| Klobuchar has to prove her electability every day. Why not Buttigieg? Posted: 20 Dec 2019 12:59 PM PST  He's the 37-year-old mayor of Indiana's fourth-largest city, yet he has risen to the top of the polls in Iowa and New Hampshire. She is the thrice-elected senior senator from a state Donald Trump nearly won in 2016, yet she has struggled to break out of the mid-single digits.
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| Look Out America: Russia's Hypersonic Avangard Nuclear Missile Is Going Live Posted: 20 Dec 2019 02:45 PM PST  The Avangard is a nuclear-armed glider that travels at hypersonic (faster than Mach 5) speed.
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| 'Homosexual face': Brazil's Bolsonaro lashes out at press Posted: 20 Dec 2019 10:43 AM PST  Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro lashed out at journalists on Friday, saying one had a homosexual's "face" in a remark that was promptly mocked by the president's critics. A visibly upset Bolsonaro accused the press of bias against him and his son, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro. Prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro are investigating allegations the younger Bolsonaro hired employees with no duties while he was a state legislator.
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| 3 Legal Experts on What the Obamacare Ruling Really Means Posted: 20 Dec 2019 05:29 AM PST  Ever since Judge Reed O'Connor of the Northern District of Texas ruled a year ago that the Affordable Care Act was unconstitutional, the country has been waiting for the next arbiter -- a federal appeals court -- to weigh in on the fate of the landmark health law.That ruling finally came Wednesday. But it offered little clarity.The judges from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that one key element of the law -- the mandate requiring people to have insurance -- was unconstitutional. But they sent the rest of the case back to O'Connor for what the dissenting judge called a "do-over," asking him to give it another think on the question of whether other parts of the law should be struck down too.The move means the legal showdown could continue for a long time, almost certainly beyond the 2020 election.We spoke with three law professors who have closely followed the battles over Obamacare to preview what next steps in this already prolonged litigation might look like.Can anything be done to speed up this process?The group of Democratic states that are defending the act could ask for all judges on the 5th Circuit to take the case, known as an en banc hearing. Xavier Becerra, the attorney general of California, said in a news conference Thursday that he wants to appeal directly to the Supreme Court but is consulting other attorneys general in the group about that strategy."Both are long shots," said Jonathan H. Adler, who teaches at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Since there are no immediate consequences to Wednesday's ruling -- the law continues to be enforced while the court process plays out -- the Supreme Court, in particular, would be unlikely to consider the case until it has made its way fully through the lower courts, Adler said.Not everyone shares that view, given the national importance of the law to the nation's health care system. "This is an unusual case, and the writing for the ACA is on the wall," said Nicholas Bagley, a professor at the University of Michigan School of Law. "So the court might opt to hear it now."When is O'Connor likely to rule again?The 5th Circuit put the burden on both sides to do their homework, to submit new briefs and reargue the case, a time-consuming process. And the federal government will be taking a new stance, since it now supports striking down the full ACA, a different position from its original one.Adding the time it will take for O'Connor to draft a fresh decision, his ruling might not emerge for nearly a year, several legal observers say. Then the appeal process would begin anew.Is this decision a legal punt?Adler considers the ruling a punt, saying, "it has no practical effect."Bagley, not so much: "The Supreme Court might well take the case, and this will remain a political headache for the Republicans."Abbe R. Gluck, a professor at Yale Law School, characterizes the 5th Circuit's ruling as more intentional. "As the dissent says, severability is a question of law -- the court doesn't need more briefing or facts to determine," Gluck said, referring to the doctrine that says when Congress strikes down an element of a law but doesn't explicitly erase it all, the rest stands. "Instead, it sent the case back to a judge who has made his distaste for the entire ACA unclear," ducking responsibility for knocking it down or reinforcing it.Any clue what the appeals panel really thinks?"I think the panel is skeptical of the all-or-nothing approach to severability and isn't quite sure what to do," Adler said. "But that is somewhat speculative on my part."Bagley took a harder line, saying he thought the majority opinion almost completely endorsed O'Connor's ruling. The judge had said that when Congress in 2017 eliminated the tax penalty for those who didn't buy insurance, the full act became null."The court thinks, though, that there might be a few portions of the ACA that can be salvaged," Bagley said. "But it's signaling that it's OK if O'Connor thinks those are precious few indeed."Any bets on how the 5th Circuit will ultimately rule?Gluck said the panel noted that O'Connor gave short shrift to the views of the 2017 Congress, which struck down the penalty for not buying insurance but said nothing about eliminating the full health care law."Once the inquiry properly shifts to the 2017 Congress," she said, "it will be hard for any court to invalidate the whole law without looking like it is engaging in egregious judicial overreach."How long could this case continue?"The case is all but certain to drag out well past the 2020 election," Bagley said.Among the three law professors, on that point there was no dissent.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2019 The New York Times Company
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| Muslim nations consider gold, barter trade to beat sanctions Posted: 20 Dec 2019 11:18 PM PST  Iran, Malaysia, Turkey and Qatar are considering trading among themselves in gold and through a barter system as a hedge against any future economic sanctions on them, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Saturday. At the end of an Islamic summit in Malaysia, Mahathir praised Iran and Qatar for withstanding economic embargoes and said it was important for the Muslim world to be self-reliant to face future threats.
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| The Army and Navy's investigation is finally over: The academy students accused of flashing 'white power' signs were just playing the stupid 'circle game' Posted: 20 Dec 2019 11:21 AM PST  The Naval Academy said one of the midshipmen texted their roommate "got em" in an apparent reference to seeing the gesture on TV.
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| 5 key takeaways from the 6th Democratic debate Posted: 19 Dec 2019 08:53 PM PST  Pete Buttigieg on the defensive, climate change finally gets its due and septuagenarian candidates brush off questions about their age.
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| Sarah Huckabee Sanders apologizes for mocking Joe Biden's story about helping kids with stutters Posted: 20 Dec 2019 12:45 AM PST  There is apparently a not-insignificant number of people who are both so interested in the 2020 Democratic race they spent the Thursday night before Christmas watching a three-hour debate on TV — and also don't know that former Vice President Joe Biden, the longtime frontrunner, had a stutter, even after a much-discussed recent article about it in The Atlantic. That list includes former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.Biden said in Thursday's debate that he has a long list of people he or his wife call every month to check in on, using as an example a kid who has sought his advice on how to overcome a stutter. He illustrated this by stuttering.Sanders tweeted, then deleted, a textual representation of a stutter expressing her confusion about "what Biden is talking about."> pic.twitter.com/HRZicdTk0P> > — Gillian Brockell (@gbrockell) December 20, 2019Before Sanders deleted the tweet, Biden responded, explaining that he's "worked my whole life to overcome a stutter" and is honored "to mentor kids who have experienced the same." Sanders replied that she "actually didn't know that about you," apologized, and said she "should have made my point respectfully."> I actually didn't know that about you and that is commendable. I apologize and should have made my point respectfully. https://t.co/fbmVAqDoWI> > — Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) December 20, 2019It is nice to see people apologize when they make a mistake. It's also unclear what her "point" was, after you strip away the mockery.More stories from theweek.com Porn is evil. Don't ban it. Elizabeth Warren's attack on Buttigieg's wine cave fundraiser 'plays into hands' of GOP, former Obama campaign aide says Trump is now attacking Christianity Today — and its editor is doubling down
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| A Mississippi man went on a window-breaking spree just so he could get arrested and stay in jail to escape the cold Posted: 20 Dec 2019 11:39 AM PST  A homeless man in Natchez, Mississippi, asked if he could stay in jail for shelter. Deputies told him he couldn't do so unless he was in custody.
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| 'Steel Rain': Could This Be the U.S. Military's Ultimate Weapon? Posted: 21 Dec 2019 12:11 AM PST  Don't take on an MLRS.
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| California sheriff fires deputy who choked suspect that died Posted: 20 Dec 2019 12:49 PM PST  Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick said in a video that he found footage of the deputy's actions "extremely troubling." The video released by the department includes the body camera footage of the violent encounter between Deputy Charles Blount and David Glen Ward, who had reported his car stolen. Ward's half-sister, Catherine Aguilera, has said her brother used drugs and had health issues that began 20 years ago when a drunken driver hit him while he was riding a motorcycle, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and a heart condition.
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| Harry Dunn's family hits back at US government and Anne Sacoolas's lawyers Posted: 21 Dec 2019 09:24 AM PST  Harry Dunn's family has criticised lawyers acting on behalf of the US intelligence officer's wife accused of killing their son after they claimed she had "co-operated fully" with the investigation. The family has led a high-profile campaign for justice after Anne Sacoolas returned to the US after the car she was driving collided with the 19-year-old's motorbike on August 27. Sacoolas, 42, and her family had been based at RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire and she sparked public outrage after claiming diplomatic immunity due to her husband's job. It was only after she left the UK on a military flight directly from the air base that the Foreign Office wrote to the family to say immunity in her case was not valid. After the Dunn family's campaign - which included a trip to the White House - the Crown Prosecution Service announced on Friday that Sacoolas has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving. Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a US diplomat Credit: Susan Goodwin/Facebook Prosecutors have begun the extradition process to bring her back to the UK, a decision the US government labelled "disappointing" and "unhelpful". But Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the "law should take its course" in the case of Harry Dunn and the Government will press the issue with the US "at every level". A statement from Amy Jeffress, Sacoolas's lawyer, said she had "co-operated fully with the investigation". She added: "Anne will not return voluntarily to the United Kingdom to face a potential jail sentence for what was a terrible but unintentional accident." Dunn family spokesman Radd Seiger said: "I know (Ms Jeffress) to be one of the finest and most outstanding lawyers in the USA. Her statement however boggles the mind and is deeply disturbing. Tim Dunn (left), the father of teenage motorcyclist Harry Dunn Credit: Jonathan Brady/PA "For Ms Jeffress to seek to undermine one of the most mature, well-developed legal systems in the world, which has fairness at its heart, and which many countries around the world have modelled their legal systems on, is unbecoming of any lawyer, let alone someone of her stature." Mr Seiger urged Sacoolas to "put that defence forward in court here rather than ventilate it publicly". He added: "Like everyone else (in the UK) she will get a fair trial." After the CPS decision on Friday, a spokesman for the US State Department said it was "disappointed", adding it feared the move would "not bring a resolution closer". The department maintained that Sacoolas had diplomatic immunity at the time of the incident. Harry Dunn and parents It added: "It is the position of the United States government that a request to extradite an individual under these circumstances would be an egregious abuse." Asked during a visit to Estonia if suspect Anne Sacoolas should be extradited to the UK, Mr Johnson said: "I think the best thing that I can say there is that the law should take its course and we will be obviously following that case with keen interest and continuing to make representations on behalf of Harry Dunn's family at every level." The Dunn family's lawyer Mark Stephens said that if the US authorities refused to return Sacoolas, it would be the first time in the 100-year history of the extradition treaty that they failed to comply. He told Sky News: "I've got great faith in the judges in America who will not be swayed by political statements. They have to follow the law whether the like it or not. "And the law says Anne Sacoolas comes back to England to face a judge and jury here."
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| Vegans charged with murder after baby dies of starvation Posted: 20 Dec 2019 08:53 AM PST  A vegan couple who fed their children only raw fruits and vegetables have been charged with murder after their son allegedly died of starvation.
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| Trudeau to US: don't sign China trade deal unless Canadians freed Posted: 20 Dec 2019 01:02 AM PST  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on the United States not to sign a trade deal with China unless Beijing agrees to release two Canadians detained since last year, prompting a defensive response from Beijing. Former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor have been held in China's opaque legal system since they were apprehended on December 10, 2018, accused of espionage.
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| Trump will ‘absolutely’ designate Mexican cartels like CJNG as terrorists. Will it help? Posted: 20 Dec 2019 10:20 AM PST  President Donald Trump will "absolutely" designate Mexican cartels as terrorists, which could fray already strained U.S.-Mexico relations.
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| Man who stamped his estranged wife to death in family home jailed for life Posted: 20 Dec 2019 09:16 AM PST  A British man who stamped and kicked his estranged wife, a mother of five, to death in a "jealous rage" has been handed a life sentence.
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| Iran's Missile Forces: Just How Deadly? Posted: 21 Dec 2019 08:30 AM PST  Iran has heavily invested in these capabilities.
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| India bans citizenship law protests as death toll hits 14 Posted: 19 Dec 2019 11:24 PM PST  Police banned public gatherings in parts of the Indian capital and other cities for a third day Friday and cut internet services to counter growing protests against a new law that critics say marginalizes Muslims. Police banned a proposed march from the mosque to an area near Parliament and sprayed protesters with water cannon blasts to prevent them from meeting up with more demonstrators about 4 kilometers (2 1/2 miles) away in central Delhi.
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| EU-UK trade deal cannot allow 'race to the bottom': EU's Barnier Posted: 21 Dec 2019 03:58 AM PST  The European Union's central interest in forging a free trade agreement with Britain is to agree common social and environmental standards and avoid a "race to the bottom", the EU chief Brexit negotiator wrote in an opinion piece. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday there would be no alignment with EU rules under the terms of a trade deal he wants to strike with the bloc next year. The EU's negotiator Michel Barnier wrote in a piece on the Project Syndicate website dated Dec. 20 that the European Union would seek to make the most of the short time available.
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| New dedicated migrant bus route prompts outrage in Greece. Posted: 21 Dec 2019 07:04 AM PST  A new bus route devised specifically for migrants has sparked outrage in a town in northern Greece, with accusations of segregation and racism following hostility to migrants from some locals. In 2016 an old military settlement in Diavata, on the outskirts of Thessaloniki, has been turned into a refugee camp for about 1,000 people, 30 of whom are unaccompanied minors. The camp has been met with hostile protests since the beginning. In 2016, when construction started, former Mayor Mimis Fotopoulos was assaulted by locals who opposed it. Protests by anti-refugee groups have been mounting since then. Most recently, in November, a "barbeque against illegal migrants" was organised by a group called "United Macedonians" where attendants ate pork and drank alcohol in view of the camp's mostly Muslim residents. The action drew heavy criticism. Senior members of the governing conservative New Democracy party expressed their support for the barbeque, and one of them even attended. Other members of the party condemned the event. The "Ionia Committee", another protest group of locals against the camp has been pushing for a separate bus line. Migrant and refugee numbers are rising across Europe In early November, a spokesperson claimed that the number 54 bus, which currently services both residents and the camp, "is filled with migrants and locals can't fit on", adding that there have been reports of harassment. On their Facebook page, the Ionia Committee described the approval of the new bus line as a "vindication of their struggle". In a press release, the Communist Party of Greece said the decision on the new bus "caters to the far-right, ramps up racist views and is no cause for celebration". Users on social media have also described the decision as "racist" and have drawn parallels with mid-century segregation in the US. Greek newspaper Documento likened the route to 20th-century segregation in the US Deep South with a headline saying it was like "Alabama '55", while local news outlet Alterthess in an editorial described it as "an ignorant decision that resembles dark times". A child holds a banner reading "Asylum and shelter for refugees" as an anti-racist group protests in solidarity with refugees and migrants outside the refugee's camp of Diavata The bus will go by the refugee camp and then follow a parallel route to the existing one. The municipality's announcement claimed that the new line would "relieve line 54 which services Diavata". Ioannis Ioannidis, the Mayor of Delta claims that it wasn't the Committee, but the Municipality that requested the bus line and dismisses all criticism of segregation. "The issue is that OASTH has greatly reduced bus routes", he told The Daily Telegraph. "The new bus will also pick up locals and visitors along the way, it will not start from the camp and head straight to the train station". Evangelos Papadakis, a Public Information Officer in UNHCR's Thessaloniki branch says they expect the new bus will benefit the residents in the area, but they will remain sceptical until its exact route and the particulars of accessibility to all are announced. According to recent data, there are 103,500 refugees staying in Greece. 71,368 arrivals have been recorded in 2019. More than a million refugees have passed through Greece since 2015. Hardened immigration laws have made it difficult for them to be relocated towards mainland EU. Anti-refugee protests have broken out in various locations across the country over the last few months.
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| Why did this US governor pardon child rapists and brutal killers? Posted: 21 Dec 2019 03:00 AM PST  Matt Bevin has horrified opponents and allies alike with a slew of 'extreme pardons' that also disproportionately benefited white offendersIn May 2014, Patrick Baker and two accomplices set out to rob a house in Knox county, Kentucky. Baker knew the hardest part of the home invasion would be getting past the front door, so he devised a plan to dress up as police officers conducting a routine investigation.Once inside the Mills family home, Baker revealed his true colours. He tied up the mother of the family, ignoring the pleas of the three children present, stole money and objects, then turned a gun on the father, Donald Mills, shooting him dead.When Judge David Williams sentenced Baker in December 2017 to 19 years in prison for reckless homicide, burglary and impersonating a police officer, he said he would have given a longer punishment if he could. "I've been practicing law for 30-something years, and I've never seen a more compelling or complete case, the evidence was just overwhelming."Fast-forward just two years and Patrick Baker is a free man, released by Kentucky's outgoing governor in act that has been dubbed "extreme pardon". The brutal killing is just one of the extraordinary elements of the eleventh-hour move by Matt Bevin, a Republican in the Donald Trump mould who even by his own controversial record has astonished and angered his state with his pardons.It was the final manoeuvre of a governor who was elected in 2016 on Trump's coat-tails, making Kentucky the last southern state in America to turn Republican, only to be voted out of office last month. What motivated a politician who has spent the past three years waging bitter wars with teachers, trade unionists, voters, liberals, scientists and reproductive rights advocates suddenly display such profuse mercy towards prisoners has become the talk of Kentucky.Even his own previously loyal Republican peers have expressed bewilderment. The top Republican in the state senate has called for an investigation of Bevin's "extreme pardons and commutations".Mitch McConnell, the US senator from Kentucky better known as the Republican trying to stymie Trump's impeachment trial in Congress, has denounced the release of "heinous criminals" in his home state as "inappropriate".Speculation of what drove Bevin to his action initially focused on money, after the Louisville-based Courier Journal discovered that the family of Patrick Baker had donated $21,500 to Bevin's political campaign funds before the commutation. Suspicion of pecuniary incentives then turned to moral outrage of a different sort after Bevin tried to explain on local radio why he had pardoned Micah Shoettle after only 18 months of his 23-year sentence for rape."There was zero evidence," Bevin told the radio host, adding that the girl's hymen had been intact.That provoked a whole new chorus of indignation, including from paediatricians who pointed out that rape cannot be proved or disproved by examination of the hymen.That was just the start of it. As intrepid local journalists began to dig into the mountain of pardoned cases, other apparent horrors emerged.They included further sexual offenders. Dayton Jones, who Bevin set free after three years of a 15-year sentence, had pleaded guilty to raping a boy aged 15 whose bowel he ruptured with a sex toy. Charles Phelps had his name removed from the sex offender registry by Bevin having pleaded guilty in 2013 to child abuse images offences and sexual conduct with minors.The gruesome details of the violent crimes committed by some of those selected for commutation did not stop there. Delmar Partin was convicted of beheading a female co-worker and hiding her mutilated body in a barrel; Irvin Edge had hired a hitman to murder his business partner at home in front of his family; Blake Walker had killed his own parents.Most of the lucky 428 singled out by Bevin were non-violent. When the Courier Journal came to analyse the beneficiaries of his largesse, the paper found that 336 of them were on non-violent drug sentences.But therein lay another discrepancy. Within that group, 95% were white. That's in a state in which 20% of inmates on drug convictions are African American or from some other minority community.The newspaper calculated there were almost 1,000 black or other minority prisoners who would have qualified for Bevin's largesse. He chose 16.On one level, there is something fitting about the storm of controversy in which Bevin has finished his governorship given that disputes seemed to follow him around throughout his term in office. At the height of a recent measles epidemic, he let it be known that he had exposed each of his nine children to a neighbor's chickenpox so that they would contract the disease as an alternative to getting vaccinated."They were miserable for a few days, and they all turned out fine," he said, while telling the federal government to get its nose out of people's private business. That anti-vaxxer sentiment expressed by Kentucky's then governor earned him a riposte from a leading paediatrician who remarked: "We're no longer living in the 17th century".Earlier this year, when Kentucky schools were closed to protect children from the -20F (-29C) wind chills, Bevin publicly complained: "C'mon now. I mean, what happened to America? We're getting soft."On policy, he followed the classic Trump textbook, ramming through "right-to-work" laws that prevent trade unions gathering fees as a condition of employment, denouncing teachers on strike for exposing kids in their charge to sexual abuse and physical danger, supporting efforts to suppress the vote among minority communities, limiting access to Medicaid and banning abortion at 20 weeks.The toxic combination earned him Trump's adoration – the US president unsuccessfully campaigned on Bevin's behalf in the recent gubernatorial race – but it also gained him the mantle of one of the most unpopular governors in the US.Last week Bevin posted a long screed on Twitter in which he sought to explain his pardons. He began by evoking the spirit of redemption and second chances, and the ambition to help offenders seek rehabilitation.He went on to insist that during his years as governor he had invested hundreds of hours to reviewing petitions for pardon. "Contrary to that which has been falsely stated by many, not a single person was released who had not already been scheduled for a specific release date," he said.He denied any financial motive, calling any such suggestion "highly offensive and entirely false".The Twitter thread does not appear to have satisfied his detractors, or calmed the widespread shock at a Republican's last-minute flurry of pardons. The sister of the murdered home owner, Donald Mills, was blunt after she learnt that Patrick Baker was now out."Matt Bevin can rot in hell," she said.
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| DNA test frees Texas man from life sentence - and leads to confession of a new murder suspect Posted: 21 Dec 2019 12:55 PM PST  Lydell Grant, who was serving a life sentence, has been freed after a new DNA test of a murder victim's fingernail pointed to a different suspect.
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| U.S. considers sending Mexican migrants to Guatemala Posted: 20 Dec 2019 09:18 PM PST  The Trump administration is weighing the possibility of sending Mexican asylum-seekers to Guatemala, which has seen hundreds of thousands of its own citizens trek north in the past year.
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| The Iran-Iraq War Saw U.S. F-5Es and Soviet MiG-21s Battle To The Death Posted: 21 Dec 2019 06:00 AM PST  But it was more than a proxy war.
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| Boeing crew capsule returning to Earth after aborted flight Posted: 21 Dec 2019 02:40 PM PST  Boeing aimed to bring its Starliner crew capsule back to Earth on Sunday to end its first test flight, a mission cut short by an improperly set clock on the spacecraft. The Starliner — carrying no astronauts, only a test dummy — was supposed to spend the coming week at the International Space Station, part of a critical dress rehearsal for a flight with a real crew next year. The station docking was scrapped, and Boeing and NASA decided to bring the spacecraft home as soon as possible.
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| Amsterdam’s Ghost Airport Grounded by Growth-Climate Clash Posted: 20 Dec 2019 12:03 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- From its colonial trading days to reclaiming land from the sea, the Netherlands has a tradition of pushing the limits, but a public backlash over a planned airport suggests that many Dutch have had enough.With the opening of a second Amsterdam hub delayed by 20 months and counting, political fronts are hardening ahead of a crucial environmental-impact report expected in January. At the center of the dispute is whether the project is justifiable for a country of 17 million people, which already has some of the most intense land use in the world.Amid concerns over climate change and the emergence of flight-shaming, the issue is straining Prime Minister Mark Rutte's complex four-party coalition. The Christian Union, the smallest group in the government, has raised the prospect of opposing the opening of Lelystad airport, located on reclaimed land 40 miles east of Amsterdam."The Christian Union is not against aviation, but against nuisance for local residents and damage to the environment," said Eppo Bruins, a lawmaker for the party. "We can only determine whether the airport can be opened if all information is on the table."The 160 million-euro project ($178 million) -- backed by Rutte's VVD party -- would add dozens of daily flights to the Amsterdam area. That could free space for KLM to continue international expansion at the city's Schiphol hub, which has reached government-imposed capacity limits.A process of national soul-searching began after the plan suffered its first of three delays in April 2018. The latest hurdle is the risk to local eco-systems posed by nitrogen-oxide pollution from airplane exhaust. An independent government-appointed commission will deliver its verdict early next year, with the report likely to set off political wrangling in the run-up to elections in early 2021."It's sheer madness to facilitate a new airport in times of climate urgency," said Suzanne Kroeger, a member of parliament for the environmentalist GroenLinks party, which is in the opposition. "Lelystad will be a failure."As Schiphol passengers jostle through crowded terminals and planes queue up for takeoff amid the Christmas travel crush, Lelystad remains a ghost airport. The converted general-aviation airfield has traffic controllers, custom checks and kiss-and-ride parking signs, but no passengers.On a recent December day, the tarmac was occupied only by a small propeller plane, while a few construction workers performed minor work at the facility, which would still need months to open if and when it gets approval. The airport operator declined requests for an interview and a tour of the facility.The nearby city of Lelystad is hoping the situation changes soon. The capital of the province of Flevoland sits on land reclaimed in the 1950s and is keen on attracting business to the isolated area."Lelystad has a cyclically sensitive economy," said Janneke Sparreboom, the city official in charge of economic affairs. "The opening of the airport will make it more robust: more employment, more people coming to live."National interests are tied to the site becoming a landing pad for low-cost carriers such as EasyJet Plc and Ryanair Holdings Plc and freeing up headroom for Schiphol. Further expansion of Europe's third-largest hub would help support KLM's efforts to vie with carriers like Deutsche Lufthansa AG and IAG SA's British Airways, according to Lelystad supporters.More than 23 million passengers flew via Schiphol and the other four national airports in the third quarter, according to the national statistics agency. That marks the highest number of quarterly air passengers ever measured, even though growth at the country's dominant airfield was a mere 0.2%.The Netherlands has shown that it's prepared to go to significant lengths to protect its aviation interests. Earlier this year, the Dutch government secretly accumulated a 14% stake in its flag carrier's parent company Air France-KLM, sparking a spat with France over influence at the group.'Indestructible Optimism'"One thing is very clear and without dispute: the importance of Schiphol as a hub," said Mustafa Amhaouch, a lawmaker for the coalition Christian Democratic Appeal party, adding that Lelystad is "key" for the development of KLM's home base. Limiting aviation isn't a realistic option, and environmental concerns could be addressed by technology advances and the European Union's Green Deal policies, he said.Opponents aren't buying it, arguing that low-wage airport jobs and incremental development don't justify the environmental cost."It is unthinkable and unacceptable to open a new airport in this day and age," said Leon Adegeest, head of a group that is seeking to block the opening. "The government would be smart in saying we are going to look into what is really best for society."For Rutte's party, that answer is already clear. Infrastructure Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen wants to push for the first Lelystad flights next year, despite the brewing controversy."My optimism is indestructible," she said.(Adds passenger details in 13th paragraph)\--With assistance from Samuel Dodge.To contact the reporters on this story: Ellen Proper in Amsterdam at eproper@bloomberg.net;John Hermse in The Hague at jhermse@bloomberg.net;Fred Pals in Amsterdam at fpals@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, Chris Reiter, Iain RogersFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Venezuela detains lawmaker ahead of Guaido re-election vote: opposition Posted: 20 Dec 2019 05:27 PM PST ![Venezuela detains lawmaker ahead of Guaido re-election vote: opposition]( "Venezuela detains lawmaker ahead of Guaido re-election vote: opposition") Venezuelan police detained a lawmaker from Juan Guaido's opposition party on Friday, the party said, the latest in a wave of legal actions against lawmakers ahead of Guaido's bid for re-election as National Assembly leader on Jan. 5. The Popular Will party, known for its hardline approach to seeking to oust socialist President Nicolas Maduro, said a special forces police unit known as FAES detained lawmaker Gilber Caro and one of his assistants in Caracas. Venezuela's information ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and it was not immediately clear what charges, if any, Caro faced.
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| 'It’s not easy': Wrongly convicted man leaves prison after 24 years, finds changed world Posted: 21 Dec 2019 10:49 AM PST  Ralph Lee Jr. savors his new-found freedom. But he's had to learn about cell phones and cable TV.
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| White House considers arguing that Trump wasn't impeached Posted: 21 Dec 2019 03:35 AM PST  White House lawyers are considering the argument because Pelosi did not immediately deliver articles to the Senate
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| The World's Only 'Battlecrusiers' are Back (And in Russia's Navy) Posted: 21 Dec 2019 12:20 AM PST  But are they just as obsolete as battleships?
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| Japan Cabinet approves record defense budget for coming year Posted: 20 Dec 2019 12:08 AM PST  Japan's Cabinet approved a record defense budget Friday that includes a number of American stealth fighter jets as well as funding to research potentially developing its own fighter jet program. The 5.31 trillion yen ($48.6 billion) defense budget for fiscal 2020 still needs parliamentary approval, but would be a 1.1% increase from the current year. Japan's defense spending has risen for seven consecutive years by a total of 13% since 2013, a year after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office, as the government looks to increase its defense posture amid threats from China and North Korea.
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| Goldman Officers May See Trial as Malaysia Pursues 1MDB Case Posted: 20 Dec 2019 01:06 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Malaysia's top prosecutor said he's ready to ratchet up a criminal case against Goldman Sachs Group Inc. for its role in the 1MDB affair by bringing executives of the U.S. bank to court, as the two sides remain far apart following several rounds of settlement talks.When the time is right, Malaysia will press ahead with the prosecution of more than a dozen current and former Goldman Sachs directors "because we need them in the dock," Attorney General Tommy Thomas said in a Friday interview. "The 17 directors committed crime in Malaysia, which is why they are being charged, so there is no reason why we are not going against them."Thomas is leading Malaysia's criminal case against Goldman Sachs, which was launched last year when charges were laid against three of the bank's units. In August, Malaysia announced additional charges against 17 former and current directors, including Vice Chairman Richard J. Gnodde, who heads its international business in London, and and J. Michael Evans, a former partner who's now president of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.Malaysia has had two or three rounds of negotiations with Goldman Sachs, and remains open to further talks, Thomas said. But a settlement remains distant, he added."There is still a Pacific Ocean gulf between Malaysia and Goldman Sachs," he said. "But as far as we're concerned, the door to settlement is always open. They know where we are, they can come and see us if they want to find us."Representatives for Goldman Sachs and Alibaba declined to comment.Read how Malaysia's 1MDB scandal shook the financial worldThomas's comments contrast with recent reports that Goldman Sachs is making progress in talks with U.S. and Malaysian authorities to put the 1MDB scandal behind it. The bank is said to be negotiating with the U.S. for a $2 billion settlement that would include an admission of guilt by a unit in Asia. A figure of at least $2 billion has been floated in the settlement talks with Malaysia, Bloomberg reported earlier this month.Thomas said he didn't have direct knowledge of the progress of the U.S. settlement talks. But he said Malaysia had heard from contacts at the U.S. Justice Department that a resolution remains "very far away." Any agreements struck with the U.S. or other jurisdictions won't affect the prosecution in Malaysia, he added.Seeking CompensationInstead, Thomas said he's focused on preparing to prosecute Goldman's units and directors in a trial which he expects to start in the middle of next year. He echoed Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in saying Malaysia will seek compensation from Goldman Sachs that includes the $6.5 billion value of bonds the bank arranged for 1MDB, as well as interest. That totals $8 billion to $9 billion, he said.At a hearing on Monday in Kuala Lumpur, the case against two of the three Goldman Sachs units facing charges was moved to the Malaysian High Court."We prepare for the trial, and if there is settlement talks, we can do it simultaneously," Thomas said in the interview at his office in Malaysia's administrative capital of Putrajaya.Thomas's appointment last year was part of Malaysia's revived probe of the 1MDB scandal, which has also resulted in former premier Najib Razak standing trial on corruption charges. The state-owned fund, whose full name is 1Malaysia Development Bhd., is looking into claims against other banks, accountants, lawyers and subsidiary players who may also be involved in the scandal, Thomas said.Those cases could extend beyond Thomas's two-year term, which is set to end in June 2020. He said he hasn't decided whether he would seek to extend his stay."I am happy with two years in the government, but I am happy to go back to the private sector," Thomas said.(Updates with more details in 12th paragraph)\--With assistance from Anisah Shukry and Elffie Chew.To contact the reporters on this story: Yantoultra Ngui in Kuala Lumpur at yngui@bloomberg.net;Yudith Ho in Kuala Lumpur at yho35@bloomberg.net;Sophie Kamaruddin in Hong Kong at skamaruddin2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Marcus Wright at mwright115@bloomberg.net, Ruth PollardFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| 'Before it is too late': Diplomats race to defuse tensions ahead of North Korea's deadline Posted: 19 Dec 2019 10:45 PM PST  A last minute flurry of diplomacy aimed at engaging with North Korea ahead of its declared year-end deadline for talks has been met with stony silence from Pyongyang so far, with the looming crisis expected to top the agenda at summits in China next week. The U.S. special envoy for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, was due to leave Beijing on Friday after meeting with Chinese officials. It is unclear if Biegun had any behind-the-scenes contact with North Korean officials, but his overtures and calls for new talks were not publicly answered by Pyongyang.
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| Holiday Mystery Solved! Massachusetts Police Department Discovers Therapy Dog Was the Thief Stealing From a Toy Donation Bin Posted: 21 Dec 2019 09:27 AM PST  It wasn't the Grinch after all
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| Russia appears to have kept a major nuclear accident secret. But scientists called the 'Ring of 5' tracked the plume of radiation to its source. Posted: 20 Dec 2019 09:28 AM PST  "An unprecedented release" of radiation in Europe can most likely be attributed to an undeclared nuclear accident at Russia's Mayak nuclear facility.
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| Hong Kong Police Arrest Man, Seize Gun ‘He Was Hoping to Use’ Posted: 20 Dec 2019 11:15 PM PST ![Hong Kong Police Arrest Man, Seize Gun 'He Was Hoping to Use']( "Hong Kong Police Arrest Man, Seize Gun 'He Was Hoping to Use'") (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong police arrested a 19-year-old after coming under fire Friday night, and also seized a semi-automatic rifle they say the man planned to use at a public event.The suspect shot at police with a semi-automatic pistol when they intercepted him, the force said in a video posted on its Facebook page. Officers fired tear gas at a crowd that confronted them at the scene of the incident in Tai Po, according to the post.Police said the suspect was previously arrested in December 2018 for illegal possession of firearms. He was released on bail in late February and failed to report to police as required this month, according to the post. Officers seized an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and 211 rounds of ammunition in an apartment in the neighborhood after Friday's arrest, they said."According to our intelligence, we know he was hoping to use the gun to cause chaos and hurt police officers during the public gathering," senior superintendent Steve Li of the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau said in the video.Hong Kong has been gripped by increasingly violent protests that were ignited in June by the government's plans to enact a law which would have allowed extraditions to jurisdictions including mainland China. The government scrapped the bill after continued public pressure but the unrest continued and protesters' demands expanded to include broader democracy and an independent commission of inquiry into police conduct.Arrows, petrol bombsDemonstrators hurl petrol bombs and launch arrows at riot police almost weekly, while officers have fired more than 10,000 rounds of tear gas, and used rubber bullets and water cannons. At least 6,000 protesters have been arrested since June.Friday's arrest comes as Chinese authorities are reported to have ruled out the formation of an independent commission of inquiry. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam sought the central government's response to the idea during her four-day trip to Beijing this month, South China Morning Post reported on Saturday, citing an unidentified person close to the government.In another blow for Lam, several retired judges approached by the government have turned down requests to join an independent review committee to look into the ongoing unrest, the Post cited the person as saying.Public sentiment in Hong Kong seems to be squarely behind the demonstrators, with pro-democracy candidates winning a landslide victory against pro-government rivals in local elections last month. There has been a relative lull in the scale and frequency of the violence since the polls, but the protests are continuing, including rallies planned for this weekend.Meanwhile police have intensified their efforts to limit financial support for the protesters. On Thursday evening, officers announced the arrest of four people for suspected money-laundering in the first case related to funding of the demonstrations.About 80 school teachers and teaching assistants have been arrested for their involvement in anti-government protests, South China Morning Post reported on Saturday, citing Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung. He called for schools to suspend educators held for serious offenses, out of concern for students' safety.There were 123 complaints against teachers over protest-related misconduct from mid-June to late November, he said. Four teachers have resigned or been suspended by schools, according to Yeung.To contact the reporters on this story: Bei Hu in Hong Kong at bhu5@bloomberg.net;Chester Yung in Singapore at kyung33@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Shamim Adam at sadam2@bloomberg.net, Stanley JamesFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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