| GOP claim that Trump cares about corruption takes a hit at impeachment hearing Posted: 20 Nov 2019 05:26 PM PST  Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., took issue with a defense of President Trump floated by Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas.
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| Sondland pressed on why Trump has blocked witnesses: 'I wish I could answer' Posted: 20 Nov 2019 02:57 PM PST  Rep. Denny Heck, D-Wash., took aim at the members of the Trump administration who have refused to testify in the impeachment inquiry.
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| Russia 'ruined' Ukrainian naval vessels before handing them back, says Ukrainian navy Posted: 21 Nov 2019 07:41 AM PST  Three Ukrainian navy boats seized by Russia a year ago were vandalised before being handed back to Ukraine, the country's navy said. The fast gunboats Nikopol and Berdyansk and the tugboat Tany Kapu were welcomed by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy and onlookers waving national flags arrived in Ochakiv, a Ukrainian naval port on the Black Sea on Wednesday evening. But Ukraine's navy said the vessels had been stripped bare and left so badly damaged that they had to be towed home by tug. "The Russians ruined them," said Admiral Ihor Voronchenko, the head of the Ukrainian Navy. "They even took the ceiling lights, plug sockets, and lavatories," he said. Mr Zelenskiy, who reviewed the vessels as they returned on Thursday morning, said: "I am very happy that our navy vessels are back where they belong. As promised, we have brought back our sailors and our ships. "Some of the equipment is missing, as well as some weapons. There will be an investigation. We will see all of the details." Russia blocked the Kerch strait with a tanker and deployed fighter jets to stop the three vessels entering the Azov Sea last year Credit: Pavel Rebrov/Reuters Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), which oversees the border service that seized the vessels, denied tampering with the ships and said they had been "handed over to the Ukrainian side in normal condition." The three vessels were boarded by Russian forces after they tried to pass through the Strait of Kerch in November last year. Russia says they illegally violated the Russian border, then impounded the vessels and jailed 24 crew members pending trial. Ukraine described the move as an act of war and a flagrant breach of the treaty that gives the countries joint sovereignty of the only channel between the Black and Azov seas. Mr Zelenskiy said the return of the boats as the latest in a series of small steps "towards peace" ahead of a key summit with Vladimir Putin next month. Mr Zelenskiy inspects the artillery boat Nikopol Credit: Arkhip Vereshchagin/TASS The two presidents will meet in person for the first time in Paris on December 9, at talks brokered by France and Germany that are designed to end the conflict in east Ukraine, which has killed 13,000 people since 2014. In September the ships' crews were released in a prisoner swap that also saw Russia free Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian filmmaker and activist who had been held on trumped-up charges since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. The sides have also agreed to pull back troops from key points on the line of contact in eastern Ukraine. The narrow sea way between Crimea and Russia's Taman peninsula is the only passage for ships sailing to and from Ukraine's industrial port of Mariupol, to which the flotilla was bound when it was seized. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and opened a bridge across the strait in 2017 in defiance of Ukrainian objections. Mariupol is a few miles from the frontline where Ukrainian and Russian-directed separatist forces have been fighting a static war for five years.
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| Seller of bullets to Las Vegas gunman pleads guilty to ammo licensing offense Posted: 19 Nov 2019 07:33 PM PST  Douglas Haig, 57, of Mesa, Arizona, became the first and only person arrested and charged in connection with the Oct. 1, 2017, massacre, which ended when the gunman, Stephen Paddock, killed himself. Haig told reporters following his arrest early last year that none of the surplus military ammunition he sold to Paddock in September 2017 was ever fired during the killing spree, which ranks as the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
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| Cory Booker is right: Joe Biden must be 'high' to oppose legalizing marijuana Posted: 21 Nov 2019 09:51 AM PST  Joe Biden isn't just old-fashioned. He's a stubborn prohibitionist averse to catching up with reality — the inevitability of marijuana legalization.
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| The Latest: 2 airmen died while landing at Oklahoma base Posted: 21 Nov 2019 02:53 PM PST ![The Latest: 2 airmen died while landing at Oklahoma base]( "The Latest: 2 airmen died while landing at Oklahoma base") The Latest on the crash of two Air Force training jets in northwest Oklahoma that killed two airmen. An Air Force base commander says two U.S. airmen were killed in an accident involving two jets during the landing phase of a training exercise in northwestern Oklahoma. Addressing a news conference Thursday afternoon, Vance Air Force Base Col. Corey Simmons declined to identify the two aboard the T-38 Talon who died around 9 a.m.. He says two other airmen aboard an identical jet involved in the crash are uninjured.
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| American Airlines admitted a mid-air accident that knocked out 2 flight crew and forced an emergency landing was not caused by spilled soap Posted: 20 Nov 2019 06:34 AM PST  On October 21 a flight from London to Philadelphia was forced to land in Dublin, Ireland, when two staff members were knocked unconscious.
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| Nearly ¾ of transgender people slain since 2017 killed with guns Posted: 20 Nov 2019 10:19 PM PST  "Transgender violence is a gun violence issue," says Everytown for Gun Safety researcher
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| Yes, America Is Using Stealth Drones to Spy on Iran Posted: 21 Nov 2019 03:30 AM PST  It is very likely.
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| Pompeo planning to resign over Trump, report claims Posted: 20 Nov 2019 04:43 AM PST  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has reportedly told three prominent Republicans that he is planning to resign from the White House to run for a Senate seat.
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| 20 of the Most Beautiful Bridges in the World Posted: 21 Nov 2019 05:00 AM PST |
| Former Trump adviser blasts 'false narrative' of Ukraine election interference Posted: 21 Nov 2019 05:54 AM PST  Fiona Hill, a former top national security adviser to President Trump, told Republicans in the House impeachment inquiry Thursday morning to stop advancing a "fictional narrative" that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 U.S. elections rather than Russia.
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| Billionaire Michael Bloomberg files paperwork to run for U.S. president Posted: 21 Nov 2019 10:30 AM PST  Billionaire Michael Bloomberg filed paperwork on Thursday with the Federal Election Commission to run for U.S. president as a Democrat, the latest sign that the former New York City Mayor is joining the crowded nominating contest. The filing allows Bloomberg to raise money in a bid for the White House, but an aide said on Thursday that no final decision on whether he will run has been made. Bloomberg, 77, has signaled that he plans a late-entry in the Democratic primary, suggesting he feels the field of nearly 20 candidates is vulnerable.
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| Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Posted: 20 Nov 2019 08:57 AM PST ![Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over']( "Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over'") Ken Starr, the former solicitor general who headed the investigation that led to the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton, called Wednesday's testimony by U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland "obviously ... one of those bombshell days."Speaking on Fox News, Starr agreed with the hosts that things now do not "look good for the president substantively." Sondland's testimony, Starr said, confirmed that there was a quid pro quo between Trump's administration and the Ukrainian government -- which would be "bribery," in the jargon of impeachment. Sondland also said that the orders to push Kyiv to open an investigation into Trump's political rivals had come directly from the Oval Office.Starr focused specifically on the question of Trump's alleged contempt, noting that Sondland had spoken "vehemently and bitterly about his lack of access to records to help him." Additionally, the Democrats' line of questioning made clear that Sondland's attempts to refresh his memory for the testimony had been denied by the administration, which could build the Democrats' case for obstruction."There will be articles of impeachment," Starr said. "I think we've known that, it was just confirmed today. Substantively, what we heard from the chairman just now is: It's over. We now know -- this is his position -- we now know that the president in fact committed the crime of bribery." Watch below. > Ken Starr on Fox News: "It doesn't look good for the president, substantively." pic.twitter.com/kDBdx0DapS> > -- Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 20, 2019More stories from theweek.com India is entering a new dark age Late night hosts soak in the fallout from Gordon Sondland's impeachment bombshells Rep. Devin Nunes got help from indicted Giuliani associate Lev Parnas for 2018 Europe trip
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| Police shoot man who was 'extremely irate' on tarmac of Las Vegas airport Posted: 21 Nov 2019 12:01 PM PST ![Police shoot man who was 'extremely irate' on tarmac of Las Vegas airport]( "Police shoot man who was 'extremely irate' on tarmac of Las Vegas airport") As a struggle with an irate suspect unfolded on a tarmac between A and B gates at Terminal 1, an officer fired two rounds and struck the man.
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| Centuries of Christian anti-Semitism led to Holocaust, landmark Church of England report concludes Posted: 20 Nov 2019 04:01 PM PST  Centuries of Christian anti-Semitism led to the Holocaust, a landmark Church of England report has concluded. In a foreword to the report, published today, the Archbishop of Canterbury said that Christians cannot challenge and reflect on the past honestly, "until we have felt the cruelty of our history". The document, which has been three years in the making, was prepared by the Church's Faith and Order Commission and entitled: God's Unfailing World: Theological and practical perspectives on Christian-Jewish relations. It urges Christians to not only be repentant for the "sins of the past" against Jews, but also to challenge active attitudes and stereotypes. It also marks the first time that the Church of England has made an authoritative statement on the subject of anti-Semitism. The new "tool for teaching" on Christian-Jewish relations acknowledges that Christian theology played a part in the "stereotyping and persecution fo Jewish people which ultimately led to the Holocaust". 17 haunting Holocaust memorials "Conscious of the participation of Christians over the centuries in stereotyping, persecution and violence directed against Jewish people, and how this contributed to the Holocaust, Christians today should be sensitive to Jewish fears," the report said. It added that, for centuries, Christian attitudes towards Judaism have provided a "fertile seed-bed for murderous anti-Semitism", and noted that a similar hatred of Jews continues to exist today within political discourse by "pro-Palestinian advocates". Despite the Commission's report being released ahead of an imminent General Election, the report's authors would not be drawn on the anti-Semitism crisis which continues blight the Labour party. Jewish MP's including Louise Ellman and Luciana Berger have quit the Labour party after accusing leader Jeremy Corbyn of failing to stamp out anti-Semitism within the party. It also suggested that popular hymns which are interpreted in a way to "convey the teaching of contempt" of Jews for killing Jesus should be banned and "no longer be sung in public worship". The report offered the example of Charles Wesley's well-known hymn, 'Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending': "Every eye shall now behold him/ Robed in dreadful majesty;/ Those who set at nought and sold him,/ Pierced and nailed him to the tree,/ Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing,/ Shall the true Messiah see." "It is possible to read lines 3-6 and imagine they are about the Jewish people as collectively guilty of crucifying the Messiah," the report notes, "who when he comes again in power and glory recognise - too late? - the terrible crime they have committed. Holocaust Survivors | The stories of those who escaped from Nazi clutches "Understood in that way, they convey the 'teaching of contempt' which the Church of England now rejects. If that were the only way to read them, they should no longer be sung in public worship." The report concluded: "Christians have been guilty of promoting and fostering negative stereotypes of Jewish people that have contributed to grave suffering and injustice. They therefore have a duty to be alert to the continuation of such stereotyping and to resist it." Six million Jews were systematically killed by the Nazis during the Holocaust. Throughout World War II, Nazi Germany killed around five million other 'untermenschen' - a the term for those the Nazis deemed as 'undesireable' or 'sub-human'. These included victims from Romani communities, disabled and homosexual people and those of other nationalities and religions. The number of Nazi victims is often disputed by Holocaust deniers. In 2016 the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, likened anti-Semitism to a "virus", adding that "it is a shameful truth that, through its theological teachings, the church, which should have offered an antidote, compounded the spread of this virus". Poll - Anti Semitism 17/11 "The fact that antisemitism has infected the body of the Church is something of which we as Christians must be deeply repentant," he added. In an afterword published by the Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis - which the Church of England describes as "honest and challenging" - he welcomed the "kinship" and "profound friendship" between Christainity and Judaism. However he also criticised the report, saying he has a "substantial misgiving" on the question of evangelism. "Namely, that it does not reject the efforts of those Christians, however many they may number, who, as part of their faithful mission, dedicate themselves to the purposeful and specific targeting of Jews for conversion to Christianity." The Bishop of Coventry, the Rt Revd Dr Christopher Cocksworth, chair of the Faith and Order Commission, said: "Assumptions about Judaism and Jewish people, past and present, colour Christian approaches to preaching, teaching, evangelism, catechesis, worship, devotion and art, whether or not Chirsian communities are conscious of their Jewish neighbours, near and far; testing out those assumptions and exploring them theologically is therefore a challenge that pertains to the whole Church. "That challenge is also, however, a previous opportunity… We are convinced that the Christian-Jewish relationship is a gift of God to the Church, which is to be received with care, respect and gratitude, so that we may learn more fully about God's purposes for us and all the world."
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| Obama Warns Technology Has Created a More Splintered World Posted: 21 Nov 2019 12:28 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Former U.S. President Barack Obama warned that technology is creating a more splintered world, fueling the disparities among wealthy and poorer nations, and people within countries."The rise of extreme inequality both within nations and between nations that is being turbocharged by globalization and technology" is one of the biggest risks for young people, Obama said Thursday at Salesforce.com Inc.'s annual Dreamforce conference in San Francisco. "New technologies have allowed us reach. We have a global market. I can project my voice and you can take your technology to new markets. It has also amplified inequalities."Though his successor Donald Trump has taken presidential use of Twitter to new heights, Obama has long been associated with the tech industry. His 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns were known for their use of the internet and social media to galvanize supporters. Some of Obama's staffers came from Silicon Valley companies, including Alphabet Inc.'s Google, and there's a diaspora of former Obama administration officials who have worked in the tech industry since leaving the White House, including David Plouffe, formerly with Uber Technologies Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.'s top spokesman Jay Carney.Still, the 44th president talked about how the internet has helped divide American politics and society."People remark on the polarization of our politics and rightfully so," Obama said. "People rightfully see challenges like climate change and mass refugees and feel like things are spinning out of control. Behind that, what I see is a sense of anxiety, rootlessness and uncertainty in so many people. Some of that is fed by technology and there's an anger formed by those technologies."Social-media services including Facebook Inc. and Google's YouTube have been accused of fueling polarization with algorithms that show people news and other content that match their preconceived thinking and viewpoints."If you watch Fox News, you live in a different reality than if you read the New York Times. If you follow one rabbit hole on YouTube or the internet, then suddenly things look completely different," Obama said during his conversation with Salesforce co-Chief Executive Officer Marc Benioff. "We are siloing ourselves off in ways that are dangerous. I believed, and I still believe the internet can be a powerful tool for us to finally see each other and unify us, but right now it's disappointing."Since leaving the White House in January 2017, Obama has become a fixture on the paid-speaker circuit. Thursday's appearance at Dreamforce is at least Obama's second appearance at a tech event in San Francisco in the last two months. He also spoke at a Splunk Inc. conference in September.To contact the reporter on this story: Nico Grant in San Francisco at ngrant20@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Jillian Ward at jward56@bloomberg.net, Andrew Pollack, Alistair BarrFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Iran's Guards praise 'timely' action against protesters Posted: 21 Nov 2019 01:48 AM PST  Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Thursday praised the armed forces for taking "timely" action against "rioters" and said calm had returned after days of unrest sparked by a hike in petrol prices. Motorists blocked highways in Tehran before the unrest spread to cities and towns across the country, with petrol pumps torched, police stations attacked and shops looted. "Incidents, big and small, caused by the rise in petrol price took place in (a little) less than 100 cities across Iran," said a statement on the Guards' official website Sepahnews.com.
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| Reeling progressives meet behind closed doors after 'Medicare for All' barrage Posted: 20 Nov 2019 09:45 AM PST  "Medicare for All" has taken a beating lately. Its two biggest proponents in the presidential field, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, have come under sustained attack from centrist Democrats over the issue. The health care industry is spending millions to sow opposition.
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| Trump news – live: Republicans forced to pause impeachment hearing after bombshell evidence on president from key witness Sondland triggers panic Posted: 20 Nov 2019 07:33 AM PST  Donald Trump has lashed out at his Democratic opponents conducting the House impeachment inquiry, mocked key witnesses giving testimony for their sartorial choices and denied that the onset of a heart attack was what prompted his sudden trip to hospital on Saturday."These people are sick. They're sick. And the press really in this country is dangerous. We don't have freedom of the press in this country. We have the opposite. We have a very corrupt media," the president ranted from the Cabinet Room of the White House.
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| Russia opens investigation into space center fraud after Putin rebuke Posted: 21 Nov 2019 12:27 AM PST  Russian investigators said on Thursday they had opened two criminal cases into the management of a company involved in building the Vostochny Cosmodrome, a space center in the country's Far East. The announcement came less than two weeks after President Vladimir Putin complained to government officials about corruption at the facility and called for further investigations. Construction of the Vostochny Cosmodrome began in January 2011, part of a plan for Russia to reduce its dependency on the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which Russia leases from the former Soviet Republic for space operations.
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| Laura Loomer’s ‘Nonsensical’ Lawsuit Killed by Judge Posted: 21 Nov 2019 10:43 AM PST  Stephanie Keith/GettyFar-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer lost a lawsuit against a Muslim-rights organization this week after a judge ruled that her entire case was "to put it mildly, nonsensical."Loomer was a prominent anti-Muslim internet personality until she was banned from most major social media platforms beginning last year. Since then, she has launched a congressional bid, which she acknowledged in a campaign email was at least partially a ploy to have her social media accounts restored. She also filed a lawsuit against the Council on American-Islamic Relations earlier this year, accusing the civil rights group of plotting to take down her Twitter account.Many of her claims in that lawsuit originated from a prank by leftist Twitter users who quickly confessed to the stunt. That didn't stop Loomer from pursuing the lawsuit to its doomed end on Wednesday.Twitter banned Loomer in November 2018, after years of anti-Muslim posts. (She is also banned from Uber, Lyft, Venmo, GoFundMe, PayPal, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms for similar infractions.) But Loomer, who has promoted a number of conspiracy theories (she made her first headlines attempting to accuse her university of supporting ISIS) soon latched onto an elaborate explanation for her ban.Republican Lawmakers on Being Photographed With Laura Loomer: We Don't Know HerShe tried to overturn the ban by handcuffing herself to the door of Twitter's New York City offices. Twitter remained unmoved, but the stunt attracted the attention of Twitter users Nathan Bernard and Chris Gillen, who decided to pose as Twitter employees, Right Wing Watch first reported. Beginning in December, the pair sent Loomer messages claiming Twitter had met with CAIR representatives shortly before her ban.The pair said Loomer did not seek to authenticate any of their claims, including a ridiculous forged calendar they sent her, which appeared to show Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey scheduling two-and-a-half consecutive hours of meditation time every work day. "We couldn't have done it dumber," Gillen told Right Wing Watch in January. "We couldn't have been less careful. It's so obviously bullshit."The pranksters also shared audio of a phone call in which Loomer accused Dorsey of "taking money from all these Muslims and implementing Sharia law."Loomer passed the allegation to the Wall Street Journal, which implied that CAIR was among "outside groups and individuals [that] had privately lobbied Twitter executives to remove her from the site in late November." A series of right-wing news sites picked up the story, accusing CAIR and Twitter of conspiring against Loomer.Although Bernard and Gillen came clean about the stunt in January, Loomer continued to press the conspiracy theory in court. In April, she filed suit against CAIR, accusing it of "tortious interference with an advantageous business relationship" between herself and Twitter.Anti-Muslim Activist Laura Loomer to Run for CongressThat argument had a fatal flaw: Loomer had no business relationship with Twitter, a judge ruled on Wednesday."[E]ven accepting as true Plaintiffs' proposition that Defendant reported Loomer's account and convinced Twitter to ban Loomer, doing so does not create a cause of action for tortious interference with a business relationship," the judge wrote in a dismissal. "Plaintiffs' suggestion that the mere reporting of a Twitter user—however insistent such reporting may be—is sufficient to constitute tortious interference in a business relationship between Twitter and the targeted user is, to put it mildly, nonsensical."In other words, tweeting isn't a job, and getting banned isn't the same as getting fired.If Loomer wants to find the culprit behind her ban, she can look in the mirror, CAIR said after the Wednesday dismissal."We are pleased the court recognized that Loomer's complaint against CAIR was baseless," CAIR National Litigation Director Lena Masri said in a statement. "Her own pattern of anti-Muslim rhetoric is what caused Twitter and at least eight other internet platforms to ban her, not any actions by CAIR."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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| AP Exclusive: DOJ would take halted executions to high court Posted: 21 Nov 2019 05:47 AM PST  Attorney General William Barr told The Associated Press on Thursday that he would take the Trump administration's bid to restart federal executions after a 16-year hiatus to the Supreme Court if necessary. Barr's comments came hours after a district court judge temporarily blocked the administration's plans to start executions next month. The administration is appealing the decision, and Barr said he would take the case to the high court if Thursday's ruling stands.
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| Biden, in Democratic debate, says you have to 'keep punching' to address domestic violence Posted: 21 Nov 2019 03:31 AM PST  Biden was one of 10 Democratic candidates to take the stage in Atlanta to debate a range of topics that included, health care, violence, impeachment and defeating President Trump.
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| US woman could be forced to register as a sex offender after appearing topless in front of step-children Posted: 21 Nov 2019 12:32 PM PST  An American woman could be forced to register as a sex offender after appearing topless in front of her step-children in her own home. Tilli Buchanan, from Utah, was charged with three counts of misdemeanour lewdness involving a child after appearing topless along with the children's father in their home last year. Ms Buchanan's lawyers are contesting the charge, arguing it is unfair to treat men and women differently for baring her chest. She said she and her husband were working in their garage in late 2017 or early 2018 and removed their shirts to prevent them from getting dusty. She told the court that when the children, aged nine and 13, entered the garage she "explained she considers herself a feminist and wanted to make a point that everybody should be fine with walking around their house or elsewhere with skin showing". "It was in the privacy of my own home. My husband was right next to me in the same exact manner that I was, and he's not being prosecuted," she said after the court hearing. The charge occurred after child welfare officials began an investigation involving the children on an unrelated matter and the children's mother reported the incident to authorities because she was "alarmed." If convicted, Ms Buchanan could be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years. Her husband was not charged. Ms Buchanan's lawyers appeared in court on Tuesday to ask a judge to overturn the charges, arguing that they are unconstitutional. The lawyers cited a previous court ruling that overturned a Colorado ban on women going topless in public. However the prosecution said that in the US, nudity is commonly understood to include women's breasts. The judge in the case, Kara Pettit, declined to rule immediately on the case, saying it was "too important of an issue". A ruling is expected in the next few months.
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| Google's Tour Builder Is a Great New Way to Make Your Friends Hate You Posted: 21 Nov 2019 12:18 PM PST |
| Dozens of dogs tested in French search for woman's forest killers Posted: 21 Nov 2019 09:22 AM PST  French police investigating the death of a pregnant woman mauled to death by dogs while walking in the woods have carried out DNA tests on 67 dogs to try identify those that attacked her, investigators said Thursday. Elisa Pilarski, 29, was found dead on Saturday in Retz forest about 90 kilometres (55 miles) northeast of Paris. A deer hunt with hounds was underway in the forest where Pilarski, a dog lover, was walking her own American Staffordshire terrier.
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| DNC Drops Lackluster Fundraising Numbers During Dem Debate Posted: 21 Nov 2019 05:48 AM PST  The Democratic National Committee released its fundraising numbers during the presidential primary debate on Wednesday night, revealing that the committee lags far behind Republicans in funding for the 2020 elections.The DNC has $8.7 million in cash on hand, but it is $7 million in debt, according to its October Federal Election Commission filing. The Republican National Committee, meanwhile, had raised $156 million and had $61.4 million cash on hand as of the end of October.However, it was noted that the DNC is competing for donations with a wide field of presidential candidates, ten of which participated in Wednesday night's primary debate. At this point in 2011, when former president Barack Obama stood for reelection, the DNC had raised roughly $150 million.Bernie Sanders revealed he had personally raised $25.3 million over the past three months, leading Democratic presidential candidates in fundraising. Pete Buttigieg raised $19.1 million over the same period, followed by Kamala Harris with $11.6 million. Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren haven't yet released their fundraising numbers.The RNC has used the Democrats' impeachment inquiry against President Trump to great effect in its fundraising efforts, receiving record-breaking levels of donations in October and September with its "Stop the Madness" campaign."While Democrats are focused on their sham impeachment charade, Republicans had another record-breaking fundraising month in October — the best off-cycle October in our party's history," RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told the Washington Examiner. "In 2020, voters will choose results over the Democrats' polarizing political rhetoric, and the RNC is in the strongest position possible to reelect President Trump and Republicans up-and-down the ballot."The RNC has been using some of its funds to help House Republicans seeking to topple Democrats in vulnerable districts.
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| House Democrats ponder expanding impeachment probe after Sondland 'game changer' testimony Posted: 20 Nov 2019 05:54 PM PST  Gordon Sondland's explosive testimony Wednesday that "everyone was in the loop" on President Trump's efforts to secure an investigation of a political rival prompted rank-and-file Democrats to discuss whether it was time to expand their probe.
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| Mexicans sue Walmart over Texas shooting that left victims on both sides of border Posted: 20 Nov 2019 05:27 PM PST  Ten Mexican citizens have sued Walmart over the shooting at a store in the U.S. border town of El Paso, Texas, that killed eight Mexicans and left eight more injured, saying that Walmart did not do enough to protect its customers, Mexico said on Wednesday. The suspected gunman told police he was targeting "Mexicans" in the August shooting, which killed 22 people in total.
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| A Lack of Money Will Stop Russia from Building More Stealth Fighters Posted: 20 Nov 2019 01:00 PM PST  Or at least enough more to make a big difference.
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| 'Don't let them in': Arrests made as hundreds protest Ann Coulter speech at UC Berkeley Posted: 21 Nov 2019 03:34 AM PST  Coulter was invited to the California university by the Berkeley College Republicans for a speech about immigration called 'Adios, America.'
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| Death penalty sought for man accused of killing prostitutes Posted: 21 Nov 2019 01:05 PM PST ![Death penalty sought for man accused of killing prostitutes]( "Death penalty sought for man accused of killing prostitutes") Prosecutors in Florida announced Thursday that they will seek the death penalty against a man who they say preyed on prostitutes, causing panic in the Daytona Beach area over a series of killings more than a dozen years ago. Prosecutors charged Robert Hayes, 37, with three counts of first-degree murder in the slayings of three women in that area between 2005 and 2006. Laquetta Gunther, 45, was found dead in a gap between an auto parts store and a mostly empty utility building, the day after Christmas 2005.
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| Singapore ‘Repatriates’ Hongkonger Who Held Political Meeting Posted: 20 Nov 2019 07:14 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- A Hong Kong resident living in Singapore has been "repatriated" home after organizing an illegal gathering of mostly ethnic Chinese last month to talk about the ongoing protests, according to local media reports.Restaurant owner Alex Yeung, along with a 55-year-old former Hong Kong resident, were issued a "stern warning" over what was said to be a gathering of about 10 people sharing their views of the escalating protests, which is an offense under the Public Order Act. Yeung, who has a Youtube channel of largely pro-Beijing content was further instructed he would not be allowed to enter Singapore again without permission from the authorities."Singapore has always been clear that foreigners should not advocate their political causes in Singapore, through public assemblies, and other prohibited means," the Singapore Police Force told Channel News Asia late on Wednesday.Speaking from Singapore's Changi Airport on Thursday morning ahead of his flight, Yeung said he was now free to go where he pleased and thanked Singapore for upholding the rule of law.Illegal Gatherings"The Singapore Police Force has made no indictment against me. I am warned to refrain from any criminal conduct in the future under their discretion," he said in a video posted to YouTube. "Singapore is a very civilized country with very good security."In 2017, Singapore revoked the permanent residency of prominent academic and China expert Huang Jing after he allegedly used his position to covertly advance the agenda of an unnamed foreign country at Singapore's expense.Hong Kong has been gripped for days by the standoff at the city's Polytechnic University, where hard-core protesters remain surrounded by police. The unrest began in June with largely peaceful marches against legislation allowing extraditions to mainland China and have since mushroomed into a broader push for demands including an independent probe into police violence and the ability to nominate and elect city leaders.Speaking to reporters on Monday, Singapore's Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing warned a similar situation could "easily happen" in his country if the government is complacent. Under restrictive laws, cause-related gatherings are illegal without a police permit and participants are subject to fines without it.\--With assistance from Chester Yung.To contact the reporter on this story: Philip J. Heijmans in Singapore at pheijmans1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Muneeza NaqviFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| 'The Entire System Is Designed to Suppress Us.' What the Chinese Surveillance State Means for the Rest of the World Posted: 21 Nov 2019 03:39 AM PST  China—projected to have one CCTV camera for every two people by 2022—is a harbinger of what society looks like with surveillance unchecked.
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| Benjamin Netanyahu charged over series of corruption scandals amid Israel election chaos Posted: 21 Nov 2019 08:38 AM PST  Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been charged with fraud, breach of trust and bribery relating to a series of corruption scandals. Allegations against Mr Netanyahu include suspicions that he accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars of champagne and cigars from billionaire friends, offered to trade favors with a newspaper publisher, and used his influence to help a wealthy telecom magnate in exchange for favorable coverage on a popular news site. The case marks the first time in Israeli history that a sitting prime minister has been charged with a crime, plunging the country into unchartered legal and constitutional waters. Mr Netanyahu, who came to power in 2009, is under no immediate obligation to resign as prime minister but his opponents are likely to bring immediate cases before the supreme court calling on him to step aside. Under Israeli law, cabinet ministers must resign if they are charged with a crime but the law is not explicit on what should happen in the event of a prime minister facing indictment. The charges are likely to be a boost for election rival Benny Gantz Credit: Oded Balilty/AP The attorney general's decision is a significant political blow to Mr Netanyahu, who is fighting for his political survival after holding power for 13 years, making him the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history. The country is in the midst of an unprecedented political chaos after indecisive elections in April and September left both Mr Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, his centrist rival, unable to form a government. Israel now appears to be lurching towards a third election in the spring to break the deadlock. Mr Netanyahu will now head into the campaign with the lodestone of criminal charges hanging around his neck. But even before he faces the voters he is at risk of a potential coup inside his own Likud party, where a younger generation of ambitious ministers have so far stayed loyal to him but may be unnerved by the corruption charges. Gideon Saar, a former Likud minister, on Thursday made the most open challenge yet to Mr Netanyahu's authority. Speaking at a conference, he said it was "not reasonable" to expect that the prime minister could form a government after third elections, given that he had failed twice already. Mr Saar called for a leadership contest within the Likud and said he would stand against Mr Netanyahu. Reuven Rivlin, Israel's president, gave voice to the sentiment of many Israelis on Thursday at the prospect of holding a third round of elections in less than 12 months. "This politics of disruption has to stop," he said. Prosecutors said Mr Netanyahu should stand trial on all the cases they investigated. The most serious is known as Case 4000, an allegation that Mr Netanyahu used his position to illegally change regulations to benefit the Israeli telecoms giant Beezq. In return, he allegedly sought more positive coverage from a news website owned by Bezeq's main shareholder. In another case, known as Case 2000, he is accused of offering a corrupt deal with the publisher of Yedioth Ahronoth to help weaken a rival paper in return for better coverage. Finally, in Case 1000, he is alleged to have illegally accepted lavish gifts from wealthy businessmen, including champagne, cigars, and jewellery. Mr Netanyahu denies breaking the law in any of the cases. Sign up for our free Letter from Jerusalem newsletter and get brilliant insight and analysis from Raf Sanchez
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| Maloney hammers Sondland on changing testimony — and extracts key concession Posted: 20 Nov 2019 01:52 PM PST  Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney chastised Gordon Sondland during the U.S. ambassador to the European Union's testimony Wednesday.
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| Pot stocks soar as U.S. House committee clears bill on federal weed legalization Posted: 21 Nov 2019 08:49 AM PST  The bill, which was passed 24 to 10 in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, sent shares of Canopy Growth , Aurora Cannabis , Aphria Inc and Tilray Inc up between 8% and 15%. "We think federal legalization would be a big positive for investor sentiment surrounding cannabis equities, which have been battered by oversupply and a steep price decline for the underlying commodity since becoming legal in Canada," said Garrett Nelson, senior equity analyst at CFRA Research.
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| Zimbabwean police beat opposition supporters after rally ban Posted: 20 Nov 2019 12:23 PM PST  Zimbabwean riot police fired tear gas and beat opposition supporters on Wednesday after barring a planned address by the main opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa, AFP journalists said. Hundreds of supporters had gathered outside the Harare headquarters of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) after the party was denied permission to hold a rally in the city's Africa Unity Square. Chamisa had been expected to make the address from the office balcony instead, but he later spoke to a few party members in a room inside the offices.
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| This Means War: Yes, Russia's Su-35 Can Take on the F-15 or F-16 Posted: 20 Nov 2019 09:30 PM PST  What would happen?
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| President Andrew Yang's first words to Russia's Vladimir Putin: 'I'm sorry I beat your guy' Posted: 20 Nov 2019 08:32 PM PST ![President Andrew Yang's first words to Russia's Vladimir Putin: 'I'm sorry I beat your guy']( "President Andrew Yang's first words to Russia's Vladimir Putin: 'I'm sorry I beat your guy'") Andrew Yang didn't get much speaking time at Wednesday night's Democratic presidential debate in Atlanta, but he made memorable use of the time he got. Near the end of the debate, Yang was asked what he would say, if elected, in his first call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Well, first I'd say I'm sorry I beat your guy," he said. "Or not sorry," he added, after a pause for applause. "And second, I'd say the days of meddling in American elections are over, and we will take any undermining of our democratic processes as an act of hostility and aggression."Yang continued with a substantive answer, though he got a little in the weeds of mixed metaphors with his proposal for a "new World Data Organization, like a WTO for data, because right now, unfortunately, we're living in a world where data is the new oil and we don't have our arms around it."More stories from theweek.com Republicans are throwing Rudy Giuliani under the bus Lindsey Graham seems to be gearing up for an impeachment trial Schiff outlines 'the difference between Nixon and Trump' in fiery impeachment closing statement
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| Police officer shot and killed while investigating home invasion in Detroit Posted: 20 Nov 2019 07:34 PM PST  According to Police Chief James Craig, the officers were responding to a home invasion on Detroit's west side.
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| Climate activist’s remarks downplaying Holocaust spark anger Posted: 20 Nov 2019 01:22 PM PST  A prominent British climate change activist sparked anger Wednesday after appearing to downplay the Holocaust in an interview with a German newspaper. Roger Hallam, who co-founded the activist group Extinction Rebellion, told the German newspaper Die Zeit that the Nazis' murder of 6 million Jews was merely one of many genocides.
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| Schiff gives fiery closing on Day 3 of public hearings Posted: 19 Nov 2019 05:56 PM PST  After nearly 12 hours of testimony, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff concluded Day 3 of public impeachment inquiry hearings with impassioned remarks.
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| Lou Dobbs Guest Mocks Vindman: He’s a ‘Deep State Crybaby’ Posted: 19 Nov 2019 07:04 PM PST  After an impeachment hearing that featured Republicans suggesting National Security Council official Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was insufficiently loyal to America on Tuesday, Fox Business host Lou Dobbs and former Trump aide Christian Whiton openly mocked the Iraq War veteran for wearing his Army uniform to testify.During Tuesday night's broadcast of Lou Dobbs Tonight, Dobbs—who also serves as an informal adviser to the president—groused about Vindman requesting Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) properly refer to him by his military rank during the hearing."This Colonel Vindman, who insisted for some reason on wanting to be called lieutenant colonel," the Fox host grumbled. "I have never heard anyone referred to a lieutenant colonel as lieutenant colonel when addressing them verbally but, you know, as he wishes. I mean, he looks like a popinjay, he really does!"Later in the program, after Dobbs asserted that the American public is already growing bored with the impeachment hearings, Whiton embraced the latest Trumpist strategy of ridiculing a decorated military officer."You see Vindman, this bureaucrat who poured himself into an Army outfit to go and frankly speak contemptuous things against the commander-in-chief, incidentally, a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice," Whiton declared."If you did that as a private in the Army you would get court-martialed," the ex-Trump adviser continued. "I guess if you're, you know, a never-Trump bureaucrat Deep State crybaby you get away with it."Whiton went on to complain that Vindman wasn't a "political appointee" of Trump's, claiming this is the "way the Deep State works" to take down a president."They take detailees, not the best from these agencies, often the worst, they stick them into the White House," he concluded. "It's a practice that frankly should end, and the political appointees, Tim Morrison and [Kurt] Volker aren't mistaking themselves for the president, it's these Deep State bureaucrats that do."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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| Gore kicking off 24 hours of climate talks around the world Posted: 21 Nov 2019 03:46 AM PST  Former Vice President Al Gore said that even though President Donald Trump wants to back out of the Paris Climate Agreement, the U.S. cannot legally pull out until the day after next year's presidential election. "If there's a new president -- pardon me for a minute," Gore said to laughs and then loud applause, as he stretched out his arms and looked up. Gore's spirited speech Wednesday night kicked off a series of climate presentations that continued around the globe on Thursday.
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| Arizona border activist found not guilty of hiding migrants Posted: 20 Nov 2019 02:54 PM PST  An Arizona jury on Wednesday found a human rights activist not guilty of harboring two migrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, after the U.S. government prosecuted him for giving them food, water and shelter in the desert. The Tucson jury took just over two hours to decide that Scott Warren, 37, a geography professor, provided the men with legal humanitarian aid in January 2018 and did not deliberately conceal them from U.S. Border Patrol. A previous jury was unable to decide whether he broke the law by letting the men stay in a building near Ajo, Arizona, to recover from a two-day trek.
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| Israeli air strikes kill 23 in Syria: monitor Posted: 20 Nov 2019 07:03 AM PST  Israel said its warplanes carried out a "very intense" attack against Iranian forces and Syrian army targets in Syria Wednesday, in raids a monitoring group reported killed at least 23 people. In a rare confirmation of their operations in Syria, the Israeli army said they had carried out dozens of strikes against the Iranian elite Quds Force and the Syrian military, in response to four rockets fired at Israel a day before.
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