Exclusive: Mueller Enlists the IRS for His Trump-Russia Investigation

Will the accountants take down key members of Team Trump? Or force the president’s tax returns into the open?
Read more: http://www.thedailybeast.com/exclusive-mueller-enlists-the-irs-for-his-trump-russia-investigation?source=Snapzu

Owners must surgically 'debark' loud dogs, court rules

The Oregon Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that a southern Oregon couple must quiet their incessantly barking dogs by sending them to the vet to have their voices surgically squelched. The Appeals Court ruled “debarking” surgery is an appropriate solution to a noisy and relentless problem that neighbors living next to the dogs have had to endure for more than a decade on their rural property outside Grants Pass.
Read more: http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2017/08/owners_must_surgically_debark.html?source=Snapzu

US man who said he was stabbed for looking like neo-Nazi actually stabbed himself

A Colorado man who claimed that someone had stabbed him because he looked like a “neo-Nazi” fabricated the story after he accidentally cut his hand with a knife, according to police. Joshua Witt, who has been arrested on false reporting charges, admitted to law enforcement in Sheridan, Colorado, that he lied to officers when he alleged that a black man had attacked him for having a haircut associated with white supremacists, police officials said Monday.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/28/neo-nazi-stabbing-fake-colorado-joshua-witt?source=Snapzu

Power company kills nuclear plant, plans $6 billion in solar, battery investment

On Tuesday, power provider Duke Energy Florida announced a settlement with the state’s public service commission (PSC) to cease plans to build a nuclear plant in western Florida. The utility instead intends to invest $6 billion in solar panels, grid-tied batteries, grid modernization projects, and electric vehicle charging areas. The new plan involves the installation of 700MW of solar capacity over four years in the western Florida area.
Read more: https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/08/florida-power-company-exchanging-nuclear-plans-for-solar-plans-cutting-rates/?source=Snapzu

Hungry North Korean soldiers 'ordered to steal corn because war is imminent'

As North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un boasts of his military prowess and flaunts his high tech weapons to the world, his malnourished soldiers are said to be stealing corn from fields to stave off hunger pangs. Officers are ordering their troops to supplement their meagre food rations by plundering local fields, in order to keep up their strength for battle, according to a report in the Daily NK.
Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/hungry-north-korean-soldiers-apos-043511033.html?source=Snapzu

Amazon study discovers 381 new species in two-year period

Conservation charity WWF warns that the species were found in areas at risk from human activity.
Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-41107862?source=Snapzu

Artificial intelligence is writing the next ‘Game of Thrones’ book

Winter is kind of here. “Game of Thrones” fans have grown so impatient for George R.R. Martin to finish the next “A Song of Ice And Fire” book – the series that the HBO show is based on – that an artificial intelligence system just wrote the beginning of the sixth book. Zack Thoutt, a “GoT” fan and software engineer, created a type of AI, known as a recurrent neural network. Thoutt fed the machine all 5,376 pages of the five current books and it generated predictions on what will happen next.
Read more: http://nypost.com/2017/08/29/artificial-intelligence-is-writing-the-next-game-of-thrones-book/?source=Snapzu

How America Helped Make Vladimir Putin Dictator for Life

It is impossible to evaluate events in Russia today without understanding the mysterious series of bombings in 1999 that killed 300 civilians and created the conditions for Vladimir Putin to become Russia’s dictator for life. The bombings changed the course of Russia’s post-Soviet history. They were blamed on the Chechens, who denied involvement. In the wake of initial success, Russia launched a new invasion of Chechnya. Putin, who had just been appointed prime minister...
Read more: http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/242820/america-helped-make-putin-dictator-for-life?source=Snapzu

ESPN Football Analyst Walks Away, Disturbed by Brain Trauma on Field

Ed Cunningham, who called games for ESPN and ABC, said: “I just don’t think the game is safe for the brain. To me, it’s unacceptable.”
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/sports/espn-ed-cunningham-football-concussions.html?source=Snapzu

Oklahoma isn't working. Can anyone fix this failing American state?

Poverty, police abuse, record prison rates and education cuts that mean a four-day school week. Why are public services failing Oklahomans? A teacher panhandles on a roadside to buy supplies for her third-grade classroom. Entire school districts resort to four-day school weeks. Nearly one in four children struggle with hunger. A city overpass crumbles and swarms of earthquakes shake the region – the underground disposal of...
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/29/oklahoma-education-system-four-day-school-weeks-poor?source=Snapzu

Nanomachines that drill into cancer cells killing them in just 60 seconds developed by scientists

Nanomachines which can drill into cancer cells, killing them in just 60 seconds, have been developed by scientists. The tiny spinning molecules are driven by light, and spin so quickly that they can burrow their way through cell linings when activated. In one test conducted at Durham University the nanomachines.
Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/nanomachines-drill-cancer-cells-killing-172442363.html?source=Snapzu

Scientists have spiders producing enhanced web that can hold a human

Scientists have found a way to make spider silk five times stronger.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/nanotech-super-spiderwebs-are-here-20170822-gy1blp.html?source=Snapzu

Hubble delivers first hints of possible water content of TRAPPIST-1 planets

An international team of astronomers used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to estimate whether there might be water on the seven earth-sized planets orbiting the nearby dwarf star TRAPPIST-1. The results suggest that the outer planets of the system might still harbour substantial amounts of water. This includes the three planets within the habitable zone of the star, lending further weight to the possibility that they may indeed be habitable.
Read more: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-08/eic-hdf083117.php?source=Snapzu

‘Remember, we only kill black people,’ Georgia police officer told a woman

A Georgia police officer has been accused of making racist statements to a woman during a traffic stop, telling her the officers “only kill black people.” Dash-cam video shows the Cobb County police officer, who has been identified by local news organizations as police Lt. Greg Abbott, standing outside a vehicle during a DUI traffic stop in July 2016.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/08/31/remember-we-only-shoot-black-people-georgia-police-officer-told-a-woman-on-camera/?source=Snapzu

Qadium, a Peter Thiel-backed cybersecurity start-up Raises $40M To Find Every 'Thing' On The Web In Just One Hour

CEO and ex-CIA analyst Tim Junio claims can index almost every device connected to the public internet in just an hour.
Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2017/08/31/qadium-massive-internet-scans-in-an-hour/#45abefc972c4?source=Snapzu

How ‘Doxxing’ Became a Mainstream Tool in the Culture Wars

Riding a motorized pony and strumming a cigar box ukulele, Dana Cory led a singalong to the tune of “If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.” “You’re a Nazi and you’re fired, it’s your fault,” she sang. “You were spotted in a mob, now you lost your freaking job. You’re a Nazi and you’re fired, it’s your fault.”
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/technology/doxxing-protests.html?source=Snapzu

Sandra Bullock donates $1 million to Harvey Red Cross relief

Sandra Bullock is giving in a big way toward relief for Hurricane Harvey victims. The actress, 53, donated $1 million to the American Red Cross for its efforts in devastated regions of Texas, according to People magazine. “I’m just grateful I can do it,” Bullock said. “We all have to do our part.” Bullock, who has a home in Texas and who is a longtime supporter of the Red Cross, told the magazine that it was crucial to look above the heated political rhetoric around the devastating storm and urged fellow Americans to give.
Read more: http://www.khou.com/ext/news/nation-now/article/285/5vi8Rid5DOswgI8Oqm4csM?source=Snapzu

Netflix's New Gawker vs. Hulk Hogan Doc Has Us All Conflicted

Shortly before Donald Trump was elected president, Hulk Hogan and Gawker Media ended their months-long legal battle over the wrestler's sex tape. The case may seem like a media law footnote, but as director Brian Knappenberger argues in his documentary, the fight over Gawker's decision to publish the footage irrevocably shifted the media landscape.
Read more: https://www.wired.com/story/hulk-hogan-gawker-netflix-documentary?source=Snapzu

Welcome to the future, where your phone can fix its own smashed screen

Smashed screens, broken circuits, water damaged keyboards – we send millions of tonnes of broken electronics to the dump every year. But what if our phones and laptops could fix themselves? This month, it emerged that smartphone company Motorola had filed a patent for a self-healing phone display. The design includes a “shape memory polymer”, which the patent application says would at least partly reverse damage when exposed to heat. In theory, at least, users could hit a “repair” button and wait for their cracked screens to mend.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/aug/30/phone-fix-its-own-smashed-screen-self-healing-materials-motorola-samsung?source=Snapzu

'No way to prevent' potential chemical plant explosion near Houston, CEO says

Arkema's CEO said Wednesday that there is "no way to prevent" a possible explosion at the company's Crosby, Texas, facility, which has been heavily flooded as a result of Hurricane Harvey. “We have an unprecedented 6 feet of water at the plant,” Arkema President and CEO Rich Rowe said in comments made Wednesday. “We have lost primary power and two sources of emergency backup power.
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/risk-chemical-plant-explosion-houston-prompts-evacuation-harvey/story?id=49521170?source=Snapzu

Your Google Assistant is coming to new speakers, appliances and more

From the start, we've believed that your Google Assistant should be be available wherever you need help, and that’s why it’s already on Google Home, eligible Android phones, iPhones, Google Allo and Android Wear. This week, we’re continuing to make your Assistant available in even more places.
Read more: https://www.blog.google/products/assistant/your-google-assistant-is-coming-to-new-speakers-and-more/?source=Snapzu

Stressful times call for empathic people

Every fall, college freshmen begin the familiar tradition of establishing friendships with classmates in their dormitories. But little do they realize how much choosing the right friends – notably ones with empathy – could be beneficial during stressful times, a new Stanford study says. “The transition to college can be tumultuous,” said Jamil Zaki, an assistant professor of psychology at Stanford and co-author of the study. “Whom you end up making friendships with can play a significant role...
Read more: http://news.stanford.edu/2017/08/30/stressful-times-call-empathic-people/?source=Snapzu

Ukraine sues Russia at highest UN court 'over downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17'

Ukraine has filed a case against Russia for “acts of terrorism and unlawful aggression” at the United Nations’ highest court. The Ukrainian foreign ministry launched the action at the International Court of Justice on Monday, claiming that Russia was supplying weapons and other assistance to rebel groups operating in eastern Ukraine. “As part of its unlawful aggression in Ukraine, the Russian Federation has displayed contempt for the basic human rights of the people of Ukraine,” said foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin.
Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-sues-russia-united-nations-mh17-un-international-court-justice-crimea-annexation-acts-of-a7531636.html?source=Snapzu

Residents "fighting for their lives" after record rainfall in Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas

The Texas cities of Beaumont and Port Arthur were watery wastelands Wednesday after they felt the wrath of Harvey. The storm that inundated Houston swamped the cities with a record 30 inches of rainfall, unleashed flash flooding that police said claimed two lives in Beaumont and forced hundreds of residents to flee to local shelters.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/hurricane-harvey/flash-floods-hit-beaumont-port-arthur-texas-harvey-makes-landfall-n797336?source=Snapzu

How hackers have improved their BEC attack methods

Let’s take a closer look into BEC threats and how hackers have improved this attack method.
Read more: http://blog.trendmicro.com/how-hackers-have-improved-their-bec-attack-methods/?source=Snapzu

Best Buy will now send a salesperson to your house to sell you things

Best Buy is introducing a new free service next month where salespeople will come to your house to make recommendations about gadgets and services; or, as it’s also known: try to sell you more...
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/30/16225014/best-buy-salesperson-home-visits-free?source=Snapzu

These microscopic tubes may one day help turn seawater to drinking water

Scientists have created tiny carbon nanotubes that can filter water very efficiently, and could one day help turn seawater into drinkable water. The nanotubes work similarly to certain biological proteins used to filter water in living cells, but they’re six times more efficient, according to a study published today in Science. Though the nanotubes weren’t used to desalinate actual seawater, the researchers showed that they can successfully filter water that’s just as salty.
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/24/16189762/drinkable-seawater-carbon-nanotubes-water-filters-aquaporins?source=Snapzu

Finland says no fighter deal with Boeing after Trump's comments

President Sauli Niinisto on Tuesday denied that Finland was buying new fighter jets from American planemaker Boeing (BA.N), following remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump. Finland is looking to replace its ageing fleet of 62 F/A-18 Hornet jets with multirole fighter aircraft in a procurement estimated at 7-10 billion euros by 2025.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-finland-trump-boeing-idUSKCN1B91X3?source=Snapzu

FCC flooded with comments before critical net neutrality vote

The FCC has received nearly 22m comments on “Restoring Internet Freedom” with just hours left before the window for public feedback closes on Wednesday
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/aug/30/fcc-net-neutrality-vote-open-internet?source=Snapzu

A heartbeat-like vibration can reduce the anxiety associated with public speaking

All those public speaking nerves could be about to be calmed by a new study's findings. In their paper The calming effect of a new wearable device during the anticipation of public speech, researchers tried out a new wearable piece of technology called the doppel, 'a wearable device that delivers heartbeat-like tactile stimulation on the wrist'.
Read more: http://www.unipaper.co.uk/article/a-heartbeat-like-vibration-can-reduce-the-anxiety-associated-with-public?source=Snapzu

Traces of 6,000-year-old wine discovered in Sicilian cave

Residue in terracotta jars suggests drink was being made and consumed on the island in the fourth millennium BC
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/aug/30/traces-of-6000-year-old-wine-discovered-in-sicilian-cave?source=Snapzu

A new t-shirt sewing robot can make as many shirts per hour as 17 factory workers

The technology took years to develop, and now a Chinese firm is using it in a massive new US factory that will churn out 1.2 million t-shirts per year.
Read more: https://qz.com/1064679/a-new-t-shirt-sewing-robot-can-make-as-many-shirts-per-hour-as-17-factory-workers/?source=Snapzu

FDA Deems MDMA, Banned Since 1985, a 'Breakthrough Therapy'

The designation should speed the drug's approval as a prescription medicine, which could happen as soon as 2021.
Read more: http://reason.com/blog/2017/08/28/fda-deems-mdma-banned-since-1985-a-break?source=Snapzu

Chinese fishermen get up to 4 years prison for illegally fishing sharks in Ecuador

An Ecuadorean judge sentenced 20 Chinese fisherman Monday to up to four years in prison and fined them more than $5 million for illegally fishing more than 6,000 sharks in the Galápagos Marine Reserve, where fishing is strictly prohibited. The sentence was praised by Ecuadorean environmental officials, who have condemned the ongoing illegal fishing in waters near the Galapagos Islands.
Read more: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/08/30/Chinese-fishermen-get-up-to-4-years-prison-for-illegally-fishing-sharks-in-Ecuador/2211504072728/?source=Snapzu

Terry Pratchett's unfinished novels destroyed by steamroller

Unpublished works are lost for ever with crushing of computer hard drive – as the late fantasy novelist had instructed
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/aug/30/terry-pratchett-unfinished-novels-destroyed-streamroller?CMP=share_btn_tw?source=Snapzu

Judge dismisses Sarah Palin's lawsuit against New York Times

A federal judge in Manhattan on Tuesday dismissed Sarah Palin's defamation lawsuit against the New York Times. "Nowhere is political journalism so free, so robust, or perhaps so rowdy as in the United States," Judge Jed Rakoff wrote in an opinion dismissing the case. "In the exercise of that freedom, mistakes will be made, some of which will be hurtful to others."
Read more: http://money.cnn.com/2017/08/29/media/judge-dismisses-sarah-palin-lawsuit-new-york-times/index.html?source=Snapzu

The Latest: Official says shelter will have cots for all

Just 500 cots are being added to the floor of the Toyota Center, as the nearby downtown convention center will remain the primary major shelter for evacuees of Tropical Storm Harvey. Tom McCasland, Houston’s housing and community development director, told The Associated Press Tuesday that the Toyota Center— where the NBA’s Houston Rockets play — will serve as an overflow center for people still arriving Tuesday night and early Wednesday. It will only serve families with children that don’t have pressing medical needs.
Read more: https://apnews.com/321799f607534fd89ee3bf14cd8fed53/The-Latest:-Rainfall-is-new-continental-US-record-for-1-spot?source=Snapzu

Japan, US look to cut off North Korea's oil supply

The U.S. and Japan will call for an international embargo on oil exports to North Korea in response to Tuesday's launch of a ballistic missile over Japan, as the allies seek to strike at the lifeblood of Pyongyang's weapons programs. The ban will be proposed at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to be held in New York on Tuesday at the request of Japan, the U.S. and South Korea.
Read more: https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Pyongyang-provocation/Japan-US-look-to-cut-off-North-Korea-s-oil-supply?source=Snapzu

India and China Turn Down the Heat

As summer reached the high Himalayas this past June, one corner of the mountains turned hotter than expected. On a small plateau called Doklam, close to where the India-China border meets the tiny kingdom of Bhutan, two of the largest armies in the world faced off against each other. Chinese soldiers, convinced they were on Chinese territory, had brought equipment to extend a road; Indian soldiers, who viewed the land as disputed, blocked the earth-movers. For three months, the armies camped just meters away from each other...
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-08-29/india-and-china-learn-how-to-turn-down-the-heat?source=Snapzu

Android Oreo will let apps launch Google Assistant

Google Assistant might be ahead of its competitors when it comes to certain tasks, but third-party integration is not one of those tasks. That looks to significantly change with Android Oreo, though there are a few things to consider. Thanks to code found on the Android Developers website by XDA Developers, we have learned of the capability for an app to create a new task in Android’s activity manager. In other words, developers can open and run Google Assistant within their apps without the need for folks to leave the apps.
Read more: http://www.androidauthority.com/android-oreo-google-assistant-796242/?source=Snapzu

Microsoft’s open invitation to Valve, Nintendo and others to join Xbox One and PC crossplay

Microsoft has said it’s ready to have a “conversation” with any development team that wants to feature crossplay support on consoles and PC. Mike Ybarra, vice president of Xbox, told VG247 that it’s happy to talk to the likes of Valve and Nintendo when it comes to getting multiplayer games working across multiple platforms, not just between Xbox One and Windows.
Read more: https://www.vg247.com/2017/08/29/microsofts-open-invitation-to-valve-nintendo-and-others-to-join-xbox-one-and-pc-crossplay/?source=Snapzu

Crisis flares in Guatemala over corruption and organised crime

Guatemala has fallen into deep political crisis after the president declared the United Nations-backed anti-corruption chief investigating him and his party persona non grata, only to have the expulsion order blocked hours later by the country’s constitutional court.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/27/guatemalan-president-jimmy-morales-order-expel-head-un-body-suspended?source=Snapzu

Telltale talks The Wolf Among Us' return and Game of Thrones being "on hold"

It is, as ever, a busy time for Telltale Games. This year the studio finished Batman's first season and Walking Dead's third, released Guardians of the Galaxy's first season and then Minecraft's and Batman's second. Oh, and it announced Batman season one on Switch. Phew! Last month, Telltale announced some of its 2018 slate: a final season of The Walking Dead and a return for The Wolf Among Us. The latter, especially, came as a surprise - not least because, 24 hours earlier...
Read more: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-08-25-telltale-talks-the-wolf-among-us-return-and-game-of-thrones-being-on-hold?source=Snapzu

Joel Osteen, criticized for closing his Houston megachurch to Harvey victims, relents

Televangelist Joel Osteen canceled Sunday services at his Houston megachurch but was reluctant to reopen its doors to Harvey victims — despite the fact that thousands of flooded-out residents are desperately seeking shelter. The perpetually smiling pastor told followers on Twitter on Monday to lean on their faith. “Jesus promises us peace that passes understanding,” he wrote. “That’s peace when it doesn’t make sense.”
Read more: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/joel-osteen-criticized-for-closing-his-houston-megachurch-amid-flooding-2017-08-28?source=Snapzu

South Korea holds live-fire drills hours after North Korea missile launch

South Korea's air force has staged a live-fire drill simulating the destruction of North Korea's leadership, hours after Pyongyang launched a missile over Japan. Just before 6 a.m. South Korea time Tuesday, North Korea fired an unidentified missile from near the capital Pyongyang, towards the northeast. It flew over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, making it the first North Korean projectile to successfully pass over Japanese territory since 1998.
Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/29/asia/north-korea-south-korea-bombing/index.html?source=Snapzu

Molecules Chilled Close to Absolute Zero Just Smashed a New Physics Record

A two-step cooling process using lasers has allowed physicists to push molecules of calcium monofluoride down to a record low temperature, busting a barrier that until now has been impassable.
Read more: http://www.sciencealert.com/we-now-have-a-new-record-on-chilling-molecules-close-to-absolute-zero?source=Snapzu

Mattis freezes transgender policy; allows troops to continue serving, pending study

Defense Secretary establishes panel to review controversial issue
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/08/29/mattis-orders-pentagon-allow-transgender-troops-continue-serving-pending-study/614711001/?source=Snapzu

Cyber experts were blocked in their push to patch voting systems in 2016

Cybersecurity experts on a federally-supervised team, fearing a Russian attack, scrambled last summer to draft guidelines for state and local election officials to patch the most obvious vulnerabilities in the nation’s voting systems. Their recommendations were blocked, and still aren’t out.
Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article170006067.html?source=Snapzu

Euro rises to 18-month high against dollar

The euro has hit $1.20 for the first time since January 2015 as the prospect of a US interest rate rise recedes. Hurricane Harvey's impact has led analysts to assume the US central bank will not want to risk curbing economic growth and fears over North Korea's activities have unnerved investors. A rise in interest rates tends to draw investors to a currency, taking advantage of the higher returns.
Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41080896?source=Snapzu

Oil and water may mix under extreme pressure

They say that oil and water do not mix … but now scientists have discovered that – under certain circumstances – it may be possible. A new study suggests that some oily molecules – which normally repel water – can be forced to dissolve in water when the two substances are squeezed together under extreme pressure. Researchers at Edinburgh applied high pressure to tiny containers filled with water and methane, creating conditions similar to the intense pressure found on the ocean floor or inside the planets Uranus and Neptune.
Read more: http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/2017/oil-and-water-may-mix-under-extreme-pressure?source=Snapzu