| Verdict set for Cambodians who worked for US-funded radio Posted: 09 Aug 2019 12:58 AM PDT  Two Cambodian journalists charged with espionage who had worked for the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Asia said they were hopeful they will go free after their trial concluded Friday. Rights groups have characterized the case against Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin as a flagrant attack on freedom of the press. Prosecutor Seng Heang said in his closing argument that the two had been arranging to secretly send news to Radio Free Asia after it had closed its office in the Cambodian capital in September 2017.
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| Mom of El Paso shooting suspect asked police about son's 'AK'-type weapon, lawyer says Posted: 08 Aug 2019 02:48 PM PDT  Dallas attorney Chris Ayres told CNN that the shooter's mother contacted the Allen Police Department to ask about an "AK"-type firearm he owned.
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| US slaps Hezbollah financier with prison, $50 mn fine Posted: 08 Aug 2019 07:43 PM PDT  A Lebanese businessman designated by US authorities as an important financial supporter of Hezbollah was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to forfeit $50 million, the Justice Department said Thursday. Kassim Tajideen, 63, pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiracy to launder money as part of a scheme to evade US sanctions. "His sentencing and the $50 million forfeiture in this case are just the latest public examples of the Department of Justice's ongoing efforts to disrupt and dismantle Hezbollah and its support networks," said Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski.
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| British astrophysicist died 'instantly from fall' on Greek island Posted: 08 Aug 2019 01:57 PM PDT  The British scientist found dead at the bottom of a ravine on a Greek island died instantly from a fall, a Greek coroner said on Thursday. Natalie Christopher, 34, was discovered on Wednesday morning on the Greek island of Ikaria, which she was visiting on holiday. Miss Christopher, an astrophysicist and avid trail runner who lived in Cyprus, had set off for a run from their hotel, her boyfriend said. The area has trails along steep cliffs and ravines, and Miss Christopher was found at the bottom of a 65-foot ravine. Vangelis Kriaras, a volunteer, told local TV that rescue workers had come close the site "at least twice before", but because of its inaccessibility had failed to spot her. It was only when one volunteer walked through the gorge that her body was discovered, hidden beneath a boulder. Natalie Christopher, a British scientist based in Cyprus Nikos Karakoukis, a Greek coroner who travelled to the island from Athens, said evidence from an initial assessment of the area where Miss Christopher's body was found was "consistent with a fall from a height." He said she had suffered a head injury and died instantly. Her body was on Thursday being transported to a morgue in the Greek capital, Athens. Miss Christopher's disappearance led to a two-day manhunt across the island. Greek media reported that traces of blood had been found in the hotel room she shared with her Cypriot partner, but he explained that she had suffered a nose bleed. The forensic police examined the hotel as well as her partner's telephone. Miss Christopher was well known in Cyprus as an active sportswoman and for her involvement in several social media projects, including one - "Cyprus Girls Can" - which aims to break down barriers between Greek and Turkish youngsters on the divided island. Natalie Christopher was a keen trail runner President Nicos Anastasiades was among those who expressed sorrow, calling her death "an unjust loss of a young scientist and active citizen who had her whole life ahead of her and much to give". The incident comes a month after the murder of US molecular biologist Suzanne Eaton on Crete. The 59-year-old had been attending a conference near the city of Chania and gone out on July 2 without taking her mobile phone, the police said. Her body was found six days later in an abandoned World War II bunker. A 27-year-old farmer confessed to raping and killing Eaton, who had worked for the Max Planck Institute at Dresden University.
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| Spend more on defence or we move troops to Poland, U.S. envoy tells Germany Posted: 09 Aug 2019 10:09 AM PDT ![Spend more on defence or we move troops to Poland, U.S. envoy tells Germany]( "Spend more on defence or we move troops to Poland, U.S. envoy tells Germany") An envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Friday that Chancellor Angela Merkel's unwillingness to boost defence spending might give the United States no choice but to move American troops stationed in Germany to Poland. The comments by Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, signal Trump's impatience with Merkel's failure to raise defence spending to 2% of economic output as mandated by the NATO military alliance.
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| Louisiana woman reportedly told police the meth found in her body part was not hers Posted: 08 Aug 2019 04:31 PM PDT  A Louisiana woman reportedly told police she did not know where the meth - found in her groin- came from.
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| A floating nuclear plant in Russia features a gym, bar, and pool. An expert calls it 'Chernobyl on ice.' Posted: 09 Aug 2019 05:47 AM PDT  Environmental activists worry about the perils of placing nuclear reactors at sea, where they could be vulnerable to climate-related disasters.
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| Arizona prosecutor who questioned Kavanaugh accuser promoted Posted: 09 Aug 2019 02:29 PM PDT  An Arizona sex-crimes prosecutor who questioned Christine Blasey Ford about her sexual assault allegation against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has been promoted to a top prosecutorial job in metro Phoenix. Rachel Mitchell was named chief deputy of the Maricopa County Attorney's Office last week, taking on the top staff position with Republican County Attorney Bill Montgomery. Mitchell was chief of the county's sex crimes division when the 11 Republican men on the Senate Judiciary Committee enlisted her to question Ford, hoping to avoid the potentially bad optics of men interrogating a woman about her allegation.
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| Child pornography was found on a man's phone that was accidentally left on a bus. Authorities say his arrest may have prevented a hate crime. Posted: 09 Aug 2019 11:21 AM PDT  A federal judge ordered Wesley David Gilreath to be held without bail, arguing his actions and behavior demonstrated a threat to the community.
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| Tucker Carlson: Advertisers abandon Fox News host after he says 'white supremacy is a hoax' Posted: 09 Aug 2019 07:08 AM PDT  Advertisers are deserting Fox News' primetime host Tucker Carlson, who called white supremacy "a hoax" in the wake of a mass shooting thought to be racially motivated."The whole thing is a lie," Mr Carlson said live on Tucker Carlson Tonight on Tuesday. "It's actually not a real problem in America … This is a hoax, just like the Russia hoax. It's a conspiracy theory used to divide the country."Mr Carlson's comments came three days after a gunman suspected of writing a white supremacist manifesto referencing a "Hispanic invasion" opened fire in a Texas supermarket, killing 22 people, including eight Mexican citizens.Hours later, the hashtag FireTuckerCarlson began trending on Twitter, with thousands of people calling for consumers to boycott the show's advertisers. A Nestlé spokesperson confirmed to The Independent on Friday that the company, which placed adverts on the programme within the last three months, has no plans to do so again in the future. America's largest fast seafood chain Long John Silver confirmed to watchdog Media Matters that they would no longer be advertising on Fox News, after reportedly running adverts nearly every day in 2018. The FBI has made more than 100 arrests relating to domestic terror in 2019, already higher than the previous year's total.FBI director Christopher Wray in July attributed the majority of these cases to "white supremacist violence", but Mr Carlson dismissed such concerns on Tuesday."If you were to assemble a list, a hierarchy, of concerns or problems this country faces, where would white supremacy be on the list? Right up there with Russia probably," he said. "It's actually not a real problem in America."Mr Carlson's choice of language, previously condemned as racist and misogynistic, has cost him advertisers in the past.More than 20 companies deserted his show in December after he claimed immigration made the US "dirtier". Several more followed suit in January after he suggested that women earning more money than men was bad for society.Fox News has stuck by its presenter throughout the controversy, while watchdogs and campaigners intensified calls for his removal.By March, the number of advertisers on his programme had halved from roughly 36 to 18 per show, according to the Hollywood Reporter."We cannot and will not allow voices like Tucker Carlson to be censored by agenda-driven intimidation efforts from the likes of Moveon.org, Media Matters and Sleeping Giants," the broadcaster said in a December statement. The Independent approached Fox for comment on Friday.Donald Trump, of whom Mr Carlson has long been an ally, was also heavily criticised after the El Paso massacre.Top Democrats, including Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, decried the president's recent use of racist language as emboldening white supremacists.Ms Ocasio-Cortez said the president, who in his 2016 campaign described Mexicans as "in many cases, criminals, drug dealers and rapists", was "directly responsible for what happened in El Paso", according to the New York Daily News.Mr Trump spent a tumultuous Wednesday visiting El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, where a second mass shooting also took place on Saturday.El Paso's congresswoman Veronica Escobar would not meet the president until he discussed how his "racist and hateful words and actions" had harmed her community and country, she said on Twitter.
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| Nancy Pelosi to join group of lawmakers for McAllen migrant detention facility visit Posted: 09 Aug 2019 04:38 PM PDT  The visit to McAllen's facility follow a "three-day fact-finding mission to the Northern Triangles countries on the root causes of migration from Guatemala and El Salvador."
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| Hundreds of Mexicans and Guatemalans Among Those Detained in Mississippi Raids Posted: 09 Aug 2019 04:40 AM PDT  122 Mexicans and 176 Guatemalans among those arrested in immigration raids
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| Thousands protest in Indian Kashmir over new status despite clampdown Posted: 09 Aug 2019 12:58 AM PDT  Indian police used tear gas and pellets to fight back at least 10,000 people protesting Delhi's withdrawal of special rights for Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir state in its main city of Srinagar on Friday, a police official and two witnesses said. The demonstration soon after Friday prayers was the largest since authorities locked down the revolt-torn region five days ago, cutting off telephone and internet services and detaining more than 500 political and separatist leaders. Seeking to tighten its grip on the region also claimed by neighboring Pakistan, India this week scrapped Jammu and Kashmir's right to frame its own laws and allowed non-residents to buy property there.
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| Trump administration re-authorizes 'cyanide bombs' to kill wildlife Posted: 08 Aug 2019 05:04 PM PDT  US President Donald Trump's administration has re-authorized the use of controversial poison traps known as "cyanide bombs" to kill wild foxes, coyotes and feral dogs despite overwhelming opposition from conservation groups. The devices, known as M-44s, which are implanted in the ground and resemble lawn sprinklers, use a spring-loaded ejector to release sodium cyanide when an animal tugs on its baited capsule holder. The decision to re-instate their use was announced in the Federal Register earlier this week, and met with outrage by environmental groups that led a campaign to flood the Environmental Protection Agency with more than 20,000 letters.
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| Hong Kong protesters produce 'laser show' over arrest of demonstrator shining pointer at police Posted: 08 Aug 2019 02:39 AM PDT  Activists in Hong Kong shined laser pointers into the sky for a unique light show to protest a student arrest, as mass anti-government demonstrations continue in the city, prompting the UK to update their travel alerts. Police and protesters have both turned to bright lights – lasers, strobe lights, flashlights – to irritate each other. The intense beams are often dappled amidst clouds of tear gas smoke shot by riot police amid violent clashes. For demonstrators, the laser pointers have also been a way to confuse surveillance cameras to interfere with facial recognition technology. On Tuesday, a student found with 10 laser pointers was arrested for possessing an "offensive weapon" which police have said can damage a person's eyes or start fires. In an amusing effort to scorn police claims, protesters cleared store shelves of laser pointers, flickering green, purple and red lasers the city's dome-shaped Space Museum. The idea was to mock the police by attempting to start a fire; no fire erupted Wednesday night. A policeman uses a speakerphone to ask residents and protesters to disperse during a protest at Sham Shui Po on Wednesday night Credit: Vincent Thian/ AP Mass demonstrations have rocked Hong Kong all summer with near-daily rallies often ending as the sky darkens with volleys of tear gas and sprays of rubber bullets. The UK updated its travel advisory for Hong Kong on Wednesday, urging visitors to "remain vigilant," noting that while most demonstrations have been peaceful, unauthorised gatherings spilling into many neighbourhoods "are met by a more rapid and more severe police response". Other countries including the US, Australia, Japan and Singapore have also issued similar travel warnings. Anti-government protesters first took to the streets against an extradition proposal that would have sent suspects to face trial in mainland China, where Communist Party control of the courts contributes to a 99.9 per cent conviction rate. A woman uses a laser pointer beam on policemen as they face off at Sham Shui Po district Credit: Vincent Thian/ AP City leaders suspended the legislation but it wasn't enough to appease protesters, who continue to demand a formal withdrawal; the fear is a suspension leaves the door open for the government to quickly table and pass the legislation in the future. Demands have also expanded to include an independent investigation into police actions during the protests, release of protesters arrested, and direct leadership elections. For many Hong Kongers, the broad political movement is aimed at preserving the freedoms – guaranteed under a 50-year agreement when the British colony was returned to Beijing – which they feel are threatened under Chinese Communist rule. At least three police officers have undergone medical treatment after protesters shined lasers at them. "Even if the laser is not strong enough to cause injury, strong light exposure can cause flash blind," said chief superintendent John Tse.
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| Indians plant 220 million trees in single day Posted: 09 Aug 2019 06:55 AM PDT  More than a million Indians planted 220 million trees on Friday in a government campaign to tackle climate change and improve the environment in the country's most populous state. Forest official Bivhas Ranjan said students, lawmakers, officials and others planted dozens of species of saplings Friday along roads, rail tracks and in forest lands in northern Uttar Pradesh state. Ranjan said the trees, including 16 fruit species, will increase forest cover in the state.
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| Illinois Cop Shot Unarmed Black 12-Year-old in Bed During Botched Raid: Lawsuit Posted: 08 Aug 2019 01:55 PM PDT  HandoutAn Illinois mother filed a lawsuit on Thursday accusing police officers of "terrorizing" innocent children after her unarmed, 12-year-old son was shot in his bed with an assault rifle during a pre-dawn raid on their home. The lawsuit alleges that nearly two dozen Country Club Hills and Richton Park SWAT officers entered Crystal Worship's home in May with exploding flash-grenades and automatic rifles to execute a search warrant intended for her boyfriend. During the raid, her black son, Amir, was allegedly shot by a white officer as he sat on his bed with his hands in the air and suffered a shattered kneecap."There is a silent epidemic of trauma being perpetrated upon the children and families of color by Chicago and South Suburban police barreling into the wrong homes, handcuffing innocent adults, holding guns on children, handcuffing children, trashing their homes, refusing to show warrants, and screaming dehumanizing commands," Al Hofeld Jr., the family's attorney, said in a press release announcing the lawsuit."Now, children are being shot in their beds," he added. 'You're Gonna Kill Me': Body-Cam Footage Shows Cops Mocking Dallas Man as He DiesThe lawsuit, which was filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County on Thursday, names the city of County Club Hills, the village of Richton Park, and several police officers as defendants. The family is seeking $50,000 in damages for alleged negligence, willful and wanton conduct, assault, battery, and false imprisonment.On May 26, 2019, officers dressed in "army fatigues with black cloth covering their faces and wearing goggles" entered the family's home at about 5 a.m. while Crystal Worship and her three sons—Amir, 13-year-old Eric, and 18-year-old Robert—were asleep, according to the lawsuit. The court documents allege the officers "battered open the two entry doors and set off between two and five flash-bang grenades," while executing a search warrant for Crystal's boyfriend.The boyfriend, Mitchell Thurnam, was arrested and charged with drug possession in a case that was dropped weeks later.Once inside the house, the lawsuit alleges, SWAT officers went to the children's bedroom and shouted "commands at them" while holding their assault rifles. "The children were terrified they were about to be killed," the lawsuit states. One officer allegedly continued pointing his firearm directly at Amir, who was shirtless and sitting at the edge of his bed with his hands in the air, even after the room had been cleared. After asking his age, the officer "pulled him up and off of his bed and told him to sit on his brother's bed... and to put a shirt one," the lawsuit alleges. Miami Cop Charged With Misconduct After Violent Arrest of Black WomanThirty seconds later, another officer entered the room and allegedly told Amir to "put his shoes on" but then snatched the child's shoes away when he tried to follow his orders. The officer then "asked which pair of shoes in the room were his" and examined one of the shoes with a flashlight, the lawsuit says.While handing the shoe back to Amir and trying to put his flashlight away in his vest, "the officer quickly moved his right hand back to the handle and trigger of his rifle, grabbing it and firing it," the lawsuit states. After the officer shot Amir in the knee, shattering his kneecap, he allegedly "covered his badge with black tape and covered his body camera." "Mom, they shot me," Amir started to yell, according to the documents. "I can't move it."As Amir started screaming, Crystal Worship asked officers in the next room if they were "shooting" the children, the lawsuit says. Officers allegedly refused to tell her what happened and "lied to her and told her they shot someone walking past outside."The lawsuit also alleges Eric heard his brother being shot while another officer pointed an assault rifle at him. He was handcuffed and placed in a squad car alone for an hour before officers held him at the station for five hours, according to the documents.Amir Worship was transported to the hospital after the bullet "entered his joint and partially exited the back of his leg on the right side"—an injury that required surgery, the lawsuit states. Texas Police Apologize for Viral Photo of Mounted Officers Leading Black Man by RopeThe boy was initially hospitalized for four days after the surgery, and later returned after he "developed complications from infection" which included a high fever, blurred vision, and blacking out twice, the family says."According to an orthopedic doctor, Amir will not be able to play any sports again, will have difficulty in physical education, will walk with a limp, and will have difficulty walking and running for the rest of his life," the lawsuit states. A spokesperson for the Country Club Hills Police Department declined to comment on Thursday's lawsuit, citing an ongoing investigation with the Illinois State Police. Richton Park Police did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast's requests for comment.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Here are all the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates who have qualified for the September primary debates Posted: 08 Aug 2019 08:15 AM PDT  The next round of debates have much more strict criteria for candidates looking to secure a spot on stage. As a result, the field could thin out fast.
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| Biden in Iowa Says ‘Poor Kids’ Are Just as Smart as ‘White Kids’ Posted: 09 Aug 2019 08:07 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Joe Biden told a group of mostly Asian and Hispanic voters in Iowa on Thursday that "poor kids are just as bright" as white children.The former vice president, known for his verbal gaffes, made the remarks to the Asian & Latino Coalition in Des Moines, Iowa, where he's on a four-day campaign swing for the Democratic presidential nomination."We should challenge students in these schools and have advanced placement programs in these schools," Biden said. "We have this notion that somehow if you're poor, you cannot do it. Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented, as white kids." He quickly added, "Wealthy kids, black kids, Asian kids, no I really mean it, but think how we think about it.""We think how we're going to dumb it down. They can do anything anybody else can do given a shot."Biden, 76, has been criticized for his tendency to say awkward, sometimes surprising, things. When his future boss, Barack Obama, was running for president, Biden once remarked that Obama was "clean" and "articulate," a remark that raised eyebrows.The re-election campaign of President Donald Trump, under a barrage of criticism from Biden and other Democrats for what they term racist rhetoric, posted video of Biden's remark.Kate Bedingfield, Biden's deputy campaign manager, said in a statement on Friday that Biden "misspoke and immediately corrected himself during a refrain he often uses," namely how to level the playing field for low-income students.She also said, incorrectly, that the video only contained the first part of Biden's sentence. She added, "And it's no coincidence this comes days after Joe Biden laid out how this president emboldens white nationalism and embraces racism."(Updates with new details about Trump video and Biden aide quote in seventh paragraph.)To contact the reporter on this story: Emma Kinery in Washington at ekinery@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Steve GeimannFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| 89-year-old Florida woman battles and kills 6-foot snake after it eats visiting birds Posted: 09 Aug 2019 10:23 AM PDT  An 89-year old Tallahassee woman killed a six-foot snake in her backyard yard after it ate most of her birds in three weeks.
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| Roger Stone’s lawyers object to playing ‘Godfather’ clip at trial Posted: 09 Aug 2019 04:02 PM PDT ![Roger Stone's lawyers object to playing 'Godfather' clip at trial]( "Roger Stone's lawyers object to playing 'Godfather' clip at trial") "Any reference to 'The Godfather' (regardless of which one) brings up a clear and unalienable connection to the Italian-American Mafia," the Stone lawyers wrote.
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| Philippines to protest Chinese ships presence amid troubled ties Posted: 08 Aug 2019 11:29 PM PDT ![Philippines to protest Chinese ships presence amid troubled ties]( "Philippines to protest Chinese ships presence amid troubled ties") The Philippines will lodge a protest over the unannounced presence of two Chinese research vessels in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), one of at least three diplomatic challenges in recent weeks amid a souring of relations. The protest comes ahead of President Rodrigo Duterte's planned visit to Beijing this month, during which he has promised to raise Manila's South China Sea international arbitration victory over Beijing with leader Xi Jinping, having avoided confronting the thorny issue for three years. Historically frosty bilateral relations had warmed under Duterte, but he is looking increasingly awkward in defending his controversial approach to China amid constant activity by its coastguard, navy and paramilitary fishing vessels in Philippine-controlled areas of the South China Sea.
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| Mourners pay final respects to Khmer Rouge 'Brother Number Two' Posted: 09 Aug 2019 06:00 AM PDT  Crowds gathered for the funeral of "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea on Friday, paying their final respects to a man considered the chief ideologue of Cambodia's murderous Khmer Rouge regime. More than two million people were slaughtered under Pol Pot's Marxist reign in the 1970s in Cambodia, where deep -- and often unspoken -- cleavages remain over the legacy of the Khmer Rouge. Nuon Chea, who died Sunday in hospital at age 93, was one of Pol Pot's most trusted deputies.
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| Trump uses Dayton and El Paso visits to attack critics and boast mass shooting victims showed him ‘love and respect’ Posted: 08 Aug 2019 02:59 AM PDT  Donald Trump used his flight time between visiting the cities of two mass shootings to attack his critics and boast on Twitter about how victims had shown him "love, respect & enthusiasm".The US president visited El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, on Wednesday – cities reeling from two massacres which left 31 people dead and dozens more wounded last weekend.Mr Trump was greeted by protesters as he visited the hospitals where victims were treated, who accused him of stoking tensions with his anti-immigrant and racist rhetoric.As he flew between Ohio and Texas on Air Force One, Mr Trump lashed out at Joe Biden, the former vice president, who had given a speech denouncing the president for "fuelling a literal carnage" in the US.Mr Trump tweeted to say the speech was "Sooo Boring!" and warned "The LameStream Media will die in the ratings and clicks" if Mr Biden became the next US president.At least 200 protesters gathered outside Dayton's Miami Valley Hospital, blaming Mr Trump's incendiary rhetoric for inflaming political and racial tensions in the US and demanding action on gun control.Mr Trump also received mixed praise from local Democratic politicians.Democratic senator Sherrod Brown said: "He was comforting. He did the right things and Melania did the right things. It's his job to comfort people." But he went on to say he was "very concerned about a president that divides in his rhetoric and plays to race in his rhetoric"."I think the victims and the first responders were grateful that the president of the United States came to Dayton," added Mayor Nan Whaley. However, she said she was glad Mr Trump had not stopped at the site of the shooting: "A lot of the time his talk can be very divisive, and that's the last thing we need in Dayton."Mr Trump, responding from aboard Air Force One, described his visit as "warm & wonderful" with "tremendous enthusiasm & even love", but went on to criticise the two Democrats for their comments."Then I saw failed Presidential Candidate (0%) Sherrod Brown & Mayor Whaley totally misrepresenting what took place inside of the hospital," he tweeted."Their news conference after I left for El Paso was a fraud. It bore no resemblance to what took place with those incredible people that I was so lucky to meet and spend time with. They were all amazing!"Mr Trump also took time out from posting about his visits and his political opponents to deride the media and promote the right-wing One America News Network, tweeting: "Watching Fake News CNN is better than watching Shepard Smith, the lowest rated show on @FoxNews. Actually, whenever possible, I turn to @OANN!"The US president then tweeted photos and a video of himself and Melania Trump, the first lady, visiting wounded patients at a hospital in Dayton.He posed with medical staff and law enforcement officials, in which he could be seen giving the "thumbs up" gesture, and tweeted: "The people I met in Dayton are the finest anywhere!"In El Paso, Mr Trump's motorcade passed protesters holding "Racist Go Home" signs.Beto O'Rourke, a potential Democratic 2020 presidential rival and El Paso native who has denounced Mr Trump as a racist instigator, said Mr Trump had "helped create the hatred that made Saturday's tragedy possible" and thus "has no place here".Later, on the flight home from El Paso, Mr Trump sent out a tweet targeting Joaquin Castro, the Democrat brother of presidential hopeful Julian Castro, who had shared a list of 44 names in his district of Texas who had donated the maximum amount to Mr Trump's campaign this year."I don't know who Joaquin Castro is other than the lesser brother of a failed presidential candidate (1%) who makes a fool of himself every time he opens his mouth," he tweeted."Joaquin is not the man that his brother is, but his brother, according to most, is not much. Keep fighting Joaquin!"He sent out a second tweet blasting the media: "The Fake News worked overtime trying to disparage me and the two trips, but it just didn't work."The love, respect & enthusiasm were there for all to see. They have been through so much. Sad!"He followed that with another post attacking his political opponents: "The Dems new weapon is actually their old weapon, one which they never cease to use when they are down, or run out of facts, RACISM! They are truly disgusting!"Mr Trump said he would be "putting out a list of all people who have been so (ridiculously) accused!"Democrats have argued Mr Trump's anti-immigrant and racially charged language at rallies and on Twitter has fanned white nationalist sentiments across the US.The massacre in the predominantly Hispanic city of El Paso is being investigated as a hate crime and act of domestic terrorism, and the FBI has said the Dayton attacker also explored violent ideologies.
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| Kashmir's streets silent as people's despair and rage grow Posted: 08 Aug 2019 09:08 PM PDT  An unusual silence cloaks the center of the city. Its streets, once teeming with traffic, are dotted with spools of concertina wire, blocking movement. The population has been forced indoors while thousands of Indian soldiers in camouflage are on patrol, carrying guns at their waists.
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| 2 dead after shooter opens fire on I-10 at Federal Posted: 08 Aug 2019 07:22 PM PDT  Police say the gunman fired several rounds at the victims, but not before a bystander fearing for his life shot at the suspect.
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| Hannity, After Nutty de Blasio Interview, Tells Dems: Look, It’s Not So Bad! Posted: 07 Aug 2019 08:44 PM PDT  At the tail end of what can only be described as a surreal hour-long interview with New York City Mayor and Democratic presidential candidate Bill de Blasio on Wednesday night, Fox News host Sean Hannity implored the rest of the 2020 field to come on his show, promising them: "It's not so bad!"Bad, maybe not. Strange, definitely!The New York mayor, who is both deeply unpopular in his city and flailing in Democratic polls, seemed absolutely thrilled to be on the Fox News primetime program. Beaming throughout, de Blasio couldn't appear any happier than when he was arguing with the pro-Trump host over any number of hot-button issues, such as climate change or taxes.Early on in the marathon clash, de Blasio set the stage for how the rest of the interview was going to go down. With Hannity trying to corner the mayor on the issue of health care for undocumented immigrants, de Blasio simply accused the conservative talker of playing a "charade." This wound up being a tactic de Blasio used more than once.With Hannity still hammering away at immigration, de Blasio again yelled that it was a "charade," this time telling Hannity that this is what Fox News does."Oh, my network!" Hannity exclaimed. "By the way, there are people on my network who don't like a single thing I say! What are you talking about!?""I agree you're not a monolith," the mayor replied. "But too much of the time what Fox and News Corp do is try and take people's minds off the fact they are being screwed economically by the one percent."And so it went. Back and forth the two would go, at times seemingly having the time of their lives. Hannity, who has rarely interviewed anyone outside the Trumpworld bubble over the past few years, constantly bounced between combativeness and chumminess. The mayor, meanwhile, just appeared elated that he was getting this much TV time to himself.At one point, during a conversation about New York police recently getting doused by water—which Hannity ominously described as "unidentified liquid"—the Fox News star took a few moments to recount the time that he said he nearly became a police officer.Telling de Blasio that the NYPD are his heroes and "extended family," Hannity claimed that he applied to be a New York City police officer."I got a 99 on the test—I even passed the psychological," he added. "And the physical!""Standards were lower back then," de Blasio quipped, prompting Hannity to applaud the mayor for his very good "jackass comment."After a further discussion about school diets that somehow segued into Hannity bragging about his 90-minute-a-day mixed martial arts workouts, the Fox News veteran wrapped up the night with his plea to Democrats."By the way, I have a message for all you 2020 candidates," he said. "It wasn't that bad. Come on the program, we will give you a fair shake and you can reach more people than any other show on cable."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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| Massive Collection of Classic Cars Up For Auction In MN Posted: 09 Aug 2019 09:06 AM PDT  There's plenty of classic farm equipment available, too!The recent episode of Hagerty's The Barn Find Hunter shows how extensive collections can get with the right kind of acreage. That's exactly the case with the James Graham Collection that is going up for auction this weekend in Beardsley, Minnesota consisting of almost 200 classic cars and trucks alone not to mention almost 40 vintage tractors. Graham, an 88-year-old military veteran and Minnesota farmer, passed away late last year, and his obituary noted that he was "always interested in collecting old cars and attending car shows." That is definitely obvious is his collection, which spans almost every era (from the '20s to the early Malaise Era) and vehicle type (coupes, convertibles, sedans and trucks). Aside from a 2004 Pontiac Bonneville GXP (with just 21,000 miles!) , the newest car in this collection is a 1976 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible!This collection really has everything you could imagine from typical cars like the Mustang, '57 Chevy and Thunderbird to rarer cars from Studebaker, Nash and DeSoto. The tractors and heavy-duty trucks are just as interesting, too, including a 1938 John Deere tractor, 1946 Dodge fire truck and a 1971 Ford F800 dump truck. Just like the cars themselves, the condition of this collection varies extensively from a super-clean 1957 Chevrolet Cameo truck to cars rotting away and sunk to the rocker panels in dirt. This collection is a barn find heaven.VanDerBrink Auctions will be auctioning off the farm equipment today (August 9) and the collection of cars and trucks tomorrow, August 10. In addition to vehicles, Graham had also amassed a huge collection of die cast toys (no surprise there) as well as collector decorative plates, Jim Beam decanters and more. h/t: Inforum Read More... * Quality Over Quantity: One Man's Classic Chevrolet Car Collection * Honda Shows Off Peter Cunninghan's Car Collection
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| View Every Angle of the 2020 Mini Clubman John Cooper Works Posted: 08 Aug 2019 04:59 AM PDT |
| Joe Biden says 'poor kids' are 'just as talented as white kids' Posted: 09 Aug 2019 08:58 AM PDT  The former vice president quickly corrected himself. He made the comment while speaking to the Iowa Asian and Latino Coalition Thursday night.
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| UPDATE 2-China issues 'red alert' as super typhoon approaches mainland Posted: 08 Aug 2019 06:13 PM PDT ![UPDATE 2-China issues 'red alert' as super typhoon approaches mainland]( "UPDATE 2-China issues 'red alert' as super typhoon approaches mainland") SHANGHAI/TAIPEI, Aug 9 (Reuters) - China's weather bureau issued a red alert early on Friday as super typhoon Lekima approached Zhejiang province on the eastern coast, after forcing flight cancellations in Taiwan and shutting markets and businesses on the island. The National Meteorological Center (NMC) said the typhoon, the strongest since 2014, was expected to hit the mainland in early on Saturday and then turn north.
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| Father of black man killed by US police in 2014 demands answers Posted: 09 Aug 2019 01:47 PM PDT  The father of Michael Brown, the black American whose killing by police triggered countrywide protests, on Friday marked the fifth anniversary of his son's death by calling on the Justice Department to re-open its investigation into the shooting. Prosecutors dropped the case against the officer who shot the unarmed 18-year-old, sparking riots in Ferguson, a suburb of St Louis in the conservative state of Missouri. "I am demanding evidence to be reanalyzed, and accountability to follow," Michael Brown Senior told a news conference.
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| 'I Was Scared to Death': Former Neighbor of Escaped Tennessee Inmate Speaks Out Posted: 08 Aug 2019 03:40 PM PDT  Curtis Ray Watson's lengthy criminal history in Tennessee reveals run-ins with the law that began with a conviction for driving under the influence in 1999.
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| Kashmir curfew partially eased for prayers amid lockdown Posted: 09 Aug 2019 10:30 AM PDT  A strict curfew in Indian-administered Kashmir in effect for a fifth day was eased Friday to allow residents to pray at mosques, officials said, but some protests still broke out in the disputed region despite thousands of security forces in the streets as tensions remained high with neighboring Pakistan. The predominantly Muslim area has been under the unprecedented lockdown and near-total communications blackout to prevent unrest and protests after India's Hindu nationalist-led government said Monday it was revoking Kashmir's special constitutional status and downgrading its statehood. Kashmir is claimed in its entirety by both India and Pakistan and is divided between the archrivals.
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| 28 Sweet Summer Peach Desserts (That Aren't Pie) Posted: 09 Aug 2019 07:31 AM PDT |
| FBI releases Bruce Ohr interview reports Posted: 08 Aug 2019 08:02 PM PDT ![FBI releases Bruce Ohr interview reports]( "FBI releases Bruce Ohr interview reports") The FBI released its notes detailing a dozen interviews agents had with senior Justice Department official Bruce Ohr.
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| Authorities: Suspect said he used AK-47 in El Paso shooting Posted: 09 Aug 2019 02:05 PM PDT ![Authorities: Suspect said he used AK-47 in El Paso shooting]( "Authorities: Suspect said he used AK-47 in El Paso shooting") Authorities say the man accused of killing 22 people and injuring about two dozen others in a Texas Walmart shooting told detectives he used an AK-47 assault rifle in the attack. In an arrest warrant affidavit, a detective writes that 21-year-old Patrick Crusius described how he entered the store last weekend in the border city of El Paso with the weapon and multiple magazines. "The defendant stated once inside the store he opened fire using his AK-47 shooting multiple innocent victims," the detective writes.
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| Spear fisherman attacked by shark is rescued by boat full of nurses Posted: 08 Aug 2019 11:46 AM PDT  A spear fisherman who was attacked by a shark off the coast of Florida was rescued by a passing charter yacht – which happened to be full of nurses. Mario Avila, 37, was bitten in the left arm by what he believes is a bull shark near Key Biscayne on Saturday morning. "I was diving and immediately, the shark came and attacked me. I never saw it, it came by surprise and attacked me," he said. "It came to try and figure out what I was. It came directly and attacked my arm. I automatically pushed it away with my other arm and that's when he tore up all my fingers and my chest." Those diving with Mr Avila began waving for help. Bill Baggs State Park, to where the injured diver was taken He said the shark was about 20 feet long. "I've been fishing underwater for 20 years, and all my life, I've never seen one that big," he told CBS News Miami. Kayle Evans, an employee of Hot Shot Charters, said their boat was passing and rescued the fisherman. He said the bite was so severe that the Mr Avila's arm was "mangled" and he was "just blood from arm to foot." The nurses immediately applied a tourniquet to the man's arm while Mr Evans rinsed him off with a hose. Sig Ozols, the yacht captain, said he was glad they were there to assist. "I have never seen this in 30 years of being in the business," he said. "I don't want to see it again to be honest with you." The crew then sailed with the injured diver the 20 minutes to Bill Baggs State Park, where the diver was met by paramedics and taken to hospital. "We were there for a reason, and we made it happen," said Mr Ozols. "And I hope he's OK." Mr Avila was released from hospital on Tuesday. "Scuba diving, I don't think I'll ever do again," he said. "But I'll keep fishing with a rod." Two other people were attacked by sharks in Florida on Saturday, at New Smyrna Beach near Dayton Beach. A 20-year-old woman was bitten in the hand while she was surfing, and a 21-year-old man was bitten in the right foot. On Sunday a third man, a tourist from Tennessee, was standing knee-deep in the water at the same beach when he was bitten on the foot. So far this year, nine people have been victims of shark attacks at New Smyrna Beach. The International Shark Attack File named the beach the international shark attack capital. It's estimated that anyone who has swum there has been within 10 feet of a shark.
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| Frontier Airlines will let you fly for free if you have this last name Posted: 08 Aug 2019 09:21 AM PDT  Is your last name Green or Greene? If so, you've lucked out because Frontier Airlines will give you a free flight. Find out how to claim it.
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| Mega-Trees Are the New Weapon Against Climate Change Posted: 08 Aug 2019 02:01 AM PDT  GettyScientists around the world are working on new technologies to combat climate change, like carbon capture and solar radiation management, but could simply planting enough trees stave off some of the devastation? We're actually in the midst of an international effort to do just that, but researchers have found there are some flaws in our approach. In 2011, the United States, Brazil and many other countries around the world entered into a large-scale project to restore 150 million hectares of forest by the year 2020 and 350 million hectares by the year 2030 called the Bonn Challenge. The project's goal was to renew large swaths of "deforested and degraded" land, and a total of 56 countries have joined the cause since it was created. It was estimated that 350 million hectares of forest could soak up 1.7 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide every year. We are on track to meet the goals set by the Bonn Challenge, but many climate experts have noted that much of the progress that's been made won't necessarily produce the intended climate benefits. A report from earlier this year that was published in the journal Nature found nearly half of the land that was pledged for forest area was "set to become plantations of commercial trees." That means smaller, fast-growing trees that are grown to be harvested for paper, pulp and log make up much of what's being counted as new forest area. "If trees are harvested, it doesn't take carbon out of the atmosphere for long before it's put right back," Richard Houghton, an expert in forest science at the Wood Hole Research Center, tells The Daily Beast. David Milarch is a co-founder of the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive. This organization clones the largest and oldest trees from many different tree species around the world. They've cloned trees from over 130 different countries since the organization was founded 25 years ago, including the coast redwood, and they aim to "propagate the world's most important old-growth trees before they are gone."Milarch tells The Daily Beast that if you want to get serious about tackling climate change, you need to be planting large trees that will be around for hundreds of years or more. He says planting smaller trees that will be harvested in the near future is "not doing anything for sequestering carbon.""You plant the right tree in the right place. You plant the strongest, hardiest natives state-by-state and region-by-region," Milarch says. "You have to go about this very intelligently."Gordon Bonan, a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, tells The Daily Beast that reforestation and planting new trees are "essential components of climate change mitigation." He says forests act as a "carbon sink to remove CO2 from the atmosphere."That said, some worry focusing too much on planting trees and restoring forests to fight climate change could be harmful. A study that was published in the journal Science in July claimed planting a trillion new trees would have a tremendous impact in the fight against climate change and could theoretically be accomplished. Many articles were written about what looked to be exciting news, but even the study's lead author said this would not likely happen and shouldn't be seen as a silver bullet in the fight against climate change."Reforestation is one possible way to address climate change, but the main thing we have to be doing is reducing greenhouse gases," Karen Holl, a professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, tells The Daily Beast. "It's not a substitute."Holl says people shouldn't get the idea that we can "plant our way out of climate change." She says restoring forests and planting new trees are important parts of the equation, but reducing our greenhouse gas emissions is the top priority. Furthermore, she says we need to put a stop to the large amount of deforestation that's taking place in the United States, Brazil and beyond."The most important thing is to be protecting existing forests, because they hold a huge amount of carbon both above ground and in the soil," Holl says.The planet lost over half a million square miles of forest between 1990 and 2016. President Trump issued an executive order at the beginning of this year that allows for more logging on public lands, and President Bolsanaro of Brazil has begun a logging campaign that will likely decimate the Amazon rainforest. New data shows the Amazon is losing roughly three football fields of forest per minute to deforestation. Houghton says that reforestation and planting new trees are things that the U.S. should be doing much more actively, and he thinks we could stop subsidizing fossil fuels and use that money to pay for a large forest restoration project. It's extremely unlikely this will happen during the Trump administration, but the experts we spoke with said it could be accomplished after 2020 if Democrats controlled the White House, both houses of Congress, and made it a priority. "Getting off fossil fuels and getting into renewable energy will take some years, so in the interim, we could use some new forest," Houghton said.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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| Nineteen bodies, some dismembered, found in southwestern Mexico Posted: 08 Aug 2019 12:25 PM PDT ![Nineteen bodies, some dismembered, found in southwestern Mexico]( "Nineteen bodies, some dismembered, found in southwestern Mexico") Mexican authorities said Thursday that they found 19 bodies, some dismembered, in the southwestern state of Michoacan, as the federal government seeks to combat rising violence with a new militarized police. The victims, which included three women, were found at three different locations in the drug-cartel hotbed of Uruapan, state prosecutor Adrian Lopez told reporters Thursday morning. Battles between rival criminal groups have made Michoacan one of Mexico's bloodiest states.
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| Key airport closed as Indian state faces repeat flood crisis Posted: 09 Aug 2019 01:47 AM PDT  Floods that have killed more than 20 people forced the closure of Kochi international airport Friday as the south Indian state of Kerala confronted a second straight year of crisis level downpours. The main airport for the popular tourist state will remain closed until at least Sunday, authorities said, as rising waters took over the runways. With predictions of freak rains continuing for several days, Kerala's chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan warned the public that dam gates may have to be opened soon.
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| India Has Taken Kashmir, But Winning the Hearts and Minds of Kashmiris Will be Harder Posted: 08 Aug 2019 02:37 AM PDT  'This is an attack on Indian democracy': On Aug. 5, the Indian government blocked all communication in Kashmir in a bid for greater control.
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| Black women deserve better from Kamala Harris. Don't take our vote for granted Posted: 09 Aug 2019 03:00 AM PDT  Instead of championing real structural change, Harris prefers shallow virtue-signalling. We're waiting for more 'A Kamala Harris presidency would be ineffectual for the demographic that will likely comprise much of her base: black women.' Photograph: Mike Blake/ReutersWhen Senator Kamala Harris announced a student loan cancellation plan over the weekend, it was roundly, and justifiably, met with disdain. Convoluted and bloated with caveats, the plan would provide $20,000 of student loan debt relief … for Pell Grant recipients…who also operate a business in a disadvantaged community … for at least three years (sarcastic ellipses mine).After pushback against her rather niche proposal, Harris clarified that the plan is part of a larger package of entrepreneurship policies, not her education policies.But a review of both the education and entrepreneurship packages on her campaign website suggests a bigger problem. A Kamala Harris presidency would be ineffectual for the demographic that will probably comprise much of her base: black women.Black women have more student loan debt than any other graduates in the country. Of college graduates repaying student debt, black women experience more financial difficulty than anyone else in the country. Black women are paid the least of any group of people of both high school graduates and college graduates with a bachelor's degree.The causes for these inequalities vary, but research points to wealth disparities generally, differences in family dynamics between young black and white people, and hiring discrimination. According to a report by Demos, 41% of white college-educated families, compared with 13% of black families, get an inheritance. The report adds that "black people are more likely to financially help older family members, preventing wealth accumulation and leaving them more financially vulnerable". Further, "employers persist in discriminating against black workers in hiring, in assigning more precarious employment prospects to black workers than to white workers, and in requiring more education of black workers for the same job as white workers".> A Kamala Harris presidency would be ineffectual for the demographic that will likely comprise much of her base: black womenYoung black people, and black women in particular, are keenly aware of the latter. Without the same social networks to rely on as non-black workers in the event of lay-offs and to enter fields where we have been customarily excluded, black women heed the lessons that education is the great equalizer. We are at an intersection of racial and gendered expectations to work two times harder, not just because we are black, but also because we are women who tend to be underestimated in the labor force. This creates more pressure to "professionalize" ourselves, and it's not yet proving to pay off.These vast structural hurdles in higher education and employment opportunity cannot be overcome with the sort of piecemeal economic reform Kamala Harris has recommended. By her campaign's estimate, as reported by the Cut, the limited student loan cancellation program will affect .04% of the 45 million Americans with student loan debt.Instead of championing substantial debt relief, which would significantly close the black-white wealth gap, Harris seems to prefer shallow virtue-signaling to black voters. When she's not suggesting these modest proposals, she's taking the language of candidates to her left while muddying the water of what her policies will actually do. Instead of proposing free college tuition, she refers to "debt-free" college, without specifying what that means. While saying she supports reparations, she clarifies that they won't be particular to black Americans. While taking the debate stage to suggest that she supports a single-payer Medicare for All, she later advocates a different plan that won't be single-payer.Even worse, her assertion that she has no intention to "restructure society", even though scholars argue a government-backed redistribution of wealth is necessary for racial equality, makes Harris sound more like Joe Biden than Shirley Chisholm, after whom she has fashioned herself. While she may be able to make distinctions between herself and Joe Biden on civil rights, her brand of economic moderation is in some ways more dangerous.Appealing to black women superficially, without the substance to back it, gives her enough legitimacy to win black women over while offering little in return. This leaves progressive black women in the awkward position of not critiquing her so that she gets the nomination, which becomes not critiquing her so she wins the general election, which turns into leaving her presidency unchallenged so she can govern. While protecting the career of a single black politician, black women as a whole are likely to face unabated, growing inequality.We can't afford the four years of piecemeal moderation that Kamala Harris offers, and we have the debt to prove it. * Malaika Jabali is a public policy attorney, writer and activist whose writing has appeared in Essence, Jacobin, the Intercept, Glamour and elsewhere
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| Biden lashes out at reporter who suggested he misquoted Trump on Charlottesville Posted: 08 Aug 2019 02:24 PM PDT  At the Iowa State Fair, the former vice president snapped at a Breitbart radio host who said he misquoted President Trump's infamous statement saying there were "very fine people on both sides" of the deadly clash between neo-Nazis and counterprotesters.
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| EPA won't approve warning labels for Roundup chemical Posted: 09 Aug 2019 02:04 PM PDT  The Trump administration says it won't approve warning labels for products that contain glyphosate, a move aimed at California as it fights one of the world's largest agriculture companies about the potentially cancer-causing chemical. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency disagrees, saying its research shows the chemical poses no risks to public health. California has not enforced the warning label for glyphosate because Monsanto, the company that makes Roundup, sued and a federal judge temporarily blocked the warning labels last year until the lawsuit could be resolved.
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