| FBI warned six months ago about loophole Pensacola shooter used to obtain a gun Posted: 10 Dec 2019 12:56 PM PST  More than six months before the Dec. 6 shooting at a naval base in Pensacola, Fla., where a Saudi gunman used a weapon obtained using a hunting license exemption, the FBI issued a report warning about precisely this loophole.
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| Nine-year-old Belgian prodigy drops out of university Posted: 10 Dec 2019 09:57 AM PST  A nine-year-old Belgian boy who was due to graduate in electrical engineering has dropped out of his Dutch university due to a dispute over the end date of his degree, his father said Tuesday. Young prodigy Laurent Simons hit the headlines worldwide when it emerged he was on course to receive his degree from the Eindhoven University of Technology in December and become one of the world's youngest graduates. "Today he already got two offers" from foreign universities, Alexander Simons said.
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| Pence rejects calls to declassify new impeachment testimony Posted: 11 Dec 2019 08:00 PM PST ![Pence rejects calls to declassify new impeachment testimony]( "Pence rejects calls to declassify new impeachment testimony") The vice president's lawyer says it "serves no purpose."
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| Painting of naked Zapata stirs uproar in Mexico Posted: 10 Dec 2019 10:16 PM PST  A controversial painting of Mexican revolutionary leader Emiliano Zapata has pitted his family and supporters against the work's artist and the LGBT community in a contentious dispute that erupted in heated protests Tuesday. The protesters, many of them campesinos, or peasant tenant farmers who are sympathetic to the message of Zapata -- himself a campesino from Morelos state -- demonstrated outside the museum for hours. Some shouted homophobic slurs, which prompted a small group of LGBT community members and supporters to gather nearby and push back as tensions rose.
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| The Real Locations That Inspired 13 Famous Paintings Posted: 11 Dec 2019 02:31 PM PST |
| Andrew Yang’s Campaign Fires Staffer Over Alleged Misconduct As Alyssa Milano Pulls Out of Fundraiser Posted: 11 Dec 2019 03:30 PM PST  Andrew Yang's 2020 campaign fired an unnamed staffer over alleged misconduct that first surfaced publicly when actress and MeToo activist Alyssa Milano announced she would be pulling out of a fundraiser for the Democratic presidential candidate over the incident.Yang said the unspecified "mistreatment" was not sexual in nature, according to Politico, which first reported the staffer's firing. "To the extent that a particular individual was in a position to mistreat another employee, that's no longer the case today," Yang told reporters Wednesday.The candidate's remarks came one day after Milano announced in a Twitter thread that she would be pulling out of a Dec. 21 fundraiser for Yang over "repeated allegations of sexual misconduct" made by a campaign staffer against another staffer that were allegedly "not appropriately addressed.""While I have not endorsed any candidate, I do believe Andrew Yang is a good man with progressive, smart, interesting ideas," she wrote. "But this issue is too important and too prevalent. The buck stops at the top."A Yang campaign spokesperson told The Daily Beast that they take "these matters seriously" and underscored that "creating a safe environment" within the campaign is a top priority. The campaign also said it fired the staffer before Milano tweeted about the incident."To those ends, we have initiated prompt action to evaluate these allegations and will take all necessary steps to ensure that we foster a work environment that is in accordance with our values," the spokesperson said.When asked about the discrepancy between Milano's "sexual misconduct" claim and Yang's disclosure of non-sexual "mistreatment" by his staffer, the campaign said: "Andrew Yang's remarks stands." Milano had no immediate comment on the discrepancy.Milano was set to host the fundraiser with Yang's wife, Evelyn, and actress Teri Hatcher, according to CNN. Hatcher did not respond to questions from The Daily Beast on whether she would still be hosting the fundraiser.Yang's most recent poll numbers qualified him for the December Democratic debate, with a Tuesday Quinnipiac poll showing him at 4 percent. He will be joining the likes of former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on the debate stage on Dec. 19.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Weinstein's bail hiked over allegations he disabled monitor Posted: 11 Dec 2019 05:54 AM PST  A judge Wednesday hiked Harvey Weinstein's bail over allegations he mishandled or disabled his electronic ankle monitor dozens of times in recent months. Judge James Burke gave Weinstein three options to cover a new bail of up to $5 million and warned the disgraced movie mogul that he'll face jail if other issues crop up. Weinstein, who had been free on $1 million bail, agreed to meet the obligation by putting up $2 million in cash and other assets through a bail bondsman.
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| Outrage after Colombia riot police force young woman into unmarked car Posted: 11 Dec 2019 12:33 PM PST  * Protester freed after members of public give chase * Video of incident adds to criticism of police tacticsOutrage has erupted in Colombia after a young woman participating in anti-government protests was grabbed by riot police in body armour, forced into an unmarked vehicle and driven away.Video of the incident showed the woman sobbing and screaming "Help! The police have kidnapped me!" through the window of the black Chevrolet sedan as it drove away from the demonstration near the National University in Bogotá on Wednesday night.> Video de cómo policias del Esmad suben a la fuerza a una mujer a un carro particular Chevrolet HCI 264 > ¿Intento de secuestro? > Compartir al máximo pic.twitter.com/6vYOBlIAQE> > — ���������� ������������ (@maikybayona) December 11, 2019Two members of the public gave chase in another vehicle, and the driver can be heard in the video shouting reassurance to the detainee as they drive alongside. The pursuers eventually stopped their car in front of the officers, who then released the woman in the middle of heavy traffic.The video – and a second clip showing a young man apparently being forced into an unmarked car on Tuesday night – prompted fresh accusations of excessive force against the Mobile Anti-Disturbances Squadron – known by its Spanish initials, Esmad.Bogotá's chief of police said at a press conference on Wednesday that while it was not usual for police to use unmarked vehicles when detaining people, it was legal.But Gen Hoover Penilla did not specify why the two protesters were seized – nor why the woman was released if she had been suspected of wrongdoing. The whereabouts of the young man remained unclear late on Wednesday.Penilla admitted that the woman should not have been left on the road, but adopted a defiant tone, telling reporters: "We will continue to do our duty but I ask you not to question everything our police officers do."For the past three weeks, Colombia has been racked by demonstrations triggered by widespread discontent with the proposed economic reforms of the rightwing president, Iván Duque, whose approval rating has dropped to just 26% since he took office in August last year.Protesters are also angry at the lack of support for the historic 2016 peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), which formally ended five decades of civil war that killed 260,000 and forced more than 7 million to flee their homes.In a country which not long ago suffered the highest kidnapping rate in the world – and whose security forces have themselves been implicated in forced disappearances – the videos of police snatching protesters evoked disturbing memories.According to the national victims' agency more than 150,000 people were forcibly disappeared between 1986 and 2017, with up to 80,000 still missing. Combatants on all sides of the conflict engaged in the practice.While most of the demonstrations have been peaceful, some vandalism occurred when protests first broke out on 21 November.The hardline response by Esmad – who have fired teargas, flash bangs, and "less lethal" bean bag rounds at peaceful protesters – has only fanned the discontent.One 18-year-old protester, Dilan Cruz, died after he was shot in the head with a bean bag round on 23 November.Opposition politicians called a debate on Esmad on Wednesday morning, while protest organizers have called for the unit to be dismantled altogether."Esmad has been acting violently and leaving victims in their wake for years," said Mafe Carrascal, a prominent activist. "Rather than containing disturbances, they are generating them by provoking showdowns and killing people."
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| Rudy Giuliani's divorce battle ends, but legal troubles continue for Trump lawyer Posted: 11 Dec 2019 08:49 AM PST  Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's lawyer, has settled his divorce fight with Judith Nathan. Federal prosecutors continue to investigate him.
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| UPDATE 1-Texas executes inmate convicted of killing prison supervisor Posted: 11 Dec 2019 06:09 PM PST ![UPDATE 1-Texas executes inmate convicted of killing prison supervisor]( "UPDATE 1-Texas executes inmate convicted of killing prison supervisor") Texas on Wednesday executed an inmate convicted of killing a prison boot factory supervisor because he was upset he had to work as a janitor. Travis Runnels, 46, was put to death by lethal injection at the state's death chamber in Huntsville for the 2003 murder of 40-year-old Stanley Wiley, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said in a statement. Runnels' death was the final execution scheduled in the United States for 2019, bringing the total to 22 this year, according to the Catholic Mobilizing Network, which opposes the death penalty.
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| Representative Ted Yoho Becomes the 23rd House Republican to Announce Retirement Posted: 10 Dec 2019 10:04 AM PST  Representative Ted Yoho of Florida announced Tuesday that he will step down after completing his fourth term, joining the wave of House Republicans who have opted against running for reelection in 2020.Yoho had promised to serve no more than four terms in Congress."I ran on a pledge to serve four terms — eight years and come home," Yoho said in his announcement. "Many told me I was naive and they're probably right. I was told the district has changed three times and so the pledge isn't binding and I could rationalize that. However, I truly believe a person's word is their bond and should live up to their word."Yoho is the twenty-third House Republican to announce retirement in 2020. 26 Republicans retired in 2018, the year Democrats took back control of the House."Carolyn and I want to thank all of our awesome and loyal supporters who believed in us enough to give us the incredible honor to serve as a Member of the United States Congress, a government that represents the greatest country on earth," Yoho wrote in a letter to supporters.Yoho sits on the House Foreign Affairs and Agriculture Committees. Before running for Congress he worked as a large animal veterinarian.In November Yoho was thought to be considering retirement, but the congressman initially denied reports that he would be stepping down.The retirement wave is fueling concerns for GOP prospects in the 2020 congressional elections, although some of the affected districts are expected to remain in Republican control. Yoho's district is widely considered safe for Republicans, and the congressman is himself a staunch supporter of President Trump.
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| Bolivia’s Ex-President Morales Seeks Refugee Status in Argentina Posted: 12 Dec 2019 06:17 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Bolivia's former president Evo Morales has landed in Buenos Aires, with the purpose of seeking refugee status in Argentina, according to comments by foreign minister Felipe Sola on local TV.Morales' arrival follows a month-long stay in Mexico and several days in Cuba. In mid-November Argentina's then president-elect, Alberto Fernandez, said that the former Bolivian leader could seek asylum in the country after he became president on Dec. 10.Morales resigned the presidency of the Andean country on Nov. 11 following civil unrest in the wake of a contested election. He fled to Mexico after the government of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador granted him asylum.Read More: Coup or No Coup, Bolivia's Morales Fell From Grace: QuickTakeRecent opinion polls, however, showed the decision was a net negative for the administration, with 44% of Mexicans describing the decision as bad or very bad in a poll published in El Financiero.To contact the reporter on this story: Jorgelina do Rosario in Buenos Aires at jdorosario@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Juan Pablo Spinetto at jspinetto@bloomberg.net, Bruce DouglasFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Meet the Navy's Small Warships That Help to Deter Iran Posted: 12 Dec 2019 01:45 AM PST  Spunky and important little boats.
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| Turkey set to retaliate against any U.S. sanctions Posted: 11 Dec 2019 12:28 PM PST  Turkey said on Wednesday it would retaliate against any U.S. sanctions over its purchase of Russian defense systems, adding that with Britain it had agreed to speed up a joint fighter jet program to meet Turkish defense needs.
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| Oink oink, cha-ching: $3 million found in barrels of pork Posted: 11 Dec 2019 05:28 AM PST  Barrels of raw pork shoulder were riding fat in a tractor trailer pulled over by North Carolina deputies. Approximately $3 million in cash was recovered from the barrels Saturday, the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post Tuesday. The driver of the tractor trailer was accused of failing to maintain his lane and impeding the flow of traffic on Interstate 85.
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| 'I won’t be able to have healthy food': millions of Americans to lose lifeline as Trump cuts food stamps Posted: 12 Dec 2019 01:15 AM PST  The Trump administration is rolling out new rules that will reduce Snap benefits, and make millions of Americans ineligible to receive themWhen James Fauntleroy lost his sales job in the summer he quickly found his social security disability benefits did not provide enough to live on. So he turned to a vital lifeline relied upon by many Americans on hard times – food stamps, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap).Fauntleroy, 35, initially received an approval letter, which noted he would receive $197 a month starting immediately. That was enough to help him put food on his table.But then the bad news came."In the beginning of September, I received another letter from the Florida department of children and families stating that my approved amount would change from $197 to $16," said Fauntleroy, who lives in Orlando, Florida.Fauntleroy is one of about 40 million low-income Americans who receive at least some Snap benefits every year, a program for which the Trump administration is currently rolling out new rules that will reduce these benefits even further, and make millions of Americans ineligible to receive them. Some people, especially those with disabilities, were already finding it hard to get by on current benefits or falling through the cracks of the system. Now they fear the strict new requirements will make their situations even worse.For Fauntleroy – who suffers from a kidney disorder – the food stamp cuts are a disaster. "I currently have a gofundme set up to help with living expenses until I can get another part-time job. In the meantime, food is expensive and I also have to choose certain foods as a kidney dialysis patient. So it's very difficult and weighs on me mentally and emotionally," he said.He currently relies on a paratransit service to travel to a kidney dialysis center three times a week, and still has to cover $65 monthly co-pays and the $135 a month medicare deductible taken from his disability benefits. He's currently searching for another part-time job, because his disability benefits will be suspended entirely if he makes anything over the income limits of about $1,200 a month.But the Trump administration is determined to target food stamps for cuts.On 5 December, the United States Department of Agriculture announced the finalization of a new rule that will limit state waivers of federal work requirements for "able-bodied" individuals between the ages of 18 through 49 without dependants.Currently without a waiver, these individuals cannot receive Snap benefits longer than three months in a three-year period. States have been able to grant waivers to these requirements in regions with high unemployment or insufficient available jobs. The rule is estimated to revoke Snap benefits from 668,000 individuals in the US.The term "able-bodied" is vague, subject to interpretation of who fits into the requirements as determined by state agencies.The rule is one of three being pushed by the Trump administration, which is also looking to enact capped income levels for Snap benefits eligibility to twice the poverty level, about $50,000 a year for a family of four. The rule would also prevent households with more than $2,250 in assets, or $3,500 for a household with a disabled adult, from receiving food assistance benefits. Nearly 3 million Americans are expected to lose Snap benefits as a result of this rule.A third rule would cut $4.5bn from the Snap program over five years, affecting one in five families receiving benefits.The rules have faced scrutiny for revoking or reducing benefits for millions of Americans struggling with poverty, including eliminating access to free or reduced school lunch meals to 500,000 children.But many disabled or sick Americans already struggle with obtaining Snap benefits or maintaining them under current requirements. Their situation, already tough, is now going to get worse.They are people like Virgil Garwood, 37, of Woodville, Ohio, who was only receiving $50 a month in Snap benefits while fighting thyroid cancer. He receives social security disability insurance and is unable to work due to seizures, bone degradation, and the frequent surgeries his treatment requires.But under the Trump administration, his benefits were reduced to just $15 a month, though his financial situation had not changed at all."My state requires Snap recipients to attend a class for proper nutrition, another class for budgeting, and a class that explained the program and how to apply for jobs. The entire time you were a recipient you were expected to be looking for employment and be able to provide proof," said Garwood. "I let the program lapse because driving out to the classes to maintain benefits would cost way more than the $15 it's bringing in."Jennifer Pracht of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, has relied on Snap benefits to provider for herself and her 14-year-old daughter since she became disabled and unable to work due to spinal issues in 2012."For some reason this year, my amount was cut by $105 a month. Nothing has changed on my end for them to cut the amount. But, they did," said Pracht. She's concerned more unannounced cuts to her benefits are coming."I have no idea how I'm going to put food on the table for a whole month, let alone have that food be healthy. I won't be able to have healthy food in this house because it's so much more expensive."Several individuals who spoke to the Guardian about their experience with Snap benefits requested to remain anonymous or only go by their first name.Lisa, 47, in Michigan began receiving Snap benefits in April 2018 while waiting on her social security disability insurance filing to be approved. In October 2018, she lost her Snap benefits due to work requirements."Food insecurity was a constant. I kept a running tally in my head of what food was in the kitchen and how many meals I had left, compared to how long before I might get money again." said Lisa. "This isn't a huge amount of money. This isn't about people going out and living high on the hog on the taxpayer's dime. This is about people scraping to get by, and that little bit of money a month is a godsend."A 40-year-old woman in South Berwick, Maine, currently receives $130 a month in Snap benefits and social security disability insurance as she suffers from Ehler's Danlos syndrome, a vascular genetic condition, and several other disabilities.Much of her disability payment goes toward rent, as she only recently moved into stable housing after struggling with homelessness for several years. She has no reliable transportation to a grocery store, and has dietary restrictions associated with her disability."I always have to set aside a food and transportation budget from my social security disability, which is $760 a month," she said. "I don't think $130 a month is enough for anyone to survive on and I get the maximum benefit, especially when they have multiple disabilities and can't find work."
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| Trump news - live: President attacks Congress members as they prepare for impeachment vote, after mocking teen activist Greta Thunberg Posted: 12 Dec 2019 07:48 AM PST  Donald Trump is attacking teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg after she was named Time magazine's Person of the Year ahead of him, as the House Judiciary Committee prepares to resume its debate over the articles of impeachment threatening to end his presidency."So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!" wrote the Leader of the Free World on Twitter.com.
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| Six dead in hours-long New York-area shootout Posted: 10 Dec 2019 08:07 PM PST  Six people including a police officer and two suspects were killed during an hours-long shootout across a New York suburb not far from the Statue of Liberty, local officials said. "Our officers were under fire for hours," Jersey City Police Chief Michael Kelly told reporters after the latest high-profile US shooting. In addition to the officer and the suspects, three civilians were killed in the incident that began around midday at a cemetery and ended in a store, Kelly said.
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| US warnings over spate of Iranian-backed rocket attacks on its bases in Iraq Posted: 12 Dec 2019 07:02 AM PST  Attacks on bases hosting US-led coalition forces by Iranian-armed militias are heading towards a red line for the coalition, who would respond with such force that "no one would like the outcome," a senior US official warned on Wednesday. Just hours later a further two rockets hit near the military section of Baghdad airport. The attack is the tenth of its type since October, targeting joint US-Iraqi military facilities that host forces from the US-led coalition to defeat Isil. Speaking to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, the US official reportedly said that while there were no claims of responsibility for the attacks, intelligence and forensic analyses indicated Iranian-backed Shi'ite Muslim militia groups are behind them. The Iraqi paramilitary groups and the US are trading blame on the series of attacks. "We're waiting for full evidence...If past is prologue, I'd say there's a good chance it was Iran that's behind it," David Schenker, the US Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs, told reporters last Friday. Two further attacks have happened since. The rocket attacks come amid US accusations that Iran has capitalised on the continued unrest in Iraq to secretly move short-range ballistic missiles into the country. The Trump administration hit Iran with fresh sanctions on Wednesday in an effort to intensify their "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. The sanctions target several transportation firms in the Islamic Republic, including the state-shipping line, as well as a China-based company that has been involved in delivering missile parts to Iran. Piling economic sanctions and ramped up rhetoric have been a pillar of the "maximum pressure" campaign since Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal with Iran in May 2018. Iran has since taken several major steps away from the deal amid fears of a war with the US, further exacerbating tensions. An attack on Monday saw four Katyusha rockets hit a base near Baghdad airport, wounding five members of Iraq's elite Counter-Terrorism Service. A larger 240-millimetre rocket was used in a similar attack near the airport on Friday, which is thought to have not been used in Iraq since 2011.
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| Poland Will Soon Be Flying F-35s Meant To Fight Off Russia Posted: 11 Dec 2019 05:36 AM PST  And Moscow isn't pleased.
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| The U.S. military is testing water-penetrating bullets, reportedly so Navy SEALs can shoot from underwater Posted: 10 Dec 2019 10:31 AM PST  A new weapon being tested by the U.S. military could give special operators a more lethal edge by allowing them to shoot underwater, according to Defense One.
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| Myanmar's suppression of the Rohingya, explained in 30 seconds Posted: 12 Dec 2019 05:00 AM PST  Myanmar's leader is appearing before the UN International Court of Justice this week to address an accusation of genocide against the Rohingya.
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| Charges dropped, brothers move to sue NYC for hemp-pot mixup Posted: 11 Dec 2019 04:45 PM PST  The bust was a bust, and it could end up costing New York City some serious green. A day after prosecutors dropped criminal charges in a case spotlighting confusion over hemp, marijuana and conflicting laws, the Brooklyn brothers caught in the chaos took the first step toward suing the city and the police department. Oren and Ronen Levy filed notices of claim Wednesday, saying the "nightmare" ordeal that began with Ronen's Nov. 2 arrest and the seizure of 106 pounds (48 kilograms) of hemp plants tarnished their reputations and threatened their livelihoods selling CBD, the extract showing up lately in everything candy to coffee.
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| Virginia museum unveils Kehinde Wiley work in response to Confederate statues Posted: 10 Dec 2019 02:12 PM PST  As debate swirls over fate of Confederate monuments, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond displays a very different statueAs national debate continues in the US about the fate of Confederate statues, in the Virginia capital of Richmond a monument that sends a very different message was unveiled on Tuesday.Though like many of the Confederate statues and memorials it features a martial-looking man riding a horse, Rumors of War by Kehinde Wiley is a very different piece of art.The enormous statue outside the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) in Richmond is almost three storeys tall. The rider sports dreadlocks and wears a hoodie.According to the museum, the sculpture is a direct response to the Confederate statues that line Monument Avenue just a few blocks away.Wiley, a Los Angeles native based in New York, was inspired by a visit to Richmond in 2016, for an exhibition of his work at the VMFA. The result was a re-imagination of a statue of the Confederate general Jeb Stuart, created by Frederick Moynihan in 1907."In these toxic times, art can help us transform and give us a sense of purpose," the 42-year-old artist said in a statement before the unveiling. "This story begins with my seeing the Confederate monuments. What does it feel like if you are black and walking beneath this? We come from a beautiful, fractured situation. Let's take these fractured pieces and put them back together."Najee Wilson, Wiley's model, spoke to students at Binford Middle School in Richmond on Tuesday about how the two men met. "My message was simply, 'Hi Kehinde, my name is Najee Wilson and I'm a fine arts muse with much experience. I'd love to work with you someday,'" Wilson said. "And he said, 'Yes, what's your email?'"Being a black man from South Carolina – being the figure that's on the horse – it's deeply moving, and it's deeply profound."Rumors of War was shown in Times Square, New York, before moving south. It now stands just a mile from Moynihan's original on Monument Avenue, which is adjacent to the most significant piece in Richmond, the Robert E Lee Monument created by the French sculptor Antonin Mercié.Since 2015, the Southern Poverty Law Center estimates that at least 114 Confederate symbols have been removed from their plinths and resting places across the US.The first was taken down in New Orleans as a response to a shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church in Charleston, South Carolina, in June 2015. Nine black congregants were killed by Dylann Roof, a white supremacist who was pictured posing with a Confederate flag. He was sentenced to death in 2017.In June this year, the New York Times reported that some Confederate statues have been auctioned. A Robert E Lee statue removed in Dallas, Texas, sold for $1.4m. Other figures cannot be sold as they are too damaged. Last week a Confederate monument in Nashville was vandalized, the words "They were racists" spray-painted across it.Wiley's statue now lives in the shadow of the United Daughters of the Confederacy's Memorial Building, with its grand bronze doors and double cannon.According to Newsweek, the UDC was responsible for commissioning and funding most of the Confederate statues in the south over the past century – as well as many recent attempts to obtain custody of unwanted statues such as "Silent Sam", which was also removed in 2018 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.In a settlement last month, the North Carolina Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans obtained the rights to the Silent Sam statue along with $2.5m from the university to ensure its preservation.At the VMFA ticket counter on Monday, an employee said the public response to Rumors of War had been positive. "Ninety percent good," the young black man said. The other 10%, he addedm consisted of negative emails and phone calls.The next day, on a rainy afternoon, hundreds turned out to witness the formal unveiling. Marching bands, dance troops and dozens of schools attended the event, which was also live-streamed.Wearing an African print suit, Wiley said he felt overwhelmed. The statue, he said, was "not just for Richmond but everyone in the United States of America." Recalling his visit in 2016, he said that when he saw the figures on Monument Avenue, he thought: "We can do better." In conclusion, he said: "This is every artist's dream."The title of his statue alludes to Jesus's speech from Matthew 24:6. "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come."
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| Former FBI lawyer Lisa Page sues Justice Department over media disclosures Posted: 10 Dec 2019 12:12 PM PST  Page, in a lawsuit filed against the FBI and the Department of Justice in federal court in Washington, D.C., alleges violations of a 1974 law known as the Privacy Act. Page alleged that her rights were violated in December 2017 when government officials invited journalists to view politically charged text message conversations with FBI agent Peter Strzok. Strzok and Page, who were having an affair, were both working on the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
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| Pakistan charges 250 lawyers for treason in hospital assault Posted: 12 Dec 2019 02:49 AM PST  Pakistan on Thursday leveled "treason" charges against 250 lawyers who were part of a mob that stormed a hospital in the eastern city of Lahore the previous day, kicking and punching doctors and staff and trashing equipment and property, police said. Three patients at the hospital died when physicians and medical staff left them unattended for several hours, to flee and escape the mob, officials said. The mob of about 500 lawyers — apparently angered over alleged misbehavior by some of the hospital doctors toward one of their colleagues the month before — stormed the Punjab Institute of Cardiology on Wednesday, punching and beating doctors and other staff.
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| Republicans believe white people experience same level of racism as black people, report says Posted: 10 Dec 2019 01:31 PM PST  Researchers have punctured right-wing claims that a wave of "racism against white people" has coincided with efforts to prevent discrimination against blacks.A study published in Nature Human Behaviour compared perceptions of racial discrimination in "societies that supposedly favour non-white people" and found that white people consistently experienced far less discrimination than black people, despite the influence of far-right groups and increasingly polarised political views that have argued civil rights progress has eliminated rights for others.
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| The 2020 candidates who have qualified for the December debate Posted: 12 Dec 2019 01:25 AM PST  Hours before the deadline, Andrew Yang solidified his spot on the presidential stage.
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| The 5 Reasons Israel Wins Every War it Fights Posted: 12 Dec 2019 02:55 AM PST  Don't mess with the IDF.
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| Mammoth field fires up Norway's oil industry Posted: 11 Dec 2019 10:16 PM PST  ON THE JOHAN SVERDRUP OIL PLATFORM IN THE NORTH SEA (Norvège) (AFP) - Under yellow metal legs stretching beneath the sea, billions of dollars lie buried. As the world tries hard to halt global warming, a huge oil field breathes new life into Norway's oil sector. "Massive!", exclaims a delighted Arne Sigve Nylund, the head of energy giant Equinor's Norway operations.
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| We Tasted 10 Sour Beers That Quenched Our Thirst and Made Us Pucker Up Posted: 11 Dec 2019 12:56 PM PST |
| Saudi Arabia is quietly spending millions on a fresh lobbying effort in the US, hoping to finally put to bed Jamal Khashoggi's brutal murder Posted: 12 Dec 2019 03:21 AM PST  Saudi Arabia contracted three US lobby firms in November, its first move since it was abandoned by five firms over the Khashoggi affair in late 2018.
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| 18-Year-Old College Student Stabbed to Death in Manhattan Park Posted: 11 Dec 2019 08:40 PM PST  An 18-year-old college student was repeatedly stabbed by a group of assailants in a Manhattan park on Wednesday night before stumbling away for help, only to collapse before she could find any. The woman, identified as Tessa Majors, a first-year student at Barnard College, was later found collapsed in front of a security booth near Columbia University by a security guard who had been out on patrol. But after being rushed to St. Luke's hospital, she succumbed to her injuries. Law enforcement sources cited by the New York Daily News said a group of suspects approached the woman in Morningside Park and tried to rob her before stabbing her in the torso several times. She was reportedly walking down a set of steps to the park on W. 116th St. near Morningside Drive when she was surrounded by the group.After the attack, she managed to climb back up the stairs but collapsed in front of a Columbia security guard booth that at that moment happened to be empty. ABC News reports that she was found by the security guard about a half-hour after collapsing on the sidewalk. Mary, a woman who works as a nanny in the area, told The Daily Beast she received an alert from the Citizen app around 7:05 p.m. that there had been an assault with a knife a few hundred feet away. She looked out the window and saw a woman lying in the street as a police officer performed CPR. "There were about six cops in total at that point surrounding the girl," Mary said in a text message. She said police were still searching the area when she left around 10:30 p.m."I hope they catch the guy, no one should ever have to fear their walk home," she told The Daily Beast.Police have not yet announced any suspects, but sources cited by the Daily News said a 16-year-old boy was being questioned in connection with the attack. In an email to students, Barnard College President Sian Leah Beilock said Majors was fatally stabbed during an armed robbery in Morningside Park. "Tessa was just beginning her journey at Barnard and in life. We mourn this devastating murder of an extraordinary young woman and member of our community," Beilock said in the email. "This is an unthinkable tragedy that has shaken us to our core."Majors interned last spring with Augusta Free Press, an independent newspaper in Virginia. Her father is the novelist Inman Majors, who's written six books and teaches English at James Madison University."18 years ago today my life got redefined in all the right ways when this little bundle of fun came into the world," he wrote on Facebook last May. "Happy Birthday to Tessa Rane Majors, a fantastic young lady. I can't wait to see what the next 18 years have in store."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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| Flashback: Trump subpoena stonewall is most dangerous outrage. Why even have a Congress? Posted: 11 Dec 2019 08:22 AM PST  The Founders anticipated our historical moment. They created the House, with 'the people' on its side, to guard against a president like Donald Trump.
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| China reportedly threatens tiny Faeroe Islands over Huawei Posted: 11 Dec 2019 04:32 AM PST  Danish media are reporting that the Chinese government threatened to cancel a trade deal with the tiny Faeroe Islands if the country does not agree to use internet networks supplied by Chinese tech company Huawei. Huawei is at the center of a global cybersecurity debate, with the U.S. pushing allies in Europe and elsewhere to avoid the company over fears it could allow the Chinese government to snoop on consumers. Huawei denies that.
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| The architect of Mexico's war on cartels was just arrested in Texas and accused of drug trafficking and taking bribes Posted: 10 Dec 2019 11:27 AM PST  Genaro Garcia Luna, a former Mexican security official once considered "something of a wunderkind," was arrested by US federal agents on Monday.
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| Taliban attack on U.S. military base kills two, injures dozens Posted: 10 Dec 2019 08:18 PM PST  Suicide bombers struck the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing two people and injuring scores in a major attack that could scupper plans to revive peace talks between the United States and the Taliban. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which struck the Bagram air base north of Kabul. "First, a heavy-duty Mazda vehicle struck the wall of the American base," said Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman.
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| The Air Force Wants To Reinvent The Storied SR-71 As A Hypersonic Bomber Posted: 11 Dec 2019 08:30 PM PST  And it might be unmanned.
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| Fracking leaves heavy footprint in Argentina's Patagonia Posted: 11 Dec 2019 06:29 PM PST  Pumpjack oil wells peck like giant birds at the ground, plumes of yellow flames flare from gas pipelines, lakes accumulate contaminated waste -- Patagonia and its indigenous people are paying a heavy price for Argentina's economic progress. Vaca Muerta, a huge sweep of western Patagonian wilderness, sits on the world's second largest reserve of shale gas and its fourth largest oil reserves. A push to develop extraction amid Argentina's crippling economic crisis has made the area a magnet for international oil companies.
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| University of California lawsuit could change the future of SAT, ACT testing for college admissions Posted: 10 Dec 2019 04:58 PM PST  The University of California system could drop the SAT and ACT tests in admissions — which could diminish the tests' prominence across the country.
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| The Best Trimmers for Keeping Your Facial Hair Under Control Posted: 11 Dec 2019 02:47 PM PST |
| Trump to sign executive order defining Judaism as a nationality Posted: 11 Dec 2019 01:21 AM PST  Donald Trump will sign an executive order effectively defining Judaism as a nationality, not just a religion, in what the White House has described as an order to combat antisemitism on US college campuses.The move has already been criticised by free speech advocates, who were concerned a broader definition of antisemitism could be used to limit criticism of Israel's government.
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| Bernie Sanders has a $150 billion plan to turn the internet into a public utility with low prices and fast speeds — here's how his plan works Posted: 11 Dec 2019 06:22 AM PST  Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders just proposed a sweeping plan that would fundamentally change how the internet works in the US.
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| Man Found Guilty of Murdering Two Boston Doctors Inside Their Penthouse Condo Posted: 10 Dec 2019 10:55 AM PST  A Boston man accused of killing two doctors in their penthouse condo—and leaving behind haunting messages on their walls—was found guilty of murder on Tuesday afternoon. Bampumim Teixeira, 32, was convicted of first-degree murder, armed robbery, and kidnapping for the May 2017 slayings of Dr. Lina Bolanos, 38, and her fiancé, 49-year-old Dr. Richard Field. Authorities say Teixeira fatally stabbed the couple, then scribbled "he killed my wife" and "payback" on the walls of their 11th floor condo. He was shot by authorities and apprehended in the hallway of the couple's building.As jurors began their second day of deliberations on Tuesday, Teixeira entered the packed Suffolk Superior courtroom and began threatening Suffolk County District Attorney John Pappas, making derogatory remarks about his wife."Yo Pappas, you better hope I never get out of jail," Teixeira said to the main prosecutor in his double-murder case, before he was dragged out by a court officer. Boston Man Accused of Murdering Two Doctors Was 'Lurking' Near Their Penthouse Condo: ProsecutorsJust before the jurors delivered the verdict, Teixeira had a second outburst inside the courtroom—showing his handcuffed hands to reporters before yelling at the victims' families in the front row. "Do you want to know his last words? He said no," Teixeira told the sobbing Bolanos and Field families, before he was escorted out of the courtroom once again.The outburst came at the end of the two-week trial, during which prosecutors argued the murders were part of a robbery gone wrong since Teixeira was seen "lurking" outside the building."He is a person literally caught in the act," Suffolk County District Attorney John Pappas said on Monday.Prosecutors noted Teixeira did not know the couple personally, but was a former concierge in their South Boston building and was familiar with its layout. In an interview with Boston police revealed in court, the 32-year-old alleged he had a two-month affair with Bolanos when he worked in the building in 2016 and claimed he murdered Field in self-defense after the doctor killed his own fiancée in a jealous rage."I'm not sorry," Teixeira said in the recording played in court. "A jealous man is the worst thing ever... What I saw with my eyes was crazy."Teixeira's defense attorney, Steven Sack, argued on Monday that while his client did sneak into the 11th floor condo, there is no "credible evidence" that indicates he maliciously murdered the doctors."Sometimes the hardest thing to believe is the truth," Sacks said in his closing arguments.Prosecutors argued that on May 5, 2017, Teixeira entered the building's garage at around 4 p.m. to wait for the couple to come home. Armed with a backpack filled with a combat-style knife, several fake guns, duct tape, and pliers, he was allegedly waiting inside the condo when Bolanos, a pediatric anesthesiologist, first arrived home.Dating App Murder Suspect Cuts Own Throat in Crazy Courtroom OutburstField, a pain clinic doctor, arrived home about an hour later, at which point the couple made multiple inaudible 911 calls. In one desperate attempt to get help, Field texted a friend, Matthias Heidenreich, eight times, writing "Call 111," "Gunman," and "Serious." "I was confused for the first minutes," Heidenreich, a scientist for Vertex Pharmaceuticals, told jurors. "At some point, I realized what it could mean."Heidenreich said he immediately called the building's front desk, telling them a gunman was inside the condo and to contact authorities. When officers arrived at about 8:38 p.m., Teixeira approached them in the hallway outside the apartment with what they thought was a gun—prompting them to shoot and injure him, prosecutors said."Then he said, 'You guys are going to die.' Then he said, 'They killed my wife.' Then he mentioned something, and I heard the word 'sniper,'" Boston Police Department Sgt. Edward Meade testified, adding that investigators also found a bag of Bolanos' jewelry and another with two fake guns, a knife, and duct tape in the hallway outside the apartment.After police apprehended Teixeira, he admitted there were two dead bodies inside the penthouse, prosecutors said. When investigators went inside the dark apartment, they found the couple's bodies in a pool of blood with their hands bound with duct tape. They also discovered cut-up photos of the couple and the words "payback" and "he killed my wife" written on the walls, authorities said. Dr. Richard Atkinson, the medical examiner, testified that Field's cause of death was a "stab wound to the neck" and that Bolanos suffered from 24 "sharp-force injuries" around her neck."Her cause of death was multiple sharp force injuries," he said, adding that her underwear had also been "cut in two locations."New Zealand Mosque Shooting Suspect Brenton Tarrant Flashes White Power Sign in CourtDuring an interview with Boston police while in the ICU unit at Tufts Medical Center—where he was being treated for gunshot wounds he sustained outside the penthouse—Teixeira said Bolanos "brought" him into the apartment on the day of the incident. Teixeira claimed he would "make out" with Bolanos when he worked in the building, and that the two were inside her apartment for several hours while the doctor complained that Fields physically abused her. When Field came home, Teixeira claimed the doctor became "enraged" and accused his fiancée of being unfaithful. He said in the interview recording that Field threatened "he was going to kill us both," before beating, handcuffing, and ultimately fatally stabbing Bolanos. Out of self-defense, Teixeira said, he handcuffed and bashed Field's hand against the wall during a struggle before stabbing him in the neck."I wanted to do to him what he did to her," Teixeira told Boston Police Sgt. Det. Michael Devane in the interview, stating he was innocent and only took Bolanos' jewelry so he could hide it.R. Kelly Ordered to Stay in Brooklyn Jail on New Sex-Trafficking ChargesPappas argued on Monday there had been no evidence presented in court to support Teixeira's "preposterous" and "imagined story" that was created to "ruin" the couple's reputation. The prosecutor also denied Bolanos and Teixeira were ever in a relationship and planned to meet up that day—showing jurors surveillance video that showed he was waiting inside the apartment for an hour before Bolanos came home."This attack on Lina Bolanos happened immediately... and it had nothing to do with Richard Field," Pappas said, insisting the story "doesn't have a ring of truth to it." "We've gone beyond preposterous. We're now existing in the theater of the absurd."Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Fire the Nukes: Why America's Ohio-Class Submarines Could Kill Millions Posted: 10 Dec 2019 03:00 PM PST  (They've got nuclear weapons.)
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