Top Gear
Today’s ThemeThe first thing to note is that there are five gray squares in Mr. Ezersky’s (and his housemate, Nick’s) grid. There are five different words for “hat” in the puzzle, but you will have to look for them. For example, at 27A, the clue is “ Casting doubt on ,” and the answer should be CALLING INTO QUESTION. How could Mr. Ezersky (and his housemate, Nick) do this to us? Constructor NotesToday’s puzzle is dedicated to my housemate, Nick.
Source:New York Times
December 15, 2018 23:00 UTC
Girl who died fled intensely poor Guatemalan village
Jakelin's father Nery Caal decided to migrate with his favorite child to earn money he could send back home. The girl leapt with joy when she was told about the trip, Domingo Caal said in Spanish. Tekandi Paniagua, the Guatemalan consul in Del Rio, Texas, told The Associated Press that Nery Caal and his daughter took about a week to reach the U.S. border. The consul said Caal told him the girl never lacked food or water either before or after they were detained, and said he had no complaints about how they were treated. The girl died at about 12:30 a.m. Dec. 8, roughly 19 hours after she began throwing up on the bus and 27 hours after being apprehended.
Source:ABC News
December 15, 2018 22:58 UTC
Obamacare has never been more popular. Republicans may have just found a way to kill it anyway
Voters have come around on Obamacare in part because they’ve started to see what it really is: an effort to make healthcare more accessible and affordable, in part by shifting some costs onto healthier and higher-income Americans — instead of the “government takeover” of healthcare that its critics ludicrously claimed it to be. In addition to helping people in the so-called individual market (that is, those who aren’t covered by employer health benefits), the insurance reforms make sure that employers offer comprehensive coverage that caps their workers’ healthcare bills for the year, while making preventive care — including contraceptives for women — available with no out-of-pocket costs.
Source:Los Angeles Times
December 15, 2018 22:55 UTC
Here's what's at risk in the Texas Obamacare ruling
The Affordable Care Act does far more than allow millions of people to get health insurance through exchanges or Medicaid expansion. And most importantly for many folks, Obamacare prevents insurers from turning away or charging more to those with pre-existing conditions. The decision , which is expected to be appealed, doesn't immediately affect Americans' coverage. The Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover people with pre-existing conditions and banned them from charging the sick more. Nearly 12 million Americans gained coverage under this provision as of 2016, the most recent figures available.
Source:CNN
December 15, 2018 22:54 UTC
Loyalty among attributes Mulvaney brings to White House job
President Donald Trump had long made clear the qualities he was looking for in his next chief of staff. Mulvaney accepted — and even kept his current position as director of the Office of Management and Budget. Mulvaney "will let Trump be Trump," Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who knows both men well, said in an interview Saturday. Having grown increasingly weary of aides who would tell him no, Trump felt aligned with the man he had appointed OMB director. It is unclear how extensively Mulvaney plans to reorganize the White House.
Source:ABC News
December 15, 2018 22:45 UTC
Marvel's 'Avengers: Endgame' Trailer Is Even Better When Everyone Is Deadpool
And we thought the last “Avengers” trailer was better when every character was Deadpool. Istanbul-based digital animator Saruhan Saral has outdone himself with a new take on the recently released “Avengers: Endgame” trailer. In Saral’s latest video, voice actor Mishka Thebaud brings to life the Merc with a Mouth. “Avengers: Endgame” comes out April 26. Check out the revamped “Avengers” trailer above.
Source:Huffington Post
December 15, 2018 22:41 UTC
The NYPD checked on Pete Davidson after he posted an alarming Instagram message
Pete Davidson, pictured at an American Museum of Natural History gala on Nov. 15, deleted his Instagram account on Saturday after posting an alarming message. The alarming message, relayed via a screen shot of Davidson’s Notes app, has since been deleted, along with his entire Instagram account. On Saturday, the New York Police Department confirmed that it had conducted a wellness check and made contact with Davidson. Jon Cryer, who stars alongside Davidson in the upcoming film “Big Time Adolescence,” tweeted soon afterward that he heard “Pete Davidson is at SNL and accounted for.” (SNL representatives declined to comment.) Late Saturday afternoon, Grande tweeted that she was “so sorry i told a dumb joke.
Source:Washington Post
December 15, 2018 22:41 UTC
Obamacare crusade grows more fraught for GOP after court ruling
O’Connor, who was appointed by Republican President George W. Bush, seized on a section in the recent tax cut law that repealed a penalty Obamacare created for people who do not buy health insurance. The judge said the entire 900-page law became invalid after that penalty, known as the individual mandate, disappeared. The health care law, O’Connor wrote, was intended by the Congress that passed it in 2010 to stand as a whole, and it no longer could.
Source:Los Angeles Times
December 15, 2018 22:41 UTC
GOP’s Stewart steps back from Virginia statewide races
NORFOLK, Va. — The Virginia Republican who lost the U.S. Senate race last month and also lost primaries for two statewide races in recent years says he’s stepping back from statewide elections. The Washington Post reports that Corey Stewart announced his decision to Republican Party activists and leaders at a weekend retreat in Norfolk. Stewart lost to Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine last month. Stewart says he’s stepping back from statewide races for at least a couple of years. ___Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.comCopyright 2018 The Associated Press.
Source:Washington Post
December 15, 2018 22:35 UTC
White House prepares for shutdown as GOP lawmakers struggle for an alternative
But White House officials signaled to lawmakers Friday that they would probably not support a one- or two-week stopgap measure. Some congressional Republicans support such a “continuing resolution,” but the White House rejection has dramatically increased the odds of a spending lapse. The plan provides the contours of what a partial shutdown would look like, even as the administration has issued little in the way of public guidance. It is unclear if the White House will follow a similar approach this time, as multiple officials declined to comment. Unions representing federal employees said Friday, though, that even a partial shutdown would cause significant disruptions to the operations of government.
Source:Washington Post
December 15, 2018 22:25 UTC
Paul Ryan Pushing Through Thousands Of Irish Visas Before Leaving Office
Before he leaves office in January, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) wants to give Irish citizens access to thousands of unused U.S. work visas. Under the E-3 program, a total of 10,500 visas are allotted exclusively to Australia, but with new legislation pushed by Ryan, Irish nationals would have access to any that are unused. Critics are not taking kindly to the outgoing speaker’s gesture toward people from a single, relatively wealthy European nation while migrants in more dire circumstances ― refugees, asylum-seekers and young children ― are being forcibly kept out of the country, detained and deported.
Source:Huffington Post
December 15, 2018 22:18 UTC
Cure Bowl: Bradwell's two TDs leads Tulane over Louisiana-Lafayette 41-24
Tulane won four of five down the stretch in the regular season to not only qualify for its first bowl berth in five years, but also finished with a winning record (5-3) in conference play for the first time since 2014.
Source:Los Angeles Times
December 15, 2018 22:18 UTC
Dog in Illinois requires pain pills for horrific mange infection, rescue center says
A rescue center in Monmouth, Illinois, claims a dog with a severe case of mange requires pain pills to manage the agonizing skin infection. The dog, named Mickey, and his companion, Missy, are two recent additions to Wair Rescue. Both were found covered in mange, which is caused by parasitic mites. But for Mickey, “it’s the worst we’ve ever seen, and the worst the vet has ever seen,” Dan Porter, president of Wair Rescue, told Fox 6. Porter claims the dog requires a pain pill prescription to manage the infection.
Source:Fox News
December 15, 2018 22:18 UTC
Trump Visits Arlington National Cemetery
President Trump made an unscheduled visit to Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday, where volunteers led by the group Wreaths Across America were placing wreaths on headstones for the holidays. Mr. Trump hadn’t followed the practice of some of his predecessors of visiting the cemetery in Arlington, Va., on Veterans Day last month, a decision he later said he regretted. Days earlier, he had skipped a visit to one of two cemeteries in France where American soldiers who fought in the two world wars are laid to rest. The White...
Source:Wall Street Journal
December 15, 2018 22:07 UTC
'Aquaman' Sails Toward Huge $250 Million Global Box Office
Warner Bros.' blockbuster Aquaman continues to unite audiences across the seven seas this weekend, as its record-breaking run in China fuels an overall international box office cume expected to hit $250+/- million this weekend. Friday's $27 million international sales included $15 million from the markets outside of China, and brought the running worldwide cume to $179 million. Today, Aquaman looks on track to add $20-25 million in China and an additional $15-20 million in other foreign markets, raising the global tally to $215-225 million on Saturday. Even if China's box office reps a big 30+% of total foreign box office, a $250 million finish in the Middle Kingdom puts Aquaman on course for a massive $800+ million international cume. Box office figures and tallies based on data via Box Office Mojo , Rentrak, and TheNumbers.
Source:Forbes
December 15, 2018 22:07 UTC