| PHOTOS: Wildfire rages in Northern California Posted: 24 Oct 2019 07:48 AM PDT  A Northern California wildfire exploded in size early Thursday as dangerously windy weather prompted the state's largest utility to impose electrical blackouts in an effort to prevent fire catastrophes.
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| 'A sad day': Louisiana deputy and his school teacher wife face 60 counts of child porn and child rape accusations Posted: 24 Oct 2019 04:15 PM PDT  Sheriff's deputy Dennis Perkins and his wife Cynthia Thompson Perkins, a teacher, were arrested on child pornography and rape charges in Louisiana.
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| House Dems Accuse Impeachment Witnesses of Coordinating Testimony Posted: 24 Oct 2019 01:07 AM PDT  Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/GettySome Democrats involved in the impeachment inquiry are beginning to suspect that certain witnesses have coordinated with each other ahead of testifying to ensure their stories do not conflict—the very outcome investigators are trying to avoid by conducting hearings behind closed doors.Two Democratic lawmakers told The Daily Beast that, over the course of the nine witness depositions they have conducted over the last several weeks, there have been suggestions that certain witnesses spoke to each other about what they would say to impeachment investigators."We have direct evidence from our investigation that witnesses have talked to each other about their testimony," said Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, adding that the evidence concerns two witnesses in particular, whom he declined to name. And Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) said, "There's some testimony already that has suggested there has been conversation" among witnesses."We're working very hard to protect the integrity of the investigation and prevent witnesses from sharing their testimony with each other," he said. "You can only do that so much."House Democrats have argued that, at this early stage in the impeachment inquiry, proceedings need to happen behind closed doors so that witnesses aren't aware of exactly what other witnesses are saying and, therefore, aren't able to adjust their stories so that they're all on the same page. That witnesses might coordinate, Swalwell said, is concerning "because they would tailor [testimony] to try and help each other or manufacture alibis." Doing so while lying under oath, of course, is a crime—something that several Democrats believe may have been committed by at least one witness, U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland. Short of that, less-than-candid testimony from witnesses threatens to undermine the investigation that Democrats are attempting to conduct, all while they get attacked relentlessly by Republicans for not holding hearings that are open to the public. On Wednesday, President Trump's defenders in the GOP escalated their opposition by storming the secure room in the U.S. Capitol where depositions have been taking place, grinding the impeachment inquiry to a halt—if only for a day—as they demanded Democrats open up the proceedings to the country. House Republicans Literally Storm the Impeachment HearingsOf the witnesses Democrats have heard from in closed-door sessions so far, most have been career State Department or Pentagon officials, who have raised alarms over how Trump and his allies pressured Ukraine to open up investigations into the president's political rivals while holding $400 million in security aid over their heads. Two of those witnesses, Sondland and former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker, are connected to Trump personally and are linked to carrying out the president's Ukraine plans. If Democrats have their way, they will soon be hearing testimony from other witnesses in that category."Anything that's not patently illegal, they're going to try to get away with," said one lawmaker with knowledge of the proceedings of some of the Trumpworld witnesses.But several lawmakers involved in the impeachment inquiry acknowledged it would be inevitable that at least some of the witnesses—many of whom have personal relationships with each other after working in similar places in government—might speak to each other as the inquiry unfolds. "Certainly, that's the thing we want to avoid," said Rep. Harley Rouda (D-CA), who said he could not "opine" on whether it was clear that certain witnesses had coordinated with each other in the midst of the impeachment inquiry. "But that doesn't mean that these witnesses haven't talked to each other over the last few months, because they're all operating in the same theater of Ukraine—many of them, obviously."But several other Democrats who are participating in the inquiry are not under the impression there is any widespread effort afoot by certain witnesses to deny candid testimony to the impeachment committees.Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), also an Intelligence panel member, said he personally did not believe that witnesses had been coordinating with each other. "I take that very much with a grain of salt," he said. "Nobody has come in other than Sondland, maybe Volker, that could somehow be regarded as complicit here.""I mean, it could be… I don't think that's right," added Himes. "But [Swalwell] could be seeing something I'm not seeing."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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| Bernie Sanders rolled out his marijuana legalization plan at 4:20 p.m. Posted: 24 Oct 2019 02:23 PM PDT ![Bernie Sanders rolled out his marijuana legalization plan at 4:20 p.m.]( "Bernie Sanders rolled out his marijuana legalization plan at 4:20 p.m.") Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has a plan to light up his first 100 days in office.Sanders, a longtime supporter of marijuana legalization, unveiled a plan to make that happen if he's elected president. Specifically, he'll legalize it during his first 100 days in office, as well as enact a plan to ensure the weed industry doesn't end up like big tobacco, his marijuana plan posted at 4:20 p.m. Thursday explains.Sanders rolled out his plan along with some marijuana statistics, including how "African Americans are nearly four times as likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white Americans" despite roughly equal marijuana use. That fact is at the heart of the need for criminal justice reform in the U.S., Sanders writes, and it's why he's making marijuana legalization and expunging past weed convictions his top priority.So in his first 100 days in office, a President Sanders would nominate an "attorney general, HHS secretary, and administrator for the DEA" who back his reform goals. He'd then "immediately" issue an executive order to the attorney general so they "declassify marijuana as a controlled substance," and later focus on "legislation to ensure permanent legalization of marijuana." Next up, Sanders would create a system to "vacate and expunge" all federal and state marijuana convictions. Sanders also has pledged to ensure revenue from legal marijuana benefits areas hit the hardest by its illegality, and introduced steps to "ensure legalized marijuana does not turn into big tobacco."Find all of Sanders' pot plan here.
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| 'Who gives a s*** about Afghanistan?': Trump stunned officials during a military briefing, former aide says Posted: 23 Oct 2019 03:36 PM PDT  President Trump bemoaned a U.S.-led coalition mission to provide aid to Afghanistan and derailed a meeting with top military officials last year, according to an upcoming book written by former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis's aide.
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| See Photos of the New Honda Fit Posted: 22 Oct 2019 06:04 PM PDT |
| Russia's Lavrov says Norwegian spy could return home at 'any moment' Posted: 24 Oct 2019 03:28 PM PDT  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that a Norwegian man jailed for spying could return home at "any moment". Lavrov spoke briefly to Norwegian media when he arrived in the Arctic town of Kirkenes in Norway on the 75th anniversary of its liberation by the Red Army, according to video posted on Friday on the Russian foreign ministry's Telegram channel. A Russian commission on Thursday recommended President Vladimir Putin pardon Frode Berg, jailed for spying, spurring hopes in Norway that he may be released as part of a spy swap.
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| Drug lord delivers blunt Lebanon protest support Posted: 24 Oct 2019 04:27 AM PDT  A week into daily demonstrations that have gone on into the early hours, the Lebanese may be in need of a pick me up -- and the country's most famous drug dealer offered just that Thursday. Nouh Zaiter, a hashish dealer on the run from Lebanese authorities, delivered a blunt message in support of anti-corruption protests that have crippled the country. The self-styled Lebanese Robin Hood released a video on a local news site calling on protesters in the eastern Baalbek region to demonstrate on Thursday evening.
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| ISIS is staging attacks in symbolically important places to send a message: We're back Posted: 24 Oct 2019 09:02 AM PDT  "ISIS absolutely intends to rule terrain again," an analyst told Insider, and it's staging attacks on symbolically important places.
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| Medieval man's face reconstructed from 600-year-old skull Posted: 23 Oct 2019 07:46 AM PDT ![Medieval man's face reconstructed from 600-year-old skull]( "Medieval man's face reconstructed from 600-year-old skull") Researchers found that Skeleton 125 was over the age of 46 years old and shorter than the average medieval man. He was around 5'2" or 5'3".
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| Indicted Giuliani Henchman Lev Parnas Raises Executive Privilege in Federal Court Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:09 AM PDT  REUTERSLev Parnas, a Soviet-born business associate with ties to Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, raised the issue of executive privilege during a court proceeding Wednesday, arguing it could apply to some of the evidence gathered in his campaign-finance case in New York.The issue was raised during an arraignment for Parnas and Igor Furman, who pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges in a four-count indictment that accused them of funneling money through straw donors into U.S. elections in an effort to gain influence. Prosecutors also allege the pair petitioned U.S. politicians, including a congressman, to have the ambassador to Ukraine removed from her post. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebekah Donaleski, offered a glimpse into the "voluminous" evidence that prosecutors have recovered so far on the two men who have become figures in the Trump impeachment proceedings, through "dozens of search warrants," property searches, and subpoenas. The information includes emails and social media accounts and financial records from more than 50 bank accounts.Rudy Giuliani's Ukraine Henchmen Arrested Over Trump Group DonationDuring the hearing, Parnas' attorney, Edward MacMahon, told the judge that his client was told to invoke executive privilege in a letter that was submitted on Parnas' behalf by John Dowd, a former lawyer for the president, to a congressional committee conducting the impeachment inquiry.Asked by Judge Paul Oetken if Parnas has worked for the president, MacMahon said no, but that "he worked for Mr. Giuliani." MacMahon said that his concern stems from Parnas having used Giuliani as his lawyer for both personal and business dealings and that Giuliani also works for Trump."There are issues that we need to be very sensitive to," MacMahon said, not going into detail what those issues are. He continued, adding that he doesn't "know who is looking at all this evidence. If information gets out that we determine it is all privileged, we've got a problem," MacMahon said in court."I can't invoke [executive privilege], only the President of the United States and the government can," MacMahon said, telling the judge that he doesn't know how to proceed if the issue arises. "I just wanted to raise the issue with you."Prosecutors, seemingly shocked by the executive privilege claim, told the judge that while "this is the first time that we've heard of this... we're happy to have a conversation." Donaleski, added that the government has already set up a "filter team," a separate team of prosecutors within their investigation, who ensure that possibly sensitive information does not get exposed. The judge instructed the two sides to discuss the issues over the coming weeks. Parnas and Fruman are scheduled to return to court on Dec. 2. Flanked by his wife and attorneys, Parnas spoke briefly to the scrum of reporters outside the courthouse saying that he is looking forward to defending himself "vigorously in court." "Many false things have been said about me and my family in the press and media recently," he said, before adding that he is "certain that in time the truth will be revealed, and I will be vindicated. In the end, I put my faith in God. Thank you."His defense attorney, Joseph Bondy, reiterated the sentiment, saying that his team "looks forward to defending Mr. Parnas in the court based upon the evidence and not a smear campaign that's been driven by self-serving and misleading leaks apparently from the highest levels of our government."Prosecutors are also looking into Giuliani's business dealings as part of their investigation, sources have told The Daily Beast and other news organizations.Parnas and Fruman were arrested two weeks ago at Washington's Dulles airport as they were preparing to board a flight to Frankfurt, Germany, holding one-way tickets. When prosecutors learned that the two were leaving the country, they moved quickly to secure the indictments, which were issued a day before the two were apprehended.The two have both been released on $1 million bail and are relegated to house arrest while they await trial. Their movements have been restricted to New York, where the trial is scheduled to take place and the Miami area where they both live.The case is the first criminal prosecution related to an apparent Trumpworld pressure campaign to coerce Ukrainian officials into digging up dirt on Trump's political opponents for the 2020 re-election campaign, particularly former Vice President Joe Biden, an effort which is at the center of an impeachment inquiry underway by the U.S. House of Representatives.Parnas and Fruman are charged in four-count indictment with making illegal straw donations, including a $325,000 contribution to the group America First Action, which was first reported by The Daily Beast.That donation actually came from an entirely different, undisclosed company owned by Parnas. It is illegal to donate to federal political candidates in the name of another person or entity.During an arraignment for David Correia and Andrey Kukushkin, two businessmen charged with conspiring with Parnas and Fruman to use straw donors to make illegal campaign contributions, prosecutors offered a broad brushstroke of "fairly voluminous" amounts of evidence they have gathered in the case from 10 search warrants and more than 50 bank accounts.Parnas and Fruman are accused in the indictment in a separate scheme of helping Giuliani to dig up dirt on the president's political opponents in Ukraine.Prosecutors say that scheme involved having the former ambassador to Ukraine recalled. Giuliani believed the ambassador, Marie Yovanovitch, was standing in the way of investigations he and Trump wanted to see launched into Joe and Hunter Biden's work in the country.The campaign-finance allegations against Parnas and Fruman are inextricably linked with that effort. Prosecutors say their extensive political contributions, beginning in early 2018, were designed to curry favor with American policymakers in an effort to advance Parnas' and Fruman's political and business endeavors.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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| An Easy Way To Start World War III: Sink a U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Posted: 23 Oct 2019 07:00 PM PDT  Just asking for it.
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| The Latest: Hong Kong protesters rally at British Consulate Posted: 23 Oct 2019 07:09 AM PDT  Hundreds of pro-democracy protesters have formed a human chain at the British Consulate in Hong Kong to rally support for their cause from the city's former colonial ruler. The event was organized in support of a debate on Thursday in Britain's Parliament on whether to offer British citizenship to Hong Kongers in light of the unrest that has gripped the city since early June. People born in Hong Kong before July 1997, when China took back control of the city, were eligible for British National Overseas passports, which don't provide British citizenship.
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| Mother charged with murder of ‘terminally ill’ seven-year-old daughter she raised $22,000 for her treatment Posted: 23 Oct 2019 04:21 AM PDT  A mother who asked for donations to pay for her daughter's medical treatment while ensuring she achieved a "bucket list" of experiences, has been accused of murdering the seven year old.Kelly Turner and not the multiple illnesses she claimed daughter Olivia Gant suffered from, led to her death in 2017, a grand jury indictment alleges.
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| Pakistan, India sign deal on visa-free corridor for Sikh pilgrims Posted: 24 Oct 2019 02:47 AM PDT  Islamabad and New Delhi signed an agreement Thursday on a visa-free corridor between the two countries that will allow Sikh pilgrims in India to visit the shrine to their religion's founder, which is in Pakistan. The Kartarpur Corridor deal -- a rare example of cooperation between the nuclear-armed arch-rivals -- follows months of heightened tensions, mainly over the disputed region of Kashmir. "Indian pilgrims of all faiths and persons of Indian origin... can use the corridor.
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| What's the dispute between Hillary Clinton and Tulsi Gabbard about? Posted: 24 Oct 2019 12:05 PM PDT  Much of the controversy is actually based on a misquote of Hillary Clinton's remarks about Rep. Tulsi Gabbard on a podcast.
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| The Army Wants to Bring the "Linebacker" Bradley Back from the Grave Posted: 23 Oct 2019 02:00 PM PDT  A good idea?
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| Ilhan Omar Misquotes Article, Falsely Claims Child ‘Died’ Due to Dropped Medicaid Coverage Posted: 24 Oct 2019 11:55 AM PDT  Representative Ilhan Omar tweeted a link to a New York Times article Thursday morning and falsely claimed a child "died as a direct result of Trump's cuts to Medicaid and CHIP," even though the article makes no such claim.After critics pointed out Omar's inaccuracy on Twitter, her account tweeted an addendum saying the child had "almost died."> almost died*> > -- Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) October 24, 2019The Times' article paints a fearful account of rising uninsurance rates among eligible Medicaid families due to amended paperwork requirements and deportation fears, and implies shifts in policy under the Trump administration are behind the decreasing enrollment. But HHS Administration for Children and Families spokesman told the paper that recent rises are due to factors in individual states."I went to the E.R. thinking he had insurance. If the receptionist had not seen him turning blue, she might have just said, 'He's not covered, so we can't see him today.' I do think about that.," Karen Johnson, the boy's mother, told The Times. The nine-month old was taken to the intensive care unit for a respiratory virus, treated successfully, and later released.The rest of the story also undercuts Omar's initial tweet, as the Times reports that "Trump administration officials have not explicitly tried to limit children's Medicaid coverage." After an appointment with an enrollment counselor, it was revealed that Johnson had missed a window to provide proof of income to re-enroll her three children.The Johnson's are now re-enrolled successfully, and Karen is counting on Medicaid to cover the hospital bills retroactively.Medicaid retroactively covers eligible patients up to three months after the month of application.
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| 16 in Bangladesh sentenced to death in girl's brutal killing Posted: 24 Oct 2019 06:43 AM PDT  A court in eastern Bangladesh sentenced the principal of an Islamic school and 15 others to death on Thursday over the killing of an 18-year-old woman who was set on fire for refusing to drop sexual harassment charges against the principal. Judge Mamunur Rashid of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal found Principal Siraj Ud Doula and the others guilty of either killing the woman or ordering her death in April. Tens of thousands of people attended Rafi's funeral prayers in her hometown, and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina pledged that her family would get quick justice.
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| Top Trump aide suppressed VA whistleblowers, department investigator finds Posted: 24 Oct 2019 12:30 PM PDT  A political operator who led an office created by President Donald Trump to expose wrongdoing at the Department of Veterans Affairs used his position to quash whistleblowers and retaliate against foes, according to an inspector general report released Thursday. The accusations involve Peter O'Rourke, who Trump appointed in 2017 to lead the new Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection, and his successor, Kirk Nicholas. The inspector general audit said that under O'Rourke and Nicholas, the whistleblower's office ended investigations into allies of senior officials, failed to consistently report to Congress and refused to honor whistleblowers' demands for anonymity.
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| China detains journalist who covered Hong Kong protests: sources Posted: 24 Oct 2019 03:57 AM PDT  A Chinese journalist who covered democracy protests in Hong Kong has been detained after returning to the mainland, sources with direct knowledge of the situation told AFP on Thursday. Huang Xueqin, who became known for her support of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment in China last year, had travelled to Hong Kong this summer. When Huang returned to the mainland, authorities in the southeastern city of Guangzhou summoned her to a meeting and confiscated her travel documents, the sources said.
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| Americans Are Unhappy at Work After Years of Economic Gains Posted: 23 Oct 2019 10:52 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Explore what's moving the global economy in the new season of the Stephanomics podcast. Subscribe via Pocket Cast or iTunes.The economy has added millions of jobs and pay gains have accelerated in recent years, but Americans aren't crazy about their work.A poll released Wednesday showed just 40% of employed Americans say they're in good jobs, versus 44% in mediocre jobs and 16% in bad jobs. How respondents ranked the quality of their job had a strong correlation with their quality of life: Seventy-nine percent of workers in good jobs report a high quality of life, versus only a third of those in bad jobs.The Gallup survey of 6,633 working adults to assess their current job on 10 dimensions of job quality such as benefits, pay and job security. More important aspects, as ranked by the respondent, were weighted more heavily in the final five-point score. A good job is a score of 4 or above. A bad job reflects a score at or below 3.About two-thirds of those making $143,000 or more a year -- in the top 10% of incomes -- categorized their job as "good," while less than a third of those making less than $24,000 said the same. Overall, just about half of workers are satisfied with their current pay, but this differs greatly by income. Eighty-nine percent of those in the top 10% income bracket were satisfied with their level of pay. That compares to less than half of that for those with incomes in the bottom half.Fewer than two-thirds of respondents said their pay has increased in the last five years, further underscoring how the record-long expansion has been uneven across income levels. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has emphasized the need to sustain the economy's growth so "that the strong job market reaches more of those left behind."As the labor market has tightened, companies have complained about a lack of qualified workers, and job postings currently exceed the number of unemployed Americans.Yet no more than 37% saw an improvement in any single aspect of work besides pay over the last five years, according to the report, which was funded by the Lumina Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Omidyar Network.About a fourth of Americans saw an improvement in their employee benefits, while only a third were enjoying their day-to-day work more.Looking across demographics, the study found race, ethnicity and gender to be strongly correlated with job quality.Black women were most likely to say they work in bad jobs, at 31%. White non-Hispanic men, followed by white non-Hispanic women, were least likely to be disappointed by job quality. Hispanic men and black women were the most likely to be disappointed. Asian workers, who had higher levels of income and education than white Americans, expressed lower job quality than white respondents.The survey was conducted via mail from Feb. 8 to April 1. The main results have a margin of error of 1.9 percentage point."We cannot rely on the unemployment rate alone to tell us what is happening with work in America," Jonathan Rothwell, Gallup principal economist, said in a statement released with the poll. "This survey offers a detailed look at what people value in their jobs and how they feel about their working lives, and it shows that people want more than just a job."(Updates to add economist quote in last paragraph.)To contact the reporter on this story: Reade Pickert in Washington at epickert@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Scott Lanman at slanman@bloomberg.net, Jeff KearnsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Why Iran's Navy Wouldn't Fare Well in a War Against America Posted: 23 Oct 2019 09:00 PM PDT  Tehran has no chance.
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| Woman charged after gripe about ex on Facebook gets justice Posted: 24 Oct 2019 07:04 AM PDT ![Woman charged after gripe about ex on Facebook gets justice]( "Woman charged after gripe about ex on Facebook gets justice") A Georgia woman who was criminally charged after complaining about her ex-husband on Facebook said she feels like she's finally gotten justice. A few days after the post, Anne King found herself in front of judge, facing a charge of criminal defamation. "I was terrified," Anne King told the newspaper.
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| Texas Gov. Announces Investigation Into Custody Battle Over Boy’s Gender Transition Posted: 24 Oct 2019 06:30 AM PDT  Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced Wednesday night that the Texas Attorney General's Office and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services are looking into a case involving a custody battle over a seven-year-old boy who is said to be transgender by his mother.> FYI the matter of 7 year old James Younger is being looked into by the Texas Attorney General's Office and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. JamesYounger> > -- Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) October 23, 2019On Tuesday, a Texas jury ruled against James's father, Jeff Younger, and awarded sole conservatorship to his mother, who has been encouraging James's "social transition" against his father's wishes.James's mother, Dr. Anne Georgulas, who is a pediatrician, separated from Younger several years ago after James and his brother were born, and was given exclusive rights and duties, while Younger's custody rights were limited.Georgulas has said that seven-year-old James began to show signs of identifying as a girl when he asked for a girls' toy from McDonald's, began imitating the female characters from Disney's "Frozen," and started asking to wear dresses.After being referred to a LGBT family therapist, Georgulas was advised to begin "affirming" James by calling him "Luna," as well as "socially transitioning" him at school. Medical records presented by the boy's pediatrician list James as "Luna Younger, female," and included a recommendation to visit GENecis clinic at Children's Hospital Center, which offers "hormone therapy" and "puberty suppression."Georgulas' legal team has brought several therapists and counselors as witnesses, all of whom testified that James told them that he was a girl and wanted to be called "Luna."Younger has contended in court that James is happy to present as a boy when they are together, referring to himself as "James" and wearing male clothing.He has also argued that the situation violates one of the two requirements for "gender dysphoria" in the DSM-V, the current manual used by the American Psychiatric Association. In addition to displaying characteristics related to gender expression, such as clothes, pronouns, etc., the patient must "display distress." Witnesses who testified in the case — including those who diagnosed James with gender dysphoria — said that he has not displayed any such distress, according to the Texan.Conservatives, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz, voiced their concerns about the case on Twitter ahead of Abbott's announcement.> This is horrifying & tragic. For a parent to subject such a young child to life-altering hormone blockers to medically transition their sex is nothing less than child abuse.https://t.co/sl8VcBgfTD via @nypost> > -- Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) October 24, 2019Georgulas' legal representation told the Daily Caller in a statement Wednesday that a "completely distorted and untrue version of events in this case has been circling the media . . . The pleadings in this case are available online, including, but not limited to, the Court's prior annulment proceedings and the numerous findings of fraud that the Court made in this case against Mr. Younger."The lawyers said that Georgulas' case "is being viciously attacked and threatened by complete strangers based on false and untrue statements."The judge presiding over the case is expected to read the final ruling and order on Thursday, which may force Younger to call his son "Luna," and attend classes on transgenderism. He could also be barred from taking his son outside the home dressed as a boy.
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| Trump's plan to leave some US troops in Syria to guard its oil is now doomed, thanks to Putin Posted: 23 Oct 2019 12:41 PM PDT  "The implementation of this memorandum will strongly interfere with these plans," a Russian official said. "We will work to nullify them."
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| 'It's the jungle': Bosnian migrant camp in crisis Posted: 24 Oct 2019 01:07 AM PDT  No running water, putrid portable toilets and surrounding woods littered with land mines -- these are the bleak conditions of a camp where hundreds of migrants brace for winter in Bosnia. "It's the jungle," says Mohammad Nawaz, a 30-year-old Pakistani living in the tent-city built on a former garbage landfill in the northwest village of Vucjak. The camp was set up outside the city of Bihac in June after inhabitants became frustrated with the growing migrant presence.
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| Children are being sexually abused every seven minutes, NSPCC reveals as figures hit new high Posted: 23 Oct 2019 03:57 PM PDT  Children are being sexually abused every seven minutes, according to police data obtained by the NSPCC. Reported sexual offences against children rose to 76,204 in the last 12 months, a record high, according to the figures from 44 of the 45 police forces released under Freedom of Information laws. That is a rise of 63 per cent compared to five years ago when there were 46,738 recorded child sexual offences. Analysis of the data also reveals that where age of victim was provided, a fifth of the offences - some 16,773 - were recorded against children aged ten and under, with 341 of the offences against babies under the age of one. The NSPCC say the rise in offences which include rape, sexual assault and grooming is partly explained by better recording and increased reporting but believe there has also been a rise fuelled by paedophiles exploiting social media to contact children. In 2018/19, there were 8,656 recorded child sexual offences flagged as involving an online element – an increase of 18 per cent from the previous year where there were 7,362. Duty of Care white paper Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, said: "Record numbers of child sexual offences means we are facing a nationwide crisis in the help available for tens of thousands of children. "These children are bravely disclosing what happened to them but in too many cases there is not enough timely, joined up and child-friendly support. Instead they are shunted from overstretched service to service. "We need a radical rethink in the way we help these young people, otherwise they could struggle for the rest of their lives with long term, deep seated trauma." The charity is calling for the provision of specialised services around the UK, with an emphasis on early joined up support from police, local NHS services, children's services and advocacy for children who have experienced sexual abuse, offered in child-friendly spaces. Last year there were 69,543 recorded child sexual offences, more than three times the 20,698 when figures were first collected in 2007/08. Duty of Care white paper Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for child protection, said: "Policing is doing all we can to pursue and prosecute criminals who exploit and abuse young people. "But much more must be done to stop this abuse happening in the first place. Social media and tech companies need to acknowledge their responsibility and do more to stop children accessing harmful content and prevent abuse on their platforms. "They have a social responsibility to design out this type of offending and to cooperate in full with police investigations into child abuse or exploitation."
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| Taiwanese Opposition to Political Union With China Surges Posted: 24 Oct 2019 05:01 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The number of Taiwanese opposed to a Hong Kong-style political union with China has surged this year as ongoing violent protests in the former British colony raise concerns about Beijing's rule across the region.Nearly 90% of Taiwan's public opposes unification with China under the "one country, two systems" model adopted by Hong Kong when it returned to Beijing's rule in 1997, according to a survey published by Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council Thursday. That's an increase of 13.9% percentage points since January to 89.3%.The months-long protests in the city not only raised concerns among Taiwanese people about Hong Kong-style rule, but also gave Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen a noticeable boost in public support. Tsai, who is seeking a second term in January, refuses to endorse Beijing's bottom line that both sides belong to "one China."Before the pro-democracy protests erupted in Hong Kong, Tsai still lagged challenger Han Kuo-yu of the pro-China opposition Kuomintang by double digits in most opinion polls. Since August, she began leading.Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council conducted the survey about Hong Kong-style rule between Oct. 17-21. It involved 1,073 Taiwan citizens aged 20 years or older, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.99%. The same question was asked in surveys in January, March, May and July this year.\--With assistance from Miaojung Lin.To contact the reporter on this story: Chinmei Sung in Taipei at csung4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Samson Ellis at sellis29@bloomberg.net, Ryan Lovdahl, Denise WeeFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Rep. Katie Hill admits relationship with campaign staffer Posted: 24 Oct 2019 07:23 AM PDT  The House Ethics Committee announced on Wednesday that it has launched an investigation into Rep. Katie Hill over allegations that she had an improper relationship with a congressional staffer, which would be an ethics violation.
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| Thailand's $7 billion airport rail project off the ground after months of dispute Posted: 24 Oct 2019 04:14 AM PDT ![Thailand's $7 billion airport rail project off the ground after months of dispute]( "Thailand's $7 billion airport rail project off the ground after months of dispute") Thailand's plans for a new $7.4 billion high-speed rail link from Bangkok to the tourist town of Pattaya got the go ahead on Thursday after months of negotiations that spilled over into public acrimony. The Thai government said it had signed an agreement on Thursday to begin construction with a consortium led by conglomerate Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group and including China Railway Construction Corporation . CP Group and 12 other companies were selected for the project by Thailand's former military government.
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| Correction: Election 2020-Gabbard-Clinton story Posted: 23 Oct 2019 08:04 PM PDT  In a story Oct. 18 about Tulsi Gabbard and Hillary Clinton, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Hillary Clinton said she believes the Russians have "got their eye on somebody who's currently in the Democratic primary and grooming her to be the third-party candidate." She was referring to Republicans, not Russians, according to an aide.
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| Is the Army Getting Ready to Give Up on the A-10 Warthog? Posted: 23 Oct 2019 08:00 PM PDT  It is all about the F-35 now.
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| Iraq says US troops leaving Syria can't redeploy there and have to leave in 4 weeks, a fresh embarrassment in Trump's botched withdrawal Posted: 23 Oct 2019 05:16 AM PDT  The Pentagon announced earlier this week that US troops leaving Syria would move on to Iraq, but Iraq says they aren't allowed to.
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| Lawsuit Blames Tesla Model S's Retractable Door Handles for Man's Death Posted: 24 Oct 2019 09:21 AM PDT  The family of the driver claims he died because he couldn't get the door open after a crash when the car caught on fire.
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| Saudi Prince Tells U.S. Congress to Get Over Its Frustrations Posted: 24 Oct 2019 03:09 PM PDT ![Saudi Prince Tells U.S. Congress to Get Over Its Frustrations]( "Saudi Prince Tells U.S. Congress to Get Over Its Frustrations") (Bloomberg) -- Prince Turki Al-Faisal, a former Saudi intelligence chief and an influential royal family member, told U.S. lawmakers to get off their "high moralistic horses" as ties between the historical allies remain frayed a year after the murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi.Prince Turki criticized congressional representatives on Wednesday for the "horror" and "disdain" they express for Saudi Arabia, saying U.S. lawmakers are unable to perform their jobs to address "issues of racism and racial inequality" and to reform gun ownership laws. He also said that most U.S. media has a "consistently blinkered view" of Saudi Arabia, one that portrays negative events in the kingdom as "being the norm."The murder last year of Khashoggi, a U.S resident and Washington Post columnist, as well as the long-running war and humanitarian crisis in Yemen and the detention of Saudi female activists have all strained the kingdom's relations with much of the Washington establishment outside the White House. Senior lawmakers in both parties remain unified on the issue of punishing the kingdom.Prince Turki spoke at an event in Washington about a week before Saudi Arabia hosts its annual investment forum, the Future Investment Initiative. The Oct. 29-31 event is set to attract some of Wall Street's top dealmakers, as well as representatives from major institutional investors across the globe, after many skipped the forum last year.Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Jared Kushner, a White House adviser and President Donald Trump's son-in-law, plan to attend the investment event. Mnuchin last year boycotted the investment meeting after Khashoggi was killed and dismembered by Saudi agents in Turkey.How many congressional leaders "have deigned to pay a visit to the kingdom?" Prince Turki said at the event. "Should they visit Riyadh they may learn something about universal health care, which the kingdom has provided for its citizens since its establishment" or "they may get an insight into our improving and evolving educational system."Saudi Arabia has been working hard to remake its image since the Khashoggi killing, marketing it as a tourist destination. It is building major tourism projects, transforming its Red Sea coastline to bring in holidaymakers and developing an entertainment city near the capital of Riyadh. The kingdom also said it plans to drop a requirement for men and women who visit to prove they're related in order to share a hotel room.Last month, Saudi Arabia announced it would drop its strict dress code for foreign women, who will no longer be required to wear an abaya, the flowing cloak that's been mandatory attire for decades. "Modest clothing" will still be called upon, according to Ahmed Al-Khateeb, chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage.Changes introduced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman were praised on Thursday by Timothy Lenderking, the deputy assistant secretary for Arabian Gulf Affairs. Prince Mohammed is leading "very dynamic change" inside Saudi Arabia, Lenderking said at the same event as Prince Turki on Thursday. "The change is real, it's beneficial. The Saudi population, by and large, is responding very positively to it."(Updates to add State Department official's comments in final two paragraphs)\--With assistance from Patrick Donahue.To contact the reporter on this story: Glen Carey in Washington at gcarey8@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Bill Faries at wfaries@bloomberg.net, Elizabeth WassermanFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| The World’s Most Beautifully Designed Ocean-Fed Pools Posted: 23 Oct 2019 02:34 PM PDT |
