| CNN’s Tapper to Mike Pompeo: Wouldn’t You Be Mad if a Democrat Invited the Taliban to Camp David? Posted: 08 Sep 2019 08:08 AM PDT  On Sunday, State of the Union anchor Jake Tapper repeatedly confronted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on President Donald Trump's recent announcement that he abruptly called off secretive peace talks with the Taliban, asking the nation's top diplomat why the president would invite the Taliban to Camp David days ahead of the 9/11 terror attack anniversary.Pompeo, who was booked to appear on all five Sunday shows, defended the president's decision to initially welcome leaders of the Taliban to Washington without having a finalized agreement in place, telling Tapper that Trump "believed we could further America's national interest by having conversations with the people who have the capacity to actually deliver."Tapper, meanwhile, noted that the Trump administration has faced widespread criticism for inviting the militant group to Camp David, noting that even members of the president's own party—such as Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL)—have openly derided the move.Peace Talks With the Taliban Are Off, Trump Announces Via Tweet"I think there are a lot of Americans out there who had been surprised the Taliban had been invited to Camp David, especially the week of the 9/11 commemoration," the CNN host pointed out.After Pompeo waved off the criticisms while saying Trump was making "real progress" in achieving peace in Afghanistan, Tapper pressed him again."I don't think anyone begrudges the president or ambassador trying to bring an end to this war that's been going on so long with so many innocent people and so many service members killed, but I guess the question is why invite the Taliban to Camp David?" Tapper wondered.Noting that the president's effort was to work with those who can eventually end the violence, the secretary of state added that Trump is not going to reduce the pressure on the Taliban if they don't deliver on their commitments, referencing the recent attack in Kabul that resulted in the death of a U.S. soldier.Tapper, however, continued to challenge Pompeo on the notion of even bringing the Taliban to American soil to negotiate terms, highlighting that the organization recently reiterated its support for the 9/11 attacks."Here's an organization that still supports 9/11—still believes that the United States was to blame," the CNN anchor stated. "We brought that on ourselves. Why bring people like that to Camp David? I understand why you want to negotiate for peace but why bring people like that to Camp David?"Pompeo, again, punted on the specific question, saying that the administration has an "obligation to do everything we can" and that they "understand who the Taliban are."This prompted Tapper to then confront Pompeo on how he would view this if the shoe were on the other foot."I can't help but think that if a Democratic president had talked about having the Taliban come to Camp David to negotiate a peace process that was not already a done deal," Tapper noted. "That you as a congressman, as a soldier, as a veteran, as a West Point graduate, that you would be rather upset."The secretary of state insisted that the State of the Union host was "just wrong about that" before taking a shot at Obama, claiming the former president was "prepared to leave without ensuring to protect America.""We will never do that," Pompeo added.Elsewhere on the other Sunday shows, the secretary of state was grilled on the scuttled peace talks, with much of the focus on the optics of inviting the Taliban to Camp David—especially since the presidential retreat is where American leaders gathered following the 9/11 attacks to plan a response.On Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace aggressively pressed Pompeo on the bipartisan uproar over the canceled meeting, asking Pompeo point-blank: "Who thought it was a good idea for the President of the United States to meet with Taliban leaders who have the blood of thousands of Americans on their hands just three days before 9/11?"During his appearance on ABC's This Week, the secretary of state defended the Camp David setting, stating that he's aware of the history surrounding the location and "President Trump reflected on that.""We all considered as we were debating how to try and get to the right, ultimate outcome," he continued. "While there have often been discussions about war at Camp David, There have been discussions about peace there as well. There have been some pretty bad actors travel through that place. It's an important place."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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| The Latest: Dorian death toll rises to 44 in Bahamas Posted: 08 Sep 2019 12:02 PM PDT  The government in the Bahamas says the death toll from Hurricane Dorian has risen by one to 44. Officials have warned that the number of deaths is likely to rise as security forces and other teams search devastated areas of the northern Bahamas. The government also announced a telephone hotline where Bahamians can call to report family members who have been unaccounted for since the storm.
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| Two men accuse Alaska Airlines employee of racial profiling after Newark Airport evacuation Posted: 08 Sep 2019 03:34 PM PDT ![Two men accuse Alaska Airlines employee of racial profiling after Newark Airport evacuation]( "Two men accuse Alaska Airlines employee of racial profiling after Newark Airport evacuation") An alarm set off at Newark Liberty Airport on Labor Day sparked panic, and the two men who were questioned say they were racially profiled.
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| A disgruntled mechanic has been charged with sabotaging an American Airlines flight Posted: 08 Sep 2019 01:19 PM PDT  All of us have had a beef with the boss or disagreements and other assorted unpleasantness at work from time to time, which is the nature of being at the mercy of someone who's in charge of your productivity, never mind whether that intersects with your happiness.But it's probably fair to assume that most people don't act on those feelings and certainly don't take it out on innocent people. Which is, unfortunately, exactly what happened recently when a disgruntled American Airlines mechanic was arrested and charged after he tried to damage a plane and ruin a flight.According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court, Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani has been charged with "willfully damaging, destroying, disabling, or wrecking an aircraft, and attempting to do so." He was allegedly trying to damage the air data module system on a commercial airliner preparing to take off back in July from Miami International Airport, which had 150 people on board and was headed for the Bahamas.That system deals with the aircraft's speed, pitch, and other important data.Why did he do it? According to court documents, as noted in this CNN report, he admitted to investigators he took his actions in retaliation for a union contract dispute with the airline. More specifically, he messed with one of the plane's systems so it wouldn't take off on time -- and so he could earn overtime pay by working on the plane.The plane had actually started moving, and after the pilots increased power to the engines, they noticed the air data module system error and stopped the takeoff. Alani admitted what he did to investigators, who noted in the court documents that "Alani stated that his intention was not to cause harm to the aircraft or its passengers." This all got traced back to him after mechanics worked on the plane, discovered the obvious tampering, and used surveillance footage to figure out who did it.Here's what American Airlines had to say about the episode:> At American we have an unwavering commitment to the safety and security of our customers and team members and we are taking this matter very seriously," reads a statement from the airline. "At the time of the incident, the aircraft was taken out of service, maintenance was performed and after an inspection to ensure it was safe the aircraft was returned to service. American immediately notified federal law enforcement who took over the investigation with our full cooperation.
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| The mysterious spate of vape-related deaths and illnesses continues to grow, confounding experts. Here's what officials knew and when. Posted: 07 Sep 2019 09:45 AM PDT  The CDC is investigating at least 450 possible cases of vape-related illnesses in 33 states across the US. The illnesses have led to at least 5 deaths.
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| P-61, first collared mountain lion to cross 405 Freeway, fatally struck on Sepulveda Pass Posted: 07 Sep 2019 02:28 PM PDT  A male mountain lion that made headlines just months ago for successfully crossing the 405 Freeway was struck and killed Saturday on that same roadway, park officials said.
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| North Korea reports five deaths, damage in typhoon Posted: 07 Sep 2019 05:16 PM PDT  North Korean state media said Sunday five people had been killed in a powerful typhoon that destroyed farmland and damaged hundreds of buildings. Typhoon Lingling, called Typhoon-13 in North Korea, hit the reclusive nuclear-armed state on Saturday afternoon, reported the official KCNA news service. The injured persons are now under treatment at hospitals," KCNA said.
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| NEWSMAKER-New Saudi energy minister: a royal with decades of experience in OPEC cuts Posted: 08 Sep 2019 02:06 PM PDT ![NEWSMAKER-New Saudi energy minister: a royal with decades of experience in OPEC cuts]( "NEWSMAKER-New Saudi energy minister: a royal with decades of experience in OPEC cuts") When former Saudi oil minister Ali al Naimi crushed oil prices in 2014 by adding to global oversupply, one man in the kingdom stood firmly against this strategy. Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, King Salman's son and a veteran oil official, who on Sunday was named as new Saudi energy minister, is known in the industry for decades of work helping to foster OPEC production cuts. As he takes the reins at the world's largest oil exporter from Khaled al-Falih, Prince Abdulaziz faces intensifying demands from Saudi royals to prop up oil prices to help ease budget constraints and push through plans to get maximum value from a partial privatisation of state oil giant Aramco.
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| 'I didn’t hear the words': Harris apologizes for response to mental disabilities slur Posted: 07 Sep 2019 02:28 PM PDT !['I didn't hear the words': Harris apologizes for response to mental disabilities slur]( "'I didn't hear the words': Harris apologizes for response to mental disabilities slur") "That word and others like it aren't acceptable. Ever," Harris wrote on Twitter
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| A cruise ship sailed 1,500 Hurricane Dorian evacuees from the Bahamas to Florida Posted: 07 Sep 2019 10:18 AM PDT  At least 40 people have died since the hurricane struck the Bahamas last weekend, and 70,000 were left homeless.
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| GOP will stop shooting survivor Gabby Giffords' husband, 'dead in his tracks,' official says Posted: 08 Sep 2019 01:49 PM PDT  Mark Kelly, Arizona Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, is the husband of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords who survived a mass shooting near Tucson.
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| How Atlanta's mayor turned her famous father's arrest into a passion for criminal justice reform Posted: 07 Sep 2019 12:00 PM PDT  Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms opens up about the arrest of her father, R&B legend Major Lance.
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| Look at this all-diamond ring designed by Jony Ive and Marc Newsom Posted: 07 Sep 2019 08:57 AM PDT  At Apple, Jony Ive's designs disrupted the computer and mobile phone markets. Now, in his (imminent) post-Apple life, Ive has delivered a fresh spin on the diamond ring.The so-called "(RED) Ring," which Ive designed alongside Marc Newsom, his partner in the new design firm LoveFrom, is made entirely out of diamond. The striking piece of jewelry is carved out of a larger block of diamond that was grown in a lab.The ring sold at auction in Dec. 2018 for $256,250 during a Red charity event held during Art Basel in Miami. The Sotheby's listing makes it clear that the buyer was paying for something that hadn't yet been created -- it's hard to resize an all-diamond ring, so this had to be custom-made.The description reads:Now, the ring is finally finished and there are photos to prove it. The stone used to make it comes from Diamond Foundry, a San Francisco business that specializes in lab-grown diamonds. SEE ALSO: What Apple's products could look like without Jony Ive leading designThe (RED) Ring's diamond started as a lab-grown 45-carat "rough diamond." It was then cut down and shaped into a ring by Diamond Foundry's team using the design from Ive and Newsom.Proceeds from the sale of the ring benefited Red directly. The brand, founded in 2006, works with companies to create licensed products that serve to raise awareness for and fight the spread of HIV/AIDS, particularly in Africa. WATCH: New details have emerged about Jony Ive leaving Apple
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| Bill Maher Takes Trump Challenger Joe Walsh to Task for Racist ‘Anti-Obama’ Past Posted: 07 Sep 2019 01:52 AM PDT  Bill Maher has spent plenty of time placating loathsome figures on his HBO show Real Time. But he deserves credit for not letting Trump 2020 primary challenger Joe Walsh off the hook for his history of horrendous commentary on this week's episode. Walsh got a warm welcome from Maher's audience when he joined the show at the midway point Friday night. "Apparently they don't know your history, Joe," the host said when the applause died down. Maher pointed out that Walsh doesn't like that Trump "lies" or that he's a "traitor," but "issue-wise," they're not that far apart. "He's done some good things," Walsh admitted as Maher listed off a variety of conservative positions he shares with the president. "Joe, you were a leader of the anti-Obama nutcase caucus," Maher said as Walsh tried to distance himself from the man who launched his political career on Birtherism.As he's done before, Walsh confessed that he helped pave the way for Trump but unlike others in the media, Maher would not let the candidate paint himself as some sort of anti-Trump savior. Walsh attempted to contrast himself with the current president by saying, "I do not and will not lie every time I open my mouth," but he put that promise to the test when Maher grilled him on the way he repeated about President Obama during the previous administration. "I know you've had to answer a lot of questions about race," Maher said. Last month, Walsh said on MSNBC that he "wouldn't call" himself a racist but conceded that he's "said racist things on Twitter." Maher sarcastically called that a "fine distinction." Bill Maher Goes Full Marianne Williamson on AntidepressantsBill Maher Mocks Fox News' Sean Hannity For Claiming He's Causing a Recession"Just look me in the eye and tell me that the seething, frothing hatred that I remember that you had for Barack Obama had nothing to do with the fact that he was black," Maher said. "Oh, gosh no," Walsh replied incredulously, claiming that his birther-inspired comments labeling Obama a "Muslim" had everything to do with his "policies." The host didn't seem to be buying it. Finally, Maher asked the former Trump supporter why anyone should vote for him if it took him until 2019 to "know that Donald Trump was full of shit." "It's a good question," Walsh said, explaining that he actually "found religion" in 2018. 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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| UPDATE 1-Islamic State claims responsibility for market blast in Philippines Posted: 07 Sep 2019 07:42 PM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Islamic State claims responsibility for market blast in Philippines]( "UPDATE 1-Islamic State claims responsibility for market blast in Philippines") The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for an explosion at a public market in the southern Philippines that wounded at least seven people early on Saturday. The group issued a statement late on Saturday saying the motorcycle bombing had wounded seven Filipino Christians at a public market. It was the fourth blast in the area in 13 months, according to the Philippine military, which said a militant group operating in the mostly Christian city of Isulan in the province of Sultan Kudarat was among the suspects.
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| Here's what the Democratic National Committee doesn't understand about the Iowa caucuses Posted: 08 Sep 2019 02:00 AM PDT  The DNC should reconsider its blanket prohibition on telephone caucuses or rethink its requirement for an absentee caucus process.
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| Dorian's legacy: The slowest, strongest hurricane to ever hit the Bahamas Posted: 07 Sep 2019 01:56 AM PDT  It's now certain that Hurricane Dorian's lasting legacy will be its slow, torturous rampage as a Category 5 monster across the Bahamas.
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| Trump’s plan to stem border crossings gets results Posted: 08 Sep 2019 03:56 AM PDT  Border arrests are plummeting after Trump crackdown.
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| Oil majors to mull fresh cuts as trade war hits prices Posted: 08 Sep 2019 03:58 AM PDT  Top oil producers will consider fresh output cuts at a meeting this week, but analysts are doubtful they will succeed in bolstering crude prices dented by the US-China trade war. The OPEC petroleum exporters' cartel and key non-OPEC members want to halt a slide in prices that has continued despite previous production cuts and US sanctions that have squeezed supply from Iran and Venezuela. Analysts say the OPEC+ group's Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee, which monitors a supply cut deal reached last year, has limited options when it meets in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
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| British Airways tells passengers not to turn up at airports, as airline's biggest ever strike begins Posted: 08 Sep 2019 04:40 PM PDT  British Airways has told its passengers not to turn up at airports as the biggest strike action in the airline's 100 year history begins on Monday. More than 1,500 flights have been cancelled as the company was accused of bullying its own staff by union bosses, who warned they could continue the action until the end of the year. Some 280,000 people will be affected by the strike which is set to continue on Tuesday, costing BA £80m in lost revenue. BA and The British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA) are clashing after the union rejected a proposed 11.5 per cent pay rise for its pilots, taking their pay package to around £200,000 a year. BALPA says that BA "has resorted to breaking agreements and threatening pilots who will strike, which is bound to make matters worse" after they emailed their 4,300 pilots on Friday warning that strike action would be a 'serious breach' of their contract. BALPA General Secretary Brian Strutton said: "British Airways must now put the needs of its staff and passengers first and accept that its pilots will not be bullied or fobbed off." Credit: BALPA The airline further threatened to withdraw a travel perk, where staff can book tickets for ten per cent of the full fare plus taxes, for three years if they chose to strike. BALPA branded the airline's behaviour "illogical and irresponsible" and "will further deepen the fall out with their pilots." Flights to New York, Delhi, Hong Kong and Johannesburg have all been affected, with the airline telling passengers: "If your flight is cancelled, please do not go to the airport." One passenger, Kenneth Farrington, told the BBC that he thought his holiday "was in ruins." Travellers have been offered full refunds, flights on different carriers, or the option to fly on a different date, but should not turn up at the airport without a confirmed flight. On Sunday, 50 flights were cancelled over fears of a lack of space to park planes at Heathrow and Gatwick, and the knock on effect will last well into the week. Long haul captains at the airline earn an average base salary of £167,000 a year, while co-pilots take home £70,000. British Airways say they made a "fair" offer of an 11.5 per cent pay rise over three years, plus a one per cent bonus. The deal was already accepted by members of the Unite and GMB unions, which represent 90 per cent of British Airways' staff. BALPA says that now the company is in better financial health, its members should see a greater share of the profits and have a mandate for strike action until January, raising fears of Christmas travel chaos. British Airways said on Sunday: "We're extremely sorry for the problems caused by the strike action called by the pilots' union, BALPA on 9, 10 and 27 September. "We continue to be available for constructive talks with BALPA, on the basis that there are no pre-conditions to those talks. "If you have a flight booked with us on those dates, it is likely that you will not be able to travel as planned due to BALPA's strike action. We are offering all affected customers full refunds or the option to re-book to another date of travel or alternative airline." Compensation due for a cancelled flight On Sunday, BALPA General Secretary Brian Strutton said: "British Airways needs to wake up and realise its pilots are determined to be heard. "They've previously taken big pay cuts to help the company through hard times. Now BA is making billions of pounds of profit, its pilots have made a fair, reasonable and affordable claim for pay and benefits. "BALPA has consistently offered up chances for the company to negotiate a way forward. British Airways must now put the needs of its staff and passengers first and accept that its pilots will not be bullied or fobbed off. "But the company's leaders, who themselves are paid huge salaries and have generous benefits packages, won't listen, are refusing to negotiate and are putting profits before the needs of passengers and staff. "This strike will have cost the company considerably more than the investment needed to settle this dispute. "It is time to get back to the negotiating table and put together a serious offer that will end this dispute." This is the second time in a month that BALPA have been involved in pay disputes with airlines, after Ryanair pilots were reportedly demanding pay rises of up to 121%, according to the airline. Ryanair accused BALPA of "excessive and unexplained demands for pay increases" and a secret memo seen by the Telegraph, which was drawn up by the airline, showed pay package demands of up to £350,000 a year. Strike action has already taken place twice this summer, with more disruption planned for later this month.
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| India imposes curfews in Kashmir after clashes during religious procession Posted: 08 Sep 2019 01:02 AM PDT ![India imposes curfews in Kashmir after clashes during religious procession]( "India imposes curfews in Kashmir after clashes during religious procession") India on Sunday imposed curfews in several parts of the contested Kashmir region, after clashes between security forces and Shi'ite Muslims taking part in a procession, officials and eyewitnesses said. At least 12 locals and six troops were injured on Saturday evening, officials told Reuters, as the worshippers on the traditional mourning procession of Muharram clashed with troops trying to stop it. Troops used tear gas and pellet guns on the crowd, which insisted on carrying on with the procession, one in a series held at this time of the year, and pelted stones at security forces, an Indian official who declined to named told Reuters.
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| Housing aid for Puerto Rican evacuees close to running out Posted: 08 Sep 2019 07:53 AM PDT ![Housing aid for Puerto Rican evacuees close to running out]( "Housing aid for Puerto Rican evacuees close to running out") In the months after Hurricane Maria destroyed her home in Puerto Rico, Ashley Gonzales moved to Connecticut, where federal and state aid helped her and her longtime partner avoid homelessness. Connecticut, which saw over 13,000 people arrive from the U.S. Caribbean territory after the hurricane hit in September 2017, was unique in providing almost a million dollars in aid to help families after the Federal Emergency Management Agency's support ran out last year. The supplementary state aid fund, overseen by the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, drew upon $600,000 in state money allocated by the state legislature and more than $338,000 provided by private donors.
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| A new 2020 Democratic primary poll shows Warren surging alongside fellow frontrunners Biden and Sanders Posted: 08 Sep 2019 04:20 PM PDT  A new 2020 Democratic primary poll from ABC News and The Washington Post shows Biden and Sanders slumping, Warren gaining, and Harris falling.
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| University of Tennessee turns bullied kid's homemade shirt into their newest merch Posted: 08 Sep 2019 10:28 AM PDT  The college football season got a wonderful, heart-warming story to start the season when a student who was bullied for his homemade t-shirt got to see his favorite team make the shirt part of their official merch. Laura Snyder, an elementary school teacher in Florida, shared on Facebook the story of one of her students who wore a homemade shirt to support the University of Tennessee's football team for the school's college colors day.The student was excited to wear a bright orange shirt (the official color of the Tennessee Volunteers) and came to school with a hand-drawn "U of T" logo done by the student pinned to the front. But, according to Snyder, the student was bullied by others who mocked the DIY design.Noting it's hard to get a Volunteers shirt in Florida -- home territory of one of Tennessee's biggest rivals, the University of Florida Gators -- Snyder reached out for help via her Facebook page and the University of Tennessee came through, sending the student a giant care package of merchandise.But even more awesome is the new shirt the school made based on the student's original design. Not only are they now selling the shirt but proceeds are going to an anti-bullying group. > Share in a Florida elementary student's Volunteer pride by wearing his design on your shirt too! Pre-order today for a late September expected delivery. A portion of proceeds from every shirt sold will be donated to @STOMPOutBullyng .https://t.co/NdnTtYREFL pic.twitter.com/OeTZvgC09Y> > -- VolShop (@UTVolShop) September 6, 2019Said Snyder when she told the student about the new shirt, "When I told him that his design was being made into a real shirt and people wanted to wear it, his jaw dropped. He had a big smile on his face, walked taller, and I could tell his confidence grew today!"SEE ALSO: 5 ways parents can teach kids to combat bullyingSnyder also shared a letter from the student's mother, who said, "I am overwhelmed by the love I feel from this extended community... Every comment, item sent, and action taken on behalf of my son will never be forgotten and hopefully will serve as inspiration for him throughout his life."It's a much-needed feel-good story for the Volunteers this season; the team has stumbled out of the gate to an 0-2 start for the first time in 31 years after their Saturday night loss to BYU. But given how amazing this story is, the football team's result doesn't even matter. WATCH: Instagram adds new 'warning,' 'restrict' features to fight back against bullying
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| AMLO's Mexico Budget Projects Growth Exceeding Forecasts Posted: 08 Sep 2019 05:18 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador sent Congress a 2020 budget plan on Sunday that assumes a growth scenario many economists see as too optimistic.Mexico's economy will expand 1.5% to 2.5% in 2020, according to the proposal submitted by Finance Minister Arturo Herrera. Analysts in a Bloomberg survey on average see an expansion of 1.5%, with none expecting growth to exceed 1.9%, which is also the International Monetary Fund's forecast as of July.The plan calls for a primary surplus, which excludes debt interest payments, that's equivalent to 0.7% of gross domestic product, compared with the 1% expected for 2019."Overall, a relatively fair budget, but the assumptions on growth and oil production are definitely on the optimistic side," said Alberto Ramos, the chief Latin America economist at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. "The key question for investors and markets will be whether the administration is ultimately strongly committed to deliver the 0.7% of GDP primary fiscal target or not."The plan foresees oil output of 1.951 million barrels per day, implying an increase of about 18% from recent levels. After years of declines, state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, stabilized its production at 1.66 million barrels a day in the second quarter.Investors have been awaiting the 2020 budget proposal from AMLO, as the leftist is known, to see if there would be any signs of fiscal slippage after the economy stagnated in the first half. His government only had two weeks to prepare the 2019 budget after taking office in December, meaning next year's plan was drafted with much more preparation time.Herrera and other officials had promised in recent days that the 2020 plan would be fiscally responsible and reassuring to investors even as the government seeks to boost social spending and helped Pemex.(Adds context in the last two paragraphs.)To contact the reporter on this story: Eric Martin in Mexico City at emartin21@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Carlos Manuel Rodriguez at carlosmr@bloomberg.net, Linus Chua, Steve GeimannFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Dazed and weary, Hurricane Dorian refugees descend on Bahamas capital of Nassau Posted: 08 Sep 2019 02:31 PM PDT  Dazed and weary, Dorian refugees descend on Nassau
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| Weather Service staff warned against contradicting Trump’s false Alabama hurricane claims Posted: 08 Sep 2019 03:26 AM PDT  Nearly a week before the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) publicly backed Donald Trump over its own scientists, a top NOAA official warned staff against contradicting the president.Staff were told to "only stick with official National Hurricane Centre forecasts if questions arise from some national level social media posts which hit the news this afternoon" in an agency-wide directive sent to National Weather Service personnel on 1 September.
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| Iran says boat seized in Strait of Hormuz, Filipinos arrested Posted: 07 Sep 2019 07:34 AM PDT  Iran seized a boat and arrested 12 Filipino crewmen as it busted a suspected fuel-smuggling ring in the Strait of Hormuz waterway on Saturday, state media reported. "Coast guards successfully seized a foreign ship in the Strait of Hormuz," said Major Hossein Dehaki, the coast guard chief in the southern province of Hormozgan. Dehaki said the group was suspected of operating a fuel-smuggling ring and the confiscated shipment had been intercepted close to Sirik county in the Strait of Hormuz.
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| Forecasters monitoring several areas for tropical activity in the Atlantic this week Posted: 08 Sep 2019 12:07 PM PDT  Behind Dorian, AccuWeather meteorologists are keeping a close eye on a few areas of disturbed weather in the Atlantic basin this week.One area of disturbed weather is a tropical wave that pushed off the western shores of Africa last week. As of Sunday morning, it was located several hundred miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands.While the showers and thunderstorms associated with this wave were looking disorganized on Sunday, there is a 40% chance that this system gradually strengthens while tracking westward through the central tropical Atlantic Ocean this week."Another wave is expected to move off the coast of Africa through Monday and will bear watching for tropical development later this week," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said.With wind shear not looking to be an issue and dry air dissipating as these waves move westward, tropical development of one or both of these waves is possible. All interests across the Lesser Antilles and northern Caribbean should closely monitor the path of these waves as they traverse the open water this week. Possible impacts to these areas would occur around the middle of September.The next names on the list for the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season are Humberto and Imelda.These tropical waves are not alone out in the Atlantic Ocean. In fact, there is one being monitored closer to the United States."A disturbance will pass to the north of the eastern Caribbean and into the Bahamas early this week," Douty said. "It will have to be monitored as it tracks generally to the west to west-northwest." Regardless of whether or not this disturbance organizes into a tropical system, Douty expects it to enhance rainfall across Florida late this week. The northern Bahamas, which suffered a devastating blow from Dorian, may also experience an uptick in wet weather."This disturbance is expected to move into the northern Gulf by next weekend," Douty said. "There is pretty strong wind shear from the Bahamas into the northern Gulf, so we are only allowing for a low chance for development with this at this time."Still, all interests across the Bahamas and the Southeast and Gulf coasts should continue to monitor the forecast and check AccuWeather.com for further updates on these potential tropical threats.Meanwhile, Gabrielle continues to churn over the central Atlantic."Gabrielle is expected to peak in intensity as a strong tropical storm or minimal hurricane early this week," Douty said. Luckily for Bermuda, the Caribbean and the United States, the strengthening storm will be steered away and will not pose a threat to North America.By midweek, Gabrielle will drift northward into cooler waters, allowing it to lose most of its tropical characteristics. However, the system will pass north of the British Isles, delivering a burst of gusty winds to the United Kingdom later this week.
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| UPDATE 1-Former Hezbollah official found dead in Beirut flat Posted: 08 Sep 2019 12:38 PM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Former Hezbollah official found dead in Beirut flat]( "UPDATE 1-Former Hezbollah official found dead in Beirut flat") A former official in the powerful Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah was found dead in his flat in a Beirut neighborhood, the state-run Lebanese news agency said on Sunday. Security forces immediately opened an investigation and were awaiting the arrival of a forensic doctor to determine the cause of death, National News Agency said, giving only the initials of the man. A Hezbollah official who requested anonymity confirmed the death of Ali Hatoum and told Reuters an investigation was under way but that it did not appear to be security related.
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| US mass shooters exploited gaps, errors in background checks Posted: 07 Sep 2019 03:40 PM PDT  Most mass shooters in the U.S. acquired the weapons they used legally because there was nothing in their backgrounds to disqualify them, according to James Alan Fox, a criminologist with Northeastern University who has studied mass shootings for decades. Not all gun purchases are subject to a federal background check system. In 2018, there were more than 26 million background checks conducted and fewer than 100,000 people failed.
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| Russia and Ukraine trade prisoners, each fly 35 to freedom Posted: 07 Sep 2019 10:18 AM PDT  Russia and Ukraine conducted a major prisoner exchange that freed 35 people detained in each country and flew them to the other, a deal that could help advance Russia-Ukraine relations and end five years of fighting in Ukraine's east. The trade involved some of the highest-profile prisoners caught up in a bitter standoff between Ukraine and Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy greeted the freed prisoners as they stepped down from the airplane that had brought them from Moscow to Kyiv's Boryspil airport.
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| Southwest’s fare sale offers ridiculously good deals on flights as low as $29 Posted: 07 Sep 2019 06:01 AM PDT  It feels super cliche to offer the reminder that it's never too early to start planning a vacation, but Southwest Airlines is hoping to prod any travelers out there with a fare sale that's running for a few more days and offers some seriously low fares.You've got to act relatively fast since the sale ends at 11:59 p.m. PT on September 12, and also keep in mind that the sale is on fares for travel within the continental US between September 24 and March 4, 2020.The 10-day sale includes discounted fares on domestic, international as well as Hawaii flights within the island. The latter, in fact, is where you'll find the best deals -- including, at the time of this writing, one-way flights as low as $29 on inter-island Hawaii flights. Southwest's sale website includes a full rundown on all the details you need to know, including the deals that include $129 one-way flights between Newark and Austin, Texas, as well as one-ways from Newark to Nashville ($74) and a one-way to Puerto Rico (for $195).Some key details to know: Several blackout dates apply to this fare sale. Also, if you're planning inter-island Hawaii travel, you've got a slightly larger window to work with than we mentioned earlier. You'll need to be traveling between Sept. 17 and March 4, 2020. Likewise, international travelers will need to schedule their flight for any time between September 24 and December 11, or between January 7, 2020, and March 5, 2020.Southwest regularly announces sales like this one offering cheap flights at various times throughout the year, and if you know you'll be traveling anytime soon it's definitely good to keep an eye out for these. You'll be able to score any number of deals, like a $97 flight offered between Los Angeles and El Paso, as well as a $64 flight from Los Angeles up to San Francisco or a $130 flight from Los Angeles to Cabo, among others.
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| S&P Advice to South Africa: Beware What You Say About Eskom Debt Posted: 07 Sep 2019 11:00 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Talks around restructuring Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd.'s bonds must be approached carefully to avoid spooking the market, according to S&P Global Ratings.Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan said on Thursday the government will consult with the power utility's debt holders on any reorganization and that there isn't any real concern about haircuts."Whether you are talking about a haircut or a re-profiling or a restructuring, one has to tread very carefully because it could possibly lead to what is seen as a distressed-debt exchange and be called a default," S&P's managing director and regional manager for Africa, Konrad Reuss, said in an interview on Friday. "That would be quite unsettling for the markets."Eskom, which supplies about 95% of South Africa's power, has amassed 450 billion rand ($30.5 billion) of debt and turned to the government for bailouts to remain solvent as it confronts massive cost overruns at two partially completed coal-fired plants. The government has proposed splitting the utility into generation, transmission and distribution units under a state holding company -- an option rejected by labor unions that fear it will lead to privatization and job losses."We understand various options are being discussed to deal with Eskom's financial distress," Reuss said while attending the World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town. "For us, at this point, it is wait-and-see and get more information."'Need Details'S&P in March changed the outlook on its CCC+ ratings of Eskom to stable from negative after Finance Minister Tito Mboweni announced the allocation of 69 billion rand over three years to support the company. In July, Mboweni said the government will give Eskom an extra 59 billion rand over two years."Eskom has various kinds of debt -- domestic, foreign, government-guaranteed and unguaranteed -- which makes it highly complex." Reuss said. "The last thing you'd want to see is that unintentionally a default is being triggered. That's why we are all quite keen to get more details."Eskom is regarded as the biggest risk to South Africa's economy and the utility's drag on growth and the nation's finances has stoked fears that the country could lose its last remaining investment-grade credit rating with Moody's Investors Service.Fitch Ratings Ltd. has said the extra support for Eskom will widen the budget deficit for this fiscal year to 6.3% of gross domestic product, compared with the 4.5% of GDP the government projected in February.S&P was the first major ratings company to downgrade South Africa's debt to junk status in 2017.The National Treasury released an economic policy paper last week that proposed Eskom could sell some coal-fired power plants as part of a raft of reforms to boost the economy."The issues in the economy and from a ratings perspective are still the same: low growth and the fiscal trajectory in terms of deficit and debt ratios is still going in the wrong direction," Reuss said. "Whatever the economic plan is, there is urgency. We need to see implementation of measures that bring back growth and a fiscal turnaround."To contact the reporter on this story: Rene Vollgraaff in Johannesburg at rvollgraaff@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Benjamin Harvey at bharvey11@bloomberg.net, Gordon Bell, Paul RichardsonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| These Are the Most Expensive New Cars You Can (Actually) Buy Posted: 07 Sep 2019 05:51 AM PDT |
| Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch reveals the two rules for his law clerks Posted: 07 Sep 2019 11:49 AM PDT  Host Shannon Bream asks Justice Neil Gorsuch whether he is concerned with public perception of the Supreme Court; 'Neil Gorsuch: Justice for the Republic' airs Sunday, Sept. 8 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox News Channel.
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| More than 2,000 attend Sarajevo's first Gay Pride march Posted: 08 Sep 2019 12:05 PM PDT  More than two thousand people turned out in Sarajevo Sunday for the city's first Gay Pride march to protest hate crimes suffered by the LGBT community in Bosnia. More than 1,100 officers, including riot police, sealed off the route of the march through the city centre to protect participants from a counter protest by about 150 people. Activist Lejla Huremovic celebrated the fact that members of the LGBT community had been able to make themselves more visible.
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| UPDATE 4-Taliban says Trump's decision to cancel Afghan talks will mean U.S. lives lost Posted: 08 Sep 2019 12:42 AM PDT ![UPDATE 4-Taliban says Trump's decision to cancel Afghan talks will mean U.S. lives lost]( "UPDATE 4-Taliban says Trump's decision to cancel Afghan talks will mean U.S. lives lost") The Taliban on Sunday said U.S. President Donald Trump's abrupt decision to cancel peace talks would lead to fresh losses to American lives in Afghanistan at a time when the insurgent group was ready to finalise a deal to end the war. The Islamist group issued a statement hours after Trump unexpectedly canceled talks with the Taliban's "major leaders" at a presidential compound in Camp David following the Taliban's claim of responsibility for an attack in Kabul last week that killed an American soldier and 11 others.
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| UN atomic official in Iran as it runs advanced centrifuges Posted: 08 Sep 2019 10:42 AM PDT  Iran defended Sunday its decision to use advanced centrifuges prohibited by its unraveling 2015 nuclear deal with world powers as a visiting top official of the United Nations atomic watchdog urged Tehran to offer "time and active cooperation" with his inspectors. The visit and careful comments by Cornel Feruta, the acting director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, show the pressure his organization is now under as Iran steps further away from the deal the IAEA is meant to monitor. Also Sunday, a top U.S. Treasury official visiting Abu Dhabi insisted that Iran's oil exports "have taken a serious nosedive" after President Donald Trump withdrew America from the accord and imposed sanctions on its energy industry.
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| Beekeepers are suing Trump administration over decision to allow wider use of insecticides Posted: 08 Sep 2019 11:35 AM PDT  Beekeepers are suing the Trump administration over its decision to allow the wider use of an insecticide linked to the deaths of entire honeybee colonies.The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) removed restrictions on sulfoxaflor in July and approved a host of new uses for the chemical.
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| Playing God Posted: 08 Sep 2019 02:30 AM PDT  Pete Buttigieg, like Elwood Blues, is on a mission from God — or so he seems to think. Penguins beware.Buttigieg has managed to make an impression on the impressionable by insisting that God must surely regard air pollution as, in the idiotic idiom of the time, "messed up." The sin of presumption apparently has been omitted from Mayor Pete's negligent Episcopalian Sunday school curriculum.It is remarkable how far this meretricious kind of thing goes with the mush-brained partisans who dominate our political discourse in anno Domini 2019\. Christian conservatives were writing about the moral relevance of environmental attitudes as early as the 1930s: T. S. Eliot, noting contemporary concerns about soil erosion and unwelcome changes in agricultural practice, argued that "a wrong attitude towards nature implies, somewhere, a wrong attitude towards God." Papal encyclicals and apostolic letters have addressed related subjects. Volumes have been written on them. To this, Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg of Harvard and Pembroke College, Oxford, adds:"Messed up."Dude.The usual hearts twittered in the usual way. Why? Because they feel the sanctifying presence of the Paraclete? No, because they detect in this line of rhetoric an opportunity to wrong-foot Republicans, who take up their crosses and their AR-15s alternately. It is cheap rhetoric, but it is the sort of thing you'll enjoy if you enjoy that sort of thing. "Take it up with Jesus, loser!"You can get a good sense of the intellectual vacuity (and religious sterility, if you're interested in that) of this mode of politics from, e.g., Kirsten Powers's banal and illiterate conversation with Buttigieg, written up for general amusement in USA Today. (You will not be surprised to read that Mayor Pete has "started a crucial conversation," and has proceeded from cliché to cliché.) Powers, when she is not half-chiding her fellow Christian for showing what she considers excessive grace to people who have naughty political ideas (one wonders what she would consider insufficient grace), hits the reader with a few insights that are not exactly blistering in their originality: Jesus, she says, never mentioned abortion (but then, neither does the Constitution), while He did speak a great deal about looking after the poor. Powers writes this as though Christianity had been planted in a cultural vacuum and as though "feed my sheep" were synonymous with "vote for the party of the welfare state no matter what other horrifying business may be on their agenda" — and as though these kinds of issues had not been the subject of centuries of Christian inquiry. The New Testament is silent on the questions of, among other things, child pornography and cannibalism, but Christians are not expected to maintain a morally indifferent attitude toward these. Still less would Christians be expected to maintain such indifference in the face of the Supreme Court's happening upon a right to cannibalism lurking in some unexplored constitutional penumbra and the subsequent establishment of a franchised chain of coast-to-coast cannibalism outlets enjoying public subsidies.Messed up.Willi Schlamm observed that the problem with capitalism is capitalists, and, likewise, the problem with Christianity is and always has been Christians, from Saint Peter forward. Christians should of course be on the defensive about — among other more significant things — our relationship with Donald Trump and Trumpism, where applicable. But politics is about choices and tradeoffs. Buttigieg worries about factory pollution and feeding the poor, but he apparently is unable to do the elementary mental work of connecting the two: Rather than starving to death or dying of exposure, the poor in the developed world enjoy a relatively comfortable and secure standard of material life because of those factories and the pollution they produce. The high-yield modern agricultural techniques that gave poor old T. S. Eliot the willies feed humanity and are the principal reason the only famines the world has known in recent years have been man-made, created by politics. Factories don't only produce pollution, and they don't only produce tractors and life-saving medicines; they produce both, which makes real life more complicated than the cheap moralism that impresses intellectually stunted progressives.How do we balance concern for the environment against concern for economic production, or the desire to act publicly in the interest of the poor and in the pursuit of public goods against the concern for liberty, of which private property is a necessary buttress?Those are questions answered by politics and by politics alone; Scripture is of only indirect use to us there. Christians go to the polls to face the same unappetizing menu as any other group of voters and are under no especial disability on the matter of identifying and acting on their own political interests as they calculate them. Buttigieg represents the latest in a long line of disappointed little inquisitors who believe that they can provoke a politically potent "religious Left" into existence with sophomoric accusations of hypocrisy — as though there were not at least as much compromise within political parties and movements as between them, as though such compromise, including compromise on issues of real moral importance, were not only a necessary but a desirable feature of politics as conducted in a non-totalitarian context.The necessity of tradeoffs and compromise in ordinary politics is not an unlimited moral license. "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil . . . and justify the wicked for reward." Every politician, and every one of their cheerleaders in the media, would do well to meditate on those words. But until the Kingdom of Heaven is established in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, there are only imperfect choices on offer.In any event, I do hope the divine-right-to-abortion crowd will forgive their co-religionists if we roll our eyes a little while they pretend for five minutes to care what the pope thinks about x, y, or z, but only when it serves partisan Democratic interests to do so, or when they pronounce with Falwellian certitude that Jesus would have supported a cap-and-trade regime or federal subsidies for sex-change operations, or that some notion of Bible-based morality renders tax reform impossible. We could all do with fewer lectures on "grace" from the people who would dispatch federal bayonets to force septuagenarian nuns to underwrite contraception coverage in order to press a petty political advantage for no purpose other than precedent and humiliation.I will not presume to speak on behalf of the Almighty — who has not, as a matter of fact, requested my opinion on the matter — but even taking into account that the Lord works in mysterious ways and that He seems to have a bizarre and occasionally cruel sense of humor, it is difficult to imagine an omnipotence worth having that is constrained to express itself through the instrument of Pete Buttigieg, who looked at creation and saw that it was . . . messed up."Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration, don't fail me now." The Blues Brothers had a mission from God, too — and a much more developed systematic theology than the one clouding the mind of the esteemed gentleman from South Bend, Ind.
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| Iranian tanker Adrian Darya 1 photographed off Syrian port Tartus: U.S. satellite firm Posted: 06 Sep 2019 10:01 PM PDT  Maxar's supplied image shows the tanker Adrian Darya 1 very close to Tartus on Sept. 6. The ship appeared to have turned off its transponder in the Mediterranean west of Syria, Refinitiv ship-tracking data showed on Tuesday. The tanker, which is loaded with Iranian crude oil, sent its last signal giving its position between Cyprus and Syria sailing north at 15:53 GMT on Monday, the data showed.
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| Trump’s trade war with China creates unexpected winner: Canada's lobster industry Posted: 07 Sep 2019 09:00 PM PDT  Prices are at record levels and demand is growing for fishermen north of the border after China imposed tariffs on live lobsters'We've just picked up a lot more of the market than we had before,' said Geoff Irvine, head of the Lobster Council of Canada. Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/APLong hours, rolling ocean swells, and the occasional spring snowstorm are all part of the job for Francis Morrissey."It's bred into you from the time you're a child: you either like the ocean or you don't," said the fisherman and business owner from the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. "Even when I'm in the office, I wish I was out there."In recent months, Morrissey has had even more reason to head back out on to the water: prices are at record levels and demand is only growing as Donald Trump's trade war with China undercuts America's own lobster industry, giving an unexpected boost to fishermen north of the border.The US lobster industry was dealt a fresh blow in July, when China announced new tariffs on live lobsters, as part of a broader levy on exports from the US. The latest move will add an additional 10% to the price of lobsters headed for China, which already face 25% penalty tariffs.One clear winner of the trade war has been Canada, which has exported twice as many live lobsters in 2019 as the previous year, according to industry figures."We've just picked up a lot more of the market than we had before," said Geoff Irvine, head of the Lobster Council of Canada. "And at the same time, the market is growing, so it's a twofold story."Canada was well-positioned for market dominance. It was already the largest lobster supplier in the world, and has signed free trade agreements with Europe, the US and a number of Asian countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership.The booming fortunes of Canada's lobster industry have also have been aided by a changing climate. The waters around Nova Scotia, where the bulk of lobster are hauled from the Atlantic Ocean, have warmed slightly in recent years, dramatically increasing the number of lobsters that can be harvested.As a result of global demand, Canada's lobster market share is expected to continue its blistering growth, surpassing more than $3bn by 2025 – triple the figure for 2010 – according to figures from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Much of the demand is projected to come from Asia."Nine years ago, China didn't buy any lobster," said Irvine. But rapidly growing middle and affluent classes in the country have spurred demand for luxury shellfish.Canadian fishermen are hesitant to weigh in on the trade war, fearful they might be caught in the crossfire – and for good reason: Canada has its own problems with China.As recently as last year, talks of a free trade pact between China and Canada looked promising. But diplomatic relations between the two countries entered a deep freeze following the arrest of the telecoms executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver at the request of the US.In recent months, China has sharply curtailed canola and pork markets imports from Canada, in a move largely seen as retribution for Meng's detention.And as the tariff war drives greater demand for live Canadian lobster, Irvine cautions against premature celebration. "You can't generalize in this industry. Even with the increased sales to China, it's meant less for other markets – which has affected people who are focused on those markets." But the effects of the trade war have been unavoidable south of the border: US lobster fishermen are struggling to stay afloat. Stephanie Nadeau, who runs the Lobster Company in Arundel, Maine, said she never experienced such bleak prospects.Over the past year, exports to China have ground to halt, forcing her to lay off seven employees – nearly half of her staff. "We have no market in China right now. None," she said."Unless you want to go sell for nothing and you have a giant salesforce that can sit there and beat the phones all day, you're not going to replace [the Chinese market]," she said.In previous years, the US and Canada exported roughly the same amount of lobster to China. By June this year, Maine, America's largest lobster exporter, was supplying just 15% of the toothsome crustacean, while Canada accounted for 85%.In the first six months of 2019, US lobster exports to China dropped to just 2.2m compared to 12m lb in the same period in 2018.More than a year into the trade war, US lobster fishermen and women can see no end to their economic pains – and little sign that their plight has even been recognized by their own government. "How long am I supposed to sit here and not make any money?" asked Nadeau.
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