| FBI warned six months ago about loophole Pensacola shooter used to obtain a gun Posted: 10 Dec 2019 12:56 PM PST  More than six months before the Dec. 6 shooting at a naval base in Pensacola, Fla., where a Saudi gunman used a weapon obtained using a hunting license exemption, the FBI issued a report warning about precisely this loophole.
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| Democratic congressman says 'it will not end if the Senate does not convict' Posted: 10 Dec 2019 09:25 AM PST  Green subsequently introduced articles of impeachment three times for what he described as Trump's "infusion of bigotry into policy." On Dec. 4, Green sent a memo to other House members urging them to include Trump's "racism" in the articles of impeachment.
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| Nude portrait of Emiliano Zapata in high heels sparks fury in Mexico Posted: 11 Dec 2019 01:00 AM PST  Campesinos storm museum to call for removal of image featuring revolutionary hero posing in pink sombreroA new portrait of Emiliano Zapata has caused a firestorm of outrage for its portrayal of the Mexican revolutionary hero striking a seductive pose – clad only in a pink sombrero and high heels.Furious campesinos stormed one of the country's most renowned art museums on Thursday to demand the removal of the painting, part of a new exhibition titled Zapata after Zapata that seeks to present alternative views of the Mexican revolution. "This isn't freedom of expression, it is debauchery! It's degrading. They can't exhibit our history that way," fumed Antonio Medrano, a spokesman for the protesters. "They can't permit this kind of mockery."The small painting by Fabián Cháirez depicts a naked Zapata, astride a white horse. His willowy frame is bound by a ribbon striped with the Mexican tricolor of red, white and green, while his lips pout under his distinctive curved moustache.Press pictures of the painting provoked strong reactions in Mexico, where Zapata has maintained an unambiguously heroic reputation since the revolution of 1910 – when he called for "reform, freedom, justice and law".Some of Zapata's heirs – with matching droopy moustaches – vowed to take legal action against the exhibition."We are not going to allow this," said Jorge Zapata Gonzalez. "For us as relatives, this denigrates the figure of our general – depicting him as gay."Apocryphal tales of a gay romances involving Zapata have been published in recent decades, but historians say there is little evidence to support the stories.Mexican politicians of all stripes have long tried to claim Zapata as their own – including the some of his supposed revolutionary allies, who later betrayed and killed him.President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared 2019 – the centennial of his death – as the "year of Zapata", emblazoning the revolutionary leader's familiar image of a bushy mustache, sombrero and bandolier on government letterhead and promotional materials."He's the least controversial revolutionary strongman and the most 'leftwing' in the modern sense,'" said Harim B Gutiérrez, history professor at the Autonomous Metropolitan University.But Zapata's image is also the most malleable, and it has been appropriated by a host of social causes which may not have much to do with his original struggle to secure a better deal for landless peasants."Every 20 years or so something pops up" involving Zapata's image, said Luis Vargas Santiago, the curator of the current exhibition at the Palacio de Bellas Artes.Most recently, that "something" has been gender and sexuality. The current exhibition comes at time when Mexico's LBGTQ communities have become more prominent and women have been more outspoken against the country's endemic machismo, sexual harassment, and femicides.In recent weeks, women protesting in Mexico City against sexual violence have been criticised for spraying graffiti on monuments and centuries-old buildings.Vargas Santiago said the use of Zapata to advance social agendas followed a similar logic."It's not like Zapata's image is a fixed symbol which cannot be challenged," he said. "Just like monuments are questioned, Zapata is also an image that can be subverted."Vargas Santiago said some of Zapata's descendants had expressed support for the exhibition.The family itself has also split over the use of Zapata's image – with some descendants applying for a trademark to sell Zapata-branded merchandise such as T-shirts and tequila.The core question, according to Vargas-Santiago, is: "Who does Zapata belong to? Does he belong to his family members? Does he belong to the government? Or does he belong to everyone? Our response is: he belongs to everyone who identifies with his legacy."López Obrador said on Wednesday that the painting didn't bother him, "but I'm not a member of the Zapata family." He asked the culture ministry to find a solution to family's concerns.Government spokesman Jesús Ramírez Cuevas later tweeted that the government was "committed to artistic freedom and respect for diversity." "Yes to freedom, no to censorship. Yes to respect, no to violence," he wrote.
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| Why Can't Russia Replace Its Old Submarines Fast Enough? Posted: 10 Dec 2019 05:00 PM PST  The Yasen class is in trouble.
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| 'Whose side are you on?': Houston police chief tears into GOP senators over gun laws after officer killed Posted: 10 Dec 2019 11:42 AM PST  "You're either here for women and children and our daughters and our sisters and our aunts, or you're here for the NRA," Acevedo said.
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| Oink oink, cha-ching: $3 million found in barrels of pork Posted: 11 Dec 2019 05:28 AM PST  Barrels of raw pork shoulder were riding fat in a tractor trailer pulled over by North Carolina deputies. Approximately $3 million in cash was recovered from the barrels Saturday, the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post Tuesday. The driver of the tractor trailer was accused of failing to maintain his lane and impeding the flow of traffic on Interstate 85.
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| Andrew Yang’s Campaign Fires Staffer Over Alleged Misconduct After Alyssa Milano Pulls Out of Fundraiser Posted: 11 Dec 2019 03:30 PM PST  Andrew Yang's 2020 campaign fired an unnamed staffer over alleged misconduct that first surfaced when actress and MeToo activist Alyssa Milano announced she would be pulling out of a fundraiser for the Democratic presidential candidate over the incident.Yang said the unspecified "mistreatment" was not sexual in nature, according to Politico, which first reported the staffer's firing."To the extent that a particular individual was in a position to mistreat another employee, that's no longer the case today," Yang told reporters Wednesday.The candidate's remarks came one day after Milano announced in a Twitter thread that she would be pulling out of a Dec. 21 fundraiser for Yang over "repeated allegations of sexual misconduct" made by a campaign staffer against another staffer that were allegedly "not appropriately addressed.""While I have not endorsed any candidate, I do believe Andrew Yang is a good man with progressive, smart, interesting ideas," she wrote. "But this issue is too important and too prevalent. The buck stops at the top."A Yang campaign spokesperson told The Daily Beast that they take "these matters seriously" and underscored that "creating a safe environment" within the campaign is a top priority."To those ends, we have initiated prompt action to evaluate these allegations and will take all necessary steps to ensure that we foster a work environment that is in accordance with our values," the spokesperson said.When asked about the discrepancy between Milano's "sexual misconduct" claim and Yang's disclosure of non-sexual "mistreatment" by his staffer, the campaign said: "Andrew Yang's remarks stands." Milano had no immediate comment on the discrepancy.Milano was set to host the fundraiser with Yang's wife, Evelyn, and actress Teri Hatcher, according to CNN. Hatcher did not respond to questions from The Daily Beast on whether she would still be hosting the fundraiser.Yang's most recent poll numbers qualified him for the December Democratic debate, with a Tuesday Quinnipiac poll showing him at 4 percent. He will be joining the likes of former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on the debate stage on Dec. 19.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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| Jersey City shooting: Gunmen target Jewish market in deadly attack, officials say Posted: 11 Dec 2019 07:03 AM PST  Two shooting suspects targeted a kosher supermarket in a deadly attack that left four people dead in Jersey City, New Jersey, following a deadly standoff with police, officials said.The suspects reportedly killed a police detective and three civilians during the shoot-out, which appeared to start at a local cemetery and later ended at the JC Kosher Supermarket. Jersey City Police Chief Michael Kelly noted on Tuesday that investigations remained ongoing and facts were subject to change, but that officials had "no inkling on motive" as of yet.
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| Trump now open to idea of shorter Senate trial: sources Posted: 11 Dec 2019 02:13 PM PST  U.S. President Donald Trump is now open to having a shorter impeachment trial in the Senate, two sources familiar with the situation said on Wednesday, after he initially proclaimed he wanted a full-blown, potentially lengthy hearing. Trump has said publicly that a trial in the Republican-led Senate would give him an opportunity to defend himself properly against Democrats, who accuse him of abusing his power by trying to pressure Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden and of obstructing Congress when lawmakers tried to look into the matter. Trump has denied wrongdoing and called the impeachment inquiry a sham.
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| Hawley: FBI ‘Effectively Meddled’ in 2016 Election Posted: 11 Dec 2019 01:01 PM PST  Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) said Wednesday that the FBI "effectively meddled" in the 2016 presidential election and did so with the backing of the Democratic National Committee."Which is worse? Is it worse to have a foreign government trying to meddle in our elections, or is it worse to have our own government meddling in the election?" the Missouri Republican asked Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz during the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on the inspector general's report examining the origins of the FBI's Russia investigation.Horowitz's report shows that "the FBI effectively meddled in an ongoing presidential campaign," Hawley charged."You expect it from foreign governments," Hawley said. "But when our own government does it, how can the American have confidence, and what do we do?"The inspector general's report, released on Monday, found no evidence of political bias in the FBI's decision to launch the Russia probe but cited "basic and fundamental errors" and a "failure" by the whole FBI "chain of command" involved in the investigation. The report also found that the FBI omitted crucial details in its requests for warrants to surveil Trump-campaign adviser Carter Page.Hawley expressed incredulity that the Democratic National Committee solicited and paid for the Steele dossier and that afterwards the FBI cited the questionable information in the dossier to obtain Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants to surveil Page."This is the untold story of the 2016 campaign," Hawley said. "I don't know who at the DNC hatched this, but I suppose they ought to maybe take a victory lap, but certainly they should be remembered for it. To get the FBI to launch, pursue surveillance of a rival presidential campaign and then into the newly elected president's term I think is just extraordinary.""I think it is an extraordinary thing when the most powerful law enforcement agency, maybe the world, is able to effectively intervene and influence a presidential election at the behest and with the cooperation of another political party," Hawley concluded.Horowitz told Hawley he is not aware of any previous instance of the FBI targeting a presidential campaign during the election cycle.
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| Deadliest Weapon After a Nuclear Bomb: Meet Russia's TOS-1 MLRS 'Buratino' Posted: 10 Dec 2019 04:56 AM PST  This thing does some real damage.
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| How did South Bend actually do under Mayor Pete Buttigieg? We pulled the numbers to find out. Posted: 10 Dec 2019 07:38 AM PST  Buttigieg was a two-term mayor of a small city. It rebounded from a severely high unemployment rate but vacant houses are a problem.
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| Corpus Christi Naval Air Station lockdown lifted; suspect in custody Posted: 11 Dec 2019 02:25 PM PST  Although initial reports said the suspect was armed, officials confirm the suspect was not armed when detained.
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| Mexico finds small border tunnel in Nogales, next to AZ Posted: 11 Dec 2019 10:40 AM PST ![Mexico finds small border tunnel in Nogales, next to AZ]( "Mexico finds small border tunnel in Nogales, next to AZ") Mexican authorities have located a small, clandestine border tunnel between the northern state of Sonora and the United States, officials announced Wednesday. A Mexican government statement said the discovery in Nogales, which is across from Nogales, Arizona, was the result of a search of storm drains following the recent find of another tunnel in the city.
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| The Real Locations That Inspired 13 Famous Paintings Posted: 11 Dec 2019 02:31 PM PST |
| Outrage after Colombia riot police force young woman into unmarked car Posted: 11 Dec 2019 12:33 PM PST  * Protester freed after members of public give chase * Video of incident adds to criticism of police tacticsOutrage has erupted in Colombia after a young woman participating in anti-government protests was grabbed by riot police in body armour, forced into an unmarked vehicle and driven away.Video of the incident showed the woman sobbing and screaming "Help! The police have kidnapped me!" through the window of the black Chevrolet sedan as it drove away from the demonstration near the National University in Bogotá on Wednesday night.> Video de cómo policias del Esmad suben a la fuerza a una mujer a un carro particular Chevrolet HCI 264 > ¿Intento de secuestro? > Compartir al máximo pic.twitter.com/6vYOBlIAQE> > — ���������� ������������ (@maikybayona) December 11, 2019Two members of the public gave chase in another vehicle, and the driver can be heard in the video shouting reassurance to the detainee as they drive alongside. The pursuers eventually stopped their car in front of the officers, who then released the woman in the middle of heavy traffic.The video – and a second clip showing a young man apparently being forced into an unmarked car on Tuesday night – prompted fresh accusations of excessive force against the Mobile Anti-Disturbances Squadron – known by its Spanish initials, Esmad.Bogotá's chief of police said at a press conference on Wednesday that while it was not usual for police to use unmarked vehicles when detaining people, it was legal.But Gen Hoover Penilla did not specify why the two protesters were seized – nor why the woman was released if she had been suspected of wrongdoing. The whereabouts of the young man remained unclear late on Wednesday.Penilla admitted that the woman should not have been left on the road, but adopted a defiant tone, telling reporters: "We will continue to do our duty but I ask you not to question everything our police officers do."For the past three weeks, Colombia has been racked by demonstrations triggered by widespread discontent with the proposed economic reforms of the rightwing president, Iván Duque, whose approval rating has dropped to just 26% since he took office in August last year.Protesters are also angry at the lack of support for the historic 2016 peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), which formally ended five decades of civil war that killed 260,000 and forced more than 7 million to flee their homes.In a country which not long ago suffered the highest kidnapping rate in the world – and whose security forces have themselves been implicated in forced disappearances – the videos of police snatching protesters evoked disturbing memories.According to the national victims' agency more than 150,000 people were forcibly disappeared between 1986 and 2017, with up to 80,000 still missing. Combatants on all sides of the conflict engaged in the practice.While most of the demonstrations have been peaceful, some vandalism occurred when protests first broke out on 21 November.The hardline response by Esmad – who have fired teargas, flash bangs, and "less lethal" bean bag rounds at peaceful protesters – has only fanned the discontent.One 18-year-old protester, Dilan Cruz, died after he was shot in the head with a bean bag round on 23 November.Opposition politicians called a debate on Esmad on Wednesday morning, while protest organizers have called for the unit to be dismantled altogether."Esmad has been acting violently and leaving victims in their wake for years," said Mafe Carrascal, a prominent activist. "Rather than containing disturbances, they are generating them by provoking showdowns and killing people."
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| Man Found Guilty of Murdering Two Boston Doctors Inside Their Penthouse Condo Posted: 10 Dec 2019 10:55 AM PST  A Boston man accused of killing two doctors in their penthouse condo—and leaving behind haunting messages on their walls—was found guilty of murder on Tuesday afternoon. Bampumim Teixeira, 32, was convicted of first-degree murder, armed robbery, and kidnapping for the May 2017 slayings of Dr. Lina Bolanos, 38, and her fiancé, 49-year-old Dr. Richard Field. Authorities say Teixeira fatally stabbed the couple, then scribbled "he killed my wife" and "payback" on the walls of their 11th floor condo. He was shot by authorities and apprehended in the hallway of the couple's building.As jurors began their second day of deliberations on Tuesday, Teixeira entered the packed Suffolk Superior courtroom and began threatening Suffolk County District Attorney John Pappas, making derogatory remarks about his wife."Yo Pappas, you better hope I never get out of jail," Teixeira said to the main prosecutor in his double-murder case, before he was dragged out by a court officer. Boston Man Accused of Murdering Two Doctors Was 'Lurking' Near Their Penthouse Condo: ProsecutorsJust before the jurors delivered the verdict, Teixeira had a second outburst inside the courtroom—showing his handcuffed hands to reporters before yelling at the victims' families in the front row. "Do you want to know his last words? He said no," Teixeira told the sobbing Bolanos and Field families, before he was escorted out of the courtroom once again.The outburst came at the end of the two-week trial, during which prosecutors argued the murders were part of a robbery gone wrong since Teixeira was seen "lurking" outside the building."He is a person literally caught in the act," Suffolk County District Attorney John Pappas said on Monday.Prosecutors noted Teixeira did not know the couple personally, but was a former concierge in their South Boston building and was familiar with its layout. In an interview with Boston police revealed in court, the 32-year-old alleged he had a two-month affair with Bolanos when he worked in the building in 2016 and claimed he murdered Field in self-defense after the doctor killed his own fiancée in a jealous rage."I'm not sorry," Teixeira said in the recording played in court. "A jealous man is the worst thing ever... What I saw with my eyes was crazy."Teixeira's defense attorney, Steven Sack, argued on Monday that while his client did sneak into the 11th floor condo, there is no "credible evidence" that indicates he maliciously murdered the doctors."Sometimes the hardest thing to believe is the truth," Sacks said in his closing arguments.Prosecutors argued that on May 5, 2017, Teixeira entered the building's garage at around 4 p.m. to wait for the couple to come home. Armed with a backpack filled with a combat-style knife, several fake guns, duct tape, and pliers, he was allegedly waiting inside the condo when Bolanos, a pediatric anesthesiologist, first arrived home.Dating App Murder Suspect Cuts Own Throat in Crazy Courtroom OutburstField, a pain clinic doctor, arrived home about an hour later, at which point the couple made multiple inaudible 911 calls. In one desperate attempt to get help, Field texted a friend, Matthias Heidenreich, eight times, writing "Call 111," "Gunman," and "Serious." "I was confused for the first minutes," Heidenreich, a scientist for Vertex Pharmaceuticals, told jurors. "At some point, I realized what it could mean."Heidenreich said he immediately called the building's front desk, telling them a gunman was inside the condo and to contact authorities. When officers arrived at about 8:38 p.m., Teixeira approached them in the hallway outside the apartment with what they thought was a gun—prompting them to shoot and injure him, prosecutors said."Then he said, 'You guys are going to die.' Then he said, 'They killed my wife.' Then he mentioned something, and I heard the word 'sniper,'" Boston Police Department Sgt. Edward Meade testified, adding that investigators also found a bag of Bolanos' jewelry and another with two fake guns, a knife, and duct tape in the hallway outside the apartment.After police apprehended Teixeira, he admitted there were two dead bodies inside the penthouse, prosecutors said. When investigators went inside the dark apartment, they found the couple's bodies in a pool of blood with their hands bound with duct tape. They also discovered cut-up photos of the couple and the words "payback" and "he killed my wife" written on the walls, authorities said. Dr. Richard Atkinson, the medical examiner, testified that Field's cause of death was a "stab wound to the neck" and that Bolanos suffered from 24 "sharp-force injuries" around her neck."Her cause of death was multiple sharp force injuries," he said, adding that her underwear had also been "cut in two locations."New Zealand Mosque Shooting Suspect Brenton Tarrant Flashes White Power Sign in CourtDuring an interview with Boston police while in the ICU unit at Tufts Medical Center—where he was being treated for gunshot wounds he sustained outside the penthouse—Teixeira said Bolanos "brought" him into the apartment on the day of the incident. Teixeira claimed he would "make out" with Bolanos when he worked in the building, and that the two were inside her apartment for several hours while the doctor complained that Fields physically abused her. When Field came home, Teixeira claimed the doctor became "enraged" and accused his fiancée of being unfaithful. He said in the interview recording that Field threatened "he was going to kill us both," before beating, handcuffing, and ultimately fatally stabbing Bolanos. Out of self-defense, Teixeira said, he handcuffed and bashed Field's hand against the wall during a struggle before stabbing him in the neck."I wanted to do to him what he did to her," Teixeira told Boston Police Sgt. Det. Michael Devane in the interview, stating he was innocent and only took Bolanos' jewelry so he could hide it.R. Kelly Ordered to Stay in Brooklyn Jail on New Sex-Trafficking ChargesPappas argued on Monday there had been no evidence presented in court to support Teixeira's "preposterous" and "imagined story" that was created to "ruin" the couple's reputation. The prosecutor also denied Bolanos and Teixeira were ever in a relationship and planned to meet up that day—showing jurors surveillance video that showed he was waiting inside the apartment for an hour before Bolanos came home."This attack on Lina Bolanos happened immediately... and it had nothing to do with Richard Field," Pappas said, insisting the story "doesn't have a ring of truth to it." "We've gone beyond preposterous. We're now existing in the theater of the absurd."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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| The Best Trimmers for Keeping Your Facial Hair Under Control Posted: 11 Dec 2019 02:47 PM PST |
| Elizabeth Smart's dad describes kids' reaction to him coming out as gay Posted: 10 Dec 2019 11:01 PM PST  In our exclusive interview, Ed Smart reveals how difficult it was to come out as gay to his family and friends
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| Rudy Giuliani's personal communications director is a 20-year-old minor Instagram personality still getting her communications degree Posted: 10 Dec 2019 08:55 AM PST  Christianné Allen is representing Rudy Giuliani in the middle of an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
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| Germany contradicts Russia over Georgian murdered in Berlin Posted: 11 Dec 2019 04:51 AM PST  Germany contradicted Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, saying it was not aware Russia had requested the extradition of a Georgian man who was murdered in Berlin in August. In an escalation in already tense relations, Germany last week expelled two employees at the Russian embassy in Berlin, saying Moscow was not cooperating sufficiently in the investigation into the murder. Putin described the victim on Monday as a "cruel and blood-thirsty person" who had fought on the side of anti-Moscow separatists in Russia's mainly Muslim north Caucasus region, and said Moscow's requests for his extradition had not been heeded.
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| Delhi rapist-murderer cites pollution in death row appeal Posted: 10 Dec 2019 07:12 AM PST  Akshay Kumar Singh was one of a group of men who gang-raped a 23-year-old woman on a bus in India's capital late at night in December seven years ago. Filed through his lawyer, the now 31-year-old said in his review petition to the Supreme Court that the air quality in New Delhi was like a "gas chamber" and its water "full of poison".
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| Ex-FBI lawyer Lisa Page celebrates on Twitter after she's cleared in DOJ report Posted: 10 Dec 2019 10:42 AM PST  Former FBI lawyer Lisa Page celebrated on Twitter after she was cleared of wrongdoing in the report released Monday by the Justice Department's inspector general.
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| Cities are criminalizing homelessness by banning people from camping in public. That's the wrong approach, report says Posted: 10 Dec 2019 06:57 AM PST  More cities are criminally punishing homeless people for sleeping in public, a new report shows, amid an increase in Americans living on the streets.
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| Chinese ambassador 'threatens to withdraw trade deal with Faroe Islands' in Huawei 5G row Posted: 11 Dec 2019 04:24 AM PST  China's ambassador to Denmark threatened to scupper a trade deal with the Faroe Islands if Huawei was not given a 5G contract in the region, according to Danish newspaper Berlingske. The alleged threat by ambassador Feng Tie, made to Faroe Islands politicians including leader Bárður Nielsen, heightened concerns about the Chinese communications firm's links with the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as it seeks European expansion. The US, having sanctioned Huawei due to concerns about espionage and security, is attempting to convince allies to follow suit. The Faroe Islands, which have a population of around 50,000, is a self-governing autonomous region of Denmark. On 11 November Mr Feng allegedly told Faroe Islands government figures that China would not enter a free trade deal with them unless Huawei was given a 5G contract by Føroya Tele, a Faroe Islands telecoms operator. The threat was reported after Faroe Islands politicians were recorded by the Kringvarp Føroya TV station on 15 November, discussing the ambassador's warning. Mr Nielsen reportedly said that his government would not interfere in the awarding of the contract. A Faroe Islands judge granted an injunction against Kringvarp Føroya reporting the ambassador's alleged threat, saying it could compromise relations between the Danish Commonwealth and Beijing, before Berlingke revealed it. Huawei, which plans to roll out 5G in 2020, said it had no knowledge of the alleged meetings. Faroe Islands government spokespeople did not respond to calls and messages requesting comment. The Chinese communications giant is embroiled in controversy about its alleged closeness to the CCP, treatment of employees, data privacy and alleged sanction breaching. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has suggested that he is likely to ban Huawei from Britain's 5G network. Luke Patey, senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, told The Telegraph: "China is now brandishing economic sticks of its own for when European countries do not take on Huawei for 5G networks. This was a peek into what is likely a broad effort on China's part to pressure and persuade European officials to its side. It's time for European leaders to call Beijing out on its interference." On Wednesday China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying called Berlingke's report "false and ill-intentioned". She said of the alleged meeting: "Is there any difference and meaning on whether they mentioned Huawei or not? If US officials can slander China's Huawei all over the world, can't a Chinese ambassador mention the name of a Chinese company when talking about cooperation with local officials?" Tom Jensen, Berlingske's editor-in-chief, said: "We stand by the story and we have proper documentation for what we write."
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| Inspector General report on FBI's FISA abuse tells us one thing: We need radical reform. Posted: 10 Dec 2019 10:38 AM PST  According to the IG, political bias wasn't what motivated the investigation into President Trump. But he found plenty of other misconduct.
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| Boeing removed a feature that protects its 787 planes during lightning strikes as a cost-cutting measure, even after FAA experts objected Posted: 11 Dec 2019 04:13 AM PST  The FAA administrator will be questioned by Congress today over its certification of the change to the 787 Dreamliner as well as the 737 Max.
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| Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg is Time's Person of the Year Posted: 11 Dec 2019 05:09 AM PST  NEW YORK/MADRID (Reuters) - Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swede who inspired millions of young people to take action against climate change, has been named Time Magazine's Person of the Year for 2019. Thunberg launched a grassroots campaign aged 15 by skipping school every Friday to demonstrate outside Swedish parliament, pushing for her government to meet its ambitious goals to curb carbon emissions. "In the 16 months since (her protests began), she has addressed heads of state at the U.N., met with the Pope, sparred with the President of the United States and inspired 4 million people to join the global climate strike," the magazine said.
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| Takeaways: Democrats make case in articles of impeachment Posted: 10 Dec 2019 01:30 PM PST  House Democrats unveiled two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Tuesday, setting up a historic vote in the days before Christmas. After internal debate in their caucus, Democrats opted to focus narrowly on Trump's dealings with Ukraine, leaving out any direct mention of special counsel Robert Mueller's report.
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| White House advisor uses alter ego in policy memo: report Posted: 11 Dec 2019 02:57 PM PST  A top White House trade policy advisor is using his fictional alter ego to drive discussions about the dispute with China, The New York Times reported Wednesday. Long time China hawk Peter Navarro has circulated a policy memo written by "Ron Vara" a fictional expert Navarro has quoted in multiple books.
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| Donald Trump Jr. killed endangered sheep in Mongolia with special permit Posted: 11 Dec 2019 12:39 PM PST  On a hunting trip to Mongolia earlier this summer, the president's son Donald Trump Jr. killed a rare species of the endangered argali sheep.
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| Republicans believe white people experience same level of racism as black people, report says Posted: 10 Dec 2019 01:31 PM PST  Researchers have punctured right-wing claims that a wave of "racism against white people" has coincided with efforts to prevent discrimination against blacks.A study published in Nature Human Behaviour compared perceptions of racial discrimination in "societies that supposedly favour non-white people" and found that white people consistently experienced far less discrimination than black people, despite the influence of far-right groups and increasingly polarised political views that have argued civil rights progress has eliminated rights for others.
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| Virginia counties are declaring themselves 'sanctuaries' for Second Amendment. Will it affect gun laws? Posted: 11 Dec 2019 03:00 AM PST  A wave of towns and counties in Virginia have adopted resolutions to become Second Amendment sanctuaries. Will they ignore proposed gun laws?
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| Why Israel and Russia Have Built Special Urban Warfare Tanks Posted: 10 Dec 2019 07:30 PM PST  How do they work?
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| The Aging B-1 Bomber Can No Longer Fly Like It Used To Posted: 11 Dec 2019 08:13 AM PST  The 80s-era bomber may need to cut low-altitude flying due to old age.
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| A woman caught her boyfriend cheating when his Fitbit activity spiked at 4 a.m. Posted: 11 Dec 2019 01:19 PM PST  Infidelity isn't the only possible reason for a late-night heart rate spike. Activity trackers can pick up heart attacks and nightmares too.
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| U.S. judge blocks $3.6 billion transfer to Mexican border wall Posted: 10 Dec 2019 04:38 PM PST  A federal judge on Tuesday issued a permanent injunction barring President Donald Trump's attempt to transfer $3.6 billion in military construction funds to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Judge David Briones, of U.S. District Court in El Paso, Texas, issued the injunction in a 21-page ruling. The ruling is a setback for Trump, whose administration has vowed to build at least 450 miles of wall along the border by November 2020, when the U.S. presidential election will take place.
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| Immigration attorneys urge caution with new marijuana law Posted: 11 Dec 2019 11:47 AM PST ![Immigration attorneys urge caution with new marijuana law]( "Immigration attorneys urge caution with new marijuana law") Recreational marijuana will be legal in Illinois within weeks, but legal experts on Wednesday urged immigrants to exercise caution as marijuana use or cannabis-related jobs could mean repercussions including deportation. Illinois will allow adult recreational marijuana in January, but the drug is still banned federally.
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| Photos show how San Francisco's new buildings built in the last decade have permanently changed the city Posted: 11 Dec 2019 09:09 AM PST  Many of the city skyline's newest additions are ultra-luxe condo projects and towering tech office buildings.
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| Teens arrested as Spain police smash global paedophile ring Posted: 10 Dec 2019 07:47 AM PST  Seventeen people, most of them teenage boys, have been arrested in Spain for sharing images of "extremely violent" child pornography on Whatsapp, police said Tuesday following a two-year investigation spanning three continents. The arrests came as part of a wide-ranging international probe led by Spain's national police, in which 33 people were detained in raids across 11 countries. As well as the 17 arrested in Spain, another nine were being held for investigation -- with a total of 14 teenage boys involved.
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| New Zealand volcano: Hero tour guide skipper who turned his boat around after eruption to save injured tourists Posted: 10 Dec 2019 02:44 AM PST  As New Zealand Police announced a criminal investigation into the deaths on White Island and a sixth person died as a result of the volcanic eruption, it emerged that the death toll could have been higher were it not for the efforts of one tour boat captain in helping the rescue mission. Paul Kingi was a skipper on the White Island Tours boat, working alongside his friend Hayden Marshall-Inman, who did not survive the explosion. In a post on his company website, Pursuit Fishing Charters owner Rick Pollock, a 40-year veteran of the industry, said he had worked with Mr Kingi for five years and described him as "an outstanding man" and "amazingly resourceful". Mr Pollock said Mr Kingi had left the White Island "only minutes before the eruption", but immediately turned around, to be "the first back on, rescuing and assisting numerous injured back onto the waiting boats". "He went back again and again, ignoring the toxic environment and personal risk, until he was satisfied there were no more obvious survivors remaining… I'd like to recognise Paul for what he is on this occasion, nothing less than a hero," he said. Paul Kingi Mr Pollock added that he felt "devastated" for those affected by the disaster. "Initially as the reports were coming through I never thought it would turn out to be such a dire situation… Now we are forced to accept the severity of this event with many deaths and injuries. No doubt the fallout will continue to unfold as more information becomes known," he said. Mr Pollock expressed grief at the loss of Mr Marshall-Inman. "I've known this young man since he was three years old…. He put his all into the task at hand with his superlative people skills and broad smile coming to the fore… Sadly, this effervescent man's life has come to an end being the first deceased to be identified." "I can't imagine what his family is going through… My heart and thoughts go out to them in this most difficult of times." At 10.22pm local time Tuesday New Zealand Police confirmed that a sixth person had died as a result of the explosion on White Island, also known by its Maori name of Whakaari. The deceased had been evacuated and treated at Middlemore Hospital but died of their injuries. Earlier in the day Deputy Commissioner John Tims announced a criminal investigation into the deaths would be conducted, along with a WorkSafe New Zealand investigation. Health Department spokesperson Dr Pete Watson said 27 of the 31 rescued people had suffered severe burns. There are still eight people missing.
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| The Soviet Union Performed a Whopping 715 Nuclear Bomb Tests Posted: 10 Dec 2019 05:39 AM PST  How is Russia not a radiated wasteland?
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