The president and members of Congress are picking guests who highlight their policy views for tonight’s presidential address to a joint session of Congress, reports Yahoo News’ Chris Wilson: “The White House announced that six guests would be joining first lady Melania Trump at the address. Half of that group have lost family members in killings by undocumented immigrants.” Meanwhile, “Many Democrats have invited guests who benefited from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and the proposed DREAM Act to draw a contrast to the president’s messaging and policies.” And Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), invited Tom Perez, the… Read More
Trump supporters rip Hollywood, gleefully celebrate #Oscarfail
Hours before the Academy Awards were presented Sunday, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee compared watching the Oscars telecast and its expected political speeches from Hollywood stars to getting a colonoscopy. Nah,” Huckabee tweeted. “Think I’d rather have a colonoscopy.
Seoul says North Korea executes 5 senior security officials
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea executed five senior security officials with anti-aircraft guns because they made false reports that “enraged” leader Kim Jong Un, South Korea’s spy agency said Monday.
Minnesota officer pleads not guilty in shooting death of black motorist
St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez, who according to media reports is Latino, entered a not guilty plea during a hearing at the Ramsey County District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota, for the shooting death of Philando Castile, said Beau Berentson, spokesman for the state court administration office. Castile, 32, was killed on July 6 in the St. Paul suburb of Falcon Heights during a traffic stop. The shooting, along with that of a black man by police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the day before, fueled public debate in the United States over the use of excessive force by law… Read More
Bashful Tokyo pandas mate after four-year hiatus
Two giant pandas at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo mated for the first time in four years Monday — a 52-second effort that boosted hopes for a baby as well as shares in a nearby Chinese restaurant. Public viewing of pandas at the zoo has been halted since last week as the mating season got into full swing for the mammals, which are notoriously difficult to arouse. “We let the two be together at 8:06am (2306 GMT Sunday) and confirmed they mated for 52 seconds from 8:48am,” Ueno Zoo announced in a statement.
Feet of Clay: Tennis in Latin America may flee the surface (Yahoo Sports)
The days are numbered for clay-court tennis in Latin America. The clay-court circuit lost a major event several years ago when this week’s Mexican Open in Acapulco switched to hardcourts. The so-called ”Latin American clay-court swing” comes in February and early March – just after the Australian Open on hardcourts, and just before Acapulco and two well-established hard-court events in Indian Wells, California, and Miami.
Murray eases to 1st round victory in Dubai (Yahoo Sports)
Andy Murray may be coming off a bout of shingles, but he looked in good shape during a 6-4, 6-1 first round victory over Malik Jaziri at the Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday. The top-ranked Murray was playing his first match since being upset by Mischa Zverev in the Australian Open fourth round last month. ”I had a little bit of a rash basically like on my bum ’round to kind of my stomach, and it wasn’t, like, terrible,” Murray said.
Fabio Fognini advances to 2nd round in Brazil Open (Yahoo Sports)
SAO PAULO (AP) — Fifth-seeded Fabio Fognini of Italy reached the second round of the Brazil Open on Tuesday with a 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over qualifier Marco Cecchinato of Italy.
Johnson beats Isner to advance to 2nd round in Acapulco (Yahoo Sports)
American Steve Johnson advanced to the second round of the Mexican Open with a surprisingly easy 6-4, 6-4 win over countryman John Isner on Monday night. The 27 year-old Johnson, who is ranked 24th in the world, needed only 65 minutes to take care of Isner, who was seeded eighth in Acapulco and No. 22 in the ATP rankings. It was Johnson*s third straight win over Isner.
Federer returns with easy win over Paire in Dubai (Yahoo Sports)
Roger Federer breezed back into action to reach the second round of the Dubai Open with a straightforward 6-1 6-3 win over erratic Frenchman Benoit Paire on Monday. In his first match since memorably claiming his 18th grand slam title by beating Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open a month ago, the 35-year-old was immediately back in the old routine to give Paire the runaround. There was precious little resistance from the Frenchman as Swiss maestro Federer, the seven-times champion and third seed, delighted a large Centre Court crowd with flashes of brilliance.