| Trump's vaccine promises meet reality Posted: 29 Oct 2020 11:45 AM PDT  The president's optimistic claims that a vaccine for COVID-19 would be ready before the end of the year seem increasingly unlikely to be fulfilled.
|
| After 50 Years, a Suspect Emerges in a Cold Murder Case Posted: 30 Oct 2020 05:22 AM PDT  Rosalie Sanz was a teenager in 1969 when she looked out the window of her family's San Diego home on a dark November night and saw two men in suits. She remembers her mother listening quietly to the detectives telling her that her 23-year-old daughter, Mary Scott, had been murdered."It was very brief," Sanz said. "They closed the door, and my mom came and told me that my sister had been killed."The case went cold for half a century.But on Tuesday, the San Diego Police Department announced that with the help of forensic genealogy, a suspect had been identified. On Oct. 24, John Jeffrey Sipos, 75, was arrested in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, in the murder of Scott, the police said. Sipos is being held in the Lehigh County Detention Center awaiting extradition to San Diego, they said.Charges will be filed this week in the "cold case murder," Tanya Sierra, a spokeswoman for the San Diego County District Attorney's Office, said in an email.The case is one of the latest to benefit from advances in DNA and genetic genealogy, which have given new momentum to dormant murder files in the United States, helping investigators track down suspects and families find justice.The first high-profile case to be cracked with genetic genealogy, which relies on identifying DNA collected at a crime scene by searching for the perpetrator's relatives in genealogy databases, was that of Joseph James DeAngelo, also known as the Golden State Killer, who was arrested in Sacramento, California, in 2018.DeAngelo, who pleaded guilty to a series of murders and kidnappings in California, was sentenced in August to multiple terms of life without parole.Sometimes, the advances have meant that families have learned too late for justice if the perpetrators themselves have died. But for Sanz, the break came just in time.Sanz said she is the last member of her immediate family, and one of the few to be able to speak about the life of her sister, the young woman found dead on Nov. 20 in her City Heights apartment.Their parents have since died, as have the other siblings -- three brothers and a sister, Sanz said. A daughter of Scott, living in Louisiana, could not immediately be reached Wednesday."It's just me that remembers her," Sanz, now 67, said Wednesday, speaking by telephone from her California home. "It is nice to be able to speak for her after all this time. The big headline was 'Go-go girl found dead.'""There was a little more to her than a 'go-go girl,'" Sanz said.Sanz said that her sister had dropped out of high school at 17 and married a Navy man, and they had two children. The couple moved to Louisiana, and Scott then took her children to California. Eventually, the children remained with their father and his family, and Scott remained alone in California, Sanz said.She began working as a cocktail waitress and then as a dancer, nicknamed Lucky, at a local club, Sanz said. On Nov. 20, Scott's co-worker went to look for her at her apartment and found her dead. Scott had been strangled and raped, the furniture in disarray and chain broken on the door, Sanz said, quoting the local newspaper reports from 1969.Sanz said investigators had tried to follow leads, occasionally filling in her family about their efforts, but the case eventually went cold. "I was feeling a little defeated," Sanz said."Life just went on," she said. And on, for the next 50 years.But a few years ago, Sanz began seeing how DNA technology was helping investigators find suspects in other murders, including the DeAngelo case."And I thought, 'Why can't they do that with Mary's case?'" Sanz said.She contacted a friend, a retired police officer, in 2019, the year of the 50th anniversary of the murder. The friend helped contact people still on the police force, and a new search was born."Investigators from the San Diego Police Cold Case Unit and the San Diego District Attorney's Office Cold Case Unit evaluated the case and were able to use forensic genealogy to identify a possible suspect," the police statement released Tuesday said.Sipos has been unable to see his lawyer, John Waldron, because of quarantine rules at the detention center, Waldron said. Waldron said that they had not spoken about the specifics of the case but that he had asked Sipos, who has health issues, by telephone Monday how he was doing. "He was in the Navy in San Diego back when this incident allegedly occurred," he said.Sipos's wife is "devastated," Waldron added.Sanz said she reflects on the 50 years of life that Sipos had had and that her sister had lost.He "went on to live his" life, she said. "And that is the thing that makes me the most upset. When I learned that he is just living free and happy, it is upsetting to me that he had that normal life all these years. She had so much life ahead of her that just got stolen."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company
|
| Malaysian ex-PM tweets that Muslims have 'right' to kill French people after deadly Nice attack Posted: 29 Oct 2020 08:47 AM PDT  Malaysia's former leader Mahathir Mohamad tweeted Thursday Muslims had a right "to kill millions of French people" after a deadly attack in Nice, sparking widespread anger and prompting Twitter to delete his post. Three people were killed at a church in the southern French city, with the attacker slitting the throat of at least one of them, in what authorities were treating as the latest jihadist assault to rock the country. Shortly afterwards, Mr Mahathir - who was prime minister of Muslim-majority Malaysia until his government collapsed in February - launched an extraordinary outburst in a series of tweets. Referring to the beheading of a French teacher who showed pupils cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, Mr Mahathir said he did not approve of that attack but freedom of expression does not include "insulting other people". "Irrespective of the religion professed, angry people kill," said the outspoken 95-year-old, who has in the past drawn controversy for remarks attacking Jews and the LGBT community.
|
| Falwell sues Liberty, saying school damaged his reputation Posted: 29 Oct 2020 08:36 AM PDT  Jerry Falwell Jr. has sued Liberty University, alleging the evangelical school founded by his late pastor father damaged his reputation in a series of public statements that followed his resignation as president and chancellor in August amid a series of scandals. It alleges that Liberty officials accepted what Falwell says are false claims about his involvement in an extramarital affair between his wife and a business partner of the couple's and "moved quickly" to destroy his reputation. K. Todd Swisher, Circuit Court clerk for the city of Lynchburg, provided The Associated Press with a copy of the complaint, which contains a limited number of redactions in sections pertaining to Falwell's employment agreement.
|
| Top U.S. officials were briefed on an active threat against Pentagon leaders, say five officials Posted: 29 Oct 2020 01:07 PM PDT  Some officials said the briefings suggested the threat may be potential retaliation for the U.S. military's killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
|
| Las Vegas police charge driver after man pushed a cyclist to her death, fell out a minivan window, hit his head on a lamppost, and died at the scene Posted: 30 Oct 2020 08:15 AM PDT  Rodrigo Cruz, 22, was the driver of the minivan involved in the two deaths, the Las Vegas police said.
|
| Greenwald resigns from The Intercept over Biden article Posted: 29 Oct 2020 02:38 PM PDT  Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald said Thursday he had resigned from The Intercept after the US investigative media outlet refused to publish his article critical of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
|
| Tourist arrested for hiding a loaded firearm at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom Posted: 29 Oct 2020 06:36 PM PDT  A 27-year-old woman has been arrested for hiding a loaded firearm at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, the Orange County Sheriff's Office confirmed.
|
| Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman got served a lawsuit via WhatsApp. Court documents show that he received and read the message. Posted: 30 Oct 2020 01:03 AM PDT  The case, filed by former top security advisor Dr. Saad Al-Jabri alleges that bin Salman set a hit squad to assassinate him in Canada.
|
| President Erdogan accused of fuelling the anger that led to French terror attacks Posted: 29 Oct 2020 08:35 AM PDT  The Turkish president's bellicose rhetoric towards France over the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed may have contributed to a climate of anger that led to the deadly terror attack in the city of Nice on Thursday, terrorism experts and EU politicians have said. A woman was decapitated, and two more people killed, in an attack in a church in Nice on Thursday that the city's mayor described as terrorism after the alleged perpetrator reportedly chanted "Alllahu akbar" as he was arrested. Terrorism experts believe the attack – alongside a stabbing at the French consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and an incident in Avignon where police killed a man brandishing a gun – were retaliation by extremists for France's hardening attitudes towards Muslims. French President Emmanuel Macron ordered a crackdown on Islamists this month, following the beheading of a teacher who showed his class caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed, something many Muslims consider blasphemous and offensive. Turkish President Recep Tayipp Erdogan has led criticism in the Muslim world of Mr Macron, repeatedly saying he needed mental evaluation over his stance towards Islam.
|
| Searchers find 59 bodies in Mexico mass graves, dig for more Posted: 29 Oct 2020 10:13 AM PDT  Search teams dug for more remains Thursday at a site in central Mexico where 59 bodies have already been found in clandestine graves over the past week in an area known as a cartel battleground. It was the largest such burial site found to date in Guanajuato, the state with the largest number of homicides in Mexico, though bigger clandestine burial sites have been excavated in other parts of the country. Especially striking about this discovery, but also a testament to the prevailing level of fear, is that the site is in the town of Salvatierra, not a desolate area out in the countryside.
|
| A North Carolina pastor is accused of peeing on a woman while she was sleeping on a Delta flight Posted: 28 Oct 2020 10:35 AM PDT  "I jump up and I seen his private area out and I screamed and that woke everybody up," Alicia Beverly told a local news outlet on October 14.
|
| Miami Beach ‘concerned about a surge’ as 26 more employees test positive for COVID-19 Posted: 29 Oct 2020 02:08 PM PDT  The city of Miami Beach is "concerned" about a string of new coronavirus cases in its workforce, mainly among police and fire-rescue personnel.
|
| Michigan Senate candidate John James is proof all skinfolk ain’t kinfolk Posted: 29 Oct 2020 06:00 AM PDT  OPINION: James is fashioning himself as a moderate who believes in bipartisanship. The problem is when it comes to the party of Trump, you can't play it both sides. John James is a Black man who has a shot at becoming the next U.S. Senator from the great state of Michigan.
|
| Five things to know about Moldova Posted: 29 Oct 2020 10:28 PM PDT  The ex-Soviet country of Moldova, which holds a presidential election on Sunday, is landlocked between EU member Romania, with which it shares a common language, and Ukraine.
|
| Leopard mauls man who paid for "full contact experience" Posted: 30 Oct 2020 04:33 AM PDT  "He went for the jugular," the man's attorney said of the attack. "The ear was pretty much removed."
|
| Facebook admits it 'improperly' blocked some political ads due to 'technical issues' as Joe Biden's campaign slams it for being 'wholly unprepared' Posted: 29 Oct 2020 08:18 PM PDT  Facebook said no ads were blocked "because of any partisan consideration," as Biden's camp accused the company of offering "no clarity" on the issue.
|
| Man falls through New York City pavement into 'rat-filled chasm' Posted: 30 Oct 2020 02:10 AM PDT  A man was trapped in a hole teeming with rats for half an hour after a New York City sidewalk collapsed underneath him. Leonard Shoulders dropped almost 15 feet into the sinkhole and was unable to cry for help out of fear the rats would get in his mouth. "Rats crawling on him. He can't move. He just… it was so bad," Mr Shoulders' brother Greg White told NBC News. "He didn't wanna yell 'cause he was afraid there was gonna be rats going inside his mouth." The victim had been waiting for a bus in the Bronx when the concrete cracked open and swallowed him whole. The 33-year-old was hospitalised with a broken leg and arm after firefighters worked to extradite him from the pit. He remains in St. Barnabas Hospital and is in a stable condition, but family members have stressed the mental impact of the incident. "He's traumatised," Mr Shoulders' Mother Cindy White said. "He was like, 'Ma, the rats down there were ridiculous.' He was like, 'They were like so big'," she added.
|
| 2 grand jurors in Breonna Taylor case say charges should have been filed against other Louisville officers Posted: 29 Oct 2020 07:05 AM PDT  Two anonymous grand jurors say more Louisville police officers should face criminal charges in Breonna Taylor's death.
|
| Familiar refrain by Perdue, Ossoff in Georgia Senate debate Posted: 28 Oct 2020 12:09 PM PDT  Republican Sen. David Perdue and Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff battered each other Wednesday night with what has become the familiar refrains of their bitter race: Perdue repeatedly accused Ossoff of backing radical, socialist policies while Ossoff slammed Perdue's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and Republican efforts to overturn the Affordable Care Act. Perdue and Ossoff met in Savannah for their second debate of the race, which polls indicate is extremely close. The outcome could have national implications over which party controls the Senate, with Democrats hoping Ossoff could give the party their first U.S. Senate win in Georgia since 2000.
|
| 7.0 earthquake rocks Greece and Turkey Posted: 30 Oct 2020 05:17 AM PDT  A 7.0 earthquake was reported Friday off the Greek island of Samos, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
|
| Rudy Giuliani wants Twitter CEO jailed over limitations on unverified Hunter Biden story Posted: 29 Oct 2020 04:59 PM PDT  'Maybe he's working for the Chinese,' former mayor baselessly claims
|
| U.S. seizes Iranian missiles, slaps Iran-related sanctions on 11 entities Posted: 29 Oct 2020 10:21 AM PDT |
| All-seeing French frigate flies flag in tense east Mediterranean Posted: 30 Oct 2020 01:52 AM PDT  Deep in the bowels of a French frigate cruising the tense eastern Mediterranean waters, a dozen men and women scan radar screens through the dark.
|
| Record turnout in Texas' largest county could be crucial to flipping a usually red state Posted: 29 Oct 2020 01:30 AM PDT  Election officials in Harris County tripled the number of early-voting sites, expanded their hours and added drive-thru voting.
|
| Activists call for justice after Washington D.C. man killed on scooter after police chase Posted: 30 Oct 2020 06:47 AM PDT  D.C. police were pursuing Karon Hylton-Brown when the scooter rider was struck by a car. Protesters in Washington, D.C. have taken to the streets after a 20-year-old man on a scooter was killed after allegedly being pursued by police. Karon Hylton-Brown was reportedly riding a moped on the sidewalk one week ago without a helmet when D.C. police tried to stop him, and he didn't stop.
|
| Lawyers: Cop video of shooting of 2 suggests cover-up Posted: 29 Oct 2020 03:54 PM PDT  A body camera worn by a suburban Chicago police officer who shot a Black couple in their car was only turned on moments after the shooting, a fact that the lawyers representing the woman say suggests an attempt to cover up what had happened even before he fired.
|
| SpaceX delayed its NASA astronaut launch because a red 'nail polish' material was plugging part of its rocket engines Posted: 29 Oct 2020 10:59 AM PDT  SpaceX's Crew-1 launch is now set for November 14 after the company checked tiny holes in its rocket engines for bright-red lacquer.
|
| Toyota recalls 5.84 million vehicles for fuel pump issue Posted: 28 Oct 2020 01:57 PM PDT  Toyota said on Wednesday that it has expanded a worldwide fuel pump recall to a total of 5.84 million vehicles for a defect that could cause the part to fail.
|
| A couple has lived in a 130-square-foot tiny house for 5 years — here's what a typical week looks like for them Posted: 29 Oct 2020 11:47 AM PDT  As part of the "A Week in My Tiny House" series, Alexis Stephens and Christian Parsons show the reality of living in a tiny house with your partner.
|
| Mitch McConnell’s approval drops nationwide despite political win with Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination Posted: 29 Oct 2020 12:47 PM PDT  Only 16 per cent of respondents say they felt better about Mr McConnell's job performance
|
| U.S. envoy to Jamaica insults Twitter critics - 'you drink that cheap stuff' Posted: 28 Oct 2020 01:39 PM PDT |
| Who is leading key Senate races less than a week from election? Here’s what polls show Posted: 29 Oct 2020 03:15 PM PDT  With five days to go, here's how candidates stack up in key U.S. Senate races.
|
| The Government has agreed only three claims by families of deceased Windrush victims Posted: 29 Oct 2020 12:44 PM PDT  The Government has settled only three of the 71 claims by families of dead victims of the Windrush scandal, according to Home Office data. Around one in eight (12 per cent) of Windrush victims claiming compensation have received payouts, according to the official figures. Of 1,587 claims made to the scheme by the end of September, £1,619,291.42 had been paid out to 196 people, around 12 per cent of those who had applied. The data also showed 71 claims have been made for people who have already died, but only three have resulted in payments so far. Some 124 claims have been subject to an appeal over the decision made, while 81 eligible applicants were told they were not entitled to any money because their claims did not demonstrate that they had been adversely affected by the scandal. The fund has an estimated budget of at least £200 million. Previously, Home Secretary Priti Patel described the scheme as "complicated" and said she wanted to see payments "sped up". Earlier this year, Windrush campaigner Paulette Wilson (see below) died, aged 64, just weeks after delivering a petition to Downing Street calling for action to address the failings that led to the scandal and demanding swift compensation for victims.
|
| Justice Dept. Is Said to Quietly Quash Inquiry Into Tamir Rice Killing Posted: 30 Oct 2020 05:13 AM PDT  WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department decided more than a year ago to effectively shut down its civil rights investigation into the high-profile killing of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old Black boy carrying a pellet gun who was shot by a Cleveland police officer in 2014, according to people familiar with the matter.Career prosecutors had asked in 2017 to use a grand jury to gather evidence in their investigation, setting off tensions inside the department. In an unusual move, department supervisors let the request languish for two years before finally denying permission in August 2019, essentially ending the inquiry without fully conducting it.But more than a year later, the department has yet to take the bureaucratic steps to close the case, like completing a draft memo explaining why it declined to indict anyone. And it has not told the Rice family or the public that it will not charge the police officer.Subodh Chandra, a former federal prosecutor who is representing the Rice family, said Tamir's mother, Samaria Rice, was devastated. "When Samaria Rice heard the news, she cried out repeatedly, 'I'm not ready for this!'" Chandra said. "The federal investigation was her last hope for justice. Accountability was so important to her and her family."The Justice Department's press office declined to comment. Henry Hilow, a lawyer for the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association who represented the two officers involved in the case, did not return a phone message left with his assistant Thursday.Tamir's killing became a touchstone in the national debate over race and policing and prompted protests. But the prospect of bringing a federal case against Timothy Loehmann, the officer who shot him, was broadly seen as challenging because prosecutors would need to prove that he had intentionally violated Tamir's civil rights. His pellet gun looked real, a 911 dispatcher had failed to relay that it might have been a toy wielded by a juvenile, and Loehmann shot him immediately upon arriving.The investigation had stagnated in the final year of the Obama administration. President Donald Trump's two attorneys general, Jeff Sessions and William Barr, have set a tone that their Justice Department will not aggressively police the conduct of local law enforcement officials, but the matter was apparently handled by civil rights division supervisors. A former department official said Sessions was never briefed about prosecutors' request for permission to use a grand jury, and a current one said the same about Barr.State prosecutors have broader latitude to charge police officers with crimes based on lower standards of proof, like manslaughter resulting from recklessness. But in late 2015, the Cuyahoga County prosecutor announced that a grand jury, on his recommendation, had decided not to charge Loehmann with any crime under state law.The outcome upset lawyers for the Rice family, especially after the disclosure that the prosecutor apparently permitted the police officers to read prepared statements before the grand jury without cross-examining them. The Rice family asked for a federal civil rights investigation, and the Justice Department said it was conducting a review.Since then, Cleveland agreed in 2016 to pay $6 million to the Rice family to settle a lawsuit, and Loehmann was fired in 2017. But the Justice Department has been largely silent about what was happening with its investigation.Current and former officials familiar with the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, described a dysfunctional and delayed effort. They spoke in response to inquiries by The New York Times after it learned that David Seide, a lawyer representing a person familiar with the case, filed a whistleblower complaint with the Justice Department's inspector general, Michael Horowitz, accusing the department of mishandling the matter.Seide, a senior counsel at the Government Accountability Project, which assists whistleblowers, approached the Times after the inspector general's office informed him last week that it would not investigate the complaint. Lawmakers have not empowered Horowitz to scrutinize allegations of ethical violations and professional misconduct by department lawyers. (Congress is weighing legislation to expand his jurisdiction; Barr has objected to it.)The case stagnated throughout 2016, the final year of the Obama administration, according to the interviews, including with Seide's client. One factor, several people said, was that federal law enforcement officials in Ohio were reluctant to further pursue Loehmann.The Justice Department had obtained a consent decree to overhaul the Cleveland Police Department on matters like training and wanted to focus on such systemic issues. In addition, officials recognized that it would be difficult to prove intent to meet the legal standard to convict the officer of a federal civil rights crime, they said.Other people familiar with the case said another problem caused delays: The civil rights division needed to gather and review local investigative files. Local officials, they said, had dragged their feet in turning over all the evidence.In 2017, after Trump took office, the civil rights division reassigned the investigation to two career prosecutors, Jared Fishman and Nick Reddick. They began trying more aggressively to gather further evidence.One angle they proposed exploring was whether Loehmann and his partner had given statements whose accuracy was subject to scrutiny for potential obstruction of justice charges; if so, the department could leverage them to build toward civil rights charges. In particular, they wanted to know the extent to which Loehmann had clearly and repeatedly warned Tamir to put his hands up before shooting him, as the officer claimed he had.Under Justice Department rules, criminal prosecutors with the civil rights division must receive permission to use a grand jury to subpoena for documents or witness testimony. In mid-2017, the people said, Fishman and Reddick wrote a roughly 20-page memo analyzing the case and requesting permission to pursue a grand jury investigation.Two career supervisors in the section concurred with the request, the people said. They submitted the memo to Robert Moossy, a deputy assistant attorney general, who, although a career official, works alongside Trump's political appointees who run the division.Typically, the people said, such a request is approved or denied within a few weeks. But no one responded to the memo. In fall 2018, the career prosecutors submitted a supplemental memo of about equal length that contained additional evidence and analysis making the case that a grand jury investigation was justified, the people said. But that memo also yielded no response.The inaction prompted suspicions among career lawyers that political appointees were running out the clock; the statute of limitations generally expires after five years for obstruction charges, and the officers made their statements in 2014 and 2015. But they had no direct knowledge of the discussions within the division's front office -- which was first led by John Gore and then Eric S. Dreiband after October 2018 -- nor about interactions, if any, regarding the case with the attorney general's office.In July 2019, Barr decided that the department would not seek an indictment of the New York City police officer who had put Eric Garner into a chokehold in July 2014, ignoring his cries of "I can't breathe"; Garner passed out and was later pronounced dead. Shortly after that public announcement, the people said, word reached the career ranks that their request to use a grand jury to investigate the Rice case had been denied.Another department official, defending its handling of the Rice investigation on the condition of anonymity, noted that the matter was still not technically closed and suggested that the department might, in theory, someday change course and empower prosecutors to use a grand jury after all. Still, Seide said, the statute of limitations for the final statements that might yield potential obstruction charges would expire by year's end.In one respect, the Garner case was similar to Tamir's killing: In both instances, federal law enforcement officials who worked with the local police departments were more reluctant than civil rights division prosecutors in Washington to pursue a federal police brutality case. In another respect, it was very different: The Garner case received a full grand jury investigation, while the Rice case was quashed without one.Chandra said the "stench of political interference hovers over this case" and called the outcome tragic."It was devastating to learn that this supposedly 'law-and-order' administration defied the judgment of career prosecutors, slow-rolled the investigation to let the statute of limitations run out, hid from the crime victim's family its decision not to prosecute, and let the officers get away with murder and obstruction of justice," he said.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company
|
| Allegiant passenger removed over flight attendant's mask demands apology from airline Posted: 29 Oct 2020 11:32 AM PDT  John Peterman states he was denied a request to speak with the plane's captain to lodge his complaint that a flight attendant was not wearing a mask.
|
| Amidst a second COVID-19 lockdown, Macron is facing mounting international backlash and a boycott of French goods over his comments about Islam Posted: 29 Oct 2020 01:20 AM PDT  French Muslims and anti-racism activists worried about a rise in hate crimes as a result of diplomatic tensions and new Charlie Hebdo row.
|
| Japan names contractor to build its future fighter jet Posted: 30 Oct 2020 07:36 AM PDT  Japan is determined to restart its indigenous fighter aircraft capabilities, and the company it selected to build its F-X aircraft is the only local one with the relevant experience.
|
| Former CNN Journalist Hires Prince William’s Lawyer to Fight Rumors of Affair With U.K. Ambassador Posted: 29 Oct 2020 02:11 AM PDT  A former CNN journalist has hired lawyers who represent the British royal family to combat salacious reports she had an affair with the former U.K ambassador to the U.S. and slept with him to get stories.British tabloid The Sun published a story earlier this month under the headline, "UK's US ambassador Kim Darroch investigated over fears he leaked classified White House secrets to CNN reporter lover." The piece detailed how the network's former senior diplomatic correspondent, Michelle Kosinski, allegedly had an affair with Darroch, who served as Britain's man in Washington from 2016 to 2019. She has denied Darroch leaked stories to her.The Sun and other British publications were quickly served with legal warnings from the royals' lawyers of choice, white-shoe law firm Harbottle & Lewis, labelling the reports "untrue.""The allegation our client provided sexual favors to the UK Ambassador in return for stories is also seriously defamatory and should not be republished," the letter obtained by The Daily Beast states.The letter, marked "strictly private & confidential not for publication or dissemination," goes on to state the article is a "gross invasion of our client's private life. Seeking to speculate about our client's personal relationships and publication of the same clearly invades our client's privacy. This applies irrespective of the truth or otherwise of the allegations."Kosinski, who is married and worked at CNN from 2014 to 2019, is alleged by The Sun to have carried on a months-long affair with Darroch, who the paper reported was investigated by the Department of Justice for leaking secrets to her but was ultimately cleared of wrongdoing.Among the secrets The Sun suggested Darroch could have passed to Kosinski were plans for CIA Director Mike Pompeo to be appointed Secretary of State, and the U.S. plotting tougher sanctions against Russia over the poisoning of a former Russian double agent, Sergei Skripal, in the U.K.Last year The Daily Beast reported Harbottle & Lewis had sent letters to U.K. media over rumors Prince William was having an affair with his aristocratic neighbor Rose Hanbury, also known as the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, while Kate Middleton was pregnant with their third child.Prince William's Lawyer Tries to Suppress Rumors of AffairDarroch, who also is married, was forced to step down from his post in July 2019 after sensitive diplomatic cables highly critical of Donald Trump's presidency were leaked.In the cables he described Trump as "insecure" and "incompetent" and warned that the president's career could end in "disgrace"."We don't really believe [Trump's] Administration is going to become substantially more normal; less dysfunctional; less unpredictable; less faction-riven; less diplomatically clumsy and inept," Darroch wrote.Trump fired back after the leak, calling Darroch a "pompous fool.""The wacky Ambassador that the U.K. foisted upon the United States is not someone we are thrilled with, a very stupid guy," he tweeted.Kosinski did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Beast but tweeted on Saturday, "There is a great deal wrong—and simply false—about what is being reported in some rightwing tabloids right now. Of course, nothing new."A so-called leak investigation found no such leaking. Meaning for all those stories listed—that sensitive information did not come from the former ambassador. Sounds like I had some good sources and did my job."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.
|
| Mnuchin Says He First Saw Pelosi’s Letter on Coronavirus Stimulus Negotiations ‘In the Press’ Posted: 30 Oct 2020 06:01 AM PDT  Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday said that he first learned about a letter House speaker Nancy Pelosi sent to him regarding coronavirus stimulus talks "in the press.""I woke up this morning and read @SpeakerPelosi 's letter to me in the press," Mnuchin said on Twitter. "Enclosed is my response. Her ALL OR NONE approach is hurting hard-working Americans who need help NOW!"> I woke up this morning and read @SpeakerPelosi's letter to me in the press. Enclosed is my response. Her ALL OR NONE approach is hurting hard-working Americans who need help NOW! pic.twitter.com/tarhPwYmkv> > -- Steven Mnuchin (@stevenmnuchin1) October 29, 2020Pelosi aides said they had sent the letter to Mnuchin shortly after midnight, though the treasury secretary said he first saw the letter when Politico's morning newsletter Playbook published it just after 6 a.m., according to the Washington Post.The letter outlined a number of outstanding issues in the negotiations including state and local aid, school funding, child-care money, tax credits for working families, unemployment insurance aid and liability protections for businesses. Mnuchin's letter said that because Pelosi had sent the letter "to my office at midnight and simultaneously released it to the press, I can unfortunately only conclude it is a political stunt."He tweeted his letter one minute after sending it to Pelosi's office. In the letter he mentioned that the pair had negotiated nearly every day over the past 45 days "in an attempt to reach a serious bipartisan compromise," as coronavirus cases surged and the economy struggled.Pelosi's office pushed back against Mnuchin's response."It is disappointing that the White House wasted time on this letter instead of meaningful responses to meet the needs of the American people," Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said.Democrats and Republicans have since remained in political gridlock for months over the size and contents of a second round of stimulus relief. While the White House has offered $1.9 trillion, Democrats have pushed for a more expansive bill at $2.2 trillion.The California Democrat's letter outlined the outstanding issues and said she was waiting for an answer from the administration regarding the Democrats' language on a national coronavirus testing strategy after Mnuchin had said on October 15 that he was ready to accept after some small edits. Mnuchin, however, said that the administration had accepted Pelosi's proposal on dollars and language for coronavirus testing, and had also provided notes on the section on contact tracing. He added that he has worked alongside other agencies and committee chairs on responses on several areas of coronavirus relief, including rental assistance, small businesses and funding for the Postal Service. "While you accuse the Administration of holding up negotiations, you refuse to bring to the floor of the House stand-alone legislation to support Airline workers, additional Paycheck Protection Program payments to small businesses, and additional Direct Payments that we can fund using already approved money that we have not spent," Mnuchin wrote.In her letter Pelosi called on Mnuchin, President Trump, and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell to create a path forward for negotiations after the November 3 election. "Your responses are critical for our negotiations to continue," Pelosi wrote in her letter. "The President's words that 'after the election, we will get the best stimulus package you have ever seen' only have meaning if he can get Mitch McConnell to take his hand off the pause button and get Senate Republican Chairmen moving toward agreement with their House counterparts."Pelosi and Trump on Thursday both expressed hope that a stimulus bill could be passed after the election. In a news conference on Thursday, Pelosi said she was optimistic that Joe Biden would win the presidency, but said that she would not pass a small bill with the intent of adding more relief once Biden takes office."We're not talking size, we're talking quality. We're not going to take a small bill" that has provisions Democrats have found to be unacceptable, Pelosi said."I want a bill for two reasons. First and foremost the American people need help. They need real help. And second of all, we have plenty of work to do in a Joe Biden administration … So we want to have as clean a slate as possible going into January," Pelosi said.
|
| How a fake persona laid the groundwork for a Hunter Biden conspiracy deluge Posted: 30 Oct 2020 08:19 AM PDT  A 64-page document that was later disseminated by close associates of President Donald Trump appears to be the work of a fake "intelligence firm."
|
| Wisconsin expects to count absentee ballots within hours. Pennsylvania is buckling down for several days. Posted: 29 Oct 2020 11:11 AM PDT  At least one swing state may be spared the political controversy of a late absentee ballot count seemingly changing its 2020 election results.Every U.S. state is receiving a boatload more mail-in ballots than it usually does during a typical election year, and four of them — Alabama, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — won't even be able to open those ballots until Election Day. This almost guarantees a delayed result from those four states, but Wisconsin is confident it'll have everything set by the morning after the election, local election officials tell NBC News affiliate WTMJ Milwaukee.Wisconsin's electoral votes will be critical in determining the winner of the 2020 election, as the previously Democratic state went for President Trump in 2016. County clerks all say they'll count ballots nonstop until they're finished, and expect results at 9:30 p.m. at the earliest. Waukesha County, the third most populous in the state, says its count will wrap around 3 a.m. And Milwaukee County, home to nearly a million people, expects to be done by 6 a.m. Wednesday.Meanwhile in Pennsylvania, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D) is preparing for a long haul, including pushback from Republicans. The state accepts all absentee ballots that were mailed before Election Day even if they arrive later, meaning a count to finalize the swing state's results could take days. Shapiro fears Republicans may use these late ballots "as a hook to challenge all mail-in ballots," and a court may then halt the count of all absentee ballots while the challenge is considered, he told The Washington Post. So to prepare, Pennsylvania officials will separate late-arriving ballots in hopes of avoiding a total counting shutdown.Find when every state expects to count its absentee ballots at The New York Times.More stories from theweek.com How to make an election crisis 64 things President Trump has said about women Republicans are on the verge of a spectacular upside-down achievement
|
| Row over basmati rice causes latest India and Pakistan friction Posted: 29 Oct 2020 11:13 AM PDT  Tensions are once again boiling over between India and Pakistan - only this time over basmati rice, the long-grained aromatic staple of dinners around the world. Islamabad has taken offence to New Delhi's plans to seek permission from the European Union (EU) to export the grain as a product unique to India, known as protected geographical indication (PGI). Other products the EU currently recognises as having PGI status, described as possessing "qualities, reputation or characteristics relating to its place of origin", include Stilton cheese and Scottish whisky. Pakistan fears that if India is able to obtain this qualification standard, it will suggest that Indian basmati rice is superior to the Pakistani equivalent and harm its exports. Currently, the EU imports two-thirds of its approximately 900,000 metric tonnes of basmati rice annually from India, although Pakistan makes up the remaining third.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment