| AP Explains: How Trump upended US-Taliban peace talks Posted: 08 Sep 2019 06:22 AM PDT  With a series of tweets, President Donald Trump has upended nearly a year of U.S.-Taliban negotiations on ending America's longest war. The Taliban took half a day to respond, saying the abrupt decision hurt U.S. credibility after they had "finalized" a deal, but said the U.S. likely would return to negotiations. The two sides had still been talking on Saturday, they said — two days after Trump said he had "immediately" called off talks.
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| Emails Show McCabe Scrambling to Handle Stories About Hillary Probe Posted: 09 Sep 2019 07:33 AM PDT  Alex Wong/GettyFor months, a huge question has hovered over Washington's legal community: Would the Justice Department charge former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe with a crime? In the wake of a New York Times report that his lawyers met with the deputy attorney general about the DOJ's investigation of McCabe, many suspect charges could be coming. And the D.C. U.S. Attorney's Office has scrutinized allegations that McCabe was not candid with FBI investigators about his role in a news story concerning the FBI's probe into the Clinton Foundation. Now, emails reviewed by The Daily Beast cast additional light on the circumstances that preceded McCabe's firing from the FBI. They show that one FBI official felt the need to clarify to then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that the FBI's internal investigation into McCabe's behavior wasn't being slow-walked. And they show that former director of national intelligence James Clapper urged FBI Director Chris Wray to shield McCabe from being fired. They also show that in the weeks before the 2016 presidential election, McCabe shared more information about his media contacts with then-FBI Director James Comey than was previously known. McCabe has sued the Justice Department over his firing. The issues these emails shed light on—whether he deserved to be fired and whether the FBI handled the decision correctly—are sure to be front and center if the lawsuit goes to trial. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a government watchdog group, obtained the emails through FOIA litigation and shared them with The Daily Beast. They are also available in the FBI's FOIA vault. CREW's litigation is ongoing. Some of the emails in the tranche cast light on the FBI's scramble to deal with media coverage in the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign. On Oct. 21, 2016, McCabe sent Comey an email with the subject line "Updates." Copied on the email were James Rybicki, who was then Comey's chief of staff, and David Bowdich, who was then associate deputy director of the FBI. McCabe opened with an update on a cyberattack. He then turned to the subject of media. "In the more bad news category, Mike K informed me that Devlin Barrett at WSJ is putting together an article claiming I had a conflict of interest on MYR as a result of Jill's campaign connections to Gov. McCaulife [sic]," McCabe wrote, referring to then-Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe. "I will work with mike to provide some basic facts to push back. And, as always, will keep you advised. I am incredibly sorry for adding to the drama on this." "Mike K" referred to Mike Kortan, then the FBI's public affairs chief. "MYR" referred to Midyear, the FBI's nickname for its investigation of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server when she was secretary of state. "Outstanding," Comey replied to McCabe. "Don't sweat it."Two days later, McCabe updated Comey and Rybicki on his participation in the then-forthcoming Wall Street Journal story. "Not too much in the update," he wrote. "The only additional notable news is that Mike K and I spent a good part of the day trying to shape the WSJ story on my alleged conflict," he wrote. "Looks like they may try to release it on line tonight. The reporter also called Jill for a comment, so we are working that as well."The Justice Department Inspector General did not mention the emails in his damning report on McCabe, which focused on his role in a second Wall Street Journal story. The report alleged that McCabe lacked candor when he told FBI investigators about how the Journal obtained information about the Bureau's internal deliberations for that second story. One issue has been whether McCabe told Comey about his participation in that story; McCabe has said he did, but Comey has said he has no recollection of McCabe making the disclosure to him. McCabe's lawyers, meanwhile, argue that the Inspector General's report is seriously flawed. Scrutiny of McCabe's work at the FBI grew over the following two years, with congressional Republicans and the president calling for McCabe to be fired and punished. But McCabe also had defenders. Clapper—who has also become a target of the president—sent a handwritten letter to FBI Director Chris Wray on Feb. 25, 2018, praising McCabe and calling for Wray to intercede on his behalf. That letter is in the tranche of documents CREW obtained. In it, Clapper called the criticism of McCabe "completely unjustified and profoundly unfair." "We often appeared as witnesses together at Congressional hearings, where, as you also know, 'bonds' with fellow witnesses can quickly form," he wrote. "I came to know and rely on Andy as steady, straightforward, candid, forthright, and honest." He also praised McCabe for his "sharp intellect, insightful wisdom, unwavering commitment to the mission, self-effacing humility, staunch devotion to the men and women of the Bureau, and, importantly, his impeccable integrity." "I would hope you will consider my observations, which I know are shared uniformly by virtually everyone who knows Andy, and will use your influential voice to insure he is able to complete his career and retire after his 21 years of distinguished service to the Bureau and this nation," Clapper concluded. Clapper's letter came as the FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) was scrutinizing McCabe. The Inspector General had referred his case to OPR so they could make a recommendation to the Attorney General on how to handle it. In an email sent on March 5, 2018, Candice Will—then the head of the OPR office—updated Bowdich on her team's review of the McCabe investigation. That note includes a line that seems to hint at outside pressure to speed it up."I sent the DAG [Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein] a short email advising that FBI OPR had received the referral from the OIG, we are actively working it, we anticipate providing a proposed action to the subject this week, we will make the file available to the subject—all in accordance with standard procedures—for him to prepare a written response," she wrote. "In doing so, I let the Dept know that we are doing what should be done, not slow walking—we are following established procedures."Bowdich responded by noting that the Bureau would face criticism regardless of how it handled the decision on McCabe. "Thanks Candice, as you know we will be second guessed by some every step of the way however this ends up," he wrote. "As long as we follow the regular process we are where we should be on this issue."It is unclear why Will felt the need to clarify to Rosenstein that her office was "not slow walking" the McCabe review. An FBI spokesperson declined to comment for this story, as did a spokesperson for McCabe. On March 19, 2018, just hours before McCabe would have been eligible to retire and receive his pension, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced his firing. The move horrified his allies, but cheered critics of the Russia probe. And Trump's personal lawyer at the time, John Dowd, praised the move and said Mueller's investigation should be shut down next. The timing of McCabe's firing—and the question of whether Trump's allies pushed for it to be expedited—has become a major point of contention. The emails suggest there may be more to all these pieces of the McCabe story than currently known—and that civil litigation or a criminal trial could generate much more information. Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Two dead, travel chaos, after powerful typhoon pummels Tokyo Posted: 09 Sep 2019 03:09 AM PDT  A powerful typhoon that battered Tokyo overnight with record winds killed two people, police said Monday, as cancelled trains caused commuter chaos and more than 100 flights were scrapped, leaving thousands stranded at the airport. Typhoon Faxai, packing winds of up to 207 kilometres (129 miles) per hour, made landfall in Chiba just east of the capital before dawn, after barrelling through Tokyo Bay. The transport disruptions unleashed by the storm came less than two weeks before the start of the Rugby World Cup, and delayed the arrival of the Australian team -- a reminder that Japan's typhoon season could present challenges for organisers.
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| Cocaine abuse leaves fatal infected erosion in man's throat Posted: 09 Sep 2019 10:24 AM PDT  Doctors in Malta are using a cocaine abuser's death as a lesson for treatment. The 38-year-old had a known history of cocaine use that left him with a gaping hole at the back of his throat. Medical officials are now advising a thorough examination of brain and palate imaging for patients with a history of cocaine abuse.
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| Man charged in 31-year-old cold case murder. Police suspect he may have killed others Posted: 08 Sep 2019 04:10 PM PDT  Lawrence Gene 'Larry' Timmons was charged Friday with the 1988 slaying of a 31-year-old Missouri woman. Other cold cases now being looked at.
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| Second Amendment Foundation: Background checks policy shouldn't be decided on just Odessa Posted: 09 Sep 2019 03:15 PM PDT  Anti-gun-rights extremists are exploiting the tragic shooting in Odessa, Texas, writes Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation.
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| India Criticizes Chinese Trade Policies Posted: 08 Sep 2019 10:23 PM PDT ![India Criticizes Chinese Trade Policies]( "India Criticizes Chinese Trade Policies") (Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Monday criticized China for what he described as one-sided trade policies, casting doubt over the progress of negotiations for a pan-Asian free trade agreement.Speaking during a panel discussion in Singapore, the minister said India remained skeptical over "unfair" market access and "Chinese protectionist policies" that have created a significant trade deficit between the two nations. India's trade deficit with China was $53.6 billion in the fiscal year ended March 2019."The big concerns of India are of course, one, its relationship with China because we have an enormous trade deficit with China," Jaishankar said in response to a question regarding the ongoing negotiations for Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP.Negotiators have expressed hope that RCEP -- which includes all 10 of Southeast Asia's Asean countries, as well as Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India and China -- would be delivered by the end of the year. While ministers from the 16 participating countries reaffirmed their commitment to reaching a deal this year following negotiations in Bangkok over the weekend, it is unclear whether such a goal will be met.Jaishankar said he was unsure what was discussed in the latest round of negotiations, but noted that India's involvement would hinge on a mutually equitable, depoliticized arrangement."RCEP at the end of the day is an economic negotiation. It has a strategic implication, but the merits of the RCEP outcome have to be economic," said Jaishankar. "It has to be sold for its strength and I think if that was more self-evident to Indians I think you would get clearly a much stronger resonance."Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who was also on the panel, urged India to reconsider its position on RCEP, saying that Beijing and New Delhi would have to come to terms on trade eventually."I am making the argument that it is worth making the effort, because this would be a game changer," Balakrishnan said.To contact the reporter on this story: Philip J. Heijmans in Singapore at pheijmans1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Karthikeyan SundaramFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| A leaked offer to an Iranian tanker captain exposed an open secret: The US will pay you millions of dollars to betray its enemies Posted: 09 Sep 2019 12:53 PM PDT  Defense and security experts were incredulous that the US government used email to offer millions of dollars to the captain of an Iranian oil tanker.
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| North Korea says willing to resume U.S. talks this month, launches more projectiles Posted: 09 Sep 2019 07:54 AM PDT  SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea said on Monday it was willing to restart nuclear talks with the United States in late September but warned that dealings between the sides could end unless Washington takes a fresh approach. Within hours of the announcement, North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles east from its South Pyongan province, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The launches followed repeated short-range missile tests by North Korea since its leader Kim Jong Un agreed in a June 30 meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump to reopen working-level talks stalled since their failed February summit in Hanoi.
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| South African attacks on foreign shops continue; 12 dead Posted: 09 Sep 2019 06:24 AM PDT  Two people have been killed in Johannesburg, police confirmed Monday, bringing to 12 the number of deaths since violence against foreign-owned shops erupted last month. Bands of South Africans launched violent attacks against foreign-owned shops and stalls, looting and burning the small businesses and attacking some of the shopkeepers. The attacks appear to be spreading throughout Gauteng, the country's most populous province encompassing the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria.
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| Pope Francis urges Mauritius to shun 'idolatrous economic model' Posted: 09 Sep 2019 08:12 AM PDT  Pope Francis on Monday urged Mauritius, a prosperous magnet for tourists and a global tax haven, to shun an "idolatrous economic model" that excludes the youth and the poor and damages the environment. The Argentine pontiff's visit to the idyllic Indian Ocean island began with a mass attended by an estimated 100,000 faithful, ecstatically waving palm fronds and cheering "Francis, Francis". While the island is a beacon of stability and relative prosperity, Pope Francis honed in on the struggles of the youth, who face growing inequality, unemployment and the scourge of drug abuse.
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| Have Archaeologists Discovered the Town Jesus Appeared in After His Resurrection? Posted: 08 Sep 2019 02:15 AM PDT  CaravaggioAccording to the Bible, after his resurrection Jesus appeared to various groups of followers. In one story, found only in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus appears to two of his disciples as they journeyed to the town of Emmaus. They have a discussion and share a meal with Jesus and it's only when Jesus breaks the bread that "their eyes were opened" and they recognize him for who he is. The story is part of the most significant event in Christian history, a major inspiration to Caravaggio and other Renaissance artists. The only problem is that scholars cannot agree about where Emmaus was. This week archaeologists announced that they may have unearthed the first evidence of its location—and they weren't even looking for it. Historically, there has been considerable debate about where, exactly, Emmaus was situated. For Christians, places associated with the life of Jesus are important pilgrimage destinations. From the ancient world to the modern one, religious tourists want to retrace the footsteps of Jesus. This is especially true of places associated with Jesus's birth, death, and resurrection. The earliest known attempt to pinpoint Emmaus' location was that of the fourth-century church historian Eusebius of Caesarea, who identified the city of Nicopolis as the biblical Emmaus. The theologian and translator Jerome agrees, and implies in a letter that there was a church in Nicopolis constructed over the house where Jesus and his followers broke bread. From the fourth century onwards, Christians seem to have readily identified Nicopolis with Emmaus. The problem with this argument is that Nicopolis is much further away from Jerusalem than we would expect. Luke says Emmaus was about 60 stadia (7-11 km) from Jerusalem, but Nicopolis is 160 stadia from Jerusalem. Over the years, a number of scholars have suggested no fewer than five alternative sites to Nicopolis and there is no general agreement about which is the most likely. Now, things may have changed. In 2017, a joint French and Israeli group of archaeologists began excavation work at Kiriath-Jearim, a hill several kilometers to the west of Jerusalem. Due to its proximity to Jerusalem and its elevated position, the fort was a strategically important military site. It essentially controlled access to Jerusalem from the coast. The archaeologists involved in the excavation were initially interested in two sets of questions: the relationship of the site to events and places mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and the history of the site during the Maccabean revolt in the second century B.C.. In the Bible, Kiriath-Jearim is best known as the place that the Ark of the Covenant was supposedly held before King David moved it to Jerusalem. The Maccabean revolt, which is partially described in the books of the Maccabees, is largely remembered for Judah the Maccabee's triumph over Seleucid oppressors and reconquest of Jerusalem in 164 B.C.. It's the miraculous event that took place at this time that is celebrated during Hannukah. During the 2019 excavation season researchers at Kiriath-Jearim uncovered evidence of later phases of use of the site. Their most significant discovery was a set of fortifications that were built over the city walls during the first half of the second century B.C.. These walls are roughly three meters thick. Excavators at the dig also uncovered what is tentatively described as the remains of a tower. Additional evidence—Roman tiles, coins, and the kind of nails used in the sandals of Roman soldiers—shows that these walls were repaired sometime in the first century A.D.. Inscriptions from Kiriath Yearim and the nearby village of Abu Ghosh reveal that the town had hosted part of the 10th Roman legion after the Jewish war in A.D. 66-73. The very fact that the city had been repeatedly refortified is further evidence of the military and strategic significance of the site. In a forthcoming article in New Studies in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and its Region, professor Israel Finkelstein, an archaeologist based at Tel Aviv University and Thomas Römer, a professor of biblical studies at the College de France, argue that the Hellenistic era walls date to the period of conflict between the Maccabees and the Seleucids. During the revolt, Bacchides, the leader of the Seleucid army, ordered the construction of a ring of fortresses around Jerusalem that would guard and secure the various approaches to the city. Bacchides' construction efforts are, according to Römer, the only known large-scale fortification efforts during this period of history. Both 1 Maccabees 9:50 and the first century CE Jewish historian Josephus provide us with lists of the towns around Jerusalem that Bacchides had fortified. Most of those locations are identifiable sites to the north, south, and east of Jerusalem, many of which have been excavated. Neither list refers to Kiriath-Jearim, but, instead, both mention the name of another town: Emmaus. According to the Gospel of Luke, Emmaus was 60 stadia (7-11 kilometers) from Jerusalem. This is roughly equivalent of the 11 kilometers that lie between Jerusalem and the area that encompasses the hill of Kiriath-Jearim and town of Abu Ghosh. Given the absence of any other known Hellenistic-era fortified cities to the west of the city, Finkelstein and Römer argue that Kiriath-Jearim and the neighboring town of Abu Ghosh are actually Emmaus. This would mean that, in addition to identifying a strategically important military center, they may also have uncovered the location of an important episode from the story of the life of Jesus. Finkelstein and Römer have support from an unlikely source. During the 12th century, crusaders (more precisely, the Knights Hospitaller) built the Church of the Resurrection at Abu Ghosh beneath the hill of Kiriath-Jearim and called the place Castellum Emmaus. Of course, it's difficult to speak with certainty about the identification. Finkelstein and Römer's article uses archaeology, historical texts, and ancient and modern geography to make a strong case, but ultimately without the discovery of something decisive (say, an inscription) that can positively identify the site as Emmaus the theory remains a theory, albeit a compelling one. 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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| Photos of Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, World's Fastest Production Car Posted: 08 Sep 2019 03:01 AM PDT ![Photos of Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, World's Fastest Production Car]( "Photos of Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, World's Fastest Production Car")
Same spec as record-breaking car that ran 300 mph at Ehra-Lessien test track. From Car and Driver
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| 9 elementary school students sent to ER after inadvertently eating weed candy Posted: 09 Sep 2019 08:43 AM PDT ![9 elementary school students sent to ER after inadvertently eating weed candy]( "9 elementary school students sent to ER after inadvertently eating weed candy") The students, who attended Renaissance Charter School in Cooper City, Florida, suffered stomach pain. The injuries were not life-threatening.
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| Brazilian official who protects Amazon indigenous tribes shot dead Posted: 09 Sep 2019 11:14 AM PDT  A Brazilian government official who spent more than a decade working to protect indigenous people in the Amazon from loggers, miners and other threats to their way of life has been killed. Maxciel Pereira dos Santos was shot twice in the head in front of his family in an apparent execution, according to a union that represents such workers. Mr Santos had spent more than 12 years working for Funai, the National Indian Foundation, which is a Brazilian government body that defends the interests of indigenous people. He was reportedly shot while riding a motorbike down a main street of Tabatinga, located deep in the Amazon rainforest on Brazil's border with Colombia and Peru. Officials at INA, a union that represents Funai workers, claimed Mr Santos was killed in retaliation for work at the Vale do Javari reservation, which has the world's highest concentration of uncontacted indigenous tribes. An aerial view shows smoke rising over a deforested plot of the Amazon jungle in Porto Velho, Rondonia State, Brazil, in this August 24, 2019 Credit: UESLEI MARCELINO/REUTERS Police are investigating but have not yet determined a motivation for the crime, according to the Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo. The killing comes amid international outrage at the destruction of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. More than 80,000 fires were recorded between January and August this year, double last year's number. Jair Bolsonaro, the Brazilian president, has faced criticism from the international community for failing to do enough to protect the Amazon. According to Reuters analysis the budget for the government body which protects the rainforest has shrunk by 25 per cent since Mr Bolsonaro took office on January 1. Funai has three bases in the Vale do Javari to protect an area the size of Austria with some 6,000 residents from eight tribes, and some 16 uncontacted tribes. INA officials called on authorities to demonstrate Brazil "no longer condones violence against those who engage, under the rule of law, in the protection and promotion of indigenous rights".
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| Hong Kong’s Richest Man Tells Leaders to ‘Have Mercy’ Amid Protests Posted: 09 Sep 2019 06:18 AM PDT ![Hong Kong's Richest Man Tells Leaders to 'Have Mercy' Amid Protests]( "Hong Kong's Richest Man Tells Leaders to 'Have Mercy' Amid Protests") (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong's richest man urged the government to "have mercy" in dealing with the unrest that has rocked the city this summer, describing recent months of protests as its worst crisis since World War II.Li Ka-shing, whose conglomerate is among Hong Kong's most dominant business empires, on Sunday called for reconciliation between the government and protesters as another weekend of demonstrations turned violent."If it continues, it will be very bad, and I am concerned," the 91-year-old said during an event at Tsz Shan Monastery, a Buddhist temple which he helped finance. "We hope young people can consider the big picture, and government leaders can also have mercy on the masters of our future." A spokesman for CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd., Li's flagship ports-to-telecom conglomerate, confirmed his remarks.Small pockets of demonstrators on Sunday set fires, vandalized subway stations and set up barricades downtown after tens of thousands marched peacefully to the U.S. consulate. The dramatic images in the heart of Hong Kong served as the latest reminder that three months of demonstrations against China's grip over the city are unlikely to end soon.Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam last week said she would formally withdraw a bill allowing extraditions to the mainland, which triggered the unrest in early June. But demonstrators now have a host of other demands, and Beijing has ruled out the biggest one: the right to elect a leader of their choosing.In newspaper advertisements last month, Li called for an end to the violence in a poetic message that some interpreted as calling for those in power to stop persecution, while others said it meant to urge protesters to stop disrupting the city.To contact the reporter on this story: Shirley Zhao in Hong Kong at xzhao306@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: David Watkins at dwatkins19@bloomberg.net, Sam NagarajanFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| California and Alabama are the only two states that aren't participating in the giant antitrust investigation of Google, and neither is really saying why (GOOGL, FB) Posted: 09 Sep 2019 01:10 PM PDT  Every other US state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, is taking part in the inquiry.
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| Trump shares bizarre cat meme about his altered hurricane map Posted: 08 Sep 2019 01:40 PM PDT  President Trump prolonged a weeklong controversy over Hurricane Dorian, sharing cat video late Saturday night that mocked coverage of his incorrect claims about the storm's path.
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| Zimbabwe's Mugabe to lie in state at 2 different stadiums Posted: 09 Sep 2019 10:03 AM PDT  Former Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe's body will lie in state at two different stadiums in the capital city for three days, the information minister said Monday, but she did not announce where he would be buried on Sunday. Mugabe, an ex-guerrilla chief who took power in 1980 when the African country shook off white minority rule and ruled for decades, died on Friday at a hospital in Singapore. Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said in a statement that the government has dispatched Vice President Kembo Mohadi and other senior officials and family members to Singapore to accompany Mugabe's body home.
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| New Saudi minister jokes oil outlook could drive him to Prozac Posted: 09 Sep 2019 08:06 AM PDT  Saudi Arabia's Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman brought some humour to his debut as the kingdom's new oil minister Monday, joking that the industry outlook could drive him to take Prozac if he took it seriously. Speaking at an international energy forum in Abu Dhabi where he was the star of the show just a day after being appointed by his father King Salman, the new minister deflected concerns over the health of the energy sector. The International Energy Agency (IEA) last week lowered its growth forecast for oil demand for 2019 and 2020, blaming the ugly US-China trade dispute which has triggered fears of a global recession.
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| Russia's ruling party loses a third of seats in Moscow election after protests Posted: 08 Sep 2019 10:29 PM PDT  Russia's ruling United Russia party, which supports President Vladimir Putin, has lost one third of its seats in the Moscow city assembly, final polling data cited by Russian news agencies showed on Monday, in an awkward setback for the Kremlin. The outcome of the local elections was closely watched in Moscow after the exclusion of many opposition candidates triggered the biggest protests there in nearly a decade.
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| View Photos of the 2020 Toyota Camry TRD Posted: 09 Sep 2019 04:00 AM PDT |
| Couple arrested after bank mistakenly deposited $120,000 they spent, police say Posted: 09 Sep 2019 11:09 AM PDT  The couple from Montoursville, Pennsylvania, allegedly purchased a car, paid their bills and handed the money out to friends, police said.
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| Female prisoner who asked for help says she was 'beaten so badly' she was paralyzed Posted: 08 Sep 2019 09:12 AM PDT  A female inmate in a Florida prison who said she was beaten by four guards has sued the state's corrections agency. Cheryl Weimar said the alleged beating left her paralyzed, ane with with "serious and life-threatening injuries, including a broken neck," in a complaint filed in district court on Tuesday.
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| Fox News Host Steve Hilton Blasts Liz Cheney: Your Dad ‘Literally’ Killed Millions Posted: 09 Sep 2019 11:37 AM PDT  Fox News host Steve Hilton tore into Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) on Monday for publicly objecting to President Donald Trump's initial plan to invite the Taliban to Camp David just days before the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, pointing out that her father was "literally" responsible for "millions of deaths."Over the weekend, Trump announced via Twitter that he was canceling secret Camp David peace talks with the Taliban and the Afghanistan government to bring an eventual end to the nearly 18-year Afghan war, blaming a recent Taliban attack that killed a U.S. soldier. That the meeting was scheduled mere days before the 9/11 anniversary, however, prompted widespread and bipartisan criticism."Camp David is where America's leaders met to plan our response after al Qaeda, supported by the Taliban, killed 3000 Americans on 9/11," Cheney tweeted Sunday morning. "No member of the Taliban should set foot there. Ever. The Taliban still harbors al Qaeda. The President is right to end the talks."Appearing as Fox News chat-fest Outnumbered's "One Lucky Guy" on Monday, Hilton took issue with the amount of condemnation and ridicule the president has received over the scuttled peace talks. And he specifically took Cheney to task.Declaring that he was "very angry" with all of "these establishment types" wondering how Trump could invite the Taliban to Camp David, Hilton claimed the president is "actually trying to clean up the mess that all these establishment people with their military-industrial complex cronies" created."And please spare us," Hilton exclaimed, referencing Cheney. "She talks about death. Her father literally was responsible for not just the thousands of deaths that she rightly attributes to the Taliban, millions of deaths, billions of dollars wasted going into the company that he was the CEO of."Cheney's father, of course, is former Vice-President Dick Cheney, who is seen as the chief architect of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq following the 9/11 terror attacks. Prior to becoming vice-president, Dick Cheney was the CEO of multinational oil-field service company Halliburton, which received a $7-billion no-bid government contract in the run-up to the Iraq War."The corruption of this military-industrial complex, the establishment that supported them led to all these problems that Donald Trump is trying to clear out," Hilton concluded.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| WV pol charged after anger over racist signs turns physical Posted: 09 Sep 2019 02:06 PM PDT ![WV pol charged after anger over racist signs turns physical]( "WV pol charged after anger over racist signs turns physical") A West Virginia lawmaker has been charged for kicking a door into a statehouse staffer and elbowing a delegate because he was mad about racist signs at the Capitol, authorities said. A criminal complaint filed Friday charges Democratic Del. Mike Caputo with misdemeanor battery for the incident in March. Caputo has admitted to kicking the door because he was upset about a display outside the House chamber on "WV GOP Day" that falsely linked U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
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| S.Africa issues arrest warrant for suspected killers of Rwandan ex-spy Posted: 09 Sep 2019 07:05 AM PDT  South African authorities have issued an arrest warrant for two of the four alleged murderers of an exiled Rwandan ex-spy and critic of President Paul Kagame who was killed in a Johannesburg hotel in 2014, the family lawyer said Monday. South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is also applying for the extradition of two other suspects of Rwandan descent, advocate Gerrie Nel said in a statement. If granted, the NPA will apply to Interpol to issue "Red Notices" for the suspects, Nel said in a statement.
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| The next target in the climate-change debate: your gas stove Posted: 09 Sep 2019 05:31 AM PDT  WASHINGTON/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Dozens of cities in liberal-leaning states such as California, Washington, and Massachusetts are studying proposals to ban or limit the use of natural gas in commercial and residential buildings. The movement opens a new front in the fight against climate change that could affect everything from heating systems in skyscrapers to stoves in suburban homes. Berkeley, California, in July became the first U.S. city to pass an ordinance banning gas systems in new buildings, and it may soon be followed by many others, according to interviews with local officials, activists and industry groups.
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| Clashes Erupt in Hong Kong as Thousands March on the U.S. Consulate to Call for Washington's Support Posted: 08 Sep 2019 03:24 AM PDT  Marchers are calling on the U.S. to pass the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act
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| Robert Shiller, who predicted dot-com crash, sees less than 50% chance of recession in '20 Posted: 09 Sep 2019 10:19 AM PDT ![Robert Shiller, who predicted dot-com crash, sees less than 50% chance of recession in '20]( "Robert Shiller, who predicted dot-com crash, sees less than 50% chance of recession in '20") Economist Robert Shiller told the Financial News he believes there's less than 50% chance of recession in 2020. Many economists predict a downturn
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| Two Ohio Planned Parenthood Clinics to Close amid Funding Crunch Posted: 09 Sep 2019 12:03 PM PDT  Planned Parenthood announced Monday that two Ohio clinics will be closing this month due to stifling regulations and a loss of state and federal funding.The two Cincinnati clinics, located in the Springdale and Western Hills neighborhoods, will close September 20, the organization said. Neither clinic performs abortions. Women in the greater Cincinnati and Miami Valley areas will still have access to five other Planned Parenthood locations after the two clinics shut their doors, and to 26 locations statewide.Last month, Planned Parenthood announced that it would withdraw from Title X, the federal program that funds family-planning services for low-income Americans, after the Trump administration debuted a rule requiring "physical and financial separation" between abortion services and groups receiving funding from the program.In April, Republican governor Mike DeWine signed into law Ohio's "heartbeat bill," which would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected at about four weeks of pregnancy if it went into effect. The law is currently on hold amid court challenges."These closures are the result of years of attacks on our ability to provide reproductive health care," said Kersha Deibel, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region. "Ohio politicians have passed 22 anti-reproductive health measures in recent years, including a defunding bill that went into effect earlier this year. Then came the changes to the Title X program, from an administration that has made it clear that it wants to force out trusted health centers that provide evidence-based, comprehensive reproductive health care.""These layered attacks in a hostile environment forced us to make some really tough decisions," Deibel added. "This is the world they want to see: one where women lose access to birth control, where information about how to access abortion is held hostage, and where, if you don't have money, it's almost impossible to access an STI test or a cancer screening."Pro-life groups have pushed back on the notion that the administration rule slashes access to family-planning services, saying it simply redirects funding to better service providers."The Protect Life Rule doesn't cut a single dime from family planning. It instead directs tax dollars to Title X centers that do not promote or perform abortions" the Susan B. Anthony List said in a statement on the proposal last year.
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| A former Boeing official is pleading the Fifth Amendment after being subpoenaed for documents in the US Justice Department's probe of the 737 Max Posted: 09 Sep 2019 10:12 AM PDT  The former chief technical pilot on the Boeing 737 Max project invoked the Fifth in response to a grand jury subpoena from the Justice Department.
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| China warns the UK could be committing 'hostile action' if it sends carrier into territory Posted: 09 Sep 2019 12:49 PM PDT  Britain has been warned by China that the deployment of HMS Queen Elizabeth to the South China Sea could be viewed as a "hostile action". The MoD plans to send Britain's new aircraft carrier to the Asia Pacific region on her first operational deployment, due in 2021. The government is keen to assert freedom of navigation through international waters and, alongside US and Australian allies, has been forthright in defending such actions against an increasingly belligerent China. The planned deployment will see F-35 stealth jets from the US Marine Corps embarked on the 65,000 ton ship. Speaking in London last week Major General Su Guanghui, China's Defence Attaché to the UK, said: "If the US and UK join hands in a challenge or violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China, that would be hostile action". China reacted angrily last year when HMS Albion, one of the Royal Navy's amphibious assault ships, transited the South China Sea, close to the Paracel Islands, over which China, along with other nations, claim sovereignty. At the time the British government was accused of "provocative actions" in the contested region. The MoD insisted HMS Albion was always in international waters. The Paracels are controlled by China but also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan. Q&A; | South China Sea dispute China's claim to the 12-mile limit around the islands - and the similarly uninhabited Spratly islands 200 miles further south - is not internationally recognised. Liu Xiaoming, China's ambassador to the UK Insisted that China would "never seek hegemony, expansion or a sphere of influence". "The South China Sea is a vast ocean... we have no objection to people sailing around there but do not enter Chinese territorial waters within 12 nautical miles," he said. "If you don't do that, there shouldn't be a problem. The South China Sea is wide enough to have free navigation of shipping." China has been accused in recent years of building artificial islands in the South China Sea to expand its military reach, in violation of international law. However, Mr Liu insisted that whilst "the current international may not be perfect...one cannot scrap it, start all over again or cherry-pick what one wants". He strongly condemned the confrontation with HMS Albion, saying it had created a lot of problems in China-UK relations and suggested the UK had been acting on behalf of a foreign power, believed to be the US. "It was to show muscle," he said. "The UK should not do this dirty job for somebody else." A Government spokesperson said: "The UK has enduring interests in the region and is committed to maintaining regional security. The presence of international navies in the South China Sea is normal and the Royal Navy is no exception to this. "We remain committed to asserting rights of freedom of navigation at sea and in the air as provided for by international law."
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| Trump scuppered peace plan with Taliban 'by trying to take credit for deal' Posted: 09 Sep 2019 12:18 AM PDT  A tentative peace deal between Taliban leaders and the US fell apart after Donald Trump moved to make the accord a spectacle as part of his re-election campaign, reports have suggested.The US president announced he was calling off a secret meeting between senior members of the Taliban, the government of Afghanistan, and his own administration through a Twitter post on Saturday evening - laying blame on the Taliban's car bomb killing of 12 people in Kabul including a US soldier.
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| Governor in blackface scandal names new diversity director Posted: 09 Sep 2019 11:47 AM PDT  Gov. Ralph Northam announced at a Capitol news conference that he had hired Janice Underwood as Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Underwood, a former director of diversity initiatives at Old Dominion University, said one of the things that drew her to the new job was Northam's commitment to rebuilding trust in the wake of a scandal that nearly forced him from office. "He hasn't always gotten it right, but what I respect the most is that he's willing to learn and do the work," Underwood said.
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| Patients die as Manila traffic jams block ambulances Posted: 09 Sep 2019 03:17 AM PDT  Gridlock in Manila is costing lives as ambulances stuck in traffic face severe delays in the race against the clock to reach the city's hospitals, medics warn. Special lanes for emergency vehicles are not enforced, the infrastructure is outdated, and local drivers are often unwilling or unable to make way -- a situation experts say is causing patients to die en route. It is as if you were not given a chance to do everything in your capacity to help," ambulance driver and paramedic Joseph Laylo told AFP.
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| Shoot them? Hang them? - Filipino heavyweights hanker for death penalty return Posted: 09 Sep 2019 02:21 AM PDT  If he gets his way, Filipino senator and boxing champion Manny Pacquiao would have drug criminals executed by firing squad. It comes at the behest of President Rodrigo Duterte, the popular, self-styled "punisher", notorious for his crackdowns on crime, and a war on drugs that has killed thousands of mostly poor, urban Filipinos. Pacquiao, a staunch Duterte loyalist and the only boxer to win world titles in eight divisions, believes executions are the best deterrent for big drug syndicates.
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| New York college student arrested in Russia over medical marijuana possession Posted: 09 Sep 2019 12:13 PM PDT ![New York college student arrested in Russia over medical marijuana possession]( "New York college student arrested in Russia over medical marijuana possession") Audrey Lorber, a student at Pace University, was stopped at the airport in St. Petersburg with 19.05 grams of medical marijuana.
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| McConnell backs short-term spending bill to avert shutdown Posted: 09 Sep 2019 01:04 PM PDT  "A major focus of the Senate this month will be ... passing a temporary continuing resolution for the outstanding parts of the government," McConnell says.
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| Epstein bombarded Bill Gates with calls and contacts to score a meeting with the billionaire a year before his $2 million donation to MIT Posted: 09 Sep 2019 02:08 PM PDT  A spokesperson for Bill Gates confirmed that Jeffrey Epstein "worked aggressively" to meet with him in 2013, a year before giving $2 million to MIT.
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| Eisman Says Trump Would Have to Give in for China Trade Deal Posted: 09 Sep 2019 04:07 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. Steve Eisman, the Neuberger Berman Group money manager, said U.S. President Donald Trump would have to back down to get a trade deal with China."Will there be a deal between China and the U.S.? I have my doubts," Eisman said on Bloomberg TV on Monday. "My impression is that China is not backing down on anything," so to get a deal "Trump basically has to give in."Eisman, 57, said the prospects of a deal would collapse if China sent its military to manage the continuing protests in Hong Kong. Such a move could also cause a global market correction, said the money manager who famously foresaw the collapse of subprime mortgages before the 2008 financial crisis."If that were to happen, the probability of a trade deal between the United States and China would probably go to zero," he said.Global markets have been buffeted by the U.S.-China trade dispute since Trump first proposed tariffs on imports in early 2018. Volatility has soared and corporate earnings estimates slashed as hopes of a resolution have come and gone. The saga has added to the risks of a disruption in global supply chains, driving up some consumer prices and weighing on growth.Eisman's bets against the housing market before the financial crisis were chronicled in Michael Lewis's 2010 book "The Big Short," which showcased money managers who foresaw and profited from the market turmoil. The money manager joined Neuberger Berman after closing his hedge fund Emrys Partners in 2014, and currently runs managed accounts and money pools betting on rising and falling share prices.(Updates with Eisman comments in fourth paragraph.)\--With assistance from Tom Keene and Francine Lacqua.To contact the reporter on this story: Nishant Kumar in London at nkumar173@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Shelley Robinson at ssmith118@bloomberg.net, Patrick HenryFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Syria says Israel was behind airstrike in country's east Posted: 09 Sep 2019 02:15 PM PDT  Unknown warplanes targeted an arms depot and posts of Iranian-backed militias in eastern Syria, near the Iraqi border, killing at least 18 fighters in a nighttime attack, Syrian opposition activists said Monday. A Syrian security official said Israeli jets staged the airstrikes, but denied there were any casualties. The attack comes amid rising tensions in the Middle East and the crisis between Iran and the U.S. in the wake of the collapsing nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.
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| Hong Kong's Joshua Wong on way to Germany, US after brief detention Posted: 09 Sep 2019 02:35 AM PDT  Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong said he was making his way to Germany on Monday after he was released from a brief spell in custody following a mistake in his bail conditions. Wong, 22, was among multiple prominent democracy advocates who were detained late last month in a roundup by police as the semi-autonomous city reels from more than three months of unprecedented pro-democracy protests. On Sunday, he said he was detained at Hong Kong airport for "breaching bail conditions" after returning from Taiwan and as he then tried to make another overseas trip to Germany.
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| China's Guangdong to release another 3,150 tonnes of pork from reserves to secure supplies Posted: 09 Sep 2019 05:54 AM PDT |
| Eyewitness This: 6 in 10 fearful of mass shooting; majority support expanded background checks, poll finds Posted: 09 Sep 2019 08:42 AM PDT  An ABC News/Washington Post poll shows what Americans think about gun laws, and their fears of mass shootings in their communities.
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