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Randy Bryce Wins Wisconsin's Democratic Primary In Race For Paul Ryan's House Seat

Randy Bryce, a union ironworker turned progressive rockstar, won the

Paul Manafort's defense rests without presenting evidence

The trial of President Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort is coming to a quieter than expected end.

Stranded Parrot 'Turns Air Blue' Cursing Out Firefighter During Rescue Attempt

Jessie the parrot was decidedly unimpressed when a firefighter came to rescue

Pilot killed in small plane crash identified as Disney employee

A Disney Imagineer, who programmed theme park rides all around the world, was killed in a small plane crash.

These Are The Chilling Stories Of Abuse Covered Up By The Catholic Church

For decades, stories about clerical sexual abuse committed by Pennsylvania

10 pieces to pack if you're planning a trip within your trip under $50

From cross-country road trips to intercontinental excursions, it’s not out of

Why did the Genoa bridge collapse - and how thousands of other structures in Italy are at risk

Italian prosecutors are opening an investigation into the Genoa bridge collapse, as questions swirled over what caused the structure to crumble.  At least 38 people died when a 650-foot portion of the Morandi motorway bridge in northern Italy disintegrated on Tuesday. The 51-year-old structure, designed by celebrated Italian engineer Riccardo Morandi, has been beset with problems since its construction in the 1960s, leading to expensive maintenance and drawing fierce criticism from engineering experts. Possible mafia connections have been raised. Dave Parker, Technical Editor Emeritus of New Civil Engineer told Radio 4's Today programme that the quality of the materials could have been affected by mafia involvement in the construction industry.  "According to urban myths, the mafia had a very big finger in the pie of the concrete industry back then, charging full price and putting less cement in," he said.  Genoa motorway bridge collapses Concerns have also been raised about the integrity of other structures built following the Second World War, with one engineering body saying tens of thousands of bridges and viaducts in Italy could be at risk. Giuseppe Conte, the Prime Minister, said "all infrastructure" across the country needed to be double-checked. "We must not allow another tragedy like this to happen again," he added. Danilo Toninelli, the Transport Minister,  said the collapse was "unacceptable" and that if negligence played a role "whoever made a mistake must pay." Built between 1963 and 1967, the bridge had a maximum span of 718 feet, a total length of 0.7 miles, and concrete piers - vertical structures buttressing the arches of a bridge - that reach 295 feet in height. 'Structural doubts' over design The technology of pre-stressed reinforced concrete used in the construction was the hallmark of its designer, Mr Morandi, who died in 1989. Dubbed patent "Morandi M5", he had used the technology for other works, including a wing of the Verona Arena in 1953. This technique also characterises another, even longer and just as problematic Morandi bridge: the 5.4 mile long General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge that spans the bay of Maracaibo, Venezuela, and was completed in 1962. It partially collapsed in 1964 after being hit by an oil tanker and was rebuilt.  The Morandi bridge in Genoa had always presented "structural doubts", according to an article published by specialist engineering website "Ingegneri.info", which called it "a tragedy waiting to happen". Antonio Brencich, a professor of reinforced concrete construction at the University of Genoa, echoed those concerns.  "It was affected by extremely serious corrosion problems linked to the technology that was used (in construction). Morandi wanted to use a technology that he had patented that was no longer used afterwards and that showed itself to be a failure," Professor Brencich told Radio Capitale. Professor Brencich has long been a critic of the bridge. Two years ago, he told "Ingegneri.info" that the bridge's construction went over budget and poor calculations over concrete viscosity led to an uneven road surface which wasn’t fully corrected until the 1980s. Safety work had been commissioned Mr Toninelli said the company that has the concession to operate that section of highway said its maintenance on the bridge was up to date and no work was being done at the time of the collapse. But he added that they were about to launch a 20 million euro (£17.8 million) bidding process for significant safety work on the bridge. "There has not been sufficient maintenance and checks, and safety work for many bridges and viaducts and bridges in Italy constructed - almost all - during the 1960s," he said. The tender provided for a strengthening of the bridge’s pier cables, including those of pier nine, the one that collapsed on Tuesday. Notwithstanding the importance of a road that sees 25 million vehicles pass along it every year, the demolition of the bridge was being studied as far back as 2009. Bridges such as the Morandi viaduct should have a lifespan of at least a century, "Ingegneri.info" reported, but the structure had been the subject of major maintenance work in the years after its completion, in particular to repair cracks and combat degradation of the concrete. In the early 2000s the suspension cables put in place in the 1980s and 1990s were replaced. "Fifty years ago, we had unlimited confidence in reinforced concrete, we thought it was eternal, but now we know that it only lasted a few decades," Diego Zoppi, former president of the Genoa branch of the order of architects, told reporters on Tuesday. Rescue teams work among the rubble of the collapsed Morando highway bridge in Genoa Credit: AP Mr Zoppi warned that it was impossible to say similar tragedies would not happen again without serious work on infrastructure built after the Second World War. "The Italy built in the 1950s and 1960s is in urgent need of renovation. The risk of collapses is underestimated, the works built at that time are coming to an age when they are at risk." 'Tens of thousands need to be replaced' The Italian CNR civil engineering society said structures as old as the Morandi Bridge had exceeded their lifespan. It called for a "Marshall Plan" to repair or replace tens of thousands of bridges and viaducts built in the 1950s and 1960s. Updating and reinforcing the bridges would be more expensive than destroying and rebuilding them with technology that could last a century. They cited previous accidents: a bridge that fell in April 2017 in the northern province of Cuneo, crushing a carabinieri police car after the officers and driver had barely managed to get away in time; and an overpass that in the northern city of Lecco that collapsed under exceptional weight, crushing a car and killing the driver. A truck is seen at the collapsed Morandi Bridge site in the port city of Genoa, Italy  Credit: Reuters Experts also said it was possible the thunderstorm could have contributed to the collapse after witnesses said it was struck by lightning shortly before it crumbled. "As this reinforced and pre-stressed concrete bridge has been there for 50 years it is possible that corrosion of tendons or reinforcement may be a contributory factor," said Ian Firth, former president of The Institution of Structural Engineers. He called the bridge "an unusual design." "The fact that there was reported to be a storm at the time may or may not be particularly relevant.” Mehdi Kashani, an associate professor in structural mechanics at the University of Southampton, said maintenance issues and pressure from "dynamic loads," such as traffic and wind, could have resulted in "fatigue damage in bridge components."

AP NewsBreak: Pilot who crashed his own home had hangar code

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A man who died when he flew a plane into his own house after he had been arrested for assaulting his wife had full access to his employer's plane because he had earned the firm's trust, the president of the Utah company said Tuesday.

Florida Declares State Of Emergency As Red Tide Spreads

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) declared a state of emergency on Monday as a

Freed in Turkey before spy trial, Greek soldiers await flight home

Two Greek soldiers facing espionage charges in Turkey are due to fly home early on Wednesday after a provincial court released them, in a ruling Athens said would help to improve strained ties between the two NATO allies. The soldiers crossed into Turkey in March, in what Greece said was an accident while they were following the trail of suspected illegal migrants. The same court ruled for their release on Tuesday after they said in a defense statement they had crossed the border by mistake, state news agency Anadolu said.

Omarosa: 'There's One Way To Shut Donald Trump Down'

Omarosa Manigault Newman says there's one way to combat President Donald

Owners of Recalled 2019 Subaru Ascent SUVs to Get Brand-New Vehicles

Subaru has recalled 293 of its 2019 Ascent SUVs because they may be missing key spot welds on the B-pillar, which holds the second-row door hinges, according to the National Highway Traffic Safet...

Keith Ellison Wins Minnesota Attorney General Primary While Facing Abuse Accusations

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) won the Democratic primary for Minnesota attorney

Nigerian soldiers protest as Boko Haram attacks surge

Disillusioned and exhausted, Nigerian troops battling a surge in Boko Haram jihadist attacks have reached breaking point, protesting less than six months before presidential polls. The Nigerian army dismissed it as a "misunderstanding", but on Sunday hundreds of soldiers protested in the airport of Maiduguri, the capital of restive northeast Borno state, for several hours, shooting into the air and disrupting flights. "We should not have been here for more than a year but this is our fourth year and still they are asking us to move to Marte," one of the protesting soldiers told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Catholic school to drop name of cardinal accused of inaction

BALTIMORE (AP) — A new Catholic school in Baltimore will no longer feature the name of a late cardinal accused of failing to act in the case of priests who abused children in Pennsylvania.

Heroic Father Suffers Severe Injuries While Trying to Save Son From Balcony Fall

The father and son both fell over the railing.

Sixth First Responder Dies Fighting Northern California Wildfires

A sixth first responder has died battling this year's wildfires in California,

The Latest: Crowd protests death penalty at Nebraska Capitol

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Latest on Nebraska's first execution since 1997 (all times local):

Ford to invest $740 million in Detroit train station, city development project

Ford aims to turn the building into a campus of offices for up to 5,000 tech workers and software engineers focused on self-driving vehicles and ancillary technologies and services. The second largest U.S. automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, about 10 miles from Detroit, announced the project in June, but had not previously disclosed costs until a community meeting on Tuesday. The company said Tuesday in a statement it is "working with federal, state and local economic development groups and officials, seeking at least $250 million in tax or other incentives to support the development of the five Corktown sites Ford has purchased." Ford said total investment in the development of the train station and developing 45 acres of vacant land will cost approximately $740 million over the next four years.

Water rescues, flooded roads as flash floods overtake parts of Delaware Valley

Heavy rain has caused roads to flood all across the Delaware Valley resulting in cars getting stuck, people being rescued, and streets to shut down.

Donald Trump's Trying To Shut Omarosa Up. Good Luck With That.

WASHINGTON ― After decades of being able to shut people up with threats of

Unite The Right Organizer Jason Kessler Gets Yelled At By Dad: 'Get Out Of My Room!'

The "master race" strikes again.

US blacklists Russian, Chinese companies for breaking North Korea embargo

The US Treasury announced sanctions on Russian and Chinese companies Wednesday for violating the economic embargo on North Korea as Washington seeks to maintain pressure on Pyongyang over its nuclear program. The Treasury accused China-based Dalian Sun Moon Star International Logistics Trading Co and its Singapore-based affiliate, SINSMS Pte., of falsifying documents to facilitate shipments of alcohol and cigarettes to North Korea.

The Latest: Attorney says client in federal custody

TAOS, N.M. (AP) — The Latest on 11 children found living in a filthy, makeshift compound in New Mexico (all times local):

Man Caught on Camera Spanking Hippo at California Zoo

Police said the intruder could face charges of trespassing.

11 Things That Surprisingly Don't Affect Your Credit Score

With so many rules to follow and myths to debunk, credit scores can be pretty

Is Ford's 10 Millionth Mustang Really Number 10 Million?

We get the lowdown on how the Blue Oval counts its cars.

Qatar's emir heads to Turkey for talks with Erdogan

Qatar's emir headed to Turkey on Wednesday for talks with President Tayyip Erdogan who is dealing with a collapse of the lira currency and deteriorating relations with the United States. Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Erdogan are expected to discuss "means of strengthening the existing strategic cooperation between the two countries in various fields", the state news agency QNA reported. Turkey and Qatar have traditionally maintained good ties and Ankara stood by Doha after Saudi Arabia and other Arab states severed diplomatic, trade and travel ties with Qatar last year, accusing it of financing terrorism, a charge Doha denies.

Planes collide at Chicago O'Hare Airport

Two planes collided on the ground at Chicago O’Hare Airport on Wednesday.

Don Lemon Reveals The Sad Reality About Trump's Alleged ‘N-Word’ Tape

Former White House aide and reality TV star Omarosa Manigault Newman claims

Baltimore Police Officer Filmed Punching Man Is Charged With Felony Assault

Two days after resigning from the Baltimore Police Department, a police

Two US Ospreys make emergency landings in Japan: media

Two US military Osprey aircraft made separate emergency landings at airports on Japanese islands on Tuesday, with no injuries or damage reported, local media said. The other Osprey made an emergency landing further south at the US Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Friday afternoon, Kyodo said, quoting government sources. The Osprey, a hybrid helicopter-turboprop with a chequered safety record, has two engines positioned on fixed wingtips that allow it to land and take off vertically.

There's A Perfect Word For People Who Say 'I'm Not Racist, But...'

There's a new form of 'splaining in town.

Swimmer Suffers Puncture Wounds in Shark Attack on Cape Cod

A 61-year-old man suffered puncture wounds to his torso and legs as he was attacked by a shark in Cape Cod

Puerto Rico utility completes restoration 10 months after Maria

In a message on twitter, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) said it had restored power to the last customer that was still offline, a family in Ponce, on the island's southern side. Hurricane Maria devastated the island last September and the bankrupt utility struggled to restore service to its customers.

Video highlights annoyances of school drop-off lanes

Viral video from author and comedian Susannah B. Lewis parodies frustrations parents go through when dealing with school drop-off lanes.

Omarosa Fiasco Spotlights Unusual Trump Tactic To Silence White House Aides

President Donald Trump appeared to make a startling admission during Monday's

'Stand Your Ground' Shooter Charged After Fatal Altercation Over Parking Space

A Florida man who invoked the state's controversial "stand your ground" law

See How The Ford Ranger's Price Stacks Up To Competitors

Ford's new midsize pickup looks to be a serious contender against the Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon, Nissan Frontier, and Toyota Tacoma.

Taliban overrun Afghan army base, kill 17 troops

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban overran a remote base in northern Afghanistan, killing 17 soldiers, as Afghan forces battled the insurgents for the fifth straight day in the eastern city of Ghazni on Tuesday, trying to flush them out of the city's outskirts, officials said.

Qatar promises $15 bn investment in Turkey: presidency

Qatar on Wednesday promised to make a $15 billion direct investment in Turkey, badly hit by a currency crisis amid a widening diplomatic standoff with the United States, officials said. "Qatar has pledged $15 billion of direct investments in Turkey," presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin wrote on Twitter. The announcement came after Qatar's emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani held lunchtime talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Twitter Users Mock Jack Dorsey's Rationale For Alex Jones' 7-Day Suspension

Apparently, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey thinks the best way to deal with Alex

Relative: Family of 7 on vacation died in Oregon collision

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A family of seven, including five young children, died on a remote Oregon road in a head-on collision on their way to an end-of-summer vacation in Las Vegas, a family member said Wednesday.

Cosmos Bank loses $13.5 million in cyber attack

Cyber criminals hacked the systems of India's Cosmos Bank and siphoned off nearly 944 million rupees ($13.5 million) through simultaneous withdrawals across 28 countries over the weekend, the bank has told police. The co-operative bank said unidentified hackers stole customer information through a malware attack on its automated teller machine (ATM) server, withdrawing 805 million rupees in 14,849 transactions in just over two hours on Aug. 11, mainly overseas. Apart from the ATM withdrawals, the hackers transferred 139 million rupees to a Hong Kong-based company's account by issuing three unauthorised transactions over the SWIFT global payments network, the bank said in a police complaint, a copy of which was seen by Reuters.

The Hertz Rental Corvette Z06 Seems to be Missing its Front Splitter

You can rent a 650-horsepower Corvette Z06 from Hertz, but it seems you might not get the car's aggressive front splitter as part of the deal.

4 West Virginia Supreme Court Judges Impeached For Excessive Spending

Four West Virginia Supreme Court justices were impeached this week after a