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Sen. Blumenthal Pushing for Robocall Crackdown

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., has reintroduced a bill aimed at requiring mobile phone companies to provide robocall-blocking technology to their customers, Roll Call is reporting.

About 47.8 billion robocalls were made last year. About half the calls were from scammers, who pocketed an estimated $350 million from unsuspecting people, according to Roll Call.

Blumenthal first introduced the bill, known as the “ROBOCOP Act” last year. He now joins a number of other lawmakers who have introduced bills to crack down on robocalls.

"Every consumer deserves the tools and technology to block (the calls),” Blumenthal was quoted by WFUV.  “There are tools to block robocalls. The carriers are failing to provide them free of charge."

The bill requires phone companies to authenticate caller ID. In addition, any company found to have engaged in scam, and spoof calls would be fined $10,000 for each call made.)Get

Source: NewsMax America

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Who's been charged by Mueller in the Russia probe so far?

Paul Manafort, President Trump's former campaign chairman, was sentenced by a federal judge on March 13 to an additional three and a half years in prison — the second sentencing the 69-year-old has received in recent days.

Previously, on March 7, Manafort was sentenced to 47 months in prison. He was convicted of eight bank and tax fraud charges last August, which made him the first campaign associate of Trump's to be found guilty by jury as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's long-running investigation.

The sentence on March 13 is on top of the roughly four-year prison sentence Manafort received on March 7 in a separate criminal case in Virginia.

Mueller is believed to be wrapping up his probe, which has been shrouded in secrecy, with a report to be finished sometime this year — although the exact time is open to speculation.

Dozens of people have been either indicted, convicted, or entered a guilty plea as part of the investigation, which began in May 2017. Several former Trump campaign associates – Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, Richard Gates, Roger Stone and George Papadopoulos – are among the scalps via Mueller's team, while at least 25 are Russian officials.

Here's a closer look at those who have faced charges throughout Mueller's probe.

Roger Stone

Roger Stone, a longtime political adviser to Trump, was indicted on charges of obstruction, making false statements and witness tampering by Mueller's office.

Stone, 66, was arrested in Florida on Jan. 25, a spokesperson for Mueller's office confirmed. For months, Stone had warned he could be indicted, publicly saying he believed Mueller was investigating whether he had knowledge of WikiLeaks releasing hacked emails of Democrats during the 2016 campaign. Stone has repeatedly denied doing so, however.

The indictment alleges Stone worked to obstruct the Senate Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election by making false statements to the committee, denying he had records sought by the committee and persuading a witness to provide false testimony.

Michael Flynn

Michael Flynn, who served as Trump’s national security adviser for less than a month before resigning, pleaded guilty in December 2017 to making false statements to the FBI.

Flynn reportedly lied about his talks with Russia's ambassador to Washington. In late 2016, while former President Barack Obama was still in office, the two allegedly spoke about the U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia.

This raised concerns that Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general, misled Trump officials about his conversations with Russian officials.

Paul Manafort

Paul Manafort turned himself in to authorities in October.

Paul Manafort turned himself in to authorities in October. (AP Photo)

The special counsel filed a 32-count indictment on Feb. 22, 2018, against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and aide Rick Gates, accusing the pair of tax evasion and bank fraud.

The indictment accused Manafort and Gates of doctoring documents to inflate the income of their businesses and then using those fraudulent documents to obtain loans. It also accused Manafort of evading taxes from 2010 through 2014 and, in some of the years, concealing his foreign bank accounts.

Manafort turned himself into federal authorities in the fall of 2018. The 69-year-old served as Trump’s campaign manager for a few months in 2016. Gates, Manafort's business associate, also turned himself in at the time.

On June 15, 2018, Manafort was jailed after a federal judge revoked his $10 million bail based on new witness tampering charges brought by Mueller.

Manafort was found guilty of eight financial crimes on Aug. 21, 2018, in the first trial victory of the special counsel investigation into the president's associates. He later pleaded guilty in a second case and agreed to cooperate with Mueller's team.

On March 7, he was sentenced to 47 months in prison. He was credited with the 9 months he had already spent in prison, so he will only have to serve 38 months or just more than 3 years.

Days later, on March 13, a federal judge sentenced Manafort to an additional three and a half years of prison. The sentence is on top of the roughly four-year prison sentence Manafort received last week in a separate criminal case in Virginia.

Richard Gates

Richard Gates pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Richard Gates pleaded not guilty to all charges. (The Associated Press)

Richard Gates was named alongside Manafort in the recent charges brought by the special counsel. He's accused of 11 counts related to filing false income tax returns and three counts of failure to report foreign bank and financial accounts.

Gates pleaded guilty in February 2018 to federal conspiracy and false-statements charges.

A superseding criminal complaint says Gates was charged with conspiracy against the United States between 2006 and 2017.

George Papadopoulos

George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to the charges against him.

George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to the charges against him. (Alexandria Sheriff's Office)

A former foreign policy adviser to Trump’s presidential campaign, George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty in 2017 to making false statements to the FBI regarding “the timing, extent and nature of his relationships and interactions with certain foreign nationals whom he understood to have close connections with senior Russian government officials,” according to court documents.

He also reportedly tried to set up meetings between Russian and Trump campaign officials on various occasions.

Papadopoulos was sentenced in September 2018 to 14 days in prison, 13 months supervised release, 200 hours community service and a $9,500 fine for lying to the FBI during the Russia probe.

“My entire life has been turned upside down, I hope to have a second chance to redeem myself,” he said during his sentencing.

Michael Cohen

Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison on Dec. 12. 

Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison on Dec. 12.  (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Formerly Trump's attorney, Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges that arose from two separate investigations – one by federal prosecutors in New York, and the other by Mueller.

Cohen pleaded guilty to tax evasion, campaign finance violations and lying to Congress about a Trump real estate project in Moscow. He was sentenced on Dec. 12, 2018.

Alex van der Zwaan

Attorney Alex van der Zwaan pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about his interactions with Gates.

Attorney Alex van der Zwaan pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about his interactions with Gates. (Reuters/Yuri Gripas)

Mueller's team charged Dutch attorney Alex van der Zwaan for lying to federal investigators in the Russia probe in federal court in February 2018. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 days in prison and given a $20,000 fine in April.

Van der Zwaan was released from prison in June and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

According to charging documents, a law firm hired by the Ukraine Ministry of Justice in 2012 employed van der Zwaan. He admitted to lying about his interactions with Gates.

The charge against van der Zwaan did not involve election meddling or the Trump campaign's operations. It stemmed from the special counsel's investigation into a covert Washington lobbying campaign Manafort and Gates are accused of directing on behalf of pro-Russian Ukrainian interests.

Richard Pinedo

Richard Pinedo, a California man who sold bank accounts to Russians meddling in the election, pleaded guilty in February 2018 to using stolen identities to set up the accounts. He was sentenced in October to six months in prison, six months in home confinement and two years of supervised release.

The U.S. government said Pinedo did not know that he was dealing with Russians when he sold the accounts. Since his arrest, Pinedo has provided investigators with "significant assistance" in identity theft probes, prosecutors said.

During his sentencing, Pinedo told the judge he took "full responsibility" and understood "there needs to be consequences" for his actions. Federal sentencing guidelines called for Pinedo to serve between 12 and 18 months behind bars, but prosecutors did not recommend a particular sentence, noting his cooperation with officials.

13 Russian nationals

A grand jury indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies in February 2018 for allegedly interfering in the 2016 election. In the case, Mueller detailed a sophisticated plot to wage “information warfare” on the U.S.

The indictment was the first to be brought against Russian nationals in Mueller's investigation.

However, the Justice Department said the indictment does not allege that the interference changed the outcome of the election.

"There is no allegation in this indictment that any American was a knowing participant in this illegal activity," said Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the special counsel probe.

12 Russian intelligence officers

The Justice Department in July 2018 announced that 12 Russian intelligence officers were indicted for allegedly hacking the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign during the 2016 election.

All 12 are members of GRU, the Russian intelligence agency.

Fox News' Ann Schmidt, Adam Shaw, Samuel Chamberlain, Jake Gibson, Alex Pappas, Brooke Singman and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Source: Fox News Politics

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Hungary leader grapples with EU as corruption concerns rise

As the Hungarian prime minister's conflicts with the European Union appear headed to a breaking point, calls are increasing for greater scrutiny of his government's spending of the bloc's funds.

An opposition lawmaker in Hungary has gathered more than 470,000 signatures to pressure Prime Minister Viktor Orban into joining the budding European Public Prosecutor's Office as Orban's Fidesz party may be suspended or expelled this coming week from the main center-right group in the European Parliament.

The EU has allocated Hungary 25 billion euros ($28.3 billion) in the 2014-2020 budget period, but critics say funds are often spent on overpriced or unnecessary projects padding the pockets of the allies of Orban, whose anti-EU campaigns over migration policies and national sovereignty have gotten him into trouble with European People's Party.

Source: Fox News World

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The silent history of nuns sexually abusing minors set to become the next Catholic Church scandal, victims say

It wasn’t until Rev. Cait Finnegan gave birth to a baby girl more than three decades ago that the full trauma of all she had withstood was fully unleashed.

“It was my protective instinct, I just didn’t want my daughter to be alone. I stayed with her from the day she was born,” Finnegan, 67, a Catholic school student in 1960s New York and once an aspiring nun, told Fox News. “Because I had been abused in many places to many degrees. This was every day in school, weekends, she would come to my home.”

Starting at just 15, Finnegan alleged that she was repeatedly raped by a Catholic nun and for years, after finally escaping, lived a life on the edge of falling apart. She said she spent much of her life trapped in a state of rage, depression, and agoraphobia, unable to leave the house or be away from her daughter, now 36.

They lived in poverty as Finnegan said she was only able to take on odd jobs at night, as her marriage strained under the emotional weight.

“When my daughter was 12, we thought it would be good to register her at a Catholic School,” Finnegan recalled. “But then the nun opened the door, I had a flashback, I grabbed her and ran.”

MALE RAPE EMERGING AS ONE OF THE MOST UNDER-REPORTED WEAPONS OF WAR

Finnegan said her abuser died more than four years ago. But the deep, dark memories she has carried since adolescence remain.

“The pain is still there, still haunting,” Finnegan, who was married to a Catholic Priest but is now widowed and has dedicated her days to helping impoverished children serving as the minister of the Pennsylvania Celtic Christian Church, continued. “But I am never going to shut up, I am going to do everything I can to help heal some of the sad memories my daughter had to endure because of this.”

A survivor and advocate of survivors of Catholic Church abuse, Rev. Cait Finnegan

A survivor and advocate of survivors of Catholic Church abuse, Rev. Cait Finnegan (Rev. Cait Finnegan)

But she is hardly alone in what some experts predict might be the next big blow for the Church to grapple.

Last month, a Minnesota-based law firm that represents survivors of clerical abuse unveiled a long list of those who have been credibly accused of child molestation. The 185-page “Anderson Report on Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese and Dioceses,” which focused on Illinois and mostly on priests, also named six nuns among the 390 alleged abusers.

Of the six nuns named, three are reported to now be dead and the whereabouts of the remaining three is not clear, the report stated.

Some of the appalling claims date back half a century, but it’s an issue that investigators believe is very much prevalent today and shrouded in the secrecy of survivors.

Patrick J Wall, a former Roman Catholic Priest and Benedictine Monk who is now an expert in canon law and clergy sexual exploitation, rallying on behalf of other survivors at the Anderson firm, said that almost all cases involving nuns as perpetrators have been wiped from the vaults.

“The cases I remember, the nun was moved, or a couple of times sent off for treatment,” he said. “There is no public record, just quietly settled. Most states have no record of the cases being settled.”

Wall said that such cases he came across during his tenure in the Church were all quietly settled and that many accusations since have had “statute of limitation problems.” He also said there is next to no data specifically looking at the issue of sexual abuse by nuns, and there may not be any officially compiled anytime soon.

“The Church has such a gigantic problem with the Bishops now,” Wall conjectured. “They likely are not concerned about the nuns.”

And Mary Dispenza, a director at the St. Louis-based Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), a support group for anyone harmed by institutional and religious authorities, told Fox News that it wasn’t until recently – the age of 78 – she too acknowledged that she was a victim of nun sexual abuse throughout her 15-year tenure.

“It was an awakening for me, a story I carried around for so long, one of such confusion,” said the former Southern California-based nun turned survivor advocate.

Mary Dispenza, representing SNAP at the Pope’s summit on The sexual abuse of minors earlier this year.

Mary Dispenza, representing SNAP at the Pope’s summit on The sexual abuse of minors earlier this year. (Mary Dispenza)

Since federal authorities opened a probe into allegations of abuse at several dioceses in Pennsylvania last October, Dispenza noted that 67 individuals from across the United States have reached out to her with their own horror stories of misconduct – 56 of them documented sexual abuse by nuns, four claimed physical and emotional abuse, two were concerned nuns themselves seeking information on how to improve their orders, and the remaining endured priest abuse.

“This number could be multiplied several times over, a few thousand around the world,” she cautioned. “It is another significant problem the church is yet to face.”

While the majority of those who reached out to Dispenza for guidance were female, she said some were male recounting their childhood horrors.

“The men carry a great deal of shame, which has kept them from coming forward or speaking out,” she observed.

The Holy See has been forced to deal with a dizzying fall from grace over the past year as massive numbers of priests around the world have been exposed as sexual abusers and predators. Pope Francis has also had to acknowledge that some nuns were also abused by clergymen.

But no word has been uttered publicly.

PRIEST PLEADS GUILTY AFTER VICTIM CALLS SEX ABUSE HOTLINE

In February, church leaders worldwide convened in Rome for a four-day conference to address the amplifying abuse scandal, and carve a structured, more transparent way forward to aid survivors and resolve the profound stains on the Church’s image.

But Dispenza said the nun matter wasn’t mentioned.

“No one wants to touch the nuns,” she contended. “The nuns have been sacred and by and large, they are mostly wonderful and dedicated women who have nurtured and cared for children throughout the years. But this is a current issue that has not yet been addressed.”

85-year-old sister Maria Concetta Esu kisses the hand of Pope Francis as he presents her with a Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice award during his weekly general audience, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, March 27, 2019. 85-year-old sister Maria Concetta Esu is an obstetrician who gave birth to some 3,000 children during her 60 years of missions in Africa, that the pontiff met during his trip to the Central African Republic. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

85-year-old sister Maria Concetta Esu kisses the hand of Pope Francis as he presents her with a Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice award during his weekly general audience, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, March 27, 2019. 85-year-old sister Maria Concetta Esu is an obstetrician who gave birth to some 3,000 children during her 60 years of missions in Africa, that the pontiff met during his trip to the Central African Republic. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

The Vatican did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While mostly a silent crime through the passage of time, small spouts of justice have been brought to the surface from time to time.

In 2004, a former nun accused of molesting a 10-year-old Catholic school student 15 years earlier was convicted in a Virginia Beach court of two felony sex crimes and was sentenced to a 10-year suspended sentence.

A year earlier, for the first time locally, a nun was identified as an alleged abuser amid a wave of allegations leveled against the Catholic Church in San Diego by a male identified only as John Roe, and claimed to be just 10 years old when he said the predatory crimes began.

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But space for survivors to slowly step out of the shadows, with or without the Vatican's lead, is now opening.

“(We) recognize that there have been incidents where Catholic sisters have sexually abused persons entrusted to their care,” said Sister Annmarie Sanders, a representative for the Chicago-founded Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), which brings together the leaders of Catholic nun congregations across the U.S. “These actions are horrific and we join with women religious throughout our country who deeply regret the suffering that has resulted for the survivors and, often their loved ones as well.”

Sanders pledged that healing efforts will continue.

“We are grateful for the courage of the survivors who have come forward. Because of them, our own understandings of the long-term effects of sexual misconduct have expanded and deepened,” she added. “We agree with the survivors who are calling upon women religious to keep working for the healing of victims and the prevention of further abuse.”

Source: Fox News National

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Bernie Sanders says Boston Marathon bomber, sexual assaulters should be allowed to vote

2020 presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday defended his stance for granting voting rights to criminals in prison, including the Boston Marathon bomber and convicted sexual assaulters.

During a CNN town hall on Monday night, Harvard student Anne Carlstein asked if his position would support “enfranchising people” like Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who she noted is a “convicted terrorist and murderer,” as well as those “convicted of sexual assault,” whose votes could have a “direct impact on women’s rights.”

Sanders first responded by saying he wanted a “vibrant democracy” with “higher voter turnout” and blasted “cowardly Republican governors” who he said were “trying to suppress the vote.”

The Vermont senator then argued that the Constitution says “everybody can vote” and that “some people in jail can vote.”

5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT SEN. BERNIE SANDERS

“If somebody commits a serious crime- sexual assault, murder, they’re gonna be punished. They may be in jail for 10 years, 20 years, 50 years, their whole lives. That’s what happens when you commit a serious crime,” Sanders elaborated.

“But, I think the right to vote is inherent to our democracy. Yes, even for terrible people, because once you start chipping away and you say, ‘That guy committed a terrible crime, not gonna let him vote. Well, that person did that. Not gonna let that person vote,’ you’re running down a slippery slope. So, I believe that people who commit crimes, they pay the price. When they get out of jail, I believe they certainly should have the right the vote, but I do believe that even if they are in jail, they’re paying their price to society, but that should not take away their inherent American right to participate in our democracy.”

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CNN anchor Chris Cuomo pressed the Democrats' frontrunner, asking him if he was “sure about that” since he effectively was “writing an opposition ad.” Sanders dismissed such concerns, saying he'd written “many 30-second opposition ads” throughout his life.

“This is what I believe. Do you believe in democracy? Do you believe that every single American 18 years of age or older who is an American citizen has the right to vote?” Sanders continued. “This is a democracy. We’ve got to expand that democracy and I believe that every single person does have the right to vote.”

Source: Fox News Politics

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Lithuanian pleads guilty in U.S. to massive fraud against Google, Facebook

FILE PHOTO: Rimasauskas ahead of a verdict announcement in his extradition case at a court in Vilnius
FILE PHOTO: Evaldas Rimasauskas ahead of a verdict announcement in his extradition case at a court in Vilnius, Lithuania July 17, 2017. REUTERS/Andrius Sytas

March 20, 2019

By Brendan Pierson

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A Lithuanian man on Wednesday pleaded guilty to U.S. charges that he helped orchestrate a scheme to defraud Facebook Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google out of more than $100 million, federal prosecutors announced.

Evaldas Rimasauskas, 50, entered his plea to one count of wire fraud before U.S. District Judge George Daniels in Manhattan. He faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison at his sentencing, currently scheduled for July 24.

Rimasauskas also agreed to forfeit about $49.7 million he personally obtained from the scheme, according to a court filing.

Paul Petrus, a lawyer for Rimasauskas, said the plea spoke for itself and declined to comment further.

Rimasauskas, originally from the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, was extradited to the United States from Lithuania in August 2017.

U.S. prosecutors accused Rimasauskas and unnamed co-conspirators of bilking Google and Facebook out of more than $100 million by posing as an Asian hardware vendor and claiming that the companies owed the vendor money.

The prosecutors did not name the companies, but Taiwan-based Quanta Computer Inc confirmed after Rimasauskas’ arrest that it was the Asian vendor, and a Lithuanian court order in 2017 identified Google and Facebook as the victims.

The scheme defrauded Google out of $23 million and Facebook out of $99 million, according to that order. Prosecutors said Rimasauskas contributed to the scheme by setting up a fake company and a bank account in Latvia.

The scheme is an example of a growing type of fraud called “business email compromise,” in which fraudsters ask for money using emails targeted at companies that work with foreign suppliers or regularly make wire transfers.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said in February 2017 that losses from such scams since the agency began tracking them in 2013 totaled more than $3 billion.

(Reporting by Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Source: OANN

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GOP strategist Colin Reed on Biden’s expected 2020 announcement: ‘The gloves will come off right away’

GOP strategist Colin Reed said Wednesday he thinks “the gloves will come off right away” if former Vice President Joe Biden joins the crowded 2020 field of Democrats as expected.

“I think Joe Biden has made a connection with voters,” Democratic strategist Michael Meehan, the president and CEO of Squared Communications, responded on “The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino” Wednesday.

“This will be his third time running and eight years as serving as vice president. But, he has the ability in the small caucus states of Iowa and New Hampshire, where you go into people's living rooms in the very beginning to tell a story about his life and his faith and his vision for what government should be. And, any one of his opponents would be wrong to think that he's not prepared to go into those small parts of those small states early on and show the kind of strength he has.”

BIDEN CAMPAIGN LAUNCH PUSHED TO THURSDAY

Meehan added, “He also has the advantage of name I.D. A third of the Democratic primary with 21 candidates, on the way to 30, is a huge advantage for him.”

Biden’s announcement would end months of speculation. Despite the recent #MeToo controversy complicating his would-be campaign, the former vice president has remained at the top of most public opinion polls.

Biden’s potential campaign hit a bump recently after several women publicly accused him of touching them inappropriately at events.

When asked how long it would be before the other Democrats start attacking Biden, Reed, who managed Scott Brown's U.S. Senate campaign in New Hampshire in 2014, said he thought it would happen immediately, adding, “if they are smart, maybe they will do it in an understated way.”

SANDERS TOPS BIDEN IN NEW NH 2020 POLL, BUTTIGIEG SURGES TO THIRD

With Biden, 76, expected to announce his candidacy on Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported he likely will rely heavily on big donors to get his campaign up and running.

Meehan said, “I think money's important if you don't have the kind of name I.D. that Joe Biden has. And so, it is a good measure for some of these candidates, the senators or the congressman who haven't run on a national ticket before.”

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He added, “The money is a credible threshold but I don't think it's such a positive because what happens in a presidential (election) is that people get their information about these candidates from shows like yours and across the board. And, it's not like a state senate race or governor's race where people don't have any name I.D. and you have to be able to pay these ads to get your name out there.”

When asked if he thought Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders would go after Biden right away, Reed said, “I don’t think he goes after him right away because he’s the frontrunner, and in politics, you always punch up, not down.”

Source: Fox News Politics

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FILE PHOTO: Shoppers walk past the Debenhams department store on Oxford Street in London
FILE PHOTO: Shoppers walk past the Debenhams department store on Oxford Street in London, Britain December 15, 2018. REUTERS/Simon Dawson

April 26, 2019

(Reuters) – Ailing British retailer Debenhams said two proposed company voluntary arrangements (CVA) could see all its stores remaining open during 2019, with 22 closures planned for next year, putting about 1,200 jobs at risk.

Debenhams’ lenders took control of the retailer earlier this month in a process designed to keep its shops open at the expense of shareholders.

(Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru; editing by Gopakumar Warrier)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO: Xiaomi branding is seen on a carrier bag at a UK launch event in London
FILE PHOTO: Xiaomi branding is seen on a carrier bag at a UK launch event in London, Britain, November 8, 2018. REUTERS/Toby Melville

April 26, 2019

BENGALURU (Reuters) – Chinese brands controlled a record 66 percent of Indian smartphone market in the first quarter, led by Xiaomi Corp, a report showed, with volumes rising 20 percent on the back of popularity for brands like Vivo, RealMe and Oppo.

Xiaomi’s India shipments fell by 2 percent over last year, but the Beijing-based company was still the biggest smartphone brand in the country, followed by Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, according to Hong-Kong based Counterpoint Research.

Shipment volumes for Vivo jumped 119 percent, while those of Oppo rose 28 percent.

“Vivo’s expanding portfolio in the mid-tier range ($100 to $180) drove its growth along with aggressive Indian Premier League cricket campaign,” Counterpoint analysts said.

India is the world’s fastest growing market for smartphones, where affordable pricing coupled with features like “selfie” cameras and big screens have popularized Chinese brands.

Video streaming services like Netflix Inc and Hotstar, as well as heavy usage of messaging apps like Facebook Inc’s WhatsApp have further spurred demand.

“Data consumption is on the rise and users are upgrading their phones faster as compared to other regions,” Counterpoint’s Tarun Pathak said.

“As a result of this, the premium specs are now diffusing faster into the mid-tier price brands. We estimate this trend to continue leading to a competitive mid-tier segment in coming quarters.”

(Reporting By Arnab Paul in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)

Source: OANN

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Good morning and welcome to Fox News First. Here’s a look at what you need to know today …

EXCLUSIVE: Trump says ‘Sleepy Joe’ Biden doesn’t have what it takes

President Trump, in a wide-ranging, exclusive phone interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, dismissed the launch of former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, nicknaming him “Sleepy Joe” and saying he’s “not the brightest bulb.” Biden, the president said, has name recognition but he won’t “be able to do the job.” When asked about Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Trump criticized his record, saying Sanders had “misguided energy” and asserted that Sanders “talks a lot” but hasn’t accomplished anything. The president referred to former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas as “a fluke” who had lost much momentum and outright dismissed Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg — although he said he was “rooting” for Buttigieg. (Trump could address Biden and the other Democratic presidential candidates when he speaks today before the National Rifle Association.)

The Democratic Party’s youth movement: Biden’s biggest challenge?
Former Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Howard Dean warned Joe Biden about the troubles he may face in his presidential campaign, especially from the “35-year-olds” who Dean says have been running the party — a clear nod to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and fellow freshmen Democrats. “This is a very different party than even the party Joe Biden ran in in 2012. Very different,” Dean continued. “A lot of people could win this race. There’s 20 people in there. I think it’s going to take $20 million to get to the starting line. If you can’t raise $20 million, you’re gone, and I think that’s going to take care of about six or eight of these folks. … But it is not the same party that it was five years ago.” A progressive political group that boosted Ocasio-Cortez’s bid for Congress last year vowed to oppose Biden and blasted him as part of the “old guard.”

More tales from the FBI texts
Text messages between former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page indicate they discussed using briefings to the Trump team after the 2016 election to identify people they could “develop for potential relationships,” track lines of questioning and “assess” changes in “demeanor” – language one GOP lawmaker called “more evidence” of irregular conduct in the original Russia probe. Fox News has learned the texts, initially released in 2018 by a Senate committee, are under renewed scrutiny, with GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley and Homeland Security Committee chair Ron Johnson sending a letter Thursday night to Attorney General Bill Barr pushing for more information on the matter. President Trump, speaking on Fox News’ “Hannity” Thursday night, responded to this report by accusing Strzok and Page of an attempted “coup.” “They were trying to infiltrate the administration,” he said.

Kim accuses US of acting in ‘bad faith’
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, fresh off his summit with  Russian President Vladimir Putin, said the U.S. has been acting in “bad faith” since his Hanoi meeting with President Trump over the stalemated issue of North Korean denuclearization. The North Korean leader told the Korean Central News Agency that, “the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the region is now at a standstill and has reached a critical point,” the Straits Times of Singapore reported. Kim warned that the situation “may return to its original state as the U.S. took a unilateral attitude in bad faith at the recent second DPRK-US summit talks,” the Korean Central News Agency added.

NFL Draft 2019: It’s all about defense
The first round of the 2019 NFL Draft saw a run on defensive players, with eight of the top 12 picks in Nashville coming from that side of the ball. After Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray was taken first overall by the Arizona Cardinals, the San Francisco 49ers started a run of four straight front-seven players by taking Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa with the second overall pick — the highest draft slot for any Buckeye since left tackle Orlando Pace went No. 1 overall to the St. Louis Rams in 1997.

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TODAY’S MUST-READS
Fox News’ Ed Henry recalls spending time with Celtics great John Havlicek.
Massachusetts judge accused of helping illegal immigrant evade ICE pleads not guilty.
Rosenstein slams Obama administration for choosing ‘not to publicize full story’ of Russia hacking.
F.H. Buckley: What Democrats have forgotten about citizenship.

MINDING YOUR BUSINESS
Amazon crushes earnings expectations, but revenue growth slows.
Low-tax states among best places to make a living in 2019.
Construction job market booming: These states are hiring.

#TheFlashback
2018: Bill Cosby is convicted of drugging and molesting Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia mansion in 2004; it is the first big celebrity trial of the #MeToo era.
1986: An explosion and fire at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine causes radioactive fallout to spew into the atmosphere. (Dozens of people are killed in the immediate aftermath of the disaster while the long-term death toll from radiation poisoning is believed to number in the thousands.)
1977: Notorious nightclub Studio 54 opens in New York.

SOME PARTING WORDS

Watch the “Special Report” panel take a look at former Vice President Joe Biden’s decision to run for president a third time and the battle for the “soul” of America.

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Source: Fox News National

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Joe Biden’s brain surgeon said his former patient is “totally in the clear” as speculation over the candidate’s health — with Biden possibly becoming the oldest president in U.S. history — is likely to become a campaign issue.

The former vice president, who had been perceived by many as the strongest potential contender for the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nomination, formally announced his candidacy Thursday.

But Biden’s age – 76 – is expected to become a source of attacks from a younger generation of Democrats not because of obvious generational differences, but possibly for actual health concerns if Biden gets into office.

WHY THE MEDIA ARE CONVINCED JOE BIDEN WILL IMPLODE

Biden himself agreed last year that “it’s totally legitimate” for people to ask questions about his health if he decides to run for president, given his medical history — which has included brain surgery in 1988.

“I think they’re gonna judge me on my vitality,” Biden told “CBS This Morning.” “Can I still run up the steps of Air Force Two? Am I still in good shape? Am I – do I have all my faculties? Am I energetic? I think it’s totally legitimate people ask those questions.”

“I think they’re gonna judge me on my vitality. …  I think it’s totally legitimate [that] people ask those questions.”

— Joe Biden

But Dr. Neal Kassell, the neurosurgeon who operated on Biden for an aneurysm three decades ago, told the Washington Examiner that Biden appears to be “totally in the clear” — and even joked that the operation made Biden “better than how he was.”

“Joe Biden of all of the politicians in Washington is the only one that I’m certain has a brain, because I have seen it,” Kassell said. “That’s more than I can say about all the other candidates or the incumbents.”

“Joe Biden of all of the politicians in Washington is the only one that I’m certain has a brain, because I have seen it.”

— Dr. Neal Kassell

BIDEN’S CLAIM HE DIDN’T WANT OBAMA TO ENDORSE TRIGGERS MOCKERY

At the same time, however, Biden hasn’t been forthcoming about his health at least since 2008 when he released his medical records as a vice presidential candidate. The disclosure that time revealed some fairly minor issues such as an irregular heartbeat in addition to detailing previous operations, including removing a benign polyp during a colonoscopy in 1996, the outlet reported.

It remains unclear if Biden had more aneurysms. Some medical experts say that people who have had an aneurysm can have another one.

An aneurysm, or a weakening of an artery wall, can lead to a rupture and internal bleeding, potentially placing a patient’s life in jeopardy.

Biden won’t be the only Democrat grappling with old age. Sen. Bernie Sanders, another 2020 frontrunner, is currently 77 years old and agreed with Biden last year that their ages will be an issue in the race.

“It’s part of a discussion, but it has to be part of an overall view of what somebody is and what somebody has accomplished,” Sanders told Politico.

“Look, you’ve got people who are 50 years of age who are not well, right? You’ve got people who are 90 years of age who are going to work every day, doing excellent work. And obviously, age is a factor. But it depends on the overall health and wellbeing of the individual.”

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Sanders released his medical records in 2016, with a Senate physician saying in a letter that the senator was “in overall very good health.”

Source: Fox News Politics

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German carmaker Daimler endured a weak start to the year, echoing troubles at other major manufacturers, as sales in the big Chinese market stuttered.

The company said Friday that its net income fell to 2.1 billion euros ($2.3 billion) in the first quarter from 2.3 billion euros during the same period a year earlier, while revenue dipped to 39.7 billion euros from 39.8 billion euros.

Vehicle sales fell 4% to 773,800 units, with a double-digit percentage drop in China offsetting gains in other markets like the U.S. and Europe.

The company said there were also problems with high inventories and bottlenecks in the supply chain.

Chairman Dieter Zetsche said that “we cannot and will not be satisfied with this — as expected — moderate start to the year.”

Source: Fox News World

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