Yahoo! News - Latest News & Headlines

Day after ex-NFL star Hernandez's death, fight over his brain
U.N. Syria envoy to meet Russian on Monday; no trilateral with U.S.
U.S. defense secretary: must overcome Iran's destabilization efforts to help Yemen
Pentagon chief warns of Yemen 'Hezbollah'
Minnesota police department has fun with stoners on 4/20
Arkansas suffers 2 setbacks to multiple execution plan
Is a mini SNES coming for Holiday 2017?
Trump accuses N.Y. Times of ‘big lie’ over Patriots’ visit to the White House
?????? Starbucks’ Unicorn Frappucino didn’t kill me ??????
Rep. Chaffetz floats the idea he may resign before term ends
19 Mother's Day Lunch Ideas She'll Seriously Appreciate
Bangkok bans its street food leaving foodies fed up, vendors in a pickle
How to Choose a Solo 401(k) Provider
EPA chief visits Indiana waste site amid proposed budget cuts
It’s official: Everyone hates the iPhone 8 design that just leaked
Aaron Hernandez's apparent suicide shrouded in mystery
Starbucks barista goes on spectacularly angry rant about Unicorn Frappuccinos
Venezuela opposition vows fresh protests despite deaths
Pakistan court wants probe of allegations against PM family
Russia denies Reuters report think tank drew up plan to sway U.S. election
Ethiopia unrest killed 669 in three regions: report
Amazon’s Echo Dot is still on sale at its lowest price of 2017
Trump to hold news conference next week on U.S. veterans issues
EPA seeks to scuttle cleanup of coal power plant pollution
Bill O'Reilly to leave Fox News

Day after ex-NFL star Hernandez's death, fight over his brain

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 01:49 PM PDT

By Scott Malone BOSTON (Reuters) - A lawyer for former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez on Thursday accused the Massachusetts' medical examiner's office of reneging on a deal to turn over the athlete's brain to a Boston laboratory a day after he was found dead in his prison cell. The 27-year-old former National Football League hung himself early on Wednesday in the cell where he was serving a life sentence for the 2013 murder of an acquaintance, dying less than a week after he was cleared of a separate double-murder charge, according to state officials. Hernandez's family wanted his brain turned over to Boston University's CTE center, his attorney Jose Baez said.

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U.N. Syria envoy to meet Russian on Monday; no trilateral with U.S.

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 01:32 PM PDT

By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.N. mediator for Syria said on Thursday he would hold talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov in Geneva on Monday, and that the United States had declined to take part in any trilateral meeting for now. It will be a bilateral ... But the trilateral is not off the table, it is just being postponed," he told reporters. De Mistura, asked about the U.S. administration's intent to participate, replied: "There is a clearly an intention to maintain and resume these trilateral meetings, and the date and circumstances were not conducive for this to happen on Monday." The United States carried out a missile strike on a Syrian air base this month after a chemical weapons attack that killed scores of people near Idlib on April 4.

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U.S. defense secretary: must overcome Iran's destabilization efforts to help Yemen

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 01:16 PM PDT

By Idrees Ali RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Wednesday that Iran's destabilizing influence in the Middle East would have to be overcome to end the conflict in Yemen, as the United States weighs increasing support to the Saudi-led coalition fighting there. At least 10,000 people have been killed and more than 3 million displaced in the war in Yemen, now in its third year. "We will have to overcome Iran's efforts to destabilize yet another country and create another militia in their image of Lebanese Hezbollah, but the bottom line is we are on the right path for it," Mattis told reporters in Riyadh after meeting senior Saudi officials.

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Pentagon chief warns of Yemen 'Hezbollah'

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 12:59 PM PDT

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis warned Wednesday of Iranian efforts to create a Yemeni militia "in the image" of Lebanon's Hezbollah, after talks with officials in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom leads an Arab coalition which for two years has been fighting in support of Yemen's government against rebels backed by Iran. Saudi officials have accused Tehran and the Lebanese Shiite militant group, which Iran supports, of aiding the Huthi rebels.

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Minnesota police department has fun with stoners on 4/20

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 12:44 PM PDT

"Undercover #420 operations are in place," police in Wyoming, Minn., tweeted early Thursday. "Discreet traps have been set up throughout the city today."

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Arkansas suffers 2 setbacks to multiple execution plan

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 12:27 PM PDT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas suffered two more setbacks in its unprecedented bid to carry out eight executions this month with the state's highest court granting a reprieve to an inmate scheduled to die Thursday and a county court saying the state can't use one of its lethal injection drugs in any executions.

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Is a mini SNES coming for Holiday 2017?

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 12:09 PM PDT

In 2016, it was the NES Mini Classic. For 2017, Nintendo just might be preparing an all-in-one version of its early 90s home console, the SNES, according to a new report. As the Nintendo Entertainment System's tiny official remake, the Nintendo Classic Edition (or Nintendo Classic Mini,) is being prepared for retirement, an eagerly awaited successor is said to be waiting in the wings.

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Trump accuses N.Y. Times of ‘big lie’ over Patriots’ visit to the White House

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 11:51 AM PDT

President Trump accused the New York Times of a "big lie" via Twitter concerning the New England Patriots' visit to the White House on Wednesday. The Times Sports account tweeted a comparison photo showing the Patriots' turnout in 2015 with President Barack Obama to that in 2017 with Trump. The Patriots weighed in on Twitter, saying the comparison was misleading.

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?????? Starbucks’ Unicorn Frappucino didn’t kill me ??????

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 11:33 AM PDT

Drinking a pink, purple, and neon blue beverage at 7 o'clock in the morning isn't something I'd ever recommend, but when Starbucks spontaneously launched its new Unicorn Frappuccino with the promise that it would be gone in less than a week, my hand was forced. I've ordered the beast and consumed it over the course of an hour or so, and now I feel compelled to offer you my opinion on it, along with more information about my own personal coffee preferences than you'd ever need or want to know. I'm not ashamed to admit that I have a pretty basic, straightforward coffee routine. I keep bottled cold brew on hand at all times, but on most mornings I find myself awake early enough to make the short trip to the nearest Starbucks and order one there. I'm not sure why that's my habit, and I can't say the Starbucks cold brew is any better than the stuff I buy from the grocery store, but when you work from home it's nice to start your day with something other than heading straight to your home office. I tell you all this because I want you to know just how big of a departure the purple-pink drink is from my typical morning fare. Going from a no-sugar, no-cream coffee beverage to an all-cream, all-sugar Disney-colored cup of diabetes juice is obviously pretty drastic. And so, my first sips went about as well as I expected. When you first get the drink it's a pleasant dark purple color with blue drizzle and some insanely sour "fairy powders" sprinkled on top. The creamy concoction is very sweet, with a cotton candy flavor that is somehow addicting and revolting at the same time. It's basically like drinking half-melted whipped cream with even more sugar mixed in. As you drink it, the whipped cream on top mixes with the equally sugary frozen cream underneath and turns the purple to a bright pink. The blue drizzle, which is apparently very, very sour, kind of clings to the side of the cup until the very end, when it finally joins the party and turns the last few sips into a confusing mix of too sweet and too sour. The Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino — which, according to the signage at my local Starbucks, is only available "if you believe" — is about as far removed from coffee as you can get. There's no caffeine, but there is plenty of sugar (59g in a medium) and that is probably more than enough fuel to get your brain going. If you want to wear it as a badge of honor, go ahead and pick one up, especially if you're accustomed to ridiculously sugary morning drinks. If you choose to pass, you're not missing much, aside from a bout of 9 am gut rot.

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Rep. Chaffetz floats the idea he may resign before term ends

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 10:57 AM PDT

Utah congressman Jason Chaffetz told multiple Salt Lake City media outlets Thursday that he might not finish out his term. "When I contemplate another 200 nights away from home, it is just too much," Chaffetz told Fox 13 News Anchor Bob Evans. Chaffetz also texted KSL Radio host Doug Wright on Thursday morning that it was possible he would not finish his term.

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19 Mother's Day Lunch Ideas She'll Seriously Appreciate

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 10:38 AM PDT

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Bangkok bans its street food leaving foodies fed up, vendors in a pickle

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 10:19 AM PDT

Authorities in Thailand's capital are banishing its world-famous street-food vendors as part of a clean-up drive by the military government, outraging foodies and threatening the livelihoods of the road-side cooks. Bangkok is often voted the world's best destination for street food in travel polls. "We would like the consumers, tourists or even the Thai patrons to be entitled to sanitary food, so far I don't think we have achieved that," Wallop Suwandee, chief adviser to Bangkok's governor, told Reuters.

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How to Choose a Solo 401(k) Provider

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 09:57 AM PDT

Creation of the individual 401(k) with the Bush-era tax cuts went practically unnoticed, and the financial services industry was slow to set up these retirement plans and still has not done much marketing. In fact, the solo 401(k) can be even better, because the single participant is in charge of choosing the investment options and can even get a tax deduction for additional contributions in his or her role as the employer. This year, a plan participant can put in $18,000 as employee ($24,000 if 50 or older), plus an employer's contribution of up to 25 percent of his compensation, with total contributions limited to $54,000 ($60,000 if 50 or older).

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EPA chief visits Indiana waste site amid proposed budget cuts

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 09:38 AM PDT

By Timothy Mclaughlin EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (Reuters) - The head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) toured his first hazardous waste site on Tuesday amid proposed budget cuts that could devastate efforts to clean up contaminated land and water around the country. Scott Pruitt's visit to East Chicago, Indiana, came a day after the agency denied a report that it was considering closing its Chicago office, which oversees regional environmental protection efforts, including the Flint, Michigan drinking water clean-up and Great Lakes restoration.

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It’s official: Everyone hates the iPhone 8 design that just leaked

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 09:18 AM PDT

Apple's next-generation iPhone 8 is slated to debut this coming September, and it should be released either later that month or sometime soon after. But new flagship iPhones always launch in September, right? While that has been true ever since Apple shifted its release from the early summer to the late summer, recent reports suggest that Apple and its manufacturing partners are having trouble with a key piece of technology expected to debut in Apple's tenth-anniversary smartphone

According to those reports, Apple was faced with two options: either delay the launch or ditch the tech. And now, perhaps for the first time ever, loyal Apple fans are praying that the company's hotly anticipated new iPhone is delayed.

Why is everyone hoping for a delay? The answer to that question lies in a leak that we showed you on Wednesday. As you'll undoubtedly recall, a source with a mixed track record shared a leaked schematic drawing he claimed shows the iPhone 8's rear housing design. Here's the image in question:

The image shows a phone that looks like a flattened iPhone 5, but an extra hole can clearly be seen beneath the Apple logo. That hole, according to rumors, could be the relocated Touch ID fingerprint scanner. Apple has been working for years to embed its Touch ID sensor beneath the iPhone's display, and the iPhone 8 was expected to be the first iPhone to feature the new tech. Apple is said to be having problems getting its new embedded scanner to a point where it can be mass-produced, however, so reports have suggested that the company is toying with relocating the scanner to the back of the phone.

As we mentioned in our earlier coverage, there's a good chance that this is fake. If it's real, it also might just be one of several designs Apple was experimenting with. We sincerely hope one of those two scenarios ends up being accurate, because this design is absolutely awful. We explained why in yesterday's post, and it looks like even hardcore Apple fans agree that this iPhone design would be terrible.

Just about every single reaction we've seen to this leak has been negative. If you're looking for one spot to check out the general consensus, this Reddit thread should suffice. The Apple subreddit is full of people who love Apple and just about any product it releases, but the idea of an iPhone 8 with a Touch ID scanner on the back is universally hated.

Most of the thread is just people commenting on how awful this design would be, in general. But one user made a very important point. "Just try holding your iPhone now and reaching your index finger that far below the Apple logo," he or she wrote. "If this is true, it is a disastrous placement of touch ID, even worse than the [Galaxy S8] in my opinion."

This is a fantastic point, and it's probably the best indication that this leak is fake. As we noted in our Galaxy S8 review, Samsung's fingerprint scanner placement on its new flagship phones is awful. The placement on the iPhone 8 pictured above is even worse, however. The idea of having to fumble with your phone to hit a fingerprint scanner on the back of the phone that's positioned more than halfway down the phone might actually be nauseating.

The odds are fairly good that actual iPhone 8 components will begin leaking very soon, and our fingers are crossed that these schematics will quickly be debunked.

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Aaron Hernandez's apparent suicide shrouded in mystery

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 09:00 AM PDT

BOSTON (AP) — Aaron Hernandez's apparent suicide in prison — just days after the former NFL star was cleared of additional murder charges — remains shrouded in mystery.

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Starbucks barista goes on spectacularly angry rant about Unicorn Frappuccinos

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 08:42 AM PDT

The world is well and truly obsessed with unicorns. So much so that Starbucks has just launched a Unicorn Frappuccino to bring unicorn-flavoured drinks to the masses. But one Starbucks employee isn't happy about it. SEE ALSO: Starbucks has launched a Unicorn Frappuccino to grace the Earth On Wednesday's launch of the new drink, a Starbucks barista took to Twitter to launch a tirade about the frappuccino and urge the world to never, ever order it. "I need to rant just a little bit," says Braden Burson just before raising his voice. "Well, today [the Unicorn Frappuccino] came out and I have to tell you: PLEASE DON'T GET IT!" "I have never made so many frappuccinos in my entire life! My hands are completely sticky! I have unicorn crap all in my hair, on my nose," he yelled. "I have never been so stressed out in my entire life!" "If you love us as baristas, don't order it," Burson pleaded. Starbucks describes the limited edition drink as "flavour-changing" and "colour-changing" with "magical flavours" which start off sweet and fruity and transform to "pleasantly sour." "Swirl it to reveal a colour-changing spectacle of purple and pink. It's finished with whipped cream-sprinkled pink and blue fairy powders," reads a description of the drink on Starbucks' website. WATCH: Starbucks unicorn frappuccinos to grace Earth for a limited time

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Venezuela opposition vows fresh protests despite deaths

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 08:24 AM PDT

Opponents of the Venezuelan government vowed fresh huge protests on Thursday, upping the ante in their bid to oust President Nicolas Maduro after a day of deadly clashes in the oil-rich but beleaguered nation. A 17-year-old boy and a 23-year-old woman died after being shot Wednesday during massive protests, and a soldier outside Caracas was said to have been killed, bringing to eight the number of people killed this month in a mounting political crisis. Riot police fired tear gas to force back stone-throwing demonstrators as hundreds of thousands of people fed up with food shortages and demanding elections joined protest marches in Caracas and several other cities.

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Pakistan court wants probe of allegations against PM family

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 08:06 AM PDT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's top court asked the government on Thursday to investigate corruption allegations against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's family, delaying for two months a decision that could have jeopardized his political future.

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Russia denies Reuters report think tank drew up plan to sway U.S. election

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 07:47 AM PDT

Russia dismissed as false on Thursday a Reuters report that said a government think tank controlled by President Vladimir Putin had developed a plan to swing the 2016 U.S. presidential election in Donald Trump's favor. Reuters reported on Wednesday that the Moscow-based Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISS) had provided the framework and rationale for what U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded was an intensive effort by Russia to interfere with the Nov. 8 election. The Reuters report cited three current and four former U.S. officials who had acquired two documents prepared by the institute.

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Ethiopia unrest killed 669 in three regions: report

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 07:27 AM PDT

By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - A total of 669 people were killed in unrest that gripped Ethiopia for several months until authorities imposed a state of emergency last October, according to an investigation report presented to parliament on Tuesday. Demonstrators in the three areas say the government has trampled on their political rights. Ethiopia has faced criticism from abroad as well as at home over its authoritarian approach to economic development, though the government has also presided over stellar rates of growth.

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Amazon’s Echo Dot is still on sale at its lowest price of 2017

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 07:10 AM PDT

The Amazon Echo is the smart speaker that started it all, and the Amazon Tap was the speaker that made Alexa slightly more accessible. The Echo Dot, however, is the real game-changer here. Thanks to the Dot, it only cost $50 to get your hands on a speaker that give you access to any and all of the Alexa skills your heart desires. And right now, for a limited time, Amazon's Echo Dot is on sale at its lowest price of 2017 so far.

Grab three Echo Dot speakers and use the coupon code DOT3PACK at checkout, and you'll save $20 on your order. That drops the price of each speaker to $43 and change. You can mix and match black and white Echo Dot models if you'd like, and this sale runs through the end of the day on Tuesday, April 25.

Here are some key details from the product page:

Echo Dot (2nd Generation) is a hands-free, voice-controlled device that uses Alexa to play music, control smart home devices, provide information, read the news, set alarms, read audiobooks from Audible, and more
Connects to speakers or headphones through Bluetooth or 3.5 mm stereo cable to play music from Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn
Controls lights, fans, switches, thermostats, garage doors, sprinklers, locks, and more with compatible connected devices from WeMo, Philips Hue, Samsung SmartThings, Nest, ecobee, and others
Hears you from across the room with 7 far-field microphones for hands-free control, even in noisy environments or while playing music
Includes a built-in speaker so it can work on its own as a smart alarm clock in the bedroom, an assistant in the kitchen, or anywhere you might want a voice-controlled computer
Always getting smarter and adding new features, plus thousands of skills like Uber, Domino's, and more
Amazon Echo is not required to use Echo Dot

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Trump to hold news conference next week on U.S. veterans issues

Posted: 20 Apr 2017 06:51 AM PDT

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he will hold a news conference on April 27 to discuss veterans issues, as he tries to elevate an issue he campaigned on heavily last year. Trump made the statement as he signed into law the Veterans Choice Program Extension and Improvement Act, which allows veterans to obtain more access to healthcare outside the Department of Veterans Affairs system. The news conference was scheduled to be held as Trump nears the 100-day benchmark of his presidency on April 29.