One Cornell senior recently created her own form of protest after she claims a professor gave her a hard time about wearing denim shorts, The Cornell Sun reports. When Letitia Chai was practicing her thesis presentation, she claims that the professor, Rebekah Maggor, asked her, "Is that really what you would wear?" she told The Cornell Sun. She was wearing a button-down shirt and cutoff jean shorts that she says Maggor called "too short," allegedly adding that Letitia was making "a statement" and would attract "men's attention" away from her presentation. Letitia says she left the room after she claims a male classmate told her she had a "moral obligation" to show less skin. Then, Letitia alleges Maggor followed her out and asked what her mom would think of her clothes. “My mom is a feminist, gender and sexuality studies professor," she replied. "She’s fine with my shorts." Then, Letitia says Maggor asked what she would do. "I'm going to give the best damn speech of my life," she said. She then took off her shirt and shorts and returned in her bra and underwear to give the practice presentation. "I am not responsible for anyone’s attention because we are capable of thinking for ourselves and we have agency," Letitia told The Cornell Sun. After that, she turned her stunt into a larger protest, inviting her peers via a Facebook post to join her in the actual presentation. While she was giving it, 28 of the 44 audience members stripped down to their underwear with her. "I am more than Asian. I am more than a woman. I am more than Letitia Chai. I am a human being, and I ask you to take this leap of faith, to take this next step — or rather this next strip — in our movement and to join me in revealing to each other and seeing each other for who we truly are: members of the human race," she said as she took off her clothes. "We are so triumphant, but most importantly, we are equals." View the Facebook post. "I do not tell my students what to wear, nor do I define for them what constitutes appropriate dress," Maggor said in a statement to The Cornell Sun. "I ask them to reflect for themselves and make their own decisions." Eleven of the other 13 students in the class released a statement to the paper as well reading, "Our professor’s words and actions were unfairly represented in [Letitia's Facebook post], with certain quotes taken out of context." However, they added, "We strongly support and identify with Letitia’s fight for equality in the treatment of all people, regardless of race, gender, color, creed, sexuality, or appearance."

Ford says it has an 84-day supply of its best-selling F-150 pickup. But that doesn't mean buyers won't run into shortages well before then. The automaker said Wednesday that it suspended production the nation's best-selling vehicle after a fire at a supplier's facility caused it to run out of parts. Ford has said it doesn't know how long it will be before it can resume production of the F-150,as it scrambles to find a supplier who can provide it with the parts it needs.Ford has also cut back production of the larger versions of the truck, like the F-250, 350 and so on. It doesn't know how long that production problemwill last either. Experts say that if Ford's two F-150 assembly lines remain shut down for more than a couple of weeks, there could start to be shortages. Related: Ford suspends production of F-150 pickups The F-150 can be configured in many different ways, said Michelle Krebs, AutoTrader senior analyst. "There's a lot of different engines, different cabs, different cargo beds," she said. As a result, some buyers might have trouble finding the specific vehicle they want if the shutdown continues for more than a couple of weeks, Krebs said, even if there are plenty of otherF-150's on their local dealer's lots. "Dealers want to have a larger inventory on the lot that appeals to all the different truck buyers," she said. "They won't be able to do that if this goes on for more than a couple of weeks." The F-series pickups have been the best selling vehicle in America for more than 30 years, and account for roughly a third of Ford's US sales. There are several other factors that could boost demand for the F-150 right now. Related: Ford dropping all but two cars from its North American lineup First, rising gas prices are rising, and the newest F-150, which uses light-weight aluminum, gets about 22 miles per gallon, according to EPA estimates. That compares to only 13 miles per gallon for a 2012 model. Older models typically are even bigger gas guzzlers. Rising interest rates could also bring people into showrooms sooner rather than later, Krebs said. And there's a chance that the headlines about the production shutdown could prompt some buyers who were thinking about buying a truck later to buy one now. Any F-150 shortage could also mean higher prices, since dealers will be reluctant to price their remaining inventory agressively. "There's been some good incentives on pickups," said Krebs. "The deals going forward will not be as fabulous."

SHENZHEN, China — Not Apple. Not Huawei. The first casualty of the high-tech cold war between the United States and China might be the biggest electronics maker you’ve never heard of. The Chinese firm ZTE said on Wednesday it had ceased “major operating activities” after the Trump administration banned the company last month from using components made in the United States. With manufacturing halted at the ZTE plant in Shenzhen, factory workers have been getting called in for training sessions every other day or so — a snooze, they say. The rest of the time, they loaf around in nearby dorms. Trading in the company’s shares has been suspended for weeks. Staff members have been instructed, in new guidelines reviewed by The New York Times, to reassure anxious clients, while being sure to avoid discussing with them the American technology from which the firm is cut off for the next seven years. One of China’s most internationally successful technology suppliers, with about $17 billion in annual revenue, ZTE is facing a death sentence. The Commerce Department has blocked its access to American-made components until 2025, saying the company failed to punish employees who violated trade controls against Iran and North Korea. American microchips power ZTE’s wireless stations. American optical components go into its optical fiber networks. Google’s Android operating system runs its smartphones. As the Trump administration threatens a trade war to stymie China’s plans for promoting advanced industries, the firm’s travails are proving an apt demonstration, for China’s leaders, of exactly why the country needs to be more self-sufficient in technology. Sign Up For the Morning Briefing Newsletter President Xi Jinping recently issued a rousing call to action, according to the state news agency Xinhua. “By tightening our belts and gritting our teeth, we built ‘two bombs and one satellite,’” Mr. Xi said, referring to a Mao-era weapons development program. “This was because we made best use of the socialist system — we concentrated our efforts to get great things done. The next step is to do the same with science and technology. We must cast away false hopes and rely on ourselves.” ZTE’s moment of crisis, if it leads to the company’s collapse, could also show how the tech cold war might ripple around the world. The company has 75,000 employees and does business in more than 160 countries. It is the No. 4 smartphone vendor in the United States. And its telecommunications gear supports the digital backbone of a great swath of the developing world. The wireless carrier MTN, which serves 220 million people in 22 nations in Africa and the Middle East, said last week that it was assessing contingency plans, “given our exposure to ZTE in our networks.” The chief executive of the Norwegian carrier Telenor, which has large operations in Asia, said the company was “following the situation closely.” Several employees described the situation inside ZTE on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals from their employer. A company spokeswoman declined to comment. The United States has for years deemed ZTE and Huawei, its much larger rival in network gear, to be national security threats. Large American mobile carriers already shun the companies’ telecom equipment. The White House is mulling an executive order that would make it harder for government agencies to buy from them. a group of people standing next to a man: ZTE’s logo on a building in Shanghai. The firm said it had ceased “major operating activities” after the Trump administration banned it from using components made in the United States. In response to the sanctions issued last month, ZTE said it had worked to improve its compliance practices. It has requested a stay on the export ban and has sent additional information to the Commerce Department in support of its argument. Zhongxing Telecommunications Equipment’s corporate predecessor was established in 1985, as a joint venture between a state-owned aerospace factory and two other firms. Within a few years, the company was producing equipment for phone operators in the Chinese countryside, before expanding into cities and then overseas. “Zhongxing” means “China Prospers.” The company’s controlling shareholder is Shenzhen Zhongxingxin Telecommunications Equipment, which is nearly half-owned by two Chinese state entities. Several members of the firm’s board also have leadership roles at Zhongxingxin. ZTE says Zhongxingxin does not interfere in its business decisions. Unlike China’s state-controlled enterprises, which are often run by Communist Party officials who jump from company to company, most of the top executives at ZTE are veterans with technical backgrounds. The electronics maker released its first smartphone for the American market in 2011. Within two years, it was a top-five vendor in the United States, largely targeting people who wanted a phone but not a long contract with a cell carrier. Even in China, the company has not had great success selling smartphones. “It’s extraordinarily impressive, what they’ve done in the U.S.,” said Avi Greengart, a consumer tech analyst with the research firm GlobalData. “So many Asian companies either said they would come to the U.S. and then had to pull back — like Xiaomi, like Huawei. Or they invested in the U.S. and weren’t able to make it work.” ZTE’s secret, Mr. Greengart said, was a light touch. The company’s American managers have had significant leeway in tailoring their products to the local market. “That’s not the way many of its competitors work,” he said. The company was, for instance, quick to spot that Americans were gravitating toward larger phones. It offered inexpensive devices with big screens — if not those with the highest resolution — and fingerprint readers at a time when such features were considered premium. To build its brand, ZTE has sponsored several National Basketball Association teams. In February, the company and the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrated Chinese New Year at a game against the Brooklyn Nets. The Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland was decorated with Chinese lanterns. An acrobat rode around the court on a unicycle at halftime. In Africa, ZTE and Huawei have helped connect many of the continent’s fast-growing economies, often with the help of generous export financing from Chinese state banks. ZTE has laid thousands of miles of fiber optic cable in Ethiopia and it recently signed an agreement with MTN of South Africa to test fifth-generation wireless, or 5G. Some of the company’s deals with cash-stricken governments have attracted accusations of corruption and overbilling. On the whole, though, ZTE is known in Africa for high quality and good service, said Dobek Pater, a telecom expert at the research firm Africa Analysis. “The initial perception — of Chinese companies coming in and being very secretive and not wanting to have much to do with the locals — has changed over the past decade,” he said. In Iran, it was secrecy of another kind that got ZTE into trouble. According to the United States government, the company used an elaborate system to sell American-made goods there, and then lied and deleted emails when the Commerce Department began to investigate. It even made plans to resume shipments to Iran while the investigation was ongoing, according to the Commerce Department. “At home, they might have been doing some things not according to standards, and then, when it came time to internationalize, they might not have done so entirely properly,” said Gu Wenjun, chief analyst at ICwise, a semiconductor market research firm in Shanghai. “For other companies thinking about how to follow the rules and manage internal risks, I think this is going to serve as a wakeup call,” Mr. Gu said. At the very least, the sanctions against ZTE appear to be supercharging Beijing’s determination to upgrade China’s microchip makers, which have struggled to keep up with global industry leaders despite state support. Chris Lane, a telecom analyst in Hong Kong with Sanford C. Bernstein, believes that China now has the resolve to whip its semiconductor industry into world-leading shape, even if it takes a decade to do so. “They’re going to pour billions of dollars into preventing this from ever happening again,” he said. “In the long run, strategically, this might be worse for the U.S. than the current situation.” Late last Friday, ZTE management sent an email to staff members updating them on the company’s efforts to reconcile with Washington. “Even the longest road has an end,” the email concluded. “Even the longest night ends in day. Let us stay resolute and confident, and, full of hope, greet the coming dawn!”

President Donald Trump hasn't said much, if anything, about artificial intelligence, but his administration is warming up to the idea of investing more in the technology and finding ways to build new skills for the U.S. workers it replaces. "The Trump administration will ensure our great nation remains the global leader in AI," the president's technology adviser, Michael Kratsios, said to a gathering of corporate leaders Thursday. Kratsios was hosting the Trump White House's first summit on artificial intelligence, convening tech giants such as Google, Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft as well as major retailers, banks, drugmakers, carmakers, food companies and engineering schools. Some in the crowd had been pushing the administration to focus more on AI and related issues in science and technology. Academic leaders have pitched for more investment in basic research. There is little doubt that U.S. tech companies and universities are already at the forefront in developing self-driving cars, robotics, smarter health diagnostics and other advances that rely on increasingly intelligent machines. But Trump's lack of public emphasis on both the economic promise and potential dangers of automation has contrasted with other world leaders who have made a vocal push to get their countries ahead. "It's been a huge missed opportunity up until this point," said Robert Seamans, a White House economist during the Obama administration who now teaches at the NYU Stern School of Business. Naveen Rao, who leads the AI product unit at chipmaker Intel, said the United States enjoys "a nice lead that happened organically" and with help from prior investments going back decades. But, he said, "other countries are organized, and organizing right now, around AI and how it's going to change the future of work and the economy." China's government announced last summer a goal of becoming a global leader in artificial intelligence in just over a decade by developing skills, research and educational resources to achieve major breakthroughs. A report last month from the U.S. Congressional Research Service described China as a "leading competitor" in using AI to develop military applications, including autonomous vehicles and computer systems that can make faster and better-informed decisions. The European Union's executive branch said last month it wants the bloc's governments and companies to invest at least $24 billion in AI through 2020 in an attempt to remain globally competitive. The leaders of France and the U.K. have talked about making AI investments while also outlining concerns about developing the new technology with ethical guidelines. John Holdren, who was the top presidential science adviser during the Obama administration, warned that the Trump administration's late entry into outlining its approach to AI reflects broader concerns about its commitment to technological advancement. Holdren noted that his former job leading the nearly 40-year-old Office of Science and Technology Policy remains unfilled. Trump, who is more than 15 months into his term of office, hasn't yet nominated a replacement. Instead, Kratsios, a deputy assistant to the president for technology policy, detailed the administration's AI strategy Thursday. Kratsios said a new committee is being formed that will coordinate AI investments across federal agencies, including research related to autonomous systems, biometric identification, computer vision and robotics. He called for a "free-market approach" that would harness the combined strength of government, industry and academia while limiting regulation that could "hamstring" companies, according to his prepared remarks. The event was closed to the press. While Seamans said the U.S. doesn't need to take a centralized approach, he said it could be useful for administration officials to discuss the impacts of the new technology, especially for consumers and workers whose jobs are becoming obsolete or who will require new skills. He said it's also important to make it easier for startups to participate so that the technology — and the reams of online data it learns from — isn't tightly controlled by a small group of large companies. Dean Garfield, who heads the Information Technology Industry Council trade group, said the White House's attention to AI is "better late than never." A year ago, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin brushed aside concerns about AI displacing jobs, saying that prospect was so far in the future that "it's not even on my radar screen." That perspective seems to have shifted, as Kratsios argued Thursday that job displacement is "inevitable" and that "we can't sit idle, hoping eventually the market will sort it out." Garfield said that as new technology displaces some job roles, "the government is well-situated to make sure that people are also deployed in the competencies and in the places those jobs will be." Garfield and other attendees said they were optimistic about the administration's approach, including efforts to smooth regulations that could foster the adoption of self-driving vehicles and drones . Ian Buck, who leads the data center business for chipmaker Nvidia, said his company also supports the administration's plans to make more government data sets available to researchers.

Landmark U.S. "net neutrality" rules will expire on June 11, and new regulations handing providers broad new power over how consumers can access the internet will take effect, the Federal Communications Commission said on Thursday in setting the date. The FCC in December repealed the Obama-era open-internet rules set in 2015, which bars providers from blocking or slowing down access to content or charging consumers more for certain content. The prior rules were intended to ensure a free and open internet, give consumers equal access to web content and bar broadband service providers from favoring their own material or others. The new rules require internet providers to tell consumers whether they will block or slow content or offer paid "fast lanes." Comcast Corp, Verizon Communications Inc and AT&T Inc have all pledged to not block or discriminate against legal content after the net neutrality rules expire. Reuters first reported the June 11 effective date, disclosed in an FCC document on Thursday. Acting New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood, a Democrat, said "the repeal of net neutrality would allow internet service providers to put their profits before the consumers they serve and control what we see, do, and say online." A spokeswoman for Underwood said the state attorneys general have not sought a stay of the FCC order yet. A group of 22 states led by New York and others have sued to try to block the new rules from taking effect, and the U.S. Senate may vote as early as next week to reject the December repeal. The revised rules were a win for internet service providers, whose practices faced significant government oversight and FCC investigations under the 2015 order, but are opposed by internet firms like Facebook Inc and Alphabet Inc. Some internet providers have said they could eventually offer paid fast lanes, also known as paid prioritization, for some future internet traffic. The repeal of net neutrality is the latest thread in a broader pattern of Republican Trump administration reversals of Democratic Obama administration policies or achievements, such as the Paris climate accords and the Iran nuclear agreement. Republican FCC Chairman Ajit Pai told reporters on Thursday the rollback of the rules would not harm consumers and would return the internet to the pre-2015 era. "The effect of this will be better, faster, cheaper internet access and the free and open internet that we have had for many, many years," he said. Pai said the FCC gave internet providers 30 days to comply with the new transparency rules. He said many politicians had sought to "mislead" the public about the repeal's impact. "Now everyone will be able to see the truth for themselves," Pai said. Democrats objected. "The agency failed to listen to the American public and gave short shrift to their deeply held belief that internet openness should remain the law of the land," FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat, said on Thursday. "The FCC is on the wrong side of history, the wrong side of the law, and the wrong side of the American people." The U.S. Senate is set to vote as early as next week on whether to reject the FCC repeal of the net neutrality rules, but that effort faces an uphill battle. Proponents currently have the backing of 47 Democrats and the two independents who caucus with Democrats, as well as Republican Senator Susan Collins. With the prolonged absence of Republican Senator John McCain due to illness, proponents believe they will win on a 50-49 vote. Senator Ed Markey said it was "likely" the vote will take place in the middle of next week. On Wednesday, senators officially filed a petition to force a net neutrality vote and 10 hours of floor debate under the Congressional Review Act. Following Thursday's FCC announcement, Markey wrote on Twitter: "the Senate must act NOW and pass my resolution to save the internet as we know it." If the Senate approves the measure, it would not likely pass the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. If the legislation were to pass the House, President Donald Trump would be expected to veto it. The FCC voted in December 3-2 to reverse the Obama-era rules barring service providers from blocking, slowing access to or charging more for certain online content, but said under government regulatory rules it would take months before they could legally take effect. In February, a coalition of 22 state attorneys general refiled legal challenges intended to block the repeal of net neutrality. A number of states have adopted laws aimed at dissuading internet providers from abandoning net neutrality. Democrats have said they believe the issue would be key in November's midterm congressional elections, especially among younger internet-savvy voters.

According to a new Harris Poll EquiTrend Study, Taco Bell beat out Chipotle and Moe's Southwestern Grill in the survey. © Courtesy Taco Bell Perhaps there's no better marriage than America and a quesadilla stuffed with Kit Kats. That certainly seems to be the case, given a new Harris Poll EquiTrend Study, which determined that the most cherished Mexican restaurant in the United States is Taco Bell. The home of monstrosities such as the Naked Chicken Chalupa, French Toast Chalupa, and Double Chalupa has captured America's imagination better than its counterparts, largely owing to its zany marketing strategies, the study found. For the study, 77,031 US consumers at least 15-years-old were surveyed online between January 3 and February 15. T-Bell outpaced Chipotle and Moe's Southwestern Grill, the latter of which had previously won the award in 2016 and 2017, Yahoo Finance reports. Taco Bell led the charge not because it serves authentic and fresh Mexican cuisine -- it definitely doesn't -- but because of the brand's tendency to create wild stunt foods that stoners love. As Amir Kanpurwala, the director of the survey, said: "Taco Bell’s marketing is ubiquitous so it wasn’t surprising to me that they came out on top this year. It’s not so much that Moe’s or Chipotle are falling off the map. Taco Bell has just been a stronger brand as of late, as demonstrated by the strong familiarity and consideration marks.” Chipotle, while still a wildly popular brand with its own share of cultish fans, has suffered remarkably in recent years, due to its sluggish recovery from a series of food borne illness outbreaks in 2015 that tarnished its public image. In any case, the proof of Taco Bell's marketing genius is fairly apparent, what with the company bantering with rock stars about french fries on Twitter, and occasionally teasing the public with its own beer. But please just remember that it's not actually Mexican food.

TOKYO — North Korea could be taking preliminary steps to close its nuclear test site, according to new satellite images that suggest Kim Jong Un might be making good on one of the surprising pledges he’s made over the past month. Or, he’s making the rest of the world think he is by arranging a performance for the satellites that pass overhead. Satellite images taken since last month’s inter-Korean summit show a steady reduction in the number of buildings around North Korea’s known nuclear test site, built under Mount Mantap in the Punggye-ri area in the north of the country. “At the very least, this is a welcome PR move,” said Jeffrey Lewis, head of the East Asia program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, Calif. Subscribe to the Post Most newsletter: Today’s most popular stories on The Washington Post “Over the past two weeks, five or six buildings have inexplicably come down,” Lewis said, citing commercial satellite images from the San Francisco-based firm Planet Labs that have a resolution comparable to Google Maps. “Something is clearly happening there.” As part of the extraordinary rapprochement going on, North Korea has vowed to dismantle the test site, where all six of its nuclear detonations have taken place, this month. But as with so many things about North Korea, it’s difficult to tell how much of this is wheat and how much is chaff. Kim made the pledge during a historic summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, which laid the groundwork for a meeting between Kim and President Trump, which Trump announced Thursday would take place June 12 in Singapore. © Provided by WP Company LLC d/b/a The Washington Post Kim said he would invite security experts and journalists to the North to observe the closure of the site, the South’s presidential Blue House said. All six of North Korea’s nuclear tests have taken place deep under the mountain at Punggye-ri, with five of them occurring in the tunnel complex accessed through an entrance known as the north portal. There are two other entrances to the site, the west and south portals. The last test, in September last year, was so huge that some experts wondered whether Mount Mantap was suffering from “tired mountain syndrome” and had become unusable. But nuclear experts have cast doubt on that theory, noting that even if the tunnels leading to the north portal were unusable, the other two entrances could still be operational. Tunneling and activity at the west portal had been visible as recently as April 20, a week before the inter-Korean summit, according to an analysis for 38 North, a website devoted to North Korea. There are clusters of buildings at the portals, including administration buildings and a command center, as well as smaller buildings. The big, main buildings are still there but the smaller, more peripheral ones at the north and south portals, the entrances to the main tunnels, have come down, Lewis said. This could be part of the preparations for inviting journalists and experts to watch the closure of the site, which, Lewis said, could be as simple – and as reversible – as blocking the portals. “Shutting down the test site is something they can easily do. It’s just tunnels so they can seal the entrances – but they can also unseal them,” he said. “And the tunnels are always going to be there,” he added, unless North Korea blows up the whole site. Still, analysts wanting to be optimistic about the diplomatic process say that declaring the site finished and taking steps toward closing it would support their theory that Kim is making an effort, just like this week’s release of three Americans who had been held in North Korea. But skeptics say that closing a test site that might well be spent is just cosmetic. A group of Chinese scientists last month said they believe that the test site collapsed after September’s huge test, which caused an earthquake so big that satellites caught images of the mountain above the site moving. North Korea claimed to have detonated a hydrogen bomb, which would be exponentially more powerful than the atomic devices previously tested, and experts said the size of the earthquake suggested that it had indeed been a hydrogen, or thermonuclear, explosion. Adding to the theory that the site has outlived its utility is new research from scientists from the Earth Observatory of Singapore at Nanyang Technological University, who claim to have found evidence that the damage at Mount Mantap was more substantial than other research shows. In their study, which will be published in the journal Science on Thursday, they argued that by using satellite radar imagery to supplement ground-based seismological readings, they were able to gain a more accurate picture of the Sept. 3 test. Sylvain Barbot, a researcher with the Earth Observatory of Singapore, wrote in an email that the nuclear test last year was so large that “we could ‘feel’ it from space.” The amount of shaking that accompanied the explosion was so severe that traditional radar measurements were inaccurate, Barbot said, and his team had to use unusual techniques to compensate for significant changes in the landscape. By using these techniques, the researchers were able to estimate a depth for the nuclear detonation: around 450 meters, or roughly 1,500 feet, beneath the summit of Mount Mantap. Researchers then combined this information with seismological readings to come up with an estimated yield for the weapon of 120 to 304 kilotons. Much of this range would be far higher than officials from the United States and South Korea estimate. The researchers also found evidence that a significant part of Mount Mantap had collapsed after the explosion, supporting the Chinese study. A “very large” part of the facility had collapsed, Barbot said, “not merely a tunnel or two.”

They haven’t even made it down the aisle yet, but speculation in British tabloid newspapers about how quickly Meghan Markle and Prince Harry might have a baby is already at fever pitch. According to a front page report in the Mirror today, Meghan has told a friend that she hopes to have a baby within a year of getting married. The Mirror quotes a source as saying: “They’re desperate to have children as soon as possible, they’re hoping it won’t take long.” Meanwhile, in a new Sky documentary, Gina Nelthorpe-Cowne, Markle's friend and former agent, revealed how the actress had shared the news she was dating Prince Harry, and said she had spoken about her hopes of having a family. Appearing in the Sky documentary, Harry and Meghan: A Love Story, which screened in the U.K. last night, the agent claims she had once asked Markle if she saw children in her future. "She said to me, 'I would absolutely love to have children, and I can't wait to be a mother'," Nelthorpe-Cowne said. She also revealed the moment she learned about the relationship, saying: "Meghan and I were at lunch and she was really excited that day. I said to her, 'You look fantastic Meghan. What's going on in your life, you seem excited?' "And she said, 'Well yes, I have a date tonight.' And I said, 'Really, with who, do I know him?' And she said, 'Yes I'm sure you'll know him, I'm meeting Prince Harry.' In a whisper she sort of said it. "And I said, 'Who?' And she said, 'Prince Harry, I'm meeting Prince Harry tonight.' And I said, 'Prince Harry?!'" Harry has made no secret of his desire to have children. He said in his engagement interview: “Hopefully we’ll start a family in the near future.” Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty Magazine, told the Mirror: “You would imagine a baby must be quite high on the agenda given Meghan’s age. We all know that Harry loves children. He’s a great uncle and the expectation is that he will be an equally great father.” Meghan is 36 and Harry is 33.

President Trump announced Thursday on Twitter that several leaders of the terror group ISIS were apprehended in a recent operation. "Five Most Wanted leaders of ISIS just captured!" Mr. Trump said in a tweet. The ISIS officials were captured in a joint operation carried about by American and Iraqi intelligence, according to The New York Times. The paper reports that the operation began after Turkish authorities arrested a top aide to ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in February and extradited him to Iraq. After being interrogated by American and Iraqi intelligence agents, the ISIS official lured four other leaders of the terror group across the Iraqi border, where they were arrested. The ISIS leaders who were apprehended do not include al-Baghdadi, a senior U.S. official confirmed to CBS News' Margaret Brennan. The self-styled caliph is still at large and believed to be hiding in the cross border area between Iraq and Syria. © Mohamed El-shahed/AFP/Getty Images IRAQ-CONFLICT Intelligence gleaned from the interrogations of the ISIS official arrested by the Turks, who is identified by the Times as Ismail Alwaan al-Ithawi, also led to an April U.S. airstrike that killed 39 suspected ISIS members. Following the airstrike, the paper reports, U.S. and Iraqi agents persuaded al-Ithawi to help set a trap and convince the other ISIS leaders to leave Syria and enter Iraq. The apprehended ISIS officials include Abu Abdel al-Haq, who had handled internal security for the group, Saddam al-Jammel, who governed some ISIS territory in eastern Syria.

WASHINGTON — Kirstjen Nielsen, the homeland security secretary, told colleagues she was close to resigning after President Trump berated her on Wednesday in front of the entire cabinet for what he said was her failure to adequately secure the nation’s borders, according to several current and former officials familiar with the episode. Ms. Nielsen, who is a protégée of John F. Kelly, the White House chief of staff, has drafted a resignation letter but has not submitted it, according to two of the people. As the head of the Department of Homeland Security, Ms. Nielsen is in charge of the 20,000 employees who work for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Mr. Trump’s anger toward Ms. Nielsen, who was sitting several seats to his left at the meeting, was part of a lengthy tirade in which the president railed at his cabinet about what he said was its lack of progress toward sealing the country’s borders against illegal immigrants, according to one person who was present at the meeting. Sign Up For the Morning Briefing Newsletter Asked about the heated exchange at the meeting, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, said Thursday that “the president is committed to fixing our broken immigration system and our porous borders.” In a statement, Ms. Nielsen said she intended to “continue to direct the department to do all we can to implement the president’s security-focused agenda.” She said Mr. Trump was “rightly frustrated that existing loopholes and the lack of congressional action have prevented this administration from fully securing the border.” Tyler Q. Houlton, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, disputed that Ms. Nielsen had drafted a resignation letter and was close to resigning, calling those assertions “false.” Mr. Trump’s anger about immigration has grown in recent weeks, according to several officials. He repeatedly claimed credit for the fact that during his first year in office, illegal border crossings dropped to their lowest levels in decades. But this year, they have risen again, robbing him of one of his favorite talking points. In remarks to reporters before Wednesday’s meeting, Mr. Trump hinted at the anger that would cause him to erupt once TV cameras were led out of the room. “We’ve very much toughened up the border, but the laws are horrible,” Mr. Trump said. “The laws in this country for immigration and illegal immigration are absolutely horrible. And we have to do something about it — not only the wall, which we’re building sections of wall right now.” One person familiar with Mr. Trump’s blowup at the meeting said it was prompted by a discussion about why Mexico was not doing more to prevent illegal border crossings into the United States. Another person said the president was primarily focused on the Homeland Security Department because he viewed Ms. Nielsen as primarily responsible for keeping illegal immigrants out of the country. During the meeting, Mr. Trump yelled about the United States’ porous border and said more needed to be done to fix it. When members of his cabinet pointed out that the country relies on day laborers who cross the border each day, Mr. Trump said that was fine, but continued to complain, one person said. The president also complained about the continued failure of his administration to find a way to build a wall along the southern border with Mexico, two people familiar with the episode said. Ms. Nielsen viewed the president’s rant as directed mostly at her, and she told associates after the meeting that she should not continue in the job if he did not view her as effective. One person close to Ms. Nielsen said she was miserable in her job. Mr. Trump has clashed with Ms. Nielsen for weeks about his belief that more should be done to secure the border. In early April, the president repeatedly expressed frustration with Ms. Nielsen that her department was not doing enough to close loopholes that were allowing illegal immigrants into the country, according to one official familiar with those discussions. During those discussions, officials had presented Mr. Trump with a list of proposals that would help border agents crack down on those trying to cross the border illegally and send them back more quickly. The president urged Ms. Nielsen to be more aggressive, the official said. One persistent issue has been Mr. Trump’s belief that Ms. Nielsen and other officials in the department were resisting his direction that parents be separated from their children when families cross illegally into the United States, several officials said. The president and his aides in the White House had been pushing a family separation policy for weeks as a way of deterring families from trying to cross the border illegally. On Monday, Justice Department officials announced that border agents will refer 100 percent of illegal crossings for prosecution, a decision that will most likely result in more family separations. But one official said the family separation issue is just one part of the president’s broader frustration with the pace of progress on an immigration crackdown, which was a central promise that he made to voters during his 2016 presidential campaign. Since taking office, Mr. Trump’s efforts to impose a travel ban on several predominantly Muslim countries were held up for months in the courts. The courts have also interfered with his push to end an Obama-era program to help people brought to the United States illegally as young children. In recent weeks, Mr. Trump has been increasingly focused on the obstacles to immigration changes, even in public speeches where he had planned to talk about other topics. “We don’t have laws. We have laws that were written by people that truly could not love our country,” the president told members of the National Rifle Association last week in Dallas during lengthy remarks about immigration. “We’re going to start defending our country. We’re going to start defending our borders,” he said with the same enthusiasm that he demonstrated when he talked about immigration during his campaign. The episode at the cabinet meeting on Wednesday is the latest evidence of staff turmoil at the White House, where many of Mr. Trump’s top advisers have either been fired or have resigned in recent weeks. The president fired Rex W. Tillerson, his secretary of state, and pushed out Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, his second national security adviser, replacing him with John R. Bolton, who in turn fired several top aides at the National Security Council. Those staff changes followed the announced departures of Gary D. Cohn, the president’s top economic adviser in the White House, and Hope Hicks, who was Mr. Trump’s communications director and confidante. Thomas P. Bossert, the president’s homeland security adviser, also quit. Mr. Trump’s relationship with Mr. Kelly, who was the president’s first secretary of homeland security, has also soured in recent months as the president has grown weary of Mr. Kelly’s attempts to impose order on his White House operations. Ms. Nielsen was Mr. Kelly’s chief of staff at the Homeland Security Department, and followed Mr. Kelly to the White House when he became chief of staff. She frequently clashed with other members of the president’s staff as she and Mr. Kelly sought to end the chaotic access to Mr. Trump in the Oval Office. Mr. Trump later nominated Ms. Nielsen to be the new homeland security secretary on Mr. Kelly’s recommendation. Even so, people close to Mr. Trump said he viewed her with suspicion because she had spent years working for President George W. Bush as a homeland security aide and later as a top official for the Transportation Security Administration in the Homeland Security Department.

Former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin says hearing that Sen. John McCain now regrets choosing her as his 2008 running mate is 'like a perpetual gut-punch' every time she hears about it. And the latest verdict from the ailing 81-year-old Arizona Republican, she said, is perplexing because McCain has told her very different things over and over in person. 'That's not what Sen. McCain has told me all these years, as he's apologized to me repeatedly for the people who ran his campaign – some who now staff MSNBC, the newsroom there, which tells you a lot,' Palin said. Hearing the opposite on TV, she said, was unnerving. 'It's not a real fun thing that part of my job is the requirement – is having to read the news every day,' Palin lamented. The onetime Alaska governor spoke to DailyMail.com in Washington before headlining a fundraising event for a Trump-friendly political action committee. The New York Times revealed earlier this week that McCain wrote in his new book, The Restless Wave, that he regretted choosing Palin as his running mate and wanted Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman as his VP instead. Palin said it's possible that McCain himself doesn't believe she was a drag on his White House aspirations a decade ago, but that hangers-on in his inner circle could be presuming to speak for him. 'I attribute a lot of what we're hearing and reading regarding McCain's statements to his ghostwriter or ghostwriters,' she explained. 'I don't know all the details of his condition right now. It happens to me also where people speak for me and a bell is rung, and you can't un-ring the bell.' 'I don't know unless I heard it from Sen. McCain myself,' she said. McCain's recurring apology for her treatment at the hands of the Republican Party elites who turned their noses up at her 'going rogue' style, she insisted, 'has almost been a running joke between the two of us over these years.' 'I stop him all the time and say, "Please don't apologize." There's nothing to apologize for anyway, Palin said, since former president Barack Obama's victory over her and McCain was basically written in the stars. 'There were elements of a perfect storm for Barack Obama to have been elected. It worked out the way that it was supposed to work out,' she said. That's because the Obama years 'opened a lot of people's eyes to the trajectory of our country,' she said, hastening the Trump era into place. Palin took issue with the way President Trump has treated McCain, a war hero who was tortured for years in North Vietnam after his plane was shot down – and famously refused to accept an early release unless the men he commanded were allowed to come out of the infamous 'Hanoi Hilton' with him. Trump has hurled a steady stream of disparagement in McCain's direction since early in the 2016 campaign season, once saying in Iowa that the senator shouldn't be considered a war hero 'because he was captured.' At first Palin said she was 'frustrated' with Trump for not having a lighter touch with McCain. Then she stopped and said a better word would be 'disappointment' because Trump has been 'disparaging Sen. McCain – his record, his history as a veteran – when we don't know all the details of all those years that Sen. McCain made sacrifices for this country as a POW.' While she defended McCain's honor, Palin had choice words for one of his more memorable votes on the Senate floor. The famously plainspoken Palin didn't dispute that she disagreed with McCain for enraging the president by casting a 'no' vote last year and killing a bill aimed at repealing the Affordable Care Act. Obamacare is 'still on the books after all the promises that the GOP would repeal [it],' she vented, ultimately allowing that 'it's not all on Sen. McCain's shoulders' because plenty of Democrats became 'obstructionists' over the high-stakes legislative episode. Asked if McCain should have voted yes,' Palin didn't blink. 'I wish that he would have,' she said. 'And Sen. McCain and I, at least in the past, had a good enough relationship where if I had the opportunity, I would have told him that.' McCain, who is battling brain cancer, has already said he won't run for re-election again. Palin told DailyMail.com that she will 'choose to remember the good times with him' even though he appears to have turned on her. 'In spite of everything that has erupted in these past days with his spokesperson – or perhaps he himself – saying that he regrets that they chose me to run on their ticket,' she said, 'despite all that, he has been my friend.'

Hi there, Excellent GA.. I am Applying for an Apollo invite.. joining in a great music tracker as Apollo is always a pleasure.. I have been on quite a few trackers with a good ratio.. Also I have seedbox & a decent connection of broadband to get the contents seeding & connectable.. Can provide any ratio proofs.. Looking forward to your reply.. Regards Ulquiorra

The Chinese company nubia declared a war on bezels far before most of its rivals. It started with the Z9 that was onboard all the way to the Z17 where the bezels use light refraction to make it appear that the display stretches to the very edge. A poster from earlier this week revealed the company is ready with a new iteration of its display technology, and thanks to a leaked photo of the nubia Z18, we know what the Full Screen 3.0 will look like on the next flagship. The side bezels seem curved, with the screen pushing against the metal frame. It practically has no bezels on both sides and the top, but sadly, lighting falls in such way that we can’t see if there will be a notch. On the bottom we see a red virtual home key, meaning the chin of the Z18 will also be extremely small and significantly slimmer than the bottom bezel of the Z17s. Sources say the phone will also have Snapdragon 845 and 8 GB RAM, but no other specs have been confirmed just yet. The nubia Z18 is expected to arrive in June. Although it will keep the nubia UI for its domestic market, we hope the global units will switch to Stock Android, as promised back in March.

Finney, the first blockchain smartphone, features flagship specs and price Back in March, we told you about Finney, Sirin Labs' blockchain phone. Developed for cryptocurrency Bitcoin, blockchain is an anonymous peer-to-peer network that all members of said network can see. Any change to the blockchain must be approved by those in the network. It is said to be immune to hacking, and thus provides a safer backdrop for keeping track of financial transactions. Sirin Labs has just released updated specs for the Finney smartphone, which will be the first connected handset to support blockchain. The device will carry a 6-inch screen with an aspect ratio of 18:9 and a 1080 x 2160 FHD+ resolution. Under the hood is the Snapdragon 845 mobile platform with an octa-core CPU and the Adreno 630 GPU. 6GB of RAM is inside along with 128GB of native storage. On back is a 12MP camera with an aperture of f/1.8, and an 8MP selfie snapper is found in front. An "ultra-secure" fingerprint sensor is onboard, and the device supports Bluetooth 5.0 and NFC. Keeping the lights on is a rather light 3000mAh battery that charges to 50% in 30 minutes, and Android 8.1 is pre-installed. The IP52 certification rating means that there is limited protection from vertically falling water, like rain. The back of the device features Gorilla Glass The Finney is equipped with a cold storage cryptocurrency wallet that is not connected to the internet. This prevents hackers from gaining access to any Bitcoins or other cryptocurrencies stored in the wallet. "Our team has been working vigorously to make sure that the first blockchain smartphone is cutting edge in all technical aspects. Our collaboration with FIH (Foxconn International Holdings) ensures that we will be offering state-of-the-art design with device architecture that will enable true security and user-friendly blockchain experience."-Zvika Landau, Co-CEO, Sirin Labs Sirin Labs previously stated that it had 25,000 pre-orders for the device, which carries a MSRP of $999. The Finney will be launched later this year and if interested in reserving one, click on the sourcelink. Those pre-ordering the phone using the company's Sirin Labs Tokens (SRN) get a $100 (10%) discount. Only 50 SRN Tokens, currently valued at $25.03 USD, are needed to reserve a Finney handset. Once the phone is released, the balance due will depend on the market value of the tokens at the time. Considering that the SRN Token is down 7% today, you might end up with an even bigger discount if you pay for the phone with them.

Ranbir Kapoor is all set to rule the screen with his upcoming movie Sanju. It is based on the life of Sanjay Dutt and since we all know people are going crazy over it already. Apart from this, Ranbir has quite a few projects in his kitty – like Shamshera & Brahmastra. A few days back Yash Raj Films dropped in the first look of their next project starring Ranbir Kapoor and we are all set to witness the actor in a never seen before avatar. We all saw that Ranbir was seen as a dacoit in the poster. Ranbir Kapoor To Face Off Sanjay Dutt In Shamshera! The project is titled Shamshera! Now, the latest news that dropped today is that Sanjay Dutt will be playing the role of the villain in the movie. It will be interesting to see how Ranbir and Sanjay Dutt as opponents. While Ranbir was roped in earlier, the casting team was trying to find someone who would match the amazing vibe against Ranbir Kapoor and well, who can be better than our Sanju baba. The movie is a period action-adventure film! This also marks Sanjay Dutt’s first film with YRF. Since we know his father had a close connection and a long list of the film with Yash Chopra, this is definitely special for Sanju.

Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt recently wrapped up the first shooting schedule of Brahmastra, directed by Ayan Mukerji, in Bulgaria. After a prolonged schedule, the team has now taken a break for a month, as the lead actors of the film wanted time for the promotions of their upcoming releases – Sanju and Raazi. Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt’s Brahmastra To Be Made On A Budget Of 250 Crores? In the meanwhile, Ayan Mukerji will spend time at Prime Focus on the technical aspect of the film, wherein a lot of visual effects will be added to the scenes shot at Bulgaria.

In just 13 days, Avengers: Infinity War has entered the 200 Crore Club. The film had a mind-blowing first day followed by a fantastic weekend. Post that the weekdays were good too but the real game changer was the second weekend which again managed to go past the 30 crore mark. That set the film well for an excellent overall run and that is pretty much evidenced by the momentum that the Hollywood flick is maintaining right till date. Avengers: Infinity War Box Office: Goes Past 200 Crore Mark In Just 13 Days! The film has crossed the 200 crore mark and is now bracing up well for some fantastic days ahead. It would continue to collect at least till the arrival of Race 3 and that is still one month away. While a 250 Crore club entry is on the cards, it has to be seen if the film manages to go beyond that as well. It may be tough though since Raazi, Bhavesh Joshi Superhero and Veere Di Wedding arrive in the interim period with chances of Parmanu – The Story of Pokhran pitching in as well. These films won’t be pushovers and not just occupy a good count of screens but also bring in footfalls.

When it comes to Bollywood we all know who is our superhero delivering hits one after another (few misses here and there), it’s Salman Khan aka Blockbuster Khan. But Avengers: Infinity War, a movie on a record breaking spree has surpassed this mini record created by a Salman film years ago. Now, we know that this Salman film came back in 2012 and was a super-hit back then but let’s celebrate for what it’s due. Avengers: Infinity War has crossed the 200 crore mark till now at the box office. It has surpassed Salman Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger which still stands tall at the grand total of 198 crores. Avengers: Infinity War Box Office: Superheroes Beat Salman Khan In This Interesting Battle! We know it’s not a fair comparison as Salman Khan has moved miles ahead of Ek Tha Tiger, but who thought a Hollywood film would come and breach the 200 crore mark? If not for Salman Khan, let’s rejoice the fact that there has been a vast exposure of Hollywood films in India (at least ones with the superheroes). The Disney-Marvel film, which released on April 27, will take in around $122 million this weekend from 4,474 North American locations, which, combined with its international total, will push it past the $1 billion mark, reports variety.com.

As promised by Rajkumar Hirani, we will get to see some new posters and/or production stills of Ranbir Kapoor starrer Sanju every day; the one for today is here and is as amazing as the previous ones. They say a painter never lets his vision fade and can draw a similar painting even after years. Rajkumar Hirani is just like that painter who is painting the different shades of Sanjay Dutt with the help of Ranbir Kapoor. He met Sanjay Dutt in the jail where he was serving his sentence for illegal arms possession case in 2013. With the latest poster of Sanju, Hirani has tried to portray the similarity. Donning the white kurta and pyjama, Ranbir Kapoor as Sanju is yet again mastering his blank stare. Salt and pepper beard, Nehru topi with hands folded behind his back, Ranbir has not just got into the skin of Sanjay Dutt – he is Sanjay Dutt. In Sanju, Ranbir has portrayed Sanjay’s different avatars.

This Friday sees the release of Raazi. The film is special since it has Alia Bhatt in a central role and she is the biggest selling point here. Moreover, she is arriving more than a year after Badrinath Ki Dulhania which was an altogether different film in a far more commercial space and genre. On the other hand Raazi has a much more realistic feel to it and though it does come with commercial ingredients, one cannot expect masses to be thronging theatres from the first day itself. Raazi Box Office Predictions: All Set To Take A Decent Start! The film also marks the coming together of Karan Johar as a producer and Meghna Gulzar as the director which is also a unique combination. While former keeps making films at regular intervals, latter is returning a couple of years after Talvar and it would be interesting to see how she narrates this spy tale which is set during India – Pakistan war.

102 Not Out Box Office: Filmmaker Umesh Shukla’s 102 Not Out starring Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor is being loved by the fans and the audiences. The film is scoring well at the box office; despite Avengers: Infinity War. Though the film took a slow start but due to positive word of mouth, the film started picking up in its first week. 102 Not Out Box Office 102 Not Out is definitely winning hearts because of its quirky and amazing content. The film collected 2.65 crore on its first Wednesday and now the film stands at the total of 25.15 crore. Though the yesterday collections are lowest of all but it might again boost at the weekend. The film is being loved by everyone in the country which is helping the film to remain stable at the box office. The camaraderie of Chintu and Big B is simply outstanding in the film.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is a force to reckon with. This Devdas star made her mark in Hollywood as an international icon and is known for her unparalleled beauty and brilliant acting prowess. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has always made sure to leave her mark wherever she goes,t his shows with the many firsts that she has achieved in her career span. Now the world’s most admired woman is all set to expand her digital imprints by making an Instagram debut on 11th May 2018. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has always been a private person and her presence on the social media platform is basically her way of thanking all her well-wishers who have been hiving her so much love through the start of her career; a way to directly connect with them YAY! Aishwarya Rai Bachchan To Make Her Instagram Debut A source close to the actress revealed that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has a huge fan base on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Her fans have been waiting for their beauty queen to be on social media for ages now. It’s due to the constant request from her well-wishers, admirers, fan – followers from all around the globe that she opted to have an official handle on Instagram to keep her fans abreast of her life, projects, etc.

ctor Varun Dhawan says it is after years that he has got an exciting role in upcoming movie Kalank for which he is thrilled to train for. Varun on Wednesday night tweeted a video of himself working out in the gym. Varun Dhawan On Kalank: Got An Exciting Character After Years! “Night training for ‘Kalank’. After years I have got a character for whom I am very excited to train for. Try this only once you get used to the movements. It’s taken me sometime to master this. Keep your core engaged at all times. P.s. that the new mission impossible theme playing,” Varun wrote along side the video. The film also stars Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Alia Bhatt, Sonakshi Sinha and Aditya Roy Kapur.

Race 3 Box Office: As we all know Salman Khan is going to be back with Race 3! It is said to be one of the biggest movies of 2018! Well, Salman can be called the king of box office since he has 3 films in the 300 crore club! Salman’s aura is mind-blowing and that’s the reason he has a crazy fan following! Fans eagerly wait for the superstar to rock on-screen! With having huge hits back to back, we are now waiting to see his zabardast action in Race 3. With a powerful cast including director Remo D’Souza, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah and Saqib Saleem; it will be one hell of a movie! Race 3 Box Office Salman Khan has 3 movies in the 300 crore club! Since Race 3 is his next big film! We wonder if it will be Salman’s 4th Film in the 300 crore club! The three films already in the list of 300 crore club movies are Bajrangi Bhaijaan which grossed 320.34 crores, Sultan collected 300.45 crores, while his last release Tiger Zinda Hai 339.16 crores. Salman Kha’s Race 3 will surely be a hit at the box office but we are eager to know if it will be his 4th film in the 300 crore club! Salman Khan will once again prove to be a treat for the audiences with his power packed action sequences.

Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut chose a heavily sequinned sensual black sari as she exuded an old world charm with her bouffant inspired hairdo for her first appearance at the 71st Cannes Film Festival here on Wednesday. The stylish actress looked resplendent in a Sabyasachi Mukherjee sari. Kangana Ranaut Exudes Old World Charm In Sari At Cannes The designer’s official Instagram page described it as an ultra-glamorous rendition of the brand’s famous Aakash-tara (starry skies) sari. “The sari is hand-dyed and embellished with hand-cut sequins that are individually sewn using zardosi technique to create a metallic, yet fluid fabric.”