Democrats appear to extend streak with another red/blue flip

Rachel Maddow reports on the apparently victory of Democrat Linda Belcher in a Kentucky state special election, at least the 37th flip by Democrats of a district that went heavily for Donald Trump in 2016.

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ICE officials say Oakland mayor put lives at risk

Head of ICE's enforcement and removal blasts Mayor Libby Schaaf's decision to announce raids; Claudia Cowan rides along with federal immigration agents trying to enforce the law.

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U.S. threatens action against Iran after Russia U.N. veto

By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS/TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - The United States threatened unilateral action against Iran on Monday after Russia vetoed a western bid for the United Nations Security Council to call out Tehran for failing to prevent its weapons from falling into the hands of Yemen's Houthi group. "If Russia is going to continue to cover for Iran then the U.S. and our partners need to take action on our own. If we're not going to get action on the council then we have to take our own actions," U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley told reporters during a visit to Honduran capital Tegucigalpa.

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In free speech case, justices troubled by Fla. man's arrest

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court justices seemed troubled Tuesday by the arrest of a Florida man during a city council meeting in Florida, an arrest he says was retaliation for being an outspoken critic of the city.

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Democrats Sue Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker To Force Him To Call Special Elections

A Democratic group is suing Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) over his refusal to call special elections for two seats in the state legislature. In December, two Republican lawmakers ― an assemblyman and a state senator ― resigned to take jobs in the Walker administration. The governor has said he won’t call a special election for the vacant seats, leaving them to be filled in the regularly scheduled November election, in order to save the state money. Democrats contend that Walker is delaying the vote in hopes of holding on to two GOP seats after Democrats unexpectedly won a January special election in a Wisconsin district that Donald Trump had carried handily in 2016.

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Supreme Court Denies Trump Request To Hear Dreamer Lawsuit

WASHINGTON ― In a major setback for the Trump administration, the Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up a lawsuit over the future of an Obama-era program that protects so-called Dreamers from deportation.

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Iraq open to business, including with Rosneft, foreign minister says

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Baghdad is open to business with any company interested in supporting the country, Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari said in Moscow on Wednesday, answering a question about the activities of Russia's Rosneft in the region.

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Melania Trump: Adults Should 'Take The Lead' In Encouraging Positive Social Media Habits

First lady Melania Trump, whose husband routinely attacks and insults people online, said Monday that adults should “take the lead” in helping children develop positive social media habits. ″It is important that as adults we take the lead and the responsibility in helping our children manage the many issues they are facing today,” Trump said. First lady Melania Trump: “I have been heartened to see children across this country using their voices to speak out and try to create change.

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Supreme Court hears arguments on power of public employee unions

The justices will decide whether state government workers who choose not to join a union must still pay a share of union dues to cover the cost of negotiating contracts.

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Bollywood legend Sridevi mourned by fans in Mumbai

MUMBAI, India (AP) — Thousands of grieving fans gathered in Mumbai on Wednesday to pay respects to Sridevi, the iconic Bollywood actress who drowned accidentally in a Dubai hotel bathtub over the weekend.

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More than 150 ICE arrests confirmed across NorCal

Dozens of ICE arrests have been reported in Northern California, with many coming out of the Fresno area, according to immigration attorney Hamid Yazdan Panah with the Northern California Rapid Response and Immigrant Defense Network.

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#BackfireTrump Will Tweet Every Gun Death At The President

A new gun-control campaign aims to show President Donald Trump the scale of gun violence via Twitter.

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These Are The Real-Life Effects Of Trump's Obamacare Sabotage

Somebody has finally put some numbers on what the Republican effort to undermine Obamacare will mean for everyday Americans.

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Wisconsin's Top Election Official Resigns After GOP Votes To Oust Him

Wisconsin’s top election official announced Tuesday that he would step down from his post, ending a confrontation with Republicans who suddenly voted to oust him in retaliation for his work on a government board that investigated Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R). Republicans in the state Senate voted in January not to officially confirm Wisconsin elections administrator Michael Haas to that role, which he’d held since 2016 on an interim basis.

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Monica Lewinsky says MeToo has made her rethink whether she could consent to relationship with Bill Clinton

Monica Lewinsky says that her perspective on the scandal that consumed her life and the United States in the late 1990s has continued to shift in light of the #MeToo movement, and she now is not sure that she could have consented to a relationship with former President Bill Clinton while she was a White House intern. In an essay in Vanity Fair, Ms Lewinsky described that evolution — which, in some respects, she describes as a life-long struggle for peace — and how the stories of brave women coming forward in recent months to tell their stories of sexual assault, harassment, or the misuse of power has made her rethink the affair she had with the President of the United States more than 20 years ago. Ms Lewinsky does not cede her agency in the matter — she has long said that the relationship was consensual, that she was a willing participant.

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The Latest: Bill Clinton says he is grateful for Graham

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on mourning for the Rev. Billy Graham (all times local):

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FedEx Says It Will Continue Offering NRA Members Discounts

FedEx will not end its partnership with the National Rifle Association, the company said Monday, even as other companies are heeding calls from activists and severing their ties with the organization. 

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Parents talk about 'miracle' of daughter they thought had died in Florida shooting

Doctors and first responders who treated a student initially thought to have died in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school massacre have spoken of their battle to save the teenager’s life, and her incredible recovery from multiple gunshot wounds. Madeleine Wilford, 17, and her parents also spoke at a Monday press conference at Broward North hospital to praise the ambulance crew, surgeons and medical staff who resuscitated and operated on her, and talked of the “miracle” that allowed her to be discharged barely a week after she was shot in the rampage that killed 14 classmates and three adult teachers. “When they were clearing the rooms, at first sight it was believed Maddy had deceased,” said Lieutenant Laz Ojeda of the Coral Springs fire rescue department, a member of one of the first medical teams to enter the school.

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Ivanka Trump: 'I Believe My Father' On Sexual Misconduct Allegations

Ivanka Trump, daughter and adviser of President Donald Trump, says she sides with her father when it comes to the more than a dozen women who have accused him of sexual misconduct. When asked about the allegations during an interview that aired Monday on NBC’s “Today” show, Ivanka appeared agitated and defended her father. “I think it’s a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father when he’s affirmatively stated that there’s no truth to it,” Trump told NBC’s Peter Alexander.

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Trump campaign nixes Kushner title amid legal questions

During the White House daily briefing, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed that cabinet and senior staff have been briefed on the prohibition of using official titles in political work.

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After Saying He'd 'Monitor Every Penny,' Ben Carson's Office Spent $31,000 On Dining Set

The Department of Housing and Urban Development spent more than $31,000 on a new dining set for Secretary Ben Carson’s office last year, according to procurement documents obtained by The New York Times. It was purchased by a staffer in Carson’s office shortly after another HUD employee expressed concerns over a costly redecoration request that would’ve exceeded federal limits. Tuesday’s report also comes as HUD is facing a $6.8 billion cut to its fiscal budget that would affect elderly and poor Americans.

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UConn gives posthumous admission to school shooting victim

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — The University of Connecticut has sent a posthumous letter of admission to the family of a student killed in the mass shooting at a Florida high school.

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Bollywood Superstar Sridevi's Death Ruled Accidental Drowning, Police Close Investigation

Bollywood superstar Sridevi accidentally drowned in a bathtub after losing consciousness

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Cambodia 'shocked' by 'disrespectful' U.S. aid cut, says democracy intact

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia said on Wednesday it was saddened and shocked by a "disrespectful" U.S. decision to rein back aid programs because of perceived democratic setbacks and defended its record on democracy.

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Supreme Court hears arguments on power of public employee unions

The justices will decide whether state government workers who choose not to join a union must still pay a share of union dues to cover the cost of negotiating contracts.

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Bollywood legend Sridevi mourned by fans in Mumbai

MUMBAI, India (AP) — Thousands of grieving fans gathered in Mumbai on Wednesday to pay respects to Sridevi, the iconic Bollywood actress who drowned accidentally in a Dubai hotel bathtub over the weekend.

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More than 150 ICE arrests confirmed across NorCal

Dozens of ICE arrests have been reported in Northern California, with many coming out of the Fresno area, according to immigration attorney Hamid Yazdan Panah with the Northern California Rapid Response and Immigrant Defense Network.

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Melania Trump: Adults Should 'Take The Lead' In Encouraging Positive Social Media Habits

First lady Melania Trump, whose husband routinely attacks and insults people online, said Monday that adults should “take the lead” in helping children develop positive social media habits. ″It is important that as adults we take the lead and the responsibility in helping our children manage the many issues they are facing today,” Trump said. First lady Melania Trump: “I have been heartened to see children across this country using their voices to speak out and try to create change.

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More details on suspected Parkland shooter emerge

NBC News has learned that shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz may have had plans to unleash even more carnage inside his former high school than previously thought.

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Former White House photographer Pete Souza drags Trump over Florida high school shooting comment

President Donald Trump said on Monday he would have personally run into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School to help during the mass shooting earlier this month, even if he was unarmed.

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The Latest: Bill Clinton says he is grateful for Graham

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on mourning for the Rev. Billy Graham (all times local):

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Trump says he would have tried to stop Parkland shooter — with his bare hands

President Trump on Monday criticized the armed sheriff's deputies who reportedly failed to enter Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., during the Feb. 14 mass shooting, suggesting he would have done so even if he didn't have a gun.

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Dubai police: Bollywood's Sridevi drowned in hotel bathtub

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Indian actress Sridevi drowned in her hotel bathtub after losing consciousness, the Dubai police said in a statement Monday, though two police officials said she was also under the influence of alcohol at the time.

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Jared Kushner's Security Clearance Has Been Downgraded: Reports

All other White House aides working on high-level interim clearances also had their access downgraded, according to a memo reportedly sent to staffers on Friday. Earlier that same day, Trump said he would leave it up to his chief of staff, John Kelly, to decide what access Kushner should have.

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After Russian veto, US and allies condemn Iran over missiles to Yemen

The United States and three European allies condemned Iran on Tuesday after the United Nations found Tehran had violated the arms embargo on Yemen by failing to block supplies of missiles and drones to Huthi rebels. Britain, France, Germany and the United States urged Iran to "immediately cease all activities that are inconsistent or would violate" the UN resolution that established the arms embargo in 2015.

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Bollywood Superstar Sridevi's Death Ruled Accidental Drowning, Police Close Investigation

Bollywood superstar Sridevi accidentally drowned in a bathtub after losing consciousness

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UConn gives posthumous admission to school shooting victim

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — The University of Connecticut has sent a posthumous letter of admission to the family of a student killed in the mass shooting at a Florida high school.

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Poll: Most Voters Think The NRA Is Bad For America

Most voters think the National Rifle Association supports policies that are bad for the country, new polling finds, as an increasing share favor stricter gun laws. In a Quinnipiac University National Poll conducted after the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, 51 percent of voters said the NRA supports policies that are bad for the U.S. That’s an uptick from October, when the poll found that 47 percent of respondents thought the NRA supported bad policies.

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Syrian government forces gain ground in Ghouta: monitor

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces and allied militias gained ground on Wednesday in clashes with rebels in eastern Ghouta near Damascus as fighting raged despite a Russian ceasefire plan, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

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Afghanistan's Ghani offers talks with Taliban 'without preconditions'

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani offered recognition of the Taliban as a legitimate political group on Wednesday as part of a proposed political process that he said could lead to talks aimed at ending more than 16 years of war.

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