| Joe Walsh apologizes for past racist comments while announcing plans to run against Trump in the GOP primary Posted: 25 Aug 2019 01:30 PM PDT ![Joe Walsh apologizes for past racist comments while announcing plans to run against Trump in the GOP primary]( "Joe Walsh apologizes for past racist comments while announcing plans to run against Trump in the GOP primary") Former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh announced his campaign for presidency on Sunday and addressed his racist comments, "I regret that and I'm sorry for that."
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| Mass shootings are a call to arms for some black Americans, not a moment for gun control Posted: 26 Aug 2019 04:00 AM PDT  Black gun rights advocates say limiting access would make them more vulnerable to racist attacks, especially in the absence of real problem solving.
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| International Space Station crew relocates Soyuz capsule Posted: 26 Aug 2019 05:25 AM PDT  The crew of the International Space Station on Monday successfully relocated a Soyuz space capsule to another docking port to facilitate the rendezvous with another spacecraft. The maneuver followed Saturday's failed docking of the unmanned Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft. The docking attempt was aborted due to a suspected glitch linked to an automated control system on board the space station.
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| Seven people shot at two-year-old’s birthday party in Washington DC suburb Posted: 25 Aug 2019 12:03 PM PDT  Seven people have been left hospitalised after a shooting at a two-year-old's birthday party in a suburb of Washington DC.Police believe the incident, which took place on Saturday at around 9pm local time (1am GMT), may have been sparked by an "exchange of words" between party-goers and a bystander who had approached the group.
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| Candidates hope to replicate Ocasio-Cortez's tactics across the country Posted: 25 Aug 2019 02:01 AM PDT  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., stunned the political world last year when she pulled off an upset victory against a 10-term incumbent who held a leadership position in the Democratic caucus. Now candidates are looking to replicate some of her tactics to take on Democratic incumbents across the country. According to the group the Justice Democrats, which backed Ocasio-Cortez in her race, the first-time candidate succeeded in part because of her unique social media strategy, a refusal to take money from large corporations and her recognition of issues that resonate with millennials.
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| Eggs from last northern white rhinos fertilized, scientists say Posted: 26 Aug 2019 02:51 AM PDT  Seven eggs from the world's last two remaining northern white rhinos have been successfully fertilized artificially, reviving hopes of saving the endangered animals, scientists said on Monday. The world's last male northern white rhinoceros, a 45-year-old named Sudan, died last year in Kenya, leaving only the two surviving female members of the species. Najin and Fatu are Sudan's daughter and grand-daughter and the three animals lived together at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, about 250km (155 miles) north of Nairobi, where Sudan died.
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| Russian agency says radioactive isotopes were found after mysterious explosion Posted: 26 Aug 2019 03:26 AM PDT ![Russian agency says radioactive isotopes were found after mysterious explosion]( "Russian agency says radioactive isotopes were found after mysterious explosion") The Aug. 8 explosion on a platform in the White Sea off Nyonoksa caused a reported brief spike in radiation in nearby Severodvinsk.
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| View Photos of the 2020 Subaru Legacy Posted: 26 Aug 2019 06:00 AM PDT |
| Lindsey Graham warns Trump not to pull all U.S. forces out of Afghanistan Posted: 25 Aug 2019 11:32 AM PDT  Trump has long been eager to withdraw American troops out of the country.
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| The Latest: Iran imposes sanctions on US think tank Posted: 24 Aug 2019 10:43 AM PDT  Iran's Foreign Ministry says it has imposed sanctions on the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies and its CEO for its role in promoting sanctions and "economic terrorism" against Iran. A Saturday report by Iranian media, including the semi-official Fars news agency, quoted a statement by Iran's Foreign Ministry as saying the foundation and its CEO Mark Dubowitz "intentionally" damaged vital interests of Iran through spreading lies and negative campaigning against Iran.
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| Police are trying to arrest their way out of a mass shooting epidemic, and experts warn that law enforcement can't shoulder the entire burden Posted: 24 Aug 2019 04:04 PM PDT  The arrests won't fully or permanently stop a person determined to inflict mass death — and the US is nowhere near close to tackling the root causes.
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| Bat poo no longer blights church and interrupts service, as worshippers rejoice over new scheme Posted: 25 Aug 2019 02:00 PM PDT  Enticing the next generation through their ancient doors, keeping donations topped up and ensuring that the organ is tuned usually rank high among any church's list of priorities. For one congregation in Leicester, however, their problems have been somewhat more ungodly. For years, members of All Saints Church in Braunston-in-Rutland have been plagued by faeces dropping from the ceiling where a 500-strong colony of bats now reside. This has meant that instead of praying or enjoying the 1,000-year-old church building, parishioners have been slipping on its floors, art and furniture has been covered in sheeting and volunteer wardens have spent hours scouring pews and floors of bat excrement. Now, however, the congregation remains clean and dry. Following a pioneering new scheme, entitled the Bats in Churches project, work has been done to fill the gaps in the ceiling to prevent faeces and urine soaking through without harming the animals. It is illegal to stop bats - which are a protected species - from reaching their roost, leaving many churches unable to patch up holes in their walls and doors which bats use for access. As a result, many congregations across the country have often found themselves at the receiving end of their sporadic, plunging excrement. Gail Rudge at All Saints Church at Braunston in Rutland, where bats have roosted and caused damage Credit: ./Photo Copyright John Robertson, 2017. All Saints Church was one of the first to benefit from £3.8million of Heritage Lottery Funds to reduce the impact of bats on the buildings across the UK. It is one of around 100 churches, which hosts a large bat roost, which is now reaping the rewards of clean floors and clean congregants. Sue Willetts, church warden, told the BBC: "Before, we had covers down on the floors to collect the droppings. "We had to clean the pews every time, it took an hour before every single service. Now we use the church how its meant to be." Mrs Willetts said that the bat problem "snowballed" five years ago when an old chimney in the village collapsed, prompting its residents to move into the church instead. She added that after signing up to the scheme, ecologists found gaps between the roof and the church and it was possible to block these gaps without harming the bats. She estimated that the church has received £100,000 worth of scaffolding, building, and ecological study works since applying for funding from the project. Rosemary Riddell, from the Bat in Churches project, said work at All Saints Church "has enabled us to sort of roll out solutions to other churches similar to Braunstone and it's really helped us to learn from their experiences". "[The church] was one of our guinea pigs and we're grateful for their engagement and involvement," she added. More than 100 churches have applied for the Bats and Churches Partnership, which monitors bats to see whether church managers could be allowed to take action to protect their historic buildings. It is funded by a multi-million-pound National Lottery grant. All Saints Church at Braunston in Rutland, Credit: ./Photo Copyright John Robertson, 2017. During the General Synod earlier this summer, The Telegraph reported that bats in the belfry were being mooted as a potential "tool for mission". Bishops visiting York were asked to answer more than 100 questions involving an array of controversial topics such as reporting abuse during confession, non-disclosure agreements and ethical investments in large technology companies; and one was on bats. The Archdeacon of Lincoln, the Venerable Gavin Kirk, asked for an update on the progress of the Bats in Churches project, and "how those afflicted by bats may find out more about it?" Sir Tony Baldry, chair of the Church Buildings Council, responded: "A number of projects involve volunteers from the community in managing and even exploiting the presence of bats, for school projects and the like. Bats might even prove to be a tool for mission, if we can get them to behave politely." Asked how bats may prove to be tools for mission, Sir Tony told the media: "We have to work out how to encourage them out of the belfry to roost in bat boxes in churchyards. "They could then be of interest for projects for schools and A-level students studying the life cycles of bats and so on. They are part of God's creation and are interesting mammals. "There are serious challenges. They poo and urinate over large parts of the church, it is very distressing for parishioners on a Sunday to have to clear a whole load of bat poo off the altar and pews and so for some churches that bats have made almost unusable."
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| Malaysia hopes to pay for military equipment with palm oil Posted: 26 Aug 2019 04:18 AM PDT  Malaysia is in talks with at last six countries on the possibility of using palm oil to pay for arms, as Southeast Asia's third-biggest economy seeks to replace old equipment to boost its defence capabilities. Malaysia has struggled to update its defence equipment over the years and a cut in its defence budget this year all but derailed efforts to replace navy ships, some of which have been in service for 35 years or more. Costs have been a big hurdle but using palm oil to help pay for equipment could open new avenues to upgrade, Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu said on Monday.
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| New Epstein Victims Will Appear in Court With Plans to Sue His Estate Posted: 26 Aug 2019 01:59 AM PDT  Kena Betancur/GettyBefore prosecutors dismiss their case against Jeffrey Epstein, victims of the deceased sex offender will get a chance to speak in court.Tomorrow morning, multiple women are expected to appear in Manhattan federal court—including new accusers with plans to sue Epstein's estate, which is already facing five other lawsuits over his alleged sex-trafficking scheme.Famed lawyer Gloria Allred said she'll be there with a number of clients who say they're victims of the late financier. "We have not filed lawsuits for them yet, but we will be filing lawsuits for them soon," Allred told The Daily Beast.Attorney Brad Edwards, who's represented Epstein's victims for more than a decade, will also watch Tuesday's hearing with his law partner, Stan Pottinger. "Regardless of the number of people who appear, the invitation for victims to be present and participate is very important, not only for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein but for crime victims generally," Edwards said.The closing of Epstein's criminal case comes nearly two months after the 66-year-old's July 6 arrest for child sex-trafficking—and weeks after his jail-house suicide. Epstein killed himself shortly after a cache of court records were unsealed in a 2015 lawsuit filed by Victoria Roberts Giuffre, who has long claimed Epstein kept her as his "sex slave" and forced her to have sex with Prince Andrew. (Buckingham Palace has denied the allegations.) The documents revealed more sexual abuse allegations against Epstein's famous friends. Send The Daily Beast a TipModels Say Jeffrey Epstein's Closest Pal Drugged, Raped ThemAfter Epstein's demise, the focus in the press quickly shifted to British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who accusers say was Epstein's madam and recruited and groomed girls and took part in the abuse herself. Maxwell hasn't been charged in connection to Epstein's case, and it's unclear whether she's cooperating with authorities. Geoffrey Berman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, vowed his investigation would continue following Epstein's death. "To those brave young women who have already come forward and to the many others who have yet to do so, let me reiterate that we remain committed to standing for you, and our investigation of the conduct charged in the Indictment—which included a conspiracy count—remains ongoing," Berman said in a statement.The feds have previously suggested they were eyeing possible accomplices. One July court filing, which requested a protective order for certain documents, stated that prosecutors were investigating "uncharged individuals."In the meantime, prosecutors in Paris, France, are looking into rape charges against Epstein, while New Mexico's commissioner of public lands has handed investigators 400 pages of property records which may contain the names of Epstein's alleged co-conspirators. The perverted money manager owned a residence on Paris' Avenue Foch, as well as a 10,000-acre ranch in Stanley, New Mexico. While victims wait to see if authorities charge others in Epstein's orbit, they're pursuing justice another way: in lawsuits against his estate, his companies, his supposed recruiters and employees, and, in one case, against Ghislaine Maxwell.Jennifer Araoz was the first to sue Epstein's estate—and Maxwell—after his death. Araoz claims she was 14 and attending a performing arts high-school when she was recruited into Epstein's sex ring in 2001. Epstein repeatedly abused Araoz at his Manhattan mansion, her lawsuit states, and when she was 15 years old, he raped her.Epstein allegedly preyed on Araoz, who was poor and being raised by a single mother after losing her father to AIDS, and claimed that his connections in the modeling and acting worlds could help launch her career.Soon after Araoz's suit was filed, two women identified only as Jane Does 1 and 2 sued Epstein's estate, an adult recruiter "Sue Roe," whose identity isn't known, and Roes 2 through 10, who were "employees and/or agents of Epstein."In June 2004, the Jane Does were aspiring models and hostesses at The Coffee Shop, a Manhattan restaurant that was opened by a trio of Wilhelmina models and earned a reputation for its attractive waitstaff. The eatery closed last year. Sue Roe allegedly approached the women at work, offering them hundreds of dollars to give Epstein "harmless" massages. According to the complaint, "Sue Roe told Jane Doe 1 that her 'boss' thought Jane Doe 1 was beautiful and that he liked to give young girls 'opportunities.'" Roe had assured the women that Epstein wouldn't touch them, but when they visited his home, he molested them and masturbated, their lawsuit states.The women are represented by Lisa Bloom, who told The Daily Beast a member of her firm will be in court on Tuesday to read statements from four victims she represents. (Bloom says she's in the middle of a trial in Los Angeles and cannot make it.)Last week, the New York Post reported Epstein's last will and testament was inked just two days before he hanged himself at Metropolitan Correctional Center. Epstein left his $577 million fortune to a mysterious entity called The 1953 Trust and named his longtime lawyers, Darren K. Indyke and Richard D. Kahn, as the primary executors of the estate. Records show the men hired the firm of Erika Kellerhals, another loyal Epstein attorney based in the Virgin Islands, to represent them in the probate proceedings. As The Daily Beast previously revealed, Indyke, Kahn and Kellerhals made up a cadre of operatives who handled Epstein's business matters and were officers of his nonprofits, including the financier's secret charity, Gratitude America Ltd. Now Indyke and Kahn, as representatives of Epstein's estate, are named in three new federal lawsuits filed by accusers last week. The women—identified by the pseudonyms Katlyn Doe, Priscilla Doe, and Lisa Doe—are represented by Edwards and Pottinger. Their complaints list as defendants several of Epstein's companies, including the Florida Science Foundation, and HBRK Associates, Inc., an entity registered to Kahn.REVEALED: We Found Billionaire Pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's Secret CharityEpstein Had His Own Lodge at Interlochen's Prestigious Arts Camp for KidsAccording to the complaints, Epstein and his employees had recruiters inform victims that Epstein "possessed extraordinary wealth, power, resources, and influence" and that "he was a philanthropist who would help female victims advance their education, careers, and lives" if they provided him with body massages.Katlyn Doe says she was 17 in 2007 when she met Epstein through a female relative who worked for him. At the time, Katlyn was struggling with an eating disorder and additionally needed surgery for another serious medical condition, and Epstein promised to cure her and fund those expensive medical procedures. But for the next several years, Epstein and his circle allegedly groomed Katlyn for sex—and even coerced her into marrying one of Epstein's recruiters, who wasn't a U.S. Citizen. Katlyn was allegedly sexually abused by Epstein at his New York mansion, in Florida while Epstein was on "work release," and in the U.S. Virgin Islands.When Katlyn turned 18, she says, Epstein forced her to lose her virginity to him during a trip to his private island, Little St. James. And in October 2008, while Epstein was on "work release" in Palm Beach, he had Katlyn send him sexually explicit photos of herself and of a female relative. (The Palm Beach Sheriff has opened a criminal probe into how deputies handled the financier's "work release" stint, during which Epstein was supposedly working for his nonprofit, the Florida Science Foundation, according to Katlyn's lawsuit.)In 2009, Epstein allegedly flew Katlyn to Florida under the guise of working for his charity and coerced her into sexual encounters with him and, on one occasion, another young woman.The complaint describes Epstein's employees and associates as "disciples" who constantly warned Katlyn and other victims "of Jeffrey Epstein's power and ability to improve or destroy a victim's life depending on her level of cooperation."In 2013, when Katlyn urged Epstein to make good on his promises, he made another proposal—this time offering Katlyn $20,000 to marry one of his recruiters so the unnamed woman could stay in the country. Epstein also offered the married couple a place to live on E. 66th Street, where he's provided housing for female employees.Epstein paid Katlyn $10,000 after the marriage and said the second half would come once the couple split. Yet, after Katlyn's divorce in 2017, Epstein failed to pay her or help secure her surgery, which she still needs today.In her own lawsuit, Priscilla Doe says she was 22 in 2006 when she was recruited into Epstein's alleged sex-trafficking operation in New York.During Priscilla's first visit to his mansion, Epstein offered her hundreds of dollars for a massage, which wasn't sexual. Instead, Epstein asked Priscilla questions about her life, learning that she was a virgin, and that she was poor and wanted to financially support her mother.The massages would quickly begin to include sex. "Jeffrey Epstein always reminded [Priscilla] that because of the money he was paying her for the commercial sex acts that he called 'massage,' she was able, for the first time, to pay for her mother's rent and for her own groceries," the complaint states.Epstein forced himself on Priscilla during one encounter and "took her virginity against her will and wishes," the lawsuit alleges.According to the complaint, Priscilla went to Epstein's private island and Ghislaine Maxwell and modeling mogul Jean-Luc Brunel joined this trip.On the island, Maxwell trained her on how to sexually service Epstein and the "proper way to give a blow job," court papers allege. Priscilla claims her passport was confiscated to stop her from leaving the island.Ghislaine Maxwell's Father Was a Dark and Mysterious Figure, Just Like Jeffrey Epstein"Ghislaine Maxwell made it clear to [Priscilla] that it was very important for her to understand and take this instruction seriously," the lawsuit says, adding that Maxwell's orders "instilled genuine fear" in Priscilla, who believed "her failure to comply would cause her serious harm."Priscilla says that from 2006 to 2012, Epstein controlled virtually every aspect of her life including what she wore, her career path, and the food she ate. When Priscilla traveled to Montreal on her own, Epstein allegedly summoned her back, warning she wasn't allowed to leave New York without his permission.Priscilla engaged in sex acts with Epstein in Florida, too, while he was supposed to be on "work release," the lawsuit states.Epstein warned Priscilla not to tell anyone about him or their sexual activities, and he boasted close ties to powerful and influential people. "Jeffrey Epstein commonly bragged to [Priscilla] that Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Prince Andrew, and the Sultan of Dubai were among his closest friends," the complaint alleges. In 2011, Epstein ordered Priscilla to attend massage school and regularly asked her to recruit students for him. To maintain Priscilla's compliance, Epstein promised he would pay for her relative's serious medical care, her lawsuit says.Meanwhile, Lisa Doe was recruited by an Epstein associate outside her dance studio in 2002, when she was 17 years old. The recruiter approached Lisa—a dancer with a promising future— and offered her a job teaching "dance-based exercise" to a wealthy New Yorker.Epstein allegedly told Lisa he was linked to many major dance companies and had personal friends in New York's dance community. He said he'd buy high-end dancing attire for her and use his resources to advance her career.Yet after Lisa taught Epstein ballet stretches, his recruiter called her and asked her to perform "massages" instead. Lisa continued to return to Epstein's mansion, relying on his promises to help her career, and was routinely sexually abused, the lawsuit states.Epstein and his associates warned Lisa "that if she remained loyal and obedient to him, he would provide her with the dance training and connections she needed to succeed, and, conversely, if she did not remain loyal and obedient to him he would prevent her from becoming a professional dancer," the lawsuit states. In her lawsuit, Lisa accuses Epstein of forcing her into sex acts with other women. He also demanded she recruit other dancers to do "massage" work for him.As in Priscilla's case, Epstein allegedly began to control every aspect of Lisa's life and forced her to become a masseuse, albeit without a professional license. He made a $10,000 donation to one dance company on the condition that the organization use the money to pay Lisa for massage services for the company's dancers, her complaint states.Lisa says she was led to believe that if she didn't have sex with Epstein, he would ruin her reputation in both the dance and massage communities.Experts say it could take years for the secret beneficiaries of Epstein's estate to be paid out, in large part because of the legal actions filed against it.Bridget J. Crawford, a professor at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, told The Daily Beast last week that creditors and tax collectors could come forward seeking funds from the estate as victims file their complaints.Epstein's brother, Mark Epstein, is listed in the will as the sole relative "who would be entitled to share the estate if he had left no will." According to Crawford, Mark is likely the only person who could challenge the validity of the document. "Mark could come forward and say, 'This is not a valid will, it was executed when he was not of right mind.' There [could] be multiple possible grounds for doing so—fraud, undue influence, duress for example," she said."I expect the court to be inundated with claims against the estate," Crawford added. "This thing's going to go on for years."Matthew R. Reinhardt, a lawyer in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, said "the complexity and character of the estate property usually determines how long the probate process will take.""Here, all of the estate property is given to a single entity … which serves to expedite the probate proceedings," said Reinhardt, a partner at Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A. "There is only one heir listed who would be entitled to share the estate if there had been no will.""However, if the validity of the will is questioned or the creditor's claims are numerous or complex, the probate process may get lengthy."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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| We need an active, robust Republican primary with choices that aren't Donald Trump Posted: 26 Aug 2019 02:00 AM PDT  The presidency hasn't changed Trump, he is changing the presidency. I hope he gets more primary challengers. Give Republicans a chance to reject him.
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| The Latest: Iran deploys 2 warships to Gulf of Aden Posted: 26 Aug 2019 07:47 AM PDT  Iran's navy says it has deployed two warships to the Gulf of Aden aimed at providing security to the country's commercial shipping. Piracy is a major concern in the Gulf of Aden, located between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa, and ships must pass through it when transiting the Suez Canal. The move comes amid a growing confrontation between Iran and the West.
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| Amazon fires: Brazil sends warplanes to dump water on devastating blaze after international outcry Posted: 26 Aug 2019 04:31 AM PDT  Brazil's warplanes are dumping water on fires across the Amazon, as Jair Bolsonaro's government scrambles to contain the damage following an international outcry.A video posted by Brazil's Defence Ministry on Saturday evening showed a military plane pumping thousands of litres of water as it passed through clouds of smoke close to a forest canopy in Rondonia state.
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| These Luxury Watches Are Trending Now Posted: 26 Aug 2019 05:00 AM PDT |
| A Massachusetts woman with EEE has died. The rare mosquito-borne virus can cause personality changes and paralysis. Posted: 26 Aug 2019 08:01 AM PDT  The woman died soon after getting sick with eastern equine encephalitis, which has no cure. The disease is also in Florida, New York, and Delaware.
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| Erdogan says Turkish troops will enter planned Syria safe zone 'soon' Posted: 26 Aug 2019 03:46 AM PDT  Turkish ground troops will enter a planned safe zone in northern Syria "very soon," President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, after a joint operation center with the United States opened at the weekend. Turkey and the United States agreed earlier this month to set up the joint center for the planned safe zone along Syria's northeastern border, but gave few details on the size of the zone or the command structure of the forces to operate there. "We are slowly making progress in our efforts to establish a safe zone," Erdogan said.
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| 'Words and pictures matter': Two Alaska 13-year-olds arrested for middle school shooting plans, police say Posted: 25 Aug 2019 06:27 PM PDT !['Words and pictures matter': Two Alaska 13-year-olds arrested for middle school shooting plans, police say]( "'Words and pictures matter': Two Alaska 13-year-olds arrested for middle school shooting plans, police say") Alaska authorities arrested two 13-year-old students for planning to bring a gun to their school and shoot people, the Juneau Police Department said.
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| Seven dead in Majorca air crash as sightseeing helicopter collides with ultralight plane Posted: 25 Aug 2019 11:03 AM PDT  Seven people, including two children, died when a sightseeing helicopter and an ultralight aircraft crashed in mid-air over Majorca. The helicopter had three adults and two children on board, all of whom were killed. According to the Balearic Islands government it was believed they were all German. However, a local report suggested one of them may have been Italian. Two men in the ultralight, who were local to Majorca, also died. An ultralight is a form of small aircraft with only one or two seats. Both aircraft were in private use, according to the Diario de Mallorca newspaper. Emergency services were called to the crash at 1.35pm local time, and the mid-air collision happened over the Inca Hospital, in the municipality of Inca, in the north of the island Wreckage from both aircraft was strewn across parts of the town and rural areas. Photographs circulated on social media showed one section landed on fire on what appeared to be a garden wall. A tail section from one of the aircraft came down on a road, and another section crashed into a farm field. Pedro Sanchez, Spain's caretaker prime minister, sent his sympathies to the families of the dead. He wrote on Twitter: "My solidarity and love for the families of the victims that lost their lives in this tragic accident," The Balearic islands government said an investigation into the cause of the tragedy had been launched. More than nine million holidaymakers visit Majorca annually. Of those, more than two million are British. As many as 500 cruise ships now dock in Palma each year, depositing up to 22,000 passengers a day.
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| Felix Sater: Trump wanted to reveal my secret CIA, FBI work during the campaign Posted: 24 Aug 2019 12:00 PM PDT  During the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump wanted to reveal years of secret work that his one-time real estate adviser Felix Sater did for the CIA and FBI, Sater tells the Yahoo News "Skullduggery" podcast.
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| Democratic presidential field shrinks as debate cut looms Posted: 24 Aug 2019 06:20 PM PDT  The 2020 presidential election is still more than 14 months away, but with an early key deadline looming this week, the record field of Democratic hopefuls is dwindling. With a trio of 70-somethings breaking away from the pack -- former vice president Joe Biden, independent Senator Bernie Sanders and fellow progressive Elizabeth Warren -- four of the cash-strapped, younger or lesser-known candidates have so far thrown in the towel. Only 10 of the remaining 21 candidates have met the qualifying criteria -- based on poll numbers and fundraising success -- and most of those are still struggling to catch up with the Big Three.
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| GOP Rep. Sean Duffy resigning to help care for child with 'complications' Posted: 26 Aug 2019 08:44 AM PDT  "This is the right time for me to take a break from public service in order to be the support my wife, baby and family need right now," Duffy says.
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| Trump campaign response to Joe Walsh 2020 challenge: 'Whatever' Posted: 25 Aug 2019 09:43 AM PDT  ABC News Chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl discusses the Trump team's response to a new 2020 challenger, plus the latest from the G-7 summit.
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| Divorcing Spouse Claims NASA Astronaut Committed Crime in Space: Report Posted: 24 Aug 2019 11:54 AM PDT  NASA astronaut Anne McClain's former partner has accused her of committing identity theft from the International Space Station, according to a report.
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| Explainer: Why are the Amazon fires sparking a crisis for Brazil - and the world? Posted: 25 Aug 2019 10:57 AM PDT  A record number of fires ravaging the Amazon has drawn international outrage because of the rainforest's importance to the global environment and prompted Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to dispatch the military to assist in firefighting. WHY DOES THE AMAZON MATTER? The Amazon - 60% of which is in Brazil - is the world's largest tropical rainforest.
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| U.S. ‘Starting to Lose China,’ Says Global Times’ Hu Xijin Posted: 24 Aug 2019 01:54 PM PDT ![U.S. 'Starting to Lose China,' Says Global Times' Hu Xijin]( "U.S. 'Starting to Lose China,' Says Global Times' Hu Xijin") (Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. China will follow through with retaliatory measures announced Friday and fight the trade war to the end, in the face of the U.S.'s failure to keep its promises, the state-run People's Daily wrote in a Saturday editorial.Later, the influential Chinese journalist Hu Xijin said on Twitter that the U.S. is "starting to lose China."On Friday, Beijing unveiled plans to impose additional tariffs on $75 billion of U.S. goods, including soybeans, automobiles and oil. The nation will "walk the talk" in implementing its third round of retaliatory measures, according to the newspaper.China has been forced into countermeasures by U.S. unilateralism and trade protectionism, the paper said, adding that Washington has been erratic in imposing tariffs on China and has shown "amnesia" in honoring its promises.Trade tensions between the two nations escalated on Friday after President Donald Trump said he's raising tariffs on Chinese imports in response to the measures announced by Beijing. Anticipation of Trump's actions, which were foreshadowed by a series of angry tweets, sent global stock markets reeling.Tariffs RisingExisting U.S. duties on $250 billion of Chinese imports will rise to 30% from 25% on Oct. 1, while a planned 10% tariff on a further $300 billion in Chinese goods will jump to 15%, starting with the first tranche on Sept. 1, Trump said in tweets Friday.China's Ministry of Commerce issued a strongly-worded statement on Saturday saying the U.S. was involved in "unilateral and bullying trade protectionism" that puts the normal international trade order at risk.Trump, for his part, suggested in an overnight tweet that he was looking at the "Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977" in ordering U.S. companies to quit China. "Case closed!" Trump concluded.That measure -- technically, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act -- gives U.S. presidents wide latitude to regulate international commerce at times of national emergencies. It's unclear how Trump could use the law in the current situation to have U.S. companies bend to his will.Hu, editor-in-chief of the Global Times, a tabloid newspaper controlled by China's ruling Communist Party, accurately predicted the timing of China's retaliatory tariffs on Friday.On Saturday, he said China "has 'lost' the U.S. already," citing high tariffs, the ban on telecoms company Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., political hostility, and actions toward Hong Kong and Taiwan. "We're facing a completely different United States. We have nothing more to lose, while the US is just starting to lose China," Xu said.While the Global Times doesn't necessarily reflect the view of Chinese leaders, Hu has said the paper voices opinions that official sources can't.Hu earlier tweeted that if U.S. automakers heed Trump's Friday call for "major American companies" to desert China, they would be giving up the market to Japanese and German brands. "Go back to the US, let each American family have 20 cars," he tweeted, followed by a smiley face.U.S. importers and retailers decried the latest moves by Trump."These escalating tariffs are the worst economic mistake since the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 -- a decision that catapulted our country into the Great Depression," Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, said in a statement.(Updates with China's Commerce Ministry, CTA comment from seventh paragraph.)To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Evelyn Yu in Shanghai at yyu263@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Sam Mamudi at smamudi@bloomberg.net, Ros Krasny, Steve GeimannFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| The 25 Best RPG Games Posted: 26 Aug 2019 06:00 AM PDT |
| The Latest: Hezbollah leader: Israeli drones will be downed Posted: 25 Aug 2019 09:49 AM PDT  The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah says his group will confront and shoot down any Israeli drones that fly over Lebanon from now on. Hassan Nasrallah's speech Sunday came hours after one alleged Israeli drone crashed in the capital, Beirut, while another exploded, authorities there said.
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| 5 years after murders, man accused of killing Spring family execution-style goes to trial Posted: 26 Aug 2019 09:31 AM PDT  Investigators say Ronald Haskell, Jr. tied the Stay family up and shot them all because he was angry about his recent divorce.
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| S.Africa seizes Air Tanzania plane over unpaid farm claim Posted: 25 Aug 2019 08:04 AM PDT  South Africa has impounded a plane belonging to Tanzania's national carrier over a farmer's $33-million compensation claim for land which was nationalised decades ago, a lawyer said Sunday. The Air Tanzania aircraft was seized on Friday at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport after it landed on a scheduled flight from the Tanzanian economic capital Dar es Salaam. Lawyer Roger Wakefield of Werksmans Attorneys said the seizure followed an order granted by the High Court in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
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| Prince Andrew took a flight on Epstein private jet with Russian model Posted: 25 Aug 2019 09:39 AM PDT  In 1999, prince and Anna Malova were among nine people on previously undisclosed flight from the US Virgin Islands to FloridaPrince Andrew in 2013. Photograph: Koji Sasahara/APPrince Andrew took a previously undisclosed flight on Jeffrey Epstein's private jet with a group that included a Russian model.Andrew and Anna Malova, then 27, were among nine people on Epstein's plane for a trip from the US Virgin Islands to Florida in February 1999, according to flight logs.Malova was later jailed in the US for failing to comply with a court-ordered programme relating to her use of prescription painkillers.The discovery of the flight added to pressure on Andrew over his friendship with Epstein, who this month was found dead at 66 in his New York jail cell while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. The city medical examiner ruled the death a suicide.Andrew has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. He said in a statement on Saturday that he did not "see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort" that led to Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from an underage girl. The prince said it was a mistake to have continued seeing Epstein after that.The February 1999 flight, first reported by the Sunday Times, was recorded in logs kept by Epstein's pilots that were filed to a US court by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has alleged she was used as a sex slave by Epstein.The flight log was among almost 2,000 pages of records released by a federal judge in New York this month. It was missing from the notorious 73 pages of previously released Epstein flight logs, some of which also named Andrew as a passenger.The group flew from St Thomas, the airport closest to Epstein's private island, Little St James, to Palm Beach in Florida, where Epstein had a mansion. The disgraced money manager is accused of abusing underage girls at both properties and other sites.There is no suggestion Malova or Andrew were involved in any wrongdoing during the trip.They and Epstein were joined on the flight by others including Epstein's close friend Ghislaine Maxwell, a daughter of the late financier Robert Maxwell who has been accused by several victims of assisting Epstein's abuse of girls. Maxwell denies this.Also present was Gwendolyn Beck, a former financial industry executive and friend of Epstein, who made a failed run for Congress in Virginia in 2014. Epstein donated more than $12,000 to Beck's campaign.Malova did not respond to an email. A former Miss Russia, she moved to the US and made it to the final of the 1998 Miss Universe beauty pageant, which was then owned by Donald Trump – another former friend of Epstein.In 2010 she was accused of forging a prescription for Vicodin from a stolen doctor's pad. She was jailed in May 2011 after repeatedly arriving late for a court-mandated drug programme. She denied all the charges against her.Last week it was alleged that Andrew was once seen receiving a foot massage from "two young well-dressed Russian women" at Epstein's home in Manhattan. The claim was made in an email by the literary agent John Brockman, another former Epstein associate.Last week also saw the release of video of Andrew at Epstein's New York City home in 2010.
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| Britain will withhold $37 billion from EU in no-deal Brexit: Mail on Sunday Posted: 24 Aug 2019 02:14 PM PDT  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to tell European Union leaders he will withhold 30 billion pounds ($37 billion) from the Brexit divorce bill unless they agree to changes to the deal, the Mail on Sunday reported. If Britain leaves the bloc without a trade deal, lawyers have concluded the government's will only have to pay the EU 9 billion pounds, rather than 39 billion pounds, the newspaper reported.
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| A person reportedly died and 320 passengers and crew had to be evacuated after a cruise ship in Russia caught on fire Posted: 26 Aug 2019 08:10 AM PDT  The ship was reportedly docked in St. Petersburg on Thursday when the fire began in the cabin of one of the ship's mechanics, Fontanka reported.
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| Driver kicks pregnant woman in stomach during fight at Chick-fil-A, police say Posted: 25 Aug 2019 01:23 PM PDT ![Driver kicks pregnant woman in stomach during fight at Chick-fil-A, police say]( "Driver kicks pregnant woman in stomach during fight at Chick-fil-A, police say") The pregnant woman tried to pull in front of her in the drive-thru lane, police said.
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| CNN’s Brian Stelter: ‘We Can't Tiptoe’ Around Trump’s Mental Instability ‘Anymore’ Posted: 25 Aug 2019 09:33 AM PDT  CNN senior media correspondent Brian Stelter called on media outlets to focus more coverage on what he feels is President Trump's obvious mental instability, saying Sunday morning that it is an issue we can no longer "tiptoe around.""He's getting worse," Stelter said at the top of his weekend show focussing on the media CNN's Reliable Sources. "We can see it. It's happening in public but it's still a very hard, very sensitive story to cover. I'm talking of course about President Trump, about his behavior, about his instability."Noting that several prominent conservative figures—notably, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway's husband—are pleading with the press and Republicans to take the president's erratic behavior more seriously, the CNN host then ticked off a list of the president's comments and actions that have raised eyebrows."Look, all of these stories are covered in the moment, individually, by reporters," Stelter said. "News outlets use words like erratic, volatile, unstable but rarely are Trump's words and actions covered as a whole and rarely do news outlets take it to that next level. Okay, what he just said seems crazy—what does that reveal about him? We rarely see it go to that next step."Pointing out that Trump will always have a chorus of supporters backing him up and defending him, the CNN media analyst added that Trump's "Fox fans pretend the worst episodes didn't happen at all or blame the media for bad coverage."While Stelter went on to credit CNN and MSNBC for doing a decent job of showing the "ugly reality" with their on-screen graphics, he also stated that there is not "really a vocabulary" or a "format" for covering concerns about a president's mental well-being. "It's really a series of questions that no one is able to answer," he declared. "Why does he make it all about himself even after visiting a hospital after a massacre? Why does he lie so often? Is there a method to the madness or is something wrong? Is he suffering from some sort of illness? It's questions, questions and then just more questions."Prior to bringing on two psychiatrists to debate the ethics of media outlets openly discussing the president's mental fitness, Stelter ended his monologue by noting "we can't tiptoe around it anymore.""We've got to talk about this," he concluded. "So let's talk about it. Let's do it."This isn't the first time that Stelter has taken to the air to speculate about the president's mental health. In Aug. 2017, the CNN personality wondered aloud why more journalists weren't asking the "uncomfortable questions" about whether Trump was fit for office or "suffering from some kind of illness." And in Jan. 2018, called on reporters to do "more reporting" on Trump's possible mental instability. 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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| U.S. Says South Korea’s Exit From Intel Pact Endangers Troops Posted: 26 Aug 2019 03:20 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. said that South Korea's decision to pull out of an intelligence-sharing deal with Japan endangers American troops -- an usually blunt criticism of one of Washington's closest allies.The Trump administration is disappointed in South Korean President Moon Jae-in's announcement Thursday that his government would stop participating in the 2016 General Security of Military Information Agreement with Japan, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said Sunday. The pact allowed the two neighbors to directly share intelligence about joint security concerns including North Korea and China, without going through the Americans."We are deeply disappointed and concerned that the ROK's government terminated the General Security of Military Information Agreement," Ortagus said in a Twitter post. "This will make defending Korea more complicated and increase risk to U.S. forces."The criticism is perhaps the clearest sign yet of the Trump administration's frustration with the months-long feud between South Korea and Japan. Over the weekend, President Donald Trump criticized Moon and his government at a Group of Seven meeting in France, the Sankei newspaper reported, citing unidentified Japanese government sources.On Monday, South Korea's foreign ministry said there had been "close communication" with the U.S. regarding the tensions between Seoul and Tokyo and the reasons for withdrawing from the agreement, without mentioning the risk to U.S. troops.The acrimonious dispute is rooted in historical grievances over Japan's 1910-45 occupation of the Korean Peninsula, but has recently escalated to include trade and security cooperation. While South Korea and Japan are protected by tens of thousands of U.S. troops, the Moon administration had argued after withdrawing from the pact that it would strengthen its alliance with the U.S. by increasing defense spending.The dispute risks complicating a coordinated response to North Korea's continued missile tests and China's rising military power projection in the region. On Saturday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally guided the test firing of a rocket launcher and sent two more short-range ballistic missiles into the sea between South Korea and Japan.The U.S. Department of Defense had previously expressed "strong concern and disappointment" with South Korea's decision to exit the security pact. While the agreement doesn't require the exchange of intelligence and both countries are part of a similar three-way pact with the U.S., the deal was significant because it demonstrated their ability to cooperate independently from Washington.South Korea's defense minister, Jeong Kyeong-doo, told the National Assembly's defense committee Aug. 5 that there had been 26 instances of intelligence-sharing with Japan since the agreement was signed. He nevertheless played down its practical importance, telling the committee the pact was more about relationships than utility.(Updates with South Korean response in fifth paragraph.)\--With assistance from Jihye Lee.To contact the reporter on this story: Iain Marlow in Hong Kong at imarlow1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Karen LeighFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Iran says oil on tanker pursued by US sold; buyer unnamed Posted: 26 Aug 2019 09:47 AM PDT  Iran on Monday announced that the 2.1 million barrels of crude aboard an Iranian oil tanker pursued by the U.S. has been sold to an unnamed buyer as the ship, at the center of a crisis roiling the region, continued its voyage in the Mediterranean Sea. The announcement by government spokesman Ali Rabiei represent just the latest twist in the saga of the Adrian Darya 1, which had been known as the Grace 1 when authorities seized the vessel off Gibraltar on July 4, on suspicion of breaking European Union sanctions targeting Syria. The seizure of the ship, and Iran's subsequent seizure of a British-flagged oil tanker, came amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran over the collapse of Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers.
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| Cardi B might be one of Bernie's most powerful 2020 allies. Seriously. Posted: 26 Aug 2019 02:01 AM PDT  "She's a no-B.S. person," says one aide to the Democratic hopeful. "And Bernie Sanders loves no-B.S. people."
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| Brazil's Bolsonaro endorses sexist post about French first lady Posted: 26 Aug 2019 03:37 AM PDT  Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro endorsed a sexist Facebook post about France's first lady Brigitte Macron Sunday, the latest chapter in an escalating war of words between him and his French counterpart over the Amazon crisis. Emmanuel Macron had called for emergency talks by G7 nations on the fires destroying chunks of the Amazon rainforest, piling pressure on Bolsonaro, who in turn accused him of having a "colonialist mentality".
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