| Trump sharpens attack on Clinton, vows law and order if elected Posted: 21 Jul 2016 05:42 PM PDT  By Steve Holland CLEVELAND (Reuters) - Donald Trump will accuse Democratic rival Hillary Clinton of being corrupt and ineffective and portray himself as a friend of the working class who will restore law and order in a speech on Thursday accepting the Republican presidential nomination. "I'm with you, I will fight for you, and I will win for you," Trump will say, according to speech excerpts released by his campaign and a draft text circulating among news organizations. The Trump campaign did not confirm or deny the authenticity of the draft of the speech Trump was scheduled to deliver at the Republican National Convention at 10:15 p.m. (0215 GMT on Friday).
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| Colorado mother: Son killed while fighting ISIS in Syria Posted: 21 Jul 2016 05:30 PM PDT DENVER (AP) — A Colorado man who joined Kurdish forces in their fight against the Islamic State group was killed in combat in Syria, his mother said Thursday. |
| Erdogan says Turkey's military to be restructured after abortive coup Posted: 21 Jul 2016 05:07 PM PDT  By Samia Nakhoul, Nick Tattersall and Orhan Coskun ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Reuters on Thursday that there were significant intelligence failures ahead of last week's attempted military coup and that the armed forces would quickly be restructured and have "fresh blood". In his first interview since declaring a state of emergency following last Friday's abortive coup, Erdogan said a new coup attempt was possible, but would not be easy, saying "we are more vigilant". "It is very clear that there were significant gaps and deficiencies in our intelligence, there is no point trying to hide it or deny it.
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| Prosecutor charges man in Kansas police officer's death Posted: 21 Jul 2016 04:57 PM PDT  KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A 20-year-old man was charged Thursday with capital murder in the death of a Kansas police officer fatally shot inside his patrol car while investigating a drive-by shooting, a prosecutor said.
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| US, allies say they're at key moment in fight against IS Posted: 21 Jul 2016 04:52 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and its anti-Islamic State coalition allies said Thursday they've reached a key moment in their campaign to defeat the extremist group, despite several months of limited ground gains and major terrorist attacks.
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| Mom of Baton Rouge shooter: He'd 'lose it' over shootings Posted: 21 Jul 2016 04:44 PM PDT  The mother of the Iraq war veteran who shot and killed three law enforcement officers in Baton Rouge said Thursday that she believes her son suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and that he once said he thought the CIA was following him.
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| Baton Rouge readies for funerals of 3 slain police officers Posted: 21 Jul 2016 04:23 PM PDT  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The Baton Rouge community started a somber period Thursday, filled with funerals and memorials for three officers killed by a gunman.
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| Kerry calls for new measures to counter changing Islamic State Posted: 21 Jul 2016 04:10 PM PDT  By Idrees Ali and Warren Strobel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials on Thursday called on partners in the coalition against Islamic State to increase intelligence sharing as the militant group morphs to focus on attacks beyond its shrinking self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria. "Even as it is losing ground in the Middle East, we know already that they're going to try to transform themselves into (a) global terrorist organization," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said after a meeting of defense and foreign affairs chiefs from about 40 nations in the U.S.-led coalition. "We talked about the importance of real-time communication between countries, information sharing" about militant suspects, he said.
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| Anti-IS coalition meets with Mosul in its sights Posted: 21 Jul 2016 03:51 PM PDT  Top diplomatic and military officials from the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group met Thursday to prepare the assault on the city of Mosul, the jihadists' Iraqi bastion. Defense and foreign ministers from more than 40 countries gathered in Washington for a second day as their local militia allies made advances in Syria. While news from that front was dominated by the Syrian Democratic Forces' siege of Manbij, a city in northern Syria, the leaders in Washington were focused on a far bigger prize.
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| Turkey's Erdogan says military to be restructured after abortive coup Posted: 21 Jul 2016 03:38 PM PDT By Samia Nakhoul, Nick Tattersall and Orhan Coskun ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Reuters on Thursday that there were significant failures in intelligence ahead of last Friday's attempted military coup and that the armed forces would quickly be restructured and have fresh blood. In his first interview since declaring a state of emergency following the abortive coup, Erdogan said a new coup attempt was possible but would not be easy, saying "we are more vigilant". "It is very clear that there were significant gaps and deficiencies in our intelligence, there is no point trying to hide it or deny it. |
| Erdogan vows military shake-up as Turkey seeks to assuage critics Posted: 21 Jul 2016 03:01 PM PDT  By Samia Nakhoul, Nick Tattersall and Orhan Coskun ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan promised on Thursday to quickly restructure the armed forces in order to prevent another coup attempt, signaling a major overhaul in the military as emergency rule took hold across the country. Erdogan's comments to Reuters in an interview - his first since announcing the state of emergency late on Wednesday - come as Turkey seeks to assure its citizens and the outside world that the government was not turning its back on democracy and returning to the harsh repression of past regimes. With authorities cracking down on tens of thousands of people in the judiciary, military, education and civil service sectors after last weekend's failed military coup, a lawmaker from the main opposition party said the state of emergency created "a way of ruling that paves the way for abuse".
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| Hudson Institute Releases Report on the ISIS Propaganda Ploy to Hide its Genocide of Christians Posted: 21 Jul 2016 03:01 PM PDT WASHINGTON, July 21, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Hudson Institute released The ISIS Genocide of Middle Eastern Christian Minorities and Its Jizya Propaganda Ploy , a report produced by Nina Shea, director of Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom. The report examines genocide waged against Christian minorities by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), by chronicling eye witness accounts, testimony by community leaders, and human rights documentation across northern Iraq and Syria, including the cities of Mosul, Nineveh, Raqqa, Qaryatayn, Khabour, and Idlib. "What ISIS refers to as 'jizya' is actually extortion and ransom demanded from a few Christian individuals, nearly all disabled or elderly, who are now trapped and brutalized," states Nina Shea, author of the report, in an op-ed published today. |
| The Latest: Gunman's mother believes he suffered from PTSD Posted: 21 Jul 2016 02:58 PM PDT BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The Latest on the gunman who killed three law enforcement officers and wounded three others in Baton Rouge on Sunday (all times local): |
| Brazil nabs 10 IS backers in Olympics anti-terror swoop Posted: 21 Jul 2016 02:33 PM PDT  Ten Brazilians who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State militant group were arrested Thursday, authorities announced, describing them as "amateurs" who discussed on social media the possibility of staging attacks during next month's Olympics. Justice Minister Alexandre de Moraes said in the capital, Brasilia, that the 10 were being held on two terrorism-related charges and that two more people were being sought. Authorities said any attack plan would have had little chance of coming to fruition, citing the group's lack of resources and skills.
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| Oscar winner asks court to protect Bergdahl interview tapes Posted: 21 Jul 2016 01:55 PM PDT  RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — An Oscar-winning filmmaker has asked a judge to prevent the military from forcing him to turn over interviews with Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, adding Hollywood intrigue to the soldier's prosecution on desertion accusations.
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| When Tequila and Driving Mix: Making Cars From Agave Plants Posted: 21 Jul 2016 01:32 PM PDT  Drinking and driving don't mix, but tequila and automobiles might still have a future together—and that could help the environment. Ford Motor Company and Jose Cuervo on Tuesday announced a new collaboration to tap fiber from the agave plant, which is used to distill tequila, to make a bioplastic that could be used in automobile parts. Designers at Ford Research Labs in Dearborn, Michigan, are developing ways to use agave fiber as a substitute for fiberglass and talc, which are currently mixed with petroleum-based resins to produce plastic.
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| US-backed forces give IS 48 hours to leave Syria's Manbij Posted: 21 Jul 2016 12:58 PM PDT  US-backed fighters on Thursday gave the Islamic State group 48 hours to leave the battleground Syrian town of Manbij, after US-led air strikes nearby killed scores reported to be civilians. Elsewhere, a monitor said at least 51 civilians were killed in bombing raids on rebel-held areas across Syria. The 48-hour ultimatum was issued by the Arab-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is fighting IS with coalition air support.
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| US: 'Imminent threat' against Americans in Saudi's Jeddah Posted: 21 Jul 2016 12:54 PM PDT  The US government issued an urgent warning Thursday that it has information about a possible attack against its citizens in the Saudi port city of Jeddah. The security message, published online and sent to US travellers registered with department, did not give further details on the reported threat, but reiterated existing guidance for visitors to Saudi Arabia. Earlier this month there were three bomb attacks in Saudi Arabia including one in Jeddah, the kingdom's second city and major Red Sea port, and which CIA director John Brennan said bore the hallmarks of the Islamic State group.
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| After Fresh Foreign Policy Stumbles, Can Trump’s Acceptance Speech Inspire Confidence? Posted: 21 Jul 2016 10:16 AM PDT  Donald Trump heads into the final night of the Republican convention here tonight as the party's official nominee and faces the most important speech of his brief political life. In addition to trying to mend the divisions in the Republican Party, revealed in a controversial speech by his former rival Ted Cruz last night, Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort said that Trump would also address current affairs at some length. In a press conference Thursday morning, Manafort acknowledged that it is somewhat unusual for a candidate to address current affairs at length in an acceptance speech, but that the circumstances warrant it.
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| Iraq's domestic security must catch up to military gains, defense minister says Posted: 21 Jul 2016 09:07 AM PDT  Less than 10 percent of Iraqi territory remains in the hands of Islamic State, but battlefield advances have not been matched by better security inside Iraq, the country's defense minister said on Thursday. Iraq is now mounting a campaign to retake Mosul, the de facto IS capital, after recapturing Falluja late last month. "Progress in military performance must be paired with progress on the security file," Defence Minister Khalid al-Obeidi tweeted from Washington before a meeting of defense ministers from the U.S.-led coalition battling the ultra-hardline militants.
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| US Navy plans on return to New Zealand after 30-year nuclear rift Posted: 21 Jul 2016 08:59 AM PDT "We are naturally pleased the US is taking up the invitation," Mr. Key told the New Zealand Herald. Recommended: How much do you know about nuclear weapons? The debate between the two started in the mid-1980s, when the New Zealand government refused a docking request by the USS Buchanan after the United States would not confirm or deny if the destroyer were carrying nuclear weapons. |
| Ax attack on train revives debate over refugees in Germany Posted: 21 Jul 2016 08:46 AM PDT  BERLIN (AP) — A bloody rampage by an ax-and-knife wielding Afghan refugee has revived concerns in Germany about the country's ability to cope with an influx of migrants over the past year, some of whom may harbor violent hatred toward the west.
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| France probes possible security failings in Nice attack Posted: 21 Jul 2016 08:06 AM PDT  French President Francois Hollande on Thursday promised "truth and transparency" from an inquiry into allegations of lax security the night of the Bastille Day attack in Nice that killed 84 people. "When there is a tragedy, or in this case an attack with many dead... there will naturally be questions," Hollande said during a visit to Dublin, adding that the conclusions of the police probe would be announced next week. The third major attack in France in 18 months has left France's Socialist government fending off accusations of failing to protect the nation.
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| The Hollow Men Posted: 21 Jul 2016 04:00 AM PDT The neediness of politicians has always fascinated me; the pathological desire for relevance; the plasticity of belief in the service of self-aggrandizement; the depths plumbed in order to stave off insignificance, which can be as frightening as non-existence itself. One of my favorite politicians, Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, is almost morbidly needy. His desire for attention made him into a brilliant retailer, mainly of himself, but also of his ideas, and intermittently, of his state. His neediness made him greatly entertaining. But it also caused him to betray his own principles. |
| Young gun Republicans fire first shots in 2020 White House race Posted: 21 Jul 2016 02:54 AM PDT  The 2016 US presidential election is more than 100 days away, but at the Republican convention in Cleveland the battle for the party's 2020 White House nomination is already raging. The received political wisdom goes something like this: Donald Trump's White House bid is doomed to fail and from the ashes a new generation of Republican leaders will emerge. Each man addressed the Republican delegates this week, showing their faces where an older generation of likeminded Republicans pointedly stayed away.
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| Christie Unites the GOP by Condemning Clinton for 8 Major Failures Posted: 21 Jul 2016 02:15 AM PDT  Last Tuesday night in Cleveland, Chris Christie went where FBI chief James Comey feared to tread - indicting Hillary Clinton for serial poor judgment and bad behavior. Christie began with Libya, citing Hillary's enthusiasm for the overthrow of strongman Muammar al-Gaddafi.
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| U.S. ship visit set to end standoff with New Zealand over nuclear policy Posted: 21 Jul 2016 01:43 AM PDT  The U.S. Navy plans to send a ship to New Zealand in November, Prime Minister John Key said on Thursday, formally ending a standoff over the Pacific nation's anti-nuclear policy that dates back more than 30 years. If the ship meets New Zealand's legal requirements it will attend the Royal New Zealand Navy's 75th anniversary, Key said, a day after U.S. Vice President Joe Biden assured neighbor Australia there would be no retreat from Washington's pivot to the Asia-Pacific region regardless of who wins November's presidential election. "Vice President Joe Biden confirmed in our discussions today that the U.S. has accepted the invitation and intends to have a ship represent the U.S. Navy at this event," Key said during Biden's one-day visit to New Zealand.
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| AP FACT CHECK: The GOP rush to blame Clinton Posted: 21 Jul 2016 12:58 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump's new running mate and other Republicans are wrongly accusing Hillary Clinton of speaking with indifference about the death of Americans in Benghazi, Libya — twisting her comments out of context to make their indictment.
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| IS-inspired attacks aid jihadists at low cost Posted: 21 Jul 2016 12:05 AM PDT  Encouraging attacks in Western countries is a deliberate part of IS strategy, something indicated by "the fact that they are willing to claim most of them", said Will McCants, also an expert on jihadists and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. The strategy of inspiring attacks contrasts with many IS operations in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East that the group directly plans and for which it trains and arms militants.
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| Iraq donor conference raises more than $2.1 billion: U.S. spokesman Posted: 20 Jul 2016 09:08 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Iraq donor conference on Wednesday raised more than $2.1 billion in aid, surpassing the estimated $2 billion organizers had expected, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said. "The conference raised in excess of $2.1 billion, with a number of additional pledges still being finalized," Kirby said in a statement. Defense and foreign ministers from 24 countries met in Washington for a pledging session to help Iraq in its fight against Islamic State militants. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Bill Trott) |
| Kerry warns of new challenge in securing Iraq after Islamic State Posted: 20 Jul 2016 09:08 PM PDT  By Warren Strobel and Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The battlefield momentum in Iraq and Syria has shifted against Islamic State, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday, but the international community must now also confront the challenge of stabilizing newly liberated areas. "The momentum has shifted," Kerry told an international conference to raise funds for Iraq at a critical juncture in the military campaign. "The new challenge that we face is securing and aiding for the recovery of a liberated area." Lise Grande, the United Nations' humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, warned that military victories will prove transient if the needs of Iraqis displaced by the conflict are not addressed.
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| Factbox: Clinton to name running mate as early as Friday Posted: 20 Jul 2016 06:35 PM PDT  By Adam DeRose and Amanda Becker WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Hillary Clinton, who is running against Republican Donald Trump in the Nov. 8 presidential election, is expected to announce her running mate as early as Friday. Here are some of the potential vice presidential candidates Clinton is considering, according to U.S. news media: TIM KAINE The U.S. senator from Virginia is a former Roman Catholic missionary and civil rights lawyer who is fluent in Spanish. Kaine, a former Richmond mayor and former Virginia governor, has served on the Senate's Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees. He has backed liberal causes such as establishing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
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| Islamic relief agency admits illegal funds transfer to Iraq Posted: 20 Jul 2016 05:44 PM PDT KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri-based Islamic charity that was shut down after being identified by the federal government as a global terrorist organization admitted in federal court Wednesday that it illegally funneled $1.4 million to Iraq in violation of U.S. sanctions. |
