| Pompeo savaged by Democrats on Capitol Hill over coronavirus, Iran Posted: 28 Feb 2020 11:19 AM PST  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo faced intense criticism Friday from Democrats on Capitol Hill, who questioned him on the Trump administration's response to the growing coronavirus threat, as well as the persistent threat from foes like Iran.
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| Biden wins South Carolina primary: Full coverage Posted: 29 Feb 2020 02:29 PM PST  Former Vice President Joe Biden won Saturday's Democratic primary in South Carolina, where voters delivered his struggling campaign a much-needed boost heading into Super Tuesday.
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| 40% of Americans don't think the US government is prepared to handle coronavirus Posted: 28 Feb 2020 10:22 AM PST  Only 7% of Americans said they felt the US government is "extremely prepared" for coronavirus, while 12% said "very prepared."
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| Daughter of alleged Mexican drug kingpin El Mencho arrested Posted: 27 Feb 2020 06:38 PM PST  El Mencho is allegedly the head of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion and is considered the "number one priority for DEA."
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| After chemical attack and kidnapping, migrant mom tries again to enter U.S. Posted: 28 Feb 2020 12:51 PM PST  "They're putting us at risk," the asylum-seeker said. "After all we've been through."
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| Greece pushes back migrants after Turkish border 'onslaught' Posted: 29 Feb 2020 02:24 AM PST  Greek police fired teargas to push back hundreds of stone-throwing migrants trying to cross the border from Turkey on Saturday, as a crisis over Syria shifted onto the European Union's doorstep. Greece, which has tense relations with Turkey, accused Ankara of sending the migrants to the border post in an organized "onslaught" and said it would keep them out. Turkey said on Thursday it would stop keeping hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers in its territory after an air strike on Idlib in neighboring Syria killed 33 Turkish soldiers.
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| New coronavirus cases in Northern California raise alarm Posted: 28 Feb 2020 11:14 AM PST  Three students at the University of California, Davis, are under observation for possible exposure to coronavirus.
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| Pete Buttigieg is Not Optimistic About South Carolina. But He's Pushing On. Posted: 29 Feb 2020 10:05 AM PST  Saturday's contest in South Carolina is not anticipated to be a good day for Pete Buttigieg
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| Man whose son was found encased in cement sentenced to 72 years in prison Posted: 29 Feb 2020 03:01 PM PST  A Colorado man whose seven-year-old son was repeatedly abused before being found encased in concrete in a Denver storage unit has been sentenced to 72 years in prison for the death.Leland Pankey received the sentence on Friday, with one count of child abuse landing him 48 years in prison and 24 years for tampering with the body.
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| Trump moves to calm virus fears after first death on US soil Posted: 29 Feb 2020 11:59 AM PST  US President Donald Trump moved to quell fears about the novel coronavirus after the first death on US soil was confirmed Saturday. The US fatality occurred in Washington State's King county, which includes Seattle, a city of more than 700,000 people, said health officials. The victim was not immediately identified, but Trump told reporters that the victim was a woman in her late 50s.
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| Philippines, U.S. Seek New Military Deal After Duterte Exit Posted: 27 Feb 2020 10:19 PM PST |
| Federal appeals court rules against Trump in two major immigration cases Posted: 28 Feb 2020 10:21 PM PST  A court once again blocked a Trump policy that requires asylum seekers to wait in Mexico, but then it put the ruling on pause.
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| Stock markets are headed for a 40 percent plunge, says economist who predicted financial crisis Posted: 28 Feb 2020 02:09 PM PST  The end of a very rough week for U.S. markets brought a worrying prediction.While one expert warned fallout from the global coronavirus outbreak could be "worse than the financial crisis" of 2008, the economist who correctly predicted that very crisis is now saying the idea of a major global recession "doesn't sound too farfetched."Nouriel Roubini, a New York University business professor and market prognosticator who foretold the housing bubble burst, told Yahoo Finance on Friday to expect "severe" consequences as the coronavirus continues to rattle markets. How severe? He told Der Spiegel it could be worse than investors even believe at this point, predicting "global equities to tank by 30 to 40 percent this year."He said people "prefer to believe in miracles," (not necessarily referencing President Trump's prediction the coronavirus will "disappear ... like a miracle,") and don't realize the "simple math" tells us that realistically, a squeezed Chinese economy will mean downturns around the globe. "This crisis will spill over and result in a disaster," said Roubini.Roubini, who is often nicknamed Dr. Doom for his frequent pessimistic predictions, also saw doom and gloom for Trump's future as president as a result of any economic strife. Asked by Der Spiegel, Roubini said Trump would likely try to benefit politically from the outbreak, but "will lose the election, that's for sure." Pointing to past incumbent presidents getting ousted amid geopolitical tensions that damaged the economy, he said "The Democratic field is poor, but Trump is dead. Quote me on that!"Though the week just saw a 3,500-point drop for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Roubini warned: "It is far from being over." Read more at Der Spiegel.More stories from theweek.com Trump mocks Bloomberg's height, Biden's age in wild CPAC speech The growing viral threat A coronavirus recession would likely end Trump's presidency
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| Black Lives Matter activist Hawk Newsome on the current state of America Posted: 27 Feb 2020 07:33 PM PST  Newsome is chairman of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York, and has spent his adult life advancing the cause of what he calls the "Second Civil Rights Movement."
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| Turkey moves ahead with its threats to send refugees to EU Posted: 28 Feb 2020 05:41 AM PST  Hundreds of refugees and migrants in Turkey have begun heading for the country's land and sea borders with Greece, buoyed by Turkish officials' statements indicating they will not be hindered from crossing the frontier to head into Europe. The move comes a day after a deadly Syrian airstrike that killed more than 30 Turkish troops in Idlib, Syria, where Turkey has been engaged since 2016. WHO ARE THE REFUGEES OR MIGRANTS IN TURKEY?
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| Dozens of Turkish soldiers killed in airstrike in Syria Posted: 28 Feb 2020 05:00 AM PST  At least 33 Turkish military personnel have been killed in an airstrike in Syria's Idlib province, in a dramatic escalation in the battle for control of the country's last opposition stronghold.
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| Crazy Custody Battle With Doomsday Mom’s Niece Airs Claims of Cults, Child-Stealing, and Attempted Murder Posted: 28 Feb 2020 01:30 PM PST  The investigation into the disappearance of doomsday mom Lori Vallow's children has exposed a bitter, mudslinging custody battle between her niece and the niece's ex-husband—with allegations of cult membership, child-stealing, and attempted murder.The fight is being waged between Melani Pawlowski and Brandon Boudreaux, an Arizona couple who were married with four children until things started to get very strange in the summer of 2019.That's when, according to Boudreaux, his wife began spending a lot of time with Vallow, her aunt, and joined what he called a doomsday cult. She suddenly demanded a divorce, blindsiding Boudreaux."I thought I had a happy marriage, so it was pretty overwhelming," Boudreaux told the Arizona Republic a few months ago.Things were about to get more overwhelming. On Oct. 2, Boudreaux was returning home when a 2018 Jeep Wrangler pulled up with a rifle with a silencer poking out of the window, he said. A bullet came whizzing at him and barely missed his head.Doomsday Mom Told Her Husband's Kids Their Dad Was Dead Via Text MessageAccording to Boudreaux and prosecutors, the car belonged to Charles Vallow, husband of Lori Vallow.There was no way Charles was at the wheel, however. He had been dead for months. In July, while estranged from Lori, he traveled from his home in Texas to hers in Arizona to see their adopted 7-year-old son, J.J., and stepdaughter Tylee, 17.Lori would later tell police that Charles became physical and her brother, Alex Cox, shot him dead in self-defense—although police are re-investigating his death in light of recent disturbing developments.After the shooting, Boudreaux said, he became fearful for his life and the safety of his children so he filed for custody. Pawlowski moved to Idaho, where Vallow had moved after her husband's death, and a judge granted Boudreaux temporary custody. He told the Republic he was in hiding with them in another state.About a month later, Vallow remarried—tying the knot with Chad Daybell, an author who penned apocalyptic novels for a Mormon audience. His wife of almost 30 years, Tammy, had suddenly died just weeks earlier and was buried without an autopsy (though her body has since been exhumed).Vallow's children were not at the wedding; according to police, they had vanished weeks earlier and when authorities showed up on the newlyweds' doorstep to check on Tylee and J.J.'s welfare, Lori lied about where they were.That set into motion the investigation that would eventually generate headlines around the world, drawing scrutiny to the deaths of Vallow and Daybell's previous spouses, raising questions about the fate of Tylee and J.J., and providing new ammunition for Boudreaux in his legal tussle with Pawlowski, who had also since remarried.Doomsday Writer Claimed Dead Wife Helped Him Find New OneA court filing by Boudreaux on Feb. 19, first reported by Fox 10, included a number of unsubstantiated allegations of nefarious behavior by Pawlowski: that she was involved in a cult where "adults and children alike have been being killed off like flies" and that she was involved in the Oct. 2 shooting."Brandon believed Melani, his wife at the time, had a million dollars of reasons to have him killed," the filing alleged in reference to a life insurance policy. He claimed that Vallow's brother, Cox, was the gunman; Cox has since died of unknown causes.In the court papers, Boudreaux also alleged that Pawlowski knows where Tylee and J.J. are and that she had ominously told her new husband, "Sometimes children are full of light and then just like that they go dark." Arizona police have said they were not able to corroborate the litany of lurid accusations—and Pawlowski fired back with a barrage of her own allegations in a statement from her attorneys."Sadly, and irresponsibly, much of the media has quoted Brandon Boudreaux's biased, vindictive, and fake accusations as truth and fact when they are his resentful, vengeful, and dishonest efforts to get full custody of Melani's children," attorney Garrett Smith said. "Brandon Boudreaux deceptively took Melani's children out of state and kept them unlawfully, Melani was the stable parent in her children's lives while Brandon Boudreaux traveled for weeks and was rarely home."The statement went on to level ugly charges about Boudreaux's behavior and his family, including criminal misconduct, while defending Pawlowski.The lawyers said Pawlowski does not know where Vallow's children are and told the FBI as much during three sit-downs. They added she had nothing to do with the Oct. 2 shooting, which they suggested was an "elaborate manipulation." Doomsday Mom of Missing Kids Arrested in Hawaii"Melani has never been associated with a cult," another attorney, Robert Jarvis, added. "Melani is a lifetime member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and her beliefs are consistent with the Church. Melani holds close to her belief in a loving God. She loves her children and respects life."In the middle of all this finger-pointing, the question of where Tylee and J.J. are remains unanswered.Police in Rexburg, Idaho, have said they believe the pair are in danger and that Vallow and Daybell have refused to cooperate with the investigation. A day after investigators asked Vallow and Daybell about the children, the couple left Idaho and eventually resurfaced in Hawaii.An Idaho judge ordered Vallow to return with the children, but she failed to show, and she was arrested on charges of child desertion, contempt of court, and promoting criminal behavior. That last count stems from an allegation that she asked a friend to lie for her and tell police that she had J.J.Initially held on $5 million bail, Vallow has since waived extradition and will soon return to Idaho to face the charges. Her attorneys say she plans to fight the allegation and did not comply with the court order only because she did not want them to end up in foster care. He did not, however, say where the children are.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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| Trump Team Testing ‘Off-the-Shelf’ Drugs to Cure Coronavirus Posted: 29 Feb 2020 12:28 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- The Trump administration is testing existing "off-the-shelf" drugs to combat the coronavirus, a cabinet official said Saturday.A national lab in Tennessee recently made "an important discovery" involving existing drugs, Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette said at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland."The scientists at our Oak Ridge National Laboratory were able to look at the protein strains and determine -- perhaps, it's still early -- that we can find some off-the-shelf drugs that can help us not only cure the disease but stop the spread of the infection," Brouillette said.Brouillette was responding to a question about what his agency is doing to help combat the virus, which has caused markets to plunge and killed nearly 3,000 people across the globe. In the U.S., where 22 cases have been reported, the virus has killed one person -- a woman from Washington state -- and more cases are likely, President Donald Trump said Saturday.In addition to the laboratory tests, Brouillette said he's harnessing the power of his agency's "super computers" as well as artificial intelligence capabilities to assist organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and the World Heath Organization to conduct modeling on the virus."We want to know how far is this going to spread and at what point might it peak," he said.To contact the reporter on this story: Ari Natter in Washington at anatter5@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Jon Morgan at jmorgan97@bloomberg.net, Matthew G. Miller, Virginia Van NattaFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Donald Trump Jr. accuses Democrats of hoping coronavirus 'kills millions of people' Posted: 28 Feb 2020 09:35 AM PST  Amid growing fears of a coronavirus outbreak in the United States, Donald Trump Jr. on Friday accused Democrats of hoping that the disease kills millions of Americans to thwart his father's chances of reelection.
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| The FDA just announced the first drug shortage caused by the coronavirus, but wouldn't identify the drug Posted: 28 Feb 2020 06:28 AM PST  China is a critical player in the global supply chain for drugs, as many ingredients in the medicines we take are manufactured there.
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| Eight fighters with Lebanon's Hezbollah killed in Syria Posted: 29 Feb 2020 07:37 AM PST  Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group lost at least eight fighters in northwest Syria in skirmishes with insurgents and airstrikes by Turkey's air force, an opposition war monitor and the militant group said Saturday. The casualties followed the death of at least 33 Turkish soldiers earlier this week. The deaths marked the highest for the group in Syria in years as Hezbollah has pulled out many of its fighters from the neighboring country.
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| Christian woman in Pakistan blasphemy row: I've been invited to live in France Posted: 28 Feb 2020 10:45 AM PST  Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy in Pakistan, said on Friday after meeting President Emmanuel Macron that she had been invited her to live in France. Bibi was acquitted of the blasphemy conviction last year and has since been living with her family in Canada.
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| Could This Be the Navy's New Super Bomber? (Wait, What?) Posted: 29 Feb 2020 02:00 PM PST  While bombers could certainly contribute to searches for adversary shipping, quite likely potential targets will more often be relayed to them by other maritime surveillance assets.
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| Coronavirus news: US records first death as patient dies in Washington state Posted: 28 Feb 2020 03:53 PM PST  Outbreak could leave one in 10 people in the UK in hospital Virus fears threatening to spark stockpiling and panic buying FAQ: Everything you need to know about coronavirus Fake news: 10 myths and conspiracies about the virus Subscribe to The Telegraph, free for 30 days Donald Trump reassured Americans that there was "no reason to panic" after the United States reported its first death from the coronavirus. Mr Trump said the victim in King County in Washington state was a "wonderful woman" in her late 50s who was "medically high risk". The president banned anyone who had visited Iran in the last 14 days from entering the US, and also advised Americans not to travel to affected areas of Italy and South Korea. Mr Trump said he was "very strongly" considering closing the US border with Mexico. He said the US had 43 million masks ready, and he would meet with the heads of pharmaceutical companies at the White House on Monday to discuss a possible vaccine. The president said: "Additional cases are likely but healthy individuals should be able to recover." Meanwhile back in Briton three more patients have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of UK cases to 23. Follow the latest here.
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| Why Sanders' Castro revisionism is so insulting to Cuban refugees like me Posted: 28 Feb 2020 12:36 PM PST  Education under a socialist regime is a malicious program, because it seems like an irreproachable social good but then is just another tool of repression.
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| Trump moves to calm virus fears after first death on US soil Posted: 29 Feb 2020 01:06 PM PST  President Donald Trump urged Americans not to panic over the novel coronavirus Saturday after the first death on US soil was confirmed, even as France ramped up its security measures by cancelling all mass gatherings. The virus has now hit 61 countries across the globe, prompting the World Health Organization to raise its risk assessment to its highest level. Its rapid spread beyond China's borders in the past week has caused stock markets to sink to their lowest levels since the 2008 global financial crisis over fears the disease could wreak havoc on the world economy.
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| The Race to 112: Malaysia’s Power Struggle by the Numbers Posted: 27 Feb 2020 10:49 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Follow Bloomberg on LINE messenger for all the business news and analysis you need.The collapse of Malaysia's ruling coalition less than two years after taking office has triggered a race between rival camps to secure the 112 parliamentary seats needed to form a new government.After almost a week of political turmoil, interim Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad appears to have lost the support of what remains of the ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition, which earlier this week had pledged to back him. Mahathir had quit his own party as it broke away from the coalition on Monday, seeming to signal he was sticking with the broader alliance. He has now left the coalition formally and rejoined his renegade party.On Wednesday, the Pakatan Harapan alliance -- minus Mahathir's party -- agreed to propose Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister to the king instead. It said Mahathir refused to attend a meeting to revive the coalition. Mahathir said in a televised speech later that day he'll return to power if enough lawmakers support him.On Thursday, a possible third contender briefly emerged, with a local newspaper reporting that the country's main Islamic party, along with the biggest opposition party, were backing Muhyiddin Yassin, president of Mahathir's renegade party. The Islamic party subsequently denied the report, saying it will stand together with opposition coalition Barisan Nasional to call for an election.In May 2018 elections, Mahathir and Anwar had joined hands to topple the Barisan Nasional alliance that had ruled Malaysia for six decades. That alliance, now in opposition, has been working with the Islamic party.Right now, the path to power appears easier for Anwar and what remains of Pakatan Harapan, assuming it doesn't suffer more defections.Things are more difficult, but not impossible, for Mahathir and anyone else attempting to cobble together a rival coalition. Mahathir can pull together parties, or factions within the parties, from both the Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional sides.To cement their lead, any bloc would likely need to secure the support of regional parties on the two Malaysian states in Borneo.Here are the key numbers as the potential different blocs scramble to form a government:PAKATAN HARAPAN (The government that collapsed on Monday is now backing Anwar Ibrahim for prime minister)Assuming no more defections, the current Pakatan Harapan coalition would need to convince 20 other lawmakers to join, align or stay with it to retain their majority in government.Seats held:(After defections of Mahathir's Malaysian United Indigenous Party or Bersatu, and anti-Anwar faction in People's Justice Party)Total number of parliament seats: 92Total number of seats needed to form government: 20Current component parties:People's Justice Party: 39National Trust Party: 11Democratic Action Party: 42TOTAL: 92Possible sources of additional seats:Sarawak State Parties Coalition known as GPS (Previously allied with opposition Barisan Nasional coalition. Pledged support for Mahathir earlier this week. Now says it will go with who the king says has won enough support to lead): 19Sabah Heritage Party (Not part of coalition but was previously aligned with Pakatan Harapan. Pledged support to Mahathir as prime minister earlier this week, but not the Pakatan coalition explicitly. Has not indicated whether it supports Anwar): 9United Progressive People of Kinabalu Organisation (Not part of coalition but was previously aligned with Pakatan Harapan): 1Members of renegade Bersatu party or Justice party defectors who might choose to return to the fold: unknownMembers of the opposition Barisan Nasional coalition whom Anwar may convince to cross over: unknownTOTAL: 29 or moreOther independent parties:United Sabah People: 1United Sabah Party: 1State Reform Party: 1Independent member of parliament: 1TOTAL: 4BARISAN NASIONAL (The opposition after losing power in 2018)Assuming no defections, the Barisan Nasional opposition would need to secure 70 more lawmakers to join, align or stay with it to form government.Seats held:Total number of parliament seats: 42Total number of seats needed to form government: 70Current component parties:United Malays National Organisation: 39Malaysian Chinese Association: 2Malaysian Indian Congress: 1TOTAL: 42Most likely sources of additional seats:Malaysian Islamic Party (allied with Barisan): 18TOTAL: 18Possible sources of additional seats:Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu, Mahathir's party which left the Pakatan Harapan coalition Monday): 26Defectors from People's Justice Party (Ousted from ruling coalition but pledged support for Mahathir earlier this week): 11Sabah Heritage Party (Was previously aligned with Pakatan Harapan. Pledged support to Mahathir as prime minister earlier this week, but not the Pakatan coalition explicitly. Has not indicated whether it supports Anwar): 9Sarawak state parties coalition GPS (previously allied with opposition Barisan Nasional coalition. Pledged support for Mahathir earlier this week. Now says it will go with who the king says has won enough support to lead): 19TOTAL: 65Other independent parties:United Sabah People: 1United Sabah Party: 1State Reform Party: 1Independent member of parliament: 1TOTAL: 4NEW COALITION (Led by Mahathir, with potential parties from both sides)Assuming no defections, Mahathir would need to secure 75 more lawmakers to join, align or stay with him to form government.Seats held:Total number of parliament seats (parties or factions who have pledged support to Mahathir): 37Total number of seats needed to form government: 75Current seats/parties in hand:Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu, Mahathir's party which left the Pakatan Harapan coalition Monday): 26Defectors from People's Justice Party (Ousted from ruling coalition and pledged support for Mahathir earlier this week): 11TOTAL: 37Possible sources of additional seats:(Depending on whether Mahathir convinces them to join him in a new coalition, and whether the entire party joins him, or just factions of the parties.)Two parties from the Barisan Nasional side have said they will support Mahathir only if he drops the Democratic Action Party, a multicultural party seen to be representing ethnic-Chinese that has now aligned itself with Anwar instead of MahathirUnited Malays National Organisation: 39Malaysian Islamic Party (allied with Barisan): 18TOTAL: 57Other parties Mahathir can woo:Sabah Heritage Party (Was previously aligned with Pakatan Harapan. Pledged support to Mahathir as prime minister earlier this week, but not the Pakatan coalition explicitly. Has not indicated whether it supports Anwar): 9Sarawak state parties coalition GPS (previously allied with opposition Barisan Nasional coalition. Pledged support for Mahathir earlier this week. Now says it will go with who the king says has won enough support to lead): 19TOTAL: 28Other independent parties:United Sabah People: 1United Sabah Party: 1State Reform Party: 1Independent member of parliament: 1TOTAL: 4(Recasts the three scenarios in play now after latest developments)To contact the reporters on this story: Stephanie Phang in Singapore at sphang@bloomberg.net;Liau Y-Sing in Kuala Lumpur at yliau@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Daniel Ten Kate at dtenkate@bloomberg.net, Yudith HoFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| At least two dozen US police departments have spread misinformation linking coronavirus to meth Posted: 29 Feb 2020 07:02 AM PST  "This attempt, although a long shot, still had some possibility behind it," one police department said in response to criticism.
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| Serbia passes law in response to missing babies scandal Posted: 29 Feb 2020 09:42 AM PST  Serbian lawmakers on Saturday approved a long-awaited law that aims to shed light on the fate of hundreds of children whose parents fear might have been stolen from birth clinics throughout the Balkan country. Two lawmakers abstained. The high number of absent lawmakers was unrelated to the bill, but an ongoing boycott of parliament sessions by opposition parties and other reasons.
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| Slovak opposition takes lead as voters rout ruling party: partial results Posted: 29 Feb 2020 05:19 PM PST  Slovak opposition party Ordinary People (OLANO) took the lead in the EU country's parliamentary election, an exit poll and partial results showed on Sunday, as voters punished the ruling center-left Smer that has dominated the country's political life for more than a decade. OLANO, a politically amorphous movement focused on fighting corruption, took 23.7% of the vote with a third of districts counted, ahead of Smer with 20.6%. Support for OLANO surged from less than 6% late last year, concentrating a protest vote against perceptions of high-level graft that were fed by the murder of an investigative journalist and his fiancee two years ago.
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| Gerald Goines: Police officer arrested for murder accused of framing 69 cases Posted: 28 Feb 2020 01:11 PM PST  A disgraced former Houston Police Officer facing murder charges is suspected of having exploited his position to ensure the wrongful conviction of 69 people.Gerald Goines was dismissed after he led a botched drug raid resulting in the death of a married couple in January 2019, ABC News reported.
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| This Photo Might Be the Real Start of World War II Posted: 29 Feb 2020 06:45 AM PST  And it was in a nation that technically was neutral.
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| UC Santa Cruz fires 54 graduate students participating in months-long strike Posted: 28 Feb 2020 06:45 PM PST  Termination letters were sent to those students protesting for a cost-of-living adjustment amid California's housing crisisThe University of California, Santa Cruz, issued termination letters on Friday to 54 graduate students who have been waging a months-long strike for a cost-of-living-adjustment amid soaring rents.The firings came as graduate students at the University of California, Davis, and University of California, Santa Barbara, began their own cost-of-living strikes in solidarity. One of their demands is that all UC Santa Cruz graduate workers who participated in strike activities be restored to full employment status.The 54 UC Santa Cruz graduate students who received termination letters on Friday are just a fraction of the 233 graduate student instructors and teaching assistants who have refused to submit nearly 12,000 grades from the fall quarter since December.This month, the students' grading strike expanded, as teaching assistants refused all teaching duties and research assistants refused additional work. Some classes and office hours have been canceled because of the strike.The students are striking for a $1,412-a-month cost-of-living adjustment, which they say they desperately need amid a growing housing crisis in California. Most students are spending between 5o% and 70% of their $2,434-a-month salary on rent, some forced to live in substandard apartments with many roommates in order to stretch their dollars.Veronica Hamilton, a third-year graduate student studying psychology, is the union representative on campus and was copied on the termination letters that were emailed out on Friday. "The first person who was sent a letter is a single mother who spends almost all her income on rent on subsidized family student housing," Hamilton said."It's horrible," she continued. "We got to this point because they're digging their heels in the ground. We're in a crisis and they don't even want to have a conversation on how to address these issues."The graduate students are represented by United Auto Workers Local 2865, which negotiated a contract in 2018 that included a no-strike clause: meaning the current strike, known as a "wildcat strike", has been taken without the union's approval.The administration has cited this as a reason for not negotiating with the graduate students but, in response to the strike, offered two supplemental programs that will cost about $7m a year – one that will offer a yearly $2,500 need-based housing fellowship and another that offers doctoral students a five-year funding program – as well as two temporary housing assistance programs.The strikers say these programs would not be enough. Hamilton, for example, pays $1,800 a month to live 40 minutes away from campus in a small cabin she shares with her husband, who lost his job four months ago – $2,500 barely covers a month's rent, she said."The university is sympathetic to such challenges, particularly housing, and the related impacts on all our employees," said Andrew Gordon, a spokesman for Janet Napolitano, the University of California president, in a statement.However, the university has honored the contract it entered into with the union, "and we expect teaching assistants to do the same", he said."Teaching assistants who choose to withhold grades or refuse to teach are in violation of that contract," Gordon said, adding that such actions "unfairly impact undergraduate students while doing nothing to further the conversation on how to address the challenges of the rising cost of living, with which all students and employees across UC must contend".The strikers had expected more students to receive termination letters, and earlier – the executive vice-chancellor of UC Santa Cruz had set a deadline for last week."I think people were ready to be fired, but still surprised," said Jane Komori, a third-year graduate student studying the history of consciousness. "It's such a destructive action for the administration to take … Hundreds and hundreds of undergraduates won't be able to take certain classes."It's a serious issue for the quality of undergraduate education and the number of undergraduates that can be enrolled," she added.Nearly 500 graduate students have said they won't teach next quarter because of the firings, Hamilton said. Now with the strike spreading to other UC campuses, they are more ready than ever to keep on the picket line."I've heard from graduate students across the country," Hamilton said. "Everybody is sick of the situation that we're in. Graduate students of today are weighed down by the student debt crisis. Graduate students of today are more likely to be parents, more likely to come from working class backgrounds, from backgrounds of racialized capitalism. This is just the beginning."
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| Trump Nominates John Ratcliffe to Be Director of National Intelligence—Again Posted: 28 Feb 2020 02:37 PM PST  President Trump announced late Friday that he is nominating Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) to be his next director of national intelligence. That's despite the former Texas prosecutor withdrawing his nomination last year.Ratcliffe, a large Trump donor, dropped out of the nomination process in July 2019, blaming unfair media coverage. But The Daily Beast reported that before Racliffe announced his withdrawal, an email revealing his alleged involvement in a contentious whistleblowing case made its way to the White House. On Friday, Trump tweeted that he "would have completed [the] process earlier" but "John wanted to wait until after IG Report was finished," an apparent reference to the inspector general's report on how the FBI handled its counterintelligence probe of Trump campaign associates."John is an outstanding man of great talent!" he wrote.Just last week, Trump appointed U.S. Ambassador to Germany and longtime Trumpworld loyalist Richard Grenell, who has no intelligence experience, as his acting DNI. A former intelligence official told The Daily Beast at the time that the announcement "blindsided" career officials in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.Ratcliffe, who himself has little national security experience, is in for a rocky confirmation process. His nomination last year drew swift opposition from Senate Democrats and lukewarm support from key Republicans.Senate Intelligence chair Richard Burr told White House officials Ratcliffe, a outspoken supporter of the president, was too partisan, The New York Times reported. On the Senate floor, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called him "a three-term tea party congressman who, when he goes on television, appeals to the president's sense of stridency and partisanship."Even if there's little chance Ratcliffe will be confirmed by the Senate, his nomination allows Grenell to continue to serve past March 11, University of Texas law professor Stephen Vladeck pointed out on Twitter. Federal law also stipulates that an acting DNI can stay in place for another 210 days after the Senate either rejects a nomination or the nominee withdraws.Grenell was brought in last week to replace acting DNI Joseph Maguire, whom Trump replaced over what he felt was disloyalty by one of Maguire's aides, according to multiple reports. The aide had briefed the House Intelligence Committee that Russia was once again interfering in the election in Trump's favor.After former DNI Dan Coats announced his resignation last summer, Trump tweeted that he intended to nominate Ratcliffe to replace him, a move that surprised White House aides, who had not vetted the congressman, The Washington Post reported. Ratcliffe, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, had been a vocal critic of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe and had seized on text messages between FBI agents Lisa Page and Peter Strzok as evidence of bias within the FBI. He even claimed to have seen texts between the pair that suggested the existence of a "secret society" working against Trump—an easily debunked conspiracy theory that he played a part in spreading far and wide.But Ratcliffe's nomination fell apart in just a few weeks. An investigation by The Washington Post found he had embellished how many immigrants he rounded up in one day as a U.S. attorney. Another investigation found he'd embellished his national security credentials by claiming he'd prosecuted two major terrorism cases, despite court records showing he had no involvement.His July 2019 withdrawal prompted Trump to complain he was being treated unfairly."Rather than going through months of slander and libel, I explained to John how miserable it would be for him and his family to deal with these people," Trump said at the time. "John has therefore decided to stay in Congress where he has done such an outstanding job representing the people of Texas, and our Country."Trump said last year it didn't bother him that Ratcliffe lacked much national security expertise. "I think he would've picked it up very quickly," he said.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| South Carolina exit polls: Black and moderate voters fuel Biden to victory Posted: 29 Feb 2020 04:30 PM PST  The former vice president won 60 percent of the black vote and received solid backing from moderate and religious voters Saturday.
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| As India counts dead, brutality of Hindu-Muslim riot emerges Posted: 29 Feb 2020 12:01 AM PST  The wounded came in waves. As the Mustafabad neighborhood of India's capital was ravaged by communal riots for three days this week, the Al-Hind Hospital turned from a community clinic into a trauma ward. Doctors like M.A. Anwar were for the first time dealing with injuries such as gunshot wounds, crushed skulls and torn genitals.
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| Warren won't call Massachusetts a 'must-win' state as Sanders campaign seemingly aims for 'symbolic blow' Posted: 29 Feb 2020 09:42 AM PST  It's the South Carolina primary, but Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has his sights set on Massachusetts.While many other candidates remain in the Palmetto State, Sanders flew north Friday evening and held a Saturday rally in Boston. Massachusetts is a Super Tuesday state, so the timing checks out, but Sanders' presence there is notable primarily because it's the home state of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), his closest ideological competitor in the race.There's not a lot of data on Massachusetts, but some polls hint at a tight race between the two New Englanders, per The New York Times.Warren, who struggled this month in neighboring New Hampshire, on Saturday declined to call Massachusetts a must-win state, despite serving as its senator, and said she isn't surprised Sanders is campaigning there because it's a "very progressive state and progressive ideas are very popular." But the Sanders campaign may also have zeroed in on Massachusetts precisely because a victory could result in, as the Times describes it, a "symbolic blow" to Warren's once-promising campaign. Read more at The New York Times.More stories from theweek.com Stock markets are headed for a 40 percent plunge, says economist who predicted financial crisis Trump mocks Bloomberg's height, Biden's age in wild CPAC speech The growing viral threat
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| Billionaire Tom Steyer shakes up primary with slavery reparations plan Posted: 28 Feb 2020 01:01 PM PST  For centuries, South Carolina's Charleston was the largest port of entry for the transatlantic slave trade. Now, billionaire presidential candidate Tom Steyer is shaking up the state's Democratic primary by advocating slavery reparations for African-Americans.
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| Ireland Was Neutral in World War II, so Why Did the Nazis Attack It? Posted: 29 Feb 2020 01:00 PM PST  An interesting story.
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