| Sanders lays out his 'radical dream' to solve climate change Posted: 07 Feb 2020 06:56 PM PST  At Friday's Democratic presidential debate in Manchester, N.H., Sen. Bernie Sanders channeled Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., expounding on his "dream" for the world to come together to solve climate change.
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| Iran unveils ballistic missile, 'new generation' engines Posted: 08 Feb 2020 04:02 PM PST  Iran's Revolutionary Guards unveiled Sunday a short-range ballistic missile that they said can be powered by a "new generation" of engines designed to put satellites into orbit. The Guards' Sepahnews website said the Raad-500 missile was equipped with new Zoheir engines made of composite materials lighter than on earlier steel models. It also unveiled Salman engines made of the same materials but with a "movable nozzle" for the delivery of satellites into space.
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| Jehovah's Witnesses reportedly under investigation by Pennsylvania attorney general Posted: 08 Feb 2020 10:37 AM PST  The Pennsylvania attorney general's office is reportedly investigating if the Jehovah's Witnesses failed to report child sexual abuse to authorities.
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| Xi Jinping has turned invisible during China's coronavirus epidemic, likely to cover his back in case things go badly wrong Posted: 08 Feb 2020 02:35 AM PST  The Wuhan coronavirus is seriously testing China's Communist Party. Hundreds are dead and people have accused officials of withholding information.
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| Sheriff: Man arrested for driving into voter sign-up tent Posted: 09 Feb 2020 06:02 AM PST  A man in Florida is under arrest after he deliberately drove a van into a tent where voters were being registered, authorities in Jacksonville said Sunday. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said via social media that 27-year-old Gregory William Loel Timm has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a person 65 years old or older, one count of criminal mischief and driving with a suspended license. The Republican party of Duval County said it had sent up the tent on Saturday in order to register voters.
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| A Beginner's Guide to App Building Posted: 08 Feb 2020 02:00 PM PST |
| Soldier kills 29 people in Thailand before being shot Posted: 08 Feb 2020 02:54 PM PST  A soldier angry over a property deal gone sour killed at least 29 people and wounded 57 in a rampage that spanned four locations in and around the northeastern Thai city of Nakhon Ratchasima before he was shot dead early Sunday. Most of the victims were at the city's Terminal 21 shopping center, where the shooter held out against an overnight siege with an assault rifle and ammunition stolen from his army base. Police named him as 32-year-old soldier Jakrapanth Thomma.
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| Billionaire Mike Bloomberg is looking to pay micro-influencers to make sponsored content for his presidential campaign Posted: 07 Feb 2020 02:45 PM PST  The former New York City mayor is quietly testing a campaign tactic no Democrat has: attempting to pay influencers to create content about him.
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| Lindsey Graham: Bill Barr Has ‘Created a Process’ for Giuliani to Give Him Biden/Ukraine Dirt Posted: 09 Feb 2020 09:26 AM PST  Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) claimed on Sunday that Attorney General William Barr has now "created a process" for Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani to feed him any dirt he's dug up on former Vice President Joe Biden during his Ukrainian smear campaign.In the wake of President Donald Trump's impeachment acquittal, the president has not only spiked the football but has also begun to exact retribution on those he feels are responsible for the investigation into the Ukraine scandal. Besides ousting impeachment witnesses from their government posts, Trump has publicly pressed Congress to probe Democrats and impeachment investigators.Appearing on Sunday's Face the Nation, Graham claimed that what the president was really interested in was getting to the bottom of the FISA warrant system. At the same time, however, he said that information coming out of Ukraine should be looked at even if it should be taken "very cautiously."GOP Base Is Hot to Probe Biden, Senate Republicans Not So Much"Here's what I want to tell the president: I'm not going to be the Republican Christopher Steele," he stated. "So Rudy Giuliani last night said he's got the goods on Hunter Biden. I called the attorney general this morning, and Richard Burr, the chairman of the [Senate] Intel Committee, and they told me to take very cautiously anything coming out of the Ukraine against anybody."He went on to say that if Giuliani has any additional information out of Ukraine, he needs to turn it over to the Department of Justice.Host Margaret Brennan, meanwhile, wanted to know if the DOJ has been ordered to investigate Biden and his son Hunter. The president had been accused during his impeachment of withholding military aid to Ukraine in order to pressure them to open investigations into the Bidens."No, the Department of Justice is receiving information coming out of Ukraine from Rudy," Graham noted."Already?" Brennan, taken aback, responded."He told me that they had created a process that Rudy could give information and they would see if it's verified," the South Carolina senator said. "Rudy Giuliani is a well-known man. He's a crime fighter. He's loyal to the president. He's a good lawyer.""What I'm trying to say to the president and anybody else, that the Russians are still up to it," he continued. "Deterrence is not working, so let's look at Hunter Biden's conflict. Let's look at Joe Biden."Brennan went on to say that a channel being opened between Giuliani and Barr sounds a lot like a "taxpayer-funded research operation against Joe Biden," adding that this would appear to be what was at the heart of the impeachment probe in the first place."No, not at all," Graham insisted. "There are plenty of people being contacted by folks from the Ukraine."Later in the interview, when asked directly who is paying Giuliani to do his dirt-digging operation in Ukraine, Graham replied "I don't know" and quickly changed the subject.Giuliani, meanwhile, appeared on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures to peddle more dirt on Biden, just days after The Daily Beast reported that the network's own research team warned their colleagues not to trust Giuliani's claims or "disinformation" on Ukraine. Throughout his Sunday interview with Trump-boosting host Maria Bartiromo, the former New York City mayor said Trump should "100 percent" investigate the former veep while claiming he has "smoking gun" evidence that the Biden family was "monetizing Joe's public office."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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| Iran starts countdown for satellite launch 'within hours' Posted: 09 Feb 2020 12:36 AM PST  Iran started counting down Sunday to the launch of a new scientific observation satellite scheduled within hours, the country's telecommunications minister said. The United States has raised concerns in the past about Iran's satellite programme, describing the launch of a carrier rocket in January 2019 as a "provocation". "Beginning countdown to launch #Zafar_Satellite in the next few hours... In the Name of God," Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi wrote on Twitter.
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| Coronavirus: Norwegian, Royal Caribbean cruise lines ban China, Hong Kong passport holders Posted: 07 Feb 2020 05:12 PM PST  The cruise industry is stepping up measures to fight the coronavirus outbreak, Cruise Lines International Association said Friday.
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| Pete Buttigieg was targeted by his Democratic rivals in New Hampshire, and they hit him where he's weakest Posted: 07 Feb 2020 08:17 PM PST  Buttigieg struggles among African American voters, and the New Hampshire debate saw his Democratic presidential rivals focus on that weakness.
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| Trump asked Limbaugh to delay cancer treatment for medal Posted: 08 Feb 2020 09:52 AM PST  President Trump asked conservative political commentator Rush Limbaugh to delay his cancer treatment so he could attend the State of the Union address on Tuesday.
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| Man carrying knife arrested outside White House after threat Posted: 09 Feb 2020 08:52 AM PST ![Man carrying knife arrested outside White House after threat]( "Man carrying knife arrested outside White House after threat") A man carrying a knife was arrested outside the White House after he told a U.S. Secret Service officer that he was there to kill the president, police said. Roger Hedgpeth, 25, was arrested Saturday afternoon on a charge of making threats to do bodily harm, the Metropolitan Police Department said. Hedgpeth approached a Secret Service officer who was patrolling outside the White House and said he was there to "assassinate" President Donald Trump and "I have a knife to do it with," according to a police report obtained by The Associated Press.
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| Taiwan scrambles jets as Chinese air force flies round island Posted: 09 Feb 2020 01:48 AM PST ![Taiwan scrambles jets as Chinese air force flies round island]( "Taiwan scrambles jets as Chinese air force flies round island") Taiwan's air force scrambled on Sunday to intercept Chinese jets that flew around the island claimed by Beijing as its own, in a move denounced by Taiwan's Defence Ministry as a threat to regional peace and stability. China has been flying what it calls "island encirclement" drills on-off since 2016 when Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen first took office. Beijing believes Tsai, who won re-election last month, wishes to push the island's formal independence.
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| Billy Mitchell Redux: The Heavy Bomber is Returning as a Navy-Killer Posted: 08 Feb 2020 08:30 AM PST  Could these weapons of war become the real carrier-killer missiles?
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| A 4-year-old died of the flu after his anti-vaxxer mom didn't give him Tamiflu — here's how the drug can prevent the virus from becoming deadly Posted: 07 Feb 2020 11:41 AM PST  Tamiflu is a medicine used to treat strains of the influenza virus (the flu) that can be given to anyone older than two weeks.
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| Michael Bloomberg didn't make the New Hampshire debate, but he still came up Posted: 07 Feb 2020 07:23 PM PST  Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg might have not qualified for the Democratic debates yet, but he still had a cameo on Friday.George Stephanopoulos during Friday's New Hampshire debate asked a question all about Bloomberg submitted via Apple News, asking the candidates why they're "better positioned" to take on President Trump than he is. The Democrats on the stage, naturally, didn't pass up the opportunity to get in some attacks on a candidate who wasn't actually there to respond."I don't think anyone ought to be able to buy their way into a nomination or to be president of the United States," Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said.Sanders joined in as well, saying, "It's a funny thing. There are millions of people who can desire to run for office, but I guess if you're worth $60 billion and you can spend several hundred million dollars on commercials, you have a slight advantage. That is nonsense."These attacks may end up serving as solid practice for an upcoming debate, as a recent rule change leaves the door open for Bloomberg to soon join the fun himself. > Sen. Sanders on Michael Bloomberg: "I guess if you're worth $60 billion and you can spend several hundred million dollars on commercials you have a slight advantage. That is nonsense." https://t.co/0GxKJz7e8Y DemDebate pic.twitter.com/6p6YtLnEjF> > -- ABC News (@ABC) February 8, 2020More stories from theweek.com America's pig problem Vanguard is an anomaly in the investment world. Can it stay that way? American democracy is dying
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| GOP congressman calls for Romney to be expelled from Republican caucus Posted: 07 Feb 2020 11:42 AM PST  Rep. Matt Gaetz on Thursday called for Sen. Mitt Romney to be expelled from Republican ranks in the Senate.
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| Four rare mountain gorillas 'killed by lightning' in Uganda Posted: 08 Feb 2020 07:21 PM PST  Four endangered mountain gorillas, including three adult females, have been killed by an apparent lightning strike in a Ugandan national park, a conservation group has said. A post-mortem examination has been performed on the four, including a male infant, who died on February 3 in Mgahinga National Park in southwest Uganda. "Based on the gross lesions from the post-mortem... the tentative cause of death for all four individuals is likely to be electrocution by lightning," the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC) said in a statement Saturday, although laboratory confirmation will take two to three weeks.
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| A Chinese citizen journalist who went viral for his reporting on coronavirus from Wuhan has gone missing, and his family says he's been forcibly quarantined Posted: 09 Feb 2020 07:46 AM PST  Chen Qiushi is a Chinese lawyer and citizen journalist whose social media profiles grew popular for his video reporting in Hong Kong and in Wuhan.
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| Pete Buttigieg surges to small lead in New Hampshire amid post-Iowa bounce, new poll finds Posted: 09 Feb 2020 08:13 AM PST  After Iowa, Buttigieg is riding a wave of momentum into New Hampshire, climbing 14 percentage points in the same Suffolk tracking poll since Monday.
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| Pompeo urges U.S. state governors to be cautious in business with China Posted: 08 Feb 2020 12:37 PM PST  U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged governors of U.S. states and territories on Saturday to adopt a "cautious mindset" when engaging in business with China, saying Beijing was seeking to use U.S. openness to undermine the United States. Pompeo, in his latest warning of what he sees as Beijing's intentions, emphasized that competition with China was not just a federal issue.
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| The global spread of the coronavirus: Where is it? Posted: 09 Feb 2020 10:28 AM PST  The new coronavirus that emerged in central China at the end of last year has killed more than 800 people and spread around the world.
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| Infection rate stabilizes, but WHO emphasizes unpredictability as coronavirus deaths surpass SARS Posted: 09 Feb 2020 05:40 AM PST  China announced Sunday that the death toll resulting from the coronavirus that originated in Wuhan has risen to 811, which is higher than the number of fatalities from the SARS epidemic between 2002 and 2003.The number of confirmed infections rose to 37,198. The amount of new cases has stabilized in recent days, but the World Health Orgainzationc continues to urge caution, and many doctors reportedly believe the number of deaths and infections have been undercounted because of the strain China's testing facilities are under. "It's very, very early to make predictions," said Dr. Michael Ryan, the executive director of WHO's health emergencies program.WHO's Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the measures being put in place in China's Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, look like they're "paying off," but he also wasn't ready to make any sweeping statements. "We have to understand it with caution because it can show stability for a few days and then they can shoot up," he said. "I've said it many times: It's slow now, but it may accelarate."The vast majority of deaths have occurred in mainland China. There has been one death in the Philippines and another in Hong Kong. Read more at The New York Times and Reuters.More stories from theweek.com America's pig problem Vanguard is an anomaly in the investment world. Can it stay that way? American democracy is dying
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| Lindsey Graham: 'I’m not going to be the Republican Christopher Steele' Posted: 09 Feb 2020 09:56 AM PST  He wants to move forward with investigations without relying on sources from Ukraine and Russia.
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| Sanders Plans to Hammer Buttigieg on Billionaire Donors Posted: 09 Feb 2020 07:20 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Bernie Sanders said he would hammer at Pete Buttigieg's contributions from wealthy donors in the last few days of campaigning before Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.Buttigieg countered that Democrats must have ways to counter the massive fund-raising efforts of President Donald Trump."At last count he has about 40 billionaires who are contributing to his campaign," the Vermont senator said of Buttigieg on CBS's "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "It matters enormously. That is precisely the problem with American politics.""Do you really think that when someone gets contributions from the CEOs of pharmaceutical companies, he's going to stand up to the greed and corruption of that industry?" Sanders said. Sanders conceded that the messy Iowa caucus system -- which has yet to produce a final result after six days of counting -- is a "sad state of affairs." But he insisted that he won the state regardless of the number of delegates to come out of Iowa because he won the popular vote by 6,000 votes.In a separate interview on CNN's "State of the Union," Sanders said the caucuses were "an embarrassment. It was a disgrace to the good people of Iowa." How 2020 Opens Floodgates for Money in U.S. Politics: QuickTakeStill, he said he would support Buttigieg if the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor is the eventual Democratic nominee in November's general election against Trump. "I have said from the first day of this campaign that it is imperative that we defeat Donald Trump. Of course I'll support the nominee."Sanders continued to push his Medicare for All plan. Although he wouldn't be pinned down on an exact cost, he didn't dispute an estimated price tag of $30 trillion to $40 trillion over 10 years. "Anybody who tells you what anything is going to cost is not telling you the truth. It's so much. It's so big."On CNN Buttigieg said that he's raised money for his campaign after starting with very little. "I'm the mayor of South Bend, it's not like that's an establishment fund-raising powerhouse," he said. He also said that while he's "not a fan" of the campaign finance system, he has to use it to fight Trump, who recently raised $25 million in a single day, and he argued that there's nothing inherently wrong with accepting money from big donors. "Bernie's pretty rich, and I would happily accept a contribution from him," he said.On "Fox News Sunday," Buttigieg defended accepting money from major donors as part of building a big tent, whether that's someone who "chips in five bucks" or "a surgeon who can contribute $2,000 without it being much skin off their back." "I want everybody to help out," he said. "I want everybody who shares that vision to be at our side." (Disclaimer: Michael Bloomberg is also seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. He is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.)(Updates with Buttigieg comments from 10th paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: Gregory Korte in Manchester, New Hampshire at gkorte@bloomberg.net;Ryan Teague Beckwith in Manchester, New Hampshire at rbeckwith3@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Ros KrasnyFor 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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| One gunman, four locations, 29 dead: how the mass shooting in Thailand unfolded Posted: 09 Feb 2020 04:41 AM PST  Authorities are still piecing together details of how a soldier killed at least 29 people and wounded dozens more in a rampage in and around the northeastern Thai city of Nakhon Ratchasima. 12:10 p.m. (0510 GMT) - Soldier Jakrapanth Thomma writes on his Facebook page complaining about people who grow rich by cheating and taking advantage of others.
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| How China Will Use Its Social Credit System to Keep Control Over Its Military Posted: 08 Feb 2020 12:00 PM PST  A good idea?
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| In El Salvador, government effort against gangs bears fruit Posted: 07 Feb 2020 05:45 PM PST  Since his arrival in office in June, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has stepped up the country's war on criminal gangs, an effort that is bearing fruit according to experts who point to a falling murder rate. In January El Salvador recorded 119 murders, its lowest monthly tally since the end of its civil war in 1992, the president said recently. When Bukele assumed office, criminal gangs intensified their activity in an apparent attempt to force the new government to make concessions such as easing jail conditions, analysts said.
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| 21 dead, 31 hurt in Thai mass shooting; gunman hides in mall Posted: 08 Feb 2020 04:53 AM PST  A gunman described as a soldier angry over a financial dispute killed two people and then went on a far bloodier rampage Saturday in northeastern Thailand, shooting as he drove to a busy mall where shoppers fled in terror. Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Kongcheep Tantrawanich said Sgt. Maj. Jakrapanth Thomma was behind the attack in Nakhon Ratchasima, a hub for Thailand's relatively poorer and rural northeastern region. Much of the shooting took place at Terminal 21 Korat, an airport-themed mall filled with colorful Lego sculptures, a merry-go-round and huge replicas of landmarks from around the world.
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| Two Special Force soldiers killed, 6 wounded during apparent insider attack in Afghanistan Posted: 09 Feb 2020 07:59 AM PST  A U.S. official in Afghanistan said troops came under fire during an operation in Nangarhar Province.
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| Trump asked Rush Limbaugh to hold off on cancer treatment to get his Presidential Medal of Freedom during the State of the Union Posted: 07 Feb 2020 07:16 PM PST  On Monday, he announced he was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer and expected to receive treatment the following day during the address.
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| 10 Wuhan professors signed an open letter demanding free speech protections after a doctor who was punished for warning others about coronavirus died from it Posted: 08 Feb 2020 10:42 AM PST  One petition was signed by Wuhan professors, and another was signed by academics from around China calling for a national holiday in Li's honor.
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| Warren, Biden slide as Buttigieg rises in Sanders-led New Hampshire poll Posted: 08 Feb 2020 10:12 AM PST  It might come down to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg once again.In its latest poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, CNN shows Sanders leading the pack in the Granite State ahead of Tuesday's primary. The senator picked up 28 percent support in the survey, leading his closest contender Buttigieg by seven points. The two went toe to toe in the hotly contested — and mildly controversial — Iowa caucuses last week, with Buttigieg reeling in more delegates while Sanders led in terms of raw votes. New Hampshire, it seems, could provide another close race between the two, especially considering Iowa polls showed Sanders leading Buttigieg by a similar amount in the lead up to the caucuses.The CNN poll wasn't much to look at for anyone else. Former Vice President Joe Biden likely won't be surprised to hear he came in third with 11 percent, while no one else hit double digits. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) didn't get the New England love shown to Sanders in the survey, finishing with just 9 percent.Per CNN, Biden slid five points and Buttigieg rose six, indicating the mayor might be taking some of the vice president's voters.> New CNN/UNH poll of Dem primary among 365 New Hampshire likely primary voters (MoE +/- 5.1 percentage points):> > Sanders 28% > Buttigieg 21% > Biden 11% > Warren 9% > Gabbard 6% > Klobuchar 5% > Everyone else <5%> > — Kendall Karson (@kendallkarson) February 8, 2020The CNN New Hampshire Poll was conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center between Feb. 4-7 among a random sample of 365 likely Democratic primary voters. The margin of error was 5.1 percent. Read more at CNN.More stories from theweek.com America's pig problem Vanguard is an anomaly in the investment world. Can it stay that way? American democracy is dying
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| Royal Caribbean cruise ship in New Jersey cleared after four people tested for coronavirus Posted: 07 Feb 2020 11:11 AM PST  Four passengers on Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas didn't show symptoms of after being examined by the CDC Friday.
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| Coronavirus turns busy Chinese cities into ghost towns Posted: 08 Feb 2020 05:28 PM PST  After making sure everyone's face mask is on and sanitizer is to hand, the Qiao family heads out to Jingshan Park, a former royal sanctuary beside the Forbidden City in China's capital Beijing. Shanghai, China's financial hub, and other cities in the world's most populous nation have turned into ghost towns after the government extended a holiday and asked residents not to go out because of the coronavirus. The epidemic has killed 722 people and infected nearly 32,000 in China as of Feb 8.
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| Israel Isn't Happy With Iran's New Guided-Rocket System Posted: 08 Feb 2020 03:30 PM PST  That the Israelis are worried is no surprise.
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| Surrendered Pakistani Taliban spokesman escapes custody: official Posted: 09 Feb 2020 05:05 AM PST  A leading member of the Pakistan Taliban has escaped custody more than two years after surrendering to authorities, a senior security official said Sunday. The confirmation comes days after Ehsanullah Ehsan -- the former spokesman for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) -- released an audio message claiming he had escaped detention and was now in Turkey. A senior security source told AFP Ehsan was "one of our major assets in identifying and later tracking down militants".
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| Soldier kills 26 in bloodiest mass shooting in Thailand Posted: 09 Feb 2020 03:44 AM PST  A soldier with a grudge gunned down 26 people and wounded 57 in Thailand's worst mass shooting before he was fatally shot inside a mall in the country's northeast on Sunday, officials said. Authorities said Sgt. Maj. Jakrapanth Thomma was behind the attack in Nakhon Ratchasima, a hub for Thailand's relatively poorer and rural northeastern region. Much of the shooting took place at Terminal 21 Korat, an airport-themed mall filled with colorful Lego sculptures, a merry-go-round and huge replicas of landmarks from around the world.
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| Virginia’s Unconstitutional Attack on Gun Owners Posted: 07 Feb 2020 11:06 AM PST  Today, Virginia Democrats continue their multi-front offensive against the Second Amendment, taking up Governor Ralph Northam's "assault weapons" ban, magazine limits, and suppressor-confiscation bills in the state house's Public Safety Committee. That makes it as good time as any to remind people again that "assault weapons" bans are unconstitutional. The quicker an "assault weapon" ban case can be put in front of the Supreme Court — which, granted, has been reluctant to take on new gun cases — the better.District of Columbia v. Heller found that the Second Amendment protected weapons "in common use by law-abiding citizens." AR-15-style weapons, the most popular rifle in America, with over a million sold every year, clearly meet this criterion. Everything about the gun, from its mechanisms to its purpose, is common. Notwithstanding the rhetoric you hear from Virginia lawmakers, some appellate-court judges, and gun-control lobby mouthpieces, the AR-15 is not, nor has it ever been, a "weapon of war." To say so is historically and functionally incorrect. Eugene Stoner, chief engineer of ArmaLite and its parent company, Colt, designed and marketed the AR specifically for civilians in the early 1960s, years before any military version was adopted. The AR-15 is less a "weapon of war" than a 1911 handgun, which the U.S. military adopted from that year to 1986.Not that we should have any problems with weapons of war being in civilian hands per se. Muskets and flintlock rifles, the predominant guns of the revolutionary era, were also weapons of war. The Founders wanted civilians to own lethal weapons. Sorry, John Kerry, but the Second Amendment isn't about hunting or recreation, or even predominately about personal home protection. So, yes, ARs are indeed dangerous. That's the point. But the concerted effort to depict ARs as especially "dangerous and unusual" is only meant to place them outside the protections of Heller.Indeed, there is no evidence that AR-15s pose a unique threat. Simply because a small number of psychopaths happen to like the aesthetics of a popular gun doesn't magically transform that firearm something distinctively menacing to American society. Even if one conceded for the sake of argument that the presence of criminality was a sound rationale for restricting constitutional rights — an increasingly popular argument for ignoring the First Amendment, as well — the argument to ban AR-15s would become weaker.Gun crimes fell precipitously, hitting historic lows, after the federal assault-weapon ban instituted in 1994 expired. In 2018, the last year of FBI data, there were 6,603 Americans murdered by handguns, 297 by rifles (most of them not AR-15s), and 236 by shotguns. (Gun types used in crimes aren't reported by all police departments, but the trend is almost surely the same.) To put it in perspective, there were 1,604 knife homicides during that same span, and 656 people killed by fists and kicking. ARs are rarely used in crimes.More important, if the state can ban one type of semi-automatic weapon simply because it looks a certain way or because one type of criminal favors it, what principle would constrain it from banning every semi-automatic weapon? The worst mass shooter in Virginia history did not use an AR but .22-caliber and 9mm handguns. If Northam can ban ARs, what stops him from banning a 9mm? Surely the cheering crowd at a CNN "townhall," or the average Democratic presidential candidate, would answer, nothing.Virginia lawmakers are also debating legislation that would make it a felony to possess a magazine that holds more than twelve rounds after January 1st, 2021, which, as Cam Edwards points out, would turn most Virginia gun owners into felons. Another bill would make it illegal to own a silencer. Right now, Americans own over a million silencers for all kinds of reasons — to avoid damaging their hearing or bothering their neighbors — but almost none of them own a silencer for criminal reasons. The ATF reports that there are around 44 silencer-related crimes per year over the past decade — or as Stephen Gutowski noted, something like .003 percent of silencers are used in crimes each year.For now, most of the bills seem likely to fail. A more draconian state-senate bill that would have authorized the confiscation of assault-style weapons was already discarded. "This is a compromise that takes into account folks' concerns and is still a good bill that will help reduce mass murders in the commonwealth," Delegate Mark Levine, the Democrat sponsoring the legislation, told the Associated Press. There's no evidence that any of these initiatives would make Virginians any safer, nor, as a matter of principle, is preemptively banning Americans from owning a firearm objectively different from confiscating the one they already own. Both are means to stop citizens from owning the gun. Both should be discarded as unconstitutional.
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| House passes $20B Puerto Rico aid package in face of Trump veto threat Posted: 07 Feb 2020 04:03 PM PST  The Democratic-controlled House on Friday passed a $20 billion-plus aid package for Puerto Rico, where a swarm of earthquakes last month set back the island territory's slow, troubled recovery from the hurricane devastation of 2017.
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| Two-dozen US Marines were discharged after an investigation over their alleged involvement in drug crimes and a human trafficking operation along the border Posted: 08 Feb 2020 12:07 PM PST  One of the ex-Marines will face time in military prison, others did not face judicial action after chargers were dropped following an unlawful arrest.
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| How 2020 Democrats Plan to Deal With Trump's Remade Judiciary Posted: 09 Feb 2020 08:43 AM PST  CONCORD, N.H. -- Through an impeachment trial, a Russia investigation, an Iran crisis and other daily turmoil, President Donald Trump has repeatedly been able to point to one consistent success that has united Republicans: moving conservative justices onto all levels of the federal judiciary.The count now stands at more than 180 judges -- many of whom are endorsed by the conservative legal group The Federalist Society. About 50 of the judges sit on the nation's appeals courts. (By comparison, President Barack Obama appointed about that many circuit court judges during his entire eight-year term.)Trump's ability to push through judges has been possible in large part because of the success that Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, has had in holding open seats during the Obama administration and pushing nominees through after Trump took office.On Saturday, eight of the presidential candidates still in the Democratic primary race took turns outlining their views on the federal judiciary; they argued about how and whether they would work with Republicans, if elected, and how they would protect reproductive rights and other Democratic priorities.But for all of the focus on the critical importance of the courts, the candidates recognized the limits of what even a Democratic president could do if Republicans and McConnell remained in control of the Senate."The best solution to the Senate is to make sure that in 2021, Mitch McConnell is no longer in the majority or preferably not in the Senate at all," former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, told the gathering Saturday. He added, "This is our chance. This is our only chance."Why the Stakes Are High"We are going to be, I think, just about No. 1 by the time we finish -- No. 1 of any president, any administration," Trump bragged in November, releasing a fact sheet about his success in confirming judicial nominees.As a result, Democrats fear reversals on a wide array of labor law, civil rights and environmental cases as the courts move steadily to the right. Perhaps no issue has garnered more attention than reproductive rights, in which Democrats fear a conservative-leaning Supreme Court can significantly restrict or even remove the constitutional right to abortion."We have courts that are completely out of balance that have been taken over by activist judges who certainly, absolutely want to end Roe and criminalize abortion," said Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, which co-sponsored the forum Saturday. "But abortion is always the tip of the spear on human rights."Counterbalancing Trump's WorkAt the event Saturday, Democratic candidates largely were unified in their pledge to try to balance Trump's judicial appointments with ones of their own. Several candidates, including Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, said they would be in favor of creating their own lists of qualified justices whom they would be ready to push forward on the first day of their administrations."Let's give Trump and Mitch McConnell some credit," Sanders said. "They were well organized; they knew what they were doing. As a member of the Senate, I can tell you, you know what we do every day? We vote for right-wing, extremist judges."As Tom Steyer, the former hedge fund executive, put it, "Someone's got a steamroller. And they're going right over us."Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts attacked the qualifications of the judges appointed by Trump, calling them "beyond unqualified" and arguing that they would not have been acceptable in previous presidential administrations.Asked by a moderator whether she would seek to appoint young progressive justices to the court to balance conservative appointments by Trump, she said she would."I want judges who believe in democracy, who believe in justice, who believe in the rights of individuals," she said, "because that is the job of a justice."How to Work (or Avoid Working With) RepublicansThe Democratic candidates were repeatedly pressed by moderators to explain how they planned to make any changes to the courts or to enshrine threatened civil rights legislation into law if the Senate remained controlled by Republicans.The most common answer involved winning elections. "If we don't change Congress, we're screwed," Buttigieg said."Power is the only language the Senate GOP responds to right now," he said. "Our party's sense of fair play has come back to bite us."Klobuchar argued that her experience in the Senate had given her insight into how to work the levers of Congress and, if necessary, to conduct a pressure campaign to get judicial openings filled with candidates of her choosing."It's a game that's been going on," Klobuchar said. "You've got to be creative."Pledging to Protect Reproductive RightsAll of the candidates staunchly backed a woman's right to choose, and most pledged to do whatever they could to codify Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court case that established the constitutional right to abortion.Warren said that over the years, the rights afforded by the case had become narrower and narrower, "like we're standing on a ledge, and every couple of months, another rock sort of breaks loose and falls off." And she argued that simply seeking to protect reproductive rights through the courts was no longer sufficient."When you've got a tilted Supreme Court and a tilted court system, we've got to start putting a lot more emphasis on what we can do through Congress," she said. "In a democracy, when 3 out of 4 people want to see something be the law, then it's time for us to mobilize and make it the law."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company
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