| At an Iowa rally, progressive voters already talk about an Ocasio-Cortez presidency Posted: 11 Nov 2019 06:18 AM PST  As she took the stage in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Friday night, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez noted it was her "first time" in the key presidential primary state. But many of the thousands of people who came to see her campaign for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders were confident it wouldn't be her last visit.
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| Could President Trump be impeached and removed from office — but still reelected? Posted: 12 Nov 2019 10:46 AM PST  What happens when a presidential impeachment inquiry runs into a presidential election year? The United States in uncharted territory.
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| PHOTOS: Venice flooded from rising tides and rain Posted: 12 Nov 2019 08:33 AM PST  Tourists and Venetians alike have donned high boots and taken to temporary raised walkways to slosh through the high water that has hit much of the lagoon city.
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| Father who lost wife, sons says life 'turned upside down' Posted: 10 Nov 2019 05:37 PM PST  A U.S. citizen who lost his wife and two of his sons when they were ambushed by gunmen in Mexico said his life has been upended and he's leaving the country with the rest of his family, ABC News reported. David Langford told ABC's "World News Tonight" Sunday that "my whole life has turned upside down. Langford's wife, Dawna, and two of his sons, Trevor Langford, 11, and Rogan Langford, 2, were among the nine women and children killed in the ambush Monday in the Mexican state of Sonora.
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| 51 children injured in chemical attack at China kindergarten Posted: 11 Nov 2019 11:54 PM PST  More than 50 people, mostly children, were injured by a man who broke into a kindergarten in southwest China and sprayed them with corrosive liquid, local authorities said Tuesday. The suspect, a 23-year-old surnamed Kong, entered the kindergarten by climbing a wall before spraying victims with sodium hydroxide, said local authorities in Kaiyuan city, Yunnan province. The attack took place on Monday at 3:35 pm (0735 GMT), authorities said on their Twitter-like Weibo account.
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| Airline pilot receives $300k for wrongful arrest after being seen naked near airport Posted: 12 Nov 2019 09:35 AM PST  An airline pilot who was arrested after being spotted naked in his hotel room overlooking Denver International Airport has been awarded a $300,000 wrongful arrest settlement from the Colorado city.The man, United Airlines pilot Andrew Collins, was arrested in September 2018, after employees saw him apparently touching himself through the 10th floor window of his hotel room.
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| Angered at EU, Turkey threatens to release IS prisoners Posted: 12 Nov 2019 02:15 AM PST  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday issued a veiled threat suggesting Turkey could release the Islamic State group prisoners it holds and send them to Europe, angered at a EU decision to impose sanctions on his country over its drilling for gas in Mediterranean waters off Cyprus. Speaking to reporters before a visit to the United States, Erdogan also said Turkey would continue repatriating foreign Islamic State militants to their home countries, even if those countries decline to take them back. "You should revise your stance toward Turkey, which at the moment holds so many IS members in prison and at the same time controls those in Syria," Erdogan warned European nations, a day after the EU unveiled a system to sanction Turkey.
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| Chinese national pleads guilty in U.S. court to stealing Phillips 66 trade secrets Posted: 12 Nov 2019 01:28 PM PST ![Chinese national pleads guilty in U.S. court to stealing Phillips 66 trade secrets]( "Chinese national pleads guilty in U.S. court to stealing Phillips 66 trade secrets") A Chinese national pleaded guilty on Tuesday to stealing trade secrets from U.S. petroleum company Phillips 66 , where he worked on the research and development of next generation battery technologies, the U.S. Justice Department said. Hongjin Tan, 36, stole information regarding the manufacture of a "research and development downstream energy market product" that is worth more than $1 billion, the department said in a statement. The department identified the company where he worked as Phillips 66 in court documents filed in Oklahoma.
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| Clinton says she is being urged by ‘many, many, many people’ to run in 2020 Posted: 12 Nov 2019 02:20 PM PST  Hillary Clinton on Tuesday declined to rule out launching a future presidential campaign after her two failed bids, saying "many, many, many people" were pressuring her to enter the race. "I, as I say, never, never, never say never," the former secretary of State said on BBC Radio 5 Live. "But as of this moment, sitting here in this studio talking to you, that is absolutely not in my plans," Clinton added.
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| U.S. troops who remain in Syria are redeploying to bases: Senior commander Posted: 12 Nov 2019 08:58 AM PST  At a base in eastern Syria, a senior U.S. coalition commander said Monday that American troops who remain in Syria are redeploying to bases, including in some new locations, and working with the Kurdish-led forces to keep up the pressure on the ISIS militants and prevent the extremists from resurging or breaking out of prisons.
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| Kavanaugh Returns to Spotlight a Year After Nasty Senate Fight Posted: 11 Nov 2019 01:00 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh has done his best to keep a low profile in the 13 months since one of the most polarizing Senate confirmation fights in U.S. history.From the bench, his questions have been evenhanded and his opinions have been measured. His public appearances have been rare.But Kavanaugh will be back in the spotlight when he gives the featured dinner speech on Thursday at the annual Washington convention of the Federalist Society, the powerful conservative legal group that helped put him on the court.The appearance, in front of an organization Kavanaugh joined in 1988 as a law student, will offer a reminder of his professional roots and help showcase the group's success in helping load the federal courts with conservative judges -- one of President Donald Trump's signature achievements.It will also provide a fresh indication of how the Supreme Court's most controversial justice will navigate the raw feelings that remain after his nomination by Trump and narrow Senate confirmation in the face of sexual assault allegations.About 2,300 people are expected to attend the Antonin Scalia Memorial Dinner, a black-tie-optional event that brings legal luminaries to the cavernous Main Hall of Washington's Union Station every year. The event will be open to the media, though broadcast coverage will be prohibited.When many Americans last saw Kavanaugh, he was at his Senate confirmation hearing angrily and tearfully denying that he had assaulted Christine Blasey Ford decades ago when both were teenagers."This whole two-week effort has been a calculated and orchestrated political hit, fueled with apparent pent-up anger about President Trump and the 2016 election," Kavanaugh said, with rage that would later be lampooned by actor Matt Damon on "Saturday Night Live."He was confirmed on a 50-48 vote.'Gracious' JusticeThat Brett Kavanaugh bears little resemblance to the one who now sits at one end of the Supreme Court bench, seen only by the few hundred people who typically attend its camera-free argument sessions.Kavanaugh tends to politely challenge both sides during arguments, almost always without tipping his hand on his own views. He often chats amicably with Justice Elena Kagan, who sits to his right and seems to have far more to discuss with him than with Justice Samuel Alito on her other side."He seems quite comfortable," said Carter Phillips, a veteran Supreme Court lawyer at Sidley Austin. "He's very gracious, extremely well-prepared. His questions are good."Kavanaugh's written opinions have generally been measured. Though he has almost always voted with his conservative colleagues when the court splits along ideological lines, he has eschewed the sweeping rhetoric of Trump's other Supreme Court appointee, Neil Gorsuch. On occasion, Kavanaugh has written separate opinions to describe his position as a limited one."He appears more cautious and pragmatic than Gorsuch, but it's too early to tell too much," said Jonathan Adler, a professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.Kavanaugh's colleagues have publicly welcomed him and said they don't harbor any ill feelings."We are all human beings, we all have pasts," Justice Sonia Sotomayor told a judicial conference in September, according to the Wall Street Journal. "Now whether things occurred or didn't occur, all of that is irrelevant."Female ClerksJustice Ruth Bader Ginsburg praised Kavanaugh for hiring four women to serve as his law clerks for his first term, something no justice had done in any term.That decision is as close as Kavanaugh has come to publicly addressing the confirmation controversy since he joined the court."It was all women, and I think that was not coincidental," said Melissa Murray, a New York University law professor who testified during the confirmation hearing that she was concerned Kavanaugh would vote to overturn abortion rights. "I think it was intended to be a rebuttal to those who believe those allegations, took those allegations seriously. I think he wanted to sort of counteract the perception that might have been left after the confirmation hearing."For the public at large, Kavanaugh remains a polarizing figure -- far more so than his longer-serving colleagues. A Marquette Law School poll conducted in September found that 32% of respondents had an unfavorable view of Kavanaugh, with 26% holding a favorable view. No other justice had an unfavorable rating higher than 23%.Though he has met privately with smaller groups, the Federalist Society speech will mark only the second time Kavanaugh has spoken publicly outside the court since the White House ceremony that followed his October 2018 confirmation. Kavanaugh appeared in May with the man he succeeded, Justice Anthony Kennedy, before a conference of judges and lawyers.Standing OvationKavanaugh's reception at the Federalist Society event is all but certain to be positive, probably overwhelmingly so, though it's possible he'll face protests."I expect he'll get a very warm reception," said Adler, a Federalist Society member who plans to attend.Kavanaugh got a lengthy standing ovation when he arrived for last year's dinner, which took place less than six weeks after the Senate vote. He opted not to give a talk at that event, instead agreeing to speak this year, according to two people familiar with the planning.The Federalist Society's executive vice president, Leonard Leo, has served as a key adviser to Trump on judicial nominations. Leo declined to be interviewed about Kavanaugh's work on the court, saying he generally doesn't comment on individual justices.The dinner is part of a three-day program that features speeches by Gorsuch and Attorney General Bill Barr as well as panel discussions on a plethora of legal topics."I think it is meaningful that he's choosing to make a debut of sorts at this particular venue," Murray said.Chances are Kavanaugh's speech will steer clear of any discussion of the confirmation controversy. He probably will at least touch on the judicial philosophy that made him a Federalist Society favorite in the first place. He might show the side of himself that promised at his confirmation hearing to be part of a "team of nine" on the court."I think it will be different than it was in his last public appearance," said Phillips with a laugh. "He is by nature a gracious and even-tempered person. I expect that that's the way he will come across."To contact the reporter on this story: Greg Stohr in Washington at gstohr@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, John Harney, Laurie AsséoFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Democrats need to stop being such babies about Barack Obama Posted: 12 Nov 2019 02:50 AM PST ![Democrats need to stop being such babies about Barack Obama]( "Democrats need to stop being such babies about Barack Obama") Pete Buttigieg got in hot water with many loyal Democrats on Sunday when the Los Angeles Times reported that he cited the "failures of the Obama era" as part of why Trump's election happened. This inspired furious outrage from liberal partisans and party apparatchiks -- only soothed (and tweets deleted) when the reporter said he had misquoted Buttigieg, who was then quick to lavish praise on the ex-president.But as it turns out, Buttigieg previously said almost the exact same thing in a recent interview with Showtime's The Circus. "I don't think there's going back to Obama... the American political world we've been in from the day I was born, has been blown up," he explained, "[thanks to] its own failures which culminated in Trump. Look, if the old way worked, something like Trump would never have been possible."So this recent flap sure looks like another flip-flop from Payola Pete, mayor of Indiana's fourth largest city. But at least in his beta release form, I have to admit that Buttigieg was completely correct. Democrats really need to get over this worshipful reverence of Barack Obama.For one thing, it is simply beyond question that the Obama years were a political disaster. From having commanding majorities in both the House and the Senate, Democrats lost first the former, then the latter, and finally the presidency, as the candidate running as Obama's successor bobbled perhaps the easiest lay-up election in American history. Meanwhile, the party all but collapsed in many states, as devastating national defeats translated into the loss of over 1,000 state legislative seats.As I have written before, the primary reason for the Obama-era Democrats' initial crushing loss in 2010, which locked in Republican gains for a decade at least through their ensuing control of the state gerrymandering process, was policy error -- undershooting the size of the economic stimulus in response to the Great Recession on the one hand, and secretly using homeowner assistance money to bail out the banks on the other. The former was not entirely Obama's fault, as he had to get congressional approval for the stimulus, but the latter was entirely under his control. Millions were left out of work, and about 10 million people losing their homes wreaked further economic devastation. As any historian could tell you, being in power during a huge economic disaster is the surest possible way to get blown out of the water in the next election.If you take Obama out of the equation, what Buttigieg was saying before it looks like folks might stop sending those fat campaign checks is all but conventional wisdom even among liberals. Obama himself reportedly has grave doubts about what Trump means for his legacy. Clearly if the party could lose to the most unpopular major party nominee in the history of polling, whatever was happening before 2016 was not exactly working out.And from the other side of the fence, Obama has shown no inclination to fulfill the sort of leadership role loyal Democrats clearly crave. Despite the shattering national crisis that Trump presents, he has not gone on to a different office -- unlike, say, John Quincy Adams, who returned to the House after his presidency and fought slavery literally until his dying breath. Obama is not out there mobilizing day and night against Trump's migrant concentration camps, or his Muslim ban, or his blatant abuses of power.Only occasionally will Obama pop up to endorse candidates, often centrist or center-right white men like Emmanuel Macron or Justin Trudeau. He largely avoided campaigning in 2018 until the last few weeks before the election. He's mainly keeping to himself, hanging out with rich tycoons and celebrities, and making eye-popping sums giving paid speeches before big corporations and banks.He appears in public only occasionally -- and when he does, he has a tendency to indulge in get-off-my-lawn youth scolding that, as Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote back in 2013, was offensive and out of date when he did it as president. "This idea of purity and you're never compromised and you're always politically 'woke' and all that stuff," he said at a recent Obama Foundation summit. "You should get over that quickly. The world is messy, there are ambiguities." Just like the time when "we tortured some folks," but it was still important to "look forward as opposed to backwards" instead of enforcing the law, I suppose.Jokes aside, this almost beggars belief. President Trump is flagrantly stealing money from the American state, attempting to get foreign countries to gin up political persecutions of Obama's own vice president, and Obama is out here raising worries about exaggerated nonsense from America's most dimwitted and gullible columnists, and earning praise from loathsome trolls:> Good for Obama. (Not sarcastic!) https://t.co/cwq5mcDc7V> > -- Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) October 30, 2019Now, let me be clear: All this is, of course, Obama's complete right as a private citizen. It is, at least for the moment, still a free country. But Democrats should not follow the advice of the Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin, who argues that "it is unheard of for a party following a two-term president not to run on his achievements," in part because "Republicans did that with former president Ronald Reagan for 30 years." She would know, from her previous incarnation as a prolific and absolutely shameless propagandist for Mitt Romney. But the grim fate of the GOP is precisely the problem.We see today what you get when a party loses the ability to think critically about its history, and treats its leaders as infallible saints no matter what they do: Donald Trump.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.More stories from theweek.com The coming death of just about every rock legend The president has already confessed to his crimes Why are 2020 Democrats so weird?
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| Catholic bishops' agenda: immigrants, gun deaths, sex abuse Posted: 11 Nov 2019 02:18 PM PST  US Catholic bishops received a challenging to-do list Monday as they opened their national assembly — notably to support immigrants and refugees, extend the campaign to curtail clergy sex abuse and work harder to combat gun violence. "The pope has emphasized certain themes: Mercy, closeness to the people... a spirit of hospitality toward migrants, and dialogue with those of other cultures and religions," Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the papal nuncio, told the bishops as they opened a three-day meeting. Pierre said the bishops should find tangible ways of showing they supported the pope's merciful message and flexible doctrine, which includes an emphasis on protecting the environment.
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| China's Submarines Can Now Launch a Nuclear War Against America Posted: 12 Nov 2019 10:00 AM PST  A missile test last November made the point quite clear.
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| Turkey police rearrest journalist Ahmet Altan Posted: 12 Nov 2019 11:38 AM PST  Turkish police acting on a court order rearrested journalist and novelist Ahmet Altan Tuesday, just a week after his release from prison over alleged links to the failed 2016 coup. Altan and another veteran journalist Nazli Ilicak were released on November 4 despite having been convicted of "helping a terrorist group". The Istanbul court sentenced Altan to more than 10 years in jail, but ruled that he and Ilicak should be released under supervision after time already served -- around three years each.
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| Woman who spoke at Epstein's bail hearing sues his estate Posted: 12 Nov 2019 02:13 PM PST  A woman who confronted Jeffrey Epstein at a July bail hearing to tell a judge he touched her inappropriately when she was 16 sued his estate Tuesday, alleging he had subjected her to sex trafficking as part of his attacks on young women and girls. Lawyers for Annie Farmer filed the lawsuit in Manhattan federal court, along with a lawsuit on behalf of her sister, Maria Farmer, and Teresa Helm, an Ohio woman. A lawyer for Epstein's estate did not return a message seeking comment.
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| Tulsi Gabbard's lawyers sent a letter to Hillary Clinton demanding she retract Russia comments Posted: 12 Nov 2019 04:19 PM PST  Tulsi Gabbard's lawyers want Hillary Clinton to make her retraction at a press conference and on social media.
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| Uganda charges 67 after raid on gay bar Posted: 12 Nov 2019 11:03 AM PST ![Uganda charges 67 after raid on gay bar]( "Uganda charges 67 after raid on gay bar") A Ugandan court charged 67 people with causing a nuisance on Tuesday after they were arrested in a gay-friendly bar, in a move condemned by activists as the latest "homophobic" attack. The 67 - who were among 127 arrested at Ram Bar, in the capital, Kampala, on Sunday - could face up to one year in jail if found guilty, said Patricia Kimera, a lawyer for the group. "This is just a homophobic attack," LGBT+ activist Raymond Karuhanga told the Thomson Reuters Foundation outside the court.
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| Republican Rep. Will Hurd breaks with Trump, insists whistleblower remain anonymous Posted: 11 Nov 2019 10:56 AM PST  A Republican lawmaker on Sunday broke with the President Trump and fellow party members to reject the idea that the whistleblower whose complaint prompted an impeachment inquiry into the president should have to testify publicly.
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| Trump Jr booed off stage by supporters of his father amid apparent split in US far right Posted: 11 Nov 2019 06:37 AM PST  Donald Trump Jr was booed off stage and forced to abandon a book tour appearance at the University of California's Los Angeles campus – due to a protest by supporters of his father.The event, organised by conservative group Turning Point USA (TPUSA), was disrupted by chants of "Q and A! Q and A!" after the audience was told the president's son would not take questions, video showed.
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| Widow sues boat owner in fire off California that killed 34 Posted: 11 Nov 2019 04:41 PM PST  The widow of a passenger who died in a fiery dive boat disaster that killed 34 people in the waters off California sued the vessel's owners Monday. Christine Dignam, whose husband, Justin Dignam, died when the Conception caught fire Sept. 2 off the Santa Barbara coast, claimed that the boat was unsafe. The vessel didn't have adequate smoke detectors or firefighting equipment, it lacked enough emergency exits, and a required night watch was not on duty when the flames broke out in the middle of the night, according to the wrongful-death lawsuit filed in federal court in Los Angeles.
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| USS Utah: The Forgotten (Drone) Battleship Sunk at Pearl Harbor Posted: 12 Nov 2019 03:47 AM PST  Back in July, the United States almost went to war over the downing of a drone along the Iranian border. This is not, strangely enough, the first time that an attack against the United States began with violence against a drone.
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| Taiwan seeks return of 'criminal income' from frigate scandal Posted: 11 Nov 2019 10:59 PM PST  Taiwan is seeking the return of hundreds of millions of dollars in ill-gotten funds linked to a controversial deal to buy French frigates over two decades ago, prosecutors said Tuesday. Taiwanese arms dealer Andrew Wang was indicted for corruption in 2006 for reaping hundreds of millions of dollars from the deal, and his family were also found guilty as his accomplices. Wang and his family were put on Taiwan's most wanted list after they fled the island shortly before the scandal broke in 1993.
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| Aides reportedly anticipated fallout from Biden's son's work in Ukraine back in 2014 but were shut down because Biden was consumed by grief Posted: 11 Nov 2019 07:57 AM PST  When news broke in 2014 that Hunter Biden had joined the board of Burisma, he was struggling with addiction and Beau Biden had brain cancer.
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| Israeli airstrike kills Islamic Jihad commander in Gaza home Posted: 12 Nov 2019 05:31 AM PST  The Israeli strike killed Bahaa Abu el-Atta and his wife, setting off a furious barrage of dozens of rocket attacks reaching as far as Tel Aviv.
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| Supreme Court weighs whether Mexican family can sue in US Posted: 12 Nov 2019 12:22 PM PST  The Supreme Court's left-leaning justices on Tuesday appeared willing to allow a lawsuit filed by the parents of a Mexican teenager shot over the border by an American agent, but the case will depend on whether they can persuade a conservative colleague to join them. The high court heard arguments in a 2010 case where Border Patrol Agent Jesus Mesa Jr. fired into Mexico, striking and killing Sergio Adrian Hernandez Guereca. Mesa rode up on a bicycle, took Sergio's friend into custody, then fired across the border, killing Sergio with a gunshot wound to the face.
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| Chinese land deal in Solomon's Guadalcanal disrupts access to WWII site Posted: 11 Nov 2019 10:49 PM PST  Tour operators and the Japanese ambassador to the Solomons say it appears to be a case of a lack of understanding of the significance of the Alligator Creek site by the new owner. The issue has stirred up debate in the Solomons concerning its new relationship with China, which was formalized in September following the Pacific island nation's decision to sever its diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of Beijing.
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| Mick Mulvaney is reportedly telling associates Trump can't fire him because he 'knows too much' Posted: 12 Nov 2019 10:56 AM PST ![Mick Mulvaney is reportedly telling associates Trump can't fire him because he 'knows too much']( "Mick Mulvaney is reportedly telling associates Trump can't fire him because he 'knows too much'") Mick Mulvaney has all the Ukraine beans and nowhere to spill them.That's why the acting White House chief of staff is reportedly convinced that even as Trump seemingly sours on his performance, his job is safe. And, as The New York Times reports, he's going around telling everyone in the White House that he's got a lock on his position as Trump's right-hand man.Mulvaney has been in his "acting" spot for nearly the whole year, and has also run the Office of Management and Budget for all of Trump's presidency. That puts Mulvaney in two very consequential spots when it comes to Trump's Ukraine dealings. Mulvaney would've been running the OMB when it withheld security funds from Ukraine, allegedly over Trump's desire to have Ukraine probe his political rivals, and he's also been right by Trump's side as the whole impeachment inquiry goes down.As a result, Mulvaney is telling his associates "there is no easy way for Trump to fire him in the midst of the impeachment fight," implying that "he knows too much" about Trump's Ukraine "pressure campaign," the Times writes. He seemed to solidify that allegiance to Trump on Tuesday when his lawyers said he wouldn't file an impeachment lawsuit but still "rely on the direction of the president" when it comes to possible impeachment testimony. And if Trump doesn't want another John Bolton situation on his hands, he'll probably keep Mulvaney on the payroll.More stories from theweek.com The coming death of just about every rock legend The president has already confessed to his crimes Why are 2020 Democrats so weird?
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| Substitute teacher fired after student beating goes viral Posted: 11 Nov 2019 07:12 PM PST ![Substitute teacher fired after student beating goes viral]( "Substitute teacher fired after student beating goes viral") A substitute teacher has been fired and charged with aggravated assault following the beating of a 15-year-old female high school student in an incident captured on video. Tiffani Shadell Lankford is free on $10,000 bond after her arrest Friday afternoon. Video of last week's incident in a foreign-language class at Lehman High School in Kyle, Texas, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Austin went viral.
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| The China-Russia Relationship Is More About Survival Than Friendship Posted: 11 Nov 2019 12:00 AM PST  Fears are overblown. Mistrust remains.
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| Ghana reverses 'premature' recognition of Kosovo Posted: 12 Nov 2019 06:43 AM PST  Ghana has revoked its "premature" recognition of Kosovo -- a move backed by Serbia, which opposes statehood for the former Yugoslav province. "The government of Ghana has decided to withdraw Ghana's recognition of Kosovo as an independent state," deputy foreign minister Charles Owiredu told AFP on Tuesday. The reasons were communicated to Serbia in a letter, he said.
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| Hillary Clinton: I Want to Hug Meghan Markle After ‘Racist’ Abuse in Britain Posted: 12 Nov 2019 05:26 AM PST  SAMUEL CORUMHillary Clinton has said she wishes she could hug Meghan Markle as she accused the mainstream British media of participating in a cycle of abuse against her motivated by racism and sexism.The former first lady and presidential candidate was appearing on BBC radio in Britain to promote a new book she has written with her daughter, Chelsea, about "gutsy" women.Don't Expect Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Media War to Simmer Down SoonHillary said the abuse she had suffered was "heartbreaking and wrong" and said she was in no doubt there was a racial element to the abuse she has endured since starting a relationship with Harry in 2016 and marrying him in 2018.Meghan and Harry have been outspoken in their criticism of the press: Meghan is suing the Mail on Sunday after alleging the paper unlawfully published a private letter to her father, while the prince is bringing a separate case alleging phone-hacking.Asked to comment on her legal action, Chelsea Clinton said: "We each have to do what we think is the right thing for ourselves and in her case I would imagine for her son… I think absolutely there's a racist and a sexist element to what's going on here." Hillary added that "race was clearly an element" in some of the social-media backlash Meghan had faced since her relationship with the prince began in 2016, and that traditional media had amplified that. "To think that some of your, what we would call mainstream media, actually allowed that to be printed in their pages, or amplified, was heartbreaking and wrong. "She is an amazing young woman, she has an incredible life story. She has stood up for herself, she has made her own way in the world. And then she falls in love, and he falls in love with her, and everybody should be celebrating that because it is a true love story."I feel as a mother I just want to put my arms around her. Oh my God, I want to hug her. I want to tell her to hang in there, don't let those bad guys get you down."Clinton suggested that Meghan could employ "some humor, some deflection" to better cope with negative attention.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Liz Cheney Backs Barring Erdogan Bodyguards Who Assaulted Protesters from U.S. Reentry Posted: 11 Nov 2019 02:28 PM PST  Representative Liz Cheney (R., Wyo.) called on the State Department Monday to ban the bodyguards of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan who assaulted protesters in a 2017 incident in Washington, D.C. from reentering the U.S.In May 2017, members of the Turkish Presidential Protection Department (TPPD), Turkey's equivalent of the Secret Service, attacked pro-Kurdish protesters outside the residence of the Turkish ambassador. The assault, in which protesters and American law-enforcement officials were injured, was captured on video.In a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Cheney requested that "none of the people who were in the United States with President Erdoğan in 2017 and participated in physical attacks on American citizens—including those protesting lawfully, our secret service, our diplomatic service, and our law enforcement officials—will be allowed into the United States again this week.""At least eleven people were injured throughout the day, including law enforcement personnel who every day defend Americans' constitutional rights and physical safety," Cheney wrote.The letter comes in advance of a planned White House visit by Erdogan this Wednesday.TPPD agents have a history of confrontational incidents on U.S. soil. In 2016, TPPD officers attacked journalists at a Brookings Institution event, and in 2011, they attacked U.N. security personnel at U.N. headquarters in New York.Pompeo on Monday said that President Trump will raise the topic of Turkey's recent invasion of Syria in his meeting with Erdogan."We will talk about what transpired there and how we can do our level best collectively to ensure the protection of all of those in Syria, not just the Kurds, but everyone in Syria," Pompeo told cadets at The Citadel after delivering a Veterans Day speech.
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| Most priests accused of sexually abusing children were never sent to prison. Here's why Posted: 11 Nov 2019 06:53 PM PST ![Most priests accused of sexually abusing children were never sent to prison. Here's why]( "Most priests accused of sexually abusing children were never sent to prison. Here's why") Why aren't more credibly accused Catholic priests in prison? Blame it on laws that don't allow enough time for abuse survivors to come forward
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| Trump impeachment: Security establishment said US military aid to Ukraine was vital, testifies top defence official Posted: 11 Nov 2019 07:21 PM PST  America's security establishment believed US military aid to Ukraine was vital and should not be jeopardised, a senior defence official told impeachment investigators probing Donald Trump.Laura Cooper, deputy assistant secretary of defence, told members of Congress that her department was "concerned" with delaying aid to Ukraine.
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| Briton who helped found Syria's White Helmets dies in Turkey Posted: 11 Nov 2019 10:14 AM PST  A former British army officer who helped found the White Helmets volunteer organization in Syria was found dead in Istanbul early Monday, Turkish officials and the group said. James Le Mesurier's body was found near his home in the Beyoglu district by worshippers on their way to a mosque, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. The Istanbul governor's office said "comprehensive administrative and judicial investigations" had been initiated into Le Mesurier's death.
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| Taiwan Wants American F-16V Fighters but Will Washington Sell Them? Posted: 11 Nov 2019 10:00 PM PST  Taipei is worried about China.
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| 13 Colleges With the Lowest Acceptance Rates Posted: 12 Nov 2019 06:00 AM PST ![13 Colleges With the Lowest Acceptance Rates]( "13 Colleges With the Lowest Acceptance Rates") The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: Colleges, The Short List: Grad School and The Short List: Online Programs to find data that matter to you in your college or grad school search.
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| Fox News Host: ‘If You Love Something, Do You Let Someone Pee on It?’ Posted: 12 Nov 2019 04:11 PM PST  Fox NewsDuring a Tuesday afternoon Fox News discussion on the San Francisco district attorney vowing not to prosecute quality of life crimes amid a growing homelessness issue in the city, Fox News host Jesse Watters turned to his colleagues to ask a very serious question. "If you love something, do you let someone pee on it?"Over the past few months, Fox News has devoted countless segments to depicting Democratic-led cities like Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles as "liberal wastelands" full of homeless drug-addicted "zombies." Much of the coverage has focused on public urination and defecation. Tuesday's broadcast of Fox News' roundtable show The Five gave us yet another one of these segments.Noting that Chesa Boudin was recently elected district attorney of San Francisco by promising to pursue criminal justice reform and not prosecute minor public decency crimes, liberal co-host Juan Williams expressed sympathy for the homeless, who are often the targets of vagrancy laws."We all know how to find a bathroom," Williams said. "But if you are homeless, where are you supposed to go to the bathroom? You are not homeless by choice.""Yes, you are! Some of them are," fellow co-host Greg Gutfeld chimed in.Watters then called on San Francisco residents to form their own version of the Tea Party—but instead call it the Pee Party."Every day when the D.A. walks into his office, there needs to be a bunch of patriots just peeing on the sidewalk in front of him," Watters exclaimed. "Until he's forced to arrest them! They will be like the Samuel Adamses of public urination."Turning to Williams and telling him "to be normal for a second," the conservative host continued with his rant."If you love something, do you let someone pee on it?" Watters wondered aloud. "Of course you don't! You protect that something you love from someone peeing on something, OK?""What?" Williams replied, clearly taken aback.The one-time Bill O'Reilly protege then insisted that "you obviously let someone pee on" something you hate.Pointing out that Boudin's parents are anti-war radicals who were sent to prison, Watters claimed Boudin "really hates the city" and is trying to "destroy" it."His parents were domestic terrorists, they got locked up, and he was raised by domestic terrorists," he concluded. "It makes perfect sense. And now his job is to destroy an American city. He is a socialist, he wants to run everybody out of San Francisco and rebuild it as a socialist utopia. That is what is going on."Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Rare deer-like species photographed in wild Posted: 12 Nov 2019 10:24 AM PST  A tiny deer-like species not seen by scientists for nearly 30 years has been photographed in a forest in southern Vietnam, a conservation group said Tuesday.
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| Morales begins Mexico exile as Bolivia moves to end vacuum Posted: 12 Nov 2019 05:14 PM PST  A deputy senate speaker proclaimed herself Bolivia's new interim president Tuesday as Evo Morales' opponents sought to end civil turmoil and fill the power vacuum left by his abrupt resignation as president. Lawmakers had been summoned to formalize Sunday's resignation and confirm Jeanine Anez, 52, as interim president. Instead, Anez declared herself interim president when the session failed to reach a quorum of lawmakers, many staying away amid blockades and continuing protests by Morales supporters.
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| Hillary Clinton Says ‘Many People’ Urging a Run: Campaign Update Posted: 12 Nov 2019 03:11 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that she is being urged by "many, many, many people" to enter the 2020 presidential race and wouldn't rule out a third White House bid, though she has no plans for a run."I, as I say, never, never, never say never," Clinton, the 2016 Democratic nominee, told BBC Radio 5 Live. "I will certainly tell you, I'm under enormous pressure from many, many, many people to think about it.""But," she added, "as of this moment, sitting here in this studio talking to you, that is absolutely not in my plans."The former secretary of State's comments, made during a book tour stop in London, come as some politically moderate candidates -- including Michael Bloomberg and Deval Patrick, a former governor of Massachusetts -- consider late entrances into the race.Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.Sanders Gets Endorsement From Nurses Union (4:34 p.m.)National Nurses United, the nation's largest union of registered nurses, says it will endorse Bernie Sanders at a California event on Friday.The 150,000-member union cites his support for Medicare for All, veterans health care and in boosting the labor movement. The union endorsed Sanders in his 2016 Democratic primary bid against eventual nominee Hillary Clinton, and the early endorsement in the 2020 race is a win for him amid a crowded field that includes fellow progressive Elizabeth Warren."For nurses, our solidarity is a matter of life or death for our patients, said Jean Ross, president of the union. "We need a president who makes it easier for us to stand together and hold our employers accountable for putting people above profits."Sanders will appear with the group at a news conference in Oakland Friday, as part of a Golden State campaign swing that includes stops in Fresno, Long Beach and East Los Angeles. -- Laura LitvanButtigieg Pushes Ahead in Iowa Poll (1:30 p.m.)Pete Buttigieg is pushing into the lead in Iowa, according to a Monmouth University poll released Tuesday.The South Bend, Indiana, mayor has 22%, up 14 percentage points from August in the early nominating state. He is followed by Joe Biden with 19% and Elizabeth Warren with 18%. All are within within the margin of error of 4.6 percentage points. Bernie Sanders follows with 13%.Biden has lost 7 percentage points since the August poll, while Sanders gained 5 points and Warren lost 2 points.Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, said Buttigieg had gains across all political ideologies, age ranges and education levels and has the best favorability rating in the field with 73% favorable and 10% unfavorable. "Buttigieg is emerging as a top pick for a wide variety of Iowa Democrats," Murray said. "He is doing well with voters regardless of education or ideology."The race remains fluid, however, with just 28% of likely caucus goers polled saying they were "firmly decided" on their candidate choice. The poll of 451 likely Iowa Democratic caucus goers was conducted from Nov. 7 to 11. -- Emma KinerySanford Drops GOP Primary Challenge to Trump (12:37 P.M.)Mark Sanford, the former South Carolina governor and congressman who was mounting an improbable Republican primary challenge to President Donald Trump, is dropping out of the race less than two months after getting in.Sanford said impeachment efforts to remove Trump from office made it impossible for him to break through with his message of reducing the national debt and restoring civility to politics."You've got to be a realist, and what I did not anticipate is an impeachment," he said in a press conference in Concord, New Hampshire Tuesday, according to the Charleston Post and Courier.Sanford's support in the RealClearPolitics polling average was at 1.8%. His departure leaves two other primary challengers to Trump: Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld and former Illinois Representative Joe Walsh. -- Gregory KorteBloomberg Files Paperwork for Arkansas Primary (11:26 a.m.)Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg filed paperwork Tuesday to run in Arkansas' March 3 Democratic primary, taking another step toward a potential 2020 presidential bid, though he hasn't announced a formal decision to enter the race.Bloomberg submitted documents ahead of a noon filing deadline to appear on the ballot, according to the Arkansas secretary of state's office. He also filed paperwork last week for the Democratic primary in Alabama.Speaking in Little Rock, Bloomberg wouldn't specify when he would make a decision on a run, saying only that he was "getting closer." He said he has become "more and more upset" about the direction of the country. If he becomes a candidate he said he will "explain to people what I think is wrong with this country, and how I would fix it."Bloomberg, 77, indicated last week that he is once again considering a presidential run, with an adviser saying he is concerned that the current field of Democratic candidates will not be able to defeat President Donald Trump. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News."If Mike runs, he's going to run a 50-state campaign, and he's going to go to states that Democratic candidates don't often visit," spokesman Jason Schechter said. "That starts today in Little Rock."Other states have upcoming filing deadlines for 2020 nominating contests, including New Hampshire on Friday. Bloomberg adviser Howard Wolfson has indicated that if Bloomberg runs, he wouldn't focus on the first four nominating contests where other candidates have been campaigning for months but would wage a national effort by targeting the states voting on Super Tuesday and beyond. -- Mark NiquetteTrump to Address Super-PAC Donors (10:02 a.m.)President Donald Trump on Tuesday plans to address a subset of donors to the America First Action super political action committee in New York City."It's with 400 Orthodox Jews, and we will raise $4 million," said America First spokeswoman Kelly Sadler wrote in an email.It's unusual for a president to appear at a super-PAC fundraiser -- especially Trump -- who shunned the groups during his 2016 campaign. But the president and campaign have embraced the committees, which can raise unlimited funds, for his 2020 re-election bid.Federal candidates are not allowed to explicitly ask a donor to contribute more than $5,000 to a super-PAC, according to Federal Election Commission rules. A disclaimer sign outside the fundraiser site said that "featured speakers are appearing at this event only as a special guest and are not asking for funds or donations." -- Jordan FabianSanders Is Top Choice of Progressive Group (5:00 a.m.)Bernie Sanders continues to lead as the preferred Democratic presidential choice of members of the influential grassroots progressive group Democracy for America, while Kamala Harris has fallen off a list of the top five choices in the organization's latest straw poll.Sanders had support of 35.17% of those surveyed by the group, a political action committee with more than 1 million members. Elizabeth Warren, the other leading progressive in the race, had 27.69%. Joe Biden, the front-runner in national polls, had 12.08%. Pete Buttigieg had 7.26%, and Amy Klobuchar was picked by 3.72% of those surveyed.Democracy for America's latest "Pulse Poll" began after the Oct. 15 Democratic presidential debate and ended Nov. 5."Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have consistently been the top two candidates with our members since our April poll," said DFA Chairman Charles Chamberlain. "Between Sanders' rock-solid support and Warren's consistent ascent, these latest results make clear that no other candidate is a real threat to their dominance with the Democratic Party's progressive base."The poll is the group's fourth of the Democratic presidential contest, and Sanders was also the top choice in the previous surveys. The group endorsed Sanders in 2016. -- Laura LitvanCOMING UPThe major Democratic candidates -- including Biden, Warren, Sanders and Buttigieg -- are scheduled to appear Nov. 17 at the Nevada Democratic Party's First in the West dinner, a major event that previously has drawn thousands to hear from presidential hopefuls.Ten candidates have qualified for the fifth Democratic debate, on Nov. 20 in Atlanta: Biden, Warren, Sanders, Buttigieg, Harris, Klobuchar, Andrew Yang, Tulsi Gabbard, Cory Booker and Tom Steyer.\--With assistance from Jordan Fabian, Laura Litvan, Mark Niquette, Gregory Korte and Emma Kinery.To contact the reporter on this story: Jennifer Epstein in Washington at jepstein32@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Max Berley, John HarneyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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