| White Nationalists Arrested ahead of Richmond Rally Planned to Kill Gun-Rights Demonstrators to Spark Civil War Posted: 22 Jan 2020 11:04 AM PST  Three alleged members of a white supremacist group were plotting to murder demonstrators at Monday's gun rights rally at the Virginia Capitol before they were arrested by the FBI last week, according to court documents.The men were caught discussing their plans on a hidden camera set up in their Delaware apartment by FBI agents."We can't let Virginia go to waste, we just can't," said Patrik J. Mathews, one member of the hate group "the Base" that promotes violence against African-Americans and Jews.According to authorities, the 27-year-old former Canadian Armed Forces reservist also discussed creating "instability" in Virginia by killing people, derailing trains, poisoning water, and shutting down highways in order to "kick off the economic collapse" and possibly start a "full blown civil war."Mathews also discussed the possibility of "executing" police officers and stealing their belongings and remarked that, "We could essentially be like literally hunting people.""Virginia will be our day," said 33-year-old Brian M. Lemley Jr., adding, "I need to claim my first victim.""Lemley discussed using a thermal imaging scope affixed to his rifle to conduct ambush attacks," the court filings read.The two were arrested along with a third man, 19, last Thursday. They are charged with federal firearms violations and "transporting and harboring an alien," referring to Mathews, who is a Canadian national. Four more members of The Base have also been arrested and charged in Georgia and Wisconsin.In a search of the apartment, prosecutors said that FBI agents found propaganda fliers for The Base, communications devices, empty rifle cases, "go bags" with "numerous Meals-Ready-to-Eat," knives, and materials for building an assault rifle.Tens of thousands of gun rights advocates rallied in Richmond on Monday to protest the state's Democratic legislature's gun-control agenda. Critics raised fears beforehand that militant white supremacists could disrupt the rally, but the day ended peacefully with no violence.
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| ABC News has a recording that seemingly reveals Trump demanding to 'get rid of' Marie Yovanovitch Posted: 24 Jan 2020 09:06 AM PST  There might be a big new dose of evidence in the impeachment case against President Trump.In a recording reviewed by ABC News, a voice that seems to be Trump's is talking with the former Rudy Giuliani associates Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman. The two tell Trump that former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch has been "bad-mouthing" Trump, and Trump gives them a scathing order to "take her out," ABC News reports."Get rid of her! "Get her out tomorrow. I don't care. Get her out tomorrow. Take her out. Okay? Do it," is what the voice seemingly belonging to Trump says. The recording was made during a dinner at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. on April 30, 2018, apparently by Fruman himself sources tell ABC News. "The biggest problem there, I think where we need to start is we gotta get rid of the ambassador. She's still left over from the Clinton administration," Parnas seems to tell Trump on the recording, prompting his fiery response.Yovanovitch was not removed from her position for another year, but later testified to the House that she thought her firing was based on "unfounded and false claims." Recent evidence from the House's impeachment inquiry revealed text messages that seemed to show Parnas orchestrating a hit, or at least some kind of surveillance, on Yovanovitch. Parnas denied this was true.More stories from theweek.com Trump is reportedly threatening Republicans to keep them in line on impeachment Alex Azar just called health and human services 'the Department of Life' Trump set to become the 1st sitting president to attend the March for Life rally
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| Warren responds after angry dad confronts her on student loans Posted: 24 Jan 2020 07:53 AM PST  In the exchange, a father asked Warren if he is getting "screwed" because he saved money for his daughter's education.
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| Smugglers tried to bring 3,700 invasive crabs through the Port of Cincinnati Posted: 23 Jan 2020 02:21 PM PST  Mitten crabs are a delicacy in Asia and sell for about $50 each in the United States, officials say. They are considered an invasive species.
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| Australia bushfires contribute to big rise in global CO2 levels: UK's Met Office Posted: 23 Jan 2020 09:08 PM PST  Australia's bushfires are contributing to one of the biggest annual increases in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere since record-keeping began more than 60 years ago, according to a forecast published by Britain's Met Office on Friday. While human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are responsible for the bulk of the increase in CO2 levels, Australia's bushfires have made the problem measurably worse, underscoring the impact of the catastrophe on the global climate system. "A forecast of the atmospheric concentration of carbon-dioxide shows that 2020 will witness one of the largest annual rises in concentration since measurements began at Mauna Loa, in Hawaii, 1958," the Met Office said in a statement.
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| Libya's neighbors, global envoys seek solutions to conflict Posted: 23 Jan 2020 03:30 AM PST  Top diplomats from Libya's neighboring countries and beyond met in the Algerian capital on Thursday amid intensifying international efforts to end the conflict tearing apart the oil-rich North African country. The meeting brought together foreign ministers from Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Algeria, Tunisia and Mali. All of the nations but Mali border Libya, and all have suffered fallout from the fighting between the forces of Libya's U.N.-backed government in Tripoli and eastern-based forces led by Gen. Khalifa Hifter.
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| Mexico seeks US extradition of drug lord's son for reporter murder Posted: 24 Jan 2020 01:05 AM PST  Culiacán (Mexico) (AFP) - Mexico is seeking the extradition from the United States of the son of a Sinaloa cartel drug lord over the 2017 murder of acclaimed journalist Javier Valdez, the attorney general's office said Thursday. Damaso Lopez Serrano, the son of former top "El Chapo" lieutenant Damaso Lopez Nunez "El Licenciado", is accused of being the mastermind behind the killing of Valdez. An arrest warrant for Lopez Serrano was approved Thursday afternoon after prosecutors interviewed members of the Sinaloa cartel who testified against him, the attorney general's office said in a statement.
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| Rep. Ilhan Omar launches 'Send her back to Congress!' reelection bid with big advantages Posted: 23 Jan 2020 02:07 PM PST  Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., is kicking off her reelection campaign Thursday night with a massive bank account and no challengers who pose a serious threat from either party. Her campaign slogan — "Send her back to Congress!" — gleefully evokes President Trump's personal attacks on her.
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| Samantha Bee Dunks on Trump’s Defense Team: ‘A Virtual Dream Team of Rape Culture’ Posted: 23 Jan 2020 12:25 AM PST  Early in her weekly show Wednesday night, Samantha Bee played a clip of Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) telling Fox News that he thinks not calling witnesses in the Senate impeachment trial is the "right thing to do." "And if anyone's an expert on witnesses not talking about the crimes they saw, it's Jim Jordan," the Full Frontal host said, putting up a headline about how the congressman allegedly knew about sexual abuse at Ohio State and said nothing. That was a preview of what was to come later in the opening segment when Bee took a closer look at President Trump's defense team "Continuing his tradition of appointing only the best, Trump's defenders include Ken Starr, Alan Dershowitz and Jim Jordan," she said. "It's a virtual dream team of rape culture." Trevor Noah Destroys Alan Dershowitz's Impeachment HypocrisyBee ran through their troubling resumes, including Starr's tenure as president of the Christian Baylor University. "Just to be clear, when Jesus said to 'turn the other cheek,' he didn't mean away from people getting assaulted," she said. And there's Dershowitz who once called statutory rape an "outdated concept." Bee added, "In Dershowitz's defense, it's not like he was close friends with notorious pedophile and didn't-kill-himself-er Jeffrey Epstein. Oh no, I'm sorry, he totally was." "It is infuriating that these three men are allowed to show their faces in polite society, much less defend the captain of the rape culture all-star team," she said. "Look, the impeachment case isn't about sexual assault. But for women and survivors it is horrifying to see these men congeal together to protect each other." The host ended the segment by predicting that when this is all over, Jordan, Starr and Deshowitz might just start their own rapist-defending law firm: "The only law firm whose phone number is 911." For more, listen to Samantha Bee on The Last Laugh podcast below: 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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| China Puts 13 Cities on Lockdown as Coronavirus Death Toll Climbs Posted: 23 Jan 2020 09:34 PM PST  China is striving to contain a deadly virus outbreak the World Health Organization has termed a domestic health emergency
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| Utah bans LGBTQ conversion therapy for minors Posted: 23 Jan 2020 10:13 AM PST  "It simply will save lives," said GOP State Representative Craig Hall, who originally sponsored the proposal.
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| White House breaks silence on Jeff Bezos phone-hacking scandal, calls Saudi Arabia an 'important ally' Posted: 23 Jan 2020 10:10 AM PST  The White House weighed in on reports that Saudi Arabia hacked Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' phone, saying it takes the situation seriously.
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| Angela Merkel Says Fight Against Climate Change ‘Matter of Survival’ Posted: 23 Jan 2020 08:11 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she's worried about the growing conflict between young campaigners for a cleaner planet and those who reject global warming.Their stances have become "irreconcilable" and led to a gap in dialog just when nations need collective actionon climate change, Merkel said Thursday in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos."The question of achieving the Paris Agreement goals could be a matter of survival for the whole continent and that is why there is pressure to act," said Merkel. Scientific evidence is clear and emotions should not be confused with facts, she said.Merkel's comments follow remarks By Greta Thunberg, the teenage activist behind an international wave of student climate strikes. She told leaders that the rate of global warming should make them start to panic. President Donald Trump blasted the "prophets of doom" on the same day in the Swiss resort village in a speech which focused squarely on the U.S. economy.In an oblique reference to young environment activists, Merkel said those who are campaigning for a more trenchant policy to counteract global warming deserve a hearing. The "impatience of young people" must be addressed, she said.Europe and beyond faces a "decade of action," said Merkel, citing words said previously by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of the United Nations.Merkel is making climate policy a focus of her last full year as chancellor of Europe's biggest economy. In the wake of mass protests, her administration sought to kick start a stalled climate agenda with a series of measures to help get Germany achieve steep cuts in carbon emissions.Germany, which is also Europe's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, has lagged meeting its climate targets. It aims to cut emissions 40% by this year compared with 1990 levels, yet needs to close a big gap to get there.The moves include placing levies on transportation, investing heavily in railways and applying a timetable for power companies to exit coal. Yet critics say the measures are too little and too late, and that tax payers ought not to be paying billion-dollar compensations to utilities.(Updates and rewrites from first paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: Raymond Colitt in Berlin at rcolitt@bloomberg.net;Brian Parkin in Berlin at bparkin@bloomberg.net;Arne Delfs in Berlin at adelfs@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Jonathan TironeFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Iran's Qaher 313 Stealth Fighter Is More Bluster Than Brawn Posted: 23 Jan 2020 10:00 AM PST  It's not much of a threat.
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| North Korea confirms former commander is new foreign minister Posted: 23 Jan 2020 05:41 PM PST  SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea on Friday confirmed that Ri Son Gwon, a former defense commander with limited diplomatic experience, has been appointed the country's new foreign affairs minister, while the United States repeated calls for Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons. The official KCNA news agency reported that Ri, the latest military official to be promoted under North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, gave a speech as minister at a New Year dinner reception hosted by the ministry on Thursday for embassies and international organizations. A diplomatic source in Seoul told Reuters that North Korea informed countries with embassies in Pyongyang last week that Ri, a former military officer and now a senior official of the ruling Workers' Party, had replaced Ri Yong Ho as Pyongyang's top diplomat.
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| Firefighting plane crashes in Australia, killing 3 Americans Posted: 22 Jan 2020 07:44 PM PST  Three American firefighting airplane crew members were killed Thursday when the C-130 Hercules aerial water tanker they were in crashed while battling wildfires in southeastern Australia, officials said. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the deaths in the state's Snowy Monaro region, which came as Australia grapples with an unprecedented fire season that has left a large swath of destruction. Canada-based Coulson Aviation said in a statement that one of its Lockheed large air tankers was lost after it left Richmond in New South Wales with retardant for a firebombing mission.
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| Robert Koehler: Serial ‘pillowcase rapist’ suspect was building a ‘dungeon’ before arrest Posted: 24 Jan 2020 08:19 AM PST  Prosecutors in Florida believe a 60-year-old man building a "dungeon" under his home is the so-called pillowcase rapist, who authorities say broke into women's houses and concealed his face with pillows and towels in as many as 40 assaults in the state since the 1980s.Robert Koehler was arrested on 18 January after authorities say they tied his DNA to samples collected from a 1983 case. The sample also matched DNA collected from several other cases between 1981 and 1986, according to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office.
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| Report: Kamala Harris is considering endorsing Joe Biden Posted: 23 Jan 2020 10:59 PM PST  Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is seriously contemplating endorsing former Vice President Joe Biden, several Democratic officials with knowledge of the matter told The New York Times. Harris dropped out of the 2020 Democratic presidential race in December, and although she sparred with Biden during debates last summer — most famously when she criticized him for once opposing school busing — they are back on good terms and talk often, the officials said.She likely won't announce an endorsement until after President Trump's Senate impeachment trial is over, the Times reports, and she understands the importance of her decision, especially since two of her fellow female senators — Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota — are also still in the presidential race.Biden has said he "of course" would consider asking Harris to join his ticket if he is the Democratic nominee. By giving him an endorsement, it could secure her spot as his running mate — or, if he chooses someone else to be vice president, his administration's attorney general.More stories from theweek.com Trump is reportedly threatening Republicans to keep them in line on impeachment Alex Azar just called health and human services 'the Department of Life' Trump set to become the 1st sitting president to attend the March for Life rally
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| 'This time I'm scared': experts fear too late for China virus lockdown Posted: 24 Jan 2020 02:38 AM PST  China's bid to contain a deadly new virus by placing cities of millions under quarantine is an unprecedented undertaking but it is unlikely to stop the disease spreading, experts warn. The contagious virus has already reached elsewhere in China and abroad, and even an authoritarian government has only a small timeframe in which trapped residents will submit to such a lockdown, they say. "I think we have passed the golden period of control and prevention," said Guan Yi, an expert on viruses at Hong Kong University.
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| Saudi officials close to the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly knew of plans to hack Bezos phone Posted: 22 Jan 2020 05:54 PM PST  Saudi officials told The Wall Street Journal that senior adviser to the crown prince Saud al-Qahtani was involved in plans to hack Bezos' phone.
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| Parishioner Who Stopped Texas Church Shooter Criticizes Bloomberg on Gun-Control Efforts Posted: 23 Jan 2020 01:41 PM PST  The armed parishioner who took down a shooter at a Texas church in December criticized former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg's gun control efforts on Wednesday."Mr. Bloomberg, had we operated by his standards or his wishes, the carnage would have been significantly greater because the individual still, after the shooting, still had seven live rounds in his gun and three more in his pocket," Jack Wilson said in an interview on Fox News. Wilson, a member of West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas, fired a single round at an armed intruder on December 29, killing the assailant.Bloomberg campaign manager Kevin Sheekey hit back at Wilson in a Thursday appearance on Fox."Mr. Bloomberg supports his right to carry a gun," Sheekey said. "We salute him. But the question is, should anyone who is criminally insane be able to get a gun? I would say no."Earlier in January, while speaking about the Texas incident, Bloomberg appeared to criticize policies that loosen restrictions on gun control."Somebody in the congregation had their own gun and killed the person who murdered two other people, but it is the job of law enforcement to have guns and to decide when to shoot," Bloomberg said. "You just do not want the average citizen carrying a gun in a crowded place."Bloomberg has been heavily involved in gun-control efforts over the years. His proposals for the 2020 presidential election include universal background checks and "red flag screening" measures. In 2013, Bloomberg founded Everytown for Gun Safety, a non-profit that advocates for stricter gun control measures.
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| Parties unite over Taiwan's exclusion from WHO anti-virus planning Posted: 24 Jan 2020 12:43 AM PST  Taiwan's exclusion from World Health Organization meetings on the coronavirus outbreak has united the island's political parties, who normally agree on little, especially to do with China. Taiwan is not a member of the WHO due to the objection of China, which considers it a Chinese province with no right to participate in international organizations as a separate entity. Taiwan was not allowed to participate in an emergency WHO meeting on Wednesday about the new virus, which has killed at least 25 people since originating in the Chinese city of Wuhan last month.
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| New Moon Photos! Get Your New Moon Photos Here! Posted: 23 Jan 2020 02:38 PM PST |
| School headmaster charged in fatal gold robbery in Thailand Posted: 22 Jan 2020 11:05 PM PST  An elementary school headmaster said Thursday he planned a gold shop robbery in Thailand due to personal and financial problems and apologized to the families of the three people who were killed. A 2-year-old boy was among the victims of the shooting earlier this month that caused public outrage and increased pressure for a swift arrest. Police arrested Prasitthichai Khaokaew, 38, early Wednesday and said he confessed to his crimes during interrogation.
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| More than a third of Republicans say Trump probably broke the law. Most still don't want him removed from office. Posted: 23 Jan 2020 11:30 AM PST  Behold, the impeachment contradiction of contradictions.It's not surprising that a full 91 percent of Democrats have said they think President Trump "definitely" or "probably" did something illegal to warrant his impeachment, as a recent Pew Research Center poll found. But a solid 32 percent of Republicans or those who lean Republican have also said the same about Trump's conduct — not that they necessarily think it should warrant his removal.Yes, of Republicans who are either "definitely" or "probably" convinced Trump's behavior was illegal, a full 59 percent say that doesn't mean he should be removed from office, Pew found. As for those Republicans who say Trump has "definitely" or "probably" done something unethical, 78 percent believe he should remain.> Among Republicans who say Trump has definitely or probably done things that are illegal, 59% say he should remain in office following the Senate impeachment trial. https://t.co/d0LOFwghRu pic.twitter.com/YZ5Z6cuwMN> > — Pew Research Center (@pewresearch) January 23, 2020Pew surveyed 12,638 people from Jan. 6–19 via phone and online, with a 1.3 percent margin of error.More stories from theweek.com Trump is reportedly threatening Republicans to keep them in line on impeachment Alex Azar just called health and human services 'the Department of Life' Trump set to become the 1st sitting president to attend the March for Life rally
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| Tennessee inmate chooses the electric chair for his scheduled execution Posted: 23 Jan 2020 07:16 AM PST  A Tennessee inmate has chosen the electric chair for his scheduled execution next month, opting like four other inmates in little more than a year for electrocution over the state's preferred execution method of lethal injection.
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| 'End of the world': Wuhan a ghost town under quarantine Posted: 23 Jan 2020 07:48 AM PST  Wuhan residents called for help and shared worries of food shortages Thursday, with streets in the virus-hit central Chinese city left deserted after it was put on lockdown. After he bought some, the person behind him in the queue bought the remaining stock in the shop.
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| The mysterious, deadly Wuhan coronavirus may have jumped from snakes to humans, scientists say Posted: 23 Jan 2020 03:13 AM PST  The new findings appear to be the most comprehensive understanding of the mysterious virus, known as 2019-nCoV, so far.
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| Bulgaria Takes Harder Line on Russia Before U.S. Energy Talks Posted: 24 Jan 2020 07:04 AM PST ![Bulgaria Takes Harder Line on Russia Before U.S. Energy Talks]( "Bulgaria Takes Harder Line on Russia Before U.S. Energy Talks") (Bloomberg) -- Want the lowdown on European markets? In your inbox before the open, every day. Sign up here.Bulgaria said it may expel two Russian diplomats it accuses of espionage, demonstrating an unusually tough stance toward the Kremlin in the run-up to talks with the U.S. over energy and security.A European Union and NATO member, the Balkan country is trying to balance the priorities of its Western allies with religious, historical and cultural ties to neighboring Russia, which is also its main energy supplier.Prosecutors said Friday that two Russian citizens spied on elections and the energy industry, but couldn't be charged because of diplomatic immunity.The pair -- a first secretary in the Russian embassy's consular department in Sofia and a diplomat in Russia's commercial representation office -- will "most likely" be declared persona non grata, Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva told reporters.The Russian ambassador will also be summoned Friday, she said. The embassy in Sofia hasn't received any official requests from prosecutors regarding the diplomats, according to Russia's Foreign Ministry.The potential expulsions come a day after Bulgaria charged three Russians for the attempted murder of an arms dealer, his son and an employee of his company in 2015, a case that's linked to the poisoning attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in the U.K.The motivation for this week's moves is unclear. Bulgaria has made a point of not censuring Russia in the past, failing to join most EU states in expelling its diplomats in the aftermath of the Skripal case.But Bulgaria is facing U.S. pressure over a pipeline to help transfer Russian gas to central Europe. Energy Ministry officials are expected to hold direct talks on purchases of American liquefied natural gas this month as Bulgaria seeks to diversify its sources.\--With assistance from Stepan Kravchenko.To contact the reporter on this story: Slav Okov in Sofia at sokov@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Irina Vilcu at isavu@bloomberg.net, Andrew Langley, Andras GergelyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| FISA Court Confirms Two Carter Page Surveillance Applications ‘Not Valid’ Posted: 23 Jan 2020 12:40 PM PST  A FISA Court order declassified Thursday confirmed that the government had found two of the four FISA applications authorized for the FBI to surveil 2016 Trump-campaign adviser Carter Page to be "not valid," and will further investigate the validity of the other two.The order revealed that the government found two of the surveillance application renewals to be "not valid" based on "the material misstatements and omission" used by the FBI, which was found by the Justice Department to have "insufficient predication to establish probable cause to believe that Page was acting as an agent of a foreign power."Based on the ordering of the applications, it appears the review found the second and third renewal applications used against Page to be invalid, while the original application and the first renewal remain under investigation. The third renewal was personally signed by James Comey, while the fourth was signed by Andrew McCabe.The court also said it was still waiting on the Bureau after it "agreed 'to sequester all collection the FBI acquired pursuant to the Court's authorizations'" against Page, but so far has not provided an update.DOJ inspector general Michael Horowitz revealed "at least 17 significant errors or omissions" committed by the FBI in his report on the Bureau's "Crossfire Hurricane" investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign, but did not come up with any "documentary evidence" that the probe was predicated by political bias.Among the more egregious violations detailed in the report was the revelation that a top FBI national security lawyer doctored an email for Page's fourth application to conceal that Page served as a source for the CIA.In its order, the FISC also outlines five further steps for the government to complete by January 28, 2020, including a review of its "minimization procedures" with "a detailed description of the steps taken or to be taken to restrict access to such information in unminimized form."The FISC slammed the FBI in a rare public statement last month following Horowitz's report."The frequency with which representations made by FBI personnel turned out to be unsupported or contradicted by information in their possession, and with which they withheld information detrimental to their case, calls into question whether information contained in other FBI applications is reliable," the court wrote.
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| Scalloped Edges With Major Curve Appeal Posted: 23 Jan 2020 11:58 AM PST |
| In southern Poland, archaeologists discover WW2 plane wreck Posted: 24 Jan 2020 06:26 AM PST ![In southern Poland, archaeologists discover WW2 plane wreck]( "In southern Poland, archaeologists discover WW2 plane wreck") Archaeologists have discovered the wreck of a U.S.-made bomber flown by the Soviet Red Army in World War Two, along with the remains of four crewmen killed when it crashed in southern Poland, private broadcaster TVN reported. Marta Wrobel in the town of Bierun during the war and told TVN that the blast from the crash had been powerful enough to blow out windows and doors. The remains of the four Soviet crewmen who perished in the crash will be laid to rest at a nearby Red Army cemetery.
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| Canada's TSB says Iran has invited it to examine black boxes Posted: 23 Jan 2020 01:29 PM PST  Canada's Transportation Safety Board said Thursday it has been invited by Iran to participate in the download and analysis of the flight recorders from the downing of a Ukraine International Airlines jet "whenever and wherever" that takes place. Iran has acknowledged that its armed forces fired two Russian anti-aircraft missiles at the jetliner that crashed after taking off from Tehran's main airport earlier this month, killing all 176 people on board. Fifty-seven Canadians died and 138 of the passengers were headed to Canada.
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| Virologist who helped identify SARS on coronavirus outbreak: 'This time I'm scared' Posted: 23 Jan 2020 02:58 PM PST  Experts are seeing shocking similarities between the coronavirus that has now spread beyond China and the SARS outbreak of 2003.Like the infectious pneumonia that has killed at least 17 people, SARS was caused by a coronavirus that originated in China. But when one of the virologists who helped identify the SARS virus visited Wuhan, where this virus originated, he didn't see nearly enough being done to fight it. People were out at markets without masks, "preparing to ring in the New Year in peace and had no sense about the epidemic," Guan Yi of the University of Hong Kong's State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases told Caixin. Airports were hardly being disinfected, Guan continued, saying the local government hasn't "even been handing out quarantine guides to people who were leaving the city."The city did disinfect the market where the virus has been traced to, but Guan criticized Wuhan for that, saying it hurts researchers' abilities to track down the virus's source. "I've never felt scared," Guan told Caixin. "This time I'm scared."A case involving the coronavirus was identified in Washington state on Wednesday, and cases have also been identified in Thailand, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. A total of 639 cases were confirmed in China.More stories from theweek.com Trump is reportedly threatening Republicans to keep them in line on impeachment Alex Azar just called health and human services 'the Department of Life' Trump set to become the 1st sitting president to attend the March for Life rally
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| George Soros says President Trump is conspiring with Facebook to get reelected Posted: 23 Jan 2020 03:41 PM PST  At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Soros said "Facebook will work together to re-elect Trump and Trump will work to protect Facebook."
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| Brexit Bulletin: Law of the Land Posted: 23 Jan 2020 08:27 AM PST  Days to Brexit: 8(Bloomberg) -- Sign up here to get the Brexit Bulletin in your inbox every weekday.What's Happening? The Withdrawal Agreement Bill received royal assent, making Brexit on Jan. 31 a matter of U.K. law.Seventeen words brought an end to the British side of this phase of the Brexit saga. In a statement to the House of Commons, Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans delivered the news to listening lawmakers: "Her Majesty has signified her royal assent to the following act: European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020."Royal assent brings to a close the crisis that paralyzed U.K. politics after the country voted to leave the European Union in June 2016. Former Prime Minister Theresa May failed to get her version of the deal through the House of Commons after reaching an agreement with the EU in November 2018. Her successor, Boris Johnson, succeeded only after winning a large majority in last month's general election.With the U.K. due to slip out of the EU at 11 p.m. London time next Friday, all that remains is for the European Parliament to rubber-stamp the deal. That was due to move a step closer on Thursday afternoon via a vote of the assembly's constitutional affairs committee, a group of the parliament's most influential members. The panel was expected to nod the deal through.The full EU parliament, which officially has a veto over the deal, will vote on Jan. 29. It will almost certainly follow the committee's lead. The U.K. is scheduled to leave the EU two days later.Beyond BrexitClimate activist Greta Thunberg should go back to school and study economics, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said at the World Economic Forum in Davos. These billionaires made their fortunes by trying to stop climate change. The £200 million ($262 million) London mansion bought by Cheung Cheung Kie earlier this month isn't even his most valuable property.Brexit in BriefRule Makers | U.K. financiers are asking the government to revamp regulations to attract global business after Brexit. Watchdogs should have the power "to make the U.K. a better place to do business" through a new mandate to support London's financial hub against rivals, according to the International Regulatory Strategy Group, a panel backed by the City of London.Diverging Views | Speaking at Davos on Thursday morning, U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid tried to reassure business over Britain's post-Brexit ties with the EU. "We won't diverge just for the sake of it," he said. That's despite telling the Financial Times last week that "there will not be alignment" with EU rules after Brexit.Off-Piste? | Did Javid speak out of turn at Davos when he said that talks for a U.K.-EU trade deal will take priority over any agreement with the U.S.? Today's Bloomberg Westminster podcast discusses his motivations.Time Is Tight | The clock is ticking for the EU and the U.K. to hammer out a trade deal by the end of the year, according to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. "It's an awfully short amount of time so I hope that coming next summer, June, July, that Boris Johnson will at least contemplate extending, if necessary, this transition phase," Rutte said in a Bloomberg TV interview in Davos. "I'm Still Here" | Steve Bray, otherwise known as the "Stop Brexit Guy" was a fixture outside Westminster during the height of the U.K.'s Brexit tension, often disrupting live TV interviews. On Thursday he took his protest to Brussels, joining a small rally outside the European Parliament, the Brussels Times reports. "I came to Brussels just to visit this parliament," the Times reported him as saying. "I'm still here because I still care."Want to keep up with Brexit?You can follow us @Brexit on Twitter, and listen to Bloomberg Westminster every weekday. It's live at midday on Bloomberg Radio and is available as a podcast too. Share the Brexit Bulletin: Colleagues, friends and family can sign up here. For full EU coverage, try the Brussels Edition.For even more: Subscribe to Bloomberg All Access for our unmatched global news coverage and two in-depth daily newsletters, The Bloomberg Open and The Bloomberg Close.To contact the authors of this story: Thomas Penny in London at tpenny@bloomberg.netIan Wishart in Brussels at iwishart@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Adam Blenford at ablenford@bloomberg.net, Chris KayFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Nadler plays a clip of Graham during Clinton impeachment proceedings Posted: 23 Jan 2020 11:09 AM PST  On Thursday, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler played a clip of Sen. Lindsey Graham arguing during Bill Clinton's impeachment proceedings.
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| Supreme Court Poised to Overturn 38 State Constitutional Amendments on Church-State Separation Posted: 22 Jan 2020 11:03 AM PST  Religious conservatives asked the Supreme Court Wednesday to overturn 38 state constitutional amendments and require taxpayers to fund religious schools.You read that right. The case, Espinoza v. Montana Dept. of Revenue isn't about whether a state may fund religious schools through a school choice, voucher, or similar program. It's about whether it must.And the conservatives might just win.At issue in the case, probably the most significant church-state case on the 2019-20 docket, is Montana's "no-aid" amendment to its state constitution, which was revised and passed in 1972. Like similar amendments in 37 other states, it prohibits "direct or indirect funding" for any "sectarian purpose."In 2015, the state legislature passed a law that gave a tax credit of up to $150 for donations to a school scholarship program. But in 2018, the Montana Supreme Court struck down the program, saying it violated the 1972 constitutional provision.[JM1] That's when a group of religious organizations upped the ante. They went to the Supreme Court, seeking not just to reinstate the program but to toss out the "no-aid" amendment entirely – and, as a consequence, invalidate 37 similar amendments across the country.That would open the floodgates to the funding of religious schools, especially since the plaintiffs argue that not funding them—previously the constitutional norm—is actually a form of discrimination.As in many of these cases, how Espinoza looks depends on how you frame it.For conservatives, this is discrimination. If I want to send my child to a secular private school, I can receive funding (or a voucher, or a scholarship, or whatever). But if I want to send her to a religious one, I can't.Moreover, the religious groups accurately note, "no-aid" amendments were originally passed in a wave of anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant animus in the 1870s and 1880s. They're sometimes called "Blaine Amendments," after Rep. James Blaine, a leading Republican[JM2] of his day who proposed a federal constitutional amendment banning such funding. That effort failed, but numerous "Baby Blaine" amendments passed on the state level.Today, they may seem like liberal walls between church and state. But 150 years ago, they were motivated by anti-Italian, anti-Irish, and overall anti-Catholic prejudice. (Even the word "sectarian" as opposed to "religious" was code for Catholic.)For liberals, however, public funding of religious schools is blatantly unconstitutional.Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said on a press call prior to the case that "it's a total and utter perversion of the Constitution… to mandate support for a particular religion."The justices seemed divided at oral argument.Justice Stephen Breyer seemed concerned that if the plaintiffs win here, states would have to radically restructure how they fund education. After all, isn't it discrimination to fund public, secular schools more than private religious ones?(Incidentally, RBG fans can take heart: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg was as lively and combative as ever, and focused on whether the Court should even be hearing the state constitutional challenge in the first place.)But Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch suggested that ruling for the plaintiffs wouldn't represent such a radical change. Even if the no-aid amendments are wiped out, states would still be free not to fund private education in general. It's only when states choose to fund some private education that they must make funding available to both religious and secular institutions.Oddly, the practical result of that position isn't very different from that of the Montana supreme court, which tossed out the program in toto. Except that the conservative justices' position might well overturn 37 state constitutional amendments in the process.Chief Justice John Roberts, working on very few hours' sleep after presiding at the impeachment trial of the president, said a bit less than usual, though he did crack two jokes. But if the case splits on ideological lines, Roberts will again find himself as the deciding vote.Which way will he go? Recent cases, including the 2017 case of Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer, suggest he may favor the religious plaintiffs. In Trinity Lutheran, Roberts was able to win over Justices Elana Kagan and Breyer, and the Court voted 7-2 to uphold a program that made state money available to private schools – religious and secular – for playground renovations. Chief Justice Roberts wrote the opinion narrowly, but his language still made clear that he views these cases as about discrimination against religious people, rather than public funding of religious organizations.The First Amendment, he wrote, allows a state "to extend that public benefit to all its citizens regardless of their religious belief." And denying funds to the religiously-affiliated school "expressly discriminates against otherwise eligible recipients by disqualifying them from a public benefit solely because of their religious character."That would suggest a ruling for Espinoza and the other religious plaintiffs here. If this case is about discrimination, the plaintiffs win.The trouble with this supposedly "moderate" result is that Montana's program is actually more modest than many of the "school choice" programs promoted by, among others, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and her family's multi-million-dollar foundations.Montana, after all, only offered a $150 tax credit for donors to an overall pool of money. (Indeed, it seems designed to gradually push the boundaries of constitutional law.) What about states that would grant a dollar-for-dollar tax credit up to the total amount of a private school tuition?For example, full-price tuition at one of the Montana religious schools in the case runs between $6,900 and $8,700. That's far more than most people pay in state taxes. So if Montana's more modest program is reinstated and the no-aid amendments are struck down, other, less modest programs could easily be put into place. The result could be a massive shift in revenue from state coffers to the bank accounts of religious schools.That would, of course, please DeVos and other religious conservatives, but it would also starve public education.Moreover, while the Blaine Amendment was indeed motivated by discriminatory animus, Montana's own "no-aid" amendment was passed in 1972 when the constitution as a whole was rewritten. In its filings with the Supreme Court, the state quoted several participants from those debates; they denied that any anti-religious animus was at play, and, on the contrary, noted that many religious leaders wanted the amendment in order to keep government out of religious schools' business.That revised constitution passed 80-17.Finally, religious conservatives' argument in Espinoza flies in the face of conservatives' usual promotion of federalism and states' rights. When states seek to restrict voting access, allow discrimination against LGBT people, or ban abortion, "states' rights" is a right-wing rallying cry. But now, when 37 states prohibit taxpayer dollars from flowing to religious institutions, suddenly it's not that important.In a way, the Espinoza case is an apt reflection of how religious conservatives (including many extremists) have benefited from their support of Trump. Most eyes are focused on Chief Justice Roberts's other job of the moment, with its high drama and political machinations. But while Trump's antics deservedly get the spotlight, just out of view are a group of well-funded religious conservatives who are totally remaking church and state in America. They most likely scored another victory today.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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| French unions warn Macron pension strikes will drag on for months Posted: 24 Jan 2020 04:18 AM PST  France's hardleft trade unions on Friday threatened industrial action for months to come, as they searched for a way to force President Emmanuel Macron to ditch the biggest overhaul of the country's pension system since World War Two. The unions have been locked in battle with Macron over the fate of France's generous pension benefits since early December. Macron wants to streamline the existing set-up of 42 different pension schemes, each with their own levels of contributions and benefits, into a single system that gives every pensioner the same rights for each euro contributed.
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| Iran uses violence, politics to try to push US out of Iraq Posted: 22 Jan 2020 10:12 PM PST  Iran has long sought the withdrawal of American forces from neighboring Iraq, but the U.S. killing of an Iranian general and an Iraqi militia commander in Baghdad has added new impetus to the effort, stoking anti-American feelings that Tehran hopes to exploit to help realize the goal. The Jan. 3 killing has led Iraq's parliament to call for the ouster of U.S. troops, but there are many lingering questions over whether Iran will be able to capitalize on the sentiment. It is not clear whether the protesters will try to recreate a New Year's Eve attack on the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad by Iran-supported militias in the wake of U.S. airstrikes that killed 25 militiamen along the border with Syria.
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| A black man received a settlement in a race discrimination lawsuit. When he tried to cash the check, the bank called the cops, prompting a second racial discrimination case. Posted: 23 Jan 2020 10:15 AM PST  Sauntore Thomas, of Detroit, Michigan, sued TCF Bank after it refused to accept checks he received from a racial discrimination lawsuit.
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| No qualms for India's hangman before first job of executing rapists Posted: 24 Jan 2020 12:53 AM PST  Pawan Kumar feels zero sympathy for the four men he is due to hang next month for a 2012 gang rape and murder that appalled India. The group set to meet their demise before dawn on February 1 -- although it may be delayed -- were convicted for a brutal crime against Jyoti Singh, a 23-year-old student. Angry demonstrations by tens of thousands of people broke out across the vast South Asian nation, sparking soul-searching about the plight of Indian women and leading to heavier sentences for sex crimes.
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