| Sanders campaign, sensing a win in New Hampshire, looks ahead — all the way to the convention Posted: 08 Feb 2020 03:43 PM PST  The Vermont senator looks to repeat his 2016 victory in the nation's first primary and take another step toward the nomination.
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| Iran tried and failed for the fourth time in a row to put a satellite into orbit Posted: 09 Feb 2020 09:51 AM PST  Iran, despite US opposition, has tried four times since January 2019 to put a satellite into orbit, but each attempt has been a failure.
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| Four rare mountain gorillas 'killed by lightning' in Uganda Posted: 08 Feb 2020 07:21 PM PST  Four endangered mountain gorillas, including three adult females, have been killed by an apparent lightning strike in a Ugandan national park, a conservation group has said. A post-mortem examination has been performed on the four, including a male infant, who died on February 3 in Mgahinga National Park in southwest Uganda. "Based on the gross lesions from the post-mortem... the tentative cause of death for all four individuals is likely to be electrocution by lightning," the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC) said in a statement Saturday, although laboratory confirmation will take two to three weeks.
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| Trump asked Limbaugh to delay cancer treatment for medal Posted: 08 Feb 2020 09:52 AM PST  President Trump asked conservative political commentator Rush Limbaugh to delay his cancer treatment so he could attend the State of the Union address on Tuesday.
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| Afghanistan, U.S. Probe Attack That Killed Two U.S. Soldiers Posted: 09 Feb 2020 04:14 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- A delegation led by Afghanistan's Chief of Army Staff, Bismillah Waziri, is investigating together with the U.S. a shooting incident that killed two American soldiers and one Afghan soldier in eastern Nangarhar province.The shooting, carried out late yesterday by an Afghan in military uniform, also wounded six American and three Afghan soldiers, Afghanistan's defense ministry said in a WhatsApp statement.A U.S. military spokesman in Kabul, Sonny Leggett, also confirmed the incident saying it was under investigation and the cause and motive behind the attack is unknown for now."An individual in an Afghan uniform opened fire on the combined U.S. and Afghan force with a machine gun," Leggett said in the statement.The firefight took place when the U.S. and Afghan soldiers were visiting an Afghan army base in the Sherzad district of the province for an operation, Ajmal Omar, a senior member of Nangarhar's provincial council, said by phone. "After greetings, one of the Afghan commandos opened fire on them.""Incidents such as this fail to have negative effects on the friendship and spirit of cooperation" between the Afghan and U.S. forces, according to the ministry's statement.To contact the reporter on this story: Eltaf Najafizada in Kabul at enajafizada1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Colin Keatinge, Sara MarleyFor 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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| Sacred Native American site in Arizona blasted for border wall construction Posted: 09 Feb 2020 11:42 AM PST  The contractor installing President Donald Trump's border wall at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is blasting a hill sacred to the O'Odham people.
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| Feds seek delay in Michael Flynn case Posted: 09 Feb 2020 09:28 AM PST  The new filings say the former national security adviser's claims that he received ineffective legal assistance will require more information.
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| Pete Buttigieg is an elitist. He should embrace it. Posted: 08 Feb 2020 05:07 AM PST  The more former Mayor Pete Buttigieg tries to prove that he is not an elitist, the more obvious it is to everyone that he is. Just embrace it.
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| A parking space in a garage in San Francisco is selling for $100,000 Posted: 09 Feb 2020 06:14 AM PST  The parking spot is currently leased out for $300 a month, and the realtor is promoting it as an investment to "park your money" in.
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| The global spread of the coronavirus: Where is it? Posted: 09 Feb 2020 10:28 AM PST  The new coronavirus that emerged in central China at the end of last year has killed more than 800 people and spread around the world.
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| New Philadelphia police chief starts amid surge in homicides Posted: 09 Feb 2020 06:36 AM PST |
| Death of American Fuels Concern Over China's Approach to Coronavirus Posted: 08 Feb 2020 07:29 AM PST  SHANGHAI -- A U.S. citizen died from the coronavirus in Wuhan, China, American officials said on Saturday. It was the first known American death from the illness, and was likely to add to diplomatic frictions over Beijing's response to the epidemic.Relations between Washington and Beijing have been tense for years on a number of issues, including trade, technology and human rights. And while Chinese officials have publicly touted the importance of international cooperation to combat the virus, doubts have arisen in recent days about China's willingness to accept a helping hand -- particularly from the United States.Few details about the American, who died on Thursday, were immediately available. According to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, the person was 60 years old and died at Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan, the inland metropolis at the center of the epidemic. Two people familiar with the matter said the person was a woman and had underlying health conditions.The U.S. government has been evacuating many of its diplomats and other citizens from Wuhan, which Chinese authorities have locked down in an effort to contain the spread of the virus. It could not immediately be learned whether the American who died had tried to leave the city on any of the flights organized by the State Department."We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss," said a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. "Out of respect for the family's privacy, we have no further comment."Word of the death came out as frustrations about Beijing's handling of the epidemic, which has already provoked outrage and criticism within China, were beginning to emerge at the diplomatic level as well. The virus has killed at least 700 people in China, sickened thousands more and spread across the globe.For more than a month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been offering to send a team of experts to China to observe the outbreak and help if possible. But no invitation has come.The World Health Organization, which made a similar offer about two weeks ago, appeared to be facing the same cold shoulder, though a spokeswoman said it was just "sorting out arrangements."Current and former health officials and diplomats said they believed the reluctance came from China's top leaders, who do not want the world to think they need outside help.Within China, public discontent about the government's response to the crisis reached an extraordinary new peak on Friday after the death of Dr. Li Wenliang, who had warned his colleagues early on about the new virus but was reprimanded for spreading rumors.After Li's death, grieving internet users posted messages expressing anger about the way he had been treated and even demanding freedom of speech -- unheard-of in China's authoritarian political system.Communist Party officials said on Friday that they would send a team from the powerful anti-corruption committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding Li's death. Chinese state news media also reported on Saturday that the government was sending two senior officials to Wuhan to reinforce efforts to bring the outbreak under control.It was not immediately clear if the appointments on Saturday amounted to a reshuffling of the local leadership or were simply an effort to reinforce officials on the front line. Still, it appeared to be an acknowledgment that authorities in Wuhan had been overwhelmed.Japan also said on Saturday that one of its citizens had died in a Wuhan hospital from a suspected case of the coronavirus. But the Japanese Foreign Ministry said that based on information it received from Chinese authorities, it could not confirm whether the man, who was in his 60s, had been infected with the new virus. The ministry called the cause of death viral pneumonia.China's Foreign Ministry said this past week that as of noon on Thursday, 19 foreign nationals in the country had been confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus. Two of them had recovered and were discharged from the hospital. The other 17 were still receiving treatment.As the virus spreads, China is confronting a growing sense of isolation -- a stark reversal for the country after decades of economic and diplomatic integration with the rest of the world. Many countries, including the United States, have placed entry restrictions on travelers from China. Airlines have canceled flights. Fears of the virus have fueled anti-Chinese racism in some parts of the world.Chinese officials have criticized the United States both for evacuating Americans from China and for imposing travel curbs, saying that such moves could spread panic. On Friday, President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo each appeared to be trying to ease tensions.Pompeo said that the United States was prepared to spend up to $100 million in existing funds to help China and other countries fight the epidemic. Pompeo also said that the State Department had helped transport about 18 tons of donated medical supplies, including masks, gowns and gauze, to the people of China in the past week.Trump praised China's handling of the crisis on a phone call with China's top leader, Xi Jinping, on Friday. And in a pair of Twitter posts, Trump said Xi was leading "what will be a very successful operation."But other American officials have quietly voiced concerns about China's response to the epidemic. And the confirmation on Friday that repeated offers of help to China had been ignored only deepened the sense of worry.Alex Azar, the U.S. secretary of health and human services, said at a news briefing on Friday that he had recently reiterated the CDC offer to his Chinese counterpart, Dr. Ma Xiaowei.Asked about the holdup, Azar said: "It's up to the Chinese. We continue to expect fully that President Xi will accept our offer. We're ready and willing and able to go."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company
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| Chinese diplomat pushes back against coronavirus 'rumors' from GOP senator Posted: 09 Feb 2020 10:43 AM PST  Ambassador Cui Tiankai slammed comments from Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton.
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| Iran unveils ballistic missile, 'new generation' engines Posted: 08 Feb 2020 04:02 PM PST  Iran's Revolutionary Guards unveiled Sunday a short-range ballistic missile that they said can be powered by a "new generation" of engines designed to put satellites into orbit. The Guards' Sepahnews website said the Raad-500 missile was equipped with new Zoheir engines made of composite materials lighter than on earlier steel models. It also unveiled Salman engines made of the same materials but with a "movable nozzle" for the delivery of satellites into space.
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| Oregon flooding abates; authorities report body found Posted: 09 Feb 2020 09:33 AM PST  Waters covering roads in flood-hit northeastern Oregon were starting to recede, allowing residents to return and assess the damage from weather that appears to have left one person dead. A woman who had been missing, Janet Tobkin Conley, 62, lived in one of the areas hit by floods and her body was found Sunday by searchers and neighbors, authorities said. An approximately 10-mile (16-kilometer) stretch of Interstate 84 south of Hermiston, Oregon, remained closed Sunday due to flood damage and authorities say it could be a week before it reopens.
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| Soldier kills 29 people in Thailand before being shot Posted: 08 Feb 2020 02:54 PM PST  A soldier angry over a property deal gone sour killed at least 29 people and wounded 57 in a rampage that spanned four locations in and around the northeastern Thai city of Nakhon Ratchasima before he was shot dead early Sunday. Most of the victims were at the city's Terminal 21 shopping center, where the shooter held out against an overnight siege with an assault rifle and ammunition stolen from his army base. Police named him as 32-year-old soldier Jakrapanth Thomma.
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| Only 54% of Americans Knew Puerto Ricans Were Citizens Posted: 09 Feb 2020 07:36 AM PST  More than a century after the United States acquired Puerto Rico, a 2017 Morning Consult poll conducted after the devastation of Hurricane Maria revealed that only 54% of Americans knew Puerto Ricans were citizens. Today, being born in Puerto Rico is tantamount to being born in the United States. But it wasn't always that way, and a lot of ambiguity still remains.
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| Trump to propose cuts in foreign aid, social safety nets Posted: 09 Feb 2020 01:37 PM PST  President Trump will propose on Monday a 21% cut in foreign aid and social safety net programs in his $4.8 trillion budget proposal for fiscal 2021, according to senior administration officials.
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| Trump warns 'tough guys' who attacked Republican volunteers with van Posted: 09 Feb 2020 10:53 AM PST  A man has been arrested after allegedly driving a van into a tent where Republican volunteers were registering voters.The vehicle narrowly missed six volunteers at a stall outside a shopping centre in Jacksonville, Florida.
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| Surrendered Pakistani Taliban spokesman escapes custody: official Posted: 09 Feb 2020 05:05 AM PST  A leading member of the Pakistan Taliban has escaped custody more than two years after surrendering to authorities, a senior security official said Sunday. The confirmation comes days after Ehsanullah Ehsan -- the former spokesman for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) -- released an audio message claiming he had escaped detention and was now in Turkey. A senior security source told AFP Ehsan was "one of our major assets in identifying and later tracking down militants".
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| Rain extinguishes Australian wildfire and causes flooding Posted: 08 Feb 2020 07:14 PM PST  Torrential rain lashing Australia's east coast on Sunday has extinguished a major wildfire and caused widespread flash flooding. Rain put out the Currowan Fire south of Sydney late Saturday after it destroyed 312 homes and razed 500,000 hectares (1.2 million acres) over 74 days, the New South Wales state Rural Fire Service said. Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said he hoped the heavy rain would move inland from the coast and drench more major fires that have burned for months.
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| Taiwan scrambles jets as Chinese air force flies round island Posted: 09 Feb 2020 01:48 AM PST ![Taiwan scrambles jets as Chinese air force flies round island]( "Taiwan scrambles jets as Chinese air force flies round island") Taiwan's air force scrambled on Sunday to intercept Chinese jets that flew around the island claimed by Beijing as its own, in a move denounced by Taiwan's Defence Ministry as a threat to regional peace and stability. China has been flying what it calls "island encirclement" drills on-off since 2016 when Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen first took office. Beijing believes Tsai, who won re-election last month, wishes to push the island's formal independence.
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| Israel Isn't Happy With Iran's New Guided-Rocket System Posted: 08 Feb 2020 03:30 PM PST  That the Israelis are worried is no surprise.
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| Majority of New Hampshire Democrats Would Prefer a Meteor Extinguish 'All Human Life' Than Trump Get Re-Elected: Poll Posted: 08 Feb 2020 11:12 AM PST  With a margin of error of 6.4%, 62% chose the meteor
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| 10 Wuhan professors signed an open letter demanding free speech protections after a doctor who was punished for warning others about coronavirus died from it Posted: 08 Feb 2020 10:42 AM PST  One petition was signed by Wuhan professors, and another was signed by academics from around China calling for a national holiday in Li's honor.
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| Amy Klobuchar has clearly been trawling Pete Buttigieg's old tweets Posted: 07 Feb 2020 05:43 PM PST  If there's one important rule for preparing for a political debate, it's do your homework. And Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) just earned herself an A.During a debate about healthcare in New Hampshire on Friday, Klobuchar blasted Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (D) and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren for their ambitious plans to implement Medicare-for-all. And although the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg, now supports a public option, Klobuchar had brought her receipts: "Pete, while you have a different plan now, you sent out a tweet just a few years ago that said: 'henceforth, forthwith, indubitably, affirmatively, you are for Medicare-for-all,'" she said.> Amy Klobuchar on Medicare for All: "I keep listening to this same debate, and it is not real. It is not real, Bernie, because two-thirds of the Democrats in the Senate are not on your bill, and because it would kick 149 million Americans off their current health insurance." pic.twitter.com/BEXzg0nHW0> > — ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 8, 2020While the casual viewer watching at home might have assumed Klobuchar was just riffing on Buttigieg's manner of speaking, it turns out she was actually pretty accurately quoting his two-year-old reply to the progressive platform, the People's Summit:> Gosh! Okay... I, Pete Buttigieg, politician, do henceforth and forthwith declare, most affirmatively and indubitably, unto the ages, that I do favor Medicare for All, as I do favor any measure that would help get all Americans covered. Now if you'll excuse me, potholes await.> > — Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) February 19, 2018Well played.More stories from theweek.com 5 scathingly funny cartoons about Trump's impeachment acquittal For better pasta sauce, throw away your garlic Vanguard is an anomaly in the investment world. Can it stay that way?
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| NYC Lunar New Year parade showcases support for China, Wuhan Posted: 09 Feb 2020 02:36 PM PST  Signs of support for the Chinese city at the center of a global virus outbreak marked floats at the Lunar New Year parade in Manhattan's Chinatown on Sunday as brightly colored puppets made their way through the streets in front of crowds of onlookers. Some of the paradegoers who filled the streets held signs expressing support for China, as well. The coronavirus outbreak that started in China in December has killed more than 800 people and infected more than 37,000 people around the world, including 12 people in the U.S. No cases have been identified in New York City.
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| Coronavirus turns busy Chinese cities into ghost towns Posted: 08 Feb 2020 05:28 PM PST  After making sure everyone's face mask is on and sanitizer is to hand, the Qiao family heads out to Jingshan Park, a former royal sanctuary beside the Forbidden City in China's capital Beijing. Shanghai, China's financial hub, and other cities in the world's most populous nation have turned into ghost towns after the government extended a holiday and asked residents not to go out because of the coronavirus. The epidemic has killed 722 people and infected nearly 32,000 in China as of Feb 8.
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| The F-111 Aardvark Is A Jet Fighter Assassin Posted: 07 Feb 2020 11:30 PM PST  This is its story.
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| Key member of Pakistani Taliban killed in Afghanistan: insurgents Posted: 08 Feb 2020 07:01 AM PST  The Pakistani Taliban has confirmed that one of its key leaders and another member of the group were killed in a clash with security forces in Afghanistan. In a statement published by the SITE monitoring group Friday, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) said Sheikh Khalid Haqqani, who served on the group's consultative council and had been a deputy leader, had been killed January 31. "Haqqani embraced martyrdom while fighting with slaves of the United States", the TTP said.
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| 'I'm not going to be the Republican Christopher Steele': Graham fears Giuliani evidence is Russian propaganda Posted: 09 Feb 2020 02:46 PM PST  Sen. Lindsey Graham advised caution before accepting evidence from President Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani.
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| Everything we know about the pangolin — the scaly mammal that may have spread the coronavirus to humans Posted: 09 Feb 2020 01:57 PM PST  Pangolins are nocturnal mammals than are often poached for their scales. Their meat is also considered a delicacy in China and Vietnam.
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| SNL's Bloomberg looms over cold open debate spoof Posted: 09 Feb 2020 05:18 AM PST  Saturday Night Live took on the Democratic presidential primary in the show's latest cold open.In a spoof of Friday's primary debate in New Hampshire, Saturday's episode saw Pete Davidson's Tom Steyer, Rachel Dratch's Amy Klobuchar, Larry David's Bernie Sanders, Jason Sudeikis' Joe Biden, Kate McKinnon's Elizabeth Warren, Colin Jost's Pete Buttigieg, and Bowen Yang's Andrew Yang take the stage, where high jinks ensued.Dratch's Klobuchar couldn't figure out why she isn't winning the election, Sudeikis' Biden couldn't remember what South Carolina was called, David's Sanders advocated for an app-free primary, and Davidson's Steyer was just happy to be there and make friends. Meanwhile, billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (played by Fred Armisen) loomed over all of it with his sponsorship of the debate. Watch the sketch below. More stories from theweek.com 5 scathingly funny cartoons about Trump's impeachment acquittal For better pasta sauce, throw away your garlic Vanguard is an anomaly in the investment world. Can it stay that way?
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| NASA and the European Space Agency are launching the Solar Orbiter spacecraft toward the sun on Sunday — watch live Posted: 08 Feb 2020 05:30 AM PST  The European Space Agency and NASA are jointly launching the new Solar Orbiter spacecraft at 11:03 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 9. Watch it live.
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| Masked white nationalists march in Washington with police escort Posted: 08 Feb 2020 05:43 PM PST  Police escorted masked members of a white nationalist group on a march through Washington's National Mall on Saturday that Metropolitan Police said occurred without incident or arrests. More than 100 members of the Patriot Front, dressed in khaki pants and caps, blue jackets and white face masks, shouted "Reclaim America!" and "Life, liberty, victory!" video of the march showed. The Southern Poverty Law Center describes the Patriot Front as a white nationalist group that broke off from a similar organization, Vanguard America, in the aftermath of the deadly "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017.
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| The Latest: US funneling flights from China to 11 airports Posted: 09 Feb 2020 08:14 AM PST  The acting head of U.S. Homeland Security says the U.S. is taking the necessary steps to protect Americans with a "multilayered strategy" at air, land and maritime ports of entry to stem the spread of the new virus. Secretary Chad Wolf said on Fox News Channel's "Sunday Morning Futures" that the U.S. is now funneling flights from China to 11 airports, including any individual who has been in China in the last 14 days, to ensure they get medical screening and medical care. Wolf said the three major U.S. air carriers over the past several weeks have all but ceased flights from China, so those incoming flights are mostly Chinese airlines carrying mostly U.S. citizens.
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| The US Navy’s vaunted deployment plan is showing cracks everywhere Posted: 08 Feb 2020 03:08 AM PST  Despite lofty promises of stability, the Navy's fleet deployment plan is a shambles.
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