| The resolution to limit Trump's war powers is nothing but an empty political gesture Posted: 12 Jan 2020 10:37 AM PST  A war powers resolution won't stop Trump from doing anything he would do anyway in Iran. It's just a signal that Congress doesn't trust Trump.
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| Two WWII bombs made safe in Germany Posted: 12 Jan 2020 10:37 AM PST  Two World War II-era bombs were made safe in the western German city of Dortmund after around 14,000 people were evacuated, the city said Sunday. Officials there warning on Saturday that unexploded bombs dropped by Allied forces during the war might be buried in four sites in a heavily populated part of the city centre. Two unexploded bombs weighing 250 kilogrammes (550 pounds) each, one British and the other American, were found and made safe.
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| Alaska State Troopers Rescued a Man Stranded for Weeks in Sub-Zero Temperatures After His Cabin Burned Down Posted: 11 Jan 2020 01:26 PM PST  Tyson Steele was outside in Alaska's freezing weather for 23 days
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| Death Toll in Pakistani Mosque Explosion Increases to 15 Posted: 11 Jan 2020 12:18 AM PST |
| Relatives of massacre victims torn over future in Mexico as most flee Posted: 11 Jan 2020 05:44 PM PST  The gangland ambush by cartel gunmen in November on a dusty road in northern Mexico left three mothers and six children dead, their charred vehicles riddled with bullets, and a once-strong faith deeply shaken in the picturesque hamlets the families have called home for generations. "La Mora will never be the same," said 27-year-old holdout Kendra Miller, whose brother Howard lost his wife Rhonita and their four children in the attack. Today, roads in and around La Mora are patrolled by hundreds of heavily-armed soldiers, helicopters buzzing overhead.
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| Your Air Force Never Wants To Battle These Five Air Defense Missiles Posted: 11 Jan 2020 12:30 AM PST  The world's best.
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| UK police say it was mistake to call climate group extremist Posted: 11 Jan 2020 10:01 AM PST  British police say it was an "error of judgment" to include environmental protest group Extinction Rebellion in an official document that listed extremist organizations. The counterterrorism police unit for southeast England included the climate change protesters alongside Islamic extremists and banned neo-Nazi group National Action in a guide to "safeguarding young people and adults from ideological extremism," The Guardian newspaper reported.
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| Australian PM concedes mistakes, but likely won't drastically shift climate policy in light of fires Posted: 12 Jan 2020 07:55 AM PST  Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday conceded he's made some mistakes since the worst season of bushfires ever recorded in Australia broke out, The New York Times reports. He said he wouldn't have taken a heavily criticized family vacation to Hawaii in December while firefighters battled the blazes if he knew what he knows now, while acknowledging there were things he "could have handled on the ground much better."He also called for a government inquiry into the government's response to the natural disaster. At least 28 people have been killed in the fires, including a firefighter who died overnight in the state of Victoria. But despite the government now having a "new appetite" to take on a more direct role in the reaction to the fires, Morrison's words won't be much of a comfort for everyone. David Speers, the journalist who interviewed the prime minister Sunday, said his commitments will still likely fall short of many Australians' hopes. Many consider Morrison, who leads the conservative Liberal Party, to have implemented weak climate policies that have failed to curb the country's carbon emissions. But his plan in wake of the fires doesn't appear to be a dramatic shift toward combating climate change. Instead, he reiterated he doesn't want to put jobs at risk or raise taxes to lower emissions, and would rather enhance the country's policies for disaster management and relief, which he believes is just "as much a climate change response as emissions reductions." Read more at The New York Times and BBC.More stories from theweek.com The death of rock's master craftsman NFL's future, present on display Sunday thanks to a pair thrilling QB matchups Pelosi says delaying articles of impeachment achieved 'very positive' results
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| 'I wished I was on that plane': Iranian general apologizes; missiles pound Iraq base. What we know now Posted: 12 Jan 2020 01:14 PM PST  Fallout from Iran-U.S. tensions intensified Sunday as missiles pounded an Iraqi air base hosting U.S. troops.
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| Ukraine demands punishment for Iran downing plane Posted: 11 Jan 2020 07:56 AM PST  Ukraine on Saturday demanded that Iran punish those who downed Flight PS752 and compensate victims while praising Tehran for cooperating with an "objective" investigation.
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| Puerto Rico's strongest quake since 1918 has residents on edge Posted: 11 Jan 2020 10:04 PM PST  More than 300 people are homeless a day after the 6.4 magnitude quake rocked the island still recovering from Hurricane Maria.
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| Bernie Sanders Enjoys Newly Found Frontrunner Status in Iowa Posted: 11 Jan 2020 01:15 PM PST |
| This Picture Might Just Depict the Ultimate Military Weapon Posted: 12 Jan 2020 01:25 AM PST  Meet the MLRS.
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| A Japanese woman was asked to take a pregnancy test before flying to a US island that has become popular for birth tourism Posted: 12 Jan 2020 03:51 PM PST  More tourists gave birth in Saipan than residents in 2018, as the island has become popular for pregnant women wishing to give birth to US citizens.
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| US unsuccessfully tried to kill second Iranian commander in Yemen on same day as Soleimani assassination, officals say Posted: 11 Jan 2020 02:45 AM PST  The US tried to take out another top Iranian military figure on the same day as Qassem Soleimani was killed, according to officials.Abdul Reza Shahlai, a high-ranking commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was reportedly the target of a failed airstrike in Yemen.
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| Friends and foes gather in Oman to mourn Qaboos Posted: 12 Jan 2020 03:34 AM PST  World and regional leaders, many at odds with one another, met Oman's new ruler on Sunday to offer condolences for the death of Sultan Qaboos whose quiet diplomacy during five decades in power helped calm regional turbulence. The rulers of Qatar and the United Arab Emirate, which are locked in a protracted dispute, were among those who visited the royal palace in Muscat as was the foreign minister of Iran, which is an arch-foe of U.S.-allied Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
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| Britain, France and Germany urge Iran to stick to 2015 nuclear deal Posted: 12 Jan 2020 09:41 AM PST  The leaders of Britain, France and Germany on Sunday called in a joint statement on Iran to return to full compliance with a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and refrain from further violence. "We urge Iran to reverse all measures inconsistent with the agreement and return to full compliance," the leaders said in the statement issued by the office of French President Emmanuel Macron. "We call on Iran to refrain from further violent action or proliferation; and we remain ready to engage with Iran on this agenda in order to preserve the stability of the region," they added.
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| French transport strike drags on despite govt compromise on pensions Posted: 12 Jan 2020 12:25 PM PST  A crippling French transport strike dragged into its 39th day on Sunday despite the government's offer to withdraw the most contested measure of the pension reform plans that sparked the protest. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said Saturday he would drop plans to increase the official age for a full pension to 64 from 62 in an effort to end a strike which has paralysed Paris and its suburbs, with bus, train and metro services all badly disrupted. French President Emmanuel Macron called the change "a constructive and responsible compromise".
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| More than 1,100 Chicago flights canceled due to winter weather Posted: 11 Jan 2020 02:28 PM PST  More than 1,100 flights have been canceled in and out of Chicago according to the flight tracking service FlightAware.
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| Venezuela’s Maduro Starts Year With a 67% Minimum Wage Hike Posted: 10 Jan 2020 06:15 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- President Nicolas Maduro ordered a 67% increase in Venezuela's monthly minimum wage, the first this year and the eleventh in the past 24 months.The presidential decree, announced by pro-government lawmaker Francisco Torrealba on Twitter, boosts the minimum wage to 250,000 bolivars ($3.61 at the official exchange rate), up from 150,000 bolivars. In addition, workers will receive a food bonus of 200,000 bolivars, for a total minimum income of 450,000 bolivars, according to Torrealba's publication of an image from an extraordinary edition of the Official Gazette dated Jan. 9.The new hike, which applies retroactively as of Jan. 1, threatens to refuel hyperinflation after restrictive monetary policies helped slow the pace of price increases in 2019. Still, the increase is well below the 275% hike of Oct. 2019, which lifted the minimum wage enough to buy about 4 kilograms of beef. The new salary, however, is not enough to buy one kilogram at current prices.The country's historic economic crisis has seen the annual rate of consumer price increases surge to at least quadruple digits. According to data from the National Assembly, the annual inflation rate was 13,476% in November 2019. Bloomberg's Café con Leche Index estimates annual inflation at 9,900% as of Jan. 8.Price increases quickly destroyed the value of the previous minimum wage increase in Oct. The government has directed its efforts to controlling the price of the dollar by reducing liquidity in the financial system and restricting bank loans. Maduro earlier this month vowed to lower inflation in 2020 to a single digit.The broad dollarization of the Venezuelan economy has also contributed to making salaries in bolivars worthless. A dollar costs around 81,000 bolivars at the black market rate. According to local research firm Ecoanalitica, $2.7 billion in physical dollars are circulating in the country, three times the value of bolivars in both cash and deposits. Ecoanalitica director Asdrubal Oliveros expects greenbacks to make up 70% of commercial transactions in 2020.To contact the reporter on this story: Nicolle Yapur in Caracas Office at nyapur1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Patricia Laya at playa2@bloomberg.net, Robert Jameson, Jose OrozcoFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| America Needs More Aircraft Carriers, And Britain's Royal Navy Has An Idea Posted: 11 Jan 2020 10:15 PM PST  Is leasing an option?
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| 6 Democratic Candidates Will Face Off in the Last Debate Before the Iowa Caucuses. Here's What to Know Posted: 12 Jan 2020 04:00 AM PST  The first debate of 2020 will take place in Des Moines on Jan. 14 ahead of the Iowa Caucus. Here's what to expect.
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| Report: Feds to bill fire victims if utility doesn't pay $4B Posted: 12 Jan 2020 11:10 AM PST |
| Soleimani’s Assassination Brings Vows of Vengeance—in Africa Posted: 11 Jan 2020 02:21 AM PST  ABUJA, Nigeria—Members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), a group led by converts to Shia Islam originally inspired by the Iranian Revolution 40 years ago, have vowed to fight to punish Americans, "the tyrants of this century," for the assassination of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani last week.Trump, Iran, and Where 'The Forever War' Was Always HeadedThat a group in West Africa would call for vengeance in the name of Quds Force commander Soleimani suggests just how far-flung his influence was, and how hard it will be for anyone, including the Iranian government, to restrain those who might attack American citizens and American interests. And, yes, at the same time it will be hard for the U.S. to pin the blame squarely on Tehran for the actions of such a group.Iranian "proxies" come in many forms, and may or may not follow Tehran's orders when they decide to attack Americans, whether to curry favor with Iran or simply to build their own reputation in their home countries. Ominously, the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations told CNN in an interview broadcast Friday that his government cannot be held responsible for what militias or other sympathizers might do. "We can speak on behalf of the Iranian government, we are not responsible for the actions that others might take," Ambassador Majid Takht-Ravanchi told John Berman. The question was limited to Iraqi militias, but how much more deniable are the actions of jihadists in Africa, Latin America, or East Asia?Already last Sunday, two days after Soleimani died, the al-Shabab group operating out of Somalia killed an American serviceman and two American contractors at a base in northern Kenya as part of its "Al-Quds Will Never Be Judaized" guerrilla campaign. The American death toll in Kenya was higher than the attack in Iraq that supposedly ignited the fury of President Donald J. Trump, yet the incident has received scant attention, and has been dismissed by some analysts as a local matter because the guerrillas of al-Shabab are not known to have had connections to Soleimani, and did not claim any link to the attack. But Soleimani's operatives were active in Kenya in the past, and covert alliances of convenience among terrorist organizations and state sponsors often defy conventional wisdom about who cooperates with whom.The Other Attack on Americans That Has U.S. Forces Unnerved: KenyaOn Monday in Abuja, hundreds of Islamic Movement of Nigeria members took to the streets of the Nigerian capital to protest the Soleimani killing, chanting slogans attacking the U.S. government, and burning the U.S. flag. "America will pay for the killing of Soleimani," Ibrahim Hussien, one of the demonstrators, told The Daily Beast. "They have no idea what they have done."In Abuja, the IMN began to plan its demonstration hours after news came of the Iranian military commander's death, according to Hussein, who claimed to be part of the planning process.The group started by releasing a statement hailing Soleimani for being an "ardent anti-imperialist who gave the United States of America and their stooges in the region sleepless nights" and that his fight for victory against the U.S. would be "accomplished by his brothers, children, and students from resistance men and mujahideen from all the peoples of the world that reject humiliation and submission to the tyrants of this century."When the group's members took to the streets, their anger was visible. The long march round the central area of Abuja was noisy as demonstrators repeatedly chanted "death to America", just as Shiite protesters in Iran sang in the aftermath of Soleimani's killing."We'll make America pay," a protester told The Daily Beast. "It will happen when nobody expects." As the IMN began to plan its protest, Nigeria's Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, placed security forces across the country on red alert, directing commands in Nigeria's 36 states to protect areas and buildings where Americans are present."We don't know how long this will last," a police officer patrolling the area close to the U.S. embassy in Abuja told The Daily Beast. "The police want to ensure that Shia demonstrators do not cross the line."The IMN was outlawed by the Nigerian government last July following a series of deadly clashes with the country's armed forces, mostly over the continued detention of its leader, Ibrahim Zakzaky, an Iranian-trained Shiite theologian who became a proponent of Shia Islam around the time of the Iranian revolution in 1979, when he was inspired by the Ayatollah Khomeini.Zakzaky, a mortal enemy of the United States, was arrested in 2015, following a crackdown by security forces which left hundreds of IMN members dead. The Nigerian military had accused his followers of attempting to assassinate the head of the country's army in Kaduna State in the northwest. He is still being held by the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria's secret police, who've charged him with a number of offenses, including "culpable homicide" and unlawful assembly.The Shiite group, which seeks the creation of an Iranian-style Islamic state in Nigeria, has long received funding from Iran and uses those funds to operate its own schools and hospitals in parts of Muslim dominated northern Nigeria. It does not recognize the authority of the Nigerian state and views Zakzaky as its symbol of authority. After gatherings, members of the group pledge allegiance to the late Ayatollah Khomeini, the Iranian supreme leader who led the revolution in 1979, and to Zakzaky.Although Nigeria's Muslim population, estimated at 60 million, is largely Sunni, the Shiite minority is significant. There are no actual statistics, but some sources estimate the number to be between 4 million and 10 million followers of Shia Islam. The movement is especially strong in northwest and northeast Nigeria, but has organized structures in most of the 36 states, which is the reason why police divisions across the country have been on alert since the killing of Soleimani."We are serious about the directive from the IGP and that is why we have deployed our men to sensitive areas and places where the U.S. has interest," said Terna Tyopev, a police spokesperson quoted by local media. "We are not taking anything to chance because the world is a global village and what happens elsewhere could have a ripple effect here."Demonstrations by the IMN, which has called on its members to protest Soleimani's killing on a daily basis, often have been deadly. In November 2018, clashes with security forces in Abuja left at least 45 dead and 122 wounded, according to Amnesty International, and a deputy commissioner of police was killed during a demonstration by the sect last July.Zakzaky previously admitted to the BBC that he trained his men—hundreds of them—as guards, but likened it to "teaching karate to the Boy Scouts." The group he leads reportedly has a youth front, whose members undergo military training. But so far, these militants haven't been a huge threat to the Nigerian state. That may change if members of the group carry out their threat."We are peaceful people but can be violent if provoked," Kasim Ibrahim, a member of the IMN who was part of the Abuja protest, told The Daily Beast. "America is pushing us to the wall."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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| FBI Apologizes to Court for Botching Surveillance of Trump Adviser, and Pledges Fixes Posted: 11 Jan 2020 06:49 AM PST  WASHINGTON -- A chastened FBI told a secretive court Friday that it was increasing training and oversight for officials who work on national security wiretap applications in response to problems uncovered by a scathing inspector general report last month about botched surveillance targeting a former Trump campaign adviser.In a rare unclassified and public filing before the court that oversees wiretapping under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, the FBI also said it would extend its overhaul to requests for orders permitting it to collect logs of its targets' communications and other business records -- not just wiretaps of the contents of phone calls and emails."The FBI has the utmost respect for this court and deeply regrets the errors and omission identified by" the inspector general, wrote FBI Director Christopher A. Wray in a statement included with the filing. He called the conduct described by the report "unacceptable and unrepresentative of the FBI as an institution."Under FISA -- a law for surveillance aimed at monitoring suspected spies and terrorists, as opposed to ordinary criminals -- the government must convince a judge that an American is probably an agent of a foreign power. Because the FISA court hears only from the government, and what it says is never shown to defense lawyers, the Justice Department says it has a duty to be candid and tell judges every relevant fact in its possession.But the Justice Department's inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, uncovered that the FBI had cherry-picked and misstated evidence about the Trump adviser, Carter Page, when seeking permission to wiretap him in October 2016 and in 2017 renewal applications. At the same time, Horowitz determined that the opening of the Russia investigation was legal and found no politicized conspiracy against President Donald Trump by high-level FBI officials.The problems included omitting details that made Page look less suspicious. For example, the court was not told that Page had said to a confidential informant in August 2016 that he had no interactions with Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign manager, even though the FBI suspected Page might be a conduit between Russia and Manafort.The court was also not told that Page had told the CIA about his contacts with Russians over the years, a fact that made that pattern of contacts look less suspicious. The Justice Department, passing on the factual portrait it received from the FBI, had pointed the judges to that pattern as a reason to think that he might be a Russian agent.Horowitz said he did not find documentary or testimonial evidence that FBI officials responsible for compiling the relevant evidence about Page for the court were politically biased against Trump. But he rejected as unsatisfactory their explanations that they were busy on other aspects of the Russia investigation.In a response appended to the inspector general report last month, Wray had already announced that he would make changes aimed at ensuring that the bureau put forward a more comprehensive portrait of the facts about targets when preparing wiretap applications.The new filing, which detailed 12 steps, like enhancing checklists for preparing filings, added granular detail. It came in response to an unusual public order last month. Rosemary M. Collyer, then the presiding judge on FISA court, ordered the FBI to propose fixes to its process by Jan. 10 to ensure the problems would not recur."The frequency with which representations made by FBI personnel turned out to be unsupported or contradicted by information in their possession, and with which they withheld information detrimental to their case, calls into question whether information contained in other FBI applications is reliable," Collyer wrote.On Jan. 1, Judge James E. Boasberg took over Collyer's role on the FISA court. He will now have to evaluate whether the proposed changes are sufficient to restore the judges' confidence in the factual affidavits FBI officials submit or if more is necessary.It is not clear whether Boasberg will take such potential steps as appointing a "friend of the court" to critique the FBI's proposal before he issues any order.The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has said he wants to impose new checks and balances on the FBI's national security surveillance powers, at least when investigations touch on political campaigns, in legislation his panel may take up after Trump's impeachment trial.In his statement with the court filing Friday, Wray called FISA an "indispensable tool for national security investigations" and pledged to work to ensure the accuracy and completeness of FISA applications "in recognition of our duty of candor to the court and our responsibilities to the American people."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company
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| 'We want this': Hong Kong election tourists join Taiwan rallies Posted: 10 Jan 2020 08:13 PM PST  Leung is one of scores of Hong Kong election tourists who have travelled to Taiwan this week to witness something denied to them -- universal suffrage. Tsai, who is seeking a second term, has repeatedly invoked the seven months of pro-democracy protests engulfing the financial hub as a warning call for what might happen should Beijing succeed in its wish to one day take control of Taiwan. In the days running up to Saturday's presidential and parliamentary elections, Hong Kongers have become an increasingly common sight at Tsai's rallies.
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| Tortoise who saved species by fathering hundreds returns to Galapagos Posted: 11 Jan 2020 08:41 AM PST  A tortoise who helped save his species from extinction by having hundreds of children will be released into his homeland after spending eight decades away, conservation authorities have said.Diego earned a reputation for having lots of sex during a captive breeding scheme for giant tortoises in the Galapagos Islands, and the 100-year-old has now reportedly fathered over 800 children.
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| Israel to begin testing laser weapon to shoot down rockets Posted: 11 Jan 2020 05:50 AM PST  The Israeli military will soon begin testing a new laser weapon to shoot down incoming missiles and drones, the Israeli ministry of defence has announced. Israel's government said it had made "a breakthrough" in the futuristic technology and is expecting to begin demonstrating its use later this year. "We are entering a new age of energy warfare in the air, land and sea," the ministry said. "Throughout the year 2020 we will conduct a demo of our capabilities." While the technology has proved enormously costly to develop, Israel hopes that once it is functional it will be a cheaper alternative to expensive interceptor missiles. Israel's advanced Iron Dome missile defence system costs about $80,000 (£61,211) for each missile it fires to intercept an incoming rocket. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) believes the new laser will cost as little as $1 per shot once functioning. Israel unveils laser-based missile interception system https://t.co/HJIlEXOJ03pic.twitter.com/duFY1FlloG— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) January 8, 2020 The laser weapon also has the advantage of never running out of ammunition as long as it has a steady supply of electricity, according to the Times of Israel. Israeli defence planners have long feared they could run out of Iron Dome missiles if forced to fight an extended conflict on two fronts. One limitation of the laser weapon is that its effectiveness diminishes on cloudy days or when there are other forms of atmospheric interference. "We can only shoot down with a laser what we can see," said Brigadier General Yaniv Rotem. The ministry said the laser was meant to complement the Iron Dome system but would not replace it. Israel is working on three different systems for the laser weapon. One would be a stationary system meant to protect cities from rockets fired by Hamas or Hizbollah, while a second would be a smaller, mobile system to protect troops in the field. The third would be mounted on an aircraft and intended to shoot down high-flying missiles that are above cloud level and therefore beyond the reach of ground-based laser systems.
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| Esper 'didn't see' intelligence on Iran's 'planned' attack on embassies Posted: 12 Jan 2020 09:00 AM PST  Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on Sunday said that he hadn't seen evidence to support President Trump's claim that a prominent Iranian general killed by a U.S. airstrike was "actively planning" imminent attacks on four American embassies. He said that he "didn't see" specific intelligence to support that assertion.
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| Architecturally Bound: 20 of the World’s Most Stunning Libraries Posted: 12 Jan 2020 09:00 AM PST |
| The Cold War Produced Some Truly Terrifying American And Russian Weapons Posted: 11 Jan 2020 08:30 AM PST  Here are the top 5.
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| Iranians marched in fiery protests to demand Ayatollah Khamenei's resignation after officials shot down a commercial plane Posted: 11 Jan 2020 12:36 PM PST  Angry protestors reportedly chanted "death to the dictator" and "shameless" shortly after the government admitted to shooting down a Ukrainian flight.
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| The Best Podcasts for Avid Conspiracy Theorists Posted: 11 Jan 2020 09:00 AM PST |
| Elizabeth Warren: We can clean up corruption in Washington. We just have to fight to do it. Posted: 12 Jan 2020 02:00 AM PST  Universal child care, and free college, and Medicare for All — all of it can be all done, improving lives for millions of Americans.
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| China says will not change position on Taiwan after landslide election Posted: 11 Jan 2020 05:40 PM PST  China will not change its position that Taiwan belongs to it, Beijing said on Sunday, after President Tsai Ing-wen won re-election and said she would not submit to China's threats, as state media warned she was courting disaster. The election campaign was dominated by China's efforts to get the democratic island to accept Beijing's rule under a "one country, two systems" model, as well as by anti-government protests in Chinese-ruled Hong Kong. "No matter what changes there are to the internal situation in Taiwan, the basic fact that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China will not change," China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
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| Gambian exiled ex-president demands return in leaked recording Posted: 11 Jan 2020 04:50 PM PST  Former Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh, forced into exile in 2017, has been heard in a leaked recording demanding that his right to return be respected by the authorities. Jammeh has hardly been heard from since fleeing to Equatorial Guinea. In a statement published at the time of his exile, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations committed to working with the Gambian government to ensure Jammeh's security and rights, in particular his right to return.
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| Israel Foreign Minister Delays Dubai Trip Over Security: Reuters Posted: 12 Jan 2020 02:39 AM PST |
| Aurora, Colorado, Shooting Leaves 3 Juveniles, 2 Adults Injured: Police Posted: 12 Jan 2020 07:03 AM PST  Law enforcement said no one has been arrested yet
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| Accumulating snow likely for Seattle, Portland as new storm clashes with bitterly cold air Posted: 11 Jan 2020 09:20 AM PST  The train of storms that has brought periods of heavy rain and mountain snow to the northwestern United States will continue through this week. But, this time, some of the major cities could get in on the snow.Several storms will travel through the Pacific Northwest through the middle of the week, bringing with it rounds of rain and snow for the region. While the higher elevations of the Cascades, Blue Mountains and northern Rockies will continue to see snow as they have before, snow may reach some of the foothills and valleys before the end of the weekend.Coastal location of Washington and Oregon began as rain on Sunday as temperatures climbed to the near-normal highs in the middle to upper 40s F."Falling temperatures Sunday night and into Monday, however, will allow for rain to change over to snow," said Rob Miller, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist. Wet snowflakes are expected in places that have missed out on the snow thus far in 2020, like Seattle. It is possible that up to an inch of accumulation could fall in some of the lower elevations through early Monday.This could lead to major disruptions across the city during the Monday morning commute on the roads and at the airport.Cold air and moisture will stick around throughout the region through Monday night, allowing for snow to pile up, particularly in the higher elevations."I think there's going to be heavy snow in the mountains, and they will continue to have major travel problems through the passes. The snow threat will extend much farther east of the Cascades into much of the Intermountain West," AccuWeather Chief Broadcast Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.Snowy conditions were already causing headaches for drivers heading through Snoqualmie Pass on Saturday.> Here's a look at eastbound I-90 @SnoqualmiePass, currently closed due to multiple spin outs. Delay your travel if you can. More than a foot of snow is in the forecast. No estimate yet for when the road will reopen. pic.twitter.com/vcaHnWKIQ8> > -- Washington State DOT (@wsdot) January 11, 2020Those traveling through the passes of the Cascades should continue to plan ahead, and be sure their automobiles are equipped with the proper snow chains if they intend to pass through the region during the storm.A brief pause in the stormy weather is anticipated across the region on Tuesday, although there will still be some light snow showers and flurries.Cold will also remain entrenched over the region with highs only in the middle to upper 20s for Seattle, Olympia and Yakima, Washington, almost 20 degrees below normal. Spokane, Washington, is likely to be stuck in the teens and single digits throughout the day.CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APPThis brutal cold will set the stage for what could be an even more impactful storm arriving in the middle of the week."With all of the cold already in place in the Northwest, the storm coming for the middle of the week will present the best chance for accumulating snow in cities like Portland, Oregon and Seattle," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Rob Richards. At this time, precipitation moving in on Wednesday and lingering through Thursday could allow for a couple of inches of snow for these valley cities.The exact storm track will determine how far south the snow spreads across the Pacific Coast. Early indications show that coastal locations through Washington and northern Oregon are likely to see flakes.Rain may change to snow along the I-5 corridor as far south as Medford, Oregon.Motorists should be prepared for delays, even on the roadways that do not travel through the mountains on Wednesday and Thursday. Just a thin layer of snow or slush on the roads can lead cause slippery conditions.The storm appears to be potent enough to spread snow across parts of Northern California late Wednesday and Thursday. The highest snow totals look to remain in the mountains, and may even spread down into some of the foothills.Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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| Four wounded in attack on Iraqi military base housing U.S. forces Posted: 12 Jan 2020 12:02 PM PST  Four people were wounded on Sunday in an attack on Balad air base in Iraq, which houses U.S. personnel.
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| What Does America Have To Fear About Iran's Large Army? Posted: 11 Jan 2020 11:30 PM PST  Iran is difficult to invade.
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| Man rescued in Alaskan wilderness more than 20 days after fire destroys home, kills dog Posted: 12 Jan 2020 10:51 AM PST  Tyson Steele, 30, survived more than 20 days in the Alaskan wilderness after a devastating fire burned down his cabin and killed his beloved dog.
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| Democratic 2020 candidates vie for unions, Latinos in Nevada Posted: 11 Jan 2020 01:11 PM PST  Democratic presidential candidates descended on Nevada on Saturday in an attempt to build relationships with Latino voters and win the coveted endorsement of the powerful casino workers' Culinary Union. Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg, both running as Midwestern moderates who've warned against liberal plans to move the U.S. to a government-run health insurance system, pitched themselves Saturday morning to Culinary Union workers, who prize their robust health plans.
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| Trump Tweets Out Support for Iranian Protesters—in Farsi Posted: 11 Jan 2020 05:07 PM PST  President Trump took to Twitter late Saturday to offer a message of solidarity with Iranian anti-government protesters—and he did it in Farsi. Usually known for his erratic capitalization and spelling mistakes on Twitter, the president made waves with the tweet, which was addressed to the "long-suffering people of Iran" and came after protests erupted in Tehran following Iran's admission that it mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane and killed all 176 people on board."I've stood with you since the beginning of my Presidency, and my Administration will continue to stand with you," Trump said. "We are following your protests closely, and are inspired by your courage." Trump sent out two Farsi-language tweets on the protests, both accompanied by their English translations. In addition to expressing support for the protesters, the president also called on Iran to allow "human rights groups to monitor" the demonstrations and warned against "another massacre of peaceful protesters." The tweets come after protests erupted Saturday in Tehran, with thousands taking to the streets to demand government officials and even the Supreme Leader step down over the downed plane. Iran's armed forces announced early Saturday that its military had accidentally shot down Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 after it was mistaken for a "hostile target" when it went towards a "sensitive military center" of the Revolutionary Guard. The plane was shot down amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, and just hours after Iranian forces fired missiles at Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops in retaliation for the American airstrike that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said in a tweet that "human error at time of crisis caused by U.S. adventurism led to disaster," according to an internal investigation by the Armed Forces.Trump did not immediately respond to the thinly veiled jab by Zarif, and he spent much of the day on Saturday tweeting about his approval rating, his border wall, and the shortcomings of his political opponents before chiming in on the growing protests in Tehran. His stern tone and Farsi-language tweets seemed a far cry from his warning to Iran just a week ago that the U.S. was ready to strike 52 sites in the country—including those "important to Iranian culture"—if any American assets were damaged or harmed. Many on social media also questioned the sincerity of Trump's tweets, noting that he had banned all Iranians from entering the United States during the first month of his presidency as part of an executive order widely known as the "Muslim ban." The Trump administration later updated the order to allow Iranians with student visas or cultural exchange visas into the country, but the Associated Press reported yesterday that the White House is currently considering an expansion of the ban.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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| Huawei exec can be extradited to US, Canada attorney general says Posted: 10 Jan 2020 09:03 PM PST  Canada's Department of Justice said a Huawei executive arrested in Vancouver could be extradited to the United States, because her offense is a crime in both countries, according to documents released Friday. Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, who was originally detained on a US warrant in late 2018, faces an extradition hearing in Vancouver that begins on January 20. The United States accuses Meng of lying to banks about violating Iran sanctions.
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