upi--2020-01-14--Leonardo nets $176.5M for 32 TH-37A helicopters for Navy

Jan. 14 ( UPI ) -- Leonardo subsidiary AgustaWestland will deliver 32 advanced helicopters for the U.S. Navy per a $ 176.5 million announced this week by the Department of Defense .
The deal , announced Monday by the Pentagon , is a base-year contract coming under a total $ 648.1 million contract for 130 of the aircraft to be delivered through 2024 , starting this year .
The new helicopters will replace the 35-year-old TH-57 , which Navy officials say have become more difficult to maintain because of their age , in addition to their lacking modern cockpit avionics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ train with .
`` Today marks a great team effort to procure and deliver a helicopter trainer for the next generation of helicopter and tilt-rotor pilots for the Navy , Marine Corps , and Coast Guard , '' said James F. Geurts , assistant secretary of the Navy for research , development and acquisition .
`` I 'm proud of the aggressive work the team did to leverage the commercial industrial base to get this capability to the warfighters , and our nation , at the best value to the taxpayer .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our Naval Aviators for decades to come . ''
The contract , which was awarded through a competitive process and received five bids , funds the production of new TH-37A helicopters , which will meet advanced rotary wing requirements for the Navy as well as the Marine Corps and Coast Guard through 2050 .
The deal also funds production of spare parts , support equipment and pilot and maintenance personnel training .
`` The new Leonardo TH-73A helicopters are the cornerstone of AHTS , which is the planned replacement to address the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aging TH-57 Sea Ranger helicopter training platform , '' said Capt .
Todd St. Laurent , Naval Undergraduate Flight Training Systems Program Manager .
`` The TH-73A will provide a modern helicopter training platform that will serve rotary and tiltrotor training requirements into the foreseeable future .
These new helicopters will ensure the Navy has capacity to train several hundred aviation students per year at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton , Florida . ''
The bulk of production work will take place with AgustaWestland 's worksite in Philadelphia , with some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Texas , and some at locations outside the continental United States .

TH-57 Sea Ranger helicopters assigned to Training Air Wing 5 sit on the flightline at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton, Fla. The Navy has awarded a contract for the first 32 TH-37As, which will replace the 35-year-old aircraft. Photo by Michelle Tucker/U.S. Navy
Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Leonardo subsidiary AgustaWestland will deliver 32 advanced helicopters for the U.S. Navy per a $176.5 million announced this week by the Department of Defense. The deal, announced Monday by the Pentagon, is a base-year contract coming under a total $648.1 million contract for 130 of the aircraft to be delivered through 2024, starting this year. Advertisement
The new helicopters will replace the 35-year-old TH-57, which Navy officials say have become more difficult to maintain because of their age, in addition to their lacking modern cockpit avionics and other performance capabilities pilots need to train with.
"Today marks a great team effort to procure and deliver a helicopter trainer for the next generation of helicopter and tilt-rotor pilots for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard," said James F. Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition. "I'm proud of the aggressive work the team did to leverage the commercial industrial base to get this capability to the warfighters, and our nation, at the best value to the taxpayer. This effort is key to ensure the readiness of our Naval Aviators for decades to come."
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The contract, which was awarded through a competitive process and received five bids, funds the production of new TH-37A helicopters, which will meet advanced rotary wing requirements for the Navy as well as the Marine Corps and Coast Guard through 2050.
The deal also funds production of spare parts, support equipment and pilot and maintenance personnel training.
"The new Leonardo TH-73A helicopters are the cornerstone of AHTS, which is the planned replacement to address the capability and capacity gaps of the current aging TH-57 Sea Ranger helicopter training platform," said Capt. Todd St. Laurent, Naval Undergraduate Flight Training Systems Program Manager. "The TH-73A will provide a modern helicopter training platform that will serve rotary and tiltrotor training requirements into the foreseeable future. These new helicopters will ensure the Navy has capacity to train several hundred aviation students per year at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton, Florida."
The bulk of production work will take place with AgustaWestland's worksite in Philadelphia, with some work also taking place at Mineral Wells, Texas, and some at locations outside the continental United States.


upi--2020-01-14--'King of the Wire' to walk over active volcano in Nicaragua

Jan. 14 ( UPI ) -- Nik Wallenda said Tuesday he will become the first person to walk a high wire directly over an active volcano .
Wallenda , who has been nicknamed `` King of the Wire , '' told Good Morning America he will walk over the Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua on March 4 .
The 1,800-foot long walk described as his highest ever attempted will air live as part of a two-hour `` Volcano Live !
with Nik Wallenda '' special at 8 p.m. on ABC .
Wallenda previously broke a Guinness World Record over the summer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tightrope in a Canadian city 30 feet over the ground in about 30 minutes .
He has also walked 25 stories above Time Square , faced what he described as the `` intimidating roar of falls '' and `` blinding mist '' as he made an 1,800-foot long trek 170 feet above Niagara Falls , and walked a wire 1,500 feet above an Arizona gorge near the Grand Canyon without a harness .
Wallenda , who first stepped onto a high wire at age 2 , and is a seventh generation wire walker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acrobats , said the upcoming stunt will be his most dangerous yet .
He described the walk over an active volcano in GMA interview as `` everything that I 've ever done times 10 . ''
Wallenda added that he will face sulfuric gases , which are so thick that he ca n't breathe through them , so he is training with a gas mask , and he is also training with a blindfold in case he ca n't see .
`` It has been a dream of mine for a long time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my life about trying to inspire others , and in order to do that I have to push myself beyond my comfort zone , and that 's what I 'm doing , '' he said .

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Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Nik Wallenda said Tuesday he will become the first person to walk a high wire directly over an active volcano.
Wallenda, who has been nicknamed "King of the Wire," told Good Morning America he will walk over the Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua on March 4. The 1,800-foot long walk described as his highest ever attempted will air live as part of a two-hour "Volcano Live! with Nik Wallenda" special at 8 p.m. on ABC.
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Wallenda previously broke a Guinness World Record over the summer when he walked 1,808 feet across a tightrope in a Canadian city 30 feet over the ground in about 30 minutes.
He has also walked 25 stories above Time Square, faced what he described as the "intimidating roar of falls" and "blinding mist" as he made an 1,800-foot long trek 170 feet above Niagara Falls, and walked a wire 1,500 feet above an Arizona gorge near the Grand Canyon without a harness.
Wallenda, who first stepped onto a high wire at age 2, and is a seventh generation wire walker from the famed Flying Wallendas family of acrobats, said the upcoming stunt will be his most dangerous yet.
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He described the walk over an active volcano in GMA interview as "everything that I've ever done times 10."
Wallenda added that he will face sulfuric gases, which are so thick that he can't breathe through them, so he is training with a gas mask, and he is also training with a blindfold in case he can't see.
"It has been a dream of mine for a long time and, of course, I live my life about trying to inspire others, and in order to do that I have to push myself beyond my comfort zone, and that's what I'm doing," he said.


upi--2020-01-14--Microsoft ends support for Windows 7 after 10 years

Jan. 14 ( UPI ) -- Software giant Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 7 on Tuesday , bringing a long-awaited technical close to the 10-year-old operating system .
Microsoft has been warning users for months it would cease support on Jan. 14 , even with a third of all personal computer users still running Windows 7 .
Windows 10 , which the company said has 900 million users , only recently surpassed Windows 7 in market share .
`` While you could continue to use your PC running Windows 7 , without continued software and security updates , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and malware , '' Microsoft said .
Microsoft ended help with warranties and non-security updates for the software about five years ago as it started to point users toward its newest operating system , Windows 10 .
The company agreed to provide basic services for certain businesses still running Windows 7 -- like hospitals and banks , which store sensitive customer information -- until Tuesday .
Windows 7 launched in 2009 and outlasted its immediate replacement , Windows 8 , and predecessor Windows XP .
With support no longer available , Microsoft is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ latest version of Windows 10 .

Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system was introduced in 2009 and outlasted both Windows XP and Windows 8. File Photo by Alexis C. Glenn/UPI | License Photo
Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Software giant Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 7 on Tuesday, bringing a long-awaited technical close to the 10-year-old operating system. Microsoft has been warning users for months it would cease support on Jan. 14, even with a third of all personal computer users still running Windows 7. Advertisement
Windows 10, which the company said has 900 million users, only recently surpassed Windows 7 in market share.
"While you could continue to use your PC running Windows 7, without continued software and security updates, it will be at greater risk for viruses and malware," Microsoft said.
Microsoft ended help with warranties and non-security updates for the software about five years ago as it started to point users toward its newest operating system, Windows 10. The company agreed to provide basic services for certain businesses still running Windows 7 -- like hospitals and banks, which store sensitive customer information -- until Tuesday.
Windows 7 launched in 2009 and outlasted its immediate replacement, Windows 8, and predecessor Windows XP. With support no longer available, Microsoft is now encouraging users to update to the latest version of Windows 10.
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upi--2020-01-15--Former Stormy Daniels attorney Michael Avenatti arrested by IRS agents

Jan. 15 ( UPI ) -- Attorney Michael Avenatti , who formerly represented an adult film star in a complaint against President Donald Trump , has been arrested by federal agents at a California courthouse for violating his bail , authorities said .
Avenatti -- an outspoken advocate who became widely known in 2018 for representing Stormy Daniels , and a vocal opponent of Trump 's -- was arrested Tuesday night by agents of the Internal Revenue Service during a disciplinary hearing in Los Angeles .
Avenatti is scheduled to appear in a Santa Ana , Calif. , federal courtroom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jail .
The disciplinary hearing sought to determine whether Avenatti should be placed on `` involuntary inactive status '' over accusations he misappropriated nearly $ 840,000 from a former client .
The California State Bar has asked a judge to block Avenatti from practicing law , believing he poses a `` threat of substantial harm to the public . ''
The authority has also filed a separate case seeking to have Avenatti disbarred .
During a break in the procedure , IRS agents entered and took Avenetti into custody -- authorities said for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a case that charges him with federal extortion , fraud and embezzlement .
In that case , filed last year , prosecutors in New York and California say Avenatti stole millions of dollars from clients , including Daniels , and tried to extort more than $ 20 million from shoe maker Nike by threatening to publicize claims it made payments to high school basketball players ' families .
Avenatti has denied the charges and pleaded not guilty in court .
He was free on a $ 300,000 bond while awaiting trial , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Daniels received $ 130,000 from former Trump attorney Michael Cohen , purportedly to keep quiet about an extramarital affair she 'd had with Trump .
The scandal resulted in a conviction for Cohen on campaign finance charges , because he made the hush-money payment prior to the 2016 presidential election .

Attorney Michael Avenatti will appear in a California court Wednesday after spending the night in jail. File photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Attorney Michael Avenatti, who formerly represented an adult film star in a complaint against President Donald Trump, has been arrested by federal agents at a California courthouse for violating his bail, authorities said. Avenatti -- an outspoken advocate who became widely known in 2018 for representing Stormy Daniels, and a vocal opponent of Trump's -- was arrested Tuesday night by agents of the Internal Revenue Service during a disciplinary hearing in Los Angeles. Advertisement
Avenatti is scheduled to appear in a Santa Ana, Calif., federal courtroom Wednesday after he spent the night in jail.
The disciplinary hearing sought to determine whether Avenatti should be placed on "involuntary inactive status" over accusations he misappropriated nearly $840,000 from a former client. The California State Bar has asked a judge to block Avenatti from practicing law, believing he poses a "threat of substantial harm to the public." The authority has also filed a separate case seeking to have Avenatti disbarred.
During a break in the procedure, IRS agents entered and took Avenetti into custody -- authorities said for violating the terms of his bail in a case that charges him with federal extortion, fraud and embezzlement.
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In that case, filed last year, prosecutors in New York and California say Avenatti stole millions of dollars from clients, including Daniels, and tried to extort more than $20 million from shoe maker Nike by threatening to publicize claims it made payments to high school basketball players' families.
Avenatti has denied the charges and pleaded not guilty in court. He was free on a $300,000 bond while awaiting trial, which is scheduled for May.
In 2018, Daniels received $130,000 from former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, purportedly to keep quiet about an extramarital affair she'd had with Trump. The scandal resulted in a conviction for Cohen on campaign finance charges, because he made the hush-money payment prior to the 2016 presidential election.


upi--2020-01-15--Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch to star in CW's 'Superman & Lois'

Jan. 15 ( UPI ) -- Teen Wolf actor Tyler Hoechlin and Grimm actress Elizabeth Tulloch are to play the @ @ @ @ @ Lois , a new show set in The CW 's Arrowverse .
The actors have @ @ @ @ @ DC Comics superhero and his journalist wife in the network 's Crisis on Infinite Earths @ @ @ @ @ now star in their own Greg Berlanti-produced show where `` they deal with all the @ @ @ @ @ that come with being working parents in today 's society , '' a press release @ @ @ @ @ to @ gberlanti , Warner Brothers , DC Comics , CW et al for believing @ @ @ @ @ series !
I 'm with @ tylerhoechlin right now and we are freaking out !
@ @ @ @ @ This will be the first time a series has focused on Clark Kent/Superman since Smallville @ @ @ @ @ the air in 2011 after 10 seasons .
Lois & Clark , featuring Dean Cain @ @ @ @ @ four seasons from 1993 to 1997 .

Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Teen Wolf actor Tyler Hoechlin and Grimm actress Elizabeth Tulloch are to play the title characters in Superman & Lois, a new show set in The CW's Arrowverse.
The actors have already appeared as the iconic DC Comics superhero and his journalist wife in the network's Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event.
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They will now star in their own Greg Berlanti-produced show where "they deal with all the stress, pressures and complexities that come with being working parents in today's society," a press release said.
SUPERMAN & LOIS will soar into action on @TheCW Head here for more on the upcoming series: https://t.co/2X88951Gpj #DCTV pic.twitter.com/gwOoymN8bj— Superman (@DCSuperman) January 14, 2020
Tulloch celebrated the news on Instagram.
"So grateful to @gberlanti, Warner Brothers, DC Comics, CW et al for believing in us. Straight to series! I'm with @tylerhoechlin right now and we are freaking out!" the actress posted.
This will be the first time a series has focused on Clark Kent/Superman since Smallville starring Tom Welling went off the air in 2011 after 10 seasons.
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Lois & Clark, featuring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher, ran four seasons from 1993 to 1997.


upi--2020-01-15--Comedy Central orders Season 2 of Awkwafina's 'Nora from Queens'

Jan. 15 ( UPI ) -- Comedy Central has renewed Awkwafina is Nora from Queens for a second season ahead @ @ @ @ @ Jan. 22 premiere .
Co-starring B.D .
Wong , Lori Tan Chinn and Bowen Yang @ @ @ @ @ by Awkwafina 's real life with her close-knit family in New York City .
`` @ @ @ @ @ Awkwafina 's creative genius on every level and we could not be more excited to @ @ @ @ @ with the entire Lin family in Awkwafina is Nora From Queens , '' Sarah Babineau @ @ @ @ @ cable network 's co-heads of original content , said in a joint statement Tuesday .
@ @ @ @ @ a rapper , comedian and actress known for her roles in Jumanji : The Next @ @ @ @ @ and Ocean 's 8 .
She won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a @ @ @ @ @ this month for her performance in The Farewell and is a contender for this year @ @ @ @ @ .

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Comedy Central has already renewed the soon-to-debut "Awkwafina is Nora from Queens" for a second season. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Comedy Central has renewed Awkwafina is Nora from Queens for a second season ahead of the sitcom's planned Jan. 22 premiere. Co-starring B.D. Wong, Lori Tan Chinn and Bowen Yang, the show is inspired by Awkwafina's real life with her close-knit family in New York City. Advertisement
"We are in awe of Awkwafina's creative genius on every level and we could not be more excited to embark on a Season 2 with the entire Lin family in Awkwafina is Nora From Queens," Sarah Babineau and Jonas Larsen, the cable network's co-heads of original content, said in a joint statement Tuesday.
Awkwafina, 31, is a rapper, comedian and actress known for her roles in Jumanji: The Next Level, Crazy Rich Asians and Ocean's 8.
She won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical Film earlier this month for her performance in The Farewell and is a contender for this year's BAFTA Rising Star Award.


upi--2020-01-15--Watch live: President Donald Trump, Chinese officials set to meet, sign 'phase one' trade deal

Jan. 15 ( UPI ) -- A delegation of Chinese officials will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday in an event that will culminate with the signing of a `` phase one '' trade agreement , which is aimed at ultimately settling a conflict that 's lasted for more than a year .
The agreement , negotiated for weeks , will loosen some of the U.S. tariffs on Chinese products sent to the United States , and increase purchases of U.S. goods by Beijing .
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He will lead the delegation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scheduled the signing ceremony for 11:30 a.m. EST .
`` They have agreed to many structural changes and massive purchases of Agricultural Product , Energy , and Manufactured Goods , plus much more , '' Trump said last month in announcing the agreement .
The White House said the deal `` achieves progress on a number of critical fronts , '' including intellectual property , technology transfer , agriculture , financial services , and currency and foreign exchange .
The administration also called the agreement the first steps to provide `` protections for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the deal wo n't be signed until Wednesday , one provision took effect last month .
The United States refrained from imposing a new set of tariffs on more than $ 150 billion worth of Chinese products .
They were set to take effect Dec. 15 .
The `` phase one '' deal also cuts in half additional tariffs on about $ 110 billion in other items .
Some Chinese taxes on exports to the United States , however , will remain in place -- such as a 25 percent tariff for many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump has said Beijing is paying those taxes , but studies have indicated they are being absorbed by American businesses .
The U.S.-China trade conflict is now in its second year , marked by multiple rounds of tariffs that affected hundreds of billions of dollars worth of exports going both ways .

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U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He hold the "phase one" trade deal between the United States and China they signed Wednesday in the East Room of the White House. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
Jan. 15 (UPI) -- After a year and a half of stalemate, tariffs affecting billions of dollars worth of products and failed negotiations, President Donald Trump signed a partial trade agreement with Chinese leaders Wednesday in the first step to what both parties hope will be a full resolution of the 18-month feud. Trump welcomed Beijing's delegation, led by Vice Premier Liu He, for the signing ceremony in the East Room of the White House. The "phase one" agreement loosens some U.S. tariffs against China and secures new purchases of American-made items for Beijing. Advertisement
Liu and Trump took turns signing the documents after weeks of negotiations.
Trump hailed the deal as a step toward a "future of fair and reciprocal trade" and called it a "historic" agreement.
"Together, we are righting the wrongs of the past and delivering a future of economic Justice and security for American workers farmers and families," the president added.
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Liu said the pact benefits both sides.
"This is a win-win agreement," he said. "It will bring about stable economic growth, promote world peace and prosperity, and is in the interest of producers, consumers and investors in both countries."
The vice premier also delivered a message from Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"The conclusion of the phase one agreement is good for China, the United States and the whole world," the leader wrote. "It also shows that our two countries have the ability to act on the basis of equality and mutual respect and can work through dialogue and consultation to properly handle and effectively resolve relevant issues."
U.S. markets surged before and after Wednesday's agreement. At one point, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had risen 160 points. By 1:30 p.m. EST, it was up 94 points.
At the ceremony, Trump credited a long list of officials for the deal's success, including U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, White House adviser Jared Kushner and chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow.
The White House said the deal "achieves progress on a number of critical fronts," including intellectual property, technology transfer, agriculture, financial services, and currency and foreign exchange. The administration also called the agreement the first steps to provide "protections for American innovators and inventors."
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Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, however, said it provides a small return for Americans.
"China is the big winner of Trump's 'phase-one' trade deal with Beijing," he said. "True to form, Trump is getting precious little in return for the significant pain and uncertainty he has imposed on our economy, farmers, and workers.
"The deal won't actually resolve the real issues at the heart of the dispute."
One provision of the deal went into effect last month. The United States refrained from imposing a new set of tariffs on Dec. 15 that would have taxed more than $150 billion worth of Chinese products. Wednesday's agreement also cuts in half additional tariffs for about $110 billion in other items.
Some Chinese taxes on exports to the United States, however, will remain in place -- such as a 25 percent tariff for many assembly components bought by U.S. factories. Trump has said Beijing is paying those taxes, but studies have indicated they are being absorbed by American farmers and businesses.
"While phase one makes incremental progress, it remains to be seen whether it will deliver any meaningful relief for farmers like me," Farmers for Free Trade spokeswoman and wheat farmer Michelle Erickson-Jones said in a statement. "This deal does not end retaliatory tariffs on American farm exports, makes American farmers increasingly reliant on Chinese state-controlled purchases and doesn't address the big structural changes the trade war was predicated on achieving.
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"The promises of lofty purchases are encouraging but farmers like me will believe it when we see it. ... In the meantime, the administration should waste no time in returning to the negotiating table and reaching an agreement that ends the trade war for good."


upi--2020-01-15--'Jeopardy!': Ken Jennings crowned greatest of all time

Jan. 15 ( UPI ) -- Ken Jennings won the Jeopardy !
: The Greatest of All Time competition , taking home the $ 1 million cash prize .
Jennings won his third game of the competition on Tuesday , defeating fellow Jeopardy !
greats James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter .
Holzhauer had won one previous game before and came within striking distance of Jennings until the Final Jeopardy !
round which dealt with Shakespeare 's tragedies .
Jennings , 45 , was the only contestant to answer the final question correctly , sealing his victory .
Jennings also received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Holzhauer and Rutter each received $ 250,000 .
Rutter 's Final Jeopardy !
answer paid homage to host Alex Trebek with the contestant writing in , `` You 're the best Alex ! ''
`` I 'm just shellshocked , I 'm like bewildered .
After finishing second place in three or four of these , I just kind of thought I missed my prime , '' Jennings said afterwards about not winning previous Jeopardy !
tournaments .
Trebek is battling Stage 4 pancreatic cancer and said in December that he has rehearsed @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Ken Jennings won the Jeopardy!: The Greatest of All Time competition, taking home the $1 million cash prize.
Jennings won his third game of the competition on Tuesday, defeating fellow Jeopardy! greats James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter.
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Holzhauer had won one previous game before and came within striking distance of Jennings until the Final Jeopardy! round which dealt with Shakespeare's tragedies.
Jennings, 45, was the only contestant to answer the final question correctly, sealing his victory. Jennings also received a greatest of all time trophy while Holzhauer and Rutter each received $250,000.
Rutter's Final Jeopardy! answer paid homage to host Alex Trebek with the contestant writing in, "You're the best Alex!"
"I'm just shellshocked, I'm like bewildered. After finishing second place in three or four of these, I just kind of thought I missed my prime," Jennings said afterwards about not winning previous Jeopardy! tournaments.
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Trebek is battling Stage 4 pancreatic cancer and said in December that he has rehearsed his final goodbye on the show.


upi--2020-01-15--Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Richard Madden to co-star in Amazon's 'Citadel'

Jan. 15 ( UPI ) -- Quantico actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Game of Thrones alum Richard Madden have landed @ @ @ @ @ Amazon Prime drama , Citadel .
Joe and Anthony Russo of Captain America and Avengers @ @ @ @ @ U.S. flagship show in the international , interconnected , multi-series universe of Citadel .
`` @ @ @ @ @ back to TV and we 're trying to remain calm .
Get ready for Citadel @ @ @ @ @ Priyanka Chopra , '' the Amazon Prime Twitter feed said Tuesday .
In addition to @ @ @ @ @ Russo Brothers are known for their work on the TV shows Arrested Development , Community @ @ @ @ @ spin-offs are also in the works in Mexico , Italy and India .
They will @ @ @ @ @ .
A press release announcing the casting and producers for the U.S. part of the @ @ @ @ @ the show is about or when it will take place .
Deadline.com described it as @ @ @ @ @ `` action-packed spy series . ''

Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Quantico actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Game of Thrones alum Richard Madden have landed lead roles in the new Amazon Prime drama, Citadel.
The Russo Brothers are coming back to TV and we're trying to remain calm. Get ready for Citadel, starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra. pic.twitter.com/mzlPkdkGut— Prime Video (@PrimeVideo) January 14, 2020 Advertisement
Joe and Anthony Russo of Captain America and Avengers fame are executive producing the U.S. flagship show in the international, interconnected, multi-series universe of Citadel.
"The Russo Brothers are coming back to TV and we're trying to remain calm. Get ready for Citadel, starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra," the Amazon Prime Twitter feed said Tuesday.
In addition to their superhero blockbusters, the Russo Brothers are known for their work on the TV shows Arrested Development, Community and Deadly Class.
Citadel spin-offs are also in the works in Mexico, Italy and India. They will feature local casts and languages.
A press release announcing the casting and producers for the U.S. part of the franchise did not say what the show is about or when it will take place.


upi--2020-01-15--Sound bites and slogans don't make good strategy in Iran

BUCHAREST , Romania , Jan. 15 ( UPI ) -- The confrontation between the United States and Iran and the controversy over the assassination of Qassem Soleimani are incontrovertible evidence that sound bites and slogans do not make good strategy .
Regarding the former standoff with Iran , why does the United States continue to use the 1979 `` student '' takeover of the American Embassy in Tehran in which 54 American citizens were held hostage for 444 day as rationale to consider Iran an enemy ?
The United States reconciled with a Vietnam that killed 58,000 Americans during that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump wrongly continue to accuse the Obama administration of `` giving '' Iran many billions of dollars in exchange for signing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ?
The sound bite and slogan regarding Soleimani is that he was an evil man with the blood of hundreds of Americans on his hands .
Hence , his killing was justified , regardless of the `` imminence '' of any attack .
Joseph Stalin , who was vital ally in World War II ; Mao Zedong , against whom we fought a war in Korea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Un were far more brutal and evil .
But we chose not to assassinate any of them .
Richard Nixon , the great anti-communist , went to China and signed two arms-control deals with the evil empire , the USSR , and Trump has `` fallen in love '' with the last of that trio .
Further , who in the U.S. government had the authority to declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps , an arm of the Iranian government , a terrorist organization ?
We never declared the Communist Parties of Red @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including the KGB and GRU , who actively killed enemies of the state in foreign countries .
The answer is that the State Department made that claim when in fact the responsibility should be Congress ' .
And if killing Soleimani was justified , why then not go after Iran 's supreme leader , who is responsible for the IRGC ?
The point is that these sound bites and slogans are dangerously superficial substitutes for analysis and reason and , of course , for considering the consequences of any action .
While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his death managed to unite a divided Iran and Iraq against the United States , nearly precipitated an escalation of violence and deferred a further crisis that almost certainly will reoccur .
That the United States recognized Vietnam and China and sees Iran as a grave threat because of its `` malevolent '' intentions in the region is baffling .
The Obama administration at least tried to improve relations through the JCPOA .
But its Defense Department with its `` four plus one '' strategy in which the United States must deter -- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Russia , North Korea and Iran while still fighting violent extremism maintained Tehran as an enemy .
Before 1979 , Iran under the shah was an ally , along with Saudi Arabia , in the Nixon `` two pillar '' policy designed to deter Soviet aggression against the vital Gulf oil supplies .
Yes , Iran supports Hezbollah and is engaged throughout the region opposing Israel and the Saudis .
But given the threat of radical Islam , Iran has common interests with us .
Unfortunately , radicalism does not have the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in binding Iran with the West and its neighbors against Moscow .
So the sound bite of the world 's greatest supporter of terror persists .
Last , Trump continues to lie or ignore the facts about Iran 's oil revenues .
About oil , the West froze some $ 50 billion in Iranian funds in offshore banks as part of sanctions .
This was and is Iran 's money .
It was returned .
The bulk of that money went to paying off past debts .
At the same time , Iran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for some $ 400 million it had prepaid for U.S. weapons systems prior to the Shah 's overthrow in 1979 that had never been delivered .
The court ordered the United States to return the money and to pay interest until it was repaid .
In 2015 , that interest and principal amounted to about $ 1.7 billion Washington legally owed .
That payment took place after the signing of the JCPOA .
And U.S. taxpayers were relieved of those odious but legal interest payments .
Little of this is in the public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of these issues , sound bites and slogans will continue to dominate strategy .
American should not wonder then why many of our policies this century have failed .
And there is little prospect this will improve even if a different administration takes office .
Harlan Ullman is UPI 's Arnaud de Borchgrave Distinguished columnist and a senior adviser at the Atlantic Council .
He was a professor of military strategy at the National War College and the Naval War College .
His latest book is `` Anatomy of Failure : Why America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Follow him @ harlankullman .

Thousands of Iranian mourners gathered around the coffins of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Commander Qassem Soleimani to pay tribute during his funeral in Tehran on January 6. Photo by Majid Asgaripour/UPI | License Photo
BUCHAREST, Romania, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- The confrontation between the United States and Iran and the controversy over the assassination of Qassem Soleimani are incontrovertible evidence that sound bites and slogans do not make good strategy. Regarding the former standoff with Iran, why does the United States continue to use the 1979 "student" takeover of the American Embassy in Tehran in which 54 American citizens were held hostage for 444 day as rationale to consider Iran an enemy? Advertisement
The United States reconciled with a Vietnam that killed 58,000 Americans during that war. And why does President Donald Trump wrongly continue to accuse the Obama administration of "giving" Iran many billions of dollars in exchange for signing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action?
The sound bite and slogan regarding Soleimani is that he was an evil man with the blood of hundreds of Americans on his hands. Hence, his killing was justified, regardless of the "imminence" of any attack. Joseph Stalin, who was vital ally in World War II; Mao Zedong, against whom we fought a war in Korea; and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un were far more brutal and evil. But we chose not to assassinate any of them. Richard Nixon, the great anti-communist, went to China and signed two arms-control deals with the evil empire, the USSR, and Trump has "fallen in love" with the last of that trio.
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Further, who in the U.S. government had the authority to declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, an arm of the Iranian government, a terrorist organization? We never declared the Communist Parties of Red China or the Soviet Union as terrorists, including the KGB and GRU, who actively killed enemies of the state in foreign countries. The answer is that the State Department made that claim when in fact the responsibility should be Congress'. And if killing Soleimani was justified, why then not go after Iran's supreme leader, who is responsible for the IRGC?
The point is that these sound bites and slogans are dangerously superficial substitutes for analysis and reason and, of course, for considering the consequences of any action. While bringing Soleimani to justice was welcomed, his death managed to unite a divided Iran and Iraq against the United States, nearly precipitated an escalation of violence and deferred a further crisis that almost certainly will reoccur.
That the United States recognized Vietnam and China and sees Iran as a grave threat because of its "malevolent" intentions in the region is baffling. The Obama administration at least tried to improve relations through the JCPOA. But its Defense Department with its "four plus one" strategy in which the United States must deter -- and if war comes defeat -- China, Russia, North Korea and Iran while still fighting violent extremism maintained Tehran as an enemy.
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Before 1979, Iran under the shah was an ally, along with Saudi Arabia, in the Nixon "two pillar" policy designed to deter Soviet aggression against the vital Gulf oil supplies. Yes, Iran supports Hezbollah and is engaged throughout the region opposing Israel and the Saudis. But given the threat of radical Islam, Iran has common interests with us. Unfortunately, radicalism does not have the same gravitas as did the Soviet Union in binding Iran with the West and its neighbors against Moscow. So the sound bite of the world's greatest supporter of terror persists.
Last, Trump continues to lie or ignore the facts about Iran's oil revenues. About oil, the West froze some $50 billion in Iranian funds in offshore banks as part of sanctions. This was and is Iran's money. It was returned. The bulk of that money went to paying off past debts.
At the same time, Iran had sued and won in international courts for some $400 million it had prepaid for U.S. weapons systems prior to the Shah's overthrow in 1979 that had never been delivered. The court ordered the United States to return the money and to pay interest until it was repaid. In 2015, that interest and principal amounted to about $1.7 billion Washington legally owed. That payment took place after the signing of the JCPOA. And U.S. taxpayers were relieved of those odious but legal interest payments.
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Little of this is in the public debate. Without full knowledge and understanding of these issues, sound bites and slogans will continue to dominate strategy. American should not wonder then why many of our policies this century have failed. And there is little prospect this will improve even if a different administration takes office.
Harlan Ullman is UPI's Arnaud de Borchgrave Distinguished columnist and a senior adviser at the Atlantic Council. He was a professor of military strategy at the National War College and the Naval War College. His latest book is "Anatomy of Failure: Why America Has Lost Every War It Starts." Follow him @harlankullman.


upi--2020-01-15--HRW calls on global community to combat China's threat to human rights

Jan. 15 ( UPI ) -- The Chinese government poses a threat to the rights of people worldwide , non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch said , calling on the international community to band together to counter Beijing 's attacks .
In HRW 's annual 2020 report analyzing the world 's human rights situation , its executive director , Kenneth Roth , warned that since China sees human rights as an existential threat , how it combats that threat jeopardizes the rights and freedoms of the rest of the world .
`` At home , the Chinese Communist Party , worried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grasp on power , has constructed an Orwellian high-tech surveillance state and a sophisticated Internet censorship system to monitor and suppress public criticism , '' wrote Roth .
`` Abroad , it uses its growing economic clout to silence critics and carry out the most intense attack on the global system for enforcing human rights since the system began to emerge in the mid-20th century . ''
Roth -- who was recently denied entry to Hong Kong by China -- wrote other countries also pose threats to human rights but the Asian nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protect rights and freedoms as it attempts to avoid international criticism for its suppression within its borders .
China is building a network of `` cheerleader states '' that depend upon it for aid and business while punishing those that cross it , he said , urging the international community to repel its attempts to undermine the human rights system .
`` If not challenged , Beijing 's actions portend a dystopian future in which no one is beyond the reach of Chinese censors , and an international human rights system so weakened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ check on government repression , '' he said .
Roth also chastised the United Nations , specifically its secretary general , Antonio Guterres , for being unwilling to demand China end its mass detention of some 1 million ethnic Muslims under the pretense of counterterrorism while praising it for its economic progress .
`` Unless we want to return to an era in which people are pawns to be manipulated or discarded according to the whims of their overlords , the Chinese government 's attack on the international human rights system must be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Now is the time to take a stand . ''
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo echoed some of these fears , albeit tempered , on Tuesday during a speech on Silicon Valley and national security , stating that they must make sure American technology is n't used by China 's `` Orwellian surveillance state . ''
`` We need to make sure American principles are n't sacrificed for prosperity , '' he said .
China responded to Pompeo 's comments , stating it urged the United States to let go of its `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better relations between the two nations .
`` Certain people in American keep attacking and smearing China by force of habit , '' Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Tuesday in a regular press briefing .
`` This has not only tarnished America 's international credibility but has been questioned and rejected by more and more countries . ''
Roth 's condemnation comes after China sanctioned several NGOs , including HRW , following the United States ' passing of a bill to put pressure on the Communist Party for its treatment of Hong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protests that have rocked the semi-autonomous region .
China said it blamed the NGOs for supporting `` anti-China forces to create chaos in Hong Kong '' and encouraging `` extreme violent criminal acts . ''

Riot police detain protesters during an anti-government rally on New Year's day in Hong Kong, China. Photo by Vivek Prakash/EPA-EFE
Jan. 15 (UPI) -- The Chinese government poses a threat to the rights of people worldwide, non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch said, calling on the international community to band together to counter Beijing's attacks. In HRW's annual 2020 report analyzing the world's human rights situation, its executive director, Kenneth Roth, warned that since China sees human rights as an existential threat, how it combats that threat jeopardizes the rights and freedoms of the rest of the world. Advertisement
"At home, the Chinese Communist Party, worried that permitting political freedom would jeopardize its grasp on power, has constructed an Orwellian high-tech surveillance state and a sophisticated Internet censorship system to monitor and suppress public criticism," wrote Roth. "Abroad, it uses its growing economic clout to silence critics and carry out the most intense attack on the global system for enforcing human rights since the system began to emerge in the mid-20th century."
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Roth -- who was recently denied entry to Hong Kong by China -- wrote other countries also pose threats to human rights but the Asian nation stands out for undermining worldwide institutions that protect rights and freedoms as it attempts to avoid international criticism for its suppression within its borders.
China is building a network of "cheerleader states" that depend upon it for aid and business while punishing those that cross it, he said, urging the international community to repel its attempts to undermine the human rights system.
"If not challenged, Beijing's actions portend a dystopian future in which no one is beyond the reach of Chinese censors, and an international human rights system so weakened that it no longer serves as a check on government repression," he said.
Roth also chastised the United Nations, specifically its secretary general, Antonio Guterres, for being unwilling to demand China end its mass detention of some 1 million ethnic Muslims under the pretense of counterterrorism while praising it for its economic progress.
"Unless we want to return to an era in which people are pawns to be manipulated or discarded according to the whims of their overlords, the Chinese government's attack on the international human rights system must be resisted," Roth wrote. "Now is the time to take a stand."
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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo echoed some of these fears, albeit tempered, on Tuesday during a speech on Silicon Valley and national security, stating that they must make sure American technology isn't used by China's "Orwellian surveillance state."
"We need to make sure American principles aren't sacrificed for prosperity," he said.
China responded to Pompeo's comments, stating it urged the United States to let go of its "consistent prejudice" and work to foster better relations between the two nations.
"Certain people in American keep attacking and smearing China by force of habit," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Tuesday in a regular press briefing. "This has not only tarnished America's international credibility but has been questioned and rejected by more and more countries."
Roth's condemnation comes after China sanctioned several NGOs, including HRW, following the United States' passing of a bill to put pressure on the Communist Party for its treatment of Hong Kong demonstrators during seven months of pro-democracy protests that have rocked the semi-autonomous region. China said it blamed the NGOs for supporting "anti-China forces to create chaos in Hong Kong" and encouraging "extreme violent criminal acts."


upi--2020-01-15--FDA approving meds faster, based on less evidence

New drugs are being approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for patients based on less and less solid evidence , thanks to incentive programs that have been created to promote drug development , a new study shows .
Researchers report that more than 8 out of 10 new drugs in 2018 benefited from at least one special program that streamlines the approval process .
The result is that patients are being prescribed pricey new medications that have not been tested as rigorously , said lead researcher Jonathan Darrow , an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it 's not clear that physicians , let alone patients , understand either the basic FDA approval standard or that requirements have become increasingly flexible over the past 40 years , '' Darrow said .
The share of new drugs supported by two strong clinical trials , rather than just one , decreased from 81 percent to 53 percent between the 1990s and the 2010s , researchers found .
The time that the FDA spent reviewing each new drug dropped during the same period , from 2.8 years in the late 1980s to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added .
This might be good news if highly effective new drugs were reaching the market quicker , but other research has found that the large majority of newly approved drugs offer modest benefits over existing therapies , he said .
`` In many cases , you can get almost all of the benefit of the new drugs by taking older drugs , '' such as generics , Darrow said .
The programs also have n't really improved the number of new drugs approved each year , either .
`` Even with that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upward trend in the number of drug approvals , which on average has remained about 30 new drugs approved per year since the 1980s , '' Darrow said .
The average annual number of new drug approvals was 34 from 1990-1999 , decreasing to 25 from 2000-2009 and then increasing to 41 from 2010-2018 , researchers found .
In a statement , the FDA said that the new study `` covers a very wide range of issues , '' and `` we are concerned that the researchers do not adequately consider the marked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the patient populations targeted by development programs that FDA now reviews , compared to those from just 10 or 20 years ago , nor the type , quality , and extent of data FDA routinely receives now compared to decades ago . ''
The agency added that it believes that a failure to take those `` marked changes '' into account `` can result in inaccurate conclusions . ''
HealthDay also reached out to PhRMA , a trade group representing the pharmaceutical industry , but did not receive comment .
Since the 1980s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. Congress or developed by the FDA to promote the creation of drugs for rare diseases or accelerate approval of promising medications that could benefit multitudes , researchers said in background notes .
`` In 2018 , more than 80 percent of new drugs benefited from at least one special program , '' Darrow said .
These programs have weakened the review process by requiring the FDA to accept more flexible evidence , he said .
For example , evidence of a drug 's effect on cholesterol levels or tumor size can be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than evidence that the drug helped people live longer or feel better or avoid emergencies such a heart attacks , Darrow said .
But there 's been no benefit from these programs in terms of how long it takes a company to create a new drug , he said .
`` We found there was a relatively stable period between when clinical trials began and when drugs were approved .
We did not see a steep decline in the clinical development period , '' Darrow said .
Disturbingly , the FDA has also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pharmaceutical companies , researchers found .
The amount of the FDA budget that comes from the pharmaceutical industry has increased from about $ 300 million in the 1990s to just over $ 4 billion in the 2010s , researchers found .
These fees are used to accelerate review times , researchers said .
The FDA has tried to offset the accelerated approval process by requiring companies to track drug effectiveness and safety after it 's reached the market , Darrow noted .
`` But in the meantime , the agency is allowing doctors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the additional information is being collected , '' Darrow said .
`` Once drugs are available , they are available to all patients due to off-label prescribing , and those patients may not realize those drugs were approved on the basis of limited evidence or that more evidence is still being collected . ''
The findings were published Jan. 14 in the Journal of the American Medical Association .
These accelerated review programs have driven up health care costs needlessly , said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein , vice dean for public health practice and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Public Health in Baltimore .
The new study provides `` an opportunity to pause for a minute and say , 'Can we get the benefit that 's intended at perhaps a lower cost , and focus the incentive on products that are going to make the most difference ? '
'' said Sharfstein , who was n't part of the research .
For example , the Orphan Drug Act was intended to promote the development of drugs for very rare diseases , but `` a lot of these incentives have benefitted companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many patients , '' Sharfstein said .
`` I think that it 's very important for FDA to study which incentives , under what circumstances , really lead to medications that make a huge difference for patients , and propose more efficient ways to apply those incentives , '' Sharfstein noted .
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has more about the drug development and review process .

New drugs are being approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for patients based on less and less solid evidence, thanks to incentive programs that have been created to promote drug development, a new study shows.
Researchers report that more than 8 out of 10 new drugs in 2018 benefited from at least one special program that streamlines the approval process.
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The result is that patients are being prescribed pricey new medications that have not been tested as rigorously, said lead researcher Jonathan Darrow, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.
"The evidence standards have changed, but it's not clear that physicians, let alone patients, understand either the basic FDA approval standard or that requirements have become increasingly flexible over the past 40 years," Darrow said.
The share of new drugs supported by two strong clinical trials, rather than just one, decreased from 81 percent to 53 percent between the 1990s and the 2010s, researchers found.
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The time that the FDA spent reviewing each new drug dropped during the same period, from 2.8 years in the late 1980s to about 7.6 months in 2018, Darrow added.
This might be good news if highly effective new drugs were reaching the market quicker, but other research has found that the large majority of newly approved drugs offer modest benefits over existing therapies, he said.
"In many cases, you can get almost all of the benefit of the new drugs by taking older drugs," such as generics, Darrow said.
The programs also haven't really improved the number of new drugs approved each year, either.
"Even with that flexibility, there has been no strong upward trend in the number of drug approvals, which on average has remained about 30 new drugs approved per year since the 1980s," Darrow said.
The average annual number of new drug approvals was 34 from 1990-1999, decreasing to 25 from 2000-2009 and then increasing to 41 from 2010-2018, researchers found.
In a statement, the FDA said that the new study "covers a very wide range of issues," and "we are concerned that the researchers do not adequately consider the marked changes in the types of drugs and the patient populations targeted by development programs that FDA now reviews, compared to those from just 10 or 20 years ago, nor the type, quality, and extent of data FDA routinely receives now compared to decades ago."
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The agency added that it believes that a failure to take those "marked changes" into account "can result in inaccurate conclusions."
HealthDay also reached out to PhRMA, a trade group representing the pharmaceutical industry, but did not receive comment.
Since the 1980s, various programs have been enacted by U.S. Congress or developed by the FDA to promote the creation of drugs for rare diseases or accelerate approval of promising medications that could benefit multitudes, researchers said in background notes.
"In 2018, more than 80 percent of new drugs benefited from at least one special program," Darrow said.
These programs have weakened the review process by requiring the FDA to accept more flexible evidence, he said.
For example, evidence of a drug's effect on cholesterol levels or tumor size can be used to get it approved, rather than evidence that the drug helped people live longer or feel better or avoid emergencies such a heart attacks, Darrow said.
But there's been no benefit from these programs in terms of how long it takes a company to create a new drug, he said.
"We found there was a relatively stable period between when clinical trials began and when drugs were approved. We did not see a steep decline in the clinical development period," Darrow said.
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Disturbingly, the FDA has also become more financially reliant on money from pharmaceutical companies, researchers found.
The amount of the FDA budget that comes from the pharmaceutical industry has increased from about $300 million in the 1990s to just over $4 billion in the 2010s, researchers found. These fees are used to accelerate review times, researchers said.
The FDA has tried to offset the accelerated approval process by requiring companies to track drug effectiveness and safety after it's reached the market, Darrow noted.
"But in the meantime, the agency is allowing doctors and patients to use the drug while the additional information is being collected," Darrow said. "Once drugs are available, they are available to all patients due to off-label prescribing, and those patients may not realize those drugs were approved on the basis of limited evidence or that more evidence is still being collected."
The findings were published Jan. 14 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
These accelerated review programs have driven up health care costs needlessly, said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.
The new study provides "an opportunity to pause for a minute and say, 'Can we get the benefit that's intended at perhaps a lower cost, and focus the incentive on products that are going to make the most difference?'" said Sharfstein, who wasn't part of the research.
Advertisement
For example, the Orphan Drug Act was intended to promote the development of drugs for very rare diseases, but "a lot of these incentives have benefitted companies that are selling drugs for many, many patients," Sharfstein said.
"I think that it's very important for FDA to study which incentives, under what circumstances, really lead to medications that make a huge difference for patients, and propose more efficient ways to apply those incentives," Sharfstein noted.
More information
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has more about the drug development and review process.
Copyright 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.


upi--2020-01-15--Watch live: Jessica Meir, Christina Koch ready for first 2020 spacewalk

Jan. 15 ( UPI ) -- NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir will continue work to replace old batteries on the International Space Station 's Port-6 truss during the first spacewalk of 2020 , scheduled to begin at 6:50 a.m .
ET .
Last October , Koch and Meir became the first two women to complete a spacewalk together .
During the historic spacewalk , the two astronauts replaced a broken power controller , also known as a battery charge-discharge unit , or BCDU .
On Wednesday , the duo will venture outside ISS for a second time , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and distribute the power produced by the space station 's solar panels .
The first spacewalk of the new year will be broadcast live by NASA TV , with coverage starting at 5:30 a.m .
ET .
Wednesday 's spacewalk is the first of two battery replacement missions , during which Koch and Meir will remove aging nickel-hydrogen batteries and install new , more efficient lithium-ion batteries .
The second spacewalk is scheduled for Jan. 20 .
A third spacewalk , scheduled for Jan. 25 , will feature NASA Flight Engineer Andrew Morgan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Space Agency .
The two astronauts will complete the thermal repair work on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer that they commenced last year .
On Tuesday , while Koch and Meir prepared for Wednesday 's spacewalk , Morgan and Parmitano worked on several science experiments .
`` The astronauts took turns safely burning fabric and acrylic samples to help scientists understand how flames spread in space , '' NASA reported .
`` Results may inform the design of fire safety products and procedures on Earth and in space .
The two crew mates also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a centrifuge for later analysis . ''

NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, left, and Christina Koch completed their historic first-ever all-female spacewalk on Oct. 18, 2019. On Jan. 15, 2020, the pair participated in the first spacewalk of the new year. Photo by NASA
Jan. 15 (UPI) -- NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir completed the first spacewalk of 2020 on Wednesday, spending more than six hours conducting battery repair work on the International Space Station's Port-6 truss. Koch and Meir became the first two women to complete a spacewalk together in October. During the historic spacewalk, the two astronauts replaced a broken power controller, also known as a battery charge-discharge unit, or BCDU. Advertisement
On Wednesday, the duo ventured outside ISS for a second time, this time to replace batteries that store and distribute the power produced by the space station's solar panels.
The first spacewalk of the new year, which concluded at 2:19 p.m. EST when the Quest airlock on the ISS was repressurized, was broadcast live by NASA TV and livestreamed on YouTube.
"Meir is designated extravehicular crew member 1 (EV 1), wearing the suit with red stripes, and with helmet camera #11," according to NASA. "Koch is designated extravehicular crew member 2 (EV 2), wearing the suit with no stripes, and her helmet camera is labeled #18."
NASA confirmed on Twitter that Koch and Meir completed their first spacewalk mission task at 8:35 a.m., successfully removing one of the old nickel-hydrogen batteries. Just more than an hour later, NASA reported that the duo had completed installation work on a new lithium-ion battery.
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During the second half of the spacewalk, the pair of astronauts repeated their initial steps, removing a second aging battery and installing a new one. Koch and Meir finished all of the scheduled battery repair work around 12:30 p.m., and then completed a single get-ahead task before cleaning up their work stations and heading back inside ISS.
Wednesday's spacewalk was the first of two battery replacement missions. The second spacewalk is scheduled for Jan. 20.
A third spacewalk, scheduled for Jan. 25, will feature NASA Flight Engineer Andrew Morgan and Commander Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency. The two astronauts will complete the thermal repair work on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer that they commenced last year.
On Tuesday, while Koch and Meir prepared for Wednesday's spacewalk, Morgan and Parmitano worked on several science experiments.
"The astronauts took turns safely burning fabric and acrylic samples to help scientists understand how flames spread in space," NASA reported. "Results may inform the design of fire safety products and procedures on Earth and in space. The two crew mates also drew their blood samples, spinning them in a centrifuge for later analysis."


upi--2020-01-15--NASA-funded space radiation studies could save astronauts' lives

ORLANDO , Fla. , Jan. 15 ( UPI ) -- Physicists are teaming up with computer scientists in a NASA-funded study to help predict solar flares and radiation that can disable spacecraft and potentially kill astronauts .
NASA has awarded a $ 550,000 grant to the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne to begin the three-year machine learning project next month .
Computer algorithms will analyze data and imagery from the sun and solar system radiation .
The space agency 's goal is to identify warning signs that precede solar radiation events and to better understand their length and severity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solar activity and restrict spacewalks when radiation levels are dangerously high .
As NASA plans a base on the moon and trips to Mars , the space agency is ramping up space radiation studies .
Radiation from solar energy can affect astronauts , spacecraft electronics , signals from GPS satellites and even commercial jetliners on polar routes .
High doses of space radiation could make astronauts too sick to function well enough to get home .
The agency hopes to develop `` warnings ahead of time , and also to predict how strong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when it will begin , peak and disappear , '' said Florida Tech physicist Ming Zhang , the lead scientist on the project .
Florida Tech researchers say scientists have developed models that can predict the timing and strength of radiation bursts from the sun only about half the time -- not accurate enough to generate useful forecasts .
Machine learning should be able to `` spot patterns and accelerate the rate of discovery about what causes powerful solar events and when they will occur , '' said Delores Knipp , space sciences @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Knipp said machine learning is being applied to space weather forecasting because of the huge amounts of data that come from solar observations .
Astronauts during the Apollo program could have suffered debilitating injury or illness from a powerful solar event in 1972 had they been in space , Knipp said .
`` It just happened to occur between Apollo missions , '' she said .
`` If we had had astronauts in a capsule on the way to the moon or back , they might have been sickened to the point they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Machine learning also might point to gaps in data about space radiation , Knipp said .
`` We are data-starved right now .
We need more measurements , '' she said .
Florida Tech is one of 14 universities NASA picked in November for funding to study an array of topics under the agency 's Space Technology Research Grants program .
Other schools awarded funding are Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute , Troy , N.Y. ; Purdue University , West Lafayette , Ind .
; Auburn University , Auburn , Ala. ; the University of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Alabama-Tuscaloosa , and the University of California-Los Angeles .
Also , the University of Central Florida , Orlando ; Florida State University , Tallahassee ; University of Texas , El Paso ; University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign ; New Jersey Institute of Technology , Newark , and Vanderbilt University , Nashville .

A strong flare erupted into space from an active region that was roughly facing towards Earth on March 11, 2015. Photo courtesy of NASA/SDO/UPI
ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Physicists are teaming up with computer scientists in a NASA-funded study to help predict solar flares and radiation that can disable spacecraft and potentially kill astronauts. NASA has awarded a $550,000 grant to the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne to begin the three-year machine learning project next month. Computer algorithms will analyze data and imagery from the sun and solar system radiation. Advertisement
The space agency's goal is to identify warning signs that precede solar radiation events and to better understand their length and severity. Scientists say is important to monitor solar activity and restrict spacewalks when radiation levels are dangerously high.
As NASA plans a base on the moon and trips to Mars, the space agency is ramping up space radiation studies. Radiation from solar energy can affect astronauts, spacecraft electronics, signals from GPS satellites and even commercial jetliners on polar routes. High doses of space radiation could make astronauts too sick to function well enough to get home.
The agency hopes to develop "warnings ahead of time, and also to predict how strong the radiation burst will be, and when it will begin, peak and disappear," said Florida Tech physicist Ming Zhang, the lead scientist on the project.
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Florida Tech researchers say scientists have developed models that can predict the timing and strength of radiation bursts from the sun only about half the time -- not accurate enough to generate useful forecasts.
Machine learning should be able to "spot patterns and accelerate the rate of discovery about what causes powerful solar events and when they will occur," said Delores Knipp, space sciences professor at the University of Colorado-Boulder.
Knipp said machine learning is being applied to space weather forecasting because of the huge amounts of data that come from solar observations.
Astronauts during the Apollo program could have suffered debilitating injury or illness from a powerful solar event in 1972 had they been in space, Knipp said.
"It just happened to occur between Apollo missions," she said. "If we had had astronauts in a capsule on the way to the moon or back, they might have been sickened to the point they couldn't have functioned well."
Machine learning also might point to gaps in data about space radiation, Knipp said.
"We are data-starved right now. We need more measurements," she said.
Florida Tech is one of 14 universities NASA picked in November for funding to study an array of topics under the agency's Space Technology Research Grants program.
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Other schools awarded funding are Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y.; Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.; Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.; the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa, and the University of California-Los Angeles.
Also, the University of Central Florida, Orlando; Florida State University, Tallahassee; University of Texas, El Paso; University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign; New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, and Vanderbilt University, Nashville.


upi--2020-01-15--Famous birthdays for Jan. 15: Regina King, Mario Van Peebles

Jan. 15 ( UPI ) -- Those born on this date are under the sign of Capricorn .
-- Signer @ @ @ @ @ Philip Livingston in 1716

1/3
Regina King arrives for the 47th annual American Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on November 24. The actor turns 49 on January 15. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Those born on this date are under the sign of Capricorn. They include: Advertisement
-- French playwright Moliere, born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, in 1622
-- Signer of the Declaration of Independence Philip Livingston in 1716
-- Swedish clergyman/Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nathan Soderblom in 1866
-- Drummer Gene Krupa in 1909
-- Actor Lloyd Bridges in 1913
-- Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1918
-- Civil rights leader/Nobel Peace Prize laureate Martin Luther King Jr. in 1929
UPI File Photo
-- Actor Margaret O'Brien in 1937 (age 83)
-- Actor Andrea Martin in 1947 (age 73)
-- Lynyrd Skynyrd lead singer Ronnie Van Zant in 1948
-- Actor Mario Van Peebles in 1957 (age 63)
File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
-- Actor James Nesbitt in 1965 (age 55)
-- Actor Chad Lowe in 1968 (age 52)
-- Actor Regina King in 1971 (age 49)
-- Pro football quarterback Drew Brees in 1979 (age 41)
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-- Rapper Pitbull, born Armando Perez, in 1981 (age 39)
-- DJ Skrillex, born Sonny John Moore, in 1988 (age 32)
-- Actor Chris Warren Jr. in 1990 (age 30)
-- Actor Dove Cameron in 1996 (age 24)


upi--2020-01-15--Young Bucks call AEW's tag team division world's best

Jan. 15 ( UPI ) -- Matt and Nick Jackson of The Young Bucks think All Elite Wrestling has the best tag team division in the world .
`` I feel very strongly about saying that our tag team division is the best in the world and I do n't even think it 's close , '' Nick Jackson told UPI during a recent interview .
`` Perhaps the strongest division in the company , too .
Almost every tag team is pretty over with the fans . ''
`` We said our main objective was to have the greatest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we meant that , '' the grappler said .
AEW will showcase its flourishing tag team division at Bash at the Beach edition of Dynamite on Wednesday in Miami .
It would be an event , the brothers said , that rivals other wrestling pay-per-view events .
`` We always try to book our shows with pay-per-view-quality matches , so with a theme like Bash at the Beach , you can expect even bigger matches on that card , '' Nick Jackson said .
The name Bash at the Beach will be familiar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was one of the now-defunct WCW 's marquee pay-per-view events .
AEW 's version will feature a new look and set design different from normal episodes of Dynamite .
Matches announced for Bash at the Beach include Jon Moxley vs. Sammy Guevara , Pac vs. Darby Allin , Kris Statlander and Shida vs .
Awesome Kong and Mel of The Nightmare Collective and professional wrestling legend Diamond Dallas Page returning to action to team up with Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall to battle MJF , The Butcher and The Blade .
The Young @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Team match against Kenny Omega and Hangman Adam Page , Santana and Ortiz and Best Friends .
The winning team will earn a championship match against SCU .
The Young Bucks , despite not being AEW World Tag Team Champions , are the top team in the company due to their popularity , YouTube series Being The Elite , high-octane wrestling style and status as executive vice presidents of AEW .
`` I do n't think I knew exactly what it meant to be an executive vice president when I signed on for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before explaining how he and his brother are involved with all aspects of AEW and Dynamite .
`` I 'm not just a wrestler anymore , '' he continued .
`` The office work is pretty new to me and I do n't love it .
I love Wednesday nights , though , and I love collaborating , creating and I love wrestling still .
The highlight of my week is being able to go in and do the things we 've been talking about for six days , going out and actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
AEW still is fairly new to the professional wrestling scene , having launched the weekly Dynamite on TNT in October .
The Young Bucks have been there since the beginning , also helping with the formation and hiring of the staff inside and outside the ring .
The Young Bucks are at the center of AEW 's tag team division , which features many teams they have worked with in the past including AEW World Tag Team Champions SCU , Best Friends and The Dark Order , along with new teams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we made enough friendships from throughout the years working in Japan , working in the independents and having these matches , this body of work with all of these guys , '' Matt Jackson said .
`` We knew that we had the best tag teams available , and they would probably come with us because they knew how serious we took tag team wrestling . ''
`` We 've done it all over the world , so we figured why ca n't we do this on a wider , broader stage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' he continued .
The Young Bucks also are famously a part of The Elite , a band of AEW 's most popular wrestlers that include Omega , Cody and Page .
Omega and Cody also serve as executive vice presidents .
The Elite , before winning a handful of matches in the new year , was on a losing streak .
The group was not appearing together often on Dynamite and Page has started a storyline where he appears ready to leave The Elite .
Omega , Cody and Page , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have notably been unable to capture championship gold in AEW .
The Young Bucks want fans to be patient as The Elite goes through a rough patch .
`` It 's all by design .
It 's long-term booking , '' Nick Jackson said .
`` Once the story is finally developed , the fans should be pretty satisfied .
We would like to tell the fans to stay tuned because they have n't seen anything yet . ''

1/2
Nick (L) and Matt Jackson of The Young Bucks are the centerpiece of AEW's Tag Team Division. The Young Bucks will be a featured part of Bash at the Beach on Wednesday at 8 p.m. EDT on TNT. Photo courtesy of AEW
Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Matt and Nick Jackson of The Young Bucks think All Elite Wrestling has the best tag team division in the world. "I feel very strongly about saying that our tag team division is the best in the world and I don't even think it's close," Nick Jackson told UPI during a recent interview. "Perhaps the strongest division in the company, too. Almost every tag team is pretty over with the fans." Advertisement
Matt Jackson agreed with his brother.
"We said our main objective was to have the greatest tag team division in the world and we meant that," the grappler said.
AEW will showcase its flourishing tag team division at Bash at the Beach edition of Dynamite on Wednesday in Miami. It would be an event, the brothers said, that rivals other wrestling pay-per-view events.
"We always try to book our shows with pay-per-view-quality matches, so with a theme like Bash at the Beach, you can expect even bigger matches on that card," Nick Jackson said.
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The name Bash at the Beach will be familiar to longtime wrestling fans, as it was one of the now-defunct WCW's marquee pay-per-view events. AEW's version will feature a new look and set design different from normal episodes of Dynamite.
Matches announced for Bash at the Beach include Jon Moxley vs. Sammy Guevara, Pac vs. Darby Allin, Kris Statlander and Shida vs. Awesome Kong and Mel of The Nightmare Collective and professional wrestling legend Diamond Dallas Page returning to action to team up with Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall to battle MJF, The Butcher and The Blade.
The Young Bucks will compete in a 4-Way Tag Team match against Kenny Omega and Hangman Adam Page, Santana and Ortiz and Best Friends. The winning team will earn a championship match against SCU.
The Young Bucks, despite not being AEW World Tag Team Champions, are the top team in the company due to their popularity, YouTube series Being The Elite, high-octane wrestling style and status as executive vice presidents of AEW.
"I don't think I knew exactly what it meant to be an executive vice president when I signed on for the job," Matt Jackson said before explaining how he and his brother are involved with all aspects of AEW and Dynamite.
Advertisement
"I'm not just a wrestler anymore," he continued. "The office work is pretty new to me and I don't love it. I love Wednesday nights, though, and I love collaborating, creating and I love wrestling still. The highlight of my week is being able to go in and do the things we've been talking about for six days, going out and actually performing it and then watching it back."
AEW still is fairly new to the professional wrestling scene, having launched the weekly Dynamite on TNT in October. The Young Bucks have been there since the beginning, also helping with the formation and hiring of the staff inside and outside the ring.
The Young Bucks are at the center of AEW's tag team division, which features many teams they have worked with in the past including AEW World Tag Team Champions SCU, Best Friends and The Dark Order, along with new teams like Private Party.
"We knew that we made enough friendships from throughout the years working in Japan, working in the independents and having these matches, this body of work with all of these guys," Matt Jackson said. "We knew that we had the best tag teams available, and they would probably come with us because they knew how serious we took tag team wrestling."
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"We've done it all over the world, so we figured why can't we do this on a wider, broader stage in front of millions of people?" he continued.
The Young Bucks also are famously a part of The Elite, a band of AEW's most popular wrestlers that include Omega, Cody and Page. Omega and Cody also serve as executive vice presidents.
The Elite, before winning a handful of matches in the new year, was on a losing streak. The group was not appearing together often on Dynamite and Page has started a storyline where he appears ready to leave The Elite.
Omega, Cody and Page, who appear frequently on Being The Elite, have notably been unable to capture championship gold in AEW. The Young Bucks want fans to be patient as The Elite goes through a rough patch.
"It's all by design. It's long-term booking," Nick Jackson said. "Once the story is finally developed, the fans should be pretty satisfied. We would like to tell the fans to stay tuned because they haven't seen anything yet."


upi--2020-01-15--On This Day, Jan. 15: Boston Molasses Disaster kills 21

Jan. 15 ( UPI ) -- On this date in history : In 1870 , a cartoon by Thomas Nast appeared in Harper 's weekly with a donkey symbolizing the Democratic Party for the first time .
In 1892 , Dr. James Naismith published the rules of basketball .
He invented the game at a YMCA in Springfield , Mass .
In 1919 , 21 people were killed and scores injured when a vat holding 2.3 million gallons of molasses exploded and sent torrents of the syrup into the streets of Boston .
The event is known as the Boston @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Irish Free State was formed .
In 1943 , the Pentagon , the world 's largest building of its kind , was dedicated on the Virginia side of the Potomac River just outside of Washington .
In 1967 , the first Super Bowl , pitting the NFL and AFL champions , was played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum , with the Green Bay Packers defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 .
In 1973 , President Richard Nixon called a halt to U.S. military offensives in Vietnam .
In 1986 , Soviet leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to eliminate all nuclear weapons by the year 2000 and rid `` mankind of the fear of nuclear catastrophe . ''
In 1997 , Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat reached an agreement on the Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank city of Hebron .
In 2001 , free online encyclopedia Wikipedia debuts , giving users the ability to create and edit articles .
Within four years , Wikipedia was the largest and fastest-growing educational reference website .
In a 2006 runoff , Chile elected Michelle Bachelet as its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meat and milk from cloned animals were ruled safe for human consumption by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration after years of debate .
In 2009 , all 155 people aboard US Airways Flight 1549 escaped serious injury when pilot Chesley Sullenberger gently landed his disabled aircraft in the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey .
The landing became known as the `` Miracle on the Hudson . ''
In 2011 , voters in southern Sudan overwhelmingly approved a referendum to secede from Sudan and become an independent African nation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be building a Hyperloop test track for companies and student teams to test out their transportation pods .
In 2018 , Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Simone Biles revealed she was one of more than 100 women and young girls abused by former USA Gymnastics physician Larry Nassar .

1/6
On Jan. 15 1919, 21 people were killed and scores injured when a vat holding 2.3 million gallons of molasses exploded and sent torrents of the syrup into the streets of Boston. The event is known as the Boston Molasses Disaster. File Photo courtesy of the Globe Newspaper Co.
Jan. 15 (UPI) -- On this date in history: In 1870, a cartoon by Thomas Nast appeared in Harper's weekly with a donkey symbolizing the Democratic Party for the first time. Advertisement
In 1892, Dr. James Naismith published the rules of basketball. He invented the game at a YMCA in Springfield, Mass.
In 1919, 21 people were killed and scores injured when a vat holding 2.3 million gallons of molasses exploded and sent torrents of the syrup into the streets of Boston. The event is known as the Boston Molasses Disaster.
In 1922, the Irish Free State was formed.
In 1943, the Pentagon, the world's largest building of its kind, was dedicated on the Virginia side of the Potomac River just outside of Washington.
In 1967, the first Super Bowl, pitting the NFL and AFL champions, was played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, with the Green Bay Packers defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10.
File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
In 1973, President Richard Nixon called a halt to U.S. military offensives in Vietnam.
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In 1986, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev proposed a sweeping arms-control plan to eliminate all nuclear weapons by the year 2000 and rid "mankind of the fear of nuclear catastrophe."
In 1997, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat reached an agreement on the Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank city of Hebron.
In 2001, free online encyclopedia Wikipedia debuts, giving users the ability to create and edit articles. Within four years, Wikipedia was the largest and fastest-growing educational reference website.
In a 2006 runoff, Chile elected Michelle Bachelet as its first female president.
File Photo by Ron Sachs/UPI
In 2008, meat and milk from cloned animals were ruled safe for human consumption by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration after years of debate.
In 2009, all 155 people aboard US Airways Flight 1549 escaped serious injury when pilot Chesley Sullenberger gently landed his disabled aircraft in the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey. The landing became known as the "Miracle on the Hudson."
Advertisement
In 2011, voters in southern Sudan overwhelmingly approved a referendum to secede from Sudan and become an independent African nation.
In 2015, Elon Musk announced he would be building a Hyperloop test track for companies and student teams to test out their transportation pods.
In 2018, Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Simone Biles revealed she was one of more than 100 women and young girls abused by former USA Gymnastics physician Larry Nassar.


upi--2020-01-15--Judge rules Trump administration within authority to separate families at border

Jan. 15 ( UPI ) -- In a rare legal victory for the Trump administration , a federal judge ruled that it acted within its right to separate some 900 migrant children from their parents at the U.S. southern border .
U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw on Monday ruled against the American Civil Liberties Union who filed a lawsuit in July arguing that the Trump administration had separated 911 migrant children from their families based on minor criminal charges and `` highly dubious '' allegations of unfitness despite an injunction against the practice .
The ACLU argued that the separations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continuing with its `` zero tolerance policy , '' which permitted separating children from parents who entered the United States illegally .
Sabraw ordered the administration to reunite the 2,800 children separated from their families and put an injunction against the policy in June 2018 .
In his ruling Monday , Sabraw rejected the claim the Trump administration had returned to its family separation policy , stating less than 1 percent of family units that cross the border are subject to separations due to criminal record or other reasons .
Concerning the allegation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ units were `` dubious '' and `` questionable , '' Sabraw said it is not up to the court to `` second-guess those determinations . ''
`` The factual circumstances under which these initial determination are made do not lend themselves to micromanagement by the Court , '' he wrote .
`` ...
Defendants must be allowed discretion to make these decisions based on the available information .
Concerns about lack of fitness and danger to a child often overlap and include many scenarios that are difficult to assess under ideal circumstances , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sabraw did rule in ACLU 's favor concerning family separations due to unverified familiar relations .
The ACLU said the administration separated 46 parents based on this determination , identifying two cases in which parents were reunited with their children following DNA testing .
Sabraw ruled the administration must first conduct a DNA test before separating an adult from a child based on parentage concerns .
If the location did not possess the technology needed to perform the test , either the family must be moved together to a facility that did or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerned for testing .
The ACLU said it is evaluating the decision to determine how best next to proceed , but applauded Sabraw 's decision concerning DNA testing .
`` The court strongly reaffirmed that the Trump administration bears the burden if it attempts to separate families based on an accusation that the adult is not the child 's parent , '' ACLU 's Lee Gelernt in a statement .

Jan. 15 (UPI) -- In a rare legal victory for the Trump administration, a federal judge ruled that it acted within its right to separate some 900 migrant children from their parents at the U.S. southern border.
U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw on Monday ruled against the American Civil Liberties Union who filed a lawsuit in July arguing that the Trump administration had separated 911 migrant children from their families based on minor criminal charges and "highly dubious" allegations of unfitness despite an injunction against the practice.
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The ACLU argued that the separations were evidence that the Trump administration was continuing with its "zero tolerance policy," which permitted separating children from parents who entered the United States illegally.
Sabraw ordered the administration to reunite the 2,800 children separated from their families and put an injunction against the policy in June 2018.
In his ruling Monday, Sabraw rejected the claim the Trump administration had returned to its family separation policy, stating less than 1 percent of family units that cross the border are subject to separations due to criminal record or other reasons.
Concerning the allegation that the reasons for separating the family units were "dubious" and "questionable," Sabraw said it is not up to the court to "second-guess those determinations."
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"The factual circumstances under which these initial determination are made do not lend themselves to micromanagement by the Court," he wrote. "... Defendants must be allowed discretion to make these decisions based on the available information. Concerns about lack of fitness and danger to a child often overlap and include many scenarios that are difficult to assess under ideal circumstances, let along at the border."
Sabraw did rule in ACLU's favor concerning family separations due to unverified familiar relations.
The ACLU said the administration separated 46 parents based on this determination, identifying two cases in which parents were reunited with their children following DNA testing.
Sabraw ruled the administration must first conduct a DNA test before separating an adult from a child based on parentage concerns. If the location did not possess the technology needed to perform the test, either the family must be moved together to a facility that did or swabs are to be taken from those concerned for testing.
The ACLU said it is evaluating the decision to determine how best next to proceed, but applauded Sabraw's decision concerning DNA testing.
"The court strongly reaffirmed that the Trump administration bears the burden if it attempts to separate families based on an accusation that the adult is not the child's parent," ACLU's Lee Gelernt in a statement.


upi--2020-01-15--Treasury official pleads guilty to leaking financial documents connected to Trump

Jan. 15 ( UPI ) -- A former senior Treasury Department official has pleaded guilty to leaking sensitive financial reports about individuals connected to President Donald Trump , including his former campaign manager Paul Manafort .
Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards , 41 , has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to unlawfully disclose suspicious activity reports , for which she faces up to five years in prison , the Justice Department said in a release .
`` I transmitted a file containing or disclosing the existence of SAR .
I am sorry for what I have done and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the court , '' she said in a Manhattan courtroom Monday before U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods .
Prosecutors accused Edwards of using her position at the Treasury to unlawfully distribute documents concerning potentially suspicious financial transactions to a reporter starting in October 2017 to the time of her arrest on Oct. 16 , 2018 .
Authorities said the SAR documents were about Manafort , Trump campaign official Richard Gates , Russian spy Maria Butina and the Russian Embassy in Washington , among other individuals and entities .
The information those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , prosecutors said .
The court document alleged Edwards would take photographs of the SARs and then transmit them to the reporter via text message over an encrypted smartphone application .
She also sent the unnamed reporter internal emails from the Treasury Department 's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network relating to the SARs , among other documents .
When the Quinton , Va. , resident was arrested `` she was in possession of a flash drive on which she saved the unlawfully disclosed SARs , and a cellphone containing numerous communications over an encrypted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the documents , the Justice Department said .
`` Maintaining the confidentiality of SARs , which are filed by banks and other financial institutions to alert law enforcement to potentially illegal transactions , is essential to permit them to serve their statutory function , and the defendant 's conduct violated the integrity of that critical system and the law , '' said U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman .
Edwards is scheduled to be sentenced on June 9 .
Manafort was sentenced to 47 months in prison in March for his conviction on eight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gates was sentenced to 45 days in prison and three years probation last month on conspiracy and lying to investigator charges .

Jan. 15 (UPI) -- A former senior Treasury Department official has pleaded guilty to leaking sensitive financial reports about individuals connected to President Donald Trump, including his former campaign manager Paul Manafort.
Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards, 41, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to unlawfully disclose suspicious activity reports, for which she faces up to five years in prison, the Justice Department said.
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"I transmitted a file containing or disclosing the existence of SAR. I am sorry for what I have done and I apologize to you, your honor, and the court," Edwards said in a Manhattan courtroom Monday before U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods.
Prosecutors accused Edwards of using her position at the Treasury to unlawfully distribute documents concerning potentially suspicious financial transactions to a reporter, between October 2017 and her arrest a year later.
Authorities said the SAR documents were about Manafort, Trump campaign official Richard Gates, Russian spy Maria Butina and the Russian Embassy in Washington, among other individuals and entities.
The information those documents contained produced at least 12 articles, prosecutors said.
The court document said Edwards took photographs of the SARs and provided them to the reporter via text message over an encrypted smartphone application. She also sent the unnamed reporter internal emails from the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network relating to the SARs, among other documents, prosecutors said.
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When the Quinton, Va., resident was arrested "she was in possession of a flash drive on which she saved the unlawfully disclosed SARs, and a cellphone containing numerous communications over an encrypted application" that she used to transmit the documents, the Justice Department said.
"Maintaining the confidentiality of SARs, which are filed by banks and other financial institutions to alert law enforcement to potentially illegal transactions, is essential to permit them to serve their statutory function, and the defendant's conduct violated the integrity of that critical system and the law," said U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman.
Edwards is scheduled to be sentenced on June 9.
Manafort was sentenced to 47 months in prison last March for his conviction on eight counts in a bank fraud trial. Gates was sentenced last month to 45 days in prison and three years probation for conspiracy and lying to investigators.