| Iran's Path to Negotiations With Trump's America Posted: 17 Jun 2019 03:33 AM PDT  Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei told Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe in Tehran that his country "will not negotiate under pressure." His meeting with Abe was followed by new acts of sabotage against oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, raising concerns of a full-blown conflict erupting. While the perpetrator is unknown, the United States and Iran are increasingly locked in a stalemate that neither can afford to live with. The potential still exists for negotiations, provided President Donald Trump makes a course correction and offers credible incentives for a deal.A year after reneging on the Iran nuclear deal, President Trump's so-called "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran has crash-landed. Not only is the regime in Tehran still standing despite the expectations of senior Trump advisors, but Iranian leaders remain defiant in the face of Trump's calls for talks. This was reinforced by Khamenei during his meeting with Abe, with him saying that he does not trust the United States or believe that it seeks "genuine negotiations."
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| Protesters demand that embattled Hong Kong leader resign Posted: 17 Jun 2019 07:38 AM PDT  Demonstrators in Hong Kong gathered Monday outside the office of the city's leader, demanding that she step down in the crisis over a highly unpopular extradition bill that has tested the durability of China's promises to respect the former British colony's quasi-autonomy. The mostly young protesters blocked a street near the city's waterfront as they stood outside the office of Chief Executive Carrie Lam chanting calls for her to cancel the proposed legislation. Nearly 2 million Hong Kong residents, young and old, joined a march on Sunday that lasted late into the night to express their frustrations with Lam and the extradition bill, backed by Beijing.
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| Millions Were Left Without Power in Argentina and Uruguay After an 'Extraordinary' System Failure. How Did it Happen? Posted: 17 Jun 2019 05:54 AM PDT  "This was extraordinary. It shouldn't have happened."
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| AOC: ‘Hyde Amendment Is about Income Inequality’ Not Abortion Posted: 17 Jun 2019 05:43 AM PDT  Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) on Sunday praised former vice president Joe Biden for his recently announced opposition to the Hyde amendment and said that her own opposition to the prohibition on the direct federal funding of abortion is rooted in her concern about income inequality."I'm encourage by the fact that he is now against the Hyde Amendment," Ocasio-Cortez told ABC's Jonathan Karl when asked about Biden's recent reversal on the issue.Ocasio-Cortez, who launched a petition over the weekend to build public support for the amendment's repeal, went on to explain that the direct federal funding of abortion is necessary to protect the abortion rights of incarcerated pregnant women."Reproductive health care for incarcerated women should be guaranteed as it is with all women in the United States, so I think it really depends," said the freshman New York lawmaker. More from her remarks:> And that's really what the Hyde amendment is really about. The Hyde amendment isn't about abortion per se. The Hyde amendment is truly about equality of healthcare and healthcare access for low income women and women of color and women that get caught in our mass incarceration system. And so the Hyde amendment is about income inequality and it's about women's healthcare in a system of income inequality. So I think that we need to repeal it.After maintaining support for the Hyde amendment throughout his decades-long career in politics, Biden reversed himself last month in response to pressure from abortion-advocacy groups."If I believe health care is a right, as I do, I can no longer support an amendment that makes that right dependent on someone's ZIP code," Biden said at a Democratic National Committee gala in Atlanta, citing the restrictive abortion bills recently passed in a number of southern states as the impetus for his reversal.Biden's high-profile reversal on the Hyde amendment prompted an outpouring of public statements from his 2020 Democratic primary opponents about the need to repeal the amendment, which has been added as a rider to federal spending bills in the decades since the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision.
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| Saudi Arabia committed to Aramco IPO: crown prince Posted: 16 Jun 2019 12:53 AM PDT  Saudi Arabia remains committed to selling shares in national oil conglomerate Aramco through an initial public offering but only at the right time, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said. "We are committed to the IPO of Saudi Aramco based on appropriate conditions and at the right time," Prince Mohammed told the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat in an interview published on Sunday. Saudi Arabia plans to sell up to five percent of the world's largest energy firm and hopes to raise up to $100 billion.
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| Ross Downplays Prospect of Major Trade Deal at Trump-Xi Meeting Posted: 16 Jun 2019 10:03 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Sign up for Next China, a weekly email on where the nation stands now and where it's going next.Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross downplayed the prospect of a major trade deal emerging from a possible meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan, this month."I think the most that will come out of the G-20 might be an agreement to actively resume talks," Ross said in an interview Sunday with the Wall Street Journal from Paris, where he was attending the Paris Air Show. Talks between China and the U.S. broke off in early May.Ross said the possible Trump-Xi meeting, which hasn't been confirmed, might lay out "new ground rules for discussion and some sort of schedule for when detailed technical talks might resume."To contact the reporter on this story: Ros Krasny in Washington at rkrasny1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: James Ludden at jludden@bloomberg.net, Steve GeimannFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Relatives of man killed in Corona Costco shooting seek answers as LAPD launches investigation Posted: 17 Jun 2019 11:47 AM PDT  The Los Angeles Police Department is launching its own investigation into the deadly shooting involving one of its officers inside a Costco Wholesale store in Corona.
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| Turkish post in Idlib hit 'deliberately' by Syrian attack Posted: 16 Jun 2019 09:16 AM PDT ![Turkish post in Idlib hit 'deliberately' by Syrian attack]( "Turkish post in Idlib hit 'deliberately' by Syrian attack") Turkey said Syrian government forces "deliberately" attacked on Sunday a Turkish military observation post in northwestern Syria. In a statement, the defense ministry said Turkish troops responded with "heavy weapons" after the artillery attack in Idlib province. Syrian forces launched an offensive to take the last rebel-held territory in Idlib late April, leading to the collapse of a ceae-fire negotiated by Turkey and Russia last year.
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| Unruly passenger hits flight attendant, then pukes during Delta flight to Paris Posted: 16 Jun 2019 02:40 PM PDT  A federal complaint says a man struck a flight attendant in the throat and then threw up during a Delta flight to Paris.
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| Gun Fact: The Glock 18 Fires 1,200 Bullets Per Minute Posted: 16 Jun 2019 08:00 AM PDT  The Glock 18 accepts typical Glock magazines, from ten to seventeen rounds, but a handgun with a rate of fire of 1,200 rounds a minute can empty a standard pistol magazine in a blink of an eye. In order to help feed the Glock 18's voracious appetite the company released thirty-three round magazines. These longer magazines extend far past the magazine well, making the gun difficult to conceal but double available firepower.In December 2003, soldiers of the U.S. Special Operations Command captured the Ace of Spades himself, Saddam Hussein. The former Iraqi president, on the run since the capture of Baghdad, had appeared in a deck of playing cards with the profiles of other fugitive war criminals and naturally was the top card. Hussein, bedraggled and bereft, was armed with one of the rarest of handguns: the Glock 18, the full auto Glock.(This first appeared several months ago.)In February 1980 the Austrian Army issued a requirement for a new handgun. Gaston Glock, a knifemaker who made knives and bayonets for the army, decided to try his hand at the gun manufacturing business. After buying and trying many types of existing handguns, consulting with firearm specialists to see what they would like in a handgun, and a presumably a great deal of trial and error, Glock's first pistol, the Glock 17, won the army contract for twenty thousand pistols.
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| Pompeo: Fox News host's questioning Trump's FBI comments a ‘Washington piece of silliness’ Posted: 16 Jun 2019 04:30 PM PDT  When Fox News host Chris Wallace asked Pompeo Sunday if "accepting oppo research from a foreign government right or wrong?" the former CIA director responded: "Chris, you know, you asked me not to call any of your questions today ridiculous. "President Trump has been very clear that he will always make sure that he gets it right for the American people and I'm confident he'll do that here as well," Pompeo said. Trump in an interview last week with ABC's George Stephanopoulos said that he would take damaging information — which he referred to as "oppo research" instead of as interference in a U.S. election by foreign governments — and that he would do so without necessarily alerting the FBI.
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| 600 people on Monsanto 'watch lists' in Germany, France: Bayer Posted: 17 Jun 2019 06:12 AM PDT  US seeds and pesticides maker Monsanto kept lists of around 600 key pro- and anti-pesticides figures in Germany and France alone, its German parent company Bayer said Monday amid a widening probe. Bayer has admitted the lists covered politicians, journalists and others across seven European countries and in Brussels. "Update on Monsanto stakeholder lists: until the end of last week, the firm hired by Bayer contacted all the people on the German and French lists," Bayer's press department tweeted.
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| AOC's New York office building broken into by man who sprayed police with fire extinguisher Posted: 16 Jun 2019 09:29 AM PDT  A man in New York City broke into an office building where representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has offices, before spraying police with a fire extinguisher and hiding in a utility closet.The trespassing occurred on Saturday afternoon, when the office was closed and the liberal firebrand was in Washington.The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the individual was taken to a nearby hospital for psychiatric evaluation. Officials also said the man was emotionally disturbed."No one broke into her office. I don't know where everyone's getting that," sergeant Brendan Ryan of the NYPD told The Independent, contradicting reports that the individual had breached the actual office space of Ms Ocasio-Cortez.Mr Ryan confirmed that the incident took place at an address associated with Ms Ocasio-Cortez's political operations, but noted that the building was large and that police stopped the 27-year-old suspect before he could enter any office. The suspect, identified as Douala Hashi, provided officers with an address in Washington, DC, during his booking."No burglary, or no breaking and entering into her office or any office," Mr Ryan said He had a dispute with the security guard when he first got there where he grabbed the security guard by the collar and threatened harm getting into the building."Mr Hashi has been charged with menacing, criminal mischief, and criminal trespassing. Ms Ocasio-Cortez's staff has been made aware of the incident, according to Mr Ryan.Ms Ocasio-Cortez has become one of the most prominent politicians in Washington since her surprise primary victory last year during the 2018 midterm elections, and represents a surging progressive arm of the Democratic Party.In the process, the 29-year-old has been on the receiving end of death threats since taking office, leading Capitol Police, for instance, to provide threat assessment training for her staff.
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| Japan protests Chinese activity near disputed islands Posted: 17 Jun 2019 04:54 AM PDT ![Japan protests Chinese activity near disputed islands]( "Japan protests Chinese activity near disputed islands") Japan has protested what is says was an unauthorized Chinese maritime survey within its economic waters near disputed East China Sea islands, officials said Monday. Japan's Foreign Ministry said it lodged a protest with Beijing after a Chinese maritime research ship was seen dropping a wire-like object into the water off the northwestern coast of Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands on Sunday. China also claims the islands, which it calls Diaoyu.
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| The Latest: Airbus is ready for autonomous planes; are you? Posted: 17 Jun 2019 09:59 AM PDT  The chief salesman for Airbus says his company already has the technology to fly passenger planes without pilots at all — and is working on winning over regulators and travelers to the idea. Christian Scherer also said in an interview with The Associated Press on Monday that Airbus hopes to be selling hybrid or electric passenger jets by around 2035. While the company is still far from ready to churn out battery-operated jumbo jets, Scherer said Airbus already has "the technology for autonomous flying" and for planes flown by just one pilot.
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| Taking aim at Johnson, British PM hopefuls make their Brexit case Posted: 16 Jun 2019 04:48 AM PDT  Several hopefuls vying to replace British Prime Minister Theresa May turned their fire on favorite Boris Johnson on Sunday, questioning his pledge to leave the European Union by the end of October no matter what. With former London mayor and foreign minister Johnson keeping a low profile, the other candidates have targeted the air waves to present their cases to lead the governing Conservative Party.
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| The Scary Way a Stealth Fighter Could Be Shot Down Posted: 15 Jun 2019 06:00 PM PDT  There is a famous series of videos showing experimentation with "selective attention." Selective attention suggests we focus on certain elements in our environment while other elements disappear into the background. This is the case with the stealth bomber; it disappears into the background of other, higher levels of electronic stimulus. Simply put, the phenomenon of selective attention demonstrates the power of a stealth bomber to delay detection in the current strategic environment.The entire kill chain for bringing down an invading aircraft is not as easy as the horrific shoot down of flight MH-17 might suggest.Seventy years ago today, Col. Paul Tibbets flew the Enola Gay on a mission that would change the course of world history and set the stage for the development of nuclear deterrence. The mission itself was straightforward, but the enormous scientific and industrial activity leading up to it was not. The atomic weapon, "Little Boy," involved a massive industrial effort that is only slightly less difficult today. The development of the B-29 bomber that delivered the bomb was no simple matter either. It required an aircraft that flew higher and faster than any other aircraft could at the time.(This article originally appeared in 2015.)
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| See Photos of the Porsche 718 Spyder Posted: 17 Jun 2019 03:00 PM PDT |
| Travel influencers detail 'dangerous' Dominican Republic experience, respond to backlash Posted: 17 Jun 2019 04:28 AM PDT  Great Escape bloggers Cora and Jay Smith say they are speaking out again about her 2018 sexual assault in the Dominican Republic to warn others.
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| U.S. Will Send 1,000 More Troops to Middle East Amid Iran Tensions Posted: 17 Jun 2019 04:40 PM PDT  The Trump administration plans to send 1,000 more troops as well as additional military resources to the Middle East as tensions with Iran continue to simmer, the Defense Department announced Monday."In response to a request from the US Central Command for additional forces, and with the advice of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and in consultation with the White House, I have authorized approximately 1,000 additional troops for defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats in the Middle East," read a statement from acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan."United States does not seek conflict with Iran," Shanahan said, but he highlighted recent threatening behavior by the state terror sponsor that could endanger U.S. forces."The recent Iranian attacks validate the reliable, credible intelligence we have received on hostile behavior by Iranian forces and their proxy groups that threaten United States personnel and interests across the region," the defense secretary said.Last month, the Trump administration deployed four bombers as well as the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier-strike group to the Persian Gulf amid fears that Iran was transporting short-range ballistic missiles in the region.Meanwhile, two oil tankers were apparently attacked in the Gulf of Oman last week, suffering a series of explosions that injured crew members. The U.S. Navy responded to the disaster offering assistance.Iran's supreme leader also said this month that the U.S. would be powerless to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons should it so desire and said no further negotiations with American leaders are forthcoming."The action today is being taken to ensure the safety and welfare of our military personnel working throughout the region and to protect our national interests," Shanahan said. "We will continue to monitor the situation diligently and make adjustments to force levels as necessary given intelligence reporting and credible threats."
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| Bodies of missing Oregon mother, son found Posted: 17 Jun 2019 01:59 PM PDT  Authorities have found the bodies of a missing Oregon woman and her 3-year-old son. The boy's biological father had been charged with killing them before the bodies were found. (June 17)
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| CEO: Boeing made mistake in handling warning-system problem Posted: 16 Jun 2019 05:03 PM PDT  The chief executive of Boeing said the company made a "mistake" in handling a problematic cockpit warning system in its 737 Max jets before two crashes killed 346 people, and he promised transparency as the aircraft maker works to get the grounded plane back in flight. Speaking before the industry-wide Paris Air Show, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg told reporters Boeing's communication with regulators, customers and the public "was not consistent. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has faulted Boeing for not telling regulators for more than a year that a safety indicator in the cockpit of the top-selling plane didn't work as intended.
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| New leak may confirm Samsung’s massive Galaxy Note 10 redesign Posted: 17 Jun 2019 05:17 AM PDT  It's still far too early to say for certain whether the Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, and Galaxy S10+ have truly been a success for Samsung. The second quarter of 2019 will be the first full quarter of sales for the company's new flagship phones series, so we should find out sometime next month whether the Galaxy S10 series gave Samsung's mobile division the boost it so sorely needed after last year's Galaxy S9 series was a flop. What we can say for certain, however, is that the Galaxy S10 series is a massive step in the right direction for Samsung. While last year's Galaxy S and Galaxy Note flagship phones were uninspired and boring, this year's Galaxy S10 phones finally feature the elegant redesign and all-screen display that Samsung fans have been craving.Thankfully, there's more good news on the way for Samsung fans, and it's much-needed considering the current Galaxy Fold disaster (though we totally warned you more than a year before it was announced that the Galaxy Fold would end up being a piece of junk). It turns out that the upcoming new Galaxy Note 10 is getting the same type of massive redesign that the Galaxy S10 got earlier this year, and now a new series of leaks may confirm Samsung's new design... or should we say, "designs."That's right, Samsung fans: for the first time ever, it appears as though Samsung will release not one but two different Galaxy Note phones. Just as Samsung followed Apple's lead with the Galaxy S10 series and added a (slightly) less expensive entry-level model, the Note 10 will seemingly have an entry-level model as well. This time around, the "Galaxy Note 10" will have slightly less impressive specs and a slightly lower price point, while the "Galaxy Note 10 Pro" will be the ultra high-end model with upgraded features and a price tag that's sure to make you cringe. An earlier report suggested that the Note 10 Pro model could start as high as $1,200 for the lowest amount of built-in storage.We've seen digital renders of both the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10 Pro already, and they came from Twitter user @OnLeaks, a source who regularly posts accurate renders of unreleased smartphones since the drawings are based on actual design files taken from the factory where these phones are manufactured. Here's a quick refresher that was posted last week:If previous leaks haven't been enough to convince you that this is what the upcoming Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10 Pro will look like, we now have another set of leaks that further confirm the designs. A Twitter user named Sudhanshu Ambhore has posted photos of smartphone cases in the past that turned out to accurately depict the designs of unreleased smartphones. Now, he's back with two more cases.First, we have a case designed for the Galaxy Note 10, pictured first on its own and then a second time with a render of the Note 10 behind it.https://twitter.com/Sudhanshu1414/status/1139943092251795456Then, in a separate post on Twitter, we can see a Galaxy Note 10 Pro case from four different angles.https://twitter.com/Sudhanshu1414/status/1139942454122041345Samsung isn't expected to announce the Galaxy Note 10 or the Galaxy Note 10 Pro until sometime in early August, but don't expect the new design to be much of a surprise when the new phones are finally unveiled.
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| Mexico detains 791 migrants, including 368 children under eight Posted: 16 Jun 2019 01:47 PM PDT  A total of 791 Central American migrants, including 368 children under the age of eight, have been detained in the Mexican state of Veracruz, officials said Sunday. The detentions of the migrants, who were being transported hidden in four trailers, were carried out at two points, the National Migration Institute said in a statement. While the total age breakdown of the migrants remains unclear, a source speaking on condition of anonymity earlier on Sunday told AFP 270 of the migrants are six or seven years old, and 98 are aged zero to five.
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| Meet the Army's 'New' M1 Abrams Tank: The Best on the Planet? Posted: 16 Jun 2019 02:10 AM PDT  The U.S. Army is on an intensive quest for an array of new technologies with which to design and build new armored fighting vehicles, particularly a replacement for the long-serving Bradley. However much it might yearn for a new tank, the Army lacks the critical technologies that would justify the time and expense pursuing such an objective. Moreover, it doesn't need to make the effort. The Army's current main battle tank, the Abrams, is the tank of the future.The Army is just beginning to receive the first of the latest Abrams upgrade, the System Enhancement Package Version 3 (SEPv3), with additional upgrades in development. Instead of searching for the elusive Holy Grail of ultralight armor or laser weapons, technologies that would justify building a brand new tank, the Army would be best served by aggressively pursuing a major redesign and improvement program for the Abrams, an M1A3.The leadership of the U.S. Army is taken with the idea of transforming how and with what the Army fights. They particularly want new armored fighting vehicles. And not just another family of metal boxes with a turret and cannon. Technology enthusiasts, including many in the Army's new Futures Command, wax eloquently about the potential for hover tanks that shoot laser beams and are autonomously guided by artificial intelligence housed in quantum computers.
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| Intel launches project to help Israeli tech start-ups Posted: 16 Jun 2019 08:29 AM PDT  Intel Corp launched a project on Sunday to help start-ups in Israel develop technologies in artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous systems, and said it planned to bring the scheme to other countries as well. The 20-week program, called Ignite, will offer business and technical support to up to 15 start-ups, the California-based company said, adding it would not take equity stakes in the start-ups now, but might do so eventually. Intel is one of the biggest employers and exporters in Israel, where many of its new technologies are developed, and this year said it was investing 40 billion shekels ($11 billion) to expand its manufacturing operations there.
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| As promised, Trump slashes aid to Central America over migrants Posted: 17 Jun 2019 11:01 AM PDT  U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Monday cut hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, after Trump blasted the three countries because thousands of their citizens had sought asylum at the U.S. border with Mexico. The plan will likely encounter stiff opposition in Congress. Lawmakers, including some of Trump's fellow Republicans as well as Democrats, have chafed against the president's repeated decisions to disregard spending bills passed by Congress, some of which he has signed into law himself.
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| Day after a nationwide register outage, Target's tech troubles continue on a smaller scale Posted: 16 Jun 2019 04:19 PM PDT ![Day after a nationwide register outage, Target's tech troubles continue on a smaller scale]( "Day after a nationwide register outage, Target's tech troubles continue on a smaller scale") The great Target outage of 2019 continued on a smaller scale Sunday with shoppers reporting some stores were unable to process credit card purchases.
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| Did the Markets Break Jerome Powell? We’re About to Find Out Posted: 17 Jun 2019 02:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg Opinion) -- This week's Federal Reserve decision will be the most consequential one yet under the leadership of Chair Jerome Powell.Sure, Fed officials will almost certainly leave interest rates unchanged, and they won't do anything with the central bank's balance sheet beyond what they have previously indicated. But the move in financial markets has been so swift, with traders so convinced that policy makers will lower interest rates imminently, that every change in their statement's wording, every syllable uttered by Powell during his press conference, and any tweak in the "dot plot" will be scrutinized as much as ever. After all, vast sums of money (not to mention strategists' reputations) are riding on a decidedly dovish shift.It truly seems as if bond traders have gone too far and are setting themselves up for disappointment. They have priced in a 92% chance of a quarter-point rate reduction in July and 2.75 cuts by the end of the year. Barclays Plc strategists would say that's too conservative — they're calling for a 50-basis-point cut next month and an additional 25 basis points in September in one of the more aggressive Wall Street forecasts. Basically, as Michael Purves at Weeden & Co. put it, markets are "almost taunting the Fed."Make no mistake, Fed officials have a number of reasons for caution. While President Donald Trump tabled threatened tariffs on Mexico, a potentially drawn-out trade war with China looms large. U.S. inflation continues to fall short of the central bank's stated 2% target, while the University of Michigan's gauge of expected price changes fell to an unprecedented low late last week. And the bedrock of this rate-hiking cycle — a seemingly unstoppable labor market — is showing early signs of slowing, with American companies adding just 75,000 workers in May, missing estimates for a 175,000 gain.All of this lines up with Powell's pivot since the end of last year, from signaling further interest-rate increases and keeping the balance sheet runoff on "automatic pilot" to being patient and winding down the bank's "quantitative tightening." He and other policy makers have clearly indicated this is as far as they'll go in tightening monetary policy this time around.That's not the same thing as saying they're ready to begin easing.The problem is, bond traders (and, admittedly, financial journalists) don't care about that nuance. Conviction that the Fed is done hiking, by definition, means that the next move in interest rates will be lower, making it a matter of "when," not "if." After Powell said earlier this month that "as always, we will act as appropriate to sustain the expansion," it was perceived as opening the door to cutting interest rates, even though he didn't really say that. RBC Capital Markets had a brilliant report that noted the "weak" May jobs number was actually perfectly consistent with the Fed's outlook. No matter; traders scurried to wager on easing sooner rather than later in the wake of the payrolls data. So here we are, with markets brazenly taunting the Fed. Will Powell dare to defy them?Unfortunately, recent history doesn't provide a clear answer. In January, I wrote that the Fed was officially at the market's mercy, given a decision that was seen as giving in to the late-2018 equities tantrum. Two-year Treasury yields fell about 12 basis points in the following 27 hours. In March, it was more of the same, with central bankers managing to beat traders' lofty dovish expectations by shifting the dot plot to show zero interest-rate increases in 2019, compared with two in December. Again, two-year yields tumbled, ending the week 15 basis points lower than they were before the decision.Things went differently last month. After what looked like another bond rally in the making, Powell managed to entirely reverse it, and then some, by highlighting "transitory factors" keeping inflation subdued. "Our baseline view remains that with a strong job market and continued growth, inflation will return to 2% over time," he said. Two-year yields climbed eight basis points in the next 27 hours, to 2.35%, a level that almost exactly aligns with the current effective fed funds rate. In other words, bond investors were more or less on board with the idea of a "patient" Fed holding rates where they are.Obviously, the outlook has changed since then, but not nearly to the extent that market pricing would indicate. As one example, Citigroup Inc.'s U.S. economic surprise index is at the same level it was on May 1, the day of the Fed's most recent decision. The persistently negative reading is hardly a cause for celebration — it signals data have been worse than expected — but it could just as likely indicate that forecasters have to come to terms with the expansion turning 10 years old and serve as an early warning that the economy is rolling over. As RBC's Tom Porcelli and Jacob Oubina noted, it's all about the narrative.Given all that, which Powell will investors get? The one who gives them what they want and more, or the one who is willing to push back? I believe that deep down, Powell would strongly prefer to keep interest rates where they are and only begin easing when he and other officials observe clear and persistent signs of weakness. The U.S. economy is not at that point yet. It doesn't help that Trump continues to pound the table for lower rates, in what has become a now-commonplace break from recent presidential history, while simultaneously trumpeting the "tremendous potential our Country has for GROWTH."If I had to guess, the dot plot will turn flat, with the current 2.375% median fed funds rate extending through at least 2021. That's the definition of patience. Then, Powell will reiterate in his press conference that the Fed stands ready to act as appropriate. In doing so, he preserves the option to lower interest rates as soon as July or September, without making any sort of explicit commitment. If that's seen as insufficiently dovish, as some rates strategists suggest, then tough.Powell, at the helm of the world's most influential central bank, can afford to be more deliberate than traders looking to get ahead of the next big move. At the same time, the cacophony of calls for rate cuts is tough to shut out. Should he capitulate entirely, he will be permanently viewed as a Fed chair who was broken by bond traders. To contact the author of this story: Brian Chappatta at bchappatta1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Daniel Niemi at dniemi1@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Brian Chappatta is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering debt markets. He previously covered bonds for Bloomberg News. He is also a CFA charterholder.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Saudi crown prince accuses rival Iran of tanker attacks Posted: 16 Jun 2019 09:08 AM PDT  Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in remarks published Sunday that the kingdom will not hesitate to confront Iranian threats to its security. Tensions in the Persian Gulf have escalated since the U.S. sent an aircraft carrier strike group and other military assets to the region in what it says is defensive posturing against alleged Iranian threats. The crisis takes root in the Trump Administration's decision to re-impose punishing economic sanctions on Tehran and its oil exports, after unilaterally withdrawing the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.
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| Drunk woman drives Power Wheels toy truck down road, South Carolina police say Posted: 17 Jun 2019 06:27 AM PDT  A South Carolina woman who police say was driving drunk will not be cited with a DUI because her vehicle of choice was a toy truck.
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| Forensics firm says it can break into any iPhone or high-end Android phone Posted: 17 Jun 2019 07:58 AM PDT  Apple makes it a point with every product announcement to stress security and privacy features. That exact thing happened just a few weeks ago at Apple's annual developer event, where the company unveiled several new privacy-centric features that other companies might not be able to replicate (because, you know, Android). But iPhone encryption is only as good as your password. If you don't use one, or if your password can be easily guessed, anyone with physical access to your phone can get into it. Then there are companies out there that specialize in unlocking mobile devices regardless of how strong the password is, companies that have been working with law enforcement agencies to crack devices during investigations. One of them is Israeli firm Cellebrite, which claims that it can now break into any iPhone or iPad running on Apple's latest iOS release, as well as high-end Android phones.In a somewhat unusual move, the company announced its capabilities on Twitter while introducing a brand new "exclusive" solution for law enforcement agencies.https://twitter.com/Cellebrite_UFED/status/1139569499206643715UFED Premium allows the company to extract data from all iOS and high-end Android devices, the company said. That means Cellebrite found a weak spot in Apple's armor that will enable it to crack any password and extract data from iOS devices. Cellebrite doesn't explain on its website how everything works, and this is probably a costly discovery. But if the company can unlock any iOS or Android phone, it means the latest versions of each operating system are susceptible to attacks:> Bypass or determine locks and perform a full file system extraction on any iOS device, or a physical extraction or full file system (File-Based Encryption) extraction on many high-end Android devices, to get much more data than what is possible through logical extractions and other conventional means.> > Gain access to 3rd party app data, chat conversations, downloaded emails and email attachments, deleted content and more, increase your chances of finding the incriminating evidence and bringing your case to a resolution.However, to unlock an iPhone or Android device, Cellebrite would need physical access to the phone or tablet in question. The product is explicitly targeting law enforcement agencies that would have in their possessions locked mobile devices they'd need to inspect.That doesn't mean Cellebrite can perform any remote breaches into iOS or Android devices, at least not with the help of this particular tool. The company did make the news a few years ago for allegedly unlocking an iPhone that belonged to one of the San Bernardino shooters for the FBI after Apple repeatedly refused requests to create a backdoor into its devices. Cellebrite, however, was not the company the FBI hired.A different security company called Grayshift has also made the news for having been able to unlock password-protected iPhones with the help of a special GrayKey machine. Apple, however, managed to block that hack. A similar cat and mouse game will probably follow for this new Cellebrite tool.Both Apple and Google have already announced the next-gen versions of iOS and Android. That's iOS 13, set for a mid-September launch, and Android 10 Q, which will be released about a month earlier.
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| Boeing's embattled chief faces tough crowd at Paris Air Show Posted: 16 Jun 2019 11:00 PM PDT  Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg will have his work cut out for him at the Paris Air Show this week as he tries to reassure airlines and industry partners over the fate of its flagship 737 MAX plane, indefinitely grounded after two fatal crashes.
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| Whoops — The U.S. Army Owns Potentially Hundreds of Thousands of Faulty Guns Posted: 17 Jun 2019 03:55 AM PDT  It's an inescapable reality that in big institutions, people will sometimes overlook memos and misplace equipment.But that's cold comfort to the U.S. Army, which is struggling to select a new handgun while also dealing with the fallout from its last, controversial pistol choice.That's right — overlooked memos and misplaced equipment.This first appeared in 2016.In August 2015, the ground combat branch inspected its Beretta M-9 pistols to make sure the guns had key safety fixes. The Army was supposed to have finished upgrading all the guns … more than two decades ago."During a training exercise, a soldier was injured when a slide failure resulted in the rear portion of the slide separating from the receiver and struck him in the face," an official warning explained."'WARNING': DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY TO SOLDIERS, OR DAMAGE TO ARMY EQUIPMENT WILL OCCUR IF THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THIS MESSAGE ARE NOT FOLLOWED."
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| Instant Pot Owners: Here Are 40+ Recipes To Make In Your New Baby Posted: 17 Jun 2019 10:51 AM PDT |
| UPDATE 3-Sudan's Bashir charged with corruption, in 1st appearance since April Posted: 16 Jun 2019 08:11 AM PDT ![UPDATE 3-Sudan's Bashir charged with corruption, in 1st appearance since April]( "UPDATE 3-Sudan's Bashir charged with corruption, in 1st appearance since April") Sudan's ex-president Omar al-Bashir was charged with corruption-related offences on Sunday, as he appeared in public for the first time since he was overthrown and detained in April. Bashir was charged last month with incitement and involvement in the killing of protesters, and prosecutors also want him questioned over suspected money laundering and terrorism financing.
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| Supreme Court rules against Republicans in Virginia dispute over use of race in drawing election maps Posted: 17 Jun 2019 10:08 AM PDT  The Supreme Court ruled in a case involving the use of race in drawing maps for Virginia's state legislative districts.
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| UPDATE 1-U.S. pedestrian, bicyclist deaths rise in 2018 -report Posted: 17 Jun 2019 10:02 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-U.S. pedestrian, bicyclist deaths rise in 2018 -report]( "UPDATE 1-U.S. pedestrian, bicyclist deaths rise in 2018 -report") U.S. pedestrian and bicyclist deaths rose in 2018 while overall traffic deaths fell 1% in 2018 to 36,750, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a preliminary report Monday. The auto safety agency said it did not know the cause of the overall decline but has said a dramatic increase in traffic deaths in 2016 was the result of more people killed on foot, bicycle or motorcycle. In 2018, the agency said pedestrian deaths were projected please to rise 4 percent and bicyclist deaths by 10 percent.
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| Trump calls newspaper report on Russia power grid 'treason' Posted: 16 Jun 2019 12:49 PM PDT  President Donald Trump has lashed out at The New York Times, saying it engaged in a "virtual act of treason" for a story that said the U.S. was ramping up its cyber-intrusions into Russia's power grid. The Times reported on Saturday that the U.S. has bored into Russian utility systems in an escalating campaign meant to deter future cyber activity by Russia. It comes as the U.S. looks for new ways to punish Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election and prevent a recurrence.
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