| Full coverage: Biden wins big on Super Tuesday Posted: 03 Mar 2020 01:45 PM PST  Riding a wave of momentum, former Vice President Joe Biden scored a series of impressive primary victories on Super Tuesday, while Bernie Sanders won four states, including California.
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| Pentagon Linguist Charged with Exposing U.S. Spies to Hezbollah Posted: 04 Mar 2020 01:30 PM PST  A contractor for the Pentagon has been charged with providing classified U.S. intelligence to a Lebanese national connected with terrorist group Hezbollah, the Justice Department announced on Wednesday.The department alleges Mariam Taha Thompson, 61, began transmitting the classified intelligence around December 30, when Iraqi militiamen stormed the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Thompson is a linguist who at the time was working at a U.S. special forces base in Erbil in northern Iraq.The classified "files contained classified national defense information including true names, personal identification data, background information, and photographs of the human sources, as well as operations cables detailing information the human sources provided to the United States government," read an FBI affidavit filed in the case.Thompson was arrested on February 27, and was due to appear in court on Wednesday. On February 19 FBI agents searched Thompson's Erbil residence and discovered documents under her mattress with the names of three U.S. intelligence assets, as well as a warning for the target of one of those assets."By compromising the identities of these human assets, Thompson placed the lives of the human assets and U.S. military personnel in grave danger," the Justice Department wrote in a press release.The December 30 protests at the U.S. Embassy began after American airstrikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq. Those airstrikes followed the killing of an American contractor by Iran-backed militias.On January 2 the protests at the embassy were called off. That same night, President Trump ordered the killing of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike at Baghdad International Airport.
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| Doomsday Mom Invokes the Fifth as She’s Extradited to Idaho Posted: 04 Mar 2020 12:36 PM PST  It doesn't seem like doomsday mom Lori Vallow is ready to answer any questions about her missing children.At a brief hearing on Wednesday in Hawaii before Vallow was extradited to Idaho on a red-eye flight, her attorney said he was invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination and she should not be questioned on the trip.The judge noted that once Idaho officials take custody of Vallow, her court no longer has any jurisdiction over the case."Yes, but I want to make a record of that so her Idaho attorney can suppress any statements they may try to elicit," defense lawyer Craig De Costa said.Vallow, wearing an orange jumpsuit, stood next to De Costa, her ankles shackled.Bizarre Email Is Latest Clue in Saga of Doomsday Couple With Missing KidsA team from Idaho was already in Kauai, ready to take her back to Rexburg, where she is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Friday.Vallow is charged with desertion of 17-year-old Tylee and 7-year-old J.J., who have not been seen since September; contempt of a court order to produce the children; and promoting a criminal act for allegedly asking a friend to falsely tell police she was watching J.J.Rexburg police have said they believe Tylee and J.J. are in danger but have not provided details on why they think so. They do say that Vallow and her new husband, doomsday author Chad Daybell, have not cooperated in the hunt for the kids.In a brief statement issued weeks ago by their Idaho attorney, Vallow and Daybell denied any wrongdoing. Vallow's Hawaii lawyer claimed she did not produce the children because she did not want them to go into foster care—but that does not explain why she allegedly lied to police who came to the house to check on them.The children's disappearance also focused scrutiny on the deaths of Vallow's and Daybell's previous spouses: Charles Vallow was shot to death in July by Lori's brother, Alex Cox, who claimed self-defense; and Daybell's wife Tammy died of unknown causes in October and her body has since been exhumed.Vallow, 46, and Daybell, 51, both members of a community of doomsday preppers, married weeks after he was widowed.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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| What Bloomberg's $500m could have bought instead Posted: 04 Mar 2020 11:21 AM PST  The former New York mayor could have paid off student loans for 150,000 people or bought houses for 2,200 homeless people * Follow live updates on the 2020 US electionThere wasn't much good news on Super Tuesday for the more progressive wing of the Democratic party, save for one lesson: money on its own, mercifully, cannot, as of yet, buy an entire election.That's the lesson many drew from the failure of billionaire Mike Bloomberg, who had hoped spending a half billion sliver of his massive fortune on an ad buy and staffing a national campaign might make inroads against former vice-president Joe Biden for the battle of the centrists.But Bloomberg's announcement today that he will be dropping out means the more than $500m he spent was wasted on nothing. Unless you count his sole win in American Samoa.Wasted is a relative term of course, because for a man reportedly worth over $60b, $500m to him is practically nothing. For everyone else it's still, well, $500m, and that has prompted some to wonder what good that kind of money could have done spent elsewhere.Here are some places he might have better spent the cash dump: Clearing medical debtAccording to RIP Medical Debt, a group who purchases medical debt in bulk, every $100 donated can alleviate $10,000 in oppressive medical bills. 66% of all US bankruptcies are tied to medical debt issues they say. So far they've eliminated around $1.3bn in medical debt, but doing some quick math, if Bloomberg had chipped in what he spent on the campaign that might have alleviated … $500bn in debt. Sadly and sickeningly that's not enough to clear everyone's tab in America, but it's pretty close, and good enough to change hundreds of thousands of lives over night. Alas. Cleaning up FlintFor around 1/10 of what he spent on getting embarrassed in front of the world, Bloomberg also could have replaced all of the old lead pipes in Flint, Michigan, then had hundreds of millions left over to pull every citizen there – or in many other cities – out of poverty. It's a point that many made when the campaign complained about their headquarters there being lightly vandalized last month. Pay off student debtWhile $500m might be a drop in the bucket of the $1.4tn owed in student loan debt in America, with an average outstanding loan of around $37,000, that's roughly 150,000 people whose lives the former New York City mayor could have transformed for the better. Think about all the good all those people unshackled at once from their predatory student loans might go on to do. House the homelessWith a reported 60,000-80,000 people living unhoused in New York City, his hometown, Bloomberg certainly would have had to lay out a bit more than $500m to give them all homes, certainly in one of the most expensive cities in the country, but with an average home price across the US of about $226,000 that's well over 2,200 people he could have simply purchased a home for. Just like that. Here's a house. It's all yours now. He'd barely even notice the money was gone. Restore voting rights to felonsAs an ardent believer in democracy, Bloomberg is no doubt aggrieved by Florida Republicans' efforts to reverse engineer a poll tax against the will of the voters, making it harder for felons to vote. Bloomberg could make a huge dent in the hundreds of millions outstanding, restoring the right to vote to thousands, or alternatively, he might have funded any number of campaigns against Republicans in the state actively working to disenfranchise its own citizens. His call, really!
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| Food stamp change fuels anxiety as states try to curb impact Posted: 03 Mar 2020 09:01 PM PST  Having food stamps offers Richard Butler a stability he's rarely known in his 25 years. New Trump administration rules taking effect April 1 put hundreds of thousands of people in his situation at risk of losing their benefits. From Hawaii to Pennsylvania, states are scrambling to blunt the impact of the new rules, with roughly 700,000 people at risk of losing benefits unless they meet certain work, training or school requirements.
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| Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang is 'looking at' a run for New York City mayor, but will first weigh 'how much value' he can add Posted: 04 Mar 2020 08:58 AM PST  "One of the things I'm most curious about is who are the other candidates in the race, and what the race would look like," Yang said.
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| The 2020 Geneva Motor Show Is Canceled, Forcing Automakers to Unveil Their Cars Online Posted: 04 Mar 2020 01:11 PM PST |
| U.S. Supreme Court gives states latitude to prosecute illegal immigrants Posted: 03 Mar 2020 07:49 AM PST  The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday widened the ability of states to use criminal laws against illegal immigrants and other people who do not have work authorization in the United States in a ruling involving identity theft prosecutions in Kansas. The 5-4 ruling, with the court's conservative justices in the majority, overturned a 2017 Kansas Supreme Court decision that had voided the convictions of three restaurant workers for fraudulently using other people's Social Security numbers. In the opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito, the high court found that Kansas did not unlawfully encroach on federal authority over immigration policy.
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| The Democratic Party Super Tuesday winners, state by state Posted: 03 Mar 2020 11:18 PM PST  Washington (AFP) - Former vice president Joe Biden scored a string of wins over leftist Bernie Sanders in the Super Tuesday contests to pick the Democratic challenger to President Donald Trump this November.
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| Shocking: Why Israel Was Able to Win so Greatly During the Six-Day War Posted: 04 Mar 2020 09:00 AM PST  An astounding victory.
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| Parents charged with murder after 6-year-old kept in closet dies Posted: 04 Mar 2020 09:24 AM PST  A mother, father and grandmother admitted that a 6-year-old and his 7-year-old brother were kept in a closet because they were "stealing food."
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| Brawl erupts in Turkey's parliament over Syria involvement Posted: 04 Mar 2020 08:43 AM PST  A fight broke out in the Turkish parliament between lawmakers from opposing parties Wednesday during a tense discussion about Turkey's military involvement in northwest Syria. Video images showed dozens of legislators from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party and from the main opposition party pushing each other. Some lawmakers fell to the ground during the fray, Turkey's Haberturk television reported.
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| Inside the Chris Matthews Exit: MSNBC Boss Went to D.C. to Plead With Him to Quit Posted: 03 Mar 2020 02:30 PM PST  The painful end of Chris Matthews' TV career occurred with just the sort of recrimination and negative PR that former Washington local news anchor and failed Democratic House candidate Kathleen Matthews, his wife of 40 years, and their adult children long hoped to avoid.According to sources at MSNBC, Kathleen had communicated concerns over the past several months to network chief Phil Griffin, Chris's long-ago Hardball executive producer when the show aired on CNBC. She expressed worry that her husband's on-air controversies would become more frequent, more embarrassing, and more damaging to his legacy.For months, it was known to some inside the network that Kathleen had pushed for her husband, now 74, to have a more limited schedule. Instead, the MSNBC anchor found himself on TV during more major events than he had since the 2016 election cycle. And while acting as a fixture of MSNBC's Democratic primary coverage, Matthews continually came under fire for on-air comments including likening Sen. Bernie Sanders' Nevada caucus victory to Nazi Germany overtaking France during World War II, a comment for which Matthews later apologized; and asking Sen. Elizabeth Warren why she would believe a woman over Michael Bloomberg regarding accusations that the ex-mayor told a pregnant employee to "kill" her unborn child.And then, after The Daily Show posted on Thursday night a devastating compilation of Matthews' history of sexist and gross on-air comments to women, and a GQ piece with first-hand accusations of sexual harassment dropped Friday, the network's brass had apparently had enough.Chris Matthews Confronts Warren: Why Do You Believe a Woman Over Bloomberg?Sources said Griffin traveled to Washington, D.C. over the weekend for a series of tough conversations with the Hardball host, his wife and family, arguing that now was the time to call it quits.Matthews was very resistant, according to these sources, insisting he stay on through the election. But he was finally persuaded that "retiring," as he tried to portray his own abrupt resignation, was the only sensible option.Amid such conversations with Griffin, the Hardball host was expected to participate in Saturday's coverage of the South Carolina primary. But hours before he would have gone on the air, he was replaced by weekend host Joy Reid.Ultimately, on Monday evening, when he made his final on-air statement, Matthews' wife and kids were in the studio, sources said."After my conversation with MSNBC, I decided tonight will be my last Hardball," Matthews said during his last broadcast. "So let me tell you why. The younger generations are ready to take the reins. We see them in politics, the media, and fighting for their causes. They're improving the workplace." He offered a brief apology for having previously offered "compliments on a woman's appearance some men, including me, might have once incorrectly thought were OK."Despite framing his exit as a passing of the torch to a younger generation, Matthews' ouster has been publicly decried by some of his now-ex-colleagues representing the old guard of cable news. The crew of MSNBC's Morning Joe tearfully mourned his exit, with co-host Mika Brzezinski musing about "so-called cancel culture" and whether there could have been a "better way" to deal with Matthews' recent controversies. Senior contributor Mike Barnicle, meanwhile, groused that his friend's departure "opens the door" to "disturbing" possibilities. He asserted that the Hardball host's exit was simply the result of "toxic outrage."Seth Meyers Unloads on Chris Matthews for 'Deranged' Bernie Sanders AttacksMatthews' ouster has also thrown yet another wrench into ongoing uncertainty about MSNBC's lineup, which has been in flux since the network moved daytime host Ali Velshi to a weekend role. Insiders said the network had been expected to announce a new permanent schedule imminently, but Matthews' sudden departure may delay those changes. Star news anchor Shepard Smith, who left Fox News amid feuds with the network's overtly pro-Trump primetime hosts, has long been rumored to be in talks with MSNBC (the network was interested before he decamped Fox News last year), and Page Six reported Tuesday that he is on a "short list" to now take over Hardball. But "expectations are low," a network source said, given Smith's potentially hefty price tag.A person with knowledge of the situation said that any connection between Matthews' departure and Smith's ongoing discussions with the network was "pure speculation." The ex-Fox star is also talking with CNBC and Vice, the source told The Daily Beast: "He's talking to all the players but doesn't necessarily want the big shiny thing." While it has been reported Smith could return to the air as early as June, industry insiders believe he will re-appear closer to the election.Current MSNBC hosts have also been floated as potential replacements for Matthews. Joy Reid, whose weekend show enjoys good ratings, would make sense, insiders said, considering her popularity among the network's more hardcore viewers. Nicolle Wallace, an anti-Trump Republican whose 4 p.m. daytime broadcast has brought in robust viewership, has also been discussed; however, sources said, she'd prefer not to move to primetime because of family obligations. Another name floated by Page Six was Steve Kornacki, who demonstrated quick thinking despite being visibly stunned on Monday evening while taking over the rest of the Hardball broadcast following Matthews' shocking exit. But sources told The Daily Beast that despite his role in stepping up to fill that hour, he's highly unlikely to be rewarded with the primetime hosting gig.—Lachlan Cartwright contributed reporting.MSNBC Host Chris Matthews Resigns After Accusations of Sexism and HarassmentRead 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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| Feds: Keep Ponzi scheme mastermind Bernie Madoff in prison for his 'extraordinarily evil' crimes Posted: 04 Mar 2020 05:44 PM PST  Prosecutors argue Ponzi scheme mastermind Bernie Madoff should continue his 150-year prison term, urge judge to deny motion for compassionate release
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| Jeff Sessions’ run-off and a Bush's loss: Super Tuesday races you may have missed Posted: 04 Mar 2020 09:44 AM PST  While all the attention was focused on the Democratic primaries, other races played out across the USWhile all the attention of Super Tuesday focused on the presidential nomination race among the Democrats and the fight between the former vice-president Joe Biden and the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, other races and dramas across the US also played out.Here are five things you may have missed: A Bush loses in TexasPierce Bush was aiming to advance in the Republican primary for a Texas congressional seat in Houston. But the grandson of president George HW Bush and relative of president George W Bush and ex-Florida governor Jeb Bush, lost his race – the first Bush to lose in Texas in 40 years. A dynasty ends, not with a bang but a whimper. Broadcaster Cenk Uygur flames outFamed leftist broadcaster Cenk Uygur has a strong following thanks to his founding of the Young Turks progressive politics show. But that did not translate into meaningful support for his bid to fill the California congressional seat vacated by Katie Hill. He came in fourth with just 5% of the vote. Jeff Sessions heads for a run-offDonald Trump's former attorney general is aiming to win back his old Senate seat after falling out of favor with the president and leaving the administration. After failing to win a knockout blow, he now faces a run-off later this month against the former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville. Despite Sessions continuing to embrace Trumpism on the trail, his old boss stuck the knife in. "This is what happens to someone who loyally gets appointed Attorney General of the United States & then doesn't have the wisdom or courage to stare down & end the phony Russia Witch Hunt," the president tweeted. An anti-abortion Democrat survivesThe Texas congressman Henry Cuellar, one of the few anti-abortion Democrats in the House, fended off a primary challenge from Jessica Cisneros, a 26-year-old immigration attorney, in a defeat for progressives. Cuellar has held the seat since 2005 and also maintains an A rating from the National Rifle Association. Cuellar voted with Trump nearly 70% of the time during the president's first two years in office. Republican Kay Granger fends off a rightwing attackOne of the few prominent Republican women in the House fended off an attack by a male tech executive to oust her. Chris Putnam went to war with her in a bitter primary battle in Texas as outside groups spent millions and Trump weighed in behind her. Club for Growth, a conservative anti-tax group, spent more than $1m running attack ads against her record on spending issues but Granger prevailed.
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| Warren aide says the Democratic nominee hopeful is ‘talking to her team to assess the path forward’ Posted: 04 Mar 2020 08:37 AM PST  An aide to Elizabeth Warren has said Democratic presidential hopeful is 'talking to her team to assess the path forward', according to reports.Ms Warren is running to be the Democratic candidate for the 2020 presidential election and is meeting with her aides this morning to reassess her position, sources say.
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| A small space rock led to a big discovery — an X-ray-belching black hole Posted: 03 Mar 2020 03:22 PM PST  The black hole's outburst was separately confirmed by two telescopes installed at the International Space Station in low-Earth orbit.
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| Coronavirus death toll jumps to 107 in Italy, all schools shut Posted: 04 Mar 2020 06:11 AM PST  Italy closed all schools and universities and took other emergency measures on Wednesday to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus in Europe's worst-hit country as the death toll and number of cases jumped. The total number of dead in Italy rose to 107 after 28 people died of the highly contagious virus over the past 24 hours, the Civil Protection Agency said. Education Minister Lucia Azzolina said schools and universities all over the country would be closed from Thursday until at least March 15.
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| AP Exclusive: Death row inmate slips through legal system Posted: 04 Mar 2020 05:03 AM PST  David Martin was sentenced to die six years ago. Martin was sentenced to die in 2014 for fatally shooting 21-year-old Jeremy Cole during a robbery in northeastern Ohio two years earlier. When the state Supreme Court upholds a death sentence, it automatically sets an execution date, which in Martin's case is May 26, 2021.
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| Iran has stockpiled enough uranium to produce a nuclear weapon in the latest sign Trump's strategy has 'failed miserably' Posted: 03 Mar 2020 08:15 PM PST  Trump has insisted that squeezing Tehran with economic sanctions would change its behavior, but it's only become more aggressive.
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| Iran says 92 dead as coronavirus reaches all but one province Posted: 04 Mar 2020 11:35 AM PST  Coronavirus has killed 92 people in Iran, officials said Wednesday, as the world's deadliest outbreak outside China spread to all of the country's provinces except one.
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| Thai quarantine flip-flop throws holidays into doubt Posted: 03 Mar 2020 04:28 PM PST  Thailand threw possibly tens of thousands of holiday plans into confusion after the health minister ordered any new arrivals from eight countries to undergo quarantine for the coronavirus, before swiftly reversing the decision. Health minister Anutin Charnvirakul posted an announcement Tuesday saying travellers from affected countries would be subjected to a 14-day quarantine "without exceptions". The countries were China, South Korea, Japan, Germany, France, Singapore, Italy and Iran.
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| The Hidden Consensus in the Israeli Election Posted: 04 Mar 2020 04:44 PM PST  Three times might not have been the charm for Israel's political system. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party reclaimed its position as the largest faction in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Monday's vote, the third election in the last year. But the bloc of right-wing and religious parties aligned with Netanyahu failed to win a clear majority of the 120-seat Knesset. Netanyahu has two options to remain in power: build a national-unity coalition with the main opposition Blue and White Party; or entice some defectors from either it or one of the other parties pledged to oppose him and eke out a majority.Israel's complicated internal political struggles may seem both baffling and counterproductive to American observers. But Americans should know that Israel is not divided or uncertain about what they generally consider to be the most important issue for the Jewish state: the conflict with the Palestinians.The latest election may not have decided whether Netanyahu should remain in office. But the results re-confirmed that Israel is largely united on issues of security and peace. It's true that Blue and White and its leader, former general Benny Gantz, have tried and failed three times in the last eleven months to oust the incumbent. But the opposition actually agrees with Netanyahu on a great deal: In his campaign, Gantz emphasized that he will be just as tough on security as Netanyahu, and that he is just as skeptical of the Palestinian Authority as a peace partner.Gantz also agrees with Netanyahu about the need to maintain a blockade on Gaza, which is run by the Hamas terrorist movement. He also favors annexing some of the West Bank settlements that the international community has declared to be illegal. He has criticized past Israeli offers to the Palestinians that were predicated on exchanging land for peace. He and his party basically agree with the Likud that past efforts — like the 1993 Oslo Accords, Ariel Sharon's withdrawal from Gaza, and offers of statehood that the Palestinians turned down in 2000, 2001, and 2008 — were disasters for Israel. Gantz also supported the Trump Middle East plan that the Palestinians rejected out of hand. In doing so, the opposition is merely reflecting most Israeli public opinion polls, such as a survey of Israelis taken last summer by the liberal-leaning American Jewish Committee, that showed clear majorities opposing even a demilitarized Palestinian state or the dismantling of any settlements under the current circumstances.The problem is that Palestinian Authority moderates continue to subsidize terrorism, and to share the conviction of Hamas and Islamic Jihad never to recognize the legitimacy of a Jewish state regardless of its borders. While they do so, the only Israeli constituency for more land for peace offers will be the far Left and anti-Zionist Arab political parties. They are opposed by a broad coalition of Blue and White voters, and those from other small parties both aligned with and opposed to Likud. These voters share Netanyahu's conviction that, under the present circumstances, a withdrawal from the West Bank to the 1967 lines would be irrational.The existence of an Israeli consensus on the issue that stretches from the country's moderate left to its right is news here in the U.S. — at least to the Democrats who want to replace President Trump. Take senator Bernie Sanders, who recently engendered controversy when he branded AIPAC — the pro-Israel lobby — as a platform for "bigotry" and, as he has done throughout his career, refused to speak to their annual gathering. Sanders has also come under fire from Jewish groups for his close ties to supporters of the anti-Israel BDS movement, such as Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.), and others prone to anti-Semitic rhetoric.Yet policy, even more than rhetoric, shows how Sanders is out of touch with the realities of the Middle East. He supports ending the international blockade of terrorist-run Gaza and has attacked Israel's measures of self-defense against attacks from the enclave. He has even proposed diverting some of the U.S. aid Israel gets to Hamas-ruled Gaza. And he continues to advocate pushing the Jewish state to give up the West Bank and to re-partition Jerusalem. This is far outside of the Israeli political mainstream.In fact, his primary rivals share his belief that the U.S. should pressure the Israeli government to withdraw from the West Bank. Former vice president Joe Biden may have disavowed calls to cut aid to Israel to force it to obey U.S. diktats, but Biden clearly wants to return to the policies of the Obama administration, which regarded the creation of more "daylight" between the U.S. and Israel as essential for peace. He, too, advocates Israel's withdrawal from of the West Bank and the creation of a Palestinian state there. Such a plan ignores not only the security implications, but also the Palestinian Authority's continued funding of terror, and its refusal to concede that their century-long war on Zionism has been lost.President Biden or Sanders would disagree as much with Gantz as with Netanyahu. Even centrist and moderate Democrats don't understand or even acknowledge the Israeli political consensus that rejects more land for peace schemes. No matter who the Democratic nominee is, should Trump lose this fall, a Democratic president won't respect the justified skepticism most Israelis hold about peace plans.
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| Super Tuesday: Michael Bloomberg says he will eat at Chinese restaurant to show solidarity over coronavirus Posted: 03 Mar 2020 05:04 AM PST  Michael Bloomberg has said he will eat at a Chinese restaurant in the coming days to show solidarity with businesses who have been hit by public fears about coronavirus.The multi-billionaire and Democratic presidential candidate made the pledge during a Fox News town hall event in Virginia as he hopes to kickstart his 2020 campaign with a strong performance in Super Tuesday this week.
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| U.S. Navy Nightmare: All Russian Warships Armed With Hypersonic Missiles Posted: 04 Mar 2020 05:30 AM PST  Could it happen?
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| In Major Upset, Texas Oil Regulator Loses Republican Primary Posted: 04 Mar 2020 05:42 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- A member of the top energy regulator in Texas lost his place on November's ballot to a Republican challenger, a major upset for an incumbent who has attracted criticism for his handling of natural gas flaring and occasionally split with his fellow commissioners.Ryan Sitton, whose six-year term ends in January, conceded to Jim Wright as the party's nominee for a spot on the Texas Railroad Commission. Despite the name, the powerful agency regulates the state's massive oil fields, including issuing permits for flaring, in which oil producers burn off unwanted natural gas."Congratulations to Jim Wright," Sitton wrote in a tweet late Tuesday night in Texas. "It's been an honor and incredibly rewarding to put my experience to work for Texas."Sitton has occasionally broken with the other two Republicans on the commission. Most recently, Sitton independently released a report on gas flaring that both tried to address criticism of the issue while defending the agency's practice of granting every permit that comes its way. He pointed at Iraq and Iran as examples of oil producers that burn off much more of their gas and could more easily cut flaring.The report was applauded by industry groups but panned by environmental groups and criticized by academics for trying to minimize the problem. Still, an executive at Royal Dutch Shell Plc last month called on regulators to craft better policies to reduce flaring in the Permian."The pressure from Texas' major operators must compel some kind of leadership from the RRC," said Katie Bays, co-founder of Washington-based Sandhill Strategy LLC. "Sitton staked out a role as an opponent of change, even if the industry was calling for it."Wright, a rancher and chief executive of an oilfield services company, will face the Democrat challenger for the seat currently held by Sitton, who had also clinched endorsements for the Republican primary from the editorial boards of the Houston Chronicle and the Dallas Morning News.Wright has said that the Railroad Commission should do a better job of encouraging oil producers to get their gas to market, though he doesn't support actions that would reduce oil output."Wright is thoughtful, shares our concerns about flaring and seismicity, and wants to increase transparency at the commission," the Dallas Morning News' editorial board wrote last month in its endorsement of Sitton. "However, he isn't a viable candidate. He did not complete our Voter Guide questionnaire and his campaign lacks a meaningful website or social media presence."Dallas lawyers Chrysta Castañeda and Roberto Alonzo, a former state representative, will compete in a May runoff to challenge Wright."Wright's victory adds uncertainty to key Texas issues such as flaring, as he is now the frontrunner for the position," said Ethan Bellamy, an analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co. who covers oil and gas pipeline operators. "His official positions on his website don't offer much in the way of specific policy, but as an owner of multiple energy service companies he clearly is in a position to understand the commercial impacts of the RRC's decisions."(Updates with analyst comment in last paragraph)To contact the reporter on this story: Rachel Adams-Heard in Houston at radamsheard@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Simon Casey at scasey4@bloomberg.net, Christine BuurmaFor 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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| Putin says Russia targeted from abroad by fake news on coronavirus Posted: 04 Mar 2020 03:07 AM PST  Russia has been targeted from abroad by foes spreading fake news about the coronavirus to sow panic, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. Putin's remarks came as Russia's communications regulator said it had shut down access to some social media posts containing falsehoods about the virus outbreak. A Russian cyber security company, Group-IB, on Monday identified what it said were thousands of fake news posts on messaging services and social networks such as Russia's VK alleging that thousands of Muscovites have caught the virus.
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| Chicago cops in station shooting stripped of police powers Posted: 04 Mar 2020 10:28 AM PST  Chicago's interim police superintendent on Wednesday stripped two officers of their police powers pending the outcome of the investigation into their roles in the non-fatal shooting of an unarmed suspect inside of a downtown train station last week. Superintendent Charlie Beck made the decision hours after the head of the agency that investigates officer-involved shootings in Chicago, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, or COPA, recommended that he take that step.
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| Chief Justice John Roberts issues a rare rebuke at Democrats' 'dangerous' and 'threatening statements' Posted: 04 Mar 2020 03:10 PM PST  Chief Justice John Roberts said he knew "that criticism comes with the territory" but that Sen. Chuck Schumer remarks were out of line.
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| Republicans Dive Back Into Hunter Biden Investigations Saying Voters Deserve It Posted: 04 Mar 2020 05:10 PM PST  Joe Biden's recent surge in the Democratic primary has revived his White House hopes and, with them, the Senate GOP's interest in using their power to dig into his son Hunter's business dealings in Ukraine.The desire for dirt on the Bidens was what prompted House Democrats to impeach President Donald Trump, after it was revealed he was leveraging military aid to Ukraine as part of his efforts. But as Biden seemed to fade from contention during the early voting contests, interest in Hunter Biden's time on the board of a Ukrainian energy company called Burisma seemed to fade among Trump and Republicans too. That's now changed. On the heels of Biden's string of primary wins on Tuesday, GOP lawmakers are teeing up letters and subpoenas for new information on the Bidens. And they're offering up a fresh explanation for why the push is justified: they're just vetting the guy for the benefit of Democratic primary voters."If he is in fact the frontrunner for the Democratic nominee to be president of the United States," said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), "all the more reason to get to the bottom of it, and make sure that the people have all the information that they need to make an informed decision on the person that would be president of the United States."The de facto leader of the Biden investigations, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), told reporters on Wednesday that Biden has not "adequately answered" questions about his family's involvement in Ukraine, despite no actual evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the former VP. "[I]f I were a Democrat primary voter, I'd want these questions satisfactorily answered before I cast my final vote," he said.Trump's Big Lie About Joe Biden, Hunter Biden and Ukraine Falls ApartOn Monday, Johnson announced that the Senate oversight panel, which he chairs, would be moving forward with a subpoena for documents and testimony related to Hunter Biden's service on the board of Burisma. And in the same breath he raised unanswered questions about the Bidens, the Wisconsin senator insisted that going after them was not his intention. "My investigations are not focused on the Bidens," he said. "They just aren't. But I can't ignore them, because they're part of the story. They made themselves part of the story... they made themselves part of this issue of legitimate investigation."The idea that Republican lawmakers are providing a public service to Democratic primary voters was treated as absurd by Democrats on Wednesday. Instead, they saw the renewed interest in Hunter Biden and Burisma as a not-particularly-subtle attempt to tar Joe Biden by association—raising questions about his integrity that don't need to be asked right as the general election is approaching. "Get ready," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), who has traveled with Johnson to Ukraine on several occasions. "The Senate is going to turn into an arm of the Trump campaign. I don't think we've expected anything different. The President is willing to use all the official powers at his disposal to try to destroy his political rivals. The Senate Republicans gave him a pass on that, and thus it stands to reason they would attempt to do some version of the same thing."The president's allies allege that Biden, when he was vice president, corruptly endeavored to protect his son Hunter's business dealings in Ukraine by working to oust a Ukrainian prosecutor who was looking into corruption at Burisma. But that prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, had put those investigations aside. And while much was made by Republicans of Biden's push to get rid of him, the Obama administration and U.S. allies wanted to see him gone, too, because he was seen as insufficiently committed to fighting corruption. Democrats Left Joe Biden for Dead. Then They Decided He Was Their SaviorNeither U.S. nor Ukrainian officials ever filed criminal charges against the Bidens, and the former Ukrainian prosecutor general, Yuriy Lutsenko, said in May 2019 that there was no evidence of wrongdoing. The Bidens themselves have denied wrongdoing, too. "We already knew that Donald Trump is terrified of facing Joe Biden—because he got himself impeached by trying to force a foreign country to spread lies about the Vice President on behalf of his re-election campaign," said Andrew Bates, a spokesman for the Biden campaign. "Now, Senator Johnson just flat out conceded that this is a ham-handed effort to manipulate Democratic primary voters."President Trump himself remains closely in touch with some of the most central figures off Capitol Hill trying to trigger investigations of the Biden family and Ukraine. On Wednesday, the president's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani told The Daily Beast that he was still in regular contact with Trump. Asked when the two of them last spoke, the Trump attorney replied, "yesterday"—the same day Biden dominated Super Tuesday's Democratic contests and dramatically improved his chances of securing the party's 2020 presidential nomination. Giuliani would not divulge the nature or subject matter of their Tuesday conversation. But the former New York mayor and leading Biden antagonist had previously vowed, following Trump's acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial, to continue to probe the Bidens and Ukraine issues.As The Daily Beast reported last month, Giuliani has done so at the explicit encouragement of his client, with Trump, post-acquittal, privately urging his attorney to keep digging on the matter and to keep the president updated on whatever progress he makes.In early February, Giuliani said he was planning on "ramping up" his probes into Joe and Hunter Biden, claiming that "it's a matter of the fair administration of justice for real."In the Senate, that ramping-up was timed nicely with Biden's reemergence in the Democratic race. On Sunday, the day after Biden's comeback win in the South Carolina primary, Johnson sent a letter to members of his committee notifying them of plans to hold a vote on a subpoena for Andrii Telizhenko, a former Ukrainian diplomat who worked for a consulting firm, Blue Star Strategies, that represented Burisma in the U.S. GOP Base Is Hot to Probe Biden, Senate Republicans Not So MuchIn his letter, Johnson wrote that he is "convinced obtaining Mr. Telizhenko's Blue Star documents and information is an important part of this investigation." Telizhenko, reported The Daily Beast in November, has ties to Trumpworld figures like Rudy Giuliani, and helped spread the narrative popular among the president's allies that Ukrainian officials meddled in the 2016 election to hurt Trump.A vote on the subpoena is scheduled for Mar. 11. If approved, it will be the first subpoena issued by Senate Republicans for anything related to Burisma. Asked to respond to allegations of fishy timing, Johnson scoffed. "They're just wrong," he said on Wednesday.The top Democrat on Johnson's committee, Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), declined to say to reporters if he felt that the probe is politically motivated. He did oppose it, however, on the grounds it was a waste of time: "This investigation should not be part of what we're doing at Homeland Security," said Peters. "There are too many other important issues that impact the security of our country."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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| Iran rejects US virus aid offer amid 'vicious' sanctions Posted: 04 Mar 2020 03:50 AM PST  Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday dismissed a US offer to help the Islamic republic fight its coronavirus outbreak, charging that "vicious" American sanctions are depriving the country of medicine. Iran has scrambled to halt the rapid spread of the virus that has claimed 92 lives out of 2,922 confirmed infections in the past two weeks. It has shut schools and universities, suspended major cultural and sporting events, and cut back on work hours.
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| Spooky gunship crew honored for heroism during ferocious Afghanistan battle Posted: 04 Mar 2020 12:42 PM PST  "The most lethal part of any gunship ... is the crew," AFSOC commander Lt. Gen. Jim Slife said.
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| Beijing Weighs Chinese Alternative to WHO in Response to Coronavirus Public Relations Disaster Posted: 04 Mar 2020 11:33 AM PST  A state-sponsored Chinese think tank is evaluating international opinion on the formation of the country's own alternative to the World Health Organization (WHO), in response to the public relations disaster caused by the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.An employee of the think tank, CNPC Economics & Technology Research Institute, wrote that the institution was considering the establishment of a China-based health organization comparable to the WHO. The employee then asked members of the Sino-Israel Global Network & Academic Leadership, an Israeli non-profit dedicated to forming closer ties with China, how the non-profit would view such a development."According to our analysis, the situation of coronavirus around the world is urgent, therefore, we consider that perhaps the world needs a leadership country/organization coordinating all the countries affected in fighting against coronavirus, just like the leadership role of U.S. in W.H.O.," the employee wrote in a message obtained by Axios.China has been struggling to contain the fallout from the outbreak of COVID-19, which originated in the city of Wuhan. The government has recently attempted to take control of the public narrative by branding China's response as a possible model for other countries to follow, including the U.S.China has over 80,000 confirmed cases of the illness with almost 3,000 deaths. Beijing has faced withering criticism from its own citizens over the government's handling of the outbreak, including Wuhan authorities' decision to punish several doctors who warned of the outbreak. One of those doctors, Li Wenliang, later died after contracting the coronavirus.
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| Putin Is Pushing: NATO Jets Are Scrambling to Intercept Russian Patrol Planes Posted: 04 Mar 2020 02:01 AM PST  British and Norwegian Typhoon and F-16 fighter jets scrambled two times in late February 2020 to intercept pairs of Tu-142 patrol planes belonging to Russia's Northern Fleet after the Tu-142s flew farther south than normal and approaches Norwegian air space.
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| Sheriff says 8 deputies shared Kobe crash photos: "Betrayal" Posted: 03 Mar 2020 03:18 AM PST  Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva says he feels a "sense of betrayal" that his deputies were involved in the sharing of the graphic images
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| Missing toddler's mother denied request for lowered bond Posted: 04 Mar 2020 12:37 AM PST  A Tennessee mother accused of lying to authorities about her missing 15-month-old daughter has been denied a bond reduction. Bond for Megan Boswell, 18, will remain at $25,000, news outlets reported. Sullivan County General Session Court Judge Klyne Lauderback rejected her attorney's request to drop the bond to $10,000 on Monday.
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| What 3 nutritionists recommend stockpiling for healthy, flavorful meals during a coronavirus quarantine Posted: 03 Mar 2020 07:57 AM PST  In case of a quarantine, these tips from nutritionists will help you prepare to make nutritious meals with limited resources.
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| Michael Moore: ‘South Carolina Is Not Representative’ of America Posted: 02 Mar 2020 06:35 PM PST  Filmmaker and prominent Bernie Sanders supporter Michael Moore waved off former Vice President Joe Biden's decisive South Carolina primary win on Monday night, claiming the state "is not representative of the United States."With moderate and establishment Democrats rallying around Biden ahead of Super Tuesday, including candidates Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg dropping out and endorsing the ex-veep, Moore appeared on MSNBC's The Beat With Ari Melber to call the maneuvers a "Hail Mary" motivated by their fear of Sanders."Whatever discussions went on before yesterday, they were convinced that this is the move," Moore said. "They should have been allowed to go through the election tomorrow and have their voters vote for them.""This is what bothers me about, really, either party," he added. "But I hate to see it in when it happens in our party where we want to take the right of the people to have their say and that's tomorrow. Let them have their say, whether they want Biden or Bernie or Pete or Amy. But we're going to take that away."Host Ari Melber, meanwhile, brought up a previous Moore interview from October 2019 in which he claimed Biden was "this year's Hillary" and wouldn't be able to excite the Democratic base because "70 percent of the people voting" will be women, people of color, and young people."How do you square that with South Carolina?" Melber wondered aloud, referencing Biden's dominant victory."South Carolina is not representative of the United States," the Fahrenheit 9/11 director said. "That's just the facts. South Carolina will have absolutely no impact on the Nov. 3 election."Moore, after dismissing a state in which roughly 60 percent of the Democratic electorate is African-American, went on to say that a large percentage of voters in November will be people of color and "they're going to decide the election."Moore's comments immediately sparked anger online, particularly over the suggestion that the filmmaker was being dismissive of black South Carolina voters."Yes, Michael Moore said South Carolina (the first primary state with a significant black population) is not representative of the United States," CNN commentator Keith Boykin noted on Twitter.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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| China warns of retaliation over U.S. 'bullying' of state media Posted: 03 Mar 2020 04:37 AM PST  China threatened Tuesday to retaliate against U.S. "bullying" after Washington imposed staff cuts on Chinese state media, two weeks after expelling three Wall Street Journal reporters.
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| Egypt hangs ex-elite soldier turned Islamist militant Ashmawy Posted: 04 Mar 2020 01:40 AM PST  Egypt executed an ex-special forces officer turned top Islamist militant, Hisham Ashmawy, on Wednesday over involvement in several high-profile attacks, said the army. "The execution by hanging was carried out based on a decision by the military court ... and after taking all the relevant judicial procedures," said army spokesman Tamer al-Rifai. Ashmawy -- dubbed Egypt's "most wanted man" by local media -- was a former officer with Egypt's special forces who went on to fight with Al-Qaeda linked groups.
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| Gas Shortage! The U.S. Air Force’s New Tanker Doesn’t Work Posted: 04 Mar 2020 03:01 AM PST  The U.S. Air Force just admitted that its new aerial tanker doesn't work. But the service still wants to keep buying the flawed refuelers while also retiring older tankers that everyone knows work just fine.
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| A 95-year-old man has been 'working' at his local 7-Eleven for decades. He's paid in coffee. Posted: 04 Mar 2020 10:45 AM PST  "Mr. G" isn't paid with money but with bananas and coffee. He comes six days a week, Monday through Saturday, whenever he can.
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| Seattle feels like 'ghost town,' business owners say as they face life in coronavirus hot spot Posted: 04 Mar 2020 08:21 AM PST  As the death toll in Washington climbed, Seattle's mayor declared a civil emergency and businesses braced for economic fallout.
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| Man who filmed infant sex abuse sentenced to life in prison Posted: 04 Mar 2020 09:49 AM PST |
