| How Iranians pivoted from condemning the US to dramatic protests against their own government after officials shot down a commercial plane Posted: 14 Jan 2020 11:02 AM PST  Anti-government tensions have been building since November, and protestors have taken aim at Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with Trump's support.
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| Mueller Witness Nader Pleads Guilty to Child Porn Charge Posted: 13 Jan 2020 03:16 PM PST ![Mueller Witness Nader Pleads Guilty to Child Porn Charge]( "Mueller Witness Nader Pleads Guilty to Child Porn Charge") (Bloomberg) -- George Nader, a Lebanese-American businessman whose name appeared 125 times in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, pleaded guilty to criminal charges stemming from his June arrest for possession of child pornography.Nader also admitted to transporting a 14-year-old boy into the U.S. to have the child engage in criminal sexual activity. He entered his plea Monday before U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, avoiding a trial that had been set for Monday and then postponed until March 2.Nader's plea resolves just one set of criminal allegations against him. Additionally, he was indicted last month in federal court in Washington for his role in a $5.3 million illegal campaign finance scheme. He pleaded not guilty in that case on Dec. 13.In the Alexandria case, Nader pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography and one count of transportation of a minor boy for purposes of illegal conduct. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 50 years when sentenced on April 10, though sentences for federal crimes are usually less than the maximum penalties.The plea is part of an agreement Nader struck with prosecutors. The terms of the deal weren't immediately made public.Read More: Mueller Witness Charged in $5.3 Million Campaign Finance SchemeNader reserved the right to appeal the trafficking charge, which dates back to 2000, as beyond the statute of limitations, according to a report by the Associated Press.Nader's attorney, Jonathan Jeffress, didn't immediately reply to an emailed request for comment.A senior adviser to United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, Nader gained notoriety in Mueller's report as the arranger of a clandestine January 2017 meeting in the Seychelles between Trump campaign surrogate Erik Prince and Kirill Dmitriev, who heads a Russian sovereign wealth fund. Prince is the brother of U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. The report described Dmitriev as closely tied to Russian President Vladimir Putin.Nader had "developed contacts with both U.S. presidential campaigns during the 2016 election and kept Dmitriev abreast of his efforts to do so," the special counsel reported. "According to Nader, Dmitriev said that his and the government of Russia's preference was for candidate Trump to win, and asked Nader to assist him in meeting members of the Trump campaign," though Nader didn't do so until after the election.Read More: Mueller Witness Nader Faces New Child Pornography ChargesNader and seven other people -- including Ahmad "Andy" Khawaja, chief executive officer of the online payment processor Allied Wallet Ltd. -- were charged with making campaign contributions in other people's names, both to disguise the source of those funds and to evade federal limits on political gifts by individuals. Khawaja hasn't answered the charges.A resident of Dubai, Nader has been in federal custody since his June arrest at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. The evidence underpinning the initial charges against him was discovered after his arrival on another international flight, at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, in January 2018. Agents then had a warrant to search any electronic device stemming from a matter they said in June was unrelated to child porn.Nader was found to be in possession of three mobile phones, including one with dozens of videos of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, the FBI said in a June affidavit supporting his arrest warrant.Nader pleaded guilty to similar charges in Virginia in 1991.The case is U.S. v. Nader, 19-cr-201, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia (Alexandria).(Updates with news of plea agreement and with background in second and third sections)To contact the reporter on this story: Andrew Harris in federal court in Washington at aharris16@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net, Peter JeffreyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| High court skeptical of New Jersey 'Bridgegate' convictions Posted: 14 Jan 2020 09:01 AM PST  The Supreme Court seemed broadly skeptical Tuesday of the convictions of two people involved in New Jersey's "Bridgegate" scandal where officials created a massive traffic jam to punish a mayor who refused to endorse then-governor Chris Christie's reelection. The justices suggested during arguments that the government had overreached in prosecuting Bridget Kelly and Bill Baroni. Both were convicted of fraud and conspiracy for scheming in 2013 to change the traffic flow onto the George Washington Bridge between New York City and New Jersey to artificially create gridlock in New Jersey's Fort Lee.
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| How Seriously Should Trump Take North Korea's 13,000 Artillery Pieces? Posted: 13 Jan 2020 06:00 AM PST  Here's what we know.
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| U.S. targets Maduro-backed legislator and allies in fresh Venezuelan sanctions Posted: 13 Jan 2020 07:27 AM PST  The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on seven Venezuelan politicians it said led a bid by President Nicolas Maduro to wrest control of the country's congress from U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido. Earlier this month, troops blocked Guaido from entering congress long enough for the Socialist Party to declare allied legislator Luis Parra as head of parliament. Washington blacklisted Parra and six of his allies "who, at the bidding of Maduro, attempted to block the democratic process in Venezuela," U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.
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| The unintended consequences of Taiwan standing up to China Posted: 13 Jan 2020 11:43 AM PST  A popular parable attributed to Taoism by Alan Watts goes something like this:A farmer's horse runs away. His neighbor commiserates at his loss, but the farmer demurs: "who knows if it is good or bad?" The neighbor leaves, puzzled how there could be any question.The next day, the horse returns with a new wild horse as its mate. The neighbor congratulates the farmer on his good fortune that a second horse had come into his possession. But the farmer demurs again: "who knows if it is good or bad?"Sure enough, the next day, the farmer's son is thrown from the saddle while breaking the wild horse, and breaks his leg. The neighbor commiserates again on his son's injury, but as expected, the farmer demurs: "who knows if it is good or bad?"And of course, the next day the army marches through to draft all the able-bodied men to go off to war, and the farmer's son is only spared because of his injury.You can take the story for as many turns as you want: any apparently bad news can lead to good fortune, and any apparently good news can lead to bad consequences.I've been thinking about that story apropos of the Taiwanese election.President Tsai Ing-wen's landslide re-election seems like unequivocally good news. Voting took place in the shadow of increasingly overt attempts at intimidation by Beijing, and the months of protesting in Hong Kong that demonstrated as clearly as possible that "one country, two systems" was a hollow promise — particularly when Chinese President Xi Jinping explicitly suggested Hong Kong as the model for Taiwan's future. Xi deserved a strong rebuke to his bullying, and he got one.But that doesn't mean the message will be received as intended. It's all but certain that Beijing will never willingly change their view that Taiwan is a renegade province that must be incorporated into China proper. What is harder to tell is whether Xi's increasingly personalized dictatorship is capable of softening its approach and biding its time, which is the only plausible path to peaceful unification.What are the other possibilities? First, China could redouble its efforts to isolate Taiwan diplomatically and pressure it economically. Taiwan has become quite integrated with the Chinese market over the past two decades, and one of Tsai's main priorities has been to seek alternatives to China for their supply chain. But Beijing could get more aggressive about trying to stymie those efforts, while also forcing Taiwanese firms that continue to do business with the mainland to side with China in America's ongoing trade war.How would Taiwan react to a further tightening of the screws? It's possible that they would reverse course and try to accommodate Beijing — but it's far more likely that they would redouble their own efforts to break out of that isolation. In the context of the great unwinding of America's relationship with China, Taiwan may find opportunities with the United States (and Japan). It's not hard to imagine, though, how China would view such moves, even if they were not accompanied by anything as provocative as a declaration of independence.Finally, there is the threat of war. At present, any military threats Beijing might make are largely idle; it is not clear that they have the capacity to subdue the island militarily. But as China's modernization proceeds, their confidence that they could achieve their military objectives will increase. In the context of deteriorating relations and an ever-stronger independent national identity on the island, it might eventually make sense for Taiwan to risk war while they still have a chance of winning.Ten years ago, it was possible to look at the Taiwanese situation and predict that China would eventually prevail through patience and the sheer preponderance of power. That is harder to believe today, as China has become increasingly threatening, and as its economic miracle has grown increasingly brittle. Ten years ago, it was also possible to look at Sino-American competition as part of a classic power transition, with the challenge being how America would manage China becoming the dominant power of the western Pacific without war. That is also much harder to believe today. As explicit great power competition has re-emerged, Taiwan has become a fault-line state, a place China cannot afford to relinquish lest its own regime lose legitimacy, but that America cannot afford to abandon lest its own position in Asia collapse.Today, we should celebrate Tsai's election as a triumph for democracy in a time when democracy could use some triumphs. But tomorrow, we should remember the many ways in which happy news can turn sour, and far more quickly than we might imagine.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.More stories from theweek.com The Senate is preparing an 'unprecedented crackdown' on Capitol reporters ahead of impeachment Bernie Sanders' appraisal of a woman's 2020 chances isn't shocking. It's conventional wisdom. What happens when women translate the Classics
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| 'Clearly He's Not Actually Washing.' Grandma Puts Baby to Work Doing Dishes Because Being a Baby Is Not a Free Ride Posted: 14 Jan 2020 07:45 AM PST  Don't all infants wash spoons?
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| Florida's 'Python Bowl' brings hundreds together for one goal: Catching huge snakes Posted: 14 Jan 2020 10:50 AM PST  Hundreds of people registered for the Florida Python Challenge to capture invasive snakes in the Everglades in a 10-day event.
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| Ukraine plane struck by two missiles: NYT Posted: 14 Jan 2020 04:18 PM PST  Two Iranian missiles struck down a Ukrainian passenger jet, the New York Times reported Tuesday, posting verified security camera footage showing double projectiles gliding through the sky before hitting their target. The Ukraine International Airlines plane was brought down shortly after takeoff on Wednesday, killing all 176 passengers and crew on board. It came clean on Saturday when Revolutionary Guards aerospace commander Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh acknowledged a missile operator had mistaken the plane for a cruise missile and opened fire independently.
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| The 11 Most Anticipated Buildings of 2020 Posted: 14 Jan 2020 02:52 PM PST |
| Mexico Doesn’t Know What to Do With Its Presidential Dreamliner Posted: 14 Jan 2020 11:40 AM PST ![Mexico Doesn't Know What to Do With Its Presidential Dreamliner]( "Mexico Doesn't Know What to Do With Its Presidential Dreamliner") (Bloomberg) -- A state-of-the-art $130 million presidential Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner is becoming a headache for the government of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.Mexico is flying back the luxurious aircraft from California after failing to sell it for over a year, Lopez Obrador said Tuesday in his daily press conference, adding that they are rethinking options to get rid of the plane that he has deemed as too ostentatious.AMLO, as the Mexican president is known, put the Dreamliner on the block right after his inauguration in December 2018, choosing to fly commercial airlines instead to make a point about his frugal government style. The plane was flown to a Boeing hangar in Victorville, where the government has been paying maintenance and rent fees while trying to sell it.A dozen potential bidders surfaced last year but no deal was closed, Jorge Mendoza, chief executive officer of state bank Banobras, which is overseeing the sale process, said at the same conference. The plane has a market value of $130 million, Mendoza said, down from the $219 million that Mexico agreed to pay when it ordered it in 2012.Read More: Mexico Set for Loss on AMLO Sale of $219 Million DreamlinerLopez Obrador said he even offered the plane to U.S. President Donald Trump and agreed to receive goods in exchange, to no avail."We give them the plane, they can pay us in kind. We need X-rays, ambulances, tomographs, laboratories," he said. "We didn't get an answer."The government is now open to renting the plane or splitting ownership among 12 holders, AMLO said, urging Mexicans to make offers for the plane and other aircraft, including helicopters and Gulfstreams, that the government is auctioning. In the meantime, the Air Force will keep the Dreamliner in custody.AMLO has repeatedly criticized the purchase of the plane as too lavish for the leader of a country with millions living in poverty. The president, who has yet to make his first international trip as head of state, also recently argued that the aircraft is too big and expensive for his traveling schedule, given that he can reach most locations in Mexico in less than two hours with commercial flights.\--With assistance from Lorena Rios and Andrea Navarro.To contact the reporter on this story: Cyntia Barrera Diaz in Mexico City at cbarrerad@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Juan Pablo Spinetto at jspinetto@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Israel to speed up extradition of woman in sex-abuse case Posted: 13 Jan 2020 03:40 AM PST  Israeli officials are seeking to expedite an extradition hearing for a woman facing dozens of sexual-abuse charges in Australia after a psychiatric panel concluded she had lied about suffering from mental illness, the Justice Ministry announced Monday. The panel's decision last week that found Malka Leifer fit to stand trial marked a major breakthrough in a years-old case that has strained relations between Israel and Australia and antagonized members of Australia's Jewish community.
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| World War III Won't Start Over Iran, But It Could Start Thanks To North Korea Posted: 13 Jan 2020 06:00 PM PST  Let's not test it.
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| U.S. troops describe 'miraculous' escape at Iraqi base attacked by Iran Posted: 13 Jan 2020 01:29 PM PST  Troops at the Iraqi air base that bore the brunt of Iran's first direct missile attack against U.S. forces said they were shocked by its intensity and grateful to emerge unscathed.
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| Iran plane crash: British ambassador summoned by Tehran claiming he attended 'illegal rally' Posted: 12 Jan 2020 07:47 PM PST  Iran summoned the British ambassador on Sunday after it accused him of "illegal and inappropriate" presence at anti-government demonstrations, deepening a diplomatic rift between the countries. Ambassador Rob Macaire denounced his detention on Saturday, which he said was "of course illegal", saying he had attended a vigil for victims of the Ukrainian Airlines crash, but left as protests broke out. It came as Iran faced a second day of protests over the downing of the flight by the Iranian military, killing all 176 passengers, and initial denials by the regime. Iranian officials defended the detention of Mr Macaire, which foreign secretary Dominic Raab said risked the country gaining "pariah status". Hamid Baeidinejad, Iran's ambassador to the UK, suggested Mr Macaire should have heeded his own embassy's warnings to "not be present in the proximity of political demonstrations in Tehran." Iran's deputy foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, said Mr Macaire had been arrested as an "unknown foreigner in an illegal gathering" and "15 min later he was free." Demonstrators light candles while gathering during a vigil for the victims of the Ukraine International Airlines flight Credit: Ali Mohammadi/Bloomberg The arrest was condemned by both Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel as a "violation of international law. Meanwhile scores of protestors gathered in Tehran to protest against the regime, despite the widespread presence of riot police just months after hundreds of protesters were killed in a crackdown on demonstrations. Videos showed protesters shouting anti-government slogans, including: "They are lying that our enemy is America, our enemy is right here." One video circulated on social media appeared to show crowds of students at a Tehran university deliberately walking around American and Israeli flags painted on the floor in order to avoid stepping on them. Residents of the capital told Reuters that police were out in force on Sunday. Some protesters in Azadi Square first called on officers there to join them, then turned their anger on the authorities, chanting anti-government slogans including "Down with the dictator" - a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to social media posts and Iranian media reports. The semi-official ILNA news agency said police moved to disperse the protesters, who it said numbered as many as 3,000. Videos posted online showed demonstrators running from police who used batons and teargas. The protests began on Saturday after Iran's admission that it had accidentally shot down the Ukrainian jet caused widespread public anger. Most of the passengers were Iranian citizens. Tehran had previously denied responsibility for the tragedy, which it said came as the military was on high alert for US strikes in the wake of the assasination of General Qassim Soleimani. Rob Macaire A report from London-based Iran International TV suggested Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had deliberately allowed civilian air traffic around the airport as a deterrence against any US attack. Crowds had gathered outside a university in central Tehran on Saturday to denounce the IRGC, the elite military force under the direct authority of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Kahmenei. The students shouted, "Death to the dictator," and "End your rule over the country." Riot police fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse the protests. Donald Trump voiced his support for pro-democracy demonstrators in Iran by tweeting in Farsi over the weekend. In one tweet, which swiftly earned more than 300,000 likes he said: "To the brave and suffering Iranian people: I have stood with you since the beginning of my presidency and my government will continue to stand with you. We are following your protests closely. Your courage is inspiring." On Sunday, he warned Iranian leaders not to kill protesters, saying "the world is watching". In an interview with CBS's "Face the Nation" just before the tweet, US Defenc Secretary Mark Esper said Mr Trump was still willing to hold talks with Iran's leaders. "We're willing to sit down and discuss without precondition a new way forward, a series of steps by which Iran becomes a more normal country," Defence Secretary Mark Esper said on CBS's "Face the Nation". And if something happened to the protesters? Mr Esper replied: "The president has drawn no preconditions other than to say we're willing to meet with the Iranian government." Iran crisis | Read more On another Sunday talk show, national security advisor Robert O'Brien said the Iranian regime was "reeling from maximum pressure." "They are reeling from their incompetence in this situation. And the people of Iran are just fed up with it," he said on ABC's "This Week". "Iran is being choked off, and Iran is going to have no other choice but to come to the table." Trump late Sunday slapped O'Brien down, saying, "Actually, I couldn't care less if they negotiate. Will be totally up to them." But back in the US, an ABC News/Ipsos poll showed that 56 per cent of voters disapproved of the president's handling of Iran, with 52 per cent saying that the airstrike which killed Soleimani had made the US less safe. Last night, a volley of rockets hit an Iraqi airbase north of Baghdad where US forces have been based, wounding four local troops. Military bases hosting US troops have been subject to volleys of rocket and mortar attacks in recent months that have mostly wounded Iraqi forces, but also killed one American contractor last month, setting off the dramatic developments of recent weeks. Iran on Sunday signalled it was interested in "de-escalation" following talks with Qatar, as the US defence secretary said Mr Trump was ready to "sit down and discuss without precondition a new way forward".
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| Philippines struggles to evacuate reluctant villagers near volcano Posted: 14 Jan 2020 05:23 AM PST  A cloud of ash and fountains of lava gushed for a third day from the crater of Taal, which lies in the middle of a lake about 70 km (45 miles) south of the center of the Philippines capital Manila. Everyone living within 14 km (9 miles) of the volcano has been ordered to leave: potentially as many as 300,000 people, though disaster agency spokesman Mark Timbal said he believed the actual number who had been there was much lower.
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| Body of missing Ohio teen found in neighbor’s chimney 'appears to be an accident,' police say Posted: 14 Jan 2020 01:01 PM PST  The body of Harley Dilly was found in the chimney of a vacant house, and his death appeared to be accidental, Port Clinton police said.
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| China’s Ties With Key European Ally Nosedive Over Taiwan Posted: 14 Jan 2020 05:09 AM PST ![China's Ties With Key European Ally Nosedive Over Taiwan]( "China's Ties With Key European Ally Nosedive Over Taiwan") (Bloomberg) -- China's relationship with a country that was supposed to be a key proponent of its interests in Europe is growing increasingly caustic.The Czech Republic, an ex-communist member of the European Union, once hoped to become a gateway for investment to the continent. But spats over Chinese territorial claims, Huawei Technologies Co. and espionage have strained ties to the breaking point.Czech President Milos Zeman, so far the staunchest backer of closer relations, has even canceled a planned visit.The latest tension came as the local government in Prague signed a partnership treaty this week with the Taiwanese capital, Taipei. Prague had already ended a sister-city agreement with Beijing after rejecting demands to sever ties with Taiwan and Tibet.The Taiwan pact angered China, with Shanghai announcing Tuesday it was suspending official contacts with Prague. It accused the Czech capital of interfering in Chinese internal affairs and acting inappropriately on issues "that bear on the core interests" of the Asian nation."We urge the administration of Prague to realize its mistakes as soon as possible, remove the negative impact through concrete actions, and adhere to the One China principle," Shanghai's city government said in a statement.Prague has long been a bastion of support for Tibet, with politicians repeatedly hosting the exiled Dalai Lama -- to China's annoyance. On taking office in 2018, the new liberal administration restored late President Vaclav Havel's practice of flying the Tibetan flag from city hall.The national government has taken a different tone. Police suppressed peaceful protests and forced people to remove Tibetan flags from their homes when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited in 2016.But Zeman has shown signs he's now souring on China.On Sunday, he canceled an April visit to the 17+1 summit between China and countries from central and eastern Europe, saying the Asian nation had failed to deliver on pledges of billions of dollars in investments."I don't think the Chinese side has fulfilled what it promised," Zeman said in an interview streamed online.To contact the reporter on this story: Peter Laca in Prague at placa@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Balazs Penz at bpenz@bloomberg.net, Andrew LangleyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Austrian BASE jumper rescued from side of Thai cliff Posted: 13 Jan 2020 05:14 AM PST  An Austrian BASE jumper was rescued in southern Thailand on Monday after being stuck for hours almost 200 meters (yards) above the ground when his parachute became snagged on the rocky side of a cliff. Nearby residents of Phattalung province spotted 28-year-old Johannes Grasser dangling by his parachute cords at about 8:30 a.m. BASE jumping stands for building, antenna, span and earth — the four common objects from which such jumpers launch their descent.
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| FIRE! The Zumwalt-Class Stealth Destroyer Is Getting a Big Redesign Posted: 12 Jan 2020 07:00 PM PST  The old concept already costed $22 billion.
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| Iran agrees de-escalation 'only solution' to solve crisis with US Posted: 12 Jan 2020 09:07 PM PST  Iran has signalled it favours a de-escalation after 10 days of heightened tensions with the United States during which both sides fired missiles and Tehran accidentally shot down a passenger aircraft. Security was stepped up in Iran's capital Sunday after a vigil the previous night for those killed in the air disaster turned into an angry protest and police temporarily arrested the British ambassador for being there. US President Donald Trump warned Iran against harming demonstrators and against a repeat of a deadly crackdown against rallies in November sparked by a fuel price hike.
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| Why Andrew Yang Has Endured While Traditional Democratic Candidates Have Not Posted: 14 Jan 2020 10:27 AM PST  At one point, nearly 30 men and women had entered the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. As of this week, only a dozen of them remain. Among those who have exited the contest are three sitting U.S. senators, five current or former U.S. representatives, and three governors. Among those still standing is an entrepreneur whom nobody in the political world had ever heard of until early last year: Andrew Yang, the only non-politician left in the race aside from Tom Steyer, the billionaire hedge-fund manager bankrolling his own campaign.Why has Yang succeeded where so many more-experienced Democrats failed? In a sea of candidates whose rhetoric offers only familiar, talking-point-laden jargon, Yang sticks out like a sore thumb, and that's to his advantage. He built his campaign from the bottom up, starting with no political experience or name recognition to speak of and rising from there chiefly by embracing his status as a little-known outsider.Likely because he faced a stiff challenge in gaining any public attention at all, Yang began his campaign willing to go anywhere and talk to anyone, and he remains that way even after having outlasted half the field. His first chance in the spotlight came last February, when he joined Joe Rogan's immensely popular podcast for a two-hour chat.This was a preview of things to come for Yang. Embodying one of his slogans, "Not Left, Not Right, Forward," he hasn't shied away from granting access to conservative outlets. He did a lengthy interview on The Ben Shapiro Show last April and, later that month, gave a lengthy interview to National Review. As I noted in the resulting profile, my conversation with him gave me an immediate sense of why his campaign was already resonating with voters, especially younger ones who had never before been interested in politics:> Talking to Yang is like talking to your undergraduate economics professor in office hours as he tries to find a way to communicate with students who were too bored to pay attention the first time he explained something in class. He thinks he gets it, and he wants you to get it, too.In other words, Yang is unconventional, and that's the secret to his success. He talks like a person, not a politician, and he talks to voters as if they're people, not potential votes.Just this morning, for instance, amid the brewing spat between Senators Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), Yang tweeted, "Watching this Elizabeth – Bernie dynamic is upsetting. We have big problems to solve and both want to solve them. I'm sure that's where they would want our attention focused too."While other Democratic campaigns likely would be paralyzed with indecision at the sight of two front-runners dragging each other into the mud — either remaining cautiously silent or gaming out a detailed strategy for a precisely worded, carefully evasive comment that might redound to the benefit of their own polling numbers — Yang just says what he thinks.The core of his platform, the "Freedom Dividend" — a universal basic income of $1,000 per month for every American adult — is an excellent example of how Yang's routine willingness to flout customary political tactics has contributed to his rise. When Yang announced during the September debate that his campaign would give away $1,000 per month for a year to ten American families, he was met with audible laughter from several contenders on stage, including California senator Kamala Harris. Four months later, Harris is out of the race, and Yang is still standing.Yang's ability to come across as less programmed than his opponents is apparent in nearly everything he does. Last month, for instance, he announced that anyone who donated any amount to his campaign would be entered for a chance to win a trip to Los Angeles to see the newest Star Wars movie with Yang after the debate. "Yes I am that candidate," he acknowledged in the tweet, followed by a smiley face and a thumbs-up emoji.What I wrote in my profile of Yang last April is still true: He won't be the Democratic nominee. But several of the things he told me at the time have been proven true as well:> "Most Americans are still going to be finding out about me when they watch these debates," he goes on. "They're going to see me. They're going to Google me. They'll be like, 'Who's that guy?'" He pauses to chuckle at his own comment. "Then the more people dig into my vision for the country, the better I'm going to do."Given that he's managed to stick around longer than many veteran politicians whose campaigns were boosted by constant media acclaim, it seems that Yang was right.
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| Dozens killed by avalanches in Pakistani and Indian Kashmir Posted: 14 Jan 2020 06:08 AM PST  At least 59 people were killed and many more were missing after avalanches in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir over the last 24 hours, senior government officials said on Tuesday. In neighbouring India, at least 10 people were killed after several avalanches hit the northern-part of Indian-administered Kashmir. Two Pakistani officials said many villagers were still stranded by the avalanches in the Neelum Valley area following heavy rain that also triggered landslides.
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| How demise of Iranian nuclear deal rekindles Israel’s dilemma Posted: 13 Jan 2020 09:09 AM PST ![How demise of Iranian nuclear deal rekindles Israel's dilemma]( "How demise of Iranian nuclear deal rekindles Israel's dilemma") Prime Minister Netanyahu campaigned hard against the Iran nuclear deal. Now it's gone, and Israel's options are limited. Is this what he wanted?
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| James Murdoch is fed up with his father's companies' climate denial in News Corp and Fox's coverage of the Australian bushfires Posted: 14 Jan 2020 09:35 AM PST  James Murdoch and his wife Kathryn released a statement condemning his father's news outlets for downplaying the effects of climate change.
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| Deputy prime minister calls Japan a nation with single race Posted: 14 Jan 2020 01:45 AM PST  Japan's deputy prime minister described the country as the only one in the world with a single race, language and 2,000-year-old monarchy, sparking criticism that he was ignoring an indigenous ethnic group and Japanese racial diversity. Taro Aso, who is also finance minister and one of most influential lawmakers in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government, has made a series of remarks in the past deemed insensitive and discriminatory. "No other country but this one has lasted for as long as 2,000 years with one language, one ethnic group and one dynasty," Aso said in a speech Monday.
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| Human Rights Watch Boss Says He Was Barred From Hong Kong Posted: 13 Jan 2020 01:31 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- The executive director of campaign group Human Rights Watch said Sunday that he was prevented from entering Hong Kong, where he intended to release a report critical of the Chinese government.Kenneth Roth said in a video posted on Twitter that he had planned to hold a news conference Wednesday to release the rights group's annual world report."I had hoped to spotlight Beijing's deepening assault on international efforts to uphold human rights," Roth said in a statement. "The refusal to let me enter Hong Kong vividly illustrates the problem."Roth added that Hong Kong officials told him repeatedly that they were barring him for immigration reasons. The Hong Kong Immigration Department said Monday that it doesn't comment on individual cases, but considers "all relevant factors and circumstances of the case before deciding whether the entry should be allowed or not."Last month, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country would impose unspecified "sanctions" against Human Rights Watch and several other U.S.-based pro-democracy organizations. Geng Shuang, a spokesman for the foreign ministry, said on Monday that "allowing or not allowing the entry of certain people is China's sovereign right.""A lot of facts and evidence has proven that this NGO has supported the anti-China radicals in Hong Kong through various means," Geng told reporters. "They have a major responsibility for the chaos in Hong Kong. This NGO should be punished and should pay the price."Increased ScrutinyThe city's government has occasionally denied entry to public figures in recent years, mostly to human rights campaigners, journalists or politicians who have criticized China.Last year, Hong Kong denied entry to Dan Garrett, an author who had earlier testified on Hong Kong before the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China, as well as former Philippine Foreign minister Albert del Rosario, who has been critical of Beijing's claims in the South China Sea.In 2018, Hong Kong also turned back Financial Times journalist Victor Mallet, who had been denied a visa renewal over an event he hosted at the city's Foreign Correspondents' Club, and a year earlier denied entry to British human rights campaigner Benedict Rogers.With Journalist's Ouster, China Draws New Red Line for Hong KongGroups like Human Rights Watch have increased scrutiny of Hong Kong during seven months of pro-democracy protests that have led to regular violent clashes between demonstrators and police. The protests continued Sunday, as thousands of people gathered in a square in Hong Kong's city center for a peaceful afternoon rally under the gaze of riot police who kept their distance from the event while patrolling the area.China has bristled at accusations that authorities have used excessive force in containing the protests and has rejected international criticism, accusing foreign governments like the U.S. of meddling in its domestic affairs.(Updates with foreign ministry statement in fifth paragraph)\--With assistance from James Amott.To contact the reporters on this story: William Shaw in London at wshaw20@bloomberg.net;Iain Marlow in Hong Kong at imarlow1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Chris KayFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| 'Red herring': Trump, Barr say killing of Iran's Soleimani was justified, whether or not threat was imminent Posted: 14 Jan 2020 01:18 PM PST  "I do believe that this concept of imminence is something of a red herring," Attorney General William Barr said of the debate over killing Iranian Gen. Soleimani.
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| Tens of thousands face uncertainty as Philippine volcano spews lava Posted: 14 Jan 2020 11:32 AM PST  Taal volcano in the Philippines could spew lava and ash for weeks, authorities warned Tuesday, leaving tens of thousands in limbo after they fled their homes fearing a massive eruption. The crater of the volcano exploded to life with towering clouds of ash and jets of red-hot lava on Sunday, forcing those living around the mountain south of Manila to rush to safety. Many people abandoned livestock and pets as well as homes full of belongings after authorities sounded an alert warning that an "explosive eruption" could come imminently.
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| U.S. Army green berets admit to stealing $200,000 in counter-terrorism cash Posted: 14 Jan 2020 07:58 AM PST ![U.S. Army green berets admit to stealing $200,000 in counter-terrorism cash]( "U.S. Army green berets admit to stealing $200,000 in counter-terrorism cash") Former Sergeant First Class William Chamberlain, 46, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and receiving stolen government property in federal court in North Carolina on Monday after having fought the charges for years, prosecutors said. Four other soldiers, who like Chamberlain were from the 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg in North Carolina and served in Afghanistan, pleaded guilty in 2014 while Chamberlain planned to defend himself at trial.
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| 1976 cold case murder of Downers Grove South HS student Pamela Maurer solved, authorities say Posted: 13 Jan 2020 11:45 AM PST  Authorities in DuPage County announced Monday that the 1976 murder of Downers Grove South High School student Pamela Maurer has been solved.
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| The Reason Why China Refuses to Use Nuclear Weapons First in a War Posted: 13 Jan 2020 09:00 AM PST  Is No First Use a good idea?
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| Treason trial begins of Cambodia opposition leader Kem Sokha Posted: 14 Jan 2020 05:39 PM PST  The trial of a top Cambodian opposition leader charged with treason began Wednesday, more than two years after he was arrested in what is widely seen as a politically motivated prosecution. Kem Sokha was head of the Cambodia National Rescue Party when he was arrested in September 2017 on the basis of an old video showing him at a seminar where he spoke about receiving advice from U.S. pro-democracy groups. The actions were seen as intended to ensure victory by long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cambodia People's Party in the 2018 general election by eliminating the only credible opposition force.
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| Get the Vibrant Look of This Southern California Residence Posted: 14 Jan 2020 05:00 AM PST |
| Kenyan President Reshuffles Cabinet as Chasm With Deputy Widens Posted: 14 Jan 2020 03:53 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Next Africa newsletter and follow Bloomberg Africa on TwitterKenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta made changes to his cabinet that include the dismissal of a key member considered an ally of his estranged deputy, while placating his voter base by announcing a raft of economic policy changes.Kenyatta dropped Agriculture Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri, who is said to side with Deputy President William Ruto. He confirmed Ukur Yatani as Treasury Secretary, effectively sacking former finance chief Henry Rotich, who is facing graft charges in court.Ruto's relationship with the East African nation's leader has deteriorated amid succession battles for 2022, when Kenyatta is bound to leave office."This is meant to pass a message to Ruto," said Herman Manyora, a political analyst at the University of Nairobi. "We expect to see more of these realignments. It is now more about politics than performance."A delicate alliance between Kenyatta and Ruto, who joined forces to contest 2013 elections, has degenerated since the president's rapprochement with arch-rival Raila Odinga in March 2018. Odinga, who has failed on four attempts to win the presidency, is seen as the biggest threat to Ruto's stab at the top seat.Left OutKenyatta's and Odinga's so-called handshake deal undermines an arrangement in which the president was supposed to rally his support base to back Ruto's bid at the next vote. The deputy has also raided the president's backyard and enjoys the support of many lawmakers who would traditionally back Kenyatta."I find it unfortunate that in the process of unifying Kenyans, people feel like they are being left out," Kenyatta said in a televised speech while announcing the changes, referring to the deal with Odinga. "I am not against anybody. I am for 47 million Kenyans."Kenyatta also made a raft of policy change announcements for tea, coffee and milk production and marketing that are meant to appease his key support base, according to Manyora.He imposed a 16% tax on milk imported from outside the regional East African Community bloc and ordered a probe into governance challenges, buying methods and an opaque dividend policy that have "bedeviled" the tea industry, he said. Kenyatta also announced a 3 billion shilling ($30 million) fund to protect coffee farmers from delayed payments.To contact the reporter on this story: David Herbling in Nairobi at dherbling@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: David Malingha at dmalingha@bloomberg.net, Helen Nyambura, Pauline BaxFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Trump news – live: President shares disturbing Iran tweets amid fresh Soleimani killing details, after claiming impeachment articles should be ‘dismissed outright’ Posted: 13 Jan 2020 07:09 AM PST  Donald Trump has retweeted what appears to be an image of a dead body and a meme of senior Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer dressed as Muslims as he continues to lash out over the Iran crisis and his upcoming Senate impeachment trial.The president reportedly first approved the assassination of Quds commander Qassem Soleimani back in June 2019, according to a new report, further clouding the administration's claim that it faced an "imminent threat" against four of its embassies in the Middle East from the late general.
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| Makeshift koala hospital scrambles to save dozens injured in bushfires Posted: 14 Jan 2020 05:18 PM PST  Dozens of injured koalas arrive at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park's makeshift animal hospital each day in cat carriers, washing baskets or clinging to wildlife carers. Injured in bushfires that have ravaged the wildlife haven off the coast of South Australia state, there are so many marsupials currently requiring urgent treatment that carers don't have time to give them names -- they are simply referred to by a number.
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| Philippine lawyer to withdraw ICC complaint against Duterte Posted: 14 Jan 2020 07:39 AM PST  A Philippines lawyer who filed a complaint at the International Criminal Court (ICC) accusing President Rodrigo Duterte of murder in a bloody anti-drugs crackdown said on Tuesday he will no longer pursue the case. The complaint filed by attorney Jude Sabio in 2017 is one of several communications to the court calling for Duterte's indictment over thousands of alleged extrajudicial killings during his campaign against narcotics. "I fervently request that it be expunged or erased from the record, and that it should not be used in any way in the ongoing preliminary examination," Sabio said in a 28-page letter addressed to ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda.
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| A Boeing employee called Lion Air, the airline in the first 737 Max crash, 'idiots' for asking to have its pilots trained in flying the plane Posted: 14 Jan 2020 04:44 AM PST  The messages were part of documents released by Boeing that showed employees talking about concerns with the 737 Max but still pushing its production.
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| Destroying China's South China Sea Island Bases In a War Might Not Be So Easy Posted: 13 Jan 2020 05:55 AM PST  Expert: "Effectively neutralizing China's bases would require hundreds of missiles, emptying the magazines of valuable U.S. platforms that don't have ordnance to spare."
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| 'Shouldn't have to marry a sugar daddy': Teachers, outraged over pay, rally in Florida capital Posted: 13 Jan 2020 03:21 PM PST  Florida is 26th in the nation for starting pay for teachers. Teachers rallied in Tallahassee Monday over their salaries and money for schools.
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| Syria says its air defenses intercept attack on airbase Posted: 14 Jan 2020 01:42 PM PST ![Syria says its air defenses intercept attack on airbase]( "Syria says its air defenses intercept attack on airbase") Syria's air defenses confronted an aerial "aggression" from Israel that targeted an air base in the country's center late Tuesday, state media reported quoting a military official. The official quoted by the state news agency SANA said the attack targeted the T-4 air base in Homs province shortly after 10 p.m. local time. Israel has carried out dozens of airstrikes on Syria over the past years but it rarely comments on what it targets.
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| The Fourth-Best Reason to Overturn Roe Posted: 14 Jan 2020 03:30 AM PST  Two hundred–plus members of Congress, all but two of them Republicans, have signed a brief to the Supreme Court regarding June Medical Services v. Gee. The case involves a Louisiana law requiring abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital, a policy similar to a Texas one the Court struck down in 2016. The Court might address the situation with a scalpel, or it might take the opportunity to reconsider its abortion jurisprudence more broadly.A lot of the brief consists of the boring legal argumentation you'd probably expect. It encourages the Court to find that the plaintiffs lack standing or, failing that, to uphold the Louisiana law as "distinguishable" from the invalidated Texas one. But then it suggests the Court give some thought to reworking or overruling the decisions, most prominently Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, that treat abortion as a constitutional right to begin with. Why? The answer is a little unexpected: The right to abortion just isn't "workable," as evidenced by the courts' failure to create a stable and logical system for determining which abortion restrictions are constitutional and which are not.Unsurprisingly, the brief has divided legal commentators. Mark Joseph Stern of Slate calls the argument a "trick" and a "lie" that may well give conservative justices, in particular Brett Kavanaugh, the excuse they need to depart from judicial precedents that have actually worked just fine for nearly half a century. NR's own Ramesh Ponnuru, writing at Bloomberg Opinion, says the brief makes a strong argument that "could eventually prove decisive," perhaps in a future case rather than in June Medical Services itself.I see this a bit differently. It is difficult to create workable standards in this area, but that doesn't really distinguish abortion from countless other areas in which the Court operates, and I'm not sure how big of a role it will or should play in Roe's demise. If there really were a constitutional right to abortion, or if the core of Roe were worth upholding as precedent for other reasons, such as maintaining the stability of the law, it would be worth continuing to develop and improve the rules rather than ending judicial enforcement of the abortion right itself. (The central guideline since 1992 has been that states can't place an "undue burden" on women seeking abortions, a vague standard that leaves plenty of room for refinement.) We who want to see the end of Roe should thus not put too many eggs in the "workability" basket, and there are plenty of arguments worth emphasizing more.To be clear, there is a workability problem, at least regarding the Court's approach to the abortion issue up until now. Here's the GOP brief describing the Court's various ping-pong moves over the years:> The Court struck down regulations in Akron and Thornburgh later approved in Casey. The Court identified two state interests for abortion regulations in Roe but recognized more in Gonzales. It struck down limits on partial-birth abortion in Stenberg v. Carhart later approved in Gonzales. It rejected facial challenges in Gonzales it then resurrected, sua sponte, in Hellerstedt. The Court has retreated from Roe in at least four cases — Harris, Webster v. Reproductive Health Services, Casey, and Gonzales — recalibrating the standard of review and giving States more deference to enact health and safety regulations and partial prohibitions.These flip-flops, as well as the conflicting abortion decisions that routinely issue from the lower courts as they try to parse confusing Supreme Court precedents, show the difficulty of separating limits on a right that are allowed from limits that are not allowed — especially when different jurists have different ideological commitments regarding the right, and when many states are willing to get creative to limit the right any way they can. But this problem is present to some degree with any right, whether guaranteed by the Constitution, a statute, or a judicial precedent, and we rarely see it as a reason to rethink whether courts should enforce such rights at all.There's no argument in the brief that abortion rights are any harder for courts to manage than, say, gun rights, another area where the Court's standards are still young and evolving and judges disagree on whether the right should exist at all. And while the Court has wavered on the ways in which states may restrict abortion on the margins, it has been rock-solid on the core question: whether a woman has a right to abort her child in the early months of pregnancy, which is when the vast majority of abortions occur.So while it is indeed challenging to create workable rules for abortion regulations, I'd call that the fourth-best reason to strike at the heart of Roe itself. My top three have to do with whether the decision was correct to begin with and, if not, other concerns bearing on whether it's the kind of precedent the courts should respect anyway.First, there really is nothing in the Constitution stopping states from regulating abortion as they see fit, so this is not an issue for the federal courts to resolve permanently the way they tried to in Roe. Second, this decision to override voters' policy preferences has been highly consequential — and horrific, to those of us who oppose abortion — as Roe has facilitated the deaths of millions of helpless babies in jurisdictions that would have strictly limited the practice if they'd been allowed to. Third, unlike many other un-originalist precedents from decades past, Roe has failed to settle into place as a widely accepted and politically unremarkable part of our legal landscape, and it generates vigorous protests nearly 50 years after it was decided. States and even judges on the lower courts are pushing the boundaries on abortion laws to this day.You might disagree with my ranking. Heck, I stole three of the four elements from the late Justice Antonin Scalia's list of criteria for overruling precedents, and he did: "1. How wrong was it? . . . 2. How well accepted has it been? . . . 3. Most important to me, does it permit me to function as a lawyer, or does it make me a legislator?" (Emphasis mine.) In explaining the third part, Scalia specifically called out the "undue burden" standard for abortion laws.But however we order these various tests, Roe flunks all of them. Combined, they amount to an incredibly powerful case for overruling a bad precedent that has lasted too long, claimed too many lives, taken too much power from the states, and sown too much discord by denying abortion opponents a fair chance to make a difference through the legislative process. Above all, the Court should end it, and soon — no matter which reasons it finds most compelling.
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| China Faces Stepped-Up Calls to Slash Trade-Distorting Subsidies Posted: 14 Jan 2020 05:42 AM PST ![China Faces Stepped-Up Calls to Slash Trade-Distorting Subsidies]( "China Faces Stepped-Up Calls to Slash Trade-Distorting Subsidies") (Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. China came under greater international pressure to reduce industrial subsidies after the U.S., Europe and Japan agreed to push for stronger World Trade Organization rules against market-distorting government aid.The top trade officials of the U.S., the European Union and Japan struck a deal on Tuesday in Washington to expand the kinds of subsidies prohibited by the WTO. The announcement came on the eve of a planned signing ceremony at the White House for phase one of a U.S.-China trade deal, which doesn't address Beijing's support for domestic companies that compete internationally.The subsidies accord -- a breakthrough after years of deliberations -- targets Chinese practices that have been a source of growing tensions between China and the rest of the world including the U.S., the EU and Japan.This "is an important step toward addressing some of the fundamental issues distorting global trade," EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan said in a statement. The accord "is also a symbol of a constructive strategic collaboration between three major players."Trade TruceThe joint initiative may signal a path for de-escalating international commercial tensions triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war against China, curbs on imports from the EU and assault on the WTO system.The Trump administration is gearing up for negotiations with China on a second-phase trade accord following the initial deal due to be signed on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the EU is scrambling to bolster the multilateral trade order underpinned by the WTO by seeking to address U.S. concerns.Under the agreement among the U.S., the EU and Japan, the list of subsidies unconditionally outlawed by the Geneva-based WTO would be broadened to cover:unlimited guaranteesaid to ailing businesses that have no credible restructuring plansupport for companies unable to obtain long-term financing or investment from independent commercial sources operating in industries in overcapacitysome direct forgiveness of debtIn addition, the deal would make it harder for countries to justify a range of other types of subsidies by reversing the burden of proof. The subsidizing nation would have to show that the aid in question has no serious negative trade effects.Broader SupportIf ultimately enacted, the agreement could represent the most significant upgrade of the global trade rulebook in more than a decade.Currently, about 64% of global exports must compete with subsidized rivals, according to researchers at the Global Trade Alert, which tracks global subsidies. In 2017, that trade would have been worth $11.3 trillion.Ultimately, the U.S., EU and Japan want to win support for their deal among a group of like-minded WTO members so it can become a wider agreement. That would allow members to sidestep a WTO requirement that all accords must be made by a consensus among its 164 members.A key question is how to win over China.Since 2001, China's steel production capacity has grown by more than 500% and now accounts for more than half of global output of the metal, the U.S. said during a 2019 WTO meeting in Geneva. In the aluminum sector, four of the world's top five recipients of government support are Chinese companies, according to a 2019 OECD report.Trump administration officials have pledged to tackle the issue in phase two of their trade talks with Beijing.\--With assistance from Shawn Donnan.To contact the reporters on this story: Bryce Baschuk in Geneva at bbaschuk2@bloomberg.net;Nikos Chrysoloras in Brussels at nchrysoloras@bloomberg.net;Jonathan Stearns in Washington at jstearns2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Murray at brmurray@bloomberg.net, ;Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, ;Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Zoe SchneeweissFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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