| Here's what the Trump impeachment inquiry has turned up and how Republicans are opposing it Posted: 23 Oct 2019 03:33 PM PDT  Democrats say Donald Trump abused his power as president, but Republicans are protesting how the impeachment inquiry is being conducted.
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| Ginsburg to receive $1 million Berggruen Prize Posted: 23 Oct 2019 07:07 AM PDT  Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the winner of this year's $1 million Berggruen Prize for philosophy and culture. The award announced Wednesday by the Los Angeles-based Berggruen Institute honors Ginsburg for her pioneering legal work for gender equality and her support for the rule of law. The institute says Ginsburg will direct the money to charity.
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| Iranian beauty queen pleads for asylum in the Philippines Posted: 22 Oct 2019 08:11 AM PDT  An Iranian beauty queen is seeking asylum in the Philippines, fearing for her life after Tehran demanded her extradition for a crime she claims she did not commit. Bahareh Zare Bahari, who represented Iran at the 2018 Miss Intercontinental pageant in Manila, and who has studied dental medicine in the Philippines since 2014, has been held for six days at the country's Ninoy Aquino airport after Iran slapped an Interpol Red Notice on her for alleged assault. In a series of messages, the distraught Ms Bahari told the Telegraph that the case was a "big lie," adding that she believed she was being targeted for her political activism and outspoken support of women's rights. If she was deported to Iran, "they will kill me," she said. Markk Perete, undersecretary at the Philippine department of justice, said that "the only reason she was held at the airport - and we really don't call it detention - it is really restraining her from entering the Philippine territory, is only because of that Red Notice issued against her." He added that the request had been made "presumably on account of a pending criminal case against her in Iran, and this case was filed by an Iranian national against her in relation to an assault that happened presumably here in the Philippines." Bahareh Zare Bahari, who is studying dental medicine, is an outspoken advocate for women's rights Credit: Facebook However, Mr Perete said that the Philippines was unaware of this allegation, and that an earlier accusation of commercial fraud against her had been dismissed. There were no criminal cases pending against Ms Bahari, he confirmed. "We don't have any cause for refusing her entry for violation of our laws." Ms Bahari's asylum plea is now being considered by the justice department, with the help of a lawyer. Meanwhile, the dental student is confined to Terminal 3's transit area awaiting her fate. "There is no updating, no information about the reason why [they] keep me here so long," she said. She believes her political statement at the pageant - waving a poster of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled former crown prince, and one of the foremost critics of Iran's Islamic government - made her enemies in Tehran. Mr Pahlavi's name has been invoked by some Iranian groups who have called for a return of the monarchy to deal with corruption and poor economic conditions. "I used his photo on stage to be [the] voice of my people because all news and media are ignoring my people," she said. Human Rights Watch on Tuesday called for "a fair and impartial hearing of her claim" in Manila. "It's absolutely critical the Philippines provides Bahareh Zare Bahari with support, including access to legal counsel, to compile and file her asylum application," said Phil Robertson, HRW deputy Asia director. "While waiting for the details to become clear, there should be no action under Iran's Interpol red notice, especially since under Interpol rules a red notice is null and void if the person named in the notice is found to be a refugee fleeing from the state that issued it."
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| See Photos of the New Honda Fit Posted: 22 Oct 2019 06:04 PM PDT |
| Mexico Misleads on Failed Arrest of ‘Chapo’ Son: Ex-DEA Official Posted: 23 Oct 2019 09:52 AM PDT ![Mexico Misleads on Failed Arrest of 'Chapo' Son: Ex-DEA Official]( "Mexico Misleads on Failed Arrest of 'Chapo' Son: Ex-DEA Official") (Bloomberg) -- Mexico's government isn't being truthful about the botched attempt to capture the son of the world's most notorious drug trafficker, according to a former head of international operations for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.The administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador hasn't revealed that while trying to bring Ovidio Guzman Lopez into custody, security forces had caught another son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Mike Vigil, the former DEA official, said in an interview.Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar had also been detained and let go when gunmen overpowered police, Vigil said, citing unverified intelligence he received from top Mexico police sources. The New York Times had originally reported that Ivan Archivaldo had also been captured and released, citing people who asked not to be identified."There are so many factors that point to the fact that he was there and they also released him," said Vigil. "But they'll never admit to it because they've been lying from the get go." Vigil wouldn't disclose the sources behind his assertions, which couldn't be independently corroborated. He added that authorities have been misleading the public by playing down the amount of planning that went into the operation.Lopez Obrador said at his daily news conference Wednesday that he had no information on whether Ivan Archivaldo had been captured and released. AMLO's press office strongly rejected Vigil's assertion that it misled the public on the botched arrest. "There's been an unusual amount of transparency, not only for Mexico but by international standards. The entire security cabinet was explaining every detail," said Jesus Cantu, the information chief of the president's press office. "The president himself said he'd testify before the authorities if they considered he'd done something illegal."How AMLO's Plans to Transform Mexico Ran Into Reality: QuickTakeLopez Obrador, known as AMLO, has been struggling to convince the public that his government took the right step by releasing Guzman Lopez after gunmen began attacking civilians in efforts to free him in the northern city of Culiacan, Sinaloa. Guzman Lopez is said to have taken over some of the criminal activities after his father was sentenced to life in a U.S. prison.Initially, Mexico's security chief, Alfonso Durazo, had said the troops had stumbled on Guzman Lopez by accident. Afterward, government officials said it was part of a planned operation. More recently, officials signaled that the arrest was approved by low-level law enforcement officials and cabinet ministers may not have been aware.While the president and Durazo have spoken of "errors" regarding the operation, they've been distancing themselves from it. AMLO, as the president is known, said Tuesday that he wasn't informed about the operation to capture Guzman Lopez.He also confirmed that there was an extradition order for the alleged trafficker and raised questions about whether the minister of defense had even been informed about the operation. "I think the Defense Ministry had knowledge of it, the minister? I don't know. I think so."Jesus Ramirez, the president's spokesman and like Cantu is also from AMLO's press office, told Bloomberg News on Monday that Mexico attempted to detain Guzman Lopez upon request by the DEA for extradition. The DEA declined to comment and the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City directed inquiries to the White House press office, which hasn't responded to a request for comment.Vigil questioned why the authorities would target Guzman Lopez for extradition, when Chapo's other sons are far more active in the Sinaloa Cartel once run by their father. "Jesus Alfredo and Ivan Archivaldo are much more important than Ovidio," he said. "Mexico from the very beginning began distorting the truth in order to buy time so they could come up with a plausible deniability story."(Updates with AMLO's comment in fifth paragraph)To contact the reporter on this story: Nacha Cattan in Mexico City at ncattan@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Juan Pablo Spinetto at jspinetto@bloomberg.net, Robert JamesonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Netanyahu rival Gantz accepts mandate to try to form Israeli government Posted: 23 Oct 2019 10:10 AM PDT  Former military chief Benny Gantz received an official mandate on Wednesday to try to form Israel's next government, but with no easy path to ending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long hold on power. After inconclusive elections in April and September, Gantz's nomination marked the first time since 2008 that someone other than Netanyahu, 70, has been asked by Israel's president to build a ruling coalition. Head of the centrist Blue and White party, Gantz will have 28 days to complete the task assigned by President Reuven Rivlin in a televised ceremony.
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| Tasmanian Tigers Are Extinct, So Why Are Locals Reporting Sightings? Posted: 23 Oct 2019 08:23 AM PDT  These sightings, if true, would reverse the belief that the carnivore has gone extinct.
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| Former Acting Attorney General: ‘Abuse of Power Is Not a Crime’ Posted: 23 Oct 2019 01:30 AM PDT  Following Tuesday's devastating House testimony by acting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor about President Trump allegedly coercing the Ukrainian president to do his political bidding, former acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker defended the president by claiming "abuse of power is not a crime."With House Democrats reportedly looking to focus their impeachment inquiry on a basic "abuse of power" narrative going forward, Fox News' Laura Ingraham brought Whitaker on her primetime show Tuesday night to provide a counter-argument.Predicting Republican "payback" in the future if Democrats are successful in impeaching and removing the president, Whitaker went on to complain about the "secret testimony" in the House hearings before claiming that it is too close to the 2020 election for impeachment."It's corrosive and yet those that are perpetrating it cast themselves as the white knights," Ingraham replied, seemingly referring to Taylor, among others. "They are saving the republic from the man whose policies they disagree with so vehemently."Whitaker, meanwhile, blasted the "global elitists and careerists" who are upset with Trump for "upsetting the apple cart" of the "world establishment," claiming Trump is "being punished for this." He then called on Democrats to hold public hearings to make their case for impeachment."I'm a former prosecutor and what I know is this is a perfect time for preliminary hearings where you would say show us your evidence," Whitaker stated. "What evidence of a crime do you have? So the Constitution—abuse of power is not a crime.""Let's fundamentally boil it down," he added. "The Constitution is very clear that there has to be some pretty egregious behavior and they cannot tell the American people what this case is even about."The articles of impeachment against former President Bill Clinton specifically laid out gross abuse of presidential power charges. Richard Nixon was also looking at three articles of impeachment—one of which was for abuse of power—before he resigned as president.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get 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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| Lawsuit: ICE agent threatened immigrant, raped her for years Posted: 22 Oct 2019 03:29 PM PDT ![Lawsuit: ICE agent threatened immigrant, raped her for years]( "Lawsuit: ICE agent threatened immigrant, raped her for years") An immigration agent threatened a Honduran woman living in Connecticut with deportation if she didn't have sex with him, then raped her as often as four times a week for seven years, impregnating her three times, the woman says in a federal lawsuit. The woman, identified in the lawsuit only as Jane Doe, sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and former ICE agent Wilfredo Rodriguez on Saturday. An ICE spokesman said he couldn't comment on litigation but confirmed Rodriguez no longer works for the agency.
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| Former ICE Head Slams L.A. Police for Releasing Illegal Immigrants Posted: 23 Oct 2019 12:16 PM PDT  The former head of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency Tom Homan slammed the Los Angeles police department on Tuesday after an ICE spokesman testified to Congress that L.A. police were releasing as many as 100 illegal immigrants from custody per day.The L.A. police chief "has taken a political stance," Homan asserted during an interview on Fox and Friends. "He forgot the oath he's taken; he stopped being a cop and became a politician."During a Monday Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on "sanctuary jurisdictions," ICE official Timothy Robbins stated that the L.A. police department was releasing captured illegal immigrants at a high rate, up to 100 per day, in accordance with a policy implemented by chief Michel Moore."Cooperation between ICE and state and local law enforcement agencies is critical to the agency's efforts to identify and arrest removable aliens, and to protect the nation's security," Robbins said. "Unfortunately, we are seeing more jurisdictions that refuse to work with our officers, or directly impede our public safety efforts.""Are you saying that local law enforcement, if they knew they had a violent offender in custody, that they would release those persons?" asked Senator Mazie Hirono (D., Hawaii) during the hearing."Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," Robbins responded.A 2017 California law signed by former governor Jerry Brown greatly restricts the ability of local law enforcement agencies to work with the ICE to capture illegal immigrants. The legislation in effect turns California into a "sanctuary state."However, Homan said during the Tuesday interview that California police generally opposed the legislation.California is home to roughly 2.5 million illegal immigrants comprising about one tenth of the state's workforce, according to the Public Policy Institute of California, a non-profit think tank.
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| Iraqi Kurds turn to Zoroastrianism as faith, identity entwine Posted: 22 Oct 2019 06:52 PM PDT  Zoroastrianism. Years of violence by the Islamic State jihadist group have left many disillusioned with Islam, while a much longer history of state oppression has pushed some in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region to see the millennia-old religion as a way of reasserting their identity. "After Kurds witnessed the brutality of IS, many started to rethink their faith," said Asrawan Qadrok, the faith's top priest in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region.
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| Phoenix police officer involved in viral video stop of couple fired Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:00 AM PDT  Phoenix Chief Jeri Williams announced that the officer involved in a viral video stop of Dravon Ames and Iesha Harper has been fired.
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| South African Airways Recalls Planes for Compliance Checks Posted: 22 Oct 2019 10:47 AM PDT ![South African Airways Recalls Planes for Compliance Checks]( "South African Airways Recalls Planes for Compliance Checks") (Bloomberg) -- Four airlines operating in South Africa were forced to delay flights and ground some planes after a local regulator ordered checks following inspections of a technical and maintenance provider.State-owned South African Airways and its low-cost unit Mango were affected, as was Comair Ltd., which operates Kulula and British Airways domestically, according to statements on Tuesday. Both Airbus SE and Boeing Co. jets were involved in the disruption, according to flight-tracking websites.South African Airways said it will operate an amended flight schedule Tuesday for compliance checks in line with Civil Aviation Authority requirements. The decision followed an oversight inspection conducted by the regulator at South African Airways Technical, which oversees the maintenance for a number of carriers including SAA and Comair."SAA Technical has since submitted a corrective action plan aimed at addressing the irregularities," the transport ministry said in a statement. The move bythe CAA was an act of precaution, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula told reporters, declining to be more specific. 'Airworthiness'"We can confirm that four of the affected aircraft have been released back into service and we are expecting the full fleet to be back in operation by tomorrow morning," Comair said in a statement.Kutlwano Mtyeku, a spokesman for Airports Company South Africa, wasn't immediately able to comment."The delays and cancellations experienced this morning were precautionary measures taken by the affected airlines in order to ensure that no aircraft takes to the skies without absolute certainty as to its airworthiness," the transport ministry said. (Updates with transport ministry comment in fourth paragraph)\--With assistance from Renee Bonorchis and Felix Njini.To contact the reporters on this story: Jacqueline Mackenzie in Johannesburg at jmackenzie9@bloomberg.net;Paul Vecchiatto in Cape Town at pvecchiatto@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Amogelang Mbatha at ambatha@bloomberg.net, John BowkerFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UPDATE 1-Kremlin says U.S. betrayed Kurds in Syria, tells Kurds to withdraw or be mauled Posted: 23 Oct 2019 12:19 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Kremlin says U.S. betrayed Kurds in Syria, tells Kurds to withdraw or be mauled]( "UPDATE 1-Kremlin says U.S. betrayed Kurds in Syria, tells Kurds to withdraw or be mauled") The Kremlin said on Wednesday that the United States had betrayed and abandoned the Syrian Kurds and advised the Kurds to withdraw from the Syrian border as per a deal between Moscow and Ankara or be mauled by the Turkish army. The comments by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov to Russian news agencies followed a deal agreed on Tuesday between Russia and Turkey that will see Syrian and Russian forces deploy to northeast Syria to remove Kurdish YPG fighters and their weapons from the border with Turkey. Peskov, who was reported to be reacting to comments by U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Syria James Jeffrey, complained that it appeared that the United States was encouraging the Kurds to stay close to the Syrian border and fight the Turkish army.
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| Bernie Weighed in on the 'Outrageous' Hillary-Tulsi Spat. You Won't Believe Which Side He Took. Posted: 22 Oct 2019 09:04 AM PDT  "She's the favorite of the Russians," Clinton had said.
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| The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs acidified the ocean in a 'flash,' killing most marine life. The seas could see a similar problem a century from now. Posted: 22 Oct 2019 11:39 AM PDT  A new study found that the asteroid impact that led the dinosaurs to go extinct also caused rapid ocean acidification, which killed most sea life.
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| A vegan said he felt 'betrayed' and got sick after Domino's mistakenly served him pizza with real ham Posted: 22 Oct 2019 09:23 AM PDT  Accidentally eating meat can be upsetting, but in most cases it won't cause any physical harm, a nutritionist told Insider.
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| Trump lynching claim renews pain for kin of actual victims Posted: 23 Oct 2019 08:12 AM PDT  Willie Edwards Jr., a black truck driver, was killed by Ku Klux Klansmen who forced him to jump off a bridge in Alabama in 1957. Two years earlier, white men had bludgeoned black teenager Emmett Till to death in Mississippi. Both people died in racist lynchings, and relatives of each were aghast Tuesday after President Donald Trump compared his own possible impeachment to lynching — racist killings, often for the purpose of inciting terror, that took an estimated 4,400 black lives over roughly seven decades in 20 states, mostly in the South.
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| Unrest in Catalonia fuels China's accusations of Western 'hypocrisy' Posted: 23 Oct 2019 12:49 AM PDT  China is seizing on violent protests in Europe and South America to bolster its condemnation of pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong and defend its handling of the unrest. Recent clashes in Chile and Spain's Catalonia region have added fuel to China's claims that Western governments and media have hypocritically supported Hong Kong's protests even while condemning violence at home. Chinese state media and officials have been weighing in on the unrest abroad in recent days.
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| View Photos of the Mazda MX-30 Posted: 22 Oct 2019 08:08 PM PDT |
| U.S. Security Bloc to Keep China in ‘Proper Place,’ Pompeo Says Posted: 23 Oct 2019 01:24 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has said efforts to revive the Indo-Pacific security grouping known as the Quad will help the Washington contain China's rise."We've reconvened 'the Quad' -- the security talks between Japan, Australia, India and the United States that had been dormant for nine years," Pompeo said in a speech to the conservative Heritage Foundation research group on Tuesday. "This will prove very important in the efforts ahead, ensuring that China retains only its proper place in the world."His remarks came in a speech where he also said U.S. President Donald Trump "has changed the global conversation on China" and that Beijing "is a strategic competitor at best that uses coercion and corruption as its tools of statecraft."The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue involving four democracies is seen as a counter to China's growing influence in Asia as it spends billions on infrastructure, builds artificial structures in the South China Sea and expands its military power. However, some of the group's members -- particularly India -- have occasionally tried to downplay the significance of the group to avoid angering Beijing or alienating countries in Southeast Asia.Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has mocked the idea of a unified Indo-Pacific strategy as a "headline-grabbing idea" that will dissipate "like the sea foam in the Pacific or Indian Ocean.""The four countries' official position is that it targets no one," Wang said in March. "I hope they mean what they say and their action will match their rhetoric. Nowadays, stoking a new Cold War is out of sync with the times and inciting bloc confrontation will find no market."In late September, the talks were upgraded from officials to the ministerial level, with Pompeo meeting the four foreign ministers of the Quad nations, including Australia's Marise Payne, Japan's Toshimitsu Motegi and India's Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.To contact the reporter on this story: Iain Marlow in Hong Kong at imarlow1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Daniel Ten Kate, Chris KayFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Making do with less: Mexican media bruised by president's austerity Posted: 23 Oct 2019 01:02 AM PDT  Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took office in December promising to reduce public spending to free up more resources for the poor. Between January and August, Lopez Obrador's government spent 88 million pesos ($4.6 million) on advertising, just 3.6% of the sum spent in the same months of 2018 by his predecessor Enrique Pena Nieto, Public Administration Ministry (SFP) data show. The reduction in government publicity, which had accounted for 10% or more of advertising revenue for many outlets, has sparked layoffs and the suspension of projects in an industry still suffering disruption from the shift to the internet.
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| Can Israel Fend off an Iranian Missile or Drone Attack? Posted: 22 Oct 2019 08:00 PM PDT  How good are their defenses?
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| Women to be banned from seeking abortions in South Carolina even in cases of rape or incest Posted: 23 Oct 2019 01:51 PM PDT  Republicans in South Carolina have voted to proceed on a measure that would strip abortion exemptions in cases of rape or incest, and criminalise the procedure almost entirely as soon as a foetal heartbeat is detected.The proposed bill is the latest attack on abortion rights throughout the United States, in an effort by conservatives keen on bringing the issue before the Supreme Court. There, they hope, they may finally be able to make good on a long held dream of repealing some or all of the landmark Roe v Wade decision largely legalising abortion in the country.
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| 'Johnny Reb' no longer welcome in Norfolk: Virginia city gets OK to move Confederate statue Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:56 AM PDT  Virginia's attorney general says the city of Norfolk can move its "Johnny Reb" Confederate statue from a busy downtown intersection to a cemetery
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| As teachers strike, Chicago mayor touts $838M deficit fix Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:54 AM PDT  Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who's still trying to settle a nearly week-old teacher's strike, proposed a combination of debt refinancing, tax and fee hikes and assistance from the state Legislature on Wednesday to close a massive $838 million budget deficit.
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| Indicted Giuliani Henchman Lev Parnas Raises Executive Privilege in Federal Court Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:09 AM PDT  REUTERSLev Parnas, a Soviet-born business associate with ties to Rudy Giuliani, President Trump's personal lawyer, raised the issue of executive privilege during a court proceeding Wednesday, arguing it could apply to some of the evidence gathered in his campaign-finance case in New York.The issue was raised during an arraignment for Parnas and Igor Furman, who pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges in a four-count indictment that accused them of funneling money through straw donors into U.S. elections in an effort to gain influence. Prosecutors also allege the pair petitioned U.S. politicians, including a congressman, to have the ambassador to Ukraine removed from her post. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebekah Donaleski, offered a glimpse into the "voluminous" evidence that prosecutors have recovered so far on the two men who have become figures in the Trump impeachment proceedings, through "dozens of search warrants," property searches, and subpoenas. The information includes emails and social media accounts and financial records from more than 50 bank accounts.Rudy Giuliani's Ukraine Henchmen Arrested Over Trump Group DonationDuring the hearing, Parnas' attorney, Edward MacMahon, told the judge that his client was told to invoke executive privilege in a letter that was submitted on Parnas' behalf by John Dowd, a former lawyer for the president, to a congressional committee conducting the impeachment inquiry.Asked by Judge Paul Oetken if Parnas has worked for the president, MacMahon said no, but that "he worked for Mr. Giuliani." MacMahon said that his concern stems from Parnas having used Giuliani as his lawyer for both personal and business dealings and that Giuliani also works for the Trump."There are issues that we need to be very sensitive to," MacMahon said, not going into detail what those issues are. He continued, adding that he doesn't "know who is looking at all this evidence. If information gets out that we determine it is all privileged, we've got a problem," MacMahon said in court."I can't invoke [executive privilege], only the President of the United States and the government can," MacMahon said, telling the judge that he doesn't know how to proceed if the issue arises. "I just wanted to raise the issue with you."Prosecutors, seemingly shocked by the executive privilege claim, told the judge that while "this is the first time that we've heard of this...we're happy to have a conversation." Donaleski, added that the government has already set up a "filter team" a separate team of prosecutors within their investigation, who ensure that possibly sensitive information does not get exposed. The judge instructed the two sides to discuss the issues over the coming weeks. Parnas and Fruman are scheduled to return to court on Dec. 2. Flanked by his wife and attorneys, Parnas spoke briefly to the scrum of reporters outside the courthouse saying that he is looking forward to defending himself "vigorously in court." "Many false things have been said about me and my family in the press and media recently," he said, before adding that he is "certain that in time the truth will be revealed, and I will be vindicated. In the end, I put my faith in God. Thank you."His defense attorney, Joseph Bondy, reiterated the sentiment, saying that his team "looks forward to defending Mr. Parnas in the court based upon the evidence and not a smear campaign that's been driven by self-serving and misleading leaks apparently from the highest levels of our government."Prosecutors are also looking into Giuliani's business dealings as part of their investigation, sources have told The Daily Beast and other news organizations.Parnas and Fruman were arrested two weeks ago at Washington's Dulles airport as they were preparing to board a flight to Frankfurt, Germany, holding one-way tickets. When prosecutors learned that the two were leaving the country, they moved quickly to secure the indictments, which were issued a day before the two were apprehended.The two have both been released on $1 million bail and are relegated to house arrest while they await trial. Their movements have been restricted to New York, where the trial is scheduled to take place and the Miami area where they both live.The case is the first criminal prosecution related to an apparent Trumpworld pressure campaign to coerce Ukrainian officials into digging up dirt on Trump's political opponents for the 2020 re-election campaign, particularly former Vice President Joe Biden, an effort which is at the center of an impeachment inquiry underway by the U.S. House of Representatives.Parnas and Fruman are charged in four-count indictment with making illegal straw donations, including a $325,000 contribution to the group America First Action, which was first reported by The Daily Beast.That donation actually came from an entirely different, undisclosed company owned by Parnas. It is illegal to donate to federal political candidates in the name of another person or entity.During an arraignment for David Correia and Andrey Kukushkin, two businessmen charged with conspiring with Parnas and Fruman to use straw donors to make illegal campaign contributions, prosecutors offered a broad brushstroke of "fairly voluminous" amounts of evidence they have gathered in the case from 10 search warrants and more than 50 bank accounts.Parnas and Fruman are accused in the indictment in a separate scheme of helping Giuliani to dig up dirt on the president's political opponents in Ukraine.Prosecutors say that scheme involved having the former ambassador to Ukraine recalled. Giuliani believed the ambassador, Marie Yovanovitch, was standing in the way of investigations he and Trump wanted to see launched into Joe and Hunter Biden's work in the country.The campaign-finance allegations against Parnas and Fruman are inextricably linked with that effort. Prosecutors say their extensive political contributions, beginning in early 2018, were designed to curry favor with American policymakers in an effort to advance Parnas' and Fruman's political and business endeavors.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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| North Mexico city of Culiacan cleans up after cartel fight Posted: 22 Oct 2019 03:08 PM PDT  CULIACÁN, Mexico (AP) — Residents of the northern Mexico city of Culiacan tried to get back to their routines Tuesday, five days after gunmen from the Sinaloa drug cartel sowed terror across the city. Hundreds of cartel gunmen took to the streets with heavy weaponry Thursday to open fire on soldiers and police, seeking to force the release of a drug lord held by a military patrol. It now patrols the city streets in trucks and armored vehicles.
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| Rats and Mold in Kushner-Managed Apartments, Maryland Claims Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:10 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- An apartment management firm run by Jared Kushner's family was sued by Maryland's attorney general, who claims the company engaged in numerous "illegal and harmful" practices.Westminster Management lied about the quality of rental units and the level of maintenance the company would provide, routinely failing to address hazardous conditions in the properties, including infestations by rodents and other vermin, water leaks and mold growth, Attorney General Brian Frosh said in a statement."We're charging that Westminster and the rental property owners in this case took advantage of consumers, primarily low- and middle-income families, collecting fees and other unlawful costs from them and often failing to make the repairs needed to maintain suitable environments for their tenants," Frosh said.Westminster Management is a unit of Kushner Cos., a family-run, New York-based business that owns, manages and develops properties and was built on working-class apartment complexes in New Jersey and Maryland. Some of the properties in the suit are owned by other companies but managed by Westminster.Kushner Cos. was run by Jared Kushner before he joined the administration of President Donald Trump, his father-in-law. Charles Kushner, Jared Kushner's father, has said his family firm has been unfairly targeted since his son became a key adviser to the president. In July, Trump attacked the Baltimore district of Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings, describing it as a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess." Cummings died last week.The suit, an administrative proceeding by the attorney general's Consumer Protection Unit, comes about a month after Laurent Morali, president of Kushner Cos., said Westminster had rejected an offer from Frosh to settle a long-running probe into how its tenants were treated, according to the Associated Press."We refuse to be extorted by an ambitious attorney general who clearly cares more about scoring political points than fighting real crime and improving the lives of the people of Maryland," Morali said. "We look forward to defending ourselves against these bogus allegations."A statement of charges in the suit describes "rodents living and dying in walls and kitchen appliances" and cockroaches that have "crawled into consumers' food." Various plumbing problems cause "water-logged carpeting; holes in walls and ceilings; sagging, buckling and collapsing ceilings; and the stench of mildew and sewage," according to the filing.Kushner Cos. has also battled Steven Fulop, the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, where the company wants to build a mixed-use tower. Fulop "has expressly acknowledged to several people on the phone and in meetings that Kushner Companies is being unfairly and blatantly discriminated against by Jersey City simply because its former CEO works in the Trump administration," a spokeswoman told Bloomberg last year.In New York, the company was targeted last year for failing to disclose rent-regulated tenants when applying for construction permits in Queens. The disclosure is required to protect such tenants from being forced out of their homes. In a statement at the time, the company said the filings were prepared by a third party.(Updates with details of allegations and with Kushner Cos.' view that it has been unfairly targeted)\--With assistance from Andrew Harris.To contact the reporters on this story: Chris Dolmetsch in Federal Court in Manhattan at cdolmetsch@bloomberg.net;Caleb Melby in New York at cmelby@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net, Peter JeffreyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UPDATE 4-Protests spread after stand-off at Ethiopian activist's home Posted: 23 Oct 2019 05:04 AM PDT ![UPDATE 4-Protests spread after stand-off at Ethiopian activist's home]( "UPDATE 4-Protests spread after stand-off at Ethiopian activist's home") Police fired gunshots and teargas as thousands protested in Ethiopia on Wednesday over the treatment of a prominent activist, residents said, in a sign that the country's Nobel Prize-winning prime minister might be losing support among his powerbase. More than a thousand supporters gathered in Addis Ababa outside the house of Jawar Mohammed, a media entrepreneur who organised protests that brought Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to power last year, after police surrounded the building.
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| Why Russia's Nuclear-Powered "Skyfall" Missile Is Bad News Posted: 22 Oct 2019 04:45 AM PDT  Bad for the environment and global security.
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| Driver dies days after pickup collided with small plane Posted: 22 Oct 2019 08:39 PM PDT  Patrick J. Schounard died from injuries he suffered when a single-engine aircraft attempting to land collided with his pickup truck in Wisconsin.
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| America's consumer paradise means hell on Earth for Chinese Muslims Posted: 23 Oct 2019 02:55 AM PDT ![America's consumer paradise means hell on Earth for Chinese Muslims]( "America's consumer paradise means hell on Earth for Chinese Muslims") You're in your bed and you wake up with a black bag over your head. When you can see again you have no idea where you are: exposed concrete room, very cold. You're forced to perform manual labor, to attend talks on patriotism, to learn a new language, to sing inane songs. You are beaten -- for refusing to eat pork, for sending messages on a phone you don't have and wouldn't even know how to use, for refusing to confess to crimes you have not committed, for confessing to crimes you have not committed, for any offense at all or none. If you are under the age of 35, you are raped, often by more than one person at a time; if you are a woman and become pregnant you will be forced to have an abortion, perhaps more than once. Or you may have a contraceptive device inserted inside you against your will. No sleep, and you stink. Then there are the drugs that are supposed to protect you from the flu and AIDS; these weaken your cognitive faculties and lead to the end of menstruation and sterilization. If you are actually sick with a condition like diabetes you will receive no treatment. And it could be worse: You could be brought to the black room, where you will be be electrocuted and made to sit on a bed of nails and have your fingernails ripped out, even though the black room officially doesn't exist and talking about it is forbidden. All of this is carried out by a sinister body with administrative and military as well as economic authority over an entire region; it is known only as "The Corps."This is not a summary of a dystopian novel or a pitch for a new Hulu original series. It is a description of the conditions under which perhaps as many as a million Uighur Muslims live in China in 2019. China, in case you had forgotten, is the United States' largest trading partner, the country whose achievements in everything from infrastructure to STEM education we are supposed to be fawning over, the country our president is an idiot for wanting to tangle with, and prominent sports figures are officially not allowed to criticize. In the last six or so years they have created hell on Earth for the country's largest Turkic ethnic minority group in the ostensibly autonomous Xinjiang region.And no one particularly cares, least of all in the United States. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized China's treatment of the Uighurs earlier this month, but it was in the context of a ludicrous comparison with Iran and Pakistan. There was no indication during a Cabinet meeting on Monday that President Trump or anyone else involved in the ongoing trade talks intends to do anything about the issue, which was not mentioned either by the president or by Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary.I cannot believe I am typing this about a man who eight years ago said he would be walking on Mars by now, but Newt Gingrich is absolutely right. Our leaders are not prepared to deal with China. Not only do they lack the cunning and the willpower -- they lack the requisite bargaining tools. We are in too deep, and China knows it. Any concession we could possibly demand of them will require a corresponding one that we are unable to grant.Besides, it is not clear to me that a substantial number of Americans particularly wants to see our relations with China change. We are happy to buy cheap water bottles and Halloween decorations and licensed cartoon merchandise and mobile phones. We want our movies shown in Chinese theaters and our sports leagues to have large Chinese fan bases. From our home in this consumer paradise hell looks impossibly remote."I will never forget the camp," says Sayragul Sauytbay, a former teacher in one of the Uighur camps now living in Sweden. "I cannot forget the eyes of the prisoners, expecting me to do something for them. They are innocent. I have to tell their story, to tell about the darkness they are in, about their suffering. The world must find a solution so that my people can live in peace. The democratic governments must do all they can to make China stop doing what it is doing in Xinjiang."Indeed they must. But they will not if their citizens and leaders alike care more about stock prices and Cyber Monday deals than they do about torture, rape, and Mengelean experimentation on human bodies and brains.Want more essential commentary and analysis like this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for The Week's "Today's best articles" newsletter here.
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| Trump vows to build a wall... in Colorado Posted: 23 Oct 2019 03:56 PM PDT  Donald Trump has made building a barrier to stop migrants on the US-Mexico border a central plank of his presidency, but on Wednesday came up with a puzzling new twist to the initiative: a wall in Colorado. Colorado lies well within the United States, though its large southern neighbor New Mexico does border Mexico. "You know why we are going to win New Mexico?
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| Rep. Ilhan Omar condemns North Dakota state senator's Facebook post Posted: 22 Oct 2019 10:10 AM PDT  Rep. Ilhan Omar has condemned a Republican state senator from North Dakota who posted a long-debunked photo on his Facebook page that purports to show the Minnesota Democrat holding a weapon at an al-Qaida training camp.
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| Lori Loughlin Indicted on New Charge in College Admissions Scandal Posted: 22 Oct 2019 02:46 PM PDT  It's the third indictment for the 'Full House' star
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| UPDATE 3-China plans to replace Hong Kong leader Lam with 'interim' chief executive -FT Posted: 22 Oct 2019 01:53 PM PDT ![UPDATE 3-China plans to replace Hong Kong leader Lam with 'interim' chief executive -FT]( "UPDATE 3-China plans to replace Hong Kong leader Lam with 'interim' chief executive -FT") China is drawing up a plan to replace Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam with an "interim" chief executive, the Financial Times reported, citing people briefed on the deliberations, which would bring to a close Lam's rule after months of often-violent pro-democracy protests. Lam has become a lightning rod for protests over fears that Beijing is tightening its grip, limiting the freedoms enjoyed under the "one country, two systems" principle enshrined when colonial ruler Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997. Sources told the FT that officials in China want the situation in Hong Kong to stabilise before making a final decision, as they do not want to be seen to be giving in to violence.
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| The Terror Gap: U.S. Laws Let White Supremacists Operate Like ISIS Posted: 22 Oct 2019 02:00 AM PDT  Courtesy SITEThe recent arrests of Jarrett William Smith, a former U.S. Army soldier who discussed plans to "bomb a major U.S. news network," and Conor Climo, a Las Vegas man who plotted attacks on a synagogue and LGBT bar, give an inkling of the growing threat posed by far-right terrorists in the United States.The problem of white supremacist violence is international. From the horrific attack on a mosque in Christ Church, New Zealand, to the assault on a synagogue in the German city of Halle, the movement often follows the same horrific script—live-streaming the carnage, disseminating a manifesto, comments full of tongue-in-cheek internet references—and governments are scrambling to counter this threat. Atomwaffen Division's Washington State Cell Leader Stripped of Arsenal in U.S., Banned from CanadaBut U.S. laws have a special problem, what might be called a "terror gap" between "foreign" and "domestic" terror organizations.While the arrests of Smith and Climo mark a new level of initiative by the federal government, there is still much more to be done. What allows far-right terrorist groups to thrive in the U.S. is a legal double standard that binds the hands of even the most proactive members of law enforcement.This double standard is exemplified by groups like Atomwaffen, a neo-Nazi paramilitary group with major influence in the far-right online community. A video this past May shows people with Atomwaffen patches on their arms carrying out paramilitary drills with assault rifles. They then burn the flags of Israel, the United Nations, the Gadsden "Don't Tread on Me" snake, the gay pride rainbow, Black Lives Matter, the police-supporting Thin Blue Line—designating any and all as enemies. If it weren't for the Atomwaffen branding, you'd think you were watching footage of an ISIS training camp on American soil.Now combine this militancy with a widely aimed recruitment operation. Messages on Telegram, the far-right's current online hub, recruit on behalf of Atomwaffen, directing prospects to different email addresses of region-specific chapters across the US, Europe, South America, and Australia. Minding its popularity, it's not surprising to see that Atomwaffen has inspired other neo-Nazis to launch offshoot chapters or like-minded groups across the globe, such as Feuerkrieg Division, a growing neo-Nazi organization which both Climo and Smith were associated with.Media by such groups often advocate for terrorism and praise far-right attackers, including the Halle shooter and Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Robert Bowers.This type of propaganda is a major lifeblood to the far-right community, just as it is for any extremist group or movement—no terrorist organization can grow without it. The world witnessed the power of media with the rise of ISIS, leading governments to counter propagandists with the same urgency as fighters or financiers. That is precisely why last October, a 34-year-old man named Ashraf Al Safoo was arrested for his work with Khattab Media Foundation, a prominent ISIS-linked media group that issued scores of threats and incitements against elections, public events, and other targets. Safoo himself never killed or planned to kill anyone, but the media he created helped amplify ISIS' dangerous message, making him no less guilty of aiding the group. Taking note of Safoo's story, you might ask yourself how groups like Atomwaffen or Feuerkrieg Division can run their threat propaganda machines—let alone carry out paramilitary drills with the objective of overthrowing the U.S. government—with little to no interference. The answer is simple: what they do is, for the most part, not illegal.The reason the U.S. government can arrest ISIS recruiters or media workers like Safoo and others is because the groups they support are Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), making their activities grounds for, in the language of court documents, "conspiracy to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization." To support or be a member of an FTO in any capacity is a crime.While actual acts of domestic terrorism—killing, assaulting, harassing—are obvious crimes, being a member of domestic terrorist organizations like Atomwaffen or Feuerkrieg Division in and of itself is not, despite their blatantly stated goals to spark collapse of the U.S. through terrorism. The very phrase "domestic terrorist group" is in many ways legally meaningless. As assistant FBI Director Michael McGarrity explained before the House Homeland Security Committee in May: "A white supremacist organization is an ideology, it's a belief. But they're not designated as a terrorist organization."This lack of adequate domestic terror laws too often leaves far-right terrorist propaganda, incitement, and recruitment messages under the classification of hate speech, something protected under the First Amendment. A group like Atomwaffen, which bluntly and loudly states its goals for violence, is a perfect example of why this makes for a domestic security crisis. Noting this problem, I'd like to echo the yet small but growing voices of legislators and others seeking to end this double standard in how we protect our nation from terrorism. The world has made immense progress against ISIS online and on the ground, in no small part due to the clear-cut laws against promoting it, whether financially, militarily, through its incitement propaganda machine. That said, the U.S. legal system shouldn't have to wait until the brink of an attack—or, as it too often does, the aftermath of one—to prosecute terrorists like Climo or Smith. Membership of a group like Atomwaffen should bear all the same legal weight as ISIS, al Qaeda, or any other terrorist organization we don't flinch at pursuing. U.S. Soldier Discussed Plans to Bomb News Network, Kill Beto O'Rourke: FedsAny such list of designations should be regularly updated to address the rapidly changing landscape of groups that either form or, under pressure, dissolve only to reemerge under different names.Such laws will make it immensely clearer to these far-right organizations and the platforms hosting them that they cannot remain online.I don't embrace such measures lightly. I've been very vocal throughout my counter-terrorism career speaking out against overreaching measures by the government, whether attempting to regulating encrypted messenger services or other ill-guided policies.But the far-right community has grown dramatically in the last year, with new waves of attacks and uninterrupted online spaces that inspire them—a very similar condition to that of ISIS shortly before it established its so-called Caliphate. This is a critical moment for the U.S. government to prove if it is capable of learning from history. While terrorist legislation will not be a silver bullet to stop the threat of attacks by neo-Nazis and white supremacists, it would mark a major step in the right direction.As it's increasingly said these days, "Terrorism is terrorism." So why perpetuate the legal double standard?Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. 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| U.S. Marine Corps Stealth Fighters Get a New Home. A British Aircraft Carrier Posted: 22 Oct 2019 01:11 AM PDT  A squadron of U.S. Marine Corps F-35B stealth fighters will embark on the Royal Navy's new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2021 when the vessel sails on her first operational deployment.
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| Florida Committee Backs Removing Sheriff Over Response to Parkland Shooting Posted: 22 Oct 2019 09:42 AM PDT  The Florida Senate Rules Committee on Monday recommended removing the Broward County sheriff accused of mishandling the February, 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.Sheriff Scott Israel has been accused of bungling the response to the shooting by not effectively coordinating officers on the scene, as well as for not properly investigating threats made by the shooter before he acted.Seventeen students and school staff were killed in the shooting by a former student, who had been expelled from the high school due to disciplinary issues.Florida Governor Rick DeSantis, a Republican, had campaigned to remove Israel from his post during the Florida general election. DeSantis suspended Israel soon after taking office in January 2019.The committee's decision was divided along party lines, with Democrats backing Sheriff Israel.Now that the committee has recommended Israel's removal, the full Florida Senate will vote on the matter on Wednesday."We didn't understand the magnitude of the failures by law enforcement," Ryan Petty, whose 14 year old daughter was killed in the shooting, said in testimony to the committee. "The testament to that failure is 17 dead children and teachers, 17 more with life-altering injuries — a burden we must bear forever."Israel's supporters urged the Senate to reinstate him. The Sheriff was elected to office in 2012."Please be the body that doesn't turn its back on the voters of Broward County," said Patti Lynn, a backer of Israel. "Our county voted for Sheriff Scott Israel. It's up to the voters of Broward County to remove him."
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| Impossible burger versus Beyond Meat: Which one actually tastes better? Posted: 22 Oct 2019 04:00 PM PDT  You shouldn't write plant-based burger alternatives like Impossible burger and Beyond Meat off before you try them – or at least watch us try them.
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| After El Paso and Odessa shootings, my plan to reduce mass violence: Sen. John Cornyn Posted: 23 Oct 2019 09:03 AM PDT  No person, family, or community should endure the heartbreak caused by the recent mass shootings in Texas. It's time to answer their call for action.
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| New York City Police Officer Shot in Bullet-Resistant Vest After 'Violent Struggle' With Suspect Posted: 23 Oct 2019 08:25 AM PDT  Police say that an officer was shot in his bullet-resistant vest after a "violent struggle" with an armed man in New York City on Wednesday.
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