| Trump claims first lady thought he'd had heart attack because of 'sick' media coverage of medical visit Posted: 19 Nov 2019 02:12 PM PST  Donald Trump claimed the first lady thought he had had a heart attack after the "sick" media reported on his unscheduled visit to a medical centre.The president was unexpectedly taken to the Walter Reed Medical Centre on Saturday in a visit that was not listed on his official engagements and which came just nine months after his annual physical.
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| Israel intercepts rocket fire from Syria, reportedly hits back Posted: 19 Nov 2019 01:18 AM PST  Israel's air defences intercepted four rockets fired from neighbouring Syria on Tuesday, the army said, prompting reported retaliatory missile strikes against the source of the fire. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the rockets were fired from positions around the capital held by groups loyal to the Damascus government. It did not elaborate on which group had launched the rockets or whether there had been any casualties in the retaliatory strikes.
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| Russia offers job to Maria Butina, woman convicted by U.S. of being an agent Posted: 18 Nov 2019 11:25 AM PST  In her first public appearance since being deported by U.S. authorities who had jailed her for being a Russian agent, Maria Butina was on Monday offered a job by Moscow to defend Russians imprisoned abroad. During an event for the media, Russia's human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, offered Butina, 31, a job working for her commission. Butina, who flew back to Russia on Oct. 26 after being deported, did not say whether she would accept the offer made at what she called her first public appearance since she was mobbed by wellwishers in front of the media at the airport on her arrival home.
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| Kim Foxx Admits Failures in Jussie Smollett Case: ‘I Didn’t Handle It Well. I Own That’ Posted: 19 Nov 2019 10:05 AM PST  In her reelection video for Cook County State Attorney released Tuesday, Kim Foxx concedes that she mishandled the high-profile prosecution of Empire actor Jussie Smollett."The truth is, I didn't handle it well," Foxx says in the video. "I own that.""I'm making changes in my office to make sure we do better," she adds. "That's what reform is about."In the video, Foxx goes on to say that "those attacks aren't just about one case, they're about stopping progress in Cook County . . . we're on the right path to reforming criminal justice in Cook County, and making the system work for everyone."> I ran for Cook County State's Attorney four years ago because we needed to change criminal justice in our county. Today, I'm officially announcing that I'm running for re-election. We've gotten a lot done, and we can't go back now. pic.twitter.com/0ECV7BRJGH> > -- Kim Foxx (@KimFoxxforSA) November 19, 2019Citing his record of community service and the technically victimless nature of his alleged crime, Foxx dropped all charges against Smollett in March after he was indicted by a grand jury for allegedly staging a bigoted and politically-motivated hate crime against himself with the help of two friends who were paid for their services.Following the news, an anonymous attorney in Foxx's office slammed the decision in a letter provided to CWB Chicago."This case was handled markedly different from any other case at 26th Street. No one knows why, and more importantly, no one can explain why our boss, the head prosecutor of all of Cook County, has decided to so demean and debase both our hard work, and our already tenuous relationship with the Chicago Police Department," the attorney's letter read.The state later appointed a special prosecutor to examine Foxx's decision after text messages showed that Foxx continued weighing in on the case in conversations with her deputy after announcing that she had recused herself from the investigation due to public misperceptions that she had personal relationships with members of the Smollett family. Later, Foxx tried to explain that she had not recused herself "in the legal sense."
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| 4 Killed, 6 Injured in ‘Targeted' Shooting at Backyard Party in California. Here’s What to Know Posted: 18 Nov 2019 06:14 AM PST  The group was gathered to watch a football game
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| Syracuse University has suspended all fraternity activities for the rest of the semester after a black student said a group of students accosted her and called her a racial slur Posted: 19 Nov 2019 12:23 PM PST  The student newspaper reported that a black female student was called the N-word while walking on campus Saturday night.
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| Tropical Storm Sebastien forms over Atlantic Posted: 19 Nov 2019 06:38 AM PST  With less than half a month left of the Atlantic hurricane season, an area of disturbed weather over the central Atlantic has become Tropical Storm Sebastien on Tuesday.Satellite images show a fairly well-defined area of clouds over the southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean. This image, taken early Tuesday morning, Nov. 19, 2019, shows an area of disturbed weather to the northeast of the Leeward Islands. Puerto Rico can be seen to the left-center of the image. (NOAA/GOES-East) "Sebastien will be fighting wind shear this week, but there is a short window where some strengthening can take place early on," Dan Kottlowski, AccuWeather's top hurricane expert, said."The window for strengthening is likely to close as a cold front approaches from the west, overtakes Sebastien and causes it to weaken during the middle to latter part of this week," Kottlowski added.The system is not expected to be a direct threat to the Lesser Antilles, but breezy conditions and locally rough surf can affect the north- and east-facing shoreline of the Leeward Islands for a time into Wednesday."Sebastien is moving around the western part of a large area of high pressure over the Atlantic Ocean," Kottlowski said.The high pressure area will allow Sebastien to take a curved path to the northwest, north and then the northeast this week as it interacts with the cold front. This track should take the system out over the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean.This development has squeaked out ahead of the end of the Atlantic hurricane season, which officially comes to a close on Nov. 30.There are a couple of other weak disturbances over the tropical Atlantic, but neither of these show much sign of development in the short term.Including Sebastien, there have been 20 depressions, 18 named storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes.AccuWeather predicted 12-14 tropical storms, five to seven hurricanes and two to four major hurricanes back in early April.AccuWeather meteorologists cautioned back in the spring that a weakening El Niño could contribute to slightly higher numbers of tropical storms than originally forecast and a somewhat end-loaded season over the Atlantic.The Atlantic has spawned one tropical depression, four tropical storms and one hurricane since the middle of October. Download the free AccuWeather app to check the forecast in your area. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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| 10 Things We Want to Leave Behind in the 2010s Posted: 19 Nov 2019 08:40 AM PST |
| Kurt Volker completely reverses his previous impeachment testimony and now says he thought discussions about political investigations were 'inappropriate' Posted: 19 Nov 2019 02:30 PM PST  Volker has been accused of working with Rudy Giuliani and the US ambassador to the EU to pressure Ukraine to investigate Trump's political opponents.
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| Isil leaders with 'vast amounts of cash' planning comeback in Turkey, Iraq spy chief claims Posted: 19 Nov 2019 05:27 AM PST  Senior Islamic State members with access to "huge" amounts of money are in Turkey and plotting a comeback, an Iraqi spy chief has warned. Lieutenant General Saad al-Allaq, head of Iraq's Military Intelligence, claimed in an interview with CNN that Iraq has given Ankara dossiers on nine alleged leaders of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil), including top financiers for the terror group. The general said senior Isil figures known as "emirs" have access to vast reserves of cash and were forming new cells in Turkey. He claimed many of them had managed to escape from Isil's final patch of territory in Baghouz, eastern Syria, after bribing Western-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to reach Idlib in the north-west. From there, he said, they crossed the border to Gaziantep in southern Turkey. "Some of its important leadership fled north, I mean in the direction of neighbouring countries and into border areas like Gazientep," Lt. Gen. Allaq said. US Special Forces, figures at lower right, moving toward compound of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Credit: Department of Defense "They have secretly crossed into these areas from the Syrian-Turkish border - top leaders who have money. They crossed with the help of smugglers by paying large amount of money and have secretly entered Turkish territory." He added: "Those elements who are right now in Turkey play a key role in the recruitment of fighters and terrorists." CNN was shown Iraq's arrest warrants for the nine men, who are described as bomb makers. Lt. Gen. Allaq said the men were "among the best bomb makers that Isis ever had." Lt. Gen. Allaq, who rarely gives interviews, said Iraq had intelligence that Isil leaders were planning jailbreaks of its supporters held in prisons and camps across Syria and Iraq. Isil members are led away to be questioned by coalition forces after surrendering, near Baghuz, eastern Syria Credit: Sam Tarling Turkey told the US network they were looking into the allegations. He said a new Isil mission code-named "Break Down the Fences" intended to storm jails where their followers were being held and try to replenish its manpower. Several high-profile Isil figures and their family members have been discovered in recent weeks in or near Turkey. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the group's leader, was found hiding three miles from the border of Turkey in the Syria village of Barisha in Idlib, where he was killed in a US raid on October 26. Abu Hassan al-Muhajir, Isil's spokesman, was killed the following day several miles away near the town of Jarablus, which is under Turkish administration. Turkey then announced arrests it had made of Baghdadi's relatives, who had apparently been hiding in the country.
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| Vietnam families of UK truck victims take on loans to repatriate remains Posted: 19 Nov 2019 01:55 AM PST  Some families of the 39 Vietnamese people found dead in a truck in Britain last month will take on steep loans from the government to repatriate their relatives' remains, they told AFP Tuesday. Vietnam's foreign ministry said they would help to bring either the ashes or the bodies of the victims back -- but that families would have to cover the cost of repatriation. Families in central Vietnam, where many of the 39 victims come from, said they were desperate to bring their loved ones back nearly four weeks after the tragedy, despite the debt they will have to take on.
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| UPDATE 3-Dutch find 25 migrants in refrigerated container on UK-bound ferry Posted: 19 Nov 2019 11:42 AM PST ![UPDATE 3-Dutch find 25 migrants in refrigerated container on UK-bound ferry]( "UPDATE 3-Dutch find 25 migrants in refrigerated container on UK-bound ferry") Dutch authorities found 25 migrants stowed away on a cargo ferry bound for Britain shortly after it left the Netherlands on Tuesday and the vessel quickly returned to the Dutch port of Vlaardingen, emergency services said. Two of the migrants were taken to hospital for treatment while the other 23 received a medical check-up in the port before being taken away by police for processing, according to a statement posted on the website of regional emergency services. Authorities found the migrants in a refrigerated container on a truck aboard the ferry, the statement said.
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| Meet Britain's Deadly Nuclear Missile Submarines Posted: 19 Nov 2019 09:00 AM PST  A powerful deterrent.
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| California puts brakes on fracking permits in oil crackdown Posted: 19 Nov 2019 03:26 PM PST  California Gov. Gavin Newsom cracked down on oil producers Tuesday, halting approval of hundreds of fracking permits until independent scientists can review them and temporarily banning new wells using another drilling method that regulators believe is linked to one of the largest spills in state history. The state Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources announced it will not approve new wells that use high-pressure steam to extract oil from underground. It's the type of process Chevron uses at an oil field in the Central Valley that leaked more than 1.3 million gallons (4.9 million liters) of oil and water this summer.
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| U.S. to change migration rules in hopes to send asylum seekers elsewhere Posted: 19 Nov 2019 11:45 AM PST  The Trump administration is set to harden the rules this week on those allowed to seek asylum in the United States, as it attempts to stem a wave of migration on its southern border with Mexico.
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| The New York Times report on China's mass detention of Muslims seems to have broken through Beijing's internet firewall Posted: 18 Nov 2019 12:07 PM PST ![The New York Times report on China's mass detention of Muslims seems to have broken through Beijing's internet firewall]( "The New York Times report on China's mass detention of Muslims seems to have broken through Beijing's internet firewall") The Great Firewall may have been breached.Beijing doubled down Monday after The New York Times published a report on over 400 leaked documents that provided a look into China's mass detention of Muslims in the Xinjiang region, though the government didn't dispute the authenticity of the documents."It is precisely because of a series of preventative counterterrorism and de-extremism measures taken in a timely manner that Xinjiang, which had been deeply plagued by terrorism, has not had a violent terrorist incident for three years," said Geng Shuang, a spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Geng added that the Times took things out of context in an attempt to "smear and discredit China's antiterrorism and de-extremism capabilities."But aside from Geng's comments, the Times reports that Chinese state media said little else about the issue, which is not surprising given the sensitive nature of the issue. But there were signs that at least some aspects of the leak snuck past Beijing's internet firewall, which blocks access to the Times. One user on Chinese social media platform Weibo reportedly posted about Wang Yongzhi, an official cited in the report who initially helped implement China's harsh measure, but eventually ordered the release of more than 7,000 detention camp inmates before he was arrested. "History will not forget this person and this page of paper," the Weibo user wrote, indicating that the documents might have made their way through. Read more at The New York Times.More stories from theweek.com The potential lie that could actually destroy Trump The coming death of just about every rock legend Everyone will eventually turn on Trump. Even Steve Doocy.
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| Giuliani Associate’s Creditor Seeks Cash From Trump-Tied PAC Posted: 19 Nov 2019 10:28 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- A family trust that lent money to an indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani is trying to recover more than $500,000 from the defendant and a political action committee tied to President Donald Trump to which he contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars.Lev Parnas, who is accused of using donations to push for Marie Yovanovitch to be recalled as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, owes the Pues Family Trust $510,000, court records show.The trust filed a claim against Parnas in 2011 for $350,000 after he failed to repay a loan. In 2016, a judge in New York granted it the larger award, which reflects interest. The trust registered the judgment in a Florida court this year to pursue the matter where Parnas lives.A filing on Monday in which the trust also names the political action committee, America First, as a source of funds for repayment is separate from the criminal charges against Parnas. But it comes as House Democrats enter their second week of public impeachment hearings, in which the sudden recall of Yovanovitch plays a central role.Parnas and a co-defendant, Lev Fruman, have been indicted in New York on allegations that they hid the source of campaign donations, including $325,000 given in 2018 to America First, which campaigns for causes advocated by Trump. Parnas is accused of using donations to lobby a congressman at the time, Pete Sessions of Texas, for the ouster of Yovanovitch. Trump recalled her in May.Parnas's lawyer Edward MacMahon and a spokeswoman for America First didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment on the trust's civil filing. Parnas and Fruman have pleaded not guilty in the criminal case.Read More: Giuliani Ukraine Allies Arrested With One-Way Flight TicketsThe filing begins to explain a question that has hovered over the case since Parnas and Fruman were arrested last month as they sought to leave the U.S. with one-way plane tickets: where they got the money they used for donations that opened the door to the president's inner circle.The money "should have been used to satisfy the judgment, but was used for improper purposes," the filing said. "The money apparently was used to curry favor with the country's political elite in the GOP, a purely personal goal."The documents filed in Florida allege that the money for the contribution came from a shell company called Aaron Investments that Parnas used to hide assets and avoid creditors. Lawyers for the trust asked a judge to enter a judgment against America First, Parnas and the shell companies.Read More: Giuliani Faces U.S. Probe on Campaign Finance, Lobbying BreachesAaron Investments received the money from a private lending transaction, according to prosecutors. The money Parnas borrowed from the trust isn't alleged to be the money used to make the donation, but the trust argues that the $325,000 America First received should be among the funds made available to satisfy the $510,000 judgment.When Parnas and Fruman were charged last month, America First said it had placed the money in a segregated account and left it untouched after questions were raised about it in a Federal Election Commission complaint and related litigation last year.In the criminal case, Parnas and Fruman have been allowed to remain free on bail under house arrest pending trial.The civil case is Pues Family Trust vs. Parnas Holdings Inc., 19-mc-80024, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida (West Palm Beach).(Updates with context on Yovanovitch and requests for comment in first six paragraphs)\--With assistance from Andrew Harris.To contact the reporter on this story: Christian Berthelsen in New York at cberthelsen1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net, Peter JeffreyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Obama indirectly rebukes Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren by warning donors not to be ‘deluded’ into thinking voters want radical change Posted: 18 Nov 2019 08:50 AM PST  "The average American doesn't think we have to completely tear down the system and remake it," Obama said.
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| 7 Amazing Facts About Jaguars, One of the World's Coolest Cats Posted: 19 Nov 2019 03:04 PM PST |
| Hong Kong protesters attempt daring escape down ropes as police seal off university Posted: 18 Nov 2019 12:41 PM PST  Protesters in Hong Kong staged a daring breakout from a university besieged by police last night as parents pleaded with authorities to spare the young activists, some of them high-school students, who remain inside. The escape came as police said Hong Kong's Polytechnic University had turned into a "powder keg" and student leaders accused authorities of creating a "humanitarian crisis" inside the campus. Earlier on Monday the besieged protesters, who are running low on supplies and fear the consequences of an all-out police assault, mounted an attempt to break out in force, but were beaten back by tear gas. Thousands of protesters streamed towards the campus in an attempt to break the siege from the outside, and clashes broke out with police in nearby Kowloon. In the evening, several dozen black-clad protesters used a rope to slither down several metres on to a motorway below where they were picked up by waiting motorcyclists. It was unclear how many remained inside. This was probably the most surreal thing I have ever witnessed in the Hong Kong protests. Protesters just attempted a daring escape through a bridge at Polytechnic University. Volunteers on motorbikes came in drives to drive them out asap. Police fired teargas. HongKongProtestspic.twitter.com/huhSo3Mxo9— Michael Zhang 張雨軒 (@YuxuanMichael) November 18, 2019 Meanwhile, a group of parents unfurled a banner near the police cordon outside the campus saying "Save Our Kids." Hundreds of protesters including high school students have been trapped inside Polytechnic University since activists seized and fortified it late last week, saying it was their last refuge from police brutality against the pro-democracy activist movement. The campus became a battlefield over the weekend when protesters used petrol bombs, bricks and arrows to repel police armored cars and water cannon trying to enter the campus. Student leaders now say they are suffering from siege conditions and fear for their safety. Hong Kong campus siege "Hong Kong police are creating a humanitarian crisis inside PolyU," Ken Woo Kwok-wang, acting president of the student union, told a Hong Kong newspaper. "We are trapped. There is insufficient food and the number of injured is on the rise, and the hygiene situation is getting worse." Police have described the campus as a "weapons factory," saying they had received a report that several toxic and dangerous chemicals, including highly volatile explosives, had been stolen from a laboratory. "We must warn that the university campus has become a powder keg where danger is far beyond what we can estimate," said Kwok Ka-chuen, a police chief superintendent. A protester lowers herself down a rope from the bridge to the highway Credit: ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images "Hong Kong's rule of law has been pushed to the brink of total collapse." Cheuk Hau-yip, the commander of Kowloon West district, where Polytechnic University is located, said the police had the resources to end the siege and said those inside would be arrested. "Other than coming out to surrender, I don't see that there's any viable option for them," he said. Authorities, meanwhile, were dealt a setback Monday when Hong Kong's high court struck down a contentious ban on wearing face masks in public imposed last month, ruling it unconstitutional. Protests have disrupted Hong Kong continuously for nearly six months. They first kicked off against a now-withdrawn extradition proposal, though sentiments have pivoted to target the police, who protesters accuse of brutality, and more broadly, China, over concerns that Communist Party rule is eroding freedoms in the former British colony. As clashes escalated significantly over the last week, forcing schools to shut, fears have grown that China may again call on military reinforcements to restore order, a move that would recall the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 when soldiers fired on peaceful student demonstrators. Speculation mounted further after Chinese troops stationed in Hong Kong were spotted in the streets over the weekend cleaning up protest sites, an act authorities have said was voluntary. Police have arrested nearly 4,500 people, aged 11 to 83, since protests kicked off in early June. They have been detained for unlawful assembly, possession of offensive weapons, arson, and taking part in a riots – a serious charge that carries a maximum of ten years in prison. About 150 of those arrests were made over the weekend. As the university deadlock continues, former British foreign secretary Malcolm Rifkind urged Hong Kong authorities to exercise restraint. "A bloodbath on a Hong Kong campus would be devastating," he said in a statement issued by Hong Kong Watch, a UK-based advocacy group. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam "has the responsibility to do everything possible to prevent a massacre." Additional reporting by Yiyin Zhong
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| UPDATE 1-France regrets U.S. decision on Fordow, rebukes Iran Posted: 19 Nov 2019 09:50 AM PST ![UPDATE 1-France regrets U.S. decision on Fordow, rebukes Iran]( "UPDATE 1-France regrets U.S. decision on Fordow, rebukes Iran") France lamented on Tuesday a U.S. decision to end a sanctions waiver related to Iran's Fordow nuclear facility, but also said it feared Tehran's latest violations of a 2015 deal could lead to serious nuclear proliferation. "We regret the decision of the United States, following Iran's resumption of enrichment on the Fordow site, to terminate an exemption that would facilitate the conduct of civilian projects on this site," foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll told reporters in an online briefing. The Trump administration, which last year pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran, had until Monday let the work go forward at the Fordow fuel enrichment plant by issuing waivers to sanctions that bar non-U.S. firms from dealing with the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI).
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| Border activist says he’d never hide migrants from US agents Posted: 18 Nov 2019 09:15 PM PST  A member of a humanitarian aid group whose criminal case has garnered international attention testified Tuesday that neutrality guides his work near the U.S.-Mexico border, denying that he has ever helped migrants hide or told them how to avoid authorities. Prosecutors say Warren harbored them and later gave them instructions on how to evade a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint, an assertion that authorities made based on seeing him motion with his hands. "We need to work within the spirit of humanitarian aid and within the confines of the law," Warren said.
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| ‘Give me the guinea pigs!’: Pet shop owner says stolen animal thrown at him after chasing thieves Posted: 18 Nov 2019 06:35 AM PST  Two women attempted to steal guinea pigs from a pet store in Kentucky, before throwing one of the animals at the shop owner, he has alleged.US news outlets report that 21-year-old Isabelle Mason and 19-year-old Jaimee Pack tried to smuggle out the animals from a Pet Paradise store in Danville on Saturday without paying.
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| China's Plans To Fight A Nuclear War Against America Would Kill Millions Posted: 18 Nov 2019 06:30 PM PST  A scary scenario.
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| Ukrainian gas executive cooperating in US probe of Giuliani Posted: 19 Nov 2019 02:49 PM PST  Federal prosecutors in New York are investigating Rudy Giuliani's business dealings, including whether he failed to register as a foreign agent.
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| Pelosi works to placate anxious Dems with Trumka meeting Posted: 18 Nov 2019 03:58 PM PST  Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her top deputies are working to ease long-simmering anxiety among battleground freshmen, which has intensified amid fears that impeachment could creep into 2020 and make many of them one-term members. Pelosi will bring in AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on Tuesday to speak with freshman Democrats, many of whom have been privately demanding quicker action on President Donald Trump's trade deal, according to multiple people familiar with the meeting. The private huddle with the labor leader — at a make-or-break moment for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement — is an attempt to calm concerns of swing-district Democrats who fear their agenda isn't breaking through with the public and are increasingly frustrated by policy stalemates in Washington.
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| Policeman faces manslaughter charge over death of Ethiopian Israeli Posted: 19 Nov 2019 05:55 AM PST  An Israeli policeman is to be indicted for "manslaughter" over the killing of a young man of Ethiopian origin in June, an incident that sparked widespread protests, police said Tuesday. Solomon Teka, 19, was killed by an unnamed off-duty policeman in Kiryat Haim, near the northern port city of Haifa on June 30. Teka's death sparked three days of nationwide protests that were often violent over longstanding grievances of Ethiopian-Israelis, who say they are discriminated against and targeted by police.
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| China signs defense agreement with South Korea as U.S. angers Seoul with demand for $5 billion troop payment Posted: 18 Nov 2019 04:54 PM PST  The defense ministers of South Korea and China have agreed to develop their security ties to ensure stability in northeast Asia, the latest indication that Washington's longstanding alliances in the region are fraying.
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| ‘Fire magicians’ and medieval weaponry: a Hong Kong university under siege Posted: 19 Nov 2019 05:43 AM PST  For three days last week, anti-government protesters camped out at Hong Kong's sprawling Polytechnic University prepared for what they feared might be a bloody, even deadly, battle with police. In the university's heart, littered with smashed glass and covered in revolutionary graffiti spray-painted on the walls, the black-clad demonstrators in gas masks sawed metal poles into batons and practiced firing rocks from a makeshift catapult. Nearby, others ferried around crates of petrol bombs and wrapped arrows in cloth to set aflame.
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| Corbyn Catches Up With Johnson in Dramatic U.K. Election Debate Posted: 19 Nov 2019 03:16 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn defied his negative ratings to draw level with Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a crucial television debate ahead of the U.K.'s general election.The opposition leader, who's been lagging behind Johnson in personal approval scores, effectively tied with the premier in a snap poll on which candidate won the clash Tuesday night. The pound remained lower after the survey.The YouGov/Sky News poll of 1,600 people gave Johnson a narrow victory, with 51% saying he won the ITV debate, against 49% saying Corbyn performed best.That was a significant turnaround for Corbyn, 70, who has struggled to persuade the public that he is prime minister material.He went into the election campaign with a net satisfaction rating of minus 60. That was by far the lowest such score since IpsosMORI started tracking the ratings in 1979. Johnson's score stood at plus 2 when the figures were compiled at the end of October.While Corbyn fared better than expected this time, his party remains stuck behind the Conservatives in the polls. It was only one debate, and more are planned, including another head-to-head between the two leaders on Dec. 6.The YouGov verdict followed an hour of clashes between the two men vying to lead the U.K. in what is one of the highest stakes elections in recent British history.When voters cast their ballots on Dec. 12, they will face a choice between Johnson's promise to deliver a speedy Brexit and Corbyn's pledge to call another referendum on European Union membership that could ultimately allow the divorce to be canceled.Corbyn received applause and landed verbal punches on Johnson, 55, who struggled to win over an audience that laughed and groaned as he tried to steer the topic back to Brexit.In his most successful moments, Corbyn said he would give the prime minister a festive present of Charles Dickens's classic short story, 'A Christmas Carol,' so he could learn how "nasty" the miserly Scrooge was. Corbyn also attacked the royal family over its handling of Prince Andrew's friendship with the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, saying the monarchy needed "improvement."Corbyn struggled to shake off allegations that antisemitism is rife inside the Labour Party, and was mocked by some audience members for claiming his policy on Brexit was clear, when he could not say whether he would vote to remain or leave the bloc in a referendum he's promising to hold. But he won a cheer for promising to end the privatization of the National Health Service.Johnson had one big message: That he could get Brexit done – and quickly. It served him well in the opening 20 minutes, but then his repeated attempts to make it all about Brexit began to look forced. For example, when trying to think of a Christmas gift for Corbyn, he said he'd send him a copy of "my brilliant Brexit deal."There were other awkward moments for the Tory leader. Some audience members laughed when Johnson said he believed trust was important in politics.The theme of trustworthiness also featured in the spin battle between the rival parties afterward. Tory Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab appeared among reporters backstage in Salford, northwestern England, to say "there is a real issue of trust" with Corbyn's Brexit stance. Labour's trade spokesman accused Johnson of telling "lie after lie after lie." YouGov's pollsters found Corbyn beat Johnson 45% to 40% on trustworthiness."The choice is very simple: we can get Brexit done or we can spend another year with another referendum," Johnson said in his closing remarks. "If we have a working majority Conservative government, I pledge we will have a Parliament that works for you, that focuses on the NHS and the cost of living, because when we get Brexit done by Jan. 31 we will go forward."Corbyn used his final message of the night to promise to protect the NHS and invest in "good jobs" across the country. "Vote for hope and vote for Labour on the 12th of December," he said.According to the YouGove poll, Corbyn beat Johnson 59% to 25% on being in touch with ordinary people. But Johnson beat Corbyn 54% to 29% on appearing prime ministerial and 54% to 37% on being likeable.Although the headline result was a draw, 67% of respondents thought Corbyn performed well, against 59% for Johnson. That suggested the Labour leader had done better than people thought he would.(Adds pound, quotes, context.)\--With assistance from Greg Ritchie.To contact the reporters on this story: Kitty Donaldson in Salford, England at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.net;Tim Ross in London at tross54@bloomberg.net;Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson at fjackson@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Forget the Bombs or Missiles: Iran's Intelligence Machine Is Quite Powerful Posted: 19 Nov 2019 05:20 AM PST  A remarkable collaborative project between The Intercept and the New York Times has provided the general public with a little more insight into the Iranian spy-games. They are quite something.
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| Trump rallies for Louisiana governor race, mocks diplomats in impeachment hearings Posted: 19 Nov 2019 08:45 AM PST  Escaping Washington amid a new, public phase of the impeachment inquiry, Donald Trump is returning to Louisiana to stump for Republican Eddie Rispone.
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| Kurt Volker reverses past testimony, admits Sondland brought up Biden investigations in meeting with Ukraine Posted: 19 Nov 2019 01:47 PM PST ![Kurt Volker reverses past testimony, admits Sondland brought up Biden investigations in meeting with Ukraine]( "Kurt Volker reverses past testimony, admits Sondland brought up Biden investigations in meeting with Ukraine") Former Ukraine envoy Kurt Volker has one big revision to his first impeachment testimony.In his original closed-door testimony, when asked if there was any talk of investigating the Bidens in a July 10 meeting with a Ukrainian defense leader, Volker repeatedly answered "no." But when appearing publicly before the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday, Volker reversed that statement.In his lengthy opening statement Tuesday, Volker mentioned meeting with then-National Security Adviser John Bolton, Ukraine's then-National Security and Defense Chief Alex Danylyuk, and other leaders. "I remember, the meeting was essentially over when Ambassador Sondland made a generic comment about investigations," Volker's new statement read, referring to U.S. Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland and Trump's desired political investigations. "I think all of us thought it was inappropriate; the conversation did not continue," Volker added.Flash back to last month when Volker was asked if there was any talk of Rudy Giuliani's desired Biden probe in that meeting. Volker didn't even let the questioner finish before answering "no" three times in a row.Volker also made another change to his previous testimony, saying that while he didn't tell Ukraine there were conditions to receive U.S. aid, he "did not know" if others "were conveying a different message to them around that same time."More stories from theweek.com The potential lie that could actually destroy Trump The coming death of just about every rock legend Everyone will eventually turn on Trump. Even Steve Doocy.
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| Chinese bishop 'on the run' after refusing to join state-sanctioned church Posted: 19 Nov 2019 03:52 AM PST  A Catholic bishop in China is believed to be on the run from state security after refusing to bring his church under a government-sanctioned religious association. Guo Xijin, 61, has fled the custody of state agents and has gone into hiding, reported Catholic Asia News, a website, and cannot be immediately reached for comment. Mr Guo is part of a group of bishops that many religious and human rights experts feared would be persecuted after the Vatican inked a deal with Beijing last year on the ordaining bishops. China has long insisted that it approve appointments, clashing with absolute papal authority to pick bishops. The agreement broke that standoff, and could help pave the way for formal diplomatic ties, but also stoked worries that the Chinese state would have too much power to regulate religion. Since Communism took hold in China, there have been in practice two Catholic churches - one sanctioned by the government, and an underground one loyal to the Vatican, and it remains unclear what would happen to bishops who refused to fall in line with the government. China's officially atheist Communist Party – has engaged in a widespread crackdown on religion in the last few years. Authorities have banned Arab-style onion domes on mosques and other buildings – even if merely decorative. The UN estimates more than a million Muslims have been detained in chilling "re-education" camps, where former detainees have told The Telegraph they were subject to physical torture, psychological intimidation and political indoctrination. The government has shut down churches not sanctioned by the Party, detaining priests and members of various congregations. And houses of worship, including Buddhist temples, are now mandated to have pictures of Xi Jinping, the leader of the Party. Chinese authorities claim that people have freedom of religion – provided that they worship in state-sanctioned temples, churches, and mosques. The government has said that all religious believers must "be subordinate to and serve the overall interests of the nation and the Chinese people," making it explicit that they must also "support the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party."
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| In northeast Syria, last Assyrians fear Turkish advance Posted: 18 Nov 2019 11:42 PM PST  Since fleeing her hometown in northeastern Syria, Suad Simon prays every day for the safety of her husband, who stayed behind with other fighters to defend their majority-Assyrian village. Assyrian Christians like Simon, who escaped the town's occupation by the Islamic State group in 2015 and did not choose to emigrate, now anxiously watch the advance of Turkish forces towards their villages in the south of Hasakeh province. Simon, 56, fled her village of Tal Kefji that is not far from areas still hit by sporadic fighting and sought refuge with a relative in Tal Tamr to the south.
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| Immigrants don't flock to states that expand health benefits Posted: 18 Nov 2019 01:59 PM PST ![Immigrants don't flock to states that expand health benefits]( "Immigrants don't flock to states that expand health benefits") Federal policy changes in 2002 and 2009 led some states to expand public health insurance coverage to some children born outside the U.S. and to certain pregnant women. The proportion of immigrants making interstate moves within the first five years of U.S. residency didn't appear to be influenced by expanded public health benefits, the study found. "Our study showed that recent public health insurance expansion was not associated with a discernable increase in migration between states among eligible immigrants," senior study author Jens Hainmueller of Stanford University in California and colleagues write in JAMA Pediatrics.
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| Rep. Ilhan Omar Asks Judge for 'Compassion' When Sentencing Man Who Threatened Her Life Posted: 19 Nov 2019 01:51 PM PST  'A lengthy prison sentence or a burdensome financial fine would not rehabilitate him,' Rep. Omar wrote
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| Israel’s New Way of War Posted: 18 Nov 2019 10:57 AM PST  Commuters on Route 4, driving toward the Israeli coastal city of Ashdod on November 12, were shocked by an explosion, a rocket impact next to a major intersection. Had it fallen on a car or one of the many trucks plying the route, there would have been deaths, and the road would have been closed. Instead, police and Israeli Home Front Command units came and cordoned off the sidewalk, and drivers went about their day. Twenty-five miles south of where the rocket landed, other rocket teams from Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), an Iranian-backed terrorist group, were preparing to fire more than 400 rockets at Israel during a brief flare-up in fighting. Most of them would be intercepted by Israel's high-tech air defense.The ability of millions of Israelis to mostly go about their day while Israel's air force carries out precision air strikes nearby is due to Israel's latest achievements in fighting war. It also comes with questions about whether Israel is being effective and what this latest revolution in military affairs means in the long term.A week after the November 12 clashes, they had faded into the background, one day of battle among dozens since March 2018, when Hamas launched a series of protests called the Great Return March. More than 2,000 rockets have been fired, many of them in short spurts. Several times, Israel almost launched a major ground operation. But it has held back. Its Iron Dome air-defense system, which looks like a giant green pack of cigarettes mounted on a truck, intercepted 90 percent of the rockets in the battle with Islamic Jihad. The sophisticated system, developed with U.S. support, not only targets incoming projectiles by firing a missile at them; it even calculates precisely where the threat might hit and works accordingly with a separate system of sirens that warn Israelis to seek shelter.As in almost every attack since Israel pulled its forces from Gaza in 2005, I went down to the border. The area has changed dramatically over the years. In 2008, before Operation Cast Lead, areas of Sderot, a border town, were dilapidated and depressing. Under fire, without any protection, the people were traumatized. Now there are new parks and shopping centers. Israel didn't go to war on November 12 because it didn't need to, and it sees diminishing returns in entering Gaza and getting bogged down in fighting. It also knows that civilian casualties would result. In Cast Lead, around 1,400 Palestinians were killed; in the Gaza war in 2014, more than 2,400, according to estimates. Gaza is densely populated; imagine trying to fight a war in Manhattan. Civilians will suffer.However, the volume of rocket fire from Gaza in the past year and the extent of Israeli airstrikes are as large as in previous wars. In July 2018, Israel struck 40 targets in what it said were the largest strikes since the 2014 war. In November 2018, around 500 rockets were fired. In response, Israel struck 160 targets that month. In May 2019, more than 600 rockets were fired at Israel. In the recent battle with Islamic Jihad, Israel hit around 20 PIJ targets. A mistaken airstrike also killed eight civilians from one Palestinian family.Israel dubbed its recent operation "Black Belt" and aimed it at deterring PIJ, which poses a challenge for Israel if there is also conflict with Hezbollah in the north. Delivering a blow to the organization by killing a senior commander to "stabilize the situation" is what Jerusalem hoped to achieve. "Our assessment shows we dealt a significant blow to PIJ's capabilities," an IDF spokesman said in a press briefing.This is Israel's new way of war. It mirrors a type of war that most advanced Western countries, particularly the United States, now fight. It involves precision airstrikes or special forces and complex intelligence-gathering through the use of satellites, cyber technology, and other sources. Gone are the days of heavy armor, of Israel's Moshe Dayan or America's George Patton and all that. This "revolution in military affairs" that was unveiled in the early 1990s mandates the use of technology and now involves "asymmetry," which basically means that on one side you have an F-35 and on the other you have a guy with an AK-47. It's not simple in reality, because groups such as Islamic Jihad have developed long-range rockets, with Iran's backing.Nevertheless, in the overall picture, Israel has reached extreme precision in its airstrikes, putting a missile in a bedroom rather than taking out a whole house. Air defense, including Iron Dome and other systems such as the U.S.-made Patriot, enable Jerusalem to avoid a ground war and to focus on the Iranian threat. This is a major revolution for Israel. Thirteen years ago the country was dragged into a conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon and suffered many early setbacks on the ground. That war taught Israel that its decade and a half of fighting Palestinian terror in the West Bank and Gaza had degraded the army's ability to engage in a larger complex conflict.Now Israel prefers to prepare for the larger conflict with Iranian-backed groups while managing the conflict in Gaza and carrying out airstrikes in Syria against Iranian targets that are largely shrouded in secrecy. These precise strikes, such as one on a Hezbollah "killer drone" team in August, could lead to a larger conflict. As it faces a variety of threats, from Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed groups, Israel will have to use its air defense against major rocket threats, relying on the tactics it honed in the precision strikes. New technologies enabled Israel to refrain from major conflicts with the Palestinians. In the next war, they will be tested on a much larger scale, on multiple fronts.
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| EU Poised to Send Warning to China on 5G Posted: 19 Nov 2019 07:30 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- The European Union is poised to say potential 5G suppliers will be evaluated based on their home country's laws, a stance that could exclude Chinese businesses from some lucrative contracts for the advanced telecommunications networks."Factors, such as the legal and policy framework to which suppliers may be subject to in third countries, should be considered," according to a draft of a joint statement obtained by Bloomberg and planned for release next month. The document is due to be approved on an informal basis this week by government envoys with formal sign off by ministers due in December, and the wording is subject to changes.The EU statement outlines the bloc's position following a risk assessment that described a nightmare scenario where hackers or hostile states could take control of everything from electricity grids to police communications. It warned against reliance on suppliers from countries with non-democratic systems of government.U.S. and European officials have repeatedly flagged concerns about partnering with Chinese equipment makers, such as Huawei Technologies Co., for 5G networks. Chinese companies are obliged to assist the country's national intelligence organization in their investigations, though Chinese officials and Huawei have said there are exceptions to those rules and the company wouldn't necessarily be forced to do so.U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted on Tuesday that the EU's risk assessment report highlights how nations should install 5G equipment and software only from companies that won't threaten their security, privacy, intellectual property, or human rights.Key parts of the next-generation infrastructure "such as components critical for national security, will only be sourced from trustworthy parties," according to the draft statement of EU governments. The 5G build out should be "firmly grounded in the core values of the EU, such as human rights and fundamental freedoms, rule of law, protection of privacy, personal data and intellectual property, in the commitment to transparency."A spokesman for the EU's Council declined to comment on the content of the draft communique.German StanceEuropean countries have the ultimate say whether or not to ban a supplier from their national networks for security reasons. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has decided to let Huawei supply some gear as long as the company fulfills certain security standards, despite intense pressure from her own party for an outright ban.The draft also stresses "the need to diversify suppliers in order to avoid or limit the creation of a major dependency on a single supplier" as well as "the importance of European technological sovereignty and promoting globally the EU approach to cyber security."Besides Huawei, Europe's Nokia Oyj and Ericsson AB supply 5G equipment.(Updates with U.S. Secretary of State's tweet in fifth paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: Nikos Chrysoloras in Brussels at nchrysoloras@bloomberg.net;Natalia Drozdiak in Brussels at ndrozdiak1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, ;Giles Turner at gturner35@bloomberg.net, Amy Thomson, Richard BravoFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| This Cold War Stealth Bomber Almost Flew From U.S. Navy Aircraft Carriers Posted: 17 Nov 2019 06:00 PM PST  Say hello to the A-12 Avenger II.
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| Judge rebuffs Trump’s bid to delay woman’s defamation suit Posted: 18 Nov 2019 06:42 PM PST  President Donald Trump lost his latest bid Monday to delay a former "Apprentice" contestant's defamation suit as he faces a Jan. 31 deadline to undergo pretrial questioning in the case, which involves claims of unwanted kissing and groping. A New York appellate judge rejected Trump's request, meaning that Summer Zervos' case can continue, at least for now. Trump's lawyers signaled they intend to pursue more legal avenues to try to hold off Summer Zervos' case.
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| Passenger dies after fall from balcony on Carnival’s Horizon during cruise Posted: 19 Nov 2019 11:59 AM PST ![Passenger dies after fall from balcony on Carnival's Horizon during cruise]( "Passenger dies after fall from balcony on Carnival's Horizon during cruise") A man fell from a balcony to a deck below on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship as it was returning to port in Miami, officials say.
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| Houston, we have a solution: How the city curbed homelessness Posted: 18 Nov 2019 07:55 AM PST  Houston has emerged as a national leader in tackling homelessness. Linking permanent housing to support services has helped.
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| Three Iran security personnel killed by 'rioters': reports Posted: 18 Nov 2019 11:12 PM PST  Three members of the Iranian security forces have been stabbed to death by "rioters" near Tehran, the ISNA and Fars news agencies reported late Monday. The assailants wielding knives and machetes ambushed the three -- a Revolutionary Guard and two members of the Basij militia -- west of the capital, the news agencies reported. The deaths take to at least five the number of people confirmed to have been killed in violent demonstrations that erupted across Iran on Friday against a surprise petrol price hike.
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| Lieutenant Colonel Vindman refuses to answer question that could out whistleblower Posted: 19 Nov 2019 08:00 AM PST  During Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman's testimony at a public hearing in the House's impeachment inquiry, he declined to answer questions from Ranking Member Nunes about who he may have told about the July 25 phone call.
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