| Hillary Clinton's attacks on Tulsi Gabbard are embarrassing Posted: 22 Oct 2019 06:56 AM PDT  It's sad that instead of doing something useful with her post-political career, Clinton has decided to lob ludicrous accusations at younger Democrats'Even though Gabbard may be a flawed messenger, the message itself is correct: we no longer need to hear what Hillary Clinton thinks about anything.' Photograph: Richard Drew/APHillary Clinton has kept a relatively low profile since her embarrassing 2016 election defeat, popping up only occasionally to make out-of-touch elitist comments that confirm why she lost. So it was somewhat surprising to hear her weigh in on the 2020 Democratic primary with a truly bizarre comment about (of all people) Tulsi Gabbard.Clinton accused the Hawaii congresswoman of being groomed by outside forces, saying: "I think they've got their eye on somebody who is currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate … She's the favorite of the Russians." There is some dispute about whether Clinton meant it was the Russians or Republicans who were pushing a third-party Gabbard candidacy, but a Clinton spokesman asked about the comments replied "if the nesting doll fits", clearly implying it was dastardly Russians.Gabbard immediately hit back hard, calling Clinton (accurately) "the queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic party for so long". While hosts of The View backed up Clinton, calling Gabbard a "useful idiot", others such as the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders and South Bend's mayor, Pete Buttigieg, suggested that Clinton ought to have had some evidence before implying something so outrageous about a Democratic elected official.But it was typical Clinton. Paranoia about Russian influence has been ubiquitous among the Clinton set since 2016, in part because it helps to explain how the loss to Donald Trump wasn't really Clinton's fault. Liberals in the media like Rachel Maddow openly admit to having an obsession with Russia, and end up seeing the hands of Vladimir Putin on everything. Clinton herself has had trouble coming to terms with her loss. Even though accounts from inside the campaign confirm that Clinton barely knew why she was running for president, couldn't craft any kind of message, and made laughably overconfident decisions about where to campaign, her campaign memoir was less a mea culpa than a j'accuse. It pointed fingers at Sanders and James Comey, and ended up sounding a lot like the Onion's parody title: We All Made Mistakes But You Made Most Of Them.Years later, Clinton has learned seemingly nothing. Elsewhere on the podcast episode in which she made the accusations against Gabbard, Clinton blames fake news, foreign interference and voter suppression for undermining democracy and keeping Democrats out of power. Those are factors, but the big one is the one that Gabbard herself identified: the "rot that has sickened the Democratic party for so long". Clinton practiced a corrupting and duplicitous form of politics that made many would-be Democratic voters feel completely unrepresented by the party. But instead of spending her time in the woods doing some soul-searching, Clinton has evidently spent it cooking up new conspiracy theories about the all-powerful Putin.Tulsi Gabbard is completely right about what Clinton represents. Clinton was the Democratic party at its absolute worst: pro-war, pro-Wall Street, self-enriching, inept, devoid of any transformative vision and contemptuous of ordinary people. It's very clear that Sanders would have been the smart choice in 2016, and Gabbard was one of the few Democratic officials to recognize that at the time and endorse him. Actually, that was courageous of her – most Democratic officials, even those whose politics should have aligned them more closely with Sanders than Clinton, were too timid to buck the establishment and risk their career by potentially getting on the wrong side of an incoming Clinton administration.That's not to say that Gabbard herself should be the future of the Democratic party. Far from it: while Gabbard has made a big deal of her anti-war stance, she has embraced the vicious Indian nationalist prime minister, Narendra Modi, and been far more hawkish and softer on torture than she would like progressive voters to believe. Her willingness to criticize the "rot" in her own party may make Gabbard a refreshing presence on the debate stage, but no serious leftist can support someone who spent the Obama years echoing Republican talking points about "radical Islam". She's still no "useful idiot", and even with her flaws she is preferable to truly intolerable candidates like Buttigieg and Joe Biden. If we were (God forbid) somehow faced with the choice between Tulsi Gabbard and Amy Klobuchar, the country would be far better off in Gabbard's hands.Even though Gabbard may be a flawed messenger, the message itself is correct: we no longer need to hear what Hillary Clinton thinks about anything. Her kind of politics is, thankfully, a relic of history, and we have moved on. It's sad that instead of doing something useful with her post-political career, Clinton has decided to lob ludicrous, borderline defamatory, accusations at younger Democratic women who were less wrong than Clinton was about dozens of issues. Fortunately, hardly anybody is listening any more. * Nathan Robinson is the editor of Current Affairs and a Guardian US columnist
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| U.S. attorney general calls for counseling, intervention to prevent mass shootings Posted: 23 Oct 2019 12:02 PM PDT  U.S. Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday announced a new effort to prevent mass shootings through court-ordered counseling and supervision of potentially violent individuals. The effort, announced in a memo to federal prosecutors and law enforcement officials, follows dozens of deadly mass shootings in the United States this year, including a massacre of 22 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, and another just one day later in Dayton, Ohio, in which nine people were killed. The FBI was given expanded powers after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to investigate foreign terrorism threats.
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| Matt Gaetz claimed the GOP was shut out of an impeachment hearing. 48 Republicans were welcome in the room. Posted: 23 Oct 2019 01:37 PM PDT ![Matt Gaetz claimed the GOP was shut out of an impeachment hearing. 48 Republicans were welcome in the room.]( "Matt Gaetz claimed the GOP was shut out of an impeachment hearing. 48 Republicans were welcome in the room.") Congress' impeachment hearings have been pretty darn congressional.Yet Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and a slew of other Republicans seemed to think the hearings involving three bipartisan committees just weren't welcoming enough. So ignoring the fact that 48 Republicans were already allowed into what Gaetz described as "secret interviews" to investigate President Trump, he and a few dozen other GOP congressmembers stormed into a secure room Wednesday and delayed a hearing for five hours.The stunt began Wednesday when Gaetz marched his Republican battalion into the basement of the Capitol and gave remarks decrying what he called "secret interviews" led by House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff (R-Calif.). Gaetz and company then charged into the House's Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, delaying an impeachment interview with Wednesday's testimony with Laura Cooper, who oversees Ukraine policy for the Defense Department. Republicans proceeded to complain that Schiff "up and left" the room when the Republicans walked in carrying banned electronic devices.It's true Gaetz and many of the Republicans with him weren't allowed into Miller's hearings. But that's because they're not on the House Foreign Affairs, Intelligence, or Oversight committees conducting impeachment interviews into President Trump. If they'd wanted more information on the hearings, they could've asked Republicans on those committees, like House Oversight Ranking Member Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) or perhaps Vice President Mike Pence's brother Greg Pence (D-Ind.), who's on foreign affairs. Or maybe not, because Jordan himself -- along with several other committee members -- helped lead the apparent "storming" of the hearing he was undoubtedly welcome to be at.
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| Once-Bitten Argentine Investors Aim to Avoid Panic on Sunday Posted: 22 Oct 2019 07:52 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Investors and analysts who wrongly predicted President Mauricio Macri would win a key August primary now say a victory by his challenger on Sunday is a foregone conclusion. The only question left, they say, is how big a margin he will score -- and whether he can afford to tone down the populist campaign-trail rhetoric that pointed him to victory.Money managers -- and virtually every pollster and analyst -- guessed wrong when Alberto Fernandez upended incumbent Macri in a primary vote that all but guaranteed the challenger a victory this weekend. Stocks, bonds and the peso plunged as investors mourned the campaign of market-darling Macri and worried about a return to Peronism and the risk of Argentina's ninth default.As the final vote approaches, they won't need to hit the panic button again, said Carolina Gialdi, a senior fixed-income strategist at BTG Pactual in Buenos Aires. The odds are well in Fernandez's favor, and his victory would still leave plenty of time for markets to digest future policies before he enters office in December."Once officially elected, Fernandez can start to make definitions," she said in an interview. "He can announce his cabinet, he can announce measures, he could meet with investors."Investors have been preparing for this outcome since August, so bond prices, stocks and the peso market have his victory "fully priced in already," she said.Read More: Everything You Need to Know About Argentina's ElectionArgentines will also be casting ballots for almost half of the nation's congressional seats, along with some key gubernatorial races -- including the province of Buenos Aires. Here are a few of the scenarios economists, strategists and investors are considering in the days leading before the Oct. 27 elections:Fernandez WinsFernandez and his running mate, former President Cristina Kirchner, beat Macri by 16 points by taking almost 48% of the vote in the compulsory August primary. An expected speech on Sunday evening will also be closely watched for any calming signs to investors that could help prices to rally.Sovereign bond prices, which are in the mid-40 cent range, would probably fall if Fernandez's margin is much wider than expected "because the mandate of populism he would have would be stronger and the congress composition would be more left wing," Gialdi said.TPCG Chief Economist Juan Manuel Pazos sees the bonds nearing 40 cents if Fernandez sweeps the competition, with prices dropping even lower if a Peronist win is large enough to align both houses with Fernandez's party.A victory in the election this month would leave investors in a holding pattern as they await clarity on his policies and a the appointment of a cabinet, said Adrian Yarde Buller, chief economist at Buenos Aires-based broker Grupo SBS. A more market-friendly tone once he's off the campaign trail would support a recovery in Argentine assets."Cabinet members should be revealed within days," Buller said. "We expect Fernandez to quickly give some signs regarding fiscal and monetary policy so as to stabilize the economy, moderate reserves loss and try to reclaim a nominal anchor."Runoff ElectionIt's possible, though unlikely, that Fernandez fails to secure at least 45% of the vote, or 40% with a 10-point margin over the next runner-up, forcing Argentines to return to polling centers on Nov. 24."Even if he manages to get to the second round it is still unlikely he has chances in the runoff," BTG Pactual's Gialdi said. "The market would react positively, though contained by the fact that he still may not even win."A runoff could drive the peso to between 50 and 55 per dollar, said Win Thin, global head of currency strategy at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. in New York. In that case, he expects a "a knee-jerk release" in which assets gain temporarily, he said.Others say a runoff could flag a change in voter sentiment big enough to knock Fernandez out of the running. TPCG's Pazos assigned that a slim probability, but said that could mean Macri wins a second term, sparking a short bond relief rally into the high-50 cent range. Any gains would be limited by an impending default, he said."If we go to a runoff, the spreads will likely break 2,000, but they won't get it to 1,500," he said in an interview. "It will be somewhere in the 1,700 range."Second TermMacri would shock markets by winning outright in the October election. Assets would broadly rally, from equities to the currency, said Benito Berber, chief economist for Latin America at Natixis in New York. Thin, meantime, forecast the peso to rally past 50 per dollar if Macri wins another four years."Even if Macri wins, I don't see bonds going higher than 60," said Walter Stoepplewerth, chief investment officer at Portfolio Personal Inversiones in Buenos Aires. "That's because the next government will be inheriting a difficult situation in terms of debt amortization, inflation, and growth."\--With assistance from Andres Guerra Luz.To contact the reporters on this story: Sydney Maki in New York at smaki8@bloomberg.net;Scott Squires in Buenos Aires at ssquires4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Carolina Wilson at cwilson166@bloomberg.net, Alec D.B. McCabe, Carolina MillanFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| NYC, California sue Postal Service over smuggled cigarettes Posted: 22 Oct 2019 01:13 PM PDT  California and New York City sued the U.S. Postal Service on Tuesday to stop tens of thousands of cigarette packages from being mailed from foreign countries to U.S. residents, saying the smugglers are engaging in tax evasion while postal workers look the other way. The lawsuit in Brooklyn federal court blames the Postal Service for deliveries from Vietnam, China, Israel and other countries, saying the failure to enforce a federal law aimed at banning cigarette mail deliveries costs California an average of $19 million annually in tax revenues and New York City and state over $21 million each year.
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| View Photos of the Mazda MX-30 Posted: 22 Oct 2019 08:08 PM PDT |
| Newt Gingrich and Whoopi Goldberg go at it on 'The View' over Trump's 'lynching' comments Posted: 22 Oct 2019 11:19 AM PDT  Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Whoopi Goldberg go toe to toe over Trump's "lynching" comments on Twitter.
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| Indicted Giuliani Henchman Lev Parnas Raises Executive Privilege in Federal Court Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:09 AM PDT  REUTERSLev Parnas, a Soviet-born business associate with ties to Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, raised the issue of executive privilege during a court proceeding Wednesday, arguing it could apply to some of the evidence gathered in his campaign-finance case in New York.The issue was raised during an arraignment for Parnas and Igor Furman, who pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges in a four-count indictment that accused them of funneling money through straw donors into U.S. elections in an effort to gain influence. Prosecutors also allege the pair petitioned U.S. politicians, including a congressman, to have the ambassador to Ukraine removed from her post. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebekah Donaleski, offered a glimpse into the "voluminous" evidence that prosecutors have recovered so far on the two men who have become figures in the Trump impeachment proceedings, through "dozens of search warrants," property searches, and subpoenas. The information includes emails and social media accounts and financial records from more than 50 bank accounts.Rudy Giuliani's Ukraine Henchmen Arrested Over Trump Group DonationDuring the hearing, Parnas' attorney, Edward MacMahon, told the judge that his client was told to invoke executive privilege in a letter that was submitted on Parnas' behalf by John Dowd, a former lawyer for the president, to a congressional committee conducting the impeachment inquiry.Asked by Judge Paul Oetken if Parnas has worked for the president, MacMahon said no, but that "he worked for Mr. Giuliani." MacMahon said that his concern stems from Parnas having used Giuliani as his lawyer for both personal and business dealings and that Giuliani also works for Trump."There are issues that we need to be very sensitive to," MacMahon said, not going into detail what those issues are. He continued, adding that he doesn't "know who is looking at all this evidence. If information gets out that we determine it is all privileged, we've got a problem," MacMahon said in court."I can't invoke [executive privilege], only the President of the United States and the government can," MacMahon said, telling the judge that he doesn't know how to proceed if the issue arises. "I just wanted to raise the issue with you."Prosecutors, seemingly shocked by the executive privilege claim, told the judge that while "this is the first time that we've heard of this... we're happy to have a conversation." Donaleski, added that the government has already set up a "filter team," a separate team of prosecutors within their investigation, who ensure that possibly sensitive information does not get exposed. The judge instructed the two sides to discuss the issues over the coming weeks. Parnas and Fruman are scheduled to return to court on Dec. 2. Flanked by his wife and attorneys, Parnas spoke briefly to the scrum of reporters outside the courthouse saying that he is looking forward to defending himself "vigorously in court." "Many false things have been said about me and my family in the press and media recently," he said, before adding that he is "certain that in time the truth will be revealed, and I will be vindicated. In the end, I put my faith in God. Thank you."His defense attorney, Joseph Bondy, reiterated the sentiment, saying that his team "looks forward to defending Mr. Parnas in the court based upon the evidence and not a smear campaign that's been driven by self-serving and misleading leaks apparently from the highest levels of our government."Prosecutors are also looking into Giuliani's business dealings as part of their investigation, sources have told The Daily Beast and other news organizations.Parnas and Fruman were arrested two weeks ago at Washington's Dulles airport as they were preparing to board a flight to Frankfurt, Germany, holding one-way tickets. When prosecutors learned that the two were leaving the country, they moved quickly to secure the indictments, which were issued a day before the two were apprehended.The two have both been released on $1 million bail and are relegated to house arrest while they await trial. Their movements have been restricted to New York, where the trial is scheduled to take place and the Miami area where they both live.The case is the first criminal prosecution related to an apparent Trumpworld pressure campaign to coerce Ukrainian officials into digging up dirt on Trump's political opponents for the 2020 re-election campaign, particularly former Vice President Joe Biden, an effort which is at the center of an impeachment inquiry underway by the U.S. House of Representatives.Parnas and Fruman are charged in four-count indictment with making illegal straw donations, including a $325,000 contribution to the group America First Action, which was first reported by The Daily Beast.That donation actually came from an entirely different, undisclosed company owned by Parnas. It is illegal to donate to federal political candidates in the name of another person or entity.During an arraignment for David Correia and Andrey Kukushkin, two businessmen charged with conspiring with Parnas and Fruman to use straw donors to make illegal campaign contributions, prosecutors offered a broad brushstroke of "fairly voluminous" amounts of evidence they have gathered in the case from 10 search warrants and more than 50 bank accounts.Parnas and Fruman are accused in the indictment in a separate scheme of helping Giuliani to dig up dirt on the president's political opponents in Ukraine.Prosecutors say that scheme involved having the former ambassador to Ukraine recalled. Giuliani believed the ambassador, Marie Yovanovitch, was standing in the way of investigations he and Trump wanted to see launched into Joe and Hunter Biden's work in the country.The campaign-finance allegations against Parnas and Fruman are inextricably linked with that effort. Prosecutors say their extensive political contributions, beginning in early 2018, were designed to curry favor with American policymakers in an effort to advance Parnas' and Fruman's political and business endeavors.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet 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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| Tasmanian Tigers Are Extinct, So Why Are Locals Reporting Sightings? Posted: 23 Oct 2019 08:23 AM PDT  These sightings, if true, would reverse the belief that the carnivore has gone extinct.
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| UPDATE 3-China plans to replace Hong Kong leader Lam with 'interim' chief executive -FT Posted: 22 Oct 2019 01:53 PM PDT ![UPDATE 3-China plans to replace Hong Kong leader Lam with 'interim' chief executive -FT]( "UPDATE 3-China plans to replace Hong Kong leader Lam with 'interim' chief executive -FT") China is drawing up a plan to replace Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam with an "interim" chief executive, the Financial Times reported, citing people briefed on the deliberations, which would bring to a close Lam's rule after months of often-violent pro-democracy protests. Lam has become a lightning rod for protests over fears that Beijing is tightening its grip, limiting the freedoms enjoyed under the "one country, two systems" principle enshrined when colonial ruler Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997. Sources told the FT that officials in China want the situation in Hong Kong to stabilise before making a final decision, as they do not want to be seen to be giving in to violence.
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| 'Johnny Reb' no longer welcome in Norfolk: Virginia city gets OK to move Confederate statue Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:56 AM PDT  Virginia's attorney general says the city of Norfolk can move its "Johnny Reb" Confederate statue from a busy downtown intersection to a cemetery
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| Mexico Misleads on Failed Arrest of ‘Chapo’ Son: Ex-DEA Official Posted: 23 Oct 2019 09:52 AM PDT ![Mexico Misleads on Failed Arrest of 'Chapo' Son: Ex-DEA Official]( "Mexico Misleads on Failed Arrest of 'Chapo' Son: Ex-DEA Official") (Bloomberg) -- Mexico's government isn't being truthful about the botched attempt to capture the son of the world's most notorious drug trafficker, according to a former head of international operations for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.The administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador hasn't revealed that while trying to bring Ovidio Guzman Lopez into custody, security forces had caught another son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Mike Vigil, the former DEA official, said in an interview.Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar had also been detained and let go when gunmen overpowered police, Vigil said, citing unverified intelligence he received from top Mexico police sources. The New York Times had originally reported that Ivan Archivaldo had also been captured and released, citing people who asked not to be identified."There are so many factors that point to the fact that he was there and they also released him," said Vigil. "But they'll never admit to it because they've been lying from the get go." Vigil wouldn't disclose the sources behind his assertions, which couldn't be independently corroborated. He added that authorities have been misleading the public by playing down the amount of planning that went into the operation.Lopez Obrador said at his daily news conference Wednesday that he had no information on whether Ivan Archivaldo had been captured and released. AMLO's press office strongly rejected Vigil's assertion that it misled the public on the botched arrest. "There's been an unusual amount of transparency, not only for Mexico but by international standards. The entire security cabinet was explaining every detail," said Jesus Cantu, the information chief of the president's press office. "The president himself said he'd testify before the authorities if they considered he'd done something illegal."How AMLO's Plans to Transform Mexico Ran Into Reality: QuickTakeLopez Obrador, known as AMLO, has been struggling to convince the public that his government took the right step by releasing Guzman Lopez after gunmen began attacking civilians in efforts to free him in the northern city of Culiacan, Sinaloa. Guzman Lopez is said to have taken over some of the criminal activities after his father was sentenced to life in a U.S. prison.Initially, Mexico's security chief, Alfonso Durazo, had said the troops had stumbled on Guzman Lopez by accident. Afterward, government officials said it was part of a planned operation. More recently, officials signaled that the arrest was approved by low-level law enforcement officials and cabinet ministers may not have been aware.While the president and Durazo have spoken of "errors" regarding the operation, they've been distancing themselves from it. AMLO, as the president is known, said Tuesday that he wasn't informed about the operation to capture Guzman Lopez.He also confirmed that there was an extradition order for the alleged trafficker and raised questions about whether the minister of defense had even been informed about the operation. "I think the Defense Ministry had knowledge of it, the minister? I don't know. I think so."Jesus Ramirez, the president's spokesman and like Cantu is also from AMLO's press office, told Bloomberg News on Monday that Mexico attempted to detain Guzman Lopez upon request by the DEA for extradition. The DEA declined to comment and the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City directed inquiries to the White House press office, which hasn't responded to a request for comment.Vigil questioned why the authorities would target Guzman Lopez for extradition, when Chapo's other sons are far more active in the Sinaloa Cartel once run by their father. "Jesus Alfredo and Ivan Archivaldo are much more important than Ovidio," he said. "Mexico from the very beginning began distorting the truth in order to buy time so they could come up with a plausible deniability story."(Updates with AMLO's comment in fifth paragraph)To contact the reporter on this story: Nacha Cattan in Mexico City at ncattan@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Juan Pablo Spinetto at jspinetto@bloomberg.net, Robert JamesonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Saudi replaces foreign minister less than a year after appointment Posted: 23 Oct 2019 01:36 PM PDT  Saudi Arabia's King Salman appointed a new foreign minister on Wednesday, according to a royal decree issued less than a year after his predecessor took office. Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, who has been serving as ambassador to Germany, will replace Ibrahim al-Assaf, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) cited the decree as saying. Assaf will be demoted to minister of state, the SPA reported, having replaced Adel al-Jubeir in December 2018, two months after the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom's Istanbul consulate.
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| Democrat Buttigieg used marijuana 'a handful of times' Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:45 AM PDT  Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said Wednesday that he's used marijuana "a handful of times a long time ago," and that it's time for the U.S. to legalize marijuana. Buttigieg, speaking to reporters after touring a legal pot dispensary in suburban Las Vegas, was asked about whether he'd ever used marijuana. A handful of times a long time ago," he said.
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| Can Israel Fend off an Iranian Missile or Drone Attack? Posted: 22 Oct 2019 08:00 PM PDT  How good are their defenses?
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| Trump news: President abruptly drops sanctions on Turkey, as Republicans storm impeachment hearings Posted: 23 Oct 2019 09:18 AM PDT  Donald Trump continues to froth over the impeachment inquiry on Twitter as Laura Cooper, deputy assistant US secretary of defence for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, becomes the latest senior official to appear before the House panel on Capitol Hill to testify about the conduct of diplomatic relations with Ukraine.On Tuesday, Bill Taylor, acting US ambassador to Ukraine, told the inquiry he was informed military aid to the country was "dependent" on president Volodymyr Zelensky agreeing to publicly announce a corruption probe into Donald Trump's 2020 rival Joe Biden, confirming the existence of the suspected quid pro quo at the heart of the Democratic-led investigation.
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| Northern Ireland woman acquitted of buying abortion pills for daughter following a landmark law change Posted: 23 Oct 2019 06:17 AM PDT  A Northern Ireland woman acquitted of buying abortion pills for her daughter following a landmark law change has expressed relief she can now "finally move on with her life". A judge directed a jury at Belfast Crown Court to find the 39-year-old mother not guilty following the decriminalisation of abortion in the region earlier this week. With the law change including a direction that any ongoing prosecutions were discontinued, the Crown offered no evidence to the court on Wednesday morning. The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons to protect the identity of her daughter, could have faced a potential five-year jail term if she had been convicted of securing pills for her then 15-year-old daughter in 2013. The mother had been charged with two counts of procuring and supplying the abortion drugs with the intent to procure a miscarriage, contrary to the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act. The relevant sections of the 19th-century legislation fell away at midnight on Monday when abortion was decriminalised. Abortion milestones in the United Kingdom The move came as a result of legislation passed at Westminster in the ongoing absence of a powersharing executive in Belfast. Following the verdict, the woman at the centre of the controversial case hailed the law change. "My emotions are all over the place and I find it hard to put into words how I am feeling," she said in a statement. "For the first time in six years I can go back to being the mother I was, without the weight of this hanging over me every minute of every day, and I can finally move on with my life. "I am so thankful that the change in the law will allow other women and girls to deal with matters like this privately in their own family circle." Earlier judge David McFarland said that, despite the law being repealed, he was required to go through the legal formalities and swear in a jury. He explained the law changes to the jury of eight men and four women. "Some of you may be aware that the law was changed in Northern Ireland at midnight on Monday whereby the sections under which she was charged were repealed," he said. "In addition to that, Parliament directed that any ongoing charges in relation to those sections should be discontinued." Emotions run high as bitter divides are laid bare in Ireland's abortion referendum The judge said for those reasons the prosecution would not proceed. Crown barrister Kate McKay also referenced the terms of new law as she confirmed the end of the prosecution. "The prosecution offers no evidence in this case," she said. The judge then told jurors to find the accused "not guilty by direction". He then confirmed the woman was formally discharged by the court. While no evidence was presented during the criminal proceedings, the circumstances of the case were outlined last year in a separate High Court challenge taken by the woman. Judgment has yet to be delivered in that judicial review, in which the mother claimed the decision to prosecute her contravened her human rights. During those proceedings, the woman's barrister told the court her daughter was "extremely vulnerable" at the time of her pregnancy, claiming her then ex-boyfriend was "physically and emotionally abusive" toward her. The lawyer said the GCSE student had gone to her local doctor a week after taking the abortion medication. Her court heard she was subsequently referred to a mental health counselling service, which in turn informed Social Services. Social Services then alerted the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Young women with partners are the most likely to seek UK abortions The barrister told the High Court investigating police officers then arrived at the child's school and removed her from a classroom to speak to her in the absence of her parents. After her acquittal on Wednesday, the woman's solicitor, Jemma Conlon, of Chambers Solicitors, said: "Today is a day of immense relief for my client, who now finds herself free from the burden of this prosecution that has been in her life for six years. "It is a day that she will forever remember and a day that allows her to finally move on with her life privately without anguish and criminalisation." Outside court, Grainne Teggart, from Amnesty International, which had been supporting the woman, said the outcome was evidence of a new "compassionate" legal framework in Northern Ireland. "Today we are relieved that she can go back to being a mother," she said. "What we are seeing today is our new abortion law taking effect. No longer will women be hauled through the courts and treated as criminals for accessing this healthcare service. "This is the beginning of a new era for Northern Ireland - a more caring and compassionate Northern Ireland. This mother is now free to move on from this ordeal and go back to her family." The Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2019 which decriminalised abortion also paved the way for the introduction of same-sex marriage in the region, with the first weddings expected in February. The Act also includes provisions for a new pension paid to injured victims of the Troubles.
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| A vegan said he felt 'betrayed' and got sick after Domino's mistakenly served him pizza with real ham Posted: 22 Oct 2019 09:23 AM PDT  Accidentally eating meat can be upsetting, but in most cases it won't cause any physical harm, a nutritionist told Insider.
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| A Single Car Parking Spot Just Sold in Hong Kong for Almost a Million Dollars Posted: 23 Oct 2019 12:15 AM PDT  That works out to just over $7,200 a square foot.
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| Rats and Mold in Kushner-Managed Apartments, Maryland Claims Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:10 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- An apartment management firm run by Jared Kushner's family was sued by Maryland's attorney general, who claims the company engaged in numerous "illegal and harmful" practices.Westminster Management lied about the quality of rental units and the level of maintenance the company would provide, routinely failing to address hazardous conditions in the properties, including infestations by rodents and other vermin, water leaks and mold growth, Attorney General Brian Frosh said in a statement."We're charging that Westminster and the rental property owners in this case took advantage of consumers, primarily low- and middle-income families, collecting fees and other unlawful costs from them and often failing to make the repairs needed to maintain suitable environments for their tenants," Frosh said.Westminster Management is a unit of Kushner Cos., a family-run, New York-based business that owns, manages and develops properties and was built on working-class apartment complexes in New Jersey and Maryland. Some of the properties in the suit are owned by other companies but managed by Westminster.Kushner Cos. was run by Jared Kushner before he joined the administration of President Donald Trump, his father-in-law. Charles Kushner, Jared Kushner's father, has said his family firm has been unfairly targeted since his son became a key adviser to the president. In July, Trump attacked the Baltimore district of Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings, describing it as a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess." Cummings died last week.The suit, an administrative proceeding by the attorney general's Consumer Protection Unit, comes about a month after Laurent Morali, president of Kushner Cos., said Westminster had rejected an offer from Frosh to settle a long-running probe into how its tenants were treated, according to the Associated Press."We refuse to be extorted by an ambitious attorney general who clearly cares more about scoring political points than fighting real crime and improving the lives of the people of Maryland," Morali said. "We look forward to defending ourselves against these bogus allegations."A statement of charges in the suit describes "rodents living and dying in walls and kitchen appliances" and cockroaches that have "crawled into consumers' food." Various plumbing problems cause "water-logged carpeting; holes in walls and ceilings; sagging, buckling and collapsing ceilings; and the stench of mildew and sewage," according to the filing.Kushner Cos. has also battled Steven Fulop, the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, where the company wants to build a mixed-use tower. Fulop "has expressly acknowledged to several people on the phone and in meetings that Kushner Companies is being unfairly and blatantly discriminated against by Jersey City simply because its former CEO works in the Trump administration," a spokeswoman told Bloomberg last year.In New York, the company was targeted last year for failing to disclose rent-regulated tenants when applying for construction permits in Queens. The disclosure is required to protect such tenants from being forced out of their homes. In a statement at the time, the company said the filings were prepared by a third party.(Updates with details of allegations and with Kushner Cos.' view that it has been unfairly targeted)\--With assistance from Andrew Harris.To contact the reporters on this story: Chris Dolmetsch in Federal Court in Manhattan at cdolmetsch@bloomberg.net;Caleb Melby in New York at cmelby@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net, Peter JeffreyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Iraq says it is taking "measures" over entry of US forces from Syria Posted: 23 Oct 2019 06:52 AM PDT ![Iraq says it is taking "measures" over entry of US forces from Syria]( "Iraq says it is taking \"measures\" over entry of US forces from Syria") Iraq's prime minister on Wednesday said Baghdad is taking "all international legal measures" over the entry of U.S. troops from neighbouring Syria, in an apparent attempt to assert his government's opposition to the arrival of the American forces. In a statement, Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi reiterated his government's position that U.S. troops pulling out of northeast Syria and moving into Iraq were not allowed to remain in his country.
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| South Korean prosecutors arrest ex-minister's wife Posted: 23 Oct 2019 09:14 PM PDT  Prosecutors on Thursday arrested the wife of South Korea's former justice minister who resigned last week over corruption allegations surrounding his family that have sparked huge protests and rattled Seoul's liberal government. The Seoul Central District Court said a judge issued an arrest warrant for Chung Kyung-shim over concerns that she might attempt to destroy evidence as prosecutors investigate her suspected involvement in dubious financial investments and creating fake credentials to help her daughter get into medical school.
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| Quantum leap in computing as Google claims 'supremacy' Posted: 23 Oct 2019 09:58 AM PDT  Scientists claimed Wednesday to have achieved a near-mythical state of computing in which a new generation of machine vastly outperforms the world's fastest super-computer, known as "quantum supremacy". A team of experts working on Google's Sycamore machine said their quantum system had executed a calculation in 200 seconds that would have taken a classic computer 10,000 years to complete. This property, known as superposition, means a quantum computer, made up of several qubits, can crunch an enormous number of potential outcomes simultaneously.
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| Iraq: U.S. troops crossing border from Syria don't have approval to stay Posted: 22 Oct 2019 04:34 AM PDT  U.S. forces that crossed into Iraq as part of a withdrawal from Syria do not have permission to stay and can only be there in transit, the Iraqi military said on Tuesday.
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| Trump's plan to leave some US troops in Syria to guard its oil is now doomed, thanks to Putin Posted: 23 Oct 2019 12:41 PM PDT  "The implementation of this memorandum will strongly interfere with these plans," a Russian official said. "We will work to nullify them."
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| 2020 BMW M340i vs. 2020 Genesis G70 in Photos Posted: 23 Oct 2019 08:30 AM PDT |
| Honduran woman accuses immigration agent of sexual assault over seven years Posted: 22 Oct 2019 05:14 PM PDT  In a $10m lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, she says the officer threatened her with deportationA Honduran woman has sued the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency over sexual assault she says occurred over a period of seven years. Photograph: Bryan Cox/Associated PressA Honduran woman living in Connecticut has accused a US immigration agent of sexually assaulting her over a period of seven years under the threat of deportation, according to a federal lawsuit. The woman, identified in the lawsuit as Jane Doe, sued the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), and the former Ice agent Wilfredo Rodriguez on Saturday, seeking $10m in damages."My only comment is that my client had a choice: cooperate with Ice or be deported with her family," said George Kramer, the woman's lawyer. "She remains in a very fragile psychological state. She is not only seeking compensation for the physical and emotional damage she suffered but to change the way those who are cooperating with Ice are treated by those in a position of power and who often wield total control over the ability to remain in the United States."An Ice spokesman told the Associated Press he couldn't comment on litigation but confirmed Rodriguez no longer works for the agency. Homeland security didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.It was not immediately clear whether Rodriguez had a lawyer to speak for him, and a phone listing for him could not immediately be found, according to the AP.Tom Carson, a spokesman for the US attorney's office in Connecticut, told the AP he could not comment on whether there has been or will be a criminal investigation.The woman first met the Ice agent in 2006 after her brother was arrested for entering the US illegally, according to the lawsuit.Rodriguez found out she was also living in the country illegally and said that to avoid deportation she would have to become an informant by helping Ice locate criminals. According to the lawsuit she did so, but, in 2007, Rodriguez sexually assaulted her in a motel.He called himself the "wolf" and said he was the reason she and her family weren't deported, she says in the lawsuit.The woman alleges that the assaults continued and resulted in three pregnancies, each followed by abortions, one of which Rodriguez paid for. Later, he told her that he was leaving the agency but that if she told anyone what happened, "she and her family would pay", according to the lawsuit.The woman finally told her story last year when her father, living in the US and fearing deportation because of her friendliness with Ice, applied for asylum. She opened up to an agent who approached her about her father's application, the lawsuit says.The agent, she says, suggested she consult an attorney.
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| America's consumer paradise means hell on Earth for Chinese Muslims Posted: 23 Oct 2019 02:55 AM PDT ![America's consumer paradise means hell on Earth for Chinese Muslims]( "America's consumer paradise means hell on Earth for Chinese Muslims") You're in your bed and you wake up with a black bag over your head. When you can see again you have no idea where you are: exposed concrete room, very cold. You're forced to perform manual labor, to attend talks on patriotism, to learn a new language, to sing inane songs. You are beaten -- for refusing to eat pork, for sending messages on a phone you don't have and wouldn't even know how to use, for refusing to confess to crimes you have not committed, for confessing to crimes you have not committed, for any offense at all or none. If you are under the age of 35, you are raped, often by more than one person at a time; if you are a woman and become pregnant you will be forced to have an abortion, perhaps more than once. Or you may have a contraceptive device inserted inside you against your will. No sleep, and you stink. Then there are the drugs that are supposed to protect you from the flu and AIDS; these weaken your cognitive faculties and lead to the end of menstruation and sterilization. If you are actually sick with a condition like diabetes you will receive no treatment. And it could be worse: You could be brought to the black room, where you will be be electrocuted and made to sit on a bed of nails and have your fingernails ripped out, even though the black room officially doesn't exist and talking about it is forbidden. All of this is carried out by a sinister body with administrative and military as well as economic authority over an entire region; it is known only as "The Corps."This is not a summary of a dystopian novel or a pitch for a new Hulu original series. It is a description of the conditions under which perhaps as many as a million Uighur Muslims live in China in 2019. China, in case you had forgotten, is the United States' largest trading partner, the country whose achievements in everything from infrastructure to STEM education we are supposed to be fawning over, the country our president is an idiot for wanting to tangle with, and prominent sports figures are officially not allowed to criticize. In the last six or so years they have created hell on Earth for the country's largest Turkic ethnic minority group in the ostensibly autonomous Xinjiang region.And no one particularly cares, least of all in the United States. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized China's treatment of the Uighurs earlier this month, but it was in the context of a ludicrous comparison with Iran and Pakistan. There was no indication during a Cabinet meeting on Monday that President Trump or anyone else involved in the ongoing trade talks intends to do anything about the issue, which was not mentioned either by the president or by Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary.I cannot believe I am typing this about a man who eight years ago said he would be walking on Mars by now, but Newt Gingrich is absolutely right. Our leaders are not prepared to deal with China. Not only do they lack the cunning and the willpower -- they lack the requisite bargaining tools. We are in too deep, and China knows it. Any concession we could possibly demand of them will require a corresponding one that we are unable to grant.Besides, it is not clear to me that a substantial number of Americans particularly wants to see our relations with China change. We are happy to buy cheap water bottles and Halloween decorations and licensed cartoon merchandise and mobile phones. We want our movies shown in Chinese theaters and our sports leagues to have large Chinese fan bases. From our home in this consumer paradise hell looks impossibly remote."I will never forget the camp," says Sayragul Sauytbay, a former teacher in one of the Uighur camps now living in Sweden. "I cannot forget the eyes of the prisoners, expecting me to do something for them. They are innocent. I have to tell their story, to tell about the darkness they are in, about their suffering. The world must find a solution so that my people can live in peace. The democratic governments must do all they can to make China stop doing what it is doing in Xinjiang."Indeed they must. But they will not if their citizens and leaders alike care more about stock prices and Cyber Monday deals than they do about torture, rape, and Mengelean experimentation on human bodies and brains.Want more essential commentary and analysis like this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for The Week's "Today's best articles" newsletter here.
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| Correction: Election 2020-Gabbard-Clinton story Posted: 23 Oct 2019 08:04 PM PDT  In a story Oct. 18 about Tulsi Gabbard and Hillary Clinton, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Hillary Clinton said she believes the Russians have "got their eye on somebody who's currently in the Democratic primary and grooming her to be the third-party candidate." She was referring to Republicans, not Russians, according to an aide.
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| Impossible burger versus Beyond Meat: Which one actually tastes better? Posted: 22 Oct 2019 04:00 PM PDT  You shouldn't write plant-based burger alternatives like Impossible burger and Beyond Meat off before you try them – or at least watch us try them.
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| Ukraine just threw a huge wrench into Trump's key defense denying a quid pro quo Posted: 23 Oct 2019 10:57 AM PDT  Ukrainian officials knew in early August that President Trump had frozen military aid — all while pushing for politically motivated investigations.
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| 39 Bodies Including One Teenager Found in Back of Semitrailer in Britain Posted: 23 Oct 2019 05:37 AM PDT  Peter Nicholls/ReutersPolice in South-East England have launched a murder investigation involving a 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland after 39 dead bodies, including one that appears to be a teenager, were found in the trailer of a semi truck in an industrial park. Authorities were called to the Waterglade Industrial Park in Essex early Wednesday morning where the gruesome discovery was made. All 39 people were pronounced dead on the scene. It is yet unclear how the victims died, how long they had been dead when they were discovered, or if they died at the same time. Seventy Dead Migrants Found in Chicken TruckWednesday, British immigration services had joined the investigation, which is presumed to be a case of people smuggling, though British authorities said they could not officially confirm details until the identities of the victims are known. Each year thousands of migrants die attempting to cross into Europe. Many sink to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea without a trace. Others die on land and mountain routes. The International Organization for Migration estimates that 4,503 people are known to have died worldwide in 2018, with the highest number perishing in the Mediterranean Sea. Human smugglers and traffickers are by contrast rarely caught and punished. There are around two dozen people in jail in Italy related to trafficking crimes, but the masterminds are generally in countries of origin and difficult to hold accountable. Authorities working to determine the nationalities of the victims in Essex have warned that the process is complicated because of lack of documents in the victims' possession. Chief Superintendent Andrew Mariner said in a statement that the process could be lengthy. "This is a tragic incident where a large number of people have lost their lives," he said. "Our enquiries are ongoing to establish what has happened." Mariner originally said the semitrailer started its journey in Bulgaria. Later Wednesday, the police corrected that statement and now say they believe it starts its deadly journey in Zeebrugge, Belgium. Police have also suggested that two different trucks pulled the semitrailer at different times though it is not clear when the 39 people. Records show that it entered the U.K. in Holyhead, Wales, on Saturday, Oct. 19, which is one of the busiest ferry ports in the area with primary service to Ireland. Authorities called such a route into the U.K. "unusual."Seamus Leheny, the head of Northern Ireland Freight Transport Association told the BBC that increased security and checks in places like Dover and Calais have made smugglers and traffickers rethink traditional routes. "It might be an easier way to get in by going from Cherbourgh or Roscoff, over to Rosslare, then up the road to Dublin," he said of the presumed route via Ireland.Historically, migrants and refugees coming into Europe from Syria by way of Turkey have used long established smuggling routes through the so-called Balkan route, while migrants coming from sub-Saharan Africa tend to try to cross the Mediterranean Sea. In 2014, 71 migrants and refugees were found dead in the back of a chicken truck in Austria. In June 2000, 58 dead Chinese migrants were discovered in a truck at the busy port of Dover, U.K. The Dutch driver was convicted of multiple homicides after that incident. Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet 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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| After El Paso and Odessa shootings, my plan to reduce mass violence: Sen. John Cornyn Posted: 23 Oct 2019 09:03 AM PDT  No person, family, or community should endure the heartbreak caused by the recent mass shootings in Texas. It's time to answer their call for action.
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| The Balkans fuse Posted: 23 Oct 2019 07:56 AM PDT ![The Balkans fuse]( "The Balkans fuse") Three nations in what was once Europe's powder keg set plans to blend their economies, replicating the "common home" of the EU.
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| Children are being sexually abused every seven minutes, NSPCC reveals as figures hit new high Posted: 23 Oct 2019 03:57 PM PDT  Children are being sexually abused every seven minutes, according to police data obtained by the NSPCC. Reported sexual offences against children rose to 76,204 in the last 12 months, a record high, according to the figures from 44 of the 45 police forces released under Freedom of Information laws. That is a rise of 63 per cent compared to five years ago when there were 46,738 recorded child sexual offences. Analysis of the data also reveals that where age of victim was provided, a fifth of the offences - some 16,773 - were recorded against children aged ten and under, with 341 of the offences against babies under the age of one. The NSPCC say the rise in offences which include rape, sexual assault and grooming is partly explained by better recording and increased reporting but believe there has also been a rise fuelled by paedophiles exploiting social media to contact children. In 2018/19, there were 8,656 recorded child sexual offences flagged as involving an online element – an increase of 18 per cent from the previous year where there were 7,362. Duty of Care white paper Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, said: "Record numbers of child sexual offences means we are facing a nationwide crisis in the help available for tens of thousands of children. "These children are bravely disclosing what happened to them but in too many cases there is not enough timely, joined up and child-friendly support. Instead they are shunted from overstretched service to service. "We need a radical rethink in the way we help these young people, otherwise they could struggle for the rest of their lives with long term, deep seated trauma." The charity is calling for the provision of specialised services around the UK, with an emphasis on early joined up support from police, local NHS services, children's services and advocacy for children who have experienced sexual abuse, offered in child-friendly spaces. Last year there were 69,543 recorded child sexual offences, more than three times the 20,698 when figures were first collected in 2007/08. Duty of Care white paper Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for child protection, said: "Policing is doing all we can to pursue and prosecute criminals who exploit and abuse young people. "But much more must be done to stop this abuse happening in the first place. Social media and tech companies need to acknowledge their responsibility and do more to stop children accessing harmful content and prevent abuse on their platforms. "They have a social responsibility to design out this type of offending and to cooperate in full with police investigations into child abuse or exploitation."
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| View Photos of the BMW Alpina B3 Sedan Posted: 23 Oct 2019 03:00 PM PDT |
| Lawyer for Kavanaugh accuser to investigate Baltimore police Posted: 23 Oct 2019 01:48 PM PDT  A former federal prosecutor who represented one of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's accusers has been picked to lead an independent review of a corruption-plagued unit of the Baltimore Police Department, the department's chief announced Wednesday. Michael Bromwich will have "full autonomy" to conduct the review of the department's Gun Trace Task Force "without interference from us," said Police Commissioner Michael Harrison. Bromwich was the Justice Department's inspector general from 1994 to 1999 and served as the nation's top offshore drilling regulator after BP's deadly Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010.
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| Rep. Ilhan Omar condemns North Dakota state senator's Facebook post Posted: 22 Oct 2019 10:10 AM PDT  Rep. Ilhan Omar has condemned a Republican state senator from North Dakota who posted a long-debunked photo on his Facebook page that purports to show the Minnesota Democrat holding a weapon at an al-Qaida training camp.
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| Iraqi Kurds turn to Zoroastrianism as faith, identity entwine Posted: 22 Oct 2019 06:52 PM PDT  Zoroastrianism. Years of violence by the Islamic State jihadist group have left many disillusioned with Islam, while a much longer history of state oppression has pushed some in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region to see the millennia-old religion as a way of reasserting their identity. "After Kurds witnessed the brutality of IS, many started to rethink their faith," said Asrawan Qadrok, the faith's top priest in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region.
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| Trump declares 'big success' in Syria, lifts sanctions on Turkey Posted: 23 Oct 2019 03:05 PM PDT  In a 15-minute speech at the White House, Trump said critics of his policy want an endless, unlimited U.S. commitment in a dangerous region.
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| Bernie Weighed in on the 'Outrageous' Hillary-Tulsi Spat. You Won't Believe Which Side He Took. Posted: 22 Oct 2019 09:04 AM PDT  "She's the favorite of the Russians," Clinton had said.
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| "A better life somewhere else": Europe-bound African migrants wait in Rwanda Posted: 23 Oct 2019 09:54 AM PDT !["A better life somewhere else": Europe-bound African migrants wait in Rwanda]( "\"A better life somewhere else\": Europe-bound African migrants wait in Rwanda") At the United Nations emergency transit centre next to a serene lake south of Rwanda's capital on Wednesday, the quiet mood was broken by the sobs of a group of female migrants from Ethiopia. "They were evacuated from Libya but they don't want to live here," said a U.N. refugee agency translator. "Brighter future is not only resettlement in Europe," said Elise Villechalane, a UNCHR spokeswoman in Rwanda.
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