White House press secretary Sarah Sanders began her briefing on Wednesday by reading a statement from President Trump announcing his decision to revoke the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan, a prominent critic of the current administration. The statement went on to list other current and former officials whose clearances would be under review.
Wed, 15 Aug 2018 17:38:23 -0400

As Catholics in the U.S. grapple with fallout from a grand jury's shocking
Thu, 16 Aug 2018 17:00:26 -0400

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) declared a state of emergency on Monday as a
Wed, 15 Aug 2018 05:41:21 -0400

From cross-country road trips to intercontinental excursions, its not out of
Wed, 15 Aug 2018 06:01:00 -0400

Italian prosecutors are opening an investigationinto the Genoa bridge collapse, as questions swirled over what caused the structure to crumble. At least 38people died whena 650-footportion ofthe Morandi motorway bridge in northern Italy disintegrated on Tuesday. The 51-year-old structure, designed by celebrated Italian engineer Riccardo Morandi,has been beset with problems since its construction in the 1960s, leading to expensive maintenance and drawing fierce criticism from engineering experts. Possible mafia connections have been raised. Dave Parker, Technical Editor Emeritus of New Civil Engineer told Radio 4's Today programme that the quality of the materials could have been affected by mafia involvement in the construction industry. "According to urban myths, the mafia hada very big finger in the pie of the concrete industry back then, charging full price and putting less cement in," he said. Genoa motorway bridge collapses Concerns have also been raised about the integrity of other structures built following the Second World War, with one engineering body sayingtens of thousands ofbridges and viaducts in Italy could be at risk. Giuseppe Conte, the Prime Minister, said "all infrastructure" across the country needed to be double-checked. "We must not allow another tragedy like this to happen again," he added. Danilo Toninelli, the Transport Minister, said the collapse was "unacceptable" and that if negligence played a role "whoever made a mistake must pay." Built between 1963 and 1967, the bridge hada maximum span of 718 feet, a total length of 0.7 miles, and concrete piers - vertical structures buttressing the arches of a bridge - that reach 295 feet in height. 'Structural doubts' over design The technology of pre-stressed reinforced concrete used in the construction was the hallmark of its designer, Mr Morandi, who died in 1989. Dubbed patent "Morandi M5", he had used the technology for other works, including a wing of the Verona Arena in 1953. This technique also characterises another, even longer and just as problematic Morandi bridge: the 5.4 mile long General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge that spans the bay of Maracaibo, Venezuela, and was completed in 1962. It partially collapsed in 1964 after being hit by an oil tanker and was rebuilt. TheMorandi bridge in Genoahad always presented "structural doubts", according to an article published byspecialist engineering website "Ingegneri.info", which called it "a tragedy waiting to happen". Antonio Brencich, a professor of reinforced concrete construction at the University of Genoa, echoed those concerns. "It was affected by extremely serious corrosion problems linked to the technology that was used (in construction). Morandi wanted to use a technology that he had patented that was no longer used afterwards and that showed itself to be a failure," ProfessorBrencich told Radio Capitale. Professor Brencich has long been a critic of the bridge. Two years ago, he told "Ingegneri.info" that the bridge's construction went over budget and poor calculations over concrete viscosity led to an uneven road surface which wasnt fully corrected until the 1980s. Safety work had been commissioned Mr Toninellisaid the company that has the concession to operate that section of highway said its maintenance on thebridgewas up to date and no work was being done at the time of the collapse. But he added that they were about to launch a 20 million euro (17.8 million) bidding process for significant safety work on thebridge. "There has not been sufficient maintenance and checks, and safety work for manybridges and viaducts andbridges in Italy constructed - almost all - during the 1960s," he said. The tender provided for a strengthening of the bridges pier cables, including those of pier nine, the one that collapsed on Tuesday. Notwithstanding the importance of a road that sees 25 million vehicles pass along it every year, the demolition of the bridge was being studied as far back as 2009. Bridges such as the Morandi viaduct should have a lifespan of at least a century,"Ingegneri.info" reported, but the structure had been the subject of major maintenance work in the years after its completion, in particular to repair cracks and combat degradation of the concrete. In the early 2000s the suspension cables put in place in the 1980s and 1990s were replaced. "Fifty years ago, we had unlimited confidence in reinforced concrete, we thought it was eternal, but now we know that it only lasted a few decades," Diego Zoppi, former president of the Genoa branch of the order of architects, told reporters on Tuesday. Rescue teams work among the rubble of the collapsed Morando highway bridge in Genoa Credit: AP Mr Zoppi warned that it was impossible to saysimilar tragedies would nothappen again without serious work on infrastructure built after the Second World War. "The Italy built in the 1950s and 1960s is in urgent need of renovation. The risk of collapses is underestimated, the works built at that time are coming to an age when they are at risk." 'Tens of thousands need to be replaced' The Italian CNR civil engineering society saidstructures as old as theMorandiBridgehad exceeded their lifespan. It called for a "Marshall Plan" to repair or replace tens of thousands ofbridges and viaducts built in the 1950s and 1960s. Updating and reinforcing thebridges would be more expensive than destroying and rebuilding them with technology that could last a century. They cited previous accidents: abridgethat fell in April 2017 in the northern province of Cuneo, crushing a carabinieri police car after the officers and driver had barely managed to get away in time; and an overpass that in the northern city of Lecco that collapsed under exceptional weight, crushing a car and killing the driver. A truck is seen at the collapsed Morandi Bridge site in the port city of Genoa, Italy Credit: Reuters Experts also said it was possible the thunderstorm could have contributed to the collapse afterwitnesses said it was struck by lightning shortly before it crumbled. "As this reinforced and pre-stressed concrete bridge has been there for 50 years it is possible that corrosion of tendons or reinforcement may be a contributory factor," said Ian Firth, former president of The Institution of Structural Engineers.He called thebridge"an unusual design." "The fact that there was reported to be a storm at the time may or may not be particularly relevant. Mehdi Kashani, an associate professor in structural mechanics at the University of Southampton, said maintenance issues and pressure from "dynamic loads," such as traffic and wind, could have resulted in "fatigue damage inbridgecomponents."
Wed, 15 Aug 2018 04:16:34 -0400

Months after winning a Supreme Court case over his refusal to make a wedding
Wed, 15 Aug 2018 15:10:32 -0400

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) The jury in the fraud trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort ended its first day of deliberations with a series of questions to the judge, including a request to "redefine" reasonable doubt.
Thu, 16 Aug 2018 17:52:57 -0400

Israel reopened its only goods crossing with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday after closing it to most deliveries on July 9 over months of border tensions, as relative calm returned and truce talks progressed. An Israeli official said on condition of anonymity that an initial set of "understandings" had been reached with the help of Egypt and United Nations officials, leading to calm over the last several days and the opening of the crossing. Humanitarian issues in the blockaded Gaza Strip and the return of the soldiers can be addressed if calm is maintained, the official said, adding that if not, Israel would return to "aggressive" military action.
Wed, 15 Aug 2018 14:37:06 -0400

National Guard soldiers are supporting response efforts, providing unique military capabilities to contain the fires.
Wed, 15 Aug 2018 17:33:50 -0400

The results ofTuesdaysprimaries in Minnesota and Wisconsin were the latest in a series of revealingsoundingsfrom the region tremors on the electoral Richter scale that help delineate the underlying forces shaping American politics.
Wed, 15 Aug 2018 18:42:32 -0400

Members and supporters of the Satanic Temple wheeled a statue of winged, goat-
Thu, 16 Aug 2018 21:24:12 -0400

Impressive images of these alien-like creatures were captured underwater photographer Cai Songda is a keen diver and did not miss the chance to snap pictures of the unique aliens. Cai, who is from Manila, Philippines, went on several diving trips this year and ended up with this beautiful collection of sea creatures, most of them in the area of Anilao.Cai loves blackwater diving and photography; he uses special lighting to illuminate his photos, as they are all taken in deep, dark waters. ...
Wed, 15 Aug 2018 09:54:15 -0400

New York University will pay for the tuition of all its medical students, the
Thu, 16 Aug 2018 14:15:24 -0400

Tsunamis will become more common and more ferociouswith global warming, scientists have warned after a study found that global sea level rises will increase the risk of coastal cities being wiped out. Smaller earthquakes that currently pose no serious tsunami threat could unleash waves capable of inundating coastal cities, researchers found in a study focusing on the city of Macau in China. Currently it is considered safe from tsunamis, despite lying within a major earthquake zone. At today's sea level, it would take a very powerful earthquake tipping past magnitude 8.8 to cause widespread tsunami flooding in Macau. But a half-metre rise in sea level - predicted to occur in the region by 2060 - could more than double the chances of a huge tsunami swamping the territory, according to the research. A three-foot sea level rise, expected by 2100, would increase the risk up to 4.7 times. The source of the earthquake danger is the Manila Trench, a massive crack in the floor of the South China Sea formed by the collision of two tectonic plates. It has generated numerous earthquakes, though none larger than magnitude 7.8 since the 1560s. A modest rise in sea levels would greatly amplify the tsunami threat from smaller earthquakes, the computer simulation study showed. Cities most prone to natural disaster Lead researcher Dr Robert Weiss, from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in the US, said: "Our research shows that sea-level rise can significantly increase the tsunami hazard, which means that smaller tsunamis in the future can have the same adverse impacts as big tsunamis would today. "The South China Sea is an excellent starting point for such a study because it is an ocean with rapid sea-level rise and also the location of many mega cities with significant worldwide consequences if impacted." The team's findings are reported in the journal Science Advances.
Thu, 16 Aug 2018 01:00:00 -0400

A Colorado man, who earlier this week pleaded for the safe return of his pregnant wife and their two young daughters after they went missing, has been arrested on suspicion of killing them, police said on Thursday. The body of a woman, believed to be the spouse of Christopher Watts, 33, of Frederick, Colorado, was discovered on a property owned by Anadarko Petroleum Corp, police said. The search for the bodies of the couple's two daughters, Celeste, 3, and Bella, 4, turned up human remains that were believed to belong to the two children, Frederick police said on Twitter on Thursday.
Thu, 16 Aug 2018 22:56:13 -0400