| 2020 Vision: Impeachment is gaining in the polls — and so is Warren Posted: 27 Sep 2019 11:50 AM PDT  How Trump impeachment is polling, Warren's continued rise, Gabbard qualifies for the fourth debate, and campaign cash troubles plague some Democrats.
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| Mexico theme park crash: Two people killed after rollercoaster car flips over mid-ride Posted: 29 Sep 2019 01:19 AM PDT  At least two people have died after a speeding rollercoaster car flipped over mid-ride at a Mexican amusement park.When the last car on the ride derailed at the La Feria theme park, two men aged 18 and 21, died from head injuries and other wounds, according to the Mexico City attorney general's office.
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| 'Alarming' rise in far-Right weapons seizures prompts Germany to beef up police powers Posted: 29 Sep 2019 06:25 AM PDT  The German government says it will respond to an "alarming" rise in weapons seizures during raids on far-Right extremists by handing police more powers to fight radicalism. Close to 1,100 weapons were confiscated in the course of investigations into Right-wing crime in 2018, marking a 61 per cent rise on the previous year when 676 weapons were found, new statistics show. Horst Seehofer, the interior minister, said the figures represent an "alarming increase" but also show that "our investigations are having an impact and authorities are keeping a close eye on the scene." Mr Seehofer, a member of the conservative Christian Social Union party, said police capabilities would be beefed up in response. "I am determined to strengthen the security services both in personnel and in structure and to give them the necessary legal tools to cope with this threat," he stated. A veteran law-and-order man, Mr Seehofer has previously faced criticism from civil liberties groups for introducing sweeping police powers in his native Bavaria which included abolishing time limits on police detentions. The weapons listed as being seized during raids last year included hand guns, rifles and knives, as well as pepper spray, fireworks and "dangerous tools". No detailed breakdown of the numbers of each type of weapon has yet been released. German police have in the past faced criticism for using a loose definition of what constitutes a weapon. Raids on the radical Left in recent years have led to confiscations of bricks and household implements as police sought to up political pressure on Berlin's militant squatter scene. Matthias Quent, an extremism expert at the Institute for Democracy and Civil Society, told ARD that the new figures showed the far-Right are "massively arming themselves". "Their aim is to intimidate society and drive out ethnic minorities. Parts of the scene even want a civil war," Mr Quent said. Coming just months after the murder of a politician from Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats by a suspected far-right fanatic, the news adds to concern about rising militancy. Walter Lübcke, mayor of Kassel, was shot at point blank range outside his house in June. Weeks later police arrested Stephan Ernst, a man with a long history of involvement in the neo-Nazi scene. In the course of investigations, police found 46 guns at Mr Ernst's home and place of work. While it is still unclear how many of the weapons were held legally, investigators have reportedly told the home affairs committee that they were "hidden professionally".
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| Saudi Arabia: As kingdom opens up to tourists, will people visit? Posted: 27 Sep 2019 01:59 PM PDT  Those who study international tourism say a combination of geography, history and culture could make the kingdom an attractive tourist destination.
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| Iran releases photo of Khamenei with Hezbollah chief Posted: 28 Sep 2019 11:59 AM PDT  Iran has released a "never before seen" photo of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei alongside Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah. The three men are shown in front of what appears to be a door covered by a curtain and surrounded by shelves stacked with books -- decor associated with Khamenei's Tehran office.
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| Hillary Clinton: Trump 'has turned American diplomacy into a cheap extortion racket' Posted: 27 Sep 2019 10:27 AM PDT  Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused President Trump on Friday of having "turned American diplomacy into a cheap extortion racket."
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| Saudi King’s Bodyguard Is Killed in ‘Personal Dispute’ Posted: 28 Sep 2019 11:54 PM PDT ![Saudi King's Bodyguard Is Killed in 'Personal Dispute']( "Saudi King's Bodyguard Is Killed in 'Personal Dispute'") (Bloomberg) -- A prominent bodyguard of Saudi King Salman was killed following a personal dispute, state-run media reported.Major General Abdulaziz Al Faghem died of gunshot wounds in hospital after a friend shot him at Al Shatti district of the Red Sea city of Jeddah, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday, citing the spokesman of the Mecca region police. The incident took place at a mutual friend's house, he said.The assailant, who also wounded the mutual friend and a Filipino worker, was killed by security forces after refusing to surrender, the spokesman said. Five security personnel were also wounded, he said.Al Faghem, who had often been seen pictured with King Salman and the late King Abdullah, was widely described as "the kings' walking stick." His name was trending on Twitter in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.To contact the reporters on this story: Fahad Alzahrani in Dubai at falzahrani1@bloomberg.net;Nadeem Hamid in Washington at nhamid3@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Chua Baizhen at bchua14@bloomberg.net, Alaa ShahineFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Here's who will be onstage for the October 15 Democratic debate hosted by CNN and The New York Times, what time it'll start, and how to watch Posted: 27 Sep 2019 11:34 AM PDT  The debate, which will feature 12 candidates all debating on one stage, will be hosted at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio.
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| Winterlike storm unleashing feet of snow, life-threatening conditions in northwestern US Posted: 28 Sep 2019 07:04 AM PDT  See a photos recap of the snowstorm by clicking here. * * *Snow will continue to pile up and roadways will remain treacherous for travel as a storm unleashes an early winter blast in the northwestern United States through Sunday.Winter weather advisories, winter storm warnings and/or high wind warnings were in effect for all five states in the northwestern United States as the snowstorm began to take shape on Saturday.Forecasters warned that the early wintry blast could be "historic" for the Northwest and southern Canada due to the combination of heavy wet snow, strong winds and bitter cold expected. A look at the snow continuing to fall across the Northwest on Sunday morning. Those in the high country and intermediate elevations will be at risk of becoming stranded and could be in a life-threatening situation during and after the storm, with below-freezing temperatures predicted.Glacier National Park in Montana announced road closures ahead of the storm. While St. Mary Campground remains open, "camping not advised" signs have been put in place.> 740AM: This photo was taken from the @MontanaDES Central District Field Officer ~7:30am near Browning on Hwy 2 with up to a foot of snow on the road. If you are caught outdoors or become stranded while traveling, this could become a life threatening situation. mtwx pic.twitter.com/HPoZm1V1JI> > -- NWS Great Falls (@NWSGreatFalls) September 28, 2019Travel is not advised during the storm with snow likely along stretches of Canada Highway 1 and interstates 15 and 94. Anyone who does venture out may be at risk of becoming stranded. If you must travel, make sure you have a fully charged cellphone, blankets and an emergency kit in your vehicle.Very difficult driving conditions were occurring on I-15 north of Great Falls, Montana, early Saturday morning, with snow-covered roads and blowing snow, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).Road closures are possible due to the poor driving conditions, as well as the potential for strong winds to topple trees over the roadways."Stay home. Stay safe. Don't do anything silly," public information officer for the City of Butte-Silver Bow, Jason Parish, told AccuWeather ahead of the storm. At times, the combination of wind and snow will make for very low visibility that can approach blizzard conditions, including in Glacier National Park.Winds are forecast to frequent 20-40 mph (32-64 km/h) with gusts up to 60 mph (97 km/h) possible over the mountains and through the passes.The combination of the strong winds and heavy, wet nature of the snow is threatening to bring down trees and power lines. Trees were already beginning to feel the weight of the snow early Saturday morning in Montana."It's a very big concern here; we're just beginning to turn our colors, so trees are fully loaded with foliage here," LeeAnn Allegretto, a meteorologist with the NWS in Missoula, told AccuWeather. "Snow will have a huge impact and will likely cause downed trees and potentially plenty of damage/power outages." Residents who are left in the dark will face subfreezing temperatures with AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures approaching zero F in some areas. These bitterly cold conditions are expected to last for days after the storm.The heaviest amount of snow, 2-3 feet (60-91 cm), with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 65 inches (122 cm) is forecast along the east-facing slopes of the Sawtooth, Flathead and Lewis and Clark ranges in Montana.However, a general 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) of snow will fall over the mountains with anywhere from a bit of slush to several inches of snow at low elevations. This includes some of the valley floors in central and eastern Montana and British Columbia and the High Plains and Prairies of Alberta and Saskatchewan.By Saturday afternoon, local time, snowfall in Browning, Montana, nearly reached 2 feet, measuring 23 inches. Up to a foot of snow (30 cm) is forecast to fall on parts of Yellowstone National Park in northwestern Wyoming and south-central Montana.In Missoula, Montana, this event could turn out to be the greatest one-day September snowfall since 1934 when 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) fell. AccuWeather meteorologists are predicting 1-3 inches (3-8 cm) to fall on the city.Several inches can also blanket portions of the Cascades, Bitterroots, and Blue Mountains.The vast area of fresh snowcover will set the stage for record-challenging low temperatures early this week. Temperatures are likely to dip into the single digits over the high country and the teens and 20s F over the intermediate elevations, to near or just below freezing over the High Plains and Prairies during Sunday night, Monday night and perhaps Tuesday night.Meanwhile, drenching showers and locally gusty thunderstorms will pivot to the southeast of the snowstorm over parts of the Great Basin, central Plains and Upper Midwest into Monday.
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| Man yelling over Puerto Rican flag shirt convicted of hate crimes Posted: 28 Sep 2019 11:56 AM PDT  A Chicago man who was seen last year in a viral video berating a woman in a city park for wearing a T-shirt with the Puerto Rican flag was convicted this week of two felony hate crime charges.
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| Countries that make weapons of war foment migration but refuse refugees, Pope Francis says Posted: 29 Sep 2019 04:31 AM PDT  Pope Francis on Sunday scolded countries that produce weapons for wars fought elsewhere and then refuse to take in refugees fleeing the very same conflicts. The 82-year-old Argentine pope, whose parents were of Italian immigrant stock, has made the defense of migrants and refugees a plank of his pontificate and he has often clashed over immigration policy with U.S. President Donald Trump and populist anti-immigrant politicians in Europe. Francis has also criticized the arms trade repeatedly and his sermon for 40,000 people in St. Peter's Square on Sunday linked the issues of war and migration as the Roman Catholic Church marked its World Day of Migrants and Refugees.
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| Once Again, Progressive Anti-Christian Bigotry Carries a Steep Legal Cost Posted: 27 Sep 2019 11:20 AM PDT  Last summer, in the days after the Supreme Court decided Masterpiece Cakeshop on the narrow grounds that Colorado had violated Jack Phillips's religious-liberty rights by specifically disparaging his religious beliefs, a bit of a skirmish broke out among conservative lawyers. How important was the ruling? Did it have any lasting precedential effect?For those who don't recall, the Supreme Court ruled for Phillips in large part because a commissioner of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission called Phillips's claim that he enjoyed a religious-freedom right not to be forced to design a custom cake for a gay wedding a "despicable piece of rhetoric." The commissioner also denigrated religious-liberty arguments as being used to justify slavery and the Holocaust.While all agreed that it would have been preferable had the court simply ruled that creative professionals could not be required to produce art that conflicted with their sincerely held beliefs, the question was whether Justice Anthony Kennedy's strong condemnation of anti-religious bigotry would resonate beyond the specific facts of the case. For example, what would happen if, in a different case, state officials called faithful Christians who seek to protect the religious freedom of Catholic adoption agencies "hate-mongers"?In the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, it turns out that such rhetoric has cost the state a crucial court ruling, granted a Catholic adoption agency a vital victory, and demonstrated — once again — that anti-religious bigotry can (and should) carry substantial legal costs.The case is called Buck v. Gordon. My friends at Becket represent St. Vincent Catholic Charities, a former foster child, and the adoptive parents of five special-needs kids. The facts are relatively complicated, but here's the short version: St. Vincent upholds Catholic teaching by referring same-sex and unmarried families who seek foster and adoption recommendations and endorsements to agencies that have no objection to providing those services. There is no evidence that St. Vincent has prevented any legally qualified family from adopting or fostering a child. In fact, same-sex couples "certified through different agencies" have been able to adopt children in St. Vincent's care.In 2015 the state of Michigan passed a statute specifically designed to protect the religious liberty of private, religious adoption agencies. In 2018, however, Dana Nessel, a Democratic attorney general, took office. During her campaign, she declared that she would not defend the 2015 law in court, stating that its "only purpose" was "discriminatory animus." She also described proponents of the law as "hate-mongers," and the court noted that she believed proponents of the law "disliked gay people more than they cared about the constitution."Then, in 2019, the attorney general reached a legal settlement in pending litigation with the ACLU that essentially gutted the Michigan law, implementing a definitive requirement that religious agencies provide recommendations and endorsement to same-sex couples and banning referrals. The plaintiffs sued, seeking to enjoin the relevant terms of the settlement, and yesterday Judge Robert Jonker (a Bush appointee) granted their motion for a preliminary injunction.His reasoning was simple. There was ample evidence from the record that the state of Michigan reversed its policy protecting religious freedom because it was motivated by hostility to the plaintiffs' faith. Because Michigan's targeted St. Vincent's faith, its 2019 settlement agreement couldn't be truly considered a "neutral" law of "general applicability" that would grant the state a high degree of deference in enforcement.Instead, the state's targeting led to strict scrutiny. Here's Judge Jonker:> Defendant Nessel made St. Vincent's belief and practice a campaign issue by calling it hate. She made the 2015 statute a campaign issue by contending that the only purpose of the statute is discriminatory animus. After Defendant Nessel took office, the State pivoted 180 degrees. . . . The State also threatened to terminate its contracts with St. Vincent. The Summary Statement's conclusion – that if an agency accepts even one MDHHS child referral for case management or adoption services, the agency forfeits completely the right to refer new parental applicants to other agencies based on its sincerely held religious beliefs – is at odds with the language of the contracts, with the 2015 law, and with established State practice. Moreover, it actually undermines the State's stated goals of preventing discriminatory conduct and maximizing available placements for children.The last point is key. As stated above, there was no evidence that St. Vincent prevented any qualified couple from adopting. In fact, if the state forced St. Vincent's to choose between upholding the teachings of its faith or maintaining its contractual relationship with the state, then it risked shrinking the available foster or adoption options in the state of Michigan. The state demonstrated that it was more interested in taking punitive action against people of faith than it was in maintaining broader access to foster and adoption services for its most vulnerable citizens.The judge rightly called the state's actions a "targeted attack on a sincerely held religious belief." Once again, Masterpiece Cakeshop pays religious-liberty dividends. Once again, a court declares — in no uncertain terms — that in the conflict between private faith and public bigotry, religious liberty will prevail.
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| First Republican member of Congress voices support for Trump impeachment probe Posted: 27 Sep 2019 04:17 PM PDT  Rep. Mark Amodei became the first GOP member of Congress to back the impeachment inquiry into President Trump.
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| Ivory Coast Leader Wants New Generation to Take Over Posted: 29 Sep 2019 02:32 AM PDT ![Ivory Coast Leader Wants New Generation to Take Over]( "Ivory Coast Leader Wants New Generation to Take Over") (Bloomberg) -- Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara is in favor of "handing over to the new generation" in next year's presidential polls, but did not rule out running in the election.The 78-year-old, who has just over a year left of his second term in office, was addressing reporters in his hometown of Dimbokro after a four-day visit to the surrounding region.Ouattara addressed plans to amend the constitution to include an age limit for presidential hopefuls, saying "it's part of the evolution of our country," 75% of the population is aged under 30 and "we can't remain indifferent." But he also said "don't interpret this as me not being a candidate."His fiercest political rivals include Henri Konan Bedie , 85, who broke away from the ruling coalition last year after Ouattara claimed a new constitution adopted in 2016 allows him to seek a third mandate if he wishes.Another, Laurent Gbagbo, 74, was acquitted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity committed after a disputed vote in 2010, but prosecutors are appealing the ruling.(Corrects spelling of Dimbokro in second paragraph.)To contact the reporter on this story: Leanne de Bassompierre in Abidjan at ldebassompie@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Andre Janse van Vuuren at ajansevanvuu@bloomberg.net, Jacqueline Mackenzie, Keith CampbellFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Supercars taken from African leader's son auctioned for $27M Posted: 29 Sep 2019 08:22 AM PDT  Car lovers from around the world splashed out more than $27 million at an auction Sunday for dozens of luxury cars seized from the son of Equatorial Guinea's president in a Swiss money-laundering probe. The 25 lots sold by auction house Bonhams included a white-and-cream 2014 Lamborghini Veneno roadster that cost the buyer 8.28 million Swiss francs ($8.4 million), comprising a 15% premium for the auction house but with potential taxes still to be added. Total proceeds from the sale beat the 18.5 million francs ($18.7 million) that authorities had hoped to fetch for a charity to benefit the people of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea.
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| Greta Thunberg marches in Montreal for global climate protests Posted: 28 Sep 2019 04:59 PM PDT  The 16-year-old Swede met privately with Trudeau but later told a news conference with local indigenous leaders that he was "not doing enough" to curb greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. Thunberg generated headlines around the world earlier this week with her viral so-called "How Dare You?" speech at the UN climate summit, accusing world leaders of betraying her generation.
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| Julian Assange ‘subjected to every kind of torment’ in Belmarsh prison as he awaits extradition Posted: 28 Sep 2019 09:11 AM PDT  The father of Julian Assange has said the WikiLeaks founder is "being subjected to every sort of torment" at Belmarsh prison as he awaits the hearing that could see him extradited to the US.The whistleblower who is being held alongside some of the UK's most infamous criminals ahead of his extradition hearing in February, could face a maximum prison sentence of 175 years under charges laid down by Washington.
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| Police impose restrictions in Indian Kashmir after Pakistan PM's speech Posted: 28 Sep 2019 01:02 AM PDT  Authorities in Indian Kashmir tightened restrictions on people's movements on Saturday to prevent possible protests following a speech by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. In an address to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, Khan warned of a bloodbath once India lifts its restrictions in Kashmir, which have been in force since it revoked the region's decades-old autonomy in August and detained thousands of people. Muslim-majority Kashmir has long been a flashpoint between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, which have fought two of their three wars over the divided territory.
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| U.S. and Nazi Soldiers Joined Forces for One World War II Battle Posted: 28 Sep 2019 11:00 AM PDT  A strange time.
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| How Ukraine envoy's resignation could affect his possible Congressional testimony Posted: 28 Sep 2019 05:34 AM PDT ![How Ukraine envoy's resignation could affect his possible Congressional testimony]( "How Ukraine envoy's resignation could affect his possible Congressional testimony") Kurt Volker, the State Department's special envoy for Ukraine, resigned Friday amid a formal impeachment inquiry of President Trump and his communications with the Ukrainian government, including the country's president, Volodymyr Zelensky. Volker did not provide a public explanation for leaving his post, but a source familiar with his decision said Volker concluded he could not perform the job effectively as a result of the recent developments.One person familiar with the matter told NBC News that Volker's resignation will likely enable him to be much freer in what he can say about his time at his post if he is called at some point to testify before Congress.The whistleblower complaint that sparked the impeachment inquiry alleges that Volker went to Kiev to help guide Ukrainian officials on how to handle Trump's alleged demands that the government investigate former Vice President Joe Biden's son, Hunter. He also reportedly spoke with Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani in an attempt to "contain the damage" to U.S. national security.Giuliani has said Volker encouraged him to meet with Ukrainian officials regarding the Biden family. That indeed appears to be the case, but The New York Times reports Volker was acting at the request of the Ukrainians, who were reportedly concerned about how Giuliani's attempts to procure information about the Bidens and other Democrats might affect their relationship with the U.S. Read more at NBC News and The New York Times.
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| EU Set to Resume Expansion Push With Balkan Accession Talks Posted: 29 Sep 2019 02:49 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The European Union will probably authorize the start of formal accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia next month, betting that the prospect of membership in the club will help further anchor the continent's troubled Balkan region to the West."In light of the progress achieved on reforms," EU ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Oct. 15 will decide to "to open accession negotiations" with the governments in Tirana and Skopje, according to a draft of their communique circulated on Friday and seen by Bloomberg. While the wording could still change, a previous draft, also seen by Bloomberg, didn't include the recommendation to begin talks.A similar push to open accession negotiations faltered in June, as countries such as France, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark resisted. Western EU governments are exasperated by the failure of some eastern nations that joined the bloc from 2004 to uphold the rule of law and fight corruption. They are thus wary of admitting new members to the world's largest trading club, where people, goods and services can move freely.Countries including Poland, Hungary and Romania -- among the largest recipients of EU structural funds and agricultural aid -- are at loggerheads with the European Commission over their democratic standards, and the bloc's executive arm has so far failed to force them to fall in line. In its June communique on enlargement, the EU said that admission of new members should take into account the bloc's "capacity to integrate" them.Even though accession negotiations last for years -- or even decades, as in the case of Turkey -- and their conclusion isn't guaranteed, the launch of the process is a victory for the government of North Macedonia. It had invested most of its political capital in a deal with Greece to change the former Yugoslav republic's constitutional name, hoping that this would pave the way for EU membership.The new Greek government has said it disagrees with the deal struck between North Macedonia and its predecessor, but won't seek to annul it due to the need to preserve continuity in international agreements. Still, the wording in the draft communique seen by Bloomberg, which "strongly welcomes the historic Prespa Agreement," could trigger a backlash in Athens, as most of the governing party's voters oppose the pact.To contact the reporter on this story: Nikos Chrysoloras in Brussels at nchrysoloras@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, Keith Campbell, Bruce StanleyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| 'A great cop': NYPD Officer Brian Mulkeen killed in the Bronx, possibly with his own gun Posted: 29 Sep 2019 09:22 AM PDT !['A great cop': NYPD Officer Brian Mulkeen killed in the Bronx, possibly with his own gun]( "'A great cop': NYPD Officer Brian Mulkeen killed in the Bronx, possibly with his own gun") Officer Brian Mulkeen was fatally shot, possibly with his own gun, in the Bronx during a struggle with an armed assailant, police said.
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| At UN, Malaysia PM seeks to curb use of sanctions Posted: 27 Sep 2019 04:32 PM PDT  Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Friday urged greater international control of sanctions, criticizing US attempts to force all countries to stop doing business with Iran. It appears to be the privilege of the rich and the powerful," the outspoken 94-year-old leader said in an address to the UN General Assembly. The United States has increasingly used sanctions as a diplomatic tool, with President Donald Trump threatening other nations with punishment if they buy any oil from Iran.
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| Government may seek $4.3 billion interim dividend from RBI: media reports Posted: 29 Sep 2019 06:58 AM PDT  The Indian government may request an interim dividend of around 300 billion rupees ($4.3 billion) from the Reserve bank of India (RBI) in order to meet its fiscal deficit target, Mint newspaper reported on Sunday citing news agency Press Trust of India (PTI). The government is likely to seek the dividend payment towards the end of the April-March financial year to meet the government's fiscal deficit target of 3.3% of gross domestic product, government sources told the PTI. The federal government could request an interim dividend of 250 billion to 300 billion rupees from the RBI during the current fiscal year, one source said, adding that a final assessment would be made in early January.
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| Native American 2020 candidate aims to raise awareness of indigenous peoples Posted: 28 Sep 2019 11:00 PM PDT  Mark Charles knows his bid is a long shot but hopes to shed light on the historic abuse of Native Americans and other ethnicitiesMark Charles speaks on 20 August 2019 in Sioux City, Iowa. Photograph: Stephen Maturen/Getty ImagesIn a video launching his presidential campaign, Mark Charles, hair tied in a tsiiyéeł, a Native American hair knot, introduces himself in the Navajo language."Yá' át' ééh. Mark Charles yinishyé," Charles says."Tsin bikee dine'é nishłí. Dóó tó'aheedlíinii bá shíshchíín. Tsin bikee' dine'é dashicheii. Dóó tódích' íi' nii dashinálí."Roughly translated, Charles is explaining that his father was Navajo and his mother Dutch American. What doesn't need explaining is that if Charles were elected in November 2020, he would become the first Native American president of the United States.It's an extremely long-shot bid. But Charles is also aiming to use his campaign to raise awareness of the historic, and continuing, abuse of Native Americans and other ethnicities, hopefully resulting in an improved constitution that he believes would better reflect the modern-day US."Do we want to be a nation where we the people actually means all the people?" Charles says."Because if we do, then we have some foundational level work to do."Native American people living on reservations, Charles says, have always been overlooked by politicians. The territory of the Navajo Nation covers 27,000 square miles alone – enough to make it the 48th largest state in the US. Despite that, Charles says, the territory of 350,000 people is rarely visited by politicians running for president.Charles is determined to change that with his campaign. He held his first campaign event on the Navajo Nation, at a chapter house – a communal meeting place – near Fort Defiance, north-east Arizona. His second event was at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and another at the Denver Indian Center."Almost every state I go to I want my first contact to be with the indigenous nations, the indigenous peoples of that state," Charles said."I really want to connect with them again because I'm coming on to their land to campaign and I want them to know me and to understand who I am and, and why, why I'm there."Charles believes he is the best person to lead the country as a whole, but he is also running with some ideas that would specifically help Native Americans, African Americans and other people of color. On the stump he talks a lot about creating a "common memory" – educating people on the atrocities committed in the past and the challenges different races face.Independent presidential candidate Mark Charles speaks on 20 August 2019 in Sioux City, Iowa. Photograph: Stephen Maturen/Getty ImagesAt the center of Charles's platform is the establishment of a "truth and conciliation commission", which would work towards creating that memory. His idea is modeled on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission set up in South Africa, after the end of apartheid."I don't call ours truth and reconciliation because reconciliation implies a previous harmony, and if you know our history you know that's not true."In South Africa the Truth and Reconciliation committee hearings, which allowed both victims and perpetrators to explain their experiences, were broadcast live, in what has been described as the "gold standard" for how a divided society might deal with a violent past. Charles believes his committee could eventually lead to an at least partial rewriting of the US constitution.Charles said he had the idea for "that type of conversation years ago"."But I did not know the best way to bring that proposal to the nation. And after observing several presidential campaigns, I realized every four years we have a dialogue about who we are and where we're going: our presidential campaign cycle."So I felt like this is an important enough of a proposal that it actually could very well be the center of a presidential campaign. So one of my motivations in running for president is to raise this issue of truth and conciliation to the national level."Charles grew up in New Mexico, and went to university in California, before spending 11 years living in the Navajo Nation, which is spread across Arizona, Utah and New Mexico.Three of those years were spent on a remote sheep camp, where Charles and his young family lived in a one-room hogan, a traditional Navajo house, which had a dirt floor, no running water, no electricity and was six miles from the nearest paved road.Charles isn't the first Native American to run for the White House. Russell Means, an activist from the Lakota tribe who died in 2012, ran for the Libertarian party nomination ahead of the 1988 election, but came second to the Texas congressman Ron Paul.In 2018 there was a breakthrough for Native American women in particular, when Sharice Davids, from Kansas, and Deb Haaland, from New Mexico, became the first Native American women to be elected to Congress. Both Davids and Haaland are Democrats. Charles says he has voted for both Democrats and Republicans in the past, but believes his best chance for office is to eschew both parties."I don't want people to think that becauseI'm running as an independent I'm not a serious candidate," Charles said. He believes he would not clinch the Democratic or Republican nomination – aside from anything else, he isn't a member of either party – but he plans to be on the ballot in all 50 states, and is committed to running all the way through to November."If our country does not begin creating this common memory, and does not make a decision on whether we want to be a place where we the people means all the people," Charles said, "We're going to continue to face these deep racial divides that we've had in our country since its founding."
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| Bad News: China Will Soon Have 4 Crazy Deadly Aircraft Carriers Posted: 28 Sep 2019 02:30 AM PDT  Sooner than you think.
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| White House Advisor Stephen Miller: ‘The President of the United States Is the Whistleblower’ Posted: 29 Sep 2019 09:07 AM PDT  White House senior advisor Stephen Miller defended President Donald Trump's attempts to get the Ukrainian president to open an investigation into Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, claiming on Sunday that this was a "political hit job" by the "deep state" and that Trump was really the "whistleblower."Minutes after breaking the blockbuster news that Trump-defending lawyers Victoria Toensing and Joe diGenova were working "off the books" to help Rudy Giuliani dig up Ukrainian dirt on Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden at the behest of President Trump, Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace dug into a predictably tense interview with Miller.Immediately, the pugnacious Trump aide blasted the whistleblower who came forward with a complaint of Trump's actions, saying a "partisan hit job does not make you a whistleblower just because you go through the Whistleblower Protection Act," adding that it's unfortunate the media continues to call the unknown individual a "whistleblower."Wallace, meanwhile, wondered aloud how Miller could describe the whistleblower as partisan when we don't know who the person is, noting that acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire testified that the whistleblower acted in "good faith throughout."Miller would go on to grouse that the complaint "drips with condescension" and "contempt for the president" while claiming both the DNI and intelligence community inspector general were "wrong" to say the whistleblower's comments were "credible and a matter of urgent concern.""I know what the deep state looks like," Miller declared. "I know the difference between a whistleblower and a deep state operative. This is a deep state operative, pure and simple."Wallace attempted to move past Miller's name-calling and combativeness, saying that was "enough of the rhetoric," but the White House senior advisor continued to play for an audience of one and offer a full-throated defense of Trump's actions."I don't understand how you can ask the question while at the same time admonishing the president or wanting to get to the bottom of perhaps one of the biggest corruption scandals concerning Ukraine in the last few years," Miller complained at one point.Wallace, for his part, attempted to keep Miller on track, asking Miller why the president was going against his State Department and the Pentagon when it came to withholding military aid to Ukraine around the time of his call with the Ukrainian president.Miller grumbled about Wallace's judgmental "tone" while deflecting the Fox host's question before describing Trump as a hero looking to expose the truth on the Bidens."It's the president's job and sworn duty to safeguard taxpayer dollars and the United States government's foreign policy," Miller huffed. "Getting to the bottom of a corruption scandal in Ukraine is in the American national interest.""And if you want to understand why that complaint is so obviously politically biased, when he says that the president is threatening national security by trying to expose corruption—when he says, or she, that the president is hurting national security by trying to get to the bottom of a gigantic scandal that nobody has unearthed," he added. "The president is the whistleblower here! The President of the United States is the whistleblower. And this individual is a saboteur trying to undermine a democratically elected government!"Wallace would go on to note that the former Ukrainian prosecutor general has repeatedly said that there is no evidence of wrongdoing by Joe Biden or his son Hunter. 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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| Meghan Markle Privately Visited a Memorial to Murdered 19-Year-Old South African Student Uyinene Mrwetyana Posted: 28 Sep 2019 12:01 PM PDT  Her death launched a wave of outrage and protests
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| How a sommelier fell victim to the homelessness crisis in California Posted: 29 Sep 2019 02:35 AM PDT  Opus One, Château Lynch-Bages or Petrus. The crimson ribbons of fine wine trickled delicately into his customers' bulbous crystal glasses.Mark-Steven Holys had a knack for recommending the right bottle, for expertly carving the chateaubriand steaks and pheasant and for remembering the dietary quirks of a clientele that included many of California's boldfaced names.
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| THC products like 'Dank Vapes' are playing a major role in outbreak of lung illnesses, CDC says Posted: 28 Sep 2019 11:09 AM PDT  The CDC said 77%of vapers used products that contained THC, alone or combined with nicotine. Only 16% used nicotine-only products.
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| Yemen Rebels Say They've Captured Many Saudi Soldiers in Attack Posted: 28 Sep 2019 02:35 PM PDT ![Yemen Rebels Say They've Captured Many Saudi Soldiers in Attack]( "Yemen Rebels Say They've Captured Many Saudi Soldiers in Attack") (Bloomberg) -- Yemen's Houthi rebels said they captured many Saudi soldiers and officers in a large operation near the border between the two countries on Saturday, shortly after the kingdom agreed to a limited ceasefire with the Iranian-backed group.If true, the escalation will likely deal a blow to efforts to end a war that's killed thousands and triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters. Saudi Arabia mobilized a military coalition in 2015 to back Yemen's internationally-recognized government against the Shiite rebels.The Houthis, in a statement carried by the Saba news agency, said they destroyed three enemy brigades after "just 72 hours of the operation."Thousands of people have been taken prisoners, including "many Saudi commanders, officers and soldiers." A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen didn't immediately return a request for comment.The announcement comes almost two weeks after the Houthis took credit for the devastating attack on key Saudi Aramco oil facilities that briefly halved the country's output and rattled global markets this month. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia blamed Iran for the attack, which they said wasn't launched from Yemen.Yahya Saree, a spokesman for the Houthi-controlled forces, said those captured would be paraded on the group's TV network on Sunday, the BBC reported.Last week, the Houthis announced a unilateral halt to the hundreds of drone and missile attacks that have targeted OPEC's largest producer in recent years. An official with the Saudi-backed Yemeni government said Friday that the kingdom has agreed to a ceasefire in several areas of Yemen including the capital Sana'a.Saudi Arabia views the conflict with the Houthis as a proxy war with Iran.To contact the reporter on this story: Mohammed Hatem in Dubai at mhatem1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net, Ros KrasnyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Hundreds of 'abused' captives freed from Nigeria Islamic school Posted: 27 Sep 2019 11:50 AM PDT  Police in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna have rescued more than 300 male students being held at an Islamic school where many had been tortured and sexually abused, a police spokesman said Friday. Officers raided a building in the Rigasa area of the city on Thursday where the victims including adults and minors were kept in "the most debasing and inhuman conditions in the name of teaching them the Koran and reforming them", Kaduna state police spokesman Yakubu Sabo told AFP. "We found around 100 students including children as young as nine, in chains stuffed in a small room, all in the name of reforming them and making them responsible persons," Sabo said.
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| Zimbabwe's Mugabe buried in home village, ending an era Posted: 28 Sep 2019 09:00 AM PDT  Zimbabwe's founding leader Robert Mugabe was buried on Saturday in his home village of Kutama, ending a dispute between his family and the government of his successor President Emmerson Mnangagwa over his final resting place. Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years from independence in 1980 but was a polarizing figure idolized by some for his role in the country's liberation struggle and hated by others for ruining a promising nation through disastrous economic policies and repression against opponents. After Mass by a Roman Catholic priest and speeches by family members, Mugabe was buried in the courtyard of his rural homestead without the pomp and fun fare usually reserved for national heroes.
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| Why the U.S. Air Force Wants to Combine Drones and Missiles Posted: 29 Sep 2019 04:09 AM PDT  The future is now.
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| Why President Trump's best impeachment defense is destroying Mike Pence Posted: 27 Sep 2019 11:21 AM PDT ![Why President Trump's best impeachment defense is destroying Mike Pence]( "Why President Trump's best impeachment defense is destroying Mike Pence") At least 35 Republican senators would vote to remove President Trump from office in an impeachment trial, former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said Thursday -- if the vote were anonymous. Flake is hardly the only one to suggest something like this; reports abound that GOP lawmakers privately despise the president but feel publicly obliged to support him to curry favor with their voter base.For many of those Republicans, ousting Trump would be made all the more attractive by the prospect of the elevation of Vice President Mike Pence to the Oval Office. Ironically, as impeachment proceedings swell around him, that's exactly why tying himself to Pence may be Trump's best chance at staying afloat.Pence's addition to the 2016 ticket was always a sort of safeguard. In theory, anyway, he balanced Trump's aberrations from Bush- and Obama-era GOP orthodoxy on policy and personality alike. Where Trump was pro-choice until 2011, Pence has a long pro-life record backed by years in Catholic and evangelical churches. His foreign policy was more traditionally interventionist than Trump's (Pence supported the war in Iraq where Trump critiqued it) but less blatantly militaristic (his is a tasteful war-making, equally violent but less visibly delighted about it). While Trump bellowed about anti-trade populism, Pence talked up free markets and cuts to federal spending.Likewise, in his private life, Pence's temperance and fidelity diverged sharply from Trump's loudmouthed, adulterous hedonism. Trump is brazenly ignorant of the Bible; Pence can quote it chapter and verse. While Trump was busy cheating on his third wife in a gold-plated penthouse, Pence called his wife "Mother" and followed the Billy Graham rule. If the Trump experiment threatened to sink the GOP, these contrasts communicated, Republicans could rest assured Pence -- safe, normal, stodgy Pence -- would come to the rescue.The vice president is still functioning as a safety device, but now the deliverance he offers is for Trump himself. If the president is removed from office, the vice president takes his place. But if the vice president is also gone, the next presidential successor is speaker of the House. And the speaker of the House, at least for the next 16 months, is Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who after Hillary Clinton alone may be the very last person on Earth the GOP wants to have as president.That makes Pence into Trump's very best life jacket. If Trump can successfully lash Pence's political fate to his own, he will give Senate Republicans a strong incentive to acquit him no matter what they may privately prefer. If Trump can ensure Pence will go down with him, he just may survive this storm.Pence himself is undoubtedly aware of the danger of his position. While impeachment drama roiled in Washington on Thursday, he went to Indianapolis and talked about trade. "He's always in asbestos underwear. He's close to the fire but never gets burned," a GOP strategist told The Washington Post of Pence. "He's done an incredible job always being out front as a loyal soldier to the president, without ever taking a bullet himself." In this case, however, that distance may be more difficult to maintain. Pence's own comments to a reporter earlier this month about his conversations with the president of Ukraine would fit well into a Pence incrimination narrative should Trump choose to craft it.Whether Trump himself realizes this is not clear. Though he sometimes displays a certain cunning and salesmanship, the president is hardly a master strategist. He is easily irked and displays little in the way of self-control or the ability to delay gratification. As Robert Epstein, a senior research psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology, has argued, Trump seems to function "in a very small window of time," unable to relate constructively to the past or future and to plan his behavior accordingly.And yet there is reason to think Trump has realized Pence's preservative value. "I think you should ask for Vice President Pence's conversation, because he had a couple of conversations also," he said Wednesday, implying Pence is entangled in the Ukraine-Biden scandal that precipitated this impeachment inquiry."I could save you a lot of time," Trump continued. "[Pence's calls] were all perfect. Nothing was mentioned of any import other than congratulations." If done knowingly, this is a clever stroke, at once roping Pence in and allowing Trump to deny attempting to spread the blame. Should Trump continue to mention Pence in connection to Ukraine in the days and weeks to come, we'll know for sure this is his plan.
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| Like many Americans, my divorce destroyed my mental health and nearly drove me to suicide Posted: 29 Sep 2019 05:38 AM PDT ![Like many Americans, my divorce destroyed my mental health and nearly drove me to suicide]( "Like many Americans, my divorce destroyed my mental health and nearly drove me to suicide") During my long divorce, I was pressed by a fear: If the relationship with my husband could dissolve, what about the relationship with my children?
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| Largest captive alligator in US spends goes missing in Storm Imelda floods at height of hunting season Posted: 28 Sep 2019 07:52 AM PDT  Some people can't sleep if they know there's a spider in their house.Imagine being in Beaumont, Texas, and thinking that the largest alligator ever caught in the United States was on the loose.
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| Sekulow: Whistleblower complaint form used to require firsthand information Posted: 27 Sep 2019 06:34 PM PDT  President Trump's attorney Jay Sekulow reacts to the whistleblower complaint and the impact it will have on government.
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| New Democratic polls: Tight race in Nevada, but Biden still strong in South Carolina Posted: 29 Sep 2019 07:33 AM PDT ![New Democratic polls: Tight race in Nevada, but Biden still strong in South Carolina]( "New Democratic polls: Tight race in Nevada, but Biden still strong in South Carolina") Black voters continue to propel Biden to a commanding lead in the first-in-the-south primary state.
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