| Candidates propose expanding the 'war on terror' to counter the real threat: White supremacists Posted: 29 Aug 2019 02:00 AM PDT  Since the El Paso shooting, which was declared an act of "domestic terrorism" by the Justice Department, the FBI has thwarted seven mass shootings, including attacks planned by alleged white supremacists. But those arrested are unlikely to be designated as domestic terrorists or face any federal terrorism-related charges.
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| Democrats' Medicare for All must consider union-won plans: AFL-CIO Posted: 29 Aug 2019 09:48 AM PDT  Democratic White House hopefuls should ensure their Medicare for All proposals honor union-negotiated private insurance, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, head of the largest federation of U.S. labor unions, said on Thursday. How to best extend health coverage to millions of uninsured or under-insured Americans has been one of the early issues defining the Democratic nominating contest to take on Republican President Donald Trump in November 2020. "You can't ask the American worker, who sacrificed wages and everything, to simply say: 'Okay, I'll accept this plan here,'" Trumka added, noting that some union plans likely provide more benefits than Medicare.
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| Another Iranian rocket launch has ended in failure after it apparently blew up on the launch pad Posted: 29 Aug 2019 10:25 AM PDT  Iran has tried three times this year to put a satellite into space, but each time, something has gone wrong with the rocket.
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| Japan PM wraps up Africa meet with debt warning aimed at China Posted: 29 Aug 2019 11:25 PM PDT  Investors in Africa must beware of burdening countries with "excessive" debt, Japan's prime minister warned Friday, an apparent swipe at China whose Belt and Road policy has been accused of saddling poor nations with crippling debt. Speaking to reporters at the end of an African development conference outside Tokyo, Shinzo Abe emphasised that countries in the G20 group of top economies, including China, had committed to the concept of "debt sustainability". "In providing assistance to Africa, we have to take note of the debt burden of the recipient country and take care that the debt burden does not become excessive," Abe said when asked about China's influence in Africa.
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| 'Storm Area 51' event forces second Nevada county to sign emergency declaration Posted: 30 Aug 2019 05:10 AM PDT  The "Storm Area 51" event has drawn more than 2 million RSVPs on Facebook. Officials in Nye County, Nevada, OK'd an emergency order in preparation.
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| Why the Resignation of a Key Scottish Leader Is a Sign the U.K. Could Break Apart Over Brexit Posted: 29 Aug 2019 05:27 AM PDT  The leader of the Conservative Party in Scotland has quit her post one day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson moved to suspend Parliament ahead of Brexit.
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| Woman left alone as she gave birth in jail cell says 'pain was indescribable' Posted: 30 Aug 2019 01:58 AM PDT  A Colorado woman is suing after she was forced to give birth to her child, alone in a jail cell, while screaming and pleading for help from staff that paid her virtually no mind.In the hours leading up to the birth of her child on July 31, 2018, surveillance footage shows 26-year-old Diana Sanchez repeatedly attempt to alert jail staff that she was in labour, her water had broken, and that she was in desperate need of medical attention.
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| A boat was up close and personal with Italy's Stromboli volcano and just barely got away as it began to erupt Posted: 29 Aug 2019 08:14 AM PDT  Italy's Stromboli volcano erupted off the coast of Sicily. And one boat off the coast got a little close to the scene just as the eruption started.
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| Outrage mounts over Harvard student turned back at airport Posted: 28 Aug 2019 03:27 PM PDT  The story of an incoming Harvard freshman who was denied entry into the United States after his laptop and cellphone were searched at the airport last week has immigration and free speech advocates sounding the alarm over the Trump administration's increasingly restrictive immigration policies and how they are enforced.
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| Florida prepares for impact as Hurricane Dorian churns toward U.S. coast Posted: 30 Aug 2019 01:01 AM PDT  Florida's governor on Friday urged residents to stock up on at least a week's worth of food, water and medicine and to prepare to lose power and cellphone service for days after Hurricane Dorian makes landfall early next week. The slow march and rising intensity of the storm, which is moving in a northwestern direction to the Bahamas, has alarmed forecasters who worry parts of Florida will be walloped by strong winds, a storm surge and heavy rain for an extended period. "I think there's a pretty high degree of certainty that this is going to be a major hurricane," Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told a news conference from the state emergency operations center in Tallahassee.
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| Lebanon says no docking request from Iran tanker: minister Posted: 30 Aug 2019 04:19 AM PDT  Lebanon has not received any docking request from Iranian tanker Adrian Darya 1, whose seizure had been requested by the United States, the energy minister said on Friday. "The energy ministry does not buy crude oil from any country and Lebanon does not own a crude oil refinery. There is also no request for the Adrian Darya 1 oil tanker to enter Lebanon," Nada Boustani said on social media.
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| El Salvador busts alleged migrant smuggling network, nabs 25 Posted: 29 Aug 2019 12:10 PM PDT  At least 25 people were arrested across El Salvador on Thursday, including businesspeople, lawyers and a former police officer, as part of an operation to break up an alleged migrant smuggling network. Authorities said they conducted raids in a number of municipalities and seized 23 vehicles and 14 properties with a collective value of about $1 million. The director of the attorney general's office anticorruption unit said 32 arrest warrants were issued.
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| Drug bust nets huge haul of heroin and fake oxycodone pills in Delaware Posted: 29 Aug 2019 06:43 PM PDT  Two men have been charged with distributing controlled substances – in this case, fentanyl disguised as oxycodone pills.
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| Buttigieg Denounces ‘Hypocrisy’ of Pence, Other Christian Politicians Posted: 30 Aug 2019 09:44 AM PDT  Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg blasted Vice President Mike Pence and other Christian politicians this week for adopting what he charged were un-Christian political stances.Asked by Religion News whether he would call "sinful" those Christian politicians who supported the Trump administration's since-scrapped policy of separating families arrested after crossing the southern border illegally, Buttigieg declined to go that far."I'll be careful to use that word to kind of point out a speck in my brother's eye," the South Bend, Ind. mayor replied. "What I would say is that it's clear that some naked sins are being at best condoned by people who then summon religious arguments. That rings more and more hollow.""It's not just that we might have a different interpretation of faith, it's that these arguments no longer stack up even on their own merits, right?" the openly gay Buttigieg continued. "For example, Mike Pence's view of Christian sexuality is obviously a little different than mine. But even with his view, it makes no sense to condone this president and his behavior. So there's two layers to this. There's the fact that I subscribe to a vision of faith that leads me to a certain place politically. But it's also just seeing the hypocrisy among people who now endorse people and practices that are offensive, not only to my values, but to their own."Buttigieg made a similar accusation during the first Democratic presidential primary debate in June, calling out the "hypocrisy" of Christians who supported the family-separation policy."For a party that associates itself with Christianity to say that it is okay to suggest that God would smile on the division of families at the hands of federal agents, that God would condone putting children in cages, has lost all claim to ever use religious language again," he said.The Indiana mayor targeted Pence directly earlier this year as well, saying during an address to the LGBTQ Victory Fund's annual brunch that he wishes "the Mike Pences of the world would understand. . . . If you've got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator."Pence pushed back at the time, saying he takes issue with what he saw as Buttigieg's personal attacks."He said some things that are critical of my Christian faith and about me personally. And he knows better. He knows me," said Pence, who has long been an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage.
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| Key Hong Kong Protest Organizer Attacked by Armed Masked Men Posted: 29 Aug 2019 04:39 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The leader of a Hong Kong group that has organized record-breaking mass marches over weeks of protests was attacked by two unidentified armed masked men, as the city braces for a 13th straight weekend of demonstrations.Civil Human Rights Front convener Jimmy Sham said the attack took place inside a restaurant in the Jordan area of Kowloon around midday local time Thursday. The men were wielding at least one baseball bat and one long knife, according to Sham. He was not hurt as his friend shielded him from the beatings, he said in a CHRF WhatsApp media group.Hong Kong police officials confirmed the attack on Sham at an afternoon news briefing. They said officers had arrived on scene shortly after and had tried "in vain" to locate any suspects, and that the case would be followed up by a criminal investigations team."This vile attack against Jimmy Sham appears to be a deliberate attempt to target a well-known pro-democracy activist," Amnesty International said in an e-mailed statement Thursday evening. "It is vital that the authorities send a clear message that those who target peaceful activists with such violence, irrespective of their political views, will face justice."Max Chung, the organizer of the Yuen Long march last month, separately said he was attacked by four men near the Tai Po police station Thursday. They wielded metal rods and umbrellas, he told reporters outside the hospital where he is receiving treatment.Chung suffered bruises on his arms, lower back and the back of his neck, as he said he was crouching and shielding his head with his arms when one of the men was beating him. Hong Kong police confirmed receipt of a report matching the incident Thursday.The Yuen Long march that Chung organized was in response to attacks on July 21st in which several dozen protesters and passersby were injured in attacks by white-shirted mobs. There have been sporadic reports of similar attacks on protesters in the weeks since.The CHRF's latest mass march, planned for Saturday, was banned by the city's police force on Thursday, with the group saying it planned to appeal. The ban could anger protesters ahead of a planned 13th straight week of pro-democracy demonstrations. Protests that began in early June over a bill that would allow extraditions to China have since become a wider call for more democracy, including calls for Chief Executive Carrie Lam's resignation."How would banning peaceful marches stop clashes? Carrie Lam is pushing Hong Kong to the point of destruction," Sham told reporters before the attack.(Adds quote from Amnesty International in fourth paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: Sheryl Tian Tong Lee in Hong Kong at slee1905@bloomberg.net;Natalie Lung in Hong Kong at flung6@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Fion Li at fli59@bloomberg.net, Karen Leigh, Ryan LovdahlFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has dropped out. Here are the 3 big winners. Posted: 29 Aug 2019 06:21 AM PDT  Insider has been tracking how many candidates' fans like other candidates. Gillibrand's exit could help Sen. Elizabeth Warren consolidate support.
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| Fox Business Host Stuart Varney Tells Joe Walsh: Trump Has Never Lied Posted: 30 Aug 2019 10:30 AM PDT  Fox Business Network host Stuart Varney proclaimed with a straight face on Friday morning that President Donald Trump has never lied to the American people, asserting that Trump has only ever exaggerated and spun.During an interview with former one-term tea party Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL), who recently announced a long-shot primary bid against Trump, the Fox host took issue with Walsh's insistence that Trump is a pathological liar, asking the ex-congressman for specifics.Walsh, meanwhile, pointed to recent reports that White House aides have admitted that the president recently faked high-level phone calls with China regarding trade in an effort to boost markets, something Varney claimed doesn't count as a lie."That's not a lie," Varney exclaimed. "If the man said and he did that high-level talks had been held with China, that is not a lie. They were held with China.""Stuart, he said there were high-level phone calls with Chinese officials, his staff admitted that was not true, that he lied in order to manipulate the market," Walsh retorted, prompting Varney to wave him off."Give me another one," the pro-Trump anchor huffed.Walsh, however, pushed back, asking Varney if he genuinely didn't believe that was a lie. When the Fox Business host insisted he did not and personally objected to Walsh calling it one, the former Republican lawmaker then wondered if Varney actually believed if Trump has ever fibbed."Stuart, do you believe this president lies?" Walsh asked."No," Varney replied."You don't believe he's ever lied?" Walsh shot back in disbelief."He exaggerates and spins," the Fox host retorted."Okay. Do you believe he's ever told the American people a lie?" Walsh pressed again."No," Varney stated.From there, Varney tried to flip it back around on Walsh, asking him if he lied when he said President Barack Obama was a Muslim, causing Walsh to admit it was a lie and that he's apologized for that.Varney's delusional declaration that the president—who has told at least 12,000 lies and false statement since entering the White House—has never lied comes on the heels of Trump 2020 campaign spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany saying the same thing on CNN earlier this week, flooring CNN anchor Chris Cuomo.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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| Texas governor says 'mistakes' made in immigrant rhetoric Posted: 29 Aug 2019 04:26 PM PDT  Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday "mistakes were made" when he sent a fundraising mailer that called on supporters to "defend Texas" from illegal immigration, which was dated a day before a gunman targeting Mexicans killed 22 people in El Paso. The letter was condemned as racist and anti-Latino by the Texas Democratic Party after it surfaced last week. Taken together, the mailer and tweet have put a spotlight on Abbott's hardline rhetoric at a time when he has urged unity in the aftermath of another mass shooting in Texas.
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| Suspect in Berlin killing had links to Russian state security: Der Spiegel Posted: 30 Aug 2019 04:33 AM PDT ![Suspect in Berlin killing had links to Russian state security: Der Spiegel]( "Suspect in Berlin killing had links to Russian state security: Der Spiegel") The suspect detained over the killing last week of a Georgian citizen in Berlin had a passport whose number linked him to Russian security services, German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Friday. Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, who had previously fought alongside anti-Moscow separatists in the province of Chechnya, was shot twice in the head last Friday as he headed through a central Berlin park to the mosque. If confirmed, the report could add to problems between the European Union and Moscow, which are already at odds over the apparent murder attempt against a Russian defector in Britain last year.
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| In a Major Milestone, the James Webb Space Telescope Is Whole at Last Posted: 29 Aug 2019 10:29 AM PDT  Engineers have successfully connected the two halves of NASA's troubled Hubble successor.
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| Serial rape suspect arrested by Georgia police more than a year after they hired him Posted: 28 Aug 2019 04:26 PM PDT  Georgia police have been searching for a serial rapist since 2015. They arrested a man Tuesday who was hired as a police recruit more than a year ago.
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| Six countries block UN sanctions against Somalia's Al-Shabaab Posted: 29 Aug 2019 06:17 PM PDT  Six UN Security Council members on Wednesday blocked a move to include Somali jihadist group Al-Shabaab on a list of organizations such as Al-Qaeda that are under international sanctions, diplomatic sources said. Several NGOs and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recently stepped in to oppose the classification, which would have effectively kept humanitarian aid away from millions of Somalis living in Al-Shabaab-controlled areas. Germany, Belgium, Poland, France, Kuwait and the United States were the six countries whose votes blocked the implementation of the new sanctions.
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| End of the Road Draws Near for Democrats Shut Out of Next Debate Posted: 30 Aug 2019 01:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Many of the 10 candidates who didn't make the cut for the third Democratic presidential debate, now face a big decision -- drop out or keep running at the end of the pack.Losing a spot on the stage means more than just being deprived of a powerful platform. It's a signal to donors, supporters and primary-state voters that an already-struggling candidate has failed to break out. So what's that candidate to do?"Drop out," said Rebecca Katz, a Democratic strategist and founder of New Deal Strategies. "These candidates have had months, and in many cases two separate debates, to make their case to the American people."On Thursday the Democratic National Committee announced that Tom Steyer, Michael Bennet, Tulsi Gabbard, Marianne Williamson, Steve Bullock, Bill de Blasio, Tim Ryan, John Delaney and Joe Sestak will have to sit out of the Sept. 12 debate in Houston.The culling is no accident: The DNC set more stringent criteria for the September debate in hopes of winnowing an unprecedented field of more than 20 candidates. To make the stage this time candidates needed to attain 130,000 individual donors and register 2% support in four DNC-approved polls. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York dropped out hours before the qualification deadline on Wednesday, when it became clear she wouldn't meet either threshold.Three other candidates left the race in recent weeks -- John Hickenlooper, Jay Inslee and Seth Moulton. Hickenlooper has since launched a bid for Colorado's U.S. Senate seat and Inslee has said he will run for a third term as governor of Washington state.DNC Chairman Tom Perez dismissed candidates' complaints that the polling and fundraising requirements were unfair. He said the DNC helped candidates clear the bar by working with TV networks to offer "an unprecedented amount of free earned media" through hour-long town halls."With all due respect, the notion that we created burdens for candidates –- no, we gave opportunities to candidates and we will continue to give opportunities to candidates," he told Bloomberg. "Then it's up to them to take advantage to those opportunities."The end of a campaign doesn't mean the candidate won't serve in the next administration. Those who do not become the eventual party nominee often go on to Cabinet positions or other executive-appointed roles. After the 2016 election, for example, Donald Trump picked former rivals Ben Carson and Rick Perry to serve as as secretaries of housing and energy. They might also become the nominee's running mate.Democratic strategists like Lynda Tran, a partner at 270 Strategies, expects to see more drop out."If they don't end up in the debate stage, they know I think in their heart of hearts that that is not a good sign of their campaign," Tran said. "At some point people will start paying attention primarily to the front-runners."And voters should question the motivation of some candidates for sticking around after they didn't make the grade, Katz said."Why are the candidates who can't get more than 2% staying in the race? Is it about issues or is it about ego?"One candidate is pledging to stay on. Steve Bullock, the Montana governor, is a Democrat running a state Trump won in 2016."There are over 150 days before voters express their preference in Iowa and New Hampshire. It's those voters in early states and across the country who will decide this election," he said.If the September debate isn't the campaign-ending breaking point for candidates, Tran predicts the fourth one in October will be. Many of the lower-polling candidates like Gabbard, and even those who made the cut like Beto O'Rourke, have begun to dance around the growing possibility that they won't be the nominee.On stage in Houston will be Joe Biden, along with Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar. They will be joined by Pete Buttigieg, Andrew Yang, O'Rourke and Julián Castro.\--With assistance from Jennifer Epstein.To contact the reporter on this story: Emma Kinery in Washington at ekinery@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Max BerleyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Kashmiris say Indian officers tortured them and shoved mud in their mouths so they couldn't scream. The army denies it ever happened. Posted: 30 Aug 2019 04:18 AM PDT  A new BBC report details gruesome allegations from civilians living in Kashmiri villages known to be hubs of anti-India militant groups.
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| IG report details plan to spring Steele dossier on Trump Posted: 29 Aug 2019 08:18 PM PDT  Fox News contributor Byron York and former Trump campaign aide Carter Page break down DOJ report on James Comey.
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| Why President Trump Cut a Methane Regulation That Even Big Oil Companies Wanted to Keep Posted: 29 Aug 2019 02:03 PM PDT  The decision to side with a group of smaller fossil fuel producers shows the influence these companies retain within the administration
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| The Latest: 62 Pakistani migrants reach Italy southern port Posted: 30 Aug 2019 08:35 AM PDT  Sixty-two Pakistani migrants have reached the southern Italian port of Gallipoli, in the Apulia region, after being found on a tiny island by the local coast guard. The coast guard said Friday that all the migrants, including nine unaccompanied minors, received assistance from the Red Cross and were in good health, despite a long and distressing journey. Hundreds of migrants continue to reach Italy's southern shores in small boats and dinghies, even though rescue ships operated by NGOs in the Mediterranean are banned from docking in Italian ports, due to the hard-line policy of outgoing Interior Minister Matteo Salvini.
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| 'Very graphic’ evidence, including satanic elements, in Ohio child porn case, police say Posted: 29 Aug 2019 04:44 PM PDT  An Ohio man confessed to raping and photographing a 5-year-old boy in a case authorities say is the worst they've ever seen.
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| India's top ports on alert for attacks from 'Pakistan-trained commandos' Posted: 29 Aug 2019 03:48 AM PDT  India's two main ports said on Thursday they had been warned by the coastguard and intelligence officials that Pakistan-trained commandos have entered Indian waters to carry out underwater attacks on port facilities. The Mundra Port, run by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd , and the state-owned Kandla Port had asked their employees and ship operators to be vigilant, port officials and the ports said in advisories seen by Reuters. Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated since India revoked the special status of its portion of the Himalayan region of Kashmir on Aug. 5 and moved to quell objections by shutting down communications and clamping down on local leaders.
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| Chinese Communist Party’s Top Leadership to Convene in October Posted: 30 Aug 2019 05:10 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- China's ruling Communist Party will hold its most important meeting of the year in October -- its first such gathering in 20 months -- as the country grapples with a slowdown at home and a trade war with the U.S.The party's Central Committee, which is made up of more than 200 officials from the government, military and state-owned enterprises, will gather in Beijing, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The schedule was set during a meeting of the 25-member Politburo led by President Xi Jinping on Friday, Xinhua said.The committee will discuss key issues about maintaining and improving China's socialist system and national governance, according to Xinhua, which didn't announce specific dates. The committee hasn't convened since recommending an end to the constitutional limits on Xi's tenure in February 2018.The party hasn't gone so long without such a meeting since late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping launched his "Reform and Opening Up" campaign more than 40 years ago. China has offered no explanation for the change.While the plenum comes at a point in the party's five-year political cycle that's usually reserved for setting economic policies, the Xinhua report suggested an agenda that was more political. The report said the committee would enact policy to ensure the party was governed "in accordance with the law."The leaders will meet during a period of triumphant anniversaries for the ruling party, with Xi expected to preside over a military parade to mark the country's 70th anniversary on Oct. 1. In the weeks following, the People's Republic of China will surpass the Soviet Union as the longest-lasting communist state.China is facing greater international push back as U.S. President Donald Trump piles tariffs on the country's goods in an effort to secure trade concessions. That dispute has exacerbated concerns about the China's economic slowdown and contributed to diplomatic tensions over pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong and American military support for Taiwan.The plenum will be the fourth Central Committee conclave since Xi secured a second term as the party's general secretary in October 2017. In February 2018, the committee held an additional summit to discuss ending the constitutional provision that barred China's head of state from serving more than two consecutive terms -- paving the way to Xi staying in power indefinitely.\--With assistance from Peter Martin and Ryan Lovdahl.To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Sharon Chen in Singapore at schen462@bloomberg.net;Dandan Li in Beijing at dli395@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Shamim AdamFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Israel 'plants dummy decoy' soldiers on border with Lebanon after Hizbollah threats Posted: 29 Aug 2019 08:59 AM PDT  Israel has positioned dummy decoys dressed as soldiers on the border with Lebanon, according to local reports, as the country prepares for strikes by Hizbollah. Israel and Hizbollah, which last fought a war in 2006, are on high alert after Israel carried out a series of attacks on the group in Lebanon and neighbouring Syria and Hizbollah promised a retaliation. Lebanese journalist Ali Shueib, who works for Hizbollah's al-Manar TV station, tweeted photos of off-road army vehicles with what appeared to be a mannequin in the front seat. "Stop the jokes," he tweeted, saying that using these dummies only reveals "'stupidity and foolishness' because you have not learned that you are facing men that have the intelligence, professionalism, courage, and faith to defeat." خلصنا المزح بموضوع الجيب ✋ هذه الفضيحة كفيلة بإسقاط رؤوس كبيرة في جيشكم !! لأنها تدل عن "غباء وحمق" لأنكم لم تتعلموا بعد انكم بمواجة رجال لديهم من الحكمة والحرفية والشجاعة والإيمان مايكفي لهزيمتكم !!انضبوا وضبوا تماثيلكم .. هالحركات حتى الأطفال بلعبة الغميضة ما بيعملوها ✋ pic.twitter.com/0FqVHC0hF9— علي شعيب ���� (@ali_shoeib1) August 29, 2019 Or Heller, an Israeli military correspondent for Channel 10 News, posted a close-up of the dummy taken from the other side of the vehicle, suggesting that Israel had placed it there in anticipation of a Hizbollah assault. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has been known to use mannequins, placing them in bunkers or sniper's nests in an effort to trick its enemies into thinking they are manned by soldiers and leading them to reveal their position. Hizbollah, which is backed by Iran, have been warning they intend to carry out "calculated strike" against Israel in the coming days, in revenge for an Israeli strike in Syria which killed two Hizbollah fighters and a drone attack which is reported to have targeted precision-missile technology over the weekend. וכך ניראות הבובות בקו, בתמונה שחבר צפוני צילם. ברקע: ההבנה בצהל שנארסראללה סינדל את עצמו לתגובה על תקיפת הרחפנים בדאחייה. בדפוסי הפעולה האפשריים שלו: מטען, ירי צליפה, או ירי טילים נגד טנקים. pic.twitter.com/0jJ3QGc2iB— Or Heller אור הלר (@OrHeller) August 29, 2019 Sources close to the Shia movement had indicated to the Telegraph that the group would look to attack Israeli troops along the border and send drones into the country in a "like-for-like" retaliation for the drone attack. Israel is fighting a shadow war with arch-foe Iran, targeting its proxies in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq and attempting to disturb the flow of weapons. On its Twitter account on Thursday, the IDF went public with what it said were details about an extensive Iranian-sponsored project to provide Hizbollah with the means to produce precision-guided missiles. It released the names of four Iranian Quds Forces officers it alleged to be training Hizbollah members in Lebanon. Members of Lebanon's Shia Hizbollah movement carry the coffin of a fighter killed in Israeli strikes in Syria, during the funeral in the Ghobeiry neighbourhood of southern Beirut Credit: AFP Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman, said Tehran had in recent months increased the pace of the project such that it was "faster in terms of buildings, facilities, locations, conversion and manufacturing facilities, and it means more people, operatives involved in doing so". "It is time for them (the Lebanese government) to understand their responsibility and understand the fact that what they are letting Hizbollah and Iran do on Lebanese soil is their responsibility," Lt Col. Conricus said. Israel has said that it holds the Lebanese state responsible for Hizbollah's actions since the movement now has MPs in parliament. Lebanon on Wednesday opened fire on Israeli drones operating inside Lebanese airspace, after warning its neighbour it would defend its sovereignty.
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| China executes ride-hailing driver who killed passenger Posted: 30 Aug 2019 07:49 AM PDT  China on Friday executed a man convicted of raping and killing a female passenger last year while he was working as a driver for ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing, China's omnipresent answer to Uber. The company has been slammed by critics and China's transport ministry over safety lapses after the incident in the eastern city of Wenzhou in August 2018, barely three months after a similar death. Zhong Yuan, 28, had racked up gambling debts and was planning to rob a passenger before the fatal attack on the 20-year-old woman, state-run news agency Xinhua reported.
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| Portuguese national interrupts TV interview, gives moving speech about Brexit's impact Posted: 29 Aug 2019 03:22 AM PDT  Another spanner has been thrown into the works in the countdown to Brexit. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked the Queen to suspend parliament which will scupper MPs chances to block a no-deal Brexit. On Wednesday, the Queen approved Johnson's request, prompting a national outcry and protests across the country.During a Central London protest against prorogation (the official term for the suspension of parliament), a Portuguese woman, who has lived and worked in the UK for 20 years, interrupted an interview and delivered an impassioned and extremely moving speech about Brexit's impact on her life."I'm Portuguese and I worked here for 20 years and I have no voice and the Settlement Scheme is not working," the woman -- whose name is unknown -- told Sky News. The woman is referring to the EU Settlement Scheme, which allows EU citizens to apply to continue living in the UK once it's no longer part of the European Union. She had been attending the protest, stating her reason for attending as "because I need a voice." "I gave this country my youth, I'm very grateful for what you taught me but you must make me part of all this process," she said. "I can't just be kicked out, I've built things for you, I've looked after your children, I looked after the elderly in this country, now you kick me out with what?"> A Portuguese national interrupted an interview to speak passionately to Sky News during protests against prorogation, saying she had "given her youth" to the UK > > For more on this story, head here: https://t.co/Bw9GJrZl0b pic.twitter.com/sFCZ1cnvrO> > -- Sky News (@SkyNews) August 28, 2019Per BBC News, a no-deal Brexit would result in the UK immediately exiting the EU with no agreement on Oct. 31. "Overnight, the UK would leave the single market and customs union -- arrangements designed to help trade between EU members by eliminating checks and tariffs (taxes on imports)," the BBC explains.The woman said she is "very, very hurt" by what's happening to the country. As she was about to walk away from the interview, the Sky News journalist urged her not to go away, and asked what was happening with her Settlement Status application. She explained that she'd been told her National Insurance number (the UK version of Social Security) didn't "correspond to the right thing" and she's been told she has to restart the whole process. "Oct. 31 is fast approaching, what am I going to do? What am I going to do? How am I going to stay? What are my rights?" she said. WATCH: Watch Zuckerberg's face freeze after a far-right politician credited Facebook for Trump's win and Brexit
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| DHS bars Democratic staffers from visiting border facilities Posted: 29 Aug 2019 07:06 AM PDT  'The Five' co-host Juan Williams weighs in on comments from Rep. Elijah Cummings saying the DHS doesn't want reports on the conditions of border detention facilities.
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| Trump's Florida Mar-a-Lago resort in Hurricane Dorian's path Posted: 30 Aug 2019 08:55 AM PDT  President Donald Trump's prized Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida is potentially sitting directly in the path of Hurricane Dorian , which is forecast to become an extremely destructive storm. The resort, which is currently closed for the summer, is on the wealthy barrier island of Palm Beach. During the cooler months, Trump visits the property frequently and has held several high-level meetings there with world leaders.
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| View Photos of the 2019 Honda Civic Si Coupe vs. 1999 Honda Civic Si Coupe Posted: 30 Aug 2019 05:00 AM PDT |
| 'Well heck, I'm not doing anything': This Arizona couple moved to Iowa to volunteer for Tulsi Gabbard Posted: 29 Aug 2019 11:05 AM PDT  Lawn signs, billboards and a very dedicated volunteer corps make up Tulsi Gabbards' Iowa campaign
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| Ohio man accused of planning to attack Jewish center faces federal charge Posted: 29 Aug 2019 01:17 PM PDT  James Reardon, 20, whose case is one of many thwarted potential mass shootings reported by U.S. law enforcement in recent weeks, faces one count of transmitting threatening communications via interstate commerce, federal prosecutors said as his indictment was unsealed on Thursday. Federal authorities said their investigation is ongoing.
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| Trump Is Joking When He Asks People to Break the Law? Tell That to the Russians. Posted: 29 Aug 2019 01:33 AM PDT  Photo Illustration by Kelly Caminero/The Daily Beast/Getty"I am not a crook.""I did not have sexual relations with that woman.""Just joking."That last line may be the Trump administration's way of maintaining plausible deniability when dangling pardons. The Washington Post reported this week that Trump has told aides that he will pardon them if they have to break laws to build a border wall. Trump's statement reportedly came as he pushes aides to build a border wall before the 2020 election to make good on his campaign promise, even if it requires seizing private land and disregarding environmental rules. When aides have protested that some of his orders violate the law, the Post reported that Trump told them that they should proceed anyway, and that he will pardon them of any wrongdoing if necessary. An anonymous White House source did not deny the reporting, instead explaining that Trump is joking when he makes such statements. Hilarious. Trump's former press secretary Sean Spicer said that Trump was also joking in July 2016 when he publicly stated, "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing," referring to emails deleted from the private email server that Hillary Clinton used as secretary of state. But the Russians didn't get the joke. Less than five hours later, Russian intelligence officers attempted to hack into Clinton's email account, according to an indictment returned by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Trump may have been joking, but others took action that violated the law and benefited Trump. It has been said that we should learn to take Trump seriously but not literally. But Trump is no longer just the loudmouth at the country club, spouting off about current events to hangers-on. What might have passed as edgy, off-the-cuff humor from a political candidate is something else entirely when it comes from the commander-in-chief. Words have consequences. And when words constitute orders from the nation's top government officer, it is reasonable to expect that those words will be obeyed. Words can even become criminal under certain circumstances. Under federal solicitation law, if someone "commands, induces or procures" the commission of a crime, he is as guilty of the offense as if he committed it himself. If two or more persons agree to commit a crime, and one of them does an act in furtherance of the agreement, both can be charged with conspiracy. In both instances, a prosecutor would have to prove that the person acted knowingly and intended the crime to be committed, and that he was not "just joking."Of course, we have all learned by now that a sitting president cannot, or at least will not, be indicted. Trump is likely feeling emboldened by his experience with the special counsel. Despite findings by Mueller and his team of substantial evidence that Trump engaged in multiple acts to obstruct their investigation with a corrupt purpose, no criminal charges were filed. Imagine for a moment that Trump is not joking when he asks aides to complete the border wall by any means necessary, even if they have to break the law? The pardon power is absolute when it comes to federal offenses, and so he could make good on his promise, and pardon anyone charged with a crime for obeying his orders. What would be the recourse against Trump? If Trump cannot be charged with a crime, then the only remedy to hold him accountable would be impeachment and conviction. Even if the House of Representatives had the will to proceed to impeachment, would the Republican-controlled Senate convict? Or would they continue to enable Trump's norm-busting behavior? Pardon dangling is not a new topic when discussing Trump. During the Mueller investigation, some evidence suggested that Trump's team dangled pardons to former national security adviser Michael Flynn, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former Trump Organization attorney Michael Cohen, all of whom were later convicted of crimes. All three men were in positions to provide prosecutors with information damaging to Trump in exchange for reductions in their sentences. Trump could potentially buy their silence by promising them something even better than a sentence reduction in the form of a pardon. The Mueller Report chronicled a voicemail message that Trump's personal lawyer left for Flynn's lawyer after Flynn withdrew from a joint defense agreement with Trump and others, signaling that he was cooperating with investigators. The message stated that the president had "warm feelings" toward Flynn. Last fall, after it was reported that Manafort was cooperating with investigators, Trump publicly stated that a pardon for Manafort was "not off the table." CNN reported that after the FBI searched Cohen's office in April 2018, Cohen received emails from an attorney working with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, assuring Cohen that he could "sleep well tonight" because he had "friends in high places." The Constitution vests the president with the pardon power. A pardon is intended to express forgiveness and mercy. It recognizes a defendant's acceptance of responsibility for his crime and good conduct demonstrated over a significant period of time following the completion of his sentence. To instead use the pardon power as a way to enable government employees to violate the law for the president's personal political advantage without criminal consequence is a gross deviation from the rule of law.If Trump's promise of pardons was just a joke, it wasn't very funny. And there is a danger that aides will take Trump's commands literally and obey them. If so, will Trump's contribution to the canon of presidential lies be the "just joking" defense, a new way to falsely claim plausible deniability? This Isn't the Madman Theory. This Is a Madman President.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get 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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| Israel Is Escalating Its Shadow War With Iran. Here's What to Know Posted: 29 Aug 2019 01:35 PM PDT  Israel-attributed attacks on targets in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq highlight the risks of a wider confrontation
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| China expels WSJ reporter who wrote about Xi's cousin Posted: 30 Aug 2019 06:09 AM PDT  Beijing said journalists who attack China were "not welcome" in the country, after it failed to renew the press credentials of a foreign journalist who wrote an article about one of President Xi Jinping's cousins. It amounts to the effective expulsion of Chun Han Wong, a Singaporean national who has worked for the Wall Street Journal's Beijing bureau since 2014. In a statement to AFP, the foreign ministry said it "strongly opposed some foreign reporters' malicious smears and attacks on China, and these kinds of journalists are not welcome".
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| Brigitte Macron speaks out against sexism amid G7 Amazon fire funding row with Brazilian president Posted: 29 Aug 2019 12:22 PM PDT  France's first lady, Brigitte Macron, hit back on Thursday at mockery of her age and appearance on Jair Bolsonaro's Facebook page amid a war of words between the Brazilian president and her husband that has left £18m in emergency funding for the Amazon in limbo. Her comments came as Mr Bolsonaro, accused by critics of allowing tens of thousands of fires to rage unchecked in the Amazon rainforest, announced a two-month ban on fires deliberately started by farmers. Critics have accused the Brazilian president of allowing farmers to start fires in order to clear forest for crops or grazing. Mrs Macron, 65, did not mention Mr Bolsonaro by name, but implied that the 64-year-old president was out of tune with contemporary attitudes to women. Mrs Macron thanked the thousands of Brazilians who had offered apologies on social media for their president's approval of a post deriding her for being nearly 25 years older than her husband, Emmanuel Macron, the French president. The post implied that Michelle Bolsonaro, the 37-year-old wife of Mr Bolsonaro, 64, was better looking than the French first lady. Mrs Macron said: "Times are changing. There are those who are on the train of change, women are there with you, like you, you've almost all understood, gentlemen. Not everyone, some are still on the platform and I'm sure they will soon get on the train." A fireman works to extinguish a fire at a forest near Porto Velho, Brazil, 28 August 2019 Credit: REX Her comments won sustained applause as she inaugurated a newly refurbished museum devoted to the Battle of Agincourt at a ceremony with the British ambassador, Edward Llewellyn, at the site of the 1415 English victory over the French in northern France. "It's not just for me, it's for all women," Mrs Macron said. "Things are changing and everyone must realise it." The diplomatic clash between the French and Brazilian presidents came as Mr Macron tried to lead international efforts to help Brazil put out the fires, which he sees as a global problem because the world's largest rainforest produces 20 per cent of its oxygen. Mr Bolsonaro, whose critics have labelled him "Captain Chainsaw" because of what they say is his disregard for the environment, rejected £18 million in aid from the G7 announced at a summit hosted by Emmanuel Macron, the French president, in the coastal resort of Biarritz at the weekend. But he has accepted a separate £10m offer of assistance from the United Kingdom. State governors and agribusiness leaders from the Amazon region have implored Mr Bolsonaro to accept financial aid from the G7, fearing that continued tensions could harm Brazil's exports. Mr Bolsonaro has now outlawed all uses of fire in the region except for farming in indigenous communities, but he stressed that the ban was only temporary. "The people there set these fires, it's a tradition," he said. Data from Brazil's Institute of Space Research has shown the increase in fires this year is linked to a rise in deforestation, with illegal land grabbers clearing areas of virgin forest in order to sell to agribusiness firms. Under domestic and international pressure, the government is expected to launch a series of environment-related measures next week including curbs on deforestation and gold panning. Local media have warned of a new Amazon gold rush stemming from relaxed oversight and poverty. On Wednesday, Donald Trump lent his support to Mr Bolsonaro. "I have gotten to know [Mr Bolsonaro] very well during our dealings with Brazil", Mr Trump tweeted. "He is working very hard on the Amazon fires and in all respects doing a great job for the people of Brazil." Mr Bolsonaro thanked him, saying that the "fake news campaign built against [Brazilian] sovereignty will not work."
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| An ex-Googler says the company's top lawyer had a child with her while he was married and then cut her off as part of a toxic culture she says protects 'elite men' (GOOG, GOOGL) Posted: 28 Aug 2019 03:18 PM PDT  The blog post describes an "abuse of power" its author said ran rampant among some of Google's top male leaders.
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| Ex-Michigan lawmaker pleads no contest after sex scandal Posted: 28 Aug 2019 06:12 PM PDT  A former Michigan lawmaker pleaded no contest Wednesday to a misdemeanor stemming from charges filed over a bizarre plot to hide his extramarital affair with another legislator. Todd Courser, a 47-year-old Republican from Silverwood who resigned from the state House in 2015, could face up to a year in jail when he is sentenced on Sept. 16 in a Lapeer courtroom for willful neglect of duty by a public officer. Other charges against Courser had been dropped by an Ingham County judge in 2016.
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| Canada: workers race to free millions of salmon trapped after huge landslide Posted: 29 Aug 2019 08:37 AM PDT  * Rockslide on banks of Fraser River created impassable barrier * Heavy machinery and helicopters used to help gather fishA vessel used to transport salmon up the Fraser River. Crews have leaned heavily on local Indigenous communities to help gather tens of thousands of fish. Photograph: Darryl Dyck/APHelicopters, heavy machinery and nearly 200 workers are frantically working to free millions of salmon trapped by a landslide in western Canada.Government crews in the area have worked relentlessly along the banks of the Fraser River to clear debris after a rockslide, discovered in a late June, created an impassable 5m-high waterfall.Each year, several species of Pacific salmon – sockeye, chinook, pink and coho – travel up British Columbia's Fraser River to reproduce. But the newly formed barrier has blocked the fish from accessing critical watersheds for egg laying.Weeks of excavation have shown success: already, 12,000 salmon have passed through carefully constructed channels. And 44,000 salmon – as many as 3,000 per day – have been transported by helicopter."Nothing is off the table unless it's determined as not being feasible. We are looking at any and all options," Michael Crowe of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, told reporters on Wednesday. The team hopes to continue moving fish by truck, after the road was rebuilt, as well as developing a fish ladder.Emergency crews have leaned heavily on local Indigenous communities, and their knowledge of salmon spawning, to help gather tens of thousands of fish."First Nations' technical knowledge in fish capture – from beach-seining crews to a second fish wheel – underpins the operation," said the government in a media release.Muddy, fast-moving water has made it difficult for officials to estimate the number of salmon trapped below the landslide site. In previous years, said Crowe, millions of salmon would be passing through this section of the Fraser River. A number of fish have been outfitted with radio tracking collars in order to give a clearer picture of how many have successfully moved upstream.The landslide, and the frantic effort to clear it, highlights the barriers – natural and human-made – that salmon face each year.In much of western North America, hydroelectric dams have blocked critical spawning routes. In recent years, the plight of displaced salmon has prompted increasingly dramatic attempts to move the fish, including the "salmon cannon" – footage of which recently went viral.The efforts in British Columbia to free the trapped salmon comes amid a difficult times for the fish: recent data suggests sockeye salmon have plummeted 75% over the last century in Canada. Last week, the department of fisheries and oceans confirmed the dire state of sockeye when it warned only 600,000 were expected to spawn this year, as apposed to the normal return of five million. Chinook salmon, which are also stranded in the river, are also endangered.
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