| Will televised Trump impeachment hearings convince Americans that he should be removed from office? Posted: 11 Nov 2019 09:07 AM PST  After weeks of closed-door testimony, public impeachment proceedings against President Trump will begin Wednesday. But will they change public opinion?
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| PHOTOS: Venice flooded from rising tides and rain Posted: 12 Nov 2019 08:33 AM PST  Tourists and Venetians alike have donned high boots and taken to temporary raised walkways to slosh through the high water that has hit much of the lagoon city.
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| At an Iowa rally, progressive voters already talk about an Ocasio-Cortez presidency Posted: 11 Nov 2019 06:18 AM PST  As she took the stage in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Friday night, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez noted it was her "first time" in the key presidential primary state. But many of the thousands of people who came to see her campaign for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders were confident it wouldn't be her last visit.
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| Report: Loud fight with detective preceded chief's death Posted: 12 Nov 2019 02:37 PM PST  A maintenance man checking on a noise complaint at a Florida beachfront hotel Sunday night walked into the room where a small-town Oklahoma police detective killed his boss in a drunken brawl, authorities said. The noises coming from room 527 at the Hilton on Pensacola Beach on Sunday night were so loud that the couple staying next door asked to switch rooms, according to an arrest report released to The Associated Press on Tuesday. Miller was later pronounced dead.
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| Jordan foils plot against U.S., Israeli diplomats and American soldiers: newspaper Posted: 11 Nov 2019 10:52 PM PST ![Jordan foils plot against U.S., Israeli diplomats and American soldiers: newspaper]( "Jordan foils plot against U.S., Israeli diplomats and American soldiers: newspaper") Jordanian intelligence recently foiled a plot by two suspected militants to mount terror attacks against U.S. and Israeli diplomats alongside U.S. troops deployed at a military base in the south of the country, state-owned al-Rai newspaper reported on Tuesday. Militants from Islamic State and other radical jihadist groups have long targeted the U.S.-allied kingdom and dozens of militants are currently serving lengthy prison terms. King Abdullah, a Middle East ally of Western powers against Islamist militancy, has been among the most vocal leaders in the region in warning of threats posed by radical groups.
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| With Rising Violence, China Pushes Hong Kong Toward Civil War Posted: 12 Nov 2019 02:21 AM PST  A traffic police officer in Hong Kong shot an unarmed 21-year-old pro-democracy protester at point-blank range on Monday. Hours later, a man was set on fire after defending Beijing in an argument. Both individuals were listed in critical condition.Over the weekend, wide-scale disturbances scarred the territory, a semi-autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. There is essentially a rebellion in Hong Kong. Riot police in green uniforms are doing battle with youthful demonstrators dressed in black. How Hong Kong Protesters Show Which Businesses Are Friend or FoeProtests began in April after Chief Executive Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's top official, proposed legislation authorizing the extradition of fugitives to various jurisdictions, including Mainland China. Starting June 9, when an estimated one million Hong Kongers marched in the streets, demonstrations have been almost continuous. Lam has since permanently withdrawn the extradition bill from consideration, but the protests have not abated. Especially this week. Hong Kong braced for a weekend of disturbances after Chow Tsz-lok, a 22-year-old student at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, died on Friday after falling from a car park the preceding Sunday while running away from police tear gas. Many have accused the police of delaying medical assistance to the mortally injured Chow.Chow has been called "the first fatality linked to police action during a protest," but many believe the police have killed others. Demonstrators believe three of their number were beaten to death on August 31 in the Prince Edward Mass Transit Railway station in Mong Kok. Since then, the above-ground entrance to the station has become a shrine, protestors have repeatedly rallied in front of the adjacent Mong Kok police station, and youth have continually trashed MTR trains and stations because they believe management of the rail system has withheld surveillance-camera footage.Even a single death creates a cycle of revenge and retaliation that is almost impossible to control. Chow's passing sparked a weekend of rage.Moreover, Chief Executive Lam added to the tensions. In her most recent press conference, held Monday after the shooting and burning incidents, she called protesters the "enemy of the people." Her provocative Cultural Revolution-speak comment came on the heels of her November 4 meeting with Chinese ruler Xi Jinping. China is apparently controlling events, and either out of obliviousness or maliciousness, it is making the situation worse. Beijing has been doing that by forcing Lam to take a hard line. Apart from the withdrawal of the extradition bill—doomed because the normally pro-Beijing business community came out against it early on—she has been intransigent. That intransigence was evident from her Monday remarks. She said she would not yield to violence, but she had previously left Hong Kong people no choice. She had, with her stubbornness, earlier foreclosed the possibility of peaceful change.Hong Kong people may not be able to change her mind, but she cannot change theirs either. The army in black—as well as many other people in the territory—have continued to protest.Analysts say Beijing will eventually lose patience and use force. "This kind of extreme, violent, and destructive activity would not be tolerated or accepted in any country or society in the world nowadays," said Chinese Vice-Premier Han Zheng as he met with Lam early this month in Beijing.Han's words were taken as a threat to formally deploy units of the People's Liberation Army or the People's Armed Police to the streets of Hong Kong to "crush" the protests and reestablish order. Beijing could move in troops, but the move is unlikely to work. Hong Kong, after all, is ideal territory for defenders, like guerilla fighters supported by an overwhelming portion of the public. Every apartment building there is a fort where hostiles can rain down explosives or petrol bombs on Chinese troops and then disappear into their homes or back alleys. Xi Jinping surely does not want his first war to take tens of thousands of soldiers, last years if not decades, and end in a loss for China.In the meantime, there is credible evidence suggesting Mainland Chinese personnel—troops or police—are now operating on Hong Kong streets in police uniforms. This sly tactic is not working, however. Why not? The Hong Kong police department, once considered the most professional force of its kind in Asia, has lost discipline, something evident from the shooting of the protester Monday and countless other incidents. The breakdown in discipline roughly coincides with early evidence that Chinese forces were mixed in with the Hong Kong police, and the resulting rough tactics have resulted in a loss of support of ordinary residents tired of being tear gassed, clubbed, and manhandled. All this raises the question whether Beijing has given the green light to police officers to act as brutally as they want. Yet whether China did so or not, harsh action by the police is sustaining support for the protesters. Demonstrators this past weekend were chanting "Revenge." Hong Kong is now at war with itself. There is no end in sight to the fighting.LeBron James Bends the Knee to China, Fails His First Big Test as the NBA's ConscienceRead 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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| Airline pilot receives $300k for wrongful arrest after being seen naked near airport Posted: 12 Nov 2019 09:35 AM PST  An airline pilot who was arrested after being spotted naked in his hotel room overlooking Denver International Airport has been awarded a $300,000 wrongful arrest settlement from the Colorado city.The man, United Airlines pilot Andrew Collins, was arrested in September 2018, after employees saw him apparently touching himself through the 10th floor window of his hotel room.
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| Kavanaugh Returns to Spotlight a Year After Nasty Senate Fight Posted: 11 Nov 2019 01:00 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh has done his best to keep a low profile in the 13 months since one of the most polarizing Senate confirmation fights in U.S. history.From the bench, his questions have been evenhanded and his opinions have been measured. His public appearances have been rare.But Kavanaugh will be back in the spotlight when he gives the featured dinner speech on Thursday at the annual Washington convention of the Federalist Society, the powerful conservative legal group that helped put him on the court.The appearance, in front of an organization Kavanaugh joined in 1988 as a law student, will offer a reminder of his professional roots and help showcase the group's success in helping load the federal courts with conservative judges -- one of President Donald Trump's signature achievements.It will also provide a fresh indication of how the Supreme Court's most controversial justice will navigate the raw feelings that remain after his nomination by Trump and narrow Senate confirmation in the face of sexual assault allegations.About 2,300 people are expected to attend the Antonin Scalia Memorial Dinner, a black-tie-optional event that brings legal luminaries to the cavernous Main Hall of Washington's Union Station every year. The event will be open to the media, though broadcast coverage will be prohibited.When many Americans last saw Kavanaugh, he was at his Senate confirmation hearing angrily and tearfully denying that he had assaulted Christine Blasey Ford decades ago when both were teenagers."This whole two-week effort has been a calculated and orchestrated political hit, fueled with apparent pent-up anger about President Trump and the 2016 election," Kavanaugh said, with rage that would later be lampooned by actor Matt Damon on "Saturday Night Live."He was confirmed on a 50-48 vote.'Gracious' JusticeThat Brett Kavanaugh bears little resemblance to the one who now sits at one end of the Supreme Court bench, seen only by the few hundred people who typically attend its camera-free argument sessions.Kavanaugh tends to politely challenge both sides during arguments, almost always without tipping his hand on his own views. He often chats amicably with Justice Elena Kagan, who sits to his right and seems to have far more to discuss with him than with Justice Samuel Alito on her other side."He seems quite comfortable," said Carter Phillips, a veteran Supreme Court lawyer at Sidley Austin. "He's very gracious, extremely well-prepared. His questions are good."Kavanaugh's written opinions have generally been measured. Though he has almost always voted with his conservative colleagues when the court splits along ideological lines, he has eschewed the sweeping rhetoric of Trump's other Supreme Court appointee, Neil Gorsuch. On occasion, Kavanaugh has written separate opinions to describe his position as a limited one."He appears more cautious and pragmatic than Gorsuch, but it's too early to tell too much," said Jonathan Adler, a professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.Kavanaugh's colleagues have publicly welcomed him and said they don't harbor any ill feelings."We are all human beings, we all have pasts," Justice Sonia Sotomayor told a judicial conference in September, according to the Wall Street Journal. "Now whether things occurred or didn't occur, all of that is irrelevant."Female ClerksJustice Ruth Bader Ginsburg praised Kavanaugh for hiring four women to serve as his law clerks for his first term, something no justice had done in any term.That decision is as close as Kavanaugh has come to publicly addressing the confirmation controversy since he joined the court."It was all women, and I think that was not coincidental," said Melissa Murray, a New York University law professor who testified during the confirmation hearing that she was concerned Kavanaugh would vote to overturn abortion rights. "I think it was intended to be a rebuttal to those who believe those allegations, took those allegations seriously. I think he wanted to sort of counteract the perception that might have been left after the confirmation hearing."For the public at large, Kavanaugh remains a polarizing figure -- far more so than his longer-serving colleagues. A Marquette Law School poll conducted in September found that 32% of respondents had an unfavorable view of Kavanaugh, with 26% holding a favorable view. No other justice had an unfavorable rating higher than 23%.Though he has met privately with smaller groups, the Federalist Society speech will mark only the second time Kavanaugh has spoken publicly outside the court since the White House ceremony that followed his October 2018 confirmation. Kavanaugh appeared in May with the man he succeeded, Justice Anthony Kennedy, before a conference of judges and lawyers.Standing OvationKavanaugh's reception at the Federalist Society event is all but certain to be positive, probably overwhelmingly so, though it's possible he'll face protests."I expect he'll get a very warm reception," said Adler, a Federalist Society member who plans to attend.Kavanaugh got a lengthy standing ovation when he arrived for last year's dinner, which took place less than six weeks after the Senate vote. He opted not to give a talk at that event, instead agreeing to speak this year, according to two people familiar with the planning.The Federalist Society's executive vice president, Leonard Leo, has served as a key adviser to Trump on judicial nominations. Leo declined to be interviewed about Kavanaugh's work on the court, saying he generally doesn't comment on individual justices.The dinner is part of a three-day program that features speeches by Gorsuch and Attorney General Bill Barr as well as panel discussions on a plethora of legal topics."I think it is meaningful that he's choosing to make a debut of sorts at this particular venue," Murray said.Chances are Kavanaugh's speech will steer clear of any discussion of the confirmation controversy. He probably will at least touch on the judicial philosophy that made him a Federalist Society favorite in the first place. He might show the side of himself that promised at his confirmation hearing to be part of a "team of nine" on the court."I think it will be different than it was in his last public appearance," said Phillips with a laugh. "He is by nature a gracious and even-tempered person. I expect that that's the way he will come across."To contact the reporter on this story: Greg Stohr in Washington at gstohr@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, John Harney, Laurie AsséoFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Clinton says she is being urged by ‘many, many, many people’ to run in 2020 Posted: 12 Nov 2019 02:20 PM PST  Hillary Clinton on Tuesday declined to rule out launching a future presidential campaign after her two failed bids, saying "many, many, many people" were pressuring her to enter the race. "I, as I say, never, never, never say never," the former secretary of State said on BBC Radio 5 Live. "But as of this moment, sitting here in this studio talking to you, that is absolutely not in my plans," Clinton added.
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| Democrats need to stop being such babies about Barack Obama Posted: 12 Nov 2019 02:50 AM PST ![Democrats need to stop being such babies about Barack Obama]( "Democrats need to stop being such babies about Barack Obama") Pete Buttigieg got in hot water with many loyal Democrats on Sunday when the Los Angeles Times reported that he cited the "failures of the Obama era" as part of why Trump's election happened. This inspired furious outrage from liberal partisans and party apparatchiks -- only soothed (and tweets deleted) when the reporter said he had misquoted Buttigieg, who was then quick to lavish praise on the ex-president.But as it turns out, Buttigieg previously said almost the exact same thing in a recent interview with Showtime's The Circus. "I don't think there's going back to Obama... the American political world we've been in from the day I was born, has been blown up," he explained, "[thanks to] its own failures which culminated in Trump. Look, if the old way worked, something like Trump would never have been possible."So this recent flap sure looks like another flip-flop from Payola Pete, mayor of Indiana's fourth largest city. But at least in his beta release form, I have to admit that Buttigieg was completely correct. Democrats really need to get over this worshipful reverence of Barack Obama.For one thing, it is simply beyond question that the Obama years were a political disaster. From having commanding majorities in both the House and the Senate, Democrats lost first the former, then the latter, and finally the presidency, as the candidate running as Obama's successor bobbled perhaps the easiest lay-up election in American history. Meanwhile, the party all but collapsed in many states, as devastating national defeats translated into the loss of over 1,000 state legislative seats.As I have written before, the primary reason for the Obama-era Democrats' initial crushing loss in 2010, which locked in Republican gains for a decade at least through their ensuing control of the state gerrymandering process, was policy error -- undershooting the size of the economic stimulus in response to the Great Recession on the one hand, and secretly using homeowner assistance money to bail out the banks on the other. The former was not entirely Obama's fault, as he had to get congressional approval for the stimulus, but the latter was entirely under his control. Millions were left out of work, and about 10 million people losing their homes wreaked further economic devastation. As any historian could tell you, being in power during a huge economic disaster is the surest possible way to get blown out of the water in the next election.If you take Obama out of the equation, what Buttigieg was saying before it looks like folks might stop sending those fat campaign checks is all but conventional wisdom even among liberals. Obama himself reportedly has grave doubts about what Trump means for his legacy. Clearly if the party could lose to the most unpopular major party nominee in the history of polling, whatever was happening before 2016 was not exactly working out.And from the other side of the fence, Obama has shown no inclination to fulfill the sort of leadership role loyal Democrats clearly crave. Despite the shattering national crisis that Trump presents, he has not gone on to a different office -- unlike, say, John Quincy Adams, who returned to the House after his presidency and fought slavery literally until his dying breath. Obama is not out there mobilizing day and night against Trump's migrant concentration camps, or his Muslim ban, or his blatant abuses of power.Only occasionally will Obama pop up to endorse candidates, often centrist or center-right white men like Emmanuel Macron or Justin Trudeau. He largely avoided campaigning in 2018 until the last few weeks before the election. He's mainly keeping to himself, hanging out with rich tycoons and celebrities, and making eye-popping sums giving paid speeches before big corporations and banks.He appears in public only occasionally -- and when he does, he has a tendency to indulge in get-off-my-lawn youth scolding that, as Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote back in 2013, was offensive and out of date when he did it as president. "This idea of purity and you're never compromised and you're always politically 'woke' and all that stuff," he said at a recent Obama Foundation summit. "You should get over that quickly. The world is messy, there are ambiguities." Just like the time when "we tortured some folks," but it was still important to "look forward as opposed to backwards" instead of enforcing the law, I suppose.Jokes aside, this almost beggars belief. President Trump is flagrantly stealing money from the American state, attempting to get foreign countries to gin up political persecutions of Obama's own vice president, and Obama is out here raising worries about exaggerated nonsense from America's most dimwitted and gullible columnists, and earning praise from loathsome trolls:> Good for Obama. (Not sarcastic!) https://t.co/cwq5mcDc7V> > -- Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) October 30, 2019Now, let me be clear: All this is, of course, Obama's complete right as a private citizen. It is, at least for the moment, still a free country. But Democrats should not follow the advice of the Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin, who argues that "it is unheard of for a party following a two-term president not to run on his achievements," in part because "Republicans did that with former president Ronald Reagan for 30 years." She would know, from her previous incarnation as a prolific and absolutely shameless propagandist for Mitt Romney. But the grim fate of the GOP is precisely the problem.We see today what you get when a party loses the ability to think critically about its history, and treats its leaders as infallible saints no matter what they do: Donald Trump.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.More stories from theweek.com The coming death of just about every rock legend The president has already confessed to his crimes Why are 2020 Democrats so weird?
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| U.S. troops who remain in Syria are redeploying to bases: Senior commander Posted: 12 Nov 2019 08:58 AM PST  At a base in eastern Syria, a senior U.S. coalition commander said Monday that American troops who remain in Syria are redeploying to bases, including in some new locations, and working with the Kurdish-led forces to keep up the pressure on the ISIS militants and prevent the extremists from resurging or breaking out of prisons.
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| Woman who spoke at Epstein's bail hearing sues his estate Posted: 12 Nov 2019 02:13 PM PST  A woman who confronted Jeffrey Epstein at a July bail hearing to tell a judge he touched her inappropriately when she was 16 sued his estate Tuesday, alleging he had subjected her to sex trafficking as part of his attacks on young women and girls. Lawyers for Annie Farmer filed the lawsuit in Manhattan federal court, along with a lawsuit on behalf of her sister, Maria Farmer, and Teresa Helm, an Ohio woman. A lawyer for Epstein's estate did not return a message seeking comment.
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| Uganda charges 67 after raid on gay bar Posted: 12 Nov 2019 11:03 AM PST ![Uganda charges 67 after raid on gay bar]( "Uganda charges 67 after raid on gay bar") A Ugandan court charged 67 people with causing a nuisance on Tuesday after they were arrested in a gay-friendly bar, in a move condemned by activists as the latest "homophobic" attack. The 67 - who were among 127 arrested at Ram Bar, in the capital, Kampala, on Sunday - could face up to one year in jail if found guilty, said Patricia Kimera, a lawyer for the group. "This is just a homophobic attack," LGBT+ activist Raymond Karuhanga told the Thomson Reuters Foundation outside the court.
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| China's Submarines Can Now Launch a Nuclear War Against America Posted: 12 Nov 2019 10:00 AM PST  A missile test last November made the point quite clear.
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| Turkey police rearrest journalist Ahmet Altan Posted: 12 Nov 2019 11:38 AM PST  Turkish police acting on a court order rearrested journalist and novelist Ahmet Altan Tuesday, just a week after his release from prison over alleged links to the failed 2016 coup. Altan and another veteran journalist Nazli Ilicak were released on November 4 despite having been convicted of "helping a terrorist group". The Istanbul court sentenced Altan to more than 10 years in jail, but ruled that he and Ilicak should be released under supervision after time already served -- around three years each.
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| More Transit Disruptions After Chaotic Night: Hong Kong Update Posted: 12 Nov 2019 05:18 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong faced a third-straight day of transit disruptions, after a night of pitched battles across the city between protesters and police.Commuters packed onto the first trains Wednesday morning amid calls by activists to impede rush-hour traffic in a show of anger over the government's response and police tactics. Several MTR Corp. services including the Mong Kok and Tuen Mun stations and the entire East Rail Line were already shut due to vandalism. Numerous bus lines were halted and several schools had suspended classes.The protests which have been raging for five months in pursuit of greater democracy in the former British colony intensified Friday after a student died of injuries sustained near a protest. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam -- with a fresh nod of support from Communist Party leaders in Beijing -- has vowed not to give in to violent demonstrations.Key developments:Some subway stations were closed and schools and universities shut their doors as protests sprung up around the city. Chinese University of Hong Kong was the site of the most intense protests.Tear gas was fired again in the heart of Hong Kong's business and financial district as riot police confronted protesters in Central for a second day.The 21-year-old student protester who was shot and injured by police Monday was formally arrested.Hong Kong leader Lam has given two press conferences in less than 24 hours in which she has urged an end to the disruptions.District elections are still scheduled to take place on Nov. 24.Here's the latest (all times local):China's Xinhua says city at 'most critical juncture' (8:59 a.m.)Hong Kong is at "the most critical juncture" as the violent acts of "black-clad rioters" are close to that of terrorism, China's official Xinhua news agency wrote in a commentary. Many people in Hong Kong have already been "swept into a morbid state of bipolarism" over months of protest, it said, warning that "if this kind of oddity was allowed to continue society would be left with little time to correct itself.""Dialogue can happen when there are political differences, but on matters of principal such as stopping chaos and violence, and the future of Hong Kong, all Hong Kong people should be united in saying no to violence," the piece said.Keeping kids home (7:52 a.m.)The Education Bureau said that parents could decide whether they want to send their children to schools Wednesday because of traffic disruptions, according to a statement on a government website. The government has so far decided against suspending public school classes despite the disruptions.Christmas tree burns (7:13 a.m.)Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust said in a corporate filing that its Festival Walk mall in Kowloon Tong sustained extensive damage in protests Tuesday. Protesters, among other things, smashed glass panels at the entrances and set fire to a Christmas tree. The mall will be closed on Wednesday as the company assesses the damage.Some train services suspended (6:17 a.m.)East Rail Line service has been suspended due to vandalism at stations, the rail operator MTR Corp. said in statement. MTR said it won't provide free shuttle bus service because of "adverse road conditions" after conducting a risk assessment. The Mong Kok, Tuen Mun and Tseung Kwan O stations were also closed.McConnell to work on legislation (4:30 a.m.)U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed to work on legislation supporting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, as some senators say they're growing restless with the chamber's failure to act. In a speech on the Senate floor, McConnell said "Beijing's insatiable thirst for control" was undermining Hong Kong's autonomy.McConnell said he would work "toward a strong and procedurally workable solution" with senators who've been pushing legislation designed to put pressure on China. A bill that would allow sanctions against officials responsible for Hong Kong and require annual reviews of the city's special trading status has already pass the U.S. House.Clashes at university (11:45 p.m. Tuesday)Protests and clashes continue at multiple locations across the city including Mong Kok, Tai Po, Kowloon Tong and Tseung Kwan O. Riot police repeatedly fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators.The situation at Chinese University of Hong Kong "continues to intensify," according to an update from the city's police issued at 11:27 p.m. As officers were "retreating, rioters threw bricks, petrol bombs, launched arrows and even fired a signal flare" at them, according to the statement.Given that the violence had reached a "deadly level" and emergency services were being hampered, police deployed a so-called Specialized Crowd Management Vehicle to "facilitate retreat." Clashes at the university appeared to abate.Police spray blue dye (10:29 p.m. Tuesday)Police fired streams of blue dye at students congregated in the area of a bridge at Chinese University of Hong Kong, after hours of confrontations, including multiple rounds of tear gas. Students set up barricades to stop riot police from charging. A number of students were injured, including one who was suspected to have been knocked unconscious after a head injury, according to Radio Television Hong Kong.More disruptions planned (8:09 p.m. Tuesday)Protesters called for disruptions to MTR train services starting at 6:15 a.m. on Wednesday, as the city's busy rush hour kicks off, with people planning to board trains until at least 10:30 a.m. The calls came as clashes again escalated on the Chinese University of Hong Kong campus, with police firing tear gas and protesters and students throwing petrol bombs.\--With assistance from Fion Li and Gregor Stuart Hunter.To contact the reporters on this story: Dominic Lau in Hong Kong at dlau92@bloomberg.net;Natalie Lung in Hong Kong at flung6@bloomberg.net;Iain Marlow in Hong Kong at imarlow1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Karen LeighFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Trump Jr booed off stage by supporters of his father amid apparent split in US far right Posted: 11 Nov 2019 06:37 AM PST  Donald Trump Jr was booed off stage and forced to abandon a book tour appearance at the University of California's Los Angeles campus – due to a protest by supporters of his father.The event, organised by conservative group Turning Point USA (TPUSA), was disrupted by chants of "Q and A! Q and A!" after the audience was told the president's son would not take questions, video showed.
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| Israeli airstrike kills Islamic Jihad commander in Gaza home Posted: 12 Nov 2019 05:31 AM PST  The Israeli strike killed Bahaa Abu el-Atta and his wife, setting off a furious barrage of dozens of rocket attacks reaching as far as Tel Aviv.
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| Mini Mercury skips across sun's vast glare in rare transit Posted: 11 Nov 2019 11:00 AM PST  Stargazers used solar-filtered binoculars and telescopes to spot Mercury — a tiny black dot — as it passed directly between Earth and the sun on Monday. Mercury is the solar system's smallest, innermost planet. In Maryland, clouds prevented NASA solar astrophysicist Alex Young from getting a clear peek.
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| Widow sues boat owner in fire off California that killed 34 Posted: 11 Nov 2019 04:41 PM PST  The widow of a passenger who died in a fiery dive boat disaster that killed 34 people in the waters off California sued the vessel's owners Monday. Christine Dignam, whose husband, Justin Dignam, died when the Conception caught fire Sept. 2 off the Santa Barbara coast, claimed that the boat was unsafe. The vessel didn't have adequate smoke detectors or firefighting equipment, it lacked enough emergency exits, and a required night watch was not on duty when the flames broke out in the middle of the night, according to the wrongful-death lawsuit filed in federal court in Los Angeles.
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| Chinese national pleads guilty in U.S. court to stealing Phillips 66 trade secrets Posted: 12 Nov 2019 01:28 PM PST ![Chinese national pleads guilty in U.S. court to stealing Phillips 66 trade secrets]( "Chinese national pleads guilty in U.S. court to stealing Phillips 66 trade secrets") A Chinese national pleaded guilty on Tuesday to stealing trade secrets from U.S. petroleum company Phillips 66 , where he worked on the research and development of next generation battery technologies, the U.S. Justice Department said. Hongjin Tan, 36, stole information regarding the manufacture of a "research and development downstream energy market product" that is worth more than $1 billion, the department said in a statement. The department identified the company where he worked as Phillips 66 in court documents filed in Oklahoma.
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| The China-Russia Relationship Is More About Survival Than Friendship Posted: 11 Nov 2019 12:00 AM PST  Fears are overblown. Mistrust remains.
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| Hillary Clinton says she is being urged by 'many, many, many people' to run in 2020 Posted: 12 Nov 2019 04:42 PM PST Hillary Clinton on Tuesday declined to rule out launching a future presidential campaign after her two failed bids, saying "many, many, many people" were pressuring her to enter the race.
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| Taiwan seeks return of 'criminal income' from frigate scandal Posted: 11 Nov 2019 10:59 PM PST  Taiwan is seeking the return of hundreds of millions of dollars in ill-gotten funds linked to a controversial deal to buy French frigates over two decades ago, prosecutors said Tuesday. Taiwanese arms dealer Andrew Wang was indicted for corruption in 2006 for reaping hundreds of millions of dollars from the deal, and his family were also found guilty as his accomplices. Wang and his family were put on Taiwan's most wanted list after they fled the island shortly before the scandal broke in 1993.
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| Aides reportedly anticipated fallout from Biden's son's work in Ukraine back in 2014 but were shut down because Biden was consumed by grief Posted: 11 Nov 2019 07:57 AM PST  When news broke in 2014 that Hunter Biden had joined the board of Burisma, he was struggling with addiction and Beau Biden had brain cancer.
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| Most priests accused of sexually abusing children were never sent to prison. Here's why Posted: 11 Nov 2019 06:53 PM PST ![Most priests accused of sexually abusing children were never sent to prison. Here's why]( "Most priests accused of sexually abusing children were never sent to prison. Here's why") Why aren't more credibly accused Catholic priests in prison? Blame it on laws that don't allow enough time for abuse survivors to come forward
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| Briton who helped found Syria's White Helmets dies in Turkey Posted: 11 Nov 2019 10:14 AM PST  A former British army officer who helped found the White Helmets volunteer organization in Syria was found dead in Istanbul early Monday, Turkish officials and the group said. James Le Mesurier's body was found near his home in the Beyoglu district by worshippers on their way to a mosque, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. The Istanbul governor's office said "comprehensive administrative and judicial investigations" had been initiated into Le Mesurier's death.
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| Maduro's military stands in the way of a Bolivia repeat in Venezuela Posted: 11 Nov 2019 01:53 PM PST  Venezuelan opposition leaders looking to oust their country's socialist government can perhaps take some hope from the resignation of its leftist ally in Bolivia, President Evo Morales, on Sunday after weeks of street protests. Venezuela's barracks have stood by the ruling Socialist Party despite a crippling economic meltdown, two waves of major protests in 2014 and 2017 and broad condemnation of Maduro's 2018 re-election that was widely described as fraudulent.
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| USS Utah: The Forgotten (Drone) Battleship Sunk at Pearl Harbor Posted: 12 Nov 2019 03:47 AM PST  Back in July, the United States almost went to war over the downing of a drone along the Iranian border. This is not, strangely enough, the first time that an attack against the United States began with violence against a drone.
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| Liz Cheney Backs Barring Erdogan Bodyguards Who Assaulted Protesters from U.S. Reentry Posted: 11 Nov 2019 02:28 PM PST  Representative Liz Cheney (R., Wyo.) called on the State Department Monday to ban the bodyguards of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan who assaulted protesters in a 2017 incident in Washington, D.C. from reentering the U.S.In May 2017, members of the Turkish Presidential Protection Department (TPPD), Turkey's equivalent of the Secret Service, attacked pro-Kurdish protesters outside the residence of the Turkish ambassador. The assault, in which protesters and American law-enforcement officials were injured, was captured on video.In a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Cheney requested that "none of the people who were in the United States with President Erdoğan in 2017 and participated in physical attacks on American citizens—including those protesting lawfully, our secret service, our diplomatic service, and our law enforcement officials—will be allowed into the United States again this week.""At least eleven people were injured throughout the day, including law enforcement personnel who every day defend Americans' constitutional rights and physical safety," Cheney wrote.The letter comes in advance of a planned White House visit by Erdogan this Wednesday.TPPD agents have a history of confrontational incidents on U.S. soil. In 2016, TPPD officers attacked journalists at a Brookings Institution event, and in 2011, they attacked U.N. security personnel at U.N. headquarters in New York.Pompeo on Monday said that President Trump will raise the topic of Turkey's recent invasion of Syria in his meeting with Erdogan."We will talk about what transpired there and how we can do our level best collectively to ensure the protection of all of those in Syria, not just the Kurds, but everyone in Syria," Pompeo told cadets at The Citadel after delivering a Veterans Day speech.
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| 51 children injured in chemical attack at China kindergarten Posted: 11 Nov 2019 11:54 PM PST  More than 50 people, mostly children, were injured by a man who broke into a kindergarten in southwest China and sprayed them with corrosive liquid, local authorities said Tuesday. The suspect, a 23-year-old surnamed Kong, entered the kindergarten by climbing a wall before spraying victims with sodium hydroxide, said local authorities in Kaiyuan city, Yunnan province. The attack took place on Monday at 3:35 pm (0735 GMT), authorities said on their Twitter-like Weibo account.
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| Zimbabwe says 200 elephants have now died amid drought Posted: 12 Nov 2019 06:11 AM PST  More than 200 elephants have died amid a severe drought, Zimbabwe's parks agency said on Tuesday, and a mass relocation of animals is planned to ease congestion. Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesman Tinashe Farawo said at least 200 elephants have died in vast Hwange National Park alone since October and other parks are affected. Many animals are straying from Zimbabwe's parks into nearby communities in search of food and water.
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| Hillary Clinton: I Want to Hug Meghan Markle After ‘Racist’ Abuse in Britain Posted: 12 Nov 2019 05:26 AM PST  SAMUEL CORUMHillary Clinton has said she wishes she could hug Meghan Markle as she accused the mainstream British media of participating in a cycle of abuse against her motivated by racism and sexism.The former first lady and presidential candidate was appearing on BBC radio in Britain to promote a new book she has written with her daughter, Chelsea, about "gutsy" women.Don't Expect Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Media War to Simmer Down SoonHillary said the abuse she had suffered was "heartbreaking and wrong" and said she was in no doubt there was a racial element to the abuse she has endured since starting a relationship with Harry in 2016 and marrying him in 2018.Meghan and Harry have been outspoken in their criticism of the press: Meghan is suing the Mail on Sunday after alleging the paper unlawfully published a private letter to her father, while the prince is bringing a separate case alleging phone-hacking.Asked to comment on her legal action, Chelsea Clinton said: "We each have to do what we think is the right thing for ourselves and in her case I would imagine for her son… I think absolutely there's a racist and a sexist element to what's going on here." Hillary added that "race was clearly an element" in some of the social-media backlash Meghan had faced since her relationship with the prince began in 2016, and that traditional media had amplified that. "To think that some of your, what we would call mainstream media, actually allowed that to be printed in their pages, or amplified, was heartbreaking and wrong. "She is an amazing young woman, she has an incredible life story. She has stood up for herself, she has made her own way in the world. And then she falls in love, and he falls in love with her, and everybody should be celebrating that because it is a true love story."I feel as a mother I just want to put my arms around her. Oh my God, I want to hug her. I want to tell her to hang in there, don't let those bad guys get you down."Clinton suggested that Meghan could employ "some humor, some deflection" to better cope with negative attention.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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| Judge dismisses Trump's suit to block New York law that could spring his state tax returns Posted: 11 Nov 2019 11:33 AM PST  A federal judge on Monday threw out a bid by President Donald Trump to prevent House Democrats from tapping a recently passed New York law to obtain his state tax filings. Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, agreed with Democrats that his Washington, D.C., court was the wrong place to hear the case. Nichols ruled his court doesn't have jurisdiction because the New York officials charged with administering the law have too little connection to the capital.
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| Supreme Court weighs whether Mexican family can sue in US Posted: 12 Nov 2019 12:22 PM PST  The Supreme Court's left-leaning justices on Tuesday appeared willing to allow a lawsuit filed by the parents of a Mexican teenager shot over the border by an American agent, but the case will depend on whether they can persuade a conservative colleague to join them. The high court heard arguments in a 2010 case where Border Patrol Agent Jesus Mesa Jr. fired into Mexico, striking and killing Sergio Adrian Hernandez Guereca. Mesa rode up on a bicycle, took Sergio's friend into custody, then fired across the border, killing Sergio with a gunshot wound to the face.
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| Chinese land deal in Solomon's Guadalcanal disrupts access to WWII site Posted: 11 Nov 2019 10:49 PM PST  Tour operators and the Japanese ambassador to the Solomons say it appears to be a case of a lack of understanding of the significance of the Alligator Creek site by the new owner. The issue has stirred up debate in the Solomons concerning its new relationship with China, which was formalized in September following the Pacific island nation's decision to sever its diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of Beijing.
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| Former Bolivia president Evo Morales flees to Mexico as country descends into chaos Posted: 12 Nov 2019 02:28 AM PST  Former Bolivian president Evo Morales has flown to Mexico after fleeing his South American homeland which has descended into chaos following an allegedly rigged election.
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| Tinder date says accused ‘suffocated her during sex’ Posted: 11 Nov 2019 08:03 AM PST  A woman who went on a Tinder date with the man accused of murdering British backpacker Grace Millane has said she feared for her life during their sexual encounter.
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| Ghana reverses 'premature' recognition of Kosovo Posted: 12 Nov 2019 06:43 AM PST  Ghana has revoked its "premature" recognition of Kosovo -- a move backed by Serbia, which opposes statehood for the former Yugoslav province. "The government of Ghana has decided to withdraw Ghana's recognition of Kosovo as an independent state," deputy foreign minister Charles Owiredu told AFP on Tuesday. The reasons were communicated to Serbia in a letter, he said.
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| Taiwan Wants American F-16V Fighters but Will Washington Sell Them? Posted: 11 Nov 2019 10:00 PM PST  Taipei is worried about China.
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| Trump Considered Firing Intelligence Community IG after He Reported Whistleblower Complaint to Congress: Report Posted: 12 Nov 2019 03:03 PM PST  President Trump considered firing Intelligence Community inspector general Michael Atkinson after Atkinson reported the whistleblower complaint that touched off the House's presidential-impeachment inquiry to Congress, according to the New York Times.According to the report, Trump originally discussed firing Atkinson in September, at about the time the whistleblower complaint became public. Sources cited by the Times said that Trump has continued to bring up the possibility of firing Atkinson, and that he considers the IG to be disloyal.Two people familiar with the matter said they thought Trump was just venting frustration by bringing up the subject. The White House and Atkinson's office declined to comment on the matter.Democrats are currently conducting an impeachment inquiry centered on allegations that Trump withheld military aid from Ukraine to pressure the country to investigate corruption allegations involving Hunter Biden, the son of Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden. The whistleblower complaint conveyed concerns over the content of a July 25 phone conversation between Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as measures taken by the Trump administration to restrict access to the transcript of the call.Trump made the transcript public one day before the whistleblower complaint was revealed to Congress. The transcript showed that Trump repeatedly urged Zelensky to investigate Biden over the course of the call.Atkinson has come under fire from Trump during the impeachment inquiry."The Whistleblower's lawyer is a big Democrat. The Whistleblower has ties to one of my DEMOCRAT OPPONENTS," Trump wrote on Twitter on October 9. "Why does the ICIG allow this scam to continue?"
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| The Latest: Mother of missing girl charged with neglect Posted: 12 Nov 2019 04:02 PM PST  Authorities say they've charged the mother of a missing 5-year-old Florida girl with child neglect and giving false information to investigators. Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams announced the charges against Brianna Williams during a news conference Tuesday evening. Taylor Rose Williams was reported missing from her Jacksonville, Florida, home last Wednesday.
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