| Warren warns of a 'coming economic crash' Posted: 22 Jul 2019 08:32 AM PDT  Elizabeth Warren again sees "serious warning signs" of a "coming economic crash."
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| US may have downed two Iranian drones last week: CENTCOM commander Posted: 23 Jul 2019 09:55 AM PDT  A US warship may have brought down two Iranian drones in a stand-off in the Gulf last week that Iran has disputed, the commander of regional forces said Tuesday. "We are confident we brought down one drone, we may have brought down a second," General Kenneth McKenzie, the CENTCOM commander, told CBS news in an interview aboard the USS Boxer, the vessel at the center of the incident. Iran, which last month shot down a US Predator drone that it said had ventured into its airspace, has denied that it lost any of its own unmanned aerial vehicles, after President Donald Trump announced that the USS Boxer had downed one.
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| Bernie Sanders Employees Demand $15 Hourly. 1 Strategist Calls That ‘Ridiculous’. Posted: 22 Jul 2019 11:54 PM PDT  Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders's campaign staffers are demanding wages of at least $15 hourly, but a campaign strategist is calling that prospect "ridiculous," saying productivity would have to be cut to stay within budget.After facing criticism earlier in July, the Vermont senator defended how he compensates his staff."I'm very proud to be the first presidential candidate to recognize a union and negotiate a union contract," he told the Des Moines Register on Friday. "And that contract was ratified by the employees of the campaign, and it not only provides pay of at least $15 an hour, it also provides, I think, the best health care benefits that any employer can provide for our field organizers."Sanders's campaign manager Faiz Shakir said as negotiations continue, the campaign would be "limiting hours," he told Newsweek."We look forward to continuing those discussions and obviously are disappointed that some individuals decided to damage the integrity of these efforts before they were concluded," he said. "As these discussions continue, we are limiting hours so no employee is receiving less than $15 for any hours worked."Republican strategist and campaign manager Joe Desilets told the Daily Caller News Foundation that less than $15 hourly is relatively well-paid for certain positions.He said $13 hourly is "probably on the high end of standard."
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| Miss Michigan stripped of title over 'offensive' social media posts Posted: 21 Jul 2019 12:53 PM PDT  Kathy Zhu received an email Thursday dismissing her as a Miss World America pageant participant and revoking her Miss Michigan World America title.
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| After 110 years, a North Dakota bridge yields to a load of beans Posted: 23 Jul 2019 06:56 AM PDT ![After 110 years, a North Dakota bridge yields to a load of beans]( "After 110 years, a North Dakota bridge yields to a load of beans") The 56-foot wooden bridge over the Goose River collapsed on Monday as the driver of a tractor trailer truck tried to haul a load of dried beans over it, the Grand Forks County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. While the cab of the 2005 Peterbilt truck made it to the other side, pictures posted online by the sheriff's office showed the trailer "hung up" on the west side of the now V-shaped bridge that had bottomed out in the shallow river about 30 miles southwest of Grand Forks.
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| This Is the ATV-Mounted Jammer That Took Down an Iranian Drone Posted: 22 Jul 2019 12:47 PM PDT  The drone was less than a mile from the USS Boxer when the Marines caused it to crash.
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| Sarah Huckabee Sanders shows up to govs shindig as Arkansas rumors swirl Posted: 22 Jul 2019 11:10 AM PDT  Sanders is seen as a possible 2022 Arkansas gubernatorial candidate.
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| Diver Has Epic Nose-to-Nose Encounter with One of the Most Elusive Sharks Lurking in the Deep Sea Posted: 22 Jul 2019 08:33 AM PDT  You may have heard of megalodon, the massive prehistoric shark, but what about the bluntnose sixgill? This enormous, ancient shark was lurking in the deep long before its extinct cousin -- and still exists today at the bottom of the ocean. It's rarely seen even by scientists. But on a recent submarine dive shark expert Gavin Naylor caught amazing footage of one on camera cozying up to his research vessel, seeming to almost flirt and play with the vessel."I'm literally nose to nose with this animal," Naylor, who does research at the Florida Museum of Natural History, told Live Science, referring to his trip in a submersible.Bluntnose sixgills are the oldest living shark lineage, said Dean Grubbs, a deep-sea ecologist at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Although Grubbs wasn't on board the submarine that night, the dive was part of his ongoing research on the behavior and biology of these sharks. [Photos: Orcas Are Chowing Down on Great-White-Shark Organs]"This is like studying dinosaurs," Grubbs told Live Science.In fact, the sixgill predates most dinosaurs -- the species has been around for roughly 200 million years. Some scientists even believe they may have survived the largest mass extinction event, the Permian-Triassic, which killed 96% of sea life.Diver comes nose-to-nose with a huge six gill shark. OceanXThe 16-foot-long (4.9 meters) female sixgill was spotted about 3,250 feet (1,000 m) beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, just off the Cape of Eleuthera in the Bahamas. She appeared to show off for Naylor, opening her massive mouth ("big enough to swim into," Grubbs said) and blinking huge blue eyes. She seemed curious about the submarine, Naylor said, nudging it with her nose."She was quite gentle," Naylor added.That is, until she started tearing into the bait that was attached to the sub, shaking the entire vessel."They seem really slow and really graceful," Lee Frey, a deep-sea engineer who was piloting the submarine at the time, told Live Science, "but then, boy, when they go after a meal, they are just really powerful."Naylor's dive was the fourth attempt during a mission to track down and tag a sixgill shark in its deep-sea environment -- a tricky feat from the submarine.Tagging a sixgill shark in its natural environment poses an unusual challenge because they live so deep in the ocean -- between 2,500 and 3,500 feet (800-1,100 m) below the surface. In the past, researchers had pulled sharks to the surface to tag them. But that method didn't always paint a clear picture of shark behavior -- after surfacing, the tagged sharks would act erratically. So the researchers equipped a vessel with a dart gun that could shoot tags at the sharks. If they succeeded, they would be the first team of scientists to successfully tag an animal from a submarine.When Naylor saw this particular sixgill, it became clear that she was far too close to the research vessel to tag with a dart gun. But he wasn't about to miss a great camera shot. Luckily, a better opportunity to tag a shark arose later that night, when he spotted a male sixgill at perfect range; he pointed and shot.The tag, which will track the shark's movement, will help Grubbs' team better understand the behavior of these seldom-studied prehistoric creatures.The dive was part of an OceanX mission, an organization that conducts ocean research, sometimes alongside institutions. * 7 Unanswered Questions About Sharks * In Photos: Baby Sharks Show Off Amazing Ability * Photos: Great White Shark Mysteriously Washes Up on a California BeachOriginally published on Live Science.
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| Father of 6 dies after wave breaks his neck in 'freak accident' on North Carolina coast Posted: 21 Jul 2019 12:58 PM PDT  A Raleigh man was killed Friday after he was hit by a strong wave at Oak Island, his family said.
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| Kim inspects new sub, wants North Korea's military bolstered Posted: 23 Jul 2019 04:16 AM PDT  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has inspected a newly built submarine and ordered officials to further bolster the country's military capabilities, state media reported Tuesday, as the North increases pressure on the United States ahead of the possible resumption of nuclear diplomacy. Last week, North Korea said it may lift its 20-month suspension of nuclear and missile tests to protest expected military drills between the United States and South Korea that Pyongyang says are an invasion rehearsal. The submarine report comes as the U.S. and North Korea work to resume talks after a meeting late last month on the Korean border between Kim and President Donald Trump.
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| View 2019 Toyota Yaris XLE Photos Posted: 23 Jul 2019 04:59 AM PDT |
| Sorry, Al Franken: 7 senators regret pushing Franken to resign, as new reporting casts doubt on key allegation Posted: 22 Jul 2019 07:09 AM PDT  Seven of former Sen. Al Franken's Democratic colleagues now say they regret calling on him to resign in 2017 before a full investigation was completed.
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| U.S. Navy Identifies Missing Sailor Who Reportedly Went Overboard from Aircraft Carrier Posted: 22 Jul 2019 06:31 AM PDT  The Navy has identified the missing sailor from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln as Aviation Electronics Technician 2nd Class Slayton Saldana, who was assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 5, with Carrier Air Wing 7.Saldana has been listed as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown since July 17. He was reported overboard while the Lincoln was in the Arabian Sea. Search and rescue efforts ended on July 19.He joined the Navy in April 2015 and joined his current squadron in September 2018, according to his official Navy biography. He was promoted to petty officer second class in February.Navy officials have not yet released any information about how Saldana went overboard.His fiancé Lexi Posey posted on Facebook on Monday that the day marked the couple's 38-month anniversary.They had planned to get married in April."Since I'm traveling back to the States and 'traveling back in time' due to time zones, today, our anniversary, will be a very long day," Posey wrote in a message to Saldana. "But I wish I could travel back in time to the start of our relationship over 3 years ago and constantly reassure you how much I have loved you and appreciate all the little things that you did for me."This first appeared in Task and Purpose here.
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| A boy stole two planes for a joyride. Pilots now want to teach him how to fly Posted: 22 Jul 2019 12:26 PM PDT  The boy trespassed a small airport in Huzhou, a city in eastern China, piloting and crashing a seaplane onto a guard rail and driving another one.
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| Little Boy Is OK After Fish-Stealing Great White Shark Leaps at Him to Steal Fresh Caught Fish Posted: 22 Jul 2019 08:46 AM PDT  "It had come up and it lunged out of the water"
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| Ole Miss Student Charged With Ally Kostial’s Murder: Police Posted: 23 Jul 2019 09:03 AM PDT  FacebookA University of Mississippi student has been arrested and charged for allegedly murdering a 21-year-old sorority sister whose bullet-riddled body was found near a lake about 20 minutes away from campus.Brandon Theesfeld, a 22-year-old senior, was arrested Monday afternoon and is currently in custody at the Lafayette County Detention Center, the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department confirmed to The Daily Beast. He was charged Tuesday at the Lafayette County Courthouse, just days after Alexandria "Ally" Kostial, an Alpha Phi sorority sister and rising senior at Ole Miss, was found dead by a deputy during his Saturday morning patrol near Sardis Lake.The University of Mississippi said Theesfeld, a student in the School of Business Administration, has been suspended."She quite possibly was the nicest human being that I've ever met," Anna Pasco, one of Kostial's friends, told WMC. "It's just hard for me because all I can think about when I see her face is what she went through, what she was thinking, what she was saying. It's hard."According to her father, Keith Kostial, the sorority sister was attending summer school and teaching fitness classes on campus before she became "the victim of a homicide." Kostial was last seen Friday night outside a bar near campus. Surveillance footage outside the car allegedly shows the 21-year-old stopping at the bar door before going inside, turning around, and walking out of the camera's view. The 21-year-old's roommates said she returned home around midnight, according to WLBT. At some point, Kostial left the house again, unbeknownst to her friends. It was not immediately clear why Kostial left her house.Man Charged With Murder in Disappearance of Mackenzie LueckOn Saturday, one officer was completing his routine patrol at Buford's Ridge, a remote area with a fishing camp both locals and college students frequent to ride their ATVs when the lake's water is low. There, according to authorities, the deputy found Kostial's body, which had eight bullet wounds. Lafayette County Coroner Rocky Kennedy previously told The Daily Beast that an autopsy for Kostial had "been requested" but the results have not been made public yet.The University of Mississippi confirmed Kostial was studying marketing at the college's school of business administration and minoring in management information systems. Set to graduate next spring, Kostial was a member of the school's Alpha Phi sorority chapter and Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity. The 21-year-old was also one of the founding members of the school's golf club and served as its president, a school spokesperson confirmed to The Daily Beast.Body of Slain University of Utah Student Mackenzie Lueck Was Found Bound in Shallow Grave"From road tripping down to Oxford to being my Alpha Phi sister I will cherish all the memories we had together," Kassidy Desnoyer, her longtime friend and sorority sister wrote on Facebook Sunday. "She was the brightest light and always had a smile on her face. She truly was a ray of sunshine."According to his Facebook, the 22-year-old is originally from Fort Worth, Texas. Authorities confirmed he will go before a Circuit Court judge on Tuesday for an initial appearance. "We want to thank the family of Alexandria for their patience and their trust in The Lafayette County Sheriff's Dept.," the sheriff's spokesperson said.University of Mississippi Student Found Dead in Apparent Homicide: PoliceRead more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| More than 36 Syrian civilians killed in Idlib 'by Russian and Assad regime strikes' Posted: 23 Jul 2019 12:51 AM PDT  Dozens of civilians, including at least five children, have been killed in recent days as Russia and the Assad regime stepped up their assault on the rebel-held province of Idlib. At least 59 civilians were killed in strikes on Monday, according to the UN, in one of the most intensive days of bombardment since the regime offensive began three months ago. The bloodiest airstrikes fell on the market town of Maaret al-Numan, where around 40 people died, including eight women and five children, the UN said. The explosions tore through vegetable stalls and buried civilians in rubble, leaving frantic rescue workers to dig out the bodies of men, women, and children. "The nightmare in Idleb is getting worse," Mark Cutts, the UN's deputy humanitarian coordinator for Syria. "Many of the victims were women and children, some of them suffering the most horrific injuries." A member of the Syrian civil defence, known as the White Helmets, rests atop an excavator after participating in a search for victims under the rubble of buildings Credit: ABDULAZIZ KETAZ/AFP/Getty Images The airstrike on Maaret al-Numan was carried out by a Russian warplane, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Russia denied responsibility, saying its aircraft were "not carrying out any missions in this part of Syria". Assad regime forces, backed by Shia militias and Russian airpower, have been fighting since April to seize control of Idlib, the last Syrian province still in rebel hands. But Syrian troops have so far made relatively little progress against rebel fighters, who are led by the al-Qaeda linked jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Around 3 million civilians have sought shelter in Idlib, many after fleeing from other parts of Syria. The UN has warned of a major humanitarian catastrophe if Assad's troops launch an all-out assault on the province. A member of the Syrian civil defence, known as the White Helmets, helps an injured Syrian child after pulling him out from under the rubble Credit: OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP/Getty Images Meanwhile, at least six people were injured in southern Turkey by a rocket fired from Syria. The Turkish defence ministry said the rocket was fired from Kurdish-controlled territory in northeast Syria and said Turkey struck seven targets in the area in retaliation. Western-backed Kurdish forces, known as the People's Protection Units (YPG), control parts of northeast Syria. Turkey considers them to be part of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorist group.
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| Justice officials tell Mueller not to stray from his report Posted: 23 Jul 2019 07:15 AM PDT  The Justice Department told former special counsel Robert Mueller not to stray beyond his report on Russian election interference when he testifies to Congress on Wednesday. The letter is entirely in line with what Mueller has already said — that he doesn't intend to speak beyond his report's findings during Wednesday's hearings before the House Judiciary and intelligence committees. "The report is my testimony," Mueller said in a televised statement in May .
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| Outrage after NYPD officers are drenched with water while on duty Posted: 23 Jul 2019 03:57 AM PDT  A 'Fox & Friends' law enforcement panel reacts to the treatment of police officers in America.
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| These Versatile Corn Recipes Are Perfect for Any Meal Posted: 22 Jul 2019 12:46 PM PDT |
| Why No Enemy Would Dare Sink a U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Posted: 22 Jul 2019 12:58 PM PDT  Circumstances obviously matter for an attack on a U.S. aircraft carrier. An out-of-the-blue attack from a conventionally armed state actor would enjoy the highest levels of success, but would also have an impact on elite and public opinion in the United States that might drive calls for dire retribution. Since the 1950s, the supercarrier has been the most visible representation of U.S. military power and maritime hegemony. Although supercarriers have participated in nearly every military conflict since the commissioning of USS Forrestal in 1955, no carrier has come under determined attack from a capable opponent. In part, this is because supercarriers are very difficult to attack, but the symbolic grandeur of the massive ships also plays a role; no one wants to know what the United States might do if one of its carriers came under attack.(This first appeared several months ago.)What would happen if a foe attacked a United States Navy (USN) aircraft carrier during a conflict? How would the United States react, and how would it respond?Circumstances:
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| Trump boasts Afghanistan would be easy to fix: 'I just don't want to kill 10 million people' Posted: 22 Jul 2019 12:04 PM PDT  The president said he could "win that war in a week."
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| Venezuela Says Widespread Power Outage Caused by Electromagnetic Attack Posted: 23 Jul 2019 05:31 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The lights are returning for millions in Venezuela after a major power failure knocked out electricity to about two-thirds of the country on Monday afternoon.The incident, which the government said was caused by an "attack," was reminiscent of another failure in March which dragged on for as long as 10 days in some areas and prompted Nicolas Maduro's administration to begin power rationing outside of the capital city Caracas to normalize the grid.Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said that school and work activities would be suspended on Tuesday in order to keep power demand lower and state-run electricity company Corpoelec said that service had been restored to all of Caracas, with work still to be done in other states nationwide.Maduro and his government have insisted that the country's electrical problems are a product of sabotage and sophisticated attacks by the U.S. and local opposition who are seeking to remove him, while industry experts and critics point to a lack of investment and maintenance.Opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has claimed to be the legitimate leader of Venezuela and is recognized as such by more than 50 countries following Maduro's dubious re-election in 2018, said he'll take to the streets on Tuesday to rally people against the government."They tried to hide the tragedy with rationing across the country but their failure is evident," he wrote in a post on Twitter. "They destroyed the electric system and they don't have any response."Power failures in March cut into Venezuela's already flagging oil production, with output falling to zero in some areas for several days. Electricity was cut off at joint venture crude operations involving Petroleos de Venezuela SA, Chevron and Rosneft on Monday afternoon in the east of the country, according to two people with knowledge of the situation who aren't authorized to speak publicly on the issue. PDVSA, as the state producer is known, didn't reply to a request for comment.Since the crippling blackout in March, the government has been rationing electricity in more than 20 states, excluding Caracas from the restriction to avoid spurring protests. Still, for many the only assurance is trying to buy a generator in preparation for the next failure.On Monday, crowds of Venezuelans packed the Caracas sidewalks as shops and restaurants closed. Many trekked home after the buses provided by the city's transit system filled up and with the subway system closed. Amid Internet disruptions, drivers parked along the city's highways seeking a signal from cell phone tower."The only thing that matters to me is getting home as soon as possible to avoid getting robbed," said Julio Penalver, a 52-year-old handyman as he walked home to Petare, the large area of slums in eastern Caracas.To contact the reporters on this story: Alex Vasquez in Caracas Office at avasquez45@bloomberg.net;Fabiola Zerpa in Caracas Office at fzerpa@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Patricia Laya at playa2@bloomberg.net, Jose Orozco, Robert JamesonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Stephen Colbert Goes Easy on Anti-Science Presidential Candidate Marianne Williamson Posted: 22 Jul 2019 09:48 PM PDT  Scott Kowalchyk/CBSOn Monday night, comedian Stephen Colbert welcomed Marianne Williamson, the "spiritual guru" turned 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, to his late-night program. After reading off her list of accomplishments, which includes activism work and a series of bestselling self-help books, Colbert asked Williamson what sets her apart from the rest of the packed Dem field. "I want to be an agent of change," offered Williamson, who was there to promote her new book, A Politics of Love. "Now, love is not always associated with the presidency… would you be able to order other people to go kill our enemies?" asked Colbert—a question that seemed mildly sexist when posed to a woman candidate. "Absolutely," Williamson replied. "I think that when you take an oath of office of the president of the United States, part of that oath means that you are commander-in-chief, absolutely. But if you're going to talk about peace, you can't just back up into peace." Then, well, Colbert served up a few softball questions, asking her "what it's like to be up on the stage with those nine other people" and whether she feels "marginalized" (Williamson blamed the "political media-industrial complex" for why she's considered a left-field candidate). The host then compared her to President Trump, saying, "We have someone who is a businessman with no political experience in office now. That makes someone who is from what we would think of as kind of the normative political track that we've seen in American history very appealing. That might be one of the reasons why Joe Biden is so appealing." "This might be the case where what you would consider the 'safe' choice is the most dangerous thing we could possibly do," said Williamson. "The president's problem is not that he lacked political experience, it's that he lacked ethics—and he seems to lack a visceral taste for democracy. I don't like this idea, you said I lack political experience?Hollywood's Embarrassing Embrace of Marianne Williamson for President"There's this almost Wizard of Oz idea that—this idea of this political class and something's going on behind the curtain and they know what to do in the ways that the rest of us don't. I think when we think of political qualifications today, we should expand our sense of what those qualifications are," she continued. "A political qualification today should include political vision; it should include moral certitude; it should include the capacity to move groups of people—large groups of people—toward a common goal, a common vision, a common democracy, a love for our world and a love for our planet." (It's rather unclear what Williamson's "political vision" is.) She added, "A lot of experienced politicians led us into Iraq. And anybody who says that I'm an amateur at what they do? I'm sorry, Stephen, they're an amateur at what I can do." "Nicely said," Colbert responded. All in all, it was a disappointing performance from Colbert, who failed to challenge Williamson on any of her controversial anti-science views—from her anti-vaxx stance (she's referred to vaccine mandates as "Orwellian" and "draconian" and compared vaccines to "the abortion debate"), to how she's questioned the validity of depression, to how she believes obesity can apparently be triumphed over by "surrendering your weight to God." Or, you know, this gem: And of course, Hollywood is on board. Colbert, on the other hand, should know better. SNL's Kate McKinnon Debuts Spot-On Marianne Williamson ImpressionRead more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Smoking giant China planning e-cigarette regulation Posted: 23 Jul 2019 02:13 AM PDT  China is planning to regulate e-cigarettes in an attempt to stave off a new gateway addiction in what is already the world's largest smoking population. The Asian giant has over 300 million tobacco-smokers -- nearly a third of the world's total -- but the battery-operated vaping trend has yet to explode as it has in the United States and elsewhere. "The supervision of electronic cigarettes must be severely strengthened," said Mao Qunan, head of the National Health Commission's (NHC) planning department, at a press conference Monday.
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| Colonial-era Korean laborers want Mitsubishi compensation Posted: 23 Jul 2019 01:56 AM PDT  Colonial-era Korean forced laborers launched a legal step Tuesday to get court approval for the sale of local assets of their former Japanese employer Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which has refused to compensate the former workers. South Korea's Supreme Court last year ordered two Japanese companies, including Mitsubishi, to pay compensation to some aging Korean plaintiffs who were forced to work for them when the Korean Peninsula was under Tokyo's 1910-45 colonial rule.
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| Airbus designed a plane prototype to look like a 'bird of prey' – take a look Posted: 23 Jul 2019 05:13 AM PDT  Airbus is working to inspire the latest and greatest in flight innovation – and using a "bird of prey" conceptual design to do so.
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| Every police officer in Stebbins, Alaska, has pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges Posted: 22 Jul 2019 10:38 AM PDT  There are seven police officers in Stebbins, Alaska, and all of them have beenconvicted of domestic violence
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| America's Own Decepticon "Starscream" F-15 Is Ready to Do Battle with Iran Posted: 22 Jul 2019 08:00 PM PDT  The escalating tensions follow an announcement last month by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of new sanctions against any country, including U.S. allies, that imports Iranian oil, the country's top source of income. The White House also designated the Revolutionary Guards Corps as a foreign terrorist organization, part of a hardening stance toward Iran.Taken on May 8, 2019 the interesting photos in this post show U.S. Air Force (USAF) F-15C Eagle fighter jets belonging to 48th Fighter Wing (FW) from RAF Lakenheath, taxing on a runway in Southwest Asia. U.S. Air Forces Central Command Airmen, Joint personnel, and Coalition partners stand ready to provide defense from any threat. These aircraft were moved within the theater to be best positioned to defend U.S. forces and interests in the region.
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| Taiwan Spy Chief Quits Over $200,000 Tax-Free Cigarettes Scandal Posted: 22 Jul 2019 10:38 PM PDT ![Taiwan Spy Chief Quits Over $200,000 Tax-Free Cigarettes Scandal]( "Taiwan Spy Chief Quits Over $200,000 Tax-Free Cigarettes Scandal") (Bloomberg) -- Taiwan's intelligence chief quit after accusations that an agent attempted to use President Tsai Ing-wen's overseas trip to secure some $200,000 worth of tax-free cigarettes.National Security Bureau Director-General Peng Sheng-chu resigned Monday, hours after the smuggling attempt was discovered upon Tsai's return from a visit to the Caribbean that included a U.S.-stopover. Tsai said in a Facebook post that the allegations represented unacceptable conduct by government officials and undercut the trip's diplomatic mission, "leading to ignorance of the achievements of visits to allies."The incident created a new political worry for Tsai as she girds for what's expected to be a difficult re-election fight against Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu next year. Han -- the presumptive nominee for the opposition Kuomintang -- has criticized Tsai's management of the economy over the past three years.Tsai returned Monday from a visit this month to some of Taiwan's dwindling list of 17 formal diplomatic partners, including Haiti and St. Kitts and Nevis. China has been luring the democratically run island's allies away as part of an effort to put pressure on Tsai and her pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party.Peng, a retired air force general, had occupied the post of intelligence chief since October 2016. He previously served as chief body guard for Tsai's DPP predecessor, former President Chen Shui-bian.At least one National Security Bureau official was among 10 suspects under investigation by Taipei District Prosecutors Office in connection with the cigarette-smuggling case, agency spokeswoman Chen Chia-hsiu said Tuesday. The group was suspected of ordering more than NT$6 million worth of duty-free cigarettes -- or about 9,800 cartons -- at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and storing them at a warehouse on-site.Taiwan's Customs Administration said in a statement that there was an attempt to remove the goods without paying duties by taking advantage of expedited customs clearance for ranking officials.To contact the reporter on this story: Adela Lin in Taipei at alin95@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Jon HerskovitzFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Border Patrol Has Kept a Teenage U.S. Citizen Locked Up for Nearly a Month Posted: 23 Jul 2019 07:34 AM PDT  Despite his family's lawyer providing his U.S. birth certificate, law enforcement refuses to release him.
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| The Latest: Hawaii Lt. Gov. says protesters aren't leaving Posted: 22 Jul 2019 08:26 PM PDT  Hawaii Lt. Gov. Josh Green says there will have to be a compromise in order for the Thirty Meter Telescope project to go forward but doesn't know if that's possible. Green says Native Hawaiian protesters on the mountain aren't leaving.
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| Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises cancel port stops in Puerto Rico ahead of planned protests Posted: 22 Jul 2019 12:34 PM PDT  Several cruise lines have canceled port stops in San Juan ahead of planned protests Monday in Puerto Rico, aimed at forcing the governor to resign.
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| More officer diversity won't cut racial disparity in US police shootings – study Posted: 22 Jul 2019 02:56 PM PDT  Research found as percentage of black officers who fired in fatal shootings increased, the citizen shot was more likely to be blackThe report also found that of all the shootings analysed, in 56% of fatal officer-involved shootings a single officer fired their weapon. Photograph: Eric Thayer/ReutersIncreasing the diversity of America's police officers will not necessarily cut racial disparities in fatal police shootings, according to a new study which claims that race-specific crime rates are a bigger factor than the race of the officer.Research published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday found that as the percentage of black officers who shot in FOIS (fatal officer-involved shootings) increased, the citizen shot was more likely to be black than white. In a similar vein, as the number of Hispanic officers went up, the person shot was more likely to be black or Hispanic than white.The authors, led by David Johnson, a social cognitive psychologist at the University of Maryland, College Park, said the link between officer race and the race of citizens fatally killed are the result of officers and citizens usually coming from the same population base.They claimed to find no evidence that white officers were more likely to shoot minority groups than officers of colour.Researchers came to their conclusions by creating a database of more than 900 FOIS that occurred in the US in 2015, including officer race, sex and years of experience, using information from the Guardian and the Washington Post. Researchers then analysed the different factors to try to predict the race of the person shot.The Guardian's the Counted investigation found that in 2015 a total of 1,134 people died at the hands of law enforcement and that young black men were nine times more likely than other Americans to be killed by police officers.While this latest study by Johnson acknowledges there are racial disparities in shootings, it claims race-specific crime rather than officer race best predicts the race of the victim.It found that in counties where minorities were responsible for higher rates of violent crime, a person fatally shot was 3.7 times more likely to be black than white and 3.3 times more likely to be Hispanic than white."Although officer race was related to racial disparities, the fact that black and Hispanic civilians were more likely to be shot by same-race officers was largely explained by similarities between officer and county demographics," stated the report. "Because racial disparities in FOIS do not vary based on officer race, hiring more diverse officers may not reduce racial disparities in FOIS."While it acknowledged that greater officer diversity would probably have other benefits – such as improving police understanding of communities and increasing trust – it said it would not "meaningfully reduce" racial disparities in fatal shootings.It added: "One of our clearest results is that violent crime rates strongly predict the race of a person fatally shot. At a high level, reducing race-specific violent crime should be an effective way to reduce fatal shootings of black and Hispanic adults."The report also found that of all the shootings analysed, in 56% of FOIS a single officer fired their weapon. In nearly 40% of cases, between two and four officers fired. In the research, 79% of officers were white, 12% Hispanic, 6% black and 3% from other racial groups. Nearly all – 96% – of officers were male and on average officers had nearly 10 years of experience.
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| Stealth Hacked? China Claims It Can Find and Destroy the Air Force's F-22s and F-35s Posted: 22 Jul 2019 07:00 PM PDT  The U.S. Navy and Lockheed may have already solved the problem. The service openly talks about the E-2D's role as the central node of its NIFC-CA battle network to defeat enemy air and missile threats. Rear Adm. Mike Manazir, the Navy's director of air warfare, described the concept in detail at the U.S. Naval Institute just before Christmas in 2013.State-run Chinese media is claiming that the People's Liberation Army has been able to track the U.S. Air Force's Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor stealth fighters over the East China Sea. While the Chinese report might be easily dismissed as propaganda—it is not beyond the realm of possibility. In fact—it's very possible that China can track the Raptor. Stealth is not a cloak of invisibility, after all. Stealth technology simply delays detection and tracking.(This first appeared in 2016.)First off, if a Raptor is carrying external fuel tanks—as it often does during "ferry missions"—it is not in a stealth configuration. Moreover, the aircraft is often fitted with a Luneburg lens device on its ventral side during peacetime operations that enhances its cross section on radar.That being said, even combat-configured F-22s are not invisible to enemy radar, contrary to popular belief. Neither is any other tactical fighter-sized stealth aircraft with empennage surfaces such as tailfins—the F-35, PAK-FA, J-20 or J-31. That's just basic physics.
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| Good Samaritans rescue driver after pickup truck flips over on I-88 Posted: 22 Jul 2019 05:09 AM PDT  A group of good Samaritans came to the rescue of a driver of a pickup truck that flipped over on I-88 in west suburban Oak Brook Monday morning.
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| MAGA Bomber’s Lawyers Blame Trump, Sean Hannity for His Radicalization Posted: 23 Jul 2019 08:55 AM PDT  Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/GettyThe "MAGA Bomber" who mailed explosives to President Donald Trump's critics turned violent on a steady diet of Fox News, Trump tweets, and Facebook, his lawyers claim.Cesar Sayoc, 57, previously pleaded guilty to sending 16 pipe bombs to news outlets and public figures in October. On social media, Sayoc promoted far-right conspiracy theories and threatened people who were critical of Trump. He faces life in prison for the mail bombings. But Sayoc's lawyers argue he was just a man struggling with "cognitive limitations and mental illness" who was manipulated by conservative media and the president's Twitter feed.Cesar Sayoc Jr., Alleged Mail Bomber, Threatened Democrats on TwitterIsolated and abusing steroids, Sayoc lived a lonely life, his attorneys claimed in a Monday filing."By 2018, he was living alone in a decrepit and cramped van that had been his home for more than a decade," the lawyers wrote. "A typical day saw Mr. Sayoc waking up in his van, showering at the gym, and cooking crockpot meals while inside the DJ booth of a strip club before heading off to his second job delivering pizza. As he grew older and more isolated, excessive steroid use increased his feelings of anxiety and paranoia."In this darkness, Mr. Sayoc found light in Donald J. Trump."Sayoc watched Fox News "religiously at the gym," the filing continued. He typically ended his evenings watching Sean Hannity's show. He also began to feel victimized as a Trump supporter, his lawyers wrote. On Facebook, he shared posts about supposed attacks on Trump supporters. When his van was vandalized, he believed it was the work of "anti-Trump forces [that] were trying to hurt him."Sayoc's lawyers pinned some of the blame on Trump. "He began to consider Democrats as not just dangerous in theory, but imminently and seriously dangerous to his personal safety," they wrote. "President Trump did nothing to dissuade this message."They pointed to multiple instances in which Trump told his followers that Democrats were out to hurt them, including an October 2018 rally when Trump said Democrats "destroy people. They want to destroy people. These are really evil people." Sayoc sent the bombs that same month.Of Course Donald Trump Inspired Cesar Sayoc's Alleged TerrorismSayoc, who worked as a Papa John's pizza delivery man, was also convinced that the left was trying to murder Papa John's employees over racist remarks by the company's founder, the filing says. He believed anti-fascists were personally targeting him for pizza-motivated murder, his lawyers wrote.The culmination of steroid use and political paranoia was a "slow boil" that culminated in Fall 2018, his lawyers claim. As Sayoc told a doctor after his arrest, his obsession with Democrats became "increasingly severe, to the point that he could think of little else."Sayoc "resolved that he needed to do something to scare and deter the prominent figures in the media and on the left."Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Canada launches contest to build new fighter jet; first delivery in 2025 Posted: 23 Jul 2019 09:47 AM PDT ![Canada launches contest to build new fighter jet; first delivery in 2025]( "Canada launches contest to build new fighter jet; first delivery in 2025") Canada launched a long-delayed competition to build new fighter jets on Tuesday, and said it was confident no favoritism had been shown toward any one contender, though some in the industry have said the race is tilted towards Lockheed Martin Corp. Earlier this month, sources told Reuters that Airbus SE and Boeing Co might pull out over fears the air force is determined to buy Lockheed Martin's F-35 plane. A fourth contender is Sweden's Saab AB.
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| Britain plans European-led Gulf force after tanker seizure Posted: 22 Jul 2019 08:41 PM PDT  Britain on Monday said it was planning a European-led protection force for shipping in the Gulf after Iranian authorities seized a British-flagged tanker in a dramatic escalation of tensions in the region. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt condemned Iran's actions as "state piracy" while at the same time emphasising that Britain did not want confrontation. "We will seek to establish this mission as quickly as possible," Hunt said, adding that a second warship that Britain has sent to the region would arrive by July 29.
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| Walmart’s Beat the Heat Sale Offers Air Conditioners for up to Half Off Posted: 23 Jul 2019 08:49 AM PDT |
| 'Clearly a racist act': After biracial boy dragged by school bus, school settles lawsuit Posted: 22 Jul 2019 01:36 PM PDT !['Clearly a racist act': After biracial boy dragged by school bus, school settles lawsuit]( "'Clearly a racist act': After biracial boy dragged by school bus, school settles lawsuit") The teen's mother sued the school district in May, alleging a bus driver intentionally closed the door on her 13-year-old biracial son's backpack.
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| Homicide charge filed in shooting death of off-duty officer Posted: 22 Jul 2019 03:26 PM PDT  A man suspected of fatally shooting an off-duty Pittsburgh police officer more than a week ago has been charged with criminal homicide, police announced Monday. The indictment against Christian Bey, 30, in the death of Officer Calvin Hall, 35, is sealed, so further details will not be provided, said Cmdr. Victor Joseph.
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| What It Was Like To Be a Pilot During the Hellish Iran-Iraq War Posted: 23 Jul 2019 12:04 AM PDT  'Meanwhile, my wingman had engaged another MiG-21 and shot it down using two Sidewinders. He later reported that after seeing my F-14 exiting on the other side of the explosion, he was sure that it was badly burned and the crew dead.Retired by the U.S. Navy on Sep. 22, 2006 the iconic F-14 Tomcat remains the backbone of Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) interceptor fleet.However, as told by Tom Cooper and Farzad Bishop in their book Iranian F-14 Tomcat units in combat, the F-14's service in Iran is characterised by an implausible series of controversies and 'educated guesstimates' that are completely wrong.(This article by Dario Leone originally appeared on The Aviation Geek Club in 2019.)
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| Praying for a Conversion Miracle for Dr. Leana Wen and Other Pro-Choice Women Posted: 22 Jul 2019 03:30 AM PDT  One of the most beautiful, under-the-radar things I have seen in the passing political frenzies of the summer thus far was one doctor's response to the upheaval at Planned Parenthood: "I am an Obgyn like you, and I just wanted to say how sorry I am for your loss."Dr. Monique Ruberu reached out to Dr. Leana Wen after news hit that Wen was no longer the president of Planned Parenthood. The news came not too long after Wen had an op-ed published by the Washington Post explaining that her recent miscarriage made her more committed to her Planned Parenthood work.So Ruberu reached out to Wen with compassion: "I have lost two little ones in the past and I believe that they are in heaven and we will meet again." She went on:> Until then they are praying for us as saints in heaven. I believe the same of your little one. With such huge changes in your life, loss of job, loss of child you may be in a difficult place know that I and many others are praying for you for your healing. When things look darkest God can create something beautiful and new. I pray that one day we can serve women on the same side and provide them with what they need so they don't have to choose abortion.She signed off with "God bless you!"This is the way Ruberu operates. "When a loving peaceful prayerful person is present," she has said, "offering life-saving resources, we have a shot at saving lives." When a Pennsylvania elected official harassed a pro-life woman praying outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Philadelphia recently, Ruberu was outside at a rally days later praying for a "Saul-to-Paul-like conversion" for him. Saint Paul, of course, was as far away from being a Christian before his conversion, when he persecuted Christians.But it's far from just one bright shining tireless Philadelphia doctor. Abby Johnson also had dramatic conversion story. She's the former Texas Planned Parenthood director who left the industry after having to participate in an ultra-sound-guided abortion, where it became all too undeniably clear about what happens in an abortion, especially a late-term one. Johnson implored people to avoid being snarky to or about Wen, writing to the pro-life community in a tweet:> Our job is to reach out to Dr. Leana Wen in love. Snarky memes and words will not bring about conversion. Let us also remember that she is a woman grieving the loss of a miscarried child. Let us treat her with care, not callousness. Let's be the people we say we are.It all echoes the spirit of one of the most unifying documents of recent decades. Pope John Paul II's "Gospel of Life" calls upon our better angels to be wholly committed to a civilization of love that will help people see the possibilities of life more than the problems, in no small part by receiving all fears with love and resources:> You are called to bear witness to the meaning of genuine love, of that gift of self and of that acceptance of others which are present in a special way in the relationship of husband and wife, but which ought also to be at the heart of every other interpersonal relationship. The experience of motherhood makes you acutely aware of the other person and, at the same time, confers on you a particular task. "Motherhood involves a special communion with the mystery of life, as it develops in the woman's womb. . . . This unique contact with the new human being developing within her gives rise to an attitude towards human beings not only towards her own child, but every human being, which profoundly marks the woman's personality.And I've got to say, rereading it, I think it's not very far away from Wen, who in her Post op-ed on her miscarriage talked about how excited she and her husband had been to be welcoming a second child into their lives: "We measured the spare room to turn it into a nursery. We started teaching Eli to be more gentle. I began to plan my maternity leave." About her heartbreaking miscarriage she wrote:> As I recover . . . with my family, I decided to write about my experience because I want to break the silence and shame that often come with pregnancy loss. I also write because my miscarriage has made my commitment to women's health even stronger. If we truly care about the health of women, children and families, we must commit to policies that provide pregnant women with the care, humanity and dignity that all people deserve.Planned Parenthood insists it is about women's health, but abortion rips at what's most wondrous about a woman: motherhood, a reality that many women, including Wen long for (she and her husband had been trying for months for a second child). The pro-life movement is its most authentic when it puts out a welcome mat out for anyone who wants to genuinely join in the cause of helping women embrace life. The more converts, the healthier this culture of ours will be. To Dr. Leana Wen, and anyone else: We have more in common than much of politics or Planned Parenthood would have you believe.This column is based on one available through Andrews McMeel Universal's Newspaper Enterprise Association.
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