| Andrew Yang gets why Donald Trump won. He won't be president but he deserves attention. Posted: 16 Sep 2019 01:24 PM PDT  He may have the best explanation for how the Trump presidency happened: We 'automated away' 4 million manufacturing jobs in presidential swing states.
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| Obama’s team lines up to defend Andrew McCabe in court Posted: 16 Sep 2019 10:24 AM PDT ![Obama's team lines up to defend Andrew McCabe in court]( "Obama's team lines up to defend Andrew McCabe in court") Obama-era national security leaders would testify on behalf of McCabe should he face trial over allegations that he misled officials about leaks to the media.
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| B-2 Spirit: The Stealth Bomber Trump Could Send to Strike Iran Posted: 15 Sep 2019 08:00 PM PDT  Or North Korea, Russia, China--anyone.
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| Blasphemy accusation in Pakistan sparks ransacking of Hindu temple, school Posted: 16 Sep 2019 12:37 AM PDT ![Blasphemy accusation in Pakistan sparks ransacking of Hindu temple, school]( "Blasphemy accusation in Pakistan sparks ransacking of Hindu temple, school") KARACHI/ISLAMABAD, Sept 16 (Reuters) - A crowd in Pakistan ransacked a school and Hindu temple after a Hindu principal was accused of blasphemy, police said on Monday, the latest case to raise concern about the fate of religious minorities in the predominantly Muslim country. The enraged crowd ransacked the school and damaged a nearby temple, a district police chief said. "It seems the principal had not done anything intentionally," the district police chief, Furrukh Ali, told Reuters.
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| California Bans State-Sponsored Travel to Iowa over Refusal to Provide Medicaid Coverage for Gender-Reassignment Surgeries Posted: 16 Sep 2019 12:25 PM PDT  California added an eleventh state to its travel blacklist on Friday, banning state-sponsored travel to Iowa over that state's refusal to cover gender-transition surgeries under its Medicaid program.California attorney general Xavier Becerra announced the decision to add Iowa to the travel-ban list, which takes effect October 4 and means public employees and college students will not be able to travel to Iowa on the taxpayer's dime.In May, Iowa governor Kim Reynolds signed a law blocking Medicaid from paying for gender-reassignment surgeries despite the state Supreme Court's ruling earlier this year in favor of charging taxpayers for the procedures. Gender identity is a protected characteristic under Iowa's Civil Rights Act."The Iowa Legislature has reversed course on what was settled law under the Iowa Civil Rights Act, repealing protections for those seeking gender-affirming healthcare," Becerra said in a statement. "California has taken an unambiguous stand against discrimination and government actions that would enable it."California's travel blacklist stems from a 2016 law allowing the Golden State to ban state travel to other U.S. states that roll back protections for LGBT citizens. Texas, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Mississippi, and Kentucky are also on the list.
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| The world's oil producers keep a massive amount of capacity in reserve. But it's almost all in Saudi Arabia and the drone attack messed with that too. Posted: 16 Sep 2019 04:20 AM PDT  Drones hit two key Saudi Aramco oil refineries, shutting down production on around 5% of the world's daily oil production and causing prices to surge.
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| Iran seizes new boat near vital oil shipping lane Posted: 15 Sep 2019 05:49 PM PDT  Iran has seized a boat suspected of being used to smuggle fuel and arrested its 11 crew members near a vital oil shipping lane, state television reported on Monday. A naval patrol of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intercepted the vessel carrying 250,000 litres of fuel near the Strait of Hormuz, state TV's website said, citing a commander of the force. "This boat was sailing from Bandar Lengeh towards United Arab Emirates waters before it was seized 20 miles (32 kilometres) east of Greater Tunb island," Brigadier General Ali Ozmayi was quoted as saying.
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| More than half of teens say they're 'afraid' and 'angry' about climate change — and 1 in 4 of them are doing something about it Posted: 16 Sep 2019 09:33 AM PDT  Teenagers in the US are afraid of climate change but are also increasingly participating in activist activity, according to a new poll.
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| New Zealand’s Ardern Under Scrutiny After Botched Sexual Assault Allegation Posted: 15 Sep 2019 10:34 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's leadership is under scrutiny after her Labour Party botched its handling of an alleged sexual assault on a 19-year-old party volunteer.Ardern has been forced to apologize to the woman and take control of an investigation into the allegations, including that she was attacked and groped by a Labour Party staffer in early 2018. The party decided earlier this year that no disciplinary action was necessary, prompting the woman to tell her story to the media. Since then, Labour Party President Nigel Haworth and the man at the center of the allegations, who worked in parliament and hasn't been identified, have both resigned."There are no excuses for the handling of the complaints by the Labour Party, and I will offer none," Ardern said at a post-cabinet press conference in Wellington on Monday, a week after the sexual assault allegation was detailed by website The Spinoff. "We have a duty of care, and we failed in it."A year out from a general election, the scandal has the potential to undermine support for Labour and Ardern, whose popularity has much to do with her image as a caring leader and champion of the disadvantaged, including women in the workplace. Questions are being asked not only about the culture of the Labour Party, which mishandled a separate sexual assault allegation last year, but also whether Ardern knew about the allegations sooner than she says she did.The Labour Party looked into multiple complaints against the man from several people, including harassment and bullying, but Ardern says she was not aware of the sexual assault claim until The Spinoff article.While Haworth said the woman's complaint about the man didn't include the allegation of sexual assault, she insists it did. A lawyer is currently conducting an appeal process, and Ardern said today that an independent third party would review Labour's handling of the allegations. Ardern has also agreed to meet with the complainants."While the party has continued to maintain that they weren't in receipt of the complaints that have since been published in the media, that is secondary to the fact that the complaints made to the party were of significant concern and needed to be heard in a timely way," she said. "That didn't happen."To contact the reporter on this story: Matthew Brockett in Wellington at mbrockett1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Matthew Brockett at mbrockett1@bloomberg.net, Edward JohnsonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Rep. Ilhan Omar defends her controversial World Trade Center remarks: '9/11 was an attack on all Americans' Posted: 15 Sep 2019 10:25 AM PDT  Rep. Ilhan Omar responded to criticism from a 9/11 victim's son, who, during a memorial reading of victims' names at Ground Zero last week, called out the freshman congresswoman for past remarks she made about the terrorist attacks.
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| The New York Times issues correction for Justice Kavanaugh report Posted: 16 Sep 2019 03:08 AM PDT  Antjuan Seawright and Lili Gil Valetta react.
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| Your History Book Lies: Imperial Japan Was Crushed at Pearl Harbor Posted: 14 Sep 2019 08:42 PM PDT  A major strategic blunder.
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| Spain won't extradite Venezuela's ex-spymaster to US Posted: 16 Sep 2019 10:31 AM PDT  Spain's National Court on Monday rejected the extradition to the United States of a former Venezuelan military spy chief accused of drug smuggling and other charges. The court released retired Maj. Gen. Hugo Carvajal, who denies the charges and says that they were politically motivated. María Dolores Argüelles, a lawyer for Carvajal, said she had no immediate details of the ruling beyond that a release order had been issued for the retired general.
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| Tears at Bangkok memorial for murdered activist Posted: 16 Sep 2019 02:41 AM PDT  The wife of a murdered activist whose charred remains were found dumped in a Thai reservoir led an emotional memorial Monday, saying their five young children had been left bereft by his death. Thailand is among the most deadly places in Asia for environmental and rights defenders -- the United Nations has counted over 80 cases of enforced disappearances in the country since 1980. The park chief at the time, Chaiwat Limlikitaksor, was one of the last people to see him alive, after Billy was detained for apparently collecting honey illegally.
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| These 'kamikaze' drones were claimed to be the culprits of the attacks on 2 Saudi oil fields. Here's what we know about them. Posted: 15 Sep 2019 02:36 PM PDT  A UN Security Council report details the types of drones believed to be used by Houthi forces, who claimed a 10-drone strike on 2 Saudi oil fields.
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| Conservative group known for hardball tactics leads charge in Kavanaugh defense Posted: 16 Sep 2019 02:08 PM PDT  A conservative group that has aided the confirmation of President Trump's judicial nominees is now leading the GOP's charge against the most recent allegation of sexual assault against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
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| Boris Johnson’s Foray Into Brexit Talks Ends in Retreat From Protests Posted: 16 Sep 2019 11:22 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson said he is optimistic about reaching a deal with the European Union even though a day of Brexit talks descended into disarray as he canceled a news conference after it was ambushed by protesters.A noisy demonstration, in which protesters could be heard shouting "dirty liar" as music blared, prompted Johnson's team to ask their hosts in Luxembourg to move the presser indoors -- but the request was denied.Johnson departed the chaotic scene, leaving behind an empty lectern, while Luxembourg's prime minister, Xavier Bettel, went on to address the media alone, laying into his British guest and branding Brexit a "nightmare."It was an ignominious end to a day that started with the British leader expressing hope for a deal. The U.K. is due to exit the EU on Oct. 31, and Johnson has said he is determined to leave the bloc on time, even if that means doing so with no divorce agreement in place.Snails or Sorbet?Johnson traveled to meet European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker for his first face-to-face talks since becoming prime minister. The two men met for lunch, though even the menu was contentious. British officials had earlier suggested the meal would include snails, salmon and cheese, whereas in fact it consisted of chicken, pollock and sorbet.While the atmosphere around the table was friendly, a breakthrough was no closer to being reached, one EU official said."The big picture is that the commission would like to do a deal," Johnson told the BBC in an interview after the talks with Juncker. The EU president is "highly intelligent" and wants a deal, the premier said. "But clearly it's going to take some work."Juncker's team said after the meeting that the U.K. has still not presented any proposals and it is their "responsibility to come forward with legally operational solutions" to allow the free flow of goods between the Republic of Ireland, which is in the bloc, and Northern Ireland, which is in the U.K.No ShowJohnson, whose office said talks between the two sides will now take place every day, said he is offering alternative arrangements for the Irish border, the main sticking point in talks with the bloc, though he refused to give specifics. "There's a limit to how much the details benefit from publicity before we've actually done the deal," he said.Why Johnson's Brexit Path Can't Avoid Irish Border: QuickTakeIt was after talks with Luxembourg's prime minister that Johnson's day went awry. He decided it would be better to avoid the confrontational scenes and left Bettel standing next to Johnson's empty podium, denouncing the "mess" of Brexit to a cheering crowd of protesters."There are no concrete proposals at the moment on the table," said Bettel, who had talked with the EU's lead negotiator, Michel Barnier, before meeting with Johnson. "We need written proposals," he said, before telling the absent Johnson to "stop speaking and act."'Going to Happen'Johnson's office asked for the news conference to be moved inside so it wouldn't be drowned out by the protesters, but Bettel's office refused, according to U.K. officials speaking on condition of anonymity.With patience running out in Europe, and his room to compromise strictly limited, Johnson is doubling down on his plan to take the U.K. out of the bloc with no deal at all on Oct. 31.Johnson's officials have indicated he will defy a new law designed to force him to seek a delay to Brexit rather than allow a no-deal split next month. Instead, they are preparing to take their fight to court to "test" the new law.In his interview with the BBC, the prime minister repeatedly refused to rule out battling through the courts in order to ensure the U.K. leaves the EU on time.Johnson said he would not breach the law but didn't go into detail of how he would get around a vote by Parliament requiring him to ask the EU for an extension on Oct. 19 if he can't reach a new agreement by then."Our first priority, if I may say so, just to try and look on the bright side for a second or two, is to come out with a deal," Johnson said.Earlier in the day, Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne hadn't shared his British counterpart's optimism. In an interview with CNBC, he said the EU must accept that a no-deal Brexit is "going to happen."(Updates with Finnish prime minister in final paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: Thomas Penny in London at tpenny@bloomberg.net;Stephanie Bodoni in Luxembourg at sbodoni@bloomberg.net;Jonathan Stearns in Luxembourg at jstearns2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Robert JamesonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| 20 photos that show how US towns still haven't recovered from devastating hurricanes that took place months or years ago Posted: 15 Sep 2019 10:48 PM PDT  Hurricanes Michael, Florence, Maria, Irma, and Harvey are still impacting communities across the US, years after touching ground.
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| The U.S. Army's Next Generation of Super Weapons Are Coming Posted: 16 Sep 2019 12:28 AM PDT  And Iran, North Korea, Russia and China should be very afraid.
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| Astronomers Observe the Most Massive Neutron Star Ever Posted: 16 Sep 2019 07:59 AM PDT  It's 15 miles across with a mass of more than twice the sun.
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| Watch: California homeowner scares off masked burglars Posted: 15 Sep 2019 04:34 PM PDT  A California woman scared off burglars who fled after they busted down her front door.
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| Arrested Canadian police official had access to foreign intelligence Posted: 16 Sep 2019 11:26 AM PDT  A senior Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) intelligence officer arrested last week for allegedly stealing sensitive documents had access to information from Canada's foreign allies, the RCMP said Monday. Cameron Ortis, who was arrested Thursday, served as the Director General of the RCMP's National Intelligence Coordination Centre and "had access to information the Canadian intelligence community possessed," the RCMP commissioner said in a statement.
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| IS leader calls on fighters to free detained comrades Posted: 16 Sep 2019 10:23 AM PDT  The leader of the Islamic State group released a new alleged audio recording Monday calling on members of the extremist group to do all they can to free IS detainees and women held in jails and camps. The purported audio by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in which he also said that his group is carrying out attacks in different countries, was his first public statement since April, when the shadowy leader appeared in a video for the first time in five years. With a $25 million U.S. bounty on his head, al-Baghdadi is the world's most wanted man, responsible for steering his chillingly violent organization into mass slaughter of opponents and directing and inspiring terror attacks across continents and in the heart of Europe.
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| Dutch court to hear case against Israel's Gantz Posted: 16 Sep 2019 12:47 PM PDT  A Dutch court will consider on Tuesday a request to hear a civil suit seeking damages from former Israeli armed forces chief Benny Gantz, who is standing against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a parliamentary election. The hearing on admissibility will be held in a Dutch district court as voting gets under way in Israel. The case has been brought by a Dutch national of Palestinian descent using Dutch universal jurisdiction laws.
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| Moderate Democrats warn Pelosi of impeachment obsession Posted: 15 Sep 2019 03:52 AM PDT  Vulnerable House Democrats fear the party's drive toward impeachment will undercut them in 2020.
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| Middle East Mystery Theater: Who Attacked Saudi Arabia's Oil Supply? Posted: 16 Sep 2019 10:10 AM PDT  The United States doesn't know how to respond to the attack on its ally's oil plant—or who to hold responsible for it.
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| Black transgender woman found 'burned beyond recognition' in Florida, officials say Posted: 15 Sep 2019 09:53 AM PDT  Bee Love Slater was found badly burned in a car in Florida earlier this month. Advocates believe she is the 18th transgender person killed this year.
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| 34 Fall Cocktails That Are Even Better Than A Pumpkin Spice Latte Posted: 16 Sep 2019 09:54 AM PDT |
| Back in 2015, Iran Practiced Sinking a U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Posted: 16 Sep 2019 07:35 AM PDT  Could this become a reality?
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| Elon Musk claims 'pedo guy' tweet did not suggest British diver was paedophile Posted: 16 Sep 2019 03:18 PM PDT  Elon Musk has claimed a tweet in which he labelled a British diver "pedo guy" was not meant to suggest he was a paedophile.The Tesla founder insisted the remark was a "common insult," according to a US court filing lodged in response to a defamation lawsuit.
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| Hong Kong lawmaker urges UN to probe growing 'police brutality' Posted: 16 Sep 2019 06:37 AM PDT  A Hong Kong lawmaker called Monday on the UN to launch an international investigation into a police crackdown on pro-democracy protests, voicing alarm at escalating "brutality". "Hong Kong is on the verge of a humanitarian crisis," Tanya Chan told the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, asking it to urgently discuss the situation and to dispatch investigators to probe abuses. Chan, the founder of Hong Kong's pro-democracy Civic Party, was earlier this year handed a suspended eight-month jail sentence over her role in creating a civil disobedience campaign known as "Occupy Central" in 2013 and the student-led Umbrella Movement that brought parts of the city to a standstill a year later.
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| Egypt says no 'breakthrough' with Ethiopia over Nile dam Posted: 15 Sep 2019 01:07 PM PDT  Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told reporters that talks over the $5 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam had stopped for more than a year before restarting in Cairo earlier in the day. The long-running dispute centers on the filling and operation of what will be Africa's largest hydroelectric dam. Egypt fears the dam could reduce its share of the Nile River which serves as a lifeline for the country's 100 million people.
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| UPDATE 1-China signals veto in standoff with U.S. over Afghanistan U.N. mission -diplomats Posted: 16 Sep 2019 02:59 PM PDT ![UPDATE 1-China signals veto in standoff with U.S. over Afghanistan U.N. mission -diplomats]( "UPDATE 1-China signals veto in standoff with U.S. over Afghanistan U.N. mission -diplomats") China and the United States are deadlocked over a U.N. Security Council resolution to extend the world body's political mission in Afghanistan, with Beijing signaling it will cast a veto because there is no reference to its global Belt and Road infrastructure project, diplomats said on Monday. A planned vote on Monday by the 15-member Security Council to renew the mission, known as UNAMA, was delayed to Tuesday to allow for further negotiations.
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| Warren Goes After Trump’s Sister in Anti-Corruption Push Posted: 16 Sep 2019 01:08 PM PDT  Brian Snyder/ReutersSen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is adding some new proposals to her anti-corruption plan, this time with one particularly provocative target: President Trump's sister. In a Medium post published Monday, the Massachusetts Democrat proposes closing the loophole that "allows federal judges to escape investigations for misconduct by stepping down from their post." In outlining the idea, Warren specifically references a case involving Trump's sister Maryanne Trump-Barry, whose retirement brought an abrupt end to an investigation into her role in various tax schemes of the family and potential fraud therein. "Under my plan, investigations will remain open until their findings are made public and any penalties for misconduct are issued," Warren writes in the post. Sen. Elizabeth Warren: Trump's Actions 'Align' With Authoritarian RegimesIn spotlighting the Trump-Barry case, Warren becomes the first Democratic presidential candidate to take an overt shot at the president's sister. But Trump-Barry isn't the only judge that Warren cites as a basis for her ethics policy. The senator also cites allegations of sexual misconduct against the former appeals court judge Alex Kozinski and how a probe into the allegations was scuttled when he resigned. Nor is the proposal dealing with federal judges the lone plank in the new policy. The proposal is one of many in a larger package that includes banning "lobbyists from making political contributions" and "from bundling donations or hosting fundraisers for political candidates." It would also ban senior officials and members of Congress from serving on for-profit boards and prohibit courts from using sealed settlements to conceal evidence in cases involving public health and safety. Collectively, the program is ambitious in its scope. But it would face hurdles to its passage. Warren is attaching it to her current ethics bill which requires congressional approval in order for enactment. The timing of Warren's proposals is politically intriguing, however, as it comes as reports of new sexual misconduct allegations surfaced against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Warren, as well as many of her 2020 Democratic opponents, said on Sunday that they believed the new revelations warranted impeachment of Kavanaugh, something that several progressive groups have been pushing as well. In laying out her new ethics pledge, Warren says that the proposed closing of loopholes could apply to situations like Kavanaugh's, as she noted that a judicial conduct panel dismissed a number of ethics complaints against Kavanaugh in August, citing their lack of authority over Supreme Court justices. "Our federal court system only works if the American people have faith that it is neutrally dispensing fair-minded justice without bias or personal interests interfering in judicial decisions," Warren writes. "If we want the American people to believe this, we need some serious judicial ethics reforms."The release of it precedes a speech Warren will deliver in New York City on Monday night near the site of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, continuing a pattern for the 2020 contender of introducing policy tied to the historical struggles of workers. 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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| Former Ohio judge gets life in prison for killing ex-wife in front of daughters Posted: 16 Sep 2019 11:38 AM PDT  A former Ohio judge was given life in prison last week over the brutal 2018 stabbing death of his ex-wife and the mother of his children.
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| Investigation into alleged surveillance abuse and targeting of the Trump campaign is in its final stages Posted: 16 Sep 2019 07:51 AM PDT  Inspector general Michael E. Horowitz outlined a multi-step review process with FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General William Barr; chief intelligence correspondent Catherine Herridge reports from Washington.
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| See This A-10 Warthog? It Could Wipe Out Iran's Swarm Boats in a War Posted: 16 Sep 2019 12:40 AM PDT  At least that is the plan.
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| The oil industry vs. the electric car Posted: 16 Sep 2019 02:04 AM PDT ![The oil industry vs. the electric car]( "The oil industry vs. the electric car") Electric vehicles could make up nearly half the fleet of passenger cars and trucks by 2040. But oil and gas companies are striking back.
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| Snowden says he would return to US if he can get a fair trial Posted: 16 Sep 2019 07:48 AM PDT  Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency contractor living in Russia after leaking information about the US government's mass surveillance program, has said he would like to return home if he can get a fair trial. Snowden, who faces espionage charges that could send him to prison for decades, stated his desire to return to the United States in an interview with "CBS This Morning" broadcast on Monday. "I would like to return to the United States," said Snowden, whose memoir, "Permanent Record," is to go on sale on Tuesday.
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| Oil prices leap as attack on Saudi facility disrupts output Posted: 15 Sep 2019 09:44 PM PDT  Oil prices surged Monday after an attack on Saudi Arabia's largest oil processing plant halted output of more than 5.7 million barrels of crude a day. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attack on the Saudi Aramco facility that paralyzed production of more than half of Saudi Arabia's global daily exports and more than 5% of the world's daily crude oil production. "To take Saudi oil production down 50%, that's shocking," said Jonathan Aronson, a research analyst at Cornerstone Macro.
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| Best Bar Tools for Your Home Bar Posted: 16 Sep 2019 10:24 AM PDT |
| Joe Biden reportedly praised pharmaceutical companies at a private party despite publicly railing against high drug prices Posted: 15 Sep 2019 02:01 PM PDT  Biden told donors in private that there were "great drug companies out there — except a couple of opioid outfits," according to Bloomberg.
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| Gay Softball League Leads to Major Supreme Court Job-Bias Case Posted: 16 Sep 2019 01:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Gerald Bostock says he's convinced his participation in a gay softball league was why he was fired from his job running the child-advocate program at the juvenile court in Clayton County, Georgia.The Atlanta-area county's decision sent "a homophobic message that we do not approve of your sexual orientation," Bostock said.But Bostock might never get to test his allegations in court. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to use his case to consider whether federal law gives gay people any protection against employment discrimination. The court will hear arguments on Oct. 8, the second day of its new nine-month term.The case will tackle a central irony in the fight over gay rights. Even though the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015, gay people can still be fired from their jobs in much of the country. Lower courts are split on whether federal law permits anti-gay discrimination, and fewer than half of the states bar it through their own civil rights statutes."Most people in this country already think that federal law protects gay and lesbian employees from being fired because of their sexual orientation," said Sasha Samberg-Champion, a Washington lawyer who filed a brief backing Bostock for a group of employment-discrimination scholars. For the Supreme Court to say otherwise "would be very surprising and upsetting to many people," he said.The court will hear Bostock's appeal on the same day it considers a similar case involving a now-deceased gay skydiving instructor in New York, as well as a separate fight over a transgender woman fired from her job at a Michigan funeral-home chain.Defining 'Sex'Together, the cases will define the reach of the main federal job-bias law, known as Title VII. That measure outlaws discrimination because of sex, as well as race, religion and a handful of other factors. It doesn't explicitly mention sexual orientation or gender identity.President Donald Trump's administration is among those arguing that Title VII, by its terms, doesn't cover sexual orientation or gender identity."The ordinary meaning of 'sex' is biologically male or female," Solicitor General Noel Francisco argued. "It does not include sexual orientation."The administration and its allies say Congress had no intention of covering sexual orientation or gender identity when it enacted Title VII as part of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. They say lawmakers have repeatedly tried -- and failed -- to broaden the law's coverage."If 'because of sex' included 'sexual orientation,' why have there been efforts over the past several decades to amend the statute to include 'sexual orientation'?" said John Eastman, a professor at Chapman University School of Law. He filed a brief backing the county on behalf of the National Organization for Marriage and the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence.Bostock and his supporters contend that sexual-orientation bias is a form of sex discrimination because it necessarily depends on the gender of the person being targeted. They say the Supreme Court has always interpreted the law broadly, as when it barred employers from sex stereotyping in a 1991 ruling."What the court has said in the past is that discrimination 'because of sex' is a very broad concept that applies even to situations that the Congress that enacted Title VII probably never imagined," Samberg-Champion said.Business SupportBostock has the support of more than 200 businesses, including Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc., Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and General Motors Co. They say a ruling in Bostock's favor would help companies recruit talent and generate innovative ideas.Bostock was 49 when he was fired in 2013 from his job running Clayton County's Court Appointed Special Advocates program, which recruits and trains volunteers to serve as the voice for children who have been victims of abuse or neglect.His dismissal occurred after a county audit of the funds he managed. The juvenile court's chief judge, Steven Teske, was quoted at the time by a local television station as saying Bostock improperly used the money at bars and restaurants in midtown Atlanta, about 20 miles north of the Clayton County courthouse in Jonesboro."I don't see how you can justify going to Atlanta to recruit volunteers for Clayton County," Teske told WSB-TV.Teske didn't respond to a request for an interview, and the county's attorney, Jack Hancock, declined to discuss the specifics of the lawsuit."It is our position that Mr. Bostock's sexual orientation had nothing to do with his termination," Hancock said in an e-mail. "Nor does the juvenile court or the county discriminate against employees based upon their sexual orientation."But Bostock said in an interview at his house that he was engaging in the same type of recruiting he had been doing for years. He said his spending wasn't questioned until he got involved with the Hotlanta Softball League and started recruiting volunteers from the people he got to know."I wanted to open that door," said Bostock, who now lives on the other side of Atlanta in a house festooned with University of Georgia paraphernalia. "There are a lot of resources within the gay community that had really kind of been untapped."He said he had been open about his sexual orientation at work even before he joined the league.'A Job You Love'Bostock said his active recruiting had helped make the county the first in the Atlanta area to have a volunteer for every child who needed one. He said he was passionate about making a difference for needy children and was devastated by his firing."You have a job you love, you're good at it, and then all of a sudden you find yourself fired," he said. He now works as a mental health counselor at a local hospital.Bostock, now 55, said he hadn't intended to become a civil rights activist."I didn't ask for any of this," he said. "But this is an issue of national importance. And through my experience, I've learned that somebody needs to stand up for this cause and now that person's me."To contact the reporter on this story: Greg Stohr in Washington at gstohr@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Laurie Asséo, John HarneyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| The Iran-Iraq War Was a Special Kind of Hell (A Million Dead?) Posted: 15 Sep 2019 09:00 PM PDT  Neither country came anywhere near achieving even the most modest of its war aims. The borders were unchanged; both armies ended the war in essentially the same position they were in at the outbreak of hostilities. Together, the opponents had squandered some $350 billion on a senseless war of attrition engineered by two venal and intransigent autocrats.
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