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A call by the United Nations for a global ceasefire to help restore world peace and understanding during the Chinese coronavirus pandemic was branded “a catastrophic failure” Tuesday by Oxfam International. The international charitable organization published a report saying the U.N. has been totally ignored in its efforts to be a peacebroker. It outlined that fighting continues unabated across war-torn countries, undermining global efforts to combat the viral epidemic which has infected more than 4.1 million people and caused more than 280,000 deaths worldwide. The report follows nearly two months after U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ initial appeal for an end...

The president's legal counsel formally responded to the two articles of impeachment leveled against the president, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The deadline for House Democrats to file their trial brief was 5 p.m EST on Saturday. The president's answer to the two articles was due just an hour later. The president's lead attorneys, Jay Sekulow and Pat Cipollone, prepared Trump's six-page formal response to the articles. "The articles of impeachment submitted by House Democrats are a dangerous attack on the right of the American people to freely choose their president," the formal answer reads. "This is a...

More than two dozen House Democrats staged a "sit-in" on the House floor Wednesday in protest of GOP leadership's refusal to allow a vote on a gun control measure following the Orlando massacre. Led by Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), the civil rights icon, and more than 40 Democrats walked into the chamber just before noon and pledged to “occupy” the House floor until GOP leadership allowed a vote. Democrats have tried numerous times over the past week to force a vote on a so-called "no fly, no buy" bill, which would bar terror suspects on the “no-fly" list from purchasing...

Explanation: The majestic Lagoon Nebula is filled with hot gas and the home for many young stars. Spanning 100 light years across while lying only about 5000 light years distant, the Lagoon Nebula is so big and bright that it can be seen without a telescope toward the constellation of the Archer (Sagittarius). Many bright stars are visible from NGC 6530, an open cluster that formed in the nebula only several million years ago. The greater nebula, also known as M8 and NGC 6523, is named "Lagoon" for the band of dust seen to the right of the open cluster's...

....ABC News has learned Martin’s family will soon be notified that the Justice Department will not be filing charges against George Zimmerman, who shot the 17-year-old after a confrontation in 2012. Thursday marks three years to the day since Martin was killed. Federal prosecutors concluded there is not sufficient evidence to prove Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman in Sanford, Fla., intentionally violated Martin’s civil rights, sources told ABC News.

Well since I'm going to be on the road when the Shuttle launches, depending on the weather. I thought I post it now.

Shuttle Endeavour "Go" For Launch Today CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The space shuttle Endeavour is "Go" to launch today, NASA said, after ground crews found no signs of damage from a lightning strike on Friday. The crews completed all the necessary check outs of the vehicle's critical systems and cleared the shuttle for lift off this morning around 9:00 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT). Endeavour is now slated to blast off this evening at 7:13 p.m. EDT (2313 GMT) from Launch Pad 39A here at Kennedy Space Center.

California will establish a high-profile, $600 million research center to devise solutions for global warming, the Public Utilities Commission decided in a 5-0 vote Thursday. The California Institute for Climate Solutions will have a $60 million budget each year for 10 years. The money will come from ratepayers of the state's major utilities, including Pacific Gas & Electric, which serves much of Northern California. The new institute, which will seek matching funds to expand its reach, will administer research grants; work to transfer technologies to commercial businesses; and develop a related workforce for these companies. Undecided is where the new...

LaPorte County, IN - About 3,000 to 5,000 marijuana plants, some the size of Christmas trees, have been found about a half mile north of State Road 4 between 600 and 700 East in LaPorte County, just west of Fish Lake. Officials are calling it the largest outdoor marijuana bust in Indiana since the 1980s. The plants are growing in three to five clusters, hidden on the ground in a two-acre plot full of trees. Police discovered the hidden plants over a week ago but it wasn’t until yesterday that they decided to bust up the drug ring. Police say...

A Ketchikan judge on Monday set aside guilty verdicts returned by a jury against the activist group Greenpeace and the captain of its boat for violating state environmental regulations during a 2004 visit to Alaska. District Court Judge Kevin Miller provided little reason for his unusual order acquitting the Greenpeace defendants except that, in his judgment, the evidence did not support the guilty verdicts."The decision to remove these verdicts from the province of the jury is one that this court does not take lightly," Miller wrote.Miller presided over the jury trial and was responding to a post-verdict request by the...