| Jeffrey Epstein: ‘Shrieking and yelling heard from cell’ on day of alleged sex trafficker’s death Posted: 13 Aug 2019 03:02 PM PDT  Shrieking and yelling were heard coming from Jeffrey Epstein's cell on the morning of his death, it has been reported.People nearby heard a commotion characterised as shouting, shrieking and yelling in a report by CBS News.The broadcaster cited unnamed sources, who added that guards at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre (MCC) in New York had tried to revive the alleged sex trafficker."Breathe, Epstein, breathe," they were reported as having said during the effort.It came as pressure mounted on prison authorities in the wake of Epstein's apparent suicide on Saturday.Jerrold Nadler, the Democratic chairman of the House judiciary committee, sent a scathing letter to the acting director of federal prisons, complaining that the "competency and rigour of our criminal justice system has been marred".Along with other politicians he demanded answers from Hugh Hurwitz on the prison's suicide-prevention policies, information on the guards on duty and whether video cameras were in use.On Monday, Donald Trump's attorney general said he was angry and appalled to have learned of Epstein's death and blasted the MCC for "serious irregularities".William Barr added that the investigation into Epstein's alleged sex-trafficking activities would continue and that "any co-conspirators should not rest easy".MCC has also been criticised for low staffing levels and failing to make regular checks on Epstein, according to an official who was not authorised to speak on the matter.Mr Barr has asked the Justice Department's internal watchdog to investigate Epstein's death.The former financier was already a registered sex offender, having pleaded guilty in 2008 to Florida state charges of unlawfully paying a teenage girl for sex.Additional reporting by agencies
|
| Kremlin Spokesman: Russia Is Winning Arms Race with U.S. Posted: 13 Aug 2019 11:37 AM PDT  The Kremlin said Tuesday that Russia is beating the U.S. in the race to develop new nuclear weapons just days after a rocket explosion in the North of the country that released radiation into the air and resulted in the evacuation of a village."Our president has repeatedly said that Russian engineering in this sector significantly outstrips the level that other countries have managed to reach for the moment, and it is fairly unique," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.Last Thursday, an accidental explosion from a rocket test offshore of the Nenoksa Missile Test Site killed at least five people and injured three others, according to state nuclear agency Rosatom."The United States is learning much from the failed missile explosion in Russia," President Trump wrote Monday on Twitter. "We have similar, though more advanced, technology."Trump implied that the explosion involved a missile the NATO alliance has designated the SSC-X-9 Skyfall, a long-distance cruise missile propelled by a small nuclear reactor, and said the disaster has caused concern about the air surrounding the facility.Tensions have been high between the two powers since the U.S. officially withdrew from the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty earlier this month, citing breaches of the agreement by Russia.Earlier in the summer, NATO demanded Moscow destroy a new nuclear-capable cruise-missile system that the U.S. claims to be in violation of the treaty, which bans both countries from possessing land-based nuclear and non-nuclear missiles with a range between 310 and 3,410 miles.Russian president Vladimir Putin warned during his State of the Nation speech in February that while Russia does not seek aggression, the country's nuclear weapons would be pointed toward the U.S. if the White House deployed missiles in Europe.
|
| Alleged Christchurch gunman sends letter from prison cell Posted: 14 Aug 2019 02:38 AM PDT  New Zealand officials admitted Wednesday that they made a mistake by allowing the man accused of killing 51 people at two Christchurch mosques to send a hand-written letter from his prison cell. The six-page letter from Brenton Tarrant was posted this week on the website 4chan, which has become notorious as a place for white supremacists to post their views. Much of it appears to be relatively innocuous, discussing a one-month trip Tarrant says he took to Russia in 2015.
|
| Shooting of two ICE offices in San Antonio was a ‘targeted attack,’ FBI officials say Posted: 13 Aug 2019 02:37 PM PDT  An ICE official blamed "misinformation" spread about the agency by politicians, media and activists.
|
| Notre-Dame cathedral 'still at risk of collapse' after fire Posted: 14 Aug 2019 03:34 AM PDT  Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris is still at risk of collapse after being gutted by a fire in April, with more stonework falling during the recent heatwave in the French capital, the government said on Wednesday. France's culture ministry insisted that the urgent need to make the cathedral safe had dictated the pace of the works, following criticism that it had ignored the risks of lead poisoning. Work to secure the cathedral was suspended on July 25 to allow for decontamination of the lead that had spread during the fire.
|
| Florida woman sues American Airlines, claims her emotional support dog was confined to a bathroom Posted: 14 Aug 2019 08:39 AM PDT  A Florida woman is suing American Airlines after her emotional support dog was allegedly confined to a bathroom on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles.
|
| View Photos of the 2019 Honda Civic Type R and 2019 Volkswagen Golf R Posted: 14 Aug 2019 05:27 AM PDT |
| Mexican former minister detained, deepening president's anti-graft quest Posted: 13 Aug 2019 05:53 AM PDT  A judge ordered a former Mexican Cabinet minister to be detained pending a trial over suspected losses to taxpayers, her lawyer said on Tuesday, opening a new front in President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's campaign to eradicate corruption. The detention of former social development minister Rosario Robles is likely to ramp up scrutiny of the administration of Lopez Obrador's predecessor, Enrique Pena Nieto, whose 2012-2018 presidency was plagued by graft scandals. Lopez Obrador has made rooting out corruption the cornerstone of his career, though he took office in December saying he did not want to rake through the past.
|
| Gillibrand suggests support for mandatory buyback of assault weapons Posted: 14 Aug 2019 08:28 AM PDT ![Gillibrand suggests support for mandatory buyback of assault weapons]( "Gillibrand suggests support for mandatory buyback of assault weapons") Critics denounce the policy as tantamount to gun confiscation.
|
| 'The saddest dive of my life': A diver's before-and-after photos reveal the death of a coral reef Posted: 13 Aug 2019 06:02 AM PDT  As our planet and its oceans warm, coral reefs worldwide are experiencing bleaching — when the corals expel their food source and turn ghostly white.
|
| Trump: Give CNN's Cuomo a 'red flag' for his 'Fredo' rant Posted: 13 Aug 2019 08:36 AM PDT  President Trump on Tuesday suggested Chris Cuomo should be banned from owning a firearm after the CNN host was seen in a profanity-laced viral video confronting a man who called him "Fredo."
|
| Risk of clashes at rally mobilizes Portland, Oregon, police Posted: 13 Aug 2019 02:58 PM PDT  Portland police are mobilizing to prevent clashes between out-of-state far-right groups planning a rally here and the homegrown anti-fascists who oppose them as America's culture wars seep into this progressive haven. Saturday's rally — and the violence it may bring — are a relatively new reality here, as an informal coalition of white nationalists, white supremacists and extreme-right militias hones its focus on Oregon's largest city as a stand-in for everything it feels is wrong with the U.S. At the top of that list are the masked and black-clad anti-fascists who turn out to violently oppose right-wing demonstrators as soon as they set foot in town. "It's Portlandia, and in the public mind it represents everything these (far-right) groups are against," said Heidi Beirich, director of the Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups.
|
| Jeffrey Epstein death: Two guards 'fell asleep' then falsified records after inmate removed from paedophile financier's cell Posted: 14 Aug 2019 12:59 AM PDT  Prison guards assigned to monitor Jeffrey Epstein on the night he apparently killed himself fell asleep and failed to check on him for three hours before falsifying records to cover up their neglect, according to officials.The two guards have been placed on leave and the warden of New York City's Metropolitan Correctional Centre (MCC) has been reassigned as federal authorities investigate the financier's death, the Justice Department has announced.It comes amid mounting evidence of failures at the chronically understaffed prison which allowed the 66-year-old to take his own life as he awaited trial on charges of sexually abusing teenage girls.Epstein, who had attempted to take his own life in July, was taken off a suicide watch last month for reasons that have not been explained and should have been checked on by a guard every 30 minutes.Investigators have learned those checks were not done for three hours before he was found hanged at 6.30am on Saturday, according to a person familiar with the case.Guards at the jail in Manhattan are suspected of falsifying log entries to incorrectly show they had been visiting Epstein's cell during the gap.Surveillance video reviewed after his death showed they did not make some of the checks noted in the records, a source told Associated Press.Both guards assigned to watch Epstein and other prisoners were asleep during some or all of the three hours he went without checks, reported The New York Times, which cited unnamed law enforcement and prison officials.One of the guards was not a regular prison officer and had been drafted in because of staffing shortages, according to Serene Gregg, president of the local branch of the American Federation of Government Employees.A second inmate who had been assigned to share a cell with Epstein had been transferred elsewhere the day before his death and was not replaced.Attorney general William Barr said on Monday he was "frankly angry to learn of the MCC's failure to adequately secure this prisoner"."We will get to the bottom of what happened and there will be accountability," he added.The FBI and the Justice Department's inspector general are both probing Epstein's death and US president Donald Trump has said he wants a "full investigation" into what happened.Epstein was being held without bail as he awaited trial on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges that could have led to him being jailed for 45 years.Federal prosecutors in New York are pursuing a parallel investigation into whether any associates of Epstein should be charged with assisting him in what authorities say was his rampant sexual abuse of teenage girls.Mr Barr warned that any co-conspirator in the sex crimes case against Epstein "should not rest easy". He added: "The victims deserve justice, and they will get it."Epstein, who once counted Mr Trump and former president Bill Clinton as friends, was arrested on 6 July and pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking involving dozens of girls as young as 14.
|
| Playing god: Japan temple puts faith in robot priest Posted: 14 Aug 2019 06:31 AM PDT  The android Kannon, based on the Buddhist deity of mercy, preaches sermons at Kodaiji temple in Kyoto, and its human colleagues predict that with artificial intelligence it could one day acquire unlimited wisdom. "This robot will never die, it will just keep updating itself and evolving," priest Tensho Goto told AFP. It's changing Buddhism," added Goto.
|
| San Francisco approves historic ban of e-cigarette sales, a first for a major US city Posted: 14 Aug 2019 07:28 AM PDT  San Francisco officials approved a ban on the sale of electronic cigarettes Tuesday, making it the first major U.S. city to pass such a restriction.
|
| Cop shoots and kills man who ‘rammed’ stolen tractor into patrol car, NC officials say Posted: 13 Aug 2019 09:36 AM PDT  The deputy is on administrative leave, authorities say.
|
| Indian court acquits six of killing Muslim dairy farmer in cow vigilante case Posted: 14 Aug 2019 07:52 AM PDT ![Indian court acquits six of killing Muslim dairy farmer in cow vigilante case]( "Indian court acquits six of killing Muslim dairy farmer in cow vigilante case") An Indian court on Wednesday acquitted six men of the killing of a 55-year-old Muslim dairy farmer, citing lack of evidence, raising questions over the prosecution's failure to make its case despite videos of a crowd beating him in the street. The 2017 attack on Pehlu Khan and his two sons in the western state of Rajasthan by a suspected mob of cow vigilantes caused public outrage and demands for swift action. Videos shot on mobile phones showed Khan begging for mercy as the crowd set upon him after stopping his truck with cows in the back.
|
| Suspect arrested for allegedly running over, killing 2 wild peacocks in Chatsworth on purpose Posted: 13 Aug 2019 06:11 PM PDT  The person accused of purposely killing two wild peacocks in Chatsworth Lake Manor has been arrested, police say.
|
| Elizabeth Warren Suggests She’d Repeal Biden’s 1994 Crime Bill Posted: 14 Aug 2019 06:24 AM PDT  Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) suggested in an interview Tuesday evening that she would seek the repeal of the 1994 crime bill—a historic though highly controversial measure tied closely to one of her closest competitors for the Democratic presidential nomination. It "needs to be changed, needs to be rolled back, needs to be repealed." Warren said of the law, which has become widely bemoaned by criminal justice reform advocates for its tough-on-crime measures, harsh sentencing guidelines, and general encouragement of the war on drugs.The Massachusetts Democrat made the announcement during a candidate question-and-answer session with Maurice Mitchell, the national director of the left-wing Working Families Party, as part of its presidential endorsement process. Mitchell began his final question of the broadcast by noting that there are movement organizations seeking to repeal the '94 crime bill. "And so," he asked, "I'd like you to respond to that. Would you support a repeal of the '94 crime bill? And what is your plan for tackling mass incarceration?""I think the devastation from the '94 crime bill has now been well-documented," Warren responded. "And there are huge parts of that that need to be swept away. It was just wrong. And it needs to be changed, needs to be rolled back, needs to be repealed. But that's not enough. There is now a problem within our criminal justice system that runs from the front, what we declare to be illegal, through the system that is a justice system that treats blacks and whites, Latinx and whites differently through the system."Warren concluded: "My commitment is that we build a criminal-justice system that is at least closer to the four words above the United States Supreme Court: "equal justice under law." That should be our guiding principle and that should mean we develop an America, we develop a criminal-justice system that is more in line with our values and that is fairer to everyone."Warren's answer was vague enough to render it unclear as to whether she was calling for a full repeal of the '94 crime bill or merely major components of it. Her campaign did not comment on the record for this story. But her response still positions her apart from two of her fellow frontrunners in the 2020 Democratic race: former Vice President Joe Biden, who authored the legislation but has introduced a plan meant to reverse many of its main provisions, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) who voted for the bill despite being critical of it. Though the law has been the subject of intense criticism for accelerating the war on drugs and providing states with funds for the construction of prisons, some Democrats have called on their party to tone down their criticisms, noting that the bill also included money for community programs, an assault weapons ban, and the Violence Against Women Act. "I would encourage [Biden] to speak out about it and Bernie Sanders, too. Both of them ought to lean into this," Jim Clyburn (D-SC), the third-ranking House Democrat, told The Daily Beast in May. Warren's comments don't address precisely how she'd tackle the law's more progressive measures, which have become either standard Democratic policy or renewed policy pursuits. But at the end of 2018, the senator called attention to the expiration of the Violence Against Women Act due to the government shutdown (it was later reauthorized this year). And a reinstitution of the assault-weapons ban is part of a broader gun proposal that Warren recently unveiled. The senator voted for the First Step Act—the Trump era criminal justice reform measure that eased the '94 bill's infamous three-strikes rule. Warren's larger approach to criminal justice reform mirrors the approaches of some of her primary competitors. She has called for ending mandatory minimum sentencing, advocated for eliminating private prisons, and called for legalizing marijuana and expunging records for marijuana crimes. 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.
|
| View Photos of the 2020 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid Lineup Posted: 12 Aug 2019 03:01 PM PDT ![View Photos of the 2020 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid Lineup]( "View Photos of the 2020 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid Lineup")
The new Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid is here with 670 horsepower, and there will be a coupe version as well. From Car and Driver
|
| British-Iranian academic arrested by Tehran amid rising tensions Posted: 14 Aug 2019 01:36 AM PDT  Iran has arrested a dual British-Iranian national, threatening to further sour relations between the two countries just as they appeared to be making headway over the fate of a seized Iranian tanker. Kameel Ahmady, a renowned anthropologist, was arrested by police on Sunday on unspecified allegations. Mr Ahmady, an Iranian Kurd who was born in the western city of Mahabad, was granted British citizenship in 1994 but had been living in Iran for the last 14 years. His wife, Shafagh Rahmani, said on Tuesday night he had not been officially charged, but prosecutors at Evin prison said that he faces a series of charges related to "his activities". "At this moment I only ask [the judiciary officials] to allow me to meet my husband and talk to him on the phone," she told Iranwire website. "His activities have been transparent and open. The results of his work has been published in books and these books were published with the permission of the Ministry of Culture. I really have no idea why he has been arrested." Wife Shafagh Rahmani said on Tuesday night he had not been officially charged, but prosecutors at Evin prison said that he faces a series of charges related to "his activities" Credit: Family According to his Linkedin profile, Mr Ahmady, who had studied at the London School of Economics, is "a scholar working in the field of social anthropology conducting research on topics related to local cultures, women and children, and the rights of minorities in the Middle East, with some work experience in Africa and the Far East." In 2015, he released a study suggesting tens of thousands of Iranian women have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM). Before Mr Ahmady's disclosure, Iran was not recognised as a country affected by the controversial practice. "I returned to Iran in 2005 to study FGM in my home country and instantly I was shocked to discover that it even happened to the closest members of my own family and relatives," he told the Guardian at the time. Iran has pursued a campaign of detaining Iranian and dual nationals academics in recent years, the latest of which was in July when French-Iranian scholar Fariba Adelkhah was detained on unspecified charges. Iran has since 2016 been holding another British-Iranian national, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, on charges of espionage. The 40-year-old charity worker's husband, Richard Ratcliffe, has suggested she may be being used as leverage. The Telegraph also revealed earlier this month that Iranian-Finnish King's College London student Ana-Diamond, 24, was held in Evin prison for eight months that same year on charges of spying for the British government. As tensions with Tehran escalate, the Islamic Republic is accused of using dual nationals as pawns in its standoff with the West. Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of imprisoned Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, protesting outside the Iranian Embassy in London Credit: Rex Iran and the UK have been locked in a diplomatic row over the fate of two tankers. Gibraltar seized the Grace 1 supertanker on July 4 with the help of British Royal Marines on suspicion it was shipping oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions. Tehran retaliated two weeks later by impounding British-flagged tanker Stena Impero while it was travelling through the Persian Gulf. A court in Gibraltar is to decide the fate of the Grace 1 on Thursday, when an order for its detention lapses. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Tehran has lifted several stumbling blocks by reflagging the vessel and setting a new destination after Gibraltar sought assurance that the ship would not sail to Syria. Iran has however tried to deny the oil carried by the supertanker was Iranian, declaring it as Iraqi, which is a common Iranian practice to evade sanctions. It is not clear what the Gibraltar authorities will decide, but Iran seemed confident on Tuesday that the vessel would be released. Talks between Iranian officials and the Foreign Office conducted in London last month failed to resolve the crisis. Formally, the FCO is trying to separate the issues of the tanker from the broader tensions with Iran over the nuclear deal. Since the US pulled out of the 2015 accord last year, the UK and has been struggling to keep it alive while at the same time coming under pressure from Washington to take a harder line. A spokesperson for the FCO told the Telegraph it was aware of reports of Mr Ahmady's arrest.
|
| 'It's not right': 7-year-old boy shot to death in St. Louis Posted: 13 Aug 2019 11:48 AM PDT !['It's not right': 7-year-old boy shot to death in St. Louis]( "'It's not right': 7-year-old boy shot to death in St. Louis") Xavier Usanga was supposed to start second grade Tuesday. Instead, grief counselors were consoling his would-be classmates at Clay Elementary School, after the 7-year-old boy became the 11th child killed by gunfire in St. Louis since June. Xavier was shot Monday afternoon while standing near a teenager and two other children on the city's north side.
|
| Mississippi Man Charged with Setting Girlfriend on Fire, Kidnapping Child Posted: 13 Aug 2019 04:38 PM PDT  Family members and neighbors were shaken to learn a 42-year-old man allegedly set his girlfriend on fire before kidnapping a child and leading police on a chase.
|
| Hundreds of child sex abuse claims filed on first day of New York's Child Victims Act Posted: 14 Aug 2019 09:38 AM PDT  The Child Victims Act provides a one-year window for filing old civil claims for child sexual abuse in New York with no age or time limit.
|
| Brazil's Bolsonaro warns of Argentina exodus after Macri defeat Posted: 12 Aug 2019 02:42 PM PDT  Brasília (AFP) - Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday warned of a possible exodus from Argentina after the country's center-right leader Mauricio Macri suffered a major defeat in weekend party primaries. Populist center-left candidate Alberto Fernandez's crushing victory over the pro-business Macri ahead of Argentina's general election in October sent the country's peso and stock market plunging. "We don't want our Argentine brothers fleeing here," far-right Bolsonaro said, likening Fernandez's running-mate, former president Cristina Kirchner, to Venezuela's socialist President Nicolas Maduro and Cuba's Fidel Castro.
|
| Russian jet chases NATO plane away from defense minister's aircraft: TASS Posted: 13 Aug 2019 06:33 AM PDT ![Russian jet chases NATO plane away from defense minister's aircraft: TASS]( "Russian jet chases NATO plane away from defense minister's aircraft: TASS") A Russian fighter jet saw off a NATO warplane after it approached a plane carrying Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu over neutral waters in the Baltic Sea, the TASS news agency reported on Tuesday. Shoigu's aircraft had been returning to Moscow from the Russian Baltic region of Kaliningrad - which is surrounded by Poland and Lithuania - and was carrying a TASS reporter on board, the agency said.
|
| Ohio teen who had 10,000 ammo rounds arrested for threatening ‘every’ agent, FBI says Posted: 13 Aug 2019 10:26 AM PDT  An Ohio teen was arrested on Wednesday after making a number of threats to law enforcement online, officials say.
|
| Lawmakers urge Trump to stop deportations to Iraq after Michigan man's death Posted: 13 Aug 2019 02:22 PM PDT  The lawmakers say the president is risking causing more "preventable deaths" if he continues the deportations.
|
| Trump Plans to End Methane Curbs That Oil Companies Want to Keep Posted: 14 Aug 2019 01:00 AM PDT ![Trump Plans to End Methane Curbs That Oil Companies Want to Keep]( "Trump Plans to End Methane Curbs That Oil Companies Want to Keep") (Bloomberg) -- The Trump administration is readying a plan to end direct federal regulation of methane leaks from oil and gas facilities, even as some energy companies insist they don't want the relief.A draft proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency would prevent the federal government from restricting emissions of that potent greenhouse gas from oil wells and infrastructure, despite fears that time is running out to avert catastrophic consequences of climate change.The White House is finishing its review of the EPA plan, which was described by people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named ahead of a formal announcement that is expected within weeks.The proposal threatens to undermine the oil industry's sales pitch that natural gas is a climate-friendly source of electricity -- a cleaner-burning alternative to coal that can help power an energy-hungry world for decades to come. Dozens of oil companies have made voluntary pledges to keep methane in check, and some have warned the Trump administration that federal regulation is essential for natural gas to maintain that reputation."Stakeholder confidence in natural gas is hanging by the thread, and the EPA is pulling out the scissors with this methane rollback," said Ben Ratner, a senior director with the Environmental Defense Fund's energy innovation arm.More than 60 oil and gas companies have made voluntary commitments to pare emissions of methane, the chief ingredient of natural gas, though some of them insist federal regulation is still essential for the highly fragmented industry. For instance, BP Plc and Royal Dutch Shell Plc executives said in March that they favor federal regulation of the oil industry's methane emissions, with BP asserting in an opinion piece that voluntary actions by a handful of companies "are not enough to solve the problem.""Industry gets it," said David Hayes, a former Interior Department official who leads the State Energy and Environmental Impact Center at New York University School of Law. "They recognize that this is a tremendous liability." The oil and gas industry is the leading industrial source of methane, which can escape from pipelines, sneak out of compressor stations and be vented from oil wells as a byproduct. Although methane accounts for roughly 10% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, it's been blamed for up to a quarter of the planet's warming as it has more than 84 times the heat-trapping potential of carbon dioxide the first two decades after entering the atmosphere.Walking AwayThe EPA's plan to walk away from regulating methane dovetails with other Trump administration efforts to ease limits on emissions from power plants and automobiles. Critics cast the proposal as a part of a broad Trump administration retreat from the global fight against climate change.The Obama administration targeted the oil industry's methane emissions in 2016, by requiring energy companies to frequently seek and plug leaks. Other U.S. requirements also acted to pare methane emissions but did so indirectly, by targeting other, conventional pollutants or seeking to stop the waste of natural gas extracted from federal lands.Those mandates on new wells triggered a legal requirement that EPA also regulate methane emissions from existing oilfield infrastructure -- including more than a million wells on private land. Those existing wells make up the vast majority of the sector's methane leaks -- with oil and gas wells drilled before 2012 believed to be responsible for up to 90% of them. However, plugging leaks on some decades-old, low-producing wells could be expensive and unruly -- a burden that could fall disproportionately on smaller, independent oil companies.Trump's EPA has already proposed easing the 2016 mandates, but by sweeping away direct methane regulation, the agency may prevent the march to impose them on existing wells too.The EPA is planning to justify its move by treating parts of the oil and gas industry -- such as production from individual wells and natural gas transmission -- as distinct, separate segments, then arguing that the methane emissions associated with them don't merit regulation, according to the people familiar with the proposal.Natural gas produces half as many carbon dioxide emissions as coal when used to produce electricity, but methane leaks undermine that benefit, providing fodder to activists fighting to block the construction of new pipelines and power plants using the fossil fuel.The issue is increasingly important to investors seeking to immunize their oil and gas portfolios from climate change risks. "For an investor that wants to maintain some exposure to oil and gas but have some degree of confidence that natural gas is being done right, this kind of rollback flies in the face of their investment thesis," Ratner said.To contact the reporter on this story: Jennifer A. Dlouhy in Washington at jdlouhy1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Jon Morgan at jmorgan97@bloomberg.net, Elizabeth WassermanFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| Wayne LaPierre Promised Job Security, Then Ousted an NRA Top Gun Posted: 14 Aug 2019 01:48 AM PDT  Jim Watson/AFP/GettyIn retrospect, it was weird. On a mid-July day at National Rifle Association headquarters, NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre gathered with top officials from the gun group's lobbying arm for a frank conversation. Turmoil had rocked the organization for months, reaching a zenith with the resignation of top lobbyist Chris Cox, who for years had helmed the NRA's Institute for Legislative Affairs (ILA). The association had grown balkanized, with top staff torn between LaPierre and Cox. And with the LaPierre camp on the march, Cox loyalists had reason to be nervous about their job security. So LaPierre sought to reassure the senior ILA officials who gathered that day, according to two people familiar with the meeting. He said ILA was "moving forward" and that staff there would have a "clean slate." His message, which attendees then relayed to their subordinates, was simple: People could breathe easy about their jobs, and things were stabilizing. His message was wrong. Just days later, news broke that Jennifer Baker—who spent years as the communications director for ILA and was part of Cox's small inner circle—was out. Baker's departure shocked many Republican insiders, who had long seen her as a fixture in the organization. An NRA spokesperson told CNN Baker had been ousted because the association had conducted "a reorganization of its public affairs function," implying she had been rendered redundant. Politico reported, however, that she had been helping plan its electoral strategy.Reached for comment, the NRA highlighted the statement that CNN had quoted."The NRA would not be inclined to discuss private business meetings, but it was reported that on July 16, 2019 that the NRA announced a reorganization of its public affairs function," the NRA said in a statement. "Jennifer, as you know, worked in public affairs for ILA. At the time, it was announced that, according to the NRA: 'The NRA announced a reorganization of its public affairs function this week. The change consolidates and improves our communications, public affairs, and social media functions. All these operations now operate under one department, eliminating a parallel function in NRA-ILA. We are excited about the change and the benefits it brings to the organization and its members.'"LaPierre's abortive effort to calm employees' nerves crystallized the confusion and bewilderment that grips NRA officials. And the uncertainty could hardly come at a worse time. The association faces a host of challenges: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has intimated to financial institutions that they could face legal trouble if they work with the NRA, so some have pulled away from the association. In response, the NRA sued, with an assist from the ACLU. The association also faces a number of investigations. The Senate Intelligence Committee has scrutinized the group as part of its probe into Russian influence in the 2016 campaign, and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)—the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee—has obtained documents from NRA officials as part of his own investigation of the group. Meanwhile, attorneys general in New York and Washington, D.C., have launched their own probes of the association. Then there are the dueling lawsuits between the NRA and its ex-PR firm, Ackerman McQueen. Both demand tens of millions from each other and allege major wrongdoing. All those legal problems bring big legal bills. Ad Agency Fires Back at NRA With $50 Million CounterclaimThe legal bills have become a problem in and of themselves. Oliver North, who was president of the group until stepping down in April after a fight with LaPierre, has alleged that the association's outside lawyers are billing it nearly $100,000 a day. NRA officials, including LaPierre, stand by those lawyers. But the bills are still piling up. At the same time, the association's fundraising has struggled. Allegations of financial mismanagement—including hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on LaPierre's wardrobe—have angered gun rights activists and some major donors. On top of that, activists are less worried about the Second Amendment's future given Republican control of the Senate and White House, which makes them less inclined to donate. The result: The NRA has brought in $55 million less in 2017 than it did in 2016. Meanwhile, the gun group's opponents are as energized as ever—due in large part to a recent spate of horrific mass shootings, including the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and the white supremacist terror attack in El Paso. The El Paso attack—followed hours later by a mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio—jarred Trump administration officials and appears to have jarred the president himself. Trump claimed on Tuesday afternoon that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell supports expanded background checks, and McConnell himself has telegraphed some openness to stricter gun laws. LaPierre had a phone call with Trump last week and tried to dissuade him from tightening background checks. But without his top lobbyist, Cox, his government affairs shop is hobbled. That doesn't mean new gun laws are guaranteed—far from it. And, ironically, the NRA will likely cash in on the fight, telling disaffected donors that it's the only group that can keep Republicans in line. It's an argument that has opened wallets for years. But for that argument to work, LaPierre needs credibility with donors. And he just bashed his credibility with his own lobbyists. 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.
|
| Mexico march demands justice for girls allegedly raped by police Posted: 12 Aug 2019 05:12 PM PDT  Protesters in Mexico City demanded justice Monday for two teenage girls who say police officers raped them, dousing the capital's security minister in pink glitter and smashing the glass doors of the local prosecutor's office. Shouting "Justice!", around 250 people, mostly women, took to the streets to protest the lack of punishment in the two cases, the latest to trigger outrage over the high rate of violence against women and girls in Mexico.
|
| Thai court acquits Red Shirts of terrorism for 2010 protests Posted: 14 Aug 2019 01:46 AM PDT  A court in Thailand on Wednesday dismissed terrorism and other charges against 24 leaders of an extended street protest in 2010 that saw key areas of central Bangkok closed off and random violence that was ended by military force. Thaksin was ousted by a military coup in 2006 after being accused of corruption and abuse of power.
|
| Louisiana duo found passed out in hot car with infant and meth Posted: 12 Aug 2019 02:15 PM PDT  In addition to an eight-month-old infant in the car, deputies observed a plastic bag of suspected meth and a prescription medication.
|
| Watch a Tesla Model 3 on Autopilot crash into a parked truck and burst into flames Posted: 12 Aug 2019 06:03 PM PDT  A Tesla Model 3 burst into flames over the weekend after crashing into a tow truck parked on a highway shoulder. The incident occurred in Moscow and the driver -- named Alexei Tretyakov -- noted that the car was on Autopilot at the time of the crash. Incidentally, Tretyakov made a point of noting that his hands were on the steering wheel at the time, per Tesla's guidelines. As to the specifics of the crash, Tretyakov said he was driving at about 60 miles per hour when he abruptly collided with a tow truck that had escaped his line of sight for some reason. Shortly thereafter, the Tesla caught fire with the flames ultimately destroying the car entirely. Incidentally, there were also two explosions that rattled the car following the accident. At the time of the incident, Tretyakov was in the car with his family. Thankfully, Tretyakov managed to escape with only a broken leg while the rest of his family -- which included two children in the back -- managed to escape with just a few minor bruises. The collision itself was captured on video and can be seen below. If you watch closely, you'll note that the Model 3 didn't veer to the left or do anything unusual. If anything, the Model 3 was exactly in the middle of the lane as it approached a tow truck that was jutting out from the shoulder of the road into the highway. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0ZUB5jvffo A more detailed video of the aftermath, along with the resulting fire and explosion, can be seen below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reTFVSlXTfA Another angle of the incident, along with the aftermath of the fire, can be seen via the video below. https://youtu.be/usHzST-tw40
|
| Chinese ship returns to Vietnam's exclusive economic zone Posted: 13 Aug 2019 03:41 AM PDT ![Chinese ship returns to Vietnam's exclusive economic zone]( "Chinese ship returns to Vietnam's exclusive economic zone") A Chinese survey ship returned to Vietnam's exclusive economic zone off its coast on Tuesday, ship tracking data showed, less than a week after it left the area where vessels from the two countries were locked in a month-long standoff. The Haiyang Dizhi 8 first entered the zone under Chinese coast guard escort in July and appeared to conduct a seismic survey of waters that are a potential global flashpoint as the United States challenges China's maritime claims. The survey ship, which according to Vietnam left the area on Aug. 7, was now headed back to the zone under escort from at least two Chinese Coast Guard vessels, according to data from Marine Traffic, a website that tracks vessel movements.
|
| These Bosnian refugees came to Charlotte 20 years ago. Why doesn’t it feel like home? Posted: 13 Aug 2019 10:35 AM PDT  When Almedina Suljicic Ijaz had her son a year ago, sadness almost overcame her joy. In that moment, she couldn't help but think of the mothers in Srebrenica, a small town in Ijaz's home country of Bosnia in eastern Europe. The Srebrenica massacre was 24 years ago, but it's still not easy to talk about.
|
| Trump news: Fox News to air advert blaming mass shooting on president 'stoking fire of racists' Posted: 13 Aug 2019 11:04 AM PDT  Donald Trump will face a shock on Wednesday morning when his favourite breakfast show Fox and Friends runs an attack advert paid for by 2020 Democratic presidential challenger Julian Castro in which the candidate accuses him of "stoking the fire of racists" and inspiring the El Paso mass shooting.As the Jeffrey Epstein case continues to unfold, Donald Trump says he has "no idea" if Bill Clinton was involved in the disgraced financier's death, accusing former President Bill Clinton of lying about his air travel on Epstein's planes. The president has been heavily criticised for promoting the unfounded theory that the Clintons were somehow involved in Epstein's death. Attorney General William Barr has expressed concern at the "serious irregularities" surrounding the death of the billionaire paedophile – a former friend of Mr Trump – in his Manhattan jail cell over the weekend. The FBI conducted a raid on Jeffrey Epstein's private island, according to reports, as two guards assigned to watch the disgraced financier before his apparent suicide in prison were put on administrative leave. The president meanwhile took a break from his vacation to speak about energy investments at a Shell complex in Pennsylvania on Tuesday. During the speech Mr Trump launched a series of attacks, primarily focusing his sights on 2020 Democratic candidates. He criticised Elizabeth Warren, using his common slur of "Pocahontas", before moving onto "sleepy" Joe Biden. The president then went on to attack his home state of New York, in a rambling tirade about power outages and lawsuits. "They're burdened with power outages," he said. "New York energy rates are through the roof. All New York likes to do is sue me, they like to sue me, they're always suing. They sue me for everything so they can try to stop us by any means possible."Donald Trump has meanwhile wrongly claimed that the US has "similar, more advanced" missile technology to that currently being experimented with in Russia, apparently alluding to the nuclear-powered cruise rockets developed under Project Pluto in the 1960s during the Cold War, an initiative that was ultimately dismissed as "too crazy" to be viable.Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load
|
| How to Grill Pineapple for Tacos, Salsa, Sundaes, and More Posted: 12 Aug 2019 02:59 PM PDT |
| Massachusetts judge allowed to keep $181K salary amid federal charges for obstructing ICE Posted: 13 Aug 2019 01:34 PM PDT  In a reversal, a Massachusetts judge indicted for allowing an undocumented immigrant to evade ICE will be able to keep her $181,328 annual salary.
|
| Fresh flood alert in southern India as monsoon death toll hits 244 Posted: 14 Aug 2019 01:28 AM PDT  India issued a fresh flood alert Wednesday for parts of the southern state of Kerala, as the nationwide death toll from the annual monsoon deluge rose to at least 244. Authorities warned Kerala locals of heavy rainfall over the next 24-48 hours in some of the worst affected regions of the state popular with tourists. Heavy rain in parts of four Indian states -- Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat -- has forced more than 1.2 million people to leave their homes, mostly for government-run relief camps.
|
| Soccer star Sala exposed to harmful carbon monoxide in plane Posted: 14 Aug 2019 07:30 AM PDT  Argentine soccer player Emiliano Sala and his pilot were exposed to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide before their small plane crashed in the English Channel, killing them both, British accident investigators said Wednesday. A single-engine Piper Malibu aircraft carrying Sala and pilot David Ibbotson crashed near the Channel Island of Guernsey on Jan. 21. Sala, who had played for French club Nantes, was traveling to join his new team, Cardiff City, in Wales.
|
| Welcome to the Climate Fight, Republicans Posted: 13 Aug 2019 04:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Rather unexpectedly, Republicans have become a minor font of ideas on fighting climate change. There's been talk of clean-energy tax credits, a boost to carbon-capture technology, a renewed push for nuclear power, even a new "Roosevelt Conservation Caucus" dedicated to green issues. Above all, they say, the fight against climate change must take advantage of American innovation.That's no doubt true. And Republicans are to be commended for finally grappling with this problem. Unfortunately, most of the ideas they've aired so far are unlikely to achieve their stated goals.One plan reportedly under consideration would create a government fund to invest in clean-energy companies. That sounds helpful but is in fact a recipe for failure. Politicians have no aptitude for identifying workable or cost-competitive ideas, and their incentives — such as maximizing jobs — are at odds with the market's. In all likelihood, such a fund would crowd out private investment, prop up unpromising companies at taxpayer expense, and thereby actually reduce the urgency to come up with viable solutions. Surely Republicans remember a solar-panel company called Solyndra?Another plan involves pumping lots of money into carbon-capture research and development. Much depends on the details, but again, the right way to support an experimental technology isn't to lard businesses in politically expedient districts with loan guarantees and other blandishments. Instead, Congress should fund research programs at labs and universities. That would help avoid cronyism, build a skilled workforce, and spread the benefits of technological progress more widely.But with a few laudable exceptions, Republicans are ignoring the best approach of all — one that would accord with the party's views on market economics and do more to encourage innovation than anything else. They should get behind a carbon tax.By raising costs on companies that emit carbon dioxide, such a tax would encourage them to find inventive ways to cut down on fossil fuels while allowing green technologies to compete on a fair footing. A tax set to rise gradually over time would spur long-term investment in clean-energy infrastructure and the development of cleaner products and businesses.If made revenue-neutral, moreover, such a plan wouldn't amount to a tax increase and wouldn't enlarge the state: It could be paired with equally large cuts in other taxes, which could be designed to more than offset increased energy costs for ordinary taxpayers. By making the tax code more efficient, this approach would also boost economic growth.Granted, one complication does arise: To protect American competitiveness, so-called border adjustments would be needed. Imports of carbon-intensive goods from more permissive countries would need to face added charges, while U.S. exports to such areas would qualify for rebates. This would level the playing field while also rewarding innovation and offering an incentive for other countries to follow America's lead.Many Republicans are inclined to despise any new tax, even if it allows others to be cut while serving a vital public purpose, and some activist groups have reacted to this idea with alarm. But one recent survey found that a solid majority of the party's voters — and fully 75% of those under 40 — would support such a plan. It's the rare issue where prudence and public opinion are starting to align.Republicans should be welcomed to this battle of ideas. Their instinct to focus on technology and market-driven incentives is well placed. All the more reason for them to back a reform that could truly unleash American inventiveness.—Editors: Timothy Lavin, Clive Crook.To contact the senior editor responsible for Bloomberg Opinion's editorials: David Shipley at davidshipley@bloomberg.net, .Editorials are written by the Bloomberg Opinion editorial board.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| North Korea defector and her son found dead: Seoul police Posted: 14 Aug 2019 02:57 AM PDT  The bodies of a North Korean defector and her young son have been found in their apartment, Seoul police said Tuesday, with local media reporting they appeared to have died of starvation. "We did not see any signs of murder or suicide," an officer at Seoul's Gwanak Police Station told AFP. Defectors in South Korea are eligible for subsidies from the authorities, but some struggle to integrate into the South's very different society.
|
| Pakistan PM accuses India of planning military action in Kashmir Posted: 13 Aug 2019 11:53 PM PDT  ISLAMABAD/KARACHI (Reuters) - Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan used an address celebrating Independence Day on Wednesday to accuse India of planning military action in the disputed Kashmir region that has long been a flashpoint between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. India revoked the special status of its portion of Himalayan Kashmir, known as Jammu and Kashmir, on Aug. 5 and moved to quell widespread unrest by shutting down communications and clamping down on freedom of movement. Islamabad retaliated by suspending bilateral trade and all public transport links with India, as well as expelling New Delhi's ambassador to Islamabad.
|
| Delaney: Trump has said things that have supported white supremacy Posted: 13 Aug 2019 04:24 PM PDT  Democratic presidential candidate John Delaney discusses labelling the president a white supremacist, campaigning in Iowa.
|
| Trump defended spreading a conspiracy theory that the Clintons played a part in Jeffrey Epstein's death, which enraged FBI agents Posted: 14 Aug 2019 03:36 AM PDT  President Trump spread a baseless conspiracy linking Epstein's death to the Clintons by retweeting a message from a right-wing comedian.
|
| Brazil will let hunters shoot endangered jaguars, parrots and monkeys in rainforests under new law, warn conservation experts Posted: 13 Aug 2019 06:16 AM PDT  Trophy-hunters may be allowed to shoot jaguars and other endangered wildlife "for sport" in Brazil's critically important rainforests, conservationists are warning.Parrots, otters and monkeys could also be killed or captured alive – even in nature reserves – in the country that is the world's richest in biodiversity, according to opponents of the plan.A bill that would legalise hunting, breeding and selling animals could mean commercial hunting grounds being set up for the first time in more than half a century, critics say. They fear private hunters would be allowed to either shoot their targets dead or sell them to wildlife centres and zoos under the plan being considered by President Jair Bolsonaro's government.It's estimated at least 1,100 species in Brazil – home to the Amazon rainforests – are already threatened with extinction from deforestation, human expansion and poaching.And the country has lost more forest habitats than any other country since 2001 – 1.3 million hectares last year alone, research shows.The bill, which repeals a ban on professional hunting, went before Brazil's parliament in 2016 but was archived in the face of anger by conservationists.However, under Mr Bolsonaro, who has loosened a raft of environmental protections since taking office this year, it has now been revived."If approved, this project will bring a huge setback for Brazilian biodiversity. The slaughter of animals may even take place in protected areas," warned Michel Santos of WWF-Brazil.The Rainforest Rescue non-profit group said: "Brazilian environmentalists have criticised the bill sharply, describing hunting as cruel, immoral and a medieval ritual."Legalised hunting would only cater to hunters' lust for killing and boost the trade in threatened species."The bill also plays into the hands of the Brazilian arms industry and arms exporters, particularly those in the United States."But Valdir Colatto, the MP who first drafted the proposal, hit back at critics, saying 30 per cent of profits from game reserves would go towards recovering and protecting wildlife.The bill sought to regulate an area that has no rules, he said, preventing smuggling, illegal slaughter, mistreatment and the extinction of wild and exotic animals.It bans hunting of endangered animals in reserves, Mr Colatto added.Slaughter would be authorised only for traditional communities that depend on hunting for survival and to control invasions of animals threatening human health and economic damage, he said.But scientists insist any hunting in Brazil would compromise the health of natural ecosystems and cultivated land – and ultimately affect our own quality of life, Rainforest Rescue said. "Wildlife is crucial for both natural ecosystems and crops: by dispersing seeds it helps regenerate forests, maintains an ecological equilibrium and helps keep pests and diseases under control."Humane Society International/Brazil is also lobbying against the plan.If the bill is approved by the government's environment commission, it will go to the senate and deputies of the national congress.
|
| Sheriff: Ex-DOT official Hardee thought he had deal with a prostitute. It was a cop Posted: 13 Aug 2019 01:15 PM PDT  "These people out here like John Hardee and the other 13 who are out here buying sex, they're promoting human trafficking," Sheriff Leon Lott said.
|
| After Mississippi ICE raids, job fair draws hopeful workers Posted: 12 Aug 2019 03:29 PM PDT  Days after immigration agents arrested 680 Latino workers in a massive workplace sting at seven Mississippi chicken processing plants, job seekers flocked to an employment fair Monday in hopes of filling some of those now-empty positions. Koch Foods, based near Chicago, held the job fair to recruit new workers at one of its Morton plants, after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Wednesday arrested 243 workers suspected of working without legal authorization. While the raids at seven plants were unprecedented, chicken processing facilities are normally plagued by heavy turnover and ravenously seek employees.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment