| Hillary Clinton's attacks on Tulsi Gabbard are embarrassing Posted: 22 Oct 2019 06:56 AM PDT  It's sad that instead of doing something useful with her post-political career, Clinton has decided to lob ludicrous accusations at younger Democrats'Even though Gabbard may be a flawed messenger, the message itself is correct: we no longer need to hear what Hillary Clinton thinks about anything.' Photograph: Richard Drew/APHillary Clinton has kept a relatively low profile since her embarrassing 2016 election defeat, popping up only occasionally to make out-of-touch elitist comments that confirm why she lost. So it was somewhat surprising to hear her weigh in on the 2020 Democratic primary with a truly bizarre comment about (of all people) Tulsi Gabbard.Clinton accused the Hawaii congresswoman of being groomed by outside forces, saying: "I think they've got their eye on somebody who is currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate … She's the favorite of the Russians." There is some dispute about whether Clinton meant it was the Russians or Republicans who were pushing a third-party Gabbard candidacy, but a Clinton spokesman asked about the comments replied "if the nesting doll fits", clearly implying it was dastardly Russians.Gabbard immediately hit back hard, calling Clinton (accurately) "the queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic party for so long". While hosts of The View backed up Clinton, calling Gabbard a "useful idiot", others such as the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders and South Bend's mayor, Pete Buttigieg, suggested that Clinton ought to have had some evidence before implying something so outrageous about a Democratic elected official.But it was typical Clinton. Paranoia about Russian influence has been ubiquitous among the Clinton set since 2016, in part because it helps to explain how the loss to Donald Trump wasn't really Clinton's fault. Liberals in the media like Rachel Maddow openly admit to having an obsession with Russia, and end up seeing the hands of Vladimir Putin on everything. Clinton herself has had trouble coming to terms with her loss. Even though accounts from inside the campaign confirm that Clinton barely knew why she was running for president, couldn't craft any kind of message, and made laughably overconfident decisions about where to campaign, her campaign memoir was less a mea culpa than a j'accuse. It pointed fingers at Sanders and James Comey, and ended up sounding a lot like the Onion's parody title: We All Made Mistakes But You Made Most Of Them.Years later, Clinton has learned seemingly nothing. Elsewhere on the podcast episode in which she made the accusations against Gabbard, Clinton blames fake news, foreign interference and voter suppression for undermining democracy and keeping Democrats out of power. Those are factors, but the big one is the one that Gabbard herself identified: the "rot that has sickened the Democratic party for so long". Clinton practiced a corrupting and duplicitous form of politics that made many would-be Democratic voters feel completely unrepresented by the party. But instead of spending her time in the woods doing some soul-searching, Clinton has evidently spent it cooking up new conspiracy theories about the all-powerful Putin.Tulsi Gabbard is completely right about what Clinton represents. Clinton was the Democratic party at its absolute worst: pro-war, pro-Wall Street, self-enriching, inept, devoid of any transformative vision and contemptuous of ordinary people. It's very clear that Sanders would have been the smart choice in 2016, and Gabbard was one of the few Democratic officials to recognize that at the time and endorse him. Actually, that was courageous of her – most Democratic officials, even those whose politics should have aligned them more closely with Sanders than Clinton, were too timid to buck the establishment and risk their career by potentially getting on the wrong side of an incoming Clinton administration.That's not to say that Gabbard herself should be the future of the Democratic party. Far from it: while Gabbard has made a big deal of her anti-war stance, she has embraced the vicious Indian nationalist prime minister, Narendra Modi, and been far more hawkish and softer on torture than she would like progressive voters to believe. Her willingness to criticize the "rot" in her own party may make Gabbard a refreshing presence on the debate stage, but no serious leftist can support someone who spent the Obama years echoing Republican talking points about "radical Islam". She's still no "useful idiot", and even with her flaws she is preferable to truly intolerable candidates like Buttigieg and Joe Biden. If we were (God forbid) somehow faced with the choice between Tulsi Gabbard and Amy Klobuchar, the country would be far better off in Gabbard's hands.Even though Gabbard may be a flawed messenger, the message itself is correct: we no longer need to hear what Hillary Clinton thinks about anything. Her kind of politics is, thankfully, a relic of history, and we have moved on. It's sad that instead of doing something useful with her post-political career, Clinton has decided to lob ludicrous, borderline defamatory, accusations at younger Democratic women who were less wrong than Clinton was about dozens of issues. Fortunately, hardly anybody is listening any more. * Nathan Robinson is the editor of Current Affairs and a Guardian US columnist
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| After El Paso and Odessa shootings, my plan to reduce mass violence: Sen. John Cornyn Posted: 23 Oct 2019 09:03 AM PDT  No person, family, or community should endure the heartbreak caused by the recent mass shootings in Texas. It's time to answer their call for action.
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| Why Russia Is Angry at America's Missile Defense Systems Posted: 22 Oct 2019 04:40 AM PDT  Moscow hates THAAD and Aegis Ashore.
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| Indicted Giuliani Henchman Lev Parnas Raises Executive Privilege in Federal Court Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:09 AM PDT  REUTERSLev Parnas, a Soviet-born business associate with ties to Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, raised the issue of executive privilege during a court proceeding Wednesday, arguing it could apply to some of the evidence gathered in his campaign-finance case in New York.The issue was raised during an arraignment for Parnas and Igor Furman, who pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges in a four-count indictment that accused them of funneling money through straw donors into U.S. elections in an effort to gain influence. Prosecutors also allege the pair petitioned U.S. politicians, including a congressman, to have the ambassador to Ukraine removed from her post. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebekah Donaleski, offered a glimpse into the "voluminous" evidence that prosecutors have recovered so far on the two men who have become figures in the Trump impeachment proceedings, through "dozens of search warrants," property searches, and subpoenas. The information includes emails and social media accounts and financial records from more than 50 bank accounts.Rudy Giuliani's Ukraine Henchmen Arrested Over Trump Group DonationDuring the hearing, Parnas' attorney, Edward MacMahon, told the judge that his client was told to invoke executive privilege in a letter that was submitted on Parnas' behalf by John Dowd, a former lawyer for the president, to a congressional committee conducting the impeachment inquiry.Asked by Judge Paul Oetken if Parnas has worked for the president, MacMahon said no, but that "he worked for Mr. Giuliani." MacMahon said that his concern stems from Parnas having used Giuliani as his lawyer for both personal and business dealings and that Giuliani also works for Trump."There are issues that we need to be very sensitive to," MacMahon said, not going into detail what those issues are. He continued, adding that he doesn't "know who is looking at all this evidence. If information gets out that we determine it is all privileged, we've got a problem," MacMahon said in court."I can't invoke [executive privilege], only the President of the United States and the government can," MacMahon said, telling the judge that he doesn't know how to proceed if the issue arises. "I just wanted to raise the issue with you."Prosecutors, seemingly shocked by the executive privilege claim, told the judge that while "this is the first time that we've heard of this... we're happy to have a conversation." Donaleski, added that the government has already set up a "filter team," a separate team of prosecutors within their investigation, who ensure that possibly sensitive information does not get exposed. The judge instructed the two sides to discuss the issues over the coming weeks. Parnas and Fruman are scheduled to return to court on Dec. 2. Flanked by his wife and attorneys, Parnas spoke briefly to the scrum of reporters outside the courthouse saying that he is looking forward to defending himself "vigorously in court." "Many false things have been said about me and my family in the press and media recently," he said, before adding that he is "certain that in time the truth will be revealed, and I will be vindicated. In the end, I put my faith in God. Thank you."His defense attorney, Joseph Bondy, reiterated the sentiment, saying that his team "looks forward to defending Mr. Parnas in the court based upon the evidence and not a smear campaign that's been driven by self-serving and misleading leaks apparently from the highest levels of our government."Prosecutors are also looking into Giuliani's business dealings as part of their investigation, sources have told The Daily Beast and other news organizations.Parnas and Fruman were arrested two weeks ago at Washington's Dulles airport as they were preparing to board a flight to Frankfurt, Germany, holding one-way tickets. When prosecutors learned that the two were leaving the country, they moved quickly to secure the indictments, which were issued a day before the two were apprehended.The two have both been released on $1 million bail and are relegated to house arrest while they await trial. Their movements have been restricted to New York, where the trial is scheduled to take place and the Miami area where they both live.The case is the first criminal prosecution related to an apparent Trumpworld pressure campaign to coerce Ukrainian officials into digging up dirt on Trump's political opponents for the 2020 re-election campaign, particularly former Vice President Joe Biden, an effort which is at the center of an impeachment inquiry underway by the U.S. House of Representatives.Parnas and Fruman are charged in four-count indictment with making illegal straw donations, including a $325,000 contribution to the group America First Action, which was first reported by The Daily Beast.That donation actually came from an entirely different, undisclosed company owned by Parnas. It is illegal to donate to federal political candidates in the name of another person or entity.During an arraignment for David Correia and Andrey Kukushkin, two businessmen charged with conspiring with Parnas and Fruman to use straw donors to make illegal campaign contributions, prosecutors offered a broad brushstroke of "fairly voluminous" amounts of evidence they have gathered in the case from 10 search warrants and more than 50 bank accounts.Parnas and Fruman are accused in the indictment in a separate scheme of helping Giuliani to dig up dirt on the president's political opponents in Ukraine.Prosecutors say that scheme involved having the former ambassador to Ukraine recalled. Giuliani believed the ambassador, Marie Yovanovitch, was standing in the way of investigations he and Trump wanted to see launched into Joe and Hunter Biden's work in the country.The campaign-finance allegations against Parnas and Fruman are inextricably linked with that effort. Prosecutors say their extensive political contributions, beginning in early 2018, were designed to curry favor with American policymakers in an effort to advance Parnas' and Fruman's political and business endeavors.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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| View Photos of the Mazda MX-30 Posted: 22 Oct 2019 08:08 PM PDT |
| Iranian beauty queen pleads for asylum in the Philippines Posted: 22 Oct 2019 08:11 AM PDT  An Iranian beauty queen is seeking asylum in the Philippines, fearing for her life after Tehran demanded her extradition for a crime she claims she did not commit. Bahareh Zare Bahari, who represented Iran at the 2018 Miss Intercontinental pageant in Manila, and who has studied dental medicine in the Philippines since 2014, has been held for six days at the country's Ninoy Aquino airport after Iran slapped an Interpol Red Notice on her for alleged assault. In a series of messages, the distraught Ms Bahari told the Telegraph that the case was a "big lie," adding that she believed she was being targeted for her political activism and outspoken support of women's rights. If she was deported to Iran, "they will kill me," she said. Markk Perete, undersecretary at the Philippine department of justice, said that "the only reason she was held at the airport - and we really don't call it detention - it is really restraining her from entering the Philippine territory, is only because of that Red Notice issued against her." He added that the request had been made "presumably on account of a pending criminal case against her in Iran, and this case was filed by an Iranian national against her in relation to an assault that happened presumably here in the Philippines." Bahareh Zare Bahari, who is studying dental medicine, is an outspoken advocate for women's rights Credit: Facebook However, Mr Perete said that the Philippines was unaware of this allegation, and that an earlier accusation of commercial fraud against her had been dismissed. There were no criminal cases pending against Ms Bahari, he confirmed. "We don't have any cause for refusing her entry for violation of our laws." Ms Bahari's asylum plea is now being considered by the justice department, with the help of a lawyer. Meanwhile, the dental student is confined to Terminal 3's transit area awaiting her fate. "There is no updating, no information about the reason why [they] keep me here so long," she said. She believes her political statement at the pageant - waving a poster of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled former crown prince, and one of the foremost critics of Iran's Islamic government - made her enemies in Tehran. Mr Pahlavi's name has been invoked by some Iranian groups who have called for a return of the monarchy to deal with corruption and poor economic conditions. "I used his photo on stage to be [the] voice of my people because all news and media are ignoring my people," she said. Human Rights Watch on Tuesday called for "a fair and impartial hearing of her claim" in Manila. "It's absolutely critical the Philippines provides Bahareh Zare Bahari with support, including access to legal counsel, to compile and file her asylum application," said Phil Robertson, HRW deputy Asia director. "While waiting for the details to become clear, there should be no action under Iran's Interpol red notice, especially since under Interpol rules a red notice is null and void if the person named in the notice is found to be a refugee fleeing from the state that issued it."
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| Blackout Round 2? Californians brace for possible outage Posted: 22 Oct 2019 07:14 PM PDT  Hundreds of thousands of California residents braced for another possible power outage as the state's two largest utilities warned that a return of dangerous fire weather could prompt shut-offs across the state. The warning from Pacific Gas & Electric about a possible blackout Wednesday in Northern California prompted a feeling of resignation among residents and business owners and renewed rushes to stock up on emergency supplies. "I think it's not panic per se, just 'Eh, we gotta do this AGAIN?'" said Kim Schefer, manager of Village True Value Hardware in Santa Rosa.
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| 'White terror': Hong Kong's China critics beaten in targeted attacks Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:17 PM PDT  The men jumped Stanley Ho without warning, smashing both his hands with metal rods -- one of multiple recent attacks against prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy figures that activists have dubbed a "white terror". Since late August, eight well-known pro-democracy figures have been beaten by unknown assailants as fear swirls that some "triad" crime networks have flocked to Beijing's cause after five months of protests. "The cause of the attack may be related to two things -- the upcoming district council election and the ongoing movement," Ho told AFP, referring to the protests.
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| Netanyahu rival Gantz accepts mandate to try to form Israeli government Posted: 23 Oct 2019 10:10 AM PDT  Former military chief Benny Gantz received an official mandate on Wednesday to try to form Israel's next government, but with no easy path to ending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long hold on power. After inconclusive elections in April and September, Gantz's nomination marked the first time since 2008 that someone other than Netanyahu, 70, has been asked by Israel's president to build a ruling coalition. Head of the centrist Blue and White party, Gantz will have 28 days to complete the task assigned by President Reuven Rivlin in a televised ceremony.
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| Mexico Misleads on Failed Arrest of ‘Chapo’ Son: Ex-DEA Official Posted: 23 Oct 2019 09:52 AM PDT ![Mexico Misleads on Failed Arrest of 'Chapo' Son: Ex-DEA Official]( "Mexico Misleads on Failed Arrest of 'Chapo' Son: Ex-DEA Official") (Bloomberg) -- Mexico's government isn't being truthful about the botched attempt to capture the son of the world's most notorious drug trafficker, according to a former head of international operations for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.The administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador hasn't revealed that while trying to bring Ovidio Guzman Lopez into custody, security forces had caught another son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Mike Vigil, the former DEA official, said in an interview.Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar had also been detained and let go when gunmen overpowered police, Vigil said, citing unverified intelligence he received from top Mexico police sources. The New York Times had originally reported that Ivan Archivaldo had also been captured and released, citing people who asked not to be identified."There are so many factors that point to the fact that he was there and they also released him," said Vigil. "But they'll never admit to it because they've been lying from the get go." Vigil wouldn't disclose the sources behind his assertions, which couldn't be independently corroborated. He added that authorities have been misleading the public by playing down the amount of planning that went into the operation.Lopez Obrador said at his daily news conference Wednesday that he had no information on whether Ivan Archivaldo had been captured and released. AMLO's press office strongly rejected Vigil's assertion that it misled the public on the botched arrest. "There's been an unusual amount of transparency, not only for Mexico but by international standards. The entire security cabinet was explaining every detail," said Jesus Cantu, the information chief of the president's press office. "The president himself said he'd testify before the authorities if they considered he'd done something illegal."How AMLO's Plans to Transform Mexico Ran Into Reality: QuickTakeLopez Obrador, known as AMLO, has been struggling to convince the public that his government took the right step by releasing Guzman Lopez after gunmen began attacking civilians in efforts to free him in the northern city of Culiacan, Sinaloa. Guzman Lopez is said to have taken over some of the criminal activities after his father was sentenced to life in a U.S. prison.Initially, Mexico's security chief, Alfonso Durazo, had said the troops had stumbled on Guzman Lopez by accident. Afterward, government officials said it was part of a planned operation. More recently, officials signaled that the arrest was approved by low-level law enforcement officials and cabinet ministers may not have been aware.While the president and Durazo have spoken of "errors" regarding the operation, they've been distancing themselves from it. AMLO, as the president is known, said Tuesday that he wasn't informed about the operation to capture Guzman Lopez.He also confirmed that there was an extradition order for the alleged trafficker and raised questions about whether the minister of defense had even been informed about the operation. "I think the Defense Ministry had knowledge of it, the minister? I don't know. I think so."Jesus Ramirez, the president's spokesman and like Cantu is also from AMLO's press office, told Bloomberg News on Monday that Mexico attempted to detain Guzman Lopez upon request by the DEA for extradition. The DEA declined to comment and the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City directed inquiries to the White House press office, which hasn't responded to a request for comment.Vigil questioned why the authorities would target Guzman Lopez for extradition, when Chapo's other sons are far more active in the Sinaloa Cartel once run by their father. "Jesus Alfredo and Ivan Archivaldo are much more important than Ovidio," he said. "Mexico from the very beginning began distorting the truth in order to buy time so they could come up with a plausible deniability story."(Updates with AMLO's comment in fifth paragraph)To contact the reporter on this story: Nacha Cattan in Mexico City at ncattan@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Juan Pablo Spinetto at jspinetto@bloomberg.net, Robert JamesonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| As teachers strike, Chicago mayor touts $838M deficit fix Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:54 AM PDT  Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who's still trying to settle a nearly week-old teacher's strike, proposed a combination of debt refinancing, tax and fee hikes and assistance from the state Legislature on Wednesday to close a massive $838 million budget deficit.
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| Phoenix police officer involved in viral video stop of couple fired Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:00 AM PDT  Phoenix Chief Jeri Williams announced that the officer involved in a viral video stop of Dravon Ames and Iesha Harper has been fired.
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| Almost all Republicans — especially Fox News viewers — opposed Trump's impeachment before the inquiry was opened, new poll finds Posted: 22 Oct 2019 06:53 AM PDT  In a poll before the Ukraine scandal, 98% of Republicans who said Fox News was their main news source said Trump shouldn't be impeachment and removed.
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| Tasmanian Tigers Are Extinct, So Why Are Locals Reporting Sightings? Posted: 23 Oct 2019 08:23 AM PDT  These sightings, if true, would reverse the belief that the carnivore has gone extinct.
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| Ginsburg to receive $1 million Berggruen Prize Posted: 23 Oct 2019 07:07 AM PDT  Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the winner of this year's $1 million Berggruen Prize for philosophy and culture. The award announced Wednesday by the Los Angeles-based Berggruen Institute honors Ginsburg for her pioneering legal work for gender equality and her support for the rule of law. The institute says Ginsburg will direct the money to charity.
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| Bernie Weighed in on the 'Outrageous' Hillary-Tulsi Spat. You Won't Believe Which Side He Took. Posted: 22 Oct 2019 09:04 AM PDT  "She's the favorite of the Russians," Clinton had said.
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| 2020 BMW M340i vs. 2020 Genesis G70 in Photos Posted: 23 Oct 2019 08:30 AM PDT |
| Rats and Mold in Kushner-Managed Apartments, Maryland Claims Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:10 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- An apartment management firm run by Jared Kushner's family was sued by Maryland's attorney general, who claims the company engaged in numerous "illegal and harmful" practices.Westminster Management lied about the quality of rental units and the level of maintenance the company would provide, routinely failing to address hazardous conditions in the properties, including infestations by rodents and other vermin, water leaks and mold growth, Attorney General Brian Frosh said in a statement."We're charging that Westminster and the rental property owners in this case took advantage of consumers, primarily low- and middle-income families, collecting fees and other unlawful costs from them and often failing to make the repairs needed to maintain suitable environments for their tenants," Frosh said.Westminster Management is a unit of Kushner Cos., a family-run, New York-based business that owns, manages and develops properties and was built on working-class apartment complexes in New Jersey and Maryland. Some of the properties in the suit are owned by other companies but managed by Westminster.Kushner Cos. was run by Jared Kushner before he joined the administration of President Donald Trump, his father-in-law. Charles Kushner, Jared Kushner's father, has said his family firm has been unfairly targeted since his son became a key adviser to the president. In July, Trump attacked the Baltimore district of Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings, describing it as a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess." Cummings died last week.The suit, an administrative proceeding by the attorney general's Consumer Protection Unit, comes about a month after Laurent Morali, president of Kushner Cos., said Westminster had rejected an offer from Frosh to settle a long-running probe into how its tenants were treated, according to the Associated Press."We refuse to be extorted by an ambitious attorney general who clearly cares more about scoring political points than fighting real crime and improving the lives of the people of Maryland," Morali said. "We look forward to defending ourselves against these bogus allegations."A statement of charges in the suit describes "rodents living and dying in walls and kitchen appliances" and cockroaches that have "crawled into consumers' food." Various plumbing problems cause "water-logged carpeting; holes in walls and ceilings; sagging, buckling and collapsing ceilings; and the stench of mildew and sewage," according to the filing.Kushner Cos. has also battled Steven Fulop, the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, where the company wants to build a mixed-use tower. Fulop "has expressly acknowledged to several people on the phone and in meetings that Kushner Companies is being unfairly and blatantly discriminated against by Jersey City simply because its former CEO works in the Trump administration," a spokeswoman told Bloomberg last year.In New York, the company was targeted last year for failing to disclose rent-regulated tenants when applying for construction permits in Queens. The disclosure is required to protect such tenants from being forced out of their homes. In a statement at the time, the company said the filings were prepared by a third party.(Updates with details of allegations and with Kushner Cos.' view that it has been unfairly targeted)\--With assistance from Andrew Harris.To contact the reporters on this story: Chris Dolmetsch in Federal Court in Manhattan at cdolmetsch@bloomberg.net;Caleb Melby in New York at cmelby@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net, Peter JeffreyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Mother charged with murder of ‘terminally ill’ seven-year-old daughter she raised $22,000 for her treatment Posted: 23 Oct 2019 04:21 AM PDT  A mother who asked for donations to pay for her daughter's medical treatment while ensuring she achieved a "bucket list" of experiences, has been accused of murdering the seven year old.Kelly Turner and not the multiple illnesses she claimed daughter Olivia Gant suffered from, led to her death in 2017, a grand jury indictment alleges.
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| Trump declares 'big success' in Syria, lifts sanctions on Turkey Posted: 23 Oct 2019 03:05 PM PDT  In a 15-minute speech at the White House, Trump said critics of his policy want an endless, unlimited U.S. commitment in a dangerous region.
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| America's consumer paradise means hell on Earth for Chinese Muslims Posted: 23 Oct 2019 02:55 AM PDT ![America's consumer paradise means hell on Earth for Chinese Muslims]( "America's consumer paradise means hell on Earth for Chinese Muslims") You're in your bed and you wake up with a black bag over your head. When you can see again you have no idea where you are: exposed concrete room, very cold. You're forced to perform manual labor, to attend talks on patriotism, to learn a new language, to sing inane songs. You are beaten -- for refusing to eat pork, for sending messages on a phone you don't have and wouldn't even know how to use, for refusing to confess to crimes you have not committed, for confessing to crimes you have not committed, for any offense at all or none. If you are under the age of 35, you are raped, often by more than one person at a time; if you are a woman and become pregnant you will be forced to have an abortion, perhaps more than once. Or you may have a contraceptive device inserted inside you against your will. No sleep, and you stink. Then there are the drugs that are supposed to protect you from the flu and AIDS; these weaken your cognitive faculties and lead to the end of menstruation and sterilization. If you are actually sick with a condition like diabetes you will receive no treatment. And it could be worse: You could be brought to the black room, where you will be be electrocuted and made to sit on a bed of nails and have your fingernails ripped out, even though the black room officially doesn't exist and talking about it is forbidden. All of this is carried out by a sinister body with administrative and military as well as economic authority over an entire region; it is known only as "The Corps."This is not a summary of a dystopian novel or a pitch for a new Hulu original series. It is a description of the conditions under which perhaps as many as a million Uighur Muslims live in China in 2019. China, in case you had forgotten, is the United States' largest trading partner, the country whose achievements in everything from infrastructure to STEM education we are supposed to be fawning over, the country our president is an idiot for wanting to tangle with, and prominent sports figures are officially not allowed to criticize. In the last six or so years they have created hell on Earth for the country's largest Turkic ethnic minority group in the ostensibly autonomous Xinjiang region.And no one particularly cares, least of all in the United States. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized China's treatment of the Uighurs earlier this month, but it was in the context of a ludicrous comparison with Iran and Pakistan. There was no indication during a Cabinet meeting on Monday that President Trump or anyone else involved in the ongoing trade talks intends to do anything about the issue, which was not mentioned either by the president or by Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary.I cannot believe I am typing this about a man who eight years ago said he would be walking on Mars by now, but Newt Gingrich is absolutely right. Our leaders are not prepared to deal with China. Not only do they lack the cunning and the willpower -- they lack the requisite bargaining tools. We are in too deep, and China knows it. Any concession we could possibly demand of them will require a corresponding one that we are unable to grant.Besides, it is not clear to me that a substantial number of Americans particularly wants to see our relations with China change. We are happy to buy cheap water bottles and Halloween decorations and licensed cartoon merchandise and mobile phones. We want our movies shown in Chinese theaters and our sports leagues to have large Chinese fan bases. From our home in this consumer paradise hell looks impossibly remote."I will never forget the camp," says Sayragul Sauytbay, a former teacher in one of the Uighur camps now living in Sweden. "I cannot forget the eyes of the prisoners, expecting me to do something for them. They are innocent. I have to tell their story, to tell about the darkness they are in, about their suffering. The world must find a solution so that my people can live in peace. The democratic governments must do all they can to make China stop doing what it is doing in Xinjiang."Indeed they must. But they will not if their citizens and leaders alike care more about stock prices and Cyber Monday deals than they do about torture, rape, and Mengelean experimentation on human bodies and brains.Want more essential commentary and analysis like this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for The Week's "Today's best articles" newsletter here.
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| Teachers who don't flee Venezuela get side gigs to survive Posted: 23 Oct 2019 03:49 PM PDT  Daixy Aguero holds her chin up when students wander by and are surprised to find their teacher selling makeup at a weekend Caracas street market. Aguero says it's the only way she can make ends meet on a teacher's pay in Venezuela. Some 40 percent of Venezuela's teachers have left their schools in the last three years, according to a union representing educators.
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| Iraqi Kurds turn to Zoroastrianism as faith, identity entwine Posted: 22 Oct 2019 06:52 PM PDT  Zoroastrianism. Years of violence by the Islamic State jihadist group have left many disillusioned with Islam, while a much longer history of state oppression has pushed some in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region to see the millennia-old religion as a way of reasserting their identity. "After Kurds witnessed the brutality of IS, many started to rethink their faith," said Asrawan Qadrok, the faith's top priest in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region.
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| Can Israel Fend off an Iranian Missile or Drone Attack? Posted: 22 Oct 2019 08:00 PM PDT  How good are their defenses?
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| Gaetz Compares Dems to ‘Rabid Hyenas’ After Storming Impeachment Hearing Posted: 23 Oct 2019 08:15 PM PDT  Hours after dozens of House Republicans literally stormed the closed-door witness deposition of Pentagon official Laura Cooper, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL)—the ringleader of Wednesday's plan to derail the impeachment inquiry—defended his actions by calling Democrats "rabid hyenas" and claiming there are "no rules" when dealing with them. Appearing on Fox's Tucker Carlson Tonight, Gaetz was asked what the purpose was of barging into a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), a move that ultimately delayed Cooper's testimony by five hours. "We had the audacity to want to know what was going on behind closed doors where Democrats have engaged in a strategy of secret interviews, selective leaks, theatrical, weird performances of transcripts that never happened and lies about whistleblowers," Gaetz declared. "It's reasonable to suggest we would want more transparency on behalf of the millions of people we represent."Fox host Tucker Carlson, meanwhile, asked whether Gaetz and his colleagues have a right under congressional rules to demand more transparency. "There are no rules," the Florida lawmaker exclaimed. "If we had rules, Nancy Pelosi would have put this to a vote like established rules that happened with President Clinton, like happened with President Nixon.""The Democrats want to preserve the most, like, operational flexibility," he added. "So if they're going to have a world with no rules, we have to stop thinking we can use the Marquis of Queensberry rules of engagement when we're fighting against an angry pack of rabid hyenas. I think the president is right. As Republicans, we need to be tougher in exposing this for the kangaroo court that it is."While Gaetz and other GOP congressmen took a victory lap on Fox News Wednesday night, however, new reporting suggests that rather than this being a principled stand for transparency, the entire thing was a made-for-TV publicity stunt.It was reported that besides GOP leadership blessing the plan to storm the SCIF—which featured a number of congressmen bringing in their cell phones, which is not allowed—the president himself had advance knowledge of the protest and endorsed it. In recent days, Trump has grown visibly angry that Republicans on Capitol Hill aren't doing enough to defend him.Elsewhere on Fox News, host and Trump confidant Sean Hannity brought on both House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and two congressmen who took part in the protest—Reps. Michael Waltz and Lee Zeldin—and urged all of them to keep up the protests."I think you should do this every day," Hannity said.As Hannity was giving the game away on the air, one of his colleagues was reporting elsewhere that the whole thing was essentially a play by House Republicans to get a dramatic TV moment."Fox is told there was never any chance mbrs who barged into SCIF would be arrested by USCP," Fox News reporter Chad Pergram tweeted. "But some members asked to be arrested. They wanted the optic of being frog marched out of the SCIF in front of TV cameras. That would help w/GOP narrative of Dem process abuse."Pergram also said his sources noted that there really wasn't anything security officials could do in the end, adding that there's no "real punishment for breaking the rules" as House members are just "expected to adhere to the rules."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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| Making do with less: Mexican media bruised by president's austerity Posted: 23 Oct 2019 01:02 AM PDT  Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took office in December promising to reduce public spending to free up more resources for the poor. Between January and August, Lopez Obrador's government spent 88 million pesos ($4.6 million) on advertising, just 3.6% of the sum spent in the same months of 2018 by his predecessor Enrique Pena Nieto, Public Administration Ministry (SFP) data show. The reduction in government publicity, which had accounted for 10% or more of advertising revenue for many outlets, has sparked layoffs and the suspension of projects in an industry still suffering disruption from the shift to the internet.
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| A Single Car Parking Spot Just Sold in Hong Kong for Almost a Million Dollars Posted: 23 Oct 2019 12:15 AM PDT  That works out to just over $7,200 a square foot.
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| Sen. Lindsey Graham and a Fox News contributor threw a Hail Mary to keep US troops in Syria Posted: 22 Oct 2019 11:45 AM PDT  The duo attempted to persuade Trump to keep a contingency force in Syria to help defend oil fields from Iranian interests, NBC News reported.
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| A vegan said he felt 'betrayed' and got sick after Domino's mistakenly served him pizza with real ham Posted: 22 Oct 2019 09:23 AM PDT  Accidentally eating meat can be upsetting, but in most cases it won't cause any physical harm, a nutritionist told Insider.
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| Democrat Buttigieg used marijuana 'a handful of times' Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:45 AM PDT  Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said Wednesday that he's used marijuana "a handful of times a long time ago," and that it's time for the U.S. to legalize marijuana. Buttigieg, speaking to reporters after touring a legal pot dispensary in suburban Las Vegas, was asked about whether he'd ever used marijuana. A handful of times a long time ago," he said.
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| 'Johnny Reb' no longer welcome in Norfolk: Virginia city gets OK to move Confederate statue Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:56 AM PDT  Virginia's attorney general says the city of Norfolk can move its "Johnny Reb" Confederate statue from a busy downtown intersection to a cemetery
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| The Balkans fuse Posted: 23 Oct 2019 07:56 AM PDT ![The Balkans fuse]( "The Balkans fuse") Three nations in what was once Europe's powder keg set plans to blend their economies, replicating the "common home" of the EU.
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| China’s Biggest Meeting of Year Gives Leaders Opportunity to Talk Hong Kong Protests Posted: 23 Oct 2019 10:59 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- China's ruling Communist Party will hold its most important gathering of the year from October 28 to 31, state-run Xinhua News Agency said, giving its leadership an opportunity to discuss issues such the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.The plenum -- a full meeting of the Communist Party's Central Committee -- is a venue to pass decisions on major topics and involves more than 200 party leaders from the government, military and state-owned enterprises. The committee will discuss key issues related to maintaining and improving China's socialist system and national governance, Xinhua reported in August.While the meeting comes at a point in the party's five-year political cycle that's usually reserved for setting economic policies, the earlier Xinhua report suggested an agenda that was more political. On Tuesday, a front page commentary on the People's Daily, the party's mouthpiece, reviewed the progress in judicial reform and the law-based governance since the last Fourth Plenum of The Central Committee in 2014 during Xi Jinping's first term. Such long format commentary is usually seen ahead of the the party's major political events.The plenum will be the fourth Central Committee conclave since Xi secured a second term as the party's general secretary in October 2017. The committee hasn't convened since recommending an end to the constitutional limits on Xi's tenure in February 2018. The party hasn't gone so long without such a meeting since late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping launched his "Reform and Opening Up" campaign more than 40 years ago.Policy makers are also grappling with a trade war with the U.S., which has exacerbated an economic slowdown as both sides levy tariffs on each other's goods. Data released last week showed an economy expanding at just 6%, the slowest in almost three decades, though there were also signs things could be stabilizing, including corporate demand for long-term credit picking up and growth in auto sales contracting less. The two sides are also moving closer toward a partial deal that could alleviate tensions.The early hints of stabilization give the authorities a chance to debate some long-term issues at the meeting, such as a graying population and the merits of freer internal migration of labor. These reforms could be more important than imminent policy loosening in ensuring a steady performance of the economy in the longer term.To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Dandan Li in Beijing at dli395@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Sharon Chen, John LiuFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| West Point cadet found dead on campus, ending four-day search Posted: 23 Oct 2019 05:55 AM PDT ![West Point cadet found dead on campus, ending four-day search]( "West Point cadet found dead on campus, ending four-day search") The body of 20-year-old Cadet Kade Kurita from Gardena, California was discovered at West Point on Tuesday night. "We are grieving this loss and our thoughts and prayers go out to Cadet Kurita's family and friends," Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams said. On Monday, the military academy reported the cadet had been missing since Friday at 5:30 pm and the Coast Guard and New York State police were involved in a search of the campus, some 55 miles north of New York City.
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| Zuckerberg stumbles over AOC's questions about white supremacy during Congress hearing Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:52 AM PDT  Mark Zuckerberg appeared to stumble when confronted with tough questioning by congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who asked the Facebook CEO if a right-wing news outlet known for its ties to white supremacist groups is an appropriate fact-checking group to help oversee the social media giant's content.Ms Ocasio-Cortez confronted Mr Zuckerberg during congressional testimony on Wednesday, where the CEO was due to discuss a cryptocurrency favoured by his company. But the Democrat instead chose to grill him about Facebook's decision not to fact check political advertisements, even in cases where messages posted by politicians are clearly wrong. She also asked about Mr Zuckerberg's previous admission that he dines regularly with conservatives and right-wing personalities, which he said is part of his strategy to ensure he hears a diverse set of opinions.
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| Meet the Fox reporter who is bedeviling Trump on Syria Posted: 23 Oct 2019 01:12 PM PDT ![Meet the Fox reporter who is bedeviling Trump on Syria]( "Meet the Fox reporter who is bedeviling Trump on Syria") When President Donald Trump claimed in a Monday Cabinet meeting that "we never gave a commitment to the Kurds," the U.S. ally recently abandoned in northern Syria, an immediate rebuke came from a source not easily dismissed as "fake news": a Fox News correspondent. "Not true," Jennifer Griffin tweeted. "According to a former top senior military adviser to President Trump, 'We told them over and over 'We are your friends.
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| Southern Niger reels after Nigeria closes borders Posted: 22 Oct 2019 08:39 PM PDT  Dan Issa (Niger) (AFP) - "Nothing crosses into Nigeria and nothing comes out. It's hermetically sealed," said Amadou Idi, sitting in a makeshift shelter to keep out of the rain, and reflecting on the downturn in his luck. Idi's job is a transiting agent -- to get goods across the border to Nigeria at the Dan Issa frontier post in southeastern Niger.
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| South Korean prosecutors arrest ex-minister's wife Posted: 23 Oct 2019 09:14 PM PDT  Prosecutors on Thursday arrested the wife of South Korea's former justice minister who resigned last week over corruption allegations surrounding his family that have sparked huge protests and rattled Seoul's liberal government. The Seoul Central District Court said a judge issued an arrest warrant for Chung Kyung-shim over concerns that she might attempt to destroy evidence as prosecutors investigate her suspected involvement in dubious financial investments and creating fake credentials to help her daughter get into medical school.
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| Woman doused with gasoline, set afire at Florida Taco Bell. Police searching for suspect Posted: 23 Oct 2019 07:33 PM PDT  Police are searching for a suspect who entered a Tallahassee Taco Bell, doused a woman with gasoline, set her on fire, then fled.
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| Classic Car Fraud Lands Missouri Man In Federal Prison Posted: 22 Oct 2019 12:38 PM PDT  As the classic car market continues to grow, scams like this are probably only going get worse. A Kansas City, Missouri man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for one count of wire fraud and one count of transporting a stolen vehicle following a classic car scheme. According to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Western District of Missouri, Travis D. Oberg, 51, was fraudulently selling cars that didn't belong to him, and in the end, he ended up stealing $145,000 from his victims.Oberg had set up an LLC called Maaco Sales and Reconditioning using the name of the nationwide paint repair company to trick his customers. A victim from Connecticut was scammed out of $53,000 after Oberg "sold" him a 1973 BMW, 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SL, 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe and a 1967 Jaguar XKE 2+2 Coupe (like the one shown above), and he later "sold" the same Jaguar and Porsche to a California man for $37,000.Another victim trusted Oberg with his 1957 Ford Thunderbird to restore and consign but instead he just sold it outright and kept the $12,500 from the sale. Sadly, this wasn't his first time running this scam. Oberg had been previously sentenced to federal prison for the same type of crime only before he had defrauded his customers of over $900,000.Here are three easy tips to avoid encountering the same: * Pay with credit card if possible \- This is generally the safest way to pay due to the fact that you can always dispute fraudulent charges, but, of course, this isn't always possible. * Hire a reputable vehicle inspector \- Spending a couple hundred dollars up front is better than getting scammed out of tens of thousands of dollars * Do your research \- If a deal is too good to be true (1973 BMW, 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SL, 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe and a 1967 Jaguar XKE 2+2 Coupe for $53,000, for example), then it probably is. Also, do a quick search of the person/company you're dealing with. A Google search of Oberg's name comes up with claims of fraudulent activity dating back almost a decade Related Articles... * Custom SUVs Built For Auction Stolen From Kids Cancer Charity * U.S. Marshals Auctioning Off 149 Vehicles From DC Solar Scam
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| View Photos of the BMW Alpina B3 Sedan Posted: 23 Oct 2019 03:00 PM PDT |
| UPDATE 1-Turkey, Russia strike deal to remove Syrian Kurdish YPG, launch joint patrols Posted: 22 Oct 2019 10:58 AM PDT  SOCHI, Russia/ANKARA, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Turkey and Russia agreed on Tuesday to remove the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia to beyond 30 km (19 miles) from the Turkish border, after which their troops will jointly patrol a narrower strip of land in a "safe zone" Ankara has long sought in northern Syria. Beginning at noon (0900 GMT) on Wednesday, Russian military police and Syrian border guards will move in to facilitate the removal of YPG members and weapons to beyond the zone in a mission that should take about six days, according to the deal. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hailed the deal as one that would end the bloodshed in the region, while Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey had no designs on Syrian territory as it continued to push the YPG south.
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| Is China on the Verge of Becoming an Aircraft Carrier Superpower? Posted: 22 Oct 2019 04:00 PM PDT  Will the balance tip in Beijing's favor?
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