| Booker and Harris warn Dems: Electability doesn't just mean appealing to white voters Posted: 21 Nov 2019 01:18 PM PST  Electability is the biggest buzzword of the 2020 cycle. It's what Democrats say they prize above all else: a nominee who can defeat Donald Trump. But it's also a code word. It tends to mask a racialized assumption about which Americans a candidate needs to win over in order to qualify as "electable": that is, white voters who don't live in big coastal cities.
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| Exclusive: Acting Homeland Security chief Chad Wolf makes unannounced visit to privately funded border wall Posted: 21 Nov 2019 02:38 PM PST  Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf made an unpublicized visit Wednesday to the site of a privately constructed border wall during his first official trip to the southern border, Yahoo News has confirmed.
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| Daughter's 911 call for pizza was actually a domestic violence report. The dispatcher knew Posted: 22 Nov 2019 12:51 PM PST  An Ohio dispatcher detected that a woman calling 911 ordering a pizza was in need of police help.
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| A man in India dressed up as a pilot and used his disguise to skip lines and get free upgrades, police say Posted: 22 Nov 2019 04:40 PM PST  The police detained Rajan Mahbubani as he tried to board an AirAsia plane flying from Delhi to Kolkata. They say he impersonated a Lufthansa pilot.
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| Attorney general unveils plan on missing Native Americans Posted: 21 Nov 2019 09:54 PM PST  Attorney General William Barr announced a nationwide plan Friday to address the crisis of missing and slain Native American women as concerns mount over the level of violence they face. Barr announced the plan, known as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Initiative, during a visit with tribal leaders and law enforcement officials on the Flathead Reservation in Montana. Native American women experience some of the nation's highest rates of murder, sexual violence and domestic abuse.
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| Federal Judge Rules Covington Student’s $275M Libel Lawsuit against NBC May Proceed Posted: 22 Nov 2019 02:36 PM PST  Federal judge William Bertelsman on Thursday allowed Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann's $275 million libel lawsuit against NBCUniversal to move forward, rejecting the media company's attempt to have the suit dismissed in full even as he threw out parts of it.Sandmann, 16, sued NBC and other major news outlets in the aftermath of their coverage of a controversial interaction he and several of his classmates had with Native American activist Nathan Phillips near the Lincoln Memorial on January 18. Viral video of the incident showed Sandmann and Phillips standing face to face as Phillips loudly beat on a drum and Sandmann smirked from time to time. NBC asserted that Sandmann "blocked" Phillips and "did not allow him to retreat" during their interaction. Longer versions of the video showed that Phillips approached Sandmann, who stood mostly still during the incident.Sandmann and his classmates wore "Make America Great Again" caps and were attending the annual anti-abortion March for Life, while Phillips was participating in the Indigenous Peoples March.Phillips has claimed Sandmann "just blocked my way and wouldn't allow me to retreat."Sandmann's lawsuit against NBC will now continue to discovery, according to his, attorney, L. Lin Wood, who called it a "huge win" for his client."As predicted, today Judge Bertelsman entered an order allowing the Nicholas Sandmann case against NBCUniversal to proceed to discovery just as he had earlier ruled with respect to WaPo & CNN cases. Huge, huge win!" Wood wrote on Twitter.
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| Ninth family member dies after Israeli strike: ministry Posted: 22 Nov 2019 06:24 AM PST  A Palestinian wounded in an Israeli strike that killed eight members of his family has died, the health ministry in the Hamas-run strip said on Friday. Mohammed Abu Malhous al-Sawarka, 40, succumbed after being wounded in "the massacre in which eight members of a family died when they were targeted in their homes," ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said in a statement. It said he was the brother of Rasmi Abu Malhous who was killed when his home was hit by an air strike on November 14.
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| Gabbard and Harris clash over visions for the Democratic Party Posted: 20 Nov 2019 07:19 PM PST  At the Democratic debate in Atlanta on Wednesday, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and Sen. Kamala Harris of California clashed over their differing visions for the party, particularly when it comes to foreign policy.
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| While you weren't sleeping: In face of impeachment, Trump pursues agenda on courts, environment, Israel and more Posted: 21 Nov 2019 10:00 AM PST  The work of the Trump administration continues on a variety of fronts, largely overshadowed by the high drama of a president accused of high crimes and misdemeanors.
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| Alabama cop who chased, beat and shot black man after stop-and-frisk guilty of manslaughter Posted: 22 Nov 2019 01:01 PM PST  Prosecutors argued Aaron C. Smith escalated a consensual stop to deadly force, killing Greg Gunn feet away from the home he lived in with his mother.
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| Military: 2 airmen killed in crash at Oklahoma base during training Posted: 21 Nov 2019 04:59 PM PST  Two airmen were killed Thursday in an accident involving two jets during the landing phase of a training exercise at a U.S. Air Force base in northwestern Oklahoma, a military official said.
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| Former Boston College student charged over boyfriend's suicide pleads not guilty Posted: 22 Nov 2019 07:23 AM PST  A former Boston College student pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges of involuntary manslaughter stemming from what prosecutors said was her role in encouraging her boyfriend to commit suicide. A lawyer for Inyoung You, 21, entered the plea on her behalf during a hearing in Suffolk County Superior Court after she returned from South Korea to face charges brought last month over the May 20 suicide of her college boyfriend, who leaped to his death from a parking garage hours before his graduation. "These text messages demonstrate the power dynamic of the relationship," Assistant District Attorney Caitlin Grasso said in court.
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| Lawsuit alleges McDonald’s puts employees in physical danger Posted: 21 Nov 2019 08:56 AM PST  A group of employees from 13 McDonald's restaurants in Chicago filed a lawsuit Thursday alleging that the company's drive for profits puts workers at "daily risk" of physical attack by dangerous customers. In the lawsuit filed in Cook County court, the 17 workers say McDonald's has failed to protect them from what they say is a "citywide and nationwide" pattern of violence and that police respond to more than 20 911 calls every day regarding Chicago McDonald's restaurants.
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| Benjamin Netanyahu was just indicted on fraud and bribery charges, becoming the first Israeli prime minister to be indicted in office Posted: 21 Nov 2019 09:00 AM PST  Netanyahu is accused of receiving gifts and positive news coverage in exchange for regulatory benefits from the government.
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| Pelosi, White House Fail to Seal USMCA Deal in Crucial Meeting Posted: 21 Nov 2019 11:37 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer made progress on but failed to seal a deal Thursday on the stalled U.S. Mexico Canada free trade agreement, increasing the likelihood the deal won't get a vote in Congress this year.Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, the top negotiator on the pact, said he will continue talks with Lighthizer through next week when the House is in recess to maintain momentum on the final changes Democrats are seeking. He said it is still possible to vote on the deal this year."The conversation was spirited and it was candid," Neal told reporters after the meeting. "The toughest issues in bargaining are always the last ones." Neal said of five remaining disagreements, progress was made on three.Pelosi before the meeting cautioned that even once a deal is reached, it will still take time to write the necessary legislation and go through the steps required for a vote. She was noncommittal when asked about holding a House vote before the end of the year."We've made progress," Pelosi said as she left the meeting with Lighthizer. "I think we are narrowing our differences."Passing the trade deal is President Donald Trump's top legislative priority and would deliver to him a much-needed political win as he faces an impeachment inquiry in the House and heads into a re-election campaign next year. At the same time, it would allow Democrats to show they are capable of legislating even as they are investigating the Trump administration.Political PressureDemocrats from rural swing districts are especially eager to have the deal done. Farmers have faced steep economic losses this year due to Trump's trade war with China, although the president claims that those headwinds are in fact due to the stalled USMCA.All House members will be up for re-election in 2020, and Democrats who won Republican-leaning districts are under pressure to deliver legislation with enough bipartisan support to become law. Pelosi is keenly aware that preserving her majority depends on these members.Pelosi before the meeting said she is "eager to get this done," although she said she won't agree to a superficial deal without stronger enforcement. She said approving a deal with no mechanism to back it up, would just be "NAFTA with sugar on top."Pelosi said that even if the administration agrees to changes sought by Democrats, the House may not have enough time to write and vote on the legislation before the end of December. Neal said a vote is still possible this year.Any verbal agreement would still need to be drafted into legislation, evaluated for its budget impact and considered in committee, she said. Changes in the text of the agreement would also need to approved by Mexico and Canada.Republicans and the business community have increased pressure on Pelosi as they grow more concerned that pushing the vote into an election year will make it less likely to happen."She's always close to allowing a vote. Her conference is always almost there," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said of Pelosi on the Senate floor Wednesday. "But we've been almost there for months and months with no outcome in sight. Lots of talk; zero results."To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Wasson in Washington at ewasson@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Steve GeimannFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| California Supreme Court Rejects Catholic Group’s Challenge to Rule Deeming Voluntary Abortions ‘Medically Necessary’ Posted: 21 Nov 2019 10:42 AM PST  California's Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a Catholic women's organization's challenge to state health regulators' designation of voluntary abortions as "medically necessary" procedures that must be covered by state health care service plans.The California Department of Managed Health Care in 2014 sent letters to seven health care service plans directing them not to limit or exclude coverage for abortions, including those abortions that are not required to save the life of the mother. The letters ordered the state-licensed health care service plans to eliminate any language in their agreements that "may discriminate against women by limiting or excluding coverage for termination of pregnancies."Since then, the Missionary Guadalupanas of the Holy Spirit have sought legal remedies to the rule, arguing that California flouted the Administrative Procedures Act by neglecting to give the rule a public hearing and comment period.A state appeals court in Sacramento in August upheld the state agency's designation of a pregnant woman's choice to have an abortion as "medically necessary." The missionaries did not appeal that ruling but did request that California's Supreme Court withdraw it as a published decision binding in trial courts throughout the state. The high court unanimously rejected that request.Planned Parenthood, however, was allowed to comment on the rule. The nation's largest abortion provider met with state health regulators and urged adoption of the rule barring employer health plans that exclude abortion, as shown in emails between the agency and Planned Parenthood that were used as evidence in the missionaries' lawsuit."California regulators appear to have deliberately ignored the deep moral and ethical objection to abortion held by so many in the state," said Andrew Rivas, executive director of the California Catholic Conference. "Debate is healthy and should never be suppressed in this manner or any issue in which so many citizens feel so passionate about."
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| US judge orders Iran pay $180 mn to reporter over detention Posted: 22 Nov 2019 02:24 PM PST  A US court on Friday ordered the government of Iran to pay nearly $180 million in damages to an Iranian-American journalist who was jailed by Tehran on espionage charges in 2014. A US District Court judge ordered the damages be paid to Jason Rezaian and his family in compensation for pain and suffering as well as economic loss for the 18-month detention, when he was physically abused, deprived of sleep and medical care and threatened with execution. Iran did not answer the lawsuit, according to Rezaian's employer The Washington Post, and the Islamic republic is not expected to pay the damages.
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| Arrest made at Syracuse, chancellor bows to student demands as racist hate incidents continue Posted: 21 Nov 2019 10:54 AM PST  Syracuse Chancellor Ken Syverud agreed to the demands of students protesting a two-week run of almost daily racist or anti-Semitic incidents.
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| Ex-CIA officer gets 19 years in China spy conspiracy Posted: 21 Nov 2019 07:13 PM PST  A former CIA case agent was sentenced to 19 years in prison Friday for an espionage conspiracy in which prosecutors say he received more than $840,000 from China to divulge the names of human sources and his knowledge of spycraft. The sentence imposed on Jerry Chun Shing Lee, 55, was significantly longer than the 10-years sought by defense attorneys. Lee pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit espionage, but prosecutors and defense lawyers disagreed about whether there was proof Lee carried out any actual espionage.
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| Rep. Devin Nunes got help from indicted Giuliani associate Lev Parnas for 2018 Europe trip Posted: 20 Nov 2019 10:51 PM PST ![Rep. Devin Nunes got help from indicted Giuliani associate Lev Parnas for 2018 Europe trip]( "Rep. Devin Nunes got help from indicted Giuliani associate Lev Parnas for 2018 Europe trip") Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) traveled to Europe with three aides from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3, 2018, on a $63,000 taxpayer-funded investigative trip, and Lev Parnas, an associate of Rudy Giuliani arrested last month on federal campaign finance and conspiracy charges, helped arrange meetings and calls for his trip, The Daily Beast reports, citing Parnas lawyer Ed MacMahaon and congressional records. Nunes aide Derek Harvey was involved in the Parnas meeting, and he accompanied Nunes to Europe along with fellow aides Scott Glabe and George Pappas.At the time of the trip, Nunes was outgoing chairman of the House Intelligence Committee -- he is now the committee's top Republican and lead voice in the public impeachment hearings. Nunes was visiting Europe as part of his investigation into the origins of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russia and President Trump's campaign. During the period Nunes was in Europe, Giuliani was in the middle of his ultimately successful campaign to oust U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Maria Yovanovitch, a plot Parnas and partner Igor Fruman were also involved in, according to the federal indictment.Parnas "believed that what he was doing was furtherance of the president's and thus our national interests," said Joseph Bondy, a member of Parnas' legal team. "President Trump's recent and regrettable disavowal of Mr. Parnas has caused him to rethink his involvement and the true reasons for his having been recruited to participate in the President's activities. Mr. Parnas is prepared to testify completely and accurately about his involvement in the President and Rudy Giuliani's quid pro quo demands of Ukraine." Read more at The Daily Beast.More stories from theweek.com Ivanka Trump tries to defend father with awkwardly fake Tocqueville impeachment quote Watch Kamala Harris learn from Stephen Colbert that Lindsey Graham is investigating Joe Biden and Ukraine Republicans are throwing Rudy Giuliani under the bus
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| Trump erupts over ‘human scum’ impeachment investigators in rambling series of false and misleading tweets Posted: 21 Nov 2019 08:29 AM PST  Donald Trump has erupted over the ongoing impeachment inquiry in a series of false and misleading tweets in which he accused investigators of being "human scum"."Corrupt politician Adam Schiff's lies are growing by the day," the US president tweeted on Thursday morning.
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| Trump Admin Warns Sanctuary States against Barring ICE Courthouse Arrests in Letter Posted: 22 Nov 2019 08:32 AM PST  State supreme courts in Washington and Oregon received a letter from Attorney General William Barr and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf on Friday warning them to reconsider "dangerous and unlawful" directives that prohibit immigration officials from detaining illegal immigrants in and around state courthouses.Last week, Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Martha Walters banned ICE from courthouse arrests "to maintain the integrity of our courts and provide access to justice," unless the agency has a criminal judicial warrant. Washington is considering adopting a similar measure.In response to Walters's ruling, ICE said it "will continue to carry out its mission to uphold public safety and enforce immigration law.""It is ironic that elected officials want to see policies in place to keep ICE out of courthouses, while caring little for laws enacted by Congress to keep criminal aliens out of our country," an ICE statement read.Barr and Wolf's letter, obtained exclusively by Fox News, disparages a claim that Walters makes in requiring a judicial warrant for ICE to make its arrests — an often-peddled sanctuary city policy that obfuscates the reality of immigration law."Put simply, an administrative arrest warrant is all that Congress requires for authorities to make an arrest of an alien inside the United States for violations of federal immigration laws subject to the exceptions specifically delineated by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act for immigration officers to make warrantless arrests. Administrative arrest warrants —while civil in nature —are issued based on probable cause, carry the full authority of the United States, and should be honored by any state or local jurisdiction," the letter explains."We will further note that ICE and CBP officers are not subject to state rules that purport to restrict ICE and CBP from making administrative arrests on property that is otherwise open to the public and other law enforcement officers," the letter continues. "Under the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution, such rules cannot and will not govern the conduct of federal officers acting pursuant to duly-enacted laws passed by Congress when those laws provide the authority to make administrative arrests of removable aliens inside the United States."In concluding, Barr and Wolf urge the courts that "we should all agree that public safety should be of paramount concern.""Court rules that would purport to further restrict the lawful operations of federal law enforcement officials only serve to exacerbate sanctuary laws and policies that continue to place our communities at unacceptable risk," the letter ends.
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| Putin honours 'hero' pilots for Russian corn field landing Posted: 21 Nov 2019 08:27 AM PST  Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday bestowed the country's top state honour on two pilots who safely landed a plane carrying more than 230 people in a corn field after a bird strike. At a ceremony in the Kremlin, Putin handed pilot Damir Yusupov and co-pilot Georgy Murzin the Hero of Russia awards, praising the crew's courage and professionalism. "They were able to land the plane literally in an empty field and saved dozens of lives," Putin said.
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| Iran says 'world war' against it foiled; blames U.S., Saudi Arabia and Israel Posted: 22 Nov 2019 12:24 PM PST  Iran's Basij militia said unrest sparked by fuel price hikes amounted to a "world war" against Tehran that was thwarted, and blamed the United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel.
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| Mexico arrests judge linked by US to notorious cartel Posted: 22 Nov 2019 03:28 PM PST ![Mexico arrests judge linked by US to notorious cartel]( "Mexico arrests judge linked by US to notorious cartel") A Mexico judge whom the U.S. Treasury Department accuses of ties to Jalisco New Generation, one of the country's bloodiest drug cartels, was arrested in the city of Guadalajara on Friday, judicial authorities said. Earlier that month the U.S. Treasury Department designated and sanctioned Avelar Gutiérrez under the Kingpin Act "because of his actions on behalf" of Jalisco New Generation and an allied group known as Los Cuinis.
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| Schiff outlines 'the difference between Nixon and Trump' in fiery impeachment closing statement Posted: 21 Nov 2019 02:03 PM PST ![Schiff outlines 'the difference between Nixon and Trump' in fiery impeachment closing statement]( "Schiff outlines 'the difference between Nixon and Trump' in fiery impeachment closing statement") House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) saved his harshest words for last.The committee wrapped its second week of public impeachment hearings after hearing from former top adviser on Russia Fiona Hill and diplomat to Ukraine David Holmes. And while Democrats and Republicans still have more witnesses they'd like to hear from, Schiff delivered what felt like a finale at the end of Thursday's testimonies.Schiff used much of his closing statement to tear down a constant refrain heard from Republicans throughout the hearings. They constantly brushed off witnesses' and the Ukraine whistleblower's testimonies as "hearsay," which Schiff called "absurd" because it requires taking President Trump at his word, and then "imagin[ing] he said something else ... about actually fighting corruption."> Rep. Adam Schiff says Republican characterization of testimony in the impeachment hearings as "hearsay" is "absurd." > > "That would be like saying you can't rely on the testimony of the burglars during Watergate because it's only hearsay." https://t.co/i5y2bszIE0 pic.twitter.com/0GWq6NQ2T7> > -- ABC News (@ABC) November 21, 2019Schiff then compared what witnesses have said about Trump to former President Richard Nixon's impeachment scandal, saying today's situation is "far more serious than a third-rate burglary of the Democratic headquarters." But the reason there isn't more definite action being taken against Trump is summed up in "the difference between that Congress and this one," Schiff continued. "Where is Howard Baker? Where are the people that are willing to go beyond their party to look to their duty?"> Rep. Adam Schiff: "The president says really quite spontaneously -- it's not as if he was asked in this way -- 'no quid pro quo.'" > > "This is the 'I'm not a crook' defense. You say it and I guess, that's the end of it," Schiff says, citing Nixon's defense. https://t.co/Q5w6PVVxew pic.twitter.com/HVMUNDVUvJ> > -- ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) November 21, 2019And with that, Schiff adjourned.More stories from theweek.com The story Republicans are really telling themselves about impeachment GOP congressmembers blamed Ukraine for election hacking. Russia's been trying to make that happen for years. Outed CIA agent Valerie Plame is running for Congress, and her launch video looks like a spy movie trailer
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| Christian group wrote legislation eerily similar to Ohio religious liberty bill Posted: 22 Nov 2019 03:30 AM PST  Critics suspect hand of Project Blitz in draft passed by Ohio house which they fear could let students' religious beliefs trump scienceThe draft law says a teacher 'shall not penalize or reward a student based on the religious content of a student's work' – language strikingly similar to Project Blitz's model legislation. Photograph: Justin Lane/EPAAn Ohio state bill which could allow students' religious beliefs to trump science-based facts is almost identical to model legislation backed by an evangelical, anti-gay Christian group.The Student Religious Liberties Act, which passed the Ohio house last week, instructs schools to neither "penalize or reward" students on the basis of their religious speech. It also stipulates schools must provide opportunities for religious expression "in the same manner and to the same extent" as secular speech. Critics argue the bill would provide protect students from bad grades based on religion.The bill's backers deny it is connected to the group, called Project Blitz but the bill has nearly identical language to the model legislation backed by Project Blitz in their 2018-19 "playbook".While student religious liberties bills existed before Project Blitz, its inclusion in a playbook by groups whose goal is to inject religion into law shows the priority they place on the matter. When contacted by the Guardian, Steven W Fitschen, president of the National Legal Foundation, said "We are, of course, delighted that legislators in Ohio drafted a bill so similar to our model bill since we believe its provisions are constitutional and beneficial to students of faith in Ohio, without impinging on anyone else's rights."By contrast, many mainstream civil rights groups have lined up against the bill.Project Blitz model legislation says: "A student may not be penalized or rewarded based on the religious content of his or her work." The Ohio Student Religious Liberties Act says teachers "shall not penalize or reward a student based on the religious content of a student's work.""This bill is under the guise of religious freedom for students, but it's really designed to encourage students to pray and proselytize in public schools," said Maggie Garrett, the vice-president of policy for Americans United for Separation of Church and State. "It adds more confusion than clarity, and of course current law already protects the rights of students," she said.The law's predicted effects have divided critics and supporters. Opponents have said the bill will cause controversy-averse teachers and school administrators to hedge against correcting students who might cite religious beliefs in classwork.Backers argue school officials are intimidated by "well funded groups" who are "biased against Ohio students' religious freedom". The most likely impact, groups such as the Anti-Defamation League said, is potential lawsuits against school districts.Student religious liberty bills have spread across the US south and midwest for more than a decade with roots in a 1995 set of guidelines from the Clinton administration, according to a University of California, Davis law review article.In 2007, Texas reincarnated the guidelines in a form which "intentionally lacks" some of the caveats the Clinton administration included, such as a prohibition on having a "captive audience" in school, the article said."This bill has been around since before the Project Blitz campaign, but the bill is part of the Project Blitz playbook," said Garrett, the vice-president for Americans United for Separation of Church and State. "We will be seeing more of these bills in the future, because we're certainly seeing an increase in other Project Blitz bills."In another example of their similarities, Project Blitz's model legislation reads, "A student may organize prayer groups, religious clubs, and other religious gatherings before, during, and after the school day in the same manner and to the same extent that a student is permitted to organize secular activities and groups."Ohio's bill said students could attend "religious gatherings, including but not limited to prayer groups, religious clubs, 'see you at the pole' gatherings, or other religious gatherings" and "may engage in religious expression before, during, and after school hours in the same manner and to the same extent that a student is permitted to engage in secular activities or expression before, during, and after school hours."Even though backers deny the bill has been designed to promote Christian values, others disagree. "It is negligent and reckless of our colleagues to push an agenda this way and act as if it is not based on this one religious tenet," said Emilia Strong Sykes, the Democratic Ohio house minority leader and a Christian. "It is anti-American," she said.Long-term Republican control of Ohio state politics through gerrymandering – a process of drawing district lines to benefit one party – has turned Ohio into a proving ground for conservative legislation. Including 2019, Republicans have held all three levers of Ohio state government for 21 of the last 27 years, according to Ballotpedia.Ohio was the first of several states to pass a six-week ban on abortion last summer. The same legislators introduced a bill to ban abortion outright last week, including new criminal penalties for "abortion murder". Courts stopped Ohio's six-week ban from going into effect. Abortion is legal in all 50 US states."My personal feeling, quite frankly, is this is disgraceful," said Paul Beck, an Ohio State University political science professor and an expert on gerrymandering, about the Student Religious Liberties Act. "One of the products of gerrymandering and Republican domination we have in the Ohio general assembly is these are not necessarily reasonable people making our laws," he said."Here you have legislation that is not only not needed, but will – at minimum – cause confusion," said Gary Daniels, chief lobbyist for the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio. The ACLU often sues on behalf of those who suffer religious discrimination, and opposes the bill.Project Blitz is organized by the Congressional Prayer Caucus, the National Legal Foundation and the WallBuilders ProFamily Legislators Conference. Other Blitz proposals include proclamations to establish, "Christian heritage week" and a "public policy resolution favoring sexual intercourse only between a married man and woman".The privately run Congressional Prayer Caucus works to "preserve America's Judeo-Christian heritage and promote prayer", according to its website. WallBuilders is led by a widely criticized revisionist historian who claims the US was founded on Christian ideals. The not-for-profit National Legal Foundation aims to "create and implement" public policy "to support and facilitate God's purpose for [America] … in such a way as to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ".When contacted by the Guardian, Steven W Fitschen, president of the National Legal Foundation, said "We are, of course, delighted that legislators in Ohio drafted a bill so similar to our model bill since we believe its provisions are constitutional and beneficial to students of faith in Ohio, without impinging on anyone else's rights."Representative Timothy Ginter, the bill's sponsor and a pastor, said he had "no knowledge" of Project Blitz. He declined further requests for an interview.The Guardian contacted 11 co-sponsors of the legislation. None responded. The Guardian also contacted the legislator who originally introduced the legislation in 2016, former representative Bill Hayes. He did not respond to a request for comment.In a statement, Ginter argued the bill is necessary, "Because of increased pressure on our schools from groups who are biased against Ohio students' religious freedoms, many school officials are confused, and frankly intimidated by the threat of litigation from these well-funded groups." He also denied the bill is meant to promote Christianity. "Nowhere in the language of the bill is a specific religion mentioned," Ginter said.The Republican-backed Ohio house passed the bill last week with a party-line vote. Only two Democrats voted in favor. The bill must be passed by the Republican-controlled Senate and the Republican governor, Mike DeWine, to become law. He did not respond to a Guardian request for comment.
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| Ex-CIA agent jailed for 19 years for spying for China Posted: 22 Nov 2019 02:17 PM PST  The former CIA officer who may have devastated US intelligence collection in China by giving up its network of informants to Beijing agents was sentenced on Friday to 19 years in prison. Jerry Chun Shing Lee, a naturalized US citizen who worked for the Central Intelligence Agency from 1994 to 2007, was arrested in January 2018 for illegally possessing classified US defense information, which prosecutors alleged he turned over to Chinese intelligence agents.
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| Would President Trump Ever Bring Back the Battleships? Posted: 21 Nov 2019 08:30 PM PST  The U.S. Navy will never again be a dreadnought fleet of big-gun battleships. But it is time to reexamine the role of armor in naval architecture. Even the most forward-leaning offensive operation needs a few tough linesmen who can take a beating and stay in the game. A future battleship would give the Navy— and by extension the president—warfighting options other than the total annihilation of the enemy.
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| 'Can I actually say something?': Hill responds after GOP congressman failed to ask question Posted: 21 Nov 2019 12:18 PM PST  During former top national security adviser Fiona Hill's testimony, Hill said "All of us who came here ... felt we had a moral obligation to do so. We came as fact witnesses."
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| A transgender woman says she was forced to remove her makeup with hand sanitizer for a DMV photo Posted: 22 Nov 2019 10:36 AM PST  Jaydee Dolinar told Glamour that a DMV worker handed her hand sanitizer and said she wouldn't be granted a new photo ID unless she removed her makeup.
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| Colorado District Closes All 46 Schools to Stop Spread of 'Extremely Contagious Virus' Posted: 21 Nov 2019 08:13 AM PST  The Mesa County Valley School District 51 plans to keep all 46 of its schools closed on Thursday and Friday.
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| Colorado man faces new charges for plotting to bomb synagogue Posted: 22 Nov 2019 02:21 PM PST  An avowed white supremacist being held without bond for plotting to bomb a Colorado synagogue this month has been indicted on additional charges of attempted arson and using explosives to commit a felony, federal prosecutors said on Friday. The two additional charges against Richard Holzer, 27, on top of an earlier count of attempting to obstruct religious services by force, could send him to prison for 50 years, U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn said in a statement. Holzer was arrested on Nov. 4 after an undercover sting by FBI agents, who said he plotted to bomb the Temple Emanuel synagogue in Pueblo, Colorado.
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| After campaign by young activists, Miami declares ‘climate emergency.’ It’s symbolic, for now. Posted: 22 Nov 2019 03:00 AM PST  Miami is officially in a state of emergency over climate change, delighting local youth activists that have been pushing the city to declare a "climate emergency" for months.
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| 26 of the Most Fascinating Public Sculptures Posted: 22 Nov 2019 05:00 AM PST |
| Kamala’s Attack on Tulsi Is What’s Wrong with America Posted: 22 Nov 2019 02:08 PM PST  During Wednesday night's Democratic debate, Senator Kamala Harris slammed Representative Tulsi Gabbard for having criticized President Obama during his time in the White House."I think that it's unfortunate that we have someone on this stage that is attempting to be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States, who during the Obama administration spent four years full time on Fox News criticizing President Obama," Harris said.Gabbard then interjected, calling Harris' attack "ridiculous," but Harris just kept going -- chastising Gabbard for meeting with President Donald Trump after the 2016 election, for being too friendly with Steve Bannon "to get" that meeting, and for not labeling Bashar al-Assad a "war criminal."The line of attack went well for Harris. The crowd went wild -- but honestly, I sat on my couch shaking my head. See, what Harris (and apparently so many others in that audience) saw as a negative, I actually see as something great. Gabbard's willingness to criticize people in her own party if she disagrees with them is not a flaw. In fact, it's exactly what's missing from our discourse.Politics has become absurdly, stupidly, restrictively partisan. Wednesday night, Harris (and the crowd's response to her) demonstrated that this is true of Democrats -- but it is, of course, absolutely true of Republicans as well. You don't have to look too hard to find examples of that; it's a well-known fact that President Trump tends to attack fellow Republicans if they criticize him.I've also experienced this phenomenon firsthand: As a small-l libertarian (that is, someone without any party affiliation), I have been criticized on Twitter for not "picking a side." Worse, in other cases, people will just assume that I am on a side based on a single comment I've made. For example: Attacking Trump on something specific will get me called some variation of a "liberal globalist socialist idiot," and agreeing with Trump on something specific will get me called a "racist stupid Trump shill." Being on one side or the other has become such an expectation that many people don't even stop to consider the fact that I might be viewing each issue individually and drawing my own conclusions.It's sad, but it's true: Our country has largely accepted the idea that refusing to be a shill for either side means that you're not "loyal," but the truth is, it really means the opposite. It means that you are being loyal to your own principles, and that is far more admirable. It takes far more courage (and time spent in thoughtful consideration) to decide your views for yourself and espouse them than it does to be a partisan-hack sheep and go along blindly with a side.One of the main foundations of our country is supposed to be that we value individuality, and unfortunately, that seems to be getting lost. No one should ever feel compelled to replace the development of and adherence to his or her own set of personal values and beliefs with an adherence to some partisan label. It's become far too common, and that's detrimental to our greater good -- because it causes people to stop searching for truth. Too many people don't look at things objectively and try to see the facts; they instead look at them through their partisan lenses and try to figure out how to twist or spin them to fit their own "side." This is dangerous for two reasons: For one, the truth is always going to be the truth, no matter who does or does not recognize it -- and the best way to start finding solutions to the problems that inhibit our reality is to start by acknowledging what reality is. For another, the people who have power over us can become too powerful if they know they will have everyone on their "side" unabashedly defending any and all of their behavior, regardless of how egregious it might be. They will assume that they can get away with anything and govern us accordingly.So, although Harris might have thought that she really owned Gabbard by hitting her on her past criticism of Obama, I couldn't feel more strongly that the opposite is true: We need more people who are unafraid to think and speak independently, and fewer who are quick to aim to ostracize others for having had independent thoughts.
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| Analysis: Warren has a plan to win support from black women Posted: 22 Nov 2019 02:30 PM PST  On Thursday night in Atlanta, Sen. Elizabeth Warren showed she has a plan for that. The Massachusetts senator has built a top-tier campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination largely by gathering support from progressive whites. Prominent black women were on hand to vouch for Warren's commitment to their priorities.
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| Why All of America's Enemies Should Still Fear the B-1 Bomber Posted: 21 Nov 2019 10:00 PM PST  A new age, a new role.
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| IRS Says Millionaires Can Keep Estate Tax Benefits After 2025 Posted: 22 Nov 2019 02:49 PM PST ![IRS Says Millionaires Can Keep Estate Tax Benefits After 2025]( "IRS Says Millionaires Can Keep Estate Tax Benefits After 2025") (Bloomberg) -- Taxpayers can benefit from higher thresholds for U.S. estate and gift taxes even if they don't die until after the tax overhaul expires in 2026, the Internal Revenue Service said.The 2017 Republican tax law approximately doubled the estate and gift tax exemption. That means individuals this year can pass on, tax-free, $11.4 million from their estate and gifts they gave before their death. Couples can pass on $22.8 million. The higher levels expire in 2026, but individuals who make large gifts while the exemption is higher and die after it goes back down won't see the estate tax benefit eroded, the IRS said in regulations announced Friday."As a result, individuals planning to make large gifts between 2018 and 2025 can do so without concern that they will lose the tax benefit of the higher exclusion level once it decreases after 2025," the agency said in a press release.The exemption increase was a priority for Republicans in the 2017 tax overhaul. It cut the number of individuals who would be subject to the 40% estate tax by about two-thirds. The exemption was $5.5 million before the law change.Democrats, however, are eyeing a reversal of those changes if they sweep the House, Senate and White House in 2020. Almost every Democratic presidential candidate has called for the estate tax to apply to a larger number of wealthy families.Senator Bernie Sanders has called for the estate tax to kick in on fortunes worth at least $3.5 million, and has proposed rates as high as 77%.To contact the reporter on this story: Laura Davison in Washington at ldavison4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Laurie Asséo, Ros KrasnyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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