He’s kidding–sort of. Campbell is a conspiracy theorist, not a conspiracy nut. A retired Boston software executive, he cashed out a couple of years ago at the age of 33 and relocated to the sun-baked hamlet of Rachel, Nev., to become the leading authority on Area 51. You know: the “secret” section of an air base that houses alien spacecraft. This is ground zero for UFOlogists convinced that the world has been controlled by aliens ever since the first flying saucer fell to Earth in 1947....

But what’s the difference exactly between a conspiracy theory and a legitimate news story? Does “fictional” in this sense simply mean fabricated? My ongoing research suggests there is more to it than this—something which can explain why conspiracy theories can gain such a powerful hold over the public imagination. The narrative that Hill was referring to in her impeachment testimony is what’s known as “Crowdstrike”, a conspiracy theory named after a U....

While the market research company’s latest report, released Wednesday, noted that the news of the deal was seen as “moderately positive,” it showed that daily consumer confidence fell last Thursday and Friday, the two days following the agreement’s signing. Meanwhile, confidence in the farming sector declined for the fourth straight week, despite China’s promise to buy billions more in agricultural products. “January’s monthly reading will mark the first month-over-month decrease since the height of the trade wars in August 2019,” the report said....

The former Italy head coach was sent from the dugout by referee Neil Swarbrick in the 43rd minute of the champions’ 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge. He has been given until 18:00 GMT on December 5 to respond to the charge. Conte reacted furiously to the decision not to give his side a corner during the first half of the game and shouted in the face of fourth official Lee Mason, as well as Swarbrick....

Speculation has mounted in Italy that the former Juventus coach is a prime target for Inter for next season, as they look to rebuild a team capable of challenging for the Serie A title using the financial power of their Chinese owners. Premier League agent fees revealed Andrea Pastorello - brother of Federico, as well as an agent and Conte’s friend - suggested recently that the 47-year-old could be tempted to move to San Siro after only one season in charge at Stamford Bridge....

Busquets stretchered off for Barca Mason was stretchered off in an eight minute stoppage and replaced by David Meyler in the 21st minute as the fourth official was forced to add on nine added minutes in the first half. Diego Costa and Gary Cahill’s goals defeated Marco Silva’s side in a hard fought match, but there are still concerns over Mason’s condition, with Conte wishing the former Tottenham man a speedy recovery....

The Brazil international opened the scoring in the 25th minute, darting in off the left flank and finding the bottom-left corner via a deflection, with a Martin Kelly own-goal coming soon after. Although Willian did not manage to add to that, his opener was his fifth in his last five games across all competitions, while he generally caught the eye throughout. One particularly impressive moment in the second half saw him enjoy a sensational solo run through Palace’s midfield, before eventually seeing a seemingly goal-bound effort blocked in front of the target....

Freedom, a Swiss-born Turkish American who legally changed his last name after becoming a U.S. citizen last November, was scheduled to speak at CPAC 2022. But he has decided to skip the conference, according to reporter David Weigel. “I need to figure out this NBA stuff first,” Weigel quoted Freedom as saying in a Tuesday tweet. “So I won’t be going to CPAC now.” Freedom has become renowned among conservative figures for criticizing the NBA’s Chinese business dealings....

CW Bush = Is it October already? Launches ad blitz branding Kerry (by name) as tax- hiking defense weakling. Pow. Kerry = Hits Bush back promptly, but won’t apologize for his “open mike” problem. Tough is good, but careless isn’t. Spain + A great nation—and ally—in great pain. After 3/11, we are all Madrilenos, too. Hubble = Good news: Space telescope gets stunning shots of deep universe. Bad: Naturally, NASA wants to pull the plug....

The Grammy-winning rapper—real name Artis Leon Ivey Jr.—passed away at the age of 59 this week. While the cause of death is currently not known, Coolio’s longtime manager Jarel Posey confirmed his death to Variety on Wednesday night. The iconic rapper made a name for himself in the 90s and he is perhaps best known for his 1995 single, “Gangsta’s Paradise,” which in addition to achieving triple platinum status with the RIAA after its inclusion on the Dangerous Minds soundtrack also reached over one billion streams on Spotify....

Fortunately for the prankster, who goes by Devon or @devonwilldoit on TikTok, the cop on the receiving end was able to take a joke. Devon’s video of the mock confrontation has been viewed 1.7 million times online. He summarized the clip in text overlay: “Ticketed a cop for his janky parking!” It started with the student carrying a handwritten “parking ticket” on a lined piece of notebook paper. The page, which was riddled with misspellings, indicated that the date was “Today” and the infraction was “Illigeal Parking Vialation....

COPD causes the inflammation and thickening of lung tissue. Less oxygen gets into your body, making it difficult to breathe. Types of COPD include chronic bronchitis or emphysema. People diagnosed with COPD usually have symptoms of both. This article will discuss how a hereditary condition can increase your risk of COPD, other risk factors such as smoking, and what you can do to reduce your risk. Hereditary Risk for COPD COPD usually develops due to irritant exposure or other noninheritable risk factors, so it is not considered a hereditary disease....

At first I was proud of myself for my little discovery. I went around for several days patting myself on the back for my visual acuity. Then I started having second thoughts. Film scholars had probably been writing theses on the subject for years, and if I ever bothered to read film criticism, I would have known this. Or maybe the English major in me was getting the better of my judgment....

Greenville Police Department, in North Carolina, released a CCTV image after “Good Samaritans” saw the animals being dumped and called it in. A Facebook post, shared Friday, appealed for information about the incident, alongside a photo of two of the dark-brown puppies. In the early hours of Wednesday, the police account wrote that Shaquta Laqure Armstead, 36, had been charged with seven counts of animal cruelty and seven counts of abandonment of an animal after handing herself in....

In a statement, the University Clinical Center in Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina said Momcilo Krajisnik died in intensive care at 6 a.m. [local time] on Tuesday “as a result of infection with the novel coronavirus.” Krajisnik, 75, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted by the United Nations Yugoslav war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, in 2006. “Momcilo Krajisnik is one of the biggest criminals in the history of Europe,” said Zeljko Komsic, the Croat member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Associated Press (AP) reported....

The unnamed 65-year-old woman, Italy’s first confirmed COVID-19 case, had travelled from Wuhan—the Chinese city which was the initial epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic—to Italy on January 29, according to a research letter published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. She had arrived a day after her symptoms started. The woman was taken to an isolation unit at Italy’s Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases hospital in Rome. Her COVID-19 symptoms included a dry cough and a sore throat....

Europe remains the epicenter of the pandemic, with Italy and Spain being the worst-hit, but the U.S. may be on track to overtake Italy. The country saw an increase of nearly 200 deaths and 20,000 cases on Wednesday, up to 69,200 currently. More cases of the virus, which was first reported in Wuhan, a city in China’s Hubei province, are now reported outside China than within. China has more than 81,700 cases, with nearly 73,000 recoveries and around 3,200 deaths reported....

Saturday featured a full slate of games with dramatic finishes, impressive outings and much more. MLB DRAFT PICKS: 13 greatest | 12 worst Perhaps the most exciting moment happened in the 12th inning of the game at Minute Maid Park between the Oakland Athletics and Houston Astros as Carlos Correa knocked home the winning run with a walk-off hit. It was the sixth time Houston has won a game on its final at-bat this season....

After a Confederations Cup playoff loss to Mexico on Saturday, Klinsmann was already under fire, and his team’s performance did nothing to ease the pressure. They were outplayed and fortunate not to concede several more goals against Costa Rica. MORE: World Cup winners Tim Howard started for the U.S. for the first time since the World Cup as Klinsmann made numerous changes to the team beaten by Mexico. Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Nick Rimando, DaMarcus Beasley, Matt Besler, Kyle Beckerman, Graham Zusi and Chris Wondolowski were all released after that game....

From July 5, only those who pay for a Costco membership—which starts at $60 a year—will be allowed to purchase gas at the chain’s 15 gas stations in the state, according to NJ.com. The news will be disappointing for non-members who have relied on Costco, where gas is usually cheaper than elsewhere. The policy change was announced on signs at the pumps last month, the outlet reported, but Costco has yet to formally announce it....