become an isolated elite who care nothing about offending their audiences," he said.
And Griffin isn't the first -- or second, or third -- celebrity who has joked about physically harming President Trump.
KATHY GRIFFIN GETS DROPPED BY SQUATTY POTTY
Many other Hollywood stars have been vocal about their dislike for Trump, and have taken their words so far as to wish him bodily harm.
Snoop Dogg released a music video in March where the rapper used a toy gun to shoot a clown resembling President Donald Trump. In the video for the rapper's remixed version of the song "Lavender," by BADBADNOTGOOD, the 45-year-old rapped about police brutality in a world inhabited by clowns. He declared, "This is the final call" before pointing a toy gun at the clown dressed as Trump who is smoking a cigarette. Snoop pulled the trigger and a flag that says "bang" shooted out from the toy gun.
The rapper told Billboard magazine he wasn't looking for any pick-up from the video. "Any time I drop something, I'm trying to fill in a void. I feel like it's a lot of people making cool records, having fun, partying, but nobody's dealing with the real issue with this f--ing clown as President, and the sh-t that we dealing with out here, so I wanted to take time out to push pause on a party record and make one of these records for the time being."
Trump quickly took to Twitter to respond to the video: "Can you imagine what the outcry would be if @SnoopDogg, failing career and all, had aimed and fired the gun at President Obama? Jail time!"
At the Women's March on Washington in January, Madonna made a comment about "blowing up the White House."
The 58-year-old singer told the crowd of 500,000 people, "I'm angry. Yes, I am outraged. Yes, I have thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House. But I know that this won't change anything. We cannot fall into despair. As the poet W. H. Auden once wrote on the eve of World War II, 'We must love one another or die.' I choose love. Are you with me?"
President Trump responded by calling the superstar "disgusting" and Madonna took to social media to clarify her statement. She wrote, "However I want to clarify some very important things. I am not a violent person, I do not promote violence and it's important people hear and understand my speech in it's entirety rather than one phrase taken wildly out of context."
Shortly after Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher's deaths, Charlie Sheen took to Twitter asking God to take President Trump next. The 51-year-old actor tweeted with the emoji middle finger, "Dear God; Trump next, please! Trump next, please! Trump next, please! Trump next, please! Trump next, please! Trump next, please!"
TMZ caught actor Mickey Rourke on a rant about Trump in which he said threatened to beat the then presidential candidate with a baseball bat. The 64-year-old continued to call him "the biggest scumbag on the planet."
The actor then called Melania Trump a "golddigger."
"F--k him, f--k the horse he rode in on," he said. "I think his wife is one of the biggest golddiggers around. I know, I used to go out with a golddigger…"
Small, medium-sized cities to drive China's consumption growth: economist
BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Small and medium-sized cities will play a major role in driving China's consumption growth in the coming decade, according to a Morgan Stanley economist. ...
Chinese former steel company boss sentenced to 15 years for graft
BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- The former chairman of Wuhan Iron and Steel (Group) Corp., Deng Qilin, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for taking bribes Wednesday. ...
Former China Telecom chairman sentenced to six years for graft
BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Chang Xiaobing, former chairman of China Telecom, was sentenced to six years in prison for graft Wednesday. ...
China increases state compensation standard
BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- The Supreme People's Court (SPC) has increased the compensation standard for individuals wrongfully imprisoned or detained by the state. ...
China strongly condemns terrorist attack in Afghanistan
BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday strongly condemned the terrorist attack in the Afghan capital of Kabul and voiced support for Afghanistan in its fight against terrorism. ...
Ethiopia to host China Trade Week in July
ADDIS ABABA, May 31 (Xinhua)-- Ethiopia is to host China Trade Week from July 4-6, with the expected participation of dozens of Chinese companies from various sectors. ...
China to build first luxury cruise ship
SHANGHAI, May 31 (Xinhua) -- China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) announced Wednesday that it will build China's first luxury cruise ship, which is expected to begin operations as early as 2021. ...
Rare Yunnan insect looks like a 'leaf' that can walk
Rare Yunnan insect looks like a 'leaf' that can walk
China supports free flow of information
BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- China's new cyber security law, which will go into effect Thursday, is not intended to manage foreign websites nor restrict the free flow of information, the country's internet regulator said Wednesday. ...
Chinese state councilor calls for accumulation of positive energy in Sino-Japanese relations
TOKYO, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe here on Wednesday, calling for taking the opportunities of anniversaries of bilateral ties and accumulating positive energy to enhance the Sino-Japanese relationship. ...
China completes satellite station network
BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- A network of remote sensing satellite ground stations that cover all of China's territory and 70 percent of Asia passed its final acceptance examination on Wednesday. ...
China issues draft rules on overseas investment on mainland interbank bond market
BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- China's central bank Wednesday issued draft rules on overseas investment in the mainland interbank bond market via the mainland-Hong Kong bond connect program. ...
Xinjiang Alashankou port sees record cargo trains in 2016
URUMQI, May 31 (Xinhua) -- The inland port of Alashankou in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region saw a record number of cargo trains in 2016. ...
Chinese submersible Jiaolong to conduct fifth dive in Mariana Trench
ON BOARD SHIP XIANGYANGHONG 09, May 31 (Xinhua) -- China's manned submersible "Jiaolong" will be despatched on its fifth, and last, dive of the year in the Mariana Trench Thursday. ...
China’s PLA Navy Aviation University opens recruitment
China's newly formed PLA Navy Aviation University recently outlined its first student enrollment plan, which will include 450 pilot cadets, according to Navy Today, the official magazine of the Chinese navy. ...
Chinese pandas not mistreated in US: Zoo authority
Authorities on May 27 denied the rumor that mother panda Meixiang and her cub BeiBei were being mistreated at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., refuting the concerns that stem from a video currently circulating online, Chengdu Business Daily reported. ...
Critically endangered Siberian musk deer discovered in Shaanxi villager’s home
A Siberian musk deer was successfully rescued from a crevice in a local villager's home on May 25 in Huanglong County, Shaanxi province, CCTV reported. ...
40 artillery shells discovered in Jinan
A total of 40 artillery shells were discovered beside a residential community on May 29 in Jinan, Shandong province during a routine sewer line excavation. The excavator contacted local police after finding six shells that were 20 to 30 centimeters in length. Police then arranged for a team of specialists to clear the site. ...
Local governments enforce alcohol ban around China
Local Chinese governments have stepped up their supervision over restrictions on liquor for civil servants. A stricter ban prohibiting civil servants from touching alcohol on official receptions was recently implemented. ...
DIPLOMATIC DISTRICT ROCKED At least 80 dead, more than 300 hurt in Kabul suicide car bombing
A massive explosion rocked a highly secure diplomatic area of Kabul during rush hour on Wednesday morning, killing at least 80 and injuring 350.
Authorities said the blast-- believed caused by a suicide car bombing--was so heavy that more than 30 vehicles were either destroyed or damaged at the site of the attack.
"We don't know at this moment what was the target of the attack, but most of the casualties are civilians," said Najib Danish, deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry.
Germany's Foreign Minister Signmar Gabriel said employees of the German Embassy in Kabul were wounded and an Afghan security guard was killed. The Foreign Ministry activated a crisis team to help deal with the aftermath
Windows were shattered in shops, restaurants and other buildings up to a half mile from the blast site.
"There are a large number of casualties, but I don't know, how many people are killed or wounded," said an eyewitness at the site, Gul Rahim.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group have staged large-scale attacks in the Afghan capital in the past.
The blast comes a day after a massive bomb outside a popular ice cream parlor in central Baghdad and a rush hour car bomb in another downtown area killed at least 31 people in Iraqi.
The neighborhood is considered Kabul's safest area, with foreign embassies protected by dozens of 10-foot-high blast walls and government offices, guarded by police and national security forces. The Afghan Foreign Ministry and the Presidential Palace are in the area as well.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has strongly condemned the massive attack, saying in a statement "the terrorists, even in the holy month of Ramadan, the month of goodness, blessing and prayer, are not stopping the killing of our innocent people."
Last month, the Afghan Taliban announced the beginning of their spring offensive, promising to build their political base in the country while focusing military assaults on the international coalition and Afghan security forces.
The United States now has more than 8,000 troops in Afghanistan, training local forces and conducting counterterrorism operations. In the past year, they have largely concentrated on thwarting a surge of attacks by the Taliban, who have captured key districts, such as Helmand province, which U.S. and British troops had fought bitterly to return to the government.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? Report: Trump gave cell number to world leaders
President Trump has been giving fellow world leaders his personal cellphone number, former and current U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the practice, told The Associated Press.
Trump has urged leaders of Canada and Mexico to reach him on his cellphone, these sources said. Of the two, only Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has taken advantage of the offer so far, the officials said.
The notion of world leaders calling each other up via cellphone may seem unremarkable in the modern, mobile world. But in the diplomatic arena, where leader-to-leader calls are highly orchestrated affairs, it is another notable breach of protocol for a president who has expressed distrust of official channels.
Trump also exchanged numbers with French President Emmanuel Macron when the two spoke immediately following Macron's victory earlier this month, according to a French official, who would not comment on whether Macron intended to use the line.
Presidents generally place calls on one of several secure phone lines, including those in the White House Situation Room, the Oval Office or the presidential limousine. Even if Trump uses his government-issued cellphone, his calls are vulnerable to eavesdropping, particularly from foreign governments, national security experts say.
"If you are speaking on an open line, then it's an open line, meaning those who have the ability to monitor those conversations are doing so," said Derek Chollet, a former Pentagon adviser and National Security Council official now at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
A president "doesn't carry with him a secure phone," Chollet said. "If someone is trying to spy on you, then everything you're saying, you have to presume that others are listening to it."
All the officials demanded anonymity because they were not authorized to reveal the conversations. Neither the White House nor Trudeau's office responded to requests for comment.
Ashley Deeks, a law professor at the University of Virginia who formerly served as the assistant legal adviser for political-military affairs in the U.S. State Department, said "If you are Macron or the leader of any country and you get the cellphone number of the president of the United States, it's reasonable to assume that they'd hand it right over to their intel service."
Presidents' phone calls with world leaders often involve considerable advance planning. State Department and National Security Council officials typically prepare scripted talking points and background on the leader on the other end of the line. Often an informal transcript of the call is made and circulated among a select group -- sometimes a small clutch of aides, sometimes a broader group of foreign policy officials. Those records are preserved and archived.
The White House did not respond to questions on whether the president is keeping records of any less-formal calls with world leaders.
Trump's White House is already facing scrutiny for apparent efforts to work outside usual diplomatic channels.
The administration has been fending off questions about a senior aide's attempt to set up a secret back channel of communication with Moscow in the weeks before Trump was took office. White House adviser Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, met in December with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. and discussed whether a secret line of communication could be used to facilitate sensitive policy discussions about the conflict in Syria, according to a person familiar with the talks. The person demanded anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the sensitive conversation by name.
The practice, if true, opens Trump up to charges of hypocrisy.
Throughout last year's presidential campaign, he lambasted Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for using a private email server while she was secretary of state, insisting she should not be given access to classified information because she would leave it vulnerable to foreign foes.
It was unclear whether an impromptu, informal call with a foreign leader would be logged and archived. The Presidential Records Act of 1981, passed in response to the Watergate scandal, requires that the president and his staff preserve all records related to the office. In 2014, the act was amended to include personal emails.
But the law contains "blind spots" -- namely, record-keeping for direct cellphone communications, said Jonathan Turley, a professor at George Washington University Law School, who specializes in public interest and national security law.
Security experts have reportedly said a president's smartphone would have extremely limited uses.
"It's not really good for much," Larry Johnson, who worked at the Secret Service from 1982 to 2006, told CNET in January. "You can't make a phone call, because it's too easy to be intercepted.
"I can scare you with how easy it is," he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
DNA CONNECTION? Cops: Spit on sidewalk ties man to 2 LA killings
Los Angeles police on Tuesday said they used spit collected from a sidewalk to tie a man to the sexual assault and murder of two women who vanished in 2011.
Investigators used a controversial DNA testing technique known as familial DNA testing to link the suspect, Geovanni Borjas, 32, to the murders of Michelle Lozano, 17, and Bree'Anna Guzman, 22, Charlie Beck , the Los Angeles Police chief, said.
Familial DNA testing allowed investigators to compare forensic evidence from the victims to law enforcement databases to identify likely relatives of the person who may have committed the crime. The search resulted in a match to Borjas' father, whose DNA was on file from a prior arrest, Beck said.
Detectives began to follow Borjas and collected his DNA after he spit on a sidewalk, Beck said. The sample matched the DNA that was collected from the crime scenes and Borjas was arrested Thursday.
Borjas was charged with two counts of murder, two counts of rape and one count of kidnapping. Investigators are still trying to determine if Borjas knew the two victims, but he hasn't cooperated with detectives, Beck said.
Lozano was found dead in April 2011 after she disappeared from the Lincoln Heights neighborhood. Her body was found wrapped in plastic bags and stuffed inside a container that was dumped in the brush along Interstate 5, police said. An autopsy found she had been strangled.
Guzman disappeared a day after Christmas in 2011 from the Boyle Heights neighborhood. She had told her family she was going to buy cough drops, but never returned. She was found along a ramp leading to State Route 2.
"He's in jail and he's never going to leave," Guzman's father, Richard Duran, said in Spanish. "That gives me a lot of happiness. I have closure now."
The DNA technique has only been used a handful of times in Los Angeles. Most notably, it was used to arrest the Grim Sleeper, Lonnie Franklin, Jr., in his serial killings that spanned from 1985 to 2007. Officials also used it this year to solve the decades-old killing of the ex-wife of Righteous Brothers singer Bill Medley.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Former China Telecom chairman sentenced to six years for graft
Chang Xiaobing, former chairman of China Telecom, was sentenced to six years in prison for graft Wednesday.
Beijing forum to boost exchanges among BRICS nations
The third annual BRICS Young Diplomats Forum got underway at Beijing Normal University on Wednesday.
China Internet regulator says cyber security law not a trade barrier
BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- China's cyber security law, which will go into effect from Thursday, is not aimed at limiting foreign companies' access to the Chinese market, the country's internet regulator said Wednesday. ...
Internet of Things deployed in Wenzhou to increase public security
The most worrisome issue for Lian Yongyi's family is his mother's personal safety. After her Alzheimer's disease progressed last year, Lian's mother couldn't remember how to get back home when she went walking outside alone. ...
College girl trades coins for birthday wishes
A 20-year-old co-ed from southwestern China's Chongqing municipality recently enjoyed a special and meaningful 20th birthday. She traded coins for nearly 200 messages on her birthday, including birthday wishes and short stories. ...
China earmarks 485 mln yuan for drought relief, post-disaster reconstruction
BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- China earmarked 485 million yuan (about 70.7 million U.S. dollars) for drought relief and post-disaster reconstruction, in late May, according to the Ministry of Finance. ...
Chinese counties to pilot agricultural disaster insurance
BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- A total of 200 major grain-producing Chinese counties will pilot agricultural disaster insurance this year and next year to improve their ability to counter natural disasters, according to the Ministry of Finance. ...
Macao merchandise trade deficit widens to 2.44 bln USD in first four months
Macao's merchandise trade deficit widened to 19.57 billion patacas (about $2.44 billion) in the first four months of 2017, the special administrative region's statistics department said Wednesday.
China earmarks 485 mln yuan for drought relief, post-disaster reconstruction
China earmarked 485 million yuan (about $70.7 million) for drought relief and post-disaster reconstruction, in late May, according to the Ministry of Finance.
Chinese counties to pilot agricultural disaster insurance
A total of 200 major grain-producing Chinese counties will pilot agricultural disaster insurance this year and next year to improve their ability to counter natural disasters, according to the Ministry of Finance.
China Internet regulator says cyber security law not a trade barrier
China's cyber security law, which will go into effect from Thursday, is not aimed at limiting foreign companies' access to the Chinese market, the country's internet regulator said Wednesday.
China to terminate all military paid services by 2018
BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- The Central Military Commission (CMC) will terminate all paid services provided by the military by the end of June 2018, according to a military professor. ...
'THE STORY' Trump's digital guru denies Russia aided campaign
The man in charge of digital operations for President Trump's campaign denied Tuesday that Russian operatives played any role in the Republican's election victory this past November.
Brad Parscale denied that his team made use of Russian computer programs to target potential voters with positive stories about Trump and negative stories about Democrat Hillary Clinton.
"The data we used on this campaign directly came from the Republican National Committee and what they did after the 2012 election to build a data set like never seen before," Parscale told "The Story with Martha MacCallum." "We didn't need data, we didn't need it from anyone else. It was right here in the United States of America and the best data is right here."
Parscale said reports about the Trump campaign's alleged dealings with Russian officials was a "false narrative" being pushed by Democrats in response to Clinton's surprise defeat.
"They don't want to believe their candidate was so bad that this is even possible," Parscale said. "And the truth is, that data was already there and we just used it to beat a bad candidate with a great candidate."
Parscale also defended Jared Kusher, the president's senior adviser and son-in-law, after a number of reports suggested that Kushner had tried to set up a secret communications channel between Trump's transition team and the Kremlin.
"This is a guy that truly cares about myself [and] everybody on the campaign," Parscale said. "You just hate to see that happen to good Americans and people who want to move the country forward ... I just can't believe it.
China to terminate all military paid services by 2018
The Central Military Commission (CMC) will terminate all paid services provided by the military by the end of June 2018, according to a military professor.
Forest ranger 'professor' builds herbarium in Central China
A herbarium built by a 70-year-old forest ranger in Central China's Hunan province has become a major national database for its extraordinary scientific research value, according Xinhua News Agency.
DIPLOMATIC DISTRICT ROCKED At least 64 dead, more than 300 hurt in Kabul suicide car bombing
KABUL, Afghanistan – A massive explosion rocked a highly secure diplomatic area of Kabul during rush hour on Wednesday morning, killing at least 64 and injuring 320.
Authorities said the blast-- believed caused by a suicide car bombing--was so heavy that more than 30 vehicles were either destroyed or damaged at the site of the attack. "We don't know at this moment what was the target of the attack, but most of the casualties are civilians," said Danish.
Windows were shattered in shops, restaurants and other buildings up to a half mile from the blast site.
"There are a large number of casualties, but I don't know, how many people are killed or wounded," said an eyewitness at the site, Gul Rahim.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group have staged large-scale attacks in the Afghan capital in the past.
The blast comes a day after a massive bomb outside a popular ice cream parlor in central Baghdad and a rush hour car bomb in another downtown area killed at least 31 people in Iraqi.
The neighborhood is considered Kabul's safest area, with foreign embassies protected by dozens of 10-foot-high blast walls and government offices, guarded by police and national security forces. The German Embassy, the Foreign Ministry and the Presidential Palace are all in the area.
Last month, the Afghan Taliban announced the beginning of their spring offensive, promising to build their political base in the country while focusing military assaults on the international coalition and Afghan security forces.
The United States now has more than 8,000 troops in Afghanistan, training local forces and conducting counterterrorism operations. In the past year, they have largely concentrated on thwarting a surge of attacks by the Taliban, who have captured key districts, such as Helmand province, which U.S. and British troops had fought bitterly to return to the government.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
At least 20 killed, 300 injured in powerful car bomb explosion in Kabul
KABUL, May 31 (Xinhua) -- At least 20 people were killed and over 300 injured Wednesday after a powerful car bombing rocked a diplomatic district in central part of Afghanistan's capital of Kabul, an official said. ...
Xi, Barbados governor-general exchange congratulations on anniversary of diplomatic ties
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Barbados Governor-General Sir Elliott Belgrave on Tuesday exchanged congratulations on the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between their countries.
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