| 'Five Eyes' in the dark: Will Trump and Barr destroy trust in U.S. intelligence? Posted: 15 Oct 2019 07:11 AM PDT  The effort by President Trump and his attorney general to enlist foreign law enforcement and intelligence agencies in their smear of Joe Biden may do lasting damage to relationships with their counterparts in other countries and the critical "Five Eyes" intelligence-sharing agreement.
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| Yang and O'Rourke propose decriminalizing opioids, including heroin Posted: 15 Oct 2019 07:59 PM PDT  Two Democrats suggested making small amounts of heroin legal as a way to combat the drug epidemic.
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| Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Will Endorse Bernie Sanders’ 2020 Bid Posted: 15 Oct 2019 09:00 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Bernie Sanders secured two endorsements from high-profile Democratic freshmen -- New York's Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Minnesota's Ilhan Omar -- giving him a star-power boost for his rally in New York this weekend.Ocasio-Cortez will join the Vermont senator's event on Saturday, according to Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir."She will help us build the multiracial working class coalition we need to win and transform this country," Shakir said of the congresswoman from the Bronx.The move by the first-term representative, who has become a celebrity among the left for her unabashedly left-wing policies and combative attitude, is a boost to Sanders' campaign. He has fallen to third place in polling, overtaken by liberal rival Elizabeth Warren who is now tied with Joe Biden.This weekend's ally will be Sanders' first campaign event since he suffered a heart attack on Oct. 1.Corbin Trent, an Ocasio-Cortez aide, said: "We're looking forward to Saturday."Ocasio-Cortez was an organizer for the runner-up 2016 primary campaign of Sanders. Both call themselves democratic-socialists.Representative Omar, a close ally of Ocasio-Cortez, also endorsed Sanders on Tuesday night, saying he's "leading a working class movement to defeat Donald Trump that transcends generation, ethnicity, and geography.""I believe Bernie Sanders is the best candidate to take on Donald Trump in 2020," Omar said in a statement.\--With assistance from Katia Dmitrieva.To contact the reporter on this story: Sahil Kapur in Washington at skapur39@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Anna Edgerton at aedgerton@bloomberg.net, Wendy BenjaminsonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| The U.S. Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle Must Be Revolutionary Posted: 15 Oct 2019 03:04 AM PDT  Oh, and they want it like now.
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| Angela Merkel Intervenes to Allow Huawei Access to German Networks Posted: 15 Oct 2019 09:22 AM PDT  Germany will allow Huawei access to its 5G networks despite a U.S. pressure campaign, spearheaded by FCC chairman Ajit Pai, to block the Chinese tech giant from interacting with allies' data networks."Essentially our approach is as follows: We are not taking a pre-emptive decision to ban any actor, or any company," government spokesman Steffen Seibert told a news conference Monday, as Germany's Federal Network Agency plans to release an in-depth "security catalogue" on compliance criteria for 5G networks in the coming days. The announcement confirmed a report by German business newspaper Handelsblatt, which stated that a review of the current draft of security requirements permits Huawei to provide 5G services in Germany.Handelsblatt also reports that the decision to include Huawei came from the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, due to fears that exclusion would damage the country's relationship with China.Merkel's office, in partnership with the Ministry of Economic Affairs, also removed a clause from a 5G government policy paper that suggested only "trusted suppliers" should be given access to the network.The decision comes after heavy pressure from the U.S. to urge international allies to resist partnerships with Huawei over fears of espionage, fraud, and intellectual property theft. In January, the Justice Department indicted the Chinese firm after allegations of theft and conspiracy."The criminal activity in this indictment goes back ten years and goes all the way to the top of the company," said former acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker at a press conference announcing the charges.In May, President Trump blacklisted Huawei from doing business with American firms.Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and other U.S. allies have already moved to block Huawei from accessing their networks, while the U.K. has had a political debate over the inclusion of the company in the wake of the rollout of 5G technology.
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| A Florida man called the sheriff's office to report stolen marijuana. The deputy's response: 'Stop calling' Posted: 16 Oct 2019 06:49 AM PDT ![A Florida man called the sheriff's office to report stolen marijuana. The deputy's response: 'Stop calling']( "A Florida man called the sheriff's office to report stolen marijuana. The deputy's response: 'Stop calling'") The Pasco County Sheriff's Office in Florida told a man to stop calling 911 to report $20 worth of stolen weed.
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| Latest search for Amelia Earhart plane comes up empty: NYT Posted: 15 Oct 2019 10:26 AM PDT  The latest hunt for the remains of the plane of Amelia Earhart, the famed American aviatrix who disappeared over the Pacific in 1937, has turned up nothing. The New York Times reported Tuesday that an extensive search conducted by a team led by Robert Ballard, discoverer of the wreckage of the Titanic, had not turned up any evidence of Earhart's aircraft. The National Geographic Channel, which sponsored the expedition, is to air a documentary about the search on Sunday.
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| Kenya opens Chinese-built railway linking Rift Valley town to Nairobi Posted: 16 Oct 2019 01:47 AM PDT ![Kenya opens Chinese-built railway linking Rift Valley town to Nairobi]( "Kenya opens Chinese-built railway linking Rift Valley town to Nairobi") Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta is due to open a new $1.5 billion Chinese rail line on Wednesday linking the capital Nairobi to the Rift Valley town of Naivasha, despite delays in establishing an industrial park there to drive freight traffic. The development of Kenya's railways has been part of China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative, a multi-billion dollar series of infrastructure projects upgrading land and maritime trade routes between China and Europe, Asia and Africa. Kenya had planned to open an industrial park in Naivasha, offering companies tax breaks for investing in manufacturing, and preferential tariffs for electricity generated in the nearby geothermal fields.
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| China Threatens to Retaliate if U.S. Passes Hong Kong Bill Posted: 15 Oct 2019 05:50 PM PDT ![China Threatens to Retaliate if U.S. Passes Hong Kong Bill]( "China Threatens to Retaliate if U.S. Passes Hong Kong Bill") (Bloomberg) -- China threatened to retaliate if the U.S. Congress follows through with passing legislation that would require an annual review of whether the city is sufficiently autonomous from Beijing to justify its special trading status.The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it would take strong measures if the bill passed. The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act is one of four measures passed by the U.S. House Tuesday in unanimous voice votes. The bill provides for sanctions against officials "responsible for undermining fundamental freedoms and autonomy in Hong Kong." A similar bill is also before the Senate, though the timing of a vote there remains uncertain. The legislation has bipartisan support in both chambers.To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Li Liu in Beijing at lliu255@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Atheists, Secular Groups Up in Arms Over State Department Boosting Pompeo’s ‘Christian Leader’ Speech Posted: 15 Oct 2019 12:46 PM PDT  Joe Raedle/GettyThe U.S. Constitution protects the separation of church and state—but evidently not church and State Department, which came under fire for promoting a "Being a Christian Leader" speech Monday on its website.The speech, delivered by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at a meeting of American Association of Christian Counselors on Friday, saw Pompeo discuss the influence of his faith on his work as a U.S. official. On Monday, the State Department shared the speech at the top of its website, ahead of more pressing department issues, like U.S. involvement in Turkey's invasion of Syria. The speech and the State Department's promotion of the video breached the divide between church and state, leaders from secular and atheist communities say."Secretary Pompeo's speech was pure proselytization," Sarah Levin, director of governmental affairs at the Secular Coalition for America told The Daily Beast. During the speech, which he gave in his capacity as Secretary of State, Pompeo stated that "I know some people in the media will break out the pitchforks when they hear that I ask God for direction in my work."His personal faith isn't the problem, Levin said. It's when it dictates his actions as Secretary of State, or when those beliefs top the State Department website."To be clear, we don't judge Secretary Pompeo for being a Christian or for connecting what he's achieved to his faith, but it's unacceptable and a violation of separation of church and state for him to take those beliefs and apply them to policy that affects the American public," Levin said, "and it's just as wrong from him to elevation Christianity above other faiths as it is to elevate Christianity above non-faiths."Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, echoed Levin. "It's perfectly fine for Secretary Pompeo to be a leader who is Christian," Laser said in a statement. "But he cannot use his government position to impose his faith on the rest of us—that is a fundamental violation of the separation of religion and government. Secretary Pompeo's speech on how being a Christian leader informs his decision-making and the posting of the speech on the State Department website send the clear message that U.S. public policy will be guided by his personal religious beliefs."Pompeo has previously indicated that his religious beliefs factored into his policy decisions as a government official. In a March interview with Christian Broadcasting Network, Pompeo was asked whether President Donald Trump had been raised by God "to help save the Jewish people from the Iranian menace.""As a Christian, I certainly believe that's possible," Pompeo answered.The secular website Patheos has tracked Pompeo's comments for years, including a 2015 speech in which he opposed same-sex marriage and stated that "we will continue to fight these battles, it is a never ending struggle… until the rapture."In a 2014 speech at a Kansas church, Pompeo cast Islam as the greatest "threat to America" and urged that "we make sure that we pray and stand and fight and make sure that we know that Jesus Christ our savior is truly the only solution for our world."Nick Fish, president of American Atheists said Pomeo's Friday speech wasn't surprising, given his record."As disappointing as it is to see the State Department parroting Christian nationalist talking points, it isn't a surprise. But this goes above and beyond the obvious problem of Secretary Pompeo promoting one religious worldview on taxpayers' dime," Fish told The Daily Beast. "The bigger issue is that the State Department is being led by a man who genuinely believes that politics is 'a never-ending struggle... until the rapture.'"Levin said the Trump administration has consistently pushed at the boundary between church and state. "This administration has pursued an agenda of Christian nationalism," she said. She pointed to two other questionable incidents this weekend. On Friday, Attorney General Bill Barr gave a speech blaming "the growing ascendancy of secularism" for depression, mental illness, violence, and the opioid epidemic. On Saturday, Trump gave a speech to religious leaders proclaiming that "forever and always, Americans will believe in the cause of freedom, the power of prayer, and the eternal glory of God."Levin called the trio of speeches a "triple threat.""This is not unusual rhetoric we've seen from officials," she said, "but it is unusual to see Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, clear-cut abuse, these officials violating the separation of church and state."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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| UAW and General Motors Reach Tentative Agreement in Auto Strike Posted: 16 Oct 2019 08:44 AM PDT  After a month, end appears near to the auto strike that has idled nearly 50,000 U.S. workers.
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| Wisconsin jury awards $450,000 in Sandy Hook defamation case Posted: 16 Oct 2019 07:08 AM PDT  A jury in Wisconsin has awarded $450,000 to the father of a boy killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting after he filed a defamation lawsuit against conspiracy theorist writers who claimed the massacre never happened. A Dane County jury on Tuesday decided the amount James Fetzer must pay Leonard Pozner, whose 6-year-old son Noah was among the 26 victims at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Dec. 14, 2012. Fetzer, a retired University of Minnesota Duluth professor now living in Wisconsin, and Mike Palacek co-wrote a book, "Nobody Died at Sandy Hook," in which they claimed the Sandy Hook shooting never took place but was instead an event staged by the federal government as part of an Obama administration effort to enact tighter gun restrictions.
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| Turkey's president pulled one over on Trump — and some of the US's most dangerous adversaries are the big winners Posted: 15 Oct 2019 12:33 PM PDT  The Islamic State, Russia, Iran, and Syria are all poised to strengthen their positions amid the chaos triggered by Trump's abrupt withdrawal.
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| Sen. Klobuchar calls out Warren's healthcare plan: 'At least Bernie's being honest' Posted: 15 Oct 2019 05:47 PM PDT  During the Democratic debates in Ohio, Senator Amy Klobuchar and Mayor Pete Buttigieg attacked Senator Elizabeth Warren's healthcare plan. "We heard it tonight. A yes or no question that didn't get a yes or no answer," said Buttigieg.
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| 7 Indigenous Pioneers You Need to Know Posted: 14 Oct 2019 11:19 AM PDT |
| Mexican president confirms Pemex union boss under investigation Posted: 15 Oct 2019 10:15 AM PDT  The veteran leader of Mexico's powerful oil workers' union faces formal accusations of wrongdoing, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday, slowly turning up pressure on the labor boss to step aside. Earlier this year, sources said the attorney general's office had accused Pemex union chief Carlos Romero Deschamps and several relatives of illicit enrichment and money laundering, charges he has consistently denied. "Complaints have been presented to the attorney general's office," Lopez Obrador told a regular news conference.
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| The Latest: Tropical weather new fear at collapse site Posted: 15 Oct 2019 03:57 PM PDT  Tropical weather is the latest worry in New Orleans, where officials say experts have yet to come up with a viable plan for stabilizing a partially collapsed building and two damaged construction cranes. City Homeland Security director Collin Arnold said Tuesday authorities fear a disturbance over Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula could become a tropical depression threatening the Gulf Coast, bringing wind and rain that would topple the unstable structures onto neighboring buildings.
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| Grieving Parents ‘Ambushed’ by Trump, Who Had Teen’s Killer Waiting at White House Posted: 16 Oct 2019 03:27 AM PDT  Eduardo MunozReutersYou can almost imagine the reality-show excitement that surely went into the ill-considered plan to introduce Anne Sacoolas, the American diplomatic wife who killed 19-year-old motorcyclist Harry Dunn when she drove down the wrong side of an English lane in August, to Dunn's grieving parents. Sacoolas left the U.K. in early September under diplomatic-immunity protections and has not been seen in public since. After Killing Teen in U.K., Runaway Wife of U.S. 'Spy' Provokes Diplomatic CrisisThe Dunn family, now in the United States to drum up support to send Sacoolas back to the U.K. to face justice, had accepted an "urgent" invitation by the White House from National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, to visit Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday night. President Trump said Wednesday that he had arranged the meeting at the request of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Speaking at a joint press conference with Italian President Sergio Mattarella, he described the encounter as "beautiful in a certain way," adding that he expressed condolences "on behalf of our country. " He then admitted that he tried to get the family to meet Sacoolas, who was waiting in an adjacent room. "I offered to bring the person in question in," he said. "And they weren't ready for it."Trump, it seems, thought he could convince the Dunns to meet the woman who killed their son, and would do so by opening a side door through which she would walk. The whole scene would be captured by a pool of photographers who had been summoned for the meeting. But the Dunns would have none of it and refused to meet her. Dunn family spokesman Radd Seiger said that the family felt "ambushed" when the "bombshell" was dropped that Sacoolas was next door. They had envisioned meeting her one day, but as Seiger told The Daily Beast, "only on British soil" and "only with mediators, counselors, and their legal team in tow." In a statement on the Dunn's Justice4Harry GoFundMe page, Seiger explained what happened. "The family had four surprises yesterday," he wrote. "Firstly, being invited to the White House in the first place which came right out of the blue."In fact, Dunn's father Tim had suggested on CBS News earlier in the day that he would like to meet the president "man to man, father to father" to plead with him to send Sacoolas back to face justice. Seiger said the second surprise was that they had not expected to actually meet the president in person. But the third was the doozy. "Thirdly that Mrs. Sacoolas was present in the building and fourthly that it was the president's intention for Harry's family to meet Mrs. Sacoolas in the Oval Office in front of several photographers in what was obviously designed to be a press call," Seiger wrote in his statement.The Dunn family blames National Security Adviser O'Brien for the misstep. "It struck us that this meeting was hastily arranged by nincompoops on the run and in particular Mr. O'Brien, who appeared to be extremely uptight and aggressive and did not come across at all well in this meeting which required careful handling and sensitivity," Seiger wrote. "The family remain open to the possibility of meeting Mrs. Sacoolas one day in the future but in a neutral and appropriately controlled environment."In other words, not in a reality-TV setting. The Dunn family did say they were impressed with Trump before he tried to spring Sacoolas on them. Dunn's mother, Charlotte Charles, described Trump as "quite respondent" and that he tried to comfort her. "When he [President Trump] held my hand, I gripped it a lot tighter and I was honest with him and just said, as I said a while ago, 'If it was your son you would be doing the same as us,'" Charles told the British news media traveling with them. "He actually gripped my hand a little bit tighter and said 'Yes I would be.' And that's when he said he would try and look at this from a different angle."The Dunns have said they would ask a court for a suspended sentence for Sacoolas if she is convicted of their son's wrongful death. But only under the condition that she return to the U.K. to engage in the investigation and stand trial, if one is ordered. If she agrees to that, they say they will agree to meeting her in person and accepting what they assume would be her apology.Sacoolas has apologized through her lawyer, Amy Jeffress, who issued a statement that said the press has been reporting this case all wrong. "Anne is devastated by this tragic accident," the statement says. "No loss compares to the death of a child and Anne extends her deepest sympathy to Harry Dunn's family." The Dunns are clearly good people who are asking for nothing more than respect for the law and for their son. Requests to the State Dept. and White House for comment have not been answered. "Notwithstanding the nature of the meeting yesterday, the family would welcome any such further intervention so that this nightmare scenario can be brought to an end," Seiger wrote. "They look forward forward to engaging with the president again as soon as possible."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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| Pennsylvania man charged in decades-old rape case after DNA links him to attack Posted: 15 Oct 2019 08:36 PM PDT  Decades after a woman was raped near the University of Delaware campus, police identified a suspect based on DNA and "cutting-edge technology."
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| Brazil probes whether 'ghost ship' carrying Venezuelan oil involved in spill Posted: 15 Oct 2019 01:27 PM PDT  A huge oil spill off Brazil's northeastern coast may have involved a "ghost ship" carrying Venezuelan oil in breach of US sanctions, an expert close to the probe into the disaster said Tuesday. Brazil has accused its South American neighbor of responsibility for the leakage that began in early September and affects a 2,000-kilometer (1,200-mile) stretch of the Atlantic coast -- charges Venezuela's state oil giant PDVSA denies. Describing the incident as "very complex and unprecedented," Brazil's navy says it is investigating "lots of hypotheses" for the cause of the massive spill, including a ship accident.
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| GOP endorsement eludes indicted California congressman Posted: 14 Oct 2019 11:22 PM PDT  In a sign of a turbulent campaign to come, indicted U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter failed to win the endorsement Monday of his local Republican Party after arguing that he is the best candidate for the job despite his approaching federal trial. Hunter faced significant odds of winning the two-third support he needed for the nod from the San Diego Republican Party, with several other GOP candidates dividing the vote, including former Rep. Darrell Issa. "I've got this seat," Hunter said, with three other candidates seated beside him.
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| Sergeant is apparently 10th NYPD officer to die by suicide this year Posted: 15 Oct 2019 07:53 PM PDT  Commissioner says department is dealing with "epidemic" of suicides
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| This church in Pennsylvania holds a ceremony to bless guns Posted: 15 Oct 2019 04:19 AM PDT  Dozens of couples carrying assault rifles took part in a blessing of their weapons at a church in Newfoundland, Pennsylvania. Members of the World Peace and Unification Sanctuary, an unofficial sect of the Christian Unification movement, were invited to "show their willingness to defend their families, communities and nation". The weapons are meant to represent the "rod of iron" referenced in the biblical Book of Revelation, which was used to control God's enemies. The semi-automatic rifles are similar to the weapon used to kill 17 people in the shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida in February 2018. The church believes that the Florida shooting could have been prevented if the teachers were armed. Members carry guns while some wear crowns, often made of bullets Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty In the aftermath of the tragedy the debate over gun control raged across America, with shocked students calling for immediate action on gun control. Despite this, the US's largest gun lobby, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has hindered attempts to restrict the accessibility of firearms, using its financial and political clout. Weapons are not loaded and the guns are secured with zip ties to stop them firing Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Now, two decades on from the 1999 Columbine school shooting, it is easier to purchase assault rifles after a temporary ban under the Bush administration expired.
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| US border patrol says they tried to send UK family back after illegal crossing but Canada wouldn't take them Posted: 16 Oct 2019 03:00 AM PDT  As of Tuesday, seven members of the Connors family detained on October 2 are in detention at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) centre.
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| Pastor at Pro-Trump conference: 'We've come to declare war' Posted: 15 Oct 2019 03:53 PM PDT ![Pastor at Pro-Trump conference: 'We've come to declare war']( "Pastor at Pro-Trump conference: 'We've come to declare war'") If the video depicting a fake President Trump massacring members of the media -- which was condemned by the White House -- wasn't too much to handle already, ProPublica and WNYC released more disturbing audio from the conference where the footage was originally shown.While speaking at the pro-Trump conference in Miami, Florida, at the Trump National Doral Miami, Mark Burns, a pastor, told the crowd multiple times that "we've come to declare war." As he continued, he reportedly asked if anybody was "read to go to war for Donald J. Trump, this nation?" as the audience reportedly cheered him on.Additionally, radio host Wayne Allyn Root reportedly boasted about a time in his childhood when, as one of the few white students at a predominantly black high school, he knocked one classmate unconscious and shattered another kid's teeth. "My buddies and I were high-fiving and laughing," Root reportedly said during his speech. "Man, it was funny."Root reportedly went on to say that "you've got to be a natural-born killer" to win in politics. Listen to the audio clips at ProPublica.
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| Russia Prepares the Way for Bashar al-Assad’s Brutal Endgame in Nothern Syria Posted: 16 Oct 2019 02:01 AM PDT  GAZIANTEP, Turkey—After eight years of Syrian civil war, the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, and the displacement of half the Syrian population, U.S. President Donald J. Trump's decisions have created conditions for Bashar al-Assad's regime to re-assert control over nearly one-third of the country that had been outside its grip since 2012. Far from reining in U.S. adversaries, Trump's presidency will likely be remembered as one through which Assad, this century's greatest mass murderer, managed finally to claw his way back to a position of undisputed authority. Trump Just Enlisted America in a New Axis of EvilThis is the way that's playing out on the ground in what is, admittedly, still a complicated situation.The news began Tuesday morning with Russian pro-Kremlin journalist Oleg Blokhin streaming a live video from inside the recently abandoned American al-Sa'idi'a base in Syria on the western outskirts of the Manbij countryside. "Good morning to everyone from Manbij," exclaimed Blokhin. "I'm at the American military base right now, where they were until yesterday morning. Already, we're here [instead]. We're going to examine now how they were living here, what they were so busy with, and what's going on." A second video would show Blokhin as he mockingly played with a boom barrier at the entrance to the base, appearing to check whether or not it worked. "It's in good condition," he assured the cameraman, with a slight grin. Blokhin, who works for the pro-Kremlin ANNA news network, previously covered the activities of Russian private military contractor Wagner as it trained pro-Assad militiamen in January, and later accompanied Russian and pro-Assad forces during the latter's successful August campaign to take back the town of Khan Sheikhoun. Now, he stood gloating on a former U.S. military base. Other pro-Assad media soon conducted similar tours of other U.S. bases abandoned by American soldiers. Reports throughout the day Tuesday would also claim U.S. troops pulled out of two new additional locations including the eastern town of Tal Baydar and the Kharab Ashak base west of Ain Aissa. Shortly before U.S. troops withdrew, ISIS families still being detained at a nearby prison facility in Ain Aissa reportedly set fires throughout the camp in a renewed attempt to try to escape. In addition to exemplifying the momentous shift underway as Assad's vital ally Russia finally replaces the United States as the primary party in northern Syria capable of liaising with most all of the parties to the conflict, Blokhin's livestream carried a special significance for locals in Manbij. Over the past week, including several days after Trump's shock announcement that U.S. troops would withdraw from Syria, American soldiers at the al-Sa'idi'a base actually continued carrying out near-daily patrols in the western and northern Manbij countryside that helped successfully ward off previous attempts by Syrian regime forces to set up positions in the area. That offered hope to those in Manbij who oppose the regime—that U.S. military institutions might be capable of coercing the Turkish president to adopt a compromise that saw U.S. troops remain in the area until Turkish-backed forces were capable of assuming control. But those hopes along with more than 16 months of U.S.-Turkish diplomacy were dashed Tuesday as the American troops made their final withdrawal from the area, paving the way for Russian and Syrian regime forces to roll in free and unopposed. Elsewhere, in Ain Aissa and Tal Tamr, towns located along the M4 highway, northern Syria's main artery and transportation route, Russian and regime forces established permanent checkpoints and bases to ensure control of the strategic route in the face of oncoming Turkish assaults. Those reinforcements appeared to have helped the SDF capture three villages from Turkish-backed forces in the immediate vicinity north of Tal Tamr later that night. While the arrival of regime forces undoubtedly has provided much needed relief for the SDF on several fronts, doing so will come with a cost. As the SDF welcomes more Syrian regime reinforcements into its territory, the group undoubtedly will lose future leverage it would need in order to preserve a role for itself within civil governing institutions throughout northeast Syria. On Monday, the SDF's largely toothless civil wing, the Syrian Democratic Council, issued a directive to local councils in the area to continue to perform their duties "as previously," insisting that "nothing has changed" and that the agreement with the regime constituted no more than a temporary military alliance to protect Syria's borders. However it's unlikely that the SDF, the Syrian Democratic Council, or other SDF-backed institutions within the group's self-proclaimed "Autonomous Administration" will be able to preserve any modicum of independence as their reliance on the Assad regime becomes more solidified. And, following the failure of Russian-Turkish negotiations throughout Tuesday to reach a ceasefire between the warring parties, that reliance looks set to intensify. Negotiations between Moscow and Ankara began Tuesday morning following condemnation of Turkey's campaign by the Kremlin's special envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev. A high-ranking Free Syrian Army military source in Manbij told The Daily Beast that Turkey gave orders Tuesday morning to its FSA proxies to halt temporarily their assault while both sides attempted to reach a solution. During that time, numerous pro-regime demonstrations were held in Manbij as the Syrian army sent several armored tanks into the city. According to local sources on the ground, some of these demonstrations were led by pro-regime figures that previously had been arrested by the SDF but were recently released following the Russian and Syrian regime entrance to the city. The Russian-Turkish talks come one day after the official Facebook page for the Russian defense ministry's Hmeimim base issued a stern warning for Turkey and its allies not to "behave recklessly in entering an open war with government troops." That was issued shortly after the Russians allegedly concluded an agreement with the SDF to allow Russian and regime troops to enter the cities of Kobani and Manbij. Yet despite the repeated warnings and attempts to hold talks, by Tuesday night Turkish-backed forces re-launched their assault. Thousands of civilians fled the border city of Kobani as a result of renewed Turkish assaults on the city in an attempt by the latter to capture the site of a former U.S. base recently abandoned nearby. Shortly after, our military source would claim renewed orders had been given by Ankara to re-launch operations in Manbij by dawn. Speaking to Reuters while returning from the Azerbaijaini capital Baku, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared undeterred by recent U.S. sanctions imposed on Ankara, by the arrival of regime reinforcements into the area, or by international condemnation of his country's assault. "They say 'declare a ceasefire.' We will never declare a ceasefire," Erdogan said. "They are pressuring us to stop the operation. They are announcing sanctions. Our goal is clear. We are not worried about any sanctions."Shortly after, local media and activists would report a Turkish airstrike on the strategic town of Aun al-Dadat, the site of a former U.S. base in the north Manbij countryside along the al-Sajur River that has since been occupied by SDF and regime units. Nawaf al-Mustafa, an activist living several miles away in Manbij city, said he could hear the explosion from his home. "I heard an explosion and thought it might have been an ISIS suicide attack," he said. "But it wasn't, news came in shortly after that Turkish forces instead were bombing Aun al-Dadat."Look Who's Back! Trump Handed Terrorists a Free Pass.Ahmed Qalqali, another anti-regime activist, would send out an alert to the families of FSA fighters to several WhatsApp groups used by locals to follow the news. "Any young man in Manbij who has a brother fighting on the front lines with the FSA should avoid sleeping at home tonight," hinting at the possibility of SDF-regime house raids in response to the attacks. "Try to stay with a friend or someone to whom you're not blood related." Despite the Turkish insistence to continue fighting, in reality the tide seems to be turning against Ankara and its proxies. Despite managing to gain control of the strategic border town of Tal Abyad, after nearly one week of fighting Turkish-backed forces have been unable to capture Ras al-Ain, a city of just over 30,000 that has managed to put up stiff resistance and ward off Turkish incursions. Manbij, a city of nearly 100,000, will require much greater strength and political will in order to be captured.Recent U.S. sanctions imposed by the Trump administration on key Turkish ministers and cabinet officials will also likely further hamper Ankara's ability to freely wage war against the SDF, while significantly raising the cost of doing so. Nonetheless, these factors are unlikely to push Erdogan to end the campaign, as domestic pressures to create space to resettle Syrian refugees that have proven a burden to the Turkish economy threaten to destabilize his government. What will likely ensue will be a committed, albeit slow and protracted campaign to achieve Ankara's goal of carving out a safe zone in Manbij and along the entirety of Turkey's border with Syria. However, the likely delay in achieving further Turkish gains will also give the Syrian regime a larger window to calmly mobilize and deploy its forces throughout the region while still being able to exploit the threat posed to the SDF by Ankara in order to slowly grab more power in northeastern Syria. Further, the expansion of Syrian regime troops throughout the area doesn't seem to be a prospect that much bothers the Turkish president, so long as they don't mix with SDF and other armed Kurdish elements. Also while speaking to reporters in Baku, Erdogan stated, "The regime entering Manbij is not very negative for me. Why? It's their lands after all," he said. "But, what is important to me is that the terrorist organization does not remain there… I told this to Mr. Putin as well. If you are clearing Manbij of terrorist organizations, then go ahead, you or the regime can provide all the logistics. But if you are not going to do this, the people there are telling us to save them." By "terrorist organizations," Erdogan means primarily the Kurds who were backed by the United States in the fight against ISIS.Such a statement from a head of state who for eight years has been among the most enthusiastic supporters of the Syrian revolution to topple Assad is indicative of the extent to which international calculus surrounding the Syrian issue has changed. It will likely encourage the Assad regime to consider the possibility of going after and eliminating the SDF itself if doing so may once and for all put an end to the activities of their meddlesome Turkish neighbor. Such a prospect may occur as part of a broader swap or deal whereby Turkey would also agree to withdraw its troops from the broader Idlib region, where Ha'it Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an offshoot of al Qaeda's former Syrian branch, Jabhat al-Nusra, and other FSA groups have been engaged in a bloody standoff with the Syrian regime for over a year.Erdogan's statements make perfectly clear that, following Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops, the cards increasingly lie in the hands of the Assad regime and its Russian ally. 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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| Beto O'Rourke slams 'disgraced TV host' Bill O'Reilly who doubted story of woman working 4 jobs Posted: 16 Oct 2019 08:37 AM PDT  "Beto says he met a woman working FOUR jobs. And raising a special needs child. I don't believe him. Sorry," O'Reilly tweeted.
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| View 2021 Genesis GV70 Spy Photos Posted: 15 Oct 2019 09:28 AM PDT |
| Iran president's brother starts 5-year jail term: report Posted: 16 Oct 2019 02:39 AM PDT  Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's brother entered prison Wednesday to begin a five-year sentence after he was convicted of corruption, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported, citing his lawyer. Hossein Fereydoun, who served as an aide to the president, was arrested in July 2017 and put on trial in February this year on allegations of financial violations. "This morning Mr Fereydoun together with myself were present at the prosecutor's office," Hossein Sartipi said, quoted by ISNA.
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| The Latest: HK protest organizer attacked with hammers Posted: 16 Oct 2019 06:11 AM PDT  Organizers of some of the giant demonstrations that have shaken Hong Kong say one of their leading activists has been attacked by assailants with hammers, leaving him bloody but conscious. The Civil Human Rights Front says on its Facebook page that Jimmy Sham was on his way to a meeting when the four or five armed attackers pounced on him in Kowloon. Sham has been one of the public faces of the anti-government protest movement now in its fifth month.
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| Yes, Russia or China Could Sink a U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier. Here's How. Posted: 16 Oct 2019 01:30 AM PDT  How vulnerable are America's carriers?
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| What the Social Security COLA for 2020 Means For You Posted: 15 Oct 2019 09:39 AM PDT ![What the Social Security COLA for 2020 Means For You]( "What the Social Security COLA for 2020 Means For You") Social Security payments will grow by 1.6% in 2020. The program will also be adjusted in several important ways that could affect the Social Security payments you receive or how much you pay into the system. -- Social Security payments will increase by 1.6%.
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| Warren, Buttigieg Dismiss O’Rourke’s Call to Strip Churches of Tax-Exempt Status If They Oppose Gay Marriage Posted: 14 Oct 2019 01:12 PM PDT  Democratic presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg have both distanced themselves from fellow candidate Beto O'Rourke's call to revoke the tax-exempt status afforded to religious institutions that oppose same-sex marriage."There can be no reward, no benefit, no tax break for anyone … that denies the full human rights and the full civil rights of every single one of us." O'Rourke said during CNN's "Equality in America" town hall last Thursday night. "And so as president, we are going to make that a priority, and we are going to stop those who are infringing upon the human rights of our fellow Americans."Despite widespread bipartisan criticism, O'Rourke reiterated his stance during a Sunday interview, telling NBC News that he would ensure that all institutions that "provide services in the public sphere," would be forced to comply with certain non-discrimination standards if they wish to continue enjoying tax-exempt status.Asked by the Associated Press whether she agreed with O'Rourke's assertions, Warren's campaign replied by email, saying that "Elizabeth will stand shoulder to shoulder with the LGBTQ+ community," but would refuse to eliminate the tax-exempt status of religious organizations as part of an anti-discrimination effort."Religious institutions in America have long been free to determine their own beliefs and practices, and she does not think we should require them to conduct same-sex marriages in order to maintain their tax-exempt status," campaign spokeswoman Saloni Sharma said in an email.Pete Buttigieg has also distanced himself from O'Rourke, saying Sunday that "going after the tax exemption of churches, Islamic centers or other religious facilities in this country" will "deepen the divisions that we're already experiencing."
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| Trump's businesses reportedly gave different financial figures to lenders and tax authorities as recently as 2017 Posted: 16 Oct 2019 06:53 AM PDT ![Trump's businesses reportedly gave different financial figures to lenders and tax authorities as recently as 2017]( "Trump's businesses reportedly gave different financial figures to lenders and tax authorities as recently as 2017") More questions have arisen surrounding President Trump's businesses after ProPublica obtained documents via New York's Freedom of Information Law.The documents show that for two of Trump's New York properties -- 40 Wall Street and the Trump International Hotel and Tower -- different financial figures were reported to lenders and to tax authorities. For example, the Trump Organization told a lender that 40 Wall Street had been 58.9 percent leased on Dec. 31, 2012, before vaulting to 95 percent a few years later, which reportedly represented borrower-friendly "leasing momentum." But the company reportedly disclosed that the building was 81 percent rented as of Jan. 5, 2013 to tax officials. Ultimately, the reporting strategy helped Trump reach favorable terms -- he received a 10-year loan with a lower interest than the building previously had and was also able to defer paying off much of the principal until the end of the loan. "There was a story crafted here," said Kevin Riordan, a financing expert and real estate professor at Montclair State University.As for Trump Tower, the company reportedly told tax authorities that the building made around $822,000 renting space to commercial tenants in 2017, while reporting to lenders that it took in nearly double that. In eight years of data ProPublica examined for the property, the Trump organization generally reported gross income to tax authorities that was around 81 percent of what it reported to the lender.There can be legitimate reasons for such numbers to diverge, real estate experts have noted, but those same experts told ProPublica that some of the gaps in the documents did not appear to have any reasonable justification. Nancy Wallace, a professor of finance and real estate at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley said the discrepancies amount to some "versions of fraud." Read more at ProPublica.
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| UPDATE 1-Syrian Observatory: Russian forces cross Euphrates, reach outskirts of Kobani in northern Syria Posted: 16 Oct 2019 06:43 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Syrian Observatory: Russian forces cross Euphrates, reach outskirts of Kobani in northern Syria]( "UPDATE 1-Syrian Observatory: Russian forces cross Euphrates, reach outskirts of Kobani in northern Syria") Russian forces have crossed the Euphrates River in northern Syria and reached the outskirts of the city of Kobani, pushing eastward with Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Syrian Observatory said on Wednesday. The troop movement comes days after the SDF cut a deal with the Syrian government for army troops to deploy at the Turkey-Syria border following a Turkish invasion of northeast Syria last week. "Russian forces reached an area outside of Kobani, about 4-5 kilometres outside the city, after crossing the Euphrates," said Rami Abdulrahman, the director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based war monitor.
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| GM, UAW strike deal: Automaker, union reach tentative agreement on new contract Posted: 16 Oct 2019 09:22 AM PDT  General Motors and the United Auto Workers reached a proposed tentative agreement on a new contract Wednesday, the 31st day of a nationwide strike.
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| Magnitude 4.7 earthquake shakes part of central California Posted: 15 Oct 2019 04:28 PM PDT  A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck a remote area of central California on Tuesday. But a seismologist said there was no connection to a slightly smaller quake hours earlier in the San Francisco Bay Area region.
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| New Jersey police are looking for a possible witness to the kidnapping of a 3-year-old girl 30 days ago Posted: 16 Oct 2019 07:35 AM PDT  Five-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez disappeared from Bridgeton City Park in New Jersey on September 16.
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