| Nikki Haley claims Dylann Roof 'hijacked' the 'heritage' of the Confederate flag in church massacre Posted: 06 Dec 2019 12:32 PM PST  Nikki Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said that white supremacist Dylann Roof "hijacked" the Confederate flag by carrying out a mass killing of African-Americans in a Charleston, S.C., church in 2015.
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| Bloomberg says his reporters must 'live with' limits on coverage Posted: 06 Dec 2019 12:11 PM PST  Democratic presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg on Friday defended the policy implemented by his news agency to steer clear of investigating him, saying doing so would not be credible. Bloomberg told CBS News he "hired somebody outside" to run the Bloomberg News organization and establish policies for ethics. When asked about complaints from Bloomberg journalists that the policy to avoid investigating him or other Democratic candidates, he replied, that they "have to live with some things" about the job.
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| Joe Biden slams the media for saying Democrats have moved 'extremely to the left' since 2016 and says the party's not with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Posted: 06 Dec 2019 07:25 AM PST  Biden said the media falsely reported that the Democratic Party "moved extremely to the left" following Hillary Clinton's 2016 loss.
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| California congressman Duncan Hunter announces resignation after corruption plea Posted: 06 Dec 2019 02:39 PM PST  Hunter's announcement that he would step down came days after the leading California lawmaker, a former U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran, entered his guilty plea in federal court in San Diego. "Shortly after the Holidays I will resign from Congress," Hunter, 42, said in a written statement released by his communications director.
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| Meghan McCain Pouts After Another Joy Behar Clash: ‘I’m Just Trying to Make a Point!’ Posted: 06 Dec 2019 09:44 AM PST  After taking the day off on Thursday, Meghan McCain returned to The View on Friday and immediately set about doing Meghan McCain things.During a discussion on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's altercation with a Sinclair reporter after he asked her whether she "hated" President Donald Trump, McCain sulked and pouted after frequent sparring partner Joy Behar used an audience-pleasing one-liner against McCain's argument Democrats are too focused on making a meme out of Pelosi's moment.Earlier in the conversation, conservative co-host Abby Huntsman claimed that reporter James Rosen's question to the House speaker following her Thursday impeachment press conference was both "lazy" and "hostile.""He was going probably for the clickbait and the headlines," she said, adding that he should have given more context to the question. "What I worry so much is the humanity and civility in this country, and I put a lot of the blame on the president because it's how we talk to each other."After co-host Sunny Hostin felt Pelosi was "triggered" by the notion that Democrats only want to impeach Trump because they hate him and that it has nothing to do with the Constitution, McCain jumped in to note that Pelosi's campaign is now raising money off the incident."I think that the problem is when she did answer it masterfully, the problem is now she's selling t-shirts that say DontMessWithNancy," McCain stated, prompting Hostin to express shock."Yes, she is," McCain continued. "For $39, you can buy a t-shirt."Behar, meanwhile, jokingly asked if the shirts "come in black" as McCain complained that "everything is a meme" in politics, listing off a number of well-known resistance hashtags."This is very serious," the ex-Fox News personality added. "We're talking about the Constitution. We're talking about impeachment. And for me, it reduces it—it's very reductive to start selling sweatshirts that say DontMessWithNancy.""So you mean like hats that say Make America Great Again," Behar interrupted, referencing Trump's long-running campaign slogan.As the audience cheered Behar's brushback, McCain shook her head and crossed her arms. She then groused: "You know what, I'm just trying to make a point. And I've never worn a MAGA hat. I think you know better than anybody I'd never wear a MAGA hat."The right-leaning host, clearly unnerved at this point, reiterated that politics shouldn't be about memes, tossing in a "Whatever" for good measure.Hostin, for her part, attempted to find out exactly who was selling these shirts, asking if it was actually the Democratic National Committee."It doesn't matter," McCain huffed, arms folded tightly. 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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| Indian border officials on lookout for fugitive cosmic guru Posted: 07 Dec 2019 02:17 AM PST  Indian border officials and embassies have issued an alert for a fugitive guru accused of rape, the government said, days after the holy man announced the creation of his own "cosmic" country. Swami Nithyananda -- one of many self-styled Indian "godmen" with thousands of followers and a chequered past -- is wanted by police for alleged rape, sexual abuse, and abduction of children. Earlier this week, he announced online that he has created his own new country -- reportedly off Ecuador's coast -- complete with cabinet, golden passports, and even a department of homeland security.
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| China Is Building Its Very Own Stealth Bombers: Meet the H-20 and JH-XX Posted: 07 Dec 2019 02:00 AM PST  Meet the H-20 and JH-XX
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| Aung San Suu Kyi to fight genocide charges in the Hague Posted: 07 Dec 2019 04:01 AM PST  Once feted by the West as a human rights heroine, Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi will travel to the Hague this week to defend her regime over accusations of genocide against its Rohingya Muslim minority, in one of the most-high profile international legal cases in a generation. Myanmar rejects the allegations which stem from the military's savage ethnic cleansing campaign in Rakhine state in 2017 that forced 740,000 people to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh, where they now live in squalid refugee camps. Ms Suu Kyi, who will personally represent her fledgling democracy when the first hearings kick off on Tuesday at the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands, has vowed to "defend the national interest." In doing so, she will be defending the military who once held her under house arrest for many years to keep her out of power. The Myanmar public have rallied to support Aung San Suu Kyi as she travels to the Hague Credit: Lynn Bo/REX Her decision to brush aside concerns that backing the military's brutality against the Rohingya will further tarnish her now sullied international reputation, has won her plaudits at home for once again championing the cause of her people. Myanmar tour companies have organised discount holiday packages to supporters who wish to attend the hearings, with Myanmar citizens in the Netherlands offering homestays and logistical support. Daw July, responsible for the visa service at one of the companies, said it was trying to sell the tickets as cheaply as possible. "It is a way to show support for Mother Suu," she told the Myanmar Times, using Ms Suu Kyi's local nickname. The lawsuit charging genocide, including mass murder and rape, was lodged by Gambia, a tiny, mainly Muslim West African state backed by the 57-nation Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The case will be fought by a Gambian team led by Abubacarr Tambadou, the British-educated Justice Minister, who spent more than a decade prosecuting cases from Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Rohingya refugees live in squalor and dependent on aid in Bangladesh Credit: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters Mr Tambadou personally pushed for formal OIC support to prosecute Myanmar after visiting the overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar, and listening to harrowing testimonies about rape, murder and children being burned alive. "I saw genocide written all over these stories," he said in an interview with Reuters in Gambia's capital, Banjul. The minister plans to ask the judges to immediately order Myanmar to cease violence against Rohingya civilians and preserve evidence that could help the genocide case. He said he would draw from his experience of living through Gambia's former "brutal dictatorship" as he faces off with the Myanmar delegation. "We know too well how it feels like to be unable to tell your story to the world, to be unable to share your pain in the hope that someone out there will hear and help," he said.
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| In warning to Netanyahu, House endorses 2-state solution Posted: 06 Dec 2019 04:13 PM PST  The House on Friday threw its weight behind a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians, in a warning to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he mulls annexing the West Bank.
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| POWER RANKING: Here's who has the best chance of becoming the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Posted: 06 Dec 2019 06:18 AM PST  We've combined Insider polling and results of Morning Consult's daily survey to create a weekly power ranking of the potential 2020 candidates.
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| UPS driver identified in fatal Florida shootout; Video shows how gunfire unfolded Posted: 06 Dec 2019 10:58 AM PST  A photographer captured a video of a fatal shootout in Florida Thursday after jewelry robbers stole a UPS truck and led police on a high-speed chase.
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| Official documents shed light on Tokyo's role in 'comfort women': Kyodo Posted: 06 Dec 2019 09:38 PM PST ![Official documents shed light on Tokyo's role in 'comfort women': Kyodo]( "Official documents shed light on Tokyo's role in 'comfort women': Kyodo") The Imperial Japanese Army asked the government to provide one "comfort woman" for every 70 soldiers, Japan's Kyodo news agency said, citing wartime government documents it had reviewed, shedding a fresh light on Tokyo's involvement in the practice. "Comfort women" is a euphemism for the girls and women - many of them Korean - forced into prostitution at Japanese military brothels. The issue has plagued Japan's ties with South Korea for decades.
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| Blind man executed in US for killing ex-girlfriend Posted: 05 Dec 2019 07:52 PM PST  A blind man was executed by the US state of Tennessee on Thursday for burning his ex-girlfriend to death. Lee Hall, who was previously known as Leroy Hall, chose to be executed by electrocution rather than lethal injection, a choice that Tennessee has offered to those condemned to death before 1999. Hall, 52, was sentenced to death after he was convicted of setting a car on fire with his former girlfriend inside in 1991.
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| 50 Great Gadget and Gear Gifts for the Holidays Posted: 06 Dec 2019 10:29 AM PST |
| Schiff: Pence aide provided new impeachment evidence — but VP's office classified it Posted: 06 Dec 2019 04:13 PM PST  The request indicates that impeachment investigators are still seeking relevant evidence.
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| Iowa worker who took bathroom photos may have many victims Posted: 06 Dec 2019 09:17 AM PST  A settlement between the state of Iowa and three of its Department of Revenue workers whose genitals were secretly photographed by a male colleague while they were going to the bathroom won't bring the matter to a close, as files found on the fired employee's work computer show he may have victimized dozens of other men. The State Appeal Board voted Monday to settle the 2017 lawsuit brought by Daniel Wagner, Lloyd Lofton and Joshua Bates for $900,000. The men, who will each pocket $185,290, said coworker Kenneth Kerr stalked them at work and that supervisors failed to act when they complained about it.
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| Why Texas’s fossil fuel support will ‘spell disaster’ for climate crisis Posted: 06 Dec 2019 11:30 PM PST  The state – which leads the way as US output of oil and gas is forecast to rise 25% in the next decade – is intensifying its production pipeline by pipelineIn the same month that Greta Thunberg addressed a UN summit and millions of people took part in a global climate strike, lawmakers in America's leading oil- and gas-producing state of Texas made a statement of their own.Texas's Critical Infrastructure Protection Act went into effect on 1 September, stiffening civil and criminal penalties specifically for protesters who interrupt operations or damage oil and gas pipelines and other energy facilities.Within a couple of weeks, two dozen Greenpeace activists who dangled off a bridge over the Houston ship channel became the first people charged under the new law, which allows for prison sentences of up to 10 years and fines of up to $500,000 for protest groups.The new Texas law is emblematic of the unyielding loyalty of conservative lawmakers to the fossil fuel industry in a state stacked with influential climate science deniers or sceptics such as the US senator and former Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz and which named a pipeline tycoon to its parks and wildlife conservation commission.With kindred spirits in the Trump White House, Texas is now intensifying its support of the fossil fuel industry and, pipeline by pipeline, literally laying the groundwork for production to ramp up even more in the next decade.The scale of new production is "staggering", according to an analysis by Global Witness, a campaign group, with Texas leading the way as US output of oil and gas is forecast to rise by 25% over the next decade. This makes it a "looming carbon timebomb", the group believes, in a period when global oil and gas production needs to drop by 40% to mitigate the worst impacts of the climate crisis."The sheer scale of this new production dwarfs that of every other country in the world and would spell disaster for the world's ambitions to curb climate change," the report states.The US is already the planet's leading producer of oil and gas and central to its rise is the Permian Basin, a shale region of about 75,000 sq miles extending from west Texas into New Mexico.Despite the oil price crash of 2014, the Permian's oil production has soared from about a million barrels a day in 2011 to about 4.5m this autumn, while natural gas production has trebled since 2013, according to US government figures.In March, the Permian overtook Saudi Arabia's Ghawar to become the world's most productive oilfield. While Saudi Arabia's overall production remains far higher, predictions that the Permian's output will continue to grow at a similar rate – doubling by 2023 as pipeline capacity expands and major oil companies increase their presence – are alarming environmentalists.> Having some kind of wild west boom going on in Texas ... that's just the precise opposite to what should be going on> > Lorne Stockman"Having some kind of wild west boom going on in Texas where it's every man for himself drilling as quickly as possible and trying to pull the stuff out of the ground in a kind of frenzy, that's just the precise opposite to what should be going on," said Lorne Stockman, a senior research analyst at Oil Change International, a clean energy advocacy group.While there are some indicators of a slowdown in the growth rate, Chevron's president of North American exploration and production, Steve Green, told an industry event in October that the oil major sees a "boom boom boom kind of economy" with a "long, healthy pace of activity in the Permian and Texas for decades to come", Bloomberg reported.The Permian's fortunes are not dependent on the whims of one or two dominant companies – there are hundreds of operators, from tiny independents to huge multinationals such as Chevron, ExxonMobil, BP, Shell and ConocoPhillips, many of the corporations which, as the Guardian has reported, are behind a large proportion of the planet's carbon emissions and are poised to flood markets with an additional 7m barrels per day over the next decade.Gene Collins has witnessed firsthand the flipside of the Permian's economic boom. The 68-year-old, who runs an insurance agency and is on the board of a local economic development corporation, was born and raised in Odessa, a city which, with neighbouring Midland, is at the heart of the Permian. Heavy trucks are damaging road surfaces, traffic accidents have increased and housing rates have soared, he claimed."It has not been a gradual growth. It's been the type of growth that puts such a strain on the community that we're unable to keep up with what we need to handle the crowds, the influx. Our housing shortage is really epidemic. It puts a burden on our school districts. We need teachers but we can't bring teachers in because we have no place for them to stay," Collins said.A report last May by the Environmental Integrity Project, a not-for-profit group, cited a lack of air quality monitoring in west Texas, with only one station to track sulphur dioxide levels, and limited regulatory oversight which relies on companies to self-report unauthorised emissions.The pace of drilling, low prices and lack of capacity have led to the Permian's frackers producing more natural gas than the infrastructure system can handle, prompting them to vent gas or deliberately burn it off in an environmentally harmful process known as flaring."We probably have some of the worst air that we've ever had out here in west Texas" Collins said. "Every night we flare out here, let off natural gas, a lot of it really fugitive emissions because we don't have the regulators out here." A spokeswoman for the Texas Oil and Gas Association, a trade group, did not respond to a request for comment on how the industry plans to improve air quality in the Permian. Its president, Todd Staples, has said that its members "are accomplishing emissions progress through voluntary programmes, innovations and efficiencies".New pipelines should help relieve the bottlenecks, such as the Gulf Coast Express, a 448-mile pipeline which went online in September to take natural gas from west Texas towards the state's portion of the Gulf coast. But these too come at an environmental cost.> We're facing a massive wave of fossil fuel facilities that we've never seen before> > Rebekah HinojosaIn the Rio Grande valley, at the border with Mexico, activists are battling to stop the construction of three planned liquefied natural gas processing and export facilities at the port of Brownsville."We're facing a massive wave of fossil fuel facilities that we've never seen before," said Rebekah Hinojosa, a local organiser with the Sierra Club, a national environmental group. "The lifeblood of those communities is nature, ecotourism, shrimping, fishing, dolphin watch tours. Having a massive fossil fuel industry is not compatible."Though Texas is also the national leader in wind power capacity, the fracking investment locks the state into a fossil fuel future and enables the US to export cheap gas to other countries, perpetuating worldwide demand.Democrats in Texas are pinning their hopes on long-term demographic shifts that point to the state becoming a political battleground within the next decade, potentially paving the way for more climate-conscious policies such as restrictions on fossil fuel production, tougher regulatory regimes and promotion of renewables."Will Texas have a political shift that might empower Democrats at some stage who might be more willing to think about restraining the growth of the oil sector, if not reversing it?" said Joshua Busby, an associate professor of public affairs at the University of Texas at Austin and senior research fellow at the Center for Climate and Security. Busby believes natural disasters might accelerate change by altering the economic equation. The Gulf coast's vulnerability to storms potentially made more severe by global heating – such as Harvey, which flooded much of the Houston area in 2017 - could damage ports, refineries and petrochemical plants, erode financial markets' enthusiasm for fossil fuel investments, hurt companies' bottom lines and push climate concerns higher up the priority list for voters in traditionally conservative suburban and rural areas.Collins doubts that a radical transformation is imminent. "We have climate change deniers running the government. So there's really no benefit to them [in restricting drilling] if they think that the energy that is produced outweighs the risk," he said.The new measure punishing protesters, he said, underlines the political priorities in Texas: "For them to pass a law like that gives you an indication of what they think about the oil industry versus the rights and the health of human beings."
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| Former Rep. Katie Hill says the wave of harassment she faced after alleged revenge porn leak left her contemplating suicide Posted: 07 Dec 2019 02:30 PM PST  Former Rep. Katie Hill now says that she has "to keep going forward, and be part of the fight to create the change" to protect young women.
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| New Jersey journalist re-arrested in Nigeria after brief glimpse of freedom Posted: 07 Dec 2019 12:13 PM PST  Omoyele Sowore, imprisoned in his home country of Nigeria since August, has been freed from government custody, but still has to stand trial.
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| Bolivian minister seeks Israel help in fighting alleged leftist 'terrorism' Posted: 06 Dec 2019 10:44 AM PST  Bolivia's interim government wants Israel to help local authorities fight "terrorism" in the South American country, the interior minister told Reuters on Friday, alleging plots by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and other leftists to destabilize regional governments. Without providing details, Arturo Murillo said Bolivian police were investigating radical leftists allegedly linked to Maduro and drug-traffickers whom the government say had instigated deadly unrest in the country after former President Evo Morales resigned last month.
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| North Korea says US denuclearization talks 'out of negotiation table' Posted: 07 Dec 2019 09:31 AM PST  North Korea on Saturday said denuclearization talks with the United States were "out of the negotiation table," while slamming European UN Security Council members who had recently denounced its "provocative" ballistic missile launches. The statement from North Korea's ambassador to the UN Kim Song came after Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom on Wednesday condemned North Korea's "continued testing of ballistic missiles," and called for strict enforcement of sanctions against Pyongyang.
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| Russia's Su-57 Would Be A Game-Changer If It Wasn't So Expensive Posted: 07 Dec 2019 07:00 AM PST  Moscow can't afford it.
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| Michael Bloomberg on the all-white Democratic debate: 'Don't complain to me that you're not in the race' Posted: 06 Dec 2019 07:43 AM PST ![Michael Bloomberg on the all-white Democratic debate: 'Don't complain to me that you're not in the race']( "Michael Bloomberg on the all-white Democratic debate: 'Don't complain to me that you're not in the race'") Michael Bloomberg doesn't see anything wrong with being another white man in the increasingly less diverse 2020 field.As Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) recently pointed out after Bloomberg's entry to and Sen. Kamala Harris' (D-Calif.) departure from the 2020 presidential race, there are now "more billionaires than black people" running for president. But when confronted with that fact in a CBS This Morning interview, Bloomberg, one of those aforementioned billionaires, didn't seem to think it was a problem.In the interview aired Friday, Gayle King asked Bloomberg if it was a "problem" that the December Democratic primary debate might not have any people of color on the stage. "It would be better the more diverse any group is, but the public is out there picking and choosing," Bloomberg responded. He then pointed out that there was a more diverse field earlier in the race.Then, King asked Bloomberg to response to suggestions that he's "another old, white gentleman" in the race, and that it's "time for change." "Maybe," Bloomberg acknowledged, and then added "If you wanted to enter and run for president of the United States, you could have done that. But don't complain to me that you're not in the race."> .@MikeBloomberg on candidates' diversity: "Don't complain to me that you're not in the race" https://t.co/WBIekwdeZh pic.twitter.com/Ca0QlMn6DH> > — CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) December 6, 2019Bloomberg also explained his recent decision to apologize for the "stop and frisk" policy he pursued as New York City mayor by asserting he only said he was sorry for it now because "nobody asked me about it until I started running for president."More stories from theweek.com Trump's pathological obsession with being laughed at The most important day of the impeachment inquiry Jerry Falwell Jr.'s false gospel of memes
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| Biden Says He Would Consider Giving Ambassadorships to Donors Posted: 06 Dec 2019 08:29 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Joe Biden said Friday he would not rule out appointing donors as ambassadors, but wouldn't make decisions about those roles based on someone's financial contributions."Nobody in fact will be appointed by me based on anything they contributed," he told a group of reporters aboard his "No Malarkey" bus in Decorah, Iowa."But, for example, you have some of the people who are out there that are prepared to in fact, that are fully qualified — head of everything from being the ambassador to NATO to be the ambassador to France or any other country — who may or may not have contributed, but that will not be any basis upon which I in fact would appoint anybody."Other Democratic presidential candidates, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, have criticized the longstanding practice of appointing donors to governmental positions. Warren, who has sworn off high-dollar fundraisers, has vowed to not nominate wealthy contributors as ambassadors.In a wide-ranging 20-minute interview, Biden also defended his response to an Iowa voter who confronted him Wednesday over his son's work in Ukraine, which has come into sharp focus during the U.S. House impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump. He said he wanted to keep the focus on Trump, but reacted because the man made accusations that were false.Biden said his son did nothing wrong and referred to a statement by Hunter Biden that he exercised "poor judgment" in joining the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings."My son speaks for himself," the former vice president said. "He's a 47-year-old man. He didn't do anything wrong."Joe Biden, who is at the end of an eight-day bus tour across Iowa, again spoke about the need for bipartisan cooperation. He emphasized the vital role that the two-party system plays in American democracy, and the importance of having a robust Republican Party."I'm really worried that no party should have too much power," he said. "You need a countervailing force."He added: "You can't have such a dominant influence that then you start to abuse power. Every party abuses power if they have too much power."Biden also touted his ability to help other Democrats get elected, as he argued why he is best suited to bring about gains for party candidates as the presidential nominee.Biden, who often cites polls in swing states that show him defeating Trump, said the requests from candidates in swing districts for him to campaign on their behalf in the midterms is evidence of his appeal."I don't have to go out and look at a poll," he said. "Just go into those states. You can feel it. You can taste it."(Michael Bloomberg is also seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.)To contact the reporter on this story: Tyler Pager in Decorah, Iowa at tpager1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Max Berley, John HarneyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| 13 Mythical Creatures, Ranked Posted: 07 Dec 2019 04:01 AM PST |
| Protests hit Madrid as frustration over climate failure boils over Posted: 06 Dec 2019 02:35 PM PST  Major emitters such as the United States, India and Brazil show little sign of boosting their emissions cuts.
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| Tesla changed the release dates for the most and least expensive versions of the Cybertruck by a year Posted: 06 Dec 2019 08:09 AM PST  Tesla said the three-motor Cybertruck would enter production in late 2021, while production for the single-motor Cybertruck would begin in late 2022.
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| GOP Rep. pitches LGBTQ rights bill with religious exemptions Posted: 05 Dec 2019 11:08 PM PST  As Democrats champion anti-discrimination protections for the LGBTQ community and Republicans counter with worries about safeguarding religious freedom, one congressional Republican is offering a proposal on Friday that aims to achieve both goals. The bill that Utah GOP Rep. Chris Stewart plans to unveil would shield LGBTQ individuals from discrimination in employment, housing, education, and other public services — while also carving out exemptions for religious organizations to act based on beliefs that may exclude those of different sexual orientations or gender identities. Stewart's bill counts support from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but it has yet to win a backer among House Democrats who unanimously supported a more expansive LGBTQ rights measure in May.
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| AOC blasts Trump policy, says her family used food stamps Posted: 06 Dec 2019 07:23 AM PST  Freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., slammed the Trump administration on Thursday over new changes to the food stamps program that will cause nearly 700,000 people to lose access to benefits.
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| Pressure builds for Giuliani as associate enters talks over potential plea deal Posted: 06 Dec 2019 12:30 AM PST  Pressure to cut deal comes after revelations that Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman are 'likely' to face more charges, attorney saysTalks about a potential plea deal are under way between federal prosecutors and an attorney for Lev Parnas, a Rudy Giuliani associate indicted for making illegal campaign donations who helped Trump lawyer Giuliani's search for dirt in Ukraine on Joe Biden, says an attorney familiar with the investigationThe talks appear to be in early stages, but the lawyer familiar with the investigation and ex-prosecutors say that pressure mounted on Parnas to cut a deal after prosecutors revealed on Monday that he and his business associate Igor Fruman, who was also indicted for making illegal campaign donations, are "likely" to face additional charges.If Parnas strikes a deal it could put further legal pressure on Giuliani, who is facing a growing number of legal woes including some relating to his international consulting business as part of an investigation of alleged crimes including money laundering, wire fraud, campaign finance violations, making false statements, obstruction of justice, and violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.Parnas and Fruman, who were both born in the former Soviet Union, pleaded not guilty to illegally funneling contributions from a foreign source and three other counts. But Parnas and his lawyer have begun cooperating with the House impeachment inquiry in response to a subpoena and have turned over video and audio recordings to the House intelligence committee.As detailed in the 300-page report by House intelligence committee Democrats and other documents and reports, Parnas played a Zelig-like role in Ukraine and the US in tandem with Giuliani and several other conservatives to try and boost Trump's political fortunes in 2020.Parnas and Fruman worked with Giuliani to help oust Marie Yovanovitch, a respected US ambassador in Kyiv who was removed this spring, and to pressure the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to announce an inquiry into debunked allegations about former vice-president Joe Biden, a leading candidate in 2020, and his son who had worked for a Ukrainian gas company, in order to lift a secret hold on $391m in badly needed US military aid.Parnas and Fruman were arrested at Dulles airport en route to Vienna in October and charged with a complex conspiracy to funnel $325,000 to a Trump Super Pac from a Russian source using shell companies.But federal prosecutors in New York have since widened their investigation to look at Giuliani, including his business interests in Ukraine, and reportedly issued numerous subpoenas.The lawyer familiar with the investigation, who requested anonymity since he was not authorized to discuss it, said: "There are some plea negotiations under way with regards to Parnas," and the federal prosecutors in New York's southern district which brought the charges; but he noted that "a proffer by Parnas' attorney [has] not been accepted at this time".Ex-prosecutors say a plea deal would probably require Parnas to offer more information about Giuliani and probably others he had contacts with, including possibly Trump and the Republican congressman Devin Nunes.Ex-prosecutor Paul Rosenzweig said plea deals typically require defendants to provide truthful testimony about other possible defendants which in Parnas's case would include Giuliani. "That prospect has to make Mr Giuliani uncomfortable," he said. "It might also make Representative Nunes and President Trump uncomfortable as well."Similarly, ex-federal prosecutor Michael Zeldin said that having a prosecutor signal more charges as likely against Parnas and Fruman "substantially increases pressure on Parnas to work out a deal".Zeldin added that "additional charges could include such crimes as failure to register as a foreign agent, money laundering and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act." Convictions of these crimes carry substantial prison terms.Parnas's lawyer Joseph Bondy declined to comment on whether plea talks were under way, but Bondy told the Guardian his client wanted to help the House of Representatives in its impeachment inquiry.In a statement, Bondy said that they are producing materials to the House intelligence committee "… and that Mr Parnas remains fully committed to providing relevant and accurate sworn testimony". But Parnas needs to be "granted a level of immunity, such that his statements in the impeachment inquiry cannot be used against him in his federal prosecution".Parnas and Fruman's efforts to help Trump's political fortunes go back at least to April 2018 when the duo were invited as prospective donors to a small Super Pac dinner with Trump at his DC hotel. There, Parnas talked to Trump and warned him that Ambassador Yovanovitch was hostile to his policies, to which Trump replied she should be fired, according to the Washington Post. Their $325,000 check to the Super Pac, America First Action, arrived a few weeks later.In a statement, the Super Pac indicated it has voluntarily cooperated with the federal inquiry, and the $325,000 check was put in a "segregated bank account … until these matters are resolved and a court determines the proper disposition of the funds".
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| Belarus crowds rally against closer Russia ties Posted: 07 Dec 2019 06:31 AM PST  Roughly 1,000 Belarusians joined an unauthorised demonstration on Saturday against the prospect of a closer union with Russia. Long-time ruler Alexander Lukashenko was meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Russia on Saturday to discuss "key issues in our bilateral relations, including the prospects for deepening integration", according to the Kremlin. Police quickly intervened to oversee the demonstration but made no arrests.
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| Mexico Does Not Deserve Credit For Falling Arrests At U.S. Southern Border Posted: 06 Dec 2019 08:00 PM PST  The United States has better alternatives to deal with this crisis than abandoning its asylum laws and treating asylum seekers like criminals.
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| White House tells Democrats it will not participate in Trump impeachment hearing Posted: 06 Dec 2019 03:29 PM PST  The White House said on Friday it would refuse to take part in hearings in the U.S. House of Representatives set for next week that will consider what articles of impeachment to bring against President Donald Trump. "We don't see any reason to participate because the process is unfair," said a senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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| 3 Guard members killed in Minnesota Black Hawk crash identified Posted: 07 Dec 2019 10:09 AM PST  Killed were Chief Warrant Officer 2 James A. Rogers Jr., age 28; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Charles P. Nord, 30; and Sgt. Kort M. Plantenberg, 28.
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| Susan Collins facing massive ad buy attacking tax vote Posted: 06 Dec 2019 01:35 PM PST ![Susan Collins facing massive ad buy attacking tax vote]( "Susan Collins facing massive ad buy attacking tax vote") The outside group Maine Momentum is attacking Collins over her 2017 vote.
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| Another 1,000 truck drivers lost their jobs in November, a chilling sign for the economy Posted: 06 Dec 2019 03:36 PM PST  The trucking industry slashed 1,000 jobs in November, according to the most recent employment report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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| Suspect in deadly shooting at Florida naval base was reportedly a Saudi pilot in the US for training Posted: 06 Dec 2019 11:45 AM PST  The suspect was reportedly a Saudi aviation student, and authorities are said to be investigating whether the deadly shooting was terrorism-related.
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| Asylum-seekers who crossed in Arizona returned to Mexico Posted: 06 Dec 2019 10:28 AM PST ![Asylum-seekers who crossed in Arizona returned to Mexico]( "Asylum-seekers who crossed in Arizona returned to Mexico") The U.S. government said Friday it had sent nine Venezuelans — including two families — back to Mexico after they tried to make an asylum claim by driving up to a customs officer instead of lingering south of the border on a list waiting to be called up under a Trump administration policy targeting asylum-seekers. Advocates say the asylum-seekers forced wait on a list under a Trump policy known as metering are desperate and afraid of waiting in Mexico for months before they're even given a chance to make an asylum claim.
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| Iran and US complete prisoner swap Posted: 07 Dec 2019 05:40 AM PST  An Iranian held in the US and an American held in Iran have been freed, the two sides said on Saturday, in an apparent prisoner swap at a time of heightened tensions. Tehran announced the release of Iranian scientist Massoud Soleimani from the United States shortly before Washington declared American researcher Xiyue Wang was returning home. "Glad that Professor Massoud Soleimani and Mr. Xiyue Wang will be joining their families shortly," Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted. "Many thanks to all engaged, particularly the Swiss government," which has looked after US interests in Iran in the absence of diplomatic ties, Mr Zarif added. n this Wednesday, May 9, 2018 file photo, Hua Qu, the wife of detained Chinese-American Xiyue Wang, poses for a photograph with a portrait of her family in Princeton, N.J Credit: AP State news agency IRNA said Mr Soleimani had been "freed moments ago after one year of illegal detention and was handed over to Iranian officials in Switzerland". In a statement issued in Washington, US President Donald Trump said that "after more than three years of being held prisoner in Iran, Xiyue Wang is returning to the United States". Mr Wang, a Chinese-born American, was serving 10 years on espionage charges in Iran. A doctoral candidate in history at Princeton University, he had been researching Iran's Qajar dynasty when he was imprisoned in August 2016. Rising tensions between UK, US and Iran Mr Soleimani is a professor and senior stem cell researcher at Tehran's Tarbiat Modares University who left for the United States on October 22, 2018, according to IRNA. The United States and Iran have not had diplomatic ties since 1980. Relations between the two foes worsened in May 2018 when Trump withdrew the US from an international accord that gave Iran relief from sanctions in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.
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| Fossil fuel groups 'destroying' climate talks: NGOs Posted: 06 Dec 2019 06:07 PM PST  Oil and gas groups were accused Saturday of seeking to influence climate talks in Madrid by paying millions in sponsorship and sending dozens of lobbyists to delay what scientists say is a necessary and rapid cut in fossil fuel use. A day after tens of thousands marched in the Spanish capital demanding climate action, seven environmental groups raised concerns to AFP over the role of fossil fuel representatives at the COP25 summit. Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, nations agreed to limit global warming to "well below" two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and as close to 1.5C as possible.
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| How World War III Begins in 2029 (A U.S.-China Battle Over Taiwan?) Posted: 07 Dec 2019 12:00 AM PST  That's what one fictional article that went viral last week suggests. Could it come true?
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| Rudy’s New Ukraine Jaunt Is Freaking Out Trump’s Lieutenants—and He Doesn’t Care Posted: 06 Dec 2019 01:22 AM PST  Rudy Giuliani's decision to travel to multiple European countries this week, during the height of an impeachment probe involving his client President Trump, was so startling to senior administration officials and national security brass that they began tracking his movements in an effort to get a read on his objectives abroad.Other officials in the West Wing and numerous Trump associates learned about his latest foreign adventure, which included a stop in Ukraine, by reading the news. Many of them expressed exasperation at the thought of Giuliani—himself reportedly in the crosshairs of federal investigators—continuing to cause headaches for the White House. Others feared he would cause tangible damage to U.S. foreign policy."I do not see why [any] lawyer would see this as serving the best interests of their client," said a senior White House official. "Especially now."Ukraine's Interior Minister, Arsen Avakov, Begs Rebels to Help Defend UkraineSenior U.S. officials in the State Department and in the national security apparatus were concerned that Giuliani was speaking with politicians in both Budapest and Kiev who have interests in domestic American politics. According to five sources with knowledge of the situation, there is renewed fear that the president's lawyer is still shopping for dirt about former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter as well as speaking with foreign officials who, against all evidence, have promoted the idea that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 presidential election.The concerns about Giuliani's trip to Kiev were so pronounced that they reached officials close to President Volodymyr Zelensky, who were advised by Americans and politicians in Ukraine not to meet with Giuliani when he was in town, according to an individual familiar with those conversations.The president's attorney, who has been defiant in the face of criticism for his prior efforts to target the Bidens, was similarly unmoved by the idea that his current expedition was both unseemly and unwise."I would hope they have more important things to do than intrude on the work being done by a lawyer defending his client against another set of false and contrived charges," Giuliani told The Daily Beast on Wednesday, while still overseas. Giuliani's trip comes at a time when many in Trump's circle put blame squarely at his feet for the president's impending impeachment. But some have not bothered intervening or even reaching out directly to Giuliani about his current travel plans, in part out of concern that he would complain about them to Trump, thus prompting the president's ire, according to a senior administration official.Giuliani Cronies Planned 'Fraud Guarantee' Infomercials Starring RudyThis official also noted that it could be "unwise" to contact the president's lawyer at this time, given how Giuliani's text messages and phone records have become a topic of congressional investigation and public scandal.In addition to meeting with foreign officials, Giuliani also appears to be conducting a public relations venture on behalf of the president. As The New York Times first reported, he flew to Europe, in part, to participate in a pro-Trump documentary series produced by One America News Network."Mr. Giuliani has occasionally appeared on OAN programs, thus we have had a relationship with America's Mayor," One America News president Charles Herring said in an email on Wednesday. "Mr. Giuliani, along with other individuals, have been helpful to OAN's investigative efforts."When asked for more details on the trip and who he was meeting with, Giuliani demurred. When asked by The Daily Beast if he had gotten President Trump's blessing for this excursion or had given his client a heads-up before he flew out, he replied: "I don't tell you or [the White House] what I tell my client or he tells me."While it's unclear if the president has been made aware of Giuliani's ventures, sources did say that other top administration officials were not in the loop right up until the moment The New York Times story broke.According to the Times, Giuliani did meet with former Ukrainian prosecutor Yuriy Lutsenko, who pushed Giuliani and his associates Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman to push for the ouster of former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. Giuliani also reportedly spoke with Andriy Derkach, a Ukrainian member of parliament who has publicly pushed for a probe into meddling by former President Petro Poroshenko in the U.S. 2016 elections. Derkach is also known for peddling allegations that Ukrainian government bodies misused U.S. taxpayer money, according to a former U.S. official. On Thursday evening, Andrii Telizhenko, a former Ukrainian diplomat, posted on his Twitter account that he too had met with Giuliani to prepare for "another hard working day in meetings with Mr. Shokin and Mr. Lutcenko." "To all conspiracy theorist there is no secret on what we are doing. The truth will come out," he posted on Twitter alongside a photo of him with Giuliani. Telizhenko sits at the center of allegations that Kiev meddled in the 2016 presidential election. The Daily Beast previously reported that Telizhenko met with Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA).When asked by The Daily Beast about who else he met with in Europe this week and what they discussed, Giuliani responded, "I will have plenty to say soon."On Thursday, he gave some hints of what he has in store. "The American people will learn that Biden & other Obama administration officials, contributed to the increased level of corruption in Ukraine between 2014 to 2016," Giuliani posted to Twitter. "This evidence will all be released very soon."—With additional reporting by Will SommerRead 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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| Indian rape victim dies in hospital after being set ablaze Posted: 06 Dec 2019 06:52 PM PST ![Indian rape victim dies in hospital after being set ablaze]( "Indian rape victim dies in hospital after being set ablaze") A 23-year-old rape victim died in a hospital in the Indian capital two days after she was set on fire by a gang of men, including her alleged rapist, Reuters partner ANI reported on Saturday. The woman was on her way to board a train in Unnao district of northern Uttar Pradesh state to attend a court hearing when she was doused with kerosene and set on fire on Thursday, according to the police. Uttar Pradesh is India's most populous state and has become notorious for its poor record regarding crimes against women, with more than 4,200 cases of rape reported there in 2017 - the highest in the country.
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| Viral video shows border wall being scaled at Mexicali. Border Patrol says system 'worked exactly as designed' Posted: 05 Dec 2019 07:49 PM PST  The viral video shows two men scaling the border wall. Immigration officials said they apprehended the individual who made it to the U.S.
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| Carjackers’ Plan Foiled Because They Can't Drive Stick Posted: 06 Dec 2019 01:30 PM PST  In case you needed another reason to buy a car with a manual transmission.
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| The acting Navy secretary promises he'll fix the Ford aircraft carrier because he's tired of it being a 'whipping boy for why the Navy can't do anything right' Posted: 07 Dec 2019 06:30 AM PST  Explaining that the president is "very concerned" about the Ford, Modly said that he is making fixing this flattop a top priority for the Navy.
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| Wyoming oil field explosions, fire severely burn 3 workers Posted: 06 Dec 2019 09:24 AM PST ![Wyoming oil field explosions, fire severely burn 3 workers]( "Wyoming oil field explosions, fire severely burn 3 workers") Explosions and a fire at a Wyoming oil field severely burned three workers. The workers were taken to hospitals in the capital of Cheyenne and across the border in Greeley, Colorado, after the blasts at a compressor station late Thursday, according to Laramie County Fire District No. 4. "Those guys have a long road ahead," Fire Chief Scott Maddison told the Casper Star-Tribune on Friday.
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