| Iran dismisses Trump report that U.S. Navy downed 'provocative' drone Posted: 19 Jul 2019 02:28 AM PDT  Iran on Friday denied President Donald Trump's assertion that the U.S. Navy has destroyed one of its drones, saying all of its unmanned planes were accounted for, amid growing international concern that both sides could blunder into a war in the Gulf. In the latest episode to test nerves around the strategic waterway, Trump said on Thursday the drone had flown to within 1,000 yards (914 meters) of the U.S. warship Boxer in a "provocative and hostile action" and had ignored several calls to stand down. Iran dismissed the report.
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| California city set to ban gendered words like 'manhole' and 'manpower' Posted: 18 Jul 2019 12:54 PM PDT  The City Council in Berkeley, Calif., votes to remove gender-specific words from its municipal code.
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| New Hampshire lawmaker Werner Horn: 'Owning slaves doesn't make you racist' Posted: 18 Jul 2019 09:13 PM PDT  A New Hampshire lawmaker came under fire this week for claiming American slavery was based on economics, not racism.
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| S. Korean man kills himself as dispute with Japan escalates Posted: 19 Jul 2019 02:52 PM PDT  An elderly South Korean man died on Friday after setting himself on fire outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul as a bitter diplomatic dispute over wartime forced labour compensation took a fatal turn. The row has seen Tokyo restrict exports of chemicals vital to Seoul's world-leading chip and smartphone industry in an escalation of a decades-long dispute over Japanese forced labour during World War II.
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| Kevin McAleenan pushes back as House Democrats grill the acting DHS chief over border crisis Posted: 19 Jul 2019 03:48 AM PDT  McAleenan says border agents are doing their 'level best in a very challenging situation.'
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| Mueller probe witness now faces child sex trafficking charge Posted: 19 Jul 2019 12:29 PM PDT  A businessman who served as a key witness in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation now faces a charge of child sex trafficking in addition to transporting child pornography. An indictment made public Friday in federal court in Alexandria charges Lebanese-American businessman George Nader, 60, with transporting a 14-year-old boy from Europe to Washington, D.C., in February 2000 and engaging in sex acts with him. It details his efforts to serve as liaison between a Russian banker close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and members of President Donald Trump's transition team.
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| Rand Paul Fires Back at Jon Stewart on Fox News: He’s ‘Not Using His Brain’ Posted: 18 Jul 2019 02:12 PM PDT  A day after former Daily Show host Jon Stewart and 9/11 responder John Feal came on Fox News and eviscerated him and fellow GOP Sen. Mike Lee for blocking the reauthorization of the 9/11 victims' compensation fund in the Senate, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) appeared on Fox to return fire.And not only did the Kentucky lawmaker toss a lot of insults Stewart's way, but Paul also claimed he should be lauded as a hero for holding up additional funding for 9/11 victims."I know Jon Stewart," Paul told Fox News host Neil Cavuto on Thursday. "Jon Stewart is sometimes funny, sometimes informed. In this case, he's not funny nor informed."Asserting that he always asks for "pay-fors" in all funding bills, even ones for disasters, the libertarian senator said Stewart's name-calling exposes him as a "left-winger" before accusing the 9/11 victims' advocate of being "part of the left-wing mob that is not using his brain.""It's really disgusting," he continued. "He pretended for years when he was on his comedy show to be somebody that could see both sides and see through the B.S., now he is the B.S. The B.S. meter is through the roof when you see him calling people names and calling people an abomination when I'm asking for something reasonable."Cavuto would go on to press Paul about his support for Trump's massive tax cut, asking him if it was OK to not pay for the tax breaks but not 9/11 funding. Paul brushed that off by noting he wanted a "paygo provision" added but his colleagues voted it out. He then went on to accuse Stewart of "telling a lie" about his support for deficits.Moments later, after saying he was one of the few people in Congress who cares about balancing the budget, Paul then demanded that he be celebrated for his principled stand."I'm trying to have a debate in our country about whether or not deficits matter and whether or not we should offset new spending," he exclaimed. "I think I should be commended and loudly cheered for being one of the few fiscally responsible people up here."Paul concluded: "And I think we ought to set the record straight. Because Jon Stewart can't just have a free pass to lie. He's a celebrity and thinks facts don't matter."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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| Texas teen arrested for spitting in tea bottle and putting it back, police say Posted: 18 Jul 2019 10:57 AM PDT ![Texas teen arrested for spitting in tea bottle and putting it back, police say]( "Texas teen arrested for spitting in tea bottle and putting it back, police say") Police arrested a 15-year-old boy for spitting in an Arizona Tea bottle and putting it back on the shelf at an Odessa Albertsons, according to CB7.
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| Gibraltar extends detention of Iranian tanker for a month Posted: 19 Jul 2019 03:23 AM PDT  Gibraltar was granted the power on Friday to detain Iran's Grace 1 oil tanker for another month, keeping the vessel at the center of a big-power quarrel between Iran and the United States and its allies. Gibraltar said the Iranian vessel, seized by marines in a daring landing in darkness off the coast of the British territory on July 4, was suspected of smuggling oil to Syria in breach of European Union sanctions. Iran has repeatedly called for the ship's release, denies the allegation that the tanker was taking oil to Syria in violation of sanctions and says Gibraltar and Britain seized the vessel on the orders of Washington.
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| China Is Drafting Urgent Plan to Resolve Hong Kong Chaos, SCMP Says Posted: 18 Jul 2019 01:37 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Chinese officials in charge of Hong Kong affairs are working on an urgent strategy to solve the city's political chaos and have ruled out the use of military force, the South China Morning Post reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the discussions.They will soon present top leaders in Beijing with both an immediate plan to handle the mass protests and a longer-term strategy that could result in China overhauling its management of the former British colony, the newspaper said, without elaborating on a date.Beijing maintains that the crisis is best left for Hong Kong authorities to resolve and doesn't want to get directly involved, according to the report. Beijing has expressed public support for Chief Executive Carrie Lam throughout weeks of unrest and political gridlock, saying this week that it "firmly supports" her leadership.On Thursday, China condemned a joint motion for a resolution in the European Parliament that called on EU member states and other nations to investigate export controls "to deny China, and in particular Hong Kong, access to technologies" that could be used to violate human rights."China strongly opposes this," spokesman Lu Kang said. "China does value its relations with Europe, but maintaining a healthy relationship requires joint efforts."Lam on Monday vowed she would remain in office, after a Financial Times report said she had offered to resign but that Beijing insisted she stay and clean up "the mess she created."The Chinese officials also see Hong Kong's police force as key to maintaining stability, the newspaper said. Officers' tactics have come under fire after they used rounds of tear gas, rubber bullets, batons and pepper spray in dispersing the protests. Demonstrators have demanded an independent investigation into what they deem a use of excessive force, while opposition lawmakers have called for the resignation of security chief John Lee.Earlier: Hong Kong Police Tactics Under Fire as Legislature ResumesMainland officials want to avoid bloodshed and ensure the financial hub remains largely stable, the newspaper reported, citing the people familiar. China's approach will be to "lure the snake from its hole," according to one adviser cited by the SCMP, taking a defensive position until the opposition reveals its strategy.They're also considering whether the current environment makes it too risky for President Xi Jinping to visit another former European colony, Macau, later this year for 20th anniversary celebrations of its return to Chinese rule, the paper reported.Crowds of Hong Kong protesters have turned out in unprecedented sizes every week since mid-June. In recent gatherings, their anger has focused on China. More protests are being planned in neighborhoods across the city by demonstrators vowing to spread the word until Lam responds to their demands, including the official withdrawal of legislation that would allow extraditions to the mainland and first sparked the rallies.There are indications that Xi and his top officials are preparing for their annual summer conclave in the seaside city of Beidaihe, which this year will bear even closer watching than usual as China faces growing risks at home and abroad, including Hong Kong's unrest and an ongoing trade war with the U.S.(Updates in fourth paragraph with China foreign ministry comments)\--With assistance from Dandan Li.To contact the reporters on this story: Karen Leigh in Hong Kong at kleigh4@bloomberg.net;Dominic Lau in Hong Kong at dlau92@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, James Mayger, Iain MarlowFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Closer to War: U.S. Troops Aboard Amphibious Assault Ship Force Down Iranian Drone Posted: 18 Jul 2019 01:42 PM PDT  U.S. troops aboard an amphibious assault ship on July 18, 2019 forced down an Iranian drone over the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. president Donald Trump announced.The downing comes just a few weeks after Iranian forces downed an American drone in the same area. The mutual shoot-downs could escalate the already tense situation in the Persian Gulf region.Trump said the unmanned aerial vehicle threatened USS Boxer.Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told The New York Times that Boxer was in international waters at the time of the incident. The drone "closed within a threatening range" before Boxer took action.U.S. Marines embarked on Boxer used radio-jamming gear to bring down the drone, CNN reporter Ryan Browne tweeted."The drone was immediately destroyed," Trump said.It's unclear what kind of drone the Marines forced down. Iran's aviation industry produces a wide range of inexpensive UAVs, including several variants of the Mohajer drone that first entered service in the late 1980s.Iranian forces in 2011 captured a secretive U.S. Air Force RQ-170 stealth spy drone. Tehran's engineers reverse-engineered the batwing RQ-170 and produced crude copies of their own.Tehran equipped the regime of Syrian president Bashar Al Assad with an array of UAVs.Iran around a decade ago began arming some of its drone types with missiles and bombs. Iran Aviation Industries Organization in 2014 revealed a Mohajer variant that Iranian media claimed could shoot down other aircraft.
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| Rep. Omar: Nothing President Trump says should be taken to heart Posted: 17 Jul 2019 09:59 PM PDT  After the president intensifies his attacks against progressive congresswomen, Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar says, 'This is our country and we are where we belong.'
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| Correction: Puerto Rico-Protests-Miranda story Posted: 19 Jul 2019 10:05 AM PDT  In a story July 17 about a New York City protest against Puerto Rico's governor, The Associated Press misidentified the status of Puerto Rico. NEW YORK (AP) — "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda has joined protests in New York demanding the resignation of Puerto Rico's governor. Miranda led about 200 people, many from Puerto Rico, at a rally in Manhattan's Union Square on Wednesday.
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| Scaramucci disinvited from Florida GOP fundraiser for bashing Trump's 'racially charged' attacks Posted: 18 Jul 2019 06:16 AM PDT  "He suggested the president's comments were racist and that he was becoming a racist. Our board was infuriated," the Republican Party chairman in Palm Beach County said.
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| Iran's Foreign Minister Zarif: We Can't "Discount" Possibility of War Posted: 18 Jul 2019 01:01 PM PDT  On Thursday, National Interest Editor Jacob Heilbrunn interviewed Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif in New York at the Ambassador's residence on the current state of U.S.-Iran relations. The transcript has been lightly edited for readability.Jacob Heilbrunn: With the American shooting down of an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz today, are we on a path of escalation?Mohammed Javad Zarif: I checked with Tehran, and we do not have any information about having lost a drone today. So, we don't know, as of now what has happened. We have the president saying that they shot a drone. We don't know whose drone it is, but we don't have that information. But we are certainly moving in the wrong direction. The fact that the United States has an increased presence in the Persian Gulf doesn't help security or stability in the area—it's a tiny body of water and you cannot have such congested traffic there without something happening.Heilbrunn: A lot of the tension is also focused on the tanker that went missing. Is Iran responsible for that?Zarif: All the information we have is that we confiscated a small tanker that was only carrying a million liters of smuggled oil products—not oil—and that happens quite often in the Persian Gulf because of heavily subsidized prices in Iran of oil products. There is a lot of smuggling from both sea and land borders and we interdict them on a regular basis. So if that is the tanker they're talking about, that is a smuggling tanker, not a shipping tanker.Heilbrunn: Another move that the Trump administration has announced is sending about five hundred more soldiers to Saudi Arabia. What is your response to that?
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| 41 Low-Carb Breakfasts You'll Actually Want To Eat Posted: 19 Jul 2019 12:20 PM PDT |
| Panic as strong quake shakes Athens Posted: 19 Jul 2019 08:10 AM PDT  A strong 5.1-magnitude earthquake jolted Athens on Friday, knocking out phone connections, damaging buildings and causing power outages, as panicked residents rushed into the streets. State TV ERT reported that at least two people were lightly hurt -- a pregnant tourist and a young boy -- and at least two abandoned buildings in the capital collapsed, while several more suffered damage. The epicentre of the shallow quake was northwest of Athens, close to where a 5.9-magnitude quake in September 1999 left 143 people dead in and around the capital.
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| Turkey considering ‘alternatives’ to US fighter jet amid Russian offer Posted: 18 Jul 2019 06:25 AM PDT  A defiant Turkey said it was considering "alternatives" to US fighter jets, including Russian models or making its own, a day after Washington suspended it from a programme to build and deploy advanced warplanes.The US punished Turkey for its purchase of a Russian air defence system by pushing it out of a long-term programme to upgrade Nato forces with F-35 advanced fighter jets. The Kremlin quickly attempted to exploit the disagreement, which has already drawn Ankara closer to Moscow, offering to sell Turkey Russian fighter planes.Ismail Demir, head of Turkey's defence industries, responded that "all kinds of options are on the table," according to the official Anadolu news agency."Turkey will continue to evaluate alternatives," he said.The months-long dispute had pushed already strained relations between Turkey and the US to a new low. Analysts say Washington sought to avoid having to make a decision on the matter. But after the delivery of parts for the Russian S-400 missile system began late last week, the White House was forced to act. It announced late on Wednesday that it was ending Turkey's involvement in the programme to build F-35s, citing security concerns. "Turkey's decision to buy the Russian S-400 air defence systems renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible," said a White House statement. "The F-35 cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence collection platform that will be used to learn about its advanced capabilities." The US is expected to punish Turkey with sanctions for doing business with a Russian arms industry blacklisted since the invasion and annexation of parts of Ukraine. Ankara and Washington are at odds over a number of issues, including US support for the separatist-minded Kurds in Syria. "This is another step in the unfolding disaster that is Turkish-US relations," said Nicholas Danforth, a Turkey specialist at the German Marshall Fund think tank. Turkey's foreign ministry has described the removal as "unfair", but many of the country's officials were holding out hope the damage could be mitigated. Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Donald Trump share a warm rapport, and many were holding out hope that the White House would defer or suspend any moves that would severely damage Turkey's fragile economy. "If you believe what Erdogan said, Trump [told him] there won't be sanctions," said Mr Danforth. "If you don't believe that, they're coming soon."But uncertainty remains, and many analysts were warning that powerful lobbies in Washington, already hostile to Turkey, would push for harsher penalties. "This is indeed uncharted terrain," said Selim Sazak, a Turkey specialist at Brown University. "It is a game of chicken that went terribly wrong. Neither Ankara nor Washington thought that the other could go as far as it did."Still, few other Nato members appeared as eager as the US to punish Nato. The organisation's secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, speaking at the Aspen Security Forum, called Turkey an important Nato member. "As long as that issue's not solved, we need to minimise the negative consequences," he was quoted as saying.Turkey sought to purchase the S-400s after several western countries pulled their Patriot air defence batteries from the country's southeast in 2015 over a political dispute. Mr Erdogan has insisted the US would not give it favourable terms for the purchase of its own Patriots, and so turned to Moscow, which it was negotiating with over Syria in the absence of robust US involvement. Other Nato countries have purchased Russian weapons in the past, but Pentagon officials have argued that over time, the advanced S-400 could be used to track and monitor the F-35 and undermine its stealth capabilities to the advantage of the Russians."Ankara backed itself into a wall over Syria, where its subsequent actions forced it into engaging with Russia, and mobilised its own public in a way that made backing out impossibly costly," said Mr Sazak. "Ankara also overestimated the extent to which it could play Trump."
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| ‘I am disgusted’: New Yorkers react to Trump telling congresswomen to ‘go back’ to their countries Posted: 18 Jul 2019 01:14 PM PDT  New Yorkers, like much of the country, have some strong opinions about the latest controversy engulfing President Trump. "I am disgusted at the Republicans," said Randi, of Manhattan. "I can't believe no one stands up to him. I thought of myself as independent, and I'm forced into being a Democrat."
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| 'Uncomfortable:' Reaction to Greenville Trump rally pours in from across NC Posted: 18 Jul 2019 04:09 PM PDT  Chants of 'send her back' aimed at controversial Congresswoman Ilhan Omar reverberated across the political sphere.
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| 40 Halloween Snacks That Will Make You Forget Adults Don't Trick-or-Treat Posted: 18 Jul 2019 03:02 PM PDT |
| Cuba says fuel shortage, blackouts are temporary, being fixed Posted: 19 Jul 2019 02:59 PM PDT  Cuban authorities sought to reassure jittery citizens this week that recent power outages and a fuel shortage were due to temporary problems that were being fixed rather than a broader decline in the economy under heavier U.S. sanctions. The Communist-run island is battling a cash crunch brought on by a decline in aid from leftist ally Venezuela and lower exports, as well as a tightening of the decades-old U.S. trade embargo, including attempts to block Venezuelan oil shipments. "This is the third gas station we've visited," Rodolfo Romero said.
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| ‘LGBT-Free Zone’ Push in Poland Draws Fire From U.S. Ambassador Posted: 19 Jul 2019 02:56 AM PDT !['LGBT-Free Zone' Push in Poland Draws Fire From U.S. Ambassador]( "'LGBT-Free Zone' Push in Poland Draws Fire From U.S. Ambassador") (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. ambassador to Poland joined a litany of criticism against "hatred and intolerance" by supporters of the conservative government over a magazine's plan to distribute "LGBT-free zone" stickers.The question over gay rights is becoming a polarizing issue before fall general elections, underscoring a departure by the ruling Law & Justice Party from the European Union's liberal, multicultural mainstream. Party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski has warned that the advancement of gay rights is a "grave danger" for Poland's families and the future of the bloc.His supporters have embraced that message, with about 30 cities, mostly in the former communist country's poorer eastern regions, adopting declarations saying they're "free from LGBT ideology" and opposing "social engineering that's foreign to Polish culture and natural order." The pro-government Gazeta Polska weekly is now planning to distribute the stickers to its readers."I'm concerned and disappointed that some groups use stickers to promote hatred and intolerance," U.S. Ambassador in Poland Georgette Mosbacher said in a Twitter post Friday."I'm not sure this is a matter U.S. ambassador should raise, but I wouldn't put this sticker on my door," Cabinet spokesman Piotr Muller told Polsat News television.A day earlier, Warsaw Deputy Mayor Pawel Rabiej notified prosecutors that the magazine was propagating discriminatory behavior similar to that used by German Fascists, whose World War II invasion of Poland killed millions."This is very dangerous," Rabiej said by phone. "Before the Holocaust and the genocide of the Jews, in the 1930s, sexual minorities were persecuted, which not everyone remembers, and calling to create zones free of any group brings us directly back to those times."Rabiej, one of staunchly Catholic Poland's few openly gay politicians, backed giving adoption rights to same-sex couples earlier this year. Kaczynski responded by saying gay people weren't fighting for tolerance but seeking to change the Polish way of life."Hands off our children," Kaczynski told a party's convention in March. His prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, had repeatedly said that his goal is to "re-Christianize Europe."Rights activists also slammed Law & Justice in May after authorities detained a woman who allegedly had images of an icon of the Virgin Mary with a rainbow-colored halo resembling the symbol of the LGBT community.To contact the reporter on this story: Marek Strzelecki in Warsaw at mstrzelecki1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrea Dudik at adudik@bloomberg.net, Michael WinfreyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Great Barrier Reef agency breaks with Australia gvt in climate warning Posted: 18 Jul 2019 07:12 PM PDT  The agency that manages the Great Barrier Reef broke ranks with Australia's conservative government to call for the "strongest and fastest possible action" against climate change to save the world heritage marine wonder. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, a government body, said in a study released this week that an urgent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, both nationally and globally, was needed to protect the future of the reef. Rising sea temperatures linked to climate change have killed off large areas of coral in the 2,300-kilometre (1,400-mile) reef, a UN-listed World Heritage site, that suffered back-to-back coral bleaching in 2016 and 2017.
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