| How Trump Is Spreading a Conspiracy Theory About Pelosi, Biden and Sanders Posted: 18 Jan 2020 07:17 AM PST  WASHINGTON -- The first version of the conspiracy theory was hatched on Twitter on Jan. 10."Don't rule out that the reason Pelosi hasn't sent impeachment to the Senate is to hurt Warren and Sanders, and to help Biden," Ari Fleischer, a former White House press secretary for President George W. Bush, tapped out on his iPad. "By timing the trial so it takes place during the Iowa lead-up, she has leverage over the liberals."Fleischer's message was retweeted 1,400 times.Seven days later, Fleischer's theory that Speaker Nancy Pelosi was attempting to influence the Democratic primary -- for which there is no evidence -- was being promulgated by President Donald Trump."They are rigging the election again against Bernie Sanders, just like last time, only even more obviously," Trump tweeted Friday, claiming his Senate trial was designed to keep Sanders, the Vermont senator, grounded in Washington instead of campaigning in Des Moines, Iowa, ahead of the Feb. 3 caucuses."Crazy Nancy thereby gives the strong edge to Sleepy Joe Biden, and Bernie is shut out again," the president added.An idea that caught fire on Twitter and became grist for Trump demonstrates how the same echo chamber of right-wing media that boosted him in 2016 is exerting its power again just before the first primary votes are cast in 2020.There was nothing new in terms of the process that got the idea in front of Trump. But the evolution from online conspiracy theory to Fox News fodder to presidential talking point demonstrated how a world of conservative influencers, Republican lawmakers and online media outlets can drive disinformation through repetition and amplification.Two days after Fleischer's tweet, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader, appeared on Maria Bartiromo's show on Fox News and repeated it. "This is the dirty little secret nobody is talking about: why the Speaker held these papers," McCarthy said Sunday. "This benefits Joe Biden. This harms Sen. Sanders, who is in first place and could become their nominee."In fact, Sanders is not the national front-runner for the nomination and never has been, although he had a narrow lead in a recent poll of likely Iowa caucusgoers. But Trump's reelection campaign in recent weeks has been seeking to elevate Sanders, viewing the self-described democratic socialist as the president's ideal Democratic opponent in November.The Trump camp, in turn, is worried about Biden's competitiveness against the president in Midwestern battleground states, and would like to do anything possible to trip up the moderate former vice president in his tight primary race against the liberal Sanders.McCarthy has continued to repeat the theory and profess support for Sanders, repeating the talking points in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News. His television commentary was then written up by Breitbart News, the right-wing news and opinion site.On Thursday, The Federalist, a conservative website, ran an article with the headline: "Is Impeachment Delay How Democrats Are Rigging Iowa Against Bernie Again?" It said Pelosi's decision to delay impeachment "provokes the question whether she is deliberately helping Joe Biden."One day later, the message had reached the White House, where Trump, a frequent purveyor of conspiracy theories, presented the idea as a fact."It's easy to see why Bernie and his supporters would think the establishment is screwing them again," said Tim Murtaugh, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, noting that the campaign often looks to Trump's Twitter feed for its daily message.Conspiracies surrounding Sanders' political fortunes have been a particular fixation for Trump, dating back four years. During the 2016 campaign, Trump circulated the false and unsourced claim that an "analysis" -- he did not say who wrote it or where it was published -- concluded that Sanders would have won the Democratic nomination if not for superdelegates, the party leaders and officials who were not bound to vote for the winner of their state's primaries or caucuses.At the time, Trump and his advisers realized the potential political benefit in lobbing these kinds of accusations. Their campaign, which relied heavily on depressing Democratic turnout as a way to win battleground states like Florida and Michigan, stood to gain by fanning the flames of the rivalry between Sanders and Hillary Clinton and dredging up the bitterness that many Sanders supporters felt over their loss.Even after winning the election, Trump continued to claim that Clinton had somehow robbed Sanders of victory. When Donna Brazile, the former Democratic National Committee chairwoman, released a memoir in 2017, Trump inaccurately said the book showed that Clinton "bought the DNC & then stole the Democratic Primary" from Sanders.In an interview, Fleischer said he had not seen the idea about the timing of the impeachment trial anywhere else and had not consulted with anyone when he first pitched it on Twitter. "I just do my best to realistically assess what's happening in Washington," he said. Fleischer said he believed that Pelosi does not think Sanders can beat Trump in November, and that "she has one big thing on her mind: that's winning the White House."He said his tweet took off because "if it has merit, it starts to gather momentum.""If it has no merit, it's just another tweet," he added.Republican staff members on Capitol Hill said the theory gained traction because of a broader narrative -- pushed by Sanders' own supporters -- that Sanders was generally getting a raw deal from the mainstream news media and other candidates in the race.In a statement Friday, in response to a question from The New York Times about the president's conspiracy tweet, Sanders denounced the theories. "Let's be clear about who is rigging what: It is Donald Trump's action to use the power of the federal government for his own political benefit that is the cause of the impeachment trial," he said. "His transparent attempts to divide Democrats will not work, and we are going to unite to sweep him out of the White House in November."Pelosi's team has also made it clear she was not trying to meddle in the nominating process."Impeachment has nothing to do with politics or the presidential race," a spokesman for Pelosi, Drew Hamill, wrote on Twitter this week, responding to McCarthy's accusation. "As usual, the Minority Leader has no idea what he's talking about."On Friday, he added: "Regardless, Sen. Sanders isn't the only senator running, so this doesn't make any sense."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company
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| Two More Bodies Found at Tijuana Property Where Missing California Couple Were Buried Under the Dirt Floor Posted: 19 Jan 2020 09:00 AM PST  Two more bodies have been discovered at a Tijuana, Mexico, property where investigators earlier found the remains of a missing California couple buried under the dirt floor of a house on Friday. Jesús Rubén López Guillén, 70, a U.S. resident, and his wife Maria Teresa Guillén, 65, a naturalized U.S. citizen, were reported missing by their daughter Norma López after they traveled from Garden Grove to Tijuana on Jan. 10 to collect more than $6,400 in overdue rent from their 37-year-old son-in-law. Police in Garden Grove launched a missing persons investigation after López said she could no longer track her parents' movements through the Find My Phone app. She said the last signal she received before their phone went dead was at the property they owned where her husband was living in southern Tijuana, about 4 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. Their bodies were found buried under the dirt floor of one of the property's three homes late Friday.While conducting an investigation into the circumstances of the Guilléns' murder, Mexican investigators say they discovered the bodies of another couple buried in the property. It is not known if they were found in the same house as the Guilléns' remains. The new victims have not yet been identified, but police in Mexico say they also may have been involved in a monetary dispute with the son-in-law.The son-in-law, a Mexican national who was deported from the U.S. in 2012 and identified only as "Santiago" in court documents, was first charged with the California couple's disappearance and taken into custody while the property was searched. Baja California state prosecutor Hirán Sánchez confirmed that when his in-law's bodies were found, he was charged with their murder.Sanchez told reporters that when the son-in-law was first questioned about what happened to his in-laws, he offered up a "series of contradictions" including a tale that they had walked across the border and that he had picked them up. López says her parents had instead driven their own pickup truck to retrieve the money. The son-in-law also told police that he first took them to their property and then they went together to a bank to exchange currency he paid them, after which he said he drove them back to the border. Instead investigators say that the son-in-law tried to extract money with the couple's bank cards."The Guilléns drove themselves to their houses, not Santiago," Sanchez said at a news conference. "They never left."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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| ICE ups ante in standoff with NYC: 'This is not a request' Posted: 18 Jan 2020 04:23 PM PST  Federal authorities are turning to a new tactic in the escalating conflict over New York City's so-called sanctuary policies, issuing four "immigration subpoenas" to the city for information about inmates wanted for deportation. "This is not a request — it's a demand," Henry Lucero, a senior U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official, told The Associated Press. Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration said Saturday the city would review the subpoenas.
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| Los Angeles teachers are suing Delta after a plane dumped jet fuel on them, allegedly leaving them dizzy and nauseous Posted: 17 Jan 2020 06:31 PM PST  Teachers at an elementary school outside of Los Angeles, California are suing Delta after a plane dropped fuel on area schools, causing 60 injuries.
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| Fewer Americans are binge-drinking, but those who do are drinking more per session Posted: 18 Jan 2020 08:31 AM PST  New CDC data shows binge-drinking is declining, but American adults who do drink heavily are consuming 12% more alcohol per session.
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| China Thinks It Can Nuke American Cities. Should We Worry? Posted: 18 Jan 2020 02:00 PM PST  World War III is no joke...
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| Trump's Russia adviser 'escorted from White House' amid investigation Posted: 19 Jan 2020 01:06 PM PST  President Trump's latest Russia expert has reportedly been escorted from the White House amid claims of a security-related investigation.
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| Massive winter storm packing 'heavy' snow targets Upper Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast Posted: 18 Jan 2020 08:25 AM PST  The National Weather Service says the storm could produce widespread hazardous conditions across much of the northeastern quarter of the nation.
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| Philippine military says 5 Indonesians kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants Posted: 19 Jan 2020 03:16 AM PST  Eight Indonesians were abducted in Sabah on Thursday. Three were released, while the remaining five were probably brought by their captors to the southern Philippine province of Sulu, said Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana, chief of the military's Western Mindanao Command.
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| One of Trump’s Lawyers Called the Other Dangerous Posted: 19 Jan 2020 03:55 AM PST  Alan Dershowitz once called Ken Starr a risk to American liberty. Starr believed in leaving no stone unturned. Now they're teaming up to quash the case against Trump. What happened?
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| 'I Dare You to Mock Me.' Capt. 'Sully' Sullenberger Defends Joe Biden Against Attacks on His Speech in New York Times Op-Ed Posted: 19 Jan 2020 01:22 PM PST  Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger opened up about his past struggles with stuttering in defending Biden and his speech.
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| Ex-Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Line workers reveal the things they couldn't live without on board Posted: 19 Jan 2020 06:04 AM PST  Workers for cruise lines like Carnival and Norwegian might be away from home for over six months, so they need to be thoughtful about what they pack.
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| The 25 Best PSP Games Posted: 19 Jan 2020 06:00 AM PST |
| Russia Is Worried About Britain's Astute-Class Submarines Posted: 18 Jan 2020 10:30 PM PST  The class seems to have overcome its technical and financial problems, although the lingering impact of those issues could affect not only future classes of SSNs, but also the UK's commitment to building a new class of SSBNs.
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| Fearless Delhi women protesters inspire national movement Posted: 18 Jan 2020 05:42 PM PST  Defiant women who have been blocking a New Delhi highway for more than four weeks in protest against a bitterly disputed citizenship law have inspired thousands across India to copy their challenge to the Hindu nationalist government. Nearly all pay tribute to the 200 grandmothers and housewives and students who sit and sleep across the main road in the Shaheen Bagh district of Delhi, fighting a law that would give passports to "persecuted" religious minorities from three neighbouring countries but only non-Muslims. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in rallies across India since parliament passed the Citizenship Amendment Act on December 11.
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| SpaceX rocket explodes after liftoff as planned; Crew Dragon capsule escapes fireball Posted: 19 Jan 2020 11:45 AM PST  A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, ultimately sacrificing itself to a test.
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| China confirms 139 new cases of pneumonia over weekend, virus spreads to new cities Posted: 19 Jan 2020 04:09 PM PST  An outbreak of coronavirus in China is spreading to more cities, Chinese authorities reported on Monday, with 139 new cases found over the weekend, including a third death. The Daxing health commission in the capital Beijing said it had confirmed two cases of coronavirus, while the southern Guangdong province's health commission confirmed one case in Shenzhen. The new cases, the first inside China outside the central city of Wuhan where the virus was first reported, come as the country gears up for the Lunar New Year holidays later this week, when hundreds of millions of Chinese travel domestically and abroad.
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| House of Lords Could Move to North of England Under Proposal Posted: 19 Jan 2020 02:32 AM PST ![House of Lords Could Move to North of England Under Proposal]( "House of Lords Could Move to North of England Under Proposal") (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.Moving the House of Lords out of London is one of a number of ideas under consideration to make sure every part of the U.K. "feels properly connected to politics," Conservative Party Chairman James Cleverly said.The Sunday Times reported that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is planning to locate Parliament's upper chamber permanently in York in northern England and has ordered work to begin on the practicalities of a move. Birmingham in the Midlands is also in the running, it said.When asked about the report on Sky TV's "Sophy Ridge on Sunday" show, Cleverly said: "We might. It's one of range of things we are looking into. It's about demonstrating to people we are going to do things differently. The Labour Party lost millions of voters because they failed to listen."Johnson has spoken repeatedly of "leveling up" across the U.K. after traditional Labour strongholds in the north backed the Conservatives for the first time in the Dec. 12 general election.The Palace of Westminster, home of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, is due to be vacated for several years from the mid-2020s to allow billions of pounds of restoration work to the Victorian-era buildings to take place.Speaking on BBC TV's Andrew Marr Show, International Development Secretary Alok Sharma backed moving the 795-member Lords, saying the Conservatives should use their strong parliamentary majority to bring the government "closer to the country as a whole."But Labour lawmaker Nadia Whittome dismissed the idea. "Working-class people don't care about the unelected House of Lords," she told Marr. "We want jobs, proper investment and meaningful decentralization of power. This is superficial. It's tinkering around the edges."(Adds comment from government minister in sixth paragraph.)To contact the reporter on this story: Andrew Atkinson in London at a.atkinson@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Fergal O'Brien at fobrien@bloomberg.net, Sara Marley, James AmottFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Schiff accuses NSA, CIA of withholding documents on Ukraine Posted: 19 Jan 2020 11:29 AM PST  The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee is accusing U.S. intelligence agencies of withholding documents from Congress on Ukraine that could be significant to President Donald Trump's impeachment trial.
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| Iran says it will examine the plane it shot down domestically — but a national air safety director admitted that the agency hasn't been able to open black boxes previously Posted: 19 Jan 2020 09:17 AM PST  The director previously said investigators from France, Canada and the US would assist Ukraine in examining the black box.
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| More than 100 killed in Yemen missile, drone attack Posted: 19 Jan 2020 03:35 PM PST  More than 100 people were killed and dozens wounded in a missile and drone attack blamed on Huthi rebels in central Yemen, officials said Sunday. Saturday's strike follows months of relative calm in the war between the Iran-backed Huthis and Yemen's internationally recognised government, which is supported by a Saudi-led military coalition. The Huthis attacked a mosque in a military camp in the central province of Marib -- about 170 kilometres (105 miles) east of the capital Sanaa -- during evening prayers, military sources told AFP.
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| Body of woman who was missing for almost 6 years found in car submerged in NJ river Posted: 19 Jan 2020 11:10 AM PST  Vanessa Smallwood of Maple Shade, N.J., was 46 at the time of her disappearance. She was identified in a statement from New Jersey State Police.
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| Why White-Collar Sex Creeps Keep Getting VIP Treatment From Manhattan Prosecutors Posted: 18 Jan 2020 02:01 AM PST  The allegations made by Evelyn Yang, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, and multiple other women against New York City doctor Robert Hadden raise troubling questions about how white-collar sexual assault defendants like him, Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein have appeared to receive favorable treatment at the expense of their victims from Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance.Vance's office had an overwhelming case against the ob/gyn doctor, after 18 of his patients came forward with remarkably similar stories of being sexually assaulted by Hadden under the pretense of his doing medical examinations. Yang testified in a grand jury and was assured by a prosecutor that the case was a strong one. Why then was the end result a plea bargain to a single felony count and no jail time?NYC Women Are Getting Pervy Doctors' Names Deleted From Birth CertificatesAs a former sex crimes prosecutor, I often encountered an inherent bias among law enforcement and prosecutors that favored more lenient treatment of "white-collar" defendants charged with sex crimes. Sometimes, that was due to wealthier clients getting more attention because their high-priced lawyers demanded it from the prosecutors. Vance's office already faced criticism for its initial reluctance to prosecute Harvey Weinstein—even conducting its own "oppo research" on one of his accusers—and its attempt to seek a lower sex-offender registration status for Epstein (which Vance later said was a mistake by an unauthorized assistant district attorney). Notably, in Weinstein's case his defense team included not only David Boies —who had a history of donating to Vance's campaigns—but also Linda Fairstein, the former head of the Sex Crimes section in Vance's office. Similarly, Hadden's defense lawyer, Isabelle Kirshner, made donations to Vance's campaign, including one donation made on the same day that she filed a motion in Hadden's case.Often, as in Hadden's case, defense lawyers make the argument that such alternatives as professional discipline should be considered punishment enough for defendants like medical doctors. That seems to be exactly what Vance's office did here as Hadden was required to surrender his medical license as part of his plea bargain. But this amounts to a kind of alternative-dispute resolution that prosecutors need to stay away from because it arises from the attitude that professionally skilled defendants have more to lose than non-professionals. That's the wrong focus.The focus needs to be on survivors, not defendants. To a survivor of sexual assault, it doesn't matter whether their attacker has a medical degree or not. The right focus should be on justice for the survivor and making sure the predator doesn't repeat his modus operandi with other victims.The actions of the prosecutors in the Hadden case painfully illustrate the poor treatment of victims of crime. Despite some legislative efforts to ensure that crime victims get a voice in prosecution decisions, communication is often poor with them. Yang's recounting of her communication with the DA's office reflects how it failed to take into account her views even after she had the courage to come forward and testify in the grand jury. The excuses given by Vance's office include claiming the punishment would have been the same no matter which counts Hadden was convicted of, and also apparently excluding victims from being heard at sentencing unless they were the victims of one of the counts to which Hadden had pled guilty. These are unconscionably wrong rationalizations.The idea that the punishment remains the same no matter how many convictions occur is absurd. Prosecutors are free to ask for consecutive sentences from a judge and, although judges often favor concurrent sentences, a case such as Hadden or Bill Cosby frequently results in consecutive sentences.Similarly, excluding victims from speaking at sentencing, whether through a written victim impact statement or directly addressing the court, simply because they were not the victims in the charged crime is also wrong. At sentencing, unlike at trial, judges have broad latitude over what evidence they consider. When I successfully prosecuted and secured the first life-without-parole sentence for a serial rapist in Washington, D.C., my trial partner and I introduced numerous statements from other victims which were critical to giving the judge the full picture of the danger the defendant posed to society if he were ever allowed to go free again.The failings of Vance's office in the prosecution of the doctor don't impact just his victims. They hurt the overall effectiveness of our criminal justice system and put unknown numbers of future potential victims of other predators at risk. After Yang's brave public criticisms, Vance's office issued a statement that claimed they stood by their 'legal analysis." But legal analysis wasn't the problem. The legal analysis would have dictated that Hadden spend years in prison. The problem was the favoritism enjoyed by wealthy professionals accused of sex crimes.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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| Orban Poised to Win Reprieve as EU Party Divided Over Expulsion Posted: 19 Jan 2020 04:00 PM PST ![Orban Poised to Win Reprieve as EU Party Divided Over Expulsion]( "Orban Poised to Win Reprieve as EU Party Divided Over Expulsion") (Bloomberg) -- The European Union's biggest group is leaning toward delaying an anticipated vote on whether to expel Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's party from its ranks as consensus hasn't been reached.The European People's Party, the largest in the European Parliament, is unlikely to hold an up-or-down on Orban's Fidesz party at a Brussels meeting that starts on Feb. 3, according to EPP sources who asked not to be identified because no official decision has been taken. The EPP suspended Fidesz's membership in March over rule-of-law concerns in Hungary.Playing for time would further drag out the intra-party drama after the EPP endured years of criticism for shielding the Hungarian leader as he eroded democratic checks and balances. The Orban model has since been adopted in Poland and has inspired nationalists in the west, alarming rights advocates about democratic backsliding in the EU.Being a member of the EU assembly's biggest group has perks, including the opportunity to confer with fellow leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel before EU summits when key decisions are taken. Leaving it could reduce Orban's influence over future deliberations, including the distribution of billions of euros in funding.A push to eject Fidesz gained momentum when Donald Tusk took over the reins of the EPP in November. The group entrusted three "wise men," including Tusk's predecessor as EU president and a former Austrian chancellor, to draw up a report on whether Fidesz was still compatible with it. Its conclusions were expected to steer the EPP's decision.But the report, originally due by early January, has yet to be filed and concern over Orban's future moves if he was expelled remain, according to the sources. The "wise men" haven't been able to reach a consensus, according to one of the sources, highlighting divisions inside the umbrella group.Orban has repeatedly said that he'd preemptively quit the group before being ousted and that he'd then most likely form a new group in the European Parliament with populists. On Friday, he said he was "within a centimeter" of doing so after a majority of EPP members backed a European Parliament resolution calling for redoubling efforts to rein in Hungary and Poland over rights violations.The Hungarian leader is hedging his bets. He met this month with Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the power behind Poland's ruling Law & Justice party, to discuss cooperation in EU party politics. And just when the EPP was originally due to discuss Fidesz's status in Brussels next month, Orban is scheduled to speak in Rome at a "national conservatism" forum along the likes of Italian nationalist firebrand Matteo Salvini.\--With assistance from Irina Vilcu.To contact the reporters on this story: Zoltan Simon in Budapest at zsimon@bloomberg.net;Andra Timu in Bucharest at atimu@bloomberg.net;Ben Sills in Madrid at bsills@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Balazs Penz at bpenz@bloomberg.net, Andrea Dudik, Michael WinfreyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Cult slayed pregnant woman and five of her children in Panama Posted: 19 Jan 2020 11:14 AM PST  A religious sect whose members believed to be "anointed by God" forced a pregnant woman and five of her children to walk through fire as part of a cult ritual, according to local residents.
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| Iran backtracks on plan to send flight recorders to Ukraine Posted: 19 Jan 2020 01:50 AM PST  The Iranian official leading the investigation into the Ukrainian jetliner that was accidentally shot down by the Revolutionary Guard appeared to backtrack Sunday on plans to send the flight recorders abroad for analysis, a day after saying they would be sent to Kyiv. The same official was quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency on Saturday as saying the recorders would be sent to Ukraine, where French, American and Canadian experts would help analyze them. Iranian officials previously said the black boxes were damaged but usable.
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| Trump brags his strike on Soleimani killed '2 for the price of 1' while giving a behind-the-scenes account of the assassination to GOP donors at his Florida resort Posted: 18 Jan 2020 09:10 AM PST  The president recalled how US military officials counted down the seconds leading up to the strike outside the Baghdad International airport.
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| China Has Been Watching America, And Now Has Special Forces Of Its Own Posted: 18 Jan 2020 06:00 PM PST  America heavily relies on its elite special forces.
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| Yemen missile attack kills at least 70 soldiers: sources Posted: 18 Jan 2020 11:08 PM PST At least 70 Yemeni soldiers have been killed in a missile attack launched by Huthi rebels on a mosque in the central province of Marib, medical and military sources said Sunday. The Huthis attacked a mosque in a military camp in Marib -- about 170 kilometres (105 miles) east of Sanaa -- during evening prayers on Saturday, military sources told AFP.
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| El Chapo 701 craft lager coming soon thanks to drug lord's daughter Posted: 19 Jan 2020 10:23 AM PST  The mug shot of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, imprisoned leader of the ruthless Sinaloa Cartel, is not just for police blotters anymore.
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| UK's Johnson, France's Macron reiterate commitment to Iran nuclear deal Posted: 19 Jan 2020 06:07 AM PST  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated their commitment on Sunday to the Iran nuclear deal and agreed a long-term framework was needed, Downing Street said on Sunday. "On Iran, the leaders reiterated their commitment to the JCPoA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) and also acknowledged the need to define a long-term framework to prevent Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon," a Downing Street spokeswoman said in a statement after the two met on the sidelines of a Libya summit in Berlin.
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| California Elementary Teachers Sue Delta After Plane Dumps Jet Fuel Over School Posted: 19 Jan 2020 09:07 AM PST  The teachers felt "sick, dizzy and nauseated" after being covered with the fuel
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| A 'naked philanthropist' who says she raised $1 million for Australia's fires is now sending nudes to people who donate to Puerto Rico Posted: 18 Jan 2020 06:44 AM PST  Kaylen Ward says she raised $1 million for Australia, sending nudes to people who donated. Now she is doing the same, raising money for Puerto Rico.
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| Bless Virginia for passing the Equal Rights Amendment, but blame women for taking this long Posted: 19 Jan 2020 03:00 AM PST  Women could've fought for the ERA long before now, but too many chose political ideology over enshrining protections in the U.S. Constitution.
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| Joe Biden accused the Bernie Sanders campaign of putting out a 'doctored video' after it cut a speech recording short Posted: 19 Jan 2020 07:54 AM PST  Independent fact-checking website PolitiFact ruled that the Sanders campaign distorted the meaning of the Biden quote by omitting what he said next.
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| Trump's U.S.-China Trade Deal Is Far From Perfect Posted: 19 Jan 2020 11:00 AM PST  Here are three problems.
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| Snow shuts schools, delays flights in Iran capital Posted: 19 Jan 2020 03:29 AM PST  Heavy snow covered the streets of Tehran on Sunday, causing major flight delays and forcing the closure of schools, authorities in the Iranian capital said. "We knew that it would snow as of last night and that it naturally affects traffic," head of Tehran's traffic police Mohammadreza Mehmandar told state television. "On some highways in the north (of Tehran) there was a bit of ice... and accidents were responded to quickly," he added.
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| Trump says Soleimani killing followed general saying 'bad things' Posted: 18 Jan 2020 09:05 AM PST  President Trump has given a new justification for killing Qassem Soleimani, telling a gathering of Republican donors that the Iranian general was "saying bad things about our country."
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| World's richest 2,000 people hold more than poorest 4.6 billion combined: Oxfam Posted: 19 Jan 2020 04:17 PM PST  The world's richest 2,153 people controlled more money than the poorest 4.6 billion combined in 2019, while unpaid or underpaid work by women and girls adds three times more to the global economy each year than the technology industry, Oxfam said on Monday. In its "Time to Care" report, Oxfam said it estimated that unpaid care work by women added at least $10.8 trillion a year in value to the world economy - three times more than the tech industry. To highlight the level of inequality in the global economy, Behar cited the case of a woman called Buchu Devi in India who spends 16 to 17 hours a day doing work like fetching water after trekking 3km, cooking, preparing her children for school and working in a poorly paid job.
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| Philippine volcano simmers, officials brace for long crisis Posted: 18 Jan 2020 02:36 AM PST  Philippine officials said Saturday they're bracing for a long crisis whether the Taal volcano erupts more disastrously or simmers precariously for weeks or months, as massive numbers of displaced villagers languish in emergency shelters. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said more than 900 villagers who fell ill have been treated, mostly for exposure to volcanic ash, in evacuation sites since the volcano began erupting in Batangas province near Manila, the capital, last weekend.
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| Harvey Weinstein: fourth accuser opts out of settlement to pursue own claim Posted: 18 Jan 2020 10:00 PM PST  Exclusive: Dominique Huett says settlement amount 'not very fair' and joins growing list of women to reject proposed dealA controversial proposed settlement between Harvey Weinstein and alleged victims of his sexual misconduct faces further delays, as a fourth accuser opts out and several others plan to object.Dominique Huett will remove herself from the settlement in order to pursue her own claim against the movie mogul, the Guardian can reveal. At least two other accusers have retained lawyers to file formal objections to the deal.Last month, it was reported that Weinstein and more than 30 women had reached a tentative deal following two years of negotiations.However, the Guardian has learned that a settlement hearing that was due before Weinstein's criminal trial in New York has been postponed until at least February. It is not known if this was due to the growing number of women opting out.Huett joins three others who have decided to not be a part of the agreement: Wedil David, Kaja Sokola and Alexandra Canosa.Huett told the Guardian: "Originally I thought it was the best option for everyone, but after finding out more details, I think that opting out is the best way to get a better deal for me and for everyone."Under the proposed deal, Weinstein would not have to pay a penny or admit any wrongdoing. The settlement would be paid by insurance companies representing the producer's former studio, the Weinstein Company. More than $12m – a quarter of the overall package – would go towards legal costs for Weinstein and his board."I feel the settlement amount is not very fair for all victims and the way it is structured really benefits the defendants a lot more than us," Huett said. "I want to opt out to set a precedent for others and say that this settlement is not just."> The settlement is not very fair and benefits the defendants more than us> > Dominique HuettHuett has retained a new attorney, Douglas Wigdor, who represents two others who have opted out. Wigdor believes the $500,000 Huett was offered was "not fair". "I think Dominique's case is worth significantly more than this," he said.Wigdor will take on Huett's claim, which was filed in a California court in October 2017, under sex trafficking laws. She was the first alleged Weinstein victim to file a civil claim and unlike many other accusers has a case within the statute of limitations.Huett alleges that in 2010, Weinstein invited her to the Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel in Los Angeles for a business meeting. She says he forced oral sex on her then masturbated, telling her it was a right of passage to a career in Hollywood."He wouldn't take no for an answer," she said. "I refused and said no but was so shocked and paralysed by fear that I froze."It's devastating to think that what he did to me had happened to so many other actresses in the years before and that if his company had acted when they first learnt of his behaviour, it would never have happened to me."Weinstein has denied any claim, criminal or civil, of non-consensual sex.The proposed settlement with some of his alleged victims is part of a $47m deal aimed at paying Weinstein Company debts. Of this sum, around $6.2m would go to 18 accusers who filed cases in the US, Canada and the UK. Approximately $18.5m is thought to be set aside for class-action participants, more of whom are expected. Board members of the Weinstein Company would be protected from liability.Zelda Perkins and Rowena Chiu have also retained Wigdor to file objections to the deal, the Guardian has learned. Kevin Mintzer is also counsel for Huett, Perkins, and Chiu.Perkins and Chiu, Weinstein's British assistants in the late 90s, reached a settlement and signed an NDA in 1998 after they alleged he attempted to rape Chiu at the Venice film festival. Perkins and Chiu are not part of the proposed settlement, but say they are speaking out for other victims."This is the whole reason I broke my NDA, so women can't be pushed into a corner," Perkins told the Guardian."It is not indicative or correct compensation for the crimes and the majority of that money is being fed back to Harvey's own defence," she said of the deal. "They're making it look like he's compensating victims but he and his board of directors will be gaining more than the individuals will be."Perkins added: "Ultimately the most important thing is that these women get compensation."Wigdor said: "We are not seeking to prevent survivors who want to participate in a settlement from doing so. We just want to ensure that those who don't are not precluded from going after insurance proceeds and the directors, and that the terms of the agreement are fair."Caitlin Dulany, a lead plaintiff in the settlement, believes it is the best option for many women.If the settlement did not go ahead, she said, "it would mean that the majority of us – whose claims were dismissed or outside the statute of limitations – would be unlikely to recover anything. The settlement is important to me because it recognises the trauma that all survivors have endured, and not just that of a select few."If the proposed settlement or an amended version were to proceed, it would allow other accusers to join.Katherine Kendall who like Dulany was part of the original class action, said: "It's been a huge effort for all of us over the past two years, but the main thing is we want to be in a position where other women can come forward and join us.."Lisa Rose, who worked as a British administrator for Weinstein in 1988 and claims he harassed her, said she would file an objection to the settlement but added: "I understand completely that for some women taking the settlement is the right course of action and don't want to get in their way."
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| Designer Ayissi is first black African at fashion's top table Posted: 19 Jan 2020 04:45 AM PST  Not only is he joining fashion's creme de la creme, the Cameroonian couturier is shaking up the stereotype of what "African materials" are by refusing to use wax prints which he dismisses as "colonial". Highly colourful wax cotton prints flooded West Africa after Dutch mills began turning out millions of rolls of the material with patterns borrowed from Indonesian batik in the 19th century. "Still when we talk about African fashion it's always wax, which is a real pity, because its killing our own African heritage," Ayissi told AFP.
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| Police robots keep malfunctioning, with mishaps ranging from running over a toddler's foot to ignoring people in distress Posted: 19 Jan 2020 06:07 AM PST  As companies have begun to experiment with security robots, the robots have repeatedly hit obstacles — or, in some cases, fallen into them.
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