| Biden answers critics of his moderation: 'I have no love' for Republicans who attack me Posted: 19 Dec 2019 06:43 PM PST  At the Democratic debate, former Vice President Joe Biden responded to critics on the left who say he is too moderate — and too willing to work with Republicans who have enabled President Trump — to be the party's nominee.
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| Klobuchar has to prove her electability every day. Why not Buttigieg? Posted: 20 Dec 2019 12:59 PM PST  He's the 37-year-old mayor of Indiana's fourth-largest city, yet he has risen to the top of the polls in Iowa and New Hampshire. She is the thrice-elected senior senator from a state Donald Trump nearly won in 2016, yet she has struggled to break out of the mid-single digits.
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| U.S. Spy Wife Anne Sacoolas Charged With Causing Teenager Harry Dunn’s Death Posted: 20 Dec 2019 06:08 AM PST  Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a U.S. diplomat, has been charged with causing the death of British teenager Harry Dunn by dangerous driving.It's the latest development in a case that has gripped the U.K. since last summer, when police say Sacoolas, 42, drove her car out of a military base on the wrong side of the road, apparently forgetting the rules of left-lane British driving, and collided with Dunn's motorcycle. The impact sent Dunn flying over Sacoolas's vehicle and he died soon after in a local hospital.Sacoolas left the U.K. in early September under diplomatic immunity, against the wishes of the British Foreign Office, and went into hiding until President Trump tried (and failed) to orchestrate a surprise meeting between her and Dunn's parents when they came to the White House to argue that Sacoolas should return to Britain to face justice.Britain's Crown Prosecution Service has now authorized police to charge Sacoolas with causing death by dangerous driving. The local police force, Northamptonshire Police, had already interviewed Sacoolas in the U.S. and handed its file of evidence to the CPS last month.Chief Crown Prosecutor Janine Smith said in a statement Friday afternoon local time: "The Director of Public Prosecutions has met with Harry Dunn's family to explain the basis of the decision we have made following a thorough review of the evidence available."The CPS also confirmed that it has started extradition proceedings, and has sent a request to the British Home Office, which will now consider whether to formally issue an extradition request for Sacoolas.Footage broadcast on Sky News showed Dunn's parents—Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn—in tears after they learned of the charges. Dunn's mom said: "I carried out my promise to one of my kids, the promise that I made that we would get that justice... I would never have been able to rest properly ever without having been able to carry out that promise I made." Dunn's father Tim added: "We set out so long ago and we believed and we believed and we believed, and we've done it, we've done it, we've got the charge. This is it, it's amazing, it's absolutely amazing. Justice. Whatever happens now it doesn't matter, we've got what we wanted."In a statement after the charges were announced, Amy Jeffress, a lawyer for Sacoolas, said the diplomatic spouse remained "devastated" by the accident and "would do whatever she could to bring Harry back. She is a mother herself and cannot imagine the pain of the loss of a child."However, Jeffress added: "This was an accident, and a criminal prosecution with a potential penalty of 14 years imprisonment is simply not a proportionate response. We have been in contact with the U.K. authorities about ways in which Anne could assist with preventing accidents like this from happening in the future... We will continue that dialogue in an effort to move forward from this terrible tragedy. "But Anne will not return voluntarily to the United Kingdom to face a potential jail sentence for what was a terrible but unintentional accident."The Dunns have kept up the pressure on Sacoolas through constant media appearances, and The Daily Beast reported last month that lawyers for Sacoolas were been in secret talks with British officials. The talks were said to entail negotiations about a plea deal that would keep Sacoolas from serving prison time if convicted in Dunn's wrongful death.In a statement posted on Twitter, British Foreign Secretary Domenic Raab said he "welcomed" the charging decision, but said it was not sufficient to do for justice for Harry Dunn. > "I welcome the taking of a charging decision which is an important step towards justice for Harry and towards solace for his family, but it is not the end," he wrote. "I hope that Anne Sacoolas will now realize the right thing to do is to come back to the U.K. and cooperate with the criminal justice process." A spokesman for Dunn's family said they were pleased with the charges and hope they can finally start to properly grieve his loss."The parents were initially told that they had a less than 1 percent chance of having anyone held accountable for Harry's death," said Radd Seiger, the spokesman. "They made a promise to their son as he passed away that they would not let him down and would get justice for him. That battle turned into a battle on all our behalf as they committed to ensuring that Harry's death would not be in vain and that what happened to them would never happen to another family again."Today's development is obviously a significant one but above all else will enable them, at long last, to begin the process of grieving for the loss of their beloved son." 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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| Look Out America: Russia's Hypersonic Avangard Nuclear Missile Is Going Live Posted: 20 Dec 2019 02:45 PM PST  The Avangard is a nuclear-armed glider that travels at hypersonic (faster than Mach 5) speed.
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| Vegans charged with murder after baby dies of starvation Posted: 20 Dec 2019 08:53 AM PST  A vegan couple who fed their children only raw fruits and vegetables have been charged with murder after their son allegedly died of starvation.
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| U.S. transport chief said economic issues not a factor in 737 MAX's safety review Posted: 20 Dec 2019 02:27 PM PST  The economic impact of Boeing Co's planned halt of 737 MAX production will not be considered by U.S. regulators in their ongoing review of when to end the grounding of a plane involved in two major fatal crashes, U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said on Friday. In an interview with Reuters, Chao said the White House has not pressured the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to speed up its review. Chao also said the White House Council of Economic Advisers had conducted a study of the economic impact of the grounding, which forced Boeing - a critical American manufacturing company - to halt deliveries in March, and assessed that it would cause around a 0.4% reduction in U.S. gross domestic product.
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| The Army and Navy's investigation is finally over: The academy students accused of flashing 'white power' signs were just playing the stupid 'circle game' Posted: 20 Dec 2019 11:21 AM PST  The Naval Academy said one of the midshipmen texted their roommate "got em" in an apparent reference to seeing the gesture on TV.
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| 'Homosexual face': Brazil's Bolsonaro lashes out at press Posted: 20 Dec 2019 10:43 AM PST  Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro lashed out at journalists on Friday, saying one had a homosexual's "face" in a remark that was promptly mocked by the president's critics. A visibly upset Bolsonaro accused the press of bias against him and his son, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro. Prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro are investigating allegations the younger Bolsonaro hired employees with no duties while he was a state legislator.
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| Trudeau to US: don't sign China trade deal unless Canadians freed Posted: 20 Dec 2019 01:02 AM PST  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on the United States not to sign a trade deal with China unless Beijing agrees to release two Canadians detained since last year, prompting a defensive response from Beijing. Former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor have been held in China's opaque legal system since they were apprehended on December 10, 2018, accused of espionage.
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| A Mississippi man went on a window-breaking spree just so he could get arrested and stay in jail to escape the cold Posted: 20 Dec 2019 11:39 AM PST  A homeless man in Natchez, Mississippi, asked if he could stay in jail for shelter. Deputies told him he couldn't do so unless he was in custody.
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| 'Steel Rain': Could This Be the U.S. Military's Ultimate Weapon? Posted: 21 Dec 2019 12:11 AM PST  Don't take on an MLRS.
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| Chris Christie wades into Senate impeachment fight Posted: 20 Dec 2019 02:09 AM PST ![Chris Christie wades into Senate impeachment fight]( "Chris Christie wades into Senate impeachment fight") The former New Jersey governor is launching an outside group to give Senate Republicans air cover ahead of an expected trial early next year.
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| Mysterious Bags of Cash Trigger Major Hong Kong Protest Arrests Posted: 19 Dec 2019 10:17 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Glancing at bags of cash stuffed to the brim earlier this month, Gary Fan simply wanted someone to remove them from an office in Hong Kong used by his political party.The former pro-democracy lawmaker had collected HK$2.7 million ($345,000) during an anti-government protest the day before, and was waiting for someone to pick it up from a mysterious group known as Spark Alliance that helps bail protesters out of jail. The next day, a person whom he knew and trusted came to collect the cash, even though Fan says he doesn't know who exactly is behind the group or where the money ends up."We just work by an honor system now, trusting them with a good cause," Fan said in a Dec. 11 interview, adding that Spark Alliance has "earned credibility with real work" like getting legal assistance for protesters. Still, he said, "I absolutely agree there should be more disclosure, transparency and accountability when you take money from the public."On Thursday evening, police announced the arrests of four people connected with Spark Alliance for suspected money laundering, the first cases brought over financing the demonstrations after six months of protests against China's tightening grip over Hong Kong. Authorities froze HK$70 million of bank deposits and personal insurance products linked to the fund, while also seizing HK$130,000 in cash."The police attempted, through false statements, to distort the work of Spark Alliance as money laundering for malicious uses," the group said in a statement on Facebook. "Spark Alliance condemns this kind of defamatory action."The crackdown deals a major blow to demonstrators as they face ever-mounting legal bills, with more than 6,000 people arrested since June. Spark Alliance, one of the largest crowd-funding campaigns supporting the protests, plays a crucial behind-the-scenes role -- often sending anonymous representatives to bail protesters out of jail in the middle of the night.The latest arrests risk deterring Hong Kong's professional class from giving more cash, potentially curbing a substantial source of funds that have helped sustain the protests longer than anyone had expected. They also show the limits of the leaderless movement's ability to manage tens of millions of dollars with little oversight outside of a formal financial system.Funds bankrolling the protests have collectively raised at least HK$254 million ($33 million) since June, with 70% coming from just two groups, Spark Alliance and the 612 Humanitarian Fund, according to a tally based on disclosures from the groups and an analysis of publicly available documents. That figure doesn't reflect all the money raised related to the protests, only the funds Bloomberg News could verify.The $33 million alone amounts to a third of the money the city has spent in overtime pay to 11,000 police officers since June, and would be able to purchase some 300,000 gas masks. But the largest costs faced by protesters are legal fees that may stretch out for years.Nearly 1,000 people have been charged for offenses like rioting, which carries a jail sentence of as much as a decade, according to police. The 612 Fund says it can cost up to HK$1.8 million per person for a 60-day legal defense, and many trials last far longer. Some proceedings related to Hong Kong's 2014 Occupy protests are still ongoing.Among dozens of groups, Spark Alliance is one of the most secretive: Even some donors and lawyers who assist the group say they don't know who runs it, while the bank account listed on its website belongs to a firm that owns a pest control company. A person who picked up Spark Alliance's hotline last week said the number was only for protester requests. The group didn't respond to requests for comment via Facebook, Whatsapp or Telegram.'We Need Protection'"Spark is probably less transparent but people tend to believe them," said Jason, a protester in his 30s who asked to be identified by his English name. He said he memorized the group's phone number and called the group after he was arrested in August. Seven hours later, two lawyers helped arrange HK$4,000 in bail money."Everyone knows the cost to fight for this movement and not everyone can afford lawyer fees," he said. "We need protection."Over the past few months he's raised half a million dollars for Spark Alliance and other charities through the sale of Hong Kong-themed figurines, including a miniature Carrie Lam and a masked protester. Asked on Thursday night if he would still give the money to Spark Alliance, Jason said he wanted more information on the arrests.Even before the police action on Thursday, many of the bankers, accountants and other Hong Kong professionals who give money in lieu of battling authorities in the streets were concerned about retribution for supporting the protests. While lawyers say it would be difficult to prove a donor violated any laws, people fear that reporting mechanisms in place to deter terrorist financing and anti-money laundering could still end up flagging contributions to authorities.HSBC Holdings Plc last month said it shut down Spark Alliance's bank account after it "spotted activity differing from the stated purpose of the company account."HSBC decided to close the account, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified. Freezing it would entail locking up millions in funds raised to support the protesters. After closing the account, the bank returned more than HK$50 million in checks to people affiliated with Spark Alliance, one of the people said. It's unclear whether the group has found another bank since the checks haven't been cashed and the account owner hasn't provided relevant information, they said.Why Hong Kong Is Still Protesting and Where It May Go: QuickTake"HSBC never takes the decision to suspend or close any account lightly," spokeswoman Maggie Cheung said, while declining to comment on specific details. On Friday, the bank said its decision to close the account was unrelated to the "current Hong Kong situation," without elaborating.Spark Alliance's Facebook page lists the account holder as Prime Management Service Ltd. According to Hong Kong's companies registry, the only business in active operation with that name is wholly owned by company director Tony Wong, who also runs a pest control company, according to LinkedIn. Reached on Dec. 11 through a mobile phone number listed in the registry, Wong said he "did not know these things" and hung up when asked why Prime Management Service lent the use of its bank account to Spark Alliance.Spark Alliance said on Nov. 18 it would cease accepting money via bank transfers after HSBC closed its account. Instead, it said it would sell gift cards through its website. Since then, a stream of supporters have posted photos of their gift card receipts on Facebook. Transactions are processed by Paypal and Stripe, but it's unclear where the funds go from there. On Friday, its website appeared to be stripped of all previous information and a donation function.'Encourage Teenagers'Earlier this month, the Hong Kong government referred requests for comment to the police, which had declined to comment. On Thursday, police said Spark Alliance claimed to help arrested protesters but instead bought personal insurance products."We do not exclude the possibility that the fund is used as a reward to encourage teenagers to come out and join in the civil unrest," Acting Senior Superintendent Chan Wai-kei told reporters. Police didn't disclose the names of those arrested.The shadowy nature of financing for the protests has helped China's government and state-run media outlets push a narrative that the demonstrations are being financed by the U.S. and other foreign powers. Beijing threatened sanctions this month against U.S.-based groups like the National Endowment for Democracy, which donated $686,000 to Hong Kong nonprofits in 2019. The group called China's accusations "categorically false."On the ground in Hong Kong, fundraising tactics have been hotly debated among protesters as legal costs increase. Some have criticized Spark Alliance for a lack of transparency and others have denounced the 612 Humanitarian Fund -- the other main financing arm of the protests -- for hoarding cash.Named after the date in June when demonstrations escalated, the 612 fund appears to be the polar opposite of Spark Alliance. It discloses audited financial statements online and requires protesters to give real names for legal aid. The fund has 19 employees and trustees include well-known local figures like singer Denise Ho, Cardinal Joseph Zen, and barrister Margaret Ng.The vastly different management styles of Spark Alliance and 612 fund mirror divergent tactics in the wider protest movement, which has sought to avoid the splintering factions that have hurt previous democracy crusades in Hong Kong. One side caters to front-line protesters who use anonymity and violence to pressure authorities, while the other supports the pro-democracy movement's goals within traditional legal bounds.The 612 fund has been chided in online forums for deploying only 24% of the money it raised while asking protesters to first apply for legal aid from the city. Other critics see the 612 fund as part of an older political establishment in Hong Kong that has failed the younger generation of democracy advocates, and they believe Spark Alliance is closer to protesters in the trenches."The younger generation doesn't trust in any institutions, not even those that advocate for democracy," said Patrick Poon, a researcher at Amnesty International in Hong Kong. "It's an irrational decision to trust in a group believed to be closer to the people on the ground even if they don't know who is behind the fund."Ng, a 612 fund trustee, said the group is supported by "members of the public that are incensed by what is being done by police and government.""The movement is ongoing and we are using the funds for the stated purpose of humanitarian aid," she said. "We don't have any obligation to spend all the money immediately."For protesters like Ventus Lau, a 26-year-old activist who has been arrested twice during the protests, the debate over financing risks undercutting the wider aims of the movement. Many demonstrators head to the front lines due to the confidence that others will help them financially if they are arrested, he said."It has been our core value that there is no division in this movement," he said. "Not only Spark, whenever there is any criticism, we feel we should not be criticizing anyone else -- at least until final victory."Lau was first arrested in August for unlawful assembly at a demonstration he helped organize that later turned violent. He was detained for 46 hours before a 612 fund representative showed up with HK$5,000 ($640) in bail money. A couple of weeks later, he was arrested again for his suspected role in the July 1 storming of Hong Kong's Legislative Council building.Lau said his lawyer plans to apply to the 612 fund to pay for his defense, which could span years and cost hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars. The funds raised so far have helped protesters but won't be enough to cover all of their legal expenses, he said."We take a lot of risks when we go to protests and some people can't take that risk, so they donate money," Lau said. "When they watch the news they feel guilty or powerless and feel a heavy duty to do something, so they will trust anyone."The biggest funds sprung into action when the anti-extradition bill protests erupted in June and police started arresting demonstrators en masse. Alongside them grew a separate network, largely online, to pay for things like helmets, masks, food vouchers and other front-line supplies. It's trickier to tally those donations since they're arranged through messaging apps or dropped off at demonstrations. These items don't cost much --a petrol bomb costs about $10 -- but are often discarded to avoid arrest.For many young demonstrators, the funds are an essential lifeline. Peter To, a 22-year-old front-line protester, said he lost his job after joining too many work strikes and now has no income."If I didn't have this help, I'd be in real trouble and wouldn't have money to eat," he said.The methods for supporting protesters have become increasingly sophisticated, with message apps like Telegram supporting case management systems. Earlier this month, a poster who said she was 16 years old asked for HK$1,500 from a group with 4,000 subscribers called "Want Rice, I Pay," saying her parents wouldn't support her after she was caught sneaking off to demonstrations. Hours after the group's administrator issued her case no. 73, she was matched with a donor.A 19-year-old student surnamed Ling, who regularly goes to the front lines, described the crucial role played by what she refers to as an online "parent" who pays for safe houses to sleep in after protests. "Police will follow protesters back home and arrest them," she said.Donors say the need for more financial support is only going to grow larger, especially for the hundreds of protesters who face mounting legal costs. Ms. Leung, a banker in her 30s who donates $600 a month to groups including 612 and Spark Alliance, said the lack of transparency around some funds didn't bother her."It's not a lot of money and I'm happy as long as I can help people in need," she said, requesting that she only be identified by her surname for fear of reprisals. "The movement wouldn't have lasted this long if people didn't give support."Fan, the former pro-democracy lawmaker, collected bags of cash for Spark Alliance at a rally with government approval convened by Civil Human Rights Front, which has held six major marches since June. Vice-convener Eric Lai said each one costs more than HK$250,000 to put on, excluding insurance fees, with excess money directed to the 612 Fund.After the arrests connected to Spark on Thursday night, Fan directed his ire at the authorities."I am more concerned of how the police and government to suppress the movement more than how Spark Alliance handled the funds," he said. "I am worried those in need for legal aid and in jail would lose one major form of help."(Updates with HSBC statement.)\--With assistance from Shawna Kwan, Blake Schmidt, Josie Wong, Aaron Mc Nicholas, Natalie Lung and Justin Chin.To contact the reporters on this story: Shelly Banjo in Hong Kong at sbanjo@bloomberg.net;Alfred Liu in Hong Kong at aliu226@bloomberg.net;Kiuyan Wong in Hong Kong at kwong739@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Daniel Ten Kate at dtenkate@bloomberg.net, Jonas BergmanFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Syria says possible drone attacks hit 3 oil, gas facilities Posted: 20 Dec 2019 11:18 PM PST ![Syria says possible drone attacks hit 3 oil, gas facilities]( "Syria says possible drone attacks hit 3 oil, gas facilities") Near-simultaneous attacks believed to have been carried out by drones hit three government-run oil and gas installations in central Syria, state TV and the Oil Ministry said Saturday. No one claimed responsibility for the attacks, which targeted the Homs oil refinery — one of only two in the country — as well as two natural gas facilities in different parts of Homs province. Syria has suffered fuel shortages since earlier this year amid Western sanctions blocking imports, and because most of the country's oil fields are controlled by Kurdish-led fighters in the country's east.
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| Public push to legalise same-sex marriage in China Posted: 21 Dec 2019 06:10 AM PST  Legalising same-sex marriage was among the top suggestions made by the Chinese public to lawmakers tasked with amending the civil code, a spokesperson for the top legislative body said. The public push comes despite a recent crackdown in China on LGBT activists and the wider gay community, as well as censorship of content related to homosexuality in films and on social media. Feedback from ordinary people was solicited in November by the Commission for Legislative Affairs ahead of its meeting next week to discuss updates to the civil code, which mostly deals with matters relating to marriage and family.
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| Why did this US governor pardon child rapists and brutal killers? Posted: 21 Dec 2019 03:00 AM PST  Matt Bevin has horrified opponents and allies alike with a slew of 'extreme pardons' that also disproportionately benefited white offendersIn May 2014, Patrick Baker and two accomplices set out to rob a house in Knox county, Kentucky. Baker knew the hardest part of the home invasion would be getting past the front door, so he devised a plan to dress up as police officers conducting a routine investigation.Once inside the Mills family home, Baker revealed his true colours. He tied up the mother of the family, ignoring the pleas of the three children present, stole money and objects, then turned a gun on the father, Donald Mills, shooting him dead.When Judge David Williams sentenced Baker in December 2017 to 19 years in prison for reckless homicide, burglary and impersonating a police officer, he said he would have given a longer punishment if he could. "I've been practicing law for 30-something years, and I've never seen a more compelling or complete case, the evidence was just overwhelming."Fast-forward just two years and Patrick Baker is a free man, released by Kentucky's outgoing governor in act that has been dubbed "extreme pardon". The brutal killing is just one of the extraordinary elements of the eleventh-hour move by Matt Bevin, a Republican in the Donald Trump mould who even by his own controversial record has astonished and angered his state with his pardons.It was the final manoeuvre of a governor who was elected in 2016 on Trump's coat-tails, making Kentucky the last southern state in America to turn Republican, only to be voted out of office last month. What motivated a politician who has spent the past three years waging bitter wars with teachers, trade unionists, voters, liberals, scientists and reproductive rights advocates suddenly display such profuse mercy towards prisoners has become the talk of Kentucky.Even his own previously loyal Republican peers have expressed bewilderment. The top Republican in the state senate has called for an investigation of Bevin's "extreme pardons and commutations".Mitch McConnell, the US senator from Kentucky better known as the Republican trying to stymie Trump's impeachment trial in Congress, has denounced the release of "heinous criminals" in his home state as "inappropriate".Speculation of what drove Bevin to his action initially focused on money, after the Louisville-based Courier Journal discovered that the family of Patrick Baker had donated $21,500 to Bevin's political campaign funds before the commutation. Suspicion of pecuniary incentives then turned to moral outrage of a different sort after Bevin tried to explain on local radio why he had pardoned Micah Shoettle after only 18 months of his 23-year sentence for rape."There was zero evidence," Bevin told the radio host, adding that the girl's hymen had been intact.That provoked a whole new chorus of indignation, including from paediatricians who pointed out that rape cannot be proved or disproved by examination of the hymen.That was just the start of it. As intrepid local journalists began to dig into the mountain of pardoned cases, other apparent horrors emerged.They included further sexual offenders. Dayton Jones, who Bevin set free after three years of a 15-year sentence, had pleaded guilty to raping a boy aged 15 whose bowel he ruptured with a sex toy. Charles Phelps had his name removed from the sex offender registry by Bevin having pleaded guilty in 2013 to child abuse images offences and sexual conduct with minors.The gruesome details of the violent crimes committed by some of those selected for commutation did not stop there. Delmar Partin was convicted of beheading a female co-worker and hiding her mutilated body in a barrel; Irvin Edge had hired a hitman to murder his business partner at home in front of his family; Blake Walker had killed his own parents.Most of the lucky 428 singled out by Bevin were non-violent. When the Courier Journal came to analyse the beneficiaries of his largesse, the paper found that 336 of them were on non-violent drug sentences.But therein lay another discrepancy. Within that group, 95% were white. That's in a state in which 20% of inmates on drug convictions are African American or from some other minority community.The newspaper calculated there were almost 1,000 black or other minority prisoners who would have qualified for Bevin's largesse. He chose 16.On one level, there is something fitting about the storm of controversy in which Bevin has finished his governorship given that disputes seemed to follow him around throughout his term in office. At the height of a recent measles epidemic, he let it be known that he had exposed each of his nine children to a neighbor's chickenpox so that they would contract the disease as an alternative to getting vaccinated."They were miserable for a few days, and they all turned out fine," he said, while telling the federal government to get its nose out of people's private business. That anti-vaxxer sentiment expressed by Kentucky's then governor earned him a riposte from a leading paediatrician who remarked: "We're no longer living in the 17th century".Earlier this year, when Kentucky schools were closed to protect children from the -20F (-29C) wind chills, Bevin publicly complained: "C'mon now. I mean, what happened to America? We're getting soft."On policy, he followed the classic Trump textbook, ramming through "right-to-work" laws that prevent trade unions gathering fees as a condition of employment, denouncing teachers on strike for exposing kids in their charge to sexual abuse and physical danger, supporting efforts to suppress the vote among minority communities, limiting access to Medicaid and banning abortion at 20 weeks.The toxic combination earned him Trump's adoration – the US president unsuccessfully campaigned on Bevin's behalf in the recent gubernatorial race – but it also gained him the mantle of one of the most unpopular governors in the US.Last week Bevin posted a long screed on Twitter in which he sought to explain his pardons. He began by evoking the spirit of redemption and second chances, and the ambition to help offenders seek rehabilitation.He went on to insist that during his years as governor he had invested hundreds of hours to reviewing petitions for pardon. "Contrary to that which has been falsely stated by many, not a single person was released who had not already been scheduled for a specific release date," he said.He denied any financial motive, calling any such suggestion "highly offensive and entirely false".The Twitter thread does not appear to have satisfied his detractors, or calmed the widespread shock at a Republican's last-minute flurry of pardons. The sister of the murdered home owner, Donald Mills, was blunt after she learnt that Patrick Baker was now out."Matt Bevin can rot in hell," she said.
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| Iowa woman admits she hit 14-year-old with SUV because the girl 'is Mexican' Posted: 21 Dec 2019 07:32 AM PST  Nicole Franklin is charged with attempted murder for running down a 14-year-old as she walked to school. Police are considering hate crime charges.
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| Iran's Missile Forces: Just How Deadly? Posted: 21 Dec 2019 08:30 AM PST  Iran has heavily invested in these capabilities.
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| Elizabeth Warren has a blunt response to economists who say her wealth tax is a bad idea Posted: 19 Dec 2019 05:44 PM PST  Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is always ready to shut down criticisms of her wealth tax proposal.Warren was one of seven candidates on the stage for Thursday night's Democratic presidential debate and she was quickly faced with a question about her proposed wealth tax. Some economic models have suggested the taxes focused on the wealthiest Americans could end up hurting economic growth, but Warren used just three words to respond: "They're just wrong."> Elizabeth Warren's answer to critics who say her tax plans would stifle growth in the economy? "Oh, they're just wrong!" DemDebate pic.twitter.com/FT4GCTRlKO> > — MTV NEWS (@MTVNEWS) December 20, 2019Warren has proposed a 2-percent annual tax on people who have more than $50 million in wealth, and a 3-percent tax on assets over $1 billion. The money raised would be used to fund Warren's Medicare-for-all proposal and to implement a Green New Deal, among other things.Economic models, such as one from the Penn Wharton Budget Model, have said the taxes would slow economic growth by a few tenths of a percentage point. Warren has since disputed that model's assumptions, as have other economists. Read columnist Jeff Spross' case for why Warren is right at The Week.More stories from theweek.com Trump is now attacking Christianity Today — and its editor is doubling down Rise of Skywalker dominates box office despite devastating reviews Epstein conspiracy theorists have conveniently forgotten about Trump
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| Russia Says Shooter at Moscow Spy Headquarters Was Lone Wolf Posted: 20 Dec 2019 07:54 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Russian investigators said a single man was responsible for a Thursday evening attack on the Federal Security Service's headquarters in central Moscow that killed two of the agency's employees.One of the victims lost his life at the scene and the second died in the hospital from wounds he received in the attack, Russia's Investigative Committee said in a statement Friday. Five others, including one civilian, were wounded and the shooter was killed, it said.The committee identified the attacker as 39-year-old Evgeny Manyurov, a Moscow region resident. Initial reports said as many as three men were involved in the attack, and videos posted on social media showed officers conducting random searches of people in the area following the shooting."It seems that this man wasn't interested in politics," Alexei Makarkin, deputy head of the Moscow-based Center for Political Technologies, said. "This is unlikely to lead to the tightening of the screws" unless people start praising him in social media, he said.The brazen attack in a heavily-policed area filled with government agencies and restaurants about a half mile from the Kremlin came around the same time President Vladimir Putin was attending a concert nearby in honor of the Russian security services.At that event, Putin praised the security services, saying they had prevented 54 terrorist crimes, including 33 attacks, since the beginning of the year.The FSB, as the security service is known, was last targeted in October 2018, when a 17-year-old anarchist injured 3 officers when he blew himself up during an attack on the intelligence service's Arkhangelsk office, leading to a nationwide crackdown of people critical of the agency.(Updates death toll in first paragraph)\--With assistance from Ilya Arkhipov.To contact the reporters on this story: Jake Rudnitsky in Moscow at jrudnitsky@bloomberg.net;Stepan Kravchenko in Moscow at skravchenko@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Torrey Clark at tclark8@bloomberg.net, Tony HalpinFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| 'Before it is too late': Diplomats race to defuse tensions ahead of North Korea's deadline Posted: 19 Dec 2019 10:45 PM PST  A last minute flurry of diplomacy aimed at engaging with North Korea ahead of its declared year-end deadline for talks has been met with stony silence from Pyongyang so far, with the looming crisis expected to top the agenda at summits in China next week. The U.S. special envoy for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, was due to leave Beijing on Friday after meeting with Chinese officials. It is unclear if Biegun had any behind-the-scenes contact with North Korean officials, but his overtures and calls for new talks were not publicly answered by Pyongyang.
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| Court rules in landmark climate change case Posted: 21 Dec 2019 04:22 AM PST  The Dutch government must cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by the end of 2020 to protect its citizens from the effects of climate change.
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| New dedicated migrant bus route prompts outrage in Greece. Posted: 21 Dec 2019 07:04 AM PST  A new bus route devised specifically for migrants has sparked outrage in a town in northern Greece, with accusations of segregation and racism following hostility to migrants from some locals. In 2016 an old military settlement in Diavata, on the outskirts of Thessaloniki, has been turned into a refugee camp for about 1,000 people, 30 of whom are unaccompanied minors. The camp has been met with hostile protests since the beginning. In 2016, when construction started, former Mayor Mimis Fotopoulos was assaulted by locals who opposed it. Protests by anti-refugee groups have been mounting since then. Most recently, in November, a "barbeque against illegal migrants" was organised by a group called "United Macedonians" where attendants ate pork and drank alcohol in view of the camp's mostly Muslim residents. The action drew heavy criticism. Senior members of the governing conservative New Democracy party expressed their support for the barbeque, and one of them even attended. Other members of the party condemned the event. The "Ionia Committee", another protest group of locals against the camp has been pushing for a separate bus line. Migrant and refugee numbers are rising across Europe In early November, a spokesperson claimed that the number 54 bus, which currently services both residents and the camp, "is filled with migrants and locals can't fit on", adding that there have been reports of harassment. On their Facebook page, the Ionia Committee described the approval of the new bus line as a "vindication of their struggle". In a press release, the Communist Party of Greece said the decision on the new bus "caters to the far-right, ramps up racist views and is no cause for celebration". Users on social media have also described the decision as "racist" and have drawn parallels with mid-century segregation in the US. Greek newspaper Documento likened the route to 20th-century segregation in the US Deep South with a headline saying it was like "Alabama '55", while local news outlet Alterthess in an editorial described it as "an ignorant decision that resembles dark times". A child holds a banner reading "Asylum and shelter for refugees" as an anti-racist group protests in solidarity with refugees and migrants outside the refugee's camp of Diavata The bus will go by the refugee camp and then follow a parallel route to the existing one. The municipality's announcement claimed that the new line would "relieve line 54 which services Diavata". Ioannis Ioannidis, the Mayor of Delta claims that it wasn't the Committee, but the Municipality that requested the bus line and dismisses all criticism of segregation. "The issue is that OASTH has greatly reduced bus routes", he told The Daily Telegraph. "The new bus will also pick up locals and visitors along the way, it will not start from the camp and head straight to the train station". Evangelos Papadakis, a Public Information Officer in UNHCR's Thessaloniki branch says they expect the new bus will benefit the residents in the area, but they will remain sceptical until its exact route and the particulars of accessibility to all are announced. According to recent data, there are 103,500 refugees staying in Greece. 71,368 arrivals have been recorded in 2019. More than a million refugees have passed through Greece since 2015. Hardened immigration laws have made it difficult for them to be relocated towards mainland EU. Anti-refugee protests have broken out in various locations across the country over the last few months.
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| Va. attorney general: Gun sanctuary resolutions have 'no legal effect' Posted: 20 Dec 2019 01:37 PM PST  Resolutions passed by local governments declaring themselves "Second Amendment Sanctuaries" have "no legal effect," Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said Friday.
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| Pakistani professor gets death sentence in blasphemy case Posted: 21 Dec 2019 12:23 AM PST  A Pakistani court on Saturday convicted a Muslim professor of blasphemy, sentencing him to death for allegedly spreading anti-Islamic ideas. Junaid Hafeez has been held for six years awaiting trial. Due to security concerns, Saturday's trial was held inside the jail where Hafeez is being held.
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| The Iran-Iraq War Saw U.S. F-5Es and Soviet MiG-21s Battle To The Death Posted: 21 Dec 2019 06:00 AM PST  But it was more than a proxy war.
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| Flake to GOP: What would you do if it were Barack Obama, not Donald Trump? Posted: 20 Dec 2019 07:13 PM PST  Jeff Flake wrote to his former Senate colleagues that not only is Trump on trial, but "so are you. And so is the political party to which we belong."
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| Iran's Rouhani welcomes Japan opt-out of U.S.-led naval mission in Gulf Posted: 21 Dec 2019 06:48 AM PST  Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday welcomed Japan's decision not to join a U.S.-led naval mission in the Gulf and said he had discussions on ways of "breaking" U.S. sanctions on a trip to Tokyo. Friction between Tehran and Washington has increased since last year when U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with six nations and re-imposed sanctions on the country, crippling its economy. Washington proposed the naval mission after several attacks in May and June on international merchant vessels, including Saudi tankers, in Gulf waters which the United States blamed on Iran.
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| 'Survivor' host Jeff Probst apologized to contestant Kellee Kim for how the show handled alleged sexual harassment Posted: 19 Dec 2019 09:55 PM PST  Before she was eliminated, contestant Kellee Kim complained about unwelcome advances from contestant Dan Spilo, a Hollywood talent manager.
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| Why Does Starbucks Melt Conservative Brains? Posted: 21 Dec 2019 01:57 AM PST  Rep. Steve King (R-IA) had an important warning to share on Tuesday: A Starbucks manager in North Carolina was firing employees for saying "Merry Christmas," a sure sign to him of future persecution against Christians.There was just one problem. The supposed Starbucks manager, who tweeted from the account @MuellerDad69, was not a Starbucks manager at all but a co-host of the lefty humor podcast "Eat The Rich." The trolly tweet should have been an obvious joke. But King was the latest conservative personality to fall for a hoax about Starbucks and its supposed politics. During the holiday season, and especially in a year when Starbucks' founder attempted to launch a presidential campaign, the coffee company has become a magnet for contentious political issues. Starbucks is more than a purveyor of hot bean water—it's the family table where America goes to argue.Take the past few weeks in Starbucks headlines. In late November, an Oklahoma Starbucks manager was fired after a police officer claimed he'd received a hot chocolate with "pig" printed on the label. The manager claimed the employee who printed the label was actually a longtime friend of the officer and that the cop told her the prank was "no big deal." That context was omitted during a Fox News segment in which an anchor speculated that "maybe there's an anti-law enforcement credo" at play in Starbucks. Last week, a California county sheriff claimed Starbucks baristas ignored a pair of police officers, prompting the sheriff to tweet that "the anti police culture repeatedly displayed by Starbucks employees must end." This week, it was King's participation in the "Merry Christmas" hoax.And all of this comes amid the annual right-wing panic over whether Starbucks' holiday cups are sufficiently Christian, and whether its employees say "Merry Christmas."Part of the problem is Starbucks' role as a public meeting place in a country that invests little in so-called "third places": areas of community engagement outside the home or workplace. Although spaces like parks and public squares conventionally fit this role, Starbucks is a popular substitute, where you can probably sit around for a few hours without buying anything. (It's also why Starbucks functions as a de facto public restroom in cities like New York that won't invest in usable public toilets.)That idea is baked into Starbucks' business model, said Tim Calkins, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University."Starbucks has always positioned itself as sort of a community spot," Calkins told The Daily Beast. "We've long talked about the idea of a third place: there's your home, there's your work, and then there's Starbucks."But when a national coffee franchise takes on the duties of a civic space, it can become a site for our national angst. "The inadvertent consequence is that people bring up a lot of the issues that are affecting the community," Calkins said. "You see a lot of these issues come to light."One such issue prompted Starbucks to put its "third place policy" into writing last year. Although the coffee shops have long implied that anyone is welcome, a Philadelphia location was accused of racial profiling for calling the police on a pair of black men who were waiting in the shop ahead of a business meeting—an incident that sparked a national conversation on racism.Outrage Grows After Arrest of Two Black Men at a Philly StarbucksSuccessful brands necessarily face greater scrutiny, said Scott Galloway, a professor of marketing at New York University. But a successful coffee brand can come under fire in a way that successful car companies seldom do."Coffee is something we engage in every day," Galloway said. "What Chevrolet thinks—car purchases happen every 5 to 7 years—is not as much a part of our everyday lives. We have a much more intimate relationship with coffee; the fact that we're in the store every day, and even the fact that coffee itself is somewhat linked to conversation and dialogue."There's also the question of whether Starbucks is seen as a liberal institution. Its founder, Howard Schultz, briefly teased a run against President Donald Trump this year. His promise to help America "come together" mirrored Starbucks' loftiest aspirations as a public meeting place. But the mockery for Schultz's presidential bid also looked a lot like the contempt for some of Starbucks' liberal-leaning campaigns, like an ill-advised 2017 plan to have baristas write "race together" on coffee cups when they wanted to discuss race issues with customers. Though Schultz billed himself as a "centrist independent," some of his anti-Trump aspirations might have colored Starbucks policies, Galloway suggested."The founder of Dunkin [Donuts] has and is not positioning him or herself for a run for president," he said. "I believe that Mr. Schultz—and this is his prerogative—wanted to be an active voice in the world of political discourse."Fancy coffees can already code as liberal. The term "latte liberal" has been used to cast segments of the left as finicky yuppies. When President Barack Obama acknowledged a Marine while holding a coffee cup, the right called it the "latte salute" even though the contents of his cup were unknown. The stereotype has given rise to a baffling industry of explicitly conservative coffee brands like Black Rifle Coffee Company. When Starbucks was accused of being anti-police earlier this year, Black Rifle pledged to donate bags of coffee to police officers.Though much of its fare wouldn't be out of place at other fast-food joints, Starbucks deliberately maintains an upscale image."Starbucks has always been something of an aspirational place," Calkins said. "I think people feel that about Starbucks, but as a result, they have expectations for the company. People bring all their opinions and points of view to Starbucks when they show up every day."4Chan Hoax About Free Starbucks Coffee for Black Customers Reaches Laura Ingraham's ShowThe result is a ubiquitous coffee chain that functions as a public space across the country, despite a perceived liberal image that clashes with many of its customers' conservative politics. It's a situation ripe for Fox News-style grievance narratives about the embattled Republican, forced to endure liberal tyranny everywhere he turns. That's why some of the biggest Starbucks controversies have stemmed from the company's own customers. In 2015, a conservative activist filmed a rant about Starbucks' lack of explicit Christian imagery on its holiday cups, inspiring a wave of anti-Starbucks backlash on the religious right. Tellingly of America's apolitical Starbucks addiction, some conservatives said they told baristas to write "Merry Christmas" on their cups, but did not boycott the company.The holiday furor never fully died down, and now the end of every year is marked by news stories about whether Starbucks' holiday cups have done enough to appease the Christian right. (In 2017, the cups featured two cartoon hands holding each other, prompting conservative outlets like the Blaze to wonder whether the hands looked a little too masculine and whether Starbucks was promoting "a gay agenda.")Inevitably, those fears migrated into hoaxes and parodies. @MuellerDad69's trolling tweet ("I'm the manager of a Starbucks in Charlotte NC. I have informed my employees that they will be fired on the spot if I hear them say 'Merry Christmas' to any customers. I'm doing it because I personally dislike conservative Christians.") was shared as a screenshot by a conservative Facebook user with the caption, "this guy hates our President and is now attacking Christians whose next … please share." King shared that post with the caption "wow."On Twitter, Starbucks—which did not respond to a request for comment for this story—clarified that it did not employ @MuellerDad69 and that his account had been suspended for impersonating a barista.Even when Starbucks hoaxes turn out to be fake, they've still found their way onto Fox News. In 2018, a 4chan hoax that encouraged trolls to demand free coffee for black customers was featured on Laura Ingraham's primetime show as an example of "liberal guilt" and "liberals using black people."Ingraham called the prank "so funny."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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| Ex-cop indicted for murder in Atatiana Jefferson's death Posted: 20 Dec 2019 08:51 PM PST  Atatiana Jefferson was shot and killed in October when Officer Aaron Dean fired through a window.
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| Challenged by China and Russia, US builds force for future space wars Posted: 20 Dec 2019 06:06 PM PST  The United States met a mounting 21st century strategic challenge from Russia and China Friday with the creation of a full-fledged US Space Force within the Department of Defense. Acting on an ambition by President Donald Trump that had met resistance at first, the White House signaled its determination to not cede superiority in a Star Wars-like future of killer satellites and satellite-killer weapons. Trump made the Space Force's creation real with the signing of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, which set the initial budget for a Pentagon force that will stand equally with the military's five other branches.
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| The World's Only 'Battlecrusiers' are Back (And in Russia's Navy) Posted: 21 Dec 2019 12:20 AM PST  But are they just as obsolete as battleships?
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| Washington state lawmaker accused of terrorism won't resign Posted: 20 Dec 2019 10:02 AM PST  A right-wing Washington state lawmaker vowed that he will not resign despite a damning report that says he took part in "domestic terrorism" against the United States. The report, which was prepared by an outside investigator for the Legislature and released Thursday, said Rep. Matt Shea traveled throughout the West in recent years meeting with far-right extremist groups and participating and even organizing anti-government activities. "Like we are seeing with our President this is a sham investigation meant to silence those of us who stand up against attempts to disarm and destroy our great country," Shea wrote on Facebook late Thursday.
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| Commercial pig farm in China jams drone signal to combat swine fever crooks Posted: 20 Dec 2019 01:25 AM PST  One of China's biggest animal feed producers said it had used a radio transmitter to combat crooks using drones to drop pork products contaminated with African swine fever on its pig farms, as part of a racket to profit from the health scare. In July, China's agriculture ministry said criminal gangs were faking outbreaks of swine fever on farms and forcing farmers to sell their healthy pigs at sharply lower prices.
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| Russia appears to have kept a major nuclear accident secret. But scientists called the 'Ring of 5' tracked the plume of radiation to its source. Posted: 20 Dec 2019 09:28 AM PST  "An unprecedented release" of radiation in Europe can most likely be attributed to an undeclared nuclear accident at Russia's Mayak nuclear facility.
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| Pakistan Cannot Get Enough Of America's F-16 Fighting Falcon Posted: 21 Dec 2019 07:30 AM PST  Pakistan operates around sixty-six F-16A/Bs and nineteen F-16C/Ds in four active squadrons.
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| 'Excitement turned into horror': New cruise details emerge after New Zealand volcano eruption Posted: 21 Dec 2019 10:29 AM PST  Royal Caribbean is suspending tours of active volcanoes after the Dec. 9 New Zealand volcano eruption on White Island.
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| Man sentenced to 16 years in prison for burning stolen LGBT flag outside of a strip club Posted: 20 Dec 2019 07:27 AM PST  A man has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for setting fire to a church LGBTQ flag, after a jury found him guilty on several charges.Adolfo Martinez from Iowa was convicted in Ames last month on hate crime charges — a class "D" felony in the state — as well as third-degree harassment and reckless use of fire.
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