| Mueller witness bragged about access to Clintons secured with illegal campaign cash, says Justice Department Posted: 05 Dec 2019 11:38 AM PST  An emissary for two Arab princes boasted to unnamed officials of a Middle Eastern government about his direct access to Hillary and Bill Clinton while funneling more than $3.5 million in illegal campaign contributions to the 2016 Clinton campaign and Democratic fundraising committees, according to a federal indictment.
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| Mom, grandmother charged in baby's overdose death Posted: 06 Dec 2019 04:24 AM PST ![Mom, grandmother charged in baby's overdose death]( "Mom, grandmother charged in baby's overdose death") Alexus Lorraine Taylor, 17, and Laurie Ann Taylor, 43, were arrested Thursday on charges including manslaughter and first degree child abuse resulting in the July 27 death of Niyear Taylor, news outlets report. Anne Arundel County police called to their home in Curtis Bay were told the baby was unreponsive and had been wheezing before he fell asleep the night before.
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| Weather whiplash to bring warmup, heavy rain and flood threat followed by Arctic blast to Northeast Posted: 05 Dec 2019 09:25 AM PST  As the holidays approach and many may find themselves dreaming of a white Christmas, Mother Nature has a different idea up her sleeves. The weather pattern will soon be reversed in the northeastern United States, allowing wintry landscapes to transform into a sloppy, muddy mess instead.Forecasters are closely watching a storm system that is expected to take shape and track toward the Great Lakes early next week -- and it will be the player that will help to flip the weather conditions in the East. As wintry weather and yet another snowstorm are predicted for portions of the Midwest, surging warm and moist air will race out ahead of the system.Temperatures are expected to rebound to the 30s over the northern tier to near 50 F in parts of Virginia as a southerly breeze develops on Sunday.On Monday, temperatures are forecast to surge into the 40s across the northern tier and the 50s and 60s across part of the mid-Atlantic region. The warm air combined with rain will dissolve the deep snow over part of the Northeast, potentially leading to flooding issues for some communities. Recent storms have buried parts of New York state and central and northern New England under as much as 1-3 feet of snow in the last couple of weeks. A car makes its way through a snowy landscape in Highland Falls, N.J., Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019. The last of the snow is falling over parts of New Jersey after leaving behind power outages in the northwest part of the state. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) That snowcover contains a significant amount of locked-up moisture, called the snow-water equivalent.Within the existing snow on the ground, there is between 1 and 5 inches of water as of Thursday, Dec. 5.Many areas, including those places where deep snow is on the ground, may stay well above freezing Sunday night, which can allow the snow to soften up. This image was taken from the National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019. (NOAA) Some of the deep snow may harmlessly melt from Sunday to early Monday before the storm and its soaking rain arrives, but there is a risk that surging temperatures, moist air and drenching rain may cause a rapid meltdown of the existing snowcover from later Monday into Tuesday.Instead of releasing the 1-5 inches of water by itself, another 1-2 inches of water may be added in depending on the intensity of the rainfall that occurs. "Since the ground is not frozen, some of the melting snow and rain will be absorbed by the soil and should avoid disastrous stream and river flooding," Dale Mohler, AccuWeather senior meteorologist, said.However, some quick rises on small streams are likely with minor flooding possible in low-lying areas that are prone to flooding during heavy rain or spring thaw events. Some of the rivers may surge to bank full as well."Even if only part of the snow melts and only a light amount of rain falls, piles of snow along streets and highways that are blocking storm drains can lead to urban flooding," Brett Anderson, AccuWeather senior meteorologist, said.Anderson said that property owners should make sure that runoff has easy access to storm drains ahead of the system's arrival to reduce the risk of flooding as a precaution."Even in some of the major cities along the Interstate 95 corridor from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia and New York City where there is no appreciable snow on the ground, enough rain can fall to cause travel delays and ponding on roads that drain poorly," Dave Bowers, AccuWeather forecaster, said.Ski resorts in the region that have gotten off to their earliest start in recent years will take a hit from the storm. Those seeking ideal ski conditions are encouraged to hit the slopes into Sunday, before the rainstorm arrives.Along with bringing a swath of heavy snow to part of the Upper Midwest, next week's storm is predicted to unleash Arctic air in its wake later Tuesday and Wednesday. Remaining areas of slush and standing water can freeze as temperatures plummet across the northeastern U.S. There is a chance that the cold air may catch up with the back end of the rain and cause a period of snow at the tail end of the storm at midweek.Since the storm will be weak rather than strong, it's possible that a secondary storm may develop along the push of frigid air, according to AccuWeather Chief Broadcast Meteorologist Bernie Rayno."I am pretty convinced that a storm is going to form along this boundary [between warmer air in place and colder air surging] into the Carolinas Tuesday night. Then, the question becomes does the storm goes out to sea and the cold front blasts out to sea? Or, does the storm have enough energy because of all of the energy associated with the jet stream that the storm strengthens? And, if it does, it won't go out to sea. It will come up the coast. If the storm does strengthen, you've got to worry about a snowstorm," Rayno said.The I-95 corridor of the mid-Atlantic and eastern New England could face snow if the latter and stronger scenario unfolds. If a weaker secondary storm develops, then it will likely push out to sea. If a secondary storm forms and it strengthens enough, it may bring snow to the Northeast. No indications are currently pointing to a big snowstorm developing and rather it could be more of a nuisance snowfall, according to Rayno.However, this type of weather pattern has yielded major snowstorms in the past, and meteorologists will have to keep a watchful eye on how all of the weather players come together, Rayno added.AccuWeather meteorologists are also tracking the potential for yet another significant storm toward the middle of the month, warning that it could be disruptive to the eastern U.S. 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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| 19 unforgettable images from the Pearl Harbor attack 78 years ago Posted: 05 Dec 2019 02:03 PM PST  December 7, 1941 began as a perfect Sunday morning. These photos show the attack by Imperial Japan that changed history.
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| Six months of sacrifice: Hong Kong's protesters take stock Posted: 05 Dec 2019 07:45 PM PST  With Beijing taking a hard line, it has since broadened into a call to halt authoritarian China's attempts to erode freedoms in the city. Raymond Yeung, a liberal studies teacher at the elite Diocesan Girls' School, joined the movement early and was there on June 12 when a massive protest descended into violence. Protesters broke into the forecourt of the city's legislative building, throwing objects including metal bars at police.
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| History Book Nightmare: Russia Could Have Nuked Away America's Submarine Fleet Posted: 05 Dec 2019 09:30 PM PST  By cutting off communications.
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| Hillary Clinton says Trump ‘shocked into silence’ by her offer of help after he won presidency Posted: 05 Dec 2019 03:54 AM PST  In her debut appearance on popular radio program The Howard Stern Show, Hillary Clinton said she stunned Donald Trump into silence when she offered to help him in his presidency.Ms Clinton has been on a promotional tour for a book she wrote with her daughter, Chelsea Clinton, called 'The Book of Gutsy Women' and sat down with Mr Stern on Wednesday.
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| GOP Rep. pitches LGBTQ rights bill with religious exemptions Posted: 05 Dec 2019 11:08 PM PST  As Democrats champion anti-discrimination protections for the LGBTQ community and Republicans counter with worries about safeguarding religious freedom, one congressional Republican is offering a proposal on Friday that aims to achieve both goals. The bill that Utah GOP Rep. Chris Stewart plans to unveil would shield LGBTQ individuals from discrimination in employment, housing, education, and other public services — while also carving out exemptions for religious organizations to act based on beliefs that may exclude those of different sexual orientations or gender identities. Stewart's bill counts support from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but it has yet to win a backer among House Democrats who unanimously supported a more expansive LGBTQ rights measure in May.
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| Azerbaijan plants 650,000 trees to celebrate poet - but green activists grumble Posted: 06 Dec 2019 05:46 AM PST ![Azerbaijan plants 650,000 trees to celebrate poet - but green activists grumble]( "Azerbaijan plants 650,000 trees to celebrate poet - but green activists grumble") Oil-rich Azerbaijan planted more than half a million trees on Friday to celebrate a 14th century poet, an initiative the government said would help tackle climate change but some environmental activists called "a waste of money". The Azeri ministry of ecology said 650,000 trees were being planted across the country to mark the 650th anniversary of the birth of Seyid Imadeddin Nesimi, whose work touched on the relation between man and nature. Countries from India to Malawi have launched large-scale tree-planting efforts, but scientists have warned that such initiatives are not a panacea against global warming.
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| Treasury Sec. Steven Mnuchin is working with the Federal Reserve to curtail another repo rate crisis, report says Posted: 06 Dec 2019 05:13 AM PST  Mnuchin told the House that he and Fed Chair Jerome Powell met multiple times to discuss liquidity concerns ahead of year-end reserve obligations.
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| St. Louis Woman Looked Up ‘What to Do if Your Husband Is Upset You Are Pregnant’ Before Her Murder: Warrants Posted: 05 Dec 2019 11:58 AM PST  Before she went missing last month, a St. Louis woman looked up "what to do if you husband is upset you are pregnant" on her phone, according to search warrants.Beau Rothwell, 28, reported the disappearance of his six-weeks-pregnant wife, Jennifer Rothwell, on Nov. 12, after she failed to show up for work at a chemical engineering firm. Two days later, authorities charged him with second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence in connection with his 28-year-old wife's slaying. Rothwell is currently being held without bond after authorities on Nov. 19 located his wife's body—which was found after he gave up information on her location, police said.In the newly released search warrants obtained by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, investigators say Beau Rothwell called authorities at 9:44 p.m. on Nov. 12 to report his wife of four years missing. He initially told investigators they had spent the night before watching cooking television shows together, and he had last seen her leaving for work the next morning.Charred Body Found in NYC Storage Unit Is 'Very Likely' Missing Mom, Police SayPolice later found her car parked with her cell phone inside about a mile from their home just outside Creve Coeur."She has not been seen or in contact with anyone since leaving her home. Jennifer has no history of leaving and is normally in contact with family members and friends on a daily basis," St. Louis County police said at the time of her disappearance.When authorities tried to search their home, Rothwell did not let police enter and barred them from looking at his car and cell phone. He also refused to give police a DNA sample, and immediately requested an attorney.As they searched the perimeter of the couple's home, investigators found various cleaning supplies, including rubber gloves and paper towels in a trash can, the warrants state. St. Louis County police told The Daily Beast in a statement video surveillance also shows Rothwell purchasing the supplies with a gift card and cash at Dierbergs grocery store on Nov. 11. "This purchase was oddly at a time during a major snow event involving dangerous driving conditions, and was also contradictory to Beau Rothwell's statement that he was home with his wife all night," the warrant states.Husband of Missing Connecticut Mom Jennifer Dulos Takes Stand in Civil Lawsuit Brought by Mother-in-LawOn Nov. 13, after obtaining a search warrant for the couple's home, detectives found "empty cleaning bottles, wet carpet soaked with bleach, large areas of blood in carpeting and underlying pad," police said. "DNA from the victim's mother and father was analyzed and is consistent with the blood found in the carpet," the warrant states. Detectives also described the home as having an "overwhelming" smell of bleach and other cleaners, adding that the drywall in the basement appeared to be damaged and contained samples of human hair. In the attached garage, investigators found a 2015 GMC Canyon pick-up truck that also smelled of bleach. The night, Rothwell was arrested on suspicion of murder. On Nov. 18, authorities found Jennifer in a wooded area during a six-hour search near Troy, Missouri. According to the Post-Dispatch, detectives found the 28-year-old naked and partially covered in branches and brush after her husband allegedly gave up information about her location. The medical examiner's office has not yet determined her official cause of death. Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Bombs Away! The Powerful B-52 Bomber Is Getting Even More Deadly Posted: 05 Dec 2019 02:00 PM PST  Time for an upgrade.
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| Now Even Accountants Are Fighting Over Democracy in Hong Kong Posted: 06 Dec 2019 01:00 PM PST ![Now Even Accountants Are Fighting Over Democracy in Hong Kong]( "Now Even Accountants Are Fighting Over Democracy in Hong Kong") (Bloomberg) -- Less than a month after Hong Kongers delivered a landslide victory to pro-democracy candidates in district elections, the battle over the city's future is shifting somewhere you might not expect: the staid world of accounting.Candidates in this year's election for the council of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants are being judged largely based on whether they support the city's pro-democracy movement or are seen to align the pro-Beijing establishment.It's not the first time citywide debates have influenced the institute, which certifies accountants and is responsible for overseeing industry standards. But this year's election is proving especially heated in the wake of protests that have rocked the financial hub for almost six months, according to Rosalind Lee, one of the six pro-democracy candidates.It underscores the degree to which pro-democracy and pro-government forces are fighting for influence across Hong Kong, even at institutions that ostensibly have little to do with politics. Similar battles have reported to have played out in varying degrees at other professional groups for architects, engineers, doctors and lawyers.With votes from 44,000 members of the accounting institute due on Dec. 9, the pro-democracy camp has taken to social media to drum up support from younger members of the profession. Pro-Beijing accounting firms and related organizations have been urging staff to support their favored candidates, while officials from China's Liaison Office in Hong Kong have frequented industry banquets and forums.All of the so-called Big Four global accounting firms -- Deloitte LLP, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Ernst & Young LLP and KPMG LLP -- have sent identical lists of pro-establishment candidates to staff, according to notices seen by Bloomberg. All four firms have a big presence in China. EY, Deloitte and KPMG spokespeople declined to comment. PwC wasn't available to comment.The Chinese government is using various groups in Hong Kong, commonly known as satellite associations, to mobilize support for their preferred candidates, said Benson Wong, a political scientist and former assistant professor at Hong Kong Baptist University.For some pro-democracy industry practitioners, Beijing's attempts to influence the election look excessive. "It's very bad for the profession, and it's bad for 'one country, two systems,'" said Kenneth Leung, an accountant and lawmaker on the Legislative Council."I don't object to the Liaison Office regularly meeting with Hong Kong people from different walks of life to build mutual understanding," said Frankie Yan, a spokesman for financial services at the Professional Commons, a pro-democracy affiliated pressure group. "But it shouldn't influence our decision or give directions. Hong Kong professionals should have their own stance and professional judgment."The accounting council, which counts Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan among its former leaders, said in a statement that it's "confident in the integrity" of the election. "We trust and expect that no parties will manipulate the system, as integrity is the bedrock of the CPA profession."The China Liaison Office didn't respond to a fax seeking a comment.While pro-establishment council members have long dominated the accounting institute, their grip has weakened in recent years. Five from the pro-democracy side were elected last year to the 21-member council after campaigning together for the first time the previous year.In some ways, the candidates' platforms mirror those of pro-democracy politicians in Hong Kong. They're advocating for a one-person, one vote system for the council president -- which is currently elected by only council members -- and for the institute to take a stance on social issues such as the now withdrawn extradition bill that sparked the city's protests.This year's vote involves seven seats on the council and pits six pro-democracy candidates against seven from the establishment camp. Four of the pro-democracy candidates are running for re-election, meaning that at most they'll be able to pick up two more seats.It would be a far cry from the historic shift seen in last month's district council elections, but pro-democracy supporters are pushing for every victory they can get.\--With assistance from Hannah Dormido.To contact the reporter on this story: Kiuyan Wong in Hong Kong at kwong739@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Candice Zachariahs at czachariahs2@bloomberg.net, Jonas Bergman, Michael PattersonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Judge Allows Criminal Trial to Proceed against Pro-Life Investigators Posted: 06 Dec 2019 11:47 AM PST  A San Francisco judge ruled Friday that the criminal trial may move forward against the pro-life investigators who went undercover to record abortion industry executives talking about procuring fetal body parts.Judge Christopher Hite deemed the evidence sufficient to send to trial the case against David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt of the Center for Medical Progress, who are charged with nine felony counts, one count of conspiracy and eight counts of illegal taping. Six additional counts were dropped.Daleiden, 30, and Merritt, 64, several years ago surreptitiously recorded executives from Planned Parenthood and other organizations haggling about compensation for the procurement of fetal parts for researchers who request them.The Thomas More Society, representing the two pro-life investigators, announced the decision on Friday in a tweet.> BREAKING NEWS: 6 counts in David Daleiden's criminal case have been thrown out of court and 9 remain. Judge Hite deems the evidence enough to go to trial on 9 counts. More to follow!> > -- Thomas More Society (@ThomasMoreSoc) December 6, 2019Lila Rose, president of the pro-life group Live Action, called the charges against the investigators "unfounded and outrageous" in a statement on Friday's decision, saying they "have nothing to do with violating privacy or video recording laws but everything to do with protecting the powerful and wealthy abortion industry.""The same year David and Sandra published their recordings of Planned Parenthood employees haggling over the price of aborted baby body parts, videos taken by undercover animal rights activists were praised and led to investigations of abuse in the poultry industry," Rose said.Last month, the jury in the separate civil case against Daleiden and Merritt handed Planned Parenthood a win under federal racketeering statutes, awarding the abortion giant over $2.2 million.
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| Warning Iran, US slaps sanctions on Iraqi paramilitary leaders Posted: 06 Dec 2019 02:08 PM PST  The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on three Iranian-backed Iraqi paramilitary leaders over a deadly crackdown on protests in the country, as it warned Tehran to stay out of its neighbor's affairs. The move comes as President Donald Trump's administration, which considers Iran an arch-enemy, voices alarm at rising attacks on US forces' bases in Iraq blamed on armed Shiite groups backed by Tehran's clerical regime.
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| Germany: 'No understanding' for Russia outrage on expulsions Posted: 06 Dec 2019 03:59 AM PST  German Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff is urging Russia to support the investigation of a killing prosecutors say appears to have ordered by Russian or Chechen authorities, and says he has "no understanding" for outraged reactions from Moscow. Germany expelled two Russian diplomats on Wednesday over the brazen killing of a Georgian man on the streets of Berlin in August. German federal prosecutors said evidence suggested the slaying was ordered either by Moscow or authorities in Russia's republic of Chechnya.
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| Saudi airman in U.S. for training suspected in deadly shooting at Florida naval base Posted: 06 Dec 2019 05:44 AM PST  A member of the Saudi Air Force visiting the United States for military training is the suspect in a shooting that killed four people and injured eight at a U.S. Navy base in Florida on Friday, the state governor and other officials said. The shooter was armed with a handgun and was killed by sheriff's deputies responding to the dawn incident at Naval Air Station Pensacola, the Navy and local sheriff's office said, the second deadly shooting at a U.S. military installation this week. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the suspect was a Saudi national attending training at the base as part of long-standing Navy program open to U.S. allies.
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| Developing weather pattern has forecasters on early alert for potentially significant storm Posted: 06 Dec 2019 12:27 PM PST  As a stormy pattern resumes in the eastern United States during the second week of December, meteorologists are pondering the path and impact of a storm around the middle of the month. Forecasters are considering a range of scenarios that include a major disruptive storm with high winds, heavy rain and back-breaking snow to less severe impacts ranging from beneficial rain and nuisance snow to cold and mainly dry conditions.Americans with travel plans for Saturday, Dec. 14, to Sunday, Dec. 15, should keep tabs on the latest forecasts as this storm could potentially have crippling effects on travel and daily activities.At this point, there is a wide range of possibilities."In the more extreme scenario, a storm will strengthen rapidly while moving northward from the Gulf of Mexico and take a path inland of the Atlantic coast or perhaps over the spine of the Appalachians," Randy Adkins, AccuWeather senior meteorologist, said.Such a dynamic storm may bring coastal flooding and flash flooding along the Eastern Seaboard as strong winds would pump moisture from the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico inland. The weather system could be volatile enough to spawn some severe thunderstorms along its eastern side.In this extreme scenario, the storm may unleash very heavy snow from parts of the Tennessee Valley to a portion of the Ohio Valley and central Great Lakes. Under a scenario like this, weather would cause significant impacts to travel and shipping at a busy time of the year and could cause delays or full cancellations of schools for students in these regions."On a more toned-down scenario, a much weaker storm would travel from the northeastern Gulf of Mexico then off the Carolina coast before heading out to sea," Adkins said. If the storm takes a track along the Southeast coast, it might cause minor disruptions and delays, but conditions would be manageable.A narrow swath of accumulating snow and/or a wintry mix would occur from the southern Appalachians to the mid-Atlantic coast and eastern New England in this scenario.On the southern side of a weaker storm, drenching rain would arrive in areas of the Southeast, which could use some precipitation."The realm of scenarios are in the dozens this far out, including an even more eastward track out to sea or even farther to the west," Adkins said.Should the storm track out to sea, it would spare much of the Northeast any precipitation whatsoever, Adkins observed.But if the storm takes a track toward the Mississippi Valley, it might allow a cold wedge of air to set up an ice storm for the Carolinas and the Virginia Piedmont region, as well as the central Appalachians and interior Northeast. No matter what the outcome ends up being for the eastern U.S. next weekend, it does appear that part of the Southeast in need of rain will get some precipitation."Areas from South Florida to northern Georgia and upstate South Carolina are experiencing abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions," AccuWeather forecaster Dave Bowers pointed out."Most scenarios with the storm next weekend should offer some rainfall in the Southeast," he added. AccuWeather's global headquarters in State College, Pa., where forecasters will be keeping a watchful eye on storm potential for the East Coast next weekend. AccuWeather meteorologists are confident there will be a storm that travels northeastward from the Gulf of Mexico next weekend and they will be monitoring this developing weather pattern nonstop in the coming days.There are storms and weather whiplash ahead of this emerging weather system prior to next weekend for the Central and Eastern states. If one storm does not have a significant impact for your area, another one just might. 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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| A polyamorous 20-year-old is in a relationship with 4 men while pregnant with her first child. She says it's working. Posted: 06 Dec 2019 12:18 PM PST  20-year-old Florida-native Tory Ojeda is in a polyamorous relationship with four men and is expecting her first child.
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| Police Officer Under Investigation After Footage Said to Show Him Groping Dead Woman Posted: 05 Dec 2019 05:17 AM PST  A Los Angeles police officer has been placed under investigation, a police spokesman said Wednesday.Body camera footage was said to show him groping a deceased woman's breasts, according to a person familiar with the case.The unidentified male officer was not working while the case was under investigation, Josh Rubenstein, the department spokesman, said.The officer had been assigned to the Central Division and was responding to an overdose call, he said. Rubenstein declined to provide specific information about the incident, including when it occurred, because it is part of a personnel investigation.Supervisors throughout the jurisdiction conduct random reviews of video on a monthly basis, Rubenstein said.All uniformed officers assigned to patrol the Los Angeles area have cameras, he said, and roughly 7,000 cameras are issued."If this allegation is true, then the behavior exhibited by this officer is not only wrong, but extremely disturbing, and does not align with the values we, as police officers, hold dear and these values include respect and reverence for the deceased," the board of directors for the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the police officers' union, said in a statement on Wednesday. "This behavior has no place in law enforcement."Police departments around the country have increasingly used body cameras after several high-profile shootings. In 2015, about 95% of large police departments started using body cameras or said they would use them in the future, a national survey said.A 2017 study of more than 2,000 Washington, D.C. officers conducted over 18 months showed officers with body cameras used force and prompted civilian complaints at nearly the same rate as officers without the equipment.A Baltimore police officer was suspended and charges against a man were dropped after a body-camera recording appeared to show an officer planting a bag of drugs at the scene of an arrest in January 2017. In that case, the camera retained recordings beginning 30 seconds before it was activated.In November 2018, The New York Times published body-camera recordings of an arrest in Staten Island that raised questions regarding police behavior. In this case, lawyers for the defendant claimed the footage contained possible proof that an officer planted a marijuana cigarette. The officer and the Police Department denied any wrongdoing.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2019 The New York Times Company
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| India Is About to Start Targeting Citizens Without Proof of Ancestry Posted: 05 Dec 2019 03:09 AM PST  All voting-age Indians may soon be asked to submit government-issued ID to prove citizenship. That may be a challenge for women, religious minorities and members of oppressed castes.
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| Incredible photos show how the White House has celebrated Christmas through the years Posted: 05 Dec 2019 03:03 PM PST  The White House halls have been decked for the holidays every December since John and Abigail Adams held the first Christmas party in 1800.
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| Purdue president apologizes for calling black scholar ‘rarest creature in America’ Posted: 05 Dec 2019 11:04 AM PST  Two weeks after he told students an African American scholar was the 'rarest phenomenon,' Purdue President Mitch Daniels retracted his statement.
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| Meghan McCain Pouts After Another Joy Behar Clash: ‘I’m Just Trying to Make a Point!’ Posted: 06 Dec 2019 09:44 AM PST  After taking the day off on Thursday, Meghan McCain returned to The View on Friday and immediately set about doing Meghan McCain things.During a discussion on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's altercation with a Sinclair reporter after he asked her whether she "hated" President Donald Trump, McCain sulked and pouted after frequent sparring partner Joy Behar used an audience-pleasing one-liner against McCain's argument Democrats are too focused on making a meme out of Pelosi's moment.Earlier in the conversation, conservative co-host Abby Huntsman claimed that reporter James Rosen's question to the House speaker following her Thursday impeachment press conference was both "lazy" and "hostile.""He was going probably for the clickbait and the headlines," she said, adding that he should have given more context to the question. "What I worry so much is the humanity and civility in this country, and I put a lot of the blame on the president because it's how we talk to each other."After co-host Sunny Hostin felt Pelosi was "triggered" by the notion that Democrats only want to impeach Trump because they hate him and that it has nothing to do with the Constitution, McCain jumped in to note that Pelosi's campaign is now raising money off the incident."I think that the problem is when she did answer it masterfully, the problem is now she's selling t-shirts that say DontMessWithNancy," McCain stated, prompting Hostin to express shock."Yes, she is," McCain continued. "For $39, you can buy a t-shirt."Behar, meanwhile, jokingly asked if the shirts "come in black" as McCain complained that "everything is a meme" in politics, listing off a number of well-known resistance hashtags."This is very serious," the ex-Fox News personality added. "We're talking about the Constitution. We're talking about impeachment. And for me, it reduces it—it's very reductive to start selling sweatshirts that say DontMessWithNancy.""So you mean like hats that say Make America Great Again," Behar interrupted, referencing Trump's long-running campaign slogan.As the audience cheered Behar's brushback, McCain shook her head and crossed her arms. She then groused: "You know what, I'm just trying to make a point. And I've never worn a MAGA hat. I think you know better than anybody I'd never wear a MAGA hat."The right-leaning host, clearly unnerved at this point, reiterated that politics shouldn't be about memes, tossing in a "Whatever" for good measure.Hostin, for her part, attempted to find out exactly who was selling these shirts, asking if it was actually the Democratic National Committee."It doesn't matter," McCain huffed, arms folded tightly. Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Germany's Merkel voices 'shame' during 1st Auschwitz visit Posted: 06 Dec 2019 02:31 AM PST  German Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced a feeling of "deep shame" during her first-ever visit on Friday to the hallowed grounds of the former Nazi German death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, where Adolf Hitler's regime murdered more than a million people. Merkel noted that her visit comes amid rising anti-Semitism and historical revisionism and vowed that Germany would not tolerate anti-Semitism.
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| Virginia Commission Calls for Repeal of ‘Explicitly Racist’ and ‘Segregationist’ Laws Posted: 05 Dec 2019 01:11 PM PST  A Virginia state commission released a report Thursday calling for the official repeal of "deeply troubling" state laws still on the books that contain "explicitly racist language and segregationist policies."The Commission to Examine Racial Inequity in Virginia Law published a lengthy report saying that the outdated laws should not "remain enshrined in law" despite no longer being in effect."The commission believes that such vestiges of Virginia's segregationist past should no longer have official status," the report states. "The devastating long-term social, economic, and political impact of legalized segregation in Virginia continues to plague people of color today."While many of the laws the commission cited have been nullified by courts, such as the ban on interracial marriage in the "Act to Preserve Racial Integrity," the commission warned that they could become relevant again with another court ruling."Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no child shall be required to enroll in or attend any school wherein both white and colored children are enrolled," a 1956 law continues to read.Democratic governor Ralph Northam spearheaded the commission in June to identify state laws that "were intended to or could have the effect of promoting or enabling racial discrimination or inequity." The governor said he would focus on promoting racial equality for the rest of his term after weathering a scandal earlier this year over a racist yearbook photo depicting one person in blackface and another in a KKK outfit.Northam pledged in a statement Thursday to repeal all racially discriminatory language in Virginia law."If we are going to move forward as a Commonwealth, we must take an honest look at our past," the governor said. "We know that racial discrimination is rooted in many of the laws that have governed our Commonwealth—today represents an important step towards building a more equal, just, and inclusive Virginia."
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| California congressman Duncan Hunter announces resignation after corruption plea Posted: 06 Dec 2019 02:39 PM PST  Hunter's announcement that he would step down came days after the leading California lawmaker, a former U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran, entered his guilty plea in federal court in San Diego. "Shortly after the Holidays I will resign from Congress," Hunter, 42, said in a written statement released by his communications director.
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| Thousands of Las Vegas shooting victims will have to split an $800 million settlement. Now, 2 retired judges have to decide which victims deserve the most. Posted: 06 Dec 2019 03:50 PM PST  Though $800 million seems like an enormous settlement, some 4,500 people joined the lawsuit against MGM Resorts. Some will need more than others.
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| Bloomberg says ending 'nationwide madness' of gun violence drives his presidential bid Posted: 05 Dec 2019 03:41 PM PST  Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg said on Thursday he wants to become president to end "the nationwide madness" of U.S. gun violence, calling it evil and saying he would allow its victims to file lawsuits against gun manufacturers.
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| US unemployment is the lowest in 50 years. Here's why Wall Street thinks that's actually a bad thing. Posted: 06 Dec 2019 09:52 AM PST  Low unemployment adds pressure to the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates, turning bonds into a more appealing investment than stocks.
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| Hong Kong police sound alarm over homemade explosives Posted: 06 Dec 2019 12:04 AM PST  Hong Kong's much-maligned police force provided a rare behind-the-scenes look Friday at its bomb disposal squad to show the potentially deadly destructive force of homemade explosives seized during months of protests that have shaken the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. In July, police announced the seizure of about 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of TATP, which has been used in militant attacks worldwide. Other recent seizures in Hong Kong involved far smaller amounts, just 1 gram, of TATP, or tri-acetone tri-peroxide.
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| Trump says the EPA is looking 'very strongly' at 'sinks and showers and other elements of bathrooms' because people are flushing their toilets 10 to 15 times Posted: 06 Dec 2019 01:59 PM PST  The New York Times reported in December 2017 that Trump "has an odd affinity for showing off bathrooms, including one he renovated near the Oval Office."
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| Trump Administration Authorizes 'Cyanide Bombs' to Kill Predators Again, Months After Backlash Posted: 05 Dec 2019 02:42 PM PST  The devices have been used to poison thousands of coyotes, foxes and feral dogs to protect wildlife
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| China imposes 'reciprocal' restrictions on US diplomats Posted: 06 Dec 2019 01:19 AM PST  China on Friday said it had taken "reciprocal" measures against US diplomats in the country, ordering them to notify the foreign ministry before meeting with local officials. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China had notified the US embassy of the new measures on Wednesday, which she said were a "countermeasure" to Washington's decision in October to restrict Chinese diplomats. In October, the US ordered Chinese diplomats to notify the State Department in advance of any official meetings with US diplomats, local or municipal officials, and before any visits to colleges or research institutions.
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| UPDATE 8-Indian police kill 4 men suspected of rape, murder, drawing applause and concern Posted: 05 Dec 2019 07:10 PM PST ![UPDATE 8-Indian police kill 4 men suspected of rape, murder, drawing applause and concern]( "UPDATE 8-Indian police kill 4 men suspected of rape, murder, drawing applause and concern") Indian police shot dead four men on Friday who were suspected of raping and killing a 27-year-old veterinarian near Hyderabad city, an action applauded by her family and many citizens outraged over sexual violence against women. The men had been in police custody and were shot dead near the scene of last week's crime after they snatched weapons from two of the 10 policemen accompanying them, said police commissioner V.C. Sajjanar. Thousands of Indians have protested in several cities over the past week following the veterinarian's death, the latest in a series of horrific cases of sexual assault in the country.
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| Florida Keys Deliver a Hard Message: As Seas Rise, Some Places Can't Be Saved Posted: 05 Dec 2019 05:15 AM PST  KEY WEST, Fla. -- Officials in the Florida Keys announced what many coastal governments nationwide have long feared, but few have been willing to admit: As seas rise and flooding gets worse, not everyone can be saved.And in some places, it doesn't even make sense to try.On Wednesday morning, Rhonda Haag, the county's sustainability director, released the first results of the county's yearslong effort to calculate how high its 300 miles of roads must be elevated to stay dry, and at what cost. Those costs were far higher than her team expected -- and those numbers, she said, show that some places can't be protected, at least at a price that taxpayers can be expected to pay."I never would have dreamed we would say 'no,'" Haag said in an interview. "But now, with the real estimates coming in, it's a different story. And it's not all doable."The results released Wednesday focus on a single 3-mile stretch of road at the southern tip of Sugarloaf Key, a small island 15 miles up U.S. Highway 1 from Key West. To keep those 3 miles of road dry year-round in 2025 would require raising it by 1.3 feet, at a cost of $75 million, or $25 million per mile. Keeping the road dry in 2045 would mean elevating it 2.2 feet, at a cost of $128 million. To protect against expected flooding levels in 2060, the cost would jump to $181 million.And all that to protect about two dozen homes."I can't see staff recommending to raise this road," Haag said. "Those are taxpayer dollars, and as much as we love the Keys, there's going to be a time when it's going to be less population."The people who live on that 3-mile stretch of road were less understanding. If the county feels that other parts of the Keys ought to be saved, said Leon Mense, a 63-year-old office manager at a medical clinic, then at least don't make him pay for it."So somebody in the city thinks they deserve more of my tax money than I do?" Manse asked. "Then don't charge us taxes, how does that sound?"She suggested the county could offer residents a ferry, water taxis, or some other kind of boat during the expanding window during which the road is expected to go underwater during the fall high tides."If that's three months a year for the next 20 years, and that gets them a decade or two, that's perhaps worth it," Haag said. "We can do a lot. But we can't do it all."At a climate change conference in Key West on Wednesday, Roman Gastesi, the Monroe County manager, said elected leaders will have to figure out how to make those difficult calls."How do you tell somebody, 'We're not going to build the road to get to your home'? And what do we do?" Gastesi asked. "Do we buy them out? And how do we buy them out -- is it voluntary? Is it eminent domain? How do we do that?"Administrators and elected officials are going to have to start to rely on a "word nobody likes to use," Gastesi said, "and that's 'retreat.'"The county's elected officials must now decide whether to accept that recommendation. The mayor of Monroe County, Heather Carruthers, said she hopes the cost of raising the roads turns out to be lower than what her staff have found, as the need for adaptation leads to better technology.Still, Carruthers said, "We can't protect every single house."Asked how she expected residents would respond, Carruthers said she expects pushback. "I'm sure that some of them will be very irate, and we'll probably face some lawsuits," she said. "But we can't completely keep the water away."The odds of the county winning future possible lawsuits over the policy are unclear. The novelty of what the Keys' officials are proposing is perhaps best demonstrated by the fact that nobody can say for certain whether it's legally defensible.The law generally requires local governments to maintain roads and other infrastructure, because failure to do so will reduce the property value of surrounding homes, according to Erin Deady, a lawyer who specializes in climate and land-use law and is a consultant to the county on adapting to rising seas. But local officials retain the right to decide whether or not to upgrade or enhance that infrastructure.What's unclear, Deady said, is whether raising a road to prevent it from going underwater is more akin to maintaining or upgrading. That's because no court has yet ruled on the issue."The law hasn't caught up with that," Deady said.She said she thinks the county is within its rights to refuse to elevate the road at the end of Sugarloaf Key, so long as it's transparent about the rationale for that decision. "At some point, there's an economic consideration," she said. "We can't manage every condition."The debates over county spending and legal precedents will determine the future of Old State Road 4A, two lanes of asphalt tucked between mangroves that mostly obscure the water threatening it from all around. On a recent afternoon, the only signs of life on this road were the occasional passing car, along with the gates many of the road's few residents have erected to keep unwanted visitors out of their driveways.Henry Silverman, a retired teacher from Long Island in New York, bought a house on the southern edge of Sugarloaf Key 10 years ago. The building's first floor is 18 feet off the ground; a boardwalk cuts through a forest of mangroves to his boat launch. His wife, Melissa, said that when farmers burn sugar cane in Cuba, 90 miles to the south, they can see the plumes of smoke from their roof and even smell the sugar.Still, climate change is encroaching on their treehouse paradise. Hurricane Irma in 2017 blew out their screens and pushed water through the windows. Each high tide brings the saltwater a little bit closer, killing the palm trees under the deck and popping the wooden slats off the boardwalk. The couple used to fly down from Long Island in a Cessna, until one day the runway at the island's airport was underwater."What's government for? They're supposed to protect your property," Silverman said from behind the wheel of his shallow skiff boat on a recent afternoon.The couple listed the variety of jobs that depend on the people who live on this street: Landscapers, construction workers, caterers, carpenters, the restaurants up the road. "There's a lot of trickle-down," Silverman said.Still, he conceded that it might be difficult to generate sympathy among the broader public for the plight of this neighborhood. "Nobody feels sorry for anybody living down here," Silverman said, gesturing across the water to the gated mansions that line the shore.Mense, who lives in the last house on the road, suggested that officials focus instead on slowing global warming, without which no amount of adaptation will be enough for these islands."Maybe we should think about stopping, or trying to stop, the cause of the water rising," Mense said. "At what point will the road be high enough?"Others seemed resigned. Georgia Siegel, a 73-year-old yoga teacher who grew up in Buffalo, New York, and moved here 20 years ago, said that if the government decided this area can't be sustained, she would simply leave."What am I going to do?" Seigel asked, standing on the narrow beach in front of the home that she and her husband built. "It's a problem that's bigger than me."Not everyone was so sanguine about the prospect. A woman who lives in one of the more modest homes along this road, who asked not to be identified for fear that discussing flooding would hurt her property value, said she worried what the county's plans mean for her future."This is all I have," she said, gesturing to her house next to the water. "If that road goes under, I go under."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2019 The New York Times Company
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| Is Southwest Airlines considering a no-frills ticket? (Just don't call it basic economy) Posted: 05 Dec 2019 12:06 PM PST  Southwest sent a survey to customers about a new fare category. The airline says it regularly surveys travelers and nothing should be read into it.
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| Russia's Very Own A-10 Warthog? Meet Moscow's Su-25 Posted: 04 Dec 2019 09:30 PM PST  Let's have a look.
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| 'Dark money' ties raise questions for GOP Sen. Ernst of Iowa Posted: 06 Dec 2019 02:23 AM PST  An outside group founded by top political aides to Sen. Joni Ernst has worked closely with the Iowa Republican to raise money and boost her reelection prospects, a degree of overlap that potentially violates the law, documents obtained by The Associated Press show. Iowa Values, a political nonprofit that is supposed to be run independently, was co-founded in 2017 by Ernst's longtime consultant, Jon Kohan. It shares a fundraiser, Claire Holloway Avella, with the Ernst campaign.
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| Jury: Elon Musk did not defame British caver in tweet Posted: 06 Dec 2019 12:11 PM PST  Elon Musk defeated defamation allegations Friday from a British cave explorer who claimed he was branded a pedophile when the Tesla CEO called him "pedo guy" in an angry tweet. It took less than an hour for an eight-person jury in Los Angeles federal court to reject Unsworth's claim. Musk said the verdict restored his faith in humanity as he left the court with a security detail.
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| Here's how Trump could be impeached, removed from office, and still win re-election in 2020 Posted: 05 Dec 2019 07:59 AM PST  After removing a president, the Senate must separately vote by simple majority to prevent them from holding a federal office in the future.
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| Banks gave $745 billion to groups planning new coal power plants: NGOs Posted: 05 Dec 2019 08:00 PM PST  Financial institutions have channeled $745 billion over the past three years into companies planning new coal-fired power plants, according to a report by environmental groups, who are urging global banks to stop financing the sector. The report's release comes as world leaders met this week in Madrid for a 12-day UN climate summit, where they are expected to hammer out some of the details of the 2015 Paris agreement.
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| Why many Indians cheered police for killing gang rape accused Posted: 06 Dec 2019 03:07 AM PST ![Why many Indians cheered police for killing gang rape accused]( "Why many Indians cheered police for killing gang rape accused") Many Indians took to social media on Friday to applaud the police killings of four men accused in the gang rape and murder of a 27-year-old veterinarian in the southern city of Hyderabad. Court cases drag on for years and few result in convictions, legal experts say.
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| ICE weaponizes the American Dream to purge foreign students Posted: 06 Dec 2019 12:13 PM PST  An immigration sting targeting student visa holders mocks the values that made America great
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