| US military training for Saudi students could resume soon Posted: 16 Jan 2020 09:30 AM PST  U.S. training for more than 800 Saudi Arabian military students could be restarted "in the coming days," the Pentagon said Thursday, nearly six weeks after a shooting by one Saudi trainee killed three sailors at a Florida base. The Pentagon had stopped all flight and field training for the approximately 850 Saudi students amid fears that others may have known about or been involved in the shooting at the Pensacola Naval Air Station. Jonathan Hoffman, chief spokesman for the Defense Department, said officials probably will have an announcement soon about the training resumption.
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| Aide Accused of Murdering Former Arkansas State Senator Offered ‘Gold’ From Jail for Hit on Ex: Prosecutors Posted: 15 Jan 2020 10:51 AM PST  A woman awaiting trial for allegedly killing a former Arkansas state senator was hit with new charges Tuesday after she promised fellow inmates she would give them "gold and silver" to murder the victim's ex-husband and his new wife, prosecutors said. Rebecca Lynn O'Donnell, who pleaded not guilty to several charges in the June murder of former State Sen. Linda Collins-Smith, was slapped with two counts of soliciting to commit murder and two counts of solicitation to commit tampering with physical evidence in connection with the elaborate plot she allegedly tried to orchestrate from prison.The former campaign staffer for Collins-Smith has been behind bars since June 14—10 days after the 57-year-old Republican was found fatally stabbed and wrapped in a blanket under a tarp at the end of her Pocahontas, Arkansas, driveway. Former Arkansas State Senator's Shooting Death Investigated as 'Homicide'Authorities at the time said O'Donnell was caught on video removing Collins-Smith's home surveillance cameras on May 28, 2019—the last day the politician was seen alive—but have not elaborated on the details of the murder due to a gag order. O'Donnell, 49, faces the death penalty on the original murder charges and is being held without bond in Jackson County. "These newest charges further cement in our minds that the police have arrested the right person. Rebecca O'Donnell's threats are being treated very seriously but have not deterred our faith in what we are committed to: justice for Linda," the family of Collins-Smith said in a Wednesday statement to The Daily Beast. "Thank you all for your continued support, prayers and well wishes."According to several jailhouse informants, O'Donnell allegedly tried to hire two fellow inmates to stage a murder-suicide at the home of the lawmaker's ex, former state Judge Phil Smith, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the Jackson County Circuit Court on Tuesday. During a Nov. 7 interview, one of the inmates told an Arkansas State Police special agent that O'Donnell wanted her to "shoot or hang Mr. Smith" and include a "suicide note" that the 49-year-old had handwritten, the affidavit states. The same inmate was then told to pack a bag to make it seem like his new wife "was in the process of leaving him," the affidavit states.Prosecutors allege O'Donnell told other inmates that "Phil Smith needed to be killed" so that "charges would be dropped off her." In exchange for the hits, the inmates were told they could take a bag of "gold and silver" from Smith's home—which investigators said had been appraised to be worth between $20,000 and $30,000 during his divorce.O'Donnell, in addition to working on Collins-Smith's campaign, had served as a witness in the couple's acrimonious divorce, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.They Were Hired to Murder a Man's Ex-Wife, But Accidentally Killed Her Sister: SheriffThe former campaign staffer also allegedly tried to enlist the inmates to go to Randolph County Jail to blow up her 2005 Honda Civic so she could "destroy any evidence" that could be used in her murder trial because "police had planted stuff in her truck," the affidavit states. On top of that, she allegedly asked two inmates to kill a judge and prosecutor connected to her murder case.The prosecutor, Henry Boyce, was taken off the case in December without citing a reason. "My family's faith in Becky is unwavering. We cannot imagine the evidence will actually substantiate these allegations. The allegations defy believability. I won't even comment on the informant's extensive criminal history but instead will wait to see if the state produces credible evidence at trial," Tim Loggains, O'Donnell's fiancé, said a statement. One inmate told police that while she never considered killing Smith, she was worried "a more gullible" inmate might. The three other inmates who reported O'Donnell also stated they refused the murder requests.Maryland Millionaire Daniel Beckwitt Found Guilty of Murder in 2017 Death of Man Who Helped Dig Bunker TunnelsO'Donnell's defense attorney, Lee Short, denied the allegations in a statement to ABC News, casting doubt on the inmates' credibility, insisting they had an incentive to offer information for a reduced punishment. Short did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast's requests for comment."It's not surprising at all—inmates do it all the time," Short said. "In high-profile cases, especially homicides, people tend to seek opportunities to improve their situations by giving statements against people."Collins-Smith was first elected to the state senate in 2014 but lost her re-election bid in 2018. Prior to her time in the Senate, the lawmaker served in the statehouse of representatives from 2011 to 2013. While she was elected as a Democrat, Collins-Smith switched parties just months after taking office, citing a change in "ideals."Read 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. Learn more.
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| Disease that killed millions of China's pigs poses global threat Posted: 16 Jan 2020 04:05 AM PST  Soon the dog's handler discovered and confiscated a ham sandwich in the purse of a passenger who had flown on a China Eastern Airlines flight from Shanghai. China has lost millions of pigs in outbreaks of the disease, pushing its pork prices to record highs, forcing purchases of costly imports and roiling global meat markets. Bettie is among an expanded team of specially trained beagles at U.S. airports, part of a larger effort to protect the nation's $23 billion pork industry from a disease that has decimated China's hog herd, the world's largest.
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| Princess Cruises responds after 'Marriage Story' actress speaks out, sues alleging bedbugs Posted: 16 Jan 2020 02:24 PM PST ![Princess Cruises responds after 'Marriage Story' actress speaks out, sues alleging bedbugs]( "Princess Cruises responds after 'Marriage Story' actress speaks out, sues alleging bedbugs") A "Marriage Story" actress and her husband are suing Princess Cruises, alleging their room was infested with bedbugs.
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| Supreme Court Not Buying It on Bridgegate Convictions Posted: 15 Jan 2020 11:34 AM PST  It's unclear whether they'll throw the cases out.
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| 'You're a liberal hack': Republican senator snaps at CNN journalist who asked her about impeachment trial Posted: 16 Jan 2020 10:18 AM PST  A Republican senator lashed out at a journalist who asked about Donald Trump's impeachment as she was walking into a hearing room, calling the reporter a "liberal hack" and refusing to answer his questions.Arizona Republican Martha McSally slammed CNN's Manu Raju on Thursday as he asked a seemingly straightforward question about the start of the US Senate's impeachment trial.
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| Australia’s Bushfires Show the Wicked, Self-Destructive Idiocy of Climate Denialism Must Stop Posted: 15 Jan 2020 05:00 PM PST  'We have to urgently stop burning coal,' writes Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull
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| 10 Home Prep Tips Before Going on Vacation Posted: 16 Jan 2020 11:00 AM PST |
| Postpone the Impeachment Trial until the House Finishes Investigating Posted: 15 Jan 2020 02:34 PM PST  Two things happened simultaneously on Wednesday: (a) The House of Representatives transmitted to the Senate two articles of impeachment approved on straight partisan lines a month ago, and (b) the House's impeachment inquiry — yes, it's still very much alive — highlighted new, relevant evidence it has turned up about the activities in Ukraine of President Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and Giuliani's associates.The Democrats' strategy is coming clear.The House provided the Senate with two half-baked impeachment articles. House Democrats rushed through the investigation, forgoing salient witnesses and evidence, because of the political calendar. The charges are weak and the inquiry was needlessly short-circuited, so Democrats have continued investigating the premature allegations. Now they are publicly disclosing newly acquired evidence, with the promise of more to come. Transparently, their goal is to pressure the Senate not merely to conduct a trial but to complete the investigation that the House failed to complete — calling witnesses and gathering evidence, as if a trial were nothing more than an extension of an open-ended grand-jury probe.Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans should not let them get away with it. No trial court would allow itself to be whipsawed this way. A federal judge would tell prosecutors to go back to the grand jury, finish the investigation, and come back to the trial court when they have a case ready to be tried, not investigated.That is not to say new evidence may not be serious. It may be very serious. It could make the case worse for President Trump. But in any event, there should be just one trial, and it should occur when the investigation is complete. This is not supposed to be a non-stop grand jury, with an ever-hovering prospect of new articles of impeachment, in addition to an endless stream of newly emerging materials that the Senate is expected to sort out rather than judge.Leader McConnell and Senate Republicans should hold the two pending articles in abeyance, or vote to dismiss them without prejudice to the House's revoting them when its impeachment inquiry is finally concluded.The new information that has emerged underscores a strategic error by the president and House Republicans, which I have outlined several times since the Ukraine controversy emerged. They have insisted on fighting the Ukraine allegations on the impossible theory that the president's communication with his Ukrainian counterpart, President Volodymyr Zelensky, was "perfect," and that there was no quid pro quo — i.e., no indication that the president was withholding official acts sought by Kyiv ($400 million in defense aid and a White House visit) until its government met his demands (the public announcement that Ukraine would conduct an investigation of the Bidens and into Ukraine's role in the Trump-Russia investigation).I have contended, to the contrary, that the president's best defense is that nothing of consequence happened. I have been prepared to assume that the president pressured Ukraine, as alleged. But it was much ado about nothing: Ukraine got the defense aid (and barely knew it had been briefly delayed); Zelensky did not have to make any commitment about investigations; and he got his high-profile audience with President Trump (albeit at the United Nations in New York City, not at the White House). The president's defense should be that, while there may have been improprieties, nothing here approaches the egregious misconduct required to trigger impeachment.This would be the best strategy in any event. It is an imperative strategy, however, in a situation such as this one, where the investigation is continuing and new information is coming out continuously. Under my approach, if new evidence emerged about the president's knowledge of or complicity in the pressure campaign on Zelensky, it could be dismissed as mere confirmation of what was already obvious. But because the president and Republicans have taken the tack that nothing inappropriate happened and no pressure was asserted, any evidence of impropriety and pressure can be framed as a bombshell — even though it doesn't actually change the bottom line.Giuliani associate Lev Parnas is under indictment in the Southern District of New York (SDNY), in a case that has factual overlap with events that were the focus of the House impeachment inquiry. Parnas wants to use his potential value as a witness in the impeachment inquiry as leverage against his SDNY prosecution. So he has begun sharing information from the SDNY case with House investigators. They, in turn, are releasing the information to the media, which are reporting it as ground-shaking revelations.That information (texts, notes, and the like) indicates that Giuliani, representing that he was acting with the president's knowledge and approval, and in his official capacity as Trump's private lawyer, sought a meeting with Zelensky in mid May 2019. The implication is that this was part of a then-ongoing plan to push Ukraine for an investigation of the Bidens.Moreover, there are communications between Parnas and Yuriy Lutsenko, a Ukrainian prosecutor who was helping Giuliani investigate possible Biden corruption, about their desire for the ouster of Marie Yovanovitch — the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, who was eventually removed by the president at the urging of Giuliani (among others). There is enough detail in Parnas's correspondence about Yovanovitch's activities that it raises the disturbing specter that he was monitoring an American ambassador.The allegedly unjustified removal of Yovanovitch was extensively covered in the House hearings, which included the ambassador's testimony. It was mainly atmospheric, rather than substantive. The president does not need a reason to dismiss an ambassador. And while it was vaguely suggested that Yovanovitch was removed because she was seen as an obstacle to pressuring Ukraine for an investigation of the Bidens, that was not established. There are no impeachment articles tied to her removal.If I am right, and Parnas is trying to use his potential value as an impeachment witness as a chip in plea negotiations with the SDNY, that could take time to work out. (The SDNY, whose job is prosecution, not impeachment, would want a guilty plea and full cooperation; Parnas would want immunity.) Meanwhile, the other major storyline is that John Bolton, formerly the president's national-security adviser, has indicated that he is willing to testify if called. He is patently a relevant witness to the internal administration discussions over delayed defense aid to Ukraine. So is acting chief of staff and budget director Mick Mulvaney. So may be Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, if the House's continuing investigation is focusing on Ambassador Yovanovitch's dismissal.Plainly, there are loose ends here that the House should have tied up and that, importantly, the House is continuing to investigate. Note that Democrats have been caterwauling that the impeachment trial will not be fair because Senate Republicans are too in-the-tank for Trump to do their duty as impartial decision-makers (as if Democrats were not rabid anti-Trump partisans). But what could more undermine the fairness of a trial than a continuing, very public investigation of the same defendant while that trial is proceeding?No trial judge would put up with that. Prosecutors would not be permitted to present the case before a trial jury while, outside the courtroom, they were prejudicing the trial by continuing to investigate and publicize their findings.There is a very simple solution, one that judges in federal court deal with all the time in cases that are still under investigation when an indictment is initially filed: Don't schedule the trial until the prosecutors acknowledge to the court that the investigation is over and no further charges are anticipated.It is worth bearing in mind: Impeachment is not just any trial. It stops the legislative business of the United States cold. There will be no movement of bills, no consideration of appointments, no hearings on vital issues such as Iran and the use of force. The impeachment trial will impede the work of the Supreme Court, since the chief justice must preside. In this instance, the impeachment trial will even wreak havoc on the Democratic nomination campaign, as senators — including top-tier contenders Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders — must sit as jurors for six days a week.These are costs that must be borne. There has been an impeachment, so the Constitution calls on the Senate to act. But for the sake of our governance, that should mean a single trial, and it should represent the Democrats' best, most complete case for the president's removal. That trial should not happen until the investigation is done and the charges are fully ripe. By contrast, if Republicans allow Democrats to engage in the ongoing gamesmanship — in which the Senate trial would open, but House Democrats plan to throw new evidence into the mix every few days or weeks, demanding that the Senate trial be expanded to investigate what it all means — we would be looking at weeks, maybe months, of governmental paralysis. There is, moreover, basic fairness: The accused is supposed to know what the allegations are before the trial starts — the charges are not supposed to evolve as the trial proceeds.The importance of preserving impeachment as a viable constitutional remedy for presidential misconduct transcends the current administration and Congress. If impeachment must be done, it should be done right. It should not be done as a partisan game of investigative ping-pong between congressional chambers.
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| Biden allegedly told Bush in 2002 he'd get the Nobel Peace Prize if he could invade Iraq quickly Posted: 15 Jan 2020 11:23 AM PST  Presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden has been distancing himself from his 2002 vote for the invasion of Iraq as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the time.
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| Peru to deport tourists over Machu Picchu damage Posted: 15 Jan 2020 12:23 PM PST  Five tourists arrested for damaging Peru's iconic Machu Picchu site will be deported to Bolivia later on Wednesday, police said. A sixth was released from custody and ordered to remain in Machu Picchu pending trial after paying bail of $910. The six tourists -- four men and two women -- were arrested for damaging Peru's "cultural heritage" after being found in a restricted area of the Temple of the Sun on Sunday.
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| Bureaucracy to brutality: New evidence reveals IS hierarchy Posted: 16 Jan 2020 11:13 AM PST  Documents compiled by a U.S.-based Syrian rights group reveal how Islamic State militants used one of their most powerful bureaucratic bodies to regulate daily life and impose and execute penalties. The Washington-based Syria Justice and Accountability Center said Thursday that the evidence — documents produced by IS itself — could help identify individuals responsible for atrocities during the militants' four-year reign of terror and lead to criminal prosecutions. The 24-page report, called "Judge, Jury and Executioner," is based on dozens of documents obtained by SJAC from inside Syria and collected by a local activist from abandoned IS offices in Raqqa province, where the militants also had their self-declared capital in a city that carries the same name.
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| An Iranian general said officials lied about shooting down a Ukrainian passenger jet to defend national security Posted: 15 Jan 2020 04:49 PM PST  Amir Ali Hajizadeh said that Iran's public lies about shooting down Ukraine International Airlines flight 752 were justifiable.
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| Former U.S. Marine: Suleimani’s Killing Is the Apotheosis of American 'Strategy' Posted: 16 Jan 2020 05:06 AM PST  A strategy that has achieved the opposite of its promises is a failure. Before another moment is wasted, Americans need to ask their leaders the same question General David Petraeus plaintively asked at the height of the Iraq War: "Tell me how this ends."
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| Camera Captures the Moment a Deer Sheds Its Antlers in the Middle of the Night Posted: 16 Jan 2020 07:21 AM PST  If you blink you might miss it
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| Australia’s Wildfire Crisis: Key Numbers Behind the Disaster Posted: 15 Jan 2020 03:15 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Australia is in the grip of deadly wildfires burning across the country, triggering an emotive debate about the impact of climate change in the world's driest-inhabited continent. The unprecedented scale of the crisis, and images of terrified tourists sheltering on beaches from the infernos, has shocked many Australians.With the nation only midway through summer and suffering a prolonged drought, authorities fear the death toll will continue to mount as more homes and land are destroyed. Here are some key details of the crisis:How many people have died?Since the fire season began months ago during the southern hemisphere winter, at least 28 people have died. Among the fatalities are volunteer firefighters, including a young man who died when his 10-ton truck was flipped over in what officials have described as a "fire tornado." Australia's worst wildfires came in 2009 when the Black Saturday blazes left 180 people dead.How big an area has burned?Massive tracts of land have burned. Almost 12 million hectares (30 million acres) have been destroyed -- that's almost the size of England. In New South Wales state alone, more than 5.2 million hectares of forest and bush has been destroyed, while more than 1.4 million hectares has been burned in Victoria. The fires are so large they are generating their own weather systems and causing dry lightning strikes that in turn ignite more. One blaze northwest of Sydney, the Gospers Mountain fire, has destroyed about 512,000 hectares -- about seven times the size of Singapore.The scale of the blazes dwarfs the California wildfires in 2018, which destroyed about 1.7 million acres, and about 260,000 acres in 2019.How many homes have been destroyed?Some 2,600 homes have been destroyed, mostly in New South Wales. Scores of rural towns have been impacted, including the community of Balmoral about 150 kilometers southwest of Sydney, which was largely destroyed before Christmas.What's the economic impact?The near-term cost is mounting. Toxic smoke shrouding Canberra has shuttered businesses and government departments and forced national carrier Qantas Airways Ltd. to cancel flights. The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of 2020 that brings in an estimated A$290 million, has seen qualification games disrupted due to the smoke. Economists estimate the wildfires and associated drought could cut up to half a percentage point off GDP growth as agriculture, tourism and sentiment take a hit.How has wildlife been affected?The University of Sydney estimates that 800 million animals have been killed by the bushfires in New South Wales alone since September and one billion have died nationally. The "highly conservative figure" includes mammals, birds and reptiles killed either directly by the fires, or later due to loss of food and habitat. The fires have raised concerns in particular about koalas, with authorities saying as much as 30% of their habitat in some areas had been destroyed. Images of the marsupials drinking water from bottles after being rescued have gone viral on social media.How can I help?Donations are flooding in to help with the relief effort, led by wealthy philanthropists, companies, investment banks and a string of celebrities. Mining billionaire Andrew Forrest's Minderoo Foundation has pledged A$70 million. Morgan Stanley Chief Executive Officer James Gorman, who is Australian, is pitching in A$1 million, while pledges have come in from stars such as Elton John, Chris Hemsworth, Bette Midler and Nicole Kidman.\--With assistance from Jason Scott.To contact the reporter on this story: Edward Johnson in Sydney at ejohnson28@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Edward Johnson at ejohnson28@bloomberg.net, Jason ScottFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Rand Paul Warns Republicans of Electoral Consequences if They Back Dem Witnesses But Refuse to Call Hunter Biden Posted: 16 Jan 2020 01:27 PM PST  Senator Rand Paul (R., Ky.) warned fellow caucus members that voting against subpoenaing President Trump's preferred witnesses in the Senate impeachment trial would be tantamount t0 "voting to lose your election.""If you don't want to vote and you think you're going to have to vote against Hunter Biden, you should just vote against witnesses, period," Paul said, adding that his "first preference" would be a trial with no witnesses.". . . If they insist on having people like Bolton coming forward, my insistence will be not just one witness. But that the president should be able to call any witnesses that he deems necessary to his defense," Paul stated.> My colleagues can't have it both ways. Calling for some, while blocking others. If we are going to give a platform to witnesses the Dems demand, I look forward to forcing votes to call Hunter Biden and many more! https://t.co/hrOzVyiG9x> > -- Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) January 14, 2020Last week, McConnell signaled that Republicans, who hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, had secured the minimum 51 votes required to move forward with a trial mirroring that of former president Bill Clinton, in which a vote to call witnesses took place after opening arguments. But a vote to allow witnesses to be called seems likely, after GOP leadership suggested Republicans "generally are not interested in the motion to dismiss."Paul said he believed an immediate dismissal was destined to fail, saying "there might be 10" Republicans who want to call witnesses.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democrats have been clamoring to allow witnesses like John Bolton to testify. They've also argued that newly released documents should be admitted to illuminate Rudy Giuliani and Lev Parnas's attempts to oust former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.
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| The Best Compact Fitness Equipment Under $300 Posted: 16 Jan 2020 09:56 AM PST |
| USC officials doubted Lori Loughlin's daughters were 'serious' athletes, according to newly released emails in the college admissions scandal Posted: 16 Jan 2020 08:50 AM PST  Federal prosecutors released dozens of emails and call logs between Rick Singer and parents accused of taking part in the college admissions scandal.
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| Newly revealed Giuliani letter destroys Trump Ukraine defense Posted: 15 Jan 2020 04:19 AM PST  The House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday made public a trove of previously unreleased documents that dramatically raise the stakes of the impeachment proceedings against President Trump.
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| Russia says US Indo-Pacific strategy is to contain China Posted: 14 Jan 2020 11:07 PM PST  Russia on Wednesday criticized the United States for introducing a new Indo-Pacific concept it said was aimed at containing China. Addressing a global conference in the Indian capital to discuss the most challenging issues facing the world community, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Asia-Pacific cooperation until now was centered on Southeast Asia. The Indo-Pacific concept being pushed by the United States, Japan and others was to reconfigure the existing structure, he said.
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| Giuliani associate says John Bolton is a key impeachment witness, bolstering Democrats' calls for him to testify in Senate trial Posted: 15 Jan 2020 09:23 PM PST  "He has a lot to say," Lev Parnas said in an MSNBC interview. "He's a key witness to his conversation to Zelensky and why he left or got fired."
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| Merkel to seek end to Huawei dispute in her conservative camp: sources Posted: 15 Jan 2020 03:44 PM PST  Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet senior conservative lawmakers on Thursday to resolve a dispute in her own party over whether to bar China's Huawei [HWT.UL] from the country's 5G network rollout, party sources said. Merkel's conservatives are divided on whether to support a proposal by their Social Democrat junior coalition partners that, if approved, would effectively shut out the Chinese technology giant from the network. Handelsblatt business daily was first to report on Wednesday the planned meeting between Merkel and senior conservative lawmakers.
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| 'Joe's Jokers': Meet Some of the Best Marine Aces of World War II Posted: 16 Jan 2020 12:15 AM PST  VMF-115 compiled an amazing combat record with Medal of Honor recipient Joe Foss at the helm.
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| Race to save animals on Australia's fire-ravaged 'Galapagos' Posted: 16 Jan 2020 12:36 AM PST  On an island famed as Australia's "Galapagos" for its unique and abundant wildlife, rescuers are racing to save rare animals in a bushfire-ravaged landscape. The charred forest floor on Kangaroo Island is littered with corpses of animals incinerated by the blazes that swept through two weeks ago. Unprecedented fires across swathes of southern and eastern Australia over the past five months have killed an estimated billion animals.
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| Biden Says He Would Consider Beto O’Rourke, Julian Castro as Potential Running Mates Posted: 16 Jan 2020 01:17 PM PST  Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said Wednesday that he would consider former 2020 contenders Beto O'Rourke and Julián Castro as running mates or members of his Cabinet should he get the party's nomination."I would consider either or both of them. I've spoken to each of them," Biden told the Dallas Morning News. "My plea to both of them is that they stay engaged. They are talented, talented people."O'Rourke made headlines during the 2018 congressional elections when the former Texas congressman nearly ousted conservative Senator Ted Cruz in the deep-red state. He garnered early attention after launching his presidential bid but suspended his campaign in November after being outshone by Biden and other candidates.Castro served with Biden in the Obama administration as secretary of Housing and Urban Development. He dropped his 2020 bid earlier this month after a year of campaigning and endorsed Senator Elizabeth Warren.Biden said in August that he would prefer to choose a woman or a person of color as his running mate. He also remarked on Tuesday that he would consider Senator Kamala Harris, who dropped out of the presidential race early last month, for "anything that she would be interested in," including as his running mate."Whomever I pick, preferably it will be someone who was of color and/or a different gender, but I'm not making that commitment until I know that the person I'm dealing with I can completely and thoroughly trust as authentic and on the same page," the former vice president said.As a former presidential running mate himself to President Barack Obama, Biden said the main quality he would prioritize in a potential vice president is being "simpatico" with his values.Obama "knew that he and I had the same value set and the same political disposition as what we should do, and he knew if I ever had any doubt, I would come back to him," Biden said last year.Biden currently leads in polling among Democratic 2020 candidates at 27 percent, with Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren behind him, according to the Real Clear Politics average of polls.
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| Amazon $1 Billion Investment in India Not a Favor, Minister Says Posted: 16 Jan 2020 04:26 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. India's trade minister Piyush Goyal criticized Amazon.com Inc. and welcomed an investigation into the e-commerce giant's possible "predatory pricing and unfair trade practices."The comments came in the midst of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's India visit."They may have put in a billion dollars," Goyal said on Thursday, about Amazon's investments in India. "But then if they make a loss of a billion dollars every year then they jolly well have to finance that billion dollars. So it's not as if they are doing a great favor to India when they invest a billion dollars."Bezos had announced Wednesday that the company plans to invest $1 billion to help digitize small and medium businesses in India.Goyal's comments at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, where foreign ministers from a dozen nations are in attendance, were also an indication that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is trying to safeguard the interests of smaller Indian traders, the traditional voter base of his Bharatiya Janata Party.Bezos's ongoing two-day India visit has been marked by demonstrations from small local retailers who are protesting Amazon's traditional cut-price approach and exclusive-selling practices. More than half-a-million traders representing thousands of organizations grouped under the Confederation of All India Traders have planned sit-ins and public rallies in 300 cities to protest his visit, the group had said.India restricts foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail and this has forced Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart, the two biggest e-commerce players in India, to overhaul business models to comply with new rules introduced in December 2018, after complaints from traders.Goyal mentioned the ongoing probe by the Competition Commission of India into companies like Amazon and questioned why an e-commerce marketplace should make losses."Anybody who tries to use the e-commerce marketplace model to get into the multibrand retail space surreptitiously will have to be questioned, will have to be investigated," he said.In 2016 New Delhi said foreign-owned e-commerce platforms could operate as marketplaces — facilitating transactions between sellers and consumers — but not sell directly. Flipkart and Amazon established wholesale networks to reach their customers. But the new rules target this workaround, banning foreign e-commerce sites from selling goods from companies in which they own a stake.To contact the reporter on this story: Archana Chaudhary in New Delhi at achaudhary2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Muneeza Naqvi, Abhay SinghFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Woman who poisoned husband with eyedrops sentenced to 25 years in prison Posted: 16 Jan 2020 02:41 PM PST  A woman accused of poisoning her husband to death with eye drops then burning his will has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.South Carolina woman Lana Clayton pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter more than a year after she had spiked her husband's water with Visine until he collapsed inside the couple's multi-million-dollar home on 21 July 2018.
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| A man who was put up in a Comfort Inn 'boardroom suite' discovered it was literally a boardroom with a bed Posted: 15 Jan 2020 02:37 PM PST  The stranded traveler shared his amusement on Twitter, where the photo of the "boardroom suite" hotel room went viral.
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| Navy removes commander of San Diego-based destroyer Decatur Posted: 16 Jan 2020 02:27 PM PST ![Navy removes commander of San Diego-based destroyer Decatur]( "Navy removes commander of San Diego-based destroyer Decatur") The commanding officer of the San Diego-based destroyer Decatur has been removed from command, the Navy announced Thursday. Cmdr. John "Bob" Bowen was relieved of his duties due to a "loss of confidence in his ability to command," according to a Navy statement obtained by the San Diego Union-Tribune. Navy Capt. Dan Cobain, the commander of Destroyer Squadron 21, ordered the move, the statement said.
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| Ukraine gives Trump the corruption investigation he asked for Posted: 16 Jan 2020 11:12 AM PST  President Trump's schemes in Ukraine were even worse than we thought. His former lackey Lev Parnas spoke publicly for the first time Wednesday night about his role in the plot to blackmail the Ukrainian president into interfering in the 2020 election and provided new evidence about an apparent effort among Trump associates to harass, stalk, and perhaps even physically harm a sitting U.S. ambassador — Marie Yovanovitch, who was then serving in Ukraine.America is learning what it's like to have a gangster president. But hey, at least Trump got the Ukraine investigation he always wanted — but instead of into the Biden family, it's into his own cronies. Whoops!Rachel Maddow interviewed Parnas (a Trump supporter who has been indicted, along with his friend Igor Furman, for violating federal campaign finance law) on MSNBC Wednesday, while Anderson Cooper did so on CNN later. In both interviews, Parnas said he had been the point man for the blackmail conspiracy. He first came to then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in early 2019, promising meetings with Trump and his support for Poroshenko's reelection, if Ukraine would open an investigation into the Biden family. Then, after Volodymyr Zelensky defeated Poroshenko in the 2019 election, Parnas delivered the now-familiar blackmail threat.But Parnas also clarified the blackmail threat wasn't only about the $400 million in military aid to Ukraine that Trump held hostage:> "It wasn't just military aid. It was all aid," Parnas tells @maddow. "Basically the relationships would be sour. We would stop giving them any kind of aid, unless... there were several demands at the point — the most important one was the announcement of the Biden investigation." pic.twitter.com/DYwDUofVnl> > — MSNBC (@MSNBC) January 16, 2020Naturally, the Trump administration claims Parnas is lying to get out of his own legal trouble. "Lev Parnas is under a multi-count indictment and will say anything to anybody who will listen in hopes of staying out of prison" a spokesman for Vice President Pence told CNN. But Parnas provided contemporaneous notes clearly outlining the scheme to the House Judiciary Committee (which released them to the public), proof that he was in close contact about the scheme with top Republican donors and Trump family friends, has been photographed many times with Trump, and has been a known associate of Rudy Giuliani for years.Parnas also makes a good point that it would be bizarre for the president of Ukraine to take meetings with a random schlub like him if he weren't representing somebody powerful like President Trump. "Why would President Zelensky's inner circle or Minister Avakov or all these people or President Poroshenko meet with me? Who am I? They were told to meet with me," he told Maddow.In sum, it's one more piece of first-hand testimony to add to the enormous pile proving Trump did indeed try to blackmail Ukraine.The alleged plot to get rid of former Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch was, if anything, much weirder and more disturbing. Parnas also turned over documents and text message exchanges revealing apparent surveillance and even personal threats against Yovanovitch when she was serving in Ukraine.Trump and his cronies viewed Yovanovich as an obstacle to their blackmail plot (and their efforts to exculpate Russia from interfering in the 2016 election), and Trump eventually fired her last year. In the memorandum the White House released describing the infamous call between Trump and Zelensky, Trump noted his displeasure with Yovanovitch, and predicted "she's going to go through some things." Parnas provided WhatsApp messages between himself and a man named Robert F. Hyde — a central casting Trumpworld character who is running for Congress in Connecticut — suggesting that Hyde had hired people to follow Yovanovitch and hack into her electronics. "The guys over they asked me what I would like to do and what is in it for them," Hyde wrote in one message. "They are willing to help if we/you would like a price … Guess you can do anything in the Ukraine with money … what I was told." (Hyde claims he was drunk when he sent the texts, while Parnas says he was only humoring him.)So now finally the Ukrainian government has opened an investigation into the alleged surveillance of Yovanovitch. Law enforcement there released a statement saying the messages imply Yovanovitch was "under illegal surveillance and her electronic gadgets were interfered [with] by the private persons at the request of the US citizens," which would violate Ukrainian law as well as the treaty which protects diplomatic communications. The FBI has visited Hyde's home, and the chair of the Connecticut Republican Party has requested Hyde end his campaign.It's unclear yet whether Hyde's texts were just empty boasting or not. But it's fair to conclude that the Trump administration attracts thieves and two-bit criminals like a rotting horse carcass attracts flies. He should be removed from office at the earliest possible date.More stories from theweek.com Mitch McConnell should recuse himself Trump declares major disaster in Puerto Rico Rep. Ayanna Pressley shares she's bald as a result of alopecia in a moving new video
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| Qatar further eases restrictions on migrant workers' exit Posted: 16 Jan 2020 03:46 AM PST ![Qatar further eases restrictions on migrant workers' exit]( "Qatar further eases restrictions on migrant workers' exit") Qatar said on Thursday it had scrapped restrictions on leaving the country for nearly all migrant workers as part of reforms answering accusations of exploitation especially in the run-up to the 2022 World Cup. The measure removes exit visas for hundreds of thousands of domestic workers left out of earlier reforms - mainly from Asian nations like Nepal, India and the Philippines - whom rights groups said were left open to abuse by being excluded. Unions and activists have documented labor exploitation, dangerous conditions and deaths of workers building stadiums and infrastructure for both the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the upcoming event in Qatar.
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| Egypt and Ethiopia reach deal on Nile 'mega dam' that brought threats of war Posted: 16 Jan 2020 09:35 AM PST  Egypt and Ethiopia have struck a preliminary deal to end a row over the construction of a giant dam on the Nile, potentially averting a war between two of Africa's biggest military powers. Following talks in Washington brokered by the US government, Egypt agreed in principle to drop its opposition to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam after receiving assurances that its water supply would not be threatened. The breakthrough follows years of recrimination, with both countries periodically resorting to threats of war ever since Ethiopia announced plans to build the dam in 2011. With 95 percent of its population living in the Nile Valley, Egypt has always been acutely sensitive about the flow of a river on which it has depended for its very existence since the dawn of civilisation 5,000 years ago. The world's longest river is the source of nine-tenths of Egypt's fresh water. Arguing that it was granted ultimate control of the Nile under safeguards implemented by Britain in 1929, Egypt says the Renaissance Dam — which will be the world seventh largest on completion — could cause vital downstream reservoirs to dry up. Ethiopia, in whose highlands the Blue Nile rises before meeting the White Nile in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, argues that the dam will transform the lives of its 110m people, providing many of them with electricity for the first time and allowing the country to industrialise. Hopes for a resolution to the crisis were raised last year after Ethiopia, which had previously resisted international mediation, agreed to US involvement after Egypt's president, Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, made a personal appeal to Donald Trump, his US counterpart. Mr Trump instructed the US treasury department to work with the World Bank to find a solution. Following talks in Washington, officials from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan agreed to allow the dam, which has largely been completed, to be filled in stages every July and August, the Ethiopian rainy season, so long as the impact on downstream reservoirs is monitored. "The subsequent stages of filling will be done according to a mechanism to be agreed," the US treasury department said in a statement. A final deal could be signed at the end of the month, although analysts warn that differences between Egypt and Ethiopia remain, particularly over how long it should take to fill the dam's reservoir, which will be the size of Buckinghamshire. Sudan has sided with Ethiopia in the row, believing the dam will help regulate the flow of the Blue Nile and reduce downstream flooding.
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| DOJ Is Investigating Comey’s Role in Leak of Classified Document during Clinton-Email Probe Posted: 16 Jan 2020 03:04 PM PST  Department of Justice prosecutors reportedly are investigating the possibility that former FBI director James Comey leaked a classified Russian intelligence document to the media during the investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails, according to a Thursday report from the New York Times.Per the Times, the investigation is centered around two 2017 articles from the Times and the Washington Post describing the Russian document, which played a key role in Comey's unilateral decision to announce in July 2016 that the FBI would not pursue charges against Clinton for using a private email server to conduct official business during her time as secretary of state.The document, which Dutch intelligence shared with the U.S., includes an analysis of an email exchange between Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D., Fla.), who was then chairing the Democratic National Committee, and Leonard Bernardo, an official with the Soros-backed non-profit Open Society Foundations. Wasserman Schultz assures Bernardo in the email that then–attorney general Loretta Lynch would make sure Clinton wasn't charged in the email probe.Both Bernardo and Wasserman Schultz have denied ever having the exchange, and the FBI's assessment claimed that the document was a fake and part of a Russian disinformation campaign.Department of Justice inspector general Michael Horowitz said in a review of Comey's actions over the Clinton probe — and its subsequent reopening in October 2016 — that the former FBI director had a "troubling lack of any direct, substantive communication" with Lynch over his decisions.Both 2017 articles cite Comey's private concern that if Lynch had announced no charges for Clinton, the Russians could have released the document to cast doubt on whether the investigation was ethical. They also cite Comey's decision not to tell Lynch that he was declining to charge Clinton as a way of protecting the FBI's political independence.Investigators are examining whether Comey's personal lawyer, Daniel Richman, gave the Russian document to reporters. Richman played a key role in a different, confirmed leak that Comey orchestrated to hand over memos of his private encounters with President Trump in the early days of the Trump administration."I asked a friend of mine to share the content of the memo with a reporter," Comey testified to Congress in June 2017. "I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel."In August, Horowitz found that Comey violated policy and set a "dangerous example" for the rank-and-file by retaining and leaking the memos. Horowitz referred Comey for potential prosecution over the matter, but the DOJ declined to prosecute.Comey has long taken criticism for his handling of the Clinton investigation from Republicans and President Trump, who suggested in December that Comey could get jail time.> So now Comey's admitting he was wrong. Wow, but he's only doing so because he got caught red handed. He was actually caught a long time ago. So what are the consequences for his unlawful conduct. Could it be years in jail? Where are the apologies to me and others, Jim?> > -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 15, 2019
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| McConnell says 'the House's hour is over' Posted: 16 Jan 2020 08:02 AM PST  During an address on the floor, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, "The House's hour is over. The Senate's time is at hand."
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| Homeless Moms Forcibly Evicted From Vacant Oakland House Highlight Area's Affordable Housing Crisis Posted: 15 Jan 2020 11:37 AM PST  Oakland's mayor called their protest 'a courageous act of civil disobedience'
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| Hong Kong Leader Says China Could Treat City the Same After 2047 Posted: 15 Jan 2020 08:16 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong's leader said China could continue guaranteeing the city its separate freedoms under the "one country, two systems" principle after it expires in 2047."My view is that, as long as we insist on the 'one country, two systems' principle, with the in-depth implementation of the principle and ample understanding, which fits the interests of Hong Kong citizens, then there is sufficient reason to believe that 'one country, two systems' will be practiced smoothly in the long term, and will not be changed after 2047," Chief Executive Carrie Lam told lawmakers at a question-and-answer session at the city's Legislative Council on Thursday.The comments are some of Lam's most detailed statements on the long-term political future of the former British colony, which was returned to Chinese rule in 1997 on the promise that Beijing would leave its capitalist economy and political freedoms untouched for 50 years. They echoed those made by China's government in recent years.During a 2017 visit to the financial hub marking the anniversary of its handover, President Xi Jinping said he hoped for the "smooth and long-term successful practice" of "one country, two systems," according to Hong Kong's pro-China newspaper Wen Wei Po.Uncertain FutureAnxiety and fear about Hong Kong's political future under an increasingly authoritarian administration in Beijing have fueled seven months of violent pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, initially triggered by since-scrapped legislation over extraditions to the mainland.Once the 50-year time period expires in 2047, China is under no obligation to continue permitting Hong Kong to keep separate freedoms -- including a free media and the right to protest -- that make the city distinct from the mainland. Protesters and pro-democracy lawmakers have frequently accused China of undermining the promises the country's leaders made to Britain before the handover in 1997 and envision a bleak future beyond 2047, in which Hong Kong is treated like any other Chinese city.Some pro-establishment lawmakers have argued that violent protests in favor of greater democracy are likely to make Beijing feel threatened, and less likely to continue guaranteeing Hong Kong's separate freedoms after 2047.Luo Huining, the new director of China's Liaison Office in the city, said Wednesday that Hong Kong's people should place their hope in "one country, two systems."If the system is implemented well, "Hong Kong will win development opportunities and earn room for growth," he said. If it isn't, "there will be non-stop conflicts and chaos."To contact the reporters on this story: Iain Marlow in Hong Kong at imarlow1@bloomberg.net;Natalie Lung in Hong Kong at flung6@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Karen Leigh, Adrian KennedyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Officials block villagers as quakes shake Philippine volcano Posted: 15 Jan 2020 08:21 PM PST  A Philippine volcano that erupted last weekend belched smaller plumes of ash but shuddered frequently with earthquakes Thursday, prompting authorities to block access to nearby towns due to fears of a bigger eruption. A crater lake and nearby river on the Taal volcano dried up in signs of its continued restiveness, and officials have warned people against speculating that the five-day eruption is waning. "We have a seeming lull, but, again, as we emphasized earlier, there is something different happening beneath the volcano," Ma.
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| Can Trump manage a Mideast crisis? Why Israelis have concerns. Posted: 15 Jan 2020 09:11 AM PST ![Can Trump manage a Mideast crisis? Why Israelis have concerns.]( "Can Trump manage a Mideast crisis? Why Israelis have concerns.") Following the U.S. killing of General Soleimani of Iran, Israel is having a crisis of confidence in the Trump administration's policymaking process.
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| New footage shows Iranian missiles hitting Ukraine plane Posted: 15 Jan 2020 06:56 AM PST  New video footage has emerged showing two Iranian missiles tearing through the night sky and hitting a Ukrainian passenger plane, sending the aircraft down in flames and killing all 176 passengers and crew on board. The projectiles were fired 30 seconds apart and explain why the plane's transponder was not working as it hurtled to the ground -- it was disabled by the first strike, before being hit by a second, said the New York Times, which published the verified security camera footage Tuesday. The blurry film, shot from a rooftop in a village four miles from an Iranian military site, shows the Kiev-bound plane on fire and circling back to Tehran's airport, the Times said.
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| AOC-Linked Dark Money Goes After Biden and Buttigieg Posted: 15 Jan 2020 11:59 AM PST  Wait, isn't she against that...
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| Universities, Colleges Where Students Are Eager to Enroll Posted: 16 Jan 2020 06:29 AM PST ![Universities, Colleges Where Students Are Eager to Enroll]( "Universities, Colleges Where Students Are Eager to Enroll") As students apply to their dream schools, acceptance is almost too good to pass up.
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| Mexico said latest migrant caravan won't pass - Guatemala president Posted: 15 Jan 2020 11:27 AM PST  Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told the Guatemalan government that a caravan of migrants heading towards the United States from Honduras would not be allowed to enter Mexico, new Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei said on Wednesday. "Today in the conversation with foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard we asked about that caravan," Giammattei said after meeting the Mexican minister.
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| Jeffrey Epstein abused girls as young as 11 on secluded private island, lawsuit says Posted: 15 Jan 2020 02:27 PM PST  Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein trafficked girls in the Caribbean as young as 11 years old up until 2018, according to a new lawsuit.The lawsuit filed by US Virgin Islands attorney general Denise George claims that Epstein had brought girls as young as 11 and 12 to his secluded estate there, and kept a computerised database that tracked the availability of women and girls. The lawsuit could ultimately reduce the amount of money available to victims who have come forward as a part of claims against the estate in the United States, according to Reuters.
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| A 14-year-old boy died after being trapped in a chimney where his lungs were unable to expand and contract Posted: 15 Jan 2020 09:07 AM PST  Police had been looking for the Ohio boy for nearly a month. Compressive asphyxia can also occur at overcrowded concerts and sporting events.
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| Christian school expelled student over a 'gay' rainbow cake, family says Posted: 15 Jan 2020 01:06 PM PST  The mom of a Whitefield Academy student in Louisville said school officials believed the rainbow-related photo suggested her daughter was gay.
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| Bangladesh says once-submerged island ready for Rohingya Posted: 16 Jan 2020 06:04 AM PST  An island in Bangladesh that was regularly submerged during monsoon seasons is ready to house 100,000 Rohingya refugees, but no date has been announced to begin relocating people from crowded and squalid camps on the country's border with Myanmar, officials said Thursday. Flood protection embankments, houses, hospitals and mosques have been built on Bhasan Char, or floating island, in the Bay of Bengal, officials said. The island is built to accommodate 100,000 people, just a fraction of the million Rohingya Muslims who have fled waves of violent persecution in their native Myanmar.
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