| Russia told residents living near the site of last week's failed missile test to evacuate but then mysteriously canceled the order Posted: 13 Aug 2019 11:18 AM PDT  Local residents living near the test site were told to evacuate for unspecified military activities, but then the order was canceled hours later.
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| Republican Sen. Martha McSally wants to make domestic terrorism a federal crime Posted: 14 Aug 2019 03:54 AM PDT  Arizona Sen. Martha McSally wants to create law in the federal criminal code to address domestic terrorism after mass shootings in El Paso and Gilroy.
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| Hong Kong Airport Beatings Shows Protesters’ Fears Running Wild Posted: 14 Aug 2019 08:03 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The beatings of two men during a tense rally at Hong Kong's airport highlights protesters' growing fear of mainland intervention, as well as the risk that demonstrators' violent tactics could undermine support for their movement.An otherwise peaceful sit-in at Hong Kong International Airport on Tuesday turned ugly when protesters attacked and detained a man they suspected of being a security agent from the nearby mainland city of Shenzhen posing as a demonstrator. Such a deployment, if true, could represent a violation of the charter that guaranteed Hong Kong's autonomous criminal justice system before its return to Chinese rule in 1997.For hours, the attackers ignored pleas from fellow demonstrators and reporters to let the man be taken for medical attention -- ostensibly so they could prove his identity -- and put a sign on his chest saying "I am China's police." The group subsequently restrained and struck a man later identified as a reporter for the Global Times, a newspaper published by China's Communist Party, forcibly tying him to a luggage cart.The episodes -- broadcast on live television from one of Asia's busiest airports -- illustrated protesters' increasing use of violence after weeks of facing off against tear gas, rubber bullets and undercover officers sent into rallies. The police tactics have been repeatedly endorsed by the Chinese government and state-run media like the Global Times, whose editor-in-chief warned Monday that the chances of intervention were rising while commenting on a video of paramilitary forces assembling in Shenzhen.China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office issued a statement Wednesday saying protesters at the airport "acted like terrorists" and it would support any local government effort to punish those responsible. Hong Kong police subsequently said the crimes were serious, but didn't amount to terrorism.The incidents also drew criticism among the opposition: Calls for a code of conduct for front-line protesters, including no beating medical personnel or journalists, circulated on popular social media forums.The Foreign Correspondents' Club in Hong Kong issued a statement expressing "grave concern" about the beating of the Global Times reporter and urged restraint from protesters. "Attacks on members of the media doing their job are unacceptable, regardless of the allegiance or views of the perpetrators," the club said.'Very Paranoid'Opposition lawmaker Fernando Cheung, who helped negotiate the journalist's release, said the detentions were "totally not acceptable," though he blamed police tactics for undermining public trust in the government."It's extremely unfortunate that protesters have resorted to such behavior, because the whole campaign, the whole movement was about protecting our safety and liberty in Hong Kong," Cheung said Wednesday. "The situation has become so chaotic, with the deployment of decoys, that people are very paranoid. And it's come to a point where the whole situation could be ignited, with more confrontations and possibly more casualties."The South China Morning Post newspaper reported last month, citing an unnamed government adviser, that the central government's strategy was to pressure protesters into revealing their intentions and "lure the snake from its hole."While the airport was quiet Wednesday night, police fired tear gas at protesters in Sham Shui Po district, the site of previous scuffles. A group that gathered to burn incense and sacrificial gifts on the road for what is known as the Hungry Ghost festival attempted to hand the gifts to police, sparking a brief standoff. This week's airport chaos followed an unverified report last week that Chinese authorities, rather than deploying the military, had secretly sent mainland security officers to supplement Hong Kong's roughly 30,000-member police force. The Hong Kong police issued a statement Aug. 8 denying the claim as "just another wild rumor to confuse the public and generate conflicts in the society."While Hong Kong is part of China, its Basic Law tightly restricts mainland government agencies from interfering in local affairs, one of several provisions credited with preserving the city's status as global financial center. Anxiety over the erosion of such legal firewalls has been at the center of the protests, since more than a million people took to the streets in June to oppose a now-suspended bill allowing the transfer of criminal suspects to the mainland."There are strict provisions that departments of the Chinese government cannot interfere in Hong Kong affairs," said Danny Gittings, author of "Introduction to the Hong Kong Basic Law." "So, if somebody is concurrently an officer in a mainland organization -- in other words, is serving in a mainland police force -- and is seconded to Hong Kong law enforcement agencies, there might be an argument that that constitutes such interference."At the airport Wednesday, protesters displayed what they said were mainland identity cards and two wooden sticks found on the first beaten man. They cited a Shenzhen Municipal Public Security Bureau website mentioning the same name to justify their suspicions. Hong Kong police on Wednesday confirmed the man was from the mainland but provided no other details on his identity.Afterward, they similarly posted photos of an "I Love HK Police" T-shirt they said was taken from the Global Times journalist's bag after he attempted to film their scuffles with the first man. The paper's chief editor, Hu Xijin, confirmed in a tweet that the man was one of his reporters and said "he has no other task except for reporting."(Updates with late night scuffle in a Hong Kong district, tear gas used.)\--With assistance from Sebastian Chau, Fion Li, Natalie Lung and Jinshan Hong.To contact the reporters on this story: Iain Marlow in Hong Kong at imarlow1@bloomberg.net;Shawna Kwan in Hong Kong at wkwan35@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Karen LeighFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Brazil's Bolsonaro warns of Argentina exodus after Macri defeat Posted: 13 Aug 2019 03:01 PM PDT  Brasília (AFP) - Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday warned of a possible exodus from Argentina after the country's center-right leader Mauricio Macri suffered a major defeat in weekend party primaries. Populist center-left candidate Alberto Fernandez's crushing victory over the pro-business Macri ahead of Argentina's general election in October sent the country's peso and stock market plunging. "We don't want our Argentine brothers fleeing here," far-right Bolsonaro said, likening Fernandez's running-mate, former president Cristina Kirchner, to Venezuela's socialist President Nicolas Maduro and Cuba's Fidel Castro.
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| Inmate asks for electric chair death in Thursday execution Posted: 14 Aug 2019 12:08 PM PDT  A Tennessee inmate has made a last-minute request to be put to death in the electric chair, an option his lawyer described as "also unconstitutional, yet still less painful" than the state's preference of a three-drug lethal injection. The state Department of Correction on Wednesday confirmed 56-year-old Stephen West made the request and said the Thursday execution will be carried out by electrocution. West previously opted against selecting a preference, which would have resulted in lethal injection.
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| Glacier National Park death: Utah teen killed by falling rocks during family vacation Posted: 14 Aug 2019 01:30 PM PDT  A 14-year-old girl was killed in Montana's Glacier National Park on Mondayafter large rocks fell from a mountainside and struck her family's vehicle
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| Indian court acquits six of killing Muslim dairy farmer in cow vigilante case Posted: 14 Aug 2019 07:52 AM PDT ![Indian court acquits six of killing Muslim dairy farmer in cow vigilante case]( "Indian court acquits six of killing Muslim dairy farmer in cow vigilante case") An Indian court on Wednesday acquitted six men of the killing of a 55-year-old Muslim dairy farmer, citing lack of evidence, raising questions over the prosecution's failure to make its case despite videos of a crowd beating him in the street. The 2017 attack on Pehlu Khan and his two sons in the western state of Rajasthan by a suspected mob of cow vigilantes caused public outrage and demands for swift action. Videos shot on mobile phones showed Khan begging for mercy as the crowd set upon him after stopping his truck with cows in the back.
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| British woman dies after being strangled and set on fire in Barbados Posted: 14 Aug 2019 03:30 PM PDT  A British woman has died in Barbados after being strangled, doused with a flammable substance and set alight while lying in bed.Natalie Crichlow, 44, was visiting family members when she was attacked by an unknown intruder in her room, her family said.The mother-of-three suffered 75 per cent burns to her body during the assault, which took place on 28 July. She later died in hospital on 6 August."The intruder broke in the house, then strangled her and then set her alight," Ashley Best, Ms Crichlow's niece, said."I do not understand why it happened and we are all in a state of shock."She went into hospital and died of her injuries.""For someone who had battled through so much to just be taken in this way and lose their life is just beyond understanding," Ms Best said."It is all just a shame."She said she wanted to live life to the fullest because her life had nearly been taken from her."Stabroek News in Barbados reported that police are on the hunt for a man who "barged into a house, choked a woman, doused her with a flammable substance and then set the house on fire".Ms Crichlow, of Colindale, north London, was openly gay and had three children, aged 10, 20 and 26 years old.A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to try and raise the money needed to bring her body back to Britain.Family friend Mitra Wikes remembered Ms Crichlow as "a true survivor and warrior who endured so much in life but always kept going and had a true passion for living life to the max no matter what she had gone through"A Foreign Office spokesman said: "Our staff are supporting the family of a British woman following her death in Barbados, and are in contact with the Barbados police force."No arrests have been made in the case, a spokesperson for the Royal Barbados Police Force said.Additional reporting by agencies
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| Suspect arrested for allegedly running over, killing 2 wild peacocks in Chatsworth on purpose Posted: 13 Aug 2019 06:11 PM PDT  The person accused of purposely killing two wild peacocks in Chatsworth Lake Manor has been arrested, police say.
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| The Trump administration's new green-card rule could be 'a backdoor' to immigration reform, experts say Posted: 13 Aug 2019 06:54 AM PDT  The proposed Trump green-card rule change could significantly alter who comes into the US and gets permanent residency.
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| View Photos of the 2020 Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet Posted: 14 Aug 2019 10:02 AM PDT |
| Inside locked down Kashmir, a reporter finds fear and chaos Posted: 14 Aug 2019 03:41 AM PDT  On a normal day, it would have been a smooth journey from the airport in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir state, to my family home in the northern town of Baramulla. The part that India controls is now under an unprecedented security crackdown to prevent an uprising after the central government in New Delhi unexpectedly stripped the region's special constitutional status, the last vestige of real autonomy for the predominantly Muslim region that is claimed by both India and Pakistan.
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| Health officials warn of deadly mosquito-borne virus found in Florida chickens Posted: 14 Aug 2019 06:51 AM PDT  Florida health officials say several chickens recently tested positive for a mosquito-borne virus that causes fatal brain infection and swelling.
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| China requests removal of additional tariffs as per Osaka consensus -Global Times editor in chief Posted: 14 Aug 2019 10:19 AM PDT ![China requests removal of additional tariffs as per Osaka consensus -Global Times editor in chief]( "China requests removal of additional tariffs as per Osaka consensus -Global Times editor in chief") China is asking that it and the United States remove all additional tariffs in line with a consensus reached between the two sides in Osaka, Japan, at the G20 summit at the end of June, the editor in chief of China's Global Times newspaper wrote on Wednesday. "As far as I know, the Chinese side requests that both sides respect the consensus reached at Osaka summit, which is removing all additional tariffs, not delaying some.
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| Wayne LaPierre Promised Job Security, Then Ousted an NRA Top Gun Posted: 14 Aug 2019 01:48 AM PDT  Jim Watson/AFP/GettyIn retrospect, it was weird. On a mid-July day at National Rifle Association headquarters, NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre gathered with top officials from the gun group's lobbying arm for a frank conversation. Turmoil had rocked the organization for months, reaching a zenith with the resignation of top lobbyist Chris Cox, who for years had helmed the NRA's Institute for Legislative Affairs (ILA). The association had grown balkanized, with top staff torn between LaPierre and Cox. And with the LaPierre camp on the march, Cox loyalists had reason to be nervous about their job security. So LaPierre sought to reassure the senior ILA officials who gathered that day, according to two people familiar with the meeting. He said ILA was "moving forward" and that staff there would have a "clean slate." His message, which attendees then relayed to their subordinates, was simple: People could breathe easy about their jobs, and things were stabilizing. His message was wrong. Just days later, news broke that Jennifer Baker—who spent years as the communications director for ILA and was part of Cox's small inner circle—was out. Baker's departure shocked many Republican insiders, who had long seen her as a fixture in the organization. An NRA spokesperson told CNN Baker had been ousted because the association had conducted "a reorganization of its public affairs function," implying she had been rendered redundant. Politico reported, however, that she had been helping plan its electoral strategy.Reached for comment, the NRA highlighted the statement that CNN had quoted."The NRA would not be inclined to discuss private business meetings, but it was reported that on July 16, 2019 that the NRA announced a reorganization of its public affairs function," the NRA said in a statement. "Jennifer, as you know, worked in public affairs for ILA. At the time, it was announced that, according to the NRA: 'The NRA announced a reorganization of its public affairs function this week. The change consolidates and improves our communications, public affairs, and social media functions. All these operations now operate under one department, eliminating a parallel function in NRA-ILA. We are excited about the change and the benefits it brings to the organization and its members.'"LaPierre's abortive effort to calm employees' nerves crystallized the confusion and bewilderment that grips NRA officials. And the uncertainty could hardly come at a worse time. The association faces a host of challenges: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has intimated to financial institutions that they could face legal trouble if they work with the NRA, so some have pulled away from the association. In response, the NRA sued, with an assist from the ACLU. The association also faces a number of investigations. The Senate Intelligence Committee has scrutinized the group as part of its probe into Russian influence in the 2016 campaign, and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)—the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee—has obtained documents from NRA officials as part of his own investigation of the group. Meanwhile, attorneys general in New York and Washington, D.C., have launched their own probes of the association. Then there are the dueling lawsuits between the NRA and its ex-PR firm, Ackerman McQueen. Both demand tens of millions from each other and allege major wrongdoing. All those legal problems bring big legal bills. Ad Agency Fires Back at NRA With $50 Million CounterclaimThe legal bills have become a problem in and of themselves. Oliver North, who was president of the group until stepping down in April after a fight with LaPierre, has alleged that the association's outside lawyers are billing it nearly $100,000 a day. NRA officials, including LaPierre, stand by those lawyers. But the bills are still piling up. At the same time, the association's fundraising has struggled. Allegations of financial mismanagement—including hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on LaPierre's wardrobe—have angered gun rights activists and some major donors. On top of that, activists are less worried about the Second Amendment's future given Republican control of the Senate and White House, which makes them less inclined to donate. The result: The NRA has brought in $55 million less in 2017 than it did in 2016. Meanwhile, the gun group's opponents are as energized as ever—due in large part to a recent spate of horrific mass shootings, including the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and the white supremacist terror attack in El Paso. The El Paso attack—followed hours later by a mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio—jarred Trump administration officials and appears to have jarred the president himself. Trump claimed on Tuesday afternoon that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell supports expanded background checks, and McConnell himself has telegraphed some openness to stricter gun laws. LaPierre had a phone call with Trump last week and tried to dissuade him from tightening background checks. But without his top lobbyist, Cox, his government affairs shop is hobbled. That doesn't mean new gun laws are guaranteed—far from it. And, ironically, the NRA will likely cash in on the fight, telling disaffected donors that it's the only group that can keep Republicans in line. It's an argument that has opened wallets for years. But for that argument to work, LaPierre needs credibility with donors. And he just bashed his credibility with his own lobbyists. 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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| Alleged Christchurch gunman sends letter from prison cell Posted: 14 Aug 2019 02:40 AM PDT  New Zealand officials admitted Wednesday that they made a mistake by allowing the man accused of killing 51 people at two Christchurch mosques to send a hand-written letter from his prison cell. The six-page letter from Brenton Tarrant was posted this week on the website 4chan, which has become notorious as a place for white supremacists to post their views. Much of it appears to be relatively innocuous, discussing a one-month trip Tarrant says he took to Russia in 2015.
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| Montel Williams: Trump has gone off a narcissistic cliff. Does anything matter anymore? Posted: 14 Aug 2019 10:47 AM PDT  We are likely stuck with an incompetent, emotionally unstable president through 2020. Please treat voting like our country's future depends on it.
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| Marine Corps F-35s practice 'shock and awe' strikes in the Pacific with back-to-back bombing runs Posted: 14 Aug 2019 07:41 AM PDT  A Marine Corps officer who observed the training in the Pacific said that the Marines can now "rain destruction like never before."
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| Tens of thousands of women march in Brazil against Bolsonaro Posted: 14 Aug 2019 01:08 PM PDT  Brasília (AFP) - Tens of thousands of women took to the streets of Brazil's capital Wednesday to denounce President Jair Bolsonaro, in the third anti-government protest in the city in two days. The huge demonstration in Brasilia comes as Bolsonaro faces increasing heat over rampant deforestation in the Amazon rainforest as well as education funding cuts, which have sparked nationwide protests by students and professors in recent months, including one in the capital on Tuesday. The "March of the Margaridas" is named after Brazilian trade union leader Margarida Maria Alves, who was murdered in 1983 during the military dictatorship.
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| Key Mexico Lawmaker Recommends Narrowing 2020 Primary Surplus Posted: 14 Aug 2019 12:12 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- A key lower house lawmaker is recommending that Mexico narrow its primary budget surplus by half next year to alleviate fiscal pressure on the government and send more resources to strengthen Petroleos Mexicanos. The peso extended its decline.Mario Delgado, the lower house majority leader for President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's Morena party, said in an interview Wednesday that targeting a surplus of 0.5%, instead of the 1.3% outlined by the Finance Ministry in April, would still continue a decline in the nation's debt relative to its gross domestic product.Delgado, a former finance head for Mexico City, cautioned that he hasn't yet discussed the idea with the leftist leader known as AMLO, who has led an austerity campaign, or Finance Minister Arturo Herrera, who took over last month. But he said that he's talked about it with ratings agencies and funds invested in Mexico, and he doesn't believe it would hurt the nation's credit rating."It would be well received by financial markets as a show of solid public finances and would take some pressure off so that we can increase resources for Pemex," Delgado said. "It wouldn't mean any relaxation in terms of fiscal discipline."The peso fell 1.9% to 19.7522 per dollar at 1:35 p.m. in Mexico City.The Finance Ministry last month announced plans to use almost half of the money in its rainy day oil fund in the remainder of this year to avoid spending cuts after a revenue shortfall due to economic stagnation squeezed the budget. Still, Delgado said that the plan for a primary surplus of 1% for this year, which required significant spending cuts, was needed for the new administration to send a fiscal responsibility message.To contact the reporter on this story: Eric Martin in Mexico City at emartin21@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Juan Pablo Spinetto at jspinetto@bloomberg.net, Robert JamesonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Mugshot released of suspect in attack of woman outside San Francisco apartment building Posted: 14 Aug 2019 10:18 AM PDT  We are getting a first look at the man accused of attacking a women outside her San Francisco apartment building. Austin James Vincent was taken into custody after a terrifying incident.
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| Mexican president says predecessor not under investigation in graft case Posted: 14 Aug 2019 06:56 AM PDT  Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday that his predecessor, Enrique Pena Nieto, is not under investigation in a probe into suspected corruption that has ensnared one of Pena Nieto's former cabinet ministers. On Tuesday, a judge ordered that former Social Development Minister Rosario Robles be detained pending a trial over missing public funds. Lopez Obrador said judges would decide whether more people were implicated.
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| View Photos of the 2019 Honda Civic Type R and 2019 Volkswagen Golf R Posted: 14 Aug 2019 05:27 AM PDT |
| Trump: Give CNN's Cuomo a 'red flag' for his 'Fredo' rant Posted: 13 Aug 2019 08:36 AM PDT  President Trump on Tuesday suggested Chris Cuomo should be banned from owning a firearm after the CNN host was seen in a profanity-laced viral video confronting a man who called him "Fredo."
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| Portland mayor decries violence, hatred ahead of rally Posted: 14 Aug 2019 04:55 PM PDT  Mayor Ted Wheeler spoke at a rally with other leaders ahead of the event Saturday, which is also expected to bring out anti-fascist protesters. The weekend event is being organized by a member of the Proud Boys, which has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Also expected at the Saturday event are members of the American Guard, Three Percenters, Oathkeepers and Daily Stormers.
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| North Korea defector and her son found dead: Seoul police Posted: 14 Aug 2019 03:02 AM PDT  The bodies of a North Korean defector and her young son have been found in their apartment, Seoul police said Tuesday, with local media reporting they appeared to have died of starvation. "We did not see any signs of murder or suicide," an officer at Seoul's Gwanak Police Station told AFP. Defectors in South Korea are eligible for subsidies from the authorities, but some struggle to integrate into the South's very different society.
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| Greenland's ice is melting at the rate scientists thought would be our worst-case scenario in 2070 Posted: 14 Aug 2019 12:25 PM PDT  Summer heat waves have caused Greenland's ice to melt at rates scientists didn't expect to see for another 50 years.
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| Fox Host Compares Migrants to Nazis: ‘We’ve Been Invaded by a Horde’ Posted: 14 Aug 2019 10:31 AM PDT  Fox Nation/ScreenshotLess than two weeks after 22 people were killed in El Paso by an accused shooter who told officials he targeted Mexicans and apparently posted a racist manifesto complaining about a "Hispanic invasion," Fox Nation host Todd Starnes likened migrants to Nazis while claiming America has been invaded by a "rampaging horde of illegal aliens."During Wednesday's broadcast of Fox Nation's Starnes Country, first spotted by Media Matters, the conservative pundit groused that The New York Times had recently observed that the El Paso suspect had echoed the same incendiary rhetoric as right-wing media, including Fox News. He then went on to proudly note that he's been spewing the "invasion" commentary for years."I do believe that we have been invaded by a horde," Starnes exclaimed. "A rampaging horde of illegal aliens. This has been a slow-moving invasion."Claiming that this is a "fair description" of what's been going on in this country, the right-wing commentator asserted that a large number of undocumented immigrants are violent criminals, despite studies showing immigrants commit crimes at a lower rate than native-born Americans.This prompted Starnes to make a historical comparison of other "invasions," leading him to make his Third Reich analogy."When you go back in time and when you look at what an invasion is," he declared. "Whether it is the Nazis invading France and Western Europe. I mean, whether the Muslims were invading a country back in the early years. It was an invasion."Fox News has come under fire recently for its inflammatory rhetoric surrounding race and immigration in the wake of the El Paso shooting. Prime-time star Tucker Carlson, who suddenly announced last week he was going on vacation, sparked intense backlash when he said white supremacy is a "hoax" three days after the shooting.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Kremlin warns of foreign espionage as scientists chafe under new restrictions Posted: 14 Aug 2019 09:36 AM PDT ![Kremlin warns of foreign espionage as scientists chafe under new restrictions]( "Kremlin warns of foreign espionage as scientists chafe under new restrictions") The Kremlin said on Wednesday Russia must be vigilant in protecting its industrial secrets against foreign intelligence services after scientists criticized new restrictions on them meeting foreigners. Under an order issued by the education ministry in February but which has only now come to light, government-affiliated scientists are advised to meet their foreign colleagues only if they are accompanied and have been formally authorized to do so. The order urges scientists to inform their superiors five days in advance of any plans to meet foreign scientists and also to report back on what was discussed.
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| Kids go missing for hours as bus driver takes ‘wrong turns,’ Kansas City parents say Posted: 14 Aug 2019 10:09 AM PDT  A Kansas City school bus was hours late dropping off children on the first day of school, leaving parents to wonder, "Are my kids OK?"
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| Florida company building brand-new classic Mustangs with modern features Posted: 14 Aug 2019 09:32 AM PDT  A company called Revology will make you a modern version of you favorite Ford Mustang or Shelby classic with more powerful engines and new technology.
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| Mississippi Man Charged with Setting Girlfriend on Fire, Kidnapping Child Posted: 14 Aug 2019 12:37 PM PDT  Family members and neighbors were shaken to learn a 42-year-old man allegedly set his girlfriend on fire before kidnapping a child and leading police on a chase.
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| Jeffrey Epstein death: Two guards 'fell asleep' then falsified records after inmate removed from paedophile financier's cell Posted: 14 Aug 2019 12:59 AM PDT  Prison guards assigned to monitor Jeffrey Epstein on the night he apparently killed himself fell asleep and failed to check on him for three hours before falsifying records to cover up their neglect, according to officials.The two guards have been placed on leave and the warden of New York City's Metropolitan Correctional Centre (MCC) has been reassigned as federal authorities investigate the financier's death, the Justice Department has announced.It comes amid mounting evidence of failures at the chronically understaffed prison which allowed the 66-year-old to take his own life as he awaited trial on charges of sexually abusing teenage girls.Epstein, who had attempted to take his own life in July, was taken off a suicide watch last month for reasons that have not been explained and should have been checked on by a guard every 30 minutes.Investigators have learned those checks were not done for three hours before he was found hanged at 6.30am on Saturday, according to a person familiar with the case.Guards at the jail in Manhattan are suspected of falsifying log entries to incorrectly show they had been visiting Epstein's cell during the gap.Surveillance video reviewed after his death showed they did not make some of the checks noted in the records, a source told Associated Press.Both guards assigned to watch Epstein and other prisoners were asleep during some or all of the three hours he went without checks, reported The New York Times, which cited unnamed law enforcement and prison officials.One of the guards was not a regular prison officer and had been drafted in because of staffing shortages, according to Serene Gregg, president of the local branch of the American Federation of Government Employees.A second inmate who had been assigned to share a cell with Epstein had been transferred elsewhere the day before his death and was not replaced.Attorney general William Barr said on Monday he was "frankly angry to learn of the MCC's failure to adequately secure this prisoner"."We will get to the bottom of what happened and there will be accountability," he added.The FBI and the Justice Department's inspector general are both probing Epstein's death and US president Donald Trump has said he wants a "full investigation" into what happened.Epstein was being held without bail as he awaited trial on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges that could have led to him being jailed for 45 years.Federal prosecutors in New York are pursuing a parallel investigation into whether any associates of Epstein should be charged with assisting him in what authorities say was his rampant sexual abuse of teenage girls.Mr Barr warned that any co-conspirator in the sex crimes case against Epstein "should not rest easy". He added: "The victims deserve justice, and they will get it."Epstein, who once counted Mr Trump and former president Bill Clinton as friends, was arrested on 6 July and pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking involving dozens of girls as young as 14.
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| The Latest: Pakistan-controlled Kashmir leader dismisses LOC Posted: 14 Aug 2019 05:46 AM PDT  The leader of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir says his government will no longer recognize a decades-old border after India stripped the portion of the disputed Himalayan region it administers of its statehood in a surprise move in Parliament last week. The Line of Control was brokered to end a 1971 war between India and Pakistan. Both claim Kashmir in its entirety but agreed at the time to respect the status quo that it was split between them.
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| Philippine boy eaten by croc in latest attack Posted: 14 Aug 2019 02:12 AM PDT  A boy was killed after being snatched from a boat by a saltwater crocodile in the southern Philippines, as the reptiles' shrinking habitat leads to repeated attacks, authorities said Wednesday. The 10-year-old was on board with his two older siblings near the town of Balabac, which is notorious for confrontations with the massive creatures, when he was yanked into the water. The Philippines' booming development and population have steadily invaded the creatures' habitat, forcing them into ever-smaller stretches of swamp.
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| Super-Quick Dinners That Are So Much Better Than Takeout Posted: 14 Aug 2019 02:27 PM PDT |
| Hong Kong protesters offer apologies, China doubles down after airport clash Posted: 13 Aug 2019 05:01 PM PDT  China said on Wednesday Hong Kong's protest movement had reached "near terrorism" and more street clashes followed ugly scenes the previous day when protesters set upon men they suspected of being government sympathizers. The United States said it was "deeply concerned" at news of Chinese paramilitary police movement near the border, urged Hong Kong's government to respect freedom of speech, and issued a travel advisory urging caution when visiting the city. By nightfall, police and protesters were again facing off on the streets, with riot officers shooting tear gas almost immediately as their response to demonstrators toughens.
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| Ocasio-Cortez Chides Barstool Sports for Anti-Union Tweets Posted: 13 Aug 2019 01:52 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez chided Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy for a series of tweets that several legal experts say violate federal labor law."If you're a boss tweeting firing threats to employees trying to unionize, you are likely breaking the law & can be sued, in your words, 'on the spot,'" Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter.Portnoy then tweeted back, "Hey @aoc welcome to the thunder dome. Debate me." Barstool, which has built its audience on its outrageous, often juvenile sports coverage, promptly collected the two tweets under the headline, "AOC vs. Dave 'The Union Crusher' Portnoy, We Are Officially Living in Bizarro World."Portnoy is listed on Barstool's website as founder and chief of content and has previously made a show of firing employees. His earlier tweets promised to crush organizing activity and fire any employees who spoke with a lawyer or a journalist about forming a union at the site.Barstool, which is majority-owned by the Chernin Group, did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday on Portnoy's tweets. The company has amassed a large, loyal and vocal audience enthusiastic about posts like "Grading the Newest Sex Scandal Teacher" and popular podcasts like sports talk show "Pardon My Take" and sexcapade tell-all "Call Her Daddy."Federal law allows managers and other agents of a company to criticize unions, but restricts them from threatening to punish employees who organize. "As an employer, you can hate unions, denigrate unions, oppose unions," said University of Wyoming law professor Michael Duff, a former NLRB attorney. "But you may not, in reaction to real or imagined concerted employee activity, make statements containing threats of reprisal."To contact the reporter on this story: Josh Eidelson in Washington at jeidelson@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Janet Paskin at jpaskin@bloomberg.net, Joe SchneiderFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| 14-year-old girl killed by falling rocks in Montana’s Glacier National Park Posted: 13 Aug 2019 03:03 PM PDT  The family was traveling west on Going-to-the-Sun Road when the vehicle was hit by rockfall at around 7 p.m., according to a Glacier Park release.
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| The US nuclear stockpile will be managed by a $600 million supercomputer that's more powerful than the top 100 supercomputers combined Posted: 13 Aug 2019 08:27 AM PDT  The supercomputer is called "El Capitan," and it can perform 1.5 quintillion calculations per second.
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| Sheriff: Deputy was on duty when he tried to have sex with minor in predator sting Posted: 13 Aug 2019 12:03 PM PDT  The deputy showed up in his patrol car, but it wasn't a teenage girl waiting, Sheriff Leon Lott said.
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| Man dies after competing in California taco-eating contest Posted: 14 Aug 2019 04:56 PM PDT  A man died shortly after competing in a taco-eating contest at a minor league baseball game in California, authorities said Wednesday. Dana Hutchings, 41, of Fresno, died Tuesday night shortly after arriving at a hospital, Fresno Sheriff spokesman Tony Botti said. An autopsy on Hutchings will be done Thursday to determine a cause of death, Botti said.
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| Malawi court sentences three to death over albino killing Posted: 14 Aug 2019 06:59 AM PDT  A Malawi court has convicted and sentenced two men and a woman to death for killing a person with albinism, a judiciary official said on Wednesday. Malawi has since late 2014 seen a surge in attacks on people with albinism, whose body parts are often used in witchcraft rituals to bring wealth and luck. The court found Douglas Mwale, Fontino Folosani and Sophie Jere guilty of murdering Priscott Pepuzani in 2015 using a metal bar and a hoe handle.
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| ‘Absolute Amateur Hour’: Team Trump Mangles Messages to Iran Posted: 14 Aug 2019 01:46 AM PDT  Photo Illustration by Lyne Lucien/The Daily Beast/GettyThe Trump administration keeps sending conflicting and contradictory messages to Iran about its terms for new negotiations, multiple U.S and European officials tell The Daily Beast. And the ensuing chaos has vexed the president, complicated diplomatic efforts for American allies abroad, and utterly baffled policymakers at home. "Absolute amateur hour," said one former senior administration official, who was involved with the internal squabbles.For several months, the United States has been actively attempting to pass messages, via allies, to the Iranians in an effort to move closer to beginning formal diplomatic talks with Tehran. However, diverging opinions within the Trump administration are foiling the nascent diplomatic process, according to two current U.S. officials and another source with direct knowledge of the matter. The dissent is straining foreign intermediaries who are working as go-betweens between Washington and Tehran. They say they are fed up with receiving mixed messages from Donald Trump's team.The State Department did not respond to a request for comment for this story. But a senior administration official told The Daily Beast, "The Administration is completely aligned in this approach. The President has been clear, he is open to meeting with Iran's leadership to work out an agreement and give Iran the future it deserves." There have been long-standing reports on internal tensions between the president and some of his senior officials, including National Security Adviser John Bolton, on how hawkishly to approach the Iranian regime. In June, as The Daily Beast reported at the time, Trump had privately urged his cabinet members and top aides to cool it with their tough talk on possible war with Iran, despite the attacks on tanker ships in the Gulf of Oman that the administration had pinned on Tehran.The latest mixed messages and instructions have included at times wildly differing details on preconditions the U.S. would demand for official sit-downs between the two countries, and varying proposals for the length of time for which the Americans would consider suspending economic sanctions on Iranians, these sources said. U.S. officials, European officials, and individuals involved in the disparate talks between the U.S. and Iran told The Daily Beast that top Trump administration national security officials are divided about what to put on the table when it comes to negotiating with Tehran, including whether to ease a select set of sanctions, keep them in place, or suspend them altogether. The tensions stem, in part, from President Trump's desire to consider a new deal while some of his advisers are more reluctant to do so, according to two European officials and three individuals associated with brokering talks between Washington and Tehran. Generally, Trump has been more amenable to suspending sanctions for a greater amount of time as talks progress. However, national security and State Department officials have repeatedly advised the president, as well as representatives of allied countries, to demand stricter timelines for possible sanctions relief.The U.S. has for more than a year conducted talks with the Iranians, leaning on mediators such as Oman, Switzerland, Japan, Iraq and France, according to two individuals involved in the behind-closed-door conversations. But the conflicting messages have been particularly bothersome to one go-between in particular—France. Trump has expressed different views to the French, compared to those offered by his National Security Council and the State Department, on how to handle overtures to Tehran. In the meantime, the French have been caught in the middle.Why Would Iran Start a Tanker War?"The French are justifiably anxious about whether they are getting clear and authoritative directives from the U.S," said one former senior State Department official. "There is no policy process for Iran. So of course the French are getting mixed messages. It's not surprising that the administration says 'Macron please do this' and then to disavow that same instruction."The clashing messages are also causing headaches inside the upper echelons of the Trump administration. They've annoyed the president on multiple occasions in recent months, according to a source who's been in the room when those tensions have been discussed at the White House. One source noted that the president had instructed subordinates several weeks ago to clear up the confusion and knock it off with the diplomatic discord.In a public culmination of his frustrations, the president tweeted last week that the French should not try to speak for the U.S. in conversations it conducts with Iran."Iran is in serious financial trouble. They want desperately to talk to the U.S., but are given mixed signals from all of those purporting to represent us, including President Macron of France," the president posted to Twitter on August 8. "I know Emmanuel means well, as do all others, but nobody speaks for the United States but the United States itself. No one is authorized in any way, shape, or form, to represent us!"The tweet confused not only French officials, but American officials, as well, who said they now fear the U.S. has ostracized a strategic partner it was actively trying to win over when it came to Iran.Of course, the president's mercurial approach has complicated Iran policy before. In June, Trump approved (then abruptly called off) military strikes on the Islamic republic that could have killed upwards of 100 people. The back and forth comes as the Trump administration has also sought outside counsel on what a new Iran deal could potentially look like. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), nowadays a top Trump confidant and ally on Capitol Hill, has been working closely with administration officials who focus on Middle East policy to determine possible alternatives to President Barack Obama's Iran nuke deal. Part of this effort includes the Republican senator fielding ideas from foreign officials and others.Why Trump Wants the Ayatollah's CashGraham is doing this with Trump's full knowledge, and the senator told The Daily Beast that the president was receptive to the push. But even this effort is in part defined by the cognitive dissonance driving Trump's thinking on Iran.Graham's involvement comes at a time when Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, another Republican who regularly advises Trump, is working behind the scenes, with the president's blessing, as an informal diplomatic emissary to Iran. And the two men are unlikely to get on the same page on Iran. According to those who've spoken to Trump about each GOP lawmaker, the president has repeatedly joked about all the foreign nations Graham wants the U.S. military to invade, and conversely has lauded Paul as a peacenik who "won't let [us]" start "World War III."It is unclear if Trump will even try to get the two to work in tandem on Iran policy. When asked this month if he was coordinating with Paul, Graham chuckled and simply replied, "No," adding, "I'm not sure what he's doing."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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