| Biden's poor showing in Iowa shakes establishment support Posted: 04 Feb 2020 04:11 PM PST  Joe Biden's third presidential bid enters a critical stretch after a disappointing finish in the Iowa caucuses sent the former vice president on to New Hampshire with a skittish donor base, low cash reserves and the looming threat of billionaire rival Michael Bloomberg and his unlimited personal wealth. In New Hampshire on Tuesday, Biden insisted he had a "good night" in Iowa even as he trailed the top moderate candidate, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, and the leading progressive, Bernie Sanders, according to initial returns from 62% of precincts.
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| Thailand eyes limits on surgical mask exports as coronavirus cases rise Posted: 04 Feb 2020 04:45 AM PST ![Thailand eyes limits on surgical mask exports as coronavirus cases rise]( "Thailand eyes limits on surgical mask exports as coronavirus cases rise") Thailand's cabinet agreed measures on Tuesday that could lead to a reduction in the export of surgical masks to prevent shortages at home as health authorities try to contain the spread of the coronavirus. "There are more (surgical mask) orders from overseas and tourists are buying a lot, causing shortages in some stores," deputy government spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek told Reuters. On average, Thailand produces around 600 million masks each year and uses about 200 million with the rest are exported.
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| An artist wheeled 99 smartphones around in a wagon to create fake traffic jams on Google Maps Posted: 03 Feb 2020 09:28 AM PST  Wherever the wagon full of phones went, Google Maps showed a traffic jam, displaying a red line and routing people around the area.
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| Former aide calls out John Bolton: 'You've let down your country' Posted: 03 Feb 2020 05:30 PM PST  One of former National Security Adviser John Bolton's ex-aides is accusing him of caring more about book sales than his country.Mark Groombridge worked for Bolton during his tenure as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under former President George W. Bush. On Monday, Groombridge tweeted that he has been deeply disappointed in Bolton's actions throughout President Trump's impeachment, writing, "You've let down your country. I worked loyally for you for 15 years. Yes, the Senate was never going to convict, but you had the opportunity to provide them with the info so they could make a fully informed decision. Guess it was about book sales after all."The New York Times reported last month that in his forthcoming book, Bolton contradicts Trump's claims that there was no quid pro quo with Ukraine. Bolton did not testify during the House impeachment inquiry, following White House instructions not to cooperate with investigators. Democrats wanted Bolton to testify during Trump's Senate impeachment trial, but Republicans had enough votes to block their efforts. Of course, they would not have been able to stop Bolton from telling his full story to the press.More stories from theweek.com Trump just won the Iowa Democratic caucuses Should financial markets be freaked out by coronavirus? America is doing so much better than you think
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| Where Is the Scorpion? The Creepy Unsolved Mystery of America's Lost Nuclear Attack Submarine Posted: 04 Feb 2020 03:57 AM PST  We still don't have a good answer.
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| Britain receives first ‘Poseidon’ aircraft in bid to restore submarine-hunting muscle Posted: 04 Feb 2020 09:22 AM PST  The new planes will escort the country's nuclear submarines when deploying and keep tabs on undersea threats in the North Atlantic.
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| MSNBC Flips Out After Bernie Adviser Nina Turner Calls Bloomberg an ‘Oligarch’ Posted: 03 Feb 2020 05:52 PM PST  Moments before the Iowa Democratic caucuses kicked off Monday night, Bernie Sanders' national campaign co-chair Nina Turner sparked fireworks on the MSNBC set when she repeatedly described billionaire Democratic presidential hopeful Mike Bloomberg as an "oligarch."Criticizing the Democratic National Committee for overhauling its debate requirements in a clear move to allow Bloomberg to qualify moving forward, Turner told MSNBC host Chris Matthews that American voters are concerned about "the oligarchs" being able to buy their way into elections."Do you think Mike Bloomberg is an oligarch?" Matthews, taken aback, exclaimed."He is," Turner shot back. "He skipped Iowa. Iowans should be insulted. Buying his way into this race, period. The DNC changed the rules. They didn't change it for Senator Harris. They didn't change it for Senator Booker. They didn't change it for Secretary Castro."Matthews then asked if Turner believed Bloomberg bought his way into the debates, prompting the former Ohio lawmaker to declare that he "absolutely did" and it was a "stain on democracy."After Matthews finished interviewing Turner, anchor Brian Williams turned to MSNBC contributor Jason Johnson, who apparently also had a strong reaction to Turner's assessment of Bloomberg."Calling Mike Bloomberg an oligarch has implications in this country that I think are unfair and unreasonable," he huffed. "I disagree with a lot of things Mike Bloomberg has done as a mayor. Oligarchy in our particular terminology makes you think of a rich person who got their money off of oil in Russia, who is taking advantage of a broken and dysfunctional system.""Mike Bloomberg is just a rich guy," Johnson continued. "Just because you're rich doesn't mean that you're an oligarch that abuses power. The power that Mike Bloomberg got access to was given to him by the voters of New York... It ain't the kind of language you should be using. I think it's dismissive, unfair and it's the kind of thing that blows up in your face if you become the nominee and you have to work with Mike Bloomberg three or four months from now. That's the issue Sanders people never seem to want to remember."Following a commercial break, MSNBC had Turner and Johnson debate her use of the term. The Sanders adviser, for her part, was unapologetic, saying it was "ironic" that "somebody would defend the wealthiest people in this country over the working people in this country." "That is the same message Bernie Sanders has to the everyday people of this nation, that I welcome the hatred of the elites because I am standing up for you," she added. "So cry me a river for the wealthiest."Johnson, meanwhile, contended that his issue was what the word "oligarch" implied while also claiming that Turner herself worked for someone who's part of the one percent, wondering if she would call Sanders an oligarch.Things continued to get more and more heated between the two, with Turner accusing Johnson of name-calling and "defending somebody who is buying his way through democracy" while Johnson complained that this was "just how you guys operate."Eventually, at the end of the very tense exchange, Matthews asked if she wanted to change her word for Bloomberg."No, he doesn't tell me what to say or how to change my words," she emphatically replied. "My word stands!"Fox News Host Grills Pete Buttigieg: How Can You Call Trump Racist After Super Bowl Ad?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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| Recording shows Iran knew immediately it had shot down plane: Zelenskiy Posted: 03 Feb 2020 06:43 AM PST  KIEV/DUBAI (Reuters) - A leaked audio recording of an Iranian pilot talking to the control tower in Tehran shows that Iran knew immediately it had shot down a Ukrainian airliner last month, despite denying it for days, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. On the recording, played on a Ukrainian television station late on Sunday, the pilot of another plane can be heard saying he saw "the light of a missile" in the sky before Ukrainian International Airways flight 752 crashed in an explosion. Tehran blamed the Ukrainian authorities for leaking what it described as confidential evidence, and said it would no longer share material with Ukraine from the investigation into the crash.
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| An Air Canada Boeing 767 circled Madrid for over 6 hours before making an emergency landing after it suffered engine damage during take off Posted: 04 Feb 2020 04:04 AM PST  The Air Canada plane was carrying 128 passengers and eight crew members, all of whom landed safely in Madrid.
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| Democrats Promise Iowa Results Tuesday in Bid to Save Caucus Posted: 04 Feb 2020 11:46 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Iowa Democrats will finally release most of the much-delayed results from their troubled caucuses by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, hoping to salvage the process after a disastrous night cast doubts on its key role in the presidential nominating process.State party chairman Troy Price told the campaigns on a conference call that more than 50% of the results would be released after the party "worked through the night" to check the quality of its tabulation and to collect any outstanding data.On Monday night, the caucuses that were meant to give shape to the Democratic presidential race devolved into political embarrassment for the party and left candidates and voters hanging with no results and no springboard into the next round of contests, including New Hampshire's primary in seven days.The top Democratic candidates, except Joe Biden, claimed strong showings using their internal analysis. Biden's campaign didn't have the organization in place to collect the data, an emblem of his struggling effort in Iowa.One candidate who didn't compete in Iowa, Michael Bloomberg, moved to capitalize on the chaos by authorizing his team to double his already record spending on advertisements and doubling his field staff to 2,000 people, the New York Times reported. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.The chaos in Iowa began when an attempt to modernize the arcane caucus system and make it more transparent melted down with the introduction of new technology and more complex rules. The Iowa Democratic Party said it was unable to release results from Monday's caucuses after discovering "inconsistencies" in reporting from some precincts.Partial ReturnsBiden's campaign expressed concern on the state party's conference call about the plans to release partial returns.But Sanders' senior adviser Jeff Weaver responded that the party should release results as they're available and that only campaigns that fared badly -- implying Biden's -- wanted a delay."In the interest of not discrediting the party, the folks who are just trying to delay the return of this because of their relative positioning in the results last night, I think that's a bit disingenuous," Weaver said.After virtual silence on Monday night, the state Democratic Party said Tuesday morning that it had identified a flaw in the phone application used to report results that led to the failed vote tabulation."We determined with certainty that the underlying data collected via the app was sound," Price, the state chairman, said in the statement. "While the app was recording data accurately, it was reporting out only partial data. We have determined that this was due to a coding issue in the reporting system. This issue was identified and fixed."The party's clean-up efforts are unlikely to quiet critics.An official with Biden's campaign confirmed that his team had previously used services from the vendor that created Iowa's failed app, but stopped because its IT team expressed security concerns. However, the campaign didn't use the specific app that the Iowa Democratic Party adopted.Earlier Tuesday, Chad Wolf, acting secretary of Homeland Security, said in a Fox News interview that the federal department had offered to review the Iowa Caucus app, but the offer was rebuffed.In the void, several campaigns leaked unverified internal campaign data -- submitted by their own precinct captains -- to claim a strong showing.Pete Buttigieg effectively delivered his victory speech to supporters, saying, "By all indications we are going on to New Hampshire victorious." Bernie Sanders's campaign also released a ranking that showed Sanders at No. 1. Amy Klobuchar's campaign said she outperformed Biden for fourth place.None of those results could be confirmed.Electoral CredibilityPresident Donald Trump on Tuesday morning claimed on Twitter that he was "the only person that can claim a very big victory in Iowa last night," referring to the Republican caucuses where he easily triumphed. He called the Democratic results "an unmitigated disaster."The Iowa contest is the first in a long cycle of caucuses and primaries that stretches until June -- awarding just 1% of the delegates needed to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination. But Iowa offers outsized momentum to its strong finishers as they headed to New Hampshire a week away. Sanders leads the polls there comfortably, followed by Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Buttigieg.The Iowa Democratic Party said there was no evidence of hacking in the stalled reporting of results, merely human error and other inconsistencies that forced the party to resort to hand-counting the votes.What happened was that the state party deployed a new phone app for precinct chairmen to report results at the same time it deployed a new system for tabulating winners. Both appear to have failed.Precinct chairmen found it difficult to use the app and instead resorted to calling a hotline. The hotline got so jammed up that they were waiting for 30 minutes or more for someone to answer. Then the party reported there were "inconsistencies" in the count and decided to withhold announcing results until at least Tuesday.'Full Explanations'Biden's campaign was the most muted about its Iowa showing, preferring instead to issue a sharply worded letter from the campaign's general counsel, demanding "full explanations and relevant information" about its quality control efforts and a chance to respond "before any official results are released."Biden, who had been leading in national polls but was struggling in Iowa, said he was moving on to the New Hampshire primary and beyond. "We're in this for the long haul," he told a crowd in Des Moines.Trump's campaign and his allies ridiculed the Democrats for the chaos and used it to try to stoke divisions among the candidates, suggesting the party was trying to "fix" the results. Brad Parscale, Trump's campaign manager, called it "the sloppiest train wreck in history.""And these are the people who want to run our entire health care system?" he said in an email.The disruption in the reporting is likely to accelerate calls for an end to caucuses. Only three other states -- Nevada, Wyoming and Kansas -- still use the caucus system in the nomination race as the national party has tried to shift states toward using primaries.The Iowa Democratic Party went into the 2020 caucuses touting a series of reforms intended to make the process more fair, accountable and transparent.There are now three sets of results reported, allowing greater visibility into who participants supported in the first and second rounds, as supporters of candidates who don't meet a 15% threshold are given a chance to join with backers of other candidates.The party developed a smartphone app to expand the online reporting of results from precincts to party headquarters. And there's a paper trail of presidential preference cards filled out by each caucus-goer, allowing the party to re-create the results even after the caucus ends.But the rule changes created chaos and confusion.The delay in reporting results followed complaints from some local party officials that they were struggling to use the new telephone application to report tallies from precincts.The party first used a smartphone application to report results in 2016, but before then, all results were submitted by phoning them in."A lot of us are going to be doing it on paper and calling it in," said Kelcey Brackett, the chairman of the Muscatine County Democratic Party.(Updates with Sanders and Biden representatives starting in seventh paragraph)\--With assistance from Gregory Korte, Jennifer Jacobs and Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou.To contact the reporters on this story: Tyler Pager in Des Moines at tpager1@bloomberg.net;Jennifer Epstein in Des Moines at jepstein32@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Larry LiebertFor 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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| International court gathering evidence in Rohingya case Posted: 04 Feb 2020 04:48 AM PST ![International court gathering evidence in Rohingya case]( "International court gathering evidence in Rohingya case") Investigators from the International Criminal Court have begun collecting evidence for a case involving alleged crimes against humanity by Myanmar against Rohingya Muslims causing them to flee to neighboring Bangladesh, a court official said Tuesday. Phakiso Mochochoko, director of the Jurisdiction, Complementary and Cooperation Division of the ICC Office of the Prosecutor, said a team of investigators is visiting Rohingya refugee camps to collect evidence.
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| South Vietnam Went Out With a Fight...Against China Posted: 04 Feb 2020 01:23 AM PST  And the issues are still there.
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| Norwegian won't issue $32,000 refund to family that canceled Asian cruise over coronavirus Posted: 03 Feb 2020 01:17 PM PST  A Maui woman said that when her family tried to cancel their upcoming Asia cruise, Norwegian wouldn't refund any of the $32,000 they'd already paid.
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| White nationalist has long worked at conservative outlets under real name Posted: 03 Feb 2020 06:00 AM PST  Guardian findings support watchdog's report that 'Paul Kersey', a prominent author and activist, is actually Michael J ThompsonA new report has revealed that a prominent white nationalist author, activist and podcaster known as "Paul Kersey" has in fact worked for more than a decade at mainstream conservative institutions and media outlets under his real name.According to an investigation by the not-for-profit media outlet Right Wing Watch (RWW), the man who has worked under the Kersey pseudonym is in fact Michael J Thompson.The Guardian has uncovered additional material that supports reporting by RWW, and further indicates Thompson's role in moulding rightwing activists from a position near the heart of America's most influential conservative institutions.The RWW investigation, published on Monday, reveals the work of "Paul Kersey", whom it calls a "barely underground member of the white nationalist movement" and a fixture on the roster of racist media outlets and campaign groups.But it also shows that Thompson worked under his own name at institutions like the Leadership Institute, its media arm Campus Reform, and WND, formerly World Net Daily, a once-popular conspiracy-minded conservative outlet, as late as November 2018.It also shows how his WND position allowed him to move in professional circles that included white nationalists, writers from Breitbart and the Daily Caller and prominent Donald Trump supporters including Steve Bannon and Jack Posobiec.RWW determined Thompson's identity partly through a forensic voice test on audio recordings and partly through emails and testimony provided by Katie McHugh, a former far-right insider and Breitbart writer.Evidence from McHugh underpinned reporting by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) that showed how Trump's close aide Stephen Miller attempted to insert white nationalist themes into Breitbart's coverage of the 2016 presidential election.Using the "Paul Kersey" pseudonym in online columns for outlets like VDare and American Renaissance, Thompson has for years whipped up racist fears about black crime; promoted racial paranoia about a demographic "Great Replacement" of white Americans; and spread falsehoods about the genetic inferiority of non-whites.According to RWW, he has run an influential far-right blog, Stuff Black People Don't Like, since 2009. The blog is focused on promoting false white nationalist ideas about race and crime.He has also regularly appeared as a guest on white nationalist podcasts including Red Ice, The Political Cesspool and Richard Spencer's AltRight Radio and is currently the co-host of a podcast produced by a prominent SPLC-designated hate group, American Renaissance.But in 2010, RWW reports, he was named in a press release from the Leadership Institute as working in their campus services program. The Guardian was able to confirm this by accessing an archived staff page for Campus Reform, the Leadership Institute's online vehicle for the prosecution of on-campus culture wars.The Leadership Institute is one of the longest-standing institutions in the US conservative movement, focused on training young activists. It claims to have trained 200,000 such young conservatives over 40 years, in skills including public speaking, campaigning and fundraising.In a series of archived snapshots from the Campus Reform staff page from September 2009 to July 2010, Thompson was listed as campus services coordinator for the western region. This suggests he began his pseudonymous white nationalist blog while employed by the Leadership Institute and its media arm.Campus Reform's website was established at the beginning of 2009, according to Domain Name System records. It has typically targeted so-called political correctness and professors it deems to be leftists.Using internet archiving services, the Guardian was able to access the full text of previously unreported Campus Reform articles by Thompson. In the bylines for those articles, written in 2009 and 2010, he is described as a "Campus Reform reporter".In the articles that were archived and accessible, Thompson does not openly use the vocabulary of white nationalism but does explore themes such as race and immigration.One May 2010 article criticizes Colorado State students for staging a walkout in protest against a hardline immigration law passed in Arizona in 2010 and highlights the involvement of some students with an immigrant rights group, La Raza.Another bemoans the decision of a Washington state public college, Evergreen State, to fund a visit by the academic and civil rights activist Angela Davis, calling her a "Marxist agitator".Many more articles offer instructions, guidance and assistance to conservative student activists.Thompson leads with complaints about political correctness; news of anti-abortion, pro-gun and media activism by conservative students; and exhortations to run for student government.In each case, he appeals to students to reach out to Campus Reform for information, training and organizing assistance.The Guardian has discovered evidence that Thompson was able to make connections between students and members of the conservative movement.A February 2011 guest post on the Campus Reform website by a senior at Utah State University describes that student's experiences as a sponsored attendee at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which remains the principal annual gathering of the conservative movement.The author writes: "Michael Thompson, my regional field coordinator … worked diligently to put me in contact with individuals and organizations willing to help me with future activism efforts on my campus."RWW reports that Thompson worked at WND from at least January 2012 to November 2018.Thompson, American Renaissance leader Jared Taylor and Joseph Farah of WND did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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| Pete Buttigieg Wakes Up in New Hampshire With a Fresh Dig at Sanders and Talk of ‘Transparency’ Posted: 04 Feb 2020 08:04 AM PST  MANCHESTER, New Hampshire—Echoing through the Rex Theatre's amplified sound system, Demi Lovato asked, loudly, "What's wrong with being confident?" the morning after Pete Buttigieg declared victory in the Iowa caucuses before any official results were known.The song fit the moment. Kicking off his first event of five here on Tuesday, the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor was nothing if not confident. Just hours after Iowa's results, still uncertain, devolved into a stunning mass of confusion among Democratic voters and candidates, Buttigieg delivered a speech denouncing "my way or the highway" politics—an implicit dig at Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in the state he swept by a double-digit margin four years ago—and promising "openness" and "transparency" in 2020. "Now here we are at decision time," the 38-year-old Democrat said to a full audience, acknowledging attendees who are still "thinking it through" a week before voting starts here. He did not mention the word "Iowa" in his opening remarks, instead opting to turn the page swiftly. "I'm so glad to be here with you this morning," he said, to laughs. "I think it's morning." New Hampshire voters began lining up nearly two hours before the kickoff. While Buttigieg didn't mention the caucus results, Rep. Annie Kuster, one of his most prominent state supporters, gave a lighthearted nod to the wildness that unfolded Monday night half the country away."I'm sure when the results are all in, we are going to have a fantastic result!" Kuster said. Speaking on stage, Buttigieg, who plans on camping out here in the Granite State every day before Feb. 11 primary, added, "if there's one thing I've learned from being on the ground from these early states… it's just how seriously you all take that."Hours earlier, Buttigieg suggested a win in New Hampshire was integral to sweeping the nomination. "We're on our way to New Hampshire, on to the nomination, and on to chart a bold new course for our country. But only if you're with me," he wrote on Twitter at 2 a.m., pinning the tweet with a link to his fundraising page. The Dirty Little Secret Behind Iowa's Amateur HourRead 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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| EU to overhaul process for admitting new members in bid to lift French veto Posted: 04 Feb 2020 02:51 AM PST  The European Commission will propose changes to the system for letting new countries into the EU to give existing members more say, in a bid to mollify France which has vetoed expansion of the bloc to six countries in the Balkans. In October, President Emmanuel Macron halted the process of admitting Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and North Macedonia. The Commission hopes to persuade France to lift its objections before a Zagreb summit with the Balkan states in May.
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| Ex-Fox News journalist Gretchen Carlson calls on Michael Bloomberg to release women from NDAs they signed as his employees Posted: 04 Feb 2020 01:56 PM PST  Michael Bloomberg has been repeatedly accused of making sexist remarks and sued for propagating a "culture of discrimination."
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| Senator Rand Paul outed the alleged Trump whistleblower on the floor of the Senate Posted: 04 Feb 2020 10:46 AM PST  After having his question denied by Chief Justice John Roberts, the junior senator from Kentucky read out a question that explicitly names the alleged whistleblower.
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| Sanders reportedly finished 1st, Biden 4th in unreleased Iowa poll Posted: 03 Feb 2020 04:37 PM PST  Remember that final poll of Iowa Democrats from CNN and The Des Moines Register that wasn't released because of an interviewing error? Well, FiveThirtyEight reportedly confirmed the final results.It would've been good news for Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who led the pack with 22 percent and 18 percent, respectively. That falls in line with an earlier report that media outlets increased their coverage of Warren after glimpsing the numbers.It was a particularly rough poll for former Vice President Joe Biden, who fell all the way to fourth, despite hovering near the top of the leaderboard for months. Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg came in third. > We can confirm the final results of the unreleased Iowa Poll: > > Sanders 22%> > Warren 18%> > Buttigieg 16%> > Biden 13%> > https://t.co/deTryUiHgt> > -- Clare Malone (@ClareMalone) February 4, 2020More stories from theweek.com Trump just won the Iowa Democratic caucuses Should financial markets be freaked out by coronavirus? America is doing so much better than you think
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| Iranian spy to be executed for CIA work: Report Posted: 04 Feb 2020 03:56 AM PST  Iran said Tuesday that its top court confirmed a death sentence for an Iranian man convicted of spying for the CIA, with state media alleging that he had shared details of the Islamic Republic's nuclear program with the American spy agency.
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| North Korea making 'all-out efforts' to guard against virus Posted: 03 Feb 2020 10:34 PM PST  North Korea said Tuesday it was mobilizing 30,000 health workers everyday in its "all-out efforts" to guard against the spread of a virus from neighboring China. North Korea hasn't reported any case of the new coronavirus, but some experts say an epidemic in North Korea could be dire because of its chronic lack of medical supplies and poor health care infrastructure. It said the 30,000 workers are examining and monitoring residents and trying to inform North Korean people about how dangerous the virus is, how it spreads and what precautionary steps they should take.
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| F-35s For Everyone: How China Spied and Stole Its Way To Military Dominance Posted: 04 Feb 2020 03:00 AM PST  Or at least parity.
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| RBA On Hold as Nightmare Scenario of China Slowdown Emerges Posted: 02 Feb 2020 08:03 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- For a fresh perspective on the stories that matter for Australian business and politics, sign up for our new weekly newsletter.Australia is set to keep interest rates unchanged Tuesday as policy makers keep searching for signs that prior stimulus is encouraging households to spend. Hovering over the meeting is the specter of a viral-induced slowdown in China.Governor Philip Lowe will keep the cash rate at 0.75% at the Reserve Bank's first meeting of the year, according to 22 of 25 economists, with markets pricing similarly. The turnaround -- the majority began the year forecasting a February easing -- was driven by a fall in unemployment in the final two months of 2019."The economic data has generally come in on the stronger side over recent months," said Kristina Clifton, a senior economist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia. "But the virus has the potential to impact on economic growth as consumers spend less, business and consumer confidence drops and tourists and people traveling for business delay their plans."Most economists trying to discern the impact of novel coronavirus have harked back to the SARS epidemic 17 years ago. Yet, that was a different world. Australia's links to China's economy have increased exponentially since. The numbers tell the story:China's share of Australian exports was 33% in 2018-19 vs 7% in 2002-03Tourists from China jumped to 15% of total arrivals from 4% over the same period; and now account for more than a quarter of total visitor spendingAlmost a quarter of new foreign students are from ChinaChina bought 82% of Australian iron ore shipments last year, compared with 32% in 2003China's benchmark iron ore contract fell by its daily limit of 8% and Singapore's contract has collapsed 11%, driven by a combination of concerns that the virus could strike near-term demand in China and expectations that global seaborne supplies are poised to expand.A complete shutdown of Chinese tourism and student travel for a year would cut Australian GDP by almost 1 percentage point, "with significant additional multiplier effects," according to Westpac Banking Corp.The Australian tourism industry is already dealing with a demand shock following the wild fires that drove cancellations from abroad amid images of major cities choking on smoke, Australians fleeing their homes and fallen native animals.Lowe cut interest rates three times between June and October to shore up consumer spending amid weak wages growth and elevated debt. The economic data in the past month has exceeded expectations.What Bloomberg's Economists Say"Economic data in the rear view mirror supported the RBA's view that the economy had reached a gentle turning point. But that now needs to be reassessed. The twin shocks of ongoing bushfires and the unfolding coronavirus outbreak are still playing out. There's little hard data for the RBA to draw on to form a view on how badly the turning in the economy has been derailed, and how much additional stimulus may be required."James McIntyre, economistMoney markets have also begun to shift, with a March easing coming into view, whereas last week the broad expectation was that there was little prospect of the RBA easing before April. Cash-rate futures on Monday were pricing in a 60% chance of a cut next month, up from less than 40% last Wednesday following stronger-than-expected inflation data.Lowe will be questioned on the disasters when he addresses the National Press Club Wednesday in a speech titled "The Year Ahead."On Friday he, Deputy Governor Guy Debelle and other senior officials will appear in Canberra for the RBA's semi-annual parliamentary testimony. Concurrently, the RBA releases its Statement on Monetary Policy that includes updated forecasts for economic growth, inflation and unemployment. It's expected that near-term GDP growth projections will be lowered.One area where the RBA's easing has impacted quickly is housing: Sydney and Melbourne are leading the rebound, with data Monday showing prices climbed 1.1% and 1.2% respectively in January.The labor market has also stood strong, with unemployment falling to 5.1% in December from 5.3% in October. Data Monday showed job advertisements jumped 3.8% in January.(Updates with comment from Bloomberg economist in 10th paragraph, money markets pricing in chance of March easing in 11th.)\--With assistance from Tomoko Sato.To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Heath in Sydney at mheath1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Paul Jackson at pjackson53@bloomberg.net, Alexandra Veroude, Nasreen SeriaFor 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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| Warm water found at "vital point" under "doomsday glacier" Posted: 02 Feb 2020 10:05 PM PST  A news release on the findings called it an alarming discovery.
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| Kenya's former President Daniel Arap Moi dies Posted: 03 Feb 2020 08:25 PM PST  Kenya's longest-serving president Daniel Arap Moi, whose rule was marred by corruption and torture of opponents, died on Tuesday, the office of the president said. There was no immediate explanation for Moi's death, but he had been in and out of hospital with breathing problems in recent months. "Our nation and our continent were immensely blessed by the dedication and service of the late ... Moi, who spent almost his entire adult life serving Kenya and Africa," President Uhuru Kenyatta said in a statement.
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| I worked for Mike Bloomberg. Here's why progressives should consider him seriously. Posted: 03 Feb 2020 03:32 PM PST  Bloomberg has flaws, but progressives shouldn't discount him. His record on climate, guns, jobs, health and immigration has lots for them to like.
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| Fox News Host Grills Pete Buttigieg: How Can You Call Trump Racist After Super Bowl Ad? Posted: 03 Feb 2020 11:02 AM PST  In an effort to reach all possible voters before Monday night's Iowa caucuses, Pete Buttigieg brought his campaign message to Fox News, sitting down with anchor Ed Henry, who asked the candidate how he could still believe President Donald Trump is racist after the Super Bowl ad he ran on Sunday. While Buttigieg has said that he can "bring people together" and get Republicans on his side, Henry accused the candidate of "doubling down" on his claim that Trump supporters are "at best looking the other way on racism." Speaking to CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday, Buttigieg said he had no "regrets" about his previous comments. "I'm very concerned about the racial division that this president has fostered," he said, "and I'm meeting a lot of voters who are no longer willing to look the other way on that, looking for a new political home."'Fox & Friends' Worries Pete Buttigieg Might Be the Next ObamaThis brought Henry to Trump's Super Bowl ad, in which Alice Marie Johnson can be seen thanking the president for commuting her life sentence on drug charges. "How can you attack not just the president, but 63 million people in America who voted for him, when you have African-American women like Alice Johnson saying, 'This is a president who gave me a second chance?'" Henry asked, turning one African-American woman into plural with his question. "You know, I think that President Trump's decision to sign the First Step Act when it came to his desk is one of the handful of things I could actually agree with him on," Buttigieg answered. "It doesn't change the incredibly cruel and divisive racial rhetoric that comes out of this White House, that is one of the many reasons that I'm meeting not only Democrats, but Republicans, who tell me that they struggle to look their children in the eye and explain to them how this is the president of the United States." After Henry seemed to equate Buttigieg's record on race as mayor of South Bend, Indiana with Trump's history of open racism both as president and throughout his career, the candidate said he has every right to call out the president because "the president is wrong." "He is wrong to attack women of color, he is wrong to compare people to animals, he is wrong to assault entire cities in his tweets," Buttigieg said, referring to Trump's record. "And you don't have to be a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat to know that's wrong, just as a lot of Republicans in Congress and the Senate, even if they're providing cover for the president, can't actually bring themselves to say that he's a good leader. And it's revealing."Henry had no choice but to move on after that.Fox News Host Defends Trump as 'Honest and Transparent' After Trump Called Him Fake NewsRead 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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| 'Overwhelm the system' to thwart voter suppression, Stacey Abrams counsels blacks Posted: 04 Feb 2020 05:00 AM PST  Counteracting voter suppression and getting an accurate census count are highest on her agenda for African Americans.
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| Rights group says criminals terrorizing miners in Venezuela Posted: 04 Feb 2020 09:10 AM PST ![Rights group says criminals terrorizing miners in Venezuela]( "Rights group says criminals terrorizing miners in Venezuela") Criminal groups that run gold mines in the south of Venezuela have mutilated miners accused of stealing, extorted business owners and forced young children to work without security equipment as they tighten their grip on a region that is rich in minerals, Human Rights Watch said in a report published on Tuesday. The watchdog group interviewed more than 30 mine workers, journalists and local experts who said that authorities in Venezuela are turning a blind eye to the abuses and in some occasions collaborating with criminal groups and with Colombian rebels who control mines in Venezuela's Bolivar state. Venezuela's socialist government increasingly has relied on gold mined in Bolivar state to cover its expenditures and get around U.S. sanctions on its oil industry.
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| Don't Listen to Trump: the Travel Ban Isn't About National Security Posted: 04 Feb 2020 12:30 AM PST  It won't effect international terrorism.
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| 911 calls from Kobe Bryant helicopter crash released Posted: 04 Feb 2020 04:01 AM PST  The 911 calls from the day of Kobe Bryant's helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., have been released.
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| Gazan bridegrooms end up in jail over unpaid debts Posted: 03 Feb 2020 05:44 AM PST  Bridegrooms in the Gaza Strip are finding marriage a path to debtors' prison rather than to happiness. Wedding celebrations cost around $10,000 in the Palestinian enclave, but a tradition of strong family ties and large gatherings often trumps financial common sense. A spokesman for the police in Gaza, which is governed by the Islamist Hamas group, said that of 100,000 debt-default cases opened last year, 22% involved marriage loans.
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| A doomsday couple is entangled in a web of suspicious deaths and missing children. Here's a timeline of the mysterious events connected to Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow. Posted: 04 Feb 2020 09:52 AM PST  The search for two missing children uncovered the tangled web of doomsday couple Chad Dadybell and Lori Vallow. Here's what you need to know.
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| China accuses U.S. of scaremongerng over coronavirus Posted: 02 Feb 2020 11:44 PM PST  Beijing on Monday accused the United States of spreading fear over a coronavirus outbreak by pulling nationals out and restricting travel instead of offering significant aid. The United States was the first nation to begin evacuations, issued a travel warning against going to China, and from Sunday barred entry to foreigners recently in China. Washington has "unceasingly manufactured and spread panic", Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters, noting that the World Health Organization (WHO) had advised against trade and travel curbs.
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| Bloomberg Super Bowl Ad Inflates Child Deaths to Push for Gun Control Posted: 03 Feb 2020 05:15 AM PST  Former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg ran a 60-second Super Bowl ad which made the claim that "2,900 children die from gun violence every year," despite data showing that over half that number are actually adults.Bloomberg's ad, which highlights his gun-control advocacy, makes the claim without citation, but the stat appears to be drawn from a gun-control non-profit, Everytown for Gun Safety, which Bloomberg started in 2013.A report from Everytown states that "nearly 2,900 children and teens (ages 0 to 19) are shot and killed" annually, a number it pulled from the Center for Disease Control's online database over the years 2013 to 2017. Bloomberg's Super Bowl ad omitted the "teen" qualifier from its statement.> Everytown used a five year average of gun deaths between 0-19 years of age in the CDC's Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) to come up with 2,887 gun deaths per year among that age group. pic.twitter.com/dr3uuQTCaw> > -- Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) February 1, 2020The same data, when reviewed for the same time-frame while omitting legal adults — 18 and 19 year olds — shows an average of 1,499 annual gun deaths for children, or about 51 percent of the number claimed in Bloomberg's ad.Bloomberg spent approximately $10 million for the ad, part of a massive self-funded effort to campaign nationally, with data showing that the former mayor has spent over a quarter of a billion dollars in advertisement efforts so far, despite only joining the race in November.Gun control features prominently on Bloomberg's platform, which includes universal background checks and "red flag screening" measures.Bloomberg was criticized last month by the armed parishioner who took down a shooter at a Texas church in December, after suggesting at a campaign event that "You just do not want the average citizen carrying a gun in a crowded place."
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| Turkey and Syria are fighting in a shoe box in northern Syria, and officials fear it could ignite a bigger conflict with Russia Posted: 04 Feb 2020 06:47 AM PST  "The tight spaces linked by a handful of roads means the entire area is filled with armed guys bumping into each other," a NATO official told BI.
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| US general slips into Iraq for talks to salvage relations Posted: 04 Feb 2020 08:04 AM PST  The top U.S. commander for the Middle East slipped quietly into Iraq Tuesday, as the Trump administration works to salvage relations with Iraqi leaders and shut down the government's push for an American troop withdrawal. Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie became the most senior U.S. military official to visit since an American drone strike in Baghdad last month killed a top Iranian general, enraging the Iraqis. McKenzie met with Iraq leaders in Baghdad and then went to see American troops at al-Asad Air base, which was bombed by Iran last month in retaliation for the drone attack.
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| Hong Kong’s Striking Health Workers Pose New Threat to Beijing Posted: 03 Feb 2020 06:25 PM PST ![Hong Kong's Striking Health Workers Pose New Threat to Beijing]( "Hong Kong's Striking Health Workers Pose New Threat to Beijing") (Bloomberg) -- Sign up for Next China, a weekly email on where the nation stands now and where it's going next.Thousands of Hong Kong medical workers went on strike for a second day on Tuesday to demand that leader Carrie Lam immediately close the city's border with the mainland to prevent the spread of a deadly coronavirus.Yet the strike also revealed a longer term threat to her administration, as well as to her bosses in Beijing: It shows the growing strength of pro-democracy unions formed in recent months by protesters who want to curb China's influence on the financial hub. The strategy aims to allow pro-democracy groups to quickly organize mass actions and, ultimately, transform a political system designed to favor Beijing loyalists."Government opponents are going through strenuous efforts to form new trade unions, hoping this could increase their chances of winning more seats in the legislative council," said Lau Siu-kai, the former head of a Hong Kong government think tank and an emeritus professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. "These efforts will go hand-in-hand with the protests, bolstering the political movement in Hong Kong to seek more detachment from mainland China."The Hospital Authority Employees Alliance, which was formed in December, says it's already attracted more than 18,000 members -- nearly a quarter of the staff at the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, the city's second biggest employer. The group said about half of them planned to strike this week in a bid for stronger measures to stop a coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 420 people.The union is among dozens that were formed recently by participants in pro-democracy protests that have rocked the city since last June. In the second half of 2019, the city's labor department received 135 applications for new trade unions, spanning industries from finance to education and bartenders. That compares with only 10 during same period the previous year.The rise of pro-democracy unions threatens the monopoly of pro-government unions that have an outsized influence on labor policy, and in elections for the city's Legislative Council and chief executive. They could also potentially add to disruptions to the economy, which has slid into recession as protesters shut down transport networks, vandalized China-linked businesses and deterred tourists from visiting Hong Kong.'Hamstring Some Businesses'"Hong Kong traditionally has not been a unionized place -- if the unions were to get individuals together for collective demands it could hamstring some businesses," said Benjamin Quinlan, chief executive officer and managing partner of Quinlan & Associates, a strategy consultancy based in Hong Kong. Hospitality, food and beverage, and medical businesses could be the first to suffer the impact, he said.Hong Kong's labor rules are a big attraction for foreign companies: The World Economic Forum's competitiveness rankings last year put the city as the number one location for its hiring and firing practices among 141 economies. Yet in the category of "workers rights," it came in at 114 on the list.This week's strike among medical workers, which was opposed by the government and drew criticism in some local newspapers, will test the ability of protesters to turn their street numbers into organized collective action."People are genuinely worried and even more reluctant to go outside now that they know there's a risk of medical workers being on strike," Quinlan said.Not Closing BorderLam, the city's leader, said Monday it wasn't acceptable that medical workers went on strike and most of those infected in Hong Kong were local residents. Hong Kongers now accounted for 90% of people passing through the border, she said, adding that banning mainland visitors wasn't in line with the World Health Organization guidance."We must not encourage any discrimination so we have to exercise caution here," Lam said.The medical union is embarking on the second stage of its stike after talks with the government failed. It hopes to rally 9,000 members to take action and also protest in front of the city's Hospital Authority.Among 3,164 union members who took part in a vote on Saturday, nearly 99% of people favored going on strike unless the Hong Kong government barred all visitors entering from mainland and ensured an ample supply of masks. The city's infected patients have risen to 15 as of Tuesday, while in China the number of confirmed cases jumped to more than 20,470.Pet Stores, Accountants"Our members have spiked because of the pneumonia outbreak," Ivan Law, a registered nurse of more than three years and vice chairman of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance, said in an interview. "On top of workspace issues, we hope the union can be a representative to speak out on political issues."The medical workers aren't alone. Pet store workers, tech staff and accountants are also weighing measures to deal with the pneumonia outbreak.The Hong Kong Alliance of Accounting Professionals is asking companies to halt business trips to China, according to an executive with the group who asked to be identified only by his last name Chan for fear of retribution by his employer. He appeared at a press briefing on Friday wearing a face mask and hat to avoid being recognized.The formation of unions is also another step for Hong Kong protesters to have more say in the city's carefully managed elections. They are seeking to erode the influence of pro-Beijing unions, including the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, which command five seats on the Legislative Council.Election ImpactHong Kong's legislature comprises 70 members, half of whom are elected through five geographical districts under a proportional representation system, and the other half indirectly through 29 functional constituencies such as accountancy and textile. That means a small clutch of companies and industry professionals that tend to vote in favor of the pro-Beijing camp have just as much say as all the city's 4.1 million registered voters.The newly formed unions can apply to receive one vote for each union after being registered for a year. If enough unions are formed, they can potentially win more lawmaker seats for the pro-democracy camp, shifting the power dynamics in the city's main lawmaking body."The government needs the functional constituencies because it would lose majority otherwise," said Ma Ngok, associate professor at the Department of Government and Public Administration at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. "It has a large impact on the LegCo's legitimacy and has prompted citizens to think that the council cannot effectively represent public opinion."(Updates with medical workers' strike on Tuesday)\--With assistance from Alfred Liu and Natalie Lung.To contact the reporters on this story: Josie Wong in Hong Kong at jwong836@bloomberg.net;Lulu Yilun Chen in Hong Kong at ychen447@bloomberg.net;Shawna Kwan in Hong Kong at wkwan35@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Daniel Ten Kate at dtenkate@bloomberg.net, Philip LagerkranserFor 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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| Disabled Chinese boy dies while father in virus quarantine Posted: 03 Feb 2020 09:34 PM PST  A disabled boy has died after being left to fend for himself when his father was quarantined over the deadly new coronavirus in China's Hubei province. Yan Cheng, who was confined to a wheelchair because of cerebral palsy, was abandoned at home when his father was isolated because of a fever. "Yan Xiaowen was unable to take care of Yan Cheng's daily life (because of being in isolation)... so he entrusted his relatives, village cadres and village doctors to take care of Yan Cheng," the county government said.
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| 2,000-pound great white shark pings off Florida Gulf coast Posted: 04 Feb 2020 04:13 PM PST  Unama'ki a 2,000-pound great white shark tagged by the research nonprofit OCEARCH, has pinged about 100 miles off of the shores of Northwest Florida.
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| Brazil to declare emergency, quarantine people returning from coronavirus-hit Wuhan Posted: 03 Feb 2020 04:16 AM PST  Alarmed by the growing risks of a new coronavirus, Brazil has decided to repatriate Brazilians from Wuhan, China, and will declare a national health emergency, Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta said on Monday. A chartered plane would be sent to pick up 40 of the 55 Brazilians in Wuhan who have asked to be evacuated from the city at the center of a coronavirus outbreak, Mandetta said. President Jair Bolsonaro said last week that repatriating Brazilians from Wuhan would not be "opportune" as it could put the population back home at risk.
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