| Trump tweets threat: 'If Iran wants to fight, that will be the end of Iran' Posted: 19 May 2019 02:46 PM PDT  * Incendiary message follows disavowals of intent from both sides * Opinion: Trump supporters don't want war with Iran In a picture released on Friday, the USS Abraham Lincoln sails in the Arabian Sea near the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge. Photograph: Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brian M Wilbur/APDonald Trump has issued one of his most direct threats yet to Tehran, warning that "if Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran".The US president emerged from his golf club in Sterling, Virginia, on Sunday to tweet belligerently at around 4.30pm, thereby risking a quickening of tension that is already rising."Never threaten the United States again!" he wrote.The tweet will do little to assuage jitters in the Middle East and in Washington about aggressive language coming out of the White House. Concern is already running high that Trump's hawkish national security adviser, John Bolton, who played a key role in instigating the invasion of Iraq under George Bush, might be nudging the administration towards military action.In 2015, Bolton wrote a New York Times op-ed entitled "To stop Iran's bomb, bomb Iran". Trump withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear deal last year.On the other hand, Trump has a way of blowing hot one minute and cold the next. As with so many of his social media missives, the precise import of his Sunday tweet was hard to read. It directly conflicted with reports of just three days ago that the president had been telling the Pentagon he did not want to go to war and wanted to find a way to wind down tensions.Those reports were also subject to qualification. In response to reports about a draft plan for the deployment of 120,000 troops, Trump said that though he did not want war, if it came to it he would send "a hell of a lot" more soldiers than that.Earlier on Sunday, the Utah senator and former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney had joined the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in dismissing the threat of war."Going to war with Iran?" Romney asked on CNN's State of the Union. "Not going to happen."According to the Fars news agency, Major General Hossein Salami followed foreign minister Mohammed Javad Zarif by saying Iran was not pursuing war either.But both men offered caveats.Romney, a member of the Senate foreign relations committee, said the threat to US interests was "real" and added: "We're going to make sure they understand that if they take action against our people, against our allies and against our friends, there will be consequence and it will be far more severe than the initial action taken by Iran."Salami said Iran was ready to fight, as the difference "between us and them is that they are afraid of war and don't have the will for it".The White House has not said what is behind its claim of an increased threat. Romney said the "intelligence community says there's a great deal of risk" but did not elaborate. It has been reported that US intelligence believes Iranian commercial vessels have carried missiles and ammunition, which some analysts say indicates preparations to defend against a US attack.Saudi Arabia is the major US ally in the region. Four oil tankers, two of them Saudi, were attacked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Iran-allied rebels in Yemen claimed a drone attack on a Saudi oil pipeline.Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, told reporters on Sunday his country also "does not want war … but at the same time, if the other side chooses war, the kingdom will fight this with all force and determination".The US has sent an aircraft carrier strike group and cautionary moves include an evacuation of personnel by the oil firm ExxonMobil and a warning from the US to commercial air traffic of increased risk in the region.The Associated Press reported on Sunday that Democrats in Congress will be briefed by former CIA director John Brennan, a stringent Trump critic, and Wendy Sherman, a former state department official who helped negotiate the Iran deal. Among Democratic presidential hopefuls on Sunday, the presumption was that Trump either wanted war or was behaving irresponsibly.The Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, a military veteran, told ABC's This Week Trump was "leading us down this dangerous path towards a war in Iran". Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, another veteran, said war with Iran would be "exactly what John Bolton wants".But David Petraeus, a retired general who led US troops in Iraq in 2003 and later led the CIA, told ABC it was "pretty clear" Trump "doesn't want to go to war with Iran. He's not after regime change".Romney agreed."I don't believe for a minute," he said, "that either the president or John Bolton or anyone else in a serious senior position of leadership in the White House has any interest in going to the Middle East and going to war. That's just not going to happen … barring some kind of attack from Iran or something of that nature which I don't think anyone anticipates."Look, the president made it very clear that he thinks the greatest foreign policy mistake probably in the modern age was the decision by President Bush to go into Iraq. The idea that he would follow that by going after Iran, a more difficult enemy if you will, that's just not going to happen."Famously, Trump said at the time that he supported George W Bush's invasion of Iraq. He has since vehemently denied that he did so.
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| Illinois not alerted to early clues in womb-cutting case Posted: 19 May 2019 03:29 AM PDT  CHICAGO (AP) — Police and Illinois' child welfare agency say staff at a Chicago-area hospital didn't alert them after determining that a bloodied woman who arrived with a gravely ill newborn had not just given birth to the baby boy, as she claimed.
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| Boeing says it has corrected simulator software of 737 MAX jets Posted: 17 May 2019 06:39 PM PDT ![Boeing says it has corrected simulator software of 737 MAX jets]( "Boeing says it has corrected simulator software of 737 MAX jets") Boeing Co has made corrections to simulator software that mimics the flying experience of its 737 MAX jets, which were involved in two fatal crashes, and the company has provided additional information to device operators, a spokesman said on Friday. The spokesman, Gordon Johndroe, said the changes will ensure that the simulator experience is representative across different flight conditions and will improve the simulation of force loads on the manual trim wheel that helps control the airplane. The comments came after the New York Times on Friday reported https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/17/business/boeing-737-max-simulators.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage that Boeing recently discovered that the flight simulators airlines use to train pilots could not adequately replicate conditions that played a role in the 737 MAX crashes.
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| Democrat 2020 hopefuls eye coveted Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsement Posted: 18 May 2019 06:46 AM PDT  She is the great young hope of America's Left-wing, an articulate and impassioned progressive whose policies have gained traction and Twitter feed is followed by four million. Now Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the 29-year-old first-time congressman from New York, is seeing her newfound political clout manifest in a new way – a race for her endorsement. With two dozen Democrats seeking their party's presidential nomination, the support of Ms Ocasio-Cortez is being seen as a way to win over the young, energised voters who will help shape the race. Chief among the contenders are Bernie Sanders, the independent 77-year-old senator from Vermont, and Elizabeth Warren, the former academic now representing Massachusetts in the Senate. Both have made tacit acknowledgement of Ms Ocasio-Cortez's influence in public in recent weeks – whether for policy reasons, or for political gain, or both. Earlier this month, Mr Sanders appeared alongside Ms Ocasio-Cortez at an office table where they discussed the importance of reducing credit card interest rates. At the end of the 25-minute video, shared on social media and viewed by more than half a million people, the pair patted each other on the back warmly and smiled. Last month, Mr Warren wrote a 180-word ode to Ms Ocasio-Cortez for Time Magazine when the latter was named in its top 100 most influential people. "A year ago, she was taking orders across a bar. Today, millions are taking cues from her," Ms Warren wrote of the congresswoman's remarkable political rise. "And she's just getting started." Those two are not the only Democratic hopefuls vying for an endorsement, it appears. Politico reported that both senator Kirsten Gillibrand and former housing and urban development secretary Julian Castro have made "overtures". There is no reason a person should pay more than 15% interest in the United States. It's common sense - in fact, we had these Usury laws until the 70s. It's a debt trap for working people + it has to end.https://t.co/sO0p5NF7WR— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@RepAOC) May 9, 2019 The enthusiasm is understandable. The Democratic Party's progressive base appears fired up for change and many candidates hoping to win the right to take on Donald Trump are leaning its way. Government-funded health care for all, a $15 minimum wage and bold action on climate change have been widely adopted by the field ahead of the first debate in June and the first primary vote next February. Ms Ocasio-Cortez, who last year shocked the political establishment by ousting a 10-term Democrat in her own party to take his seat, has become the progressive movement's most recognisable star. That was underscored this week as Joe Biden, the former US vice president who is polling top and running on a centrist ticket, was forced to defend his climate change stance after Ms Ocasio-Cortez dismissed it as "middle of the road". Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic senator for Massachusetts, has developed a reputation for standing up to Wall Street Credit: AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall Mr Sanders is best placed to win the endorsement race. Ms Ocasio-Cortez worked on his 2016 presidential campaign, identifies like him as a democratic socialist and shares many of the same policy beliefs. Ms Warren has also laid out a left-wing platform taking on Wall Street and redistributing wealth but makes clear she remains a believer in capitalism. Asked recently about an endorsement by a CNN reporter, Ms Ocasio-Cortez said: "What I would like to see in a presidential candidate is one that has a coherent worldview and logic from which all these policy proposals are coming forward. "I think senator Sanders has that. I also think senator Warren has that." And, the questioner followed up, would she consider endorsing Mr Biden? Ms Ocasio-Cortez turned and walked away without a definitive answer.
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| Swiss Set to Back Tax Reform, Gun Control in Sunday Referendums Posted: 18 May 2019 08:00 PM PDT  The new tax regime would replace special tax breaks that multinational companies now enjoy but which Switzerland is forced to do away with to comply with international rules. While Switzerland isn't a member of the EU, it is in the open-border Schengen area and therefore the law needs to be changed in accordance with stricter rules in the bloc. Both measures are up for a vote because of Switzerland's system of direct democracy which calls for mandatory referendums if 50,000 votes are collected within 100 days of a law passing.
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| Roe v. Wade gave women a right to choose abortion. But doctors like me have a choice, too. Posted: 19 May 2019 11:25 AM PDT ![Roe v. Wade gave women a right to choose abortion. But doctors like me have a choice, too.]( "Roe v. Wade gave women a right to choose abortion. But doctors like me have a choice, too.") As a doctor, I'm not there to carry out the will of either the state or the individual, but to do what I see as in keeping with my medical role.
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| 'Ibiza affair' topples Austrian government, snap election announced Posted: 18 May 2019 01:22 PM PDT  Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz dramatically pulled the plug on his coalition government and announced fresh elections Saturday after an explosive camera sting claimed the scalp of his far-right deputy. Media reports on Friday alleged Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache promised public contracts in return for campaign help from a fake Russian backer he met on the island of Ibiza a few months before 2017's parliamentary elections in Austria. "I have suggested to the president of the republic that new elections be carried out, at the earliest possible date," Kurz said in a televised statement.
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| Blast hits Egypt tourist bus, 17 injured: security, medical sources Posted: 19 May 2019 07:05 AM PDT  An explosion struck a tourist bus on Sunday near Egypt's famed pyramids, injuring 17 people including foreigners, security and medical sources said. South Africans and Egyptians were among those injured when an explosive device went off, hitting the bus in Giza, according to the sources. Sunday's incident comes after three Vietnamese holidaymakers and their Egyptian guide were killed when a roadside bomb hit their bus as it travelled near the pyramids outside Cairo in December.
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| GOP Congressman Justin Amash’s Impeachment Call Boosts Pressure on Pelosi Posted: 18 May 2019 08:15 PM PDT  Kevin Lamarque/ReutersRepublican congressman Justin Amash's support for impeachment proceedings against President Trump ratchets up the pressure on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to call for the same. Citing "multiple examples of conduct satisfying all the elements of obstruction of justice" uncovered in the Mueller report, the iconoclastic Michigan lawmaker spared no one in a lengthy Twitter thread on Saturday—calling out Trump, Attorney General William Barr, and other lawmakers he says put partisanship above their own allegiance to the Constitution. Many were quick to wonder aloud why it was a Republican lawmaker making the case for impeachment rather than top Democrat Pelosi, who has called Trump "unfit" for the presidency but come out against impeachment, saying it'd be too "divisive" for the country. "Conservative Republican Justin Amash is more principled and forward-leaning on impeachment than Pelosi, Nadler, Neal, and any of the other House Dem leaders right now. Will they wake up?" tweeted Ezra Levin, a former Capitol Hill staffer and co-founder of Indivisible, a movement fighting to "resist the Trump agenda." Neither Pelosi nor Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer immediately responded to Amash's argument for impeachment. But at least one Democratic lawmaker appeared to heed his call."Come find me in 1628 Longworth. I've got an impeachment investigation resolution you're going to want to cosponsor," Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) tweeted at Amash late Saturday. Reactions from within his own party weren't quite as encouraging. "It's sad to see Congressman Amash parroting the Democrats' talking points on Russia," RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement. "The only people still fixated on the Russia collusion hoax are political foes of President Trump hoping to defeat him in 2020 by any desperate means possible."Pelosi has repeatedly suggested impeachment proceedings would be likely to backfire, suggesting in early March that Trump actually wants to face impeachment to rile up his base. Earlier this week at an event hosted by the Georgetown University Law Center, she said she doesn't "want to impeach" even though in her opinion, Trump is giving more "grounds for impeachment" with every passing day by ignoring subpoenas issued by House Democrats. "I believe that we are headed toward an impeachment inquiry," Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, told MSNBC earlier Saturday, saying "the anger and frustration is growing." In making his case for impeachment, Amash argued that "extreme partisanship" had blinded Congress to the true purpose of impeachment: to "deter misconduct" and get rid of any official who "has engaged in careless, abusive, corrupt, or otherwise dishonorable conduct."Trump did not necessarily have to be found guilty of a crime in order to face impeachment, he said. "Under our Constitution, the president 'shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." While 'high Crimes and Misdemeanors' is not defined, the context implies conduct that violates the public trust." "Attorney General Barr has deliberately misrepresented Mueller's report," Amash said, adding that Barr's testimony on the report—in which he repeatedly defended Trump's conduct—made it clear he "intended to mislead the public about Special Counsel Robert Mueller's analysis and findings." Those findings, he argued, did not clear Trump of wrongdoing as Barr has claimed but revealed "that President Trump engaged in specific actions and a pattern of behavior that meet the threshold for impeachment."While Mueller did not establish a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, he did not make any determinations on obstruction of justice, choosing instead to leave that matter up to Congress. But Amash argues that many members of Congress didn't even bother to read Mueller's report. "Their minds were made up based on partisan affiliation—and it showed, with representatives and senators from both parties issuing definitive statements on the 448-page report's conclusions within just hours of its release," he wrote. "America's institutions depend on officials to uphold both the rules and spirit of our constitutional system even when to do so is personally inconvenient or yields a politically unfavorable outcome. Our Constitution is brilliant and awesome; it deserves a government to match it," he said. Amash, who identifies as a libertarian, has previously voiced a desire to see a third party challenge Democrats and Republicans in politics and in March said he wouldn't "rule out" a 2020 run himself. Meanwhile, his break with the GOP over impeachment could put a big target on his back. A Michigan state lawmaker hinted on Saturday that he might challenge Amash in a primary.Amash has raised the prospect of Trump facing impeachment before. In early 2017, when former FBI director James Comey first accused Trump of asking him to stop an investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, Amash said such a move would be grounds for impeachment. "But everybody gets a fair trial in this country," he said at the time. 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. 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| Rocket attack hits near US Embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone Posted: 19 May 2019 04:13 PM PDT  BAGHDAD (AP) — A rocket was fired into the Iraqi capital's heavily fortified Green Zone Sunday night, landing less than a mile from the sprawling U.S. Embassy, an Iraqi military spokesman said.
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| Republican congressman apologises for referring to ‘consensual rape’ in debate over Missouri abortion bill Posted: 18 May 2019 01:31 AM PDT  A Republican Missouri legislator apologised on Friday for saying that some sexual assaults are "consensual rapes" during a debate over a new, restrictive antiabortion bill."I'm not trying to make excuses," said representative Barry Hovis, who represents the city of Jackson in southeastern Missouri. "Sometimes you make a mistake and you own up to it."The lawmaker, who was elected in 2018, made the remark while speaking on the State House floor, arguing that the measure's eight-week window for abortions "gives [rape survivors] ample time" for the procedure.Critics say many women do not know they are pregnant until after eight weeks, and the bill provides no exceptions for rape or incest.The 30-year veteran of the Cape Girardeau Police Department then touched on his experience handling rape cases."Let's just say someone goes out and they're raped or they're sexually assaulted one night after a college party – because most of my rapes were not the gentleman jumping out of the bushes that nobody had ever met," Mr Hovis said."That was one or two times out of a hundred. Most of them were date rapes or consensual rapes, which were all terrible."Representative Raychel Proudie, a Democrat, quickly rebuked him."There is no such thing, no such thing as consensual rape," she said to applause from the chamber.Mr Hovis later told The Washington Post that he misspoke and said he believes "there was no such thing as consensual rape."He added that, in all his years in law enforcement, he took the testimony of rape victims seriously."When a rape is reported, and I'll speak for myself, you always take the word of the victim," he said.Missouri's GOP-controlled House passed the antiabortion bill on Friday, which prohibits abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy.The bill comes as lawmakers in multiple states have passed restrictive abortion laws that advocates on both sides say are aimed at getting the Supreme Court to consider overturning Roe v Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalised abortion nationwide.Mr Hovis' remarks recalled a controversial comment made in 2012 by Todd Akin, a former Missouri congressman, that "legitimate rape" rarely causes pregnancy.After losing a 2012 race for US Senate, Mr Akin tried to clarify his words, saying he should have said "legitimate case of rape."The Washington Post
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| SAT to give students 'adversity score' Posted: 18 May 2019 12:20 PM PDT  Students will now be given an 'adversity score' to show challenges they have overcome based on their environment.
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| This Missile Might be the U.S. Navy's Important Weapon in Decades Posted: 19 May 2019 10:00 AM PDT  The Tomahawk and its controversies might make headlines, but as the U.S. Navy re-arms for high-tech warfare, the SM-6 is the missile to watch.The U.S. Navy in late January 2019 confirmed the designation of its newest cruise missile, in the process clarifying its long-term plan for arming its growing fleet of warships.The plan heavily leans on one missile, in particular. It's the SM-6, an anti-aircraft weapon that quickly is evolving to perform almost every role the Navy assigns to a missile.(This first appeared earlier in the year.)The Navy dubbed the newest version of the venerable Tomahawk cruise missile the "Block V" model, Jane's reported. There are two separate variants of the Block V missile, one with an anti-ship warhead and another with a warhead the Navy optimized for striking targets on land.Raytheon's Tomahawk has been the subject of controversy in Washington, D.C. In order to save money the Obama administration wanted to pause production of the long-range missile, which since the 1980s has been the Navy's main weapon for striking land targets from the sea.Congress overruled the Obama administration and continued buying Tomahawks for roughly $1 million apiece, adding potentially hundreds of the missiles to the thousands the fleet already possesses.
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| Wild video shows the moment an F-16 fighter jet crashed into a California warehouse Posted: 18 May 2019 11:22 AM PDT  In a wild story that was captured on video, an F-16 fighter jet crashed into a warehouse in Riverside, California shortly after takeoff yesterday afternoon. The pilot managed to safely eject from the plane before the crash and is said to have suffered no injuries, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.A full-on investigation into the cause of the crash will certainly yield more details, but early reports suggest that a hydraulics failure was the reason behind the malfunction and subsequent crash.Video of the impact was captured by a nearby car's dashboard cam.> Ty Stanonis was on the freeway when the crash occurred ahead of him, he told FOX11. His vehicle's dashboard camera recorded the moment the jet crashed, showing the plane dropping into the building.> > "Everybody was slowing down, just trying to figure out what just happened," Stanonis said.> > The pilot's parachute deployed after he ejected, and he landed in a field inside the base. Stanonis said the pilot was still for a few moments but finally rose to his feet.The moment of impact can be seen in the first few seconds of the video below.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j4dzuttA1wFootage captured from within the warehouse can be seen below. It's worth noting that the video contains explicit language.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ho35RgfUfIMiraculously, no one in the warehouse was seriously injured as a result of the crash, though a few individuals were taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation for minor injuries.Further, the F-16 was said to be carrying live ammunition which thankfully -- and remarkably -- did not go off. All in all, what could have been an all-out disaster resulted in no deaths or serious injuries
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| Al Jazeera suspends two journalists over Holocaust report Posted: 19 May 2019 11:00 AM PDT  Qatari state-funded broadcaster Al Jazeera suspended two journalists on Sunday over a video they produced claiming the extent of the Holocaust was being misrepresented by Jews. The clip, posted by Al Jazeera's online AJ+ Arabic service, claimed "the narrative" that the Nazis killed six million Jews was "adopted by the Zionist movement". The video said that "along with others, the Jews faced a policy of systematic persecution which culminated in the Final Solution".
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| Trump lashes out at Justin Amash after Republican calls for impeachment Posted: 19 May 2019 12:03 PM PDT  * Mitt Romney declines to join calls for Congress to act * No holds Barred: Trump pushes for imperial presidencyPresident-elect Donald Trump and Mitt Romney dine in New York in November 2016. Photograph: Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesAs Donald Trump opened fire on Justin Amash, the Michigan representative who became the first Republican in Congress to call for his impeachment, Mitt Romney declined to join the fight.The former presidential nominee and Republican senator from Utah accused Donald Trump of lacking humility, honesty and integrity – but stopped short of calling for his impeachment and removal from power.Romney was scathing about the picture of the president that emerges from the Mueller report into Russian interference in the 2016 election, the redacted version of which he said he had spent two days reading in full. He said on Sunday its findings were "troubling, unfortunate and distressing".But he said he did not think it was time for Congress to call for impeachment."I don't think there is the full element which you need to prove the obstruction of justice case," he told CNN's State of the Union.> I don't think there is the full element which you need to prove the obstruction of justice case> > Mitt RomneyMueller did not find that Trump or his aides conspired with Russia but he did lay out 11 instances of possible obstruction of justice by Trump or his campaign and indicated Congress should decide how to proceed. Controversially, attorney general William Barr said in his own summary of the then unseen Mueller report that Trump had not obstructed justice.Romney's sharp but qualified criticism of Trump came a day after Amash became the first Republican to break ranks and call for impeachment. In a stream of tweets, Amash said the Mueller report showed "President Trump engaged in specific actions and a pattern of behavior that meet the threshold for impeachment".Amash and Romney are significant figures within their party, as they stand virtually alone in having the temerity to challenge Trump in public. But the fact that Romney would not join Amash on impeachment is an indication of the impenetrable wall of opposition the party is likely to erect should Democrats initiate proceedings.Just why became clear later on Sunday, when Trump aimed his Twitter account at Amash.Saying he was "never a fan", he called Amash "a total lightweight who opposes me and some of our great Republican ideas and policies just for the sake of getting his name out there through controversy".Trump also accused Amash of not having read the Mueller report – the congressman made much of saying he had in fact read all 448 pages – and, while repeating familiar complaints about Mueller, wrote: "Justin is a loser who sadly plays right into our opponents [sic] hands!"In fact, Amash's sole call for impeachment on the Republican side may not do much to move the political dial. Democrats are edging closer to launching proceedings, but not for the reasons the congressman outlined.Adam Schiff, the Democratic chair of the House intelligence committee, told CBS's Face the Nation there were no signs of the Republican-controlled Senate moving towards impeachment. Nonetheless, Democrats were becoming more minded to take it on, he said, as a tool to increase pressure on the Trump administration to hand over key documents, including the unredacted Mueller report, that it is refusing to submit to congressional oversight."What may be pushing towards impeachment has less to do with Justin Amash and more to do with the administration engaging in a maximum obsctructionism campaign against Congress," Schiff said.Adam Schiff, centre, seen at a Senate hearing this week. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/APRomney, who ran unsuccessfully against Barack Obama in 2012, said impeachment was not just a legal matter. It must also, he said, "consider the practicality of politics, and the American people are just not there".He added: "The Senate is not there either."Democratic leadership has also considered public opinion, and what impeachment might do to motivate Trump's base, when weighing up whether to make the move.Despite his reluctance to go all the way into impeachment, Romney has showed himself willing to take on Trump. In April he issued a statement saying: "I am sickened at the extent and pervasiveness of dishonesty and misdirection by individuals in the highest office of the land, including the president."He told CNN the Mueller report distressed him."The number of times there were items of dishonesty, misleading the American public and media – those are not things you would want to see from the highest office in the land."He said that in terms of three crucial features of a president – humility, honesty and integrity – Trump has "distanced himself from some of the best qualities of the human character".Such was his disgust with Trump as a presidential candidate in 2016, Romney wrote in his wife Ann on to the presidential election ballot, thereby voting for her instead. He told CNN he had not yet decided if he would do the same next year.
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| Katyusha rocket fired into Baghdad Green Zone Posted: 19 May 2019 12:24 PM PDT  A Katyusha rocket was fired Sunday into Baghdad's Green Zone housing government offices and embassies including the US mission, days after the United States evacuated staff from Iraq citing threats from Iran. Tensions between the US and Iran have been high since Washington withdrew last year from the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major world powers, and they have soared in the past few weeks. Despite international scepticism, the US government has cited alleged threats from Iran, a long-time enemy of both Washington and its regional allies, including Israel and Saudi Arabia, but a powerbroker in Iraq.
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| Modi’s jobs deficit: J&J’s largest India plant idle three years after completion Posted: 19 May 2019 01:20 AM PDT  It was to eventually employ at least 1,500 people and help bring development to a rural area near Hyderabad in southern India. Two sources familiar with J&J's operations in India and one state government official told Reuters production at the plant, at Penjerla in Telangana state, never began because of a slowing in the growth in demand for the products. One of them said that demand didn't rise as expected because of two shock policy moves by Prime Minister Narendra Modi: a late 2016 ban on then circulating high-value currency notes, and the nationwide introduction of a goods and services tax (GST) in 2017.
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| Let Me Tell You About the Worst Submarine of All Time Posted: 18 May 2019 01:20 AM PDT  For the Worst Submarine of All Time, I go further and nominate an entire silent service: the undersea arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN).There are many candidates for this dubious honor. After all, submarining has been around for well over a century now. Many ships render honorable but unexceptional service. Standouts emerge, generally in times of strife, as do "floating coffins" and plain old hard-luck ships.And there are some that subtract value from the nation's effort to reach its strategic and political aims. This is the unpardonable sin.The idea of ships that could submerge has been around since antiquity. Combat submersibles date to the Turtle, a hand-propelled contraption built to smite Royal Navy ships from beneath during the War of American Independence. But subs really became a going concern during the fin de siècle age, when propulsion technologies such as batteries, electric motors, and internal-combustion engines came to maturity around the same time.Combining these technologies yielded the diesel-electric propulsion plant, a hybrid affair that enabled subs to run silent, run deep on quiet electric motors when submerged and run on diesels and recharge batteries while cruising the surface. At the direction of First Sea Lord Jacky Fisher, the Royal Navy ordered five rudimentary boats designed by John Phillip Holland in 1900, and the age of modern undersea warfare was on.
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| US pilots warned about flying over Iranian territory amid rising tensions in Middle East Posted: 18 May 2019 12:54 PM PDT  US airlines have been warned by diplomats that their planes face a risk of being "misidentified" as they fly over the Gulf amid heightened tensions between America and Iran, A notice from the Federal Aviation Association (FAA) published on 16 May underlined the risks the tensions pose to a region crucial to global air travel.The guidance warned US pilots to be cautious in flying over the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, as there is "heightened military activities and increased political tension" between the two states.Washington has dispatched naval warships and bombers to the region in an attempt to protect American interests, diplomats, and forces from what it called Iranian aggression. The FAA warning only applies to US registered aircraft, pilots, and US carriers. The UK is understood not to have issued a similar warning.The warning stated that tensions may "present an increasing inadvertent risk to US civil aviation operations due to the potential for miscalculation or misidentification".The FAA also warned of potential GPS interference and communications jamming in the area, which they say may occur with "little to no warning".The region is home to major hub airports, including Dubai International, the busiest international airport in the world.
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| Genesis Intends to Build the Essentia Concept as an EV, and It May Be Powered by Hydrogen Posted: 19 May 2019 06:00 AM PDT  The premium brand doesn't want the concept from last year's show circuit to fade away.
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| AP sources: Former CIA chief Brennan to brief Dems on Iran Posted: 19 May 2019 05:13 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats will hear from former CIA Director John Brennan about the situation in Iran, inviting him to speak next week amid heightened concerns over the Trump administration's sudden moves in the region.
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| Scouted: Tevas Sandals Will Survive Anything You Put Them Through And Look Good Doing It Posted: 18 May 2019 07:00 AM PDT  In two weeks, I'm traveling to Africa for the first time. When I step off that plane I'll be stepping onto my third continent in roughly a year. When I step off that plane, I'll be stepping out wearing my trusty Tevas. Africa will be their third continent in a year, too. I paired my Tevas with a silk jumpsuit while wedding dress shopping in L.A. I wore my Tevas on assignment in the Florida Everglades, crouched down in the hull of a swamp boat, hoping an alligator wouldn't chomp on my exposed toes. I protected said toes' modesty by wearing socks with my Tevas in Oman's Grand Mosque. I was wearing my Tevas a few nights ago when, slightly drunk on mezcal in Mexico, I fell into an open sewer.The fact that my Tevas seemed like the appropriate footwear for all of these scenarios is what makes them the perfect travel companion, and it's this low-key adaptability that makes me so obsessed with the brand. Now listen, I was (as perhaps you are now) skeptical at first. The last time I owned Tevas I was still wearing polar-fleece half-zip pullovers and eating raisins in the backseat of a neighbor's Volkswagen as they carpooled me to mandatory recreational sports practice. Developed in the 80s by a geophysicist/whitewater rafting guide, the brand (whose name translates to "nature" in Hebrew) has always represented a certain crunchy outdoorsiness that angsty kids who grew into East Coast city-goths like me shun out of habit. Tevas were for kids whose parents took them hiking and taught them the proper pronunciation of the word "nature" in Hebrew (it's Teh-vuh, not Tee-vuh.) But times, and I, have changed. Last year my travel schedule created the need for something I could only describe as a "performance sandal." After scoping the orthopedic curves and elastic straps of brands like Keen and Merrell, I was desperate for something that was simultaneously utilitarian and cute. In walked Teva. Women's Original Universal Sandal, $50 from TevaAs a brand, they know their reputation, but rather than ignore it by earnestly marketing to outdoor enthusiasts, they seem to be cheekily owning their identity. Like Timberlands, or other labels that have successfully made the jump from utility to streetwear, Teva isn't forsaking their core product; they are just having a little fun with it. Not only does their website have a section about how to pair their products with socks, you can even choose the height of the platform. Platforms might not be the best choice for long-endurance activities, but the brand's recent bright collab with Outdoor Voices signals that they aren't straying too far from their roots -- only updating it for a new type of colorway-conscious, Instagram-styled consumer. My Instagram DM's have been a battleground of opinions from friends and followers. . This divisiveness isn't all that surprising considering that Tevas are manufactured by the same parent company who own UGGs. Both brands flaunt a pragmatic anti-style that breeds intense loyalty. By designing shoes that apparently never even take into account sex-appeal, they're allowing women to subvert the tired old "fashion over function" trope. By insisting that function is fashion, fans can winkingly claim their comfort while feeling like provocateurs. At least, this is the narrative that runs through my head when I strap my amazingly adjustable Tevas on my much-abused feet and walk into a fancy restaurant. Their minimalist sensibility blended with unsentimental design, contribute to the effortless road-savvy, cool-girl travel aesthetic so many woman (including myself) try to project. Besides, as anyone who grew up in the 90s can attest, a strappy sandal pairs well with everything, even when drenched in Mexican sewer water. Scouted is internet shopping with a pulse. Follow us on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter for even more recommendations and exclusive content. Please note that if you buy something featured in one of our posts, The Daily Beast may collect a share of sales.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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| OPEC+ Has More Work to Do Because Inventories Are Rising, Minister Says Posted: 18 May 2019 03:40 PM PDT  "The job is not complete," Al Mazrouei told reporters in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah. Saudi Arabia, Russia and other oil producers in a global coalition are meeting in Jeddah this weekend to consider whether they'll need to continue keeping supplies restrained during the second half of the year.
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| What Are the Best Inexpensive Small SUVs? Posted: 19 May 2019 03:17 AM PDT  This member question submitted to Ask Our Experts touches on a common need. We like that it is focused on the goal, rather than strictly how to achieve it. In this case, it would be wise to resis...
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| Former House Democratic Caucus Chair Joe Crowley on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's impact on the 2020 race Posted: 18 May 2019 10:18 AM PDT  Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez takes veiled swipe at former Vice President Joe Biden over climate change.
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| Australian PM heads to church, football after 'miracle' election win Posted: 19 May 2019 12:15 AM PDT  Morrison's Liberal-led conservative coalition has won or is leading in 76 seats, the number needed to form a majority government, according to the Australian Electoral Commission. A jubilant Morrison hugged community members after an early Sunday service at the Horizon Church in Sydney's southern suburbs, from where he was first elected to parliament in 2007. The result drew comparisons with Republican Donald Trump's victory over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
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| Target is selling a giant unicorn float that will hold up to 6 people Posted: 18 May 2019 07:15 AM PDT  Ever wanted to lay out on the water at the beach in a giant unicorn float withfive of your friends? Sure you have! And this summer, it's happening
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| Here are the five worst Dow Jones industrial average performers as trade dispute escalates Posted: 19 May 2019 08:22 AM PDT ![Here are the five worst Dow Jones industrial average performers as trade dispute escalates]( "Here are the five worst Dow Jones industrial average performers as trade dispute escalates") The Dow turned volatile as the trade war between the US and China escalated the last two weeks, producing stock losers and winners.
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| Michael Bennet Understands Exactly What's Gone Wrong in America Posted: 17 May 2019 07:54 PM PDT  Zach Gibson/GettyAs frightening as this historical moment is in so many ways, it's hopeful in one respect. We may finally be at a point when a majority of people are ready to ditch supply-side economics. The economy is doing very well right now, so it seems in one sense a counterintuitive argument. But Americans are increasingly recognizing that even this good economy is mostly good for the top 10 percent, especially the top 1 and .1 percent; and that if you live in one of these 50 counties or hundreds of others like them where the unemployment rates are more than twice the national average and the poverty rates are above 25 percent, the economy doesn't feel that great at all.There's a story for the Democrats to tell here. A story of a country where prosperity was once broadly shared, because politicians of both parties in those days agreed that investments in ourselves and our future were good, and that there was an inextricable link between democracy and broadly shared prosperity. I wrote about this link recently in the Times, and they tell me it did gangbusters traffic, not because it was Shakespeare but because it's a subject people care about devoutly and want to hear public figures address.Enter Colorado Senator Michael Bennet. One morning a while back I'd dropped the kid off at school and I tuned in to Morning Joe. I heard a voice saying: "Trump is not the cause of our problems. The cause of our problems is 40 years of economic immobility for 90 percent of the American people. Stagnant wages over that period of time. Periods when we had economic growth, but for most Americans, those were periods of recession. We have to fix that. It's going to take us a generation to do it."Oh my God. Naturally I thought this person was brilliant, because he was talking exactly the way I write. As the segment ended I heard them say thank you, senator, but they didn't say a name. I emailed a guy I know who works on the show and asked. Yep, he wrote, that was Michael Bennet.Shortly thereafter, Bennet, a former schools superintendent, got a prostate cancer diagnosis. Today he declares himself "miraculously cured," and makes sure to tell a visitor that the cost of his cure was $55,000, of which he had to pay only $1,800. "It made me realize just how insane it would be to get the same diagnosis without insurance," he said. "Or not to get the diagnosis at all because you didn't have a primary care doctor because you didn't have insurance."Now, Bennet—the brother as it happens of New York Times editorial page editor James Bennet, the only one-t Bennets I've ever heard of—is running for president. Is he likely to win? No. Woke lefties write him off as too moderate, because he is not for Medicare for All and because he says things about how he still thinks it's possible to find reasonable Republicans in the Senate to work with. But however you feel about his proposals, whether you're center or left, you must listen to his analysis of the problem, because he is exactly correct, and he's saying it better and more clearly than anyone else running.So I sat down with him last week in his Capitol building hideaway office (complete with foosball table!) between votes. Unlike most pols, who stay focused on the moment, his perspective is relentlessly historical. "Maybe," he mused, "we're finally at the end of the Reagan era. Maybe there are things we can do together as a country to improve the economic condition of all of us."This is why he's running, he tells me—to say these things: "I didn't think this was getting the articulation it deserves among the people who were running… I thought it was important to give voice to this and see what would happen."To that end, most of our interview was him showing me a PowerPoint presentation—"this'll be the first time I've walked anybody through his," he says—that he and his staff assembled to tell the story of the inequality and stagnation of the last 40 years for the vast majority of the population. Slide 1, Wages for most Americans have been flat for decades; Slide 2, The rich are getting richer; Slide 4, The building blocks of the middle class are out of reach; Slide 12, America is no longer leading the world in investment. He goes into much deeper detail in an upcoming book, The Land of Flickering Lights: Restoring America in an Age of Broken Politics. It's a campaign book, yes, but it's a smart and substantive one. As much as this sort of thing excites me, I'm unfortunately not confident it's going to get the hearing it deserves. He's not bombastic. He's no moralist. He did say one thing in particular during our chat that really caught my ear and may catch others': "Since 2001, we've spent $5 trillion on tax cuts, almost all of which has gone to the richest people in the country, and we've spent $5.6 trillion on wars in the Middle East. So that's $11 or $12 trillion we haven't spent addressing any of the issues we could have addressed." If his rhetoric were a pop song, that's the line that strikes me as the hook. That, plus the fact that he says he wants to take on Big Pharma, which I think is a great issue.So we'll see what happens. The one thing he said that I really disagreed with and challenged him on was that if he were president and the Democrats took control of the Senate, he would not ditch the filibuster. I said: So you'd pass nothing. He has no illusions about Mitch McConnell ("ruthless," "immune to give-and-take unless he's taking everything"), but he still thinks a few Republicans could be pressured or persuaded to vote with him. OK, good luck with that.But that's hypothetical. What's real is his analysis of the recent economic history of this country. As they said in a movie that came out back when the supply-side era started, nobody does it better.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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| US 'afraid' of war with Iran, claims head of Revolutionary Guard Posted: 19 May 2019 11:22 AM PDT  The US is "afraid" of war with the US, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard said as tensions between Tehran and Washington intensified over the weekend. Major General Hossein Salami told the Iranian state news agency, IRNA, that the country does not want war. "The difference between us and them is that they are afraid of war and don't have the will for it," he said. His remarks came against a backdrop of increased volatility in the region, with the US sending an aircraft carrier strike group to the Persian Gulf to counter an unspecified threat from Iran. Major General Salami's comments were dismissed by the US president on Twitter. "If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!" Mr Trump tweeted. The US Federal Aviation Administration has urged commercial aircraft to exercise caution when flying over the Persian Gulf, warning they ran the risk of being "misidentified". How Iran has stoked tensions in Gulf A similar misunderstanding in 1988 led to an American warship bringing down an Iran Air flight, killing all 290 people on board. Iraq, meanwhile, has condemned as "political" a decision by US energy giant ExxonMobil to evacuate staff from a southern oil field after Washington ordered personnel to quit its Baghdad embassy. Saudi Arabia responded to the escalating crisis by calling for a Gulf summit, adding that while the country did not want war it would defend itself if hostilities erupted. John Bolton wants tough line with Iran Credit: Joshua Roberts/Reuters In Washington Donald Trump has emerged as a dove within his own administration, telling his acting defence secretary, Patrick Shanahan, that he wants to avoid an armed conflict erupting. It has put the US president at odds with John Bolton, his national security adviser and a long-standing foreign policy hawk, who has made little secret of his desire for regime change in Tehran. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has also sought to lower the temperature by asking European allies to intervene with Iran. Washington's stance on Iran has put it at odds with European allies, notably after it withdrew from the nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration. Over the weekend Tulsi Gabbard, an Iraq war veteran and Democratic presidential candidate, rounded on Mr Trump and Mr Pompeo accusing them of leading the country into a war with Iran. "He says he doesn't want it, but the actions of him and his administration, people like John Bolton and Mike Pompeo, tell us a very different story," she said on ABC. "They are setting the stage for a war with Iran that would prove to be far more costly, far more devastating and dangerous than anything that we saw in the Iraq war."
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| Does Sunscreen Expire? Posted: 18 May 2019 03:00 AM PDT  The unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day, isn't too far off. And it's around this time that many people start taking stock of their sunscreen supply. Do you need to buy a new bottle, or will ...
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| Cold Brew’s Insidious Hegemony Posted: 18 May 2019 02:00 AM PDT  Soon, many parts of the United States will be unbearably hot. Texans and Arizonans will be able to bake cookies on their car dashboards; the garbage on the streets of New York will be especially pungent; Washington will not only figuratively be a swamp. And all across America, coffee consumers will turn their backs on traditional coffee in favor of a more "refreshing" vehicle for caffeine: cold brew.As conservatives, we are inherently skeptical of any change of language norms that seeks to warp the objective meaning of words, and so we defend terms such as "man and woman," "traditional marriage," and now, we must defend "coffee." "Coffee" is defined as a hot beverage made by steeping coffee in boiling water. Cold brew is made by soaking beans overnight, and the drink relies on time instead of heat to extract the flavor. The major disqualifying factor is that it's cold.Starbucks's imperial command over coffee is greatly responsible for this Orwellian redefinition. Its ubiquitous mermaid logo may read "Starbucks Coffee," but the corporate café caliphate makes most of its profit from drinks sugary enough to induce a diabetic coma in a small mammal. Even more sinister is that Starbucks expanded into Milan in 2018, irreverently flexing its muscle at coffee purists who turn up their noses while its ostentatious drinks conquer the international beverage forum, marginalizing and undermining traditional coffee.Smaller coffee shops have followed in Starbucks's footsteps. Today, "Let's go out for coffee!" seems like an innocent request from a coworker or friend, and it should suggest that the order will include a cup of boiled water that was brewed with coffee beans — whether it's a single shot of espresso or a cup of café americano, made with a French press or Moka Express. But too often, they mean something else. In the summer, they mean cold brew.One New York City coffee-store owner told the New York Times in 2017 that in the summer, 65 percent of the "coffee" he sells is iced — every other part of the year, 75 percent of the "coffee" sold is hot. Iced coffee itself is a cousin of cold brew, but with nearly all of hot coffee's features except the most significant one: heat. It's brewed the same way, and then cooled. But demand for cold brew specifically is increasing, unsurprisingly, among my generation: Millennials. A habit of subversive behavior among Millennials has driven us to attack all of our civilization's most sacred institutions, including coffee — the backbone of American productivity.As cold brew's popularity metastasizes, usurping coffee for several months of the year, will we forget our proud national heritage? Cold brew requires patience and planning: One must make a prediction of business the next day in order to estimate how much to make the night before. This is a clear break from our proud tradition of urgency. While the harvesting and roasting of good coffee beans surely requires patience, has prepared coffee ever been associated with anything other than the quick satiation of a morning addiction, or the rush to meet a deadline? Like bread, coffee is a staple for good reason: One needs only five minutes, a heat source, a filtration method, and the beans. It's dependable and democratic.Coffee has even provoked constitutional debate. Would we have considered tort reform within the framework of the Seventh Amendment had it not been for 1994's infamous hot-coffee lawsuit, Liebeck v. McDonald's?To those who will, during the summer months, abandon the beverage that gives many of us our will to live in the mornings, I ask just one concession to coffee purists: Drink your cold brew, but please, don't call it "coffee."
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| Austrian president calls for September poll in wake of scandal Posted: 19 May 2019 12:09 PM PDT  Austria's president on Sunday called for fresh elections in September after a corruption scandal embroiling the far-right brought down the coalition government in spectacular fashion. Just days before key EU elections, Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache was forced to resign in disgrace Saturday following explosive revelations from a hidden camera sting. Conservative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz -- whose 18-month coalition with Strache's far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) had been held up as a model by many on the European right -- reacted by pulling the plug on their union.
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| UK PM May to make 'new, bold offer' in Brexit bill, Labour skeptical Posted: 19 May 2019 05:54 AM PDT  After failing three times to get parliament's approval for her deal, the government will now put the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, legislation which will enact that deal, before parliament for a vote in early June. "Whatever the outcome of any (indicative) votes, I will not be simply asking MPs (lawmakers) to think again. The date of the vote and the substance of what lawmakers will be asked to consider - including whether they will be given chance to indicate what preferences might secure a majority before the vote is binding - have yet to be made public.
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| Comey tears into Bar for 'slimming his own department' Posted: 17 May 2019 08:18 PM PDT  Reaction to Comey's remarks from former independent counsel Sol Wisenberg and national security attorney Bradley Moss.
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| Duterte Signing Papers, Not Confined in Hospital, Spokesman Says Posted: 19 May 2019 01:23 AM PDT ![Duterte Signing Papers, Not Confined in Hospital, Spokesman Says]( "Duterte Signing Papers, Not Confined in Hospital, Spokesman Says") "I just talked to him," spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement Sunday. ABS-CBN News said in a report citing social media posts that Duterte was in a hospital in Metro Manila since Friday and that the medical center was under tight security. Sara Duterte, mayor of Davao City, said she hadn't received any report that her father was ill, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.
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| GOP's Weld says he's most pro-choice candidate in 2020 race Posted: 18 May 2019 05:59 PM PDT  EXETER, N.H. (AP) — President Donald Trump's only major Republican primary challenger said Saturday that the recent spate of abortion laws being passed in states like Alabama has him feeling "terrible," and declared that abortion is a decision the government should not come anywhere near.
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| Grumpy Cat lives forever on the internet. These were some of her best memes Posted: 19 May 2019 10:54 AM PDT  Grumpy Cat may be gone, but the feline star lives on forever thanks to the internet. These were some of the best memes starring Grumpy Cat.
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| DCCC Wants to Save a Pro-Life Dem. Dems Ask: at What Cost? Posted: 17 May 2019 07:52 PM PDT  Tom WilliamsThe day after Alabama lawmakers passed a law to ban nearly all abortions in the state, House Democrats confronted some tricky optics: a Chicago Business report revealed that the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was scheduled to headline a June fundraiser for the most staunchly pro-life Democrat left in Congress.The move raised howls of protest from progressives, who have sought to make that Democrat, Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL), the next moderate to be unseated by a challenger to their left. The passage of the Alabama law and restrictive abortion laws in other states has only intensified that push."It's hypocritical for the Democratic Party leadership to continue to protect Lipinski while claiming to fight against the attacks on reproductive rights in states like Georgia and Alabama." said Waleed Shahid, communications director for Justice Democrats. In the 2018 primary, Lipinski was nearly defeated by Marie Newman, who is competing against him again in 2020 in this safely blue Chicago-area district. Unlike last time, however, Lipinski has the DCCC chair on his side: Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL) has made a promise to back all incumbents, and has donated to Lipinski from her personal committee in addition to appearing at a fundraiser to benefit him. Progressive ire directed at the DCCC is hardly new. Only months into the 2020 cycle, the party's official House campaign arm had already incensed progressives for codifying a policy to not do business with vendors who support primary challengers to incumbents—slammed as a "blacklist" by some on the left.But the Lipinski episode transcends the typical left vs. establishment drama that has permeated the DCCC in recent years. It raises a difficult question for Democrats: At a moment when abortion rights are more vulnerable than they have been in decades, does their "big tent" have room for members who do not support those rights?Lipinski thinks so, at least. "This is exactly the wrong time to be forming a circular firing squad when we need to be together, work together, to beat President Trump in 2020, as well as keeping the House and winning the Senate," he told The Daily Beast on Thursday."Certainly, Cheri Bustos is making it very clear as chair of the DCCC her support for me, and I think the party leadership understands the need for not pushing people out right when we're trying to work together," he added. But for a diverse set of Democrats, having an opponent of abortion in their ranks is increasingly untenable–especially one like Lipinski. Though there are several other House Democrats with anti-abortion views, Lipinski is the only House Democrat to have received a zero percent score from NARAL Pro-Choice America, a leading advocacy group. He is one of two House Democrats to have a 75 percent score from the National Right to Life Committee. Lipinski, who has said he believes life begins at conception, has resisted leaving the party over his views on abortion. According to a 2018 report from the pro-choice outlet Rewire News, Lipinski told a pro-life gathering "I've always believed, and I always say, the Democratic Party says it stands up for the little guy, and there's no one who is more vulnerable than the unborn, who need the protection. And so I'm hanging in there."Since arriving in Congress in 2005, Lipinski has been a reliable vote for anti-abortion legislation.In particular, he has voted for bills to grant legal personhood rights to fetuses, and he voted against the Affordable Care Act, arguing that it would help fund access to abortion. At press time, Lipinski's office had not responded for request for comment on his views on Alabama's abortion bill.Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), who successfully primaried an incumbent himself, was the first to publicly hit Bustos for fundraising on behalf of Lipinski on Wednesday night."It's tone deaf for the DCCC to be supporting Lipinski when Roe vs. Wade is under threat in a way it hasn't been in my whole lifetime," Khanna told The Daily Beast on Thursday. "This is a moment where the Democratic Party needs to be doing everything possible to affirm the constitutional right of a woman to choose. It makes no sense to be supporting someone who doesn't recognize that right."A DCCC spokesperson said that Bustos does not agree with Lipinski on abortion, but "she made a promise to stand behind all of our incumbents in their campaigns—from the Blue Dogs to the progressives. She keeps her word, and she is focused on defeating Republicans so we can continue growing the most diverse Majority in our nation's history."But Bustos' fundraiser has only emboldened those on the left who had been preparing for primary battles in safe blue districts already. And even more institutional Democratic-aligned groups like Planned Parenthood Action Fund, EMILY's List and NARAL Pro-Choice America backed Newman earlier this month. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) did as well, as she had done last cycle. "She's in a position of defending a man who is in the House because of a reactionary, right-wing group," Sean McElwee, co-founder of the progressive think tank Data for Progress said, referring to canvassing efforts on Lipinksi's behalf from the pro-life organization Susan B. Anthony List in 2018. "I think there's a very real chance he loses. And I think there's a very real chance that a number of incumbents lose and I think this is in a lot of ways her Waterloo," McElwee added. "This is the proof positive that the method of going to war with progressives is not actually the best path forward for the party." In 2018, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi ultimately backed Lipinski in the primary. But she faces pressure to remain neutral heading into 2020. "I hope she and others will stay out of it, given how choice is now under threat and how vulnerable it is," said Khanna. Pelosi's office did not respond to request for comment. On Thursday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) told The Daily Beast that discussions were happening among progressives concerning the DCCC's support for Lipinski. "If we don't really approach this and make the hard decisions we need to make as a party about who we are and what we stand for, we cannot say that we're fighting for women's rights if we're fundraising for people and if we're, as an apparatus, actively supporting candidates who want to take our rights away," she said."I just don't understand how this is even a thing." Two former DCCC staffers, both of whom identified with the establishment wing of the party, echoed Ocasio-Cortez's frustrations. "This is not activists vs. the DCCC on this issue," one said. "This is 2019, we're talking about Chicago, Illinois—the guy is not pro-choice.""There's no room for him anymore," the other former DCCC staffer said. "There's no room for this anymore. Maybe they could 10 years ago, but I just don't see now how they can compromise on this.""I try to defend the DCCC at any cost, and this is just nuts to me."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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| Boeing's New Version of the AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter Might Be a 'Re-Run' Posted: 19 May 2019 01:00 PM PDT  This seems a little strange. Boeing has released concept footage of a high-speed Apache attack helicopter during the Vertical Flight Society's 75th Annual Forum & Technology Display- and it looks awfully familiar.Known as the Advanced AH-64 Block 2 Compound, the concept will serve as an interim solution in the U.S. Army Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program.Interestingly enough, the high-tech mode doesn't seem so high-tech, when one looks back at the AH-56 Cheyenne, which first flew in 1967.Derived from the Army's Advanced Aerial Fire Support System program, which ultimately ended in only ten being built.Advanced before its time, the Cheyenne was an impressive helicopter that was limited only by the technology of the era.While the AH-64 Apache technology partially came from the Cheyenne, the development has seemingly come full-circle. In addition to powerplant and control changes, the weapons "wings" and 30mm chain gun have also undergone changes.With a rear-mounted pusher propeller, a large vertical fin and a new engine exhaust setup, the new Block 2 Compounds are rather futuristic.According to Defence Blog, Boeing is dead set on keeping the Apache fleet "capable on the highly complex multi-domain battlefield of the future through 2060."A wind tunnel test model was featured at the Vertical Flight Society's 75th Annual Forum & Technology Display.
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