| '#ClintonBodyCount': Trump's sharing of Epstein conspiracy theory draws outrage Posted: 11 Aug 2019 10:58 AM PDT  President Trump drew widespread backlash after sharing a baseless conspiracy theory tying the death of Jeffrey Epstein, a well-connected convicted sex offender, to Bill and Hillary Clinton.
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| Hong Kong flights cancelled as thousands protest at airport after night of violence Posted: 12 Aug 2019 05:34 AM PDT  All flights out of Hong Kong airport were cancelled on Monday after thousands of demonstrators occupied one of the world's busiest travel hubs, as Beijing denounced the protests as "terrorism". The sudden airport shutdown came as mass demonstrations spilled into a third month, despite rising threats from the authorities. On Monday, Beijing officials gave their third press conference in as many weeks, a rarity for authorities in normal times. "Radical protesters have been frequently using extremely dangerous tools to attack the police in recent days, constituting serious criminal acts with sprouts of terrorism emerging," said Yang Guang, a spokesperson for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office in Beijing, which reports to China's cabinet. Violence escalated significantly between protesters and police over the weekend, as officers shot tear gas into underground subway stations for the first time after mass demonstrations began early June. Police have made more than 600 arrests in recent days. Hong Kong police said 5,000 people were at the airport protest Credit: Vincent Thian /AP Protesters had already occupied the airport for days when more flooded in Monday. Some wore black eye patches, waving signs that read "Hong Kong is not safe," "Shame on the police," and "An eye for an eye," turning out to express their anger after one person thought to have been shot by a beanbag round in her right eye was hospitalised. Stations on the city's airport express line were filled with confused passengers unable to get to the airport, many of whom were on the phone with family, friends and colleagues to sort backup travel plans, while other visitors disembarked from the train after being turned away at the airport. Hong Kong airport is the world's 8th busiest, with frequent departures to more than 180 cities, and a hub for travel to much of Asia. Police have ramped up the use of force against protesters in recent weeks Credit: Manan Vatsyayana/AFP Roads leading to the airport were gridlocked yesterday afternoon, and a nearby hotel was flooded with people looking for a last-minute stay. Shocking footage of HongKong riot police charging into a subway station pursuing pro-democracy activists and firing into them at point blank range. I've seen police being provoked here but I'm speechless. Carrie Lam says no police inquiry needed they're investigating themselves. pic.twitter.com/R61BytE6ft— Stephen McDonell (@StephenMcDonell) August 11, 2019 Many of those whose travel was interrupted expressed support for the protestes. "I think China is facing a difficult time. I am glad they haven't put out tanks yet," said James Campbell, a 26-year-old civil engineer from Sydney en route to Taipei. "I can see where these protesters are coming from." The protests have brought millions into the streets, plunging the former British colony into its most serious political crisis since being returned to Chinese rule and representing the biggest challenge ever to Xi Jinping's power as the leader of the Chinese Communist Party. A pro-democracy protester is held by police outside Tsim Sha Tsui Police station during a demonstration Credit: AFP Demonstrations first began in opposition to a now-suspended extradition bill that would have sent people to face trial in mainland China, where Communist Party control of the courts contributes to a 99.9 per cent conviction rate. Protesters - increasingly angry as police continue to use escalating violence to disperse crowds - have now expanded their demands, calling for wider political reforms including direct leadership elections. Let us admin HK is a police state. Riot police push down peaceful protestor on the escalator of railway station. pic.twitter.com/gycHF8E8Zo— Joshua Wong 黃之鋒 (@joshuawongcf) August 11, 2019 Despite many mass rallies now ending in violence as night falls with police shooting tear gas, rubber bullets, and foam rounds, broad support has continued to swell and show no signs of splintering. After all flights were cancelled, protesters and pro-democracy lawmakers began encouraging the crowds to leave out of concern that police might fire tear gas into the airport as dozens of police vans had been spotted en route. Protesters use steels barricades to form a defensive line inside the Quarry bay MTR station Credit: AP But many continued to stay on, peacefully chanting in the arrivals hall, "Liberate Hong Kong!" and approaching arriving visitors with flyers that listed their demands and explaining the political situation.
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| 5 children killed in fire at Pennsylvania day care center Posted: 12 Aug 2019 06:34 AM PDT  A day care center where children could stay overnight as their parents worked was ravaged Sunday by a fire that killed five and sent the owner to the hospital, authorities said. The victims in the lakeside city of Erie, Pennslyvania, ranged in age from 8 months to 7 years, Chief Guy Santone of the Erie Fire Department said. At least four of the victims were staying overnight at the residential house that had been turned into a day care center, Erie Chief Fire Inspector John Widomski told the Erie Times-News.
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| Seven dead in DR Congo lake boat capsize Posted: 12 Aug 2019 06:30 AM PDT  Seven people drowned after a transport boat sank after hitting rocks on a lake in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo over the weekend, local authorities said on Monday. Lake and river transport is widely used in the DRC as the highway system is poor, but accidents are common, often caused by overloading and the unsafe state of vessels. The "total number of deaths is seven," the local minister of transport and communication in South Kivu province, Claude Swedy Basila said in a statement.
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| Accused Sex Trafficker Steered $100K Payday to Bannon Posted: 11 Aug 2019 02:30 AM PDT  Photo Illustration by Lyne Lucien/The Daily Beast/GettyAn accused pedophile helped Steve Bannon secure a $100,000 speaking gig from a prestigious Washington think tank, according to emails reviewed by The Daily Beast. The emails—between Republican fundraiser and investor Elliott Broidy and Lebanese-American political operative George Nader—shed light on the relationship between Trump's ex-adviser and a man now in jail awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges. The emails point to a closer relationship between Bannon and Nader than previously known. It's been widely reported that Nader met with Bannon in the White House during his time as a Trump adviser there. But these emails show they stayed in contact after Bannon left government, and that Nader helped the ex-Breitbart chief secure an appearance with a six-figure payday. A Bannon spokesperson, meanwhile, said Nader was "irrelevant" to Bannon's speech. Nader's work drew the attention of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who questioned him extensively as part of his probe into foreign meddling in the 2016 presidential race. But Mueller wasn't the only federal prosecutor interested in Nader. On June 3 of this year, he was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and charged with possessing child pornography. And just last month, the feds rolled out additional charges for child sex trafficking. Nader is in jail awaiting trial, and has pleaded not guilty. Broidy, meanwhile, also appears to have drawn attention from the feds: The Daily Beast confirmed in April that one of his former associates has spoken with FBI agents about his business dealings. The emails between Nader and Broidy, sent in September and October 2017, involve arrangements for a conference on Qatar hosted by the Hudson Institute. Broidy, then seeking business from the government of the United Arab Emirates, was running a quiet public relations campaign designed to undermine the Qatari government's influence in Washington and with American Jewish leaders. He was particularly incensed that Nick Muzin, a former staffer to Sen. Ted Cruz with deep ties to Jewish leaders, had signed on to lobby for the government of Qatar. They'd run in the same tight-knit circle of Jewish Republicans and Broidy saw Muzin as a traitor. The country's connections to Iran—with which it shares a huge gas field—have long angered many in the pro-Israel community. And its ownership of Al Jazeera also fuels opposition from many supporters of Israel. Steve Bannon Got Russian 'Evidence' From Rob Goldstone During Transition"I want to Puke," he wrote in an email to his wife on Sept. 6. "What a moron.""Is this guy a self-hating Jew or an idiot?" she replied. "What can you do?"Just a few months earlier, the governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates started a blockade of Qatar. It was a bid to isolate the peninsular nation, which those governments blamed for funding terrorism. The Qataris kicked off a well-funded lobbying effort to tell their side of the story in Washington and stay in the Trump administration's good graces. Muzin's outreach to Jewish leaders—which Broidy sought to countervail—was part of the Qataris' effort to shore up support. As part of Broidy's project, he helped arrange a conference to be held at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank known for its foreign policy work. The conference, set for October of 2017, would make the case against Qatar. In September, Broidy communicated with Nader—whom he had known since Trump's inauguration—about those plans. And on Sept. 22, Nader emailed Broidy about getting Bannon involved [all punctuation sic]. "Hope all is going well with you and the Conference," Nader wrote. "Send me please an update[.] Steve is interested in participating." Nader then shared Bannon's email with Broidy. "Send him pls a letter to brief him…on the conference, what you like him to do and when," Nader continued. "You should get him key time and all by himself with proper guy to introduce him. Let me know what you have in mind!"Two days later, Broidy sent Nader a curious email. It opened with the words "Dear Steve," and then described the plans for the conference. "I would love to have you as one of the keynote speakers," Broidy wrote in the email sent to Nader but addressed to Bannon. The email included a draft of the conference's agenda. It appears Broidy wanted Nader to proof-read the invitation before it went to Bannon, who had left the White House in August 2017.On Sept. 29, event organizers circulated a draft of a Save-the-Date invitation for the conference. Bannon's name wasn't on it. "You need to add please Steve Bannon," Nader wrote in an email to Broidy. "He is as important if not more to that invitation and kindly send me too a draft of the full program as is for now[.]" Two weeks later, Bannon was in. "Still working on many details," Broidy wrote to Nader on Oct. 17. "Will get schedule to you when ready. Steve is on board, FYI $100k honorarium." Five days later, Broidy was still keeping Nader looped in on Bannon's participation. He forwarded Nader an email he sent directly to Bannon that day. "I am very excited about your appearance at the conference tomorrow," he wrote in the email to Bannon that he forwarded to Nader. "George asked me to resend some talking points. See you then." A person close to Bannon said that the two men got to know each other better after Bannon left the White House, and that Nader was one of many people who approached Bannon on behalf of event organizers about making speeches. But a Bannon spokesperson discounted Nader's role in Bannon's speech."This is just one of many speaking requests Mr. Bannon receives," the spokesperson said in a statement. "Hudson Institute is a highly respected think tank, and because of that, he accepted an invitation with others such as Sen. Cotton and Gen. Petraeus. George Nader was irrelevant; neither he nor anyone has influenced Mr. Bannon's longtime position on the condemnation of Qatar as an urgent threat to Israel: a state sponsor of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and other Islamic terror organizations."The conference went forward, largely as planned, and a source familiar with it confirmed that Bannon received the $100,000 payment. It featured a host of luminaries, including Gen. David Petraeus; Zalmay Khalilzad, who later became the State Department's Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation; Democratic and Republican members of the House of Representatives; and Republican Sen. Tom Cotton. Bannon, in his speech, was characteristically bombastic and praised the blockade. "I think the single most important thing that's happening in the world is the situation in Qatar," he said. "What's happening in Qatar is every bit as important as what's happening in North Korea."A lawyer for Nader declined to comment for this story. Spokespersons for Broidy and Bannon declined to comment as well. The Hudson Institute stands by its work."Hudson has held countless panels and produced reports on the Middle East, including Qatar and the pernicious impact of the Muslim Brotherhood specifically," said a statement the Institute shared with The Daily Beast. "We believe our criticisms and analysis of Qatar, Iran, and the Muslim Brotherhood are still valid." George Nader's Phones Had Child Porn—and Communications With a Crown Prince, Feds SayA source close to Hudson said Bannon's honorarium was on par with what other main speakers received. In an ironic twist, Bannon has since gotten to know Muzin—Broidy's old nemesis—and discussed going into business with him. The Daily Beast reported earlier this year that Muzin pitched an executive at Juul, the e-cigarette company, on his lobbying services and said Bannon would be able to help out with his influence efforts. Juul didn't take them up on the offer. For Broidy and Nader, the weeks before the Hudson conference were a comparatively simple time. Two months after the event, hackers stole troves of emails Broidy had sent and received. The emails were fodder for a host of news stories about his business dealings and relationships with foreign government officials, including officials looking to influence Trumpworld. Many of Nader's communications with Broidy have also become public since the hack. And numerous reports have revealed Nader's work as a gatekeeper between Gulf dignitaries and denizens of Trumpworld. The emails The Daily Beast obtained indicate that, on at least one occasion, he also helped connect a Republican financier to Bannon. Broidy has alleged in court that the Qatari government sponsored the hacks. The Qataris say the allegations are baseless, and the litigation is underway. 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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| Freshly Restored 1968 Chevrolet Camaro RS/SS Pro Touring Posted: 12 Aug 2019 09:59 AM PDT  Low miles with modern performance and luxury upgrades. Flemings Ultimate Garage is pleased to announce this 1968 Chevrolet Camaro RS/SS Pro Touring model up for sale. For the 1968 model year, Chevrolet could leave well enough alone with the Camaro; it was an instant hit and racking up strong sales numbers and track figures against the Mustang. After all, the saying does go "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." The changes from 1967 to 1968 were subtle, but thoughtful nonetheless. The vent windows that framed the A-pillars were eliminated, so GM installed air vents below the dash called "Astro-Ventilation" to get proper airflow to the driver. The model you see here is an excellent example from '68 and will make a stunning addition to your garage. The Camaro is timeless, and this recently restored coupe is nothing short of a masterpiece.This '68 Camaro RS/SS is dressed in Cortez Silver paint with a mirror finish and black Super Sport nose stripes. The car is in show-quality, having been waxed and detailed to perfection. The interior features custom fourth-generation Camaro Houndstooth black 10-way power seats. Other cabin goodies include a custom aluminum trim floor console, optional Cool-it floor and door sound deadening, a new Vintage Air a/c system, CPP fast-ratio power steering, and upgraded Pioneer digital sound system with AM/FM/USB/AUX with Pioneer 6x9 speakers. The dash also features new vintage 3-in-1 full custom gauges, including a 140 speedometer and an 8K rpm tachometer.Powering this bad boy is a brand-new GM Performance Parts hi-performance fuel-injected aluminum LS3 V8 engine making over 500 horsepower! It's mated to a rebuilt Tremec T-56 six-speed manual transmission with a modern hydraulic clutch and an LS7 pressure plate. This Camaro has its original 12-bolt rear differential with an Eaton Posi rebuild with Moser axles and 3.73 gears.The car rides on 18x8 and 18x9 Bonspeed Puresport two-piece forged alloy wheels wrapped in Nitto hi-speed radials. It's lowered on Hotchkis springs with brand-new Bilstein shocks, and optional Hotchkis sway bars and tubular control arms. All of the power is stopped via Wilwood four-wheel power disc brakes with 14-inch six-piston calipers up front and 13-inch four-piston calipers at the rear. It sounds incredible too, thanks to the polished stainless dual exhaust with Magnaflow mufflers, X-pipe, and long-tube headers.This Camaro was freshly restored not too long ago and looks the part. Since the resto, it's only clocked 2,290 miles! This baby is now ready for a new owner to continue its story. The current asking price as of this writing is $89,900, and you can make an offer right here. Read More: * Built To Thrill: 800-Horsepower 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS * Gorgeous Hugger Orange 1972 Chevrolet Camaro Restomod For Sale
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| A Minnesota father told police he dropped his 5-month-old boy on his head for being 'fussy.' The baby died Posted: 11 Aug 2019 02:54 PM PDT ![A Minnesota father told police he dropped his 5-month-old boy on his head for being 'fussy.' The baby died]( "A Minnesota father told police he dropped his 5-month-old boy on his head for being 'fussy.' The baby died") Matthew Hoisser, 35, complained that his son was "difficult" and "fussy," according to court documents. He dropped the baby on his head, killing him.
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| 'Words matter': Bloomberg says Trump rhetoric can encourage violence Posted: 11 Aug 2019 05:28 AM PDT  Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he hopes President Trump understands that a leader's careless word choice risks encouraging racism and even violence.
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| Jeffrey Epstein's cause of death is 'pending further information': What we know about his apparent suicide Posted: 12 Aug 2019 08:01 AM PDT  The FBI and U.S. Inspector General's office will investigate the circumstances of Jeffrey Epsteiin's apparent suicide while in federal custody, officials said
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| Versace apologies in flap over T-shirts sold in China Posted: 11 Aug 2019 10:39 AM PDT  Italian fashion house Versace apologized Sunday in China for selling T-shirts that it said attached incorrect country names to cities, after being attacked on social media for challenging China's territorial integrity. Versace did not identify the T-shirt in its own post on Weibo, a popular Chinese social media site, but the Global Times newspaper said the item mislabeled Hong Kong and Macao as countries. Both are former European colonies that were returned to China in the late 1990s.
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| Mohammed bin Salman backs Yemeni government as Saudi-led coalition descends into infighting Posted: 12 Aug 2019 04:05 AM PDT  Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, has thrown his weight behind the Yemeni government as it battles against a separatist group backed by Saudi Arabia's allies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The prince's military coalition in Yemen fractured dramatically over the weekend as the Yemeni government and the southern separatists turned their guns on each other after years of fight side-by-side under Saudi leadership. The intense fighting in the port city of Aden left 40 people dead as separatist forces, who seek an independent state in south Yemen, seized control of government buildings and fought against presidential guards. Saudi jets carried out an airstrike in Aden in support of government troops and Prince Mohammed met with the Yemeni president, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, on Sunday night in a show of support. Mr Hadi's office said the two men discussed the separatist "coup" against the government and "various other crimes against the sons of Aden". By Monday morning a tense calm appeared to have settled over Aden with no reports of fresh fighting between the two sides. Humanitarian groups warned that thousands of civilians were trapped in the firing line. Mohammed bin Salman is supporting the Yemeni government. Credit: REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo But it was unclear how the standoff would be resolved and whether separatist forces, known as the Southern Transitional Council (STC), would withdraw from seized government buildings. Aidarus al-Zubaidi, the head of the STC, said he was committed to a ceasefire and was prepared to travel to Saudi Arabia to negotiate a long-term truce. He said his forces had moved against the Yemeni government because he had intelligence that government troops were preparing to launch an attack of their own. Even if the immediate crisis in Aden can be resolved, the violence highlights the deep fractures in Prince Mohammed's coalition, which has been struggling for more than four years against Houthi rebels aligned with Iran. Saudi Arabia led an Arab military coalition into an air campaign against Houthi forces in 2015 in an effort to restore Mr Hadi's control over Yemen. The fighting has plunged the country into famine and the UN now considers Yemen the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Thousands of civilians have been killed by the Saudi-led coalition's airstrikes. The separatists are armed by the UAE Credit: REUTERS/Fawaz Salman The UAE, which has one of the region's most effective militaries, played a major role in helping government forces push the Houthis back towards their stronghold in the country's northwest. It also provided weapons and support to the STC, arguing that the separatists were key partners in fighting both the Houthis and jihadists groups in Yemen. However, the UAE withdrew most of its forces from Yemen in recent months, hampering the coalition's ability to continue fighting the Houthis. With their patrons withdrawing from Yemen, the STC decided to move against the Yemeni government. In an statement over the weekend, the Yemeni embassy in Washington said it held "the United Arab Emirates fully responsible for the coup perpetrated against the state in Aden".
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| Walmart, Victoria’s Secret, SoulCycle Can’t Avoid Political Outrage Posted: 12 Aug 2019 07:43 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Business leaders hoping late summer would offer a break from mounting political and social pressures have had a rude awakening.Two lethal shootings and a third attempt at Walmart stores put the retailer back into the spotlight on gun rights. Exercise companies SoulCycle and Equinox worked to fend off a boycott triggered by investor Steve Ross' support for President Donald Trump. Les Wexner, CEO of Victoria's Secret parent company L Brands Inc., tried again to distance the company from alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, as well as models' complaints of harassment.Since 2017, when business leaders were pressured to step down from President Donald Trump's advisory council, companies have found it increasingly hard to separate business from politics. Calls for action have become a quagmire for executives, and there's no clear consensus on how to respond."The more people look to businesses to make a political statement, the more dangerous it is for businesses not to make a political statement," said Kabrina Chang, who teaches business ethics at Boston University's Questrom School of Business. "The problem with that is that they are going to get killed for the political statement. For better or worse, society is looking to business more than ever."Two people died in a shooting at a Walmart in Mississippi on July 30. More than 40 were shot in an unrelated attack Aug. 3 at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas. An additional shooting may have been thwarted Thursday when a gunman wearing body armor was stopped by an armed private citizen outside a Walmart in Springfield, Missouri.As one of the country's biggest firearms retailers, Walmart is a frequent target of anti-violence activists. In 2015, the company stopped selling military-style weapons, citing sluggish demand. Last year the company said it would increase the age to purchase firearms and ammunition to 21 years old.Walmart ResponseEarlier this week, the New York Times published an open letter calling on Walmart Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon and other business leaders to use their companies' market power to influence the way guns are bought, sold and tracked in the U.S.In a letter to employees posted on the company's website on Aug. 7, McMillon said Walmart would consider the "broader national discussion around gun violence" and "act in a way that reflects the best values and ideals of our company." Two days later, the retailer said it would remove violent imagery from its stores.Walmart did not respond to a request seeking additional comment.Employers are just as likely to face pressure from their own employees. A Walmart employee was locked out of corporate email and chat services last week after he tried to organize a protest over gun sales. Twitter, Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s YouTube and Google have all bowed to pressure from their employees or customers to block or limit content or contracts that are considered offensive. Wayfair Inc. employees walked out to protest sales to contractors furnishing border camps for asylum seekers.In the current climate, companies can't play access-driven, politics as usual, said Rashad Robinson, executive director of civil rights organization Color of Change. "Companies are talking a position when they decide to sell guns in the first place, or when they decide that their CEO is going to make certain political donations," he said. "It's not that they've got to make a choice about whether to not do something. They also have to examine what the status quo was in the first place."Wait It Out?It's not always clear what if anything a company should do. Sometimes, the best option is to try to wait it out, Boston University's Chang said. Most controversies are short-lived, and there's no way to please everyone. Companies face the risk of angering groups like Robinson's on the left or a boycott call from organizations like 2nd Vote on the other side. Over the weekend, 2nd Vote re-iterated calls for companies to get stay out of politics and focus on selling products.Stanford research shows that whatever they do, companies should proceed with caution, because people are more likely to stop buying over positions they disagree with than company positions they support.Hundreds of companies have signed pledges to support LGBT rights, but few have spoken out against newly restrictive abortion laws. Nike Inc. built a campaign around its support of Colin Kaepernick and, recently, pulled shoes emblazoned with a historical version of the American flag that's often also used by racist groups. Hobby Lobby and Chick-Fil-A have stuck by controversial positions on gay marriage. Target Corp. augmented its policy to allow customers to use restrooms based on their gender preference by agreeing to add single-occupant bathrooms to stores without them.Hobby Lobby and Chick-Fil-A did not respond to requests for comment on their current positions. Target did not have an immediate comment on the status of the bathroom policy."Businesses are in a really precarious situation," said Chang. "If Walmart stopped selling guns, it might make us feel better. But would it really be long-term change for the better for society?"To contact the reporter on this story: Jeff Green in Southfield, Michigan at jgreen16@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Janet Paskin at jpaskin@bloomberg.net;Anne Riley Moffat at ariley17@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| How Robert O’Rourke Became ‘Beto’ Posted: 12 Aug 2019 03:30 AM PDT  A great deal of controversy has continued the past few days over Robert Francis O'Rourke's longtime use of a nickname given to him at birth (albeit temporarily jettisoned while in prep school) — especially in the wake of his recent sensational and unfounded charges that Donald Trump is directly responsible for the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and that white supremacy defines America, past and present, and explains Trump's culpability.The point of the amused contention is not that O'Rourke was given such a nickname at or near birth. Rather, the controversy is over his continued use of the sobriquet for cynical political advantage in a somewhat related manner to Senator Elizabeth Warren's longtime false cultural appropriation of a Native American identity for careerist purposes. After all, we live in a progressive era in which "cultural appropriation" is a mortal sin and non-minority university students are routinely chastised for wearing clothing or hairstyles associated with minority groups or appearing in dramas playing the roles of characters of a different ethnic background.According to the Dallas Morning News, a quite prescient senior O'Rourke once explained why he had given the shortened form of the Spanish "Roberto" to his son as a nickname. And he seemed to imply that such naming was for political reasons in addition to avoiding confusing young Robert with his maternal grandfather of the same first name:> In the backdrop of the city's multicultural community, his father, Pat O'Rourke, a consummate politician, once explained why he nicknamed his son Beto: Nicknames are common in Mexico and along the border, and if he ever ran for office in El Paso, the odds of being elected in this mostly Mexican-American city were far greater with a name like Beto than Robert Francis O'Rourke.While congressman and would-be Senator Beto apparently found the Hispanic nickname advantageous in some ways in local and statewide Texas races (ironically, sometimes in contests opposed to those of authentic Latino ancestries), his continued use of Beto suggests that he thinks it also resonates, at the least, an empathy for assumed marginalized peoples, and at the most offers some confusion to less well-informed voters over whether he is in fact Latino himself.Add in the fact that Beto is also a child of both inherited and maritally acquired wealth and what he would call "white privilege" that likely kept him as a sometimes reckless youth out of jail on one occasion for a serious crime. Thus, in a bizarre way, the misleading nickname offers some concrete authenticity to his chronic resentment of the very privilege he has for so long enjoyed.Certainly, a number of Hispanic politicians and opinion writers have chided Beto for cynically giving incomplete impressions to voters — that he might be ethnically as well as linguistically Latino. Again, one could cite cruder efforts at gaining some sort of political or careerist traction in the minority misrepresentations of Senator Warren, Ward Churchill, or Rachel Dolezal. Warren, after all, who makes the same sort of serial allegations of dominant and endemic white supremacy that Beto does, did not choose to assume a false Finnish or Irish identity to propel her legal and academic career, although, given her appearance, it would have been an easier distortion.But why his nickname is again in the news and additionally matters is because Beto himself is on record recently of damning Trump as a white nationalist and a racist who is responsible for the El Paso shootings. According to Beto, Trump apparently seeks to resonate with kindred white supremacists. Beto additionally goes further in damning the United States as essentially governed by ideas of white supremacy both now and in its past. But again, Beto is no longer running a local congressional or even a Texas-wide race. He has far transcended the clairvoyant predictions of his father that the nickname would come in handy in the anticipated borderland politics of southern Texas.Rather, Beto seems to think that the current and continued Hispanicizing of his nomenclature (remember, at times Beto has dropped his nickname) will pay dividends in a national race. Yet according to his own logic, it should not, given his prior denunciations that America is incurably racist.Given that all politicians entertain a degree of cynicism and opportunism, if we truly lived in a culture of white supremacy, we would more likely see candidates fabricating European dog-whistle names and identities than the sad efforts of a Churchill, Dolezal, O'Rourke, or Warren. And in fact, in a far different America of the past, many minority celebrities and politicians did assume Anglicized names on their unfortunately all-too-accurate assumption that too many white racists would ostracize them for their minority status.Yet the opposite linguistic dynamic has been in play for some time. A young and politically ambitious Obama brilliantly understood that political reality when, in a twist to authenticity, he ceased going by his teenage nickname Barry and reverted to his actual birth name, Barack.In terms of linguistic contortions or just simply adaptations, the force of compound names, accent marks, and ethnic sobriquets is to suggest perceived difference from, not homogeneity with, the majority population — to the extent that, in a racially intermarried and assimilated population, anyone's ethnic heritage is clear.In other words, O'Rourke's use of Beto seems ipso facto to suggest that he privately believes in general that Americans of all backgrounds (including a supposed 70 percent white electorate) either do not care whether a candidate is so-called white or, more likely, are intrigued by or admire those who are not — again, sort of refuting Beto's entire premise of an intolerant and all-powerful white-supremacist society.
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| VIDEO: Homeless man throws rock into windshield of car in Pomona Posted: 11 Aug 2019 08:59 PM PDT  Video shows an apparently homeless man heaving a heavy rock directly into the windshield of a car in Pomona.
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| Strip club seeks stay-at-home moms to dance for 'extra cash.' City leader: 'Distasteful' Posted: 12 Aug 2019 10:30 AM PDT  A gentleman's club is posting provocative signs to pressure Omaha into giving it a liquor license. One advertised for stay-at-home moms as dancers.
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| Typhoon leaves 28 dead in China, 20 still missing Posted: 11 Aug 2019 12:25 AM PDT  A powerful typhoon left at least 28 people dead in southeastern China, including more than 20 who perished after a landslide backed up a river that then inundated homes, state media reported Sunday. Another 20 people remained unaccounted for in Zhejiang province, the official Xinhua News Agency said. After the landslide, the river rose to a level of 10 meters (30 feet) within 10 minutes, trapping 120 people in Yongjia county, Xinhua said.
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| Escaped Tennessee inmate captured after 5-day manhunt Posted: 11 Aug 2019 03:00 PM PDT  A Tennessee convict suspected of killing a corrections administrator before escaping prison on a tractor was captured Sunday seven hours after homeowners recognized him on their outdoor surveillance camera, authorities said. Curtis Ray Watson put his hands up and was arrested as he came out of a soybean field Sunday in the west Tennessee community of Henning, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch said at a news conference. The field is 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the prison Watson escaped from Wednesday and near a home where he was seen on a surveillance camera earlier Sunday, Rausch said.
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| Viral clip of Russian policeman punching female protester stirs anger Posted: 12 Aug 2019 06:28 AM PDT ![Viral clip of Russian policeman punching female protester stirs anger]( "Viral clip of Russian policeman punching female protester stirs anger") Video footage of a Russian police officer punching a young woman in the stomach has stirred anger among many Russians who believe the authorities have used excessive force to disperse weeks of political demonstrations in Moscow. The clip, filmed on Saturday and later circulated online by Russian celebrities with millions of followers, shows the moment two helmeted riot policemen drag the woman, Daria Sosnovskaya, to a waiting police bus. Sosnovskaya, 26, is seen struggling to break free and trying to trip up one of the police officers who responds by punching her in the stomach, prompting one of the reporters filming the incident to sarcastically call the policeman "a hero".
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| Mocking suspect's hairstyle could get you prosecuted, police warn Posted: 12 Aug 2019 06:05 AM PDT  Police have warned social media users they could face arrest if they "troll" a wanted drug dealer by mocking his distinctive hairstyle. An online appeal to catch the criminal has resulted in tens of thousands of people posting joke comments. Jermaine Taylor, 21, is wanted for breaching his licence conditions after being released from prison in December 2018. Gwent Police launched the social media appeal to find the convicted drug dealer, but it backfired when people began making jokes about his hairstyle, with one saying it had been "pushed back more times than Brexit". The picture shows Taylor with a large, bald forehead and two tufts of hair sticking up. Twitter users joked: "His forehead is bigger than his future," and "that hairline goes further back than Woolworths". Another quipped: "Looks like his hairline is on the run too." The large number of comments prompted Gwent Police to warn users that posting abusive material could be against the law. Many users seemed undeterred, however, with one adding: "He was last seen in town - police are combing the area," and another joking: "He's vanished into thin hair." In a statement, Gwent Police warned users against online bullying. "Please remember that harassing, threatening and abusing people on social media can be against the law," the force said. "Our advice is to be as careful on social media as you would in any other form of communication. If you say something about someone which is grossly offensive or is of an indecent, obscene or menacing character, then you could be investigated by the police." Taylor was jailed for three years at Cardiff Crown Court in September 2017 over the supply of cocaine.
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| Beto O'Rourke: Trump talking about crowd sizes in El Paso shows 'how sick this guy is' Posted: 11 Aug 2019 06:54 AM PDT  Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke didn't mince words when asked about President Trump's recent visit to his community of El Paso, Texas.
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| Gabon court sets date for Bongo health case Posted: 12 Aug 2019 10:31 AM PDT  A Gabon court will shortly hear a petition for President Ali Bongo Ondimba to undergo medical tests to prove his fitness to govern after suffering a stroke last year, lawyers said Monday. The case will be heard by the Court of Appeal in Libreville starting August 26, attorneys for both sides said. Speculation about Bongo's ability to rule the small oil-rich country has surged since he fell ill while in Saudi Arabia last October.
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| Teen dies in pit bull attack while trespassing in Texas backyard Posted: 12 Aug 2019 10:20 AM PDT  The incident took place early Saturday morning as Irving, Texas police arrived to the scene in Irving. The teen was trespassing, the owner claimed.
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| I Got 75 Miles Per Gallon in a Range Rover Posted: 11 Aug 2019 07:00 AM PDT  The new P400e plug-in hybrid has 398 horsepower and can get outrageous mileage—so why am I not excited about that?
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| Typhoon Lekima death toll reaches 33 in China Posted: 11 Aug 2019 07:02 AM PDT  The death toll from a powerful typhoon that hit southeastern China rose to 33 on Sunday, as rescue workers used rubber dinghies to evacuate stranded people as swift currents swept by homes. China's emergency broadcasting network said that 16 people were still missing in Zhejiang province, where 32 died. Typhoon Lekima triggered landslides and floods after making landfall in Zhejiang early Saturday, about 300 kilometers (190 miles) south of Shanghai.
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| From D-Day beaches to the Champs-Elysees Posted: 11 Aug 2019 07:58 PM PDT  Paris (AFP) - It took less than three months of fighting from the Allied troop landings on France's Normandy beaches for Paris to be liberated from the Nazis, whose surrender in 1945 ended World War II in Europe.
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| UAE-backed separatists pull back after seizing Yemen's Aden Posted: 11 Aug 2019 12:45 PM PDT  Yemeni separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates began withdrawing Sunday from positions they seized from the internationally-recognized government in the southern port city of Aden. Both the southern separatists and the government forces are ostensibly allies in the Saudi-led military coalition that's been battling the Houthi rebels in northern Yemen since 2015.
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| UPDATE 1-U.S. transportation chief asks new FAA head to review agency in wake of 737 MAX crashes Posted: 12 Aug 2019 10:43 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-U.S. transportation chief asks new FAA head to review agency in wake of 737 MAX crashes]( "UPDATE 1-U.S. transportation chief asks new FAA head to review agency in wake of 737 MAX crashes") U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said on Monday she has asked the new head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to assess the agency's performance in the wake of two fatal crashes of Boeing Co's 737 MAX planes since October. Dickson reiterated the position of his predecessor, Dan Elwell, who has been the acting FAA chief since January 2018, that the Boeing 737 MAX "will not fly in commercial service until I am completely satisfied that it is safe to do so.
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| Harris decries Trump's 'campaign of terror' against immigrants Posted: 11 Aug 2019 08:26 AM PDT  Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, said President Trump's administration is running a "campaign of terror" against immigrants.
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| We Got a Tire-Squealing Ride in a 2020 Porsche Taycan. Here's What We Learned Posted: 11 Aug 2019 03:01 PM PDT  Porsche's electric sports sedan is almost here and feels ready to impress.
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| 'Exemplary parents': 2 gay penguins have adopted an abandoned egg in Berlin Zoo Posted: 12 Aug 2019 11:24 AM PDT  Skipper and Ping, the two male emperor penguins, have taken in an abandoned egg. Zookeepers say they've been "acting like exemplary parents."
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| Hong Kong Protesters Bring Airport to Standstill as Anger Grows Over Police Violence Posted: 12 Aug 2019 05:52 AM PDT  Outbound travel was suspended at Hong Kong's international airport Monday afternoon as thousands of black-clad protesters flooded the terminal, mobilized by anger over a night of police violence.
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| Father praises Canadian murder suspects for evading police: 'These boys are smart' Posted: 12 Aug 2019 07:57 AM PDT  The father of one of the Canadian teenage boys accused of murdering a coupleand a 64-year-old man recently commended the suspects for eluding authorities
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| Brazil ex-billionaire Batista out of jail: officials Posted: 11 Aug 2019 08:30 AM PDT  Once one of the world's richest men, Brazilian entrepreneur Eike Batista was out of jail Sunday after having been detained for violating terms of his house arrest, prison officials said. Batista, 62, had been under house arrest pending an appeal of a 30-year jail sentence. Then on Thursday he was arrested in Rio de Janeiro on suspicion of insider trading and money laundering, the news portal G1 said.
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| No deal announced as US, Taliban wrap up latest talks Posted: 12 Aug 2019 06:05 AM PDT  The latest round of talks between the Taliban and the United States ended early Monday without any sign a peace deal had been reached for Afghanistan, as both sides said they would consult with their leaderships on the next steps. A Taliban spokesman had said last week that this eighth round of talks would conclude with a deal to end the nearly 18-year war, America's longest. The two sides have been discussing an agreement under which U.S. forces would withdraw from Afghanistan and the Taliban would guarantee the country would not revert to being a launch pad for global terrorist attacks.
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| Over 3,800 workers at Tyson Foods beef plant in Kansas out of work after fire Posted: 11 Aug 2019 11:29 AM PDT ![Over 3,800 workers at Tyson Foods beef plant in Kansas out of work after fire]( "Over 3,800 workers at Tyson Foods beef plant in Kansas out of work after fire") Tyson Foods spokesman Worth Sparkman said the plant would remain closed indefinitely and there were no details yet on the cause of the fire and or the extent of the damage. Independent trader Dan Norcini said the cattle market could respond negatively to news of the fire, but the impact would depend on how long the plant stays closed. Tyson said in a statement that it would meet with workers in shifts at the facility on Monday to answer their questions.
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| 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Super Cobra Jet Has Modern Performance Posted: 12 Aug 2019 09:03 AM PDT  It has the looks to kill and the engine to back it up!In order to revamp the image of the Mustang, Ford gave it a complete restyling for 1969, and the top dog of this newly revamped model was the 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Super Cobra Jet. The Mach 1's livery worked in perfect conjunction with the new lines and longer body that was introduced in 1969. This particular example is one that got the magical 428 cubic-inch engine upgrade, over the stranded 351cid V8, and also gets the goods that come along with the top tier Super Cobra Jet trim. The 428 Super Cobra Jet version was offered as a Drag-Pack option. It utilized a shaker hood scoop, temperature decreasing engine oil cooler, modified crankshaft, and stronger connecting rods for high-end revving. The powerful engine was backed by a four-speed manual transmission that fed into a limited-slip rearend. More to Read...First Battle Of The Builders Champ 1969 CamaroNow's Your Chance To Own A 2019 Petty's Garage Warrior MustangThis setup was underrated by Ford with an estimated horsepower rating of 335-horsepower, but independent dyno tests have debunked many of the manufacturer's horsepower ratings during this time - the automakers practiced underrating for various reasons, including insurance rates for their customers, and emissions practices.It is rated as having 440 lbs/ft of torque, which means the horsepower rating is more likely in the 400s as well. To back this up, the car was capable of sprinting to sixty miles per hour in just 5.7-seconds, and was capable of covering a quarter-mile in just 13.9-seconds at 103 miles per hour - those are modern performance figures! This example from Unique Specialty & Classic Cars is confirmed by the VIN (9F02R127133) to be a true Super Cobra Jet Mach 1. It underwent a frame-ff, rotisserie restoration back in the early 2000s, and no detail was overlooked. The Mach 1 was restored back to the condition it left the assembly line in originally, and will make a great driver's car, or addition to your show car collection.
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| Texas Republicans brace for 2020 drubbing Posted: 12 Aug 2019 02:03 AM PDT  "Republicans need to be very concerned," says a GOP member of the state's congressional delegation of next year's elections.
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| On Ferguson, Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris Told a Terrible Lie Posted: 12 Aug 2019 03:34 AM PDT  On Friday afternoon, two of the leading contenders in the Democratic presidential primary lied. There's no other fair way to put it. They flat-out spread fiction, libeled an innocent man, and stoked American divisions — all for political gain.Five years ago, a Ferguson, Mo., police officer named Darren Wilson shot a young black man named Michael Brown to death after an altercation in the street. False rumors about Brown's death — namely that he was shot in cold blood while trying to surrender with his hands in the air — ignited violent protests in Missouri and revulsion across the United States."Hands up, don't shoot" became a national rallying cry — until the Obama Department of Justice comprehensively and thoroughly debunked it in a lengthy report published on March 4, 2015. Writing in December of the same year, the Washington Post's Glenn Kessler called the slogan one of "the biggest Pinocchios of the year."But Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren ignored the Obama DOJ. They blew straight through the facts of the case and published these accusations:> Michael Brown's murder forever changed Ferguson and America. His tragic death sparked a desperately needed conversation and a nationwide movement. We must fight for stronger accountability and racial equity in our justice system.> > -- Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 9, 2019> 5 years ago Michael Brown was murdered by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Michael was unarmed yet he was shot 6 times. I stand with activists and organizers who continue the fight for justice for Michael. We must confront systemic racism and police violence head on.> > -- Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) August 9, 2019To demonstrate just how preposterous it is to accuse Wilson of murder, it's worth revisiting the actual facts of the case, according to the best evidence available to the investigators. On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown and a friend were walking in the middle of the street shortly after Brown had stolen cigarillos from a local market and shoved away the store clerk when he tried to intervene.When Wilson first spotted Brown and his friend, he told them to walk on the sidewalk. He then realized that they matched the description of the theft suspects and blocked their path with his vehicle.Wilson tried to open his door, but it either bounced off Brown or Brown slammed it shut. Brown then reached into the vehicle and started punching Wilson. As Wilson fended off the blows, he reached for his gun. Brown allegedly tried to take the gun from Wilson, and Wilson managed to get a shot off, injuring Brown in the hand. Eyewitnesses corroborated Wilson's claims that Brown was reaching in the car, and these claims were further corroborated by "bruising on Wilson's jaw and scratches on his neck, the presence of Brown's DNA on Wilson's collar, shirt, and pants, and Wilson's DNA on Brown's palm."Brown then started to run away. After a brief pause Wilson pursued, ordering Brown to stop. Brown then turned back to Wilson and started running toward him. According to the report, "several witnesses stated that Brown appeared to pose a physical threat to Wilson as he moved toward Wilson." Wilson fired again, striking Brown several times, yet Brown kept moving toward Wilson until the final shot hit him in the head, killing him.The report's conclusion was crystal clear:> Given that Wilson's account is corroborated by physical evidence and that his perception of a threat posed by Brown is corroborated by other eyewitnesses, to include aspects of the testimony of [Brown's friend], there is no credible evidence that Wilson willfully shot Brown as he was attempting to surrender or was otherwise not posing a threat. [Emphasis added.]The report flatly declared that Wilson "did not act with the requisite criminal intent.""No credible evidence" is a powerful statement, but if you read the report, it's a powerful statement based not just on extensive forensic evidence but also on the courageous testimony of witnesses who feared reprisal for speaking the truth. One witness, a 58-year-old black male, told prosecutors that there were signs in the neighborhood that said "Snitches get stitches." Yet he spoke the truth anyway. Other witnesses overcame their fears and spoke the truth.How do we have confidence that they spoke the truth? Because, as the report notes, their statements "have been materially consistent, are consistent with the physical evidence, and . . . are mutually corroborative."To be sure, there were other witnesses. Some neither incriminated him nor fully corroborated him. And there was an entire category of witnesses whose accounts were "inconsistent with the physical and forensic evidence," the report noted, adding:> Some of those accounts are materially inconsistent with that witness's own prior statements with no explanation, credible [or] otherwise, as to why those accounts changed over time. Certain other witnesses who originally stated Brown had his hands up in surrender recanted their original accounts, admitting that they did not witness the shooting or parts of it, despite what they initially reported either to federal or local law enforcement or to the media.There are few more fraught issues in American public life than the question of police shootings — especially police shootings of black men. I've written about the issue time and time again and have come to believe not only that too many American police officers resort to deadly force too quickly but also that there is an unacceptable pro-police bias in our criminal-justice system. There is also evidence that race plays a more malignant role in policing than many of us hoped.Indeed, while we must of course remember the DOJ's report exonerating Darren Wilson, we should also remember that there was a second DOJ report in 2015 that found systematic misconduct at the Ferguson Police Department, misconduct that disproportionately affected Ferguson's black citizens. I urge you to read both reports, and if you read the second report with an open mind, you'll almost certainly come to believe that Ferguson's black residents possessed legitimate grievances against their police department.That's the complicated nation we inhabit, but the complexity does not mean there aren't simple obligations that attach to every politician, activist, and member of the media. And the simplest of those obligations is a commitment to the truth. We know that lies and falsehoods can cause riots. They can cause city blocks to burn. They can destroy a man's life. At the very least, they can further embitter an already toxic public discourse. When issues are most fraught, the obligation of courageous, honest leadership is most imperative.But Warren and Harris's failure is more than a failure of leadership. The publication of a false accusation of a crime like murder is libelous under American law. In other words, their lies may well have been illegal. Democrats — especially Democrats who seek to address the very real challenges surrounding police violence in the United States — should demand better. Harris and Warren should do better. They should correct and retract their false statements. There is no excuse for their inflammatory lies.
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| Maryland family asked to leave Outback Steakhouse because son with special needs was too loud Posted: 12 Aug 2019 06:39 AM PDT ![Maryland family asked to leave Outback Steakhouse because son with special needs was too loud]( "Maryland family asked to leave Outback Steakhouse because son with special needs was too loud") A Maryland woman and her family were asked to leave an Outback Steakhouse after her son, who has special needs, was the subject of a noise complaint.
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| Why the F-117 Nighthawk Is Such a Badass Plane Posted: 12 Aug 2019 07:34 AM PDT  How the world's first stealth combat aircraft went on to change forever the way the U.S. fought wars.
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| 9-year-old Georgia girl hospitalized after trying to save dad who drowned in pool Posted: 12 Aug 2019 09:15 AM PDT  A 9-year-old girl who tried to save her father from drowning in a pool overthe weekend was hospitalized in critical condition, according to the AtlantaJournal-Constitution
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