| Trump administration briefing on Iran angers Republican senators, boosts effort to restrict presidential power Posted: 08 Jan 2020 03:06 PM PST  A briefing by Trump administration officials about the U.S. military strike that killed Iran's most famous general backfired on Wednesday, angering two Republican senators and driving them to support a Democratic effort to require congressional approval for any further military engagement.
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| Husband in missing mom case ordered held on $6 million bail Posted: 07 Jan 2020 10:03 PM PST  A Connecticut man was ordered detained Wednesday on $6 million bail on charges that he killed his estranged wife — a crime investigators say stood to benefit him financially as the couple went through bitter divorce and child custody proceedings. Fotis Dulos, 52, of Farmington, Connecticut, was arraigned in Stamford Superior Court, along with two other people authorities say helped him cover up the killing of Jennifer Dulos. Fotis Dulos may be able to post bail Thursday, his attorney said.
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| Iranian commander vows ‘harsher revenge soon’ against U.S. Posted: 09 Jan 2020 04:49 AM PST  The remarks come from IRGC senior commander Abdollah Araghi.
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| Devastating images of burned koalas and wallabies are emerging from Australia as 1 billion animals are feared dead Posted: 08 Jan 2020 07:57 PM PST  Despite rescue efforts, tens of thousands of koalas are feared dead on one island alone. Ecologists worry fires could wipe out endangered species.
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| Why Did U.S. Missile Defense Fail In September's Saudi Oil Attack? Posted: 09 Jan 2020 12:45 AM PST  Saudi Arabia might find itself a lot more open to attack than it thinks.
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| Ask the Captain: What goes into landing a plane on an icy, slippery runway? Posted: 09 Jan 2020 04:00 AM PST  Though landing in icy conditions is challenging, it can be done safely, says aviation columnist John Cox. Here's how pilots manage to land safely.
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| About 750 Seattle Students Will Be Excluded From School Because of Incomplete Vaccination Records Posted: 08 Jan 2020 07:38 AM PST  It's part of a state law that followed widespread measles outbreaks last year
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| 11 Bathroom Seating Options Beyond the Toilet Posted: 09 Jan 2020 05:00 AM PST |
| It looks like Iran is ready to start bombing its fake aircraft carrier again Posted: 09 Jan 2020 02:12 PM PST  Iran looks to have fixed its fake aircraft carrier after using it for target practice years ago, meaning it may be planning to start hitting it again.
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| Poll: 55 percent of Americans think Trump killing Soleimani made the U.S. less safe Posted: 09 Jan 2020 07:39 AM PST  A majority of Americans don't seem to be buying the Trump administration's rationale for killing Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleiman, according to a new poll.In a USA TODAY/Ipsos poll released Thursday, 55 percent of U.S. adults said the United States' recent drone strike that killed Soleimani and its immediate aftermath made the country less safe.The administration has contended the opposite in the days since the strike. Vice President Mike Pence, for example, told Today in an interview Thursday that "America is safer" as a result of Trump's decision.But only 24 percent of Americans in this poll said the strike made the country safer, and almost a third of Republicans said the strike made the U.S. less safe. Even so, 42 percent of Americans still supported the Soleimani strike, while 33 percent opposed it and 25 percent didn't know what to think about it.Fifty-two percent of those surveyed also described Trump's behavior with Iran as "reckless," while 62 percent said the strike that killed Soleimani made it more likely that the United States and Iran will go to war. Forty-seven percent said they believe Trump authorized the bombing to distract from impeachment.USA Today's poll was taken by surveying 1,005 adults online on Jan. 7 and Jan. 8, and it was completed prior to Trump's recent address. The margin of error is 3.5 percentage points. Read the full results at USA Today.More stories from theweek.com The world is abandoning America 37 TV shows to watch in 2020 5 scathing cartoons about Trump's Iran mess
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| Japanese man pleads not guilty to killing 19 due to mental health Posted: 07 Jan 2020 07:16 PM PST  A Japanese man accused of stabbing 19 disabled people to death pleaded not guilty on Wednesday in a dramatic trial session interrupted when he seemed to put something in his mouth, struggled with court officials and lay on the floor writhing. Satoshi Uematsu, 29, a former care home worker accused of killing 19 disabled people and wounding 26 in a care center in 2016 - one of post-war Japan's worst mass killings - was removed from the court and did not return when the trial resumed. Before the interruption, Uematsu's lawyer said Uematsu acknowledged details of the indictment were true, but he has a psychiatric disorder that led to diminished capacity at the time of the incident.
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| 'We don't retreat in face of America': Iran president Posted: 08 Jan 2020 06:07 AM PST  Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said the Islamic republic's response on Wednesday to a US strike that killed one of its generals shows "we don't retreat in the face of America". "If America has committed a crime... it should know that it will receive a decisive response," Rouhani said in a televised address. The remarks came hours after Iran fired a wave of missiles at Iraqi bases housing US troops in retaliation for the assassination of Qasem Soleimani.
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| Teen grateful to be alive after 30 hours in Utah mountains Posted: 09 Jan 2020 07:13 AM PST  A California teenager who survived nearly 30 hours alone in the snowy Utah mountains said Wednesday he kept himself awake with phone alarms, built a snow cave for shelter and held a special beaded bracelet to keep his hopes up. Nicolas Stacy-Alcantara, 17, of Fresno, was visiting Utah to see an ex-girlfriend and decided to go for a day-long hike in relatively mild weather last week, he said. The teen took an Uber up a canyon east of Salt Lake City, bringing six peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and 40 ounces of water with him.
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| Thousands flee beach towns after prime minister proclaims Australia 'wonderful place to come' Posted: 09 Jan 2020 07:52 AM PST  Hot, windy weather swept back into southeastern Australia on Thursday, whipping historic bushfires and prompting evacuation of several coastal towns.
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| Spy scandal rocks Taiwan ahead of weekend elections Posted: 09 Jan 2020 06:27 AM PST  Allegations in the Australian media that a Chinese spy was pressured to smear the Taiwanese ruling party with bribery charges has prompted accusations of meddling in the Taiwanese election. The island of 23 million is already on high alert for any signs of Chinese interference in its presidential and legislative polls on Saturday, amid mounting fears of targeted disinformation campaigns to undermine Tsai Ing-wen, the incumbent president who Beijing deeply mistrusts. China denies trying to do so. In the latest allegations of dirty tricks, reported in The Age, Wang Liqiang, a self-confessed Chinese intelligence operative seeking to defect to Australia, was warned in December that he could be sent back to China and killed if he did not publicly recant his story. In November, Mr Wang sparked an international furore by claiming that he had worked for a Beijing-directed operation to target independence and democracy movements in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and to promote Communist Party influence. Beijing immediately dismissed his story and said he was a convicted criminal, and Taiwan's main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), whom Wang said Beijing was supporting, has strongly denounced the claims, as has Han Kuo-yu, its presidential candidate. Supporters of Han Kuo-Yu, presidential candidate for Taiwan's main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party Credit: SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images The KMT favours stronger trade ties with China although it maintains it will not do so at the cost of Taiwanese sovereignty. The island, which China claims as its own territory and threatens to annex, functions as a de facto independent nation. However, the Australian Security Intelligence Operation issued an earlier rare statement to say it took the claims of foreign interference seriously. Security agencies later uncovered a list of threats against Mr Wang on Christmas Eve, the Age reported. He was allegedly asked to recant his accusations by Alex Tsai, a senior KMT official, and directly threatened by a Chinese businessman. He was reportedly told that his family would be spared punishment if he backtracked on his spy claims. It is also claimed he was provided with a script and told to record a video message in which he would falsely claim that Taiwan's governing Democratic Progressive Party had bribed him to lie with "a large sum of money." Wang Liqiang is seeking asylum in Australia, where he has offered a trove of secrets about Chinese political interference Speaking to reporters in Taipei, Alex Tsai, the KMT official named in the story, confirmed he had spoken to Mr Wang, but denied threatening him or offering inducements. "It has nothing to do with Taiwan's elections," he stressed. "Wang Liqiang is not a spy. That is sure," he said, claiming that he had contacted Mr Wang to negotiate to clear the name of a Chinese businessman he had implicated in his espionage accusations. "Both are not Communist spies. Some people say that they're spies working to infiltrate Taiwan, but they've got the wrong person. It's a serious violation of human rights," he said. The DPP, which has repeatedly warned throughout the election campaign that China wants to impose authoritarian rule on Taiwan, expressed shock over the controversy and accused Mr Tsai of not revealing the whole truth. "This is an international scandal," Kuan Bi-ling, a DPP legislator said. In Australia, the federal police force told local media that it was "aware of threats made against a man currently residing in Australia." A spokesman added: "The AFP takes threats of this nature seriously and has commenced an investigation."
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| 23 Exoplanets That Could Be a 'Second Earth' Posted: 09 Jan 2020 02:59 PM PST |
| U.S. Officials Say It's 'Highly Likely' Iranian Missile Downed Ukrainian Plane. Here's What to Know Posted: 08 Jan 2020 10:18 AM PST  63 Canadians were among those killed in the Ukrainian Boeing 737-800 crash
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| Facebook is the reason Trump got elected, says Facebook exec who ran advertising during the 2016 election, 'but not for the reasons anyone thinks' Posted: 08 Jan 2020 08:10 AM PST  Andrew Bosworth, who was in charge of advertising during the 2016 US election, said he thinks Facebook is the reason for President Trump's victory.
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| Furore after top Bollywood star attends student demo Posted: 08 Jan 2020 03:42 AM PST  One of Bollywood's top stars sparked a social media storm on Wednesday, attracting admiration and vitriol after showing solidarity with students who were attacked at a Indian university this week. Indian film stars have traditionally shied away from politics, fearing their films could be boycotted or their safety threatened. The protest came two days after masked attackers went on a rampage inside the campus of the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), leaving 34 students and faculty members injured.
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| China Would Rather You Forget Their Losing a War Against Vietnam Posted: 08 Jan 2020 11:08 PM PST  In 1979 the PLA didn't live up to expectations.
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| 1 skier still missing after deadly avalanche at Idaho resort Posted: 08 Jan 2020 07:16 AM PST  One skier remains missing at an Idaho resort where an avalanche on Tuesday killed two skiers and injured four others. The resort said it received a telephone call Wednesday morning from a concerned family member of the missing skier who was confirmed to be skiing there at the time of the avalanche. Resort officials said Wednesday afternoon that an intense search with dogs did not find the missing person.
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| Police, villagers clash over land in Vietnam, leaving 4 dead Posted: 09 Jan 2020 01:35 PM PST  Residents of a Hanoi suburb used grenades, firebombs and spears Thursday in an attempt to stop soldiers from building a wall around a military airport on land they say is private, leaving three police and a villager dead, officials said.
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| Blumenthal: Some GOP 'have very severe misgivings' about McConnell impeachment strategy Posted: 08 Jan 2020 08:37 AM PST  Richard Blumenthal stated he believes some Senate Republicans are concerned with McConnell working with the White House on Trump's impeachment trial.
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| US Army to field Israeli-made long-range missile on helicopters Posted: 09 Jan 2020 07:59 AM PST  An Israeli-made missile is joining the family of Army airborne munitions, but on an interim basis, as the service fleshes out its requirements for weapons that get after greater standoff.
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| Yes Iran Would Use Its Missiles Against America's Carriers in a War Posted: 09 Jan 2020 02:13 AM PST  Another reason to avoid a conflict.
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| A senator wants to ban the US from sharing intelligence with countries using Huawei 5G — which is most of America's allies Posted: 09 Jan 2020 03:49 AM PST  The US has been desperately trying to convince allies to freeze out Huawei's 5G kit for a year, with limited success.
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| UN Security Council declares commitment to 'international law' as tensions flare Posted: 09 Jan 2020 09:57 AM PST  The UN Security Council on Thursday reaffirmed its commitment to "an international order based on international law" amid fears of armed conflict between the United States and Iran. The declaration was issued at the start of a debate on the UN Charter which had been tabled before the present crisis by Vietnam, a non-permanent member of the Security Council and which assumes the rotating presidency this month.
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| Police detective convicted of inventing a crime to imprison innocent man is allowed to walk free by judge Posted: 09 Jan 2020 03:45 AM PST  A police detective who fabricated a fake assault and lied under oath in order to imprison an innocent man has been spared jail time.Former NYPD officer Michael Bergmann, 34, filed a criminal complaint claiming that a burglary suspect – whose car he had reportedly been pulling over for months in order to find grounds for his arrest – had tried to run him over in such a manner that the offending vehicle left skid marks on the ground.
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| Trump wants to know 'How are your 409K's doing' in this 'all-time high' stock market Posted: 09 Jan 2020 07:56 AM PST  President Trump knows business. He knows the stock market. And he thinks he knows what should be happening to your "409K's" right about now.After stock market indexes rose to record highs early Thursday, Trump sent a tweet asking "HOW ARE YOUR 409K'S DOING?" If they're "only 50 percent up," he continued, well, "What are you doing wrong?"(Screenshot/@RealDonaldTrump on Twitter)Trump eventually deleted his tweet and corrected it to "401K's," which are indeed an actual thing.> STOCK MARKET AT ALL-TIME HIGH! HOW ARE YOUR 401K'S DOING? 70%, 80%, 90% up? Only 50% up! What are you doing wrong?> > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2020But not before Time's Alex Fitzpatrick noted that a Sept. 2019 Gallup report found only 55 percent of Americans own stock, and well, 90 percent up from zero is still zero.More stories from theweek.com The world is abandoning America 37 TV shows to watch in 2020 5 scathing cartoons about Trump's Iran mess
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| Men are paying $76,000 for a limb-extending surgery that involves breaking leg bones and inserting nails and screws Posted: 09 Jan 2020 11:35 AM PST  The procedure tricks a person's body into thinking it's still growing, allowing patients to eventually grow up to six inches taller.
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| Australian Aboriginal officials approve killing up to 10,000 feral camels Posted: 08 Jan 2020 10:04 AM PST  Aboriginal officials in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in Australia agreed to an "aerial cull" of nearly 10,000 feral camels.
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| Iran Supreme Leader says Missile Attack on Military Bases Housing U.S. Troops Is ‘Not Enough’ Posted: 08 Jan 2020 08:13 AM PST  Iran's supreme leader warned Wednesday that the country's Tuesday night attack on military bases in Iraq housing U.S. troops is "not enough" retaliation against America."They were slapped last night, but such military actions are not enough," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said both on Twitter and in a televised speech."Military operations do not suffice. What is important in addition to retaliation is to end the U.S.'s corrupting presence in the region," Khamenei said.Tehran on Tuesday launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles aimed at two Iraqi bases in Ain al-Asad and Irbil in Kurdistan. The act of aggression was a response to the assassination of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force, who was killed Friday in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad.The U.S. airstrike was retaliation for the attacks by Iran-backed militiamen on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad last week, which Soleimani signed off on.No U.S. or Iraqi troops were reported killed in the attacks."The U.S. has caused wars, division, sedition, destruction, and the demolition of infrastructures in this region," Khamenei proclaimed. "Of course, they do this everywhere in the world. This region won't accept the U.S. presence. Governments elected by nations won't accept the presence of the U.S."Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif struck a more conciliatory tone after the attacks, insisting that Iran does "not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression."President Trump was optimistic in his appraisal of the Iranian attacks."All is well," the president wrote on Twitter. "Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far!"
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| Even the Russians Think The U.S. Navy Would Defeat the Chinese Posted: 08 Jan 2020 11:47 AM PST  Konstantin Sivkov, a member of the Russian Academy of Rocket and Artillery Sciences, says superior U.S. reconaissance would give it the defining advantage.
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| Ten years after deadly Haiti quake, survivors feel forgotten Posted: 08 Jan 2020 06:39 PM PST  Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Ten years ago, Herlande Mitile was left disabled by the massive earthquake that devastated Haiti. Today, she uses a wheelchair jury-rigged with a piece of string, which means she cannot go far.
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| California governor deploys trailers, tents, funds in homelessness 'emergency' Posted: 08 Jan 2020 12:44 PM PST  Newsom said the money, if approved in the 2020-21 budget, would be distributed to major cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as smaller communities to pay rent for homeless people and create more temporary housing. "The state of California is treating homelessness as a real emergency - because it is one," Newsom, a Democrat, said in a statement announcing his budget proposals, which he is expected to formally deliver to the state legislature on Friday.
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| Mississippi moms question state as they bury slain inmates Posted: 08 Jan 2020 03:15 PM PST  Manslaughter isn't supposed to be a death sentence. All three prisoners were slain by fellow inmates at Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman last week. The outbreak of violence has brought national attention to problems that have long plagued Mississippi's overstretched prison system.
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| Body of child stowaway found in Air France landing gear after Ivory Coast to Paris flight Posted: 08 Jan 2020 11:33 AM PST  The body of a child stowaway was found in the landing gear of a plane at a Paris airport on Wednesday - thought to have died from cold or asphyxiation on the long-haul flight from Ivory Coast. The child, aged around 10, had hidden in the undercarriage of the Air France Boeing 777 in Abidjan, the Ivorian economic capital. It took off on Tuesday evening and landed at Charles de Gaulle airport, north of the French capital, six and half hours later. The corpse, which officials said was "not warmly dressed", was found in the plane's undercarriage cavity after landing. "Air France confirms that the lifeless body of a stowaway was found in the landing gear compartment of the aircraft operating flight AF703 from Abidjan to Paris-Charles de Gaulle on 7 January 2020," Air France said in a statement. It expressed its "deepest sympathy and compassion for this human tragedy." Sources close to the investigation told AFP the boy was about 10 years of age, and that he had "died either from asphyxiation or from the cold". "Aside from the human drama, this shows a major failing of security at Abidjan airport," according to an Ivorian security source who asked how a child, alone, could gain such access. While the economy is vibrant in Ivory Coast with annual growth of eight percent in recent years, illegal immigration to Europe has rocketed. A Kenyan stowaway fell from a plane into a south London garden in July 2019 Credit: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire Several stowaways, notably adolescents from Africa, have been found frozen to death or crushed in the undercarriage of Western-bound planes. The last such case in France dates to April 2013, when the body of a boy, likely a minor, was similarly found in the undercarriage of a plane from Cameroon. Last July, a suspected stowaway fell to his death from a Kenya Airways flight from Nairobi to Heathrow, landing in a garden in south London. The chances of survival are slim given the extreme conditions people face if they try to travel in the undercarriage of a plane, which is neither heated nor pressurised. These include being crushed when landing gear retracts, frostbite, hearing loss, tinnitus and acidosis - the build-up of acid in body fluids which can cause coma or death. During the flight, temperatures can drop to as low as -63C (-81F), bringing on hypothermia. At 18,000ft, hypoxia sets in, where the whole or part of the body is deprived of an adequate oxygen supply. It causes weakness, tremors, light-headedness and eyesight problems. When a plane reaches 22,000ft, a stowaway will be struggling to keep conscious as blood oxygen level drops. Worse, a typical long-haul cruising altitude of 33,000ft - or higher - lungs require artificial pressure to function normally. Then compartment doors re-open a few thousand feet above ground for landing, which can cause stowaways to fall to their deaths. However, some people have survived the ordeal. In June 2010, a 20-year-old Romanian was found alive inside a wheel bay after a flight from Vienna landed at Heathrow Airport. In that case, the jet had kept below 25,000ft because of bad weather. According to the US Federal Aviation Administration, some 96 people hid under planes during flights around the world between 1947 and 2012. Of those, 23 people - about one in four - had survived the journey.
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| Jefferies just took another WeWork hit with a $69 million writedown to its stake in the coworking company Posted: 08 Jan 2020 03:49 PM PST  The bank had already cut the value of its WeWork stake by $146 million more than two weeks before the coworking company's failed IPO.
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| Jimmy Kimmel Dunks on GOP Rep Who Tweeted Fake Obama-Iran Photo Posted: 07 Jan 2020 10:28 PM PST  The day after congressman Paul Gosar posted a fake photo of former President Barack Obama shaking hands with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Jimmy Kimmel had some harsh words for the Arizona Republican. "If you're not familiar with this guy, he's the congressman whose own siblings—his brothers and sisters—took out an attack ad against him during the midterms and endorsed his opponent," Kimmel said in his monologue Tuesday night. After showing the fake photo, which was accompanied by the caption, "The world is a better place without these guys in power," the host explained just how misleading it was. "Obama never met the guy," he said. "And the guy is still the president of Iran." Ronan Farrow Not 'Optimistic' About Harvey Weinstein Trial, Calls Out Manhattan DA Cyrus VanceStephen Colbert Blasts Trump's 'Tragically Ill-Conceived' Move Toward War With IranIn response to the many reporters and others on Twitter who pointed out the error, Gosar tweeted, "No one said this wasn't Photoshopped. No one said the president of Iran was dead. No one said Obama met with Rouhani in person.""Well, OK then!" Kimmel shot back "'No one said this wasn't Photoshopped?' Is that the standard now? You can post whatever you want and leave it to us to figure out if it's Photoshopped? Because if that's the case I have a photo of Paul Gosar being spanked by Jared from Subway that I would like a lot of people to see." Then Kimmel shared another "real photo" of President Donald Trump "happily shaking tiny hands with the guy who ordered the murder of a reporter for the Washington Post." He helpfully added, "That is not Photoshopped." 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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| Does Trump have authority to start war with Iran? Posted: 08 Jan 2020 09:32 AM PST  As tensions rise between the U.S. and Iran, legal questions about the president's power to start a war have arisen.
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| How the U.S. Assassinated The Man Responsible for Pearl Harbor Posted: 08 Jan 2020 07:30 PM PST  Admiral Yamamoto's death in 1943 was a major turning point in the war in the Pacific.
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| Some California lawmakers said they support a group of homeless women living in vacant home Posted: 08 Jan 2020 06:44 AM PST  Some California lawmakers said they support a group of homeless women who have been illegally living in a vacant three-bedroom house in Oakland since November, partly to protest real estate speculators who drive up housing costs in the pricey San Francisco Bay Area.
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