| US slams Russia, China at UN for failure to condemn embassy attack Posted: 06 Jan 2020 01:40 PM PST  The United States on Monday slammed Russia and China for their failure to condemn an attack last week on its Baghdad embassy by pro-Iranian demonstrators. "Not allowing the United Nations Security Council to issue the most basic of statements underscoring the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises once again calls the council's credibility into question," the US statement said. The attack on the Baghdad embassy, which did not result in any injuries, was meant to protest against a US airstrike against Ketaeb Hezbollah (KH), an Iranian-backed militia which the US blames for rocket attacks on its facilities in northern Iraq that resulted in the death of a US contractor.
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| From Iran With Love: North Korean Drones Are Sure To Fight In Its Next War Posted: 05 Jan 2020 11:30 PM PST  North Korea will learn from Iran's experiences.
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| Key Senate Republican wants to start impeachment trial Posted: 05 Jan 2020 09:52 AM PST  The head of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee said on Sunday he wants the Senate to launch an impeachment trial of President Trump within days, even if it means changing Senate rules so the chamber can move ahead without receiving articles of impeachment from the House of Representatives.
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| How Many of These Tough Logic Puzzles Can You Solve? Posted: 06 Jan 2020 12:45 PM PST |
| Jeffrey Epstein investigation finds letter in prison cell complaining about being locked in shower and 'giant bugs' crawling across his hand Posted: 06 Jan 2020 01:36 PM PST  A new investigation of the circumstances surrounding the death of Jeffrey Epstein has made public several new pieces of evidence, including photos of his jail cell showing a number of bed sheets, prescription medicine and an apparent note written by the convicted sex offender complaining about jail conditions before his death.The paedophile financier was awaiting trial in New York's Metropolitan Correctional Centre in downtown Manhattan when his body was found in his cell in August. The circumstances of his death, ruled a suicide by the New York medical examiner, have sparked considerable speculation, given the powerful company he kept that included Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Prince Andrew.
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| Fisker's Ocean electric SUV will sell for $37,499, include Karaoke mode Posted: 05 Jan 2020 03:41 PM PST  American automaker Fisker said consumers can purchase their electric SUV for $37,499, which drops to $29,999 with a federal tax credit.
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| Attackers beat protesting students at Indian university Posted: 05 Jan 2020 10:05 PM PST  Masked assailants beat students and teachers with sticks on the campus of a prestigious university in India's capital, injuring more than 20 people in an attack opposition lawmakers are trying to link to the government. Videos that emerged after the assault late Sunday showed people in masks roaming inside the corridors of Jawaharlal Nehru University and beating students who were protesting against a fee hike. Most of the injured were treated at a hospital for cuts and bruises, said Aarti Vij, a spokeswoman at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
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| U.S.-EU Trade Talks Vexed by Drums of a Real War Posted: 06 Jan 2020 04:00 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Want to receive this post in your inbox every day? Sign up for the Terms of Trade newsletter, and follow Bloomberg Economics on Twitter for more.The drums of war beating in Washington sound a lot more ominous than the kind accompanying tariff threats.That doesn't mean the escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran won't have consequences for other relationships or global trade. They could well contribute to the revival of trade conflicts that markets have convinced themselves are in the rear-view mirror now that 2020 is upon us.But no trade or strategic relationship is likely to be tested faster or harder than the already fragile one with Europe.The Trump administration's decision to abandon the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that European Union powers were co-signatories to was a pre-existing source of tension, with European companies caught in the sanctions crossfire. Now that Iran has pulled the plug as well in the wake of the killing of a top Iranian general, things are unlikely to get better. Also causing friction were Trump's now frozen plans to levy tariffs on imported cars and more live ones to target champagne and other French products over France's digital services tax. Duties imposed in relation to a long-running trade feud between Airbus and Boeing haven't helped either. Those issues look episodic compared to what seems a lot like a broader breakdown in trans-Atlantic relations. It doesn't take much digging to establish that many in the Trump administration view the powers in Europe and institutions of the EU with an instinctive contempt. Trump, after all, has repeatedly called the EU (officially a U.S. ally) worse than China (an officially designated existential rival) on matters including trade. What irks the president and people close to him most may be Europe's defense of technocratic multilateralism and EU officials' refusal to bow to Trump's tariffs and other efforts to pressure them into even pretending to make a deal on American terms (an art China may well have mastered). European officials, meanwhile, view Trump's attack on the World Trade Organization and other pillars of the rules-based order as a peculiar populist's tantrum. Spend any time discussing trans-Atlantic relations with European officials and the emotion you run into quickly is bemusement. They relay specific complaints about the U.S.'s refusal to engage in meaningful discussions about issues like reforming the WTO or the willingness of Washington to allow the withering of potentially substantive efforts to create a joint front to take on China over industrial subsidies and other common complaints. But hanging over it all like a thunderhead is a broader European perplexion with a one-time friend's life choices.None of that is likely to be improved by what is developing between the U.S. and Iran. Charting the Trade WarThe U.S. Chamber of Commerce is warning that American businesses and consumers are bearing the brunt of the trade war and is calling on the administration to change course. Crunching Commerce Department data, it concludes that more than half of U.S. states are facing retaliatory tariffs on at least 25% of their exports to the EU and China.Today's Must ReadsJust a phase | The Chinese trade delegation including Vice Premier Liu He plans to sign the first phase of its trade deal with the U.S. in Washington on Jan. 15. Service charge | The euro-zone economy edged gradually away from stagnation at the end of 2019 as services picked up to counter moribund manufacturing. Brexit countdown | Companies most exposed to the uncertainty surrounding the U.K.'s exit from the EU have reduced hiring and investment and lost a substantial fraction of their market value Change the channel | Turkey's president said warships will be able to use a planned multibillion-dollar canal bisecting Istanbul, possibly undercutting a 20th-century agreement. USMCA support | Some Democratic presidential candidates are supporting the USMCA agreement while at least one other is distancing himself from the new North American trade deal.Economic AnalysisChina boost | China's economy showed stronger momentum in December for the first time in eight months, according to a range of early indicators, and Bloomberg Economics expects growth to improve in early 2020. World in 2030 | Bloomberg Economics' 10-year growth forecasts paint a picture of continued weakness, with aging populations, barriers to immigration, and weak productivity capping growth potential.Coming UpJan. 7: U.S. trade balance Jan. 8: France trade balance Jan. 9: Germany trade balance Jan. 14-16: EU trade chief Phil Hogan plans trip to Washington Jan. 15: Trumps plans to sign phase-one deal with ChinaLike Terms of Trade?Don't keep it to yourself. Colleagues and friends can sign up here. We also publish Balance of Power, a daily briefing on the latest in global politics.For even more: Subscribe to Bloomberg All Access for full global news coverage and two in-depth daily newsletters, The Bloomberg Open and The Bloomberg Close.How are we doing? We want to hear what you think about this newsletter. Let our trade tsar know.To contact the author of this story: Shawn Donnan in Washington at sdonnan@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Brendan Murray at brmurray@bloomberg.net, Zoe SchneeweissFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Pentagon chief denies U.S. leaving Iraq; Tehran crowds mourn commander Posted: 06 Jan 2020 12:20 PM PST  BAGHDAD/DUBAI (Reuters) - The United States has no plans to pull American troops out of Iraq, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Monday, following reports by Reuters and other media of a U.S. military letter informing Iraq officials about the repositioning of troops in preparation to leave the country. The developments come in the aftermath of an American drone strike ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump that killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, widely seen as Iran's second most powerful figure behind Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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| Meghan McCain Praises Trump: ‘I’m Happy’ He Killed a ‘Big, Bad Terrorist’ Posted: 06 Jan 2020 09:30 AM PST  The View's Meghan McCain on Monday declared her surprise that people would fear war after President Donald Trump assassinated top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani—a decision she is unequivocally "happy" about.Returning from its holiday break on Monday, The View brought on ABC News political director Rick Klein to discuss the ongoing Iran crisis. While discussing concerns from Democrats that the president is escalating tensions with Iran to distract from impeachment, McCain seemed to come to the defense of the president she has often criticized."Yesterday Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Soleimani was, quote, actively plotting against the American public and that Trump made the right decision," the conservative host said. "I was actually really surprised to see things like World War III trending, just given the fact that Soleimani was responsible for over 600 American deaths.""Why do you think people are reacting the way that they are?" McCain continued. "Do you think it's just because there is this trust gap, if you will, between the president of the United States and the American public? For me, when a big, bad terrorist gets blown up, I'm happy about it."Klein, meanwhile, said there were two things at play here: The trust gap Americans have with the president and the fact that the administration hasn't been able to explain how "imminent" the threat was of any attacks Soleimani was purportedly planning against the United States.In a later segment, McCain wondered why Trump was getting so much blowback over the attack on Iran since, in her opinion, other Republican presidents would have made the same decision."Iran has been escalating their attacks for months and months," the proudly hawkish pundit stated. "I mean, they were harassing our warships, firing rockets to American troops, orchestrated a rocket strike to killed a U.S. contractor and wounded four service members and obviously stormed the U.S. embassy.""I made the argument to a friend of mine yesterday that I don't think a President Marco Rubio or President Romney would have necessarily done anything different by taking out Soleimani," she added. "Why do you think people are reacting this way to Trump doing this?"Klein noted that much of it has to do with Trump's track record and "the way he's conducted himself and the fact that he's sitting under impeachment and would have reason to distract.""I also think if this was another president, a president Rubio or Romney, I think there would still be questions asked, which are the right questions to ask," the ABC reporter continued. "When you use military force to kill a guy, you want to know what was behind it."Fellow co-host Sunny Hostin, meanwhile, further stated that previous presidents had the opportunity to kill Soleimani but passed on it because "everybody knew that taking out someone who's not just a terrorist but also someone who's a member of a government, a sitting position in a government, that's a provocative action. It's actually tantamount to war."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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| This Would Be Iran's Opening Shot in a War With America Posted: 06 Jan 2020 11:31 AM PST  A suicidal gambit.
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| Aliens exist and they are living among us, says first British astronaut into space Posted: 05 Jan 2020 09:42 AM PST  Aliens exist and they could be living among us, the first British astronaut into space has said. Dr Helen Sharman, who went into space 28 years ago, said it is without a doubt that "all sorts of forms of life" are alive in the universe - but perhaps we "simply can't see them" as they are so different to humanity. "Aliens exist, there's no two ways about it," Dr Sharman told the Observer Magazine. "There are so many billions of stars out there in the universe that there must be all sorts of forms of life. "Will they be like you and me, made up of carbon and nitrogen? Maybe not. It's possible they're right here right now and we simply can't see them." In 1991 Dr Sharman became the first Briton in space after hearing a call for astronaut applicants on the radio while driving home from work. Despite fitting the criteria she almost decided against applying for the programme, but decided to chance it. "Self-belief and a can-do attitude changed my life," explained Dr Sharman. "I ticked all the boxes, but thought they wouldn't choose me so I wouldn't bother. By the time I got home I'd realised that if I didn't actually apply, then they couldn't choose me." Dr Sharman beat over 13,000 others to earn a spot in Project Juno, which was partially designed to boost London-Moscow relations by sending a Briton to the Russian space station Mir. Dr Sharman beat over 13,000 others to earn a spot in Project Juno Credit: PA Her eight-day mission transformed the then 27-year-old into a national hero, yet according to Dr Sharman her achievement is sometimes forgotten. In 2013, the UK Space Agency released statements describing Tim Peake - who travelled to the International Space Station in 2015 - as the UK's first official astronaut, seemingly forgetting Sharman's own trip into space. Dr Sharman said: "When Tim Peake went into space, some people simply forgot about me. "I've never defined myself by gender, and I continue not to do so. People often describe me as the first woman in space, but I was actually the first British person. It's telling that we would otherwise assume it was a man." Throughout her life Dr Sharman has had to contend with the challenges often presented to females breaking the mould - but has always been adamant her gender "wasn't going to stop" her. Although 28-years have passed since Dr Sharman went to space, she said she will never forget the view of the Earth from the space station. "There's no greater beauty than looking at the Earth from up high. I'll never forget the first time I saw it. "After take-off we left the atmosphere and suddenly light streamed in through the window. We were over the Pacific Ocean. The gloriously deep blue seas took my breath away."
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| Diver killed in Australia shark attack Posted: 04 Jan 2020 11:53 PM PST  A man has been mauled to death by a suspected great white shark at a popular diving spot off Australia's southwestern coast, officials said Sunday. The man was attacked at Cull Island near the town of Esperance in Western Australia state, the state's primary industries department said in a statement. "A man received fatal injuries after being bitten by a reported white shark," the department said.
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| Democratic candidate Michael Bloomberg clinched his first celebrity endorsement — and it's Judge Judy Posted: 06 Jan 2020 11:42 AM PST  Judge Judy, whose real name is Judith Sheindlin, appeared in a campaign ad released on Monday giving her support to Michael Bloomberg.
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| United flight delayed? The airline is changing how it handles delay payouts Posted: 06 Jan 2020 12:06 PM PST  United is making a change — it won't "proactively" give customers refunds for flights delayed less than six hours.
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| Erdogan Says Warships May Bypass 1936 Treaty With Planned Canal Posted: 06 Jan 2020 12:57 AM PST ![Erdogan Says Warships May Bypass 1936 Treaty With Planned Canal]( "Erdogan Says Warships May Bypass 1936 Treaty With Planned Canal") (Bloomberg) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said warships will be able to use a planned multibillion-dollar canal bisecting Istanbul, possibly undercutting a 20th-century agreement meant to ensure stability and security in the Black Sea region.Instead of crossing the narrow Bosporus strait, Erdogan said military ships will instead be able to use Canal Istanbul, which will similarly link the Black and Marmara seas. The project is meant to ease shipping traffic and the risk of accidents in the Bosporus, which runs through the middle of Turkey's biggest city. It could create jobs for 10,000 people as well as a new city along its route.Speaking in an interview with CNN-Turk television late Sunday, Erdogan didn't elaborate on whether any limitations would be imposed on the passage of warships through Canal Istanbul.Turkey to Build Canal Through Istanbul to Bypass BosporusTurkey could be courting another controversy with one of the most ambitious projects of Erdogan's almost two decades in power. After years of work since it was first unveiled in 2011, the ruling party has said the canal has finally become ripe for a tender process.The option presented by the planned 45-kilometer (28-mile) canal for warships, including navies from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, adds a significant political dimension to what Erdogan dubbed his "crazy project." It's already mired in questions over financing and its impact on the environment.Endangering Treaty?If Turkey uses it as an alternative route to assert more autonomy, it could potentially trigger an international debate on whether such a move would violate the 1936 Montreux Convention.The convention limits deployments in the Black Sea to 21 days for navies not belonging to Black Sea states. It also regulates the number and the maximum aggregate tonnage of all foreign naval forces that may pass the Turkish straits while barring the passage of all aircraft carriers.Erdogan said the convention was only "binding" for the Turkish straits and the Canal Istanbul project would be "totally outside Montreux."Responding to a question on whether warships will continue to cross the Turkish straits under the limits set down by the treaty, he said: "We would find a solution for them."Istanbul's New Mayor Takes On Erdogan's Pet Canal Project"If necessary, they may cross here, too," Erdogan said, referring to the passage of warships through the future channel.Turkey may charge ships passing through Canal Istanbul, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Monday. However, navigation through the Turkish straits is free, and it's not clear how Turkey would encourage ships to traverse the new waterway instead.Erdogan's 'Crazy Project' Prompts Warning of Environmental Ruin\--With assistance from Firat Kozok.To contact the reporter on this story: Selcan Hacaoglu in Ankara at shacaoglu@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Onur Ant at oant@bloomberg.net, Paul Abelsky, Amy TeibelFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Push to oust US troops from Iraq a risky undertaking Posted: 06 Jan 2020 04:43 AM PST  A push led by pro-Iran factions to oust U.S. troops from Iraq following the U.S. airstrike that killed a top Iranian general is gaining momentum, bolstered by a Parliament vote calling on the government to remove them. Iraq was barely starting to recover from a devastating four-year war against the Islamic State group when a mass uprising against the country's ruling elite erupted on Oct. 1, forcing the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi two months later.
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| Bolton’s Offer to Give Impeachment Testimony Catches Congress, White House By Surprise Posted: 06 Jan 2020 12:25 PM PST  Former National Security Adviser John Bolton says he's willing to testify in Trump's impeachment trial, catching lawmakers and the White House by surprise
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| Where Does Admiral Yamamoto Go to Get His Apology? Posted: 06 Jan 2020 03:30 AM PST  Before there was Qasem Soleimani, there was Admiral Yamamoto.In 1943, the U.S. targeted the exceptionally skilled Japanese commander and killed him in what constituted a precision attack for the time — with the P-38G Lightnings that intercepted him midair playing the role of the MQ-9 Reaper.If it was wrong to kill Soleimani, it was wrong to kill Yamamoto — just as barbaric and illegal, just as damnable an "assassination."Of course, no celebrities back in World War II apologized to Imperial Japan, as actress Rose McGowan did to Iran after the killing of Soleimani in a now-semi-retracted sentiment. There wasn't a debate about the operation's legality. Members of the opposition party didn't call it an assassination. No former sports star — and corporate brand ambassador — condemned it as a lamentable instance of American militarism.Indeed, if he's being consistent, Colin Kaepernick must view the killing of Yamamoto as yet another example of American authorities seeking to control and destroy the bodies of nonwhite men.Obviously, the targeted killings of Soleimani and Yamamoto aren't exactly parallel. We were in a declared war with Japan, a conflict on a much larger scale than that with Iran. But both men were commanders of enemy forces actively engaged in killing Americans, and both were taken out in a combat theater. Both of the targeted killings were fully justified legally and morally.What were considered the advantages of going after Yamamoto resemble those of hitting Soleimani.Like Soleimani, Yamamoto was vulnerable because he was on the move, on a visit to Japanese units. We intercepted a Japanese signal revealing his imminent whereabouts, on the periphery of the range of U.S. aircraft. Admiral Chester Nimitz made the call to target him.As Donald A. Davis notes in his book Lightning Strike, the fact that Yamamoto, who carried out the Pearl Harbor attack, was responsible for the deaths of so many Americans motivated us to go after him. "The blood of thousands of American and Allied soldiers, sailors, and airmen had been spilled because of Yamamoto," he writes, "and here was an opportunity to eliminate him."The motive here wasn't subtle. The strike at Yamamoto was dubbed Operation Vengeance.The centrality of Yamamoto to the enemy war effort also played a role. "Yamamoto was the beating heart of the Japanese navy," Davis continues. "In his own country, he was seen as embodying the unwavering Bushido fighting spirit."It was hoped that his loss would stagger Tokyo, and so it did — after an amazing feat of U.S. airmanship downed Yamamoto's plane, which crashed in the jungle on the island of Bougainville.There was some worry when considering whether to kill him that Yamamoto's successor might be even more formidable. But it was brushed aside. Nimitz asked his exceptional intelligence officer, Edwin Layton, if he was confident that were none better who could replace Yamamoto. "Absolutely none," Layton replied, according to his later account. "Absolutely none."A comment at the outset of the Yamamoto operation could just as easily have applied to the Soleimani operation:"TALLYHO X LET'S GET THE BASTARD."
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| Thousands of koalas burn to death as Australia fears native wildlife may never recover from bush fire disaster Posted: 05 Jan 2020 01:31 PM PST  At least 25,000 koalas are believed to have died in a horrific wildfire in South Australia that may have devastating consequences for the survival of the species. The fire on Kangaroo Island, which was considered a koala safe-haven because its population had escaped a devastating chlamydia epidemic, was described as "virtually unstoppable" on Saturday by firefighters. On Friday, koala rescuer Margaret Hearle told The Telegraph that another important koala population, nicknamed "the gene pool" because of its good health, had been "wiped out" in Crestwood, New South Wales. Footage filmed by an ABC cameraman in New South Wales on Sunday showed the charred corpses of hundreds of kangaroos and sheep lying by the roadside. "Sorry to share these images near Batlow, NSW. It's completely heartbreaking. Worst thing I've seen. Story must be told," he said on Twitter. A South Australia firefighter gives water to a dehydrated koala rescued from a wildfire in December Credit: OAKBANK BALHANNAH CFS Cooler temperatures and lighter winds brought some relief in New South Wales and Victoria on Sunday, but authorities warned and extremely hot and dry weather is expected to return within days and that fires will continue to burn for weeks. Scott Morrison, the Australian prime minister, defended his handling of the wildfire crisis on Sunday, saying "blame doesn't help anybody at this time and over-analysis of these things is not a productive exercise". Wildlife experts estimate that half a billion mammals, birds, and reptiles have been killed in the fires in recent weeks. There are fears endangered species in sanctuaries like Kangaroo Island, which was also home to 50,000 kangaroos before the fire, have been lost forever. Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park co-owner Sam Mitchell told local media the park was expecting to treat hundreds of starving and injured koalas in coming weeks, and is building extra enclosures in preparation. A NPWS firefighting Landcruiser lies burnt on Tallowa Dam Rd in Kangaroo Valley, New South Wales Credit: Photo by Wolter Peeters/The Sydney Morning Herald/Fairfax Media via Getty Images/ Fairfax Media About £10,600,000 worth of bluegum and pine trees on plantations were also lost. In New South Wales, temperatures are forecast to pass 40 degrees C again on Friday, and in Victoria three blazes remain at emergency level despite the cooler weather and subsiding winds. Four people remain missing in that state, and the air and sea evacuation from Mallacoota, a town that was cut off by the fires, is continuing. Early on Sunday Dave Harrison, 47, died of a heart attack in New South Wales while fighting to save a friend's rural property in Batlow. Still from footage showing dead kangaroos and sheep after wildfires hit the Kangaroo Island, South Australia Credit: Australian Broadcasting Corporation His brother Peter said he "was just that sort of guy… He would help anyone at the drop of a hat - he would drive hours to help you". "They had a plan to get out, but I just think he was overcome by the heat, the smoke, the exhaustion, running around putting out spot fires everywhere," he told Nine News. Australia bushfires | Tell us your story At least 24 people have died during the fire crisis. It is believed at least another 60 homes were destroyed in New South Wales overnight and that estimate is expected to rise significantly as crews conduct further assessments. While it took weeks of pressure for the Federal Government to commit to an additional $11million (£5.8million) of funding for water bombers, Australian comedian Celeste Barber has raised $25million (£13.3million) in donations for the NSW Rural Fire Service from the public, including people from around the world, in just three days. American singer Pink and Australian actor Nicole Kidman pledged half a million dollars each to the cause.
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| This Is How Russia's Su-35 Became A Threat to Russia's Stealth Fighter Posted: 06 Jan 2020 09:00 AM PST  The Su-35 was meant to be a stopgap until the Su-57 arrived, but it has become much more.
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| Police find body of a woman who texted 'I feel in trouble' before disappearing Posted: 06 Jan 2020 08:53 AM PST  Alabama police said Friday they found the body of a 29-year-old woman who had sent a concerning message to her co-worker before disappearing in December, CNN reported.
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| Uganda police disperse Bobi Wine supporters with tear gas Posted: 06 Jan 2020 03:51 AM PST  Police in Uganda on Monday fired tear gas to disperse supporters of pop star and presidential hopeful Bobi Wine when he tried to hold a rally, underscoring the hurdles he faces in seeking to unseat President Yoweri Museveni. Police also arrested Wine, a lawmaker whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, accusing him of trying to stage an illegal assembly. Wine and his pressure group People Power had aimed to start a program of consultations with supporters on his plans to stand for president next year in a challenge to Museveni, 75, who has ruled Uganda since 1986.
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| Plane carrying 107 passengers slidesoff taxiway at Wisconsin's Austin Straubel airport Posted: 05 Jan 2020 10:20 AM PST  No one was injured after a Delta plane carrying 107 passengers slid off the taxiway early Saturday at Austin Straubel International Airport in Wisconsin.
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| Guatemalan seeking asylum sues US to reunite with family Posted: 06 Jan 2020 11:42 AM PST ![Guatemalan seeking asylum sues US to reunite with family]( "Guatemalan seeking asylum sues US to reunite with family") A Guatemalan woman seeking asylum in Massachusetts is suing the federal government to reunite with her partner and son, who have been ordered to remain in Mexico under the Trump administration's asylum process. The lawsuit filed on behalf of Maudy Constanza and her partner, Hanz Morales, argues the asylum policy violates constitutional due process and equal protection rights. "United States law protects asylum seekers like Ms. Constanza, Mr. Morales, and their children," the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts said in the suit filed Friday in federal court in Boston.
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| Trump to Hold Rally for Party-Switcher Van Drew: Campaign Update Posted: 06 Jan 2020 05:13 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump will host a campaign rally for a New Jersey congressman who just crossed over to the Republican Party amid the impeachment furor.Trump's campaign announced Monday that he'll hold a Keep America Great rally on Jan. 28 in Wildwood, N.J., in the district of Representative Jeff Van Drew. Elected as a Democrat, Van Drew crossed the aisle last month, joining Republicans after voting against both articles of impeachment.Trump's rally there could potentially fall in the middle of a Senate impeachment trial, giving him a venue to fire back at Democrats alongside the lawmaker who jumped ship. Democrats vying to run against Van Drew include Amy Kennedy, the wife of former Representative Patrick Kennedy.While Trump tries to blunt the impact of impeachment proceedings, his New Jersey event is unlikely to make a splash in this year's election. The state is reliably Democratic, and Trump lost it in 2016 by 14 percentage points. Van Drew first won election in 2018 in a district that had long been in Republican hands.Deval Patrick Releases His First Ad (3:34 p.m.)Deval Patrick is launching his first paid ad of the campaign, set to begin running on cable outlets in four states on Wednesday.The campaign is spending about $245,000, according to Advertising Analytics, for ads that will run on cable and digital platforms in Iowa, South Carolina, Nevada and New Hampshire. Patrick, who served as governor in neighboring Massachusetts, is spending $100,000 on cable ads in the Granite State alone.Patrick's campaign is running a 30-second spot featuring his wife, Diane Patrick, describing her battle with cancer and the decision they made for him to enter the race. It's already started running the ad in online media.The former Bain Capital LP managing director joined the campaign in November. He tallied less than 1% support in the most recent WBUR poll of New Hampshire voters.Julian Castro Endorses Warren for President (10:38 a.m.)Four days after ending his own bid for the White House, Julian Castro announced his endorsement of Senator Elizabeth Warren for president.The former mayor of San Antonio, Texas, and Obama administration HUD secretary announced his endorsement in video released on Monday. He describes Warren as the most qualified candidate to win the nomination and beat Donald Trump. The move has led to speculation that Castro might be vying to be Warren's running mate should she win the Democratic nomination."There's one candidate I see who's unafraid to fight like hell to make sure America's promise will be there for everyone," Castro says in the video. "Who will make sure that no matter where you live in America or where your family came from in the world, you have a path to opportunity, too. That's why I'm proud to endorse Elizabeth Warren for president."Castro and Warren worked together when he was housing secretary and she served on the Senate Banking Committee, which oversees HUD. Castro will join Warren at an event in Brooklyn on Tuesday. -- Misyrlena EgkolfopoulouJudge Judy Rules For Bloomberg (10:26 a.m.)Judy Sheindlin, who presides over the daytime television courtroom show "Judge Judy," appears in a new campaign ad endorsing former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg for the Democratic presidential nomination."I like to say you can judge someone's character by what they've done," Sheindlin says in the ad, which Bloomberg's campaign said will run across digital channels and on television in 26 states. "Mike Bloomberg has done amazing things and will be a truly great president."The campaign said Sheindlin, a New York City native and a former supervising judge of the Family Court in New York County, hadn't ever endorsed a presidential candidate. In a USA Today opinion piece before Bloomberg announced his candidacy, Sheindlin encouraged him to run because "he represents our best chance to bring America together again and begin the long national process of healing."Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News. -- Mark NiquetteCOMING UP:Five Democrats -- Biden, Buttigieg, Sanders, Warren and Klobuchar -- have qualified for the next debate, on Jan. 14 in Iowa.President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a campaign rally in Milwaukee on the same night as the debate, as well as a rally in Toledo on Jan. 9.The first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses will be held Feb. 3.(Michael Bloomberg is also seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.)\--With assistance from Mark Niquette, Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou and Bill Allison.To contact the reporter on this story: Josh Wingrove in Washington at jwingrove4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Chelsea Mes, John HarneyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| 3 Americans were killed in an attack by the Shabab militant group at a Kenyan airfield used by US forces Posted: 05 Jan 2020 01:56 PM PST  One US service member and two Department of Defense contractors were killed Sunday in an attack by the African militant group al-Shabab.
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| Meant to cripple Iran's clout, US strike unites its allies Posted: 06 Jan 2020 05:10 AM PST  The US killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani was meant to cripple Tehran's clout in the Middle East, but analysts see the allies of the Islamic Republic closing rank instead. As the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, Soleimani oversaw Tehran's interventions in regional power struggles from Lebanon and Iraq to Syria and Yemen. Washington had hoped his killing in a Baghdad drone strike Friday would deal a blow to Iran and its network of proxies -- but the plan appears to have backfired by uniting pro-Iran factions under an "axis of resistance".
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| Australia to pay 'whatever it takes' to fight wildfires Posted: 05 Jan 2020 04:59 PM PST  Australia's government said Monday it was willing to pay "whatever it takes" to help communities recover from deadly wildfires that have ravaged the country. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government was committing an extra 2 billion Australian dollars ($1.4 billion) toward the recovery effort in addition to the tens of millions of dollars that have already been promised. Morrison's announcement of the funds, which will go toward rebuilding towns and infrastructure destroyed by the fires, came as the death toll from the disaster rose with the discovery of a body in a remote part of New South Wales.
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| China Bought Russia's S-400 Missiles, Taiwan Now Needs More SAMs Posted: 06 Jan 2020 03:00 AM PST  Missiles over fighters.
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| Potentially "catastrophic" issue with 737 Max wiring Posted: 06 Jan 2020 01:39 AM PST  It could theoretically put the plane into a nose dive but sources say it's not clear whether that could actually happen.
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| Maybe Pelosi’s Impeachment Delay Is Working Posted: 06 Jan 2020 12:43 PM PST ![Maybe Pelosi's Impeachment Delay Is Working]( "Maybe Pelosi's Impeachment Delay Is Working") (Bloomberg Opinion) -- One striking thing about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's decision to delay sending articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate is that she doesn't actually have any real leverage. Senate Republicans are free to ignore the articles passed by Democrats in the House of Representatives on Dec. 18. Indeed, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that's exactly what he's doing. Pelosi's move calls to mind the threat by Sheriff Bart in "Blazing Saddles" to kill himself when he's about to be lynched.And yet … that's not quite the end of the story.What Pelosi and House Democrats (plus independent Representative Justin Amash, the Michigan libertarian who left the Republican Party last July) want is to use the Senate trial to force new information about Trump's actions to be revealed. They are convinced that such information would be incriminating and would harm Trump and his supporters. Delaying the trial, which might have started this week had Pelosi acted promptly after the impeachment vote, might achieve that in two ways. One has little to do with the Senate trial itself: It's simply that the investigation is continuing, and that time will allow more information to surface in various ways. That's already happened a bit, with reporting on how Trump operatives engineered a freeze on military aid to Ukraine last summer as a maneuver to pressure that country's government to investigate the son of former vice president and Trump rival Joe Biden, and on Pentagon concerns that the freeze was illegal. On Monday, former National Security Adviser John Bolton said for the first time that he would testify in a Senate trial if subpoenaed. Perhaps all of this would have happened anyway, but then again it's still possible that a continued delay would drum up further revelations. And yes, perhaps this is also a sign that the House did in fact rush the impeachment process, as Republicans like to charge.(As for Bolton: If he really wanted to do the responsible thing and tell everyone what he knows about Trump's guilt or innocence, he wouldn't put any conditions on his willingness to testify. To the contrary, instead of insisting on a subpoena from the Senate that may never arrive, Bolton could offer to brief the House impeachment managers once they are named — or he could simply give an interview somewhere. An offer to comply with a lawful subpoena may look good and may in fact increase pressure on Senate Republicans, but it's still far short of what he should be doing).Another possibility is that Pelosi's ploy might work exactly the way Sheriff Bart's did: by confusing the White House into self-destructive behavior. Trump could certainly just call Pelosi's bluff and ignore impeachment, but he also could, and so far has, blustered about it in ways that are not likely to win new support for him.Against all that is the question of what individual senators make of the delay. McConnell doesn't get to decide trial procedures in the Senate; any majority of 51 senators can request or deny witnesses, documents and anything else. If marginal Democrats such as West Virginia's Joe Manchin and marginal Republicans such as Maine's Susan Collins and Alaska's Lisa Murkowski are more likely to vote for the kind of trial Pelosi wants, then the delay is sensible; if they're more likely to see the whole thing as a partisan gimmick and therefore support McConnell's idea of a trial, then holding on to the articles is a mistake.My guess is that the standoff won't go on much longer — that the risk of a backlash from marginal senators is too high to make benefits from delay worthwhile. But that's just an outsider's guess, and I'd temper it with quite a bit of history demonstrating that Pelosi knows how to count votes and act based on solid information. Then again, in this case most of the votes are in the other chamber and the other party, so it's not quite the same as moving a piece of legislation to the House floor. Overall? I'm not quite willing to say that if Pelosi is doing something it must be sensible. But on a tactic like this one for which success depends on accurately understanding insider information, I think there's a pretty good chance that she'll get it right.To contact the author of this story: Jonathan Bernstein at jbernstein62@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Jonathan Landman at jlandman4@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Jonathan Bernstein is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. He taught political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio and DePauw University and wrote A Plain Blog About Politics.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| US army to 'pay price' for killing Soleimani: Hezbollah chief Posted: 05 Jan 2020 08:27 AM PST  Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday said the US army will "pay the price" for killing top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and a senior Iraqi commander in a drone strike. "The American army killed them and it will pay the price," the Iran-backed head of the Lebanese Shiite group warned in a televised speech following Friday's strike in the Iraqi capital. "The only just punishment is (to target) American military presence in the region: US military bases, US warships, each and every officer and soldier in the region," Nasrallah said.
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| US to start collecting DNA from people detained at border Posted: 06 Jan 2020 12:26 PM PST ![US to start collecting DNA from people detained at border]( "US to start collecting DNA from people detained at border") The U.S. government on Monday launched a pilot program to collect DNA from people in immigration custody and submit it to the FBI, with plans to expand nationwide. The information would go into a massive criminal database run by the FBI, where it would be held indefinitely. A memo outlining the program published Monday by the Department of Homeland Security said U.S. citizens and permanent residents holding a "green card" who are detained could be subject to DNA testing, as well as asylum seekers and people entering the country without authorization.
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| Australia Counts Wildfire Devastation After Calamitous Weekend Posted: 05 Jan 2020 12:39 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Hundreds of properties were destroyed across southeastern Australia after searing temperatures and strong winds exacerbated catastrophic wildfires Saturday in one of the worst days of the weeks-long crisis.Dozens of communities, from small towns on the south coast of New South Wales, to alpine villages in the neighboring Victoria state, were razed as fires grew so large they generated dry thunderstorms. Milder weather, including patchy rain, across scorched areas brought some relief Sunday, though flame-fanning wind gusts have frustrated efforts to quell about 200 blazes before conditions worsen later in the week, authorities said.Australia Fire Maps: Where the Devastating Wildfires Are BurningThousands of people, including tourists, heeded the advice of authorities and evacuated a 350-kilometer (217-mile) stretch of coastline as well as dangerous inland areas over the past few days to escape the intensifying infernos. But many remained, hosing down their properties to protect against falling embers as they anxiously waited to see if the winds would blow the fire front in their direction.The unfolding tragedy, that's blackened more than 5 million hectares (12.3 million acres) across New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia alone, has prompted millions of dollars of donations and support from international celebrities, sports stars, and the British Royal Family.Australia's Wildfire Crisis: Key Numbers Behind the DisasterTwo people died in wildfires that destroyed more than a third of South Australia's Kangaroo Island, devastating the national park and farmland, and severely damaging the luxury Southern Ocean Lodge resort. Penrith, on the outskirts of Sydney, reached a record 48.9 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) Saturday, symbolic of the dangerous weather conditions that have fanned ferocious flames and sparked new blazes further south.Flights CanceledQantas Airways Ltd. canceled 27 flights Sunday afternoon arriving in and departing from Canberra, where air pollution was at least four times higher than the minimum threshold for "hazardous," prompting the release of particulate-filter masks from the national stockpile. Australia Post suspended mail deliveries to the national capital Friday, citing the impact of the poor air quality on the safety of its workers.Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Saturday an unprecedented level of military support to boost firefighting and recovery efforts as the national death toll since September rose to 23. A video set to electronic music posted on Morrison's Twitter and Facebook accounts outlining the additional measures sparked thousands of comments.Blind-SidedKey authorities in New South Wales and Victoria welcomed the news of the deployment of as many as 3,000 army reservists, but voiced disappointment that they weren't consulted ahead of the decision or briefed before Morrison detailed his response plans to the media.The AustraliaDefence Association lambasted the 50-second clip, which spawned mocking renditions and drew harsh criticism from Kevin Rudd, a former Labor party leader who served as prime minister twice from December 2007 to September 2013.Morrison, 51, defended the video, telling reporters Sunday that it was produced to "communicate as simply and helpfully" as possible what the government is doing to assist people. A link initially pinned to the post to donate to the leader's own Liberal party gave the appearance of a political advertisement, critics said."It came out as a Liberal party ad," said Stewart Jackson, a senior lecturer in the department of government and international relations at the University of Sydney. "It seems to have generated a certain amount of ire that the ad has been done before you've fully organized all the different branches of government to be able to work together."Political FalloutThe criticism adds to a backlash against Morrison for his handling of the wildfires -- highlighted by his curtailed trip to Hawaii just days after declaring a national disaster -- and tepid acknowledgment of the role of climate change in fueling them.The prime minister was heckled on Thursday by angry residents when he visited the fire-ravaged town of Cobargo, where two people died last week, while others declined to shake his hand and called for more resources to tackle the disaster."Morrison has been found considerably wanting in terms of his leadership," Jackson said. "You can't imagine previous prime ministers acting in what seems such a self-serving way."\--With assistance from Edward Johnson and Ben Bartenstein.To contact the reporter on this story: Jason Gale in Melbourne at j.gale@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Shamim Adam at sadam2@bloomberg.net, Stanley JamesFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Fact: Iran Is No Persian Empire (And Should Be Treated As Such) Posted: 04 Jan 2020 07:00 PM PST  America has more important priorities.
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| Indonesia mobilizes fishermen in stand-off with China Posted: 06 Jan 2020 07:20 AM PST  Indonesia will mobilize fishermen to join warships in the South China Sea to help defend against Chinese vessels, the government said on Monday, as the biggest stand-off with China for years escalated off Southeast Asia's largest country. The stand-off since last month in the northern Natuna islands, where a Chinese coastguard vessel has accompanied Chinese fishing vessels, has soured the generally friendly relationship between Jakarta and Beijing. Indonesia's chief security minister, Mahfud MD, told reporters that around 120 fishermen from the island of Java would be sent to the Natuna islands, some 1,000 km (600 miles) to the north.
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| Ukrainian Orthodox Church compares Russia's treatment of believers in Crimea to Stalin-era repressions Posted: 06 Jan 2020 04:57 AM PST  The head of Ukraine's recently independent Orthodox Church has compared Russia's treatment of believers in annexed Crimea to "Stalin-era" repressions, after authorities ordered a church demolished. Metropolitan Epiphaniy, the primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, said believers in Crimea and the east of the country had particularly suffered at the hands of Russia since the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was granted independence in 2018, to the fury of Moscow. "In Crimea, the Russian authorities, the temporary authorities, are trying to completely supplant us," he said in an interview ahead of Orthodox Christmas on January 7. Officials are trying to evict the congregation from the peninsula's Ukrainian cathedral and at the end of last year ordered the "absurd" destruction of another church building in Crimea, he said. "This is reminiscent of the Stalin-era of the USSR, when churches were destroyed," he told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in a Ukrainian-language interview. Epiphaniy said he had raised the issue on a recent trip to the United States and had asked the international community to condemn Russia's actions. Metropolitan Epiphaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine spoke out against Russia Credit: Hennadii Minchenko/ Ukrinform Last year the Ukrainian Orthodox Church's Archbishop Kliment was briefly arrested in Crimea in what he described as an attempt to tarnish his reputation. His cathedral in Simferopol has also reported attacks by vandals. In October 2018, the leader of the global Orthodox community granted independence to the Ukrainian Church, after more than 300 years under the jurisdiction of Moscow. Kiev had been pushing for the move since the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and Moscow's support for separatist rebels in the ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine. The Russian Orthodox Church, which is closely aligned to the Kremlin, cut ties with the top Orthodox patriarch in Istanbul, in one of the biggest rifts within Christianity for almost 1,000 years. Around 600 churches previously aligned to Moscow have joined the independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church over the last year, Epiphaniy said. That figure is disputed by Moscow, which says some of the churches have been seized. The Ukrainian Church leader added that he wanted the conversions "to continue to be peaceful, calm and voluntary... we do not need confrontation." In his Christmas address on Monday, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow called for the unity of Orthodoxy and "multiplying love".
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| Trump threatens Iraq with 'very big sanctions' if it kicks out U.S. forces Posted: 05 Jan 2020 11:04 PM PST  A majority of Iraq's parliament voted Sunday in favor of a resolution urging the Iraqi government to kick the U.S. military out of the country. "The Trump administration tried, unsuccessfully, to persuade top Iraqi officials to kill" the vote, Axios reports, and when that failed, President Trump turned to his well-used cudgel: "sanctions.""If they do ask us to leave," and "if there's any hostility, that they do anything we think is inappropriate, we are going to put sanctions on Iraq, very big sanctions on Iraq," Trump told reporters Sunday afternoon aboard Air Force One. "We will charge them sanctions like they've never seen before ever. It'll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame."Trump also said invading Iraq was "the worst decision, going into the Middle East was the worst decision ever made in the history of our country," but "we have a very extraordinarily expensive air base that's there. It cost billions of dollars to build. Long before my time. We're not leaving unless they pay us back for it." (The air base Trump is talking about, Al Asad, was built long before his time, "by ... Iraq, in the '80s," CNN's Daniel Dale noted, adding that the U.S. did spend millions (not billions) on improvements to the base.)Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who has said he's resigning, has to sign the bill before it would take effect. One U.S. official told Axios that kicking out U.S. forces "would be inconvenient for us, but it would be catastrophic for Iraq" and its security. Another official said "we still have a fairly significant ISIS problem," and "it hasn't escaped ISIS's attention that Iraq is in something of disarray right now."NBC's Richard Engel made a similar point from Erbil, Iraq, on Sunday. But he also said that when he "saw the 82nd Airborne getting those packs and heading back to the region yesterday, and then there was a rocket attack into the Green Zone and I'm once again here on a rooftop in Iraq talking about Shiite militias and troops coming to the region, I thought: Wow, we are back in 2007 at the peak of the violence here, when the U.S was fighting on multiple fronts against ISIS — it was Al Qaeda then, now it's ISIS — and against Shia militias and Iran, with Iraq back in play.""Who knew we wanted those days to come back," Engel said.More stories from theweek.com America is guilty of everything we accuse Iran of doing Border Patrol has started its 'small-scale' DNA collection program Pentagon mistakenly releases draft memo promising withdrawal from Iraq
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| US official dismisses 'desperate' move to oust Venezuela's Guaido Posted: 05 Jan 2020 01:02 PM PST  A senior US official on Sunday dismissed as "desperate" a move by Venezuelan police to prevent opposition leader Juan Guaido from entering the National Assembly, where he had hoped to be voted in for a second term as speaker. Guaido's position as speaker was the justification he used in proclaiming himself the country's acting president nearly a year ago, alleging that President Nicolas Maduro's 2018 re-election was fraudulent. "The desperate actions of the former Maduro regime, illegally forcibly preventing Juan Guaido... from entering the building, make this morning's 'vote,' which lacks quorum and does not meet minimum constitutional standards, a farce," said Michael Kozak, acting assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs.
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| Federal judge holds freelancers to new California labor law Posted: 06 Jan 2020 11:46 AM PST ![Federal judge holds freelancers to new California labor law]( "Federal judge holds freelancers to new California labor law") A federal judge will not temporarily exempt freelance journalists and photographers from a broad new California labor law, saying they waited too long to challenge restrictions that they fear could put some of them out of business. U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez in Los Angeles denied the temporary restraining order sought by two freelancers' organizations while he takes more time to consider their objections to the law requiring that many be treated as employees instead of independent contractors. "Freelance journalists in California are losing work each day AB 5 remains in effect," Jim Manley, an attorney for the nonprofit libertarian Pacific Legal Foundation, said in an email.
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