upi--2020-01-24--Watch live: Rep. Hakeem Jeffries says President Donald Trump tried to cover up cheating

Jan. 24 ( UPI ) -- Democratic manager Rep. Hakeem Jeffries gave opening remarks Friday on Day Four of President Donald Trump 's impeachment trial , accusing the leader of trying to cover up attempts to `` cheat '' in his dealings with Ukraine .
Friday is the Democrats ' last day to offer up opening arguments in the trial .
They planned to lay out their case for the second of Trump 's two impeachment charges -- that he obstructed the House investigation into his dealings with Ukraine last summer .
`` The president tried to cheat .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard to cover it up , '' Jeffries , D-Calif. , said .
On Thursday , they specifically outlined the charge that Trump abused his power by withholding vital Ukrainian military aid to pressure Kiev to announce an investigation of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in a bid to fuel Trump 's chances at re-election .
`` We will now show you these facts and many others and how they are interwoven , '' Rep. Adam Schiff , D-Calif. , said ahead of Friday 's trial .
`` You will see some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new context , in a new light , in the light of what else we know and why it compels a finding of guilt and conviction .
So there is some method to our madness . ''
Jeffries said the White House was aware that Trump acted improperly when asking Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 election by investigating Biden .
`` But instead of halting the president 's corrupt scheme , they worked overtime to conceal it from the American people .
`` As additional evidence mounted , the Republicans worked hard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the president 's misconduct .
Secretary of State [ Mike ] Pompeo , Secretary of Defense [ Mark ] Esper and [ former national security adviser ] John Bolton tried to convince President Trump to lift the hold on the security assistance .
They failed . ''
Jeffries said the $ 391 million in security aid was only paid to Ukraine after he was `` caught red-handed . ''
Rep. Zoe Lofgren , D-Calif. , another House manager , also spoke Friday , comparing Trump to former President Richard Nixon , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unlike Trump , Nixon told his staff to testify during the Watergate investigation .
`` Even President Nixon , who famously attempted to defy a subpoena for tape recordings of his conversations , he let his most senior staff testify before Congress , '' she said .
`` Not only did Nixon allow his staff to testify before Congress , he publicly directed them to testify without demanding a subpoena . ''
Lofgren said Trump 's refusal to cooperate with his impeachment investigation amounted to obstruction of Congress .
`` Now compare to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` He publicly attacked the House 's impeachment inquiry , calling it 'constitutionally invalid , ' and he ordered every single person working in the executive branch to defy the House impeachment inquiry . ''
Closing out his own arguments for the day , Rep. Jerrold Nadler went a step further , saying not only did Trump obstruct Congress , he acts as though he 's a `` dictator . ''
`` If he is not removed from office , if he is permitted to defy the Congress entirely , categorically , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impeachment inquiry are nonsense , then we will have lost , the House will have lost , the Senate certainly will have lost , all power to hold any president accountable , '' he said .
`` He is a dictator .
This must not stand , and that is why another reason he must be removed from office . ''
Democratic managers have 8 hours Friday to detail the second impeachment charge and its legal and constitutional grounds that support removing Trump from office .
Senate Republicans agreed earlier this week to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make opening presentations , and Democrats used up 16 of those hours on Wednesday and Thursday .
Trump 's White House legal team will begin their defense on Saturday .
`` We 're going to respond , of course , to what the House managers have put forward , '' Trump attorney Jay Sekulow said Wednesday .
`` We 're going to make an affirmative case defending the president . ''
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell announced changes to the timeline going forward Friday .
He said Saturday 's session will begin at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ John Roberts does n't have his daily Supreme Court duties Saturday morning , he can preside over the trial earlier than on weekdays .
Rep. Jerrold Nadler , D-N.Y. , argued on Thursday that Trump does n't necessarily have to be guilty of a crime to be removed from office .
`` Since President George Washington took office in 1789 , no president has abused his power in this way , '' Nadler , the chairman of the House judiciary committee , said .
`` No president has ever used his office to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cheat in our elections . ''
Thursday night , Sen. Chris Van Hollen , D-Md.
, released a cache of new documents related to a Government Accountability Office inquiry into Trump 's withholding of military aid to Ukraine .
The GAO released the results of the investigation last week , which said the Trump administration 's delay violated the law .
Van Hollen had written to the GAO seeking documents from its investigation .
`` In response to my request to investigate the withholding of aid to Ukraine , GAO asked the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for explanations , '' he said .
`` As seen in these documents , [ the Office of Management and Budget ] provided incomplete responses and the White House flat out refused .
Part of the cover-up . ''
The documents include correspondence between the GAO and the White House , the Office of Management and Budget and the Defense Department .

1/4
Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts walks into the U.S. Capitol Friday to preside over the fourth day of President Donald Trump's impeachment trial. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Democratic manager Rep. Hakeem Jeffries gave opening remarks Friday on Day Four of President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, accusing the leader of trying to cover up attempts to "cheat" in his dealings with Ukraine. Friday is the Democrats' last day to offer up opening arguments in the trial. They planned to lay out their case for the second of Trump's two impeachment charges -- that he obstructed the House investigation into his dealings with Ukraine last summer. Advertisement
"The president tried to cheat. He got caught, and then he worked hard to cover it up," Jeffries, D-Calif., said.
On Thursday, they specifically outlined the charge that Trump abused his power by withholding vital Ukrainian military aid to pressure Kiev to announce an investigation of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in a bid to fuel Trump's chances at re-election.
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"We will now show you these facts and many others and how they are interwoven," Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said ahead of Friday's trial. "You will see some of these facts and videos therefore in a new context, in a new light, in the light of what else we know and why it compels a finding of guilt and conviction. So there is some method to our madness."
Jeffries said the White House was aware that Trump acted improperly when asking Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 election by investigating Biden.
"But instead of halting the president's corrupt scheme, they worked overtime to conceal it from the American people.
"As additional evidence mounted, the Republicans worked hard to keep the American people from learning about the president's misconduct. Secretary of State [Mike] Pompeo, Secretary of Defense [Mark] Esper and [former national security adviser] John Bolton tried to convince President Trump to lift the hold on the security assistance. They failed."
Jeffries said the $391 million in security aid was only paid to Ukraine after he was "caught red-handed."
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., another House manager, also spoke Friday, comparing Trump to former President Richard Nixon, who also was impeached. She said that unlike Trump, Nixon told his staff to testify during the Watergate investigation.
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"Even President Nixon, who famously attempted to defy a subpoena for tape recordings of his conversations, he let his most senior staff testify before Congress," she said. "Not only did Nixon allow his staff to testify before Congress, he publicly directed them to testify without demanding a subpoena."
Lofgren said Trump's refusal to cooperate with his impeachment investigation amounted to obstruction of Congress.
"Now compare to President Trump," she said. "He publicly attacked the House's impeachment inquiry, calling it 'constitutionally invalid,' and he ordered every single person working in the executive branch to defy the House impeachment inquiry."
Closing out his own arguments for the day, Rep. Jerrold Nadler went a step further, saying not only did Trump obstruct Congress, he acts as though he's a "dictator."
"If he is not removed from office, if he is permitted to defy the Congress entirely, categorically, to say the subpoenas from Congress in the impeachment inquiry are nonsense, then we will have lost, the House will have lost, the Senate certainly will have lost, all power to hold any president accountable," he said.
"He is a dictator. This must not stand, and that is why another reason he must be removed from office."
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Democratic managers have 8 hours Friday to detail the second impeachment charge and its legal and constitutional grounds that support removing Trump from office. Senate Republicans agreed earlier this week to allow both sides 24 combined hours to make opening presentations, and Democrats used up 16 of those hours on Wednesday and Thursday.
Trump's White House legal team will begin their defense on Saturday.
"We're going to respond, of course, to what the House managers have put forward," Trump attorney Jay Sekulow said Wednesday. "We're going to make an affirmative case defending the president."
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell announced changes to the timeline going forward Friday. He said Saturday's session will begin at 10 a.m. EST. Since Chief Justice John Roberts doesn't have his daily Supreme Court duties Saturday morning, he can preside over the trial earlier than on weekdays.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., argued on Thursday that Trump doesn't necessarily have to be guilty of a crime to be removed from office.
"Since President George Washington took office in 1789, no president has abused his power in this way," Nadler, the chairman of the House judiciary committee, said. "No president has ever used his office to compel a foreign nation to help him cheat in our elections."
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Thursday night, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., released a cache of new documents related to a Government Accountability Office inquiry into Trump's withholding of military aid to Ukraine. The GAO released the results of the investigation last week, which said the Trump administration's delay violated the law.
Van Hollen had written to the GAO seeking documents from its investigation.
"In response to my request to investigate the withholding of aid to Ukraine, GAO asked the White House and [its budget office] for explanations," he said. "As seen in these documents, [the Office of Management and Budget] provided incomplete responses and the White House flat out refused. Part of the cover-up."
The documents include correspondence between the GAO and the White House, the Office of Management and Budget and the Defense Department.


upi--2020-01-24--Magnitude-6.8 earthquake hits Turkey, four dead

Jan. 24 ( UPI ) -- A magnitude-6.5 earthquake struck eastern Turkey on Friday , with initial reports indicating 14 @ @ @ @ @ injuries .
It struck at around 8:55 p.m. at a depth of 6 miles , @ @ @ @ @ in the Sivrice sector of Elazig province , about 460 miles east of Ankara .
@ @ @ @ @ announced the casualty count , adding that some buildings in the city of Elazig were @ @ @ @ @ rescue teams were sent to the region and further information is yet to come , @ @ @ @ @ of the deaths were reported in Elazig province while six were in Malatya province .
@ @ @ @ @ caused by natural gas leakage as a result of the earthquake , was reported in @ @ @ @ @ at an altitude of 3,500 feet and has a population of about 350,000 .
Aftershocks @ @ @ @ @ were also detected .
The earthquake was felt across several Turkish provinces , as well @ @ @ @ @ .
A magnitude-6.0 earthquake in the area in 2010 killed 51 people .

Residents of Elazig, Turkey, stand before a damaged building after a magnitude-6.5 earthquake struck the region on Friday. The government reported at least four deaths. Photo courtesy of EPA-EFE/STR
Jan. 24 (UPI) -- A magnitude-6.5 earthquake struck eastern Turkey on Friday, with initial reports indicating 14 deaths and about a dozen injuries. It struck at around 8:55 p.m. at a depth of 6 miles, near the town of Doganyol in the Sivrice sector of Elazig province, about 460 miles east of Ankara. Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu announced the casualty count, adding that some buildings in the city of Elazig were damaged. Advertisement
"Search and rescue teams were sent to the region and further information is yet to come," he said.
Eight of the deaths were reported in Elazig province while six were in Malatya province.
At least one fire, caused by natural gas leakage as a result of the earthquake, was reported in the city, which sits at an altitude of 3,500 feet and has a population of about 350,000.
Aftershocks ranging between magnitude-5.4 to magnitude-3.3 were also detected.
The earthquake was felt across several Turkish provinces, as well as in Iraq and Syria. A magnitude-6.0 earthquake in the area in 2010 killed 51 people.


upi--2020-01-24--First clinical studies show new coronavirus similar to SARS

The new coronavirus rapidly spreading in China and nearby countries seems to trigger symptoms similar to those seen in the severe acute respiratory distress syndrome , or SARS , coronavirus outbreak in 2003 , two new studies show .
Published Jan. 24 in The Lancet journal , these are the first clinical studies conducted on patients struck by the new coronavirus , dubbed 2019-nCoV .
As of Friday morning , there were 830 confirmed cases and 26 deaths in China tied to the coronavirus , which originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan .
Officials at the U.S. Centers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also announced a second U.S. case of the virus , in a person in Illinois .
The first case occurred in a man in Washington state .
Both patients had returned from travel in China , the CDC said , and are being monitored .
The two new studies examine the course of infection in some of the first cases of the Wuhan virus .
In one study , researchers looked at clinical records , laboratory results , imaging findings and epidemiological data on the first 41 infected people admitted to the hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Jan. 2 , 2020 .
Patients were typically middle-aged , with an average age 49 , three-quarters were men , and two-thirds had visited a local seafood market thought to be where the virus originated .
Similar to the 2003 SARS outbreak in China , most patients who came down with the Wuhan coronavirus were healthy , without any chronic underlying health issues .
And symptoms also resembled those of SARS , said Chinese researchers led by Bin Cao , from the China-Japan Friendship Hospital and Capital Medical University , both in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had developed pneumonia , nearly all -- 98 percent -- had a fever , three-quarters developed a cough , 44 percent felt fatigued , and 55 percent had some shortness of breath .
Symptoms such as headache or diarrhea were rare , however .
On the other hand , `` despite sharing some similar symptoms to SARS [ such as fever , dry cough , shortness of breath ] , there are some important differences , '' Cao said in a Lancet news release .
For example , people with the new virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other symptoms involving the upper respiratory tract , he said .
And very few had intestinal symptoms such as diarrhea , which occurred in about a quarter of SARS patients .
Severe illness -- enough to require admittance to the ICU -- occurred in about a third of the hospitalized patients , Cao 's team said , and six patients died .
A condition involving immune system dysfunction known as a `` cytokine storm '' occurred in some of these very ill patients , but it 's not yet clear how the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ researchers said .
As of Jan. 22 , a majority of patients in the study -- 68 percent -- have recovered enough to be discharged from the hospital , the report noted .
In the second study , the first to involve gene analysis , researchers tracked the course of 2019-nCoV in a family of seven people .
Five family members had recently traveled to Wuhan and were found to carry 2019-nCoV , and one family member who had not traveled with them also was found to be infected with the virus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ visited food markets or animals while in Wuhan , suggesting that person-to-person transmission was at play .
The seventh family member -- a child whose mother said had worn a surgical mask during their stay in Wuhan -- was not infected with the virus .
As well , a second child was infected but showed no clinical symptoms of the illness , according to researchers led by Dr. Kwok-Yung Yuen , from the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital .
That suggests that 2019-nCoV could be spread person-to-person by people who do n't even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
`` Our findings are consistent with person-to person transmission of this new coronavirus in hospital and family settings , and the reports of infected travelers in other countries , '' Yuen said in the release .
`` Because asymptomatic infection appears possible , controlling the epidemic will also rely on isolating patients , tracing and quarantining contacts as early as possible , educating the public on both food and personal hygiene , and ensuring health care workers comply with infection control . ''
Examining the course of illness among the various @ @ @ @ @ @ @ within a few days of contact with sick individuals .
Gene tests revealed that five of the family members carried a form of 2019-nCoV that had a type of protein allowing it to enter healthy cells .
Yuen 's team was also able to use samples from two patients to map the full genome of 2019-nCoV .
`` With the improved surveillance network and laboratory capability developed following the SARS pandemic , China has now been able to recognize this new outbreak within a few weeks and has made the virus genome publicly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' said study co-author Dr. Rosana Wing-Shan Poon , from the University of Hong Kong .
`` Learning the lessons from SARS , which started as animal-to-human transmission , all game meat trading should be better regulated to terminate this potential transmission route , '' Poon said .
`` Further investigations are needed to clarify the potential threat posed by this emerging virus and asymptomatic cases . ''
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about coronaviruses .

The new coronavirus rapidly spreading in China and nearby countries seems to trigger symptoms similar to those seen in the severe acute respiratory distress syndrome, or SARS, coronavirus outbreak in 2003, two new studies show.
Published Jan. 24 in The Lancet journal, these are the first clinical studies conducted on patients struck by the new coronavirus, dubbed 2019-nCoV. As of Friday morning, there were 830 confirmed cases and 26 deaths in China tied to the coronavirus, which originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
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Officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday also announced a second U.S. case of the virus, in a person in Illinois. The first case occurred in a man in Washington state. Both patients had returned from travel in China, the CDC said, and are being monitored.
The two new studies examine the course of infection in some of the first cases of the Wuhan virus.
Advertisement
In one study, researchers looked at clinical records, laboratory results, imaging findings and epidemiological data on the first 41 infected people admitted to the hospital in Wuhan between Dec. 16, 2019 and Jan. 2, 2020.
Patients were typically middle-aged, with an average age 49, three-quarters were men, and two-thirds had visited a local seafood market thought to be where the virus originated.
Similar to the 2003 SARS outbreak in China, most patients who came down with the Wuhan coronavirus were healthy, without any chronic underlying health issues. And symptoms also resembled those of SARS, said Chinese researchers led by Bin Cao, from the China-Japan Friendship Hospital and Capital Medical University, both in Beijing.
All of the hospitalized patients had developed pneumonia, nearly all -- 98 percent -- had a fever, three-quarters developed a cough, 44 percent felt fatigued, and 55 percent had some shortness of breath. Symptoms such as headache or diarrhea were rare, however.
On the other hand, "despite sharing some similar symptoms to SARS [such as fever, dry cough, shortness of breath], there are some important differences," Cao said in a Lancet news release.
For example, people with the new virus typically didn't have runny noses or other symptoms involving the upper respiratory tract, he said. And very few had intestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, which occurred in about a quarter of SARS patients.
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Severe illness -- enough to require admittance to the ICU -- occurred in about a third of the hospitalized patients, Cao's team said, and six patients died.
A condition involving immune system dysfunction known as a "cytokine storm" occurred in some of these very ill patients, but it's not yet clear how the new virus affects the immune system, the researchers said.
As of Jan. 22, a majority of patients in the study -- 68 percent -- have recovered enough to be discharged from the hospital, the report noted.
In the second study, the first to involve gene analysis, researchers tracked the course of 2019-nCoV in a family of seven people. Five family members had recently traveled to Wuhan and were found to carry 2019-nCoV, and one family member who had not traveled with them also was found to be infected with the virus. None of the infected family members had visited food markets or animals while in Wuhan, suggesting that person-to-person transmission was at play.
The seventh family member -- a child whose mother said had worn a surgical mask during their stay in Wuhan -- was not infected with the virus.
As well, a second child was infected but showed no clinical symptoms of the illness, according to researchers led by Dr. Kwok-Yung Yuen, from the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital. That suggests that 2019-nCoV could be spread person-to-person by people who don't even realize they are infected, the researchers said.
Advertisement
"Our findings are consistent with person-to person transmission of this new coronavirus in hospital and family settings, and the reports of infected travelers in other countries," Yuen said in the release. "Because asymptomatic infection appears possible, controlling the epidemic will also rely on isolating patients, tracing and quarantining contacts as early as possible, educating the public on both food and personal hygiene, and ensuring health care workers comply with infection control."
Examining the course of illness among the various family members, symptoms appeared to develop within a few days of contact with sick individuals.
Gene tests revealed that five of the family members carried a form of 2019-nCoV that had a type of protein allowing it to enter healthy cells. Yuen's team was also able to use samples from two patients to map the full genome of 2019-nCoV.
"With the improved surveillance network and laboratory capability developed following the SARS pandemic, China has now been able to recognize this new outbreak within a few weeks and has made the virus genome publicly available to help control its spread," said study co-author Dr. Rosana Wing-Shan Poon, from the University of Hong Kong.
"Learning the lessons from SARS, which started as animal-to-human transmission, all game meat trading should be better regulated to terminate this potential transmission route," Poon said. "Further investigations are needed to clarify the potential threat posed by this emerging virus and asymptomatic cases."
Advertisement
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about coronaviruses.
Copyright 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.


upi--2020-01-24--Northern California plane crash kills 2, injures 1

Jan. 24 ( UPI ) -- A small plane crash in Northern California on Friday killed two people and injured @ @ @ @ @ law enforcement said .
The single-engine plane crashed near a golf course in Auburn around @ @ @ @ @ Highway Patrol said the wreckage was located in a back yard .
The crash happened @ @ @ @ @ the Auburn Municipal Airport , about 30 miles northeast of Sacramento .
The Placer County @ @ @ @ @ dead as Anthony Lawrence Wright Sr. , 80 , and Anthony Lawrence Wright Jr. , @ @ @ @ @ worked for the Rancho Cordova Police Department .

Police said the wreckage from the plane crash was located in a back yard. Photo courtesy of the Placer County Sheriff's Office
Jan. 24 (UPI) -- A small plane crash in Northern California on Friday killed two people and injured a third person, local law enforcement said. The single-engine plane crashed near a golf course in Auburn around 10 a.m. The California Highway Patrol said the wreckage was located in a back yard. Advertisement
The crash happened about a mile away from the Auburn Municipal Airport, about 30 miles northeast of Sacramento.
The Placer County Sheriff's Office identified the dead as Anthony Lawrence Wright Sr., 80, and Anthony Lawrence Wright Jr., 55. The younger Wright worked for the Rancho Cordova Police Department.


upi--2020-01-24--Aged, recycled urine may be safe alternative to traditional fertilizer

Jan. 24 ( UPI ) -- Recycled and aged human urine is a safe alternative to traditional fertilizers .
According to new research from the University of Michigan , bacteria in recycled and aged urine ca n't transfer antibiotic resistance capabilities to bacteria in the soil , making it potentially usable .
Traditional fertilizers like nitrogen and phosphorous contribute to water pollution .
When the fertilizers are washed into local waterways , the nutrient overload can trigger algal blooms that produce toxins and depress oxygen levels .
The production of traditional fertilizers is also expensive and energy intensive .
Recycled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eco-friendly alternative to traditional fertilizers , but safety concerns remain , researcher say .
`` Urine contains compounds that contain nitrogen , phosphorus , and potassium , all compounds that are found in fertilizers , '' Heather Goetsch , environmental engineer and postdoctoral researcher with the University of Michigan , told UPI in an email .
`` Organic compounds are also found in urine , including natural compounds -- like urea , metabolites -- and synthetic compounds like pharmaceuticals and hormones used in birth control . ''
Bacteria exposed to pharmaceuticals repeatedly and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ antibiotic resistance .
Goetsch and her colleagues wanted find out whether genes that code for antibiotic resistance can be transferred from bacteria in recycled urine to bacteria in the soil .
Tests showed `` aging '' urine in sealed containers for several months deactivated 99 percent of the antibiotic resistant genes in the bacteria .
Ammonia in urine concentrates over time , killing bacteria .
The dying bacteria deposit their extracellular snippets of DNA , which can include antibiotic resistant genes , into the urine solution .
Scientists wanted to find out how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ break down .
To confirm that aging effectively deactivates the antibiotic resistance genes , preventing them from being effectively transferred to other bacteria , scientists used a method called a transformation assay .
`` This assay uses plasmid DNA with antibiotic resistance genes and a bacteria known to be able to take up the plasmid DNA and express those genes by growing in the presence of the antibiotic , '' Goetsch said .
`` For our purposes , we added this DNA to stored urine for different amounts of time , removed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this sample to bacteria that is grown to specific growth conditions , allowing the bacteria to take up the DNA and express the gene . ''
After being stored in the urine for less than 24 hours , the plasmid DNA proved ineffective at protecting the bacteria from antibiotics .
Researchers hope their findings -- published this week in the journal Environmental Science and Technology -- will encourage more wide scale adoption of urine collection and recycling for fertilizing purposes .
The process could have a range of environmental benefits .
`` One @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the toilet and converting it to fertilizer helps address is reducing the nutrient release to the environment from sewage , either through leaky septic systems , through combined sewer overflows , and through wastewater treatment plant effluents when nutrient removal is n't a focus at the plant , '' Goetsch said .

New research suggests that aged urine could be as safe and effective as traditional fertilizer, but pose less of a danger to the environment. Photo by Free-Photos /Pixabay
Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Recycled and aged human urine is a safe alternative to traditional fertilizers. According to new research from the University of Michigan, bacteria in recycled and aged urine can't transfer antibiotic resistance capabilities to bacteria in the soil, making it potentially usable. Advertisement
Traditional fertilizers like nitrogen and phosphorous contribute to water pollution. When the fertilizers are washed into local waterways, the nutrient overload can trigger algal blooms that produce toxins and depress oxygen levels. The production of traditional fertilizers is also expensive and energy intensive.
Recycled urine could be used as a more eco-friendly alternative to traditional fertilizers, but safety concerns remain, researcher say.
"Urine contains compounds that contain nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, all compounds that are found in fertilizers," Heather Goetsch, environmental engineer and postdoctoral researcher with the University of Michigan, told UPI in an email. "Organic compounds are also found in urine, including natural compounds -- like urea, metabolites -- and synthetic compounds like pharmaceuticals and hormones used in birth control."
Bacteria exposed to pharmaceuticals repeatedly and for long periods of time can develop antibiotic resistance. Goetsch and her colleagues wanted find out whether genes that code for antibiotic resistance can be transferred from bacteria in recycled urine to bacteria in the soil.
Advertisement
Tests showed "aging" urine in sealed containers for several months deactivated 99 percent of the antibiotic resistant genes in the bacteria.
Ammonia in urine concentrates over time, killing bacteria. The dying bacteria deposit their extracellular snippets of DNA, which can include antibiotic resistant genes, into the urine solution. Scientists wanted to find out how long it takes for these snippets to break down.
To confirm that aging effectively deactivates the antibiotic resistance genes, preventing them from being effectively transferred to other bacteria, scientists used a method called a transformation assay.
"This assay uses plasmid DNA with antibiotic resistance genes and a bacteria known to be able to take up the plasmid DNA and express those genes by growing in the presence of the antibiotic," Goetsch said. "For our purposes, we added this DNA to stored urine for different amounts of time, removed a sample at different times, and add this sample to bacteria that is grown to specific growth conditions, allowing the bacteria to take up the DNA and express the gene."
After being stored in the urine for less than 24 hours, the plasmid DNA proved ineffective at protecting the bacteria from antibiotics.
Researchers hope their findings -- published this week in the journal Environmental Science and Technology -- will encourage more wide scale adoption of urine collection and recycling for fertilizing purposes. The process could have a range of environmental benefits.
Advertisement
"One of the concerns that diverting urine at the toilet and converting it to fertilizer helps address is reducing the nutrient release to the environment from sewage, either through leaky septic systems, through combined sewer overflows, and through wastewater treatment plant effluents when nutrient removal isn't a focus at the plant," Goetsch said.


upi--2020-01-24--Storm Gloria leaves path of destruction, 13 dead in Spain

Residents and officials throughout Spain have struggled to grapple with the destruction Storm Gloria has left in its wake .
The battered country , now scrambling to clean up the mess , faces damaged railways and collapsed bridges amid the wreckage .
Spain 's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez spent the week analyzing the stricken regions of the country , including a fly-over of the impacted areas of eastern Spain on Friday to assess the situation .
Over 10,000 homes remain without power and around 600 residents in Catalonia were forced to evacuate on Wednesday .
In other areas of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cut off from assistance .
In the Catalonian city of Girona , located in the northeastern corner of the Spain , the Ter River burst its banks and flooded the Pedret and Pont Major neighborhoods .
Nearby towns Deltbere and Alcanar have requested to be declared disaster zones after enduring swaths of crop destruction and coastline erosion , totalling nearly $ 10.5 million ( €9.5 million ) , according to El País .
On Thursday , Catalan authorities confirmed the deaths of two more residents , raising the total death toll to 13 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ missing .
`` We are not going to be able to recover everything that has been lost , '' Sánchez said on Thursday .
`` There are a lot of emotions , memories , but we will be sure to use the resources , effort and determination to repair the damage . ''
Catalonia , which fought for its independence from Spain in 2017 and is home of major city Barcelona , has been the region hit hardest in the country .
Damage to coastal and agricultural towns has been immense , particularly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visiting Majorca , the largest island in the Balearic Islands , on Thursday , Sanchez called for the government to hold an emergency meeting on Friday to determine a necessary response .
Waves cresting at more than 45 feet were recorded in the islands , leaving destroyed homes and battered beaches in the wake .
`` I think what 's important right now is that we 're all united , that we work shoulder-to-shoulder and cooperate , as we are doing , '' Sanchez told Reuters on Thursday .
This weekend , Sanchez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Murcia , three areas that have been particularly rocked by hailstorms and heavy winds .
Even though the country 's national weather authority has said the storm 's worst impacts are in the rearview mirror , the recovery process is expected to be lengthy .
Over 100 roads remain closed due to the storm , and over 130,000 students have been kept out of schools .

The flooded highway C-31 remains closed due to strong rains after the overflow of Ter river in the four days of heavy rain due to storm Gloria, in Girona, Spain, on January 24, 2020. Photo by David Borrat/EPA-EFE
Residents and officials throughout Spain have struggled to grapple with the destruction Storm Gloria has left in its wake. The battered country, now scrambling to clean up the mess, faces damaged railways and collapsed bridges amid the wreckage. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez spent the week analyzing the stricken regions of the country, including a fly-over of the impacted areas of eastern Spain on Friday to assess the situation. Advertisement
Over 10,000 homes remain without power and around 600 residents in Catalonia were forced to evacuate on Wednesday. In other areas of the country, heavy snowfall left areas completely cut off from assistance.
In the Catalonian city of Girona, located in the northeastern corner of the Spain, the Ter River burst its banks and flooded the Pedret and Pont Major neighborhoods. Nearby towns Deltbere and Alcanar have requested to be declared disaster zones after enduring swaths of crop destruction and coastline erosion, totalling nearly $10.5 million (€9.5 million), according to El País.
On Thursday, Catalan authorities confirmed the deaths of two more residents, raising the total death toll to 13, with at least four others still missing.
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"We are not going to be able to recover everything that has been lost," Sánchez said on Thursday. "There are a lot of emotions, memories, but we will be sure to use the resources, effort and determination to repair the damage."
Catalonia, which fought for its independence from Spain in 2017 and is home of major city Barcelona, has been the region hit hardest in the country. Damage to coastal and agricultural towns has been immense, particularly to rice farmers and fishermen.
After visiting Majorca, the largest island in the Balearic Islands, on Thursday, Sanchez called for the government to hold an emergency meeting on Friday to determine a necessary response.
Waves cresting at more than 45 feet were recorded in the islands, leaving destroyed homes and battered beaches in the wake.
"I think what's important right now is that we're all united, that we work shoulder-to-shoulder and cooperate, as we are doing," Sanchez told Reuters on Thursday.
This weekend, Sanchez will travel to Malaga, Castellon and Murcia, three areas that have been particularly rocked by hailstorms and heavy winds.
Even though the country's national weather authority has said the storm's worst impacts are in the rearview mirror, the recovery process is expected to be lengthy. Over 100 roads remain closed due to the storm, and over 130,000 students have been kept out of schools.


upi--2020-01-24--Rapper YG arrested in California on suspicion of robbery

Jan. 24 ( UPI ) -- Authorities in California said rapper YG was arrested Friday morning as part of an ongoing investigation related to a robbery .
The Los Angeles County Sheriff 's Department said YG , real name Keenon Jackson , 29 , was arrested on suspicion of robbery Friday following the execution of a search warrant at the Go Loko rapper 's home in the Chatsworth area of Los Angeles ' San Fernando Valley .
Deputy Grace Medrano told KTLA-TV the search warrant was part of an `` ongoing criminal investigation . ''
YG was booked into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 250,000 bond and is due in court Tuesday .
The arrest comes about six months after a search of a Hollywood Hills mansion being leased by YG led to one arrest and several other detentions .
The sheriff 's office said the earlier incident was tied to a July 3 pursuit and shootout in Compton that involved a black Cadillac Escalade leased to the rapper .
YG denied any involvement in the shooting , which killed bystander Ricky Starks , 65 .
It was unclear Friday whether the incidents were connected .

Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Authorities in California said rapper YG was arrested Friday morning as part of an ongoing investigation related to a robbery.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said YG, real name Keenon Jackson, 29, was arrested on suspicion of robbery Friday following the execution of a search warrant at the Go Loko rapper's home in the Chatsworth area of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley.
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Deputy Grace Medrano told KTLA-TV the search warrant was part of an "ongoing criminal investigation."
YG was booked into the Men's Central Jail in lieu of $250,000 bond and is due in court Tuesday.
The arrest comes about six months after a search of a Hollywood Hills mansion being leased by YG led to one arrest and several other detentions. The sheriff's office said the earlier incident was tied to a July 3 pursuit and shootout in Compton that involved a black Cadillac Escalade leased to the rapper.
YG denied any involvement in the shooting, which killed bystander Ricky Starks, 65.
It was unclear Friday whether the incidents were connected.


upi--2020-01-24--More snow expected in Midwest from slow-moving storm

A slow-moving storm already responsible for dumping more than half a foot of snow on parts of Missouri and Iowa will continue to produce fresh powder over a portion of the Midwest as it sluggishly drifts eastward into the weekend .
As snow returns to Chicago and Milwaukee and reaches Detroit , air and ground travel disruptions are likely to mount into Saturday .
The storm attached to the upper part of the atmosphere early on , becoming better organized .
Rather than remaining weak and taking a swift eastward track , spreading snow over huge swath from the Plains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and stalled over the Mississippi Valley late this week .
The swirl of snow near and north and west of the center of the storm is forecast to hold together , drift eastward and can enhance for a time into Saturday .
`` Up to a few additional inches of snow is forecast to fall on portions of central Missouri , central and eastern Iowa , northern and western Illinois , central and southeastern Wisconsin , northern Michigan and the southeastern tip of Minnesota , '' AccuWeather Meteorologist Courtney Travis said .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between 6 and 10 inches with an AccuWeather Local StormMax of 12 inches in parts of north-central Missouri , eastern Iowa , northwestern Illinois , southern Wisconsin and part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan , '' Travis said .
Forecasters expect cities such as Milwaukee and Madison , Wisc.
, as well as Rockford , Ill. , and Davenport , Iowa , to be buried under a half a foot of snow or more from the storm as it continues to evolve .
`` An advancing cold pocket of air with moisture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1- to 3-inch range from central Illinois to northern and central Indiana and the northwestern and central parts of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan Friday night and Saturday , '' Travis added .
Americans who live in this zone , including in Indianapolis and South Bend , Ind .
; Grand Rapids , Kalamazoo and Flint , Mich. ; and Champaign , Ill. ; may yet have enough snow to sweep off of their cars and shovel .
A bit more snow will fall around St. Louis for a time , with up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely to fall on Chicago .
Freezing rain or drizzle will change to snow , which will fall heavily at times , in the Windy City late Friday evening into Saturday morning .
The Chicago National Weather Service Office ( NWS ) office warned followers on Twitter Friday that travel could become tricky during the latter part of the evening commute .
Since some of the snow will fall at night and can do so at a heavy rate when road surface temperatures lower slightly , meteorologists caution that motorists should not assume @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the day will stay that way after dark .
Temperatures are forecast to dip from 2 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit , on average , across the Midwest by Saturday morning , and that can be enough to create slippery conditions .
Even though blustery conditions will develop as the storm moves along this weekend , the air is of Pacific origin and not from the Arctic .
Aside from snow showers near the old center of the storm , lake-effect snowfall is likely to be minimal in the storm 's wake .
Saturday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showers will continue to advance eastward along with the old storm center .
Motorists around Detroit and Toledo , Cleveland , Columbus and Youngstown , Ohio , could encounter slippery conditions with a coating of snow possible .
By Sunday , the main focus of snow showers will retreat to the central Appalachians and around the eastern Great Lakes .
Temperatures are likely to be above average during the last few days of January and the first few days of February for the North Central states .
Highs will generally average within a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tier to the lower 40s over portions of the central Plains and the Ohio Valley .

A slow-moving storm already responsible for dumping more than half a foot of snow on parts of Missouri and Iowa will continue to produce fresh powder over a portion of the Midwest as it sluggishly drifts eastward into the weekend.
As snow returns to Chicago and Milwaukee and reaches Detroit, air and ground travel disruptions are likely to mount into Saturday.
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The storm attached to the upper part of the atmosphere early on, becoming better organized. Rather than remaining weak and taking a swift eastward track, spreading snow over huge swath from the Plains to the Northeast, the storm matured and stalled over the Mississippi Valley late this week.
The result has been a swath of light to moderate snowfall from part of northern Arkansas to northern Michigan thus far into Friday. Marginal temperatures have resulted in some roads being mainly wet to slushy. However, the storm has not run out of energy and moisture just yet.
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The swirl of snow near and north and west of the center of the storm is forecast to hold together, drift eastward and can enhance for a time into Saturday.
"Up to a few additional inches of snow is forecast to fall on portions of central Missouri, central and eastern Iowa, northern and western Illinois, central and southeastern Wisconsin, northern Michigan and the southeastern tip of Minnesota," AccuWeather Meteorologist Courtney Travis said.
"This will bring the storm total to between 6 and 10 inches with an AccuWeather Local StormMax of 12 inches in parts of north-central Missouri, eastern Iowa, northwestern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan," Travis said.
Forecasters expect cities such as Milwaukee and Madison, Wisc., as well as Rockford, Ill., and Davenport, Iowa, to be buried under a half a foot of snow or more from the storm as it continues to evolve.
"An advancing cold pocket of air with moisture is forecast to produce snowfall in the 1- to 3-inch range from central Illinois to northern and central Indiana and the northwestern and central parts of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan Friday night and Saturday," Travis added.
Americans who live in this zone, including in Indianapolis and South Bend, Ind.; Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Flint, Mich.; and Champaign, Ill.; may yet have enough snow to sweep off of their cars and shovel.
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A bit more snow will fall around St. Louis for a time, with up to a few more inches of snow likely to fall on Chicago. Freezing rain or drizzle will change to snow, which will fall heavily at times, in the Windy City late Friday evening into Saturday morning. The Chicago National Weather Service Office (NWS) office warned followers on Twitter Friday that travel could become tricky during the latter part of the evening commute.
Since some of the snow will fall at night and can do so at a heavy rate when road surface temperatures lower slightly, meteorologists caution that motorists should not assume that road conditions that were wet during the day will stay that way after dark. Temperatures are forecast to dip from 2 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit, on average, across the Midwest by Saturday morning, and that can be enough to create slippery conditions.
Even though blustery conditions will develop as the storm moves along this weekend, the air is of Pacific origin and not from the Arctic. Aside from snow showers near the old center of the storm, lake-effect snowfall is likely to be minimal in the storm's wake.
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Saturday night, slightly colder air with snow showers will continue to advance eastward along with the old storm center. Motorists around Detroit and Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus and Youngstown, Ohio, could encounter slippery conditions with a coating of snow possible.
By Sunday, the main focus of snow showers will retreat to the central Appalachians and around the eastern Great Lakes.
Temperatures are likely to be above average during the last few days of January and the first few days of February for the North Central states. Highs will generally average within a few degrees of freezing in the northern tier to the lower 40s over portions of the central Plains and the Ohio Valley.


upi--2020-01-24--France confirms 2 cases of coronavirus; 26 dead in China

Jan. 24 ( UPI ) -- French health officials announced two cases of the deadly coronavirus Friday , the first two confirmed diagnoses in Europe , as China moved to lock down several cities in a desperate bid to keep it from spreading .
French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said both cases involved people who traveled to China , where the virus originated .
`` We have two cases , '' she told reporters .
`` We will probably have other cases . ''
One case involves a 48-year-old French man of Chinese origin who had flu-like symptoms in Bordeaux @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paris .
Chinese health officials said earlier Friday at least 26 people have died in the outbreak .
Beijing 's National Health Commission said there are more than 900 documented cases and more than 1,000 suspected cases of the virus worldwide .
Most are in mainland China , with a smattering of cases in Thailand , Singapore , Hong Kong , South Korea , Japan , Vietnam , Taiwan , the United States and now France .
The virus in all confirmed cases are believed to have originated in Wuhan , China .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the virus in Chicago involving a woman in her 60s who had traveled to Wuhan .
Officials said most of the deaths have occurred in the outbreak 's epicenter of Hubei province in central China .
One was recorded in Hebei province .
Chinese officials said they have tracked down 9,500 close contacts of the carriers -- of which some 8,400 were under medical observation .
Hundreds of others have since been discharged .
Efforts to control the outbreak intensified in China Friday .
At least eight cities , including Wuhan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus from spreading -- meaning transportation into and out of the cities is restricted .
Several nations , including the United States , have issued advisories against traveling to China in the interim .
Officials estimate more than 20 million people in China are affected by the coronavirus-related restrictions .
Chinese media reported health authorities are racing to set up a 1,000-bed hospital in Wuhan reserved for coronavirus patients , while science officials have established a team of 14 experts to help prevent and control the outbreak , including the development of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lunar New Year this week , a time when many travel around the nation , has increased the risk of further spreading the virus .

A Chinese police officer wears a protective masks in Beijing on Thursday to guard against an outbreak of a coronavirus. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
Jan. 24 (UPI) -- French health officials announced two cases of the deadly coronavirus Friday, the first two confirmed diagnoses in Europe, as China moved to lock down several cities in a desperate bid to keep it from spreading. French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said both cases involved people who traveled to China, where the virus originated. Advertisement
"We have two cases," she told reporters. "We will probably have other cases."
One case involves a 48-year-old French man of Chinese origin who had flu-like symptoms in Bordeaux. The second involves a patient in Paris.
Chinese health officials said earlier Friday at least 26 people have died in the outbreak.
Beijing's National Health Commission said there are more than 900 documented cases and more than 1,000 suspected cases of the virus worldwide. Most are in mainland China, with a smattering of cases in Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan, the United States and now France. The virus in all confirmed cases are believed to have originated in Wuhan, China.
The United States confirmed its second diagnosis of the virus in Chicago involving a woman in her 60s who had traveled to Wuhan.
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Officials said most of the deaths have occurred in the outbreak's epicenter of Hubei province in central China. One was recorded in Hebei province.
Chinese officials said they have tracked down 9,500 close contacts of the carriers -- of which some 8,400 were under medical observation. Hundreds of others have since been discharged.
Efforts to control the outbreak intensified in China Friday. At least eight cities, including Wuhan, have been locked down to keep the virus from spreading -- meaning transportation into and out of the cities is restricted. Several nations, including the United States, have issued advisories against traveling to China in the interim.
Officials estimate more than 20 million people in China are affected by the coronavirus-related restrictions.
Chinese media reported health authorities are racing to set up a 1,000-bed hospital in Wuhan reserved for coronavirus patients, while science officials have established a team of 14 experts to help prevent and control the outbreak, including the development of a vaccine.
The start of the Chinese Lunar New Year this week, a time when many travel around the nation, has increased the risk of further spreading the virus.


upi--2020-01-24--Engineers develop super thin, flexible touchscreen that could be printed like newspaper

Jan. 24 ( UPI ) -- Engineers in Australia have developed a new touchscreen material so thin and pliable that it can be rolled up into a tube .
In the future , the material could be mass produced , printed and rolled out in big sheets like a newspaper .
To create the new touchscreen material , researchers used liquid metal chemistry to shrink indium-tin oxide film , a material used to make smart phone screens , from 3D to 2D .
`` We 've taken an old material and transformed it from the inside to create a new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' material engineer Torben Daeneke , research fellow at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology , said in a news release .
`` You can bend it , you can twist it , and you could make it far more cheaply and efficiently than the slow and expensive way that we currently manufacture touchscreens . ''
Because the material is 100 times thinner than current touchscreen materials , it is more transparent .
`` This means a cell phone with a touchscreen made of our material would use less power , extending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Daeneke said .
To make the new super thin film , scientists heated an indium-tin alloy to 200 degrees Celsius , until the alloy was liquid .
Scientists then rolled the liquid across a flat surface and printed off nano-thin sheets .
While the new material 's chemistry is the same as the traditional touchscreen material , its crystalline structure is different , gifting the 2D film special electronic and optical properties .
Scientists described the new material in a paper published Friday in the journal Nature Electronics .
Researchers have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actual touchscreen , and have also applied for a patent for the technology .
`` We 're excited to be at the stage now where we can explore commercial collaboration opportunities and work with the relevant industries to bring this technology to market , '' Daeneke said .
Currently , indium-tin oxide touchscreens are manufactured using a vacuum chamber .
The process is expensive and energy intensive .
The new liquid metal printing process developed by Daeneke and his colleagues is simple enough that it could be done in a home kitchen .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ be scaled .
In the future , the material could be produced with the same roll-to-roll process used to print newspapers .

A small sample of the new ultra thin touchscreen material. Photo by RMIT University
Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Engineers in Australia have developed a new touchscreen material so thin and pliable that it can be rolled up into a tube. In the future, the material could be mass produced, printed and rolled out in big sheets like a newspaper. To create the new touchscreen material, researchers used liquid metal chemistry to shrink indium-tin oxide film, a material used to make smart phone screens, from 3D to 2D. Advertisement
"We've taken an old material and transformed it from the inside to create a new version that's supremely thin and flexible," material engineer Torben Daeneke, research fellow at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, said in a news release. "You can bend it, you can twist it, and you could make it far more cheaply and efficiently than the slow and expensive way that we currently manufacture touchscreens."
Because the material is 100 times thinner than current touchscreen materials, it is more transparent.
"This means a cell phone with a touchscreen made of our material would use less power, extending the battery life by roughly 10 percent," Daeneke said.
To make the new super thin film, scientists heated an indium-tin alloy to 200 degrees Celsius, until the alloy was liquid. Scientists then rolled the liquid across a flat surface and printed off nano-thin sheets.
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While the new material's chemistry is the same as the traditional touchscreen material, its crystalline structure is different, gifting the 2D film special electronic and optical properties. Scientists described the new material in a paper published Friday in the journal Nature Electronics.
Researchers have already used the film to build an actual touchscreen, and have also applied for a patent for the technology.
"We're excited to be at the stage now where we can explore commercial collaboration opportunities and work with the relevant industries to bring this technology to market," Daeneke said.
Currently, indium-tin oxide touchscreens are manufactured using a vacuum chamber. The process is expensive and energy intensive. The new liquid metal printing process developed by Daeneke and his colleagues is simple enough that it could be done in a home kitchen. It's a process that can also be scaled.
In the future, the material could be produced with the same roll-to-roll process used to print newspapers.


upi--2020-01-24--Norfolk Naval Shipyard breaks ground on $200M dry dock renovation

Jan. 24 ( UPI ) -- Norfolk Naval Shipyard has broken ground for the renovation of its historic Dry Dock 4 , the Navy has announced .
The renovation is expected to cost $ 200 million and span nearly three years , the branch said in a press release .
It 's intended to meet the Navy 's needs for submarine overhaul during the 2020s , with the aim of supporting Ohio , Virginia and Columbia-class vessels , as well as meet other needs in the future .
`` Today 's groundbreaking will ensure this historic dry dock will continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the future Navy , just as it has done for the last 100 years , '' said Assistant Secretary of the Navy research , development and acquisition team James Geurts .
`` The Navy continues to invest heavily in our naval shipyard workforce and supporting infrastructure to ensure we can continue to support the world 's finest naval force now and into the future . ''
During the renovation , workers will replace two-and-a-half-feet of concrete on the dry dock 's floor , as well as two feet from the sidewalls , will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mechanical and electrical equipment .
According to the Navy , in a separate $ 26 million , two-and-a-half-year project , Norfolk Naval Shipyard will also renovate two adjacent buildings that house a storage area and a repair shop .
The dry dock renovation is the largest initiative in Naval Sea Systems Command 's Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program -- a 20-year , $ 21 billion program dedicated to refurbishing the nation 's four public shipyards by modernizing equipment , improving workflow and upgrading dry docks and facilities .
Dry Dock 4 opened in 1919 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dry docks built at NNSY during World War I-era expansion .

Officials from the Pentagon, Navy, city of Portsmouth and Norfolk Naval Shipyard, among others, participate in a groundbreaking for the yard's Dry Dock 4 renovation on Jan. 23. Photo by Shelby West/NNSY
Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Norfolk Naval Shipyard has broken ground for the renovation of its historic Dry Dock 4, the Navy has announced. The renovation is expected to cost $200 million and span nearly three years, the branch said in a press release. Advertisement
It's intended to meet the Navy's needs for submarine overhaul during the 2020s, with the aim of supporting Ohio, Virginia and Columbia-class vessels, as well as meet other needs in the future.
"Today's groundbreaking will ensure this historic dry dock will continue to serve the Navy and nation for the future Navy, just as it has done for the last 100 years," said Assistant Secretary of the Navy research, development and acquisition team James Geurts. "The Navy continues to invest heavily in our naval shipyard workforce and supporting infrastructure to ensure we can continue to support the world's finest naval force now and into the future."
During the renovation, workers will replace two-and-a-half-feet of concrete on the dry dock's floor, as well as two feet from the sidewalls, will restore the pumpwell and will upgrade all mechanical and electrical equipment.
According to the Navy, in a separate $26 million, two-and-a-half-year project, Norfolk Naval Shipyard will also renovate two adjacent buildings that house a storage area and a repair shop.
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The dry dock renovation is the largest initiative in Naval Sea Systems Command's Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program -- a 20-year, $21 billion program dedicated to refurbishing the nation's four public shipyards by modernizing equipment, improving workflow and upgrading dry docks and facilities.
Dry Dock 4 opened in 1919 as one of the first of three dry docks built at NNSY during World War I-era expansion.


upi--2020-01-24--British PM Boris Johnson signs Brexit agreement

Jan. 24 ( UPI ) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday signed the country 's European Union withdrawal agreement , putting the country on the path for a full Brexit by the end of the month .
The Conservative leader hailed it as a `` fantastic moment '' for Britain .
`` We can now move forward as one country -- with a government focused upon delivering better public services , greater opportunity and unleashing the potential of every corner of our brilliant United Kingdom , while building a strong new relationship with the EU as friends and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The signing comes after nearly three years of negotiations in Parliament and the European Union to determine the terms of the withdrawal agreement .
The inability to find consensus among members of Parliament resulted in the resignation of former Prime Minister Theresa May and an early election in December .
Queen Elizabeth gave her approval for the agreement on Thursday .
The paperwork will now be sent to EU leaders for them to sign off on it .
Michel Barnier , the EU 's chief negotiator , and Ursula von der Leyen , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signed the document this week .
`` Things will inevitably change but our friendship will remain , '' Barnier said .
`` We start a new chapter as partners and allies . ''

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the signing was a "fantastic moment" for Britain. Photo courtesy of Boris Johnson/Twitter
Jan. 24 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday signed the country's European Union withdrawal agreement, putting the country on the path for a full Brexit by the end of the month. The Conservative leader hailed it as a "fantastic moment" for Britain. Advertisement
"We can now move forward as one country -- with a government focused upon delivering better public services, greater opportunity and unleashing the potential of every corner of our brilliant United Kingdom, while building a strong new relationship with the EU as friends and sovereign equals," he said.
The signing comes after nearly three years of negotiations in Parliament and the European Union to determine the terms of the withdrawal agreement. The inability to find consensus among members of Parliament resulted in the resignation of former Prime Minister Theresa May and an early election in December.
Queen Elizabeth gave her approval for the agreement on Thursday. The paperwork will now be sent to EU leaders for them to sign off on it.
Michel Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator, and Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Council, also signed the document this week.
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"Things will inevitably change but our friendship will remain," Barnier said. "We start a new chapter as partners and allies."


upi--2020-01-24--New meat-eating dinosaur species found in Utah

Jan. 24 ( UPI ) -- More than two decades after a unique two-legged carnivore was unearthed in Utah 's Dinosaur National Monument , scientists have given the massive carnivore a name .
Scientists announced the newly named Allosaurus jimmadseni in the journal PeerJ on Friday .
The new species , which lived 155 million years ago in what 's now Colorado , Utah and Wyoming , is a member of a group of dinosaurs called allosauroids .
Some allosaurs were small and some were extremely large , but they all walked on two legs and ate meat .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ periods .
The skull and facial features of Allosaurus jimmadseni set the species apart from its relatives .
Low facial crests extended from the dinosaur 's horns , arcing just in front the eyes stretching down the length of its nose .
The back of the allosaur 's head was relatively narrow and its skull was weaker .
Allosaurus jimmadseni would have had less of an overlapping field of vision than closest relative Allosaurus fragilis .
The diversity of allosaurs in North America is an oft debated topic among paleontologists .
Some scientists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ species .
The latest study recognizes only the previously mentioned two .
`` Previously , paleontologists thought there was only one species of Allosaurus in Jurassic North America , but this study shows there were two species -- the newly described Allosaurus jimmadseni evolved at least 5 million years earlier than its younger cousin , Allosaurus fragilis , '' study co-author Mark Loewen , research associate at the Natural History Museum of Utah and associate professor geology and geophysics at the University of Utah , said in a news release .
`` The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ built than its later relative Allosaurus fragilis , suggesting a different feeding behavior between the two . ''
Researchers continue to scour North America 's Morrison Formation for additional evidence of allosaur diversity .
`` Many more exciting fossils await discovery in the Jurassic rocks of the American West , '' said study co-author Daniel Chure , retired paleontologist at Dinosaur National Monument .
The Allosaurus jimmadseni specimen on display at the Natural History Museum of Utah was initially discovered in 1990 .
In 1991 , paleontologists found a second specimen , dubbed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wyoming .
Big Al is currently housed at the Museum of The Rockies in Bozeman , Mont .
`` This exciting new study illustrates the importance of continued paleontological investigations on public lands in the West .
Discovery of this new taxon of dinosaur will provide important information about the life and times of Jurassic dinosaurs and represents another unique component of America 's Heritage , '' said Brent Breithaupt , regional paleontologist with the Bureau of Land Management .

1/2
An illustrations shows a group of Allosaurus jimmadseni dinosaurs swarming a juvenile sauropod. Photo by Todd Marshall
Jan. 24 (UPI) -- More than two decades after a unique two-legged carnivore was unearthed in Utah's Dinosaur National Monument, scientists have given the massive carnivore a name. Scientists announced the newly named Allosaurus jimmadseni in the journal PeerJ on Friday. The new species, which lived 155 million years ago in what's now Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, is a member of a group of dinosaurs called allosauroids. Advertisement
Some allosaurs were small and some were extremely large, but they all walked on two legs and ate meat. The group thrived throughout the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.
The skull and facial features of Allosaurus jimmadseni set the species apart from its relatives. Low facial crests extended from the dinosaur's horns, arcing just in front the eyes stretching down the length of its nose. The back of the allosaur's head was relatively narrow and its skull was weaker. Allosaurus jimmadseni would have had less of an overlapping field of vision than closest relative Allosaurus fragilis.
The diversity of allosaurs in North America is an oft debated topic among paleontologists. Some scientists content there were as many as 12 species. The latest study recognizes only the previously mentioned two.
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"Previously, paleontologists thought there was only one species of Allosaurus in Jurassic North America, but this study shows there were two species -- the newly described Allosaurus jimmadseni evolved at least 5 million years earlier than its younger cousin, Allosaurus fragilis," study co-author Mark Loewen, research associate at the Natural History Museum of Utah and associate professor geology and geophysics at the University of Utah, said in a news release. "The skull of Allosaurus jimmadseni is more lightly built than its later relative Allosaurus fragilis, suggesting a different feeding behavior between the two."
Researchers continue to scour North America's Morrison Formation for additional evidence of allosaur diversity.
"Many more exciting fossils await discovery in the Jurassic rocks of the American West," said study co-author Daniel Chure, retired paleontologist at Dinosaur National Monument.
The Allosaurus jimmadseni specimen on display at the Natural History Museum of Utah was initially discovered in 1990. In 1991, paleontologists found a second specimen, dubbed Big Al, in Jurassic deposits in Wyoming. Big Al is currently housed at the Museum of The Rockies in Bozeman, Mont.
"This exciting new study illustrates the importance of continued paleontological investigations on public lands in the West. Discovery of this new taxon of dinosaur will provide important information about the life and times of Jurassic dinosaurs and represents another unique component of America's Heritage," said Brent Breithaupt, regional paleontologist with the Bureau of Land Management.


upi--2020-01-24--Watch live: President Donald Trump to speak to U.S. mayors

Jan. 24 ( UPI ) -- President Donald Trump will address mayors from across the country Friday at the Transforming @ @ @ @ @ Washington , D.C. His remarks will be streamed live as he concludes the daylong event @ @ @ @ @ Thursday from the World Economic Forum in Davos , Switzerland .
His impeachment trial is @ @ @ @ @ .
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson and Secretary of Health and Human @ @ @ @ @ policymakers who will be available to speak with mayors Friday .
`` About a week @ @ @ @ @ from the White House , '' said St .
Cloud , Minn. , Mayor Dave @ @ @ @ @ wanted to gather some mayors from around the country , so there 's a group @ @ @ @ @ to meet with not only him but some of his cabinet and senior policy folks @ @

President Donald Trump will address a conference of U.S. mayors at the White House on Friday. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
Jan. 24 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump will address mayors from across the country Friday at the Transforming America's Communities forum in Washington, D.C. His remarks will be streamed live as he concludes the daylong event at 4:15 p.m. Trump returned Thursday from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. His impeachment trial is underway in the U.S. Senate. Advertisement
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson and Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar are among policymakers who will be available to speak with mayors Friday.
"About a week ago I got an invitation from the White House," said St. Cloud, Minn., Mayor Dave Kleis. "The president wanted to gather some mayors from around the country, so there's a group of mayors that he invited to meet with not only him but some of his cabinet and senior policy folks."


upi--2020-01-24--Watch: The Boyz share trailer for 'Reveal'

Jan. 24 ( UPI ) -- South Korean boy band The Boyz is gearing up to release its debut studio @ @ @ @ @ shared a trailer for the album , titled Reveal , on Friday .
The teaser @ @ @ @ @ scenes of The Boyz members behind different types of fabric , and shots of broken @ @ @ @ @ .
The Boyz will release Reveal on Feb. 10 .
The group announced its comeback @ @ @ @ @ The Boyz most recently released the holiday song `` White '' in December .
Its @ @ @ @ @ Japanese album Tattoo , debuted in November .
The EP includes a single of the @ @ @ @ @ consists of Sangyeon , Jacob , Younghoon , Hyunjae , Juyeon , Kevin , New @ @ @ @ @ , Sunwoo and Eric , and debuted as a group in 2017 .
The group @ @ @ @ @ `` Boy , '' `` Keeper , '' Bloom Bloom '' and `` D.D.D .
@

Jan. 24 (UPI) -- South Korean boy band The Boyz is gearing up to release its debut studio album.
The K-pop group shared a trailer for the album, titled Reveal, on Friday.
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The teaser features dramatic imagery, including scenes of The Boyz members behind different types of fabric, and shots of broken glass and a moonlit sky.
The Boyz will release Reveal on Feb. 10. The group announced its comeback in a tweet Wednesday.
The Boyz most recently released the holiday song "White" in December. Its most recent EP, the Japanese album Tattoo, debuted in November. The EP includes a single of the same name.
The Boyz consists of Sangyeon, Jacob, Younghoon, Hyunjae, Juyeon, Kevin, New, Q, Ju Haknyeon, Sunwoo and Eric, and debuted as a group in 2017. The group is known for the singles "Boy," "Keeper," Bloom Bloom" and "D.D.D."


upi--2020-01-24--British doctor investigated for unnecessary surgeries

Jan. 24 ( UPI ) -- A doctor in Solihull , England , is under investigation for allegedly conducting unnecessary surgeries , and a hospital contacted 217 former patients for review of their medical procedures .
Dr. Habib Rahman , an orthopedic shoulder specialist , is under investigation by Britain 's General Medical Council .
His patients at Spire Parkway Hospital have been `` recalled , '' or asked to return to the hospital to `` assess whether their care was appropriate , '' after the Royal College of Surgeons completed a probe of Rahman 's diagnoses and surgeries .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ woman , who had two unsuccessful surgeries , was invited back to the hospital for a consultation in which she was told by another orthopedic surgeon that her surgeries were pointless .
`` Not only was I told my surgeries were unnecessary , but that the type of surgery I 'd received from Mr Rahman was n't his specialist field , '' she said .
Rahman 's shoulder surgery practice was restricted in 2018 and suspended in 2019 .
During that time , Spire Healthcare , operators of Spire Parkway Hospital , invited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ independent group that regulates surgery procedures in England , to investigate Rahman 's practice .
The healthcare company was the center of an investigation , ending in 2017 , in which Dr. Ian Patterson , a breast surgeon , was jailed for 20 years after conviction on 17 charges of wounding with intent .
Ten plaintiffs sued Patterson after he conducted `` extensive , life-changing operations for no medically justified reason , '' court papers said , but it is believed hundreds of patients underwent traumatizing and disfiguring surgeries after they were told @ @ @ @

The surgeries of more than 200 patients of Dr. Habib Rahman, an orthopedic surgeon in Solihull, Britain, are under review after accusations the doctor performed unnecessary procedures. Photo by Velela /Wikipedia
Jan. 24 (UPI) -- A doctor in Solihull, England, is under investigation for allegedly conducting unnecessary surgeries, and a hospital contacted 217 former patients for review of their medical procedures. Dr. Habib Rahman, an orthopedic shoulder specialist, is under investigation by Britain's General Medical Council. His patients at Spire Parkway Hospital have been "recalled," or asked to return to the hospital to "assess whether their care was appropriate," after the Royal College of Surgeons completed a probe of Rahman's diagnoses and surgeries. Advertisement
The investigation was revealed after an unnamed woman, who had two unsuccessful surgeries, was invited back to the hospital for a consultation in which she was told by another orthopedic surgeon that her surgeries were pointless.
"Not only was I told my surgeries were unnecessary, but that the type of surgery I'd received from Mr Rahman wasn't his specialist field," she said.
Rahman's shoulder surgery practice was restricted in 2018 and suspended in 2019. During that time, Spire Healthcare, operators of Spire Parkway Hospital, invited the Royal College of Surgeons, an independent group that regulates surgery procedures in England, to investigate Rahman's practice.
The healthcare company was the center of an investigation, ending in 2017, in which Dr. Ian Patterson, a breast surgeon, was jailed for 20 years after conviction on 17 charges of wounding with intent. Ten plaintiffs sued Patterson after he conducted "extensive, life-changing operations for no medically justified reason," court papers said, but it is believed hundreds of patients underwent traumatizing and disfiguring surgeries after they were told they had cancer.


upi--2020-01-24--In photos: Thousands attend annual March for Life abortion protest

President Donald Trump speaks to participants in the march , becoming the first U.S. leader to attend the yearly event @ @ @ @ @

President Donald Trump speaks to participants in the march, becoming the first U.S. leader to attend the yearly event. Photo by Yuri Gripas/UPI


upi--2020-01-24--In photos: Highlights from the week of January 20, 2020 in Washington, D.C.

Anti-abortion protesters rally in the annual March for Life , the U.S. Senate starts the impeachment trial of President Donald @ @ @ @ @ visits the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the federal holiday in honor of the @ @ @ @ @ among the highlights of the week of January 20 , 2020 , in Washington , @ @

Thousands participate in the annual March for Life, which marked the 47th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion. Photo by Yuri Gripas/UPI


upi--2020-01-24--2 dead after explosion, fire at west Houston warehouse

Jan. 24 ( UPI ) -- A powerful explosion at a plastics manufacturing warehouse in Houston killed two people Friday , Houston police Chief Art Acevedo said .
The blast could be felt for miles around the Texas metropolitan area around 4:30 a.m. Acevedo said that though police do n't believe a criminal or terror act is to blame for the explosion , officials launched a criminal investigation .
Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena said investigators are n't sure yet what caused the explosion , although the warehouse owner said it originated from a tank of flammable propylene gas .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ released into the air , so no evacuations were needed , officials said .
Residents were warned to stay away and a hazardous materials team was sent to the site .
The Houston Fire Department said 48 people in the area were sheltered in a nearby church .
The Red Cross was working to establish an overnight shelter .
Two nearby schools were closed for the day and students at other schools were told to stay indoors .
Officials said 18 people self-reported to local hospitals complaining of `` minor injuries '' associated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and cuts .
Aerial news footage showed damaged buildings at the Watson Grinding and Manufacturing , a machining and manufacturing company .

The blast sent debris miles away from the site of the explosion. Photo courtesy of Houston police Chief Art Acevedo/Twitter
Jan. 24 (UPI) -- A powerful explosion at a plastics manufacturing warehouse in Houston killed two people Friday, Houston police Chief Art Acevedo said. The blast could be felt for miles around the Texas metropolitan area around 4:30 a.m. Advertisement
Acevedo said that though police don't believe a criminal or terror act is to blame for the explosion, officials launched a criminal investigation.
Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena said investigators aren't sure yet what caused the explosion, although the warehouse owner said it originated from a tank of flammable propylene gas.
Initial readings indicated no hazardous chemicals were released into the air, so no evacuations were needed, officials said. Residents were warned to stay away and a hazardous materials team was sent to the site.
The Houston Fire Department said 48 people in the area were sheltered in a nearby church. The Red Cross was working to establish an overnight shelter.
Two nearby schools were closed for the day and students at other schools were told to stay indoors.
Officials said 18 people self-reported to local hospitals complaining of "minor injuries" associated with the blast, including breathing problems and cuts.
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Aerial news footage showed damaged buildings at the Watson Grinding and Manufacturing, a machining and manufacturing company.


upi--2020-01-24--Look: Dylan Dreyer's sons share 'incredible' bond

Jan. 24 ( UPI ) -- Dylan Dreyer says her sons , Calvin and Oliver , share an `` incredible '' bond .
The 38-year-old Today meteorologist called in to the show Friday and gave an update on Calvin , 3 , and Oliver , 3 weeks , her sons with husband Brian Fichera .
Dreyer said Calvin loves being a big brother to Oliver , and marveled at the connection between her kids .
`` It 's incredible , '' Dreyer told her co-hosts .
`` I mean , especially in the morning , we wake up and Calvin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wants to hold his hand all the time , but , you know , a 3-year-old is a little not so gentle . ''
`` He takes his arm and wants to give him a high-five and he 's shaking his arm , and I 'm like so worried he 's gon na just break his arm off .
It 's like , 'Gentle , gentle , ' '' she said .
On Thursday , Dreyer introduced baby Oliver to Today co-host Sheinelle Jones .
Dreyer said on Instagram that Jones had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did with Calvin as a baby .
`` Three years ago @ sheinelle_o put a sleep spell on Calvin and she just did it again today with Oliver !
Reunited and it feels so good !
# 3rdhourtodayroomie # goolliego # sleepolliesleep , '' Dreyer captioned the post .
Dreyer gave birth Jan. 2 and said Jan. 10 that she was feeling `` fantastic . ''
She had announced her pregnancy in July after experiencing a miscarriage and secondary infertility .
`` It 's been an emotional journey , '' Dreyer said on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day I was going to start my IVF ...
The doctor calls and says , 'Do n't take anything .
You 're pregnant . '
''

Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Dylan Dreyer says her sons, Calvin and Oliver, share an "incredible" bond.
The 38-year-old Today meteorologist called in to the show Friday and gave an update on Calvin, 3, and Oliver, 3 weeks, her sons with husband Brian Fichera.
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Dreyer said Calvin loves being a big brother to Oliver, and marveled at the connection between her kids.
"It's incredible," Dreyer told her co-hosts. "I mean, especially in the morning, we wake up and Calvin immediately wants to kiss him and he wants to hold his hand all the time, but, you know, a 3-year-old is a little not so gentle."
"He takes his arm and wants to give him a high-five and he's shaking his arm, and I'm like so worried he's gonna just break his arm off. It's like, 'Gentle, gentle,'" she said.
On Thursday, Dreyer introduced baby Oliver to Today co-host Sheinelle Jones. Dreyer said on Instagram that Jones had a soothing effect on Oliver, as she did with Calvin as a baby.
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"Three years ago @sheinelle_o put a sleep spell on Calvin and she just did it again today with Oliver! Reunited and it feels so good! #3rdhourtodayroomie #goolliego #sleepolliesleep," Dreyer captioned the post.
Dreyer gave birth Jan. 2 and said Jan. 10 that she was feeling "fantastic." She had announced her pregnancy in July after experiencing a miscarriage and secondary infertility.
"It's been an emotional journey," Dreyer said on Today at the time. "The day I was going to start my IVF ... The doctor calls and says, 'Don't take anything. You're pregnant.'"


upi--2020-01-24--In photos: Women heads of state from around the world

Katerina Sakellaropoulou , president of Council of State , reacts to the announcement that she has been elected president of @ @ @ @ @ 20 , 2020 .
She is the first female president in Greek history .
Photo @ @ @

Katerina Sakellaropoulou, president of Council of State, reacts to the announcement that she has been elected president of Greece in Athens on January 20, 2020. She is the first female president in Greek history. Photo by Orestis Panagiotou/EPA-EFE


upi--2020-01-24--Look: Kimora Lee Simmons, Gary Leissner adopt 10-year-old son

Jan. 24 ( UPI ) -- Model and fashion designer Kimora Lee Simmons is a mom of five .
Simmons ' rep confirmed Friday that Simmons , 44 , and her husband , Gary Leissner , adopted a 10-year-old boy named Gary .
Simmons and Leissner have another son together , Wolfe , 4 .
Simmons also has two daughters , Ming , 20 , and Aoki , 17 , with her ex-husband , Russell Simmons , and a son , Kenzo , 10 , with her ex-partner Djimon Hounsou .
Simmons ' rep confirmed Gary 's adoption and gave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Weekly .
`` He joins the family as Kimora 's two daughters have gone off to college , '' the rep said .
`` Ming Lee Simmons is a sophomore at NYU , and the next youngest ( daughter Aoki Lee Simmons ) is a freshman at Harvard .
Both have started their college careers and join Kimora as the faces and creative vision behind their newly launched family business , Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons . ''
`` Kimora now has all boys at home .
Gary joins sons Kenzo Lee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rep added .
Simmons had shared a video featuring Gary and her other children earlier this month .
`` Happy new decade !
!
Peace , prosperity , health and happiness to you in 2020 and beyond !
I know all the moms ( and dads ) can identify with the family pic struggle !
This vid aptly sums it up !
# IHadToBribeTheBoyWithCakeToGetThisNonPhoto !
!
! ''
In December , Simmons relaunched Baby Phat , the fashion brand she originally founded with Russell Simmons in 1999 .
Her daughters are partners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ads .
`` Baby Phat gave a lot of women -- especially women of color -- a voice and freedom of expression , '' Simmons said in a press release .
`` Now my girls are grown , and we have the chance to celebrate the Baby Phat lifestyle with not only Gen Xers , but millennials , xennials and centennials that were n't even born the first time around .
Now they get to be a part of that legacy . ''

Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Model and fashion designer Kimora Lee Simmons is a mom of five.
Simmons' rep confirmed Friday that Simmons, 44, and her husband, Gary Leissner, adopted a 10-year-old boy named Gary.
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Simmons and Leissner have another son together, Wolfe, 4. Simmons also has two daughters, Ming, 20, and Aoki, 17, with her ex-husband, Russell Simmons, and a son, Kenzo, 10, with her ex-partner Djimon Hounsou.
Simmons' rep confirmed Gary's adoption and gave an update on the family to Us Weekly.
"He joins the family as Kimora's two daughters have gone off to college," the rep said. "Ming Lee Simmons is a sophomore at NYU, and the next youngest (daughter Aoki Lee Simmons) is a freshman at Harvard. Both have started their college careers and join Kimora as the faces and creative vision behind their newly launched family business, Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons."
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"Kimora now has all boys at home. Gary joins sons Kenzo Lee Hounsou and Wolfe Lee Leissner," the rep added.
Simmons had shared a video featuring Gary and her other children earlier this month.
"Happy new decade!! Peace, prosperity, health and happiness to you in 2020 and beyond! I know all the moms (and dads) can identify with the family pic struggle! This vid aptly sums it up! #IHadToBribeTheBoyWithCakeToGetThisNonPhoto!!!"
In December, Simmons relaunched Baby Phat, the fashion brand she originally founded with Russell Simmons in 1999. Her daughters are partners and also appear in the company's ads.
"Baby Phat gave a lot of women -- especially women of color -- a voice and freedom of expression," Simmons said in a press release. "Now my girls are grown, and we have the chance to celebrate the Baby Phat lifestyle with not only Gen Xers, but millennials, xennials and centennials that weren't even born the first time around. Now they get to be a part of that legacy."


upi--2020-01-24--HHS threatens California over abortion insurance mandate

Jan. 24 ( UPI ) -- The Department of Health and Human Services threatened Friday to cut federal funds to California due to the state 's legal requirement that all insurance providers cover abortions .
The department and Office for Civil Rights notified California that its mandate is illegal because it violates a federal law that shields healthcare providers from discrimination if they choose not to provide coverage .
`` [ California ] can not impose universal abortion coverage mandates on health insurance plans and issuers in violation of federal conscience laws , '' the HHS notice states .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans that did not cover elective abortion , but now must cover abortion due to California 's mandate . ''
The department cited two complaints from religious groups `` whose religious beliefs preclude them , in good conscience , from helping to pay for insurance coverage for elective abortions . ''
Democratic California Gov .
Gavin Newsom said Friday the state wo n't back down .
`` The Trump administration would rather rile up its base to score cheap political points and risk access to care for millions than do what 's right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will continue to protect a woman 's right to choose , and we wo n't back down from defending reproductive freedom for everybody . ''
HHS Secretary Alex Azar has previously called the Trump White House `` the most pro-life administration in this country 's history '' and referred to his agency as `` the Department of Life . ''
At the March for Life rally in Washington Friday , Trump said `` unborn children have never had a stronger defender '' in the White House .
The U.S. Supreme Court is planning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law requiring abortion-providing doctors to hold admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles .
Opponents say it would leave only one qualified doctor in the state of 4.6 million people .
It will be the court 's first major abortion case involving Trump-appointed justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh .

An abortion rights advocate protests at the "Stop Abortion Bans" rally in Los Angeles, Calif., on May 21, 2019. File Photo by Chris Chew/UPI | License Photo
Jan. 24 (UPI) -- The Department of Health and Human Services threatened Friday to cut federal funds to California due to the state's legal requirement that all insurance providers cover abortions. The department and Office for Civil Rights notified California that its mandate is illegal because it violates a federal law that shields healthcare providers from discrimination if they choose not to provide coverage. Advertisement
"[California] cannot impose universal abortion coverage mandates on health insurance plans and issuers in violation of federal conscience laws," the HHS notice states. "California has deprived over 28,000 people of plans that did not cover elective abortion, but now must cover abortion due to California's mandate."
The department cited two complaints from religious groups "whose religious beliefs preclude them, in good conscience, from helping to pay for insurance coverage for elective abortions."
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday the state won't back down.
"The Trump administration would rather rile up its base to score cheap political points and risk access to care for millions than do what's right," he said.
"California will continue to protect a woman's right to choose, and we won't back down from defending reproductive freedom for everybody."
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HHS Secretary Alex Azar has previously called the Trump White House "the most pro-life administration in this country's history" and referred to his agency as "the Department of Life." At the March for Life rally in Washington Friday, Trump said "unborn children have never had a stronger defender" in the White House.
The U.S. Supreme Court is planning this term to review a 2014 Louisiana law requiring abortion-providing doctors to hold admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles. Opponents say it would leave only one qualified doctor in the state of 4.6 million people. It will be the court's first major abortion case involving Trump-appointed justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.


upi--2020-01-24--Lil Wayne teases new album 'Funeral'

Lil Wayne teases new album 'Funeral'

Jan. 24 ( UPI ) -- Lil Wayne released on Instagram a teaser for his upcoming album Funeral which will @ @ @ @ @ The teaser , posted on Friday , features the album 's font with a white @ @ @ @ @ a song plays .
`` Welcome to the funeral .
Closed casket as usual , @ @ @ @ @ teaser .
Funeral is the rapper 's 13th studio album and follows the 2018 release @ @ @ @ @ topped the U.S. album charts .
Wayne has not announced how many tracks will be @ @ @ @ @ it will contain any guest appearances .
Wayne 's official website allows fans to pre-order @ @ @ @ @ Funeral-branded merchandise .

Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Lil Wayne released on Instagram a teaser for his upcoming album Funeral which will be released next Friday.
The teaser, posted on Friday, features the album's font with a white background as a snippet of a song plays.
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"Welcome to the funeral. Closed casket as usual," Wayne says during the teaser.
Funeral is the rapper's 13th studio album and follows the 2018 release of Tha Carter V which topped the U.S. album charts.
Wayne has not announced how many tracks will be featured on Funeral or if it will contain any guest appearances.
Wayne's official website allows fans to pre-order the new album or buy Funeral-branded merchandise.


upi--2020-01-25--Watch live: Astronauts start spacewalk for Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer repairs

Jan. 25 ( UPI ) -- NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan and European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano exited the International Space Station to finish repairs on the space station 's Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer , or AMS .
Morgan and Parmitano switched their spacesuits to battery power at 7:04 a.m .
ET on Saturday , exiting the Quest airlock around 7:15 a.m .
ET .
The duo will spend six hours and thirty minutes outside the International Space Station .
`` They will finalize the complex thermal repairs on the AMS , a dark matter and antimatter detector , installed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' according to NASA .
Saturday 's spacewalk is being broadcast live by NASA TV , which can be streamed online .
Cosmologists and astrophysicists suspect most of the matter in the universe is made up of dark matter , but scientists do n't know what exactly dark matter is .
AMS is an experimental device designed to detect antimatter in cosmic rays and help scientists solve the mystery of dark matter 's composition .
When engineers designed the device , they did n't conceive of in-service repairs .
But the technology 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the experiment to continue .
Morgan and Parmitano began repairs on AMS during a pair of spacewalks in November .
On Saturday , the duo will finish the work they started .
Though Morgan and Parmitano will be alone outside the space station on Saturday , they wo n't be without help .
`` Meir and Koch will operate the Canadarm2 robotic arm carefully making fine-tuned maneuvers to assist the spacewalkers at the AMS worksite , '' according to NASA .

Jan. 25 (UPI) -- NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan and European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano completed repairs on the International Space Station's Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on Saturday during the third spacewalk of the year.
The duo spent a little over 6 hours during the mission, earning Parmitano the European record for longest cumulative spacewalking time.
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"We did it. We all did it," Morgan said at the completion of the mission.
The two astronauts switched their spacesuits to battery power at 7:04 a.m. EST, exiting the Quest airlock around 7:15 a.m. EST. The duo came back inside the International Space Station at 1:20 p.m. EST.
"During the 6 hour, 16 minute spacewalk, the two astronauts successfully completed leak checks for the cooling system on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) and opened a valve to being pressurizing the system. Preliminary testing shows AMS is responding as expected," NASA said.
Saturday's spacewalk was broadcast live by NASA TV.
Though Morgan and Parmitano were alone outside the space station on Saturday, they weren't without help.
"Meir and Koch will operate the Canadarm2 robotic arm carefully making fine-tuned maneuvers to assist the spacewalkers at the AMS worksite," referring to fellow astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch.
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Upon leaving the ISS, Morgan and Parmitano were assisted to their worksite by the Canadarm2. After checking for leaks, the two spacewalkers began their repair work.
Cosmologists and astrophysicists suspect most of the matter in the universe is made up of dark matter, but scientists don't know what exactly dark matter is. The AMS is an experimental device designed to detect antimatter in cosmic rays and help scientists solve the mystery of dark matter's composition.
When engineers designed the device, they didn't conceive of in-service repairs. But the technology's cooling component needs to be replaced for the experiment to continue.
Morgan and Parmitano began repairs on the AMS during a pair of spacewalks in November. NASA scientists hope Saturday's efforts to complete the repairs will extend the AMS' scientific mission through 2030.