| Tulsi Gabbard is having a moment, and the party is getting nervous Posted: 30 Oct 2019 04:56 PM PDT  Is Tulsi Gabbard planning to run a third-party presidential campaign? And if she does, will it help President Trump win reelection?
|
| FBI chief warns Congress of danger from 'self-radicalized' domestic terrorists Posted: 30 Oct 2019 05:54 PM PDT  Federal law enforcement and homeland security officials warned about the growing threat of domestic terrorism at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Wednesday.
|
| The Latest: Islamic State leader buried at sea, US says Posted: 30 Oct 2019 02:19 PM PDT  The head of United States Central Command says Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was buried at sea after a weekend raid on his compound. Gen. Frank McKenzie told reporters Wednesday that al-Baghdadi died after he exploded a suicide vest just before U.S. troops were going to capture him. McKenzie says two children were killed in the explosion set off by the Islamic State leader.
|
| Chris Christie Among Lawyers Making $15 Million in 1MDB Pact Posted: 31 Oct 2019 09:10 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The biggest recovery ever from an American anti-corruption crackdown is proving lucrative for former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.A major deal struck by the U.S. for fugitive financier Jho Low to give up almost $1 billion in assets allegedly stolen from a Malaysian investment fund comes with a provision to pay his lawyers. As part of the 1MDB settlement, the Justice Department allowed for $15 million to be paid to a group advising Jho Low, including the law firm Christie set up after two terms as New Jersey's governor.Those proceeds will come from Jho Low's stake in EMI Music Publishing, which has grown to about $415 million. That investment ballooned after he initially put in a little more than $100 million stolen from 1MDB, according to prosecutors. The two sides agreed to the provision to allow the lawyers to extract fees from Low, whose assets and accounts have been seized or monitored by authorities across the world."We were pleased to help negotiate this historic resolution in order to preserve the tremendous value of assets involved," Christie said in a statement after the Justice Department announced the settlement agreement on Wednesday. It still needs approval from a federal judge.Christie, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 before dropping out and endorsing Donald Trump, set up his own law firm last year, the Christie Law Firm LLC. The other firms that will receive proceeds of the 1MDB deal for legal expenses are Kobre & Kim LLP and Lowenstein Sandler LLP.The agreement comes even before the criminal charges against Low have been resolved. In the settlement, the Justice Department cautioned that the released funds should be used only for the Low family's legal fees and costs related to the lawsuits, and can't be routed back to Low or his family.The cases were resolved in a "collaborative and fair way that includes payment of our legal fees," said Robin Rathmell, a lawyer at Kobre & Kim.(Updates with lawyer's comment in last paragraph.)To contact the reporter on this story: Sridhar Natarajan in New York at snatarajan15@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Michael J. Moore at mmoore55@bloomberg.net, Daniel Taub, David S. JoachimFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| 11 Malware Attacks That Nearly Wrecked the Internet Posted: 31 Oct 2019 02:15 PM PDT |
| Greta Thunberg declines environmental prize: 'Climate movement does not need any more awards' Posted: 30 Oct 2019 12:06 PM PDT  Greta Thunberg declined an environmental award worth $52,000 from the Nordic Council. She said she wants leaders to listen to science, not prizes.
|
| California businessman gets prison for U.S. college admissions scam Posted: 30 Oct 2019 03:25 PM PDT  A former California business executive was sentenced on Wednesday to two months in prison for taking part in a vast U.S. college admissions fraud scheme by paying $250,000 to secure his son's admission to the University of Southern California. Federal prosecutors in Boston had sought nine months in prison for Jeffrey Bizzack, who they said sought to secure his son's admission through a "side door" by agreeing to bribe a USC official to designate him as a fake athletic recruit. U.S. District Judge Douglas Woodlock said prosecutors lacked evidence to support some of their arguments for a higher sentence.
|
| AOC faces challengers on the right and the further right who cite her 'socialism' Posted: 30 Oct 2019 10:09 AM PDT  A Jamaican immigrant businesswoman from Queens and a Latino councilman from the Bronx are among 10 candidates who have filed to unseat freshman Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
|
| 'Very sloppy': Rudy Giuliani, Trump's cybersecurity adviser, went to an Apple store to get his iPhone unlocked Posted: 31 Oct 2019 10:43 AM PDT  Cybersecurity experts told NBC that Giuliani going to a third-party location for technical help violated basic security protocols.
|
| Auburn tree poisoner fails to appear in court for hearing Posted: 30 Oct 2019 01:48 PM PDT  The University of Alabama fan convicted of poisoning Auburn University's oak trees failed to attend a hearing Wednesday on why he hasn't paid court-ordered restitution. The Opelika-Auburn news reports Harvey Updyke, a retired Texas state trooper who lives in Louisiana, didn't show up for a hearing before Lee County Circuit Judge Jacob Walker. The judge also gave prosecutors a month to review a letter from Updyke's doctor saying the 71-year-old man wasn't well enough to travel to Opelika for court.
|
| Play To Win A Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye With Horsepower Challenge Posted: 31 Oct 2019 08:29 AM PDT  Take your shot to win one potent Mopar.The Dodge Horsepower Challenge: 5 Weeks. 5 Questions. 5 Challengers. As a thank you to Dodge customers and enthusiasts for reaching the 500 million horsepower goal early, the automaker has launched Brotherhood of Muscle With Horsepower Challenge. The first challenge starts on November 5th and ending on November 11th, and five new owners will compete to take home a special-edition TorRed Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye.Every Tuesday, Dodge.com will post a horsepower-inspired question in multiple choice form. The first weekly "Dodge Horsepower Challenge" will be announced by professional wrestler Bill Goldberg for challengers to win one sweet Challenger. Each Tuesday, Goldberg will announce the question starting at 8 a.m. ET, and the question will remain through Monday until 11:59 p.m. The answer to the week's question can be found on Dodge.com (following Tuesday) a week after its release at 8 a.m.The challenge offers one clue per day, and this comes in the form of hidden hashtags within an image. The clues will be posted in Dodge's Twitter and Instagram social channels to help with the week's question. You must answer one of the weekly multiple choice questions correctly to be eligible to win the Challenger."At Dodge, we know that no matter how much horsepower you have, a little more can't hurt. So we're giving all our loyal fans an opportunity to get one of our highest horsepower Challenger models for free," said Tim Kuniskis, Global Head of Alfa Romeo and Head of Passenger Cars – Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA – North America. "Unfortunately, there isn't really any such thing as free horsepower, so these five lucky Dodge fans will have to earn their way in by answering a horsepower question. Ok, the questions are ridiculously difficult, but it is a free Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye, and we'll help you along the way." For official rules, visit Dodge.com.Source: FCA North America Read More... * It's Haunting How Much This 275K 2010 Callway Corvette Is Listed For * eBay Find: Jet Powered Batmobile Is A Treat, Not A Trick
|
| Five hundred goats save the Ronald Reagan library from wildfires Posted: 31 Oct 2019 02:27 PM PDT  Animal team charged with eating through 13 acres of scrubland that could have fueled California's Easy fireGoats are released at the Ronald Reagan library in Simi Valley, California, during a similar crisis in 2012. Photograph: Juan Carlo/APDiligent work by a team of 500 goats has helped save the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library from wildfires that are ravaging parts of California.The library deployed the goat squadron during the spring in order to munch their way through around 13 acres of scrubland around the library that could've provided tinder-like fuel to a wildfire.This preventive action created a fire break between the library and the Easy fire, which has menaced thousands of homes in the Simi Valley near Los Angeles. More than 1,000 firefighters are tackling the blaze, which caused flames to approach the presidential library from a nearby hillside. Treasures saved include a piece of the Berlin Wall and Air Force One."We actually worked with the Ventura county fire department in May and they bring out hundreds of goats to our property," Melissa Giller, a spokeswoman for the library, told ABC. "The goats eat all of the brush around the entire property, creating a fire perimeter."The goats were sourced from a firm called 805 Goats, which oversees an army of horned contractors, including Vincent van Goat, Selena Goatmez, Goatzart and, more prosaically, Oreo. The company charges fire-threatened clients about $1,000 per acre of goat-cleared land. It plans to expand its herd to cope with a growing wildfire threat in California, fueled by the climate crisis.Goats are growing in popularity as a tool to combat wildfires across the western US, as they are viewed as cheaper and more environmentally friendly than teams of human workers using chemicals. They are also used for general weed clearance in other parts of the country, such as in New York City's Prospect Park.A heavy dependence upon goats does carry risks, however, as residents of West Boise, Idaho, found out to their cost last year when a herd of more than 100 goats rampaged through the neighborhood. The invaders caused carnage in flowerbeds and lawns before breaking a fence and it took two hours for the goats to be rounded up.
|
| How The B-1 Lancer Went From A Nuclear Bomber To an ISIS Killer Posted: 31 Oct 2019 02:09 AM PDT  Priorities and capabilities change with time.
|
| Why the Tories are cruising toward a big win in Britain Posted: 31 Oct 2019 02:50 AM PDT ![Why the Tories are cruising toward a big win in Britain]( "Why the Tories are cruising toward a big win in Britain") The polling is clear. Over the more than three years since they voted to leave the European Union, British voters have come to regret their choice. Polls consistently show a several-point margin in favor of Remain, only one in three voters will endorse the proposition that getting Brexit over with is better than further delay, and two thirds believe that a no-deal Brexit should require another referendum.So why are Boris Johnson's Tories, running on a clearer stance for Brexit than ever before, currently projected to win a decisive victory in the December election?The simplest answer is: the opposition is divided. But that answer obscures more than it reveals, because it presumes that the question of Brexit is as dominant among the opposition as it is among the Tories. And the division of the opposition itself proves that this is not the case. On the contrary: Brexit is a truly existential question for a far larger fraction of Leave voters than it is of Remain voters, and that has had and continues to have material electoral consequences.Consider the largest opposition party. Labour under Jeremy Corbin has trended in an overwhelmingly left-wing direction, not only on economic matters but also on immigration and foreign policy. A "no enemies on the left" approach has even seen extremist illiberal and anti-Semitic elements gain a greater foothold within the party. But on Brexit, Corbyn has taken a somewhat ambiguous stance, reflecting the fact that while a majority of Labourites voted Remain, a not insignificant number had always been skeptical of an economic arrangement that gave financial interests greater influence at both the national and European levels of government.That combination of stridency and straddle hasn't played well in electoral terms, and has opened space for two other parties to establish themselves as alternatives: the Liberal Democrats, a longstanding centrist liberal party that has positioned itself as the unequivocal party of Remain, and the Brexit Party, a newly-minted political faction founded by Nigel Farage, the former leader of the U.K. Independence Party. At one point this past summer, both parties looked capable of surpassing the Tories, and possibly Labour as well.Since Boris Johnson took the premiership, though, the picture has changed dramatically. The Brexit party has fallen back to 10-12 percent in the polls, while the Tories have surged to the mid-to-high 30s. Moreover, Farage has intimated that he might cooperate with the Tories strategically, targeting constituencies where left-wing Leave voters are concentrated to pull them away from Labour, while staying away from seats that would be contested between the Remain-oriented Liberal Democrats and the Leave-oriented Tories.How could such a strategy work if Brexit is only getting less-popular with time? The answer comes down to intensity and cohesion.If Tory Remain voters -- of which there were many -- cared more about stopping Brexit than they did about the fate of their party, they would defect to the Liberal Democrats, badly damaging the Tories' chances of winning a majority. Similarly, if Labour Remain voters felt that Brexit was the most important issue, they would either have pushed Corbyn to a more decisive Remain stance, or would be working strategically with the Liberal Democrats in the way that the Brexit Party may work with the Tories. And the Liberal Democrats would be doing the same.But while Brexit may be a politically-defining event for the liberal center, for the left this is their first chance at power since the 1970s -- not something to be traded away lightly for the sake of free trade with Germany or even stability in Ireland. Even for liberal centrists, the choice between Corbyn and Johnson may be a tough one. For the right, meanwhile, the party as a whole seems to have come to realize that while the hard Leave voters are a minority in the country, they hold the balance of power within the Tory coalition. If they are not given the wheel, the coach isn't going anywhere.Now they have the wheel, and a Leave coalition looks likely to triumph decisively, in spite of all regrets.What happens then? The opposition could continue to come up with explanations for why the result doesn't truly reflect the will of the people -- blaming the electoral system, for instance (though in current polling the Tory-plus-Brexit coalition outpolls Labour-plus-Lib-Dems by an average of five points, suggesting even proportional representation would give victory to the Brexiteers). But they would be wiser to focus on the future. No longer dependent on the votes of Irish Unionists, nor needing to cater to the concerns of the Scottish Nationalists, a big Tory majority could govern from the center of England rather than Britain.The biggest post-Brexit challenge may not be how to get Britain back into Europe, but how to hold Britain itself together.Want more essential commentary and analysis like this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for The Week's "Today's best articles" newsletter here.
|
| The Latest: Man accused of arson in California wildfire Posted: 30 Oct 2019 06:21 PM PDT  Authorities say a man was arrested and accused of arson after a crew responded to a report of a wildfire in Northern California. A CalFire statement said engine crews were able to quickly contain the small fire in the Sonoma County community of Geyserville and identified a potential suspect. Authorities reported progress Wednesday in battling the Kincade fire in Sonoma County that started last week outside of Geyserville and forced the evacuation of the entire community, home to about 900 people.
|
| Tulsi Gabbard says she wants to defeat the 'Bush-Clinton doctrine' on foreign policy Posted: 31 Oct 2019 12:49 PM PDT  "Those who follow the Bush-Clinton doctrine believe the only way to interact with other nations is by bombing them or starving them with draconian sanctions," Gabbard wrote.
|
| Special Report: In a working-class Hong Kong neighborhood, the protests hit home Posted: 30 Oct 2019 05:05 AM PDT  From the top of Lion Rock, all of Hong Kong reveals itself: the sprawl of the Kowloon Peninsula directly below, the iconic Star Ferry plying the waters of Victoria Harbor, the moneyed heights of Hong Kong island beyond. In the shadow of the revered mountain rise huge monoliths, drab concrete tower blocks far removed from the glittering glass highrises of Hong Kong island's steroidal skyline. Here, in a neighborhood of public housing estates called Wong Tai Sin, seemingly endless stacks of aging windows heave with drying laundry and hum with air conditioners sweating droplets onto the pavement below.
|
| IS names Baghdadi successor, threatens US: statement Posted: 31 Oct 2019 10:03 AM PDT  The Islamic State jihadist group confirmed the death of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a statement Thursday and named his replacement as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi. "We mourn you... commander of the faithful," said Abu Hamza al-Quraishi -- presented as the jihadist group's new spokesman -- in an audio statement. Baghdadi, who led IS since 2014 and was the world's most wanted man, was killed in a US special forces raid in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib on Sunday.
|
| Navy upholds sentencing of Navy SEAL for posing with corpse Posted: 30 Oct 2019 03:54 AM PDT  The U.S. chief of naval operations on Tuesday denied a request for clemency and upheld a military jury's sentence that will reduce the rank of a decorated Navy SEAL convicted of posing with a dead Islamic State captive in Iraq in 2017. Adm. Mike Gilday made the decision after carefully reviewing the trial transcripts and the clemency request by the lawyers of Edward Gallagher, said Cmdr. Nate Christensen, spokesman for Gilday, in a statement. Gallagher's lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, said they are disappointed in the ruling that will cost Gallagher up to $200,000 in retirement funds because of his loss of rank from a chief petty officer to a 1st class petty officer.
|
| Michelle Obama says white Americans 'still running' from black neighbors Posted: 30 Oct 2019 07:12 AM PDT  Former first lady reflects on her experience of white flight in Chicago and says 'when we moved in, white families moved out'Michelle Obama said: 'I want to remind white folks that y'all were running from us. And you're still running.' Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty ImagesMichelle Obama has said that white Americans are "still running" from their non-white fellow citizens during a summit in which she detailed how her own experience of white flight unfolded during her upbringing on Chicago's South Side."We were doing everything we were supposed to do – and better," the former first lady told attendees at the third annual Obama Foundation Summit, reported the Chicago Sun-Times as she talked about her childhood. "But when we moved in, white families moved out.""I want to remind white folks that y'all were running from us. And you're still running," she also said, reportedly making a comparison between white flight and what immigrant families experience when they settle in US neighborhoods.At the meeting, Michelle Obama reportedly touted the benefits of building the Obama Presidential Center on 19.3 acres in historic Jackson Park on Chicago's South Side. She said the project would feature a museum, library, gym, and forum."Barack and I wouldn't bring some crap up in our neighborhood," she reportedly said. She pointed out that she hails from the area by birth and that her husband Barack comes from South Side by choice.During his speech at the forum, Barack Obama said: "We joke about it a little bit, like this is the mothership."While they hope the center could anchor a potential economic revival in the area, there have been setbacks.Opponents of the project are pursuing a federal court appeal after losing a lawsuit. Federal authorities must also review the project, as Jackson Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In December, this review will have already spanned two years. It remains unclear when the review will end, according to the newspaper.
|
| One War Still Haunts The Chinese Military To This Day Posted: 30 Oct 2019 11:00 PM PDT  China has become stronger by studying its mistakes.
|
| North's Kim sends condolences to Moon over mother's death Posted: 30 Oct 2019 11:47 PM PDT  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sent a message of condolence to South Korean President Moon Jae-in over his mother's recent death, Moon's office said Thursday. It was later in the day handed over to Moon, who was staying in the southeastern city of Busan where his mother's mourning station was located, Moon's spokeswoman Ko Min-jung said. Ko said Kim expressed his "deep commemorating (of Moon's mother) and condolence" over her death.
|
| Ilhan Omar refuses to back vote recognising Armenian genocide Posted: 30 Oct 2019 07:33 AM PDT  Ilhan Omar declined to vote in favour of a resolution recognising the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as a genocide, saying any "true acknowledgement" of such crimes must include other historical "mass slaughters".The Minnesota Democrat was one of just three House members to vote "present" on the resolution that passed in an overwhelming 405-11 vote.
|
| Graphic: Examining the weapons and tactics used by police and protesters in Hong Kong Posted: 31 Oct 2019 04:05 AM PDT  As the showdown between police and protesters in Hong Kong has intensified, officers have used increasing force, deploying an arsenal of crowd-control weapons, including tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, sponge grenades and bean bag rounds. Protesters have also stepped up their actions, hurling petrol bombs, vandalizing mainland Chinese banks and businesses believed to be pro-Beijing, throwing bricks at police stations and battling officers in the streets, sometimes with metal bars. Reuters scrutinized hundreds of images of the protests, as well as dozens of police reports and video footage, and combined this research with reporting on the ground to document the weapons used by the police and protesters, and how the violence has increased from day to day.
|
| View Photos of the 2020 Hyundai Palisade vs. 2020 Kia Telluride Posted: 30 Oct 2019 10:59 AM PDT |
| Schumer warns Trump may shut down the government over impeachment Posted: 30 Oct 2019 05:26 AM PDT  And Chuck Schumer says he's "increasingly worried" that it might come to fruition. As he and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell battle over government funding, the Senate minority leader said on Tuesday that he's fretting that Trump will balk at a short-term spending bill during the Democratic effort to oust him from office. "I'm increasingly worried that President Trump will want to shut down the government again because of impeachment," Schumer told reporters.
|
| California fires: new blazes as dangerous winds fan the flames Posted: 30 Oct 2019 07:21 PM PDT  Firefighters in California struggled to contain a new fast-moving blaze on Wednesday that threatened thousands of homes and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, as rare "extreme" red flag warnings were issued for much of the Los Angeles region. The so-called Easy Fire in the Simi Valley northwest of Los Angeles erupted around 6:00 am, forcing the evacuation of the library and nearby homes as it spread to more than 1,500 acres (526 hectares), officials said. "The fire outflanked us very rapidly, pushed by those 40 to 50 mile-per-hour winds," Ventura County Fire Assistant Chief Chad Cook told reporters.
|
| Philadelphia Man Allegedly Confesses to Killing Four Relatives in Shooting at Family Home Posted: 31 Oct 2019 02:32 PM PDT  29-year-old Maurice Louis had bought the shotgun used a day beforehand
|
| Lost WWII British submarine finally found Posted: 31 Oct 2019 09:18 AM PDT  The wreck of a British submarine, which vanished at the height of World War II, has been discovered lying at the bottom of the sea off Malta, marine archaeologists said on Thursday.
|
| Police destroyed an innocent man's home during an arrest. But he's owed nothing, court rules Posted: 31 Oct 2019 10:51 AM PDT  A Colorado town owes an innocent man nothing, according to a court ruling, though police destroyed his home while trying to arrest a suspect
|
| Sen. Kamala Harris to slash staff, restructure campaign as she hemorrhages cash Posted: 30 Oct 2019 02:39 PM PDT  Kamala Harris is dramatically restructuring her campaign by redeploying staffers to Iowa and laying off dozens of aides at her Baltimore headquarters, according to campaign sources and a memo obtained by Politico Wednesday, as she struggles to resuscitate her beleaguered presidential bid.
|
| Boy Scouts to boost annual youth fees by more than 80% Posted: 31 Oct 2019 01:12 PM PDT  Facing a potentially ruinous wave of new sex-abuse lawsuits, the Boy Scouts of America is increasing its annual youth membership fee by more than 80%. The group says the move, which has dismayed many of the Scouts' adult volunteer leaders who warn the increase is prohibitively steep for some, is needed to meet rising operating costs, notably for the liability insurance that covers all official Scouting activities. For years, the BSA has been entangled in costly litigation with plaintiffs who said they were abused by scout leaders in their youth.
|
| North Korea launches two suspected missiles after warnings to Washington Posted: 31 Oct 2019 01:00 AM PDT  North Korea fired two suspected missiles into the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan on Thursday, according to military officials in Japan and South Korea, ending nearly a month-long lull in testing after denuclearization talks stalled. The launches, which Japanese authorities identified as likely ballistic missiles, were the first since one day of talks between the United States and North Korea ended without an agreement on Oct. 5 in Sweden. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has set an end-of-the-year deadline for denuclearization talks with Washington, however, and in a statement on Sunday North Korea said it would be a mistake for the United States to ignore that deadline.
|
| Authorities Identify ‘Fly Creek Jane Doe’ Through DNA and Now the Real Questions Start Posted: 31 Oct 2019 06:13 AM PDT  On a chilly February Sunday in 1980, a father and son panning for gold along Fly Creek in Clark County, Washington, kicked up the remains of a human skeleton that appeared to have been buried in a shallow grave. They called the authorities who came to collect the skull and what bones hadn't been dragged away by animals, and were able to use the remains to construct a facial reconstruction that produced a picture of a teenage girl. Detectives were able to deduce that she died from a cause that did not seem natural. Calls for information, searches through missing persons reports, and detective work turned up nothing. No one seemed to miss the teen, dubbed the 'Fly Creek Jane Doe,' and, for the last 40 years, that is as far as the case went–until now.This summer Clark County detectives decided to post a DNA sample from the old remains to the Virginia-based Parabon NanoLabs, a public genealogy database that has had recent success closing old cold cases. The lab found a tie to a distant cousin of a teen named Sandra "Sandy" Renee Morden who said she was last seen in 1977–three years before her skeletal remains were found. Courtesy of Clark County SheriffThe Oregonian then dug up an old birthday announcement that was tied to the case. On April 29, 1977, in the classified section of the paper, a tiny ad appeared that said: "Sandra Renee Morden, Happy 15th Birthday. Love Always—Mom." Such published greetings were a common way to mark a birthday or anniversary in the era before Facebook and other social media. Morden's parents were divorced, according to the DNA-linked cousin, who does not want to be named and who provided Clark County cold-case detective Lindsay Schultz with the only clues the teen's life. Schultz told the Oregonian that Morden was a "latchkey kid" who was mostly "unsupervised." There is no indication that the parents filed a missing persons report, and, as Schultz says, "We didn't have [the National Crime Information Center] at that time." The detective says Morden's parents came from the San Francisco area and settled in Portland. They split up in the early 1970s, and did not communicate with each other. The girl's mother, identified as Kathryn Irene Morden, apparently lost custody and the cousin said Sandy most often stayed with her father, identified as Andrew Bain Morden, a Marine Corps veteran who fought in the Korean War. Schultz says she likely fell through the cracks when one parent thought the other had her. She last attended Wilson High School in Portland. Schultz told the Oregonian that the father likely thought she was with her mother. He had left her alone for an extended period of time and when he came back, she was gone, so he assumed she had gone to her mother's home. "We don't know for certain," Schultz says. "We know that's what family members believe."Both parents are dead, so there is no way to confirm what either of them knew. Schultz told the Oregonian that it is the birthday greeting that bothers him most. It was posted around the time the extended family says she disappeared. "Was it just a mom who loved her daughter–or did her mom know something and put it out there for that reason?" Schultz said. "It's one of those two, right? You ponder it. You look at it and you think, 'What does it mean?'"Now detectives are looking for the missing puzzle pieces. They are calling on anyone who might have any information about Morden, her parents, or how she might have died to contact the Clark County Medical Examiner's Office or Clark County Sheriff's Office Cold Case Tip Line.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.
|
| KGB Judged ‘Comrade V.V. Putin’ a Disciplined, Conscientious Spy Posted: 31 Oct 2019 03:46 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin was "prompt, disciplined and conscientious" as a spy in the KGB, according to a declassified profile from the Soviet Union's feared security service."Comrade V.V. Putin constantly improves his ideological and political standards," according to the document exhibited at the Central State Archive for Historical-Political Documents of St. Petersburg, the Russian leader's home city. "He's actively engaged in party education work."The profile, which is also on show at a Moscow exhibition of "outstanding figures" of modern Russian history, describes Putin as "morally upstanding" and enjoying "well-deserved authority among colleagues," noting that he won a judo championship in 1978.Putin joined the KGB in 1975 after graduating from the law faculty of Leningrad State University, located in what's now St. Petersburg, and served as a spy for more than 15 years until the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991. Putin asked to become a KGB officer even before he finished school, according to his Kremlin biography, which cites him saying his view of the organization "was based on idealistic stories I heard about intelligence."He served in Dresden in East Germany from 1985 until 1990, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel during a largely undistinguished stint, and was awarded a bronze medal for service to the National People's Army of the German Democratic Republic. He headed the Federal Security Service, the main successor agency of the KGB, in 1998-1999 before President Boris Yeltsin made him prime minister and named Putin as his chosen successor. Putin was elected president in 2000.The KGB's appraisal of Putin, which appears to be from the late 1970s or early 1980s, was absolutely standard and showed that he hadn't stood out or achieved anything in particular, according to Alexei Kondaurov, a former KGB general. "Usually we wrote 'morally upstanding' when there was nothing else to say," he said.Still, there's been "colossal" public interest in the document, shown as part of commemorations of the archive's 90th anniversary, said Olga Bobrova, deputy head of the institution.To contact the reporters on this story: Irina Reznik in Moscow at ireznik@bloomberg.net;Henry Meyer in Moscow at hmeyer4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Gregory L. White at gwhite64@bloomberg.net, Tony Halpin, Paul AbelskyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| Pathologist says Epstein's injuries point to murder, not suicide Posted: 30 Oct 2019 09:43 AM PDT  A forensic pathologist hired by Jeffrey Epstein's brother said Wednesday that evidence suggested the disgraced financier had not died by suicide in his jail cell but had been murdered. "I think that the evidence points toward homicide rather than suicide," Baden, a former New York City medical examiner who was present at the autopsy, told Fox News.
|
| More than 1,000 homeless people died in Los Angeles county last year Posted: 30 Oct 2019 01:20 PM PDT  The county's public health department has reported 1,047 deaths for last year, a number that has increased steadily since 2013A woman pushes a cart full of her belongings past tents near Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles. Photograph: Frederic J Brown/AFP/Getty ImagesMore than 1,000 homeless people died in Los Angeles county in 2018, double the number of deaths from six years ago. The increase is a stark illustration of the region's severe housing crisis, advocates said.The LA county public health department reported this week that 1,047 homeless people died last year, a number that has steadily increased every year since 2013, when 536 people died. The leading causes of death were coronary heart disease, which accounted for 22% of deaths, followed by alcohol and drug overdose at 21%, transportation-related injuries at 9%, homicides at 6% and suicides at 5%.The data sheds light on a worsening public health emergency in the county, where officials estimate there are now 59,000 people homeless, including more than 44,000 people who are living unsheltered – in cars, tents, or makeshift quarters. The report also follows a string of high-profile attacks against homeless people in the area, including the killing of Darrell Fields, a beloved musician who was burned to death in his tent on Skid Row."We've got three people a day dying on the streets," said Adam Rice, an organizer with Los Angeles Community Action Network (LA Can), a group that had worked closely with Fields. "It is a complete failure of leadership. Darrell didn't need to die. None of these people needed to die. The reason this is happening is because there's not proper housing."Darrell Fields, 62, was a homeless man in Los Angeles known as Mr Guitar. He was killed in August when his tent was set ablaze. Photograph: Los Angeles Community Action NetworkSoaring rents and a major shortage of affordable housing have pushed people out of their homes in the area, with more than half of unsheltered adults in a recent count saying they were experiencing homelessness for the first time. The county estimated that there are now 8,800 homeless families."It brings an overwhelming sadness when you think about precious human beings dying in our streets when it can be avoided," said the Rev Andy Bales, CEO of Union Rescue Mission (URM), which runs a shelter at Skid Row, at the epicenter of the crisis in downtown LA.The county's analysis also found that the mortality rate among homeless people has also jumped: "Put simply, being homeless in LA county is becoming increasingly deadly," the agency wrote.The increase in overdoses represented the largest jump in terms of causes of death, the report found. In addition, the mortality rate among white homeless people has decreased while the rate of deaths for black and Latino residents has increased, the county said. Overall, African Americans are four times more likely to experience homelessness in LA county than other groups.Of the transportation-related deaths, which include vehicle and train collisions, 82% of victims were pedestrians and cyclists.The county and local clinics have increasingly sent healthcare workers to encampments to try to serve people on the streets. More than 21,000 homeless people were also placed in housing last year, an increase from 2017, officials reported early this year.The health department report this week recommended more direct outreach to homeless people, the creation of a "death review team" to study the subject and more traffic safety measures near encampments.Bales predicted that medical visits were not enough to reverse the deadly trends: "What we need most is for everyone to be immediately under a roof and protected from the elements. Until that happens, the death rates will continue to grow … and more and more people will be devastated by homelessness."The crisis demanded a more urgent response, he added: "How much evidence do we need to gather before we decide not to let another human being die on the street?"LA's homeless crisis has recently received national attention, with the Trump administration suggesting it could pursue some kind of law enforcement crackdown, drawing skepticism from some local organizations. Advocates have criticized efforts to further criminalize people living on the streets and have argued that the government needs to put more funding to housing and shelter."It's really a travesty when you think about it. How many deaths could've been prevented?" said Kourtney Milligan, a 29-year-old homeless woman, who has lived on Skid Row. "The resources that they say are out there are so hard to find."
|
| SUNK: Britain’s Aircraft Carriers Can’t Stop Russia’s New Hypersonic Missile Posted: 31 Oct 2019 05:42 AM PDT  Russia's hypersonic 3M22 Zircon missile makes it possible.
|
| A Louisiana woman has been arrested for selling $20 fake doctor's notes to students trying to skip class Posted: 31 Oct 2019 09:53 AM PDT  The woman's master plan unraveled once the physician whose name was being used to sign off on the notes received complaints from the school board.
|
| Keystone oil pipeline leaks 383,000 gallons in North Dakota Posted: 31 Oct 2019 02:31 PM PDT ![Keystone oil pipeline leaks 383,000 gallons in North Dakota]( "Keystone oil pipeline leaks 383,000 gallons in North Dakota") TC Energy's Keystone pipeline has leaked an estimated 383,000 gallons (1.4 million liters) of oil in northeastern North Dakota, marking the second significant spill in two years along the line that carries Canadian tar sands oil through seven states, regulators said Thursday. Crews on Tuesday shut down the pipeline after the leak was discovered, said Karl Rockeman, North Dakota's water quality division director. "Our emergency response team contained the impacted area and oil has not migrated beyond the immediately affected area," the company said in a statement.
|
| Ethiopia says at least 78 people killed in protests last week, number could rise Posted: 31 Oct 2019 07:57 AM PDT  At least 78 people were killed in protests in Ethiopia last week against the treatment of a prominent activist, the prime minister's spokeswoman said on Thursday. Billene Seyoum told a news conference that 409 people had been detained over the unrest and that investigations were ongoing and the death toll and number detained could rise. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was greeted on Thursday with boos by at least 700 protesters during a visit to Ambo, a site of earlier violence located 100 km west of the capital Addis Ababa, three people who were present told Reuters by phone.
|
| Anthony Scaramucci and Steve Bullock trade jabs over prank endorsement Posted: 31 Oct 2019 02:35 PM PDT  Anthony Scaramucci, President Donald Trump's former, short-lived White House communications director-turned-detractor, saw his fame exploited Thursday in a campaign stunt by a Democratic presidential candidate. The stunt unfolded on Twitter when Steve Bullock — Montana's governor and a long-shot candidate who's failed to qualify for all but one Democratic primary debate this year — posted a video recorded by "The Mooch" for the celebrity-shout-out site Cameo in which he appears to endorse Bullock's campaign. "We support you, Steve B. I know you got a tough race ahead of you, but you've done this before," Scaramucci says in the 19-second clip filmed from inside a moving car.
|
