| Democratic Sen. Doug Jones says he'll vote to acquit President Trump if 'dots aren't connected' Posted: 22 Dec 2019 12:39 PM PST  Democratic Sen. Doug Jones dismissed concerns that he will lose his seat if he votes to remove President Trump in a Senate trial, but said he would acquit Trump if "dots aren't connected" over "gaps" in the impeachment case.
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| Exclusive: Pentagon warns military members DNA kits pose ‘personal and operational risks’ Posted: 23 Dec 2019 09:33 AM PST  The Pentagon is advising members of the military not to use consumer DNA kits, saying the information collected by private companies could pose a security risk, according to a memo co-signed by the Defense Department's top intelligence official.
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| Arizona DHS Agents Paid to Have Sex With Alleged Sex Trafficking Victims They ‘Rescued’ Posted: 23 Dec 2019 04:29 PM PST  At a press conference in September 2018, Department of Homeland Security agents told reporters they had successfully broken up a transnational ring of illegal massage parlors forcing Asian immigrants into sex slavery. What they didn't say, however, is that two of their own agents had paid for sex with the alleged victims.As part of the two-year, $15,000 investigation into the massage parlors, two DHS agents engaged in sex acts with the alleged trafficking victims at least 10 times, according to DHS and local police department investigation reports uncovered by Today's News-Herald. Now the case against the alleged traffickers is unraveling as the federal agents refuse to testify in courts."To solve a crime of victims who were being forced to have sex, the officers decided to have sex with them," Brad Rideout, an attorney for one of the women arrested for money laundering, told The Daily Beast. "There seems to be no limits on their activities and there seems to be no boundaries."Authorities say the trafficking sting started in 2016, when local police received reports of unusual activity at several massage parlors in Lake Havasu City and Bullhead City. By April 2018, the police departments had determined that some of the employees might be victims of human trafficking. That's when they reached out to the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) investigation arm for assistance.Weeks later, in a DHS investigation referred to in official documents as "Operation Asian Touch," two DHS agents were sent undercover to visit the parlors. In the investigation reports, the agents describe haggling with their masseuses over hand jobs and asking them to bare their breasts for anywhere from $40 to $120.The agents, known only as "Arturo" and "Sergio," returned to each location as many as four times, according to the investigation reports. The visits generated insights such as "the female was very skinny with small breasts," and "any time the female would say anything she would get really close and whisper." After one visit, the undercover officer reportedly testified he was "80 percent sure" that the woman he had contact with was the target of the investigation. Police raided the massage parlors in September 2018, arresting eight people on charges of sex trafficking, money laundering, and operating a house of prostitution, among other things. In a press conference, deputy special agent Lon Wiegand said the suspects were part of a transnational criminal organization that trafficked women through multiple massage parlors in the area, according to the Mohave Daily News.Wiegand described the women's working conditions as "deplorable" and "unsanitary," and said they had been forced to work seven days a week, for more than 12 hours at a time. The women's only income came from their tips for sexual services, he said, and their movements were "extremely restricted." Investigators said the ring's alleged leader, Amanda Yamauchi, transported workers directly from the Las Vegas airport to the businesses in Mohave County.But the charges against Yamauchi and her alleged partner were dropped last week after the DHS agents refused to testify in her case. The investigation, which Lake Havasu City Police Sgt. Tom Gray told Today's News-Herald took almost 200 hours, has so far resulted in only three convictions—one for prostitution, another for soliciting a prostitute, and a third for attempted pandering. "We just can't produce them," Mohave Deputy County Attorney Kellen Marlow told Today's News-Herald of the DHS agents. "Local law enforcement investigators would be readily available, but federal witnesses are not. And from what I've been told, they're not going to be available to testify any time soon."Rideout filed a motion last month asking for the agents' full names, badge numbers, and any other identifying information necessary to request information on their actions in the investigation. According to the motion, so far the state has provided only reports written by local law enforcement officers involved in the investigation. "It is unclear how an ICE officer having sexual relations with human trafficking victims in Mohave County, Arizona protects the nation from terrorist attack or secures its borders," Rideout wrote.DHS did not respond to The Daily Beast's request for comment. Bullhead City Public Information Officer Emily Fromelt told Today's News-Herald that DHS had conducted its own internal investigation into the agents' activities but did not reveal the outcome.A similar raid on massage parlors in Florida earlier this year—which made headlines after New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft patronized one of the businesses—also resulted in zero trafficking convictions. The investigation into 10 spas in southern Florida was billed by police as a rescue operation for the impoverished immigrant workers. But in April, an assistant state attorney in Palm Beach testified in court that there was "no human trafficking that arises out of this investigation." Some of the women are now being threatened with deportation.Results like these have led sex workers' rights activists to speak out against the raids, which they say do little to help the so-called victims they purport to save."Police like to get in front of TV cameras and state that they conducted a raid and rescued victims and arrested a bunch of men and closed down this sex trafficking operation," said Alex Andrews, the co-founder of sex workers' rights organization SWOP Behind Bars. "But even in these raids where they're targeting the men, they're not having any impact at all on the lives of sex workers or the lives of sex trafficking victims."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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| Russia's most advanced fighter jet crashes, pilot survives Posted: 24 Dec 2019 04:08 AM PST  Russian officials say a top-of-the-line fighter jet has crashed on a training mission but that its pilot bailed out safely. Russia's United Aircraft Corporation said in a statement Tuesday that the Su-57 fighter came down during a training flight near Komsomolsk-on-Amur in the country's far east. The Su-57, which made its maiden flight in 2010, is Russia's most advanced fighter plane.
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| Hong Kong police fire tear gas to break up Christmas Eve protest chaos Posted: 23 Dec 2019 07:35 PM PST  Hong Kong riot police fired rounds of tear gas at thousands of protesters, many wearing masks and reindeer horns, after scuffles in shopping malls and in a prime tourist district as pro-democracy rallies escalated into Christmas Eve chaos. Protesters inside the malls threw umbrellas and other objects at police who responded by beating some demonstrators with batons, with one pointing his gun at the crowd, but not firing. Some demonstrators occupied the main roads and blocked traffic outside the malls and nearby luxury hotels in the Tsim Sha Tsui tourist district of Kowloon.
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| I never let my daughter sit on Santa's lap. Now she's old enough to tell me that I made the right choice. Posted: 24 Dec 2019 07:47 AM PST  The Santa Claus custom tells kids that it's safe to have physical contact with strangers, and that they should do it even if they don't want to.
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| No more US sniffer dogs to Egypt, Jordan after deaths Posted: 23 Dec 2019 01:03 PM PST  The United States has temporarily stopped sending bomb detecting sniffer dogs to Jordan and Egypt after several of the animals died due to what US officials say was lack of care. "Any death of a canine in the field is an extremely sad event and we will take every measure possible to prevent this from happening in the future," a US State Department official told reporters on Monday. The State Department's own independent Office of Inspector General (OIG) began looking into the well-being of the animals after reports of canine mistreatment surfaced in mid-2017.
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| McLaren Speedtail Hits 250 MPH More Than 30 Times in Testing at Kennedy Space Center Posted: 23 Dec 2019 08:35 AM PST  Development on McLaren's 1035-horsepower three-seat grand tourer is now complete.
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| Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell amid impeachment battle: 'I'm the 2nd most despised Republican' Posted: 23 Dec 2019 10:18 AM PST  "Let's quit the charade," Mitch McConnell said as he slammed the idea that senators won't be partisan on President Trump's impeachment.
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| U.S. considers proposals to reduce troop strength in West Africa Posted: 24 Dec 2019 06:57 AM PST  Defense Secretary Mark Esper is considering proposals to significantly reduce the number of U.S. forces in West Africa, The New York Times reports, citing officials familiar with the matter.The options on the table reportedly include a total pullout, as well as the abandoning of a new $110 million drone base in Niger. The deliberations are part of the first phase of a review of U.S. military deployments around the world. A decision on West Africa troop strength is expected in January, and a similar move in Latin America reportedly could come next.The U.S. also is expected to follow through with drawdowns in Iraq and Afghanistan. President Trump took office in 2017 vowing to wrap up "endless wars." About 200,000 American service members are stationed abroad currently.More stories from theweek.com How a 'legislative terrorist' conquered the Republican Party Pelosi's impeachment endgame The West was profoundly wrong about Modi
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| Ethiopian Muslims protest after several mosques burned Posted: 24 Dec 2019 04:28 AM PST ![Ethiopian Muslims protest after several mosques burned]( "Ethiopian Muslims protest after several mosques burned") Several thousand Muslims across Ethiopia in recent days have protested the burning of four mosques in the Amhara region. Muslims have called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has called the attacks "attempts by extremists to break down our rich history of religious tolerance and coexistence." Recent ethnic-based unrest in some parts of the country has at times taken religious form.
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| Here's How Iran's Aging Air Force Would Take On America's F-22 Stealth Fighters Posted: 23 Dec 2019 06:17 AM PST  Not a fair fight.
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| Army Officer Rushes Home to See Mom—Before She Is Deported to Mexico Posted: 23 Dec 2019 03:11 PM PST  U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Gibram Cruz arrived home in California from his posting in Arizona last week. The reason for the visit wasn't the holidays; he would be back on base before then. The purpose was to see his mother, who is about to be deported from the country he serves to protect."I'm here essentially to say goodbye to my mom," the 30-year-old army officer told The San Diego Union-Tribune on Sunday.Rocio Rebollar Gomez, 50, is an undocumented immigrant who has lived in San Diego on and off for over 30 years. She owns a business and a house in the United States, and raised her three children here, and she has no criminal record. But on Dec. 4, she was ordered to self-deport to Mexico within the month—and the federal government refused to grant her discretionary protections provided for relatives of military service members that would allow her to stay longer. "Honestly I am worn out. I feel like my life is gone and everything I have is here—my whole life," Gomez told The Daily Beast on Monday."I cannot eat, I cannot sleep, my life is on hold. No one should be going through what I am going through."She is expected to return to her native Acapulco, Mexico—a once tourist-filled beachside city that has since become overrun by cartel violence—on Jan. 2.Immigrant Advocates Use Temporary Reprieve to Prep Families at Risk for Deportation"They are essentially saying her immigration history overrides all of the hard work and the life she created in the United States and thus doesn't warrant discretion," her attorney, Tessa Cabrera, told The Daily Beast on Monday. "Her son is worried that his military status and title will threaten her safety in Mexico, but there is nothing we can do."We're hoping for a miracle."According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website, the "Patrol in Place" program makes parents, spouses, widows, or children of active-duty U.S. armed forces members eligible for discretionary deferred action for up to two years. "We recognize the important sacrifices made by U.S. service members, veterans, enlistees, and their families," the agency's website says. "To support these individuals, we provide discretionary options such as parole in place or deferred action on a case-by-case basis."According to Cabrera, ICE has denied Gomez the protection because she had a prior order of removal. A USCIS spokesperson declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation. Gomez's deportation is especially heartbreaking for her military son since he cannot travel to visit his mother in Mexico. As an intelligence officer, the 30-year-old must adhere to military travel restrictions and a lengthy process to leave the country. "He has no idea when and how he is going to see his mother after she is sent back to Mexico," Cabrera said.ICE Ran Fake College to Target Undocumented Immigrants"My son is heartbroken," Gomez added. "He doesn't understand why this is happening to me, a woman devoted to God and work."Cabrera said the December decision to deny her client's petition to stay is the end of a years-long battle to keep the grandmother of three in the United States. The process—which included Gomez's detention for over a month—also drew the interest of two members of Congress, who asked ICE for discretion. Gomez first arrived in the United States in 1988. Seven years later, she was picked up during an immigration raid at a hotel where she worked while seven months pregnant with her youngest daughter.That same day, she was deported to Mexico. With her two children still in the U.S., Gomez had no choice but to re-enter the country illegally, Cabrera said. She was removed from the United States two more times over the last two decades, re-entering to be with her family and starting her life over each time. Cabrera said one of those removals involved several armed immigration officials coming to the family's home early on Saturday morning—an image she says still haunts her client's three children. But Gomez continued to persevere, running her own natural products business and driving more than eight hours a day for Uber. "All my hard work has been to give my children the chance for a better future and to make them good citizens," Gomez said. In April 2018, however, Gomez was detained for a third time and immediately placed in a San Diego Detention center for over a month. Cruz, who just finished his four years in the army, decided to take a commission and remain in the military. He said one of the main reasons he decided to stay was the immigration perk granted to relatives of active-duty service members. "I joined to serve the country and keep my family safe," Cruz told the Union-Tribune. "Now, I'm facing dangers here on my home front."Cabrera said her first attempt in 2018 to prevent Gomez's deportation was trying to establish her reasonable fear of returning to Mexico. Her brother was abducted by a cartel, and though the family paid almost $10,000 for his return, his body has never been found. That year, Acapulco had the third highest number of homicides in Mexico and the highest homicide rate of the country's most violent cities, a University of San Diego report stated. Gomez stated her fears during a reasonable threat interview with an ICE officer in the hopes of being granted asylum. She was denied."That unfortunately didn't meet the threshold for reasonable fear. So at that point there was nothing really to do with her," Cabrera said. The attorney said she immediately applied for a deferred action, but her requests for appointment about the case, inquiries about the status of her application, and general questions about the timetable were ignored. "Every-time they told me it's pending, it's pending," she said. Washington Man Accused of Hurling Molotov Cocktails at ICE Detention Center Killed by PoliceIn October, Cabrera said she got an ICE letter, ordering her and her client to appear the following month for Gomez's "interview and removal, that's what they called it." The appointment was moved back to Dec. 4, but one day before the meeting, Cabrera officially learned her client's petition was going to be denied."I got word she was denied at about 1 p.m. the day before her hearing—they didn't say why. So immediately I put together another packet for a deferred action to reapply," she said.The next morning, a USCIS official who reviewed Gomez's case said she wasn't protected by the "Patrol in Place" police. When Cabrera countered she had re-filed her stay of removal request with "about 200 pages" in documents supporting her case, the official verbally denied her within two hours."I am translating it to her as the officer is denying our last effort and she is freaking out because she thinks she has to leave right away," Cabrera said, adding the officer informed her that her client had 30 days to self-surrender for deportation.Equipped with an ankle bracelet and strict orders not to leave the San Diego area, Gomez now is trying to enjoy her family for the last few days before she is forced to return to Mexico, her attorney said. After saying goodbye to her only son on Sunday, her two daughters are planning to spend the holiday at her house."My one wish is a miracle to stay," Gomez said.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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| Behind the barricades: Hong Kong protesters share what happened during the violent clashes with police on university campuses Posted: 23 Dec 2019 09:25 PM PST  How the protests at Chinese University and Polytechnic University in Hong Kong played out, as told to Insider by protesters involved in the clashes.
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| A 22-year-old was convicted after trying to blackmail Apple for $100,000 of iTunes cards Posted: 23 Dec 2019 03:48 AM PST  In 2017 Kerem Albayrak claimed he would publish the account details of 319 million iCloud accounts if his ransom demands weren't met.
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| Sarah Sanders ‘Seriously Considering’ Run for Arkansas Governor Posted: 23 Dec 2019 10:58 AM PST  On Sunday, Sarah Huckabee Sanders continued to fan speculation that she will use her former perch as White House press secretary to jump-start an Arkansas gubernatorial campaign.While speaking at the conservative group Turning Point USA's Student Action Summit, Sanders was asked if she had set her sights on the governor's office."I'm very seriously looking at it right now," Sanders said. "My focus is on making sure we get the president re-elected first in 2020, and we'll have plenty of time to focus on 2022 after that." The Arkansas gubernatorial election will take place in 2022, when current governor Asa Hutchinson's second term expires. Arkansas law prohibits governors from serving more than two terms after elections.Sanders' father Mike Huckabee was Arkansas governor from 1996 to 2006. Huckabee was promoted from lieutenant governor in 1996, and then elected in both 1998 and 2002."Do you think I could recruit some volunteers from this room to come to Arkansas if I run?" Sanders joked to studets at the Turning Point USA summit. "I love Arkansas, I love my home state, I am so happy to be back home, and we'll see what happens, but certainly looking at that."Sanders served as White House press secretary from 2017 through June 2019. During her tenure, the White House ceased holding press briefings, and was repeatedly accused by members of the press and congressional Democrats of misleading reporters. The Mueller Report revealed that Sanders had misled reporters regarding the reason for President Trump's firing of then-FBI director James Comey.However, President Trump remains a major supporter of Sanders."She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job!" Trump wrote on Twitter in advance of Sanders' resignation. "I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas - she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done!"
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| Ben Carson calls reparations for slavery "unworkable" Posted: 23 Dec 2019 01:20 AM PST  In an interview, the Housing and Urban Development Secretary spoke out about the impeachment of President Trump and the concept of reparations for slavery.
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| Three suspected burglars shot dead inside Texas home Posted: 23 Dec 2019 11:19 AM PST ![Three suspected burglars shot dead inside Texas home]( "Three suspected burglars shot dead inside Texas home") The wounded survivor was undergoing surgery and unlikely to face criminal charges as he had the legal right to defend his home, Gonzalez told reporters at the scene in Channelview, about 20 miles (30 km) east of Houston. "The law allows residents inside their own homes to defend themselves," said Gonzalez, adding that the matter would nonetheless be referred to the grand jury for an inquest. "The one with the shotgun was able to shoot at the three males and they were all pronounced dead here at the scene," Gonzalez said.
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| Tropical storm ruins Christmas for thousands of Filipinos Posted: 23 Dec 2019 09:44 PM PST  Thousands of people in typhoon-prone central Philippines have had their Christmas plans ruined after they were told to leave their homes as a severe tropical storm approaches. Officials on Christmas Eve said residents should evacuate coastal areas, and thousands more were stranded at ports with ferry services shut down as the nation hunkered down for rain and strong winds. Damaging gale- to storm-force winds were forecast over the Asian nation's Pacific coast in the afternoon ahead of Tropical Storm Phanfone's projected landfall on Samar island as early as 5:00 pm (0900 GMT), the state weather service said.
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| American newlyweds are 'progressing' from volcano burns Posted: 23 Dec 2019 08:23 PM PST  The families of American newlyweds who were badly injured during a volcanic eruption in New Zealand said Tuesday the two are progressing as well as could be hoped for given the extent of their injuries. The couple, Lauren Urey, 32, and Matt Urey, 36, from Richmond, Virginia, remain hospitalized in New Zealand. Police Superintendent Andy McGregor said extensive shoreline and aerial searches had not turned up anything new.
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| 2-hour flight turned into a 36-hour ordeal with detour and unscheduled stop Posted: 23 Dec 2019 08:37 AM PST  What was supposed to be a two-hour domestic flight turned into a nightmare, 36-hour international journey for Air Canada passengers.
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| In 2015, A French Submarine Sunk America's Mightiest Warship (An Aircraft Carrier) Posted: 23 Dec 2019 02:00 PM PST  Well, in a simulation.
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| Obama has reportedly 'gone to bat' for Elizabeth Warren to reluctant wealthy donors Posted: 23 Dec 2019 08:31 AM PST  Former President Obama has reportedly been vouching for Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) to wealthy donors in an attempt to "rally the troops."Obama, The Hill reports, has in recent months "gone to bat" for the Democratic presidential candidate to "donors reluctant to support her given her knocks on Wall Street and the wealthy," describing her behind the scenes as a capable contender and encouraging them to support her if she's the nominee."He obviously thinks she's very smart," a Democratic donor said. "He thinks her policy ideas matter. And I think he sees her running the campaign with the most depth."Obama has not offered any 2020 endorsement and has made clear he'll stay out of the Democratic primary. Still, the Hill reports that those around Obama say he's concerned Democrats in financial services will, per one ally, "have an issue" with Warren as the nominee, hence his attempt to "rally the troops." One Obama source noted, however, he would do the same for any one of the 2020 Democrats.This comes after a report that Obama in 2015 said that if voters rallied behind Warren, who helped set up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in his administration, it would be a "repudiation" of his economic policies. It also comes after a September report on the "far more combative relationship" between Warren and the Obama administration "than she usually discusses on the campaign trail."More stories from theweek.com How a 'legislative terrorist' conquered the Republican Party Pelosi's impeachment endgame U.S. considers proposals to reduce troop strength in West Africa
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| Uniqlo's robots have already replaced 90% of its human workers at its flagship warehouse, now they've cracked the difficult task of folding T-shirts Posted: 24 Dec 2019 03:07 AM PST  Uniqlo's parent company has partnered with a Japanese startup that develops industrial robots to create a two-armed robot.
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| Trump May Be Acquitted in a Senate Impeachment Trial. That's Not the Same as Being Exonerated Posted: 23 Dec 2019 09:10 AM PST  The Senate may vote to acquit President Trump in the impeachment trial, according to Joyce White Vance, but if the process isn't fair, then that acquittal won't exonerate him.
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| Christians are being persecuted around the globe. That's the real war on Christmas. Posted: 24 Dec 2019 04:00 AM PST  The next time you get offended when someone wishes you "happy holidays," remember those who won't get to celebrate those holidays at all.
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| Iraqi protesters' ire at Iran extends to goods boycott Posted: 24 Dec 2019 01:25 AM PST  Anger over Iran's stranglehold on Baghdad's political system has helped propel an unprecedented protest movement -- and now Iraqi activists are hitting the Islamic Republic where it hurts, with a goods boycott. Tehran has held enormous sway over its neighbour since dictator Saddam Hussein was toppled by a US-led invasion in 2003. Using the slogan "let them rot", protesters who have taken to the streets since October 1 to demand wholesale political change are now shunning everything Iranian -- from fruit to sugary drinks.
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| Eleven dead, 300 treated after drinking coconut wine in Philippines Posted: 22 Dec 2019 06:26 PM PST  At least 11 people have been killed and more than 300 treated in hospital after drinking coconut wine in the Philippines, including some who were celebrating at a Christmas party, health and local authorities said on Monday. Many were admitted to hospitals on the urging of mayor Vener Munoz in Rizal, Laguna, where the deaths occurred between Thursday and Sunday. The coconut wine that was consumed had been made in his town, he added.
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| Revealed: How China's Military Caught Up With America and Russia So Fast Posted: 23 Dec 2019 10:15 PM PST  Espionage and theft.
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| Buttigieg 'wine cave' attendee offers reality check on event Posted: 23 Dec 2019 07:01 AM PST  One of the attendees at South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg's now-infamous "wine cave" fundraiser in Napa Valley, California, wants Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) to know what really went down.Bill Wehrle, a vice president of a health-care company in San Francisco, wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post about how the event was not full of billionaires drinking $900 dollars bottles of wine like in the image conjured up by Warren during last week's Democratic presidential debate.Wehrle, who says he is neither a billionaire nor a millionaire, attended with his partner, a professor at a community college. Also in attendance, Wehrle said, were a dean from another local community college, a flight attendant, a local city councilwoman, and a college student. People asked Buttigieg questions about primary care for the uninsured, getting out of Afghanistan, and how he plans on combating hate speech. As for the wine? Wehrle said he looked up the price online — it wasn't paltry at $185 a bottle, but nothing close to the Warren-estimated $900 — and, from what he could see, the mayor didn't have a drop.Wehrle did concede there were certainly wealthy people at the event, but he dismissed the idea that the evening was an attempt by billionaires to join together to pick the next president. Read the full op-ed at The Washington Post.More stories from theweek.com How a 'legislative terrorist' conquered the Republican Party Pelosi's impeachment endgame U.S. considers proposals to reduce troop strength in West Africa
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| TikTok reportedly wants a new HQ outside China to distance itself from its Chinese roots Posted: 24 Dec 2019 01:46 AM PST  Locations under consideration for TikTok's new headquarters include Singapore, London, and Dublin, sources told the Wall Street Journal.
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| California Sees Lowest Population Growth in Over a Century as Citizens Migrate to Other States Posted: 23 Dec 2019 11:57 AM PST  In recent months, California recorded its lowest level of population growth in over a century, according to data from the state's Department of Finance.The data showed a 0.35% growth rate in the state's population from July 1, 2018 through July 1, 2019. That rate is even lower than the 0.57% growth rate recorded for the same period from 2017 to 2018, the two lowest growth rates in the state since 1900.Moreover, while growth from birth rates and legal immigration continue to swell the population, citizens are leaving the state in large numbers for other parts of the U.S."This [is] the first time since the 2010 Census that California had more people leaving the state than moving in from abroad or other states," the report read. Negative domestic migration and lower birthrates together contributed to the slow population growth. One of the most prominent factors pushing people out of the state is the high price of housing."For some years after the Great Recession housing crunch, California was losing domestic migrants — but not as much as it could have," said William Frey, a senior demographer at the Brookings Institution, in comments to the Los Angeles Times. "Now that's starting to push up again." Frey added that residents are mostly settling in Western states including Oregon, Nevada, Texas, and Arizona, seeking a lower cost of living and in some cases the absence of an income tax."The outmigration is in places where housing prices are high and therefore immigration is not being able to counter that," Frey said. California has "lost its luster a little bit…it's kind of a stunner to see that California is losing migrants. The land of dreams and the gold rush and all that, now turned the other direction."A study by the Times and UC Berkeley released in November revealed that over half of registered voters in California are considering leaving the state. Around 40 percent of those considering moving are conservative, while only 14 percent are liberal.California is struggling with a burgeoning homeless population, with over 60,000 homeless in Los Angeles county alone. In October the state saw a string of wildfires that forced utility company PG&E to institute preemptive blackouts to around two million customers, to avoid sparking fires from power lines.
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| AP FACT CHECK: Trump's flawed impeachment letter to Pelosi Posted: 22 Dec 2019 09:00 PM PST  The closing passage in President Donald Trump's impeachment-eve letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had the ring of truth to it. On matters central to the case against him, to his legacy and to his ego, Trump got much wrong. The Democrats did not shut him out of their impeachment process, but rather invited him in.
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| Iowa Woman Who Said She Attacked Teen Because She Was ‘Mexican’ Also Struck Black 12-Year-Old, Police Say Posted: 24 Dec 2019 07:58 AM PST  The Iowa woman who has admitted that she intentionally ran over a young teen girl with her SUV because she was "Mexican" also struck a 12-year-old black boy just minutes earlier, police said. Nicole Marie Poole Franklin, 42, was charged on Friday with attempted murder after allegedly using her Jeep Grand Cherokee to strike 14-year-old Natalia Miranda, who was on a sidewalk near her middle school at around 5 p.m. on Dec. 9. Franklin "ran the girl over" and fled the scene, police have said.But on Monday night, Franklin was charged with a second count of attempted murder after police determined that, before striking Miranda, she had tried to run down a 12-year-old black boy with her SUV, The Des Moines Register reported.Iowa Woman Ran Down Teen With Car Because She Was 'Mexican': PoliceWitnesses reportedly told police that Franklin accelerated before hitting the boy, who was reported to have suffered minor injuries in the incident near a Des Moines apartment complex. Sgt. Paul Parizek, of the Des Moines police, told the newspaper that the boy's race, combined with the other incidents, have led police to believe Franklin was attacked him with "hate-filled motivation."About an hour after Miranda was hit, police arrested Franklin at a Conoco gas station, where she had allegedly stolen merchandise and called employees and customers racial and ethnic slurs."Franklin told investigators that she ran the girl over because she was, in her words, 'a Mexican,'" Clive Police Chief Michael Venema said in a press conference last week. "She went on to make a number of derogatory statements about Latinos to the investigators.""I want to say, in the strongest terms possible, that there is no place in our community—or any other—for this type of hatred and violence," he said. "We are committed to stand by and support this family and work diligently with them to seek justice."Miranda suffered "numerous" serious injuries and spent several days at a hospital before she was able to return to school a week later. She told KCCI-TV that she remembers the vehicle coming toward her but cannot recall being hit."I was in the hospital and I tried moving, and I couldn't get out of my bed," said Miranda. "Sitting up was the worst pain I've ever felt."Police have said Franklin will likely face a felony hate-crime charge.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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| Anastasia Uglow: British teenager who died on school trip to New York named by police Posted: 23 Dec 2019 11:55 PM PST  A British teenager who died during a school trip to New York has been identified as 17-year-old Anastasia Uglow.The sixth-form student from Bristol Grammar School was found unconscious and unresponsive at the Holiday Inn Express hotel where the touring party was staying on Thursday.
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| French union workers vote to halt production at key oil facility Posted: 23 Dec 2019 03:25 AM PST  French workers voted on Monday to halt production at a key oil facility that supplies Paris and the surrounding region, joining other petroleum industry shutdowns in a nationwide strike against government pension reforms. Industrial action against President Emmanuel Macron's reforms has also crippled train services over the past two weeks, escalating into clashes between protesters and police in the capital earlier on Monday. Production at Total's Grandpuits oil refinery and petrol depot southeast of Paris will stop as a result of the vote by workers from the hardline CGT union.
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| 9 photos show flooding in Venice that has caused more than $1 billion in damages to the city's homes and historical sites Posted: 23 Dec 2019 12:45 PM PST  A new wave of high water hit Venice on December 23, piling on to the damage from flooding that has troubled the city throughout the year.
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| A nuclear attack would most likely target one of 6 US cities. Simulated images show how a Hiroshima-like explosion would affect each. Posted: 23 Dec 2019 12:06 PM PST  New York City would have the most fatalities from a nuclear blast. San Francisco would have the least.
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| Hong Kong Police Fire Tear Gas Amid Unrest on Christmas Eve Posted: 24 Dec 2019 08:53 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong riot police fired tear gas at crowds in popular shopping districts on Christmas Eve as protesters took to streets and malls to demand greater democracy.Officers used the gas to disperse demonstrators in Mong Kok and outside the Peninsula Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. They also clashed with protesters inside shopping malls, loosed pepper spray and made a few arrests. Hundreds of demonstrators, many wearing masks, turned up at multiple locations and set a fire at a subway station entrance.An HSBC building in Mong Kok was vandalized, with the message "Don't forget Spark Alliance" spray-painted on walls, Radio Television Hong Kong reported. The slogan refers to a fund linked to pro-democracy protests.Hong Kong's pre-holiday strife extended more than six months of clashes between protesters and police, ignited by a proposed extradition law to allow fugitives to be sent to China to stand trial. The unrest has killed off any economic momentum, with the city entering its first recession in a decade. Though the bill was withdrawn, protests have persisted with more demands, including direct elections of the city's leader.Why Hong Kong Is Still Protesting and Where It May Go: QuickTakeProtests will likely continue into the new year. Civil Human Rights Front, organizer of some of Hong Kong's biggest peaceful protests, is calling for a march through the city's center on Jan. 1. The organizer said it has applied for a police permit.(Updates with additional unrest in second and third paragraphs)To contact the reporters on this story: Fion Li in Hong Kong at fli59@bloomberg.net;Justin Chin in Hong Kong at hchin15@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: John Liu at jliu42@bloomberg.net, Stacie ShermanFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| India bids to bust citizenship law 'myths' with cartoon Muslims Posted: 22 Dec 2019 11:39 PM PST  India's ruling party launched a video with animated Muslim characters on social media Monday as part of a publicity blitz to try to bust "myths" around a new citizenship law that has sparked deadly protests. The law has stoked concerns that Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government wants to marginalise India's Muslim minority.
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| Pence's chief of staff defends Trump's attack on late congressman, notes John Dingell called Trump 'imbecile' Posted: 23 Dec 2019 11:22 AM PST  Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff on Sunday defended President Donald Trump's comments.
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| Graft, gangs, bad conditions fuel Honduras prison killings Posted: 23 Dec 2019 11:43 AM PST  A top security official in Honduras said Monday the Mara Salvatrucha gang ordered prison riots that killed 37 inmates since Friday. Assistant Security Minister Luis Suazo said the gang known as MS-13 staged the bloody riots to force the government to back down from emergency measures decreed last week. "We have information that the MS is behind this and gave the orders to carry out these attacks," said Suazo.
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| Thousands of passengers stranded on Christmas Eve as Phanfone makes landfall in the Philippines Posted: 23 Dec 2019 07:52 AM PST  A satellite view of Phanfone making landfall in the Philippines on Tuesday evening, local time. As AccuWeather meteorologists have been warning about since last week, Phanfone made landfall in the Eastern Samar province of the Philippines on Tuesday afternoon, local time.Phanfone, known locally in the Philippines as Ursula, struck the country as a typhoon with the equivalent strength of a Category 1 hurricane in the Atlantic or East Pacific basins.> At 4:45 PM today, the eye of Typhoon URSULA made landfall in Salcedo, Eastern Samar. pic.twitter.com/9mKAqIocCX> > -- PAGASA-DOST (@dost_pagasa) December 24, 2019Over 23,000 passengers have been stranded at ports in Bicol, Visayas, Tagalog and Mindanao due to the storm, the Philippine Coast Guard reported.An unknown number of people living near the coast or in areas prone to flooding and mudslides were encouraged to evacuate on Tuesday, but many were reluctant to leave their homes ahead of Christmas, according to the South China Morning Post.Phanfone will continue to track to the west-northwest through the central Philippines into Wednesday.Even after landfall, forecasters predict the powerful storm to continue to unleash destructive winds and heavy rainfall as it tracks across the country."Phanfone may weaken slightly to a severe tropical storm as it crosses the Philippines, though it will remain a strong storm," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said.Visayas and southern Luzon will be at risk for multiple days of locally heavy rainfall which may result in travel disruptions and flooding problems. There will also be an elevated risk for mudslides in areas of rugged terrain.Widespread rainfall totals of 3-6 inches (75-150 mm) are expected with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 10 inches (250 mm) in the hardest-hit locations. Far northeast Mindanao will also be at risk for local flooding from downpours.Damaging winds will be possible near and just north of the storm's track as it slices across Visayas into Wednesday."The core of damaging winds associated with Phanfone is rather small as damaging winds extend only 50-60 miles from the center of the storm track, with the worst conditions only extending 20-30 miles from the cente," Douty said. "This will help to limit widespread wind damage, though near the track, downed trees, power outages and some structural damage are possible."Manila is forecast to avoid any significant impacts from Phanfone. However, gusty showers are possible during the day on Wednesday. Improving weather is expected across all of the Philippines on Thursday as Phanfone tracks into the South China Sea.The storm will more than likely encounter hostile conditions with high wind shear that likely cause it to dissipate by the weekend, with no further impacts to land."Some moisture from the system may be pulled across the southern China coast over the weekend, though it is not expected to be heavy enough to lead to flooding," Douty said.A period of more tranquil weather across the West Pacific basin is expected to follow in the wake of Phanfone.
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