| While you weren't sleeping: In face of impeachment, Trump pursues agenda on courts, environment, Israel and more Posted: 21 Nov 2019 10:00 AM PST  The work of the Trump administration continues on a variety of fronts, largely overshadowed by the high drama of a president accused of high crimes and misdemeanors.
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| Sondland pressed on why Trump has blocked witnesses: 'I wish I could answer' Posted: 20 Nov 2019 02:57 PM PST  Rep. Denny Heck, D-Wash., took aim at the members of the Trump administration who have refused to testify in the impeachment inquiry.
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| Billionaire Michael Bloomberg files paperwork to run for U.S. president Posted: 21 Nov 2019 10:30 AM PST  Billionaire Michael Bloomberg filed paperwork on Thursday with the Federal Election Commission to run for U.S. president as a Democrat, the latest sign that the former New York City Mayor is joining the crowded nominating contest. The filing allows Bloomberg to raise money in a bid for the White House, but an aide said on Thursday that no final decision on whether he will run has been made. Bloomberg, 77, has signaled that he plans a late-entry in the Democratic primary, suggesting he feels the field of nearly 20 candidates is vulnerable.
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| Rep. Devin Nunes got help from indicted Giuliani associate Lev Parnas for 2018 Europe trip Posted: 20 Nov 2019 10:51 PM PST ![Rep. Devin Nunes got help from indicted Giuliani associate Lev Parnas for 2018 Europe trip]( "Rep. Devin Nunes got help from indicted Giuliani associate Lev Parnas for 2018 Europe trip") Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) traveled to Europe with three aides from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3, 2018, on a $63,000 taxpayer-funded investigative trip, and Lev Parnas, an associate of Rudy Giuliani arrested last month on federal campaign finance and conspiracy charges, helped arrange meetings and calls for his trip, The Daily Beast reports, citing Parnas lawyer Ed MacMahaon and congressional records. Nunes aide Derek Harvey was involved in the Parnas meeting, and he accompanied Nunes to Europe along with fellow aides Scott Glabe and George Pappas.At the time of the trip, Nunes was outgoing chairman of the House Intelligence Committee -- he is now the committee's top Republican and lead voice in the public impeachment hearings. Nunes was visiting Europe as part of his investigation into the origins of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russia and President Trump's campaign. During the period Nunes was in Europe, Giuliani was in the middle of his ultimately successful campaign to oust U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Maria Yovanovitch, a plot Parnas and partner Igor Fruman were also involved in, according to the federal indictment.Parnas "believed that what he was doing was furtherance of the president's and thus our national interests," said Joseph Bondy, a member of Parnas' legal team. "President Trump's recent and regrettable disavowal of Mr. Parnas has caused him to rethink his involvement and the true reasons for his having been recruited to participate in the President's activities. Mr. Parnas is prepared to testify completely and accurately about his involvement in the President and Rudy Giuliani's quid pro quo demands of Ukraine." Read more at The Daily Beast.More stories from theweek.com Ivanka Trump tries to defend father with awkwardly fake Tocqueville impeachment quote Watch Kamala Harris learn from Stephen Colbert that Lindsey Graham is investigating Joe Biden and Ukraine Republicans are throwing Rudy Giuliani under the bus
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| Benjamin Netanyahu was just indicted on fraud and bribery charges, becoming the first Israeli prime minister to be indicted in office Posted: 21 Nov 2019 09:00 AM PST  Netanyahu is accused of receiving gifts and positive news coverage in exchange for regulatory benefits from the government.
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| Smugglers cut a truck-sized hole to drive 16 through US-Mexico border wall, feds say Posted: 21 Nov 2019 02:25 PM PST  Sixteen people were arrested Wednesday in what federal officials described as a "brazen" smuggling attempt that involved cutting a section of the border wall in Southern California.
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| John Bolton makes mysterious return to Twitter Posted: 22 Nov 2019 02:48 AM PST  Former national security adviser John Bolton returned to Twitter on Friday after a two-month hiatus, telling his followers there is "more to come" and to "stay tuned"
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| AG Barr to unveil plan on missing, murdered Native Americans Posted: 21 Nov 2019 09:25 PM PST  Attorney General William Barr will announce a nationwide plan on Friday to address the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous people as concerns mount over the level of violence they face. Barr will announce the plan, known as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Initiative, during a visit with tribal leaders and law enforcement officials on the Flathead Reservation in Montana. Native American women experience some of the nation's highest rates of murder, sexual violence and domestic abuse.
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| Ninth family member dies after Israeli strike: ministry Posted: 22 Nov 2019 06:23 AM PST  A Palestinian wounded in an Israeli strike that killed eight members of his family has died, the health ministry in the Hamas-run strip said on Friday. Mohammed Abu Malhous al-Sawarka, 40, succumbed after being wounded in "the massacre in which eight members of a family died when they were targeted in their homes," ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said in a statement. It said he was the brother of Rasmi Abu Malhous who was killed when his home was hit by an air strike on November 14.
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| Democrat Deval Patrick had to cancel one of his first campaign events — because no one showed up Posted: 20 Nov 2019 07:31 PM PST ![Democrat Deval Patrick had to cancel one of his first campaign events — because no one showed up]( "Democrat Deval Patrick had to cancel one of his first campaign events — because no one showed up") As Democratic presidential candidates addressed a national audience at the fifth 2020 primary debate, one candidate couldn't even find a single person to talk to.Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick made a late entry into the 2020 race last week after expressing some dissatisfaction with the current field. But as his empty visit to Morehouse College on Wednesday showed, not everyone believes it's his time.Patrick was supposed to make one of his first campaign stops at the historically black college in Atlanta on Wednesday, not far from where the upper echelons of the Democratic field were debating. But as CNN reports, once Patrick got there and found out he wouldn't have much of an audience, he canceled the talk.> Governor @DevalPatrick was supposed to have an event at Morehouse College tonight. An organizer with the college who planned the event told CNN that Patrick cancelled the event when he arrived and learned that he would not have an audience. (Note, two people came, not pictured) pic.twitter.com/CzNjWYcWKJ> > -- Annie Grayer (@AnnieGrayerCNN) November 21, 2019Patrick has said he's aware his late run is like a "Hail Mary from two stadiums over," and he's apparently decided there's no point in even leaving the locker room if no one's there to watch.More stories from theweek.com Republicans are throwing Rudy Giuliani under the bus Several protesters arrested outside of Ann Coulter speech in Berkeley Outed CIA agent Valerie Plame is running for Congress, and her launch video looks like a spy movie trailer
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| Meet America's New 'Assault Ship' Armed with F-35s (And Much More) Posted: 22 Nov 2019 02:49 AM PST  Firing deck-mounted guns, intercepting enemy cruise missiles, launching F-35B Joint Strike Fighters and using Osprey tiltrotor aircraft to attack behind enemy lines -- are all mission possibilities envisioned for the Navy's fast-progressing second big-deck America-class amphibious assault ship, the future USS Tripoli.
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| 'Miss me?' tweets Marianne Williamson after missing another Democratic debate Posted: 21 Nov 2019 07:21 AM PST  Marianne Williamson had a simple question for America's voters after sitting out her third Democratic debate in a row: 'Miss me?'
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| Mexicans sue Walmart over Texas shooting that left victims on both sides of border Posted: 20 Nov 2019 05:27 PM PST  Ten Mexican citizens have sued Walmart over the shooting at a store in the U.S. border town of El Paso, Texas, that killed eight Mexicans and left eight more injured, saying that Walmart did not do enough to protect its customers, Mexico said on Wednesday. The suspected gunman told police he was targeting "Mexicans" in the August shooting, which killed 22 people in total.
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| Obama Warns Technology Has Created a More Splintered World Posted: 21 Nov 2019 12:28 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Former U.S. President Barack Obama warned that technology is creating a more splintered world, fueling the disparities among wealthy and poorer nations, and people within countries."The rise of extreme inequality both within nations and between nations that is being turbocharged by globalization and technology" is one of the biggest risks for young people, Obama said Thursday at Salesforce.com Inc.'s annual Dreamforce conference in San Francisco. "New technologies have allowed us reach. We have a global market. I can project my voice and you can take your technology to new markets. It has also amplified inequalities."Though his successor Donald Trump has taken presidential use of Twitter to new heights, Obama has long been associated with the tech industry. His 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns were known for their use of the internet and social media to galvanize supporters. Some of Obama's staffers came from Silicon Valley companies, including Alphabet Inc.'s Google, and there's a diaspora of former Obama administration officials who have worked in the tech industry since leaving the White House, including David Plouffe, formerly with Uber Technologies Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.'s top spokesman Jay Carney.Still, the 44th president talked about how the internet has helped divide American politics and society."People remark on the polarization of our politics and rightfully so," Obama said. "People rightfully see challenges like climate change and mass refugees and feel like things are spinning out of control. Behind that, what I see is a sense of anxiety, rootlessness and uncertainty in so many people. Some of that is fed by technology and there's an anger formed by those technologies."Social-media services including Facebook Inc. and Google's YouTube have been accused of fueling polarization with algorithms that show people news and other content that match their preconceived thinking and viewpoints."If you watch Fox News, you live in a different reality than if you read the New York Times. If you follow one rabbit hole on YouTube or the internet, then suddenly things look completely different," Obama said during his conversation with Salesforce co-Chief Executive Officer Marc Benioff. "We are siloing ourselves off in ways that are dangerous. I believed, and I still believe the internet can be a powerful tool for us to finally see each other and unify us, but right now it's disappointing."Since leaving the White House in January 2017, Obama has become a fixture on the paid-speaker circuit. Thursday's appearance at Dreamforce is at least Obama's second appearance at a tech event in San Francisco in the last two months. He also spoke at a Splunk Inc. conference in September.To contact the reporter on this story: Nico Grant in San Francisco at ngrant20@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Jillian Ward at jward56@bloomberg.net, Andrew Pollack, Alistair BarrFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee Recalled for Electrical Connection Posted: 21 Nov 2019 02:15 PM PST  Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is recalling an estimated 528,594 Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs because of concerns about an electrical connection. Based on feedback from its dealerships, ...
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| Trump launches angry attack on impeachment witness because 'she wouldn't hang my picture in the embassy' Posted: 22 Nov 2019 07:53 AM PST  Donald Trump has lashed out at former US Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch in a rambling phone call to Fox News, complaining that she was slow to hang his portrait in the to Ukrainian embassy, adding: "This was not an angel."Ms Yovanovitch served the US in Ukraine from August 2016 until May 2019, when Mr Trump ousted her following what she called a "smear campaign" by Mr Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.
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| Protests after snake kills Indian schoolgirl in class Posted: 22 Nov 2019 05:55 AM PST  Angry students at an Indian school protested Friday after a 10-year-old pupil died after being bitten by a venomous snake lurking in a hole under her desk. Shehala Sherin was only taken to hospital from the school an hour after being bitten and once her leg turned blue, media reports said. Around 50,000 people are killed by snakes every year in India, mostly in rural areas, with high mortality rates blamed on a deficiency of health care centres and insufficient stocks of anti-venom.
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| Palestinians: Israeli settlers torch cars in West Bank Posted: 22 Nov 2019 01:52 AM PST ![Palestinians: Israeli settlers torch cars in West Bank]( "Palestinians: Israeli settlers torch cars in West Bank") Israeli settlers attacked five villages in the occupied West Bank overnight, torching vehicles and olive trees, and leaving graffiti on the walls of homes, Palestinian officials said Friday. Ghassan Daghlas, a spokesman for the Nablus governorate, said the Jewish settlers set fire to five cars and spray-painted graffiti on more than 20 others. Israeli police say they are investigating the reports and that police and military units will visit the area.
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| Former FBI Lawyer Under Criminal Investigation for Altering Document in Russia Probe: Report Posted: 22 Nov 2019 05:12 AM PST  A former FBI lawyer is under criminal investigation for allegedly altering a document pertaining to the 2016 surveillance of a Trump campaign adviser.The document will likely factor into Justice Department inspector general Michael Horowitz's review of the FBI's attempts to obtain a FISA warrant to surveil former Trump campaign official Carter Page, CNN first reported.At the time, the FBI was looking into allegations that the Trump campaign worked with Russian operatives to influence the 2016 presidential election. The Mueller investigation later concluded that those allegations were based on insufficient evidence. During an April Senate hearing, U.S. attorney general William Barr said he believed "spying did occur" during the FBI's Russia probe, possibly in the case of Page.Horowitz has also shared the document with federal prosecutor John Durham. Durham was appointed this year by Barr to investigate intelligence gathered by the FBI as part of its Russia probe. According to the Washington Post, the altered document did not affect the basic validity of the FISA warrant obtained to investigate Page.The Justice Department declined to comment to CNN on the matter. The lawyer under investigation no longer works at the FBI.Horowitz's probe into the origins of the FBI's Russia investigation was upgraded to a criminal probe in October. Senator Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) said on Wednesday he expects the probe's findings to be released on December 9."I look forward to reviewing the report and hearing Mr. Horowitz's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he will deliver a detailed account of what he found regarding his investigation, along with recommendations as to how to make our judicial and investigative systems better," read a statement from Graham's office.
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| Border Patrol Agent Who Hit Migrant With Truck Is Sentenced to Probation Posted: 21 Nov 2019 05:17 AM PST  TUCSON, Ariz. -- A former Border Patrol agent who hit a fleeing Guatemalan migrant with his truck in 2017 -- and who, more than two weeks before the encounter, referred to immigrants in a text message as "subhuman" and "mindless murdering savages" -- was sentenced Wednesday to three years of probation.The agent, Matthew Bowen, 39, pleaded guilty in August to deprivation of rights under color of law, a misdemeanor. His case had intensified national scrutiny of the treatment of migrants during the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration.Bowen had faced up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. But Judge Thomas Ferraro of U.S. District Court in Tucson imposed a sentence of 36 months of probation and 150 hours of community service and directed Bowen to repay the migrant's medical costs, which have yet to be determined.Ferraro said that the encounter had occurred during a period of "turmoil" on the border and that it was "only one incident" in Bowen's 11-year career with the Border Patrol. But the judge said that Bowen's conduct reinforced negative stereotypes of border officials."We have to hold these agents to the highest standard," Ferraro said. "By and large, they are dedicated and sincerely try to do their best."He told Bowen in court: "I want you to remember this case. We are going to be following you and we will be looking over your shoulder. If you screw up, you will be looking at a year in prison."Bowen, who wore a black suit and tie and white shirt, declined to comment after the sentencing.Bowen's lawyer, Sean Chapman, said Bowen had made "10,000 apprehensions" with the Border Patrol. But during the encounter in 2017, he "lost his composure for a few seconds," Chapman said. He said that Bowen had apologized."It was a horrible act, and he has paid a high price," Chapman said.Bowen was suspended by the Border Patrol in June 2018. He resigned Aug. 8, 2019.The episode took place Dec. 3, 2017. Court documents say that Bowen hit the migrant, Antolin Rolando Lopez-Aguilar, with his truck and nearly ran him over after Lopez-Aguilar appeared to be trying to cross into the United States illegally near Nogales, Arizona.Lopez-Aguilar had abrasions on his right hand and both knees after being struck, the documents say. The same day, Lopez-Aguilar was charged with unlawful entry into the United States and transported to a nearby hospital. It was not immediately clear what happened to him after that.Ferraro said Wednesday that lawyers had 90 days to determine Lopez-Aguilar's medical costs.Lopez-Aguilar was not present in court Wednesday.The case prompted widespread outrage after a series of racist and derogatory text messages exchanged between Bowen and other Border Patrol agents found by prosecutors on Bowen's cellphone were included in the court filing.Some of the messages reflected Bowen's perception of immigrants, his political beliefs and his job dissatisfaction, according to court documents.In a message sent to another Border Patrol agent more than two weeks before the episode, Bowen wrote, "PLEASE let us take the gloves off trump!" and referred to immigrants as "mindless murdering savages," "subhuman" and "unworthy of being kindling for a fire."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2019 The New York Times Company
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| Pot stocks soar as U.S. House committee clears bill on federal weed legalization Posted: 21 Nov 2019 08:49 AM PST  The bill, which was passed 24 to 10 in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, sent shares of Canopy Growth , Aurora Cannabis , Aphria Inc and Tilray Inc up between 8% and 15%. "We think federal legalization would be a big positive for investor sentiment surrounding cannabis equities, which have been battered by oversupply and a steep price decline for the underlying commodity since becoming legal in Canada," said Garrett Nelson, senior equity analyst at CFRA Research.
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| Who won the last Democratic debate? Our panelists' verdict Posted: 20 Nov 2019 10:59 PM PST  The latest Democratic debate saw a fair number of clashes and several memorable one-liners – but no clear winner emerged 'Post-debate poll results await.' Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images 'Klobuchar and Warren had the best nights'Just 10 weeks out from when the first votes are cast in the Democratic primary, four candidates have separated from the rest of the field – Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Pete Buttigieg. In the fifth Democratic debate last night, those four needed to shore up their strengths and address the weaknesses of their electoral coalitions. The remaining six needed to manufacture memorable moments that would help them make inroads against the leaders.By this metric, Amy Klobuchar and Warren emerged from the pack. The first hour was Klobuchar's best thus far, relying more on responses that showcased her witty, affable side that tends to resonate with voters more than detailed technocratic responses. This was in sharp contrast to the sharp-elbowed responses from Biden and Buttigieg – whose supporters Klobuchar needs – who were fending off attacks most of the night. Meanwhile, nearly all of Warren's responses addressed racial disparities, a tack surely meant to appeal to black voters with whom she's underperforming but desperately needs in order to have a shot at the nomination.The night's best moments probably came from Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, who had unforgettable one-liners – Booker questioning whether Biden was high when he referred to marijuana as a gateway drug ,and Harris saying Trump had been "punked" by Kim Jong-un – that will fill news coverage in the days ahead. And Buttigieg and Sanders' showings were consistent. But the debate performances of these candidates probably did not position them to improve their electoral support.The debate topics were a mile wide and inch deep, preventing candidates from being able to distinguish the details of their policy agenda from the others. So the debate winners had to rely on appeals based on likability and records of accomplishment, as well as tailored petitions to voting blocs needed for their electoral coalitions. Last night, Klobuchar and Warren managed this effort better than the rest. * Theodore R Johnson is a senior fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice 'Biden regained his footing – but for how long?'On Wednesday, America was treated to nearly 11 hours of must-watch television. Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to EU, fragged his boss, Donald Trump, and left Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, and Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, with tire tracks on their backs. For her part, Laura Cooper, a defense department official, put the lie to the president's chronology of his Ukraine shakedown.Then the Democratic presidential hopefuls delivered a two-hour prime-time snooze fest. The 10 candidates on the debate stage failed to capitalize on the day's earth-shaking events.Once-surging Elizabeth Warren sounded as if she had downed one Red Bull too many. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris and Tulsi Gabbard made no effort to hide their mutual animus. Even as Pete Buttigieg demonstrated his capacity to counterpunch, Joe Biden and Amy Klobuchar emerged as the evening's winners.The former vice-president stressed the need to heal a fractured country's divides, and called for the justice department to eschew politically motivated prosecutions. For her part, Klobuchar recognized that winning is about coalition building, suburbs and independents.After a turbulent few weeks, Biden appears to have regained his footing in the polls. The unanswered question is: for how long? * Lloyd Green was opposition research counsel to George HW Bush's 1988 campaign and served in the Department of Justice from 1990 to 1992 'Elizabeth Warren was absent'This debate was hard to get through – I'm guessing the ratings will show that most people are even more fatigued than this political commentator. Part of the blame has to fall on the moderators: there was little cohesion, just one-off questions not bridged together effectively. Candidates also didn't interact much with each other, another factor in making it a boring evening.Maybe having Julian Castro in there throwing a few bombs in Biden's way would've helped. Tulsi Gabbard tried to do her best to fill in, but she had heated exchanges with only Mayor Pete and Kamala Harris.The debate was marked more than anything else by Elizabeth Warren's absence. The senator had been a focal point of the last few debates, but along with her flatlining in the polls, her colleagues' attention seems to have gone elsewhere. The problem is that too many of those colleagues are moderates with barely distinguishable policy ideas. Sanders, of course, has radically different ideas than them. But though he had a strong showing, he didn't really shape the proceedings the way he had in the past. A good night, overall, for Sanders anyway. And for Cory Booker, who might be winning himself a vice-presidential slot. Let's hope the next debate has fewer candidates and a whole lot more verve. * Bhaskar Sunkara is the founding editor of Jacobin magazine and a Guardian US columnist. He is the author of The Socialist Manifesto: The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme Inequality 'Booker and Harris could see new life infused in their campaigns'Viewers who went to bed before the end of this evening's Democratic presidential debate – or who tuned out because the animated stars wobbling drunkenly behind the candidates made them queasy – missed most of the fireworks. For the first hour and a half or so, the Democratic contenders delivered polished monologues straight out of their stump speeches and politely declined to attack each other except obliquely. As the final half hour approached, however, the gloves came off.Will Amy Klobuchar's condescension toward Pete Buttigieg about his lack of electoral prowess and legislative experience springboard her to the top of the moderate lane? Will voters unacquainted with Buttigieg be impressed by his fierce attack on Tulsi Gabbard for meeting with Syria's "murderous dictator" Bashar al-Assad? Did Cory Booker manage to stave off elimination from future debates on the strength of his unmatched eloquence and half-joking supposition that former vice president Joe Biden might have been high (as well as ignorant of the realities of minority communities) when he opposed decriminalizing marijuana? And will Biden see his hitherto solid minority support evaporate for ignoring the black woman a few feet away from him – Kamala Harris – when he gaffe-ishly claimed that he had been endorsed by the only African-American woman senator?Post-debate poll results await. I suspect that the debate infused new life into the campaigns of Booker and Harris and did little harm to the rest other than Gabbard, although billionaire Tom Steyer and the whimsical Andrew Yang barely registered. It indirectly emphasized how the two potential latecomers to the race, former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, are at a severe disadvantage for having missed the debates so far. But the debate, coming after a long day of relentless Republican stonewalling in the House impeachment inquiry, also highlighted the difficulty that a victorious Democratic presidential candidate would have in passing even modestly ambitious policy proposals or in restoring a deeply divided nation to any semblance of unity. * Geoffrey Kabaservice is the director of political studies at the Niskanen Center in Washington, DC as well as the author of Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party
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| Military: 2 airmen killed in crash at Oklahoma base during training Posted: 21 Nov 2019 04:59 PM PST  Two airmen were killed Thursday in an accident involving two jets during the landing phase of a training exercise at a U.S. Air Force base in northwestern Oklahoma, a military official said.
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| Google's Tour Builder Is a Great Way to Make Your Friends Hate You Posted: 21 Nov 2019 12:18 PM PST |
| Woman charged in boyfriend's suicide pleads not guilty Posted: 22 Nov 2019 06:55 AM PST  A former Boston College student made her first court appearance Friday to face charges that she encouraged her boyfriend to take his own life in what prosecutors describe as a toxic and abusive relationship. Inyoung You, 21, pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in Suffolk County Superior Court in Boston after prosecutors say she voluntarily returned to the U.S. from South Korea, where she has been at least since the charges were announced in October. Prosecutors say You and Alexander Urtula, 22, of Cedar Grove, New Jersey, exchanged more than 75,000 texts in the last two months of their 18-month relationship, more than 47,000 of them sent by You.
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| Putin honours 'hero' pilots for Russian corn field landing Posted: 21 Nov 2019 08:27 AM PST  Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday bestowed the country's top state honour on two pilots who safely landed a plane carrying more than 230 people in a corn field after a bird strike. At a ceremony in the Kremlin, Putin handed pilot Damir Yusupov and co-pilot Georgy Murzin the Hero of Russia awards, praising the crew's courage and professionalism. "They were able to land the plane literally in an empty field and saved dozens of lives," Putin said.
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| Hezbollah accuses U.S. of meddling in Lebanon's crisis Posted: 22 Nov 2019 09:17 AM PST  Hezbollah accused the United States of meddling in the formation of a new Lebanese government on Friday, its strongest accusation yet of U.S. interference in Lebanon's political and economic crisis. As Lebanon grapples with the worst economic crisis since its 1975-90 civil war, Hezbollah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Kassem told Reuters he did not see signs of a new conflict.
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| Why India's Aircraft Carrier from Russia Was a Total Lemon Posted: 21 Nov 2019 06:00 PM PST  The Admiral Gorshkov was a terrible ship.
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| Laura Loomer’s ‘Nonsensical’ Lawsuit Killed by Judge Posted: 21 Nov 2019 10:43 AM PST  Stephanie Keith/GettyFar-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer lost a lawsuit against a Muslim-rights organization this week after a judge ruled that her entire case was "to put it mildly, nonsensical."Loomer was a prominent anti-Muslim internet personality until she was banned from most major social media platforms beginning last year. Since then, she has launched a congressional bid, which she acknowledged in a campaign email was at least partially a ploy to have her social media accounts restored. She also filed a lawsuit against the Council on American-Islamic Relations earlier this year, accusing the civil rights group of plotting to take down her Twitter account.Many of her claims in that lawsuit originated from a prank by leftist Twitter users who quickly confessed to the stunt. That didn't stop Loomer from pursuing the lawsuit to its doomed end on Wednesday.Twitter banned Loomer in November 2018, after years of anti-Muslim posts. (She is also banned from Uber, Lyft, Venmo, GoFundMe, PayPal, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms for similar infractions.) But Loomer, who has promoted a number of conspiracy theories (she made her first headlines attempting to accuse her university of supporting ISIS) soon latched onto an elaborate explanation for her ban.Republican Lawmakers on Being Photographed With Laura Loomer: We Don't Know HerShe tried to overturn the ban by handcuffing herself to the door of Twitter's New York City offices. Twitter remained unmoved, but the stunt attracted the attention of Twitter users Nathan Bernard and Chris Gillen, who decided to pose as Twitter employees, Right Wing Watch first reported. Beginning in December, the pair sent Loomer messages claiming Twitter had met with CAIR representatives shortly before her ban.The pair said Loomer did not seek to authenticate any of their claims, including a ridiculous forged calendar they sent her, which appeared to show Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey scheduling two-and-a-half consecutive hours of meditation time every work day. "We couldn't have done it dumber," Gillen told Right Wing Watch in January. "We couldn't have been less careful. It's so obviously bullshit."The pranksters also shared audio of a phone call in which Loomer accused Dorsey of "taking money from all these Muslims and implementing Sharia law."Loomer passed the allegation to the Wall Street Journal, which implied that CAIR was among "outside groups and individuals [that] had privately lobbied Twitter executives to remove her from the site in late November." A series of right-wing news sites picked up the story, accusing CAIR and Twitter of conspiring against Loomer.Although Bernard and Gillen came clean about the stunt in January, Loomer continued to press the conspiracy theory in court. In April, she filed suit against CAIR, accusing it of "tortious interference with an advantageous business relationship" between herself and Twitter.Anti-Muslim Activist Laura Loomer to Run for CongressThat argument had a fatal flaw: Loomer had no business relationship with Twitter, a judge ruled on Wednesday."[E]ven accepting as true Plaintiffs' proposition that Defendant reported Loomer's account and convinced Twitter to ban Loomer, doing so does not create a cause of action for tortious interference with a business relationship," the judge wrote in a dismissal. "Plaintiffs' suggestion that the mere reporting of a Twitter user—however insistent such reporting may be—is sufficient to constitute tortious interference in a business relationship between Twitter and the targeted user is, to put it mildly, nonsensical."In other words, tweeting isn't a job, and getting banned isn't the same as getting fired.If Loomer wants to find the culprit behind her ban, she can look in the mirror, CAIR said after the Wednesday dismissal."We are pleased the court recognized that Loomer's complaint against CAIR was baseless," CAIR National Litigation Director Lena Masri said in a statement. "Her own pattern of anti-Muslim rhetoric is what caused Twitter and at least eight other internet platforms to ban her, not any actions by CAIR."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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| Trump Admin Warns Sanctuary States against Barring ICE Courthouse Arrests in Letter Posted: 22 Nov 2019 08:32 AM PST  State supreme courts in Washington and Oregon received a letter from Attorney General William Barr and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf on Friday warning them to reconsider "dangerous and unlawful" directives that prohibit immigration officials from detaining illegal immigrants in and around state courthouses.Last week, Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Martha Walters banned ICE from courthouse arrests "to maintain the integrity of our courts and provide access to justice," unless the agency has a criminal judicial warrant. Washington is considering adopting a similar measure.In response to Walters's ruling, ICE said it "will continue to carry out its mission to uphold public safety and enforce immigration law.""It is ironic that elected officials want to see policies in place to keep ICE out of courthouses, while caring little for laws enacted by Congress to keep criminal aliens out of our country," an ICE statement read.Barr and Wolf's letter, obtained exclusively by Fox News, disparages a claim that Walters makes in requiring a judicial warrant for ICE to make its arrests — an often-peddled sanctuary city policy that obfuscates the reality of immigration law."Put simply, an administrative arrest warrant is all that Congress requires for authorities to make an arrest of an alien inside the United States for violations of federal immigration laws subject to the exceptions specifically delineated by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act for immigration officers to make warrantless arrests. Administrative arrest warrants —while civil in nature —are issued based on probable cause, carry the full authority of the United States, and should be honored by any state or local jurisdiction," the letter explains."We will further note that ICE and CBP officers are not subject to state rules that purport to restrict ICE and CBP from making administrative arrests on property that is otherwise open to the public and other law enforcement officers," the letter continues. "Under the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution, such rules cannot and will not govern the conduct of federal officers acting pursuant to duly-enacted laws passed by Congress when those laws provide the authority to make administrative arrests of removable aliens inside the United States."In concluding, Barr and Wolf urge the courts that "we should all agree that public safety should be of paramount concern.""Court rules that would purport to further restrict the lawful operations of federal law enforcement officials only serve to exacerbate sanctuary laws and policies that continue to place our communities at unacceptable risk," the letter ends.
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| Biden, in Democratic debate, says you have to 'keep punching' to address domestic violence Posted: 21 Nov 2019 03:31 AM PST  Biden was one of 10 Democratic candidates to take the stage in Atlanta to debate a range of topics that included, health care, violence, impeachment and defeating President Trump.
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| Mayor of St. Louis suburb charged in election fraud case Posted: 21 Nov 2019 11:33 AM PST ![Mayor of St. Louis suburb charged in election fraud case]( "Mayor of St. Louis suburb charged in election fraud case") The 81-year-old mayor of a St. Louis suburb was charged Thursday with submitting fraudulent absentee voter applications in what prosecutors say was an effort to illegally influence the city's municipal elections. Berkeley Mayor Theodore Hoskins is charged with four counts of committing an election offense and one forgery count. The charges were filed by Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, who was assigned to the case as special prosecutor at the request of St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell to avoid the appearance of conflict of interest.
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| Ohio abortion law would require doctors to attempt impossible procedure of re-implanting ectopic pregnancies in uterus Posted: 20 Nov 2019 03:55 PM PST  Anti-abortion politicians in Ohio want doctors to attempt to re-implant ectopic pregnancies – a procedure derided by one doctor as "pure science fiction".Members of the state's Republican Party proposed a law this month that would force physicians to attempt an operation for which experts say technology does not currently exist.
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| 26 of the Most Fascinating Public Sculptures Posted: 22 Nov 2019 05:00 AM PST |
| Fearful wait for justice a decade after Philippine massacre Posted: 20 Nov 2019 10:23 PM PST  A decade after 58 people were killed in the Philippines' worst political massacre, none of the alleged masterminds have been convicted yet, leaving families fearful that justice may never come. "We are afraid for the life of the prosecutor or even our judge," said Mary Grace Morales, whose sister and husband were among 32 journalists killed in the attack, making it one of world's deadliest on media workers. Ampatuan family leaders, who ruled the impoverished southern province of Maguindanao, are charged with organising the mass killing in a bid to quash an election challenge from a rival clan.
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| U.S. Navy moves to expel court-martialed SEAL commando after Trump restored his rank Posted: 20 Nov 2019 05:32 PM PST  Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, 40, received formal notice on Wednesday that a "trident review board" has been convened to weigh his fitness to remain in the SEALs, said Captain Tamara Lawrence, spokeswoman for the U.S. naval special warfare command. A hearing before the five-member panel, which will recommend whether to take away the trident pin designating him a SEAL, has been set for Dec. 2.
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| The U.S. Submarine That Could Bring Nuclear Doomsday With It Posted: 21 Nov 2019 02:30 PM PST  One sub to end a country.
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| Pelosi, White House fail to seal USMCA trade deal in crucial meeting Posted: 21 Nov 2019 03:07 PM PST  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer made progress on but failed to seal a deal Thursday on the stalled U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement, increasing the likelihood the deal won't get a vote in Congress this year.
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| Germany’s Coalition on the Cusp of Collapse: What’s Next? Posted: 21 Nov 2019 05:39 AM PST ![Germany's Coalition on the Cusp of Collapse: What's Next?]( "Germany's Coalition on the Cusp of Collapse: What's Next?") (Bloomberg) -- For the better part of this year, Germany's coalition seemed to have been hanging by a thread. Now its existential debates are coming to a head and that could mean an early end to Chancellor Angela Merkel's last term in office.Policy disagreements over climate and pensions exacerbated poor election and poll results for the centrist parties. Leadership struggles ensued. Now, at the halfway point of Merkel's last four-year term, Christian Democrats meet to discuss their future at a party conference Nov. 22-23. The Social Democrats, the junior coalition partner, elect a new leader Nov. 30 and decide whether to abandon the government at a convention a week later.Here's a guide that explains if, why, and how Merkel's government could fall apart.Why is the coalition so fragile?To begin with the coalition was born out of necessity to avoid a prolonged political stalemate. Many of the SPD members didn't want to enter another coalition with the conservative CDU, which is often credited for their policies. The centrist coalition partners are losing support as voters turn toward the far-right Alternative for Germany and the environmentalist Greens, which are vying with the SPD as Germany's center-left political force. That push and pull on both sides heightens tensions among the allies.What are the chances the SPD jumps ship?Government critics within the SPD say that poor approval ratings are the result of abandoning its working-class principles and that it should "renew" itself in opposition.In a first round vote for party chair in October the majority of members voted for candidates favoring an exit from government. The pro-alliance Finance Minister Olaf Scholz now faces one of them in a run-off vote. If Scholz were to lose, the chances of an SPD exit and end of the government would rise considerably.Yet there are good reasons why the SPD would stay in government, mostly because the alternatives after leaving aren't particularly attractive either. If, for instance, Merkel decides to carry on a minority government, it would look awkward for the SPD to withdraw its support for policies it helped put on the drawing board. And if it chooses to continue its support in parliament, then it might as well stay in power by hanging on to its current cabinet posts. If snap elections were to be held, the SPD would lose further power in parliament. In the last election in September 2017 it won 20.5%, now it has around 15%.Snap election or minority government under Merkel?If the SPD were to exit government and withdraw its parliamentary support, Merkel could in theory remain in office for some time, though few people think she would be able or willing to head a minority government for long. Snap elections in Germany don't happen frequently or easily. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who would have to dissolve parliament, is not a big friend of snap elections. Any path to a new election would have to involve a confidence vote in the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament.What would post-Merkel Germany look like?The succession to Merkel is wide open. Her party remains the number one political force in the country, with 25%-27% in opinion polls. But the CDU chief Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has struggled to garner support in her party and beyond, and even faced a failed revolt. If the Social Democrats were to drop out of government, they may not even put up a candidate. If they stay, Scholz is widely expected to bid for the country's top job. The Greens, who are the second-strongest force and temporarily rivaled the CDU for the number one spot, have said they are open to govern with either SPD or CDU.Read More:Merkel Successor Faces Party Revolt Over Bid to Be ChancellorGermany's Finance Minister Advances to Run-Off for Party ChiefMerkel Coalition Battered as Germans Turn on Mainstream PartiesAngela Merkel's Wounded Party Doesn't Know Where to Lead GermanyMerkel's Own Party Wants Outright Huawei Ban From 5G Networks\--With assistance from Patrick Donahue and Arne Delfs.To contact the reporter on this story: Raymond Colitt in Berlin at rcolitt@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Richard BravoFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Prince Andrew Was ‘Given’ ‘Beautiful Young Neurosurgeon’ by Epstein, Says Ex-Housekeeper Posted: 22 Nov 2019 03:36 AM PST  Christopher FurlongIf you love The Daily Beast's royal coverage, then we hope you'll enjoy The Royalist, an all-new members-only series for Beast Inside. Become a member to get it in your inbox on Sunday.Prince Andrew was "given" a "beautiful young neurosurgeon" by Jeffrey Epstein when he stayed at the predator's New Mexico ranch, according to a former housekeeper at the property.Deidre Stratton worked at Epstein's notorious Zorro Ranch, and she told a podcast, Epstein: Devil in the Darkness, that Andrew was "kept company" by the woman for three days when he stayed at the ranch on his own.How Palace Fear of U.S. Epstein Probe Forced the Queen to Fire Prince AndrewStratton said her main job was to procure Epstein with a "stable" of young female masseuse, maintaining a list of women that "didn't have tattoos or piercings" who were willing to drive out to the ranch and massage him."Massages being in air quotes. I don't see how his guests wouldn't know that," Stratton said.Prince Andrew's Daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, Are 'Deeply Distressed,' but Standing by HimStratton said Andrew came to stay at the Zorro Ranch on his own, and was put up in a self-contained three-bedroom guest property on the estate. Epstein was not there, but he arranged for Andrew to be accompanied by the young medic, according to the former housekeeper.Stratton said: "At the time, Jeffrey had this, she supposedly was a neurosurgeon, quite young, beautiful, young and brilliant, and she stayed in the home with him... At one point we had all these different teas and you could pick the teas that you wanted and she asked me to find one that would make Andrew more horny.""I'm guessing she understood her job was to entertain him because I guess, the fear, I don't know; the fear would be that Andrew would say, 'No I didn't really find her that attractive.' ... He would tell Jeffrey that and then she would be on the ropes.""I'm guessing that, another theory is, that Jeffrey probably had her on retainer and she knew what her job would be, should be, to make these people happy... Sex was all they thought about. I mean, I know for sure that Jeffrey would ideally like three massages a day."Stratton said she asked Andrew what he would like for breakfast, and the royal said he wanted to try and cook some bacon for himself."I offered to come up and fix his breakfast and he said, 'No I want to try.' ... When I got up there later to tidy up, you could smell burnt bacon and he was like, 'I didn't do so well.' ... He had a croissant and green tea or something. I remember him trying to cook his own breakfast. Isn't that cute? He couldn't even fry bacon."Prince Andrew was this week ordered to step down from royal life by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in the aftermath of a disastrous interview he gave to the BBC about his friendship with Epstein.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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| JFK files: CIA spy in Cuba ‘befriended’ Castro, Che; played key role amid nuclear-war fears Posted: 22 Nov 2019 07:43 AM PST  Fifty-six years after John F. Kennedy's murder, unsealed government files detail dangerous intrigues about Cuba. This CIA spy was deeply involved.
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| Latina women will finally earn the same as white men – in 2224 Posted: 21 Nov 2019 12:04 PM PST  Latina women in the US get paid 53 cents to a white man's dollar. On current trends equality is a long way offThe gap persists for Latina women regardless of education, experience, or where they live. Photograph: AlamyYesterday, nearly 23 months after the start of 2018, the average Latina woman in the US finally earned what a white man earned in a year.That's because Latina women were paid barely half of what a white man was in 2017 – earning 53 cents to every white man's dollar. That pay gap has also widened at an alarming rate: in 2016, Latina women were paid 67 cents to every white man's dollar.When you lump all women from all demographics in together, they collectively have to work up until 2 April 2019 before they earn as much as white men did in 2018 (the equivalent of four extra months).Native American women earn 58 cents to every dollar earned by a white man; black women earn 61 cents for every dollar. White women and Asian women in the US are a little closer, earning 77 cents and 85 cents, respectively.Research suggests that this gap persists for Latina women regardless of their education, experience or where they live.What's more, research by the Institute for Women's Policy suggests that at the current rate of (non-)improvement, it will be 205 years before Latinas get pay equity in the US.Let me spell that out for you: this would mean Latina women can't expect to earn as much as white men until 2224.
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