| Mueller Reiterates ‘The Report Is My Testimony,’ Calls Demand for a Prosecutor to Testify ‘Unusual’ Posted: 24 Jul 2019 07:01 AM PDT  In his opening statement before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday morning, special counsel Robert Mueller again stated that he would not comment on aspects of his investigation into Russian election interference that were not included in his final report, and noted that it is "unusual" to compel a prosecutor to testify about an investigation."I do not intend to summarize or describe the results of our work in a different way in the course of my testimony today. As I said on May 29: the report is my testimony. And I will stay within that text," Mueller said in his opening statement. "And as I stated in May, I also will not comment on the actions of the Attorney General or of Congress. I was appointed as a prosecutor, and I intend to adhere to that role and to the Department's standards that govern it."Mueller held a press conference in May to announce that he was stepping down as special counsel following a nearly two-year investigation. During the press conference, Mueller made clear that he would not provide any information related to the investigation that was not included in the report, prompting congressional Republicans and allies of the president to question the utility of his testifying before Congress.However, House Democrats, led by Judiciary Committee chairman Jerry Nadler, insisted that Mueller appear before the panel, and engaged in months of negotiations with Mueller's team to secure his cooperation.Mueller's team reportedly resisted Nadler's efforts to compel the special counsel to speak to a range of issues, including whether the president would have been charged with obstruction of justice absent Department of Justice guidelines that prohibit the indictment of a sitting president.During his opening statement, Mueller hinted at his hesitance to testify about the investigation, calling Nadler's request "unusual" and reiterating that his office was unable to reach a determination as to whether the president illegally obstructed his investigation."Finally, as described in Volume 2 of our report, we investigated a series of actions by the President towards the investigation. Based on Justice Department policy and principles of fairness, we decided we would not make a determination as to whether the President committed a crime," Mueller said. "That was our decision then and it remains our decision today. Let me say a further word about my appearance today. It is for a prosecutor to testify about a criminal investigation, and given my role as a prosecutor, there are reasons why my testimony will necessarily be limited."
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| Father: nationwide Canada manhunt will end in son's death Posted: 24 Jul 2019 03:41 PM PDT  The grim prediction came as Canadian police said they were setting up roadblocks around the remote Manitoba town of Gillam, where the two young suspects, 19-year-old Kam McLeod and 18-year-old Bryer Schmegelsky, recently left a burnt-out vehicle they had been traveling in. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Cpl. Julie Courchaine said police "are coming from all over" to Gillam, which is more than 2,000 miles away from a region in northern British Columbia where an initial burnt-out vehicle was found last Friday and the three people were apparently killed.
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| 'Free from this nightmare': Prisoner released after rape victim's startling revelation Posted: 24 Jul 2019 10:27 AM PDT  James Clay had begun serving a 25 - 50 year prison sentence for rape based on DNA. He was released following a Free Press investigation into his case.
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| Israel condemns attacks on Saudi guest Posted: 23 Jul 2019 09:53 AM PDT  Israeli government officials on Tuesday condemned Palestinians who hurled abuse and chairs at a Saudi blogger visiting Jerusalem as a guest of the Jewish state. The Saudi visitor, named by Israeli public radio as Mohammed Saud, was one of six invitees from Arab states brought to Israel by its foreign ministry to give them fresh viewpoints on the country. Hassan Kabia, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesman, called it "barbaric" behaviour.
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| Sorry, AOC: Moderate House Democrats Have Their Own Climate Plan Posted: 23 Jul 2019 01:03 PM PDT  House Democrats rolled out a climate agenda Tuesday as their caucus attempts to draw a distinction between New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's approach to tackling global warming and a more moderate plan.Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee announced they would pursue legislation calling for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, a far less ambitious plan than the Green New Deal, which aims to complete the emissions target by 2030. Democrats criticized Ocasio-Cortez's idea during the roll-out."The majority of the Democratic caucus is behind aggressive, but not socialist, climate policies," Paul Bledsoe, who advised former President Bill Clinton on climate issues, told reporters, according to Bloomberg. "They worry the Green New Deal rhetoric could alienate rather than attract swing voters needed in 2020.""The climate crisis is here, and it requires serious federal leadership that's up for the challenge," Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey told reporters.Reps. Paul Tonko, head of the Environment and Climate Change subcommitee, and Bobby Rush of Illinois, head of the energy subcommittee joined Pallone in the press conference. Ocasio-Cortez didn't attend, Bloomberg reported.The GND, as it has come to be known, sought for a "10-year national mobilization" to shift the country to 100% "zero-emission energy sources" — a lofty mission given that fossil fuels account for more than 80% of U.S. energy consumption in 2018.
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| U.S. coal miners discouraged by black lung meeting with McConnell Posted: 23 Jul 2019 04:02 AM PDT  A group of coal miners afflicted with black lung disease met with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday as part of an effort to convince lawmakers to restore a higher excise tax on coal companies to help fund their medical care, but several said the meeting left them discouraged. McConnell, the Republican leader who represents Kentucky - one of the states that has seen a rebound in the progressive respiratory illness - told them their benefits would be safe but gave no assurances about the excise tax and left without answering questions or offering details, several of the miners who attended the meeting said. "We rode up here for 10 hours by bus to get some answers from him because he represents our state," said George Massey, a miner from Harlan County, Kentucky who spent two decades in the mines and is on disability.
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| China says army can be deployed at Hong Kong's request Posted: 24 Jul 2019 04:06 AM PDT  China publicly addressed the possibility of deploying the Chinese military to contain the public unrest in Hong Kong for the first time on Wednesday, suggesting that soldiers could be sent in at the request of Hong Kong officials. China's defence ministry said it is closely following the developments in the former British colony and pointed out that the government of Hong Kong has the legal right to call in Chinese military to maintain social order in the city. The comments came at a press conference introducing China new defence white paper. Asked how the ministry would handle the situation in Hong Kong, a spokesman said only that "Article 14 of the garrison law has clear stipulations". Although he did not explicitly offer to send in the military, the comments mark a change in tone in recent days following alarming violence blamed on triad gangs in Hong Kong at the weekend. Beijing has up until now suggested that Hong Kong authorities can deal with the growing unrest themselves, and has refrained from mentioning Article 14 and the highly controversial deployment of soldiers. Hong Kong protests | Read more Article 14 of Hong Kong's Basic Law, the city's mini-constitution, states: "Military forces stationed by the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for defence shall not interfere in the local affairs of the Region." It goes on: "The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region may, when necessary, ask the Central People's Government for assistance from the garrison in the maintenance of public order and in disaster relief." The People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison has been stationed in Hong Kong since Britain returned the sovereignty of Hong Kong to China in 1997. The troop is responsible for defence duties in Hong Kong and safeguarding national sovereignty. Hong Kong government documents have estimated the number of troops is between 8,000 to 10,000 personnel. Beijing has been monitoring the situation in Hong Kong from a distance and remained hands-off during last month's mass demonstrations. The news of mass demonstrations in Hong Kong was downplayed in Chinese media. The central government offered moral support to the Hong Kong government and its police force handling weeks of social disorder. But Beijing's response has turned tougher this week after the protesters besieged the central government office in Hong Kong, which is a symbol of Beijing's sovereignty over the city. The vandalism has irked Beijing. Chinese media aired images of a defaced national emblem on state broadcast news on Tuesday, and state newspapers run editorials condemning the vandalism. They referred to the radical protesters as anarchists who directly challenge China's governing framework in Hong Kong and the central government's authority. Dr Willy Lam, China expert at the Center for China Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the change in tone was a warning to protesters. He added: "Politically, if the PLA soldiers are deployed to Hong Kong, that will mean the end of the "one country, two systems" framework to govern Hong Kong. Hong Kong will be another Chinese city with the PLA troops on the ground." China on Wednesday also blamed the US behind the public unrest in Hong Kong and warned against foreign interference, after Sunday's vandalism. "We can see that US officials are even behind such incidents," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a regular press briefing on Tuesday. The Chinese foreign ministry has reiterated that Hong Kong's affairs are China's internal affairs. Hua, asked about criticism of violence by the United States and Hong Kong's former colonial ruler, Britain, said China would not tolerate any interference. "The US should know one thing, that Hong Kong is China's Hong Kong, and we do not allow any foreign interference," she said. "We advise the US to withdraw their black hands." Mr Lam said: "There's a conspiracy theory now that the US is behind the public unrest supporting the protests in Hong Kong. It's a justification for Xi Jinping to use a draconian measure - deploying troops - to contain the public unrest in Hong Kong."
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| Black man trying to propose to his girlfriend interrupted by security guard accusing him of shoplifting Posted: 24 Jul 2019 12:21 AM PDT  Cathy-Marie Hamlet started her Facebook post with the good news: She'd gotten engaged.But her fiance kept getting interrupted, she said, as he proposed from the lawn of hard cider company Angry Orchard's tree-filled, 60-acre property in New York's Hudson Valley.Security intruded on the couple's happy moment three times to accuse Ms Hamlet's boyfriend of stealing a T-shirt, including once while he popped the question.Staffers followed Ms Hamlet and her fiance, who are black, to the parking lot as they left, the 32-year-old wrote in her post, which had been shared more than 5,000 times Tuesday afternoon. She believes they were racially profiled."I have never been so humiliated in my life," she said. "[M]yself and some of my friends left Angry Orchard in tears."Angry Orchard has replaced members of the security team involved and removed the manager who was on duty, Jessica Paar, a spokeswoman for Boston Beer Co. – Angry Orchard's owner – told The Washington Post in a statement on Tuesday.The company is also launching new, mandatory training on "security awareness and unconscious bias" for the staff."We badly mishandled the situation and our team overreacted," Ms Paar said, adding, "The situation doesn't reflect our values of respect for all and creating a welcoming environment for all our guests."Ms Paar did not immediately respond to questions clarifying the company's actions against the employees involved.Ms Hamlet wrote on Facebook that she and her fiance, identified by NBC News as Clyde Jackson, had left New York City on Sunday for Angry Orchard's farm in Walden. The occasion: Mr Jackson's 40th birthday. Six friends came along.A woman from security at the cider company approached the couple before they'd sat down at a table outside, Ms Hamlet said. The employee apologised and said she'd have to check Mr Jackson's back pocket, explaining that someone told her Mr Jackson stole a shirt from the gift store.Mr Jackson emptied out his pockets while trying to hide the ring he was about to propose with, Ms Hamlet recalled. No T-shirt was found.Mr Jackson launched into his proposal, she said, but before he could finish, the employee was back – this time saying she needed to check Ms Hamlet's bag because someone told her Mr Jackson gave her the stolen item.Ms Hamlet said she did as asked, even though her bag was too small to fit a shirt. But she questioned the woman's motives: "I know you're just doing your job, but I can't help but wonder if this is because we're Black," her Facebook post said. "We're the only Black people here at your establishment."The woman denied that race was a factor and went away, Ms Hamlet said, leaving Mr Jackson to finish his proposal – and her to accept. People cheered. The friends who accompanied the couple to the farm joined them, hugging and congratulating the newly engaged couple.That's when the Angry Orchard employee came back a third time, Ms Hamlet said. The security woman said that she hadn't realised the friends were a group and that now she'd need to check all of their purses and pockets. More security workers came over, and Ms Hamlet says she found her party facing six employees who claimed patrons, too, had witnessed Mr Jackson stealing a T-shirt."I felt humiliated, especially after one of my white friends made a point of asking them to check her bag for the T-shirt, but they refused to do so," Ms Hamlet told NBC."Call the police! I saw you steal it," Ms Hamlet said one of the security people shouted to another.When Ms Hamlet told the employees to check their security cameras – which the staff said existed – the employees started filming the group and took a picture of Ms Hamlet's license plate, according to Hamlet. Asked whether Angry Orchard had reviewed security footage, Ms Paar said she would have to look into it.With the dispute escalating, the couple and their friends "decided to leave rather than be attacked," Ms Hamlet wrote online, saying she has "no reason to steal a $28 T-shirt."She vowed not to drink Angry Orchard again.Angry Orchard said in a statement tweeted out Tuesday that it began investigating the incident Ms Hamlet described as soon as it learned about the events. The security team involved "approached a group of guests based on what they thought was credible information at the time," Angry Orchard said in an earlier statement to People magazine.Ms Paar said she reached out to Ms Hamlet on Monday and spoke with her on the phone to apologise.Ms Hamlet did not respond to a request for a comment, and Mr Jackson could not be reached.Angry Orchard was the latest company to scramble to address stories of employees singling out black customers. Starbucks faced accusations of racial profiling last year after a store manager called the police on two black men as they waited for a meeting.The incident led the coffee chain to close more than 8,000 US stores for a day-long staff training on racial bias. Companies like Sephora, Saks Fifth Avenue, Old Navy and Walmart have grappled with similar scandals, responding with investigations, new training and firings amid outrage.Eric Yaverbaum, chairman at public relations firm Ericho Communications, said he thinks Ms Hamlet's story should prompt other companies to think more proactively about addressing racial profiling with their employees – to prevent incidents, rather than apologise afterward."The worst time to prepare is when the tide's rising," he added. "The tide's rising on this issue, period ... Address that in your workplace before it becomes a problem."Ms Hamlet's dismay at Angry Orchard was about more than the spoiling of a joyful day, and she closed her Facebook post by telling the company that if they didn't want black patrons, it should "put a sign on the door so that we know we are not welcome."She told NBC: "It's sad that in 2019 we still need to have these conversations."The Washington Post
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| How to get your settlement from the Equifax data breach Posted: 24 Jul 2019 07:34 AM PDT  The company has agreed to a $700 million settlement and you may be owed up to $20,000.
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| Videos of water being dumped on police officers create stir Posted: 23 Jul 2019 12:30 PM PDT  Cellphone videos of people brazenly dousing uniformed New York Police Department patrolmen with water have sparked outrage and led police officials to urge the force not to tolerate the behavior. Asked about the dousings in an interview Monday with local news channel NY1, de Blasio responded that "they are two very different incidents, one of which was not confrontational, the other of which was.
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| 'Racist'? UPenn Prof. Amy Wax says U.S. better with more white than non-white immigrants Posted: 23 Jul 2019 12:19 PM PDT  Amy Wax said more immigration leads to dirtier cities. Penn Law's dean said comments were bigoted and possibly racist, but didn't address her tenure.
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| Israel fires missiles into south Syria: state media Posted: 23 Jul 2019 07:10 PM PDT  An Israeli missile attack targeted Syrian military positions held by the government and its allies early on Wednesday, Syria's state news agency said. The missiles were fired into the south of the country close to the Golan Heights, an area occupied and annexed by Israel. The attacks were earlier described as "probably Israeli" by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, who said they targeted Tall al-Hara in Daraa province, south of Damascus, and two areas in the neighbouring province of Quneitrathe.
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| Iran is ready to negotiate but not if negotiations mean surrender: Iran president Posted: 24 Jul 2019 01:14 AM PDT  Iran is ready for "just" negotiations but not if they mean surrender, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday, without saying what talks he had in mind. Rouhani seemed to be referring to possible negotiations with the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Iran last year but has said he is willing to hold talks with the Islamic Republic.
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| Border Patrol Has Kept a Teenage U.S. Citizen Locked Up for Nearly a Month Posted: 23 Jul 2019 01:15 PM PDT  Despite his family's lawyer providing his U.S. birth certificate, law enforcement refuses to release him.
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| The Curious Case of a Black Man Wanted for Murdering a White Child in Small-Town America Posted: 23 Jul 2019 05:00 PM PDT  HBOOral "Nick" Hillary is a military veteran and All-American collegiate soccer player (and Division III national champion) who, in 2011, became the prime suspect in the murder of his former girlfriend Tandy Cyrus' older son, 12-year-old Garrett Phillips. There was no physical evidence linking him to the crime, nor any rational motive, but police zeroed in on him almost exclusively from the start. In the tiny upstate New York town of Potsdam, Nick soon became notorious for supposedly committing this heinous slaying. Almost three years later, on February 2, 2015, he was indicted for the crime, this despite the case against him being completely circumstantial.Nick, by the way, is black. And the Potsdam community is predominantly white.Race is the prime factor of Liz Garbus' excellent new two-part HBO documentary Who Killed Garrett Phillips? (premiering July 23 and 24), since numerous elements of its story suggest that the color of Nick's skin played a big part in his eventual prosecution. Yet while the latest from director Garbus (What Happened, Miss Simone?) is, first and foremost, a saga about criminal justice system inequity, it's also something more: an unsolved mystery about the death of a young boy that's woefully short on concrete answers.What's known for certain is that on the afternoon of Monday, Oct. 24, 2011, between approximately 4:55 p.m. and 5:08 p.m., Garrett Phillips was fatally strangled and suffocated in his apartment at 100 Market Street (he passed away from his injuries approximately two hours later at the hospital). Hearing disquieting noises from Garrett's place, neighbors called the police. The responding officer thought he heard sounds coming from inside. Once he gained entry, however, all he found was Garrett, as well as signs that the perpetrator had jumped out a rear window to the street below.'Behind Closed Doors': How a 13-Year-Old Girl's Murder Ignited Class WarfareThe Wildly Popular TV Host Accused of Killing People to Boost His RatingsThere were no eyewitnesses, but trace amounts of DNA were discovered beneath Garrett's fingernails. After speaking to the Phillips family, detectives quickly focused on Nick, a father of five who'd begun dating Tandy after meeting her at a bar, and whose relationship with her had ended over reported tensions between him and Tandy's two boys. Nick had an alibi (he was at home with his eldest daughter, and then beginning at 5:21 p.m., with his friend/colleague Ian), and his DNA didn't match what was found on Garrett. He also had no reason to commit murder, unless one believed that he wanted revenge against Garrett because he blamed the boy for his split with Tandy.Nonetheless, rather than chasing any other leads or considering other possible suspects, the Potsdam cops made Nick their sole target. In damning video presented by Who Killed Garrett Phillips?, local and state police officers call Nick in for an interview under false pretenses, then grill him on his culpability, and finally physically bar him from leaving—and, shortly thereafter, force him to strip nude for photos. They do this to see if he has injuries consistent with a scuffle with Garrett or a fall from a tall window. But given that cops later testify that such a practice was never used before, it reeks of demonizing intimidation. The fix is in, it seems, and that impression only mounts when District Attorney Nicole Duvé decides to not arrest Nick (due to lack of evidence)—and, as a result, loses an election to new DA Mary Rains, who campaigned on the promise of bringing Nick to justice.That it takes nearly 30 months to indict Nick—this after a first indictment is thrown out because Rains harassed Nick's daughter during a deposition—is merely one of many signs that something crooked is being perpetrated in Potsdam. Guided by interviews with nearly all of the principals involved (save for Tandy), Who Killed Garrett Phillips? is a real-time portrait of a racially charged railroading. The DA's office refuses to recognize the flimsiness of their circumstantial case, which is almost wholly predicated on security camera footage of Garrett skateboarding in the school parking lot minutes before his death, and Nick leaving the same area moments later in his car. Their central argument: because Nick turned left out of the lot, in the direction of Garrett, rather than turning right to return directly home (which is where he claimed he went), he was clearly "hunting" the boy minutes before the murder.Nick's inability to properly explain this behavior/discrepancy is certainly suspicious. As Garbus' film elucidates, though, it's the only thing that casts doubt on his innocence; even a late DNA test that links him to the homicide (after numerous prior exculpatory ones) proves inadmissible in court. Consequently, reasonable doubt is pervasive, and that's underscored by numerous scenes, shot over years, of Nick caring for his kids with devotion and compassion, even in the face of enormous community vilification.Nick Hillary, one of the subjects of the HBO documentary Who Killed Garrett Phillips? HBOWho Killed Garrett Phillips?'s access to Nick, his lawyers, Garrett's relatives, news reporters and the trial itself is comprehensive, and its timeline-centric storytelling is lucid and nerve-wracking. If the film feels like it sides with Nick's position, it's because of both the time it gets to spend with him, and his persuasive declarations of innocence. No matter how often police officers and prosecutors contend that Nick is a cold-blooded murderer, the person seen through Garbus' lens comes across as a Wronged Man. Which means, per The New York Times' Albany Bureau Chief Jesse McKinley, that either Nick is a pathological fiend, or there's still a killer on the loose—two options that are equally chilling.Like many recent true-crime series, Who Killed Garrett Phillips? is a tale without a definitive conclusion. Still, there's no escaping the fact that, in this instance, police bias seems to have heavily influenced the circus that erupted in and around Potsdam. Nowhere is that more evident than with regard to John Jones, a sheriff's deputy who had dated Tandy until she left him for Nick, and whose role in immediate post-murder events—calling dispatchers to get intel on what was happening; staying with Tandy overnight and then accompanying her, hand in hand, to police interviews—was more than a bit fishy. Jones had a clear motive to both kill Garrett and frame Nick—namely, his furious resentment at having been replaced by a black man—but he barely registered on his fellow cops' radar. And when Jones was photographed by cops, you won't be surprised to hear, he was allowed to keep his clothes on.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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| Temperature records broke in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands today Posted: 24 Jul 2019 11:15 AM PDT  It's back. After a June heat wave smashed national temperature records in France and broke historic June records across Europe, a mass of hot air has returned to the continent. On Wednesday, the Netherlands Meteorological Institute reported that the nation's all-time temperature record, which stood for the last 75 years, fell as temperatures hit 101.8 degrees Fahrenheit (38.8 C).Belgium broke its national heat record too, as temperatures reached 103.8 F (39.9 C), reported David Dehenauw, the head of forecasting at the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium. And the the German Meteorological Service announced its highest temperature in recorded history, of 104.9 degrees Fahrenheit (40.5 C).The Germany weather agency noted that this brand new record might last for one day.That's because there's substantially more heat to come. On Thursday, the UK Met Office expects temperatures to reach over 102 F (39 C), easily toppling the nation's previous temperature record by nearly 1 degree F. Meanwhile, France's weather agency, Meteo-France, predicts temperatures could reach 107.6 F (42 C) in Paris. This would smash the previous Parisian record of 40.4 C, set over 70 years ago. (Paris has temperature records going back to 1658, when Louis the Great reigned over the country.)> WednesdayWisdom > How much hotter are our summers and how has our climate changed? https://t.co/m8SpULkRFQ pic.twitter.com/beZxhXSdfS> > -- Met Office (@metoffice) July 24, 2019While heat waves are natural occurrences -- typically caused by persistent weather patterns that allow big zones of high pressure to settle over a region and bring clear skies and warm air -- Earth's relentlessly rising levels of background warming amplify heat waves, like an athlete pumping performance-enhancing drugs. This means that historic temperatures are expected to fall, have been falling, and will continue to fall. "Global temperatures are increasing due to climate change and this means that Europe can expect more record-breaking heatwaves in the future," Len Shaffrey, a climate scientist at the University of Reading in the UK, told Mashable during June's heat wave.SEE ALSO: Climate change will ruin train tracks and make travel hellBoosted global temperatures have at least doubled the probability of heat extremes in Europe, similar to last summer's scorching events, Shaffrey added.Over the last 100 years, Europe has experienced an increase in heat waves. Since 1500 AD, the region's five hottest summers have occurred in 2018, 2016, 2010, 2003, and 2002. European warming is right in line with the overall warming trend seen around the globe: Since 2001,18 of the last 19 years have been the warmest on record. June 2019 rounded out as the warmest June in 139 years of record keeping. July could soon follow in its footsteps, meaning this July is in the running to be the hottest month ever recorded.UPDATE: July 24, 2019, 3:44 p.m. EDT: This story was updated to include Germany's temperature record. WATCH: Meet Katie Bouman, one of the scientists who helped capture the first black hole image
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| Oklahoma City teens chase, attack family of undocumented immigrants with BB guns Posted: 24 Jul 2019 08:45 AM PDT  A family of undocumented immigrants was injured Monday after teens wielding BBguns allegedly chased them around an Oklahoma City neighborhood
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| Lawmaker, conservative group seek ethics probes of Rep. Omar Posted: 23 Jul 2019 12:23 PM PDT  A Minnesota state legislator and a conservative group announced Tuesday that they are seeking ethics investigations into U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar for a range of alleged offenses. Steve Drazkowski, a Republican, and Judicial Watch both say Omar may have committed immigration fraud by marrying someone they say is her brother. Omar, a Minnesota Democrat who came to the U.S. as a refugee from Somalia, previously denied the allegation and called such claims "disgusting lies." A spokesman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
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| Biden Fires Back at Booker on Crime Record: Campaign Update Posted: 24 Jul 2019 01:41 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Vice President Joe Biden parried criticism of his criminal justice record from Cory Booker, saying that his Democratic presidential rival had been responsible for controversial law-and-order policies while mayor of Newark, New Jersey."His police department was stopping and frisking people, mostly African American men," Biden told reporters in Dearborn, Michigan, on Wednesday. "If he wants to go back and talk about records I'm happy to do that but I'd rather talk about the future."Earlier Wednesday, Booker repeated a charge that Biden had been "an architect of mass incarceration" because of his role in crafting a 1994 tough-on-crime bill as a senator. Booker, who is African American, served as mayor of Newark from 2006 to 2013, when he was elected to the U.S. Senate.Biden said he was eager to take on Booker when the two candidates share the stage for the first time at the second Democratic debate next week. "I'm happy to debate with anybody the effects of the things that I did as a United States senator, as I did as a vice president in terms of dealing with the criminal justice system and dealing fairly with people across the board."Weld Warns GOP Could Become 'Party of Racism'Bill Weld, who is mounting a long-shot effort to wrest the 2020 Republican nomination from President Donald Trump, said the GOP could soon be seen as "the party of racism.""Unless the national Republican Party in Washington expressly, expressly rejects the racism of Donald Trump, it will become universally viewed as the party of racism in America," Weld said at a presidential town hall hosted by the NAACP in Detroit.Trump has overwhelming support among Republican voters and is likely to coast to renomination. In an average of polls by RealClearPolitics, the president beats Weld by about 72 percentage points.Weld, a former governor of Massachusetts, said it was "not a political choice" for the party but rather "a moral choice." -- Sahil KapurTrump Fundraising Email Cites Mueller TestimonyPresident Donald Trump's re-election effort is using former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's appearance before Congress to try to raise $2 million in 24 hours.The Trump Make America Great Committee sent a fundraising email as Mueller was testifying Wednesday, asking for contributions to "CRUSH our goal and send a powerful message to the entire nation that this WITCH HUNT must end."Mueller is testifying "right now, and the Democrats and Corrupt Media are going to pull out all the stops to try and TRICK the American People into believing their LIES," the email, signed by Trump, said. "How many times do I have to be exonerated before they stop?"Democratic Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, asked Mueller at the beginning of the hearing about Trump's repeated assertions that the special counsel's report exonerated him. "That is not what the report said," Mueller said. -- Mark NiquetteBooker Takes Another Swipe at Biden's Crime PlanCory Booker on Wednesday took another swipe at Joe Biden, saying his presidential rival had been "an architect of mass incarceration" while serving in the Senate two decades ago."I'm disappointed that it's taken Joe Biden years and years until he was running for president to actually say that he made a mistake, that there were things in that bill that were extraordinarily bad," Booker told reporters during the NAACP National Convention in Detroit, where 11 presidential candidates, including front-runner Biden, were scheduled to speak.Booker, an African American senator from New Jersey, made the comments one day after Biden released a criminal justice proposal that would reverse several key elements of a tough-on-crime bill that he helped pass in 1994. That measure has been criticized by Booker and other candidates for contributing to the disproportionate imprisonment of minorities.Biden has recently lost some ground with black voters, though he retains a strong lead. Booker and other contenders are eager to further cut into his support from a constituency that is crucial to winning the presidential nomination. -- Misyrlena EgkolfopoulouO'Rourke Education Plan Aims at Racial GapsDemocratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourkereleased a $500 billion plan Wednesday he said would close racial and income-based funding gaps in the U.S. education system.The former Texas representative said in a statement the proposal would also ban corporal punishment in schools, invest in "restorative justice" and educate teachers to address bias."The effects of a system where students of color are disciplined at alarmingly higher rates than white students, where funding favors white school districts over nonwhite districts, or where white teachers far outnumber black teachers live on well beyond students leaving the classroom," he said in the statement.O'Rourke is among the 11 Democratic candidates who will speak Wednesday at NAACP's Presidential Candidates Forum in Detroit, as they compete for the support of African Americans, who account for 20% of the party's voters and are crucial to winning the presidential nomination. -- Terrence DoppCandidates Vie for Black Vote at NAACP ForumThe leading Democratic candidates will make their case to the NAACP National Convention on Wednesday, as they compete for a voting bloc that accounts for 20% of the party's voters and is crucial to winning the presidential nomination.The event in Detroit will feature 11 of the two dozen contenders, including the race's top tier: former Vice President Joe Biden, along with Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris. Biden, the front-runner, has recently lost some ground with black voters, though he retains a strong lead. The other candidates are likely to use the forum to try to further cut into that support.Several candidates have recently released policy proposals on issues of particular concern to African Americans. On Tuesday, Biden unveiled a criminal justice proposal that reversed several key elements of a tough-on-crime bill that he helped pass in 1994 as a senator from Delaware. The measure has been criticized for contributing to the mass incarceration of minorities.Biden's backing among black voters dropped sharply after a heated exchange in the first candidate debate in Miami last month when Harris grabbed the spotlight by criticizing his past positions on racial issues, including his stance on busing and his comments about working with segregationist senators earlier in his career.The NAACP forum could be a warm-up for a more direct confrontation for Biden at the second round of debates in Detroit next week, when he will be on stage with Harris and Senator Cory Booker, who are both black.The NAACP event Wednesday will also include Pete Buttigieg, Julián Castro, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O'Rourke, John Delaney and Bill Weld. -- Misyrlena EgkolfopoulouHere's What Happened on Tuesday:Warren introduced her student loan relief plan as a bill in the Senate, proposing to eliminate as much as $50,000 of student loan debt for borrowers making less than $100,000 a year. Higher-income borrowers would also get some benefit, with those making $100,000 to $250,000 getting one-third of their loans canceled. Warren said 95% of student loan borrowers would get at least some of their loans forgiven. Warren has proposed a wealth tax to pay for the measure.Coming Up This Week:Biden, Booker, Delaney, Klobuchar and Tim Ryan appear at a forum at the National Urban League Conference in Indianapolis on Thursday.Kirsten Gillibrand and Harris appear on Friday.\--With assistance from Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou, Terrence Dopp, Mark Niquette and Sahil Kapur.To contact the reporter on this story: Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou in Washington at megkolfopoul@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Max BerleyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| See Photos of the 2020 Audi Q3 Sportback Posted: 24 Jul 2019 06:00 AM PDT |
| Infernal affairs: how triads embraced communist China Posted: 23 Jul 2019 02:44 AM PDT  The savage beating of Hong Kong protesters by a mob of triad gangsters has deepened fears about the city's notorious criminal gangs and the use of shadowy hired muscle to defend China's interests. At least 45 people were hospitalised after Sunday's attack when men armed with poles and rods assaulted anti-government protesters in the rural town of Yuen Long as they returned from another huge rally. For seasoned watchers of Hong Kong and its shadowy nexus of organised crime, the brazen beatings came as little surprise.
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| Trump administration proposed rule would cut 3 million people from food stamps Posted: 22 Jul 2019 09:12 PM PDT  CHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Tuesday proposed a rule to tighten food stamp eligibility that would cut about 3.1 million people from the program, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials said, drawing ire from Democratic senators and advocacy groups. The administration has been rolling out rule changes related to the food stamps, known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), after efforts to pass new restrictions on it were blocked by Congress last year. The program provides free food to some 40 million Americans, or about 12 percent of the total U.S. population.
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| Fact: U.S. and Israeli F-15s Went to War in a Simulated Fight. Who Won? Posted: 23 Jul 2019 12:58 PM PDT  Noteworthy according to Times of Israel IAF Red Air gave the Blue forces a tough time during defensive missions to protect Blue forces and installations.Twelve F-15Es assigned to 494th Fighter Squadron from Royal Air Force (RAF) Lakenheath, England recently completed biannual training in Israel in support of exercise Juniper Falcon. As told by Tech. Sgt. Matthew Plew, 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs, in the article U.S. Forces complete Juniper Falcon 17-2, the Strike Eagles flew missions with the Israeli Air Force (IAF) accomplishing training on Defense Counter Air (DCA), Interdiction, Large Force Exercise (LFE), and Electronic Warfare (EW) range work.
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| Fire close to nuke facilities in Idaho shifts away in wind Posted: 24 Jul 2019 05:17 PM PDT  The largest wildfire at the nation's primary nuclear research facility in recent history had been burning close to buildings containing nuclear fuel and other radioactive material but a change in wind direction Wednesday was pushing the flames into open range at the sprawling site in Idaho, officials said. The lightning-caused fire at the Idaho National Laboratory is one of several across the U.S. West. Before the wind shifted, the Idaho blaze got close to several lab facilities, including one where high-level radioactive materials are studied and another holding a nuclear reactor, spokeswoman Kerry Martin said.
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| In chaotic scene, ex-judge dragged from Cincinnati courtroom, sentenced to jail Posted: 23 Jul 2019 03:01 PM PDT  Chaos erupted in a Cincinnati court when a former judge had to be dragged from the room as she was sentenced to a six-month jail term.
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| Europe's heatwave: Eurostar trains breaks down as records tumble in Belgium, Netherlands and Germany Posted: 24 Jul 2019 10:58 AM PDT  Eurostar trains broke down, tigers in zoos were fed chicken ice cubes, and France warned that Notre-Dame was at the risk of collapse on Wednesday, as Europe sweltered under a record-breaking heatwave. For the second time in a month, a high pressure system drew scorching air from the Sahara desert, breaking heat records for Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, while France risked doing the same. In the Netherlands, the temperature reached 39.1C, breaking the previous record of 38.6C set in August 1944, while in Belgium, the mercury struck 38.9C, beating the previous high of 36.6C from June 1947 in records dating back to 1833. In Germany the temperature soared to 40.5C (104.9F) in western Geilenkirchenthe, surpassing the previous record of 40.3 (104.5) In Paris, the chief architect of historical monuments warned that the intense heat risked bringing down Notre-Dame cathedral, which was ravaged by a fire in April. Two men cool off in a public fountain near the Atomium during a summer hot day in Brussels Credit: AP "What I fear is that the joints or the masonry, as they dry, lose their cohesion... and all of a sudden, the vault gives way," said Philippe Villeneuve, explaining that the cathedral's stone walls were still saturated with water from firemens' hoses. Specialists are working to stabilise the cathedral's structure before reconstruction work begins. At Pairi Daiza zoo in western Belgium, keepers fed chickens inside giant ice cubes to tigers and iced watermelons to their bears. One Eurostar train broke down in Belgium due to a power failure, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded in 40C heat with no air conditioning. Eurostar said travellers were stuck for three hours before they were rescued by another train, and issued an apology. In Spain, a wildfire in the northern province of Zaragoza was almost under control, but there was a risk of further outbreaks, especially in eastern parts, where the temperature was set to rise as high as 41C. People cool off at the Trocadero Fountains next to the Eiffel Tower in Paris Credit: AFP Italian authorities issued fire alerts for the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, where temperatures were expected to climb above 40C. They also put 13 cities on their highest "red" weather alert, warning of a possible health threat for everyone - not just the frail and infirm. In Portugal, the largest fire so far this year, which raged over the weekend, was put out by more than 1,000 firefighters on Tuesday, but the country remained on high alert.
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| Newborn found on doorstep at apartment complex where another baby was left 2 years ago Posted: 24 Jul 2019 01:15 PM PDT  Orlando Police found a 1-day-old infant wrapped only in a T-shirt on front doorstep.
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| DOJ won't charge William Barr, Wilbur Ross after contempt vote Posted: 24 Jul 2019 02:50 PM PDT  Lawmakers never expected the Justice Department to prosecute its own leader.
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| Human sacrifice bridge rumours spark Bangladesh lynchings Posted: 24 Jul 2019 03:29 AM PDT  Eight people have been killed in vigilante lynchings in Bangladesh sparked by rumours on social media of children being kidnapped and sacrificed as offerings for the construction of a mega-bridge, police said Wednesday. The victims -- which include two women -- were targeted by angry mobs over the rumours, spread mostly on Facebook, that said human heads were required for the massive $3 billion project, police chief Javed Patwary said. More than 30 other people have been attacked in connection with the rumours.
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| 4 dead in southern Thailand attack on military outpost Posted: 24 Jul 2019 04:41 AM PDT  Four people were killed in an attack on a military outpost in southern Thailand, where Muslim rebels are active, Thai police said. An unknown number of assailants carried out the attack Tuesday night using firearms and explosives, triggering a gunfight that left four dead and three injured, said Pol. A Muslim separatist insurgency has left about 7,000 people dead since 2004 in Thailand's three southernmost provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala.
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| U.S. to pay $15 minimum per acre to farmers hurt by China trade war Posted: 23 Jul 2019 10:00 AM PDT  The U.S. government will pay a minimum of $15 per acre to farmers hurt by President Donald Trump's trade war with China under an aid package to be unveiled before the end of the week, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Tuesday. "We'll have information for you before the week ends," Perdue told reporters when asked about the aid, which is planned to total about $16 billion. U.S. farmers, a key Trump constituency, have been among the hardest hit in the trade war between the world's two largest economies.
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| Two men fined for eating raw squirrels to protest veganism as people begged them to stop Posted: 23 Jul 2019 08:38 AM PDT  Deonisy Khlebnikov, 22 and Gatis Lagzdins, 29, ate the squirrels, with the skin and fur still intact, at the Soho Vegan Food Market in late March.
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| ‘Fox & Friends’ Host Apparently Believes McDonald’s Workers Make Tips Posted: 23 Jul 2019 09:47 AM PDT  Reacting to Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) calling for the federal minimum wage to be raised to $20 an hour, Fox & Friends host Ainsley Earhardt insisted on Tuesday that minimum wage jobs were meant to give workers a start in the workforce before falsely claiming that fast-food workers supplement their incomes with tips.Following the House of Representatives passing a bill last week that would raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 per hour, Tlaib said that due to the price of goods and services, the true minimum wage should be "$18 to $20 an hour at this point." She also blasted the federally mandated minimum wage for tipped workers, which is currently set at $2.13 an hour.Discussing Tlaib's remarks on Fox & Friends, co-host Steve Doocy seemed genuinely surprised about tipped workers' wages, saying he "did not realize" that their minimum wage was $2.13 an hour before saying Tlaib wants to exponentially increase it. He then used a presidential contender's campaign to make a point."However, as we heard from Bernie Sanders in the last 48 hours or so," Doocy stated. "He will start paying his employees $15 an hour, but he will have to cut back their hours because they cannot afford it."Earhardt chimed in, asserting that small businesses can't afford minimum wage increases before claiming they would engage in widespread firings in wages went up significantly. Doocy, meanwhile, highlighted Congressional Budget Office estimates that showed there was a chance that increasing the minimum wage could impact unemployment.Co-host Brian Kilmeade then waxed nostalgic about his time as a busboy, saying it was "one of the best jobs" he could have breaking in because "you work hard" and "you get great tips," adding that any paycheck you get at that point is a bonus. He also had some advice to those not earning enough from one job."If one job doesn't pay enough, guess what you do, you, you get another job," he exclaimed. "That's what you do in your twenties. Having two part-time jobs while going to school is something people have done since the turn of the last century." Earhardt, meanwhile, piggybacked on Kilmeade's commentary while adding some questionable "facts" of her own. "Minimum wage job is not meant to be a career—it's meant to help you get a start," she said. "We were in high school or college when I was waiting tables. Most of those people, at very fine restaurants, that is their career, but they make tons of money."She continued: "If you're working at McDonald's or a small little restaurant where you're making tips, you are right. If you are nice to the people, you make a lot of money."Needless to say, workers at McDonald's or other similar fast-food restaurants generally don't make tips.This isn't the first time that Earhardt has made an embarrassing on-air gaffe. Last summer, she defended America's greatness by saying the United States "defeated communist Japan" in World War II.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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| Disney employee punched in face by park guest angry over FastPass at Tower of Terror Posted: 23 Jul 2019 12:50 PM PDT  It's a brawl world, after all
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| Syrian father scrambles to reach his children after airstrike in Idlib Posted: 24 Jul 2019 10:40 AM PDT  Intense bombing in the Syrian province of Idlib left a father scrambling to rescue his children while his baby daughter dangled off the edge of a destroyed building. The widely circulated photograph showed the aftermath of a Russian or Assad regime strike on the town of Ariha in western Idlib, the last rebel-held bastion in Syria. The man, Amjad al-Abdullah, looks on in horror as he tries to reach his children. His infant daughter, Rawan, is held up by a scrap of clothing while two older daughters are partially buried in the rubble. Rawan fell from the ledge and was last night in critical condition in hospital. One of her older sisters also survived the bombing and was being treated in hospital. Another sister, five-year-old Riham, was killed, according to Syrian activists. The children's mother, Asmaa, also died in the blast. A wheelchair amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following a reported regime air strike on the town of Ariha Credit: OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP/Getty Images "He was trying to calm them down and get them away from the edge but they fell in the end," said Bashar al-Sheikh, a photographer with Sy24 who took the picture. "I put the camera down and rushed to them. I have a daughter of my own the same age." The Syrian Network for Human Rights estimates that more than 600 civilians have been killed by Russian or Assad regime strikes since April, when Syrian forces began offensive to try to retake Idlib. "Civilians in northwest Syria are paying a big price in this conflict," said Mohamad Katoub, senior advocacy manager in the Syrian American Medical Society. "Our hospitals are overwhelmed with injuries, we received over 4000 injuries in SAMS hospitals in the northwest since April 26. The medical teams can hardly bear the current circumstances." The fighting has intensified in recent days and at least 59 people, including five children, were killed on Monday, according to the UN. The bloodiest airstrikes fell on the market town of Maaret al-Numan, where around 40 people died, including eight women and five children, the UN said. A number of images of wounded or dead children have gained international attention during the course of the seven-year Syrian war but none have triggered much global action. The image of Aylan Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian boy whose drowned body was found on a Turkish beach, was plastered on front pages around the world. Another image of an injured boy from Aleppo, Omran Daqneesh, also came to symbolise the suffering of children in the war.
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| FBI Chief Says China's Trying to `Steal Their Way' to Dominance Posted: 24 Jul 2019 02:18 AM PDT  FBI Director Christopher Wray told senators that China is engaging in a sweeping effort to steal its way to economic dominance, with more than 1,000 investigations underway on intellectual property theft "almost all leading back to China."
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| Send in the F-22s: Why Iran's F-14s Are No Joke Posted: 23 Jul 2019 12:56 PM PDT  The U.S. Navy retired its last Tomcat in 2006. But with its long range and powerful radar, the F-14 remains one of the world's most capable fighters. For that reason, the Americans for many years have been trying to ground the Ayatollah's F-14s.Tensions have escalated in the Persian Gulf region in the aftermath of U.S. president Donald Trump's decision unilaterally to withdraw the United States from the agreement limiting Iran's nuclear program.The U.S. military has implicated Iranian agents in several summer 2019 attacks on civilian ships sailing near Iran. The U.S. Navy sent the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and her strike group to the region. The U.S. Air Force deployed B-52 bombers and F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters.If war breaks out, American forces likely will attempt to secure Gulf air space by destroying or suppressing Iran's air forces. The regular Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force and the air wing of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps militia together operate around 700 aircraft.(This first appeared in July 2019.)The IRIAF's 1970s-vintage F-14s could be U.S. forces' first targets. According to a survey by Flight Global, the Iranian air force in 2019 operates around 24 F-14 Tomcats from a batch of 79 of the Grumman-made, swing-wing fighters that Iran acquired in the mid-1970s before the Islamic revolution.The U.S. Navy retired its last Tomcat in 2006. But with its long range and powerful radar, the F-14 remains one of the world's most capable fighters. For that reason, the Americans for many years have been trying to ground the Ayatollah's F-14s.
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| Gambia's ex-president accused of ordering migrant slaughter Posted: 23 Jul 2019 05:32 PM PDT  Gambia's former president Yahya Jammeh ordered the massacre of some 30 migrants he said were "mercenaries" sent to topple him in 2005, a member of the former strongman's hit squad told a truth commission on Tuesday. The testimony comes a day after another army officer accused Jammeh of ordering the murder of a leading journalist who worked for an independent newspaper and wrote articles about corruption that marked Jammeh's iron-fisted rule for 22 years. Omar Jallow, a former officer in the Presidential Guard, said about 45 Europe-bound migrants comprising nationals from Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo, were arrested on a beach while trying to get to Europe.
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| Mother in Myanmar girl rape case says wrong man charged Posted: 24 Jul 2019 05:37 AM PDT  The mother of a toddler raped at her nursery school in Myanmar told a court Wednesday that she believes the man charged with the crime is not the perpetrator. The mother of the girl, who was 2 years, 11 months old when she was allegedly raped in May, said at the Dakkhina Thiri District Court that when her daughter watched security video from the school, she identified two other individuals as the ones who assaulted her. The case has triggered protests, including at Wednesday's hearing, not only because of the nature of the crime but also because of the widespread belief that the suspect who has been charged, Aung Kyaw Myo, is a scapegoat.
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| They exist: rare clip shows uncontacted tribe under threat in Brazil Posted: 23 Jul 2019 02:31 PM PDT ![They exist: rare clip shows uncontacted tribe under threat in Brazil]( "They exist: rare clip shows uncontacted tribe under threat in Brazil") Rare video of one of Brazil's last uncontacted indigenous tribes has been released to help raise awareness about threats to their survival, campaigners said on Tuesday. The footage, shot by indigenous filmmaker Flay Guajajara and lasting about 1 minute, shows an Awa tribe member in the woods holding a knife, seemingly unaware he is being filmed. "This video shows that they do not want to be contacted, not even by the Guajajara," said the filmmaker, himself a member of the Guajajara tribe and part of Midia India, a charity that gives voice to indigenous communities in Brazil.
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| Beto O’Rourke Battles Meghan McCain Over Trump-Nazi Analogy Posted: 23 Jul 2019 09:43 AM PDT  The ViewBeto O'Rourke tried to ingratiate himself to Meghan McCain at the top of his latest appearance on The View. It didn't work. "Congressman, not too long ago you were a huge rising star," McCain told O'Rourke on Tuesday morning before painting a dire picture of his fledgling presidential campaign. "You're polling at zero percent. [He's actually averaging about 3 percent in recent polls.] You're trailing Marianne Williamson in the important state of New Hampshire. Your fundraising numbers have gone down by a third. This isn't great for momentum. Why do you think it's cooled?" "You know what? That's not what I feel when on the ground," O'Rourke replied before McCain cut him off to say, "Facts are stubborn things." Kamala Harris Shuts Down Meghan McCain for Siding With Joe Biden"But I think you know that at this time in many presidential races you have folks who are down in the polls, counted out, left for dead, who, through their persistence and courage and tenacity and the amazing people who comprise their campaign, rose to help lead their party and ultimately the country," he said, citing the co-host's late father Senator John McCain, who he referred to as one of his "heroes." Unimpressed, McCain replied, "Yeah, his campaign full-on imploded, it's true." Things became even more tense later in the segment when McCain brought up recent comments O'Rourke made to ABC News comparing President Trump's recent North Carolina event—where supporters chanted "Send her back!" in reference to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN)—to an "impromptu Nuremberg rally." In response to O'Rourke's denunciation of right-wing "extremism," McCain said, "You're talking about Trump supporters, comparing them to Nazis in Nuremberg, that sounds extreme to me as well. When Democrats come on here and wax poetic about extremism—I'm not saying Trump isn't doing it, but you're calling everybody who was in that North Carolina rally a Nazi. From my standpoint, it seems like the left is pretty extreme as well." Insisting that he was not calling "everyone" who was at that rally a Nazi, O'Rourke said, "We all have accountability for our actions and everyone who shouted to send them back is responsible as well." Trump May Not Be Coming for the Jews, but the Next Trump WillAs The View's audience cheered forcefully in response to that line, McCain glared at them and said, "I agree, but there were people in that rally that didn't and you're going to have to win over some of these people that voted for Obama and voted for Trump again." "You have to understand how it looks for people in the middle," she added, "thinking that maybe I don't agree with everything that the left is saying so automatically you're Nazis?" "I do''t care who you voted for last time," O'Rourke told her in response. "I don't care if you're a Trump supporter or a Republican. You're an American first before you are anything else and I call you to this country's greatness." 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 2019 BMW X2 and 2020 Range Rover Evoque Posted: 23 Jul 2019 01:14 PM PDT |
| Iowa couple receives 3-year probation after dehydrated infant found with cocaine in system Posted: 23 Jul 2019 12:15 PM PDT  An Iowa couple was sentenced to three years of probation last Thursday aftertheir then-3-month-old baby girl tested positive for cocaine, according to theDes Moines Register
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| ICE releases US citizen, 18, wrongfully detained near border Posted: 24 Jul 2019 08:05 AM PDT  Francisco Erwin Galicia left a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Pearsall, Texas, on Tuesday. Galicia lives in the border city of Edinburg, Texas, and was traveling north with a group of friends when they were stopped at a Border Patrol inland checkpoint. According to Galan and the Morning News, agents apprehended Galicia on suspicion that he was in the U.S. illegally even though he had a Texas state ID.
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| Iran's president offers Britain a quid pro quo to resolve tanker standoff Posted: 24 Jul 2019 05:32 AM PDT  Iran's president has suggested he will release the British tanker seized in the Strait of Hormuz if the UK releases an Iranian tanker seized off Gibraltar, in his most explicit offer yet to resolve the crisis through an exchange. Iran initially claimed it captured the Stena Impero last Friday for violating international maritime rules but in recent days officials have made clear that the seizure was a tit-for-tat response to UK actions in Gibraltar. Hassan Rouhani, Iran's president, said Wednesday that if Britain reverses its "wrong actions, including what they did in Gibraltar" then "they will receive a proper response from Iran". There was no immediate UK reaction to Mr Rouhani's offer. The UK has insisted that it seized the Iranian tanker because it was taking oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions, while condemning the Iranian action as "state piracy". Britain denies that it took the Iranian ship off Gibraltar at the request of the Trump administration or any other state. Meanwhile, the operator of the Stena Impero said it had been allowed to speak to the 23 crew members being held in Iran for the first time and that the sailors all appeared to be in good health. Iranian speedboats circle the Stena Impero Credit: Morteza Akhoondi "We had direct contact with the crew on board the vessel last night by telephone and they're all okay and in good health and they're getting good cooperation with the Iranians on board the vessel," said a spokesman for Stena Bulk, a Swedish shipping firm. "We see this as a first step and progress towards a resolution," the spokesman said. British officials have denied a claim by the Iranian supreme leader's chief of staff that the UK sent a mediator to try to resolve the standoff. "A country that at one time appointed ministers and lawyers in Iran has reached a point where they send a mediator and plead for their ship to be freed," said Mohammad Mohammadi-Golpayegani, a senior aide to Ayatollah Khamenei. UK officials said the claim was not true and that any communication with Iran's government would be managed by the British embassy in Tehran or through the Foreign Office. Iranian media has been transfixed by the standoff with the UK and many Iranian newspapers carried coverage of Boris Johnson's elevation to prime minister on their front pages, often comparing him to Donald Trump. The conservative Javan newspaper ran a cartoon of Mr Trump and Mr Johnson with their blonde hair intertwined. "Trump's double in London," the headline read. Front page of Iran's Javan newspaper this morning: 'Trump's Double in London' pic.twitter.com/01aruxvYjB— Golnar Motevalli (@golnarM) July 24, 2019 Even amid the change of government in London, British officials continued discussing plans for a European-led naval mission to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The UK has spurned a US offer to join an American-led mission, known as Operation Sentinel. France said last night that the European mission would be "the opposite of the American initiative" and was not intended to provoke Iran. Despite positive initial reactions from European states to the British suggestion, it remains unclear if the project will get off the ground or what naval assets EU countries would commit to the mission. Meanwhile, Iran and the US continued a verbal spat over the downing of an Iranian drone by the USS Boxer last week. British oil tanker seized in the Gulf The US claims to have brought down at least one Iranian drone and suggested on Tuesday that it may have taken down a second drone but could not be sure. Iran denies that it has lost any drones to the US. Hossein Salami, the commander of the Revolutionary Guard, challenged the US to prove it had taken out any Iranian aircraft. "Publish the video footage of destroying our drone if you want to prove your claim," he said.
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| The 'American Dream' of many migrants becoming a Mexican one Posted: 23 Jul 2019 06:52 PM PDT  Honduran Rolando Rodrigo arrived last week in the Mexican city of Tapachula with his family, just one stop on the long route to the United States and the dream of a new life free from the poverty and gang violence that wracks their homeland. Just hours after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard exchanged congratulations on "significant progress" in a deal to slow down the wave of undocumented migrants heading for US soil, Rodrigo wandered about Tapachula's central square with his three-year-old son Gadiel asking for money to feed his family.
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