| The First 2020 Democratic Debate Is Almost Here. Here’s Everything You Need to Know Posted: 23 Jun 2019 03:00 AM PDT  Democratic candidates will face off in the first primary debate in Miami on June 26 and 27. Here's what to know before they take the stage.
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| School will no longer be recognised as Catholic after refusing to fire gay teacher, church officials say Posted: 22 Jun 2019 11:50 AM PDT  A school that refused to fire a gay teacher as ordered by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis says it has been told by church officials that it will no longer be recognised as Catholic. But school leaders pledged to keep the institution's religious identification.The archdiocese announced in a statement that it would no longer recognise Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, an independently operated school, because it was not insisting that all employees "be supportive of all teachings of the Catholic Church," the Catholic News Agency reported. The church is against homosexual activity.A statement by the Reverend Brian G Paulson, who heads the Midwest Province of Jesuits, said the archdiocese told Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School two years ago not to renew the contract of a teacher whose "marital status does not conform to church doctrine." He also said the decision, to be formalised in a church decree, would be appealed through a church process and would go as high as the Vatican "if necessary."Leaders of Brebeuf Jesuit posted an open letter to their community on the Indianapolis school's website saying the archdiocese had directly inserted itself into a school governance matter in an "unprecedented" way and that it would not do what Archbishop Charles Thompson had demanded.The letter said in part: "Specifically, Brebeuf Jesuit has respectfully declined the Archdiocese's insistence and directive that we dismiss a highly capable and qualified teacher due to the teacher being a spouse within a civilly-recognised same-sex marriage."The unidentified teacher was said by Mr Paulson to be "a valued employee" who does not teach religion. He wrote that Brebeuf Jesuit became aware through social media "that one of its teachers entered into a civil marriage with a person of the same sex."According to the Associated Press, a school operated by the archdiocese, Indianapolis Roncalli High School, has fired or suspended two guidance counsellors in the past year because they are in same-sex marriages.Brebeuf Jesuit's leaders who signed the open letter are the Reverend William Verbryke, the school president; W Patrick Bruen, chair of the school's Board of Trustees; and Daniel M Lechleiter, chair-elect of the trustees board. They promised in the letter that the school's mission would not change as a result of this conflict with the archdiocese."We understand that this news will likely spur a host of emotions, questions and even confusion in the days ahead. Please be assured, the Archdiocese's decision will not change the mission or operations of Brebeuf Jesuit."On Friday, the school's name was not on the archdiocese's list of Catholic schools in its region.The church says there are 68 Catholic schools - 57 elementary schools and 11 high schools - in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, according to its website. Collectively, they enrolled some 23,200 students during the 2018-2019 school year.Most of those schools are operated by a school division within the archdiocese, which is headed by Superintendent Gina Kuntz Fleming, who did not return phone calls about Brebeuf Jesuit. While Brebeuf Jesuit is a Catholic school within the archdiocese, it is independently operated. The school has nearly 800 students in grades nine through 12.The school leaders' letter said that, while the archdiocese "may choose to no longer attend or participate in the school's Masses and formal functions, Brebeuf Jesuit is, and will always be, a Catholic Jesuit school."It also said church leaders assured them that "Jesuit priests may continue to serve at Brebeuf Jesuit and will retain their ability to celebrate the sacraments of the Catholic Church."The Washington Post
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| Iran crisis could 'spin out of control': ex-US military aide Posted: 23 Jun 2019 10:27 AM PDT  A former top US military advisor warned Sunday that tensions with Iran "could spin out of control" after President Donald Trump's last-minute cancelation of air strikes on the Islamic republic. Trump has labeled Iran a danger and in May last year pulled the US out of an international accord on rewarding the country for allowing verification of its nuclear industry.
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| Syria says sabotage damaged underwater oil pipelines Posted: 23 Jun 2019 11:40 AM PDT  Five underwater pipelines have been damaged and put out of order after a sabotage attack off the coastal town of Banias, Syria's oil ministry said Sunday. The damage was discovered after divers checked to see what was behind an oil leakage, the ministry said. Banias is home to one of Syria's two oil refineries.
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| How an Aircraft Carrier and a Submarine Hunted Each Other During the Falklands War Posted: 22 Jun 2019 08:00 PM PDT  On the afternoon of April 30, 1982, the War Cabinet of Prime Minister Margret Thatcher transmitted a message to three Royal Navy submarines in the South Atlantic—designating the carrier Veinticino de Mayo a priority target to be hunted down and destroyed.The Argentine carrier—ironically, of British origin—posed an unpredictable threat to the Royal Navy taskforce commencing amphibious operations to retake the disputed Falkland Islands following their seizure by Argentinian troops on April 2, 1982.The ensuing nine-day game of cat-and-mouse between British submarines and the anti-submarine aircraft onboard the Veinticinco is recounted in A Carrier at Risk by Mariano Sciaroni, who compares interviews with Argentine sources with Reports of Proceedings filed by British submariners to shed new light on a formerly obscure subject.Sciaroni's book not only serves as a primer for the anti-submarine tactics and technology of the time, but features many maps plotting day-by-day movements of the combatants and numerous photos and color illustrations depicting the vessels and aircraft engaged. Sciaroni also captures the routines and human foibles of wartime life at sea, such as quarrels over stocking snacks in the pilot ready room and fearful crewmen sleeping at their stations in life vests.
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| Nasa's Curiosity rover detects methane in latest hint at life on Mars Posted: 23 Jun 2019 05:36 AM PDT  Nasa's Curiosity rover has detected another methane "spike" on Mars, in what could be a sign of alien life on the red planet. According to the New York Times, which obtained an email about the discovery written by senior scientists at Nasa, the rover detected "startlingly high amounts of methane in the Martian air." The detection of methane hints at an even greater discovery - life on Mars - as the gas is often generated by microbes underground known as methanogens,which can survive without oxygen. "Given this surprising result, we've reorganized the weekend to run a follow-up experiment, " wrote scientist Ashwin R. Vasavada in the email published by the New York Times. It is not the first time Nasa's robot has detected methane levels on the planet, and scientists are still not sure whether the gas is caused by living microbes. This is because geothermal reactions, with no biological life involved, can also create methane. When Curiosity landed on Mars in 2012 it could find barely any traces of methane, with less than one part per billion in the atmosphere. Then in 2013 the rover detected a sudden increase in methane levels, with seven parts methane per billion, which endured for several months and then vanished. The most recent discovery of Methane is 21 parts per billion, three times higher than the "spike" in 2013. While increased methane levels measured by @MarsCuriosity are exciting, as possible indicators for life, it's important to remember this is an early science result. To maintain scientific integrity, the science team will continue to analyze the data before confirming results. pic.twitter.com/zSrONQHuc5— Thomas Zurbuchen (@Dr_ThomasZ) June 22, 2019 Scientists are also not ruling out the possibility that the methane was not recent, having been trapped underground for millions of years, and only now is gradually emerging through cracks in the surface. Thomas Zurbuchen, from Nasa's science mission directorate, advised people not to jump to any conclusions about the methane detection in a message on Twitter. "While increased methane levels measured by Mars Curiosity are exciting, as possible indicators for life, it's important to remember this is an early science result," he wrote. "To maintain scientific integrity, the science team will continue to analyse the data before confirming results."
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| Postal worker gunned down while delivering mail in Louisiana, police say Posted: 22 Jun 2019 08:24 PM PDT  A mailman died Saturday after he was shot multiple times while on his mail route, the Shreveport Police Department confirmed.
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| UPDATE 3-Yemen's Houthis hit Saudi airport, killing one expat, Saudi-led coalition says Posted: 23 Jun 2019 11:50 AM PDT ![UPDATE 3-Yemen's Houthis hit Saudi airport, killing one expat, Saudi-led coalition says]( "UPDATE 3-Yemen's Houthis hit Saudi airport, killing one expat, Saudi-led coalition says") Yemen's Houthi movement launched an attack on Abha civilian airport in southern Saudi Arabia on Sunday that killed one person and wounded seven others, the Saudi-led coalition battling the group in Yemen said. Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV earlier said that the Iran-aligned movement had targeted Abha and Jizan airports in the south of the kingdom with drones attacks. "A terrorist attack by the Iran-backed Houthi militia targeted Abha airport, killing a Syrian resident and wounding seven civilians," the coalition said in a statement carried on Saudi state television.
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| Thomas Roberts on Stonewall 50: ‘I Want LGBTQ Kids to Know It’s OK. It’s OK to Be Different, and OK to Be Gay’ Posted: 22 Jun 2019 07:28 PM PDT  Photo Illustration by Sarah Rogers/The Daily Beast / Photos GettyIn this special series, LGBT celebrities and public figures talk to Tim Teeman about the Stonewall Riots and their legacy—see more here.Thomas RobertsJournalistWhen/how did you first hear about the Stonewall Riots, and what did you make of them?I learned of the Stonewall Riots in 2006-2007. It was shortly after coming out publicly. I was utterly impressed at the bravery protesters showed. They put it all on the line for us. The Stonewall Riots: What Really Happened, What Didn't, and What Became MythWhat is their significance for you?Without Stonewall where would we be today? It was the spark.How far have we LGBT people come since 1969?Since 1969 we've come out of the shadows of shame and intolerance. In 50 years the LGBTQ community is a force to be reckon with, but we still have battles ahead. And it's not solely on LGBTQ rights. We need to show up wherever people are marginalized and oppressed. We need to show up when we aren't personally the sole beneficiaries.What would you like to see, LGBT-wise, in the next 50 years?I'd love to see an LGBTQ President. And I believe in my lifetime we just might. But in the meantime I want LGBTQ kids to know it's OK. It's OK to be different. It's OK to be gay. The world is a big and wonderful place... eventually we all find our peace. However, it doesn't come without ups and downs. There will be high highs and low lows. Keep going. It will all be OK. 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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| Report: Dubai plane that crashed followed others too closely Posted: 23 Jun 2019 06:23 AM PDT  A plane involved in a fatal crash that killed four people working on improvements at Dubai International Airport had followed other larger aircraft landing there too closely as air traffic controllers offered inconsistent warnings about the hazard, a preliminary investigative report released Sunday found. The May 16 crash of the Diamond DA62 saw the aircraft roll upside-down in air and smash into a park near the airport at high speed, killing the three Britons and one South African on board, according to the report by the United Arab Emirates' General Civil Aviation Authority. The twin propeller-engine light aircraft first lost control in the wake of a Thai Airways Airbus A350 landing at Dubai's airport, the world's busiest for international travel.
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| ICE confirms plans to arrest more than 2,040 undocumented family members in deportation raids beginning Sunday Posted: 22 Jun 2019 07:58 AM PDT  Immigration and Customs Enforcement top official told ABC News on Friday that the agency plans to arrest more than 2,040 undocumented family members.
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| The Trump administration is trying to make war with Iran inevitable Posted: 21 Jun 2019 11:00 PM PDT  We should view Iran's recent posturing for what it is: retaliation to the Trump administration's unnecessary and deliberate provocation'Like the recent oil tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman, the Trump administration has framed the drone incident as if it occurred in a vacuum – providing an aura of legitimacy to a possible American military response.' Photograph: Darren Ornitz/ReutersLast night, in response to Iran shooting down an American drone earlier this week, the United States came within one whim of an erratic and unstable president from launching a military strike on Iran.Like the recent oil tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman, the Trump administration has framed the drone incident as if it occurred in a vacuum – implying that the Iranians are launching these (alleged) attacks without provocation, and providing an aura of legitimacy to a possible American military response.And that's exactly what the Trump administration's Iran hawks – led by the national security adviser, John Bolton, and the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo — have seemingly planned all along: to cultivate conditions that make military conflict with Iran the only option.The current Iran predicament is the result of a years-long campaign by the same people who pushed for invasion of Iraq. Instead of learning from the Iraq debacle, they've decided that any means, including a potentially catastrophic war with Iran, are justified in order to achieve regime change in Tehran. Their public arguments for escalation with Iran have generally been cloaked as criticism of Barack Obama's Iran nuclear agreement, by disingenuously calling for what they know is an unachievable "better deal".The facts are indisputable. When Trump assumed office, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – as the nuclear deal is formally known – was working as advertised, blocking Iran from building a nuclear weapon. The United Nations' atomic energy watchdog has even confirmed more than a dozen times that Iran is, thus far, complying with the deal.But instead of capitalizing on these gains, the Trump administration threw it all away to take a different path. Slowly, over time, Trump officials ramped up their bellicose rhetoric toward Iran; falsely accused Tehran of coordinating with al-Qaida (presumably to invoke the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force as legal justification for a possible attack); pulled out of the JCPOA; and imposed sanctions so devastating that the Iranians were almost certain to lash out, whether in the form of the minor skirmishes we've seen in recent weeks or rejection of the terms of the 2015 nuclear accord.In early May, Bolton – an unrepentant Iraq war cheerleader who has been calling for war with Iran for nearly two decades – announced a military build-up in the region to counter purported threats from Iran. But we later found out that Team Trump was not only blowing that intel way out of proportion, but also that US intelligence agencies had assessed that Iran's new and threatening activity was actually in response to the Trump administration's aggression.We should view Iran's recent posturing for what it is: retaliation to the Trump administration's unnecessary and deliberate provocation.Although Trump backed down this time, the possibility of war with Iran is very real. Even a "limited strike" scenario could quickly spiral out of control.Thankfully it appears that, for now, Trump is holding to his campaign promises of wanting to extricate the US from its Middle East forever wars and refrain from starting any new ones. But we're dealing with Donald Trump and the primary factor in determining whether we go to war with Iran is whether he believes it will benefit him politically at home. Everything Trump says or does must be viewed through that lens.To fight the Trump administration's efforts to escalate conflict with Iran, we must call on Congress to speak out more forcefully against war with Iran, and get Congress to pass recently introduced legislation that would bar funding for any unauthorized war. It might also mean, however distasteful it may feel, promoting voices calling for restraint from the only television news outlet Trump cares about, like Tucker Carlson at Fox.But of course there are no guarantees. There still remains a well-funded, influential, and eager pro-Iran war lobby pushing Trump towards conflict. The only question that remains is whether it will box him in far enough to the point of no return, or whether a public campaign against war can provide the off ramp that will be required. * Ben Armbruster is the communications director for Win Without War and previously served as National Security Editor at ThinkProgress
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| Italy holds Netherlands, EU 'responsible' for migrant boat Posted: 23 Jun 2019 09:00 AM PDT  Italy's hardline Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said he would hold the Netherlands and the European Union "responsible" for the fate of 42 migrants that Rome has blocked from disembarking at Italian ports for over a week. The Dutch-flagged rescue boat Sea-Watch 3 has been stuck in the Mediterranean since rescuing 53 migrants drifting in an inflatable raft off the coast of Libya on June 12. While 11 of those on board the Sea-Watch have been allowed to disembark -- including two pregnant women -- the vessel has been denied permission to dock in Italy.
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| How You Can Modernize Your Old Beater with the Latest Tech Posted: 22 Jun 2019 04:30 AM PDT |
| Texas mom charged with homicide after running over her 3-year-old during a game of 'chicken' Posted: 23 Jun 2019 08:40 AM PDT ![Texas mom charged with homicide after running over her 3-year-old during a game of 'chicken']( "Texas mom charged with homicide after running over her 3-year-old during a game of 'chicken'") A woman has been charged with criminally negligent homicide after police say she ran over her 3-year-old son during a game of 'chicken' in Houston.
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| U.S. conservative group to launch attack ads against Biden during Democratic debate Posted: 22 Jun 2019 03:01 AM PDT  Club for Growth, a conservative political group, will launch new attack ads against Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden targeting his past statements about race that will run during his first debate appearance next week. The decision by Club for Growth to attack Biden is based on internal polling the organization conducted that was viewed exclusively by Reuters. Club for Growth, whose stated top policy goals include reducing income tax rates, a full repeal of Obamacare and reducing the size of the federal government, will never back a Democrat for president.
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| A civil war is coming for the Democratic Party — and it won't be pretty Posted: 23 Jun 2019 03:00 AM PDT  It is perfectly fine to be a party of and for the affluent in America, but at least don't simultaneously pretend to be the party of the little guy.
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| Hotel owner sues insurance company after Vegas mass shooting Posted: 22 Jun 2019 02:01 PM PDT  More than 4,000 people are seeking damages from MGM Resorts International related to the Las Vegas Strip mass shooting that left 58 people dead, the casino giant said in a lawsuit alleging its insurance company has failed to pay promised legal costs. Las Vegas-based MGM Resorts alleges breach-of-contract and accuses Illinois-based Zurich American Insurance Co. of failing to pay defense costs for damage claims stemming from the 2017 shooting. MGM Resorts owns the Mandalay Bay hotel, where the shooter opened fire from a 32nd-floor window, and the Route 91 Harvest festival venue where country music concert-goers died and more than 850 people were injured.
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| Best New-Car Deals for July 4th Posted: 22 Jun 2019 03:03 AM PDT  As the nation commemorates Independence Day, car dealerships celebrate with discounted prices on new cars. But you don't have to wait until the busy, long weekend to shop. Our latest analysis sho...
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| 'The only one that matters is me': Trump backs Bolton amid Iran tensions Posted: 22 Jun 2019 09:18 AM PDT !['The only one that matters is me': Trump backs Bolton amid Iran tensions]( "'The only one that matters is me': Trump backs Bolton amid Iran tensions") There has been speculation in recent months that Trump is frustrated with Bolton.
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| 8 Can't-Miss Towns Near Great Driving Roads Posted: 23 Jun 2019 01:00 PM PDT |
| Two Nazi Soldiers Proved How Deadly a Sniper Can Be on the Battlefield Posted: 23 Jun 2019 02:00 AM PDT  The three Soviet tanks edged forward slowly as the drivers scanned for the concealed Germans that lay ahead. The lead tank suddenly clanked to a stop and swung its long barrel around. It looked much like one of Hannibal's elephants with its trunk raised, sniffing the air before its planned lunge forward toward the hapless enemy.The Wehrmacht troops were in a precarious situation. They lacked air support there as the Soviets mounted a heavy attack in mid-August 1943 along the length of the Donets Front in eastern Ukraine. Antitank panzerfausts were not available to the 3rd Gebirgsjager (Mountain) Division, and the unit had few, if any, sticky charges to blow the tracks from the Soviet T-34 tanks. All they had were their wits and their bolt-action Mauser rifles against the three steel titans that loomed in front of them with scores of Red Army soldiers trailing.Suddenly, the lead tank's hatch opened about 10 inches and a head appeared with binoculars to scan the scene. Sniper Josef "Sepp" Allerberger brought the Soviet tanker's head into the center of his scope, and at some 500 feet he squeezed off a round. A splat of blood hit the hatch as the head sank into the bowels of the tank.
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| 10 deals you don’t want to miss on Sunday: $8 wireless charger, $79 soundbar, AirPods 2 and iPad deals, more Posted: 23 Jun 2019 04:32 AM PDT ![10 deals you don't want to miss on Sunday: $8 wireless charger, $79 soundbar, AirPods 2 and iPad deals, more]( "10 deals you don't want to miss on Sunday: $8 wireless charger, $79 soundbar, AirPods 2 and iPad deals, more") Sunday's daily deals roundup is so good, you won't even know what hit you. Highlights include an awesome smartwatch with 30-day battery life for just $79.99, the upgraded faster version of Amazon's best-selling Wi-Fi range extender for just $24.99, the first big discount on AirPods 2 with Wireless Charging Case, brand new Apple iPads starting at just $249, nearly $100 off the excellent Roomba 690 robot vacuum with Alexa support, a terrific Vizio soundbar for just $78.99, multi-color LED smart light bulbs for $15 a piece, a wireless keyboard you never need to charge for $39.99, a fast wireless charging pad for only $8.49, and more. See all of today's best bargains below.
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| Navy SEALs Testify Their Chief Shot Girl, Man in Iraq Posted: 22 Jun 2019 09:33 AM PDT  Mike Blake/ReutersSAN DIEGO NAVAL BASE, Calif.—Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward R. "Eddie" Gallagher, a 20-year veteran of the Navy, fatally shot a man and a young girl in Iraq during separate incidents in 2017, two of his fellow SEALS told a military court Friday afternoon. He also admonished snipers for failing to kill the man who had been walking along a river path.Gallagher, 40, is on trial and facing seven criminal counts, including attempted murder for allegedly shooting the man and girl, and for premeditated murder for allegedly fatally stabbing a wounded, teenage ISIS fighter captured by Iraqi military forces in early May 2017.Neither of the SEALs who testified said they actually saw Gallagher fire the fatal shots, and his defense attorney put blame for their deaths on ISIS fighters likely operating near the SEALs' sniper positions in Mosul.The testimony came a day after a medic who was with Gallagher shocked the court by testifying that he may have been the one who killed the girl. The decorated SEAL has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include additional violations of general orders. He is alleged to have posed for photos with the dead ISIS fighter's corpse and he is accused of obstructing justice when he tried to stop some from reporting his actions during an Iraq deployment with SEAL Team 7's Alpha Platoon. Gallagher's defense team claims that he's being unfairly prosecuted and targeted by junior SEALs jealous of his reputation and with personal vendettas against him.Gallagher's general court-martial began Tuesday before Judge Navy Capt. Aaron Rugh and a seven-member jury comprised of four senior enlisted Marines, a Marine chief warrant officer, a Navy SEAL chief and a Navy commander. All the jurors have combat experience. A conviction on any of the charges requires a two-thirds vote. The trial is expected to run at least through next week.Gallagher wore his gold Trident pin above several rows of ribbons on his chest to court. He sat at a table in front of his wife, friends and family, and was flanked by five members of his defense team, including Marc Mukasey, who has served as President Trump's personal attorney and Tim Parlatore, his lead defense attorney.Witness Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Dalton Tolbert avoided looking at Gallagher except when asked to point out if the SEAL chief was in the room. In questioning by a Navy prosecutor Friday afternoon, Tolbert testified that both civilian shootings came as sniper teams with Alpha Platoon manned positions on towers, or damaged buildings, north and south of the Tigris River near a bridge crossing. The platoon with the Coronado, Calif.-based SEAL team had the mandate to observe and thwart any ISIS activity, which included keeping an eye out for any fighters who'd venture to the riverbanks for water or respite. Sometimes, he said, the snipers would fire warning shots to scare civilians from the area.From his sniper post north of the river, Tolbert said he saw a man dressed run across the path toward a nearby building. He was dressed in traditional white garb that differed from what ISIS fighters usually wore. "That's when I saw a red mark on his back after hearing a shot," he told the court. "Over the radio, I hear, 'You guys missed him but I got him'," Tolbert said. "It sounded like Chief Gallagher."The incident involving the girl happened sometime in June 2017, Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Joshua Vriens told the court. Through his scope he told the court he saw four girls, about 12 to 14 years old, each wearing dressings and flowered hijabs. One of the girls, shot in the stomach, shrieked and fell on her right knee as two of the girls ran off and the fourth, in a gray dress, grabbed and dragged the wounded girl over a berm and out of sight, he said.Prosecutors asked if he had heard shots prior to the girls scrambling away. "I heard them from the north tower," Vriens said, adding, "It was apparent the shot came from our direction." He said that the immediate area of Mosul had been cleared previously and ISIS units remained active a bit further to the east. But when questioned by Parlatore, Vriens said Gallagher was about 850 meters from the girl.The court also heard that Gallagher purposely stabbed a young ISIS fighter in the neck after the wounded teenager was brought to the SEALs by Iraqi forces. Defense attorneys have argued that he rendered aid, along with several others. On Thursday, a platoon member shocked the court when he testified that he, and not Gallagher, may have caused the young ISIS fighter's death to put him out of his misery. Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Corey Scott testified that after he saw Gallagher stick his knife in the ISIS fighter's neck, he decided to asphyxiate the teenager by closing the breathing tube with his thumb and save him from a worse fate at the hands of the Iraqis, according to the Associated Press."I knew he was going to die anyway, and I wanted to save him from waking up to whatever would happen to him," Scott, a trained medic or hospital corpsman testifying with a grant of immunity, told the court. The identity of the ISIS fighter isn't known, and a body was never recovered. "He was in the (Iraqi) custody the entire time," Palatore said. Navy SEALs would have treated and stabilized him to "potentially get some intelligence out of him."Vriens testified he wasn't present when the ISIS fighter died. But he testified that he was in the platoon's tactical operations room when another SEAL was looking at a photo on a computer of a teenager with dark hair who "looked like he was concussed... It looked like he had a 1,000-yard stare." He said that Gallagher walked in the room and was asked, "is this your guy?" Vriens said. Gallagher then told them, "I stabbed him in the side, then grabbed him by the hair and I looked him in the eye and I stabbed him in the neck."The Navy's case against Gallagher also has been rocked in recent months by allegations that the Navy's secretive special operations community is a hotbed for personal vendettas after Naval Criminal Investigative Service documents and SEALs' statements were leaked to several journalists. The Navy's original prosecution team is accused of embedding emails with a software tracker directed at the defense team and journalist Carl Prine, editor of the Navy Times, to help determine the source of the leaks.On Friday, much of the defense's line of questioning of Tolbert and Vriens centered on a meeting that several platoon members had with Gallagher hours after the ISIS fighter's death. The court also saw evidence including text messages sent among a group of SEALs called the "Sewing Circle" which included platoon members opposed of war crimes who were apparently at odds with a group Gallagher belonged to known as the "Real Brotherhood." Defense attorneys have criticized the government's investigation and have painted several SEALs who have testified against Gallagher as weak operators and liars stretching the truth for their own benefit."We're feeling pretty good about this," Parlatore said during a short news conference outside the courtroom building after Friday's afternoon session concluded at the naval base. "These younger millennials feel they were just there to be able to say that they're SEALs, they went to Mosul and they could get out and go on to their future careers with that 'former Navy SEAL' tagline on their bio."Parlatore said the younger SEALS avoided conflict. "It's surprising the things that they shied away from in this case," said Parlatore, who served as a former naval officer before becoming an attorney. "They were there to clear Mosul, to fight this war. But these guys were more concerned with staying back, staying under cover and then blaming the chief." Prosecutors have not made any public statements outside of court since the trial began.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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| Georgian protesters slam 'Putinism' as Moscow tensions soar Posted: 23 Jun 2019 12:09 PM PDT  Several thousand protesters took to the streets of Georgian capital Tbilisi for a fourth day on Sunday as tensions rose between Moscow and its ex-Soviet neighbour. Some protest placards took aim at Bidzina Ivanishvili, the oligarch leader of the ruling party, believed by many to be the power behind the scenes in the Western-backed country of 3.7 million people. Others slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin who in response to the protests has banned Russian airlines from flying to Georgia and Georgian air carriers travelling to Russia.
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| Dad of Maleah Davis, slain 4-year-old, shares photos of her 'My Little Pony'-themed casket Posted: 23 Jun 2019 02:17 PM PDT  The father of Maleah Davis, the 4-year-old whose remains were found in Arkansas earlier this month, posted photos of 'My Little Pony'-themed casket.
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| Turkey: Key facts in Istanbul's rerun election Posted: 22 Jun 2019 09:15 AM PDT  Turkey's top election authority voided the first vote, which an opposition candidate narrowly won. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party challenged the March 31 vote, alleging irregularities. The election is taking place again because Turkey's electoral board ordered a rerun after ruling in favor of the governing party, on the grounds that some officials overseeing the vote were not civil servants as required by law.
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| The fat bear cams are back in business Posted: 23 Jun 2019 08:17 AM PDT  It's high time to devour 4,500-calorie salmon.The live webcams along Katmai National Park's Brooks River -- set in remote Alaska and operated by the wildlife streamers explore.org -- just came online for the 2019 season. For the next few months brown bears will wolf down copious amounts of salmon as they fatten up, some in extreme ways, in preparation for the winter's long, callous hibernation.The bears grew impressively fat in 2018, and global viewers may witness a similar plumping up of the ravenous omnivores this summer and fall. Bear 409, also known as "Beadnose," was crowned the park's Fat Bear Week champion last October, after a remarkable transformation."Bears benefitted from the abundance of fish," said ecologist Mike Fitz, a former park ranger at Katmai National Park who now reports on bear activity for explore.org. "Nearly every one at Brooks River last fall was fat or extremely fat."> BearCam is now LIVE. What are you waiting for? https://t.co/s57727MRTp pic.twitter.com/nNTJSk0wiF> > -- explore.org (@exploreorg) June 22, 2019Fitz is pleased the bears have started their return to the river. Each bear has its own tales of victory, defeat, and hardship. It's a natural, live-streamed drama, set in the unforgiving wilderness."Watching bears and salmon always reminds me that these animals live in a changing, competitive world where survival and success are not guaranteed," said Fitz.As of June 22, explore.org had turned on five webcams, though seven cameras will eventually stream live from the Alaskan subarctic this winter.The salmon run really ramps up in early July -- so don't be discouraged if the cams aren't yet teeming with bears. Still, bears can already be watched fishing for salmon at the now world-famous Brooks River falls. Bears to watch for this summerKatmai's park rangers and biologists get to know the webcam bears quite well, because many bears prudently return to the salmon-rich river each year -- and some return for decades.Fitz has already spotted a few usual culprits along the Brooks River, and noted some particularly intriguing developments to look out for this summer:1\. Bear 856An aggressive Bear 856, on right.Image: NPs / Mike FitzThis tough bruiser earned the title as the Brooks River's most dominant bear last year. Since 2011, bear 856 has forced other big bears out the most desirable fishing spots, and lesser bears often flee from his very presence. But, in 2017, bear 856 appeared weak and lost his claim of supreme dominance to the younger male bear 32, or "Chunk."Will bear 856 still reign as king in 2019?"We watched 856 regain his status as the river's most dominant bear last year, but each year I wonder if he'll be able to maintain that rank," said Fitz. "He's not getting any younger and there are several other large bears to contend with."Bear 503Bear 503Image: npsBear 503 has had perhaps the most dramatic history of any Brooks River bear. In the summer of 2014, as a 1.5-year-old bear, his mother abandoned him, leaving bear 503 helpless -- and likely to soon starve to death.But bear 503 did not die. He was, to the amazement of park rangers, adopted by another bear, and has since grown into a large, healthy bear.Perhaps 503, like bear 856, will mature into one of the more dominant males this summer.SEE ALSO: A big red reason not to dig a mine in Alaska's fat bear country"He's grown a lot during the intervening years and has been largely playful and tolerant of other bears," noted Fitz. "Five-zero-three still has a lot of growing in the next few years and even 856 played with other bears when he was younger, but I wonder how he will behave as his priorities change and he matures into a fully grown bear."Bear 402Bear 402 and cubs in 2018.Image: nps / Mike FitzBear 402 arrived at the Brooks River with a rare four newly-born cubs in 2018. It's challenging for cubs to survive their first year, amid dangerous males, competition for food, and the harshness of the Alaskan wild. Bear 856, for example, killed a cub last summer.The question that looms large is how many of 402's cubs will survive?"I'm curious to know whether all of her cubs survived the winter and spring," said Fitz. "We've seen a few other instances of bears with litters of four at Brooks River, but no mother has successfully weaned a litter of four, generally losing one or more cubs before their second year."Don't forget...Beyond these well-known characters, the bears' diligent webcam watchers will almost certainly look for 2018's conspicuously fat omnivores, the likes of bear 409, bear 747, and old Otis (bear 480).But, let us not forget the foundational reason why any bears are there at all: the hefty salmon. Bounties of the fish have come to spawn in Katmai's river and streams. Yet along the way, some will meet the claws of the ravenous bears, who consume the salmons' fatty brains, skin, and vivid red flesh."Salmon make the ultimate sacrifice in order to reproduce and without them, Katmai's ecosystem would be impoverished," said Fitz. WATCH: Ever wonder how the universe might end?
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| WRAPUP 5-Trump says new sanctions on Iran to start Monday, dials back rhetoric Posted: 22 Jun 2019 11:50 AM PDT ![WRAPUP 5-Trump says new sanctions on Iran to start Monday, dials back rhetoric]( "WRAPUP 5-Trump says new sanctions on Iran to start Monday, dials back rhetoric") DUBAI/WASHINGTON, June 22 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would impose fresh sanctions on Iran but that he wanted to make a deal to bolster its flagging economy, an apparent move to defuse tensions following the shooting down of an unmanned U.S. drone this week by the Islamic Republic. On Thursday, an Iranian missile destroyed a U.S. Global Hawk surveillance drone, an incident that Washington said happened in international airspace. Trump later said he had called off a military strike to retaliate because it could have killed 150 people.
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| Chevy’s 2020 Silverado 1500 3.0L Duramax Is the Brand’s Ultrasmooth Answer to the Half-Ton Diesel Truck Wars Posted: 22 Jun 2019 09:01 PM PDT  Refined and quiet, Chevy's Duramax inline-six is the latest light-duty diesel in the segment.
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| Sentencing looms in Charlottesville attack; man seeks mercy Posted: 23 Jun 2019 07:54 AM PDT  Charlottesville attacker: The self-avowed white supremacist who plowed his car into counterdemonstrators opposing a white nationalist rally, killing one and injuring dozens, has asked a judge for mercy and a sentence shorter than life in prison.
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| When Japan Lost This Battle It Lost World War II For Good Posted: 22 Jun 2019 11:00 PM PDT  In the predawn hours of June 15, the U.S. attacking force was poised a few miles off the beaches. Time-Life correspondent Robert Sherrod later wrote: "[Saipan] was a shadowy land mass, purple against the dim horizon. Set against the reddish tint of the morning sun, it seemed unbelievable that this island paradise could prove to be so menacing."Peering through his binoculars, Vice Adm. Chuichi Nagumo was in awe of the nearly 800 ships from Vice Adm. Raymond A. Spruance's 5th Fleet. Just three years before he had led the carrier force at the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that initiated hostilities between Japan and the United States. But this was no time to gloat over past victories. As he lowered his glasses, Nagumo realized that the Americans must be stopped here. If the invading forces captured Saipan, their Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers could easily reach Japan itself.Saipan, about 85 square miles in size, is the southernmost island in the Marianas chain. It was the next important step in the Allied planning to conquer Japan. One of Saipan's dominating features is Mount Tapotchau, over 1,500 feet high, situated near the center of the island. Also, a ridge runs from the southern end all the way to Mount Marpi at the extreme northern tip. To make things worse, steep cliffs dominate the region and a plateau is located in the southern area.
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| Ethiopia army chief of staff shot amid unrest Posted: 22 Jun 2019 11:58 PM PDT  Ethiopia's army chief of staff has been shot, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced on television Sunday as the government said it had thwarted an attempted coup in a regional state of this Horn of Africa nation. Abiy took to national television in the early hours dressed in military fatigues and announced that army chief Seare Mekonnen had been shot, an AFP correspondent said.
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| Utah Woman Tortured Puppy for Days to `Keep the Dog Quiet,` Police Say Posted: 22 Jun 2019 07:45 AM PDT  A puppy is in need of surgery and a woman is facing a felony charge for what she allegedly did to keep her dog quiet.
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| The Latest: Istanbul mayor-elect greets tens of thousands Posted: 23 Jun 2019 01:43 PM PDT  Tens of thousands of people attended an election night celebration after a repeated vote in Istanbul made an opposition candidate mayor-elect of Turkey's largest city. Ekrem Imamoglu spoke late Sunday after unofficial returns showed him more than 777,000 votes ahead of his opponent, who conceded defeat earlier in the night.
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| After high arsenic reports, Keurig Dr Pepper pulls bottled water sold at Target, Walmart Posted: 23 Jun 2019 08:46 AM PDT  All bottles of unflavored Peñafiel mineral spring water are part of a voluntary withdrawal, Keurig Dr Pepper said in a statement Friday.
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| The Best Travel Mugs to Keep Your Coffee Hot (or Cold) Posted: 23 Jun 2019 11:00 AM PDT |
| UPDATE 1-Any conflict in region could spread - Iran general Posted: 22 Jun 2019 11:56 PM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Any conflict in region could spread - Iran general]( "UPDATE 1-Any conflict in region could spread - Iran general") Any conflict in the Gulf region may spread uncontrollably, a senior Iranian military commander was cited as saying on Sunday by the semi-official news agency Fars. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he aborted a military strike to retaliate for Iran's downing of a drone because it could have killed 150 people, and signaled he was open to talks with Tehran. Iran said on Saturday it would respond firmly to any threat against it.
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| Would You Pay This Much For A Corvette Body? Posted: 22 Jun 2019 05:52 AM PDT  This isn't exactly a budget-friendly deal... Quite a few people love the look of a classic Chevy Corvette Stingray, and why not? The iconic lines are like nothing you find on any other vehicle around, making it a real standout even among other classics. While that's certainly true, you might be wondering why this 1966 Chevrolet Corvette convertible body is so pricey.At $18,000 for a body that not long has the original Rally Red paint, it's understandable why anyone would question the sanity in paying so much. All you get is the body, doors, hinges, rear exhaust valance, convertible decklid, bird cage, and windshield frame, plus the glass. Nothing from the black vinyl interior, drivetrain, chassis, etc. comes along, meaning you need to source the rest.Consider this: you could easily spend upwards of $125,000 or more for a clean, low-mileage 1966 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible. That's not exactly a low price, because quite a few people love the look of the C2, especially when it comes topless. Even higher-mileage examples tend to go for somewhere between $80,000 and $100,000 or more, with prices constantly climbing.It's not like GM is making any more of these classic bodies. While you might have your heart set on a complete Stingray, this body offers up all kinds of possibilities. It works for restoring a car with serious body damage, including rust. Alternatively, you could use that impeccable styling for a potent restomod project, making for a unique creation. Add a compatible chassis, whatever motor you desire, plus a great interior for something which turns heads and breaks necks.When you start to realize just how much a 1966 'Vette sells for these days, and consider that they're going to keep going up in value, suddenly this body seems like a much better deal than before. Classic Corvettes are definitely hot items, making it a solid idea to snatch up whatever you can when possible.
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| Take a Peak: Meet the YF-22A Stealth Fighter (This Became the F-22 Raptor) Posted: 23 Jun 2019 07:30 AM PDT  The interesting photo in this post shows F-22 less known older brother, the YF-22A. Actually, the YF-22A was the Raptor's technology demonstrator. This fighter, in fact, was Lockheed Martin's design for the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) Competition for the U.S. Air Force (USAF) where it was picked over its competitor, the Nothrop YF-23A.As we have already explained the origins of the ATF program trace back to late 1970s, when a new generation of Soviet fighters and Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) prompted the USAF to find a replacement for the F-15 Eagle air superiority fighter.The Advanced Tactical Fighter entered the Demonstration and Validation phase in 1986. The prototype aircraft (YF-22A and YF-23A) both completed their first flights in late 1990.The extensive flight tests conducted demonstrated that the YF-23A (named Black Widow II) was stealthier and faster while the YF-22A (named Lightning II) was more agile.
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| Member of armed border group charged with impersonation Posted: 23 Jun 2019 01:33 PM PDT ![Member of armed border group charged with impersonation]( "Member of armed border group charged with impersonation") A man who has been a spokesman for a small group of armed civilians patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border was charged with impersonating a U.S. officer or employee. An indictment returned Wednesday by a grand jury in New Mexico charged James Christopher Benvie, 44, of Albany, Minnesota, with two counts of false personation of a U.S. officer or employee, federal prosecutors said in a news release Friday. The news release from prosecutors does not provide details on the allegations, including what kind of officer or employee Benvie is accused of impersonating.
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| US, Taliban to hold more talks on ending war Posted: 22 Jun 2019 11:18 AM PDT  The United States and the Taliban will open fresh negotiations next week, the US negotiator said Saturday, as he voiced hope for progress in ending America's longest war. Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special representative on Afghanistan, said the two sides would start their seventh round of talks on June 29. "Based on my recent visits to Afghanistan and Qatar, I believe all sides want rapid progress," Khalilzad wrote on Twitter.
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| Mexico’s Other Border Is Rattled by Armed Crackdown Along River Posted: 22 Jun 2019 01:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The rafts, made of plywood planks lashed to fat inner tubes, float back and forth all day, piloted by camareros who push poles deep into the riverbed to guide their vessels in a rough echo of Venetian gondoliers.The cargo depends on the direction. From Mexico to Guatemala, it's usually cans of cooking oil or bags of rice, cases of Corona and cartons of eggs. It's mostly people going the other way, many headed for the U.S. All of it, technically speaking, is illegal, but the customs and immigration officials on the international bridge never paid much mind, allowing the Suchiate River crossings to build into the cornerstone of a thriving economy in an impoverished region.The possible end to it all reared up last week, with the arrival of a few of the thousands of troops Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is sending to the border. "The soldiers came with their M-16s and told us that they didn't want us to work," said a 31-year-old who goes by the nickname Rooster. He has been making a living with his raft for more than a decade. Like the hundreds of other camareros (Spanish for tubers, though the word can also mean waiters or stewards), Rooster can earn as much as $39 a day, decent money in Ciudad Hidalgo, a town of about 15,000 that spreads out from the river.The new show of force on the border is meant to stem the stream of migrants escaping violence and poverty in Central America, a move made to appease President Donald Trump after he threatened to impose tariffs on Mexican imports to punish the country for failing to control the masses trying to make their way to the U.S.But the ripple effects could be devastating in the state of Chiapas, the poorest in Mexico, and in the administrative district of San Marcos in southwestern Guatemala, where almost two-thirds of people live in poverty. A network of suppliers and couriers pedaling tricked-out tricycles on the Mexican side keeps the camareros stocked with products that are either unavailable or prohibitively expensive in Guatemala — Ace detergent, Nivea skin cream, Nescafe instant coffee, mayonnaise, PediaSure nutrition drinks, toilet paper, McCormick spices and on and on. Rafts have been known to ferry washing machines across.While the river trade has existed for generations, it exploded over the past five years as the Mexican peso lost one third of its value against the Guatemalan Quetzal. There are no official statistics on the value of the commerce, but according to locals it's the biggest, and almost only, business around."This industry maintains the tricycles, the raft operators, the taxis, buses, everyone lives off of this. What happens if it's gone?" said Bertha Alicia Fuentes, 71, who has been running a supply store in Ciudad Hidalgo for four decades, selling mostly yogurt and milk for river-export to Guatemala. "Forget it. Everyone would be poor." She shook her head and lifted her hands in exasperation. "The merchandise needs to continue to flow."AMLO has acknowledged that there are 68 points on Mexico's 700-mile frontier with Guatemala and Belize that aren't well policed and has promised to secure them. Maximiliano Reyes, undersecretary of foreign relations for Latin America and the Caribbean, said on a recent trip to the area that the Suchiate rafts "are one of the primary points of irregular immigration" and that they are "something we'll need to be looking at." Francisco Garduno, the new head of the national migration agency, went further and said the raft traffic would be stopped.Rooster, who declined to give his name for fear of reprisal, said he understands what the president and troops are up against. "The soldiers are workers, just like us, and they need to do their duty," he said, leaning against a crate of beer in the shade of a tarp. And "AMLO did what he had to do," under pressure from Trump.What the policy makers in Mexico City might not comprehend, though, is what a diligently patrolled border with Guatemala would really mean, Rooster said. "This town and Tapachula would be bankrupt. The majority of the people who buy here are Guatemalans."Stores in nearby Tapachula, a city of more than 300,000 that's the largest near the southern border, could be hurt. They include Walmart, Sam's Club and Chedraui, all popular with Guatemalans who can afford to raft over — the 5-minute trip usually costs about $2 — to stock up.Mexico's frontier with Guatemala has been porous or even undefined for centuries, and Rooster is a typical free-flowing resident of the region. He is Guatemalan but lives on the Mexican side. His parents took him to the U.S. when he was 4 and he grew up in California, where his mother still lives. He said he joined a gang as a teenager, was arrested on drug-possession charges and deported when he was 20.He switches seamlessly between English and Spanish. He is married to a Mexican and they have a 9-year-old son. His wife voted for AMLO; she religiously watches broadcasts of the president's daily news conferences. They approve of his proposals to pay higher pensions to the elderly and give more scholarships to students. Like many expert observers, they don't have confidence that his troops-to-the-border strategy will work.Enrique Vidal Olascoaga, a lawyer at the Fray Matias Human Rights Center in Tapachula, said he sees just downsides. "The only thing that a militarization of the border is going to do is make the crossing of people more dangerous and expensive."Maynor Guillen, a skinny 19-year-old from Honduras who had just come over the river, said the lawyer is right: Guillen was making his second attempt to reach the U.S. and has no intention of giving up. "I've read that they're going to send more soldiers to keep us from crossing," he said, standing outside outside the Tapachula office of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Aid. "But I'm not afraid."There's concern in Guatemala too, even though the river trade hurts businesses there and the government collects no taxes on the contraband that's floated over. If the rafts were grounded, "there would be consequences," said Paulo de Leon, the economic director for Central American Business Intelligence, an analysis firm in Guatemala City. So many people depend on the Suchiate economy, he said, that there might be a "blood bath" if the river crossing was actually closed.Rooster said he has hopes for a peaceful solution. "But if they're forceful with us," he said, "we will need to be forceful as well." \--With assistance from Michael McDonald.To contact the author of this story: Eric Martin in Mexico City at emartin21@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Anne Reifenberg at areifenberg@bloomberg.net, David PapadopoulosFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Biden’s Media Strategy: Duck The Press Unless You’re Under Duress Posted: 22 Jun 2019 07:14 PM PDT  Bloomberg via GettyThe first time former Vice President Joe Biden spoke to national media reporters in nearly a week of campaigning was to address a political minicrisis of his own making.On Wednesday evening, hours after Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) had admonished him for fondly recalling the collegiality of segregationist senators of the '70s, the former vice president was asked if he would apologize. "Apologize for what? Cory should apologize, he knows better," Biden responded, standing outside an SUV on his way into a fundraiser. "There's not a racist bone in my body, I've been involved with civil rights my whole career. Period. Period. Period."The moment marked a new level of aggression in a still-nascent Democratic primary. It also put the spotlight on what Democratic officials say is a risky and often confusing campaign blueprint being deployed by the party's presidential frontrunner. Increasingly, Biden seems to speak publicly or talk with reporters only when he is under duress. "It is not a tenable strategy," said David Axelrod, who worked with Biden as the top communications adviser on the 2008 campaign, and in the Obama White House. "His message is that he's the guy who can beat Donald Trump and he is viewed as the least risky choice. Over time, if the only interactions he has is around these screwups and gaffes, then he is going to start losing that message." Booker, Harris, Warren Tee Off on Biden for His Nostalgia for Segregationist SenatorsOver the past few weeks, Biden has been forced to grapple with a number of minicontroversies and self-inflicted wounds. His nostalgia for former Sens. James O. Eastland (D-MS) and Herman E. Talmadge (D-GA) was preceded by a 24-hour flip-flop on a law banning federal funds from funding abortion (Biden went from supporting the Hyde amendment to opposing it). Those two instances came after Biden was criticized for not offering a full apology to Anita Hill and for humorously dismissing accusations that he made women uncomfortable by invading their space. Virtually every candidate running for president has to clean up the messes he or she makes. That's especially true for the frontrunners and those who, like Biden, have a proclivity for speaking with limited filters. But what makes Biden's current approach so confusing for other Democrats is that much of his public-facing campaigning has involved doing only that. Elsewhere, the former vice president has kept a notably low profile, taking little opportunity to push his larger campaign message or make proactive defenses of his political baggage.Biden hasn't appeared on national television since the day after he officially declared his run for president. Since then, the campaign has repeatedly declined invitations from television and cable news outlets. One network source told The Daily Beast that over the past several months, Biden has been offered a number of appearances on MSNBC, including telephone interviews. And a CNN insider said the network reached out to the former vice president in the months before he even launched his campaign, inquiring whether he would be interested in participating in upcoming town hall events.In addition to missing many of the forums packed with 2020 Democratic prospects, Biden was the only 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to decline an interview by The New York Times as part of its package this week comparing the various candidates (and wouldn't respond to questions when asked why he didn't participate)."I think that it is never a good idea to sit on a lead. That rarely works out well, and that's what they're doing," said Axelrod.While in South Carolina this weekend, Biden worked the rope line well into the evening, mingling with press and voters, but his campaign has previously restricted press access, running the vice president's press availabilities in a vastly different manner from the rest of the candidates. Biden's campaign has at points sealed off the press at events, only allowing a single reporter to represent the campaign press pool at Biden fundraising events. Occasionally, the Biden campaign has even seemed to forget or reverse course on planned media appearances. Earlier this month, the former vice president's staff told campaign reporters that he was going to be holding a press gaggle following an event in New Hampshire. But reporters were left hanging when Biden left the event and got into a waiting SUV without taking questions. For communications specialists, the reticence seems not just at odds with the realities of modern media, but also unwise, leaving the impression that Biden—who has a reputation for joviality—is almost afraid of the scrutiny. "If you are only interacting with the press when there is an issue of concern, you reinforce that perception that there are only problems," said longtime Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis, who runs Park Street Strategies. "You're in a turtle mode instead of being proactive about what you're pushing out."Biden's defenders argue that the reason that he appears to interact with the press during times of duress is largely because those episodes are over-emphasized by the media itself. They point to polling data showing his consistent lead in the primary as evidence that the national press corps has fundamentally different priorities than the Democratic electorate. The campaign has created its media strategy around that theory as well. Instead of doing national interviews, they have focused the vast majority of their attention on smaller local news outlets in the early primary states. Since jumping into the race in April, Biden has sat down for at least a dozen interviews with local TV and radio stations in Iowa and New Hampshire.Biden hasn't been entirely closed off from national outlets. His campaign is the only one in the primary that allows a print pooler into his fundraising events. And on Thursday, senior Biden adviser Symone Sanders told CNN that the former VP would be sitting down for an interview this weekend. Sources told The Daily Beast that Biden would likely be one of several candidates sitting down with host Al Sharpton at an event for 2020 presidential contenders in South Carolina that MSNBC has exclusive rights to broadcast. Nevertheless, Biden's caution when dealing with the press has stood out in a field of candidates where many others seem willing to accept any media request or live-streaming opportunity. Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-TX) has been comfortable enough with campaign reporters to invite them on jogging outings, while South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg is so willing to sit for interviews he took questions while drinking brown-bagged beer in a park in New York City.Campaign veterans say it would be unwise for Biden to go to those extremes, and not just because of his history of saying things that cause him political headaches. According to their logic, the former VP is already well known to the public and instead of re-introducing himself to voters, he can afford to spend that time on other campaign functions. The question now being asked of the Biden campaign is not just whether they took that theory too far but whether he could actually maneuver through the current media landscape if he tried. "You are not in the Hyde amendment era in the Democratic Party, and you are not in the James O. Eastland era of the party," said James Carville, a longtime Democratic operative. "How can you have the give and take [with the press] when your instinct is to get on the wrong side of two great issues of the modern Democratic Party, and that's abortion and racial relations? The world has changed."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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| How will the Philidelphia oil refinery fire affect gas prices? Posted: 23 Jun 2019 10:18 AM PDT  Patrick DeHaan of GasBuddy says wholesale gas prices are already up 6 to 8 cents, which suggests retail prices may start rising in the next few days.
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| The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS Is a High-Tech Palace of a Three-Row SUV Posted: 23 Jun 2019 03:01 PM PDT  The fully redesigned three-row luxury SUV is the (rich) parent's co-conspirator.
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| U.S. explores requiring domestic 5G equipment to be made outside China: WSJ Posted: 23 Jun 2019 12:14 PM PDT  As part of a 150-day review that started after cybersecurity concerns in the United States, officials are asking telecom equipment makers if they can develop U.S.-bound hardware including cellular-tower electronics as well as routers and switches, and software outside of China, the WSJ reported. In May, the Trump administration took aim at China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, banning the firm from buying vital U.S. technology without special approval and effectively barring its equipment from U.S. telecom networks on national security grounds.
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| Lawmakers to decide on Mueller testimony this week, Schiff says Posted: 23 Jun 2019 07:43 AM PDT  "We have been in private discussions with the special counsel's office," the California Democrat said.
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