| Israel’s New Way of War Posted: 18 Nov 2019 10:57 AM PST  Commuters on Route 4, driving toward the Israeli coastal city of Ashdod on November 12, were shocked by an explosion, a rocket impact next to a major intersection. Had it fallen on a car or one of the many trucks plying the route, there would have been deaths, and the road would have been closed. Instead, police and Israeli Home Front Command units came and cordoned off the sidewalk, and drivers went about their day. Twenty-five miles south of where the rocket landed, other rocket teams from Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), an Iranian-backed terrorist group, were preparing to fire more than 400 rockets at Israel during a brief flare-up in fighting. Most of them would be intercepted by Israel's high-tech air defense.The ability of millions of Israelis to mostly go about their day while Israel's air force carries out precision air strikes nearby is due to Israel's latest achievements in fighting war. It also comes with questions about whether Israel is being effective and what this latest revolution in military affairs means in the long term.A week after the November 12 clashes, they had faded into the background, one day of battle among dozens since March 2018, when Hamas launched a series of protests called the Great Return March. More than 2,000 rockets have been fired, many of them in short spurts. Several times, Israel almost launched a major ground operation. But it has held back. Its Iron Dome air-defense system, which looks like a giant green pack of cigarettes mounted on a truck, intercepted 90 percent of the rockets in the battle with Islamic Jihad. The sophisticated system, developed with U.S. support, not only targets incoming projectiles by firing a missile at them; it even calculates precisely where the threat might hit and works accordingly with a separate system of sirens that warn Israelis to seek shelter.As in almost every attack since Israel pulled its forces from Gaza in 2005, I went down to the border. The area has changed dramatically over the years. In 2008, before Operation Cast Lead, areas of Sderot, a border town, were dilapidated and depressing. Under fire, without any protection, the people were traumatized. Now there are new parks and shopping centers. Israel didn't go to war on November 12 because it didn't need to, and it sees diminishing returns in entering Gaza and getting bogged down in fighting. It also knows that civilian casualties would result. In Cast Lead, around 1,400 Palestinians were killed; in the Gaza war in 2014, more than 2,400, according to estimates. Gaza is densely populated; imagine trying to fight a war in Manhattan. Civilians will suffer.However, the volume of rocket fire from Gaza in the past year and the extent of Israeli airstrikes are as large as in previous wars. In July 2018, Israel struck 40 targets in what it said were the largest strikes since the 2014 war. In November 2018, around 500 rockets were fired. In response, Israel struck 160 targets that month. In May 2019, more than 600 rockets were fired at Israel. In the recent battle with Islamic Jihad, Israel hit around 20 PIJ targets. A mistaken airstrike also killed eight civilians from one Palestinian family.Israel dubbed its recent operation "Black Belt" and aimed it at deterring PIJ, which poses a challenge for Israel if there is also conflict with Hezbollah in the north. Delivering a blow to the organization by killing a senior commander to "stabilize the situation" is what Jerusalem hoped to achieve. "Our assessment shows we dealt a significant blow to PIJ's capabilities," an IDF spokesman said in a press briefing.This is Israel's new way of war. It mirrors a type of war that most advanced Western countries, particularly the United States, now fight. It involves precision airstrikes or special forces and complex intelligence-gathering through the use of satellites, cyber technology, and other sources. Gone are the days of heavy armor, of Israel's Moshe Dayan or America's George Patton and all that. This "revolution in military affairs" that was unveiled in the early 1990s mandates the use of technology and now involves "asymmetry," which basically means that on one side you have an F-35 and on the other you have a guy with an AK-47. It's not simple in reality, because groups such as Islamic Jihad have developed long-range rockets, with Iran's backing.Nevertheless, in the overall picture, Israel has reached extreme precision in its airstrikes, putting a missile in a bedroom rather than taking out a whole house. Air defense, including Iron Dome and other systems such as the U.S.-made Patriot, enable Jerusalem to avoid a ground war and to focus on the Iranian threat. This is a major revolution for Israel. Thirteen years ago the country was dragged into a conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon and suffered many early setbacks on the ground. That war taught Israel that its decade and a half of fighting Palestinian terror in the West Bank and Gaza had degraded the army's ability to engage in a larger complex conflict.Now Israel prefers to prepare for the larger conflict with Iranian-backed groups while managing the conflict in Gaza and carrying out airstrikes in Syria against Iranian targets that are largely shrouded in secrecy. These precise strikes, such as one on a Hezbollah "killer drone" team in August, could lead to a larger conflict. As it faces a variety of threats, from Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed groups, Israel will have to use its air defense against major rocket threats, relying on the tactics it honed in the precision strikes. New technologies enabled Israel to refrain from major conflicts with the Palestinians. In the next war, they will be tested on a much larger scale, on multiple fronts.
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| Syracuse University has suspended all fraternity activities for the rest of the semester after a black student said a group of students accosted her and called her a racial slur Posted: 18 Nov 2019 08:56 AM PST  The student newspaper reported that a black female student was called the N-word while walking on campus Saturday night.
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| Report: Prosecutor used daughter as bait to catch molester Posted: 17 Nov 2019 11:39 AM PST  A Northern California prosecutor used his 13-year-old daughter to lure a man back to the spot where she said he had molested her, so the man's incriminating actions could be recorded on video, according to a newspaper report Sunday. The suspect has been arrested but the Santa Clara County prosecutor is under scrutiny for possibly endangering his child, the Mercury News reported, citing police reports and sources familiar with the case. Ali Mohammad Lajmiri, 76, of San Jose is charged with lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 and false imprisonment.
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| Passenger dies after accidental fall from balcony on Carnival’s Horizon during cruise Posted: 19 Nov 2019 07:37 AM PST ![Passenger dies after accidental fall from balcony on Carnival's Horizon during cruise]( "Passenger dies after accidental fall from balcony on Carnival's Horizon during cruise") A man fell from a balcony to a deck below on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship as it was returning to port in Miami, officials say.
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| Vietnam families of UK truck victims take on loans to repatriate remains Posted: 19 Nov 2019 01:55 AM PST  Some families of the 39 Vietnamese people found dead in a truck in Britain last month will take on steep loans from the government to repatriate their relatives' remains, they told AFP Tuesday. Vietnam's foreign ministry said they would help to bring either the ashes or the bodies of the victims back -- but that families would have to cover the cost of repatriation. Families in central Vietnam, where many of the 39 victims come from, said they were desperate to bring their loved ones back nearly four weeks after the tragedy, despite the debt they will have to take on.
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| Mexico, Uruguay and Caribbean Community reject use of force in Venezuela -statement Posted: 18 Nov 2019 10:26 AM PST ![Mexico, Uruguay and Caribbean Community reject use of force in Venezuela -statement]( "Mexico, Uruguay and Caribbean Community reject use of force in Venezuela -statement") Mexico, Uruguay and representatives of the Caribbean Community on Monday rejected the use of force and human rights violations in Venezuela, urging a peaceful and democratic solution to solve the crisis in the troubled South American nation. The group issued the statement after Venezuela's opposition staged nationwide protests against Nicolas Maduro on Saturday and called for a new wave of demonstrations to revive stalled efforts to topple the deeply unpopular ruling Socialist Party.
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| The New York Times report on China's mass detention of Muslims seems to have broken through Beijing's internet firewall Posted: 18 Nov 2019 12:07 PM PST ![The New York Times report on China's mass detention of Muslims seems to have broken through Beijing's internet firewall]( "The New York Times report on China's mass detention of Muslims seems to have broken through Beijing's internet firewall") The Great Firewall may have been breached.Beijing doubled down Monday after The New York Times published a report on over 400 leaked documents that provided a look into China's mass detention of Muslims in the Xinjiang region, though the government didn't dispute the authenticity of the documents."It is precisely because of a series of preventative counterterrorism and de-extremism measures taken in a timely manner that Xinjiang, which had been deeply plagued by terrorism, has not had a violent terrorist incident for three years," said Geng Shuang, a spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Geng added that the Times took things out of context in an attempt to "smear and discredit China's antiterrorism and de-extremism capabilities."But aside from Geng's comments, the Times reports that Chinese state media said little else about the issue, which is not surprising given the sensitive nature of the issue. But there were signs that at least some aspects of the leak snuck past Beijing's internet firewall, which blocks access to the Times. One user on Chinese social media platform Weibo reportedly posted about Wang Yongzhi, an official cited in the report who initially helped implement China's harsh measure, but eventually ordered the release of more than 7,000 detention camp inmates before he was arrested. "History will not forget this person and this page of paper," the Weibo user wrote, indicating that the documents might have made their way through. Read more at The New York Times.More stories from theweek.com The potential lie that could actually destroy Trump The coming death of just about every rock legend Everyone will eventually turn on Trump. Even Steve Doocy.
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| Russia's Monster Typhoon Submarines: Now Tricked Out with 200 Cruise Missiles? Posted: 17 Nov 2019 03:00 PM PST  Each carries as many as 200 cruise missiles.
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| Alexander Vindman ended his opening statement in Trump's impeachment hearing with a message to his father: 'Do not worry. I will be fine for telling the truth.' Posted: 19 Nov 2019 07:45 AM PST  "Dad, I'm sitting here today ... is proof that you made the right decision 40 years ago to leave the Soviet Union," Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman said.
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| Hong Kong protesters attempt daring escape down ropes as police seal off university Posted: 18 Nov 2019 12:41 PM PST  Protesters in Hong Kong staged a daring breakout from a university besieged by police last night as parents pleaded with authorities to spare the young activists, some of them high-school students, who remain inside. The escape came as police said Hong Kong's Polytechnic University had turned into a "powder keg" and student leaders accused authorities of creating a "humanitarian crisis" inside the campus. Earlier on Monday the besieged protesters, who are running low on supplies and fear the consequences of an all-out police assault, mounted an attempt to break out in force, but were beaten back by tear gas. Thousands of protesters streamed towards the campus in an attempt to break the siege from the outside, and clashes broke out with police in nearby Kowloon. In the evening, several dozen black-clad protesters used a rope to slither down several metres on to a motorway below where they were picked up by waiting motorcyclists. It was unclear how many remained inside. This was probably the most surreal thing I have ever witnessed in the Hong Kong protests. Protesters just attempted a daring escape through a bridge at Polytechnic University. Volunteers on motorbikes came in drives to drive them out asap. Police fired teargas. HongKongProtestspic.twitter.com/huhSo3Mxo9— Michael Zhang 張雨軒 (@YuxuanMichael) November 18, 2019 Meanwhile, a group of parents unfurled a banner near the police cordon outside the campus saying "Save Our Kids." Hundreds of protesters including high school students have been trapped inside Polytechnic University since activists seized and fortified it late last week, saying it was their last refuge from police brutality against the pro-democracy activist movement. The campus became a battlefield over the weekend when protesters used petrol bombs, bricks and arrows to repel police armored cars and water cannon trying to enter the campus. Student leaders now say they are suffering from siege conditions and fear for their safety. Hong Kong campus siege "Hong Kong police are creating a humanitarian crisis inside PolyU," Ken Woo Kwok-wang, acting president of the student union, told a Hong Kong newspaper. "We are trapped. There is insufficient food and the number of injured is on the rise, and the hygiene situation is getting worse." Police have described the campus as a "weapons factory," saying they had received a report that several toxic and dangerous chemicals, including highly volatile explosives, had been stolen from a laboratory. "We must warn that the university campus has become a powder keg where danger is far beyond what we can estimate," said Kwok Ka-chuen, a police chief superintendent. A protester lowers herself down a rope from the bridge to the highway Credit: ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images "Hong Kong's rule of law has been pushed to the brink of total collapse." Cheuk Hau-yip, the commander of Kowloon West district, where Polytechnic University is located, said the police had the resources to end the siege and said those inside would be arrested. "Other than coming out to surrender, I don't see that there's any viable option for them," he said. Authorities, meanwhile, were dealt a setback Monday when Hong Kong's high court struck down a contentious ban on wearing face masks in public imposed last month, ruling it unconstitutional. Protests have disrupted Hong Kong continuously for nearly six months. They first kicked off against a now-withdrawn extradition proposal, though sentiments have pivoted to target the police, who protesters accuse of brutality, and more broadly, China, over concerns that Communist Party rule is eroding freedoms in the former British colony. As clashes escalated significantly over the last week, forcing schools to shut, fears have grown that China may again call on military reinforcements to restore order, a move that would recall the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 when soldiers fired on peaceful student demonstrators. Speculation mounted further after Chinese troops stationed in Hong Kong were spotted in the streets over the weekend cleaning up protest sites, an act authorities have said was voluntary. Police have arrested nearly 4,500 people, aged 11 to 83, since protests kicked off in early June. They have been detained for unlawful assembly, possession of offensive weapons, arson, and taking part in a riots – a serious charge that carries a maximum of ten years in prison. About 150 of those arrests were made over the weekend. As the university deadlock continues, former British foreign secretary Malcolm Rifkind urged Hong Kong authorities to exercise restraint. "A bloodbath on a Hong Kong campus would be devastating," he said in a statement issued by Hong Kong Watch, a UK-based advocacy group. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam "has the responsibility to do everything possible to prevent a massacre." Additional reporting by Yiyin Zhong
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| Nunes Opens Impeachment Hearings by Attacking Media ‘Puppets’ for Inaccurate Trump Coverage Posted: 19 Nov 2019 07:30 AM PST  House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Devin Nunes (R., Calif.) accused the media of being "puppets of the Democratic Party" in his opening statement during public impeachment hearings on Tuesday."If you watched the impeachment hearings last week, you may have noticed a disconnect between what you actually saw and the mainstream media accounts describing it," Nunes said, directing his comments to the American people. "What you saw were three diplomats, who dislike the President's Ukraine policy, discussing second-hand and third-hand conversations about their objections . . . they were unable to identify any crime or impeachable offense the President committed. But what you read in the press were accounts of shocking, damning, and explosive testimony that fully supports the Democrats' accusations."Nunes focused his critiques on the media's lack of "objectivity or fairness" in covering the Mueller report, and mentioned several articles as specific examples, before moving on to the coverage of the impeachment inquiry, including the acceptance of the Democrats' "stunning reversal on the need for the Whistleblower to testify to this committee.""The media have joined the Democrats in dismissing the importance of cross-examining this crucial witness. Now that the Whistleblower has successfully kickstarted impeachment, he has disappeared from the story — as if the Democrats put the Whistleblower in their own Witness Protection Program," Nunes stated.The congressman also pointed to recent articles on investigative journalist John Solomon as further evidence of media bias. Solomon, formerly of The Hill, has reported that Hunter Biden and his business partner Devon Archer joined Burisma despite the warnings of colleague Christopher Heinz, the stepson to former secretary of state John Kerry. Later, both Biden and Archer scheduled meetings with senior State Department officials, according to email records obtained by Solomon.The records prompted a letter to the State Department from Republican senators Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson that requested the disclosure of any other internal documents involving Biden and Burisma."Since the Democrats switched from Russia to Ukraine for their impeachment crusade, Solomon's reporting on Burisma, Hunter Biden, and Ukrainian election meddling has become inconvenient for the Democratic narrative, and so the media is furiously smearing and libeling Solomon," Nunes said.
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| Ghislaine Maxwell is at the center of the Epstein controversy, but she's in hiding Posted: 18 Nov 2019 12:19 PM PST  The British socialite friend of Prince Andrew is accused of recruiting girls for the disgraced financier's sex trafficking ring Ghislaine Maxwell is accused of recruiting girls for Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking ring. Photograph: Patrick McMullan via Getty ImagesPrince Andrew's recent interview about his relationship with the alleged child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein has sparked many questions but one stands out: what happened to Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite friend of the prince who is accused of procuring victims for the disgraced financier.The Duke of York admitted ties to Maxwell and Epstein during the bombshell BBC Newsnight interview – while adamantly denying wrongdoing and expressing regret for continued association with Epstein.Andrew said he met Epstein through Maxwell, the daughter of late media baron Robert Maxwell. Maxwell has vehemently denied allegations of wrongdoing but her current whereabouts are unknown, with media reports placing sightings of her in various cities in the US and Europe.Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail in August, following his arrest on federal sex trafficking charges.At the center of this controversy is Epstein's accuser Virginia Giuffre, who claims Maxwell recruited her to work as his masseuse when she was 15 years old. Giuffre has alleged that a sexual encounter took place with Andrew around 2001, when she was 17.Giuffre claims Epstein flew her to London on his private jet. After dining with the prince and dancing with him at the Tramp nightclub, she claims, they had a sexual encounter in Maxwell's Belgravia house.Prince Andrew stands with Virginia Giuffre while Ghislaine Maxwell smiles in the background. Photograph: REX/ShutterstockA photo of Andrew posing with his hand around the teen Giuffre was purportedly taken at Maxwell's home – she is seen smiling in the background. Andrew said in the Newsnight interview he last had contact with Maxwell earlier this year, before Epstein's arrest.Multiple women in addition to Giuffre have alleged Maxwell enabled Epstein's sex trafficking ring, either recruiting them directly or planning visits to his homes.Yet Maxwell's fate remains an almost complete mystery. She has not been charged. And while she presently faces civil litigation, the likelihood of a court appearance is unknown. Her last public appearance seems to have been at a Los Angeles fast-food restaurant in August, though doubts have been raised about the veracity of that sighting.Multiple attorneys listed for Maxwell did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Federal authorities have said the investigation into Epstein's sex trafficking is ongoing. But, officially, their comment is general and does not relate specifically to Maxwell or anyone else.Legal opinions about whether Andrew could face legal trouble in the US are split and Maxwell's potential role in any legal move against the prince is unclear – though she would probably be vital to such a ploy.Mitchell Garabedian, the Boston lawyer who exposed Catholic clergy sex abuse, said in an email attorneys would want to locate Maxwell in the US, as courts here would have legal power to get her to testify. "Certainly, given Ms Maxwell's central role in the Epstein matter, what Ms Maxwell has to say as a witness about Prince Andrew's involvement will greatly affect the opinions of countless others whether connected to law enforcement or otherwise," Garabedian wrote.Asked whether this meant Andrew was exposed to US legal liability, Garabedian said, "It depends on the facts."Paul Shechtman, a veteran criminal law attorney who teaches criminal procedure at Columbia University Law School, said that while pursuing a case against Maxwell probably appeals to the federal prosecutors who arrested Epstein, targeting Andrew might not."Everything points to the fact that she is a serious subject of the southern district [of New York]'s investigation and at the same time, and for a variety of reasons, I don't think he is," Shechtman said.Authorities would have to prove Andrew knew someone was underage, Shechtman said, and "as a general matter, having sexual relations with someone who's underage is a state crime and not a federal crime."I think his exposure for a federal prosecution is quite small indeed," he said, adding. "I think he can continue to be a prince."Rebecca Roiphe, a professor of law at New York Law School and former assistant district attorney in Manhattan, said Andrew's links to Maxwell meant he was caught up in the scandal, regardless of his links to Epstein. But that did not necessarily mean he would face charges."The mere fact that Prince Andrew was friends with Maxwell and she was allegedly involved in Epstein's conduct does not itself prove Prince Andrew's involvement," she said in an email. "But it certainly raises questions that will affect publicity and in this particular case publicity is, on its own, quite powerful."Certainly Andrew's Newsnight interview was a blow in the global courtroom of public opinion. But amid the fallout from such a catastrophic PR blunder, another uncomfortable fact emerged. With Epstein dead and Maxwell missing, Andrew has become the most public face of an ongoing investigation."Of course, if it's proved that Andrew was involved with Maxwell and Epstein in the alleged criminal acts then he could face criminal liability," Roiphe continued."Prosecutors are eager to hold someone responsible for Epstein's alleged crimes. Maxwell is an obvious choice now that Epstein is dead but she is unavailable, which may mean that Prince Andrew is high on their list."Meanwhile, Epstein's estate is facing numerous lawsuits from women who say he sexually abused them, many while they were underage. On Monday, a new lawsuit was filed by a woman identified as Jane Doe 15, who alleged that Epstein assaulted her at his New Mexico ranch when she was 15."Jane Doe was only 15 years old when Jeffrey Epstein preyed upon her, trafficked her and sexually abused her," said the accuser's lawyer, Gloria Allred, at a news conference. "She wants to speak her truth and encourage other underage victims of Jeffrey Epstein who have not yet asserted their legal rights."
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| Colombia church massacre victims ID’d with DNA put to rest Posted: 18 Nov 2019 02:06 PM PST  Relatives of those killed in a Colombia massacre put their loved ones to rest Monday nearly two decades after the attack – while also warning that the government hasn't done enough to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again. Family members held a memorial ceremony in the Chocó province town of Bojayá following a painstaking process in which forensic scientists used DNA to identify nearly 80 people initially buried in mass graves. People were sheltering in a church as leftist rebels clashed with paramilitaries in 2002, and a mortar shell exploded inside, killing dozens.
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| Trump prepares to seize private land in Texas for border wall: Report Posted: 17 Nov 2019 10:33 AM PST  The Trump administration is preparing to submit court filings as soon as next week as a necessary step toward seizing private land in Texas for its wall on the border with Mexico, NBC reported on Thursday.
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| Israel's settlers and the Palestinians they live among Posted: 19 Nov 2019 01:34 AM PST ![Israel's settlers and the Palestinians they live among]( "Israel's settlers and the Palestinians they live among") One is an Israeli settler, the other a Palestinian living across the road. Israel's settlements in the occupied West Bank are one of the most heated issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Palestinians want the area, captured by Israel in a 1967 war, for a future state.
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| Buttigieg campaign criticized for using stock photo of Kenyan woman to promote plan to address US racism Posted: 18 Nov 2019 02:21 PM PST  A Buttigieg campaign spokesman apologized for the use of the photo "and for the confusion it created," adding that the use of stock photos is "standard practice."
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| 10 Things We Want to Leave Behind in the 2010s Posted: 19 Nov 2019 08:40 AM PST |
| Tillerson says Trump actions 'wrong' if proven Posted: 18 Nov 2019 04:05 PM PST  Tillerson, a former oil executive who was unceremoniously fired by Trump in March last year, was asked about the scandal in an interview with the PBS Newshour broadcast Monday. "So if you're seeking some personal gain and you're using, whether it's American foreign aid, American weapons or American influence, that's wrong, and I think everyone understands that," he said.
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| Desperate Hong Kong protesters explore sewers in campus escape bid Posted: 19 Nov 2019 06:26 AM PST  Arms covered in cling film and torches in hand as they drop into the sewers, clusters of pro-democracy protesters still inside a Hong Kong campus are plotting increasingly ingenious -- and desperate -- ways to escape a police siege. Among the detritus of a scorched and graffiti-sprayed concourse at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, several plastic covers -- some with torches placed above them -- betray extraordinary underground escape plans. Protesters have removed metal manholes, some making exploratory forays into the fetid tunnels, following rumours of successful exfiltrations from a campus ringed for three days by baton-wielding police determined to arrest them.
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| U.S. Increased Sea Patrols to Send Message to China, Defense Secretary Says Posted: 19 Nov 2019 02:52 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. is conducting more patrols in the South China Sea to send a signal to China that it intends to maintain freedom in the area that's crucial for global trade, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Tuesday.Esper said at a media briefing in Manila the U.S. "rejects attempts by any nation to use coercion or intimidation to advance international interests at the expense of others."He also urged nations with South China Sea claims to take a public position and assert sovereign rights to get China "on the right path.""The clear signal we're trying to send is not that we're opposing China per se, but we all stand for international law, and that we think China should abide by them as well," Esper said.Esper said the U.S. has conducted "more freedom of navigation operations in the past year or so than we did have in the past 20-plus years."While Esper didn't elaborate, the U.S. has confirmed at least five so-called freedom of navigation operations to challenge excessive maritime claims in the Spratly and Paracel island chains, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That's the same number that were publicly reported in 2018.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang hit back at a separate briefing in Beijing, saying the U.S. has long sought to "fan the flames" and create "chaos in the South China Sea." Geng added that China was working with regional countries to ensure stability and urged the U.S. to stop acting as a "disruptor."In Manila Esper also said the U.S. remains committed to the 68-year-old defense treaty that binds it to come to the Philippines' aid in case of an armed attack on its territory. The treaty applies to the South China Sea, he added.The Philippines is discussing with the U.S. how the defense treaty can be made clearer, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said. He added that the two nations' relationship had "suffered setbacks" but remained enduring.Esper also pledged to continue supporting Philippine military upgrades and counter-terrorism efforts and said it was good to clarify the defense treaty to respond to changing times.(Updates with comments from Esper, China's Foreign Ministry in grafs 5-7)\--With assistance from Peter Martin.To contact the reporters on this story: Andreo Calonzo in Manila at acalonzo1@bloomberg.net;Glen Carey in Manila at gcarey8@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Cecilia Yap at cyap19@bloomberg.net, Muneeza NaqviFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| The Fighter Planes Iran Desperately Wants (This Picture Is a Clue) Posted: 18 Nov 2019 02:00 PM PST  But no one is selling.
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| 2 dead as French bridge collapse sends vehicles into river Posted: 18 Nov 2019 07:27 AM PST  A 15-year-old girl and a truck driver died Monday when a road bridge collapsed in rural southwest France, dumping several vehicles into a river and prompting nationwide questions about bridge safety. Bystanders were able to rescue the girl's mother after her car fell into the Tarn River near the village of Mirepoix-sur-Tarn, regional prosecutor Dominique Alzeari told reporters. Several hours later, Mirepoix-sur-Tarn Mayor Eric Oget said on BFM television that a truck driver whose vehicle fell into the river was also found dead, and rescuers were working to extract his body.
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| Christine Blasey Ford makes rare public remarks, a year after Kavanaugh ordeal Posted: 18 Nov 2019 06:25 AM PST  Professor who accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault says 'I did not feel courageous. I was simply doing my duty as a citizen'Dr Christine Blasey Ford accepting an award from the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California in Beverly Hills on Sunday night. Photograph: Alberto E Rodríguez/Getty ImagesChristine Blasey Ford, who accused supreme court justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, made a rare public appearance on Sunday night."When I came forward last September," she said, accepting an award from the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California in Beverly Hills, "I did not feel courageous. I was simply doing my duty as a citizen."embed"I understood that not everyone would welcome my information, and I was prepared for a variety of outcomes, including being dismissed."Blasey Ford, a professor of psychology at Palo Alto University in California, came forward in September 2018, as Kavanaugh's nomination was before the Senate.In testimony before the Senate judiciary committee, she alleged that he assaulted her at a party in suburban Maryland in 1982, pinning her down, groping her, trying to remove her clothing and putting his hand over her mouth when she screamed.Kavanaugh angrily denied the allegation – and similar claims against him – and was confirmed as Donald Trump's second supreme court pick.His ascent, after that of Neil Gorsuch, tipped the ideological balance of the highest court in favour of conservative justices.Kavanaugh also appeared in public last week, addressing an event on Friday in Washington and staged by the Federalist Society, the rightwing group which has played an influential role in Trump's supreme court picks."I signed up for what I knew would be an ugly process," he said. But he said he had expected his confirmation to be "maybe not that ugly".Kavanaugh was confirmed by just two votes, the narrowest margin for a supreme court justice since 1881.His appearance at Union Station in Washington was greeted by protests, including women dressed up as characters from The Handmaid's Tale television series.Last year, lawyers for Ford said her life had been "turned upside down" and she had effectively gone into hiding, such was the vitriol directed her way after her testimony in the Senate.Ford "received a stunning amount of support from her community and from fellow citizens across our country", the lawyers said in a letter to Senate judiciary committee chairman, Chuck Grassley."At the same time, however, her worst fears have materialized. She has been the target of vicious harassment and even death threats. As a result of these kind of threats, her family was forced to relocate out of their home. Her email has been hacked, and she has been impersonated online."At the Beverly Hills event on Sunday, Blasey Ford accepted the Roger Baldwin Courage Award, named for the founder of the ACLU. When coming forward, she said, she had "simply thought that it was my duty as a citizen and that anyone in my position would do the same thing".
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| Immigrants don't flock to states that expand health benefits Posted: 18 Nov 2019 01:59 PM PST ![Immigrants don't flock to states that expand health benefits]( "Immigrants don't flock to states that expand health benefits") Federal policy changes in 2002 and 2009 led some states to expand public health insurance coverage to some children born outside the U.S. and to certain pregnant women. The proportion of immigrants making interstate moves within the first five years of U.S. residency didn't appear to be influenced by expanded public health benefits, the study found. "Our study showed that recent public health insurance expansion was not associated with a discernable increase in migration between states among eligible immigrants," senior study author Jens Hainmueller of Stanford University in California and colleagues write in JAMA Pediatrics.
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| Watergate prosecutor predicts Trump will be 'toast' Posted: 19 Nov 2019 07:32 AM PST  Former Watergate prosecutor Nick Akerman on Monday predicted on CNN that President Trump will be doomed by EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland's upcoming public House testimony in the impeachment inquiry into the president.
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| Sondland Informed Top White House Officials of Biden Investigation Effort ahead of July Ukraine Call Posted: 18 Nov 2019 05:55 AM PST  U.S. ambassador Gordon Sondland kept senior White House officials apprised of his efforts to prompt an investigation into Joe Biden ahead of the July 25 phone conversation between President Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.During that phone call, Trump urged Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to look into corruption allegations against Joe Biden and his son Hunter, and asked for a probe into allegations of Ukrainian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections. Democrats have launched an impeachment inquiry into the president's actions due to suspicions that he withheld military aid from Ukraine to pressure the country to conduct politically beneficial investigations.Emails reviewed by the Journal showed Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland keeping senior officials, including White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and Energy Secretary Rick Perry, in the loop regarding the desired investigations into the Bidens and election interference several weeks before the July 25 phone call.Sondland is set to publicly testify in the impeachment inquiry this week. In revised testimony from closed-door hearings, Sondland said he had told a top Zelensky adviser that a meeting between Zelensky and Trump would be contingent on the announcement of an investigation into the Bidens and 2016 election interference.Ukrainian foreign minister Vadym Prystaiko has denied that he perceived a link between military aid and the requested investigations but did not mention whether a White House visit hung in the balance."Ambassador Sondland did not tell us, and did not tell me exactly, about the relation between the [military] assistance and the investigations," Prystaiko told reporters on Thursday. "I do not recall any conversation with me as with foreign minister. It was not we, the Ukrainian officials [who were told this]."
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| Protesters set fire to hold off police at Hong Kong campus Posted: 17 Nov 2019 04:39 PM PST  Pro-democracy demonstrators holed up in a Hong Kong university campus set the main entrance ablaze Monday to prevent surrounding police moving in, after officers warned they may use live rounds if confronted by deadly weapons. The police warning, which came after one officer was struck by an arrow, marked a further escalation of the near six-month crisis engulfing the city. Several loud blasts were heard around dawn on Monday before a wall of fire lit up an entrance to the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), AFP reporters said, as what appeared to be a police attempt to enter the campus was repelled by protesters determined to hold their ground.
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| Rodney Reed's mother says the 'truth will and shall set him free' after her son was granted a stay of execution Posted: 18 Nov 2019 09:40 AM PST  Rodney Reed has spent 20 years in prison for the 1996 murder of a 19-year-old woman named Stacey Stites.
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| Mexican president defends indigenous pensions plan Posted: 18 Nov 2019 09:57 AM PST ![Mexican president defends indigenous pensions plan]( "Mexican president defends indigenous pensions plan") Mexico's president on Monday defended a plan to provide pensions to indigenous people starting at age 65, compared with 68 for other Mexicans. Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who was elected last year after campaigning to help marginalized people, said those who question the idea should visit poor indigenous communities to see how residents live. "It is painful that a senior in the city, age 65, is better preserved than an indigenous person of 65 because they work, they eat poorly, they have to walk for kilometers and they suffer greatly," López Obrador said.
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| Are Gun Makers To Blame for Mass Shootings? Can They Be Sued? Posted: 17 Nov 2019 04:30 PM PST  Mass shootings have become a routine occurrence in America. Is this a solution?
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| Turkey orders detention of 133 military personnel over suspected Gulen links: Anadolu Posted: 18 Nov 2019 08:57 PM PST  Turkey has ordered the detention of 133 military personnel over suspected links to a network Ankara accuses of organizing an attempted coup in 2016, the state-run Anadolu news agency said on Tuesday. The suspects are being sought in an operation centered in the western coastal province of Izmir, Anadolu said, adding that 82 of them were serving members in the military. Ankara blames U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999, of masterminding the failed putsch on July 15, 2016.
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| Prison guards arrested in connection with Jeffrey Epstein death Posted: 19 Nov 2019 06:35 AM PST  The guards are accused of failing to conduct regular checks on Epstein, who hanged himself with a bedsheet in prison.
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| Obama indirectly rebukes Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren by warning donors not to be ‘deluded’ into thinking voters want radical change Posted: 18 Nov 2019 08:50 AM PST  "The average American doesn't think we have to completely tear down the system and remake it," Obama said.
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| John Oliver Says If You Want to Irritate Donald Trump, Fill Out the 2020 Census Posted: 18 Nov 2019 12:38 AM PST  "This administration clearly thinks that some people don't count," Oliver says.
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| In northeast Syria, last Assyrians fear Turkish advance Posted: 18 Nov 2019 11:42 PM PST  Since fleeing her hometown in northeastern Syria, Suad Simon prays every day for the safety of her husband, who stayed behind with other fighters to defend their majority-Assyrian village. Assyrian Christians like Simon, who escaped the town's occupation by the Islamic State group in 2015 and did not choose to emigrate, now anxiously watch the advance of Turkish forces towards their villages in the south of Hasakeh province. Simon, 56, fled her village of Tal Kefji that is not far from areas still hit by sporadic fighting and sought refuge with a relative in Tal Tamr to the south.
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| South Africa Opposition Leader Says He’s Ready to Work With Ramaphosa Posted: 19 Nov 2019 06:12 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Next Africa newsletter and follow Bloomberg Africa on TwitterSouth African President Cyril Ramaphosa knows what needs to be done to rescue the beleaguered economy but has to deal decisively with the people in his own party who are obstructing progress, according to the leader of the biggest opposition party.Ramaphosa has announced plans to restructure the indebted state power utility, Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd., and has spoken of the need to cut government costs and improve efficiency at state-owned companies. He has hit a wall of opposition from his labor union allies and has been regularly contradicted by senior members of the ruling African National Congress."The enemies of growth don't sit across from him, they sit behind him in Parliament," John Steenhuisen, the newly elected leader of the Democratic Alliance, told reporters Tuesday at Bloomberg's office in Johannesburg. "Our party stands ready to reach across the aisle."Steenhuisen said an economic policy paper presented by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni on Aug. 27 was "shot down" by Ramaphosa's allies even though it was the clearest document he'd seen from government in a decade. He bemoaned the indecision over how to run South African Airways, where workers are on strike."Shut it down. The state has no business running airlines," he said. "We've got to stop throwing huge amounts of money into this inefficient airline."Monday's surprise appointment of the chief executive officer of a packaging company as Eskom's top executive was described as "odd" and destined for failure unless he's allowed to reorganize the company.To contact the reporter on this story: Antony Sguazzin in Johannesburg at asguazzin@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: John McCorry at jmccorry@bloomberg.net, Pauline Bax, Chris KayFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| China signs defense agreement with South Korea as U.S. angers Seoul with demand for $5 billion troop payment Posted: 18 Nov 2019 04:54 PM PST  The defense ministers of South Korea and China have agreed to develop their security ties to ensure stability in northeast Asia, the latest indication that Washington's longstanding alliances in the region are fraying.
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| She can’t vote, but 2020 Democrats want her support anyway Posted: 19 Nov 2019 07:34 AM PST  As Democrats jockey for support in Nevada, a meeting with Astrid Silva, a 31-year-old immigrant rights activist who has become a public face of the "Dreamers," has become a can't-miss early stop. Silva has had dinner with Kamala Harris, policy roundtables with Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden, and vegan tamales with Cory Booker. Just this week, after Pete Buttigieg saw she attended Supreme Court arguments on the program shielding her from deportation, the candidate called to make sure she knew he was supportive of her cause.
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| China's H-20 Stealth Bomber: The Biggest Threat to the U.S. Military? Posted: 18 Nov 2019 11:55 PM PST  A "first day of war weapon"?
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| 10 Public Schools Where Most Out-of-State Students Get Merit Aid Posted: 19 Nov 2019 06:00 AM PST ![10 Public Schools Where Most Out-of-State Students Get Merit Aid]( "10 Public Schools Where Most Out-of-State Students Get Merit Aid") The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Many public colleges use merit aid to attract prospective out-of-state students and lower prices to better compete with other institutions.
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| 'We are not drag queens': For transgender people in 2019, a conflicted reality of breakthroughs, barriers Posted: 19 Nov 2019 08:27 AM PST  On the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance, here is a snapshot of life for the trans community: The good, the bad, the ugly.
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| UPDATE 2-Russia balks at Turkish idea of new Syrian military operation Posted: 19 Nov 2019 04:20 AM PST ![UPDATE 2-Russia balks at Turkish idea of new Syrian military operation]( "UPDATE 2-Russia balks at Turkish idea of new Syrian military operation") Russia said on Tuesday it was bewildered by a Turkish pledge to conduct a new military operation in northern Syria if the area was not cleared of people Ankara calls terrorists, warning that any such move would damage efforts to stabilise the region. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was cited on Monday as saying his country would launch a new military operation in northeast Syria if the area was not cleared of Kurdish YPG militia.
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| Rudy Giuliani's son has a White House job where he doesn't seem to do much Posted: 18 Nov 2019 10:15 AM PST ![Rudy Giuliani's son has a White House job where he doesn't seem to do much]( "Rudy Giuliani's son has a White House job where he doesn't seem to do much") Rudy Giuliani's unflinching love for President Trump didn't come out of nowhere.Sure, Trump and his lawyer have a lot of shared history thanks to their reputations as some of most well-known and New Yorkiest New Yorkers of all time. But Giuliani's staunchest affinity for Trump comes from how the president brings Giuliani and his son Andrew Giuliani together, Giuliani tells The Atlantic.The 31-year-old Andrew Giuliani has a White House job as an associate director in the Office of Public Liaison, with current and former White House officials telling The Atlantic he coordinates events with athletes. Yet "sports-team visits are more special-occasion than scheduling staple in the business of government," especially with teams often rejecting meetings with Trump, The Atlantic writes. That's led White House officials to say it's clear Andrew Giuliani got a "nepotism job" thanks to his father's name, with one saying "he's just having a nice time" and not exactly working hard.But Rudy Giuliani says that's just not the case. This "wasn't the usual 'hire my kid' situation," Giuliani said, because even though his son has "known the president since he was a baby ... they also had a relationship independent of me." That relationship came into play when Andrew Giuliani was a teenager and Rudy Giuliani was going through a divorce with Andrew's mother Donna. Andrew Giuliani "credits Trump with helping him navigate" his father's divorce and "particularly with helping him repair his relationship with Rudy," two former White House officials tell The Atlantic -- and Rudy Giuliani said he agrees.Andrew Giuliani didn't return a request for comment. Read more at The Atlantic.More stories from theweek.com The potential lie that could actually destroy Trump The coming death of just about every rock legend Everyone will eventually turn on Trump. Even Steve Doocy.
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| Three dead in Oklahoma Walmart shooting, including gunman Posted: 18 Nov 2019 11:26 AM PST  Three people were killed in a shooting early Monday outside a Walmart store in Oklahoma, including the assailant, police said -- the latest in a string of deadly gun attacks at the popular supermarket chain. Danny Ford, the police chief in the town of Duncan, said the shooting -- an apparent domestic dispute -- took place shortly before 10:00 am (1600 GMT) in a parking lot in front of the store. Family members at the scene said the shooting was a domestic dispute between a husband and his wife, a local Fox news affiliate reported.
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| EU Poised to Send Warning to China on 5G Posted: 19 Nov 2019 07:30 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- The European Union is poised to say potential 5G suppliers will be evaluated based on their home country's laws, a stance that could exclude Chinese businesses from some lucrative contracts for the advanced telecommunications networks."Factors, such as the legal and policy framework to which suppliers may be subject to in third countries, should be considered," according to a draft of a joint statement obtained by Bloomberg and planned for release next month. The document is due to be approved on an informal basis this week by government envoys with formal sign off by ministers due in December, and the wording is subject to changes.The EU statement outlines the bloc's position following a risk assessment that described a nightmare scenario where hackers or hostile states could take control of everything from electricity grids to police communications. It warned against reliance on suppliers from countries with non-democratic systems of government.U.S. and European officials have repeatedly flagged concerns about partnering with Chinese equipment makers, such as Huawei Technologies Co., for 5G networks. Chinese companies are obliged to assist the country's national intelligence organization in their investigations, though Chinese officials and Huawei have said there are exceptions to those rules and the company wouldn't necessarily be forced to do so.U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted on Tuesday that the EU's risk assessment report highlights how nations should install 5G equipment and software only from companies that won't threaten their security, privacy, intellectual property, or human rights.Key parts of the next-generation infrastructure "such as components critical for national security, will only be sourced from trustworthy parties," according to the draft statement of EU governments. The 5G build out should be "firmly grounded in the core values of the EU, such as human rights and fundamental freedoms, rule of law, protection of privacy, personal data and intellectual property, in the commitment to transparency."A spokesman for the EU's Council declined to comment on the content of the draft communique.German StanceEuropean countries have the ultimate say whether or not to ban a supplier from their national networks for security reasons. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has decided to let Huawei supply some gear as long as the company fulfills certain security standards, despite intense pressure from her own party for an outright ban.The draft also stresses "the need to diversify suppliers in order to avoid or limit the creation of a major dependency on a single supplier" as well as "the importance of European technological sovereignty and promoting globally the EU approach to cyber security."Besides Huawei, Europe's Nokia Oyj and Ericsson AB supply 5G equipment.(Updates with U.S. Secretary of State's tweet in fifth paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: Nikos Chrysoloras in Brussels at nchrysoloras@bloomberg.net;Natalia Drozdiak in Brussels at ndrozdiak1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, ;Giles Turner at gturner35@bloomberg.net, Amy Thomson, Richard BravoFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| ‘We were not hidden’: Jeffrey Epstein accuser pleads with Prince Andrew to speak to FBI Posted: 18 Nov 2019 02:48 PM PST  An alleged victim of billionaire sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein has pleaded for Prince Andrew to provide evidence against the disgraced financier, after revealing she was invited to a party where he was due to be among the attendees.Giving her name only as Jane Doe 15 – a common anonymous pseudonym in the US – the now-31-year-old said during a press conference that she had been raped by Epstein at his Zorro Ranch in New Mexico.
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| Isil leaders with 'vast amounts of cash' planning comeback in Turkey, Iraq spy chief claims Posted: 19 Nov 2019 05:27 AM PST  Senior Islamic State members with access to "huge" amounts of money are in Turkey and plotting a comeback, an Iraqi spy chief has warned. Lieutenant General Saad al-Allaq, head of Iraq's Military Intelligence, claimed in an interview with CNN that Iraq has given Ankara dossiers on nine alleged leaders of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil), including top financiers for the terror group. The general said senior Isil figures known as "emirs" have access to vast reserves of cash and were forming new cells in Turkey. He claimed many of them had managed to escape from Isil's final patch of territory in Baghouz, eastern Syria, after bribing Western-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to reach Idlib in the north-west. From there, he said, they crossed the border to Gaziantep in southern Turkey. "Some of its important leadership fled north, I mean in the direction of neighbouring countries and into border areas like Gazientep," Lt. Gen. Allaq said. US Special Forces, figures at lower right, moving toward compound of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Credit: Department of Defense "They have secretly crossed into these areas from the Syrian-Turkish border - top leaders who have money. They crossed with the help of smugglers by paying large amount of money and have secretly entered Turkish territory." He added: "Those elements who are right now in Turkey play a key role in the recruitment of fighters and terrorists." CNN was shown Iraq's arrest warrants for the nine men, who are described as bomb makers. Lt. Gen. Allaq said the men were "among the best bomb makers that Isis ever had." Lt. Gen. Allaq, who rarely gives interviews, said Iraq had intelligence that Isil leaders were planning jailbreaks of its supporters held in prisons and camps across Syria and Iraq. Isil members are led away to be questioned by coalition forces after surrendering, near Baghuz, eastern Syria Credit: Sam Tarling Turkey told the US network they were looking into the allegations. He said a new Isil mission code-named "Break Down the Fences" intended to storm jails where their followers were being held and try to replenish its manpower. Several high-profile Isil figures and their family members have been discovered in recent weeks in or near Turkey. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the group's leader, was found hiding three miles from the border of Turkey in the Syria village of Barisha in Idlib, where he was killed in a US raid on October 26. Abu Hassan al-Muhajir, Isil's spokesman, was killed the following day several miles away near the town of Jarablus, which is under Turkish administration. Turkey then announced arrests it had made of Baghdadi's relatives, who had apparently been hiding in the country.
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