| Donald Trump Upstaged at G7 By Foreign Minister of ... Iran Posted: 25 Aug 2019 09:50 AM PDT  Jeff J Mitchell/ReutersIt looked like President Donald Trump was set up for a diplomatic ambush at the Group of Seven summit on Sunday when Iran's foreign minister suddenly flew into town.The arrival of the smooth-talking Javad Zarif at the elegant French beach resort of Biarritz, where the leaders of the seven most industrialized democracies are gathered, underscored a key conflict between Trump and the rest about how to deal with Iran's nuclear ambitions. 'Absolute Amateur Hour': Team Trump Mangles Messages to IranLast year, the U.S. pulled out of an agreement that severely limited for several years Iran's production and stockpiling of nuclear fuel and imposed an extensive inspection regime. Trump claimed the accord forged under Barack Obama was a disastrous deal, and he could do better.A senior French diplomat told reporters at the G7 summit in Biarritz that Macron informed Trump over lunch on Saturday that Zarif would be coming, and told the rest of the summit participants at dinner that night. The Trump administration imposed sanctions specifically targeting Zarif earlier this month, but when Trump was asked for a reaction after the the visit became public, his initial comment was, "No comment."Although Trump has said he would be willing to meet with Iran's leaders, they have so far declined, and a tweet from the Iranian foreign ministry stated flatly, "There will be no meetings or negotiations with the American delegation on this trip."Trump has insisted he can force Iran to make more concessions, not only about nukes, but about its missiles and extensive proxy forces outside its borders, most notably Hezbollah, and to that end the U.S. has imposed draconian sanctions crippling the Iranian economy while punishing its trading partners.Germany, France and Britain–all signatories of the Iran deal, and all represented at the G7–have sought desperately to shore up the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the agreement is called. They share Trump's view that missiles and proxies are serious issues, but they believe it makes more sense to keep the nuclear agreement that exists rather than throw all the cards up in the air.To try to keep Iran on board, the Europeans have been discussing various mechanisms to try to bypass the American sanctions, but with little success. Meanwhile, step by calculated step, Iran terminates bits of the JCPOA. As Iran-U.S. Tensions Rise, Hezbollah Readies for War With IsraelIn June, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, also at the G7 this weekend, visited Tehran to try to calm the situation, but to no avail. Indeed, holes were blown in a Japanese tanker by mysterious, presumably Iranian, agents at the same time as Abe's visit.It's likely that Zarif's visit to Biarritz is mainly political theater orchestrated by Macron, and there is little hope it will resolve an increasingly dangerous standoff between the U.S. and Iran. Already we have seen attacks on shipping near the strategic Strait of Hormuz and the recent British seizure, then release against U.S. objections, of an Iranian tanker at Gibraltar. Last month, when Iran downed an American drone it claimed was over its territorial waters, Trump gave a green light, then a red one, to a retaliatory attack that would have killed a number of Iranian personnel.Meanwhile, as The Daily Beast has reported, Iran's clients in Lebanon and Syria, the Hezbollah militias, are preparing for war with Israel as part of a wider conflagration, and Israel is attacking Iranian installations in Iraq as well as Syria.What Zarif's visit to the G7 summit might do is calm the situation and buy some 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. Learn more.
|
| Man found with mummified remains called dangerous to society Posted: 26 Aug 2019 02:11 PM PDT  Prosecutors called a New Jersey man "dangerous to society" after pieces of a human body were found in his closet, including a head, part of an arm, and a torso dressed in a necktie and suit jacket. Robert Williams, of Newark, pleaded not guilty Monday to desecrating human remains and separate charges of child sexual abuse. Police initially went to Williams' home to investigate allegations he abused a 12- to 13-year-old boy over several months, but when they searched the apartment they found an altar and mummified human remains that had apparently been used in religious ceremonies, according to prosecutors.
|
| Prince Andrew took a flight on Epstein private jet with Russian model Posted: 25 Aug 2019 09:39 AM PDT  In 1999, prince and Anna Malova were among nine people on previously undisclosed flight from the US Virgin Islands to FloridaPrince Andrew in 2013. Photograph: Koji Sasahara/APPrince Andrew took a previously undisclosed flight on Jeffrey Epstein's private jet with a group that included a Russian model.Andrew and Anna Malova, then 27, were among nine people on Epstein's plane for a trip from the US Virgin Islands to Florida in February 1999, according to flight logs.Malova was later jailed in the US for failing to comply with a court-ordered programme relating to her use of prescription painkillers.The discovery of the flight added to pressure on Andrew over his friendship with Epstein, who this month was found dead at 66 in his New York jail cell while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. The city medical examiner ruled the death a suicide.Andrew has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. He said in a statement on Saturday that he did not "see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort" that led to Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from an underage girl. The prince said it was a mistake to have continued seeing Epstein after that.The February 1999 flight, first reported by the Sunday Times, was recorded in logs kept by Epstein's pilots that were filed to a US court by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has alleged she was used as a sex slave by Epstein.The flight log was among almost 2,000 pages of records released by a federal judge in New York this month. It was missing from the notorious 73 pages of previously released Epstein flight logs, some of which also named Andrew as a passenger.The group flew from St Thomas, the airport closest to Epstein's private island, Little St James, to Palm Beach in Florida, where Epstein had a mansion. The disgraced money manager is accused of abusing underage girls at both properties and other sites.There is no suggestion Malova or Andrew were involved in any wrongdoing during the trip.They and Epstein were joined on the flight by others including Epstein's close friend Ghislaine Maxwell, a daughter of the late financier Robert Maxwell who has been accused by several victims of assisting Epstein's abuse of girls. Maxwell denies this.Also present was Gwendolyn Beck, a former financial industry executive and friend of Epstein, who made a failed run for Congress in Virginia in 2014. Epstein donated more than $12,000 to Beck's campaign.Malova did not respond to an email. A former Miss Russia, she moved to the US and made it to the final of the 1998 Miss Universe beauty pageant, which was then owned by Donald Trump – another former friend of Epstein.In 2010 she was accused of forging a prescription for Vicodin from a stolen doctor's pad. She was jailed in May 2011 after repeatedly arriving late for a court-mandated drug programme. She denied all the charges against her.Last week it was alleged that Andrew was once seen receiving a foot massage from "two young well-dressed Russian women" at Epstein's home in Manhattan. The claim was made in an email by the literary agent John Brockman, another former Epstein associate.Last week also saw the release of video of Andrew at Epstein's New York City home in 2010.
|
| Eggs from last northern white rhinos fertilized, scientists say Posted: 26 Aug 2019 02:51 AM PDT  Seven eggs from the world's last two remaining northern white rhinos have been successfully fertilized artificially, reviving hopes of saving the endangered animals, scientists said on Monday. The world's last male northern white rhinoceros, a 45-year-old named Sudan, died last year in Kenya, leaving only the two surviving female members of the species. Najin and Fatu are Sudan's daughter and grand-daughter and the three animals lived together at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, about 250km (155 miles) north of Nairobi, where Sudan died.
|
| Candidates hope to replicate Ocasio-Cortez's tactics across the country Posted: 25 Aug 2019 02:01 AM PDT  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., stunned the political world last year when she pulled off an upset victory against a 10-term incumbent who held a leadership position in the Democratic caucus. Now candidates are looking to replicate some of her tactics to take on Democratic incumbents across the country. According to the group the Justice Democrats, which backed Ocasio-Cortez in her race, the first-time candidate succeeded in part because of her unique social media strategy, a refusal to take money from large corporations and her recognition of issues that resonate with millennials.
|
| Saudi intercepts six Yemen rebel missiles: coalition Posted: 25 Aug 2019 01:23 PM PDT  Saudi Arabia intercepted six missiles fired by Yemeni rebels at the southern city of Jizan on Sunday, a Riyadh-led military coalition said, as the insurgents escalate cross-border attacks. The missiles fired by the Iran-aligned Huthis targeted civilians in Jizan, the coalition said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency. The rebels' Al-Masirah television said the Huthis had launched 10 "Badr 1" ballistic missiles targeting military aircraft and apache helicopters in Jizan airport and nearby military sites.
|
| Mass shootings are a call to arms for some black Americans, not a moment for gun control Posted: 26 Aug 2019 04:00 AM PDT  Black gun rights advocates say limiting access would make them more vulnerable to racist attacks, especially in the absence of real problem solving.
|
| Amazon fires: Brazil sends warplanes to dump water on devastating blaze after international outcry Posted: 26 Aug 2019 04:31 AM PDT  Brazil's warplanes are dumping water on fires across the Amazon, as Jair Bolsonaro's government scrambles to contain the damage following an international outcry.A video posted by Brazil's Defence Ministry on Saturday evening showed a military plane pumping thousands of litres of water as it passed through clouds of smoke close to a forest canopy in Rondonia state.
|
| Elizabeth Warren draws crowds as Joe Biden makes gaffes Posted: 26 Aug 2019 10:58 AM PDT  Democratic presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren could be on a collision course with frontrunner Joe Biden; Peter Doocy reports.
|
| These Luxury Watches Are Trending Now Posted: 26 Aug 2019 05:00 AM PDT |
| A Giant Raft of Volcanic Rock From an Underwater Eruption Could Help Revive the Great Barrier Reef Posted: 26 Aug 2019 02:38 AM PDT  Chunks of rock from an underwater volcano are carrying living organisms
|
| 7 escape injury in fiery plane crash at California airport Posted: 26 Aug 2019 10:06 AM PDT  Seven people escaped unhurt when a large transport plane they were on crash-landed and caught fire at Southern California's Santa Barbara Airport, authorities said. The crew declared an emergency and diverted to Santa Barbara, where it landed on its belly and skidded along a runway, the FAA said. Firefighters sprayed the aircraft with foam to douse the flames sparked in the crash.
|
| U.S. increasingly disappointed with Zimbabwe government: U.S. official Posted: 26 Aug 2019 03:48 PM PDT  The official said Washington had made clear to the government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa what it would take to improve relations between Zimbabwe and the United States. U.S. officials have previously called on Mnangagwa to change Zimbabwe's laws restricting media freedom and allowing protests.
|
| Sidney Rittenberg, former American advisor to Mao, dies at age 98 Posted: 26 Aug 2019 09:40 AM PDT  Sidney Rittenberg, a former American advisor to Mao Tse-tung who spent long spells in prison as he fell in and out of favor with China's communist leaders, has died in the state of Arizona, the New York Times reported. The rebellious son of a prominent family from Charleston, South Carolina, Rittenberg arrived in China as a US army linguist at the end of World War II, and was soon swept up in the country's epochal civil war and communist revolution. Hiking 46 days to reach Mao's mountain redoubt, he served as an interpreter and traveled with the red army.
|
| Former Staffers Urge Gillibrand to End ‘Performative and Obnoxious’ Presidential Campaign Posted: 26 Aug 2019 06:23 AM PDT  Two of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's former staffers are urging the New York Democrat to discontinue her 2020 presidential campaign rather than continue fighting to qualify for the next Democrat primary debate."It would be best if she decided that this was not her time," one longtime Gillibrand fundraiser told the New York Post. "Most people that I talk to are very happy with her as their senator and don't want her to give up her Senate seat and don't see any realistic traction for her."Gillibrand, who has yet to breach one percent in major national polls, is working to secure the 130,000 individual donations required to appear on the debate stage next month in Houston — an appearance that one former staffer believes will only serve to harm her future political career."I don't know that anyone even wants to see her on the debate stage. Everyone I have talked to finds her performative and obnoxious," a former senior staffer in Gillibrand's Senate office told the Post."She comes across as an opportunist to the public. I think that's the biggest problem," said the staffer, noting Gillibrand's reversal on gun rights and immigration restrictionism, causes she championed as a member of the House representing a rural upstate New York district but later abandoned when she ran for the upper chamber. "I think she'll have to seriously evaluate her campaign and her candidacy if she doesn't make this debate."Gillibrand has received roughly 115,000 individual donations, which places her behind upstart candidate Marianne Williamson, a self-help author with no political experience who has already surpassed the threshold required to qualify for the next debate.
|
| 7 dead, including 2 children, after a plane collided with a helicopter midair over the popular Spanish tourist island of Mallorca Posted: 25 Aug 2019 10:59 PM PDT  Local media said two Spanish nationals were aboard the small aircraft, while an Italian pilot and a German family were aboard the helicopter. There were no survivors.
|
| Exclusive: Iran says it will not negotiate missile work, wants to export more oil Posted: 25 Aug 2019 09:47 AM PDT  Iran wants to export a minimum of 700,000 barrels per day of its oil and ideally up to 1.5 million bpd if the West wants to negotiate with Tehran to save a 2015 nuclear deal, two Iranian officials and one diplomat told Reuters on Sunday. A second official said "Iran's ballistic missile programme cannot and will not be negotiated.
|
| Tom Cotton: The U.S. should buy Greenland Posted: 26 Aug 2019 10:25 AM PDT  "Greenland is rich in a wide array of mineral deposits, including rare-earth minerals," he writes.
|
| Survey shows growing number of Millennials starting to care less about traditional American values Posted: 26 Aug 2019 12:19 PM PDT  Over the last 21 years, the Wall Street Journal/NBC News conducted a survey asking millennials the importance of religion, patriotism and family.
|
| Troubling rise of gun violence in St. Louis, Kansas City Posted: 26 Aug 2019 01:58 PM PDT  From huge rewards to calls for allowing Missouri cities to enact their own gun laws, leaders in St. Louis and Kansas City are grappling with a troubling rise in shooting deaths, especially those involving children. In Kansas City, four men were killed Sunday, including two in a drive-by shooting in a popular entertainment district. In St. Louis, six people were killed in shootings, including 8-year-old and 10-year-old girls and a 15-year-old boy.
|
| Israel 'strikes inside Lebanon' amid rising tensions in region Posted: 26 Aug 2019 12:08 PM PDT  Israeli jets reportedly struck a Palestinian fighter base in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley early Monday, as the Lebanese president described earlier Israeli drone strikes as a "declaration of war". Local officials confirmed three rockets struck a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine base in the village of Qusaya on the Lebanese border, causing damage but no fatalities. The area is known to have a network of cross-border underground tunnels often used by Iran-backed groups. The strike came amid heightened tensions after two drones crashed in the Hizbollah-dominated Beirut suburb of Dahieh on Sunday morning. One exploded, causing severe damage to Hizbollah's media centre and wounding three party members. Hizbollah says it has identified the drones as Israeli. Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah gave a theatrical speech on Sunday night, warning: "From tonight, I tell the Israeli army on the border, wait for our response, which may take place at any time on the border and beyond the border. Be prepared and wait for us." If Israel is responsible, the attacks mark the most serious Israeli incursion into Lebanese territory since the 2006 war between the two countries, in which 1,200 Lebanese and 158 Israelis were killed. "What happened was similar to a declaration of war which allows us to resort to our right to defending our sovereignty," said Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Twitter. He met with Lebanon's UN Special Coordinator on Monday to discuss the situation. Other Lebanese leaders, however, seem keen to find a diplomatic resolution. "The Lebanese government sees it best to avoid any sliding of the situation towards a dangerous escalation," Prime Minister Saad Hariri told ambassadors of the UN Security Council. A source inside the Lebanese Armed Forces told The Telegraph there would be no official statement as it is their judgement that the strike took place in Syria. Qusaya lies directly on Lebanon's border with Syria; the army's assessment that the attack was in Syrian territory may be a further attempt to de-escalate the situation. A spokesperson for the Israeli Defence Forces did not confirm either strike, saying "Israel does not comment on foreign reports." The United Nations called for "maximum restraint" by all parties. Experts in the region say Monday's border strike fits Israel's pattern. While the group attacked was Palestinian, the strike appears to be part of Israel's escalating conflict with Iran. This branch of the PLFP, General Command, is a splinter group which has been controlled by Iran since 2014. The group has since been used to run operations and facilitate arms transfers for Iran-backed Hizbollah in Syria. "This particular base has been used as a training camp before, and Hizbollah dominates this area; it's little Hizbollistan," said Phillip Smyth, a specialist on Iranian proxy groups. Some experts argue Israel is trying to goad Hizbollah into conflict, forcing them to fight on multiple fronts in both Syria and Lebanon. "My theory is that the Israelis are trying to goad Hizbollah into making a mistake and overreacting, so they can deal them a crippling blow," said David Daoud, a research analyst on Lebanon and Hizbollah. "The Israelis traditionally have always needed some kind of justification to bring to America to say they need to go to war. Right now a war with Israel is not ideal timing for Hizbollah." "You get a lot of floral language, but the thing to remember about Hizbollah and the Iranians is their all about building up, they're all about patience," Mr Smyth said. "For them it's about hitting at the right time and the right place, when they're ready."
|
| Syria soldiers eye Turkish outpost in recaptured town Posted: 25 Aug 2019 07:42 PM PDT  Syrian soldier Ahmad Amuri rolls up on a motorbike to hand water bottles to comrades standing guard under pistachio trees, just a few dozen metres from a Turkish observation point in northwest Syria. President Bashar al-Assad's troops seized the town of Morek from jihadists and allied rebels on Friday, encircling the Turkish outpost. "Calm has returned to Morek," Amuri told AFP on Saturday, with water bottles in a black plastic bag, a cap on his head and his uniform covered in dust.
|
| Red Summer 1919: Tree memorializing black Americans killed in Elaine, Arkansas, cut down Posted: 25 Aug 2019 09:35 AM PDT ![Red Summer 1919: Tree memorializing black Americans killed in Elaine, Arkansas, cut down]( "Red Summer 1919: Tree memorializing black Americans killed in Elaine, Arkansas, cut down") A tree memorializing the African American lives lost in a 1919 massacre in Elaine, Arkansas, was chopped down this week in a possible hate crime.
|
| U.S. Says South Korea’s Exit From Intel Pact Endangers Troops Posted: 26 Aug 2019 03:20 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. said that South Korea's decision to pull out of an intelligence-sharing deal with Japan endangers American troops -- an usually blunt criticism of one of Washington's closest allies.The Trump administration is disappointed in South Korean President Moon Jae-in's announcement Thursday that his government would stop participating in the 2016 General Security of Military Information Agreement with Japan, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said Sunday. The pact allowed the two neighbors to directly share intelligence about joint security concerns including North Korea and China, without going through the Americans."We are deeply disappointed and concerned that the ROK's government terminated the General Security of Military Information Agreement," Ortagus said in a Twitter post. "This will make defending Korea more complicated and increase risk to U.S. forces."The criticism is perhaps the clearest sign yet of the Trump administration's frustration with the months-long feud between South Korea and Japan. Over the weekend, President Donald Trump criticized Moon and his government at a Group of Seven meeting in France, the Sankei newspaper reported, citing unidentified Japanese government sources.On Monday, South Korea's foreign ministry said there had been "close communication" with the U.S. regarding the tensions between Seoul and Tokyo and the reasons for withdrawing from the agreement, without mentioning the risk to U.S. troops.The acrimonious dispute is rooted in historical grievances over Japan's 1910-45 occupation of the Korean Peninsula, but has recently escalated to include trade and security cooperation. While South Korea and Japan are protected by tens of thousands of U.S. troops, the Moon administration had argued after withdrawing from the pact that it would strengthen its alliance with the U.S. by increasing defense spending.The dispute risks complicating a coordinated response to North Korea's continued missile tests and China's rising military power projection in the region. On Saturday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally guided the test firing of a rocket launcher and sent two more short-range ballistic missiles into the sea between South Korea and Japan.The U.S. Department of Defense had previously expressed "strong concern and disappointment" with South Korea's decision to exit the security pact. While the agreement doesn't require the exchange of intelligence and both countries are part of a similar three-way pact with the U.S., the deal was significant because it demonstrated their ability to cooperate independently from Washington.South Korea's defense minister, Jeong Kyeong-doo, told the National Assembly's defense committee Aug. 5 that there had been 26 instances of intelligence-sharing with Japan since the agreement was signed. He nevertheless played down its practical importance, telling the committee the pact was more about relationships than utility.(Updates with South Korean response in fifth paragraph.)\--With assistance from Jihye Lee.To contact the reporter on this story: Iain Marlow in Hong Kong at imarlow1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Karen LeighFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| Rudy Giuliani Jumps on the Seth Rich Conspiracy Bandwagon Posted: 26 Aug 2019 08:51 AM PDT  Alex Wong/GettyDonald Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani promoted discredited conspiracy theories about murdered Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich on Twitter early Monday morning, further fueling the baseless speculation that has anguished Rich's grieving family.Giuliani quote-tweeted a tweet from conspiracy theorist Matt Couch, whose fevered claims about Rich's 2016 murder provoked a defamation lawsuit from Rich's brother. In his tweet, Couch pointed out that, while Washington, D.C. police believe that Rich was murdered in a currently unsolved botched robbery attempt, none of his belongings appear to have been taken by his killer.Speaking rhetorically from Rich's point of view, Couch pointed to popular conspiracy theorist talking points about Rich's murder."I was Shot multiple times in torso.. I worked for the DNC…." Couch tweeted. "They called it a botched robbery and sue anyone who investigates it..Who am I?""I'd like to know," Giuliani added in his own tweet. Rich's July 2016 murder has inspired a number of conspiracy theories claiming that he leaked Democratic emails to WikiLeaks, and then was murdered by Hillary Clinton or the "deep state" in retaliation. That idea, which isn't backed up by any evidence, has been embraced by some Trump supporters—including Fox News host Sean Hannity—because it would mean the emails were released by a whistleblower, rather than by Russian government hackers. In reality, Rich's neighborhood had experienced a series of robberies in the lead-up to his death, which led police to believe it was likely a botched robbery.Hannity Weasels Out of Seth Rich ConspiracyIn text messages with The Daily Beast, Giuliani insisted his tweet wasn't meant to promote any conspiracy theories but merely to ask questions about Rich's murder, which has remained unsolved. "I didn't support any conspiracy theory," Giuliani told The Daily Beast in a text message. "I raised several nagging coincidences." "I vaguely remember it and was asking a question about whether it was ever investigated fully," Giuliani added. "Don't remember if it was ever solved? Was it." After this article was published, Giuliani doubled down on his speculation and accused The Daily Beast of lacking "proper seductive reasoning." "Either you haven't been trained in proper seductive [sic] reasoning or the most truthful explanation is irrelevant," Giuliani wrote in a text message.Giuliani added that the media reaction to the conspiracy theorists made him more suspicious about the case."Another new area of suspicion beyond a possible murder of convenience is the overreaction you all have to anyone raising any question about this unsolved murder," Giuliani wrote. "'Me thinks the Lady Protests too Much?'"Rich's family has repeatedly asked conspiracy theorists to stop speculating about their son's murder, which has drawn in a number of publicity-seeking right-wing media figures. But in text messages to The Daily Beast, Giuliani said "legitimate questions" about Rich's murder shouldn't be off-limits because of "some degree of emotional pain." "It is tragic for the family but if we stopped all honicide [sic] investigations until solved because it will cause pain then it would leave many unsolved," Giuliani wrote. "There are legitimate questions here and the more they are suppressed with this media Hillary/oriented censorship the more the conspiracy theorists thrive." Giuliani, a former U.S. Attorney, said he wanted to look at the "parties with the greatest motivation.""I've done a number of very complex investigation [sic] and you must always look at the parties or parties with the greatest motivation and the most to gain or lose," Giuliani wrote. "Until a murder is conclusively solved that is always a viable hypothesis. Political censorship or even some degree of emotional pain can not suppress trying to solve an open homicide."Rich's family has repeatedly asked conspiracy theorists to stop speculating about their son's murder, which has drawn in a number of publicity-seeking right-wing media figures. Couch, who livestreams his conspiracy theory broadcasts to his fans online, is one of the most dedicated promoters of the Rich claims, despite reports that Russian intelligence agents spread the rumor that Rich's murder was somehow tied to the Democratic email releases.In 2018, Couch was sued for defamation by Rich's brother Aaron Rich, over his claims that Seth had helped to steal Democratic emails and received payment from WikiLeaks for the files. Earlier this month, Couch told a federal judge that he couldn't afford legal defense to continue fighting the case, and said he had removed mentions of Rich from his website.This story has been updated with Giuliani's responses following its publication.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.
|
| Malaysia hopes to pay for military equipment with palm oil Posted: 26 Aug 2019 04:18 AM PDT  Malaysia is in talks with at last six countries on the possibility of using palm oil to pay for arms, as Southeast Asia's third-biggest economy seeks to replace old equipment to boost its defence capabilities. Malaysia has struggled to update its defence equipment over the years and a cut in its defence budget this year all but derailed efforts to replace navy ships, some of which have been in service for 35 years or more. Costs have been a big hurdle but using palm oil to help pay for equipment could open new avenues to upgrade, Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu said on Monday.
|
| Trump promotes unfounded Ilhan Omar conspiracy and shares claim Justin Trudeau 'assumes submissive position' with him Posted: 26 Aug 2019 08:54 AM PDT  Donald Trump unleashed a series of controversial late-night tweets from the G7 Summit in France over the weekend, reigniting his feud with Ilhan Omar and attacking Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.The president promoted an unfounded and incendiary claim purported by the far right online that Ms Omar, a Democratic congresswoman of colour and former refugee from Somalia, married her brother years before she took office in 2018.
|
| Cardi B might be one of Bernie's most powerful 2020 allies. Seriously. Posted: 26 Aug 2019 02:01 AM PDT  "She's a no-B.S. person," says one aide to the Democratic hopeful. "And Bernie Sanders loves no-B.S. people."
|
| Candidate who wanted city as white 'as possible' ends run Posted: 26 Aug 2019 01:59 PM PDT ![Candidate who wanted city as white 'as possible' ends run]( "Candidate who wanted city as white 'as possible' ends run") A city council candidate in Michigan who said last week that she wants to keep her community white "as much as possible" withdrew from the council race on Monday. Jean Cramer stopped by Marysville City Hall to say she was leaving the race and later, at the request of city officials, put her withdrawal in writing in a one-sentence letter that did not give a reason for why she dropped out, the Times Herald in Port Huron reported. Her name will remain on the Nov. 5 election ballot. "Just checking the calendar here and making sure it's still 2019," Mike Deising said.
|
| Fallout from Russia's mysterious missile disaster suggests a nuclear reactor blew up Posted: 26 Aug 2019 09:07 AM PDT  An explosion at a Russian weapons testing site in August released radioactive isotopes that almost certainly came from a nuclear reactor, experts say.
|
| 65 Super Simple Last-Minute Appetizers Posted: 26 Aug 2019 01:54 PM PDT |
| Driver kicks pregnant woman in stomach during fight at Chick-fil-A, police say Posted: 25 Aug 2019 01:23 PM PDT ![Driver kicks pregnant woman in stomach during fight at Chick-fil-A, police say]( "Driver kicks pregnant woman in stomach during fight at Chick-fil-A, police say") The pregnant woman tried to pull in front of her in the drive-thru lane, police said.
|
| Russian climber killed by falling rock at Mt Fuji Posted: 26 Aug 2019 06:14 AM PDT  A Russian national climbing Mount Fuji was killed by a falling rock near the summit of Japan's highest peak, police and news reports said Monday. Police said a woman in her 20s was fatally injured in the morning while approaching the top of the 3,776-metre (12,388-foot) volcanic mountain. "Rescuers and a doctor rushed to the site but she was later confirmed dead," a local police official told AFP.
|
| Drone war takes flight, raising stakes in Iran, US tensions Posted: 25 Aug 2019 12:59 PM PDT  From the vast deserts of Saudi Arabia to the crowded neighborhoods of Beirut, a drone war has taken flight across the wider Middle East, raising the stakes in the ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Since the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal last year, there has been an increasing tempo of attacks and alleged threats, notably this weekend, from unmanned aircraft flown by Tehran's and Washington's allies in the region. The appeal of the aircraft — they risk no pilots and can be small enough to evade air-defense systems — fueled their rapid use amid the maximum pressure campaigns of Iran and the U.S. As these strikes become more frequent, the risk of unwanted escalation becomes greater.
|
| Possible political motive seen in Berlin killing of ethnic Chechen exile Posted: 26 Aug 2019 08:43 AM PDT ![Possible political motive seen in Berlin killing of ethnic Chechen exile]( "Possible political motive seen in Berlin killing of ethnic Chechen exile") Prosecutors are considering the possibility of a political motive behind the killing on Friday of an ethnic Chechen exile in Berlin, allegedly by a Russian citizen who shot the victim twice in the head as he walked through a park. The victim, 40, was identified by Georgian human rights organisation EMC as Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, which described him as an ethnic Chechen citizen of Georgia, who had fought on the side of rebels who in the 1990s sought to free Chechnya from Moscow's control. "We have no evidence pointing towards a classic criminal motive," said Martin Steltner, spokesman for Berlin prosecutors on Monday, adding that they were considering the possibility of a political motive for the killing.
|
| NYT Reporter: Trump Allies Targeting Journalists Are Deploying Media Matters Playbook Posted: 26 Aug 2019 05:42 AM PDT  New York Times media reporter Jeremy Peters said Monday that allies of President Trump are employing the opposition research model pioneered by the liberal advocacy group Media Matters to tar journalists that report critically on the administration.Peters appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe to discuss his recent report detailing how a loose network of Trump allies are combing the social media histories of hundreds of journalists at mainstream media outlets to expose political bias and other potentially embarrassing information."They've tried to pull embarrassing things, find unflattering things in the social media histories of these journalists. And I'm talking about journalists at the nation's top news organizations…and what they do is they publicize unflattering things that they've found in these social media histories when they want to retaliate against an outlet for publishing a story that is unflattering to the president," Peters said.Asked by host Joe Scarborough how that approach differs from the one used by Media Matters to discredit conservative journalists and activists, Peters admitted "it's not really all that much different.""It's not really all that much different. In fact, the people we spoke to as we interviewed for this story…told us that their template was Media Matters. And their template was this exhaustive — basically, what's called opposition research that people do all the time," Peters said.Peters did draw a distinction between Media Matters and the tactics employed by the Trump allies by arguing that Media Matters typically targets high-profile conservatives while the president's allies have attacked low-level journalists who do not have influence over how the administration is covered."The difference, though, is that its being deployed against very low-level people in a lot of cases," Peters said. "When you look at what these guys have uncovered here, and who it's hurt, it's low-level journalists at places like CNN; a photo editor who had nothing to do with CNN's coverage of Donald Trump, for example."Founded by billionaire liberal activist David Brock in 2004, Media Matters has, as Peters points out, routinely targeted well known conservative pundits. But the organization has also researched and exposed the social media histories of lesser known reporters at conservative media outlets.The group declined to take action after the Daily Caller exposed that its president, Angelo Carusone, authored a number of blog posts in 2005 that include mocking references to "trannies," "jewry," and Bangladeshis.
|
| Seven people shot at two-year-old’s birthday party in Washington DC suburb Posted: 25 Aug 2019 12:03 PM PDT  Seven people have been left hospitalised after a shooting at a two-year-old's birthday party in a suburb of Washington DC.Police believe the incident, which took place on Saturday at around 9pm local time (1am GMT), may have been sparked by an "exchange of words" between party-goers and a bystander who had approached the group.
|
| Teachers union has become an arm of the abortion-rights left. Conservatives should quit. Posted: 26 Aug 2019 01:59 PM PDT  Why would the NEA go out of its way to take extreme stands on hot-button issues so far removed from the real problems facing our nation's schools?
|
| A person reportedly died and 320 passengers and crew had to be evacuated after a cruise ship in Russia caught on fire Posted: 26 Aug 2019 08:10 AM PDT  The ship was reportedly docked in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday when the fire began in the cabin of one of the ship's mechanics, Fontanka reported.
|
| California parents charged with hate crime after allegedly assaulting boy found in daughter's closet Posted: 25 Aug 2019 09:02 AM PDT  According to San Bruno Police the 15-year-old's biological dad Luisandor Suarez, her mom Haydee Arguello and step-dad Wilfredo Amaya physically abused a 17-year-old African American boy for 30 minutes and threaten to kill him with a deadly weapon after finding him in his daughter's closet.
|
| Four face charges in deaths of 12 Florida nursing home patients following Hurricane Irma Posted: 26 Aug 2019 02:08 PM PDT  A dozen patients died at the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills when the facility's air conditioning power went out amid sweltering heat.
|
| Israeli court bars 'racist' candidates from September poll Posted: 26 Aug 2019 06:29 AM PDT  Israel's Supreme Court has barred two members of an extreme-right party many view as racist from running in a September 17 general election. The court ruled that candidates Benzi Gopstein and Baruch Marzel, of the Jewish Power party could not stand, quoting a law barring "incitement to racism" by candidates, according to a court statement late Sunday. Jewish Power members are followers of late racist rabbi Meir Kahane, whose Kach movement wanted to chase Arabs from Israel.
|
| Iran says oil on tanker pursued by US sold; buyer unnamed Posted: 26 Aug 2019 09:47 AM PDT  Iran on Monday announced that the 2.1 million barrels of crude aboard an Iranian oil tanker pursued by the U.S. has been sold to an unnamed buyer as the ship, at the center of a crisis roiling the region, continued its voyage in the Mediterranean Sea. The announcement by government spokesman Ali Rabiei represent just the latest twist in the saga of the Adrian Darya 1, which had been known as the Grace 1 when authorities seized the vessel off Gibraltar on July 4, on suspicion of breaking European Union sanctions targeting Syria. The seizure of the ship, and Iran's subsequent seizure of a British-flagged oil tanker, came amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran over the collapse of Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers.
|
| View Photos of the 2020 Subaru Legacy Posted: 26 Aug 2019 06:00 AM PDT |
| Japan's Tepco may mothball reactors at world's biggest nuke plant Posted: 25 Aug 2019 10:43 PM PDT ![Japan's Tepco may mothball reactors at world's biggest nuke plant]( "Japan's Tepco may mothball reactors at world's biggest nuke plant") Tokyo Electric Power said on Monday it may start to decommission at least one nuclear reactor at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant, the world's biggest nuclear plant by capacity, within five years of restarting two of the reactors at the site. Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) President Tomoaki Kobayakawa made the decommissioning comments in a statement outlining its response to a request for plans on the station's future by the government of the city of Kashiwazaki in Niigata prefecture, where the plant is located. In 2017, Tepco received initial regulatory approval from the Japanese government to restart the No. 6 and No. 7 reactors at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, each with a capacity of 1,356 megawatts (MW).
|
| Trump’s Offer to Help N.Y. With Subway Baffles Governor's Office Posted: 26 Aug 2019 08:52 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said he is ready to help New York extend the Second Avenue subway in New York City, an announcement that left even state Governor Andrew Cuomo baffled."Looking forward to helping New York City and Governor @andrewcuomo complete the long anticipated, and partially built, Second Avenue Subway," President Donald Trump said in a tweet.Cuomo's office on Saturday said that while the governor is involved in discussions with the president and the Department of Transportation about several infrastructure projects in the city, including the Gateway Tunnel project, the subway and updates at LaGuardia Airport, there have been no concrete steps taken to move forward."The president's tweet suggests good news but we have no specific funding or approval and that is all that is relevant," Communications Director Dani Lever said in a statement. "If an agreement actually materializes, we will provide an update."The Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to extend the subway line from East 96th Street to 125th Street in east Harlem, and add three underground stations. The line, debated for decades, began service in January 2017.(Removes incorrect reference to length of subway extension in last paragraph of story published Aug. 24.)To contact the reporters on this story: Jim Silver in New York at jsilver@bloomberg.net;Daniel Flatley in Washington at dflatley1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Sebastian Tong at stong41@bloomberg.net, Steve GeimannFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
