| Iran's Rouhani to visit Japan amid heightened tensions with U.S. Posted: 16 Dec 2019 11:53 PM PST  Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will visit Japan on Dec. 20-21 and meet Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, as the Asian country, a U.S. ally, looks to resolve Tehran's nuclear impasse with Washington. Japan maintains friendly ties with both the United States and Iran and has previously tried to ease tensions between the two countries, which severed diplomatic relations after Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the U.S.-backed Shah.
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| Archaeologists in Greece find 3,500-year-old royal tombs Posted: 17 Dec 2019 11:07 AM PST  American archaeologists have discovered two monumental royal tombs dating from about 3,500 years ago near a major Mycenaean-era palace in Greece's southern Peloponnese region, the Greek culture ministry said Tuesday. A ministry statement said the dome-shaped roofs of both tombs near the Bronze Age palace of Pylos collapsed during antiquity, and the chambers became filled with so much earth and rubble that grave robbers couldn't get in to plunder them. Recovered grave goods from the two tombs included a golden seal ring and a golden amulet of an ancient Egyptian goddess, highlighting Bronze Age trade and cultural links.
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| Double-murderer deported to Germany after decades in US jail Posted: 17 Dec 2019 05:58 AM PST  A German man who has served 33 years in a US prison for a double murder arrived back in Germany on Tuesday, after receiving parole. Officials in the state of Virginia allowed 53-year-old Jens Soering, the son of a diplomat, to be released on parole. "I'm so happy to be in Germany after 33 years in prison in the US," he told journalists in a short statement at Frankfurt Airport.
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| Scotland’s Sturgeon to Request Right to Hold Independence Vote Posted: 17 Dec 2019 06:41 AM PST ![Scotland's Sturgeon to Request Right to Hold Independence Vote]( "Scotland's Sturgeon to Request Right to Hold Independence Vote") (Bloomberg) -- Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon reiterated her plan to demand the right to hold another independence referendum.Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh that she will submit a so-called Section 30 request for the transfer of power with the aim of holding a referendum in 2020. After her Scottish National Party won 48 of the 59 seats in Scotland in last week's election, Sturgeon has said she has the mandate for another vote on breaking away from the rest of the U.K. in the wake of Brexit. "This is a watershed moment for Scotland," Sturgeon told lawmakers in Edinburgh on Tuesday. "So this week I will take the next steps to secure Scotland's right to choose."The election set up a renewed standoff over the future of the U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he won't allow another vote and that Scotland should stand by the result of the last referendum in 2014, when Scots chose 55% to 45% to remain in the U.K. Sturgeon says it's undemocratic to deny permission because of Scotland's rejection of Brexit.Sturgeon's semi-autonomous government sent a Section 30 demand in March 2017 following the U.K.s decision to trigger the process of leaving the European Union.To contact the reporter on this story: Alastair Reed in Edinburgh at areed12@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Rodney Jefferson at r.jefferson@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch went on Fox News to promote his book — and to echo the 'war on Christmas' myth Posted: 17 Dec 2019 11:26 AM PST  Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch is the latest victim in the war on Christmas.On Tuesday, Gorsuch appeared on Fox & Friends to promote his recent book — an odd move for a supposedly nonpartisan judge. President Trump's favorite show is known for its solidly conservative agenda, and Gorsuch quickly played into Fox & Friends' hands with the first two words he spoke.When Gorsuch was introduced Tuesday, he pointedly replied with a "Merry Christmas," to which host Ainsley Earhardt responded "I love that you say that." After all, Fox News has been fighting for the right to say that phrase for years as it's drowned out by "Happy Holidays." Gorsuch's choice words soon drew a few critics from the politically correct crowd, prompting Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a certified member of the Merry Christmas militia, to come to his defense.In an attempt to combat "Democrats" who are supposedly "smear[ing] him for wishing Americans a Merry Christmas," Tillis tweeted out a link to a card he's putting together for Gorsuch and his family.> I worked tirelessly to confirm Justice Gorsuch, and I'm not about to let Democrats smear him for wishing Americans a Merry Christmas. That's why I'm putting together a Merry Christmas card to send to Justice Gorsuch and his family – will you add your name? https://t.co/DsPKgbJF0p https://t.co/kYeUEke7gb> > — Thom Tillis (@ThomTillis) December 17, 2019Clicking to Tillis' site reveals a digital Christmas greeting that's reminiscent of a young coder's first web design project. Visitors are welcome to send Gorsuch a Christmas greeting of their own — a system which will absolutely not be abused in any way.More stories from theweek.com How the fall of Elizabeth Warren has shaken up the 2020 race Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort hospitalized 6 powerful phrases every parent should use
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| Elizabeth Warren demands billionaire Michael Bloomberg release accusers from NDAs Posted: 16 Dec 2019 07:41 PM PST  Michael Bloomberg has been under scrutiny after he was accused of creating a hostile work environment for women in his company in the 1990s.
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| Chernobyl At Sea: When A Soviet Submarine Created An Atomic Disaster Posted: 17 Dec 2019 07:24 AM PST  The incident remained a secret until the end of the Cold War.
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| Nunes Urges Schiff to Accept the IG’s Findings on FBI FISA Abuses: ‘You Are in Need of Rehabilitation’ Posted: 16 Dec 2019 06:47 AM PST  Ranking House Intelligence Committee Republican Devin Nunes rebuked committee chairman Adam Schiff in a Sunday letter, telling Schiff he is "in need of rehabilitation" if he is to fully accept the Justice Department's inspector general report detailing the FISA abuses committed by the FBI during their Russia probe."After publishing false conclusions of such enormity on a topic directly within this committee's oversight responsibilities, it is clear you are in need of rehabilitation, and I hope this letter will serve as the first step in that vital process," Nunes wrote in a Sunday letter.After originally dismissing Nunes's concerns about the warrant process, Schiff admitted that the FBI committed significant errors in its application to the FISA court to surveil Trump-campaign adviser Carter Page."FBI and DOJ officials did not 'abuse' the [FISA] process, omit material information, or subvert this vital tool to spy on the Trump campaign," Schiff wrote in a memo last year, adding a claim that the warrant applications "made only narrow use of information from Steele's sources."However, the inspector general's report documented 17 "significant errors and omissions" in the process and said the FBI failed to inform the FISA court about the partisan origins of the Steele dossier, which they also failed to independently corroborate.On Sunday, Schiff said he "certainly accepts" that "the inspector general found things that we didn't know 2 years ago."Nunes commended Schiff for that acknowledgement, calling it "a valuable first step—a baby step, but a step nonetheless—in your rehabilitation.""As part of your rehabilitation, it's crucial that you admit you have a problem—you are hijacking the Intelligence Committee for political purposes while excusing and covering up intelligence agency abuses," Nunes wrote. "Rehabilitation will be a long, arduous process."The intelligence committee held an impeachment hearing last week and the lower chamber is expected to hold a full House vote this week to impeach President Trump over accusations that he engaged in a quid pro quo involving temporarily withheld U.S. military aid to Ukraine. Trump is accused of witholding the aid to coerce Ukrainian officials to announce the opening of a corruption investigation into Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
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| Toronto mass shooting victims sue gun maker Smith & Wesson in $150m lawsuit Posted: 17 Dec 2019 09:40 AM PST  * Two people died and 13 were injured in July 2018 attack * Lawsuit claims company created 'ultra-hazardous product'Victims of a mass shooting in Toronto have launched a class action lawsuit against gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson, alleging the company failed to implement key safety features in its weapons that could have prevented the 2018 attack.The suit, the first of its kind in Canada, was filed in Ontario superior court on Monday. Plaintiffs are seeking C$150m in damages from the American company.On the evening of 22 July 2018, Faisal Hussain opened fire on the city's bustling Danforth avenue, killing two people and injuring 13 others. He killed himself following a shootout with police.The weapon used in the attack – an M&P40 semi-automatic pistol – had been stolen from a gun dealer in the province of Saskatchewan.The lead plaintiffs in the case are Skye McLeod and Samantha Price, recent high-school graduates and friends who were celebrating a birthday when Hussain opened fire. As pedestrians ran for cover, Price was hit in the leg and her friend, 18-year-old Reese Fallon, was shot dead. A young child in the area, Julianna Kozis, 10, was also killed.The suit, which has not yet been certified by a judge, alleges Smith & Wesson created an "ultra-hazardous product" and delayed implementing technology that prevents unauthorized users from firing the weapon. The claims within the lawsuit have not been proven in court.Often taking the form fingerprint sensor or a radio-frequency microchip, numerous "smart gun" technologies exist that can prevent unauthorized firing of a weapon. Gun lobby groups in the United States, led by the National Rifle Association, have fought for years against widespread adoption of the safety features."What we have right now, is a technology from the 19th century," said Malcolm Ruby, the lawyer representing victims' families, told the Guardian. "People aren't still using rotary telephones any more. They've moved on. But this is an industry that has refused to modernize."Without the technology in place, the lawsuit claims it was "reasonably foreseeable" people such as Hussain could inflict widespread damage with a stolen weapon.The suit also refers to an agreement between Smith & Wesson and the US government, dating back nearly 20 years, in which the company pledged to make smart gun technology a key feature in new firearm designs – but never did."Despite the agreement, in 2005 the defendant introduced the … model of the handgun used in the Danforth shooting, which failed to include smart gun technology," the lawsuit read.Following a flurry of litigation against American gun manufacturers in the late 1990s, the companies are now largely shielded from claims of negligence in the US. But families of victims in the Sandy Hook shooting won a key victory last month, when the US supreme court allowed a lawsuit against gun maker Remington Arms to go ahead. There are no special protections for the manufacturers in Canada, said Ruby.The lawsuit is open to victims of the shooting who suffered injury while fleeing the gunfire, as well as the families of victims. Smith & Wesson has stated it does not comment on the pending litigation."If you have a product that can harm people – you're obligated to fix that," said Ruby. "And we know these guns have caused widespread harm over the years – and will continue to do so."
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| Supreme Court upholds homeless people's right to sleep on public property outdoors Posted: 16 Dec 2019 12:50 PM PST  The U.S. Supreme Court let stand a ruling that said homeless people have a constitutional right to sleep on public property outdoors if no other shelter is available to them. The justices without comment on Monday turned away an appeal by Boise, Idaho, which said the federal appeals court ruling would leave cities "powerless" to address residents' health and safety concerns.
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| Switzerland slams embassy employee's Sri Lanka detention Posted: 17 Dec 2019 03:23 AM PST ![Switzerland slams embassy employee's Sri Lanka detention]( "Switzerland slams embassy employee's Sri Lanka detention") The Swiss foreign ministry has criticized a lack of due process in the detention of a Swiss Embassy employee in Sri Lanka who said she was abducted, sexually assaulted and threatened by captors who demanded that she disclose embassy-related information. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it has criticized a 30-hour interrogation by police of the employee, Gania Banister Francis, over three days despite her being in poor health. A Sri Lankan court on Monday ordered Francis' detention pending charges of allegedly making statements causing disaffection toward the government and fabricating evidence.
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| Malaysia to host major summit of Muslim leaders Posted: 17 Dec 2019 03:06 AM PST  Malaysia will this week host a summit of Muslim leaders billed as a forum to look at the Islamic world's problems, but it will be closely watched for Middle East power plays and their stance on China's Uighur minority. Leaders from Iran, Turkey, and Qatar will be among hundreds of delegates attending the three-day event set to discuss myriad challenges faced by Muslims. The summit has been pushed by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who has long championed greater solidarity among the world's Islamic communities -- and wants to boost his country's standing on the international stage.
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| Joe Biden coldly rains on Trump's happy-poll parade Posted: 16 Dec 2019 08:54 PM PST  President Trump had a good poll on Monday: In a USA Today/Suffolk University survey, he leads all his potential Democratic rivals, including former Vice President Joe Biden by 3 percentage points, just inside the poll's ±3 point margin of error. But that's not the poll Trump highlighted on Twitter Monday afternoon — in fact, it's not quite clear what poll he was tweeting about that has his approval rating at 51 percent, or even above 50 percent. Biden either found that elusive poll or just decided he might just as well make up a number, too.> This same poll has you losing to me by 7 points. https://t.co/cbwKoCbW7b> > — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) December 16, 2019Biden does lead Trump by 7 points in a new Fox News poll, but Trump's overall approval rating in that survey is 45 percent, with 53 percent disapproving of his job performance. In the RealClearPolitics average of polls, Biden leads Trump by 6.2 percentage points and Trump's average approval rating is 44 percent, 8.8 points underwater.In any case, point made, point won. The USA Today/Suffolk poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters Dec. 10-14.More stories from theweek.com How the fall of Elizabeth Warren has shaken up the 2020 race Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort hospitalized 6 powerful phrases every parent should use
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| Police officer forced homeless man to lick urinal or face arrest, court hears Posted: 17 Dec 2019 07:42 AM PST  A police officer in Hawaii has pleaded guilty to forcing a homeless man to lick a toilet to avoid his arrest.John Rabago had previously denied the charges against him and another officer, Reginald Ramones, but Rabago admitted in federal court on Monday that he trapped Sam Ingall in a restroom in January 2018 and gave him an ultimatum: lick a urinal or face arrest.
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| Indonesia Muslim groups deny China lobbying sways views on Uighurs Posted: 17 Dec 2019 03:36 AM PST ![Indonesia Muslim groups deny China lobbying sways views on Uighurs]( "Indonesia Muslim groups deny China lobbying sways views on Uighurs") Indonesia's biggest Muslim groups have denied that lobbying by Beijing, including tours facilitated by China in Xinjiang, had influenced their stance on the treatment of the region's Muslim Uighur minority. The United Nations and human rights groups estimate that between 1 million and 2 million people, mostly ethnic Uighur Muslims, have been detained in harsh conditions in Xinjiang as part of what Beijing calls an anti-terrorism campaign.
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| Russia Spread Disinformation Related to Yovanovitch and Steele Posted: 17 Dec 2019 12:16 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- A Russian-linked operation aimed at dividing Western allies spread disinformation on social media for three years on such topics as the "Steele dossier" and the performance of former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, according to a new report.Hundreds of accounts on multiple internet platforms amplified 44 narratives in at least six languages over the course of the effort, which targeted relationships between the U.S. and U.K, as well as the U.S. and Germany, among other Western allies, according to a report released Tuesday by Graphika, a company that uses artificial intelligence to map and analyze information on social media.Two of the false narratives focused on American political controversies, "the smear campaign" against Yovanovitch in 2019 and "the dossier of claims against U.S. President Donald Trump in early 2017," Ben Nimmo, the head of investigations at Graphika, wrote in the report. Yovanovitch, who was removed from her post in May, testified in the U.S. House Intelligence Committee's impeachment investigation hearings against Trump. The dossier was part of the false story that U.K. intelligence officials interfered in the 2016 election, according to the report."It looks like this operation leverages U.S. political stories to cause trouble between America and its allies," Nimmo said.Still, Graphika's research concluded "none of these stories gained significant traction. This operation struggled to place its content in front of real users, perhaps in part because of the measures it took to hide the true identity of its operators, such as the use of single-use burner accounts."The disinformation effort ran from October 2016 to October 2019 and was part of a broader, Russian-based operation known as "Secondary Infektion," according to Graphika. Facebook Inc. and Reddit have previously removed accounts related to the operation.The report comes after Russia spread disinformation ahead of the U.K. election last week and American intelligence agencies have warned that foreign actors will seek to influence voter perceptions ahead of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.Starting in October, accounts related to Secondary Infektion amplified leaked trade documents in the run-up to the Dec. 12 U.K. election. Nimmo wrote that the U.K. element of the operation appeared to be the only narrative among the disinformation stories in the report that gained significant traction on social media."All the earlier stories were based on forgeries," he wrote. "Some were carefully crafted, others were laughably inept, but all were false. Almost all these stories fell flat. By contrast, the leak of genuine U.K. trade documents was one of the headline moments of the U.K. election campaign and made the news well beyond British shores."The disinformation campaign also touched on a topic of special interest to Russia. "A cluster of articles spread alarming rumors about the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, games from which Russia had been banned for doping," according to the report.To contact the reporter on this story: Alyza Sebenius in Washington at asebenius@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrew Martin at amartin146@bloomberg.net, Andrew Pollack, Sara FordenFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Why Giving Israel Spare American B-52 Bombers Is A Terrible Idea Posted: 16 Dec 2019 03:30 PM PST  A great way to drag America into conflict.
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| Xbox to call 2020 Xbox 'Xbox', in line with company tradition Posted: 17 Dec 2019 03:42 AM PST  Microsoft's gaming division appears ready to bring a renewed focus to its brand name, Xbox, for the recently revealed Xbox Series X console or consoles. Previously known as Project Scarlett, before being reintroduced as Xbox Series X this December, Microsoft's video games division Xbox appears set on using the term "Xbox" to refer to its Holiday 2020 console. Will that lead legions of gift-giving shoppers to mistakenly purchase the original 2001 Xbox?
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| Greta Thunberg clapped back at Deutsche Bahn after it appeared to accuse her of staging a picture of her sitting on the floor of an 'overcrowded' train Posted: 16 Dec 2019 02:39 AM PST  The 16-year-old Thunberg was traveling home from Madrid by train after attending the UN climate conference.
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| Maxine Waters Claims Trump Agreed to Lift Sanctions in Exchange for Putin’s Election Help, Admits She ‘Doesn’t Have the Facts to Prove It’ Posted: 17 Dec 2019 12:45 PM PST  Representative Maxine Waters (D., Calif.) on Monday said she still believes that President Trump conspired with Russian President Vladimir Putin to win the 2016 elections despite lacking any evidence to support her claim.While it is has been widely established that the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 election on Trump's behalf, special counsel Robert Mueller's two-year investigation yielded no evidence that President Trump or anyone on his campaign coordinated with the Russians."I believe, even though I don't have the facts to prove it, I believe that Putin wanted to lift the sanctions [against Russia]," Waters told CNN's Erin Burnett on Tuesday. "He's always wanted to lift these sanctions that were placed on him because of his interfering with, and incursion into Crimea.""And so I believe that they wanted to elect President Trump and Trump—I will always believe this—that he agreed that if he got elected that he would lift those sanctions," Waters continued. "He would like to do it; he's not been able to do it, but when [Republicans] talk about, 'we're just making things up' and he talks about this as a 'witch hunt,' there are too many facts."Waters has a history of controversial statements regarding Trump and the extreme threat he poses to the country. In 2018 Waters publicly called on anti-Trump protesters to "harass" Trump supporters in response to the President's immigration policies."If you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd. And you push back on them. And you tell them they're not welcome anymore, anywhere," Waters told protesters. The next day she said protesters will "absolutely harass them [administration officials] until they decide that they're going to tell the President, 'No, I can't hang with you.'"In an October CNN interview, the Representative said Trump should be in "solitary confinement.""Impeachment is not good enough for Trump," Waters said. "He needs to be imprisoned and placed in solitary confinement.""But for now," she added, "impeachment is the imperative."President Trump is currently the subject of an impeachment push by House Democrats due to his conduct regarding Ukraine. The House will likely vote to approve two articles of impeachment, for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress respectively, by the end of this week.
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| Tokyo court rules on high-profile journalist rape case Posted: 17 Dec 2019 02:11 PM PST  A Tokyo court will Wednesday rule on a damages lawsuit by journalist Shiori Ito, who has accused a former TV anchor with close ties to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of rape. Ito, 30, is seeking 11 million yen ($100,000) in compensation from former reporter Noriyuki Yamaguchi, claiming he raped her after inviting her to dinner to discuss a job opportunity in 2015. The case has made headlines in Japan and abroad, as it is rare for rape victims to report the crime to the police -- according to a 2017 government survey, only four percent of women come forward.
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| Amy Klobuchar Stakes Her 2020 Candidacy on a Narrow Path in Iowa Posted: 16 Dec 2019 01:00 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Even though Amy Klobuchar is languishing in the low single digits in national polls, she insists she still has a path to winning the Democratic presidential nomination with a strong showing in the Iowa caucuses.The Minnesota senator has endured as higher-scoring rivals such as Beto O'Rourke and Kamala Harris have dropped out. Now she's betting that the nation's first nominating contest on Feb. 3 will give her the momentum for the primary races that follow."The ultimate compliment in Iowa is: 'You're in my top three,'" Klobuchar said at a campaign event in Des Moines last week. She ended on a plea to those who haven't committed to her: "One of my arguments I'll make as I close the case is, 'It's time to decide.'"Since mid-October Klobuchar's support in Iowa has more than tripled to 6.5% from 2%, though she still is far behind Pete Buttigieg, who leads with 22.5%, or Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden, whose support is between 16% and 19%, according to the RealClearPolitics average of polls.Possibly in her favor is that Iowans are known for being late deciders, many voters making up their minds only weeks before the caucuses. A November poll from the Des Moines Register and CNN found that more than two-thirds of Iowans could be persuaded to change their vote or had no first-choice candidate.Klobuchar, 59, is building her candidacy on a record of bipartisanship in her three terms in the Senate and presents herself as a moderate who can win over Midwestern blue-collar voters who voted for Donald Trump in 2016. She won re-election in 2018 with 60% of the vote in a state that only very narrowly went for Hillary Clinton two years earlier.Staff, OfficesThe campaign is showing other signs of momentum in Iowa. Klobuchar plans to double her field offices to 20 by the end of December and says she will add to the 60 staffers currently in the state. That compares with more than 100 staffers for Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren. Last week, she announced the hiring of former executive director of the Iowa Democratic Party, Norm Sterzenbach, as Iowa Caucus adviser.Klobuchar, who has spent 47 days in Iowa, more than any candidate except John Delaney, is at home in the state that borders her own, poking fun at Iowans last week for their lack of snow compared with the 22 inches in parts of Minnesota.She has gained endorsements from some prominent Iowans, including Ruth and Scott Thompson, Democratic activists known as the "caucus couple." The Thompsons introduced Klobuchar to the 200-person crowd in Des Moines and said she wasn't initially in their top three or even on their list. But after following her for a few months, Scott is so sure of her that he gave his mobile phone number to the crowd and asked people to call him if they had doubts.But even if a rosy scenario of a top-three finish in Iowa were to play out, the road beyond is far dicier. One of her biggest hurdles is name recognition: 40% of Democratic voters nationwide had not heard of her in an Economist/YouGov poll released last week.More AdsKlobuchar acknowledged this shortcoming in an interview, but said her appearance in all five Democratic debates to date helps her, and as the primaries get closer she plans to run more ads in the early states. The campaign is working to ramp up its operations in states with early decisions, doubling its staff in New Hampshire this month and hiring aides in Nevada in late November."I literally have thought about telling people they should call anyone in my state," Klobuchar said. "Now, there will be people that didn't vote for me, more have than not, but they'll say 'She works hard. She gets things done.'"Klobuchar is only polling at 2.5% nationally, according to the RealClearPolitics average, far behind front-runner Biden at 28.5%, or Sanders at 17.8% and Warren at 15.3%. Unlike candidates such as Cory Booker, she's already qualified for the Dec. 19 debate in Los Angeles and has the cash to keep going. Harris exited the race Dec. 3 as her campaign bled cash; Klobuchar's campaign reported $3.7 million on hand at the end of the third quarter."If this race has tortoises and hares, Kamala might have been the hare, Amy could be the tortoise," said Democratic consultant Hilary Rosen. "She's kept her operation lean enough so that she can continue to sustain it without a huge budget spend and that's important at this point."Klobuchar has sought to distinguish herself as a moderate in clashes with progressives such as Warren and Sanders over their support for Medicare for All, which would create a government-run health care system that abolishes private insurance.Like Biden and Buttigieg, Klobuchar has said she supports a system that would build on Obamacare and include a public option. In the October debate, Klobuchar repeatedly pressed Warren on how she would pay for Medicare for All. "The difference between a plan and a pipe dream is something that you can actually get done," she said. "And we can get this public option done."Klobuchar's core argument to voters rests on her record: She's won passage of more than 100 bills in Congress and had 33 enacted -- seven of which Trump signed into law. In Iowa last week she peppered in examples of bipartisan achievements such as working with the state's Senator Chuck Grassley on introducing a bill to lower prescription drug costs.A big hurdle on her post-Iowa path is her low support among African American voters, a key Democratic constituency. In a late-November Quinnipiac University poll of South Carolina, the first primary state with a majority-African American Democratic electorate, Klobuchar polled at virtually 0%.If she makes it to the general election, Klobuchar's promise is to "win big" in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ohio and Iowa, bringing along state and local candidates with her."You know what I want to do? Build a blue wall around those states and make Donald Trump pay for it."(Michael Bloomberg is also seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.)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, Max Berley, Steve GeimannFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| In 1968, North Korean Commandos Launched a Raid into South Korea Posted: 17 Dec 2019 11:07 AM PST  How did it end?
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| Harry Dunn: Dominic Raab calls for US diplomat’s wife to return to UK if she is charged Posted: 17 Dec 2019 10:43 AM PST  The foreign secretary has called for an American woman accused of killing a British teenager in a car crash to return to the UK if she is charged.Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a US intelligence officer, fled back to her home country after claiming intelligence immunity following the crash in August.
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| The 25 Best Sandbox Games Posted: 17 Dec 2019 12:37 PM PST |
| Rescuers free entangled humpback whale off California coast Posted: 17 Dec 2019 01:35 PM PST  A rescue team helped free a young humpback whale that was tangled in fishing gear south of San Francisco days after a fisherman first spotted it, a conservation group said Tuesday. The team in a small inflatable boat in Monterey Bay attached five large, hot-pink buoys to the fishing line to slow down the whale and keep it near the surface Friday, said Peggy Stap, founder and executive director of Marine Life Studies, a Northern California conservation group. The whale was spotted again two days later, but conservation groups and the Coast Guard couldn't find it after an all-day search.
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| Greece's Parthenon temple has had the wrong name for centuries, new research by archeologists claims Posted: 17 Dec 2019 09:17 AM PST  Sitting on top of the Acropolis, the Parthenon is one of the most dazzling buildings from antiquity, but for 2,000 years we have been getting its name wrong, according to new research. Dutch scholars claim that the name "Parthenon" – popularised in the Roman period - originally belonged to an entirely different building, not the vast stone temple that looms over Athens and attracts millions of tourists a year. The real Parthenon was in fact an ancient Greek treasury which contained offerings to the goddess Athena, according to the research by Utrecht University. Today known as the Erechtheion, it is located about 100 yards from the main temple on the Acropolis, the massive rocky escarpment that rises from central Athens. Rather than being known as the Parthenon, the big temple should be known by its original ancient Greek name, the tongue-twisting Hekatompedon. Lightning over the Parthenon Credit: Getty "That means 'the hundred-foot temple' and the main room of the big temple was indeed exactly 100 feet long," Janric van Rookhuijzen, the archeologist behind the research, told The Telegraph. He acknowledges that Hekatompedon, which is mentioned in archives dating back 2,500 years, does not exactly roll off the tongue. A more user-friendly name would be "The Great Temple of Athena." "Hekatompedon is a difficult name to pronounce. That may be part of the reason that Parthenon caught on – it was much more catchy," he said. Dr van Rookhuijzen says his research, based on a study of archeological data and ancient texts, did not go down very well initially with Greek archeologists. "My Greek friends and colleagues were of course very suspicious – who is this Dutch guy saying the name should be changed? But they're now saying there is some merit to the theory I have put forward." Parthenon means "house of virgins" and the smaller temple is indeed decorated with stone caryatids, sculpted female figures which act as pillars, holding up the roof. Devoted to the ancient cult of Athena, it would have housed a treasury containing precious objects associated with the goddess, including musical instruments and swords from Persia. "Where the scientific community is concerned, Van Rookhuijzen's insight will cause a minor seismic shift," said Josine Blok, professor emeritus of ancient cultures at Utrecht University. "Not only will the names need to be adjusted, this changes our image of the cult of the goddess Athena and the Acropolis as a whole." Ineke Sluiter, professor of Greek language and literature at Leiden University, said: "This study demonstrates the permanent importance of never blindly trusting that the commonly-held wisdom is actually true." A detail from the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum Credit: Getty The research has been published in the American Journal of Archaeology and the Dutch edition of National Geographic Magazine. An icon of ancient Greek culture, the Parthenon and its marbles have been a bone of contention between Greece and Britain for 200 years, ever since Lord Elgin brought some of the friezes back to London. They are held by the British Museum, which has resisted Greek demands that they be permanently returned to Athens. Last month Xi Jinping, China's president, pledged his support for the Greek campaign to recover the marbles. "Not only do I agree with the return of the Parthenon sculptures but you will also have our support, as we too have our own [artefacts] of Chinese culture outside the country and are trying to get them home," he said during a two-day visit to Athens.
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| Argentine gang held 'Welcome' signs as cover to target victims in airport Posted: 17 Dec 2019 04:43 AM PST  The Argentine crime gang that killed a British businessman held "Welcome" signs in the airport arrivals hall as cover to spot wealthy tourists, officials say, as four men have been arrested in connection with the shooting.
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| Vietnam hopes for Chinese restraint in South China Sea in 2020 Posted: 16 Dec 2019 09:42 PM PST  Vietnam said it hoped China would show restraint in the South China Sea next year after a Chinese oil survey vessel and its escorts spent months within Vietnam's exclusive economic zone in what Hanoi called a blatant violation of its sovereignty. Vietnam, the region's most forceful challenger of China's extensive maritime claims to the busy waterway, will take on the rotating chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2020.
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| Johnson Signals Priorities With Davos Boycott: Brexit Update Posted: 17 Dec 2019 07:56 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson issued a strong message that his government will remain focused on Brexit by banning his ministers from attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, next month. The prime minister, who will also not attend, said he wants to "get on with delivering the priorities of the British people."Key Developments:U.K. official says no ministers will go to World Economic Forum in DavosJohnson says Parliament should resist SNP calls for Scottish independencePrime minister plans to change the law to prevent extension of the Brexit transition period; pound fell as much as 1.5%EU warns ruling out an extension risks a new Brexit cliff-edgeMembers of Parliament being sworn in from todayParliamentary Labour Party meets this evening for the first time since its comprehensive election defeat, with candidates to replace leader Jeremy Corbyn already jostling for positionCity Warns Over Rush to Deal (3:45 p.m.)The City of London warned against a hasty Brexit agreement that could damage services -- which make up about 80% of the U.K. economy."The December 2020 deadline is ambitious and it is critical the services sector is not sacrificed in the rush to get a deal" said Catherine McGuinness, policy chief at the City of London Corporation, which administers the financial district. "This is just the beginning of the Brexit process."The future framework deal with the EU must focus on "securing maximum market access and developing a structure for the U.K. economy to prosper in the years ahead," she said.Johnson Calls for Divisions to be Healed (3:15 p.m.)Boris Johnson said he wants a "new and generous" spirit of cross-party cooperation as he pledged to get Brexit out of the way and concentrate on the U.K.'s domestic priorities."We are going to be able to get on with delivering the priorities of the British people," the premier told the House of Commons. "After three-and-a-half years of wrangling and division, we in this government will do whatever we can to reach out across this House to find common ground, to heal the divisions of our country and to find a new and generous spirit in which we conduct all our political dealings."Johnson also said Parliament "should resist the calls of those who would break up the United Kingdom," a reference to calls (see 2:45 p.m.) from the Scottish National Party for a second referendum on Scottish independence.Sturgeon Calls for Scottish Referendum (2:45 p.m.)Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon reiterated her plan to demand the right to hold another independence referendum."This is a watershed moment for Scotland," Sturgeon told lawmakers in Edinburgh on Tuesday. "So this week I will take the next steps to secure Scotland's right to choose."Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament she will submit a so-called Section 30 request for the transfer of power with the aim of holding a referendum in 2020. After her Scottish National Party won 48 of the 59 seats in Scotland in last week's election, Sturgeon has said she has the mandate for another vote on breaking away from the rest of the U.K. in the wake of Brexit.Business Lobby Supports Ban on Brexit Extension (2 p.m.)There's support from business for Boris Johnson's decision to explicitly rule out in legislation any chance of an extension to the Brexit transition phase beyond the end of 2020."Business has had enough of uncertainty and shares the prime minister's ambition for a fast EU trade deal," Carolyn Fairbairn, Director-General of the country's biggest business lobby, the Confederation of British Industry, said in a statement. "Speed and ambition can go hand in hand if the right approach is taken. There's no time to lose, with a top priority being to build a best-in-class trade architecture, with business round the table, enabling EU trade talks to begin early in the new year."Gardiner: Next Labour Leader Should Be Woman (1:25 p.m.)Barry Gardiner, Labour's trade spokesman, told Bloomberg Radio he thinks the party's next leader should be a woman and suggested she should be from the Midlands or Northern England -- a verdict that would rule out two potential candidates, the party's Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer, who's one of the favorites, and its foreign affairs spokeswoman Emily Thornberry, whose constituency is in London."I think it is natural that it should be a woman," Gardiner said, before adding it's important that it should be someone from "those northern towns, the midlands, the industrial heartlands" that have traditionally voted Labour. "There are many, many women in our party from those areas where we can see leadership potential," he said.Gardiner, who was born in Scotland though represents a London constituency in Parliament, said he's "not made any decision whatsoever" as to whether he will stand for leader or deputy leader.EU Warns of Brexit Cliff-Edge (1 p.m.)While U.K. officials have expressed their intention to wrap up the future partnership with the European Union by the end of the Brexit transition period on Dec. 31, 2020, the bloc's officials are sounding less convinced.Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said the EU will find Johnson's move "strange," adding that it will limit the U.K.'s options in negotiations.Earlier Sabine Weyand, director general for trade in the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, cautioned that Johnson's intention to prevent any prolongation would require the bloc to plan accordingly. "That means that, in the negotiations, we have to look at those issues where failing to reach an agreement by the end of 2020 would lead to another cliff-edge situation," she told a European Policy Centre conference in Brussels.Johnson, Von der Leyen Agree to Get to Work (12:45 p.m.)Boris Johnson spoke with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen by phone on Tuesday and they will start Brexit talks as soon as possible, the prime minister's spokesman James Slack told reporters in London."They agreed to work together with great energy to agree a future partnership by the end of 2020," Slack said. The "greater clarity" of passing a law to stop an extension to the transition period means "the U.K. and EU will be able to get on with it and have a great future relationship wrapped up" by the end of the year, he said.Businesses will need to prepare for the U.K. to be outside the bloc's single market and customs union, Slack said. "In all circumstances we will be leaving the single market and customs union and the EU regime associated with that," he said.Tory Voters Get Younger (11:25 a.m.)Conservative voters got younger on average in Thursday's election compared with 2017, according to pollster YouGov. Two years ago, the age at which a voter was more likely to vote Tory than Labour was 47. This time around it was 39, according to YouGov's survey of 42,000 people.The survey also found that class is no longer a key indicator of how people vote, with the Tories beating Labour in every social grade group.Tuesday's Ceremonial Proceedings (11 a.m.)Tuesday's proceedings in the House of Commons are largely ceremonial and start at 2:30 p.m. Initially, they'll be presided over by the longest-standing Member of Parliament, Father of the House Peter Bottomley. Then, through a process that involves Sarah Clarke, a senior Commons official known as "Black Rod" and MPs processing to the House of Lords and back, Speaker of the House Lindsay Hoyle is set to be re-elected.Shortly afterward, MPs will be sworn in one-by-one, taking an oath of allegiance to the crown -- or making a solemn affirmation that doesn't make reference to God. They must do so in English and can follow it with an oath or affirmation in Welsh, Scottish Gaelic or Cornish.Johnson: Voters Have High Expectations (10:45 a.m.)Boris Johnson hosted the first meeting of his cabinet since the election and invited the TV cameras in as he addressed his top team, repeating lines from his stump speech during the campaign."People have a high level of expectation and we have to deliver for them," he said. "There's a huge, huge agenda of delivering social justice and addressing every problem from social care to homelessness."The prime minister also emphasized the importance of swift action to seal the support of people in traditionally Labour voting areas who backed him in last week's vote. "We must recognize that people lent us their votes at this election, It was quite a seismic election but we need to repay their trust and work 24 hours a day, work flat out, to deliver on this."Gove: U.K. Can Get EU Trade Deal in Time (Earlier)Cabinet minister Michael Gove said the next phase of Brexit negotiations on a free-trade deal will be concluded by the end of the transition period which expires on Dec. 31, 2020, meaning the U.K. will avoid a no-deal divorce from the European Union."We're going to make sure we get this deal done in time," Gove told the BBC on Tuesday, adding that the bloc has promised to conclude negotiations by the end of 2020. "We've seen before how deadlines can concentrate minds."But EU leaders have warned it's highly unlikely negotiators can complete the kind of deal Johnson wants in time, pointing out that Canada's agreement with the EU -- the model he refers to -- took seven years to finalize. Sabine Weyand, director general for trade at the European Commission, said Johnson's move meant the bloc should prepare for a potential "cliff-edge situation."Rayner, Long-Bailey in Leadership Pact: Guardian (Earlier)Angela Rayner is ready to stand aside in favor of her friend and shadow cabinet colleague Rebecca Long-Bailey in the race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party, the Guardian reported.Rayner will instead concentrating on running for the deputy leadership of the party, which was comprehensively beaten in last week's general election, the Guardian said, citing unidentified allies of the two women.Read more: Life After Corbyn? The Politicians Vying to Become Labour LeaderEarlier:Boris Johnson Revives No-Deal Brexit Threat With Change to LawPound Election Rally Erased by Johnson's 2020 Brexit PledgeLife After Corbyn? The Politicians Vying to Become Labour Leader\--With assistance from Greg Ritchie, Thomas Penny, Roger Hearing, Caroline Hepker, Alastair Reed and Silla Brush.To contact the reporters on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net;Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs, Thomas PennyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| The Moment China Saved North Korea From Extinction Posted: 17 Dec 2019 05:57 AM PST  The Korean War, and history, turned.
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| Search for missing California hiker suspended after experienced rescue volunteer dies Posted: 16 Dec 2019 06:59 AM PST  Timothy Staples, 32, was a 9-year veteran of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department's search and rescue team looking for Sree Mokkapati.
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| University of Kansas will close Confucius Institute Posted: 17 Dec 2019 01:49 PM PST ![University of Kansas will close Confucius Institute]( "University of Kansas will close Confucius Institute") The University of Kansas plans to close its Confucius Institute in January, in part because federal funding for universities that host the China-linked facilities has been reduced. An email distributed Monday to faculty and staff from University of Kansas interim Provost Carl Lejuez said the school believes strong engagement with China is critical to U.S. higher education, The Lawrence Journal-World reported. "However, a Confucius Institute is not a necessary component for KU to productively engage with China, support collaborative faculty research, and prepare students," Lejuez wrote.
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| How US Army engineers keep things working at the US's northernmost military base in the world Posted: 16 Dec 2019 11:35 AM PST  The location and harsh conditions they face mean Army engineers have to use special techniques to keep everything running properly.
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| Judge rejects claims by Trump ex-adviser Flynn of FBI misconduct Posted: 16 Dec 2019 02:12 PM PST  A U.S. judge on Monday flatly rejected a last-ditch bid by President Donald Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn to get the criminal charge to which he already pleaded guilty dropped, brushing aside his claims of misconduct by prosecutors and the FBI. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ordered Flynn to appear for sentencing on Jan. 28, concluding that the retired Army lieutenant general had failed to prove a "single" violation by the prosecution or FBI officials for withholding evidence that could exonerate him. Sullivan's 92-page ruling represented a major blow to Flynn, who has tried to backpedal since pleading guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about his conversations with then-Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
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| A Brief History of Tiny Nuclear Reactors Posted: 16 Dec 2019 02:32 PM PST  From America's smallest nuke sub to Russia's floating power plant.
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| Finland’s Millennial PM Warned of Baby Boomer Threat to Finances Posted: 17 Dec 2019 01:03 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- The world's youngest prime minister needs to act quickly to tackle one of Europe's fastest-aging populations.Finland's central bank said on Tuesday that the burden on public finances, as more people head for retirement, is unsustainable and requires a political response. The warning comes just days after 34-year-old Prime Minister Sanna Marin took office.The so-called sustainability gap -- which measures the difference between spending and income -- has widened to 4.7% relative to gross domestic product, from about 3% a year ago, the Bank of Finland said in a report on Tuesday. The biggest contributors to the increase are cooling growth, higher government borrowing and political stalling over health and welfare reform.According to the European Commission, the sustainability gap poses a significant risk to the long-term health of public finances when it exceeds 6%, while a reading of under 2% denotes low risk."One factor currently weighing on the long-term outlook for the public finances is the fact that the baby-boom generation has reached retirement age," the central bank said. "This has increased public pension expenditure, and over the next few years it will also lead to a more rapid increase in expenditure on health care and long-term care of the elderly."Like much of Europe, Finland needs to come to grips with the growing pressures of an aging and shrinking population. In the Nordic nation's case, the issue assumes even greater importance because of its generous welfare state, relatively low immigration and the constraints of euro membership.While recent governments have taken action to address the problem, more needs to be done, said the central bank, which has been issuing similar warnings since the start of the decade.The new government of Sanna Marin, the world's youngest prime minister, has confirmed previous plans to raise the employment rate to 75% of the working-age people, from about 72% now. According to Governor Olli Rehn, the objective is "well-justified.""More determined action should, however, be taken to strengthen the public finances and the prerequisites for employment," he said.The central bank on Tuesday also cut its growth forecasts for the euro area's northernmost economy, to 0.9% in 2020 and 1.1% in 2021. Its previous forecasts pointed to growth rates of 1.5% and 1.3% respectively.(Adds central bank quote in fourth paragraph)To contact the reporter on this story: Kati Pohjanpalo in Helsinki at kpohjanpalo@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tasneem Hanfi Brögger at tbrogger@bloomberg.net, Nick RigilloFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Will 2020 Include Millions Dead From War (With North Korea)? Posted: 17 Dec 2019 02:59 AM PST  That's what will happen if the United States launches a nuclear attack against North Korea.
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| Senate Republicans Push Ahead With Probe of ‘Ukraine Collusion,’ Despite Warnings It’s a Kremlin Operation Posted: 17 Dec 2019 02:28 AM PST  A former Ukrainian diplomat who alleges Kyiv meddled in the U.S. 2016 elections is set to begin sharing documents with three Senate committees, he told The Daily Beast. The Intelligence Community and FBI Director Christopher Wray have pushed back against accusations of Ukrainian interference, and leading experts in the field say they are part of a "fictional narrative" pushed by the Kremlin. But three Senate chairmen are taking them seriously and investigating the claims nonetheless. Telizhenko said he spoke last week by phone with staff working under Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ron Johnson (R-WI), and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and agreed to send documents to them in the coming days. After they've reviewed the materials, the GOP leaders will follow up about an in-person interview, Telizhenko said. "It's really professional," he said. "They're trying to understand what's going on."Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Graham confirmed to The Daily Beast that the three chairmen are working on a joint investigation. That means their three committees–the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate Committee on Finance, and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee–have come together to investigate Ukraine's alleged meddling in the 2016 election. Russia Lies About Invading Ukraine as It Invades UkraineIt's a move that will frustrate national security, law enforcement and intelligence officials. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team secured indictments of 34 people while investigating the far-flung Russian campaign to destabilize America's 2016 election; evidence for any Ukrainian counterpart, at this point, amounts to a few comments and an op-ed by a few Ukranian officials—plus Telizhenko's allegations. The Intelligence Community told Senators earlier this fall that Russian security services were pushing the allegations about Ukrainian meddling in 2016, according to The New York Times. For many members of Congress, that put the issue to bed; giving any legitimacy to Telizhenko's allegations was akin to amplifying a Kremlin disinformation campaign. ("Thank God no one is accusing us of interfering in the U.S. elections anymore," Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, said last month. "Now they're accusing Ukraine.")Russia's State TV Calls Trump Their 'Agent'But the matter remains front of mind for the White House, and Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate it in the July 25 phone call that led to his now-imminent impeachment. And as House Democrats assembled a multi-committee probe to scrutinize Trump's pressure on Ukraine, their Senate Republican colleagues ramped up a parallel effort investigating Ukraine. Grassley's queries about Ukraine and 2016 started in 2017, and long predate the impeachment inquiry. Telizhenko's plan to share materials with the Senate committees signals an important moment for both him and the three senators. There is no public evidence that any other U.S. government entities have reached out to Telizhenko about his claims. And over the last several months, Grassley, Graham, and Johnson have sent out a battery of document and information requests involving the Ukraine situation. They have asked for documents and information from the Department of Justice, the State Department, and the National Archives. But thus far, the government agencies in question have yet to share materials, a Grassley spokesperson told The Daily Beast. "We've been in contact with the recipients of the letters and are working with them to get responses," a spokesperson for Johnson added. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has yet to respond to a letter Graham sent him on Nov. 21, according to a spokesperson for the Judiciary Committee. Despite a Dec. 5 deadline, the National Archives has yet to produce the documents about White House meetings during the Obama administration that Johnson and Grassley requested. And Attorney General Bill Barr has yet to fork over documents. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment, State Department spokespersons did not respond to requests for comment, and an Archives spokesperson said that the request "is still being processed in accordance with the Presidential Records Act."It's not unusual for federal agencies to miss congressional deadlines. And when they do, it creates a dilemma for Hill investigators: They can send additional, more firmly worded letters; they can issue subpoenas; or they can give up. And while stand-offs between the executive and legislative branches often get testiest when the two are controlled by different parties, there can still be plenty of intra-party drama. Earlier in the Trump administration, a cadre of House Republicans went to war on the Justice Department as part of their scrutiny of the genesis of the Russia probe. Some even threatened to impeach then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, one of Trump's political appointees. It remains to be seen if there will be any sort of showdown between Barr and the three Republican Senate chairmen, all of whom are committed allies of the president. Their probe is the latest project from Republicans eyeing Alexandra Chalupa, a Ukrainian-American who communicated with Ukrainian embassy officials during the 2016 election. Telizhenko alleges that his bosses at the embassy in Washington—where he worked at the time—directed him to send Chalupa any dirt he could find on Trump's then-campaign chairman. Chalupa has said there was zero wrongdoing, and declined to comment for this story. Telizhenko's accusations have found great purchase with Trump's conservative allies, and he has been featured on One America News and Glenn Beck's podcast. Fox News' Sean Hannity has also highlighted his allegations, earning a Trump tweet. Before Republicans and American media scrutinized Ukraine and 2016, the Russian Foreign Ministry alleged that Kyiv targeted Trump's campaign. And after Politico reported Telizhenko's allegations, Russian state media amplified the claims. Conspiracy site InfoWars also pushed the narrative. And a year and a half before he became acting attorney general, Matthew Whitaker filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission about Chalupa. At the time, he helmed a conservative nonprofit called the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, and touted the effort in an op-ed for The Hill. Telizhenko went on to meet Republican power brokers, including Rep. Devin Nunes. And he has built a relationship with Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, accompanying him during his recent trip to Kyiv where he searched for damaging information on former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Giuliani's months-long quest for Biden dirt is a key focus of Democrats' impeachment inquiry. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on Wednesday on articles of impeachment. Source for 'Ukraine Collusion' Allegations Met Devin NunesRead 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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| 'Change is happening': Gun violence research could be funded by Congress for first time in 20 years Posted: 17 Dec 2019 03:31 PM PST  The House is expected to vote Tuesday on a bipartisan spending bill that would appropriate funding for gun violence research to the NIH and CDC.
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| Woman forced to remove hijab in jail settles for $120K Posted: 17 Dec 2019 12:17 PM PST  A Minnesota Muslim woman has received $120,000 to settle her lawsuit alleging she was forced to strip in jail and remove her hijab for a booking photo over a traffic offense, the woman and her attorneys said Tuesday. Aida Shyef Al-Kadi, of St. Louis Park, appeared with her attorneys at the Minneapolis headquarters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations to announce the settlement approved last month by U.S. District Judge John Tunheim. Al-Kadi, 57, said her treatment at the Ramsey County jail in August 2013 was "one of the most humiliating and harmful experiences"of her life.
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| Scientists found a 5,700-year-old piece of used gum in a lagoon — and sequenced the entire genome of the woman who chewed it Posted: 17 Dec 2019 10:55 AM PST  For the first time, scientists were able to extract an entire ancient human genome from a wad of birch "chewing gum" discovered in Denmark.
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