| Democratic congressman says 'it will not end if the Senate does not convict' Posted: 10 Dec 2019 09:25 AM PST  Green subsequently introduced articles of impeachment three times for what he described as Trump's "infusion of bigotry into policy." On Dec. 4, Green sent a memo to other House members urging them to include Trump's "racism" in the articles of impeachment.
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| Corpus Christi Naval Air Station lockdown lifted; suspect in custody Posted: 11 Dec 2019 02:25 PM PST  Although initial reports said the suspect was armed, officials confirm the suspect was not armed when detained.
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| Nude portrait of Emiliano Zapata in high heels sparks fury in Mexico Posted: 11 Dec 2019 01:00 AM PST  Campesinos storm museum to call for removal of image featuring revolutionary hero posing in pink sombreroA new portrait of Emiliano Zapata has caused a firestorm of outrage for its portrayal of the Mexican revolutionary hero striking a seductive pose – clad only in a pink sombrero and high heels.Furious campesinos stormed one of the country's most renowned art museums on Thursday to demand the removal of the painting, part of a new exhibition titled Zapata after Zapata that seeks to present alternative views of the Mexican revolution. "This isn't freedom of expression, it is debauchery! It's degrading. They can't exhibit our history that way," fumed Antonio Medrano, a spokesman for the protesters. "They can't permit this kind of mockery."The small painting by Fabián Cháirez depicts a naked Zapata, astride a white horse. His willowy frame is bound by a ribbon striped with the Mexican tricolor of red, white and green, while his lips pout under his distinctive curved moustache.Press pictures of the painting provoked strong reactions in Mexico, where Zapata has maintained an unambiguously heroic reputation since the revolution of 1910 – when he called for "reform, freedom, justice and law".Some of Zapata's heirs – with matching droopy moustaches – vowed to take legal action against the exhibition."We are not going to allow this," said Jorge Zapata Gonzalez. "For us as relatives, this denigrates the figure of our general – depicting him as gay."Apocryphal tales of a gay romances involving Zapata have been published in recent decades, but historians say there is little evidence to support the stories.Mexican politicians of all stripes have long tried to claim Zapata as their own – including the some of his supposed revolutionary allies, who later betrayed and killed him.President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared 2019 – the centennial of his death – as the "year of Zapata", emblazoning the revolutionary leader's familiar image of a bushy mustache, sombrero and bandolier on government letterhead and promotional materials."He's the least controversial revolutionary strongman and the most 'leftwing' in the modern sense,'" said Harim B Gutiérrez, history professor at the Autonomous Metropolitan University.But Zapata's image is also the most malleable, and it has been appropriated by a host of social causes which may not have much to do with his original struggle to secure a better deal for landless peasants."Every 20 years or so something pops up" involving Zapata's image, said Luis Vargas Santiago, the curator of the current exhibition at the Palacio de Bellas Artes.Most recently, that "something" has been gender and sexuality. The current exhibition comes at time when Mexico's LBGTQ communities have become more prominent and women have been more outspoken against the country's endemic machismo, sexual harassment, and femicides.In recent weeks, women protesting in Mexico City against sexual violence have been criticised for spraying graffiti on monuments and centuries-old buildings.Vargas Santiago said the use of Zapata to advance social agendas followed a similar logic."It's not like Zapata's image is a fixed symbol which cannot be challenged," he said. "Just like monuments are questioned, Zapata is also an image that can be subverted."Vargas Santiago said some of Zapata's descendants had expressed support for the exhibition.The family itself has also split over the use of Zapata's image – with some descendants applying for a trademark to sell Zapata-branded merchandise such as T-shirts and tequila.The core question, according to Vargas-Santiago, is: "Who does Zapata belong to? Does he belong to his family members? Does he belong to the government? Or does he belong to everyone? Our response is: he belongs to everyone who identifies with his legacy."López Obrador said on Wednesday that the painting didn't bother him, "but I'm not a member of the Zapata family." He asked the culture ministry to find a solution to family's concerns.Government spokesman Jesús Ramírez Cuevas later tweeted that the government was "committed to artistic freedom and respect for diversity." "Yes to freedom, no to censorship. Yes to respect, no to violence," he wrote.
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| Buttigieg Says McKinsey Clients Included Blue Cross, Best Buy Posted: 10 Dec 2019 04:49 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Pete Buttigieg on Tuesday released the names of clients that he worked for as a consultant at McKinsey & Co., a list that includes Blue Cross Blue Shield Michigan, the U.S. Postal Service and the Department of Defense.Buttigieg, who has risen to the top tier of candidates in the Democratic primary, had come under fire from Democratic rivals, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, for not giving voters a full picture of his private sector experience. He made public the names one day after the firm released him from a nondisclosure agreement.In his three years at the firm from 2007 to 2010, Buttigieg also worked for Loblaw Cos., the Canadian grocer, as well as Best Buy Co., the National Resources Defense Council, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy and the Energy Foundation."Now, voters can see for themselves that my work amounted to mostly research and analysis," Buttigieg said in a statement. "They can also see that I value both transparency and keeping my word. Neither of these qualities are something we see coming out of Washington, especially from this White House. It's time for that to change."The detailed information about his time at McKinsey also comes as Buttigieg has opened up his private fundraisers to the press, a response to Warren and other Democratic candidates who had criticized his practice of keeping the events closed. Warren doesn't hold fundraisers and relies mostly on grassroots contributions.At Blue Cross Blue Shield in 2007, Buttigieg worked for three months on a team focused on overhead expenditures and the project did not involve policies, premiums or benefits, according to the campaign. His work at Loblaw's in Toronto in 2008 centered on the effects of price cuts. At Best Buy in Chicago in 2008, he focused on opportunities to sell more energy-efficient home products in stores.In 2008-2009, he worked for the Natural Resources Defense Council and energy-related government departments and nonprofits to research ways to combat climate change through energy efficiency. The work culminated in a published report, titled, "Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the U.S. Economy."In 2009, he worked at the Energy Foundation in California and researched renewable energy. He then worked at the Department of Defense, focusing on increasing employment and entrepreneurship in Iraq and Afghanistan. As part of that work, he was based in Washington but traveled to both of those countries. His last project was for the Postal Service, based in Washington, where he worked on finding new sources of revenue.In his statement, Buttigieg also took aim at critics of his private-sector work, saying the attacks on him have pulled away focus on issues such as gun violence and health care."At the same time, I am also concerned about efforts to demonize and disqualify people who have worked in the private sector for the sake of political purity," he said. "The majority of Americans have worked in the private sector at some point in their life. Good public servants - including recent Democratic presidents - have worked in the private sector at some point in their lives."Warren demanded that he release his McKinsey client list as the consulting firm was criticized, including by Buttigieg himself, for its work on opioids and migrant detention."As somebody who left the firm a decade ago, seeing what certain people in that firm have decided to do is extremely frustrating and extremely disappointing," Buttigieg told reporters last week.Buttigieg has criticized Warren for failing to release her tax returns covering the years she did work as a bankruptcy lawyer.On Sunday, Warren disclosed that she had made $1.9 million as a bankruptcy lawyer. She had previously released the names of the clients and cases she took on during her tenure as a professor at Harvard and other law schools, as well as 11 years of tax returns, back to 2008. The documents released Sunday cover her compensation between 1985 and 2009, but don't include tax returns.(Michael Bloomberg is also seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.)(Adds Buttigieg comments on Warren in 13th paragraph, Warren response in 14th.)To contact the reporter on this story: Tyler Pager in Washington at tpager1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, John Harney, Max BerleyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Bill Cosby loses appeal of sexual assault conviction Posted: 10 Dec 2019 07:05 AM PST  Bill Cosby lost his bid to overturn his sexual assault conviction Tuesday, as an appeals court upheld the verdict in the first celebrity trial of the #MeToo era. In its ruling, the Superior Court upheld the right of prosecutors to call other accusers to bolster their case — the same issue that was fought over in pretrial hearings before movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's sexual assault trial. "This decision is a reminder that no one is above the law," Andrea Constand, the victim in Cosby's case, told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
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| Why Can't Russia Replace Its Old Submarines Fast Enough? Posted: 10 Dec 2019 05:00 PM PST  The Yasen class is in trouble.
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| Biden Suggests He Would Only Serve One Term: Report Posted: 11 Dec 2019 06:26 AM PST  Former vice president Joe Biden has reportedly suggested that he would only serve one term if elected president but has stopped short of publicly pledging not to run again."If Biden is elected, he's going to be 82 years old in four years and he won't be running for reelection." a Biden campaign adviser told Politico, arguing that the former vice president could serve as a "good transition figure" to defeat Trump and usher in the "next generation of leaders.""He's going into this thinking, 'I want to find a running mate I can turn things over to after four years but if that's not possible or doesn't happen then I'll run for re-election.' But he's not going to publicly make a one term pledge," another senior Biden adviser said.Democrats have raised concerns about Biden's advancing age, noting that he will be 82 in four years. The more progressive wing of the party has also been cool towards Biden, saying he does not represent the new leftward direction of the party. However, critics of the notion of making a one-term pledge have said Biden would do himself a disservice and damage his presidential power by doing so.Biden responded "no" in April when asked whether he would serve only one term, but in recent months has hedged more on the issue."I feel good and all I can say is, watch me, you'll see," Biden told the Associated Press in October. "It doesn't mean I would run a second term. I'm not going to make that judgment at this moment."The former vice president continues to outpace his Democratic primary rivals, polling at 28 percent, more than 10 points ahead of Senator Bernie Sanders's 17 percent, according to the Real Clear Politics average of polls on Wednesday.
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| Ukrainians: Trump Just Sent Us ‘a Terrible Signal’ Posted: 11 Dec 2019 01:04 PM PST  Ukrainian officials spent last weekend glued to Trump's Twitter feed. People working closely with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have been in contact with Trump administration officials over the past several weeks discussing the relationship between the two presidents, according to four people with knowledge of the talks. Based on those conversations, Ukrainian officials came to expect that President Donald Trump would make a statement of support before Zelensky met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in France for peace talks. A statement might even come via Twitter, they said they were told. "Through all the signals we got, we firmly believed there would be a statement," a senior Zelensky administration official told The Daily Beast. But as Saturday and Sunday ticked by, there was only silence from the White House. Even as Ukrainian officials have publicly been loath to criticize Trump's pressure campaign on their country, frustrations with Washington have quietly percolated. And last weekend, they were especially acute. On Monday, Zelensky and Putin met in Normandy, France for face-to-face negotiations on the war in eastern Ukraine. Russia had seized Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in 2014, and has ever since backed separatists in the eastern part of the country. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were on hand for the talks. Putin and Zelensky agreed to exchange "all known prisoners," according to The Washington Post. Another round of talks is expected in several months. Words of support from the United States in the lead-up to the Normandy talks could have given the Ukrainian president more leverage with Putin, according to the Zelensky administration official and two additional people close to his administration. Instead, Trump spent the weekend on Twitter tweeting about Fox News pundits, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and CNN. It was a particularly busy weekend of social media for him, with more than 100 tweets and retweets by Politico's count. But no word on Normandy.And the next week put salt in the wound. On Tuesday, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and made an appearance at the White House. Russia's Top Diplomat: We're Ready to Publish Our Correspondence With U.S. on Election Meddling AllegationsOne of the people close to the Zelensky administration said the silence from White House—combined with Lavrov's photo-friendly visit to Washington—sent "a terrible signal" and was "most unfortunate." According to a read-out of Trump's meeting with Lavrov, the president "urged Russia to resolve the conflict with Ukraine." The Ukrainian official called the episode "frustrating." Ukrainians say they view the coupling of Trump's pre-Normandy silence and the administration's decision to welcome Lavrov as a signal in an of itself—and not a good one. Zelensky administration officials are now reconsidering their strategy on communication with and about the Trump administration, the official said. Thus far, Zelensky administration officials have stayed in line with the Trump administration's narrative on the president's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani's Ukraine activity and the focuses of the impeachment inquiry. But they say they have little to show for it, and may take a different public relations strategy in the future. A Time interview published earlier this week captured Kyiv's willingness to publicly bolster Trump's version of events. Andriy Yermak, a top aide to Zelensky, contradicted a key assertion that European Union Ambassador Gordon Sondland made in congressional testimony last month. Sondland had said he pulled Yermak aside during an event in Warsaw and urged him to have Kyiv announce Trump-friendly investigations. Yermak, meanwhile, told Time that no such conversation happened. The statement was a body blow to a key impeachment witness's testimony, though Sondland's lawyer said he stood by his description of events. In a separate interview, Zelensky said he did not speak to Trump in terms of "you give me this, I give you that." Trump tweeted out a link to the interview and thanked Zelensky for the comment. Trump's relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was a key focus of Democrats' impeachment inquiry. The inquiry began after an anonymous Intelligence Committee official filed a whistleblower complaint in August alleging that Trump pressured Zelensky to announce investigations of a company linked to the Bidens and of alleged Ukrainian meddling in the 2016 election. The complaint said that Trump was withholding military aid from Ukraine until those investigations were announced. Trump has vehemently denied allegations that withholding the military aid—which happened for a short time at his orders—was part of a pressure campaign. Sondland, meanwhile, told Congress that the administration was explicit that it refused to arrange a White House meeting between Trump and Zelensky until Kyiv announced the two investigations. After weeks of closed-door depositions and hearings, Pelosi announced the introduction of two articles of impeachment based on Trump's pressure on Ukraine. House Democrats are expected to vote on those articles as soon as next week. If they pass—which is extremely likely—then they will be referred to the Senate for a trial. —with additional reporting by Erin BancoRead more at The Daily Beast.Get 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. 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| 'Whose side are you on?': Houston police chief tears into GOP senators over gun laws after officer killed Posted: 10 Dec 2019 11:42 AM PST  "You're either here for women and children and our daughters and our sisters and our aunts, or you're here for the NRA," Acevedo said.
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| Outrage after Colombia riot police force young woman into unmarked car Posted: 11 Dec 2019 12:33 PM PST  * Protester freed after members of public give chase * Video of incident adds to criticism of police tacticsOutrage has erupted in Colombia after a young woman participating in anti-government protests was grabbed by riot police in body armour, forced into an unmarked vehicle and driven away.Video of the incident showed the woman sobbing and screaming "Help! The police have kidnapped me!" through the window of the black Chevrolet sedan as it drove away from the demonstration near the National University in Bogotá on Wednesday night.> Video de cómo policias del Esmad suben a la fuerza a una mujer a un carro particular Chevrolet HCI 264 > ¿Intento de secuestro? > Compartir al máximo pic.twitter.com/6vYOBlIAQE> > — ���������� ������������ (@maikybayona) December 11, 2019Two members of the public gave chase in another vehicle, and the driver can be heard in the video shouting reassurance to the detainee as they drive alongside. The pursuers eventually stopped their car in front of the officers, who then released the woman in the middle of heavy traffic.The video – and a second clip showing a young man apparently being forced into an unmarked car on Tuesday night – prompted fresh accusations of excessive force against the Mobile Anti-Disturbances Squadron – known by its Spanish initials, Esmad.Bogotá's chief of police said at a press conference on Wednesday that while it was not usual for police to use unmarked vehicles when detaining people, it was legal.But Gen Hoover Penilla did not specify why the two protesters were seized – nor why the woman was released if she had been suspected of wrongdoing. The whereabouts of the young man remained unclear late on Wednesday.Penilla admitted that the woman should not have been left on the road, but adopted a defiant tone, telling reporters: "We will continue to do our duty but I ask you not to question everything our police officers do."For the past three weeks, Colombia has been racked by demonstrations triggered by widespread discontent with the proposed economic reforms of the rightwing president, Iván Duque, whose approval rating has dropped to just 26% since he took office in August last year.Protesters are also angry at the lack of support for the historic 2016 peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), which formally ended five decades of civil war that killed 260,000 and forced more than 7 million to flee their homes.In a country which not long ago suffered the highest kidnapping rate in the world – and whose security forces have themselves been implicated in forced disappearances – the videos of police snatching protesters evoked disturbing memories.According to the national victims' agency more than 150,000 people were forcibly disappeared between 1986 and 2017, with up to 80,000 still missing. Combatants on all sides of the conflict engaged in the practice.While most of the demonstrations have been peaceful, some vandalism occurred when protests first broke out on 21 November.The hardline response by Esmad – who have fired teargas, flash bangs, and "less lethal" bean bag rounds at peaceful protesters – has only fanned the discontent.One 18-year-old protester, Dilan Cruz, died after he was shot in the head with a bean bag round on 23 November.Opposition politicians called a debate on Esmad on Wednesday morning, while protest organizers have called for the unit to be dismantled altogether."Esmad has been acting violently and leaving victims in their wake for years," said Mafe Carrascal, a prominent activist. "Rather than containing disturbances, they are generating them by provoking showdowns and killing people."
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| U.S. Backs Leniency for Gates, Citing ‘Extraordinary’ Help Posted: 10 Dec 2019 01:21 PM PST ![U.S. Backs Leniency for Gates, Citing 'Extraordinary' Help]( "U.S. Backs Leniency for Gates, Citing 'Extraordinary' Help") (Bloomberg) -- Former Trump campaign aide Rick Gates deserves leniency for his "extraordinary assistance" with offshoots of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, the government told a judge just days before his sentencing.Prosecutors said in a court filing Tuesday that they don't oppose Gates's request for probation. They also said that Gates deserved praise for standing up to powerful people and weathering "intense media scrutiny." They wrote, without providing specifics, that "Gates received pressure not to cooperate with the U.S. government, including assurances of monetary assistance."Gates was a critical witness in Mueller's investigation of Russian election interference. He was the star prosecution witness in the trial of his former boss Paul Manafort, who was convicted of bank and tax fraud, and he testified against Trump ally Roger Stone and former Obama White House counsel Greg Craig. Gates met with investigators more than 50 times, prosecutors said.But prosecutors also noted Gates's many crimes."Gates did not commit crimes only with Manafort," they wrote. "On a far smaller scale, he also committed crimes on his own and for his own benefit. He failed to report more than $3 million in income on his tax returns over several years, failed to disclose his own foreign bank accounts, and stole approximately several hundred thousand dollars from Manafort's overseas accounts."Gates also engaged in mortgage fraud by overstating his income, submitted false reimbursement vouchers to employers, and participated in an investment-fraud scheme with a man charged in Manhattan, they said.Gates was Manafort's right-hand man in his political consulting firm and worked with him for a decade before joining him on President Donald Trump's campaign. Manafort is serving a 7 1/2-year prison sentence for financial fraud.Indicted in 2017 with Manafort, who was Trump's 2016 campaign chairman, Gates later pleaded guilty to conspiring with Manafort to hide their work as unregistered foreign agents and to conceal his former boss's offshore bank accounts.Gates's lawyers asked U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson to sentence him to probation in a late Monday court filing. He said he accepted responsibility "in every way possible." He will be sentenced on Dec. 17.Read MoreGates Says He Stole, Lied and Cheated But Trust Him AnywayTrump Hovers Over Stone Trial in Testimony on Clinton LeaksEx-Trump Campaign Aide Gates Testifies in Trial of Gregory Craig(Updates with prosecutors' praise of Gates in second paragraph)To contact the reporter on this story: Andrew Harris in federal court in Washington at aharris16@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net, David S. JoachimFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Oink oink, cha-ching: $3 million found in barrels of pork Posted: 11 Dec 2019 05:28 AM PST  Barrels of raw pork shoulder were riding fat in a tractor trailer pulled over by North Carolina deputies. Approximately $3 million in cash was recovered from the barrels Saturday, the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post Tuesday. The driver of the tractor trailer was accused of failing to maintain his lane and impeding the flow of traffic on Interstate 85.
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| Deadliest Weapon After a Nuclear Bomb: Meet Russia's TOS-1 MLRS 'Buratino' Posted: 10 Dec 2019 04:56 AM PST  This thing does some real damage.
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| The Real Locations That Inspired 13 Famous Paintings Posted: 11 Dec 2019 02:31 PM PST |
| How did South Bend actually do under Mayor Pete Buttigieg? We pulled the numbers to find out. Posted: 10 Dec 2019 07:38 AM PST  Buttigieg was a two-term mayor of a small city. It rebounded from a severely high unemployment rate but vacant houses are a problem.
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| Donald Trump Jr. killed endangered sheep in Mongolia with special permit Posted: 11 Dec 2019 12:39 PM PST  On a hunting trip to Mongolia earlier this summer, the president's son Donald Trump Jr. killed a rare species of the endangered argali sheep.
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| Hawley: FBI ‘Effectively Meddled’ in 2016 Election Posted: 11 Dec 2019 01:01 PM PST  Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) said Wednesday that the FBI "effectively meddled" in the 2016 presidential election and did so with the backing of the Democratic National Committee."Which is worse? Is it worse to have a foreign government trying to meddle in our elections, or is it worse to have our own government meddling in the election?" the Missouri Republican asked Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz during the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on the inspector general's report examining the origins of the FBI's Russia investigation.Horowitz's report shows that "the FBI effectively meddled in an ongoing presidential campaign," Hawley charged."You expect it from foreign governments," Hawley said. "But when our own government does it, how can the American have confidence, and what do we do?"The inspector general's report, released on Monday, found no evidence of political bias in the FBI's decision to launch the Russia probe but cited "basic and fundamental errors" and a "failure" by the whole FBI "chain of command" involved in the investigation. The report also found that the FBI omitted crucial details in its requests for warrants to surveil Trump-campaign adviser Carter Page.Hawley expressed incredulity that the Democratic National Committee solicited and paid for the Steele dossier and that afterwards the FBI cited the questionable information in the dossier to obtain Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants to surveil Page."This is the untold story of the 2016 campaign," Hawley said. "I don't know who at the DNC hatched this, but I suppose they ought to maybe take a victory lap, but certainly they should be remembered for it. To get the FBI to launch, pursue surveillance of a rival presidential campaign and then into the newly elected president's term I think is just extraordinary.""I think it is an extraordinary thing when the most powerful law enforcement agency, maybe the world, is able to effectively intervene and influence a presidential election at the behest and with the cooperation of another political party," Hawley concluded.Horowitz told Hawley he is not aware of any previous instance of the FBI targeting a presidential campaign during the election cycle.
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| What’s Worse Than World Leaders Laughing at the U.S.? Posted: 10 Dec 2019 10:00 PM PST ![What's Worse Than World Leaders Laughing at the U.S.?]( "What's Worse Than World Leaders Laughing at the U.S.?") (Bloomberg Opinion) -- That viral video of the leaders of Canada, France and the U.K. laughing about their U.S. counterpart at last week's NATO summit was vivid yet anecdotal evidence of what the rest of the world thinks of President Donald Trump. Now comes some hard data showing America's declining global reputation.Not only is the perception of the U.S. as a top ally fading, according to a new survey of 18 countries from the Pew Research Center, but more people see the U.S. as "posing the greatest threat" to them in the future. Even America's closest neighbors are losing faith in their U.S. alliance.In Canada, the percentage of those who see the U.S. as its top ally has fallen from 54% in 2007 to 46% in 2019; over the same period, the percentage of those who see the U.S. as the top threat has risen from 16% to 20%. (Keep in mind that the 2007 reading, near the end of George W. Bush's calamitous presidency, already represented one of the lowest rates of global confidence and approval.) In Mexico, the percentage of those who see the U.S. as Mexico's top ally fell from 35% to 27%; the percentage who see the U.S. as the top threat has risen from 35% to a poll-topping 56%.The results also suggest that the U.S. is losing ground in perhaps its most important diplomatic challenge: the contest for influence and power with a rising China.The Trump administration has paid lip service to the idea of growing great power competition, and to the need to offer an alternative to China in Africa and Latin America. Yet as the survey notes, "Across many of the Latin American as well as Middle East and North African countries surveyed, more name the U.S. as a top threat than say the same of China." Equally disturbing is that in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa — democracies that are also sub-Saharan Africa's three biggest economies — the share of respondents who regard China as their country's most reliable ally is about as high as those who choose the U.S. In emerging markets more broadly, "China's economic influence is seen in similar or even slightly more positive terms" than that of the U.S.It's possible, of course, to justify these findings by saying it's better to be feared than loved. You might even argue that the growing U.S. isolation in the United Nations is a sign of America's commitment to its principles. (In 2018, the U.S. voted against a higher proportion of General Assembly resolutions than any other nation; its global average voting coincidence was 31%, below the 10-year average of 36%.)That's certainly how Trump sees it. As he has repeatedly said, "We're respected like we haven't been respected in a long time." Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has doggedly defended his boss's in-your-face approach to foreign policy, declaring that "putting America First means proudly associating with nations that share our principles and are willing to defend them."That raises at least two questions: Who are these nations, and what are these principles?In a speech titled, "Trump Administration Diplomacy: The Untold Story," one example Pompeo offered was getting other nations to join the U.S. in a statement rejecting a right to abortion. Consider the other signatories: Bahrain, Belarus, Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Guatemala, Haiti, Hungary, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.Of these countries, Freedom House ranks only three as "free," while four are "partly free." The other 11 are "not free," including three (Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Libya) that have the worst aggregate scores for political rights and civil liberties. If this is what the U.S. sees as "the trajectory for nations all across the world," as Pompeo put it, then maybe those world leaders were laughing last week because the end state Trump has in mind is too horrible to contemplate.To contact the author of this story: James Gibney at jgibney5@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Newman at mnewman43@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.James Gibney writes editorials on international affairs for Bloomberg Opinion. Previously an editor at the Atlantic, the New York Times, Smithsonian, Foreign Policy and the New Republic, he was also in the U.S. Foreign Service from 1989 to 1997 in India, Japan and Washington.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Beshear becomes target of lawsuit claiming abuse of power Posted: 11 Dec 2019 05:29 AM PST  For nearly four years as Kentucky attorney general, Andy Beshear filed a series of lawsuits accusing then-Gov. Matt Bevin of abusing his executive powers. Now Beshear is being sued by the people he ousted from the state school board on his first day as governor. The new Democratic governor wielded his executive authority Tuesday to reorganize the Kentucky Board of Education with 11 new members, fulfilling a campaign promise he made to teachers.
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| Elizabeth Smart's dad describes kids' reaction to him coming out as gay Posted: 10 Dec 2019 11:01 PM PST  In our exclusive interview, Ed Smart reveals how difficult it was to come out as gay to his family and friends
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| Taliban attack on U.S. military base kills two, injures dozens Posted: 10 Dec 2019 08:18 PM PST  Suicide bombers struck the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing two people and injuring scores in a major attack that could scupper plans to revive peace talks between the United States and the Taliban. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which struck the Bagram air base north of Kabul. "First, a heavy-duty Mazda vehicle struck the wall of the American base," said Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman.
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| Republicans blamed Democrats for USMCA delays. Mitch McConnell promptly delayed it further. Posted: 10 Dec 2019 01:46 PM PST ![Republicans blamed Democrats for USMCA delays. Mitch McConnell promptly delayed it further.]( "Republicans blamed Democrats for USMCA delays. Mitch McConnell promptly delayed it further.") Yes, the USMCA is facing further delays. No, Democrats aren't the chief cause.After House Democrats announced Tuesday they'd crafted a deal on a U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement they and the White House could both agree on, House Republicans started pushing for an immediate vote on the trade deal. But it was Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) who's stopping their wishes, saying Tuesday the Senate wouldn't see the trade deal until at least next year.Republicans followed Democrats' Tuesday USMCA press conference with one of their own, with the top Republican on the Ways and Means committee Rep. Kevin Brady (Texas) calling out "much delay by Democrats" before the trade deal got here. Then the calls for scratching out further stalling began pouring in. Brady tweeted that Congress "must pass USMCA without delay," as did Rep. George Holding (R-N.C.) and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.).But it seems McConnell wasn't listening. Even though Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) said the Senate will only have 30 days to vote on the USMCA once the House passes it, McConnell said the body wouldn't consider the USMCA before its holiday recess. That leaves it for next year and, considering the Senate has already wiped out its January calendar as it buckles down for an impeachment trial, pushes the USMCA to a rule-breaking February arrival date.More stories from theweek.com Trump's pathological obsession with being laughed at The most important day of the impeachment inquiry Jerry Falwell Jr.'s false gospel of memes
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| Boeing removed a feature that protects its 787 planes during lightning strikes as a cost-cutting measure, even after FAA experts objected Posted: 11 Dec 2019 04:13 AM PST  The FAA administrator will be questioned by Congress today over its certification of the change to the 787 Dreamliner as well as the 737 Max.
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| The Best Trimmers for Keeping Your Facial Hair Under Control Posted: 11 Dec 2019 02:47 PM PST |
| Representative Ted Yoho Becomes the 23rd House Republican to Announce Retirement Posted: 10 Dec 2019 10:04 AM PST  Representative Ted Yoho of Florida announced Tuesday that he will step down after completing his fourth term, joining the wave of House Republicans who have opted against running for reelection in 2020.Yoho had promised to serve no more than four terms in Congress."I ran on a pledge to serve four terms — eight years and come home," Yoho said in his announcement. "Many told me I was naive and they're probably right. I was told the district has changed three times and so the pledge isn't binding and I could rationalize that. However, I truly believe a person's word is their bond and should live up to their word."Yoho is the twenty-third House Republican to announce retirement in 2020. 26 Republicans retired in 2018, the year Democrats took back control of the House."Carolyn and I want to thank all of our awesome and loyal supporters who believed in us enough to give us the incredible honor to serve as a Member of the United States Congress, a government that represents the greatest country on earth," Yoho wrote in a letter to supporters.Yoho sits on the House Foreign Affairs and Agriculture Committees. Before running for Congress he worked as a large animal veterinarian.In November Yoho was thought to be considering retirement, but the congressman initially denied reports that he would be stepping down.The retirement wave is fueling concerns for GOP prospects in the 2020 congressional elections, although some of the affected districts are expected to remain in Republican control. Yoho's district is widely considered safe for Republicans, and the congressman is himself a staunch supporter of President Trump.
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| Man Found Guilty of Murdering Two Boston Doctors Inside Their Penthouse Condo Posted: 10 Dec 2019 10:55 AM PST  A Boston man accused of killing two doctors in their penthouse condo—and leaving behind haunting messages on their walls—was found guilty of murder on Tuesday afternoon. Bampumim Teixeira, 32, was convicted of first-degree murder, armed robbery, and kidnapping for the May 2017 slayings of Dr. Lina Bolanos, 38, and her fiancé, 49-year-old Dr. Richard Field. Authorities say Teixeira fatally stabbed the couple, then scribbled "he killed my wife" and "payback" on the walls of their 11th floor condo. He was shot by authorities and apprehended in the hallway of the couple's building.As jurors began their second day of deliberations on Tuesday, Teixeira entered the packed Suffolk Superior courtroom and began threatening Suffolk County District Attorney John Pappas, making derogatory remarks about his wife."Yo Pappas, you better hope I never get out of jail," Teixeira said to the main prosecutor in his double-murder case, before he was dragged out by a court officer. Boston Man Accused of Murdering Two Doctors Was 'Lurking' Near Their Penthouse Condo: ProsecutorsJust before the jurors delivered the verdict, Teixeira had a second outburst inside the courtroom—showing his handcuffed hands to reporters before yelling at the victims' families in the front row. "Do you want to know his last words? He said no," Teixeira told the sobbing Bolanos and Field families, before he was escorted out of the courtroom once again.The outburst came at the end of the two-week trial, during which prosecutors argued the murders were part of a robbery gone wrong since Teixeira was seen "lurking" outside the building."He is a person literally caught in the act," Suffolk County District Attorney John Pappas said on Monday.Prosecutors noted Teixeira did not know the couple personally, but was a former concierge in their South Boston building and was familiar with its layout. In an interview with Boston police revealed in court, the 32-year-old alleged he had a two-month affair with Bolanos when he worked in the building in 2016 and claimed he murdered Field in self-defense after the doctor killed his own fiancée in a jealous rage."I'm not sorry," Teixeira said in the recording played in court. "A jealous man is the worst thing ever... What I saw with my eyes was crazy."Teixeira's defense attorney, Steven Sack, argued on Monday that while his client did sneak into the 11th floor condo, there is no "credible evidence" that indicates he maliciously murdered the doctors."Sometimes the hardest thing to believe is the truth," Sacks said in his closing arguments.Prosecutors argued that on May 5, 2017, Teixeira entered the building's garage at around 4 p.m. to wait for the couple to come home. Armed with a backpack filled with a combat-style knife, several fake guns, duct tape, and pliers, he was allegedly waiting inside the condo when Bolanos, a pediatric anesthesiologist, first arrived home.Dating App Murder Suspect Cuts Own Throat in Crazy Courtroom OutburstField, a pain clinic doctor, arrived home about an hour later, at which point the couple made multiple inaudible 911 calls. In one desperate attempt to get help, Field texted a friend, Matthias Heidenreich, eight times, writing "Call 111," "Gunman," and "Serious." "I was confused for the first minutes," Heidenreich, a scientist for Vertex Pharmaceuticals, told jurors. "At some point, I realized what it could mean."Heidenreich said he immediately called the building's front desk, telling them a gunman was inside the condo and to contact authorities. When officers arrived at about 8:38 p.m., Teixeira approached them in the hallway outside the apartment with what they thought was a gun—prompting them to shoot and injure him, prosecutors said."Then he said, 'You guys are going to die.' Then he said, 'They killed my wife.' Then he mentioned something, and I heard the word 'sniper,'" Boston Police Department Sgt. Edward Meade testified, adding that investigators also found a bag of Bolanos' jewelry and another with two fake guns, a knife, and duct tape in the hallway outside the apartment.After police apprehended Teixeira, he admitted there were two dead bodies inside the penthouse, prosecutors said. When investigators went inside the dark apartment, they found the couple's bodies in a pool of blood with their hands bound with duct tape. They also discovered cut-up photos of the couple and the words "payback" and "he killed my wife" written on the walls, authorities said. Dr. Richard Atkinson, the medical examiner, testified that Field's cause of death was a "stab wound to the neck" and that Bolanos suffered from 24 "sharp-force injuries" around her neck."Her cause of death was multiple sharp force injuries," he said, adding that her underwear had also been "cut in two locations."New Zealand Mosque Shooting Suspect Brenton Tarrant Flashes White Power Sign in CourtDuring an interview with Boston police while in the ICU unit at Tufts Medical Center—where he was being treated for gunshot wounds he sustained outside the penthouse—Teixeira said Bolanos "brought" him into the apartment on the day of the incident. Teixeira claimed he would "make out" with Bolanos when he worked in the building, and that the two were inside her apartment for several hours while the doctor complained that Fields physically abused her. When Field came home, Teixeira claimed the doctor became "enraged" and accused his fiancée of being unfaithful. He said in the interview recording that Field threatened "he was going to kill us both," before beating, handcuffing, and ultimately fatally stabbing Bolanos. Out of self-defense, Teixeira said, he handcuffed and bashed Field's hand against the wall during a struggle before stabbing him in the neck."I wanted to do to him what he did to her," Teixeira told Boston Police Sgt. Det. Michael Devane in the interview, stating he was innocent and only took Bolanos' jewelry so he could hide it.R. Kelly Ordered to Stay in Brooklyn Jail on New Sex-Trafficking ChargesPappas argued on Monday there had been no evidence presented in court to support Teixeira's "preposterous" and "imagined story" that was created to "ruin" the couple's reputation. The prosecutor also denied Bolanos and Teixeira were ever in a relationship and planned to meet up that day—showing jurors surveillance video that showed he was waiting inside the apartment for an hour before Bolanos came home."This attack on Lina Bolanos happened immediately... and it had nothing to do with Richard Field," Pappas said, insisting the story "doesn't have a ring of truth to it." "We've gone beyond preposterous. We're now existing in the theater of the absurd."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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| John Kerry: World's richest nations are failing to 'behave like adults' Posted: 10 Dec 2019 12:19 PM PST  The world's richest nations are failing to "behave like adults" and act firmly enough to meet global warming targets set in the Paris climate accord, former Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday.
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| Mexico finds small border tunnel in Nogales, next to AZ Posted: 11 Dec 2019 10:40 AM PST ![Mexico finds small border tunnel in Nogales, next to AZ]( "Mexico finds small border tunnel in Nogales, next to AZ") Mexican authorities have located a small, clandestine border tunnel between the northern state of Sonora and the United States, officials announced Wednesday. A Mexican government statement said the discovery in Nogales, which is across from Nogales, Arizona, was the result of a search of storm drains following the recent find of another tunnel in the city.
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| Germany contradicts Russia over Georgian murdered in Berlin Posted: 11 Dec 2019 04:51 AM PST  Germany contradicted Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, saying it was not aware Russia had requested the extradition of a Georgian man who was murdered in Berlin in August. In an escalation in already tense relations, Germany last week expelled two employees at the Russian embassy in Berlin, saying Moscow was not cooperating sufficiently in the investigation into the murder. Putin described the victim on Monday as a "cruel and blood-thirsty person" who had fought on the side of anti-Moscow separatists in Russia's mainly Muslim north Caucasus region, and said Moscow's requests for his extradition had not been heeded.
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| Democratic Senators Running for President Keep Silent on USMCA Posted: 11 Dec 2019 09:37 AM PST ![Democratic Senators Running for President Keep Silent on USMCA]( "Democratic Senators Running for President Keep Silent on USMCA") (Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. For now, the five senators running for president are staying on the sidelines of the push to rewrite the North American Free Trade Agreement, but they'll have to vote on the new treaty by next year.Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have long argued against President Donald Trump's proposed revision of Nafta, known as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, arguing it should have stronger labor and environmental protections.But in the day since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled a bipartisan compromise backed by the AFL-CIO labor federation that includes some of those measures, the presidential candidates have kept quiet.So has former Vice President Joe Biden, who has taken criticism from Sanders for his support of the original free trade deal in the 1990s. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Cory Booker, who both called for changes to the deal earlier this year, also haven't spoken out.Only Senator Michael Bennet responded to a request for comment from Bloomberg News, noting that he has called for a "modernized trade agreement" and an end to Trump's "reckless and unstrategic approach to trade.""I look forward to reviewing the details of yesterday's announced deal," Bennet said. "I'm hopeful that this trade agreement can be a positive step in that direction."Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said the Senate will vote on the trade deal after an impeachment trial is finished, sometime in early 2020.(Michael Bloomberg is also seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.To contact the reporter on this story: Ryan Teague Beckwith in New York at rbeckwith3@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Gregory MottFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Delhi rapist-murderer cites pollution in death row appeal Posted: 10 Dec 2019 07:12 AM PST  Akshay Kumar Singh was one of a group of men who gang-raped a 23-year-old woman on a bus in India's capital late at night in December seven years ago. Filed through his lawyer, the now 31-year-old said in his review petition to the Supreme Court that the air quality in New Delhi was like a "gas chamber" and its water "full of poison".
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| Virginia counties are declaring themselves 'sanctuaries' for Second Amendment. Will it affect gun laws? Posted: 11 Dec 2019 03:00 AM PST  A wave of towns and counties in Virginia have adopted resolutions to become Second Amendment sanctuaries. Will they ignore proposed gun laws?
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| The New Jersey shootout that left 6 people dead was a 'targeted' attack on a Jewish-owned grocery store, officials say Posted: 11 Dec 2019 07:31 AM PST  Six people died Tuesday in a shooting in Jersey City, New Jersey, including the two gunmen, a cop, and three civilians.
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| Chinese ambassador 'threatens to withdraw trade deal with Faroe Islands' in Huawei 5G row Posted: 11 Dec 2019 04:24 AM PST  China's ambassador to Denmark threatened to scupper a trade deal with the Faroe Islands if Huawei was not given a 5G contract in the region, according to Danish newspaper Berlingske. The alleged threat by ambassador Feng Tie, made to Faroe Islands politicians including leader Bárður Nielsen, heightened concerns about the Chinese communications firm's links with the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as it seeks European expansion. The US, having sanctioned Huawei due to concerns about espionage and security, is attempting to convince allies to follow suit. The Faroe Islands, which have a population of around 50,000, is a self-governing autonomous region of Denmark. On 11 November Mr Feng allegedly told Faroe Islands government figures that China would not enter a free trade deal with them unless Huawei was given a 5G contract by Føroya Tele, a Faroe Islands telecoms operator. The threat was reported after Faroe Islands politicians were recorded by the Kringvarp Føroya TV station on 15 November, discussing the ambassador's warning. Mr Nielsen reportedly said that his government would not interfere in the awarding of the contract. A Faroe Islands judge granted an injunction against Kringvarp Føroya reporting the ambassador's alleged threat, saying it could compromise relations between the Danish Commonwealth and Beijing, before Berlingke revealed it. Huawei, which plans to roll out 5G in 2020, said it had no knowledge of the alleged meetings. Faroe Islands government spokespeople did not respond to calls and messages requesting comment. The Chinese communications giant is embroiled in controversy about its alleged closeness to the CCP, treatment of employees, data privacy and alleged sanction breaching. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has suggested that he is likely to ban Huawei from Britain's 5G network. Luke Patey, senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, told The Telegraph: "China is now brandishing economic sticks of its own for when European countries do not take on Huawei for 5G networks. This was a peek into what is likely a broad effort on China's part to pressure and persuade European officials to its side. It's time for European leaders to call Beijing out on its interference." On Wednesday China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying called Berlingke's report "false and ill-intentioned". She said of the alleged meeting: "Is there any difference and meaning on whether they mentioned Huawei or not? If US officials can slander China's Huawei all over the world, can't a Chinese ambassador mention the name of a Chinese company when talking about cooperation with local officials?" Tom Jensen, Berlingske's editor-in-chief, said: "We stand by the story and we have proper documentation for what we write."
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| Attorney General Barr rescheduled his controversial holiday party at Trump's Washington hotel, and now its date is secret Posted: 10 Dec 2019 05:00 AM PST  The Washington Post reported that the party might have been moved to help William Barr and his guests avoid protesters outside the hotel.
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| Turkey says will retaliate against any sanctions ahead of U.S. vote Posted: 10 Dec 2019 11:50 PM PST  Turkey said on Wednesday it would retaliate against any U.S. sanctions over its purchase of Russian defense systems, adding that with Britain it had agreed to speed up a joint fighter jet program to meet Turkish defense needs. U.S. lawmakers will vote - and likely pass - a defense bill later on Wednesday that calls for sanctions against Turkey over Ankara's decision to procure the S-400 defenses. Turkey and the United States, NATO allies, have been at odds over the purchase.
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| Pro-Trump Network OAN Tried to Get This Ukrainian Millionaire a Visa Before His Arrest Posted: 10 Dec 2019 06:30 PM PST  Before catching the eye of German law enforcement, former Ukrainian parliamentarian Oleksandr Onyshchenko drew attention from the conservative TV channel One America News. Last week, German authorities arrested the multi-millionaire because of a warrant from Ukrainian anti-corruption prosecutors. Before his arrest, though, the Trump-friendly media outlet tried to help him get a visa to travel to the U.S. The effort, which has not been previously reported, was part of a push by OAN to unearth information on Burisma Holdings, the energy company that retained Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice President and current Trump rival Joe Biden. Onyshchenko has claimed to have dirt on the firm. Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, meanwhile, has boosted the channel's Burisma work. "I can confirm that One America News Network did attempt to secure a number of visas for former Ukrainian officials to travel to the United States, including Olekesandr Onyshchenko," network president Charles Herring told The Daily Beast in an email. "One America News Network made the request prior to Mr. Onyschchenko being detained. One America News investigative efforts have cost in excess of $100,000 to date."Herring added that the outlet is also "currently seeking visas" for several other former Ukrainian officials, but is no longer doing so for Onyshchenko. Herring declined to say which other ex-officials his outlet is trying to secure visas for. Efforts by media outlets to secure legal travel authorizations for their sources are in an ethical gray area, according to one expert. Especially when the source in question is accused of embezzlement. Onyshchenko's lawyer did not respond to requests for comment.Ukrainian anti-corruption prosecutors allege Onyshchenko ran a scheme to steal millions from Kyiv's state-owned natural gas company. The news of OAN's effort to help him get a visa comes on the heels of Rudy Giuliani's trip to Kyiv, where Trump's personal lawyer worked with a correspondent and crew member of OAN. On the trip, Giuliani and OAN's Chanel Rion met with Viktor Shokin and Yuri Lutsenko, two former Ukrainian prosecutors who have alleged misconduct by the Bidens. Their claims—that Obama administration officials pressured the Ukrainain government to ignore wrongdoing by Burisma in a bid to protect the Bidens—are at the heart of Giuliani's search for dirt. Giuliani has said he is working with OAN on this project, and the network's segments back that up. OAN's coverage of the impeachment scandal has raised eyebrows. The channel sent a camera crew to the apartment building where they believe the whistleblower who kicked off the Ukraine scandal lives, and to the home of the suspected whistleblower's parents. And Rion's documentary series on the Bidens and Burisma has taken an odd tone. In a promotional segment for one program, she said the sources would "testify under oath" for the show. Giuliani figures prominently throughout the programming. And on Tuesday evening, Rion tweeted effusive praise of Giuliani's communications director, Christianné Allen. "An incredibly talented patriot and a breath of fresh air here in the swamp. @Christianne_L_A — here's to the adventures ahead," Rion wrote, along with a picture of herself and Allen.Onyshchenko told conservative media site CD Media that he applied for a U.S. visa earlier this year. It wasn't his first overture to American officials; in 2016, Onyshchenko met with Justice Department officials to discuss corruption in Ukraine. People familiar with the events told The Daily Beast that Onyshchenko's outreach appeared to be part of an effort to secure a U.S. visa. In recent years, OAN has tried to outpace Fox News, Fox Business, and Sinclair as the most committed Trump ally in television. Beyond traveling with Giuliani on his latest European jaunt in hopes of scoring dirt on Trump's political enemies, the network has run countless hours of explicitly pro-MAGA programming and has even taken the step of naming the alleged whistleblower whose complaint triggered the impeachment inquiry—a step that Fox brass have repeatedly instructed their own staff not to take.And Trump has noticed. The president has tweeted praise of OAN's coverage while chastising Fox News for being insufficiently supportive of him. He also privately recommends the network to total strangers at Mar-a-Lago. Rudy Giuliani's Ukraine 'Investigation' Stars Some of Kyiv's Most Dubious CharactersThe network's efforts on Onyshchenko's behalf raise ethical questions, according to journalism professor Dan Kennedy of Northeastern University. "This sounds like it's in kind of a gray area," he told The Daily Beast."If they're just helping them come over to the U.S. for a short period of time to be interviewed and participate in a story, maybe that doesn't bother me that much. But if this is some sort of long-term arrangement where the Ukrainians would be able to stay in the U.S. a long time, this is something they've been wanting to do, and OAN is making it happen for them, that would probably be going too far.""I'm not really comfortable with any of this," he added, "but as long as it's for some short-term purpose—namely, for participating in a story—I'm not going to get all outraged about it, either."Giuliani's Ukraine project is central to Democrats' impeachment inquiry targeting Trump. In a July phone call, Trump pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to help Giuliani with the effort. Meanwhile, the administration held up military aid and refused to schedule a White House visit for Zelensky. Giuliani communicated to Ukrainian officials that Zelensky needed to announce investigations Burisma and of alleged Ukrainian interference in the U.S. 2016 election if he wanted to visit the White House, according to European Union Ambassador Gordon Sondland. Zelensky didn't announce the probes, and the White House has yet to set a date for his visit. 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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| Experts quit police probe in blow to Hong Kong government Posted: 11 Dec 2019 01:33 AM PST  Foreign experts recruited to add legitimacy to Hong Kong's police watchdog quit Wednesday, saying the agency lacks teeth. The expert panel's decision to stand aside is likely to increase pressure on the territory's government for an independent probe of police behavior during six months of pro-democracy protests.
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| Qatar Sends Premier to Riyadh Summit in Sign of Diplomatic Thaw Posted: 10 Dec 2019 12:56 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Qatar sent its prime minister to an annual gathering of Gulf Arab monarchs in the Saudi capital Tuesday, signaling progress in ending the 30-month regional rift though not enough for the country's ruler to attend.Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al Thani will lead Qatar's delegation at the request of the emir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, according to a statement carried by the state-run Qatar News Agency.Speculation that a breakthrough in the unprecedented showdown in the Gulf was imminent swirled after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain agreed to take part in a regional soccer tournament in Doha earlier this month. Qatar's foreign minister also said talks with Saudi Arabia may yield positive results.The three Gulf monarchies and Egypt severed diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar in 2017, accusing Doha of supporting terrorist groups, a charge it has repeatedly denied.While the prime minister attended an emergency Gulf summit in Saudi Arabia this year to discuss attacks on oil targets, the country has mostly sent lower-level representatives to regional meetings since the embargo.Read: Qatar's Emir Said Unlikely to Attend Gulf Summit in Riyadh (1)Prince Turki Al-Faisal, former head of Saudi Arabia's intelligence service, said he's "personally disappointed" that Sheikh Tamim decided to skip the meeting, but said the kingdom was working to engage with Qatar."The initiative to bring the Qatar dispute to an end has been Saudi Arabia's," he told Bloomberg TV's Anna Edwards and Matthew Miller in an interview. "We are the ones who are pushing for Qatar to come back to our fold."The recent participation by Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E. and Bahrain in the Gulf Cup soccer tournament in Doha "was a sign that these three countries are willing to engage with Qatar," Prince Turki said.Still, a series of tit-for-tat Twitter exchanges between officials from Qatar and the U.A.E., which has been a staunch proponent of the embargo, showed that deep differences remained.On Tuesday, in an apparent response to a tweet by the Qatari emir's brother, U.A.E. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash suggested that Qatar would have to "reverse incorrect policies" and "abide by covenants, regain its credibility and stop supporting extremism."(Updates with details throughout)\--With assistance from Alaa Shahine.To contact the reporters on this story: Simone Foxman in Doha at sfoxman4@bloomberg.net;Abbas Al Lawati in Dubai at aallawati6@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Lin Noueihed at lnoueihed@bloomberg.net, Alaa Shahine, Amy TeibelFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Joe Biden leads two national polls, while Michael Bloomberg debuts in top five Posted: 10 Dec 2019 01:28 PM PST  Bloomberg is at 5% with Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters in a poll published Tuesday, still far from the leading three candidates.
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| Jersey City Mayor Says Security Footage Shows Shooters Targeted Jewish Grocery Store Posted: 11 Dec 2019 06:19 AM PST  Jersey City mayor Steven Fulop confirmed on Wednesday after reviewing security footage that gunmen targeted a Jewish grocery store in a deadly shooting, which left six people dead.The New York Times reported Wednesday that one of the suspects had "published anti-Semitic and anti-police posts online and investigators believe the attack was motivated by those sentiments." Investigators also found a manifesto-style note inside the shooters' van, according to officials familiar with the case."Last night after extensive review of our CCTV system it has now become clear from the cameras that these two individuals targeted the Kosher grocery location on MLK Dr," Fulop tweeted. The mayor, who is himself Jewish, praised police for their immediate response, which likely "prevented the perpetrators from leaving that location and harming any further civilians."> and prevented the perpetrators from leaving that location and harming any further civilians. At this time we have no credible further threats from this incident but out of an abundance of caution we will be increasing our police presence in the community.> > -- Steven Fulop (@StevenFulop) December 11, 2019> I'm Jewish and proud to live in a community like JerseyCity that has always welcomed everyone. It is the home of EllisIsland and has always been the golden door to America. Hate and anti-semitism have never had a place here in JC and will never have a place in our city,> > -- Steven Fulop (@StevenFulop) December 11, 2019The shooting began on Tuesday after two suspects — a man and a woman — shot a police officer who approached the couple's U-Haul van, which was linked to the murder of a livery driver over the weekend. Jersey City police chief Michael Kelly said the officer, Detective Joseph Seals, was killed "while trying to interdict the bad guys" and was the department's leading police officer in getting guns off of Jersey City streets.The suspects then drove the van to Jersey City Kosher Supermarket on Martin Luther King Drive, where a standoff started a little after noon.Law-enforcement sources told NBC New York that video footage shows the duo shooting a Hasidic man on the street and then running into the store, where they began firing at the victims inside. The suspects were armed with long guns and plenty of ammo and had bomb-making materials inside the truck, officials said.After the ensuing gun battle with police, five people were found dead inside the store, including the two suspects. Two officers were injured outside the store.Public-safety director James Shea praised the police for its response."The police department was immediately on the scene interjecting," Shea said. "Most active shooters end when the police arrive. In this case, one of our officers gave his life immediately trying to prevent what subsequently occurred. Two more officers were shot trying to prevent it and the Jersey City Police Department continued to respond and engage those people to minimize any possible of damage."President Trump tweeted on the incident, saying, "Our thoughts & prayers are w/ the victims & their families during this very difficult & tragic time."
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| The Aging B-1 Bomber Can No Longer Fly Like It Used To Posted: 11 Dec 2019 08:13 AM PST  The 80s-era bomber may need to cut low-altitude flying due to old age.
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