| Mom held as sex slave for month after she and baby kidnapped from driveway, NC cops say Posted: 19 Aug 2019 12:55 PM PDT  The man tased her, sexually assaulted her and held her at gunpoint, according to police.
|
| Poll: About half of Americans disapprove of how Trump handled El Paso and Dayton shootings Posted: 19 Aug 2019 07:50 AM PDT  40% of Americans also thought that Trump's rhetoric on Twitter and his speeches had a "great deal" of responsibility for the shootings.
|
| Pentagon conducts 1st test of previously banned missile Posted: 19 Aug 2019 12:24 PM PDT  The U.S. military has conducted a flight test of a type of missile banned for more than 30 years by a treaty that both the United States and Russia abandoned this month, the Pentagon said. The Trump administration has said it remains interested in useful arms control but questions Moscow's willingness to adhere to its treaty commitments. The Pentagon said it tested a modified ground-launched version of a Navy Tomahawk cruise missile, which was launched from San Nicolas Island and accurately struck its target after flying more than 500 kilometers (310 miles).
|
| Palestinian Authority Bans LGBTQ Organizing in West Bank Posted: 19 Aug 2019 09:22 AM PDT  The Palestinian Authority has banned all LGBTQ political organizing in the West Bank in response to the news that a pro-LGBTQ advocacy group was planning to hold a gathering for its members at the end of the month.The ban, which was first reported Sunday by the Jerusalem Post, was issued in response to the organizing efforts of Al-Qaws for Sexual & Gender Diversity in Palestinian Society, a pro-LGBTQ political group that held an event last month and was planning to hold another in the coming weeks.Palestinian Authority police spokesperson Luay Zreikat said that LGBTQ events were "harmful to the higher values and ideals of Palestinian society" in justifying the ban. Zreikat also accused unspecified "dubious parties" of attempting to "create discord and harm civic peace in Palestinian society" through the group's events.In response, Al-Qaws, which means "the bow" in Arabic, argued that it is an organization that is firmly embedded in Palestinian society and does not seek to disrupt it."The Palestinian police announcement about our activities is very unfortunate," the group said in a statement. "It's very strange that they are accusing us of being a suspicious entity working to take apart Palestinian society. Al-Qaws is a Palestinian organization that has been operating since 2001, and is carrying out educational and professional programs on sexual and gender diversity. We totally reject the attempt to create an atmosphere of prosecution and intimidation, as well as threats of arrest."An unnamed member of Al-Qaws also told the Post that he and his friends have received hundreds of death threats, most of which were sent through Facebook."The attack on us is unprecedented," the man said. "They are calling us traitors and corrupt people and many are calling for our execution. We are afraid for our lives."
|
| Reports of secret US-Venezuela talks to oust Maduro draw skepticism Posted: 19 Aug 2019 09:00 AM PDT  Claims that Nicolás Maduro's number two official is working with the US are an attempt to 'stoke paranoia', experts sayDiosdado Cabello and Nicolás Maduro. Photograph: ARiana Cubillos/APHe is one of the most influential and infamous figures in Venezuelan politics – a hardcore Chavista who uses his weekly talkshow to preach permanent revolution and excoriate the evil empire up north.But two reports in the American media now suggest Diosdado Cabello, Nicolás Maduro's number two official, has been engaged in "secret communications" with United States officials designed to force Hugo Chávez's successor from power.Observers of Venezuelan politics greeted Sunday's reports – from the Associated Press and Axios – with skepticism."I'm not convinced it is true," said Christopher Sabatini, a senior fellow for Latin America at the Chatham House thinktank."I think what the US is trying to do is some sort of psy ops thing, trying to rattle people within Maduro's administration. They are trying to get inside Maduro's head and stoke paranoia within the inner-circle," Sabatini added."But there's a whiff of desperation here … the fact that they are talking so openly about it really doesn't seem to be a particularly good negotiation strategy."Geoff Ramsey, a Venezuela expert at the Washington Office on Latin America, said he did believe there had been exchanges between Cabello and Trump representatives."But the fact that we now know about them suggests that whatever channel existed has been closed," he added.Axios claimed that in recent months Cabello, the 56-year-old head of Venezuela's pro-Maduro constituent assembly, had been communicating with Trump's top Latin America adviser, Mauricio Claver-Carone. Some Trump officials considered that a positive sign suggesting Maduro's circle was "gradually cracking".The Associated Press claimed Cabello had met someone "in close contact with the Trump administration" in Caracas last month and that a second meeting was planned. By engaging with Cabello it said the US hoped to intensify an internal "knife fight" supposedly raging at the pinnacle of Maduro's administration.Maduro has been fighting for his political life since January when a young opposition leader called Juan Guaidó declared himself Venezuela's rightful president and received the backing of more than 50 governments, including the US and UK.Cabello has yet to directly address claims he was talking to Washington, although an aide told the Associated Press he would only do so with Maduro's permission.On Monday Cabello shared a tweet mocking the allegations with his 2.3 million followers. "Diosdado met in SECRET with a gringo SECRET agent to agree a SECRET plan to topple Nicolás, who knows nothing about this, because if he did know it wouldn't be a SECRET," it said.Any move to involve Cabello in Venezuela's post-Maduro political future – or offer him immunity from prosecution for alleged crimes - would be highly controversial among government opponents."He is widely detested. He's seen as this central hub of corruption in the regime," said Ramsey.However, Ramsey said that with Venezuela's crisis dragging on US officials seemed aware "bitter pills" might have to be swallowed to secure Maduro's downfall.Sabatini said the suggestion the US was negotiating with a man accused of human rights abuses and "all sorts of illicit activities" was troubling. "Diosdado is probably not a man who should be negotiated or bargained with."
|
| Sudan's Bashir got $90 mn from Saudi, investigator tells court Posted: 19 Aug 2019 04:19 AM PDT  Sudan's deposed military ruler Omar al-Bashir has admitted to receiving $90 million in cash from Saudi royals, an investigator told a Khartoum court on Monday. Police Brigadier Ahmed Ali said at the opening of Bashir's corruption trial, which an AFP correspondent attended, that the former president told him that the latest payment was "delivered by some of Mohammed bin Salman's envoys". Bashir, whose military Islamist regime ruled Sudan for 30 years, arrived at the Judicial and Legal Science Institute where the trial is taking place in a huge military convoy.
|
| Tourists who stole sand from beach in Sardinia could face up to six years in prison Posted: 19 Aug 2019 08:04 AM PDT  A pair of tourists face up to six years in prison after allegedly stealing a large quantity of sand from the pristine beaches of Sardinia. The French couple were found to have nearly 40kg (90lb) of fine white sand in the boot of their car. The vehicle was stopped during a routine check by border police as the tourists were preparing to board a ferry in Porto Torres, on the north coast of the island, bound for Toulon in France. The sand was found in 14 large plastic bottles and had been taken from a beach near Chia in southern Sardinia. The couple told police that they had no idea they were breaking the law, but they now face between one and six years in jail. The island has battled for years to stop tourists from pinching its sand, shells and pebbles, which are prized as souvenirs or in some cases, for indoor aquariums. WWF has run a campaign against 'beach thieves', reminding tourists that taking sand from Sardinia's shoreline is a crime To try to stop the pillaging, some locals have taken on the role of self-appointed guardians of the beaches. If they see tourists taking sand or shells, they ask them to return the material. If that does not work, they call the police or national park rangers. One of them, Pina Careddu, told an Italian newspaper on Monday that visitors sometimes become rude and aggressive when challenged. "A family of Germans were filling up some bottles with sand. I recorded them on my phone so they couldn't deny it. The father came towards me in a threatening manner. But in the end he tipped the sand back onto the beach," Mrs Careddu, 58, told Corriere della Sera. Dubbed "the granny sheriff" of the Sinis peninsula, on the west coast of the island, she is strict even with her grandchildren. "They say, 'Nana, can't we take some pebbles home to play with?' And I say no, if everyone did that, soon there would be no beach left."
|
| Jeffrey Epstein’s Will Leaves $577 Million to Mysterious Trust Posted: 19 Aug 2019 02:18 PM PDT  REUTERSJeffrey Epstein signed his last will and testament on Aug. 8—two days before the 66-year-old sex-offender killed himself in his Manhattan jail cell.According to the document, which was first revealed by the New York Post, the mysterious money-manager left behind $577,672,654 in personal property.Epstein is giving all of his property to the "acting Trustees of The 1953 Trust," though the members of the trust weren't named in the document.The will names Epstein's brother, Mark Epstein, as his sole relative "who would be entitled to share the estate if he had left no will."According to the probate petition, Epstein had $56.5 million in cash; $14.3 million in fixed income investments; $112.6 million in equities; and $194.9 million in hedge funds and private equity investments.The financier recorded $18.5 million in "Aviation Assets, Automobiles and Boats," while stating that "Fine Arts, Antiques, Collectibles, Valuables & Other Personal Property" are "subject to appraisal/valuation."Send The Daily Beast a TipModels Say Jeffrey Epstein's Closest Pal Drugged, Raped ThemMeanwhile, Epstein detailed the companies that hold the titles to his properties in New Mexico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Florida and New York.He listed 10,000 shares of Maple, Inc.—the Virgin Islands corporation that holds the title to his Manhattan townhouse—as worth $55.9 million.Another 10,000 shares of Cypress, Inc., which owns his New Mexico ranch, are worth $17.2 million. His Palm Beach mansion, owned through 10,000 shares of Laurel Inc., is worth more than $12.3 million.SCI JEP, a French company, holds the title to Epstein's seven units at the posh Paris building at 22 Avenue Foch. The document lists 999 shares worth $8.67 million.Finally, the document details the companies that own his private islands.The will includes 10,000 shares each of Poplar, Inc., which holds the title to Great St. James Island and is worth more than $22.49 million, and Nautilus, Inc., which owns the $63.87-million Little St. James Island.The document directs the executors of the estate—Epstein's longtime lawyers, Darren K. Indyke and Richard D. Kahn—to get $250,000 upon the completion of probate. In Aug. 15 court filings, Indyke and Kahn accepted their appointments and enlisted Virgin Islands law firm Kellerhals Ferguson Kroblin PLLC as their attorneys.Erika Kellerhals, another loyal Epstein lawyer who was named in tax documents for his charities, is a partner of the firm.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.
|
| 'That is ridiculous': Andrew Gillum rips Rick Santorum for claiming guns aren't 'problem' in mass shootings Posted: 18 Aug 2019 10:42 AM PDT  Former Tallahassee, Fla., Mayor Andrew Gillum slammed former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum's stance on gun control as "ridiculous" for saying guns are not the "problem" in mass shootings.
|
| Mother of missing Indiana teen found in Arkansas accuses stalker of kidnapping, dyeing her hair Posted: 18 Aug 2019 08:57 PM PDT  Madison Eddlemon was found safe in Arkansas Sunday after she was reported missing from Crown Point, Indiana. Police confirmed the 16-year-old's accused stalker is in custody.
|
| Texas police who led black man down street by rope will not face criminal probe Posted: 19 Aug 2019 05:41 AM PDT  Police officers who led a handcuffed African American man down a street with a rope on horseback will not be subjected to a criminal probe in the state, despite widespread outrage after images of the incident were shared online.The decision was announced on Friday by the Texas Rangers, who said in a statement that an initial investigation found "nothing that warranted a criminal investigation".The Galveston Police Department officers were seen riding horseback on 3 August, with 43-year-old Donald Neely being led with a rope clipped to his handcuffs.The officers, identified as P Brosch and A Smith, had arrested Mr Neely on a misdemeanour criminal trespassing charge."What they did was real inhumane," Neely's brother, Andy Neely, told local TV station KPRC. "They treated my brother as if he was a dog."Despite the decision by the Texas Rangers, the incident drew outrage, and forced Galveston Police chief Vernon L Hale to issue an apology, saying his officers had caused the man an "unnecessary embarrassment".Mr Hale then asked the Galveston County Sheriff's Office and the Texas Ranger Division to investigate the incident.But, in a statement, the Texas Rangers said that they had discussed the issue with the Galveston County District Attorney's office, and they had determined the officers "had not violated the law"."My officers did not have any malicious intent at the time of the arrest, but we have immediately changed the policy to prevent the use of this technique and will review all mounted training and procedures for more appropriate methods," Mr Hale said in a statement after the incident drew national attention on social media.The Neely family has requested that body camera footage from the two officers be released.
|
| US sued over Honduran man's suicide after family separation Posted: 19 Aug 2019 01:49 PM PDT ![US sued over Honduran man's suicide after family separation]( "US sued over Honduran man's suicide after family separation") A new lawsuit blames the Trump administration's family separations for the death by suicide of a Honduran father after being separated from his 3-year-old child. The widow of Marco Antonio Muñoz sued the U.S. government and South Texas' Starr County, which operated the local jail where he died. The Texas Civil Rights Project, which announced the lawsuit Monday, said it was the first known lawsuit that linked a person's suicide to the zero-tolerance policy enacted last spring and ended amid worldwide condemnation.
|
| Scientists detect a black hole swallowing a neutron star 'like Pac-man' Posted: 19 Aug 2019 12:42 PM PDT  For the first time, scientists have detected a black hole devouring a neutron star, according to a report released Monday.
|
| Mexican man facing voter fraud trial in Sacramento. He’s a Trump supporter Posted: 19 Aug 2019 11:03 AM PDT  For years, President Trump has claimed that millions of noncitizens voted in the 2016 presidential election, unfairly skewing his vote as Democrat Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College.
|
| The Must-See, Drop-Dead-Gorgeous Cars from the 2019 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Posted: 18 Aug 2019 06:14 PM PDT |
| French hiker missing in Italy nine days found dead Posted: 18 Aug 2019 02:58 PM PDT  The body of a French hiker who disappeared nine days ago south of Naples was found Sunday, local Italian authorities said. "The body of Simon Gautier has been found a short while ago," the authorities in Sapri, near Belvedere di Ciolandre where the 27-year-old hiker was found dead. Gautier called for help on August 9, saying he had fallen down a cliff and broken both legs, but was unable to give his location other than "in the middle of nowhere, on the coast".
|
| Serial killer who murdered SC teen featured on new season of Netflix’s ‘Mindhunter’ Posted: 19 Aug 2019 08:09 AM PDT  He has a long rap sheet of crimes throughout the South, and a controversial connection to a South Carolina murder.
|
| INSIGHT-Besieged Kashmiri neighbourhood in test of wills with India's Modi Posted: 19 Aug 2019 04:17 PM PDT ![INSIGHT-Besieged Kashmiri neighbourhood in test of wills with India's Modi]( "INSIGHT-Besieged Kashmiri neighbourhood in test of wills with India's Modi") For more than a week, the young men of Soura, a densely populated enclave in Kashmir's main city of Srinagar, have been taking turns to maintain an around-the-clock vigil at the entry points to their neighbourhood. The aim: to keep Indian security forces, and particularly the paramilitary police, out of the area.
|
| Tempest in a Tardigrade cup: Cute little 'water bears on the moon' don't contaminate space Posted: 19 Aug 2019 09:22 AM PDT  Scientists can't claim space for themselves alone, and fretting about contamination is overblown. Apollo crews after all left bagged feces on the moon.
|
| The Best Fall Soup Recipes, From Chicken Noodle to Broccoli Cheddar Posted: 19 Aug 2019 03:04 PM PDT |
| Salvadoran suspected of having abortion acquitted at retrial Posted: 19 Aug 2019 02:53 PM PDT |
| 'They don't respect our security measures': Large alligator scales fence at Florida naval air station Posted: 19 Aug 2019 04:12 PM PDT !['They don't respect our security measures': Large alligator scales fence at Florida naval air station]( "'They don't respect our security measures': Large alligator scales fence at Florida naval air station") A video shared by a Florida television station shows an alligator climbing over a fence at Naval Air Station Jacksonville.
|
| Hillary Clinton zings Trump over new voter conspiracy theory Posted: 19 Aug 2019 02:20 PM PDT ![Hillary Clinton zings Trump over new voter conspiracy theory]( "Hillary Clinton zings Trump over new voter conspiracy theory") Clinton shot back on a claim that Google manipulated votes in her favor in 2016.
|
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. had just realized a dream the day he survived a fiery plane crash Posted: 19 Aug 2019 06:27 AM PDT  Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted on Facebook hours before the crash that he had achieved a dream.
|
| New planet discovered in orbit of young Milky Way star Posted: 19 Aug 2019 11:45 AM PDT  A second planet has been discovered circling Beta Pictoris, a fledgling star in our own galaxy offering astronomers a rare glimpse of a planetary system in the making, according to a study published Monday. "We talking about a giant planet about 3,000 times more massive than Earth, situated 2.7 times further from its star than the Earth is from the Sun," said Anne-Marie Lagrange, an astronomer at France's National Centre for Scientific Research and lead author of a study in Nature Astronomy. Like its big sister b Pictoris b, discovered by Lagrange and her team in 2009, it is a gassy giant.
|
| Scaramucci turns on POTUS Posted: 18 Aug 2019 08:58 AM PDT  Ex-Aide wants him off 2020 ticket.
|
| Couple who ran a home for troubled boys charged with trafficking children, forced labor Posted: 19 Aug 2019 01:21 PM PDT  A husband and wife who ran a home for troubled boys in Texas have been arrested a year after the home was raided and eight boys were removed, reports say.
|
| Is recycling collapsing in California? Advocates call on lawmakers to rescue it Posted: 19 Aug 2019 05:30 AM PDT ![Is recycling collapsing in California? Advocates call on lawmakers to rescue it]( "Is recycling collapsing in California? Advocates call on lawmakers to rescue it") When rePlanet closed its doors at its remaining 284 California locations earlier this month, alarm bells went up among recycling advocates.
|
| Authorities praised for handling of protests in Portland Posted: 19 Aug 2019 03:27 PM PDT  After previous political rallies that ended in violence, police in Portland, Oregon, earned praise Monday from outside observers for using a natural barrier — the city's Willamette River — to keep dueling protesters apart during a weekend far-right rally and large counter-demonstration that included a subset of masked and black-clad anti-fascists. As the city returned to normal, Mayor Ted Wheeler called Saturday's dueling demonstrations a win for residents. Oregon's top federal prosecutor called the handling of the event a "definitive counterpoint" for those who on both sides who have criticized police after past protests for favoring one side or the other.
|
| Florida 'stand your ground' trial begins for deadly dispute over handicapped parking spot Posted: 19 Aug 2019 05:37 PM PDT  The manslaughter trial for Michael Drejka, the man involved in a deadly dispute over a handicapped parking spot in Florida, was set to begin Monday.
|
| Trump is 'not happy' with Fox News over poll results Posted: 19 Aug 2019 10:47 AM PDT  After a series of unfavorable polls from Fox News' polling unit, President Trump has stepped up his complaints about the network, which he no longer considers a reliable ally.
|
| He was found hurt near downtown shuffleboard courts. Cops say it was an attempted homicide Posted: 19 Aug 2019 05:56 AM PDT  Police are asking anyone with information to come forward.
|
| Bahrain to join US-led efforts to protect Gulf navigation Posted: 19 Aug 2019 08:26 AM PDT  Bahrain said Monday it would join US-led efforts to protect shipping in the Gulf amid tensions between Washington and Tehran after a series of attacks on tankers. Bahrain's King Hamad voiced his country's appreciation of the "US role in supporting regional security and stability" during a meeting with US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief General Kenneth McKenzie, state media said. "The king confirmed the kingdom of Bahrain's participation in the joint effort to preserve the safety of international maritime navigation and secure international corridors for trade and energy," the official Bahrain News Agency reported.
|
| Iran warns US against seizing tanker at sea as re-named Grace-1 1eaves Gibraltar Posted: 19 Aug 2019 02:13 AM PDT  Iran warned the US on Monday not to try to intercept the Grace 1 oil tanker at sea as it finally set sail from Gibraltar after more than a month in British custody. Six weeks after the Iranian tanker was seized by Royal Marines, it sailed out of Gibraltar's waters and headed towards Greece under the new name Adrian Darya 1. The US made an eleventh-hour effort last week to stop the ship from leaving, arguing that it was aiding Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which the US considers to be a terrorist group. But judges in Gibraltar rejected the application as the British territory is not in US jurisdiction. Iran's foreign ministry warned there would be "heavy consequences" if the US navy tried to seize the ship in the Mediterranean. " Iran has issued the necessary warnings through official channels, especially the Swiss embassy, to American officials not to commit such an error because it would have heavy consequences," a foreign ministry spokesman said. Western navies rarely intercept ships in international waters unless they are suspected of time-sensitive crimes like slave trafficking or piracy. The US has not said if it intends to take further action. A Royal Marine boarding party seized the Grace 1 after it sailed into Gibraltar's waters on July 4, sparking a weeks long standoff between Tehran and London that culminated in Iran seizing a British-flagged tanker, the Stena Impero, in the Persian Gulf. The governments in Britain and Gibraltar said they suspected the vessel of carrying oil to Syria, in breach of EU sanctions against Bashar Assad's regime. Iran accused Britain of acting on behalf of the United States, which has tried to blockade Iranian oil exports as part of a "maximum pressure" policy against Tehran, and sent revolutionary corps gunboats to seize the Stena Impero in the gulf on July 19. Iran gave no indication on Monday when, or if, it was planning to release the British-flagged tanker. The foreign ministry said Tehran was waiting for a court decision on alleged maritime violations by the Stena Impero but Iranian officials have made clear in the past that the ship was taken in a tit-for-tat over the Grace 1. "The crisis with Britain is not over. Britain has the primary responsibility for ending the oil tanker crisis," said Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, an Iranian MP. "Until the Iranian oil tanker arrives at its destination the British must help end the crisis." Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, said he would not reveal the Grace 1's exact destination out of fear the US would impose sanctions to stop it delivering its cargo of 2.1 million barrels of oil. "We are happy this ordeal has ended and I hope this will lead to less escalation," Mr Zarif said. He also said Iran would not take military action against the US. "We have never done that, in the past 250 years. We have defended ourselves. And we have taught good lessons to those who invaded us." Donald Trump suggested he was open to a détente and negotiations with Iran, similar to those he is pursuing with North Korea. "North Korea has tremendous potential. Also, Iran has tremendous potential, and we can do something very fast, but they don't quite know how to begin because they're proud people," Mr Trump said.
|
| Driver pins paramedic against her ambulance in Walmart parking lot, NC police say Posted: 19 Aug 2019 08:08 AM PDT  The woman was airlifted to a hospital with serious leg injuries, officials say.
|
| John Delaney draws 11 people to 2020 event – does he truly think he can win? Posted: 18 Aug 2019 11:00 PM PDT  The former congressman has put $24m of his own cash into an increasingly quixotic presidential run – and he's ploughing on despite a near total lack of supportJohn Delaney speaks at the Wing Ding fundraiser in Clear Lake, Iowa. What Delaney lacks in support, he makes up for in optimism. Photograph: Brian Cahn/Zuma/Rex/ShutterstockJohn Delaney has poured a staggering $24m of his own money into running for president. He has been campaigning for the White House for more than two years, and in that time has held more than 200 events in Iowa.On one recent Thursday morning, these efforts translated into a grand total of 11 people coming out to see Delaney, at a campaign event in the small town of Algona, in the north of the state.The former Maryland congressman, former businessman and formerly much wealthier candidate is one of a slew of long-shot candidates for the Democratic nomination. In a crowded, historically diverse field, Delaney is part of a group of white, middle-aged men who are forging ahead with their increasingly quixotic presidential campaigns in spite of a collective lack of support.Delaney strode into Miller's Sports Bar & Grill, one of a chain of bars across Iowa, just after 10am. One of his team had taped a couple of Delaney 2020 campaign posters to a wall in the back of the bar, and a sign-up list was on a table. The crowd, all silver haired apart from a thirtysomething man who walked in late, were sitting patiently at four different tables.Clad in the off-duty politician's uniform of open-necked shirt, blue jeans and casual brown shoes, Delaney got to work, vigorously shaking 11 hands. One member of the crowd was immediately impressed with the 56-year-old."You actually look even better than you do on TV," one woman said."I think I'm just going to stay around here," Delaney quipped.If Delaney was disappointed with the turnout, he didn't show it. Besides, in a way, the 11-person crowd was a positive. The night before, on Delaney's Facebook page, just two people had said they would attend, and one of those was his campaign director.Delaney, who served in Congress for six years before resigning to run for president, was joking when he said he might just stay around Iowa. But in fact, it would be hard for him to spend more time here. The 58-year-old has made 34 separate visits to the state in two years. This trip was the first of three in August. And the actual vote in Iowa – the state's caucuses – is still six months away.It's a grueling schedule. On Thursday alone, Delaney was scheduled to hold five different events in the space of nine and a half hours.With the pleasantries over at Miller's Delaney dived into his pitch. The two most important questions in 2020, he said, are: "Who can beat Trump?" and: "Who is the best leader for this country at this moment in time?"Delaney gestures at the end of his speech during a visit to the Iowa state fair in Des Moines earlier this month. Photograph: Charlie Neibergall/AP"I believe I'm the right answer to those two questions," he concluded.Delaney's problem is that very few people agree. Despite a marathon campaign – he declared his candidacy in July 2017, 18 months before any other major contenders – and a big pot of cash, he is barely registering – even in Iowa. Delaney is currently polling at 1% in the state – in ninth place. Nationally, Delaney has just 0.3% of the vote.But Delaney, an electrician's son turned millionaire, isn't about to let a near total lack of support stop him."I don't want to be the president just to be the president," Delaney said at his second event of the day. "I want to be the president to do the job."Later, Delaney was speaking to a crowd of 15 people, at the Rustic Brew in Hampton, an hour and a half drive east of Algona. He had been allocated an area in the back, in a room with a painting of a reindeer on one wall. Delaney had almost immediately been interrupted by a man wearing a Vietnam cap.The man complained about veterans' hospitals. Delaney, hoping to appease him, said he would allow veterans to visit a wider range of hospitals for their care. The man in the cap said that was exactly the plan he was opposed to. Delaney said he would talk to him about it later, then carried on with his speech. The man in the cap slumped in his chair, mumbling something to himself.The main part of Delaney's pitch is that he can beat Donald Trump and actually pass legislation, whereas, in his view, people such as the leftwing senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are making "impossible promises". After Delaney criticized the more ambitious proposals of his rivals during the recent televised Democratic debates, Warren chopped him down, telling the audience: "I don't understand why anybody goes to all the trouble of running for president of the United States just to talk about what we really can't do and shouldn't fight for."Far from being cowed by that, Delaney told the Guardian that if he could change one thing about his campaign, he actually would have plugged his centrist credentials earlier."The kind of sharp contrasts I'm making now, I would have made them earlier," Delaney said.But what Delaney lacks in support, he makes up for in optimism. He brushed off concerns that he won't make the next Democratic debates – the bar for entry is far higher for the next round, in mid-September – by insisting he could make the one after that, because he expects other candidates to drop out.As Delaney closed out at the Rustic Brew, his campaign manager abruptly announced that the rest of the day's events were cancelled. He had only completed two out of five. The campaign manager put it down to a schedule conflict. John Delaney at the Iowa state fair in Des Moines, on 9 August. Photograph: Eric Thayer/ReutersThe Guardian chased Delaney down in Des Moines the next day, where he was appearing at the Iowa state fair. Delaney spent some time prodding pork chops on a grill – a classic state fair photo opportunity – before speaking for about 15 minutes to a crowd, again pitching his centrist vision. He drew a decent number of people, but his crowd was dwarfed by those who came out for speeches by Warren, Sanders and Biden.Delaney is probably right when he says other people will soon quit the race. The California congressman Eric Swalwell ended his campaign in July, citing a lack of money and a lack of support. Colorado ex-governor John Hickenlooper dropped out last week. Delaney doesn't have to make that choice yet. He has loaned his campaign $24m, but according to Forbes, he is worth $200m, so he has plenty of cash left to splurge.But there will surely come a point where he has to make a decision. Given Delaney is polling within the margin of error of zero, that point might come soon.Or perhaps Delaney, ever the optimist, could bide his time. If Trump wins in 2020, then there's always 2024. If Delaney doesn't bankrupt himself first, maybe he could be a contender.At the very least, he will know his way around Iowa.
|
| Saudi-Led coalition attacks military targets in Houthi-controlled Sanaa: Saudi TV Posted: 19 Aug 2019 01:29 PM PDT ![Saudi-Led coalition attacks military targets in Houthi-controlled Sanaa: Saudi TV]( "Saudi-Led coalition attacks military targets in Houthi-controlled Sanaa: Saudi TV") The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen launched an attack on Monday on military targets in the capital Sanaa, which is controlled by the Houthi movement, Saudi state TV reported. The Iran-aligned movement's Al-Masirah TV reported at least six airstrikes by the coalition in Sanaa and said the strikes were ongoing.
|
| Records: Epstein signed will 2 days before jailhouse suicide Posted: 19 Aug 2019 04:44 PM PDT  Jeffrey Epstein signed a will just two days before he killed himself in jail, new court records show, opening a new legal front in what could be a long battle over the financier's fortune. The existence of the will, first reported by the New York Post, raised new questions about Epstein's final days inside the Metropolitan Correctional Center, where he was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. Epstein signed the document Aug. 8.
|
| See Photos of the 2019 Ford Mustang Shelby GT-S Posted: 19 Aug 2019 10:56 AM PDT |
| Ohio Police Arrest White Supremacist Who Allegedly Threatened to Attack Jewish Community Center Posted: 18 Aug 2019 09:20 AM PDT  An Ohio man was arrested on Saturday for allegedly threatening to attack a local Jewish community center.
|
| Happiness has no expiration: Woman uses 34-year-old free pass to get into Disneyland Posted: 19 Aug 2019 12:59 PM PDT  A woman tried to use 34-year-old free admission pass to Disneyland and the park let her in.
|
| 'Nightmare' as Egypt aided China to detain Uighurs Posted: 17 Aug 2019 10:04 PM PDT  Abdulmalik Abdulaziz, an Uighur student, was arrested and handcuffed by Egyptian police and when they removed his blindfold he was surprised to see Chinese officials questioning him in custody. "They never said their names or mentioned who they were exactly," said Abdulaziz, 27, who spoke to AFP helping to uncover new details of the 2017 arrests of over 90 Uighurs from the mostly Muslim Turkic minority. Abdulaziz, like most swept up in the three-day crackdown in the first week of July 2017, was an Islamic theology student at Al-Azhar, the Sunni Muslim world's most prestigious educational institution.
|
| Portland protests: Woman pinned to ground by police officers after spitting towards them Posted: 18 Aug 2019 08:11 AM PDT  A woman was pinned to the ground by six police officers after she spat towards them during a day of protests between duelling far-right and anti-fascist activists in Portland.Hundreds of far-right protesters and anti-fascist counter-demonstrators swarmed the Oregon city at the weekend for a widely publicised right-wing rally that attracted the attention of Donald Trump.In video circulating online, a woman can be seen walking towards police and spitting at them once before she is wrestled to the floor by a group of officers wearing riot gear."Police brutality cannot be tolerated on any level," Riley Renn, the woman who filmed the video, told The Independent."Many of the people who were counter-protesting were also there to speak out against [the] lack of accountability when it comes to the United States and our massive police presence."It is not clear whether the woman involved was part of an official protest or just a passer-by in the area.Portland Police have been contacted for comment on the incident shown in the video.At least 13 people were arrested in the city on Saturday as officers seized metal poles, bear spray and other weapons during the right-wing rally.On Saturday, Mr Trump showed support for one of the demands of right-wing demonstrators by saying "major consideration" was being given to naming the anti-fascist group Antifa an "organisation of terror".Leaders of right-wing groups have vowed to return to the city so long as Antifa groups remain active in the area.However, Portland's mayor Ted Wheeler said Joe Biggs, the organiser of the event, was not welcome in the city."We do not want him here in my city. Period," Mr Wheeler said, adding that he believed the demonstrations were linked to "a rising white nationalist movement" in the US."Portland, being a very progressive community, is always going to be at or near ground zero of this battle," he said.More than two dozen local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, were in the city for the event, which was attended by members of the far-right Proud Boys group and Three Percenters militia movement.Lieutenant Tina Jones, a police spokesperson, said there were about 1,200 people on the streets at the peak of the protests.The Proud Boys, who organised the event on Saturday, have been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Centre.The rally was inspired by a viral video of conservative blogger Andy Ngo being attacked by anti-fascist protesters in June.Agencies contributed to this report
|
| Father and son were caught raiding lobster traps in the Keys, cops say. It didn’t end well Posted: 19 Aug 2019 10:37 AM PDT  A Highlands County, Florida, man faces eight felony conservation counts after unmarked state marine patrol officers say they saw him raiding commercial spiny lobster traps in the Florida Keys.
|
| Rubio on climate change: 'We should choose adaptive solutions' Posted: 19 Aug 2019 03:00 AM PDT  Many proposed 'fixes' for climate change have been unrealistic and dangerous. Climate change is a real problem. Real problems deserve real solutions.
|
| Kayakers get up close with collapsing Alaska glacier Posted: 19 Aug 2019 03:37 PM PDT ![Kayakers get up close with collapsing Alaska glacier]( "Kayakers get up close with collapsing Alaska glacier") Andrew Hooper's wife had warned him about getting too close to an Alaska glacier. Hooper and his friend set off on a kayaking trip off the Kenai Peninsula to get a glimpse at the Spencer Glacier. After paddling around for a while, Hooper said he heard a cracking noise near the glacier.
|
| Man accused of killing Nia Wilson to enter plea today Posted: 19 Aug 2019 11:58 AM PDT  The man accused of stabbing and killing 18-year-old Nia Wilson at the MacArthur BART Station in July 2018 is expected to enter a plea in the case.
|
