| Why Russia Doesn't Like (Or Have) Many Aircraft Carriers Posted: 18 Jan 2020 04:00 AM PST  Not enough money?
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| Off-duty Hong Kong police officer arrested for supporting protests Posted: 17 Jan 2020 10:41 AM PST  An off-duty Hong Kong police officer was arrested along with seven other people on Friday as they tried to put pro-democracy posters on a footbridge, police said. It's the first known case of a police officer being apprehended for supporting the massive demonstrations that have led to more than 6,500 arrests in the past seven months. The officer, 31, and the seven other people aged 14 to 61, were arrested at 3:00 am on Friday in Tuen Mun, a district in northwest Hong Kong.
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| Philippine volcano still 'life threatening' despite lull Posted: 16 Jan 2020 06:53 PM PST  An erupting Philippine volcano remains life threatening despite weaker emissions and fewer tremors, an official said Friday and advised thousands of displaced villagers not to return to the danger zone. The Taal volcano emitted weaker ash and steam explosions Thursday and Friday, the sixth day of its eruption. "When there is an explosion, that will be life threatening, especially if people get very near, like on Volcano Island," Renato Solidum, head of the the institute, told The Associated Press.
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| Trump threatened 25% tariffs on European cars if Britain, Germany and France didn't put Iran on notice Posted: 17 Jan 2020 11:31 AM PST  The Trump administration warned European officials in three countries that if they didn't put Iran on notice about nuclear deal violations, the US government would slap a 25% tariff on all European cars.
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| Don't turn plane crash into political issue: Iran foreign ministry spokesman Posted: 16 Jan 2020 11:49 PM PST  All countries involved in the Ukrainian airliner crash in Iran should avoid turning it into a political issue, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Friday. "We request all sides not to make human issues, particularly this tragic accident, into an excuse for political gestures," Abbas Mousavi was quoted as saying by the semi-official ISNA news agency. Five countries whose citizens died when Iran shot down the airliner last week said on Thursday that Tehran should pay compensation to families of the victims, and that the world was watching for its response.
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| Los Angeles teachers are suing Delta after a plane dumped jet fuel on them, allegedly leaving them dizzy and nauseous Posted: 17 Jan 2020 06:31 PM PST  Teachers at an elementary school outside of Los Angeles, California are suing Delta after a plane dropped fuel on area schools, causing 60 injuries.
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| The Hole in the Impeachment Case Posted: 18 Jan 2020 03:30 AM PST  Thought experiment No. 1: Suppose Bob Mueller's probe actually proves that Donald Trump is under Vladimir Putin's thumb. Fill in the rest of the blanks with your favorite corruption fantasy: The Kremlin has video of the mogul-turned-president debauching himself in a Moscow hotel; the Kremlin has a bulging file of real-estate transfers through which Trump laundered racketeering proceeds for Putin's favored mobsters and oligarchs; or Trump is recorded cutting a deal to drop Obama-era sanctions against Putin's regime if Russian spies hack Democratic accounts.Thought experiment No. 2: Adam Schiff is not a demagogue. (Remember, this is fantasy.) At the very first televised hearing, when he alleged that President Trump told Ukrainian president Zelensky, "I want you to make up dirt on my political opponent . . . lots of it," Schiff was not defrauding the public. Instead, impeachment's Inspector Clouseau can actually prove that Trump was asking a foreign government to manufacture out of whole cloth evidence that Vice President Biden and his son were cashing in on the former's political influence (as opposed to asking that Ukraine look into an arrangement so objectively sleazy that the Obama administration itself agitated over what to do about it).What do these two scenarios have in common, besides being fictional? Answer: If either of them were real, we'd already be talking about President Pence's upcoming State of the Union address.This is the point that gets lost in all the endless chatter over impeachment strategy and procedure. Everything that is happening owes to the fact that we do not have an offense sufficiently grave for invocation of the Constitution's nuclear option. If we had one, the machinations and the posturing would be unnecessary — even ridiculous.Why are we talking about how Chairman Schiff, Speaker Pelosi, and House Democrats rushed through the impeachment inquiry without making a real effort to interview key witnesses?Why was the Democrats' impeachment gambit driven by the election calendar rather than the nature of the president's offense? Why were the timing of hearings and the unreasonable limits imposed on Republicans' ability to call witnesses dictated by the frantic rush to get done before Christmas recess -- to the point that Democrats cynically vacated a subpoena they'd served on a relevant administration witness, fearing a few weeks of court battles that they might lose?Why did Democrats grope from week to week in a struggle over what to call the misconduct they accused the president of committing – campaign finance, extortion, quid pro quo, bribery? How did they end up with an amorphous "abuse of power" case? How did they conclude that an administration that goes to court rather than instantly surrendering potentially privileged information commits obstruction?Why such tedious recriminations over adoption of Senate procedures that were approved by a 100–0 vote the last time there was an impeachment trial? Why all the kvetching over whether witnesses will be called when those procedures provide for the calling of witnesses in the likely event that 51 senators — after hearing nearly two weeks of presentation and argument from both sides -- want to hear from one or two of them?Why, with Election Day only ten months away, would Speaker Pelosi stoke an impeachment vote that could be perilous for many of her members, on the insistence that Trump was such a clear and present danger she could brook no delay, but then . . . sit on the impeachment articles for a month, accomplishing nothing in the interim except to undermine the presidential bids of several Senate Democrats, who will be trapped in Washington when they should be out campaigning with Iowa's caucuses just two weeks away?None of this would have happened if there had been a truly impeachable offense.Adam Schiff is a smart guy. He did not idly dream up a "make up dirt" parody. He framed it because he knows that's the kind of misconduct you would need to prove to warrant impeachment and removal of a president. In fact, Schiff could never prove that, but he figured parody is good enough for 2020 campaign purposes — and that's what this exercise is all about.If collusion with Russia had been fact rather than farce, Trump would never have made it to an impeachment trial. He'd have had to resign, Prior to November 8, 2016, Republicans were not the ones in need of convincing that Russia was a dangerous geopolitical threat. If it had been real collusion that brought Democrats around to that conclusion, the votes to impeach and remove would have been overwhelming.And the timing would have been irrelevant. If Americans had been seized by a truly impeachable offense, it would not matter whether Election Day was two years, two months, or two weeks away. The public and the political class would not tolerate an agent of the Kremlin in the Oval Office.If there were such egregious misconduct that the public was convinced of the need to remove Trump, such that two-thirds of the Senate would ignore partisan ties and do just that, there would be no partisan stunts. Democratic leaders would have worked cooperatively with their GOP counterparts, as was done in prior impeachments. They would have told the president: "Sure, you can have your lawyers here, and call whatever witnesses you want." There would be a bipartisan sense that the president had done profound wrong. There would be a sense of history, not contest. Congressional leaders would want to be remembered as statesmen, not apparatchiks.If there were a real impeachable offense, there would be no fretting about witnesses at the trial. Senate leaders would be contemplating that, after hearing the case extensively presented by both sides, there might well be enough votes to convict without witnesses. But if there were an appetite for witnesses, witnesses would be called . . . as they were in Watergate. And just as in Watergate, if the president withheld vital evidence of appalling lawlessness, the public would not be broadly indifferent to administration stonewalling.If there were an obviously impeachable offense, the garrisons of Fort Knox could not have stopped Nancy Pelosi from personally marching impeachment articles into the Senate the second the House had adopted them -- in what would have been an overwhelming bipartisan vote (of the kind that Pelosi, not long ago, said would be imperative for a legitimate impeachment effort).The Framers expected presidents to abuse their powers from time to time. And not just presidents. Our Constitution's theory of the human condition, and thus of governance, is that power is apt to corrupt anyone. It needs to be divided, and the peer components need to be incentivized to check each other. The operating assumption is that, otherwise, one component would accumulate too much power and inevitably fall prey to the tyrannical temptation. But as Madison observed, men are not angels. Separation of powers arms us against inevitable abuse, it does not prevent abuse from happening. Abuse is a given: Congress uses lawmaking power to encroach on the other branches' prerogatives; judges legislate from the bench, presidents leverage their awesome powers for political advantage. The expectation is not that government officials will never overreach; it is that when one branch does overreach, the others will bring it into line.That is the norm: corrective action or inaction, political pressure, naming and shaming, power of the purse, and so on. We expect to criticize, inveigh, even censure. We don't leap from abuse to expulsion. We don't expect routinely to expel members of Congress or impeach presidents and judges. That is reserved for historically extraordinary wrongs.On Ukraine, nothing of consequence came of President Trump's bull-in-a-china-shop excesses. Sure, they ought to be a 2020 campaign issue. Democrats, instead, would have us exaggerate them into historically extraordinary wrongs. For that, you need gamesmanship. If there were real impeachable misconduct, there would be no time or place for games.
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| Revealed: The Secrets Behind Russia's Crazy 100-Megaton Nuclear Torpedo Posted: 17 Jan 2020 09:00 PM PST  From fiction to reality.
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| Rain douses some Australian bush fires but flash floods now threaten wildlife Posted: 17 Jan 2020 08:19 AM PST  Heavy rains in fire-ravaged eastern Australia have brought welcome relief for firefighters and farmers, but sparked flash floods that have led to fresh scrambles to save native animals. As the rain hit on Thursday the New South Wales State Emergency Services department warned that the sudden heavy downpours in some areas would bring flash flooding, falling trees and landslides where the fires have wiped out vegetation. On Friday, the warnings were realised when flash floods hit the Australia Reptile Park on the NSW east coast, and the state's koalas - having lost thousands of their number and huge swathes of their habitat - needed to be rescued again as floods thundered down fire-blasted hills empty of vegetation. Park director Tim Faulkner told local media that the sudden floods on Friday morning were "incredible". "Just last week we were having daily meetings to discuss the imminent threat of bushfires," he said. "Today, we've had the whole team out there, drenched, acting fast to secure the safety of our animals and defend the park from the onslaught of water… We haven't seen flooding like this at the park for over 15 years." And while the rains have doused fires in some areas, blazes continue to rage across many other parts of the country where the weather stayed dry, including in other parts of New South Wales where 82 fires were still burning, with 30 out of control, and in the state of Victoria, to the south. Parts of the state's Alpine region were evacuated again as erratic winds caused spot fires around a large blaze at Mount Buffalo. The rain also completely missed Kangaroo Island, the nation's third biggest off the southern coast of the mainland, where fires have devastated the formerly wildlife-rich national park. The authorities have warned the crisis could worsen again with Australia only halfway through its summer. The unprecedented fires, fuelled by climate change and a years-long drought, have already claimed 28 lives over the past five months. They have scorched massive tracts of pristine forests in eastern and southern Australia, decimated livestock on already barren farms and destroyed 2,000 homes. In areas where rain has arrived, there are new concerns that muddy ash will be swept into rivers and lakes, exacerbating an emerging crisis as fish die in vast numbers due to ash poisoning the waterways. The NSW Department of Primary Industries has received reports of "hundreds of thousands" of fish dead in the Macleay river since December 2019.
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| TSA issues apology to Native American woman who had braids pulled by agent Posted: 18 Jan 2020 11:11 AM PST  Tara Houska 'humiliated' by TSA agent who 'snapped my braids like reins' during screening at Minneapolis-St Paul airportThe federal Transportation Security Administration has apologized to a Native American woman who said an agent at Minneapolis-St Paul international airport "pulled her braids" and said "giddy up!" when she took a flight from there this week."The agent said she needed to pat down my braids," tweeted Tara Houska, an indigenous rights advocate and attorney. "She pulled them behind my shoulders, laughed and said 'giddyup!' as she snapped my braids like reins. My hair is part of my spirit. I am a Native woman. I am angry, humiliated. Your 'fun' hurt."Houska, who is Ojibwe, added: "When I informed the middle-aged blonde woman who had casually used her authority to dehumanize and disrespect me, she said, 'Well it was just in fun, I'm sorry. Your hair is lovely.'"That is NOT an apology and it is NOT OK."According to the Washington Post, women of color have long experienced problems at TSA checkpoints, because natural, braided or twisted hair prompt "flags" on security devices, spurring "more invasive screenings".Bring Me The News, a Minnesota website, appeared to have been first to report Houska's experience.In a statement to the Guardian, the TSA said it had been "made aware of allegations made by a traveler about her screening experience at Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport [on] Monday morning."TSA officials investigated the incident and on Tuesday afternoon, TSA's federal security director for Minnesota, Cliff Van Leuven, spoke with the traveler. He apologized for actions and a comment that were insensitive and made by a TSA officer to the traveler during the screening experience."Van Leuven also wrote to airport staff."In the news last night and today," he said, "you've likely seen – or heard - of a TSA officer at MSP who was insensitive in screening the long braided hair of a Native American passenger Monday morning. Did it actually happen? Yes. Exactly as described? Yes."This morning, I reached out to the passenger via email. She called me back early this afternoon. I apologized for how she was treated during the screening of her braids – and we had a very pleasant conversation."She reiterated that she doesn't want the officer to get in trouble, but she is hoping we'll take the chance to continue to educate our staff about the many Native American Tribes/Bands in our state and region to better understand their culture."The airport apologized on Twitter.Houska could not immediately be reached for comment.
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| 220 wounded as Lebanon protesters clash with police Posted: 18 Jan 2020 12:38 PM PST  Clashes between police and Lebanese protesters wounded more than 220 people on both sides Saturday in the highest such tally in three months of anti-establishment demonstrations. The sound of ambulance sirens rang out across Beirut as the Red Cross reported 80 wounded had been taken to hospital and 140 more were treated on site. The protest movement rocking Lebanon since October 17 revived this week as a deepening economic crisis increases pressure to form a new government.
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| Ten charred bodies found in vehicle in violence-plagued Mexican state Posted: 18 Jan 2020 10:08 AM PST ![Ten charred bodies found in vehicle in violence-plagued Mexican state]( "Ten charred bodies found in vehicle in violence-plagued Mexican state") Mexican prosecutors are investigating the discovery of a burned-out vehicle containing the charred bodies of 10 people in the southwestern state of Guerrero, authorities said late on Friday. Police made the grisly discovery on a country road in the municipality of Chilapa de Alvarez after locals saw the vehicle on fire and alerted authorities, state security spokesman Roberto Alvarez said in a statement published on Facebook.
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| How to restart and fix Windows Explorer on your computer in 3 simple steps Posted: 17 Jan 2020 03:29 PM PST  You can restart your Windows Explorer browser on your computer in three steps, and possibly solve any performance issues. Here's how.
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| Parnas Tells of Rick Perry’s Role in Ukraine: Impeachment Update Posted: 16 Jan 2020 07:54 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Chief Justice John Roberts made his first appearance in the Senate chamber Thursday to swear in the senators for President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, which is set to begin Tuesday.Here are the latest developments:Parnas Makes More Accusations on Ukraine (10 p.m.)Lev Parnas, a former associate of Rudy Giuliani, said that then-Energy Secretary Rick Perry told Ukraine's president that he had to announce an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and the energy company that had Biden's son as a board member.Perry went to Ukraine with that message last May when he attended the inauguration of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Parnas said in the second part of an interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow that was broadcast on Thursday night.His account widens the circle of Trump administration officials who have been accused of being involved or knew about an operaton to get the Ukrainian government to announce an investigation into Biden, one of President Donald Trump's chief political rivals.Giuliani told Perry what to tell Zelenskiy before going to Ukraine, Parnas said on Maddow's program, without offering specific evidence. Perry called Giuliani after the inauguration and told him that Zelenskiy "is going to do it," according to Parnas.But when Zelenskiy only announced something about battling corruption, Parnas said, "Giuliani blew his lid on that saying that's not what we discussed. That it wasn't supposed to be a corruption investigated announcement. It has to be about Joe Biden and Hunter Biden and Burisma." Hunter Biden was on the board of Burisma.Perry left office late last year. The Department of Energy did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday night. Earlier in the day, the White House tried to cast doubt on Parnas' accusations."These allegations are being made by a man who is currently out on bail for federal crimes and is desperate to reduce his exposure to prison," Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said in an emailed statement. -- Chris StrohmPence Seeks Democratic Profile in Courage (9:10 p.m.)Vice President Mike Pence called for a Democratic senator to cast a defiant vote to acquit President Donald Trump, and invoked the name of a beloved Democratic president, John F. Kennedy, to bolster his argument.In an op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday night, Pence said that "despite the focus on what a handful of Republican senators may do, the true profile in courage, as Kennedy understood it, would be a Senate Democrat willing to stand up and reject a partisan impeachment passed by the Democrat-controlled House."His column referred to Edmund Ross, one of the eight senators Kennedy lionized in "Profiles in Courage," which was published while he was still in the Senate.Ross, a Kansas Republican, turned against his party during the the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson in 1868 and voted to acquit. Johnson escaped removal from office by just one vote."Now, as all eyes turn to the U.S. Senate and another partisan impeachment, and the parallels between Ross's time and our own are striking," Pence wrote in the Journal. "But despite the focus on what a handful of Republican senators may do, the true profile in courage, as Kennedy understood it, would be a Senate Democrat willing to stand up and reject a partisan impeachment passed by the Democrat-controlled House." -- John HarneyGOP's Collins 'Likely' to Support Witnesses (6:02 p.m.)Republican Senator Susan Collins said she is "likely" to support a proposal to call witnesses after each side presents its case and answers questions from senators."While I need to hear the case argued and the questions answered, I tend to believe having additional information would be helpful," she said in a statement.Collins of Maine said she won't support any effort to call witnesses or seek documents before the cases are presented and senators can ask questions."I have not made a decision on any particular witnesses," Collins said. "When we reach the appropriate point in the trial, I would like to hear from both sides about which witnesses, if any, they would like to call."Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said earlier Thursday he will try to force a vote on whether to call witnesses shortly after the trial gets underway next week. Democrats would need at least four Republicans to agree to call witnesses.Schumer to Try to Force Witnesses at Trial (3:39 p.m.)Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he will try to force a vote on whether to call witnesses in Trump's Senate impeachment trial shortly after it gets underway next week.Democrats want to call acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, former National Security Adviser John Bolton and two other White House officials, and also are seeking documents the White House has withheld, Schumer said."You can't have a fair trial if you don't get all the evidence," he said.Schumer said disclosures this week by Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas raised many "serious questions." He also cited Thursday's report by the Government Accountability Office that said the White House violated federal law by withholding military aid from Ukraine that had been appropriated by Congress.The impeachment charges themselves can't be changed, Schumer said, but he said information related to Parnas and the GAO may be included in House Democrats' trial briefs. -- Laura LitvanTrump Given Deadline to Respond to Charges (2:53 p.m.)Trump will be formally notified that the Senate has convened as an impeachment court and asked to file his response to the charges by 6 p.m. Saturday, according to a schedule adopted by the Senate at the end of Thursday's session.The House has until 5 p.m. Saturday to file its trial brief, and Trump's lawyers must file their brief by noon Monday. If the House wants to offer a response, it has until noon Tuesday to do so.And, in case senators didn't get the message in letters from party leaders this week, Sergeant at Arms Michael Stenger read a proclamation admonishing senators to keep silent during the trial "on pain of imprisonment."The Senate impeachment court will reconvene on Tuesday at 1 p.m.Senators Take Trial Oath From Chief Justice (2:11 p.m.)Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath to senators in the Senate chamber Thursday to serve as jurors in Trump's impeachment trial.The senators promised to "do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws" in considering the articles that accuse Trump of abusing his power and obstructing Congress's investigation of his actions regarding Ukraine.Senators then were called, in groups of four, to go to the clerk's desk and sign an oath book.Roberts himself was sworn in first to act as presiding officer, with the oath given by Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley. Roberts will return to the Senate on Tuesday to begin presiding over the trial sessions.Roberts Sworn In to Preside Over Trial (2:09 p.m.)Chief Justice John Roberts was sworn in as presiding officer for Trump's impeachment trial.The oath was administered by Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, the president pro tempore.Roberts was escorted to the chamber by four senators: Republicans Roy Blunt of Missouri and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Democrats Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Dianne Feinstein of California.Four Senators to Escort Roberts to Chamber: (12:45 p.m.)After House prosecutor Adam Schiff finished reading the impeachment articles to the Senate, the House managers walked back through an empty Statuary Hall to return to the House side of the Capitol.The senators chosen to escort Roberts to the Senate chamber at 2 p.m. are Republicans Roy Blunt of Missouri and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Democrats Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Dianne Feinstein of California.One bit of unfinished pre-trial business is the adoption of Senate Republicans' rules for the trial. GOP Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia said in an interview that Republicans haven't been shown a draft of the rules, and that they may not see the document until Majority Leader Mitch McConnell offers it on the floor Tuesday.As Schiff read the impeachment articles, senators in the normally empty chamber sat at their desks with somber expressions. A few took notes, including Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, one of the Democratic presidential candidates who had to leave the campaign for the trial.Others watched with arms folded, looked down or fidgeted in the quiet chamber, where senators are prohibited from having cell phones or other electronic devices and were told to stay at their desks throughout the proceedings.Those staring intently at Schiff included McConnell as well as Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, key Republican votes on whether to call witnesses or seek new documents.Some of the galleries usually open to the public were empty. The press gallery was full. -- Steven T. Dennis, Daniel Flatley, Laura LitvanSchiff Reads Trump Articles to Senate (12:15 p.m.)Lead House prosecutor Adam Schiff read the impeachment resolution and two charges against Trump in front of a somber Senate as that chamber held its first formal proceedings of the trial.Starting with the first article, Schiff read, "Donald J. Trump has abused the powers of the presidency" in pursuit of personal political benefit.All senators are required to be in their seats for the trial proceedings. At 2 p.m., Chief Justice John Roberts is scheduled to arrive at the Senate to swear in the members as an impeachment court. -- Billy HouseHouse Managers Go to Senate to Read Charges (12:04 p.m.)The House managers headed to the Senate to formally open impeachment trial proceedings by reading the two charges against Trump.Like on Wednesday, the seven managers walked two-by-two from the House toward the Senate side of the Capitol. All senators are supposed to be in their seats for the trial proceedings. -- Billy HouseChief Justice Gears Up for Trial Role (11:56 a.m.)Roberts received a hand-delivered, formal request to preside over Trump's impeachment trial Thursday morning at 9:30. He is expected to be sworn in at 2 p.m. and then administer an oath to the 100 senators.Roberts will adopt many of the practices used by Chief Justice William Rehnquist in the 1999 impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton, according to Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg. Though the court is right across the street from the Senate, Roberts will travel by car each day of the trial, escorted by a Supreme Court security team.During the trial, Roberts will get assistance from one of his law clerks and Jeffrey Minear, who serves as the chief justice's counselor. While at the Senate, Roberts is expected to have use of the ceremonial President's Room, which Rehnquist used as well.The trial is likely to have little, if any, outward impact on the court's work. The justices will hear arguments in the morning on Tuesday and Wednesday next week, hold a brief morning session the following Monday and then begin a four-week recess. In the unlikely event Roberts has to leave the bench before an argument session ends, Justice Clarence Thomas will preside, but Roberts will still take part in the court's decision, Arberg said.One notable difference from Rehnquist: During the impeachment trial, Roberts will wear the plain black robe he uses at the Supreme Court. Rehnquist added four gold stripes to his robe, an embellishment inspired by a costume he saw in a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, but Roberts never adopted that adornment. -- Greg StohrSchiff to Consider Seeking Parnas Testimony (11:50 a.m.)Lead House manager Adam Schiff said he's considering seeking testimony from Lev Parnas, who says he helped Trump's private lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, try to get dirt on Joe Biden in Ukraine."We are continuing to review his interviews and the materials he has provided to evaluate his potential testimony in the Senate trial," Schiff said. -- Billy HouseSenate Leaders Spar Hours Before Swearing-In (10:54 a.m.)Hours before senators will be sworn in as jurors in Trump's impeachment trial, Senate leaders sparred over the Democratic-led House's charges of obstruction of Congress and abuse of his office.On the Senate floor, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell mocked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for holding a public ceremony Wednesday to sign the two articles of impeachment that included passing out "souvenir pens emblazoned with her own signature that literally came on silver platters."McConnell insisted Trump is being denied due process because the House didn't issue subpoenas for testimony from witnesses that the president refuses to allow to testify without a court fight."Now they want the Senate to redo their homework and rerun the investigation," he said.Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the evidence against the president is growing worse with each passing week. He referred to "stunning revelations" in Wednesday night's MSNBC interview with Lev Parnas, an indicted associate of Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani.Parnas said Trump was lying when he said he didn't know the two were trying to coerce Ukraine's leader to investigate Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden and his son."God forbid we rush through this trial and only afterwards the truth comes out," Schumer said, noting that senators will take an oath that includes a vow of impartiality. -- Laura LitvanWhite House Broke Law in Aid Delay, GAO Says (10:03 a.m.)The White House budget office violated federal law when it withheld about $214 million appropriated by Congress to the Defense Department for security aid to Ukraine, the Government Accountability Office said."Faithful execution of the law does not permit the president to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law," the government watchdog agency said. "OMB withheld funds for a policy reason, which is not permitted under the Impoundment Control Act."The GAO said the withholding of funds "was not a programmatic delay. Therefore, we conclude that OMB violated the ICA." In addition, it said the law "does not permit deferrals for policy decisions."The GAO is an independent, nonpartisan congressional watchdog agency.The report rejected the White House Office of Management and Budget's assertion that because the government reviews appropriations for compliance with congressional mandates, "so too should be reviews undertaken to ensure compliance with presidential policy prerogatives.""OMB's assertions have no basis in law," the GAO said.OMB spokeswoman Rachel Semmel said, "We disagree with GAO's opinion. OMB uses its apportionment authority to ensure taxpayer dollars are properly spent consistent with the president's priorities and with the law.""The aid got out with no detriment to our national security," Defense Department spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday.The GAO said it also questions actions regarding other funds appropriated to the State Department for security aid to Ukraine."How many times have we heard Republicans say 'there's no crime here, no law broken.' Now the Government Accountability Office has said otherwise," second-ranking Senate Democrat Dick Durbin said in an interview.Durbin and other Democrats said the GAO report adds to their push to bring in Mick Mulvaney, OMB officials and documents discussing the holdup in Ukraine aid at the heart of the impeachment battle.Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen said, "The GAO's independent findings reinforce the need for the Senate to obtain all relevant documents and hear from key fact witnesses in order to have a fair trial." -- Daniel Flatley, Jack FitzpatrickSenators to Be Sworn in By Chief Justice (6 a.m.)Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and one of the seven impeachment managers, will read the charges against Trump aloud on the Senate floor at noon Thursday -- the first time all senators will gather to prepare for the trial.Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that at 2 p.m., a committee of senators will escort Roberts to the Senate chamber. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the president pro tempore, will swear in Roberts, and then the chief justice will swear in the 100 senators to serve as an impeachment court.The Senate will notify the White House of the pending trial, McConnell said, and summon the president to respond to the impeachment articles and send his lawyers."So the trial will commence in earnest on Tuesday," McConnell said. "I'm confident this body can rise above short-termism and factional fever and serve the long-term best interests of our nation. We can do this, and we must."The senators already have been told they must stay in their seats during the trial, confine all reading to material related to the proceeding, and "refrain from speaking to neighboring senators while the case is being presented." They'll be required to leave their phones and other electronic devices outside the chamber.The Democratic lawmakers who will prosecute the House's case have already begun meeting to plan their strategy to present the charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. One of them, Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, said they probably will work through the weekend to prepare for the trial. -- Billy HouseCatch Up on Impeachment CoverageTrump Impeachment Defense Remains Work in Progress Near TrialKey EventsThe House impeachment resolution is H.Res. 755. The Intelligence Committee Democrats' impeachment report is here.Gordon Sondland's transcript is here and here; Kurt Volker's transcript is here and here. Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch's transcript is here and here; the transcript of Michael McKinley, former senior adviser to the secretary of State, is here. The transcript of David Holmes, a Foreign Service officer at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, is here.The transcript of William Taylor, the top U.S. envoy to Ukraine, is here and here. State Department official George Kent's testimony is here and here. Testimony by Alexander Vindman can be found here, and the Fiona Hill transcript is here. Laura Cooper's transcript is here; Christopher Anderson's is here and Catherine Croft's is here. Jennifer Williams' transcript is here and Timothy Morrison's is here. The Philip Reeker transcript is here. Mark Sandy's is here.\--With assistance from John Harney, Erik Wasson, Josh Wingrove, Steven T. Dennis, Jack Fitzpatrick, Glen Carey, Billy House, Greg Stohr, Laura Litvan, Daniel Flatley and Ari Natter.To contact the reporter on this story: Steven T. Dennis in Washington at sdennis17@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, John HarneyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| SUV on grounds of Beijing's Forbidden City sparks outrage Posted: 17 Jan 2020 11:43 PM PST  A Chinese woman sparked social media outrage in her country by posting photos of herself and a friend with a Mercedes-Benz on the grounds of Beijing's Forbidden City. The reaction prompted an apology from the management of China's 600-year-old former imperial palace. Vehicles have been banned since 2013 to protect the cultural dignity of the vast site and its hundreds of historic buildings, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
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| Winter storm brings heavy snow, ice to Midwest, Northeast Posted: 18 Jan 2020 07:12 AM PST  A winter storm that brought snow and sleet to the Midwest and Plains created travel headaches Saturday after airlines canceled flights and officials shut down major roads. The storm system began moving through the Plains and Midwest on Friday, leading to trouble at airports in Chicago and Kansas City. Blizzard conditions with powerful winds were reported in some areas, and officials in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa were urging people to stay inside if possible on Saturday.
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| Liberia souring on George Weah at two-year mark Posted: 17 Jan 2020 06:25 PM PST  Dominic Kpadeh heaves a hammer over his head to crack a half-tonne rock in a northern suburb of Liberia's capital Monrovia, knowing his hard labour earns him far less than a year ago. Stories such as Kpadeh's are common in Liberia, where rampant inflation has left many people struggling and increasingly turning their anger on President George Weah. A former football icon whose goals for AC Milan and Paris St Germain dazzled fans, Weah came to power in January 2018, promising to invest in education and create jobs.
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| U.S. sanctions Iranian commander over Mahshahr killings Posted: 18 Jan 2020 11:59 AM PST  The U.S. State Department said on Saturday it had imposed sanctions on a general of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who commanded units blamed for a massacre of protesters in November. The U.S. State Department has said previously it had received videos of the Revolutionary Guards opening fire without warning on protesters in Mahshahr county in southwest Iran.
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| A Delta pilot may have dumped jet fuel on schoolkids because of poor communication with air traffic control Posted: 16 Jan 2020 06:25 PM PST  FAA investigators are looking into why the Delta flight crew dumped fuel even though they told air traffic control at LAX that they wouldn't.
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| Parnas communicated with Nunes aide about Ukraine, documents show Posted: 18 Jan 2020 05:52 AM PST  Lev Parnas, the indicted associate of Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani who worked as his envoy in Ukraine, communicated with a top aide to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) about an effort to find damaging information on former Vice President Joe Biden, documents released Friday night by House Democrats revealed.The evidence shows Derek Harvey, a former White House official and top aide to Nunes, communicated extensively with Parnas and sought to speak with Ukrainian prosecutors who were giving Giuliani information about Biden, reports The Washington Post. The documents corroborate Parnas' own claims about Nunes' office's involvement in the scheme.Parnas has said President Trump and his associates were working to push Ukraine into announcing an investigation into Biden. The messages, the Post writes, "indicate Nunes' office was aware of the operation at the heart of impeachment proceedings against the president — and sought to use the information Parnas was gathering." Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, did not comment on the documents.Read more at The Washington Post and NBC News.More stories from theweek.com Trump is getting the band back together The Patriots only have one option French officials warn of violence from subgroups in protest movement
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| Abandoned by Allies, EU Censure Pushes Orban Toward EPP Exit Posted: 17 Jan 2020 01:13 AM PST ![Abandoned by Allies, EU Censure Pushes Orban Toward EPP Exit]( "Abandoned by Allies, EU Censure Pushes Orban Toward EPP Exit") (Bloomberg) -- Hungary's prime minister said he was on the verge of quitting the European Union's biggest political group after it backed a resolution demanding that the bloc intensify efforts to rein in his perceived democratic backsliding.In a joint resolution on Hungary and Poland, the European Parliament said Thursday that EU probes into the rule of law in both countries haven't resulted in improvements. EU lawmakers also called for additional mechanisms to reinforce the bloc's ability to discipline rogue member states.Pointedly for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose ruling Fidesz party is in the EPP, a large majority of the umbrella group supported the resolution. The EPP is considering whether to expel Fidesz over the dismantlement of checks and balances in Hungary."We were within a centimeter of quitting the EPP," Orban told state radio in an interview on Friday. "When our allies betray us -- and the majority of the EPP betrayed us -- we have no place there."The EPP suspended Fidesz in March over the erosion of the rule-of-law. Orban reiterated that he may preemptively withdraw his party from the EPP, and if he does he will most likely create a new EU umbrella platform.Orban has already held talks about possible cooperation with Poland's nationalist ruling Law & Justice Party, which is a member of a smaller group in the European Parliament."Things can't go on like this, that's for sure," Orban said, adding that the only reason he didn't withdraw Fidesz from the EPP already was because Italian, French and Spanish members voted against the resolution. "That gives us some hope, though it's waning."(Updates with Orban comments in fourth and last paragraphs.)\--With assistance from Veronika Gulyas.To contact the reporter on this story: Zoltan Simon in Budapest at zsimon@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Balazs Penz at bpenz@bloomberg.net, Andrea Dudik, Michael WinfreyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Discovery of unused disaster supplies angers Puerto Rico Posted: 18 Jan 2020 01:56 PM PST  People in a southern Puerto Rico city discovered a warehouse filled with water, cots and other unused emergency supplies, then set off a social media uproar Saturday when they broke in to retrieve goods as the area struggles to recover from a strong earthquake. With anger spreading in the U.S. territory after video of the event in Ponce appeared on Facebook, Gov. Wanda Vázquez quickly fired the director of the island's emergency management agency. The governor said she had ordered an investigation after learning the emergency supplies had been piled in the warehouse since Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico in September 2017.
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| Remains of fallen US soldier returned to Fort Bragg Posted: 18 Jan 2020 04:08 PM PST  The remains of a paratrooper who was killed a week ago in Afghanistan have been returned to his family in the U.S. The family of Staff Sgt. Ian McLaughlin greeted his flag-draped casket at Pope Army Airfield at Fort Bragg on Saturday, The Fayetteville Observer reported. The 29-year-old from Newport News, Virginia, was killed Jan. 11 by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan.
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| Inside India's Large and Deadly Nuclear Weapons Program Posted: 17 Jan 2020 03:30 PM PST  All you want to know.
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| Woman pleads guilty to killing husband by putting eye drops in his water Posted: 17 Jan 2020 04:23 AM PST  A South Carolina woman pleaded guilty to fatally poisoning her husband by putting eye drops in his water for days. She was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
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| Police detain 185 climate protesters at Brussels car show Posted: 18 Jan 2020 03:17 PM PST  Police detained 185 protesters in central Brussels on Saturday after the environmental protest group Extinction Rebellion staged demonstrations at a car show in protest at the auto industry's role in CO2 emissions that cause climate change. The protest came only days after the European Commission unveiled ideas on how to finance its flagship Green Deal project that aims to make the European Union a CO2 emissions-neutral area by 2050, in part through the transformation of the car industry. A member and former spokesman for the group, Christophe Meierhans, said Extinction Rebellion targeted the car industry because it told "a lot of lies in order to sell more cars".
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| Can senators who have already voiced opinions do 'impartial justice' at Trump impeachment trial? Posted: 18 Jan 2020 06:33 AM PST  The oath is administered any time the Senate considers impeachment. Previous trials show lawmakers have used their own judgment to follow its intent.
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| Austria's 'ghetto' language classes stir segregation fears Posted: 17 Jan 2020 06:38 PM PST  Every morning Abulrahman leaves his normal primary school lessons in Vienna and joins about 20 other children for three hours to learn to read, write and speak German. Despite conservative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's new coalition partners, the Greens, having expressed concerns about the controversial policy, it looks set to continue. Kurz has pledged to maintain his anti-immigration reforms -- with junior partner, the Greens, conceding -- including the special classes, which the government argues allow children with weak German skills to learn at their own pace without holding others back.
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| Johnson Plans Muted Brexit Celebrations After Big Ben Backdown Posted: 17 Jan 2020 02:30 PM PST ![Johnson Plans Muted Brexit Celebrations After Big Ben Backdown]( "Johnson Plans Muted Brexit Celebrations After Big Ben Backdown") (Bloomberg) -- U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson backed away from crowdfunding for the ringing of Big Ben to mark the U.K.'s departure from the European Union on Jan. 31, opting instead for muted commemorations his office said would seek to "heal divisions and re-unite communities."Johnson will take his cabinet for a meeting in the north of England on the day and government buildings will be lit up, his office said in an email.The statement made no mention of ringing the bell, in a clock tower over the Houses of Parliament in London, just four days after Johnson encouraged people to give money toward it -- even though there was no plan in place.Members of the public have already given more than 225,000 pounds ($293,000) toward the 500,000-pound cost of pausing urgent repair work and installing a temporary floor and equipment to enable the bell to ring.The House of Commons authorities said they have no mechanism for accepting the money and that preparations to ring the bell would delay vital refurbishment. That intervention sparked fury from Brexiteers, who accused bureaucrats of plotting to spoil their celebrations.Johnson's office, which has spent the week trying to cover up the prime minister's blunder, appeared to accept that the bell won't ring, saying instead that a clock will be projected onto the walls of the prime minister's office in Downing Street as the country counts down to Brexit at 11 p.m on Jan. 31.To contact the reporter on this story: Thomas Penny in London at tpenny@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart BiggsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| U.K. monarchy will look smaller in future with Prince Charles Posted: 17 Jan 2020 06:29 AM PST  Prince Charles, the future king, has long been seen as a potential modernizer who wants a more modest monarchy in line with other European royal households — and the streamlining process has already begun with the astounding developments of recent months.
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| US seeks to deport Honduran mom, sick children to Guatemala Posted: 18 Jan 2020 05:20 PM PST  The U.S. government says it will deport a Honduran mother and her two sick children, both of whom are currently hospitalized, to Guatemala as soon as it can get them medically cleared to travel, according to court documents and the family's advocates. The family's advocates accuse the U.S. of disregarding the health of the children, ages 1 and 6, to push forward a plan currently being challenged in court to send planeloads of families to different countries so that they can seek asylum elsewhere. Both children have been hospitalized in recent days in South Texas' Rio Grande Valley.
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| Why Did The U.S. Navy Surface 3 Submarines At The Same Time In Asia? Posted: 18 Jan 2020 07:42 AM PST  A stern message to China.
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| Pakistani court hands down 55-year sentences to 86 Islamists Posted: 16 Jan 2020 11:27 PM PST  A Pakistani court has sentenced 86 members of a radical Islamist party to 55-year prison terms each for taking part in violent rallies in 2018 over the acquittal of a Christian woman in a blasphemy case, a party official said Friday. The verdicts, unusually harsh for Pakistan, were announced late Thursday night by the court in Rawalpindi, a garrison city near Islamabad. Pir Ejaz Ashrafi, a senior leader of the radical Tehreek-e-Labbaik party, said the sentences would be appealed.
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| Giuliani associate Lev Parnas trolled Trump by threatening to release a new photo of them together every time the president claims not to know him Posted: 17 Jan 2020 02:46 AM PST  President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed not to know Parnas. "Every time he says it, I'll show them another picture," Parnas told CNN.
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| US dumps huge amounts of sand on Miami Beach to tackle climate change erosion Posted: 17 Jan 2020 01:14 PM PST  Dozens of trucks have started dumping hundreds of thousands of tons of sand on Miami Beach as part of US government measures to protect Florida's tourist destinations against the effects of climate change. "We have erosion hotspots," said Stephen Leatherman, an expert on beaches and the environment at Florida International University. Leatherman -- known locally as "Dr Beach" -- said that rising sea levels, triggered by climate change, are causing the accelerated erosion of the famous beach, as well as coastal storms and in particular hurricanes.
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| Supreme Court will hear case that could decide future presidential elections Posted: 17 Jan 2020 01:17 PM PST  Must the 538 members of the Electoral College vote for their states' winning candidates, or can they exercise independent judgment?
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| The most iconic tourist attraction in 26 countries around the world Posted: 18 Jan 2020 09:32 AM PST  There's something powerful about finally seeing a famous landmark or natural wonder in person instead of on a postcard (or on Instagram).
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| Some Weird Gas Balls Are Swirling Around Sagittarius A* Posted: 17 Jan 2020 11:57 AM PST  But they behave just like stars.
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| Zimbabwe gripped by drama of vice president's nasty divorce Posted: 17 Jan 2020 04:15 AM PST  Black magic, drug addiction, attempted murder and a wrestling match over luxury cars and overseas properties. Zimbabwe is riveted by the explosive charges being made in the divorce of First Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and his wife Marry. A glimpse of the luxurious lives of Zimbabwe's ruling elite, as the rest of the country grapples with economic collapse, hyperinflation and hunger, is emerging in the divorce papers filed in court.
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| Israel's F-35i 'Adir' Stealth Fighter Is a Beast (And Now A Second Squadron Is Ready) Posted: 18 Jan 2020 01:50 AM PST  Iran, you might want to read this.
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