| GOP Sen. Collins says she's open to impeachment witnesses Posted: 31 Dec 2019 11:59 AM PST  Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine says she's open to calling witnesses as part of the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, but she says it is "premature" to decide who should be called until senators see the evidence that is presented. Collins also said it was inappropriate for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, to pledge "total coordination" between the White House and the Senate during the impeachment trial.
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| Mystery over identity of decades-old headless torso found in cave partially solved – but not how he got there Posted: 01 Jan 2020 10:54 AM PST  The mystery over the identity of a headless torso that was hidden inside a cave for decades has finally been solved – partly.Investigators say the body belongs to Joseph Henry Loveless, an outlaw who murdered his wife with an axe and was not seen after he escaped from jail in 1916.
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| Hong Kong’s Turbulence to Persist as Protesters Ring in New Year Posted: 31 Dec 2019 08:01 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong's turbulence shows no sign of abating in 2020, with the new year marked by rallies showing continued resistance against Beijing's tightening grip over the financial hub.Protesters were emboldened by hundreds of pro-democracy legislators who were elected in a landslide victory in district council polls in late November. The local lawmakers, who take office on New Year's Day, will buoy a grassroots political movement that's already sparked dramatic clashes, battering Hong Kong's economy, decimating its retail and tourism sectors, curbed new investments and even challenged the city's richest tycoons.While some indicators show signs of recovery, raising the specter that relative calm over the holidays might mean the worst is over, the city is still facing sustained political and economic volatility as it heads into 2020. The new year was already expected to get off to a tense start with a march planned for Wednesday by the Civil Human Rights Front, the organizer of some of Hong Kong's biggest protests.Senior pro-government figures are bracing for an intense fight when voting for seats in the more powerful Legislative Council takes place in September."It's going to be a hard-fought battle," said Bernard Chan, a senior adviser to Hong Kong's leader. "Both sides are gearing up now."Political TurmoilAlthough district councils wield little real power -- mainly advising the government on matters such as maintaining parks and establishing recycling facilities -- they may prove to be a key organizing platform ahead of LegCo polls. They also help decide the composition of the committee that selects Hong Kong's chief executive.Still, there is firm opposition. China's government has consistently backed Chief Executive Carrie Lam, including on a visit to Beijing she made to meet Chinese president Xi Jinping in mid-December."In 2019, we experienced challenges not seen before," Lam said in a video released Tuesday."We all want to see an end to this predicament."Hong Kong must acknowledge the "shortcomings in our systems, as well as the deep-rooted problems and conflicts that have been accumulating for many years," Lam said.Nascent LawmakersPro-democracy representatives took 85% of the 452 district council seats recently contested, but many of the new lawmakers are yet to prove their mettle.Joseph Cheng, a pro-democracy activist and retired political science professor, has lectured at boot camps organized to help train the new recruits. "They have the resources, the status to approach people, and they have a good foundation to do grassroots work," Cheng said.Even still, the potential emergence of many new political candidates risks fragmenting support for the movement, Cheng said. "And if there's too many, we could divide the vote too thin and not do well."Economic JittersHong Kong's economy is mired in recession after six months of violent unrest that halved visitor arrivals from mainland China, forced organizers to cancel events, and hurt countless businesses across the city. But the pain may be short lived.The government is expecting final numbers to show an annualized contraction of 1.3% for 2019, the first annual decline in a decade, according to government documents. While year-over-year comparisons are expected to remain weak, with the protests starting in June, economists surveyed by Bloomberg now forecast positive quarter-on-quarter growth in the first half of 2020.Easing trade tensions between the U.S. and China could boost Hong Kong's flagging trade sector. The city will also likely receive additional stimulus when Financial Secretary Paul Chan presents his next budget in early 2020.He acknowledged Tuesday that the economy has "suffered from serious blows," after blogging days earlier that "negative growth will continue."Retail ReckoningThe first quarter of 2020 is likely to bring a reckoning for Hong Kong's retail and tourism sectors, as some store owners choose not to renew leases after six months of depressed sales and a lackluster Christmas season.More than 5,600 retail jobs could be axed and thousands of stores shut down in the first half of 2020, according to a recent survey of retailers. Prominent restaurants and bars like Happy Paradise and Ce La Vi have announced closure plans, while cosmetics retail chain Sa Sa International Holdings Ltd. said it was likely to shutter 30 stores this year.The Lunar New Year, when spending traditionally peaks in Hong Kong amid a flood of vacationing mainlanders, may not provide its usual boost. Visitor numbers plunged 53% during Christmas week compared with a year earlier, according to local media reports.Tycoons at RiskHong Kong's ultra-wealthy business families have long enjoyed a close relationship with Beijing and been able to dominate the city's economy thanks to large profits from the booming property market, few regulations to rein in oligarchies, and a favorable tax regime. But as protests raged, Beijing's attention turned to deep-seated issues such as unaffordable housing.And since Chinese officials believe tycoons are to blame, they may pressure Hong Kong to curb the power of the city's super-rich. "In 2020 we are going to see a new dynamic in the political arena translating into some real impacts on businesses," said Jackie Yan, an assistant professor in international business strategy at the University of Hong Kong.Some tycoons have already reacted, with conglomerates like New World Development Co., Henderson Land Development Co. and Wheelock & Co. announcing they would donate land for building affordable housing. Hong Kong's richest man Li Ka-shing, on the other hand, offered HK$1 billion ($130 million) to help ease protest-related financial pressure on small businesses."I expect to see more of this kind of thing in 2020," Yan said.Real EstateHong Kong's property market has remained a rare pillar of resilience. Prices for existing homes fell just 6.7% from a record high in late June, when the protests started, paring values back to March 2019 levels.The sector's strength is down to a number of factors: Hong Kong simply doesn't have enough housing to support its population, so demand for apartments remains strong. In October, the city's government also relaxed mortgage rules. All that has made real estate agents optimistic."We expect purchasing power to be unleashed in the second quarter and support home prices, given that social events will subside by then," said Sammy Po, the chief executive officer of Midland Realty International Ltd.'s residential department.\--With assistance from Eric Lam and Jinshan Hong.To contact the reporters on this story: Iain Marlow in Hong Kong at imarlow1@bloomberg.net;Shirley Zhao in Hong Kong at xzhao306@bloomberg.net;Shawna Kwan in Hong Kong at wkwan35@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Jason GaleFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Carlos Ghosn reportedly fled prosecution in Japan by hiding in a box on a private jet. Meet Nissan's disgraced former chairman, who was charged in 2018 with underreporting his compensation. Posted: 31 Dec 2019 08:45 AM PST  Ghosn said he'd "no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is presumed, discrimination is rampant, and basic human rights are denied."
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| Jury awards $4 million to Disney Cruise worker Posted: 31 Dec 2019 01:07 PM PST  A Florida jury has decided that a Disney Cruise Line worker deserves $4 million from the company based on her claim that she got inadequate medical care from ship doctors after she was hit by a car during a port of call.
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| Russia’s Hypersonic ICBM Is Operational. So What? Posted: 01 Jan 2020 12:00 AM PST  Moscow might not even need them. Here's why.
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| In California: Blackouts, celeb scandals, crooked cops and wildfires Posted: 01 Jan 2020 03:32 PM PST  We closed out a year and ended a decade. ICYMI, here's a look back at last year's biggest stories from the Golden State
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| Holocaust education planned after WV jail guard Nazi salute Posted: 31 Dec 2019 08:09 AM PST  West Virginia plans to begin training its corrections department staff about the Holocaust after a photograph of correction officer cadets giving Nazi salutes led to dozens of firings and widespread outrage, officials said Tuesday.
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| Democratic contender Biden says he would consider a Republican running mate Posted: 30 Dec 2019 05:50 PM PST  Biden has premised much of his presidential bid on appealing to moderate Democrats, independents and Republicans who have been alienated by President Donald Trump. On the campaign trail, Biden has regularly spoken about the need to work with Republicans in Congress should he prevail in the November 2020 general election. In response to a question by an attendee at the event, Biden elaborated on his answer, contending that Trump's party has not done enough to hold the president accountable.
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| 16 inmates killed in bloody two and a half hour prison riot after guns snuck into facility Posted: 01 Jan 2020 09:05 AM PST  At least 16 inmates were killed in a central Mexico prison and five others wounded after a bloody two-and-a-half hour riot.Four guns – believed to have been smuggled in during prison visits on Tuesday, where found at the scene of the violent melee at the Cienguillas state prison in the north-central Zacatecas region.
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| Nine Killed as Jakarta Hit by Worst Flooding Since 2013 Posted: 01 Jan 2020 04:28 AM PST ![Nine Killed as Jakarta Hit by Worst Flooding Since 2013]( "Nine Killed as Jakarta Hit by Worst Flooding Since 2013") (Bloomberg) -- Nine people have died as heavy monsoon rains lashed the Indonesian capital and nearby cities since New Year's Eve, triggering the worst flooding in almost seven years.The rains submerged homes and cars and shut one of Jakarta's airports. More than 700 areas in greater Jakarta region suffered from power outages, according to state-run electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara. Commuter trains suspended some operations, said PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia.The Jakarta provincial government is prioritizing the safety of residents and instructed schools and some offices to be prepared in providing shelter as the country's weather agency expects rainfall to continue in the next three days. The death toll was provided by the country's disaster mitigation agency.The Halim Perdanakusuma airport had to shut as the runway was flooded and authorities diverted several flights to Soekarno-Hatta. Many roads in Jakarta were also not passable.President Joko Widodo had instructed government agencies to prioritize rescue and to immediately normalize the operation of strategic public facilities, such as the Halim Perdanakusuma airport, he said on Twitter.In January 2013, more than 30 million residents of the city were affected by flooding that killed dozens of people and inundated areas including the central business district.Indonesia's weather agency, known as BMKG, urged people to store important documents in a safe place and to prepare for power supply backup.(Updates with latest death toll in first paragraph.)\--With assistance from Tassia Sipahutar, Yoga Rusmana, Fathiya Dahrul, Harry Suhartono and Rieka Rahadiana.To contact the reporters on this story: Arys Aditya in Jakarta at aaditya5@bloomberg.net;Eko Listiyorini in Jakarta at elistiyorini@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Thomas Kutty Abraham at tabraham4@bloomberg.net, Colum Murphy, Clarissa BatinoFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Japan Airlines Is Giving Away 50,000 Free Flights to Tourists. Here's How to Get One Posted: 30 Dec 2019 11:21 PM PST  Tourists flying to Japan with Japan Airlines this summer can win free tickets to a surprise destination in the country
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| Can Iran Hope To Stop U.S. Stealth Drones? Posted: 01 Jan 2020 03:30 AM PST  America is increasing its presence in the Middle East.
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| Switzerland stresses diplomatic safety in Sri Lanka arrest Posted: 01 Jan 2020 01:40 AM PST  The Swiss Embassy in Sri Lanka said that the safety of diplomatic missions is the responsibility of the host state, days after a local staffer who complained of being assaulted was released on bail while being investigated for maligning the government. Before her arrest, the Sri Lankan employee had reportedly said she was abducted, held for hours, sexually assaulted and threatened by captors who demanded that she disclose embassy-related information. Sri Lankan authorities have said they investigated her complaint but found no evidence to file charges against anyone.
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| Explainer: How Trump's impeachment trial would differ from a criminal one Posted: 31 Dec 2019 03:15 AM PST  The Republican-controlled Senate is due to weigh these charges in a trial in January. In the unlikely event he is found guilty, Trump would be removed from office. Trump and his Republican allies have attacked the impeachment effort as illegitimate, invoking concepts like "due process" and "hearsay" that are commonly associated with criminal cases.
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| Cold War Between Biden and Mayor Pete Suddenly Burns Hot Posted: 01 Jan 2020 02:26 AM PST  If there was ever a Biden-Buttigieg cold war, it just got hot. For months, former Vice President Joe Biden and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg have avoided any major direct confrontation during the sporadic gloves-off skirmishes of the Democratic primary. Biden, the former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Buttigieg, a veteran of the Afghanistan war, have each sought to make cogent commander-in-chief cases on the campaign trail—hardly ever at each other's expense. But with just over a month until caucusing commences, the unpredictability of the political cycle has turned the notion of an inevitable winner upside down, with two of the leading contenders—a 77-year-old established politician and a 37-year-old Beltway neophyte—now on a collision course over one of their most powerful shared interests. The two men have markedly different approaches to highlighting contrasts with their rivals. Biden, who has reliably topped national polls since launching his campaign in April, tends to employ a simple approach: Stay (mostly) out of the fray; attack (mostly) only when attacked; and try, with varying degrees of success, to stick to the script.Biden Sneers at Millennials, and Vice VersaButtigieg, whose final term as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, officially ends at noon on Wednesday, prefers the opposite. When Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) hesitated for weeks to release financial details of her health care proposal, for example, the mayor made sure to note that resistance during a televised debate in front of millions of viewers. When Warren hit back in a subsequent event for Buttigieg's frequent appearance at high-dollar fundraisers, he reminded viewers she's the "wealthy person"—not him. Now, with the two moderate Democrats just three percentage points away from each other in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two early voting states that tee off the nominating contest in mere weeks, Buttigieg has gone on a rare offensive against Biden. The mayor has criticized the former senator's Iraq War vote—a favorite line of attack from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who was opposed to the effort—and changed his tone on Biden's son Hunter, who has been the subject of a coordinated misinformation campaign from President Donald Trump. "As I've said before, I don't think it's a smart strategy because those who have gone after the VP on the Democratic side have not lived politically to tell about it," Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist familiar with Biden's early state operation in the South, told The Daily Beast. One person directly familiar with Biden's thinking framed it more broadly. "The closer you get to voting, the more pot shots you take," the insider said. "He's seen his numbers go down. We've seen this with [Sen. Kamala] Harris up and down, Warren up and down, and Buttigieg. Campaigns and candidates at some point kind of can't help themselves."The insider's comments were made in reference to Buttigieg calling the Iraq War the "worst foreign policy decision made by the United States in my lifetime" in an interview with Iowa Public Television on Sunday. "I certainly respect the vice president, but this is an example of why years in Washington is not always the same thing as judgment," Buttigieg said. Buttigieg, who unlike Sanders did not say the vote was disqualifying, is unlikely to make Biden's Iraq War stance a focus of his offensive strategy but rather one data point in a larger thread of contrast among multiple contenders. Indeed, the Buttigieg campaign is more keen to double down on the previous line of contrast that's he's been discussing publicly for months: that "Washington experience" isn't the only type of relevant work history necessary to become president and that judgment is informed by many different personal and professional paths. That theme is so well known that one campaign adviser affiliated with a separate rival candidate acknowledged strategizing around Buttigieg's potential to bring up his military experience at some point on the debate stage."He had telegraphed this was going to be his set," the source said.In an interview on Monday, the mayor also weighed in on an issue that has infuriated Team Biden for months: his son Hunter Biden's work in Ukraine. When asked by the Associated Press how Buttigieg would have handled a hypothetical politically delicate situation similar to Biden's, he said he would have taken a different approach."I would not have wanted to see that happen," Buttigieg said, in reference to Hunter serving on the board of a Ukrainian natural gas company while his father served as vice president. A moment later, Buttigieg reiterated previous remarks that the line of questioning is nothing more than a distraction. "At the same time, again, I think this is being used to divert attention from what's really at stake in the impeachment process. There's been no allegation, let alone finding of any kind of wrongdoing," he said. Still, Buttigieg's criticism is a change in posture for the Indiana Democrat, who has defended the former vice president's son in the face of an onslaught of harassment from Trump.In an October appearance on CNN's State of the Union, Buttigieg lauded Hunter Biden's decision to step down from the board of a Chinese private equity company, citing it as an improvement on the Trump administration's embrace of nepotism."I think it demonstrates the difference in standards relative to the White House," Buttigieg said at the time. "I mean, here you have Hunter Biden stepping down from a position in order to make sure, even though there's been no accusation of wrongdoing, doing something just to make sure there's not even the appearance of a conflict of interest. While, in the White House, the president of the United States is a walking conflict of interest."That same month, Buttigieg dodged a question from the Washington Examiner about whether he would allow his own child to serve on the board of a foreign company, calling the issue a "shiny object" intended to divide the Democratic Party and deflect from the president's own actions."One thing that is really important right now is to deny this president [the opportunity] to change the subject, and the subject is that the president confessed on national television to an abuse of power," Buttigieg said at the time. "Let's deal with that and not get caught in the shiny objects he's going to throw out."The change of tone now matches the frenetic nature of the Democratic primary cycle, multiple campaign insiders and outside strategists said, when several candidates all competing for momentum in the first few early voting states throw out new lines of contrast in an effort to maximize attention.This week's remarks were not the first time Buttigieg signaled differences with Biden over foreign policy. In June, The Daily Beast reported early signs of the mayor quietly moving in on one of Biden's top issues: America's standing on the world stage. During competing campaign events on the same day, both Democrats used the word "existential" when discussing matters of national security, both arguing that the fundamental principle of democracy was under attack by Trump and highlighting parts of their own records to put the country back on track. Mayor Pete Buttigieg Quietly Moves in on Joe Biden's Top IssueSpokespeople from Biden's and Buttigieg's campaigns declined to comment on the record for this story. But as the Feb. 3 Iowa caucus approaches, Democratic strategists eagerly gamed out the polling implications of reigniting such contrasts again now. "A well-run campaign, which we have every reason to believe Buttigieg's is, wouldn't be attacking Biden unless their internal data showed it was necessary," one Democratic strategist said. "Likewise, they would only use a message that quantitative or qualitative data showed had a chance at success."The latest Real Clear Politics polling average reveals a hefty gap between Biden and Buttigieg's standing nationally. The former vice president has a commanding 20-point lead over Buttigieg, earing 28.4 percent of support to the mayor's 8.2 percent. In the early states, the space between the two aspirants is much narrower. In Iowa, where Buttigieg has surged in recent months, he tops polling averages at 22 percent. But Biden, who has focused the majority of his campaign strategy on winning more diverse areas, including South Carolina, is just behind Buttigieg at 18.8 percent, following an eight-day, 18-county bus tour there. In New Hampshire, it's a similar story. Buttigieg is approximately three points ahead of Biden there, earning 17.7 percent of support to the former vice president's 14.3 percent. Both of them trail Sanders, with 19 percent."I think Pete is worried he will lose voters to Biden," Liz Mair, a veteran Republican campaign operative, said simply. Still, other seasoned political hands offered a more optimistic end result for Buttigieg, who one former top campaign aide to Hillary Clinton said "isn't afraid to go on offense," suggesting that's a strategic advantage in a matchup against Trump. "The difference between what we are seeing from him and have seen from others in the past is that if he isn't the nominee, he will be at the front of the line to unite the party," the former Clinton aide said.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Minister: Texas shooter previously grew irate over cash requests Posted: 31 Dec 2019 09:02 AM PST  The man who opened fire inside a Texas church on Sunday, killing two people before being shot to death, visited the church several other times this year and was given food but got angry when officials refused to give him money, said a minister at the church.
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| Angola Court Freezes Assets Held by Africa’s Richest Woman: Reports Posted: 31 Dec 2019 10:58 AM PST ![Angola Court Freezes Assets Held by Africa's Richest Woman: Reports]( "Angola Court Freezes Assets Held by Africa's Richest Woman: Reports") (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Next Africa newsletter and follow Bloomberg Africa on TwitterAn Angolan court placed a freeze on assets held by Isabel dos Santos, Africa's richest woman, including stakes in wireless operator Unitel SA and lenders Banco BIC and Banco de Fomento Angola, Diario de Noticias and Lusa reported, citing a statement from the Angolan Attorney General's office.The court order also applies to dos Santos's husband, Sindika Dokolo, and Mario da Silva. The Attorney General sought the order, saying the three had engaged in transactions with state-owned companies that led to Angola's government incurring losses of $1.14 billion, according to the reports.Isabel dos Santos said in an emailed statement on Tuesday that the judgement contains statements that are completely untrue, and that she'll use all available instruments of Angolan and international law to fight the order.Dos Santos, the daughter of Jose Eduardo dos Santos who served as Angola's president from 1979 to 2017, wrote earlier on Twitter a "message of tranquility and confidence to my teams," without referring directly to the court action. "The road is long, the truth will prevail," she said.In October, dos Santos said she did nothing wrong when she was chairwoman of state-owned oil company Sonangol and called a probe into the transfer of millions of dollars from the Luanda-based firm "political vengeance."(Adds statement from dos Santos in third paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: Jim Silver in New York at jsilver@bloomberg.net;Joao Lima in Lisbon at jlima1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, Mike Cohen, Alastair ReedFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Erdogan, Istanbul rival lock horns over 'crazy canal' Posted: 31 Dec 2019 08:21 PM PST  President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's dream project of building a canal in Istanbul to rival those at Suez and Panama has turned into a political showdown with the city's new mayor. Ekrem Imamoglu, who won a shock victory for the opposition in 2019 to become mayor of Turkey's largest city, says the 75 billion lira ($12.6 billion) canal is wasteful, environmentally destructive and could even increase the earthquake risk. "Canal Istanbul is a criminal project," he tweeted in December as he launched an "Either Canal or Istanbul" campaign and withdrew from a construction protocol signed by the previous mayor.
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| USA TODAY's guide to cruise ship gratuity fees and service charges Posted: 31 Dec 2019 10:57 AM PST ![USA TODAY's guide to cruise ship gratuity fees and service charges]( "USA TODAY's guide to cruise ship gratuity fees and service charges") In the world of cruising, gratuities and service charges are the apex controversy. Check out these fee listings on major cruise lines.
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| Israel Now Has a Second Squadron of Deadly F-35I Stealth Fighters Posted: 01 Jan 2020 10:13 AM PST  The first public photograph has appeared depicting an F-35 stealth fighter in the livery of Israel's second squadron of the radar-evading jets.
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| Financial tug-of-war emerges over fire victims' settlement Posted: 31 Dec 2019 11:00 PM PST  A financial tug-of-war is emerging over the $13.5 billion that the nation's largest utility has agreed to pay to victims of recent California wildfires, as government agencies jockey for more than half the money to cover the costs of their response to the catastrophes. Pacific Gas & Electric declared bankruptcy nearly a year ago as it faced about $36 billion in claims from people who lost family members, homes and businesses in devastating wildfires in 2017 and 2018. PG&E settled with the insurers for $11 billion.
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| Protesters burn security post at U.S. Embassy in Iraq; Pentagon sending more troops to region Posted: 31 Dec 2019 01:33 PM PST  BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Protesters angry about U.S. air strikes on Iraq hurled stones and torched a security post at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday, setting off a confrontation with guards and prompting the United States to send additional troops to the Middle East. The protests, led by Iranian-backed militias, posed a new foreign policy challenge for U.S. President Donald Trump, who faces re-election in 2020. The State Department said diplomatic personnel inside were safe and there were no plans to evacuate them.
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| An Officer Admitted Making a Racist Threat. He Still Has a Job. Posted: 31 Dec 2019 11:54 AM PST  Michael J. Reynolds, a New York City police officer, landed in Nashville, Tennessee, on a Sunday morning in July 2018, court records show. He and six other men, two of whom he later identified as New York City officers, were on what was supposed to be a three-night bachelor-party junket.About 18 hours later, Reynolds, who is white, kicked in a black woman's door in a drunken rage, threatening her and her sons with a racist slur and obscenities."I'll break every bone in your neck," he said in a rant that included two expletives. He then fled to his nearby Airbnb rental just before police arrived.This month, he was sentenced to 15 days in jail and three years' probation after pleading no contest to four misdemeanors as a result of the episode, court records show.As of Monday, though, he remained an officer, stirring a growing backlash against the New York Police Department. More than 10,000 people signed an online petition demanding his dismissal and supporting the woman whose home he invaded, Conese Halliburton."Michael Reynolds is a violent and dangerous racist who has no business carrying either a badge or a gun," her lawyer, Daniel Horwitz, said via email. "Ms. Halliburton wants the NYPD to fire him immediately so that he can't hurt anyone else."The Police Department said last week that Reynolds was on "modified duty" and that the disciplinary process was awaiting the Nashville case's conclusion. Asked about the matter again Monday, a top department official said the process "was moving forward and questioning will take place imminently."Reynolds, 26, apologized in court for the episode and claimed that he had no memory of it because he had been drinking heavily."I'm sorry," he testified. "I made a mistake. I consumed too much alcohol."Edward Yarbrough, Reynolds' lawyer, said that because of the jail time, "We think his job is in jeopardy." Yarbrough had sought a sentence that could have allowed his client to keep his job and have his record expunged in several years.The case of Reynolds is again focusing scrutiny on the pace of the Police Department's disciplinary process. In a prominent example of how it can drag on, five years passed before Officer Daniel Pantaleo, whose use of a prohibited chokehold contributed to the 2014 death in police custody of Eric Garner, was fired and stripped of his pension benefits in August.The police commissioner has the ultimate say over firings, but police unions typically fight such moves. Officers who are ousted sometimes sue to try to get back their jobs and benefits, as Pantaleo is doing.Reynolds' crimes did not occur in the line of duty, nor did he cause physical injuries. But Halliburton testified that he had done significant psychological damage."My kids want to move," she said at the sentencing Dec. 6. "They don't want to be in that house anymore. We don't have peace. To know that you've been living somewhere all your life, and you don't have that anymore, and where would you go, it's not fair."In court, Halliburton, the prosecutor, the judge and Reynolds' own lawyer all used the same term -- terrorize -- to describe what Reynolds had done to Halliburton's family that night.The episode, some of which, including audio of Reynolds' ranting, was captured by a neighbor's security cameras, began shortly after 2:30 a.m. on July 9, 2018.At the time, Halliburton testified, she was lying in bed talking with her youngest son in her house in Nashville's 12 South section."I could hear, like, someone, like, yelling," she said.Looking out a window, her son saw a man who turned out to be Reynolds in the yard. Halliburton called 911. While she was on the phone, she said, she heard "like a boom, boom, boom.""It sounds like he's trying to come in my house," she recalled telling the 911 operator.Moments later, she said, Reynolds was inside. Her two dogs ran to protect her, barking and biting at his shorts. He tried to fight them off."He just kept coming down the hallway," she said.Halliburton said that her two eldest sons, who were 17 and 20 at the time, tried to stop him from coming any farther into the house. He did not budge."He was in the house for, like, seven, eight minutes," Halliburton testified.It was during this time that security cameras captured Reynolds screaming a racist slur at Halliburton and her family and threatening them with violence.He left, she said, after appearing to comprehend that the police were coming.When officers arrived, she described the intruder to them and suggested they talk to the men staying at the Airbnb two doors away.Before storming into Halliburton's house, Reynolds testified, he and his friends had been drinking in Nashville's Lower Broadway area. He said he did not know how much alcohol he had consumed.The only thing he remembered, he testified, was identifying himself as a police officer when speaking to a Nashville officer who answered Halliburton's call. He said he learned about what he had done from his friends later.Halliburton and two neighbors confronted Reynolds and his friends later that day in the street.Halliburton and the neighbors testified that the men, including Reynolds and a man he identified as a fellow New York City officer, apologized.Reynolds said he had gone into the home by mistake, thinking that it was their rental.But Halliburton and the neighbors also testified that the officers were laughing at the same time, saying that they had "immunity" because they were law enforcement officers.Nashville detectives later tracked down Reynolds, and Halliburton and her sons identified him from a photo array.After being charged with aggravated burglary and assault, he pleaded no contest in September to aggravated criminal trespassing and three counts of assault. He is to report to jail Jan. 15 if he does not appeal his sentence before then.In arguing that Reynolds, a five-year Police Department veteran previously assigned to the 33rd Precinct in Upper Manhattan, deserved jail time, Brian Ewald, the prosecutor, said Reynolds and his friends had tried to "bully their way through this or out of this.""Keep quiet, don't tell anybody a thing and we'll get out of this," Ewald said in describing the men's attitude. "You know, we went, we cut up in another city, what happens in Nashville stays in Nashville, let's get out of town early and live our lives."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2019 The New York Times Company
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| Boris Johnson Pledges to ‘Waste No Time’ in Delivering Brexit in 2020 Posted: 31 Dec 2019 02:30 PM PST ![Boris Johnson Pledges to 'Waste No Time' in Delivering Brexit in 2020]( "Boris Johnson Pledges to 'Waste No Time' in Delivering Brexit in 2020") (Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson pledged to "waste no time" in delivering Brexit before moving on to the "people's priorities" of funding schools and hospitals.In his New Year message, the prime minister promised to complete the U.K.'s divorce from the European Union by the end of January, repeating the campaign message that saw his Conservative Party win its largest majority in more than three decades in the Dec. 12 general election."The necessary legislation has already begun its passage through Parliament and, once MPs return to Westminster, we'll waste no time in finishing the job," Johnson said. Before the Christmas recess, his Brexit deal with Brussels easily cleared its first hurdle in the House of Commons, and its ratification in January is expected to be a formality.He appealed for the country to "turn the page on the division, rancor and uncertainty which has dominated public life," and said the 2020s promise to be a "remarkable decade" for the U.K.Johnson appears determined to try to retain the Labour voters who switched to the Conservatives this time, enabling the Tories to win seats in the main opposition party's traditional strongholds in northern and central England. Funding the state-run National Health Service "will always be my top priority," the prime minister said, parking his tanks firmly in an area where Labour is typically perceived to hold an advantage."I know that many of you do not consider yourself natural Tories and may only have lent me your vote. I am humbled by your support and will work every day to keep it," Johnson said. "I want to reassure you that I will be a prime minister for everyone, not just those who voted for me."To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs, Andrew LangleyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Reintroduction of beavers could protect land against floods and climate change Posted: 01 Jan 2020 10:30 AM PST  The reintroduction of beavers into Britain' streams and rivers could help protect land and communities from flooding and the impact of climate change, trials have shown. Dams built by the creature, which died out 300 years ago through culling and hunting for pelts before being reintroduced in key areas over the past decade, are found to significantly slow the flow of water downstream and reduce peak flows after heavy rain. This has the effect of protecting nearby land from flooding as well as retaining water in streams during droughts. Research carried out during the five year trial on the River Otter, in Devon, has also found that the beavers' dams prevent sediment and inorganic fertilisers being washed from farmland, causing plant life to flourish and boosting other types of wildlife. Professor Richard Brazier, from the University of Exeter, said: "It's an amazing story, it's far more change than we expected." The project, run by Devon Wildlife Trust, to reintroduce the mammal into a controlled section of the River Otter has seen them build 13 dams, creating new ponds with canals to link them. Two additional beavers were introduced into a pond adjacent to the River Tale, the Otter's main tributary, in 2016. The beavers began coppicing willow around the pond and nearby grassland, creating more varied and open habitats. Dams also started to appear on the River Tale itself, creating larger areas of new freshwater habitat. Researchers have now reported that while the dams are frequently washed out after heavy rains the beavers have managed to restore natural riverbanks, creating more meanders that slow the flow of water. One larger dam has increased water levels enough to create new channels running across the floodplain, re-entering the Tale a hundred metres or so downstream. The Government is due to make a decision on the future of the River Otter project in March, when the licence expires, possibly giving the go ahead to other, more extensive controlled releases in England. The River Otter project is one of a number of trials at enclosed sites across the country, with schemes also taking place in Cornwall and Kent. This spring the National Trust is planning to release three pairs of beavers into enclosures at Holnicote on the edge of Exmoor in Somerset and Valewood on the Black Down Estate on the edge of the South Down, in West Sussex, where it hopes their dams will help reduce flooding by slowing the flow of the water after heavy rainfalls. Ben Eardley, Project Manager for the National Trust at Holnicote said: "Their presence in our river catchments is a sustainable way to help make our landscape more resilient to climate change and the extremes of weather it will bring. "The dams the beavers create will hold water in dry periods, help to lessen flash-flooding downstream and reduce erosion and improve water quality by holding silt." In some cases the reintroduction of beavers has led to problems for farmers, with localised flooding, as well as the animals targeting orchard trees near the river. Claire Robinson, the National Farmers' Union senior countryside adviser, said the results from trials would need to be examined before wider moves to reintroduce beavers are taken. She said: "We do have concerns about the potential damage to farmland and the landscape . It is crucial that farmers have the tools to manage any impacts a beaver reintroduction could have." But backers say the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Prof Brazier said: "Overall, the social and economic benefits of having beavers in the landscape far outweigh the costs, but the costs tend to be borne by different people from those who benefit."
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| 'I am one of the undecided': With a month to go, many likely Iowa caucusgoers still unsure Posted: 01 Jan 2020 01:58 PM PST  With a month to go before the Feb. 3 caucuses, some Iowans are just starting to explore their choices. Others like several; can't make up their minds.
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| Several thousand protest church bill in Montenegro Posted: 01 Jan 2020 12:25 PM PST  Several thousand people on Wednesday held protests in Montenegro against a religious property bill that is opposed by the Serbian Orthodox Church and Russia. Led by Serbian Orthodox Church priests, pro-Serb Montenegrins have been holding protest marches since last week. Peaceful religious protests were held Wednesday in the capital Podgorica and several other towns.
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| Mexico arrests seven suspects in Mormon family massacre Posted: 30 Dec 2019 11:29 PM PST  Mexican authorities have arrested seven suspects in connection with last month's massacre of nine Mormon women and children in the country's north, the attorney general's office said. A local police chief suspected of links to organized crime was among those taken into custody, according to local media. The victims -- six of them children -- had dual US-Mexican nationality and were shot dead on a rural road in a lawless region known for turf wars between drug cartels fighting over lucrative trafficking routes to the United States.
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| Israel's Netanyahu says he will seek immunity in graft cases Posted: 01 Jan 2020 10:23 AM PST  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday he would ask parliament to protect him from prosecution in the three graft cases he faces, a politically-risky move that could delay criminal proceedings against him for months. Netanyahu was indicted in November on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust over allegations he granted state favors worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Israeli media barons in return for gifts and favorable coverage. A trial cannot get under way once an immunity request is made, and Netanyahu announced the move in a speech on live television just four hours before a deadline for an application was to expire.
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| North Korean leader calls for ‘military countermeasures’ Posted: 30 Dec 2019 08:18 PM PST  Kim spoke for seven hours during the ruling Workers' Party meeting.
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| Japan Eyes New Tech Law to Fend Off Chinese Influence, Yomiuri Says Posted: 31 Dec 2019 11:17 PM PST ![Japan Eyes New Tech Law to Fend Off Chinese Influence, Yomiuri Says]( "Japan Eyes New Tech Law to Fend Off Chinese Influence, Yomiuri Says") (Bloomberg) -- Japan is planning a law to provide incentives for companies to use domestic parts in high-tech equipment to increase local competitiveness and fend off Chinese influence in security-related infrastructure, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, without citing how it obtained the information.The Japanese government plans to introduce the bill in the ordinary Diet session and have it in effect by this summer, according to the Wednesday report. The government sees the incentives initially being used with the introduction of 5G telecommunication equipment and drones, the Yomiuri said.Private companies can apply for tax subsidizes or government aid when installing high-tech equipment and will be judged on factors including safety, supply stability and international compatibility, the Yomiuri reported.China has said restrictions on Chinese technology could damage bilateral ties, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will have to tread carefully as he looks to host President Xi Jinping for a state visit planned for the spring of this year. If Xi makes the trip, it would crown Abe's drive to restore a relationship between the two largest economies in Asia that was in a deep freeze when he took office in 2012.Japan's sole military ally, the U.S., has been pushing for countries to ban equipment from China's Huawei Technologies Co. Japan has said it will exclude equipment with security risks without making an official decision on Huawei.To contact the reporter on this story: Lisa Du in Tokyo at ldu31@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Rachel Chang at wchang98@bloomberg.net, Jon Herskovitz, Karen LeighFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| A Condescending Anti-Gun Argument Posted: 01 Jan 2020 03:30 AM PST  My friend and former colleague Tom Nichols has been going on one of his regularly scheduled Twitter anti-gun rants over the past few days. In his latest, he slammed the "spread of gun worship" among conservatives. That Nichols's opinions on the subject, which resemble a progressive 17-year-old's knowledge of American gun culture, get a lot of attention from anti-gun types tells you something about the anti-gun movement: that it, too, has very limited experience with guns and the people who own them.Among Nichols's beliefs is that, as he put it this week, conservatives now "measure freedom by how many of us walk around with guns." He also believes that concealed carry culture is really just "conservative virtue-signaling" as a stand-in for real patriotism, that gun owners "measure [their] sense of worth" by whether or not they are carrying firearms, and that gun "worship" has become a "litmus test" for conservatives, to the detriment of conservatism itself.It is safe to say that none of this is true. What Nichols advances is a grossly distorted view of American gun culture, one that suggests he either has spoken to zero gun owners about guns or didn't listen to them when they did speak.In fact, the people whom Tom is clumsily describing — those of us who carry guns, who take a keen interest in gun policy, and who believe that it is fine for responsible and well-trained gun owners to carry their firearms in public places — do not actually "worship" guns. Nor do we tie these interests and habits into our sense of self-worth and patriotism. Here is the truth: Guns are many things, and one of the things they are is tools. Like any tool, guns have a good and meaningful application when used properly and correctly, e.g. when they are carried by trained, law-abiding citizens and used for proper defensive and life-saving measures. A good example of that is the recent shooting at the church in White Settlement, Texas, in which an armed parishioner shot and killed a murderous gunman before a rampage could really begin.Tom calls that scenario a "lucky break." But this is precisely the point. The vast majority of gun carriers will never have the need to draw their weapons. Virtually none of them (a few blustery dimwits aside) wants to draw his weapon. Tom's claim that the Right has undergone a "pornification of gun ownership" does not comport with the reality of those gun owners who would be happy to live out their lives without getting in a firefight.For these gun owners, carrying guns has nothing to do with some base desire to get in a shootout. They carry because they want to be able to protect themselves and other innocent people if an insane murderer decides to start shooting. It's not rocket science.Statistics are not on the side of Nichols's argument. In the past twelve years concealed permits have increased by over 300 percent; homicides, meanwhile, have been dropping since the early 90s, with the murder rate 5.3 percent lower than it was in 2009, at the beginning of the concealed-carry boom. Nichols's persistent prognostication notwithstanding, the rise of concealed carry has not actually led to more accidental gun deaths, either; such deaths are at historic lows.There are plenty of other reasons besides self-defense that many Americans enjoy guns: They are fascinating machines, they are fun to shoot for sport, they are both a potent symbol and a practical example of the unique American brand of civic and political freedom. Yes, we like guns. Yes, many people carry firearms for self-defense. No, we do not "worship" guns. Nichols and his friends would do well to get off their sneering Twitter feeds and actually talk to gun enthusiasts at length, as we are not the idiotic slack-jawed trigger-happy cowboys he so desperately wants us to be.
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| Pope Francis Regrets 'Bad Example' He Set After Angrily Slapping Away Hand of Female Worshiper Posted: 01 Jan 2020 10:11 AM PST  He later denounced violence against women in a New Year's address
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| History Lesson: Why China Wants to Become a Military Superpower Posted: 31 Dec 2019 01:30 AM PST  Understanding the Chinese mindset means understanding their history.
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| Putin, Ukraine's leader talk about natural gas, prisoners Posted: 31 Dec 2019 04:03 AM PST  The presidents of Russia and Ukraine have spoken by telephone to express satisfaction with a newly signed contract on natural gas transit and the recent exchange of prisoners between Ukraine and Russia-backed rebels in Ukraine's east. A Kremlin statement says the Tuesday call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy took place on Ukraine's initiative. Sunday's swap of a total of 200 prisoners has raised hopes of an end to the five-year-long war in eastern Ukraine that has killed 14,000 people.
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| 6 suspected gang members arrested in shooting in Fresno backyard that killed 4 Posted: 31 Dec 2019 02:59 PM PST  The Fresno Police Department arrested six people in a mass shooting that killed four and injured several others during a backyard party.
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| GOP Senator: President Trump 'Not a Role Model For Young People' Posted: 31 Dec 2019 09:27 AM PST  In an interview with Face The Nation, Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma said Trump isn't a good role model for young people
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| GOP Sen. Collins is open to calling impeachment witnesses Posted: 31 Dec 2019 01:07 PM PST  Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine says she's open to calling witnesses as part of the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump, but she says it is "premature" to decide who should be called until senators see the evidence that is presented.
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