| Children were told to ‘build the wall’ at White House Halloween party Posted: 02 Nov 2019 08:30 AM PDT  A Halloween party on Oct. 25 at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in D.C. featured candy, paper airplanes — and concerning for some attendees — a station where children were encouraged to help "Build the Wall" with their own personalized bricks.
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| Guard linked to beating had been subject of complaints Posted: 02 Nov 2019 12:49 PM PDT ![Guard linked to beating had been subject of complaints]( "Guard linked to beating had been subject of complaints") A guard accused in a lawsuit of beating a female inmate so severely she was left paralyzed had previously been accused of trading cigarettes for sex, insubordination, harassing inmates and other actions at a Florida prison, according to a news report. Despite the long history of accusations, the Lowell Correctional Institution in Ocala never fired Keith Turner and he had been promoted to lieutenant a few years ago, The Miami Herald reported . Cheryl Weimar said in a lawsuit that she was nearly beaten to death by four guards in August at the prison.
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| Vietnam 'strongly condemns' human trafficking after UK truck tragedy Posted: 01 Nov 2019 10:14 PM PDT  Vietnam said Saturday that it "strongly condemns" human trafficking, after British police confirmed 39 people found dead in a truck last week are believed to be Vietnamese. Most of the victims are thought to come from central Vietnam, where easy-to-find brokers help to arrange trips to Europe -- often via Russia -- for migrants hoping to earn money overseas. The extreme risks of the journeys were laid bare after eight women and 31 men were found dead in a refrigerated container in Essex, east of London, on October 23.
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| Medicare Can Be Confusing: 6 Top Questions, Answered Posted: 02 Nov 2019 07:08 AM PDT  Most people on Medicare report that they are very satisfied with their health care coverage -- but the program is complicated. Medicare features an alphabet soup of plans, coverage choices, premium levels and enrollment rules.The New York Times recently invited readers to submit their questions about Medicare and responded to some of the most frequent ones.-- What kind of monthly premiums for either original Medicare or Advantage can I realistically plan on budgeting, especially considering inflation?Health care inflation has been running about double the rate of general inflation. HealthView Services, a research and consulting firm, expects annual health care inflation to run an average of 5% to 5.5% through most of the coming decade.The standard monthly premium for Part B (outpatient services) this year is $135.50; Medicare's trustees forecast annual increases averaging 5.9% through 2028. Enrollees in traditional Medicare can expect inflation of 6% if inflation for Medigap premiums is included.Among Medicare Advantage plans (Part C), 49% of plans that include drug coverage will charge no additional premium beyond Part B next year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Plans that do have additional premiums for drugs will charge an average of $36 next year, Kaiser says.According to HealthView, a 65-year-old couple using original Medicare this year will spend around $10,300 on premiums for prescription drugs and Medigap, and various out-of-pocket costs. In 20 years, their costs are projected to be around $33,000 annually (future dollars)."The compounding effect of inflation is significant," said Ron Mastrogiovanni, HealthView's chief executive.-- How can I get insurance for dental care? I am 78 years old and this is my largest uncovered medical expense.Nearly two-thirds of Medicare enrollees have no dental insurance, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. That means a majority pay for their care out of pocket or go without.Original fee-for-service Medicare does not cover most dental care, and it also does not cover hearing or vision care. Dental care is covered only in very limited circumstances, for example, if it is necessary as part of a covered procedure.Many Medicare Advantage plans -- the managed-care private alternative to the original program -- include some dental coverage. Next year, 90% of Advantage enrollees will have access to some dental benefits, according to Avalere Health, a research and consulting firm. Sixty percent will have access to a plan covering restorative services; 78% will be able to get coverage for X-rays and cleanings.Like other dental insurance, Advantage plan coverage levels have caps. "'Limited' would be a good word to describe it," says Sean Creighton, a managing director in the policy practice at Avalere.The percentage of Medicare Advantage plans covering hearing and vision care is rising by similar percentages, he adds.In most cases, these services are being offered without an additional premium. Plans are paid based on a benchmark per-capita rate Medicare uses to pay for original Medicare enrollees; when Advantage plans bid below that rate for matching original Medicare benefits, they are permitted to use the difference to offer extra benefits.Advantage plans are "trying to attract members from original Medicare and in competition with each other," he added. "Dental, vision and hearing benefits are very popular."Original Medicare enrollees have the option of adding a commercial stand-alone dental policy. For example, a Delta Dental PPO plan offered in New York City carries a monthly premium of $48, with an annual deductible of $50 and an annual per-person payment limit of $1,500.Many of the current Medicare for All proposals would add coverage of dental, vision and hearing care.-- Someone called me claiming to be from Medicare and I gave out my Medicare number. Should I be concerned?Medicare generally does not initiate calls to enrollees -- with a couple of exceptions. Medicare health or drug plans can call current members. And customer service representatives from Medicare (1-800-MEDICARE) may call if you have left a message, or if a representative indicated that you would receive a return call.Never give out your Medicare -- or Social Security -- number to anyone who calls you on the phone, sends email or makes a personal contact. Your personal information, including your Medicare number, should be shared only with health care providers, your insurers or trusted counseling services, such as the State Health Insurance Assistance Program."Any unexpected call from someone claiming to be from Medicare is a huge red flag, especially if you didn't call first," says Amy Nofziger, director of fraud victim support at AARP.AARP's fraud help line (877-908-3360) has noted a recent increase in phone schemes, usually aimed at persuading people to order equipment or services that are then billed to Medicare. "A big one lately has been DNA genetic testing kits," Nofziger said. "Sometimes, Medicare will deny the claim and then the perpetrator mails a bill to the enrollee," she said. "You might get a bill for up to $10,000, which is pretty scary for people."If you suspect you've been victimized by fraud, alert Medicare that a scammer may have your identifying number so that your account can be flagged and monitored. And, keep a careful eye on the monthly explanation of benefits that Medicare sends, looking out for any suspicious charges."If Medicare feels the problem rises to the level of needing to provide you a new Medicare number, they can do that," Nofziger added.Issuing new numbers became easier recently after the government revamped its system. The old Medicare cards used Social Security numbers, but those were phased out. New cards use a unique, randomly assigned number.-- Why does Medicare set my 2019 premium cost using my 2017 income? I am newly retired as of August 2019 and my Part B premium is $433 a month. I'm also paying more for my prescription drug plan. My income in 2019 is much lower than it was in 2017.High-income Medicare enrollees have been paying surcharges on Part B and Part D premiums since 2007. These so-called Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amounts (IRMAA) affect a relatively small share of the Medicare population -- about 7% this year, according to federal data -- but they are steep.The standard Part B premium requires enrollees to pay 25% of the government's total per-capita program costs; the surcharges require high-income enrollees to pay anywhere from 35 to 85% more, depending on their income. The Part D income-related surcharge is calculated as a percentage of the national average cost of the standard drug benefit, using the same percentages and income thresholds used for Part B IRMAA.IRMAA is determined by your modified adjusted gross income, which includes the adjusted gross income reported on your tax return, plus tax-exempt income.For many retirees, the big surprise is the look-back that determines whether IRMAA is owed -- income often declines in retirement, but your initial premium could be set using pre-retirement income levels. The Social Security Administration determines whether surcharges are owed from data in the most recently available tax return it obtains from the IRS; for 2020 premiums, the agency will use income tax data provided this year from 2018 tax filings."The sticker shock comes in the form of the Social Security benefit," Mastrogiovanni adds. "Not only is the Part B premium deducted, but also the surcharges. So people go through their planning to see what Social Security will generate, but people in these high-income brackets could lose up to half of their gross Social Security benefit."-- In your recent discussion of limitations of Medicare Advantage plans, you did not include information about improper claims denials and the difficulty people have pursuing appeals. That certainly should be part of your coverage.A report last year by federal investigators did find that Advantage plans have a pattern of inappropriately denying patient claims. The Office of Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services found "widespread and persistent problems related to denials of care and payment in Medicare Advantage" plans. The report examined appeals filed by patients and health care providers from 2014 through 2016, and found that Advantage plans themselves overturned the denials in 75% of cases.However, very few claim denials are appealed -- just 1% during the three-year period reviewed in the inspector general's report.The Advantage payment model reimburses plans a preset amount per patient; that may be incentivizing plans "to deny preauthorization of services for beneficiaries, and payments to providers, in order to increase profits," the report concluded."We see plenty of denials by Advantage plans that shouldn't be denied, and wouldn't be if the patient had been enrolled in original Medicare," says David Lipschutz, associate director and senior policy attorney at the Center for Medicare Advocacy.Among the most common problems, he says, are early hospital discharges, denial of care in a skilled nursing facility or home health care.-- I had an accident this year that has required bilateral knee surgery -- I was in the hospital for a week and a residential rehab facility for physical therapy for one month. Now I am home with a home health nurse weekly, and visits from a physical therapist five days a week. I also have adaptive equipment. My recovery process will be at least five more months, carrying over into 2020. Can my Plan G Medigap supplemental insurance provider cancel me for 2020?Original Medicare enrollees often add a Medigap supplemental plan to cap out-of-pocket expenses -- and that comes in especially handy when a major medical problem arises. You can choose among a dizzying array of standardized plan options with varying degrees of coverage; Plan G is one of the most comprehensive, covering hospital and doctor coinsurance costs, hospice care, coinsurance for skilled nursing facilities and hospital deductibles.Fortunately, Medigap coverage does not disappear when you need it."No Medigap plan can cancel you for spending too much," says Chris Hakim, senior vice president for Medicare at eHealth, an insurance exchange. "The only way you can lose coverage is if you don't pay your premiums."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2019 The New York Times Company
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| The U.S. Military is Sending Thousands of Troops and Even B-1 Bombers into Saudi Arabia (To Counter Iran) Posted: 03 Nov 2019 01:30 AM PDT  And that is just for starters.
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| Airbnb to ban ‘party houses’ after five people killed in mass shooting at Halloween event Posted: 03 Nov 2019 04:16 AM PST  Airbnb has said it will ban "party houses" in the wake of a deadly shooting at a Halloween party at a rented property in California.Five people were killed in the shooting on Thursday, which sent around 100 terrified partygoers running for their lives in the San Francisco suburb of Orinda.
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| ‘Not our mission’: private fire crews protect the insured, not the public Posted: 03 Nov 2019 03:00 AM PST  Agencies hired to protect assets look like first responders but, if a fire puts them in danger, they can become a liabilityFirefighters work to defend homes from an approaching wildfire in Sonoma, California. Photograph: Jim Urquhart/ReutersThe engines, big and small, came from all over the country to fight the Kincade fire in the Sonoma county wine region of California. There were trucks from Nevada, South Dakota, Colorado – and from the wildfire protection unit of home insurer AIG.As fires have increasingly encroached on development in California's wildlands in recent years, communities are grappling with a new paradigm of risk. If the fire creates an existential crisis for people living in high-risk areas, it also creates one for the companies that insure their homes.Insurers of houses, timber and agriculture have contracted with private firefighting agencies for decades. But now, thanks to longer, more devastating fire seasons, the business is booming.While some wealthy communities and individuals have contracted their own private firefighting services to defend mansions on hilltops from flying embers, the majority of these agencies work on behalf of insurance companies. And as fire risk extends to more homes in California's flammable brushland and forest, these crews are becoming a fixture in middle class neighborhoods. It is something of a return to a pre-American civil war model of pay-for-play firefighting, before the government employed first responders.Firefighters protect a Pacific Palisades area home in Los Angeles from the flames of a wildfire. Photograph: Christian Monterrosa/Associated Press"Any policyholder that would like to have wildfire services, all they need to do is shop from more than a dozen insurers out there that have these services," said David Torgerson, president of Wildfire Defense Systems, a private firefighting firm. "It's not a special policy. It's not something that's exclusive. It's something that the insurance industry has found brings value."Insured losses for the 2018 California wildfire season topped $12bn. Insurance companies are looking for any way to reduce payouts in the future, whether by raising rates, dropping coverage, or putting new risk mitigation measures into place – including, in some cases, these kinds of private fire crews.The services they provide focus primarily on fire prevention mitigation – cutting back vegetation, creating clear defensible space around structures and providing consultations on other home hardening work. As in the Kincade fire, private crews also sometimes access mandatory evacuation zones during active wildfires to protect valuable assets while the embers are flying – a move that makes some government firefighters and local authorities uneasy."Generally speaking, from our perspective, we have found that private fire crews are not first responders," said Carroll Wills, communications director for California Professional Firefighters.Firefighters watch from a home in the Pacific Palisades area as a helicopter drops water on a wildfire. Photograph: Christian Monterrosa/Associated PressPrivate fire crews travel into evacuation zones in trucks equipped with water tanks and hoses and retardant, looking nearly identical to their government counterparts – though their sole task is to protect specific insured homes.Torgerson, president of Wildfire Defense Systems, noted that while his teams are capable of fighting fires, "that's not our mission in this case"."Our task with the insurance industry is more so to prepare the homes and secure them, prior to and after the fire, and contribute to the survivability," he said."Our [wildfire protection unit] teams are not private firefighters," said Matt Gallagher, a spokesman for AIG – yet they station engines with full tanks in evacuation zones during wildfires that can turn dangerous within seconds.Lawmakers grew concerned that civilians would see these private engines and get a false sense of security about remaining in evacuation zones. Government firefighters voiced complaints about rolling onto a scene, believing the area to be fully evacuated, only to find private fire crews who had not alerted incident command.In the 2018 Woolsey fire, Kim Kardashian famously hired private firefighters to save her $50m Calabasas mansion – a crew that, said Wills, never told anyone of their plans. "That's just incredibly dangerous," Wills said. A helicopter drops water on a brush fire during the Woolsey Fire in Malibu, California. Photograph: Ringo HW Chiu/Associated PressPrior to the 2018 fire season, California lawmakers passed a bill requiring private crews to alert public incident command and obtain permission before entering an evacuation zone. The law codified a best-practice guideline put in place in 2008. Torgerson, who founded his company that same year, said his company has always followed these directives, and will continue to do so now that the law is in effect."We've responded to more than 650 wildfires since 2008, and more than 97% of the time, we've been granted access to the evacuation zones to conduct these insurance missions," he said. "We've coordinated with hundreds of incident command teams."Torgerson said he does not know why his crews were not permitted 3% of the time."We're fully qualified under state and federal certification and training processes," he said. "We are the same resources that the federal government hires."But their mission is fundamentally different. Government firefighters are tasked with saving life, first and foremost, so if the fires turn and the private crews require rescue, "they are a liability", Wills said."We understand that when people see these massive fires, there's a tendency to say, 'Well, more is better'," Wills said. "From our perspective, more really isn't better. The more that we need is more fully trained and battle-tested, front-line firefighters and emergency responders."
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| UPDATE 1-El Salvador expels Venezuelan diplomats from the country Posted: 02 Nov 2019 11:01 PM PDT ![UPDATE 1-El Salvador expels Venezuelan diplomats from the country]( "UPDATE 1-El Salvador expels Venezuelan diplomats from the country") El Salvador said on Saturday it had ordered Venezuela's diplomats to leave the Central American country within 48 hours, arguing that the decision was in line with its position that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is illegitimate. In a statement, the government said President Nayib Bukele recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president until free elections were held in the South American country.
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| Krispy Kreme orders student to halt doughnut resale service Posted: 03 Nov 2019 11:58 AM PST  An enterprising Minnesota college student who drove to Iowa every weekend to buy hundreds of Krispy Kreme doughnuts that he then sold to his own customers in the Twin Cities area has been warned by the confectionary giant to stop. There have been no Krispy Kreme stores in Minnesota for 11 years. Jayson Gonzalez, 21, of Champlin, Minnesota, would drive 270 miles (430 kilometers) to a Krispy Kreme store in Clive, Iowa, pack his car with up to 100 boxes, each carrying 12 doughnuts, then drive back up north to deliver them to customers in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
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| Holocaust survivors meet their saviour 75 years later Posted: 03 Nov 2019 05:26 PM PST  Eyes brimming with tears, 92-year-old Melpomeni Dina Gianopoulou was reunited Sunday with Jewish siblings she had helped hide from Nazis in her native Greece during World War II. Holocaust survivor Sarah Yanai, 86, had tears in her eyes as she held Melpomeni's hand. The highly emotional meeting took place at the Hall of Names, in Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial centre, a memorial to millions of Jews killed in the Holocaust.
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| Vigil held in UK for 39 Vietnamese who died in a truck Posted: 03 Nov 2019 07:52 AM PST  London's Vietnamese community has gathered at a vigil and a service to honor the 39 Vietnamese victims who died in a refrigerated truck container in southeastern England. The community is mourning the unidentified victims, who were trying to enter Britain in hopes of finding greater opportunities. Rev. Simon Nguyen offered prayers for the victims and for their loved ones in Vietnam.
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| Pete Buttigieg says he offers style and message parallels with Barack Obama's Iowa campaign Posted: 01 Nov 2019 07:19 PM PDT  As Pete Buttigieg tries to stand out in Iowa this weekend, he's drawing parallels to former President Barack Obama's first campaign in the state.
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| Salmonella linked to ground beef leaves 8 ill, 1 dead Posted: 02 Nov 2019 08:32 AM PDT  Ten people in six states have become infected with salmonella dublin after eating ground beef, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday.
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| Saudi Arabia officially kicked off Saudi Aramco's IPO, which could be the largest in the world Posted: 03 Nov 2019 07:51 AM PST  Saudi Aramco's public listing is a major part of the kingdom's economic plans going forward. The Tadawul All Share Index fell 2.4% on the news.
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| US white supremacist arrested hours before far-right conference in Norway Posted: 03 Nov 2019 02:58 PM PST  An American white supremacist was arrested hours before he was due to speak at an international far-right conference in Norway.Greg Johnson was detained under immigration law on the basis that he posed a threat to national interests, according to the police security agency PST.
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| A 9,000-barrel leak in the Keystone pipeline in North Dakota spilled enough crude oil to fill half an Olympic-sized swimming pool Posted: 02 Nov 2019 11:00 AM PDT  The second large oil spill from the Keystone pipeline in two years provoked outrage because TC Energy told activists that spills were unlikely.
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| The Most Cringe-Worthy 90s Internet Guides That We Can't Stop Watching Posted: 02 Nov 2019 09:00 AM PDT |
| PG&E CEO Causes Outrage After Saying Struggling California Residents’ Houses Are ‘Still There’ Because of Blackouts Posted: 03 Nov 2019 12:25 PM PST  California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been vocal in his criticism of PG&E
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| White nationalists seen filming at lynching victim memorial Posted: 03 Nov 2019 04:38 PM PST  People carrying a white nationalist flag were caught on security cameras trying to film in front of a new memorial to lynching victim Emmett Till. Patrick Weems, executive director of the Emmett Till Memorial Commission, told The Associated Press that the incident was captured Saturday by new security cameras at the memorial site in Mississippi. Security video from the commission shows the people, including a person carrying the flag of a neo-Confederate group flag, filming at the site.
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| Meet the Qing-Class: China's Homegrown Nuclear Missile Submarine Posted: 03 Nov 2019 05:30 AM PST  Why did Beijing only build one?
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| As part of Google, Fitbit could fix one of my biggest complaints about its smartwatches — and Apple should be worried (GOOG, GOOGL, FIT, AAPL) Posted: 02 Nov 2019 06:45 AM PDT  Google's acquisition of Fitbit could help the smartwatch maker catch up to Apple in more than a few ways.
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| Thousands of Romanians protest against illegal logging, attacks on forest workers Posted: 03 Nov 2019 12:44 PM PST  Thousands of Romanians marched in the capital Bucharest and other cities on Sunday in protest against widespread illegal logging, which is believed to be behind the deaths of two forest workers in the past two months. The protests, organized by Greenpeace Romania and other environmental groups, demanded thorough criminal investigations into the deaths and attacks against forest workers, as well as immediate upgrades to the country's automated logging tracking system and tighter legislation. The Silva trade union federation says six foresters have been killed in recent years while another 650 forest workers were beaten, attacked with axes or knives or even shot at after catching illegal loggers in the act.
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| PHOTOS: Jepkosgei wins NYC in 1st marathon, Kamworor takes men's Posted: 03 Nov 2019 01:08 PM PST  Joyciline Jepkosgei arrived in New York with a modest goal for her first marathon ever. Jepkosgei upset four-time champion Mary Keitany to win the New York City Marathon on Sunday with a historic debut seven seconds off the course record. Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya won the men's event for the second time in three years.
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| 'SNL' applauds Trump's leaving New York for Florida Posted: 03 Nov 2019 07:09 AM PST  "Weekend Update" returned on this weekend's episode of "Saturday Night Live." Colin Jost and Michael Che focused on Trump's decision to officially leave New York City for Florida.
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| California wildfires: Ignition of Maria fire spotted on camera Posted: 02 Nov 2019 09:16 AM PDT  The moment a wildfire burst into life and began to spread in California has been caught on camera.The Maria Fire has burned some 15 square miles and prompted evacuation orders for nearly 11,000 people since it began Thursday evening.
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| The Latest: Trump cites impeachment in Miss. campaign pitch Posted: 01 Nov 2019 07:27 PM PDT  President Donald Trump is citing the House impeachment inquiry as a reason that voters in Mississippi should vote for a Republican candidate for governor. Trump is in Mississippi trying to shore up Republican support for Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves.
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| Head of US autoworkers union takes leave of absence Posted: 02 Nov 2019 05:52 PM PDT  The head of the United Auto Workers is taking a leave of absence, the powerful US union under a federal corruption probe announced Saturday. Gary Jones asked to take leave following a vote by the union's executive board, the UAW said in a statement. One of the 12, Edward Robinson, is accused of conspiring to embezzle $1.5 million from the union for personal use, CNBC reported, adding that he has ties to Jones.
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| Under Armour Probe Casts Cloud Over Company During CEO Change Posted: 03 Nov 2019 05:35 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Under Armour Inc. disclosed that federal officials have been probing its accounting practices for more than two years, bringing a fresh headache to investors just as the sports brand prepares for a CEO transition.The company said on Sunday that it's cooperating with investigations by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice and doesn't think it's done anything wrong. The remarks, spurred by a report in the Wall Street Journal, came the day before Under Armour is slated to post its third-quarter earnings."The company began responding in July 2017 to requests for documents and information relating primarily to its accounting practices and related disclosures, and the company firmly believes that its accounting practices and disclosures were appropriate," Under Armour said in the statement Sunday.Investigators from the Justice Department and SEC were questioning people at the sports apparel's base in Baltimore as recently as last week, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The probe is focused on whether Under Armour inflated sales from quarter to quarter, the newspaper said.The investigation comes at a difficult time for the company, which has been wrestling with increased competition at home and an underperforming share price. It rattled investors in July by warning that full-year revenue would decline in North America. The stock has fallen 23% since that statement.Founder Kevin Plank, currently chief executive officer, turned the company from a football-focused startup into a global powerhouse that makes men's and women's apparel in dozens of categories -- and even spacesuits.New CEOBut sputtering growth prompted it to embark on a multiyear restructuring plan aimed at regaining its edge. A new CEO, tapped last month from within Under Armour's ranks, is meant to help get the company back on a growth trajectory. Patrik Frisk, Under Armour's president since 2017, will take the reins on Jan. 1.Plank, 47, is stepping aside after more than two decades in charge, though he'll remain on as executive chairman.No one at the Justice Department or the SEC immediately responded to requests for comment.Under Armour went public in 2005 and experienced rapid growth, with sales increasing to $5 billion in 2017 from $1.1 billion in 2010. Recently, though, keeping that momentum going has been a struggle.Under Armour's best year-over-year revenue growth in the past three years came in the first quarter of 2016, when sales climbed 30%. It reported double-digit growth in each quarter of that year, slowing to single-digit rates thereafter. The first decline, a 4% drop from the year-earlier period, was in the third period of 2017.The latest quarter isn't expected to mark much of a comeback on the sales front. Analysts are expecting the company to report a 2% decline in third-quarter revenue, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.\--With assistance from Molly Kissler.To contact the reporters on this story: James Ludden in New York at jludden@bloomberg.net;Eben Novy-Williams in New York at enovywilliam@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Matthew G. Miller at mmiller144@bloomberg.net, ;Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net, Dave McCombsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Iran, Please Don't Develop a Stealth Fighter Posted: 02 Nov 2019 02:01 AM PDT  It might be nice to have one, but it'll bring nothing but trouble.
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| Central European governments accused of abusing European agriculture subsidies Posted: 03 Nov 2019 10:56 AM PST  Central European governments have been systematically abusing the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy to enrich family members and political allies, an investigation claims. The New York Times survey of subsidies in nine European countries found that millions of euros in agricultural subsidies had been directed to a handful of companies, often linked to national leaders. It alleged that the CAP had even underwritten "mafia-style land grabs" in Slovakia and Bulgaria. Prominent beneficiaries reportedly include Andrej Babis, the billionaire prime minister of the Czech republic, who the paper says is linked to a company that received at least $42 million (£32 million) in subsidies last year. Lukáš Wagenknecht, a senator from the opposition Pirate Party, last week filed a complaint against the European Council saying it should not allow Mr Babis to take part in the bloc's budget discussions because his Agrofert conglomerate receives tens of millions of Euros in subsidies annually. Mr Babis no longer owns the company and has denied a conflict of interests, but organisations including Transparency International claim that he remains its end beneficiary. Andrej Babis, the Czech prime minister, denies a conflict of interest Credit: Martin Divisek/Bloomberg The paper also accused Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary, of abusing the EU's subsidies to fund a system of patronage linked to land leases. It cited Mr Orban's sale of 12 state farms to close associates when he was prime minister between 1998 and 2002, which became eligible for large subsidies when Hungary joined the EU in 2004. In 2015, five years after he returned to power, Mr Orban's government began to sell and auction leases to hundreds of thousands of hectares at cut price rates, arranging for most of them go to businessmen with close connections of Fidesz. The paper implies that this created a system of "modern feudalism" in which small farmers were left beholden to barons who received land eligible for European subsidies based on their loyalty to Mr Orban. Individuals who are reported to have built up considerable landholdings include Mr Orbans family and close business and political allies. The European Union supported farmers with 58.82 billion Euros (£50.8 billion) in 2018. Subsidies are meant to support food production, rural community development, and environmentally friendly farming. The subsidies it provides are often crucial to the survival of small farmers across the bloc. Ivan Haralampiev, the Bulgarian farmer whose cow Penka was at the centre of an outcry over EU agricultural regulations in 2018, told the Telegraph that he had bought cattle only because the subsidies they qualified for made it possible to live. The Telegraph sought comment from Mr Orban's office. A spokesman for the Hungarian government said: "The procedures in Hungary for administering EU agricultural subsidies fully satisfy EU rules and regulations for the management of these funds. Hungary is also fully compliant in the sale of state land, which is regulated by law. Furthermore, it should be noted, that concerning a plot of land larger than 1,000 hectares, subsidies for or sale of that plot must follow strict rules. The NYT's questions and sources clearly reflect a biased preconception about the topic."
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| Flights resume after 'threatening note' found on plane at Atlanta airport Posted: 02 Nov 2019 11:36 AM PDT  Flights have resumed at the Atlanta airport after police determine a 'threatening note' found on a plane is not credible.
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| TikTok Said to Be Under National Security Review Posted: 02 Nov 2019 07:06 AM PDT  The United States government has opened a national security review of a Chinese company's acquisition of the American company that became TikTok, the hugely popular short-form video app, according to people briefed on the inquiry.The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a federal panel that reviews foreign acquisitions of American firms on national-security grounds, is now reviewing the two-year-old deal after lawmakers raised concerns about TikTok's growing influence in the United States, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was confidential. One of the people said that the U.S. government had evidence of the app sending data to China.The move is the latest in a back and forth between the United States and China, which are enmeshed in a global competition for technological dominance that has begun to cleave the high-tech world in two and start what some analysts refer to as a new Cold War.ByteDance, a seven-year-old company based in Beijing, acquired Musical.ly in November 2017 for $800 million to $1 billion. At the time, Musical.ly, an app popular with teenagers to make homemade karaoke videos, had about 60 million users in the United States and Europe. ByteDance said it would keep Musical.ly separate from its family of Chinese apps. Less than a year later, ByteDance merged Musical.ly with its similar service, called TikTok, and the result has since become one of world's fastest-growing apps and a global cultural phenomenon.Over the past 12 months, TikTok's app has been downloaded more than 750 million times, more than Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat, according to the research firm Sensor Tower."While we cannot comment on ongoing regulatory processes, TikTok has made clear that we have no higher priority than earning the trust of users and regulators in the U.S.," a ByteDance spokesman said in an email. "Part of that effort includes working with Congress, and we are committed to doing so." TikTok does not send any user data to China, he added.Reuters earlier reported the review by the federal panel, known as CFIUS, of the Musical.ly acquisition.China blocks many foreign companies from openly existing online in the country, but Chinese companies that have developed cutting-edge technologies are growing more popular around the world. Many lawmakers and Trump administration officials see the trend as a threat to U.S. national security and the economy, and they have set up numerous barriers to block Chinese firms from acquiring American data and technology.The Trump administration prevented Singapore-based Broadcom from purchasing Qualcomm, an American chipmaker, and quashed deals like Ant Financial's bid for Moneygram.President Donald Trump has also placed Huawei and other Chinese tech firms on a blacklist that blocks them from purchasing American products over national security and human rights concerns. He has also imposed tariffs on more than $360 billion of Chinese products in a trade war that was at least partly in response to Chinese theft of American intellectual property.U.S. government officials have been particularly alarmed by the implications of China's 2017 national intelligence law, which contains sweeping language that requires companies to comply with intelligence gathering operations, if asked. Chinese officials have pushed back against these assertions, saying that companies should comply with local laws while abroad.On TikTok, users create and share short, inventive videos and bizarre memes, an endless scroll of clips that has been called "the last sunny corner on the internet." The vast majority of its footage comes from Western users, in large part because TikTok isn't available in mainland China; ByteDance instead offers a highly similar service there called Douyin.But TikTok's Chinese connections and growing popularity in the United States have drawn new concern in Washington after news reports highlighted that there were few signs of the Hong Kong protests on the app and that TikTok moderators were instructed to censor videos that featured a number of political themes.ByteDance has said that the Chinese government does not order it to censor content on TikTok. The spokesman said that the app's content policies are led by a team in the United States and are not influenced by any government."To be clear: we do not remove videos based on the presence of Hong Kong protest content," a ByteDance spokesman said.A former content moderator for TikTok said in an interview that managers in the United States had instructed moderators to hide videos that included any political messages or themes, not just those related to China. The moderator spoke on the condition of anonymity because he didn't want to speak publicly about a former employer while seeking another job in the tech industry.The moderator said that the policy was to allow such political posts to remain on users' profile pages but to prevent them from being shared more widely in TikTok's main video feed. The person said that while moderators were told to censor racy videos, such as those featuring scantily clad women, in Muslim countries, he never received specific instructions to censor content related to China.The ByteDance spokesman said the company had recently changed the policy restricting political videos and called the previous rules a blunt approach intended to keep the app fun.Last month, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who leads CFIUS, urging him to open a national security review of ByteDance's purchase of Muscial.ly."There continues to be ample and growing evidence that TikTok's platform for Western markets, including those in the U.S., is censoring content that is not in line with the Chinese Government and Communist Party directives," Rubio wrote.Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the Senate minority leader, said the security review was "validation of our concern that apps like TikTok -- that store massive amounts of personal data accessible to foreign governments -- may pose serious risks to millions of Americans."Derek Scissors, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, said that new guidelines passed by Congress last year about personal data clearly indicate that CFIUS should review the purchase. He said the companies would likely have to take steps to convince the administration that American data would be secure."It's a large transaction, it's a tech transaction, and it does involve American users transferring data to a Chinese firm," Scissors said. "I don't see how they get away with not taking some sort of mitigation here."The ByteDance spokesman said the company hired a consulting firm in Colorado called Special Counsel to analyze TikTok's app to understand where it sent user data.Data about TikTok users, including their videos, names, dates of birth and other information, was stored exclusively on computer servers in Virginia and Singapore, said Douglas Brush, who led the analysis for Special Counsel. He added that in the analysis from July to October, which included interviews with TikTok employees and a review of the app's underlying computer code, his team found no way TikTok could send data to China during those months.ByteDance has tried to build its relationships in Washington amid the growing scrutiny. TikTok has joined NetChoice, a trade association that has been aggressive in pushing back on critics of tech companies. One of Bytedance's own staff members registered to lobby for the company this summer. The company also hired the powerful corporate law firm Covington & Burling -- whose clients include Facebook, among others -- to advocate on its behalf.In total, ByteDance spent $120,000 on its federal lobbying operation last quarter, according to a public disclosure posted last week.TikTok announced last month that it was working with the law firm K&L Gates on its moderation policies, and it joined a nonprofit focused on children's online safety. In February, ByteDance agreed to pay a $5.7 million fine to the Federal Trade Commission to settle accusations that Musical.ly illegally collected information on users under 13."We've just gotten started," said Bart Gordon, the K&L Gates partner working with TikTok, on Friday.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2019 The New York Times Company
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| In China, Macron wants to take Beijing "at its word" on free trade Posted: 03 Nov 2019 03:00 AM PST ![In China, Macron wants to take Beijing "at its word" on free trade]( "In China, Macron wants to take Beijing \"at its word\" on free trade") SHANGHAI/PARIS, Nov 3 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron will seek to make China deliver on promises to grant more access to foreign companies, eyeing agribusiness and finance, advisers said ahead of his arrival in Shanghai for a giant import fair. Macron, who will attend the fair along with other European officials including incoming EU trade commissioner Phil Hogan, would take China "at its word" that it aims to open itself up to trade, a presidential adviser said ahead of the Nov. 4-6 trip.
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| Over 1,500 California fires in the last 6 years — including the deadliest ever — were caused by one company: PG&E. Here’s what it could have done, but didn’t. Posted: 03 Nov 2019 06:52 AM PST  Regular blackouts are PG&E;'s new strategy to avoid starting fires. A writer called it "the most detested, and detestable, corporation in California."
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| Correction: Homeland Security Secretary story Posted: 03 Nov 2019 07:36 AM PST  In a stories Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 about the official who will be the acting head of the Homeland Security Department, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Chad Wolf had worked in both Democratic and Republican administrations. Wolf has worked only for Republican administrations.
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| US military calls on Kurdish forces in northeast Syria Posted: 02 Nov 2019 07:42 AM PDT  US military vehicles Saturday entered a Kurdish-held area in northeastern Syria and met with officials, AFP correspondents and a local source said, in the second such visit since an announced US pullout from the Turkish border area. Beige-coloured armoured vehicles flying the American flag pulled up at the headquarters of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces outside the city of Qamishli. A US-led coalition has for years backed the SDF in fighting the Islamic State group, but the announcement of an American withdrawal triggered a deadly Turkish invasion against the Kurds on October 9.
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| Late-week storm could spell wintry weather for the mid-Atlantic Posted: 03 Nov 2019 08:39 AM PST  A storm budding in the south-central U.S. earlier in the week, will take aim at the East Coast, and could deliver both heavy rain and wintry weather.An active pattern will continue to bring several storms from the center of the country to the Eastern Seaboard throughout the week. The presence of many moving parts makes for a more long-term complex pattern.One such moving part is a high pressure system that will move across the northern half of the country late in the week."The strength and location of the high pressure delivering cold to the northern tier of the country will determine how far north the storm is able to go," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alan Reppert.No matter how far north the storm traverses, the likelihood of rain for states like Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia from late on Thursday through Friday is pretty high. The situation with the high pressure will instead determine the precipitation amount, and precipitation type for parts of Kentucky to the Carolinas and Virginia.At this time, the most likely scenario is for the high in the northern part of the country to be pretty powerful, moving farther east and suppressing the storm to the south.Cold present in the Appalachians and to the east of the mountains when the storm arrives could allow wet snowflakes to mix in with the rainfall, especially during the morning and overnight hours."In this scenario, accumulating snow will be possible in parts of Virginia, and in the mountains of North Carolina," added Reppert.Residents will want to keep a close eye on this storm, and prepare for changeable conditions.Snow falling in the mid-Atlantic is not unprecedented for early November.Richmond's earliest accumulating snowfall, and even Raleigh earliest snowfall is during the first week of November. Snowflakes can come as early as October in these areas. The occurrence of accumulating snowfall in the higher elevations of the Appalachians is even more common.However, a snowy situation in Virginia and North Carolina at the end of the week is not set in stone.Should the high hang back farther to the west, so will the cold air. Instead of the cold being present during the arrival of the storm, it will follow the wet weather. This second scenario, combined with a more northerly storm track, would minimize the presence of snow for most across the south. Instead, there is a slight chance for some wet snowflakes to mix in with rain in places like Delaware, Maryland and northern Virginia.Additionally, the storm may move faster, most locations away from the Carolina Coast and Florida would be dried out by Friday afternoon.Cold would be able to dive farther to the south, bringing a chill for many across the region, including northern Florida, where cities experienced a record-warm October.Much of the southern and eastern Untied States has seen its fair share of storminess as of late.Cities like D.C., Raleigh, Nashville and Atlanta all recorded above-normal precipitation for the month of October. In fact D.C., and Nashville had almost double the normal amount of rain they get during the month.Download the free AccuWeather app to see the latest forecast for your region. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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| Trump's Naval Dream Seems Sunk: America Can't Afford a 355 Ship Navy Posted: 02 Nov 2019 12:30 PM PDT  Like a Christmas wish list, the Navy wants a fleet of 355 ships. It just can't afford it.
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| Teenage boy charged in Halloween shooting of seven-year-old girl in bumblebee costume Posted: 02 Nov 2019 10:00 AM PDT  A 15-year-old boy has been charged with attempted murder after a seven-year-old girl was shot while she was trick-or-treating in a bumblebee outfit in Chicago.The young girl, who was critically wounded while trick-or-treating for Halloween in the city's West Side on Thursday, is believed to have been hit in the lower neck with a stray bullet.
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| Police: 5 women attack cab driver with chemical spray in Brooklyn Posted: 02 Nov 2019 08:07 AM PDT  The NYPD is looking for five women in their 20s wanted for apparently attacking a cab driver with chemical spray and then robbing him in Brooklyn.
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| Best Kohl's Black Friday Deals on Tech Posted: 02 Nov 2019 02:15 PM PDT  You won't find TVs in Kohl's Black Friday sale this year, but there are plenty of other low-priced options, including Amazon tablets, Beats headphones, a Fitbit smartwatch, and various wireless s...
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| Nigeria's border closure to last at least until end-Jan - spokesman Posted: 03 Nov 2019 07:58 AM PST ![Nigeria's border closure to last at least until end-Jan - spokesman]( "Nigeria's border closure to last at least until end-Jan - spokesman") Nigeria will keep its land borders closed to trade until at least January 31, 2020, the customs spokesman told Reuters on Sunday. Nigeria launched a partial border closure in August to tackle smuggling of rice and other goods. Last month the head of customs confirmed that all trade via land borders was halted indefinitely.
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| UN team gathers accounts of injuries during Chile's protests Posted: 02 Nov 2019 01:38 PM PDT  A U.N. human rights team is gathering testimony about hundreds of people allegedly injured by Chile's police during street protests in recent weeks. The team on Friday heard accounts about ruptured eyeballs, broken bones and other serious injuries inflicted by police pellets or the impact of tear gas canisters. "We are certain" that police have not respected their own guidelines about the appropriate use of force, said Dr. Enrique Morales of Chile's state Medical College.
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| As Iraq and Lebanon protests flare, Iran clings to hard-earned sway Posted: 03 Nov 2019 09:33 AM PST  Iran has worked to turn sweeping anti-government protests in Iraq from a threat to its hard-earned influence over its neighbour into an opportunity for political gains, analysts say. In Lebanon too, where similar rallies against corruption and government inefficiency have broken out, Iran's main ally Hezbollah has managed to maintain its influence. "Very clearly, Iran in both Lebanon and Iraq wants to protect the system and not allow it to fall apart," said Renad Mansour, researcher at London-based Chatham House.
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