- PoliticsYahoo News
Inspector general finds 'significant errors or omissions' in Trump adviser surveillance warrant
While clearing the FBI of political bias in opening an investigation into then candidate Donald Trump, a Justice Department inspector general report hands powerful new ammunition to the president's allies, sharply criticizing the bureau for “serious performance errors” and “significant” errors and omissions in its applications for a secret surveillance warrant targeting a member of Trump's campaign. The long awaited 434-page report finds that FBI's team conducting Crossfire Hurricane— the code name for the bureau's investigation into links between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin — improperly relied too heavily on allegations made by Christopher Steele, a former British spy who had been hi...
- WorldThe National Interest
Deadliest Weapon After a Nuclear Bomb: Meet Russia's TOS-1 MLRS 'Buratino'
Key point: Buratino is a unique Russian self-propelled multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS) that has seen action in global hotspots like Afghanistan, Chechnya, Iraq and Syria. The TOS-1 Buratino is a unique Russian self-propelled multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS) that has seen action in global hotspots like Afghanistan, Chechnya, Iraq and Syria. Like the enormous 240-millimeter 2S4 self-propelled mortar, the TOS-1's specialty is obliterating heavily fortified positions.
- BusinessBusiness Insider
How did South Bend actually do under Mayor Pete Buttigieg? We pulled the numbers to find out.
Still, South Bend's median income in 2017 was much lower than the other 87 cities with 100,000 to 125,000 inhabitants: the average city's median income was $60,211 in 2017. But, Mayor Pete's term has been a fairly unambiguous success on one point: In 2012, according to the ACS data unemployment in South Bend stood at 15.6%. As of 2017, according to the American Community Survey estimates it was down to 9.0%, a 6.6 percentage point decline that was the second-highest of any of the 87 cities in the sample.
- NewsAssociated Press
Corruption allegations long dogged ex-Mexico security chief
Mexico's former security chief was dogged by so many allegations of corruption and wrongdoing for so long that some said it was only a matter of time before he would be arrested. What amazed some was that it took so long, and that Genaro García Luna's arrest this week came on U.S. soil rather than in Mexico. García Luna, 51, who left the security post nearly a decade ago, was charged in federal court in New York with three counts of trafficking cocaine and one count of making false statements.
- NewsReuters
U.S. Supreme Court rejects inmate's bid for sex reassignment surgery
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear an appeal by a convicted murderer who filed a civil rights lawsuit because Texas prison officials denied her request to be considered for gender reassignment surgery. The justices let stand a lower court's decision to reject the claim by inmate Vanessa Lynn Gibson that denying the surgery request violated the U.S. Constitution's Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. Gibson, 41, who is transgender and also goes by the name Scott in court papers, was assigned male at birth and has lived as a female since age 15.
- NewsThe Guardian
'An outright lie': Ohio lawmaker shown to be linked to group pushing rightwing Christian bills
An Ohio legislator who said he had “no knowledge” of a rightwing Christian bill mill called Project Blitz is, in fact, the co-chair of the state branch of an organization behind the campaign. The Ohio state representative Timothy Ginter sponsored a bill called the Student Religious Liberties Act. The Guardian revealed the bill was nearly identical to one promoted by Project Blitz, a state legislative project guided by three Christian right organizations, including the Congressional Prayer Caucus (CPC), WallBuilders and the ProFamily Legislators Conference.
- PoliticsThe Daily Beast
Pro-Trump Network OAN Tried to Get This Ukrainian Millionaire a Visa Before His Arrest
Before catching the eye of German law enforcement, former Ukrainian parliamentarian Oleksandr Onyshchenko drew attention from the conservative TV channel One America News. Before his arrest, though, the Trump-friendly media outlet tried to help him get a visa to travel to the U.S. The effort, which has not been previously reported, was part of a push by OAN to unearth information on Burisma Holdings, the energy company that retained Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice President and current Trump rival Joe Biden.
- WorldBloomberg
Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Camp Wins Big in Accountant Election
In a vote for seats on the council of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants, all six pro-democracy candidates running won against a mix of pro-government and independent opponents. The vote followed a broader citywide election late last month, which saw pro-democracy candidates secure a landslide win. The politicized battle over seats on even an accounting board underscores how the polarization is deepening in Hong Kong amid mounting protests against China's grip on the city.
WorldAFPIndia's lower house passes contentious nationality bill
India's lower house passed controversial legislation Tuesday that will grant citizenship to religious minorities from neighbouring countries, but not Muslims, amid raucous scenes in parliament and protests in the country's northeast. The Citizenship Amendment Bill provides that Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians fleeing persecution in Muslim-majority Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan can be granted citizenship. It comfortably passed the lower house with 311 votes in favour and 80 against just after midnight.
- PoliticsBusiness Insider
A protester from the conspiracy site InfoWars interrupted the latest impeachment hearing as soon as it began, shouting 'Trump is innocent!'
A protestor who works for the right-wing talk radio and conspiracy site Infowars interrupted the first minutes of Monday's impeachment hearing by yelling loudly in the hearing room. Shroyer has helped spread right-wing conspiracies, including the "Pizzagate" theory, which falsely alleged that multiple pizza restaurants were fronts for child sex trafficking rings led by Hillary Clinton. A protestor who works for the right-wing talk radio and conspiracy site Infowars interrupted the first minutes of Monday's impeachment hearing by yelling in the hearing room about his opposition to the process.
- WorldThe National Interest
Remember When Russian Diesel Submarines Chased Down A British Nuclear Sub?
Russian diesel subs chased a British nuclear sub off the Syrian coast, according to British media. The incident reportedly involved one or two Russian Kilo-class diesel-powered submarines, which have been dubbed the "Black Hole" by Western navies because they are remarkably quiet. The British sub did not fire its Tomahawks during last week's strike by American, British and French forces against Syrian chemical weapons sites, leading to speculation that the British boat was driven off by the Russian subs.
- WorldReuters
UPDATE 1-Iran foreign ministry issues travel advisory for citizens not to visit America
Iran warned its citizens, particularly scientists, on Tuesday not to visit America, saying Iranians there were subjected to arbitrary and lengthy detention in inhuman conditions. "Iranian citizens, particularly elites and scientists, are requested to seriously avoid traveling to America, even to take part in scientific conferences and even having an invitation," a travel advisory on the foreign ministry website said. It cited, "America's cruel and one-sided laws toward Iranians, especially Iranian elites, and arbitrary and lengthy detention in completely inhuman conditions" as reasons for the travel advisory.
- NewsAssociated Press
US charges: Mexico ex-security chief took bribes from cartel
Mexico's former top security chief has been indicted in New York City on charges he accepted a fortune in drug-money bribes from kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's notorious Sinaloa cartel to let it operate with impunity in Mexico. Genaro Garcia Luna, 51, was charged in federal court in Brooklyn with three counts of cocaine trafficking conspiracy and a false statements charge. Garcia Luna, a resident of Florida, was arrested Monday by federal agents in Dallas, where he made an initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon.
- NewsNational Review
Planned Parenthood Employee Admits She Tried to Facilitate Sale of Fetal Livers in Court Testimony
A Planned Parenthood employee told a San Francisco court that she had planned to “move forward” with the sale of fetal livers at $750 each. Tram Nguyen, a healthcare administrator at Planned Parenthood of the Gulf Coast, testified in March that she wanted to sell fetal livers for $750 each as well as combinations of fetal livers and fetal thymi at $1,600 each, the Daily Caller reported Monday. Her testimony came as part of the ongoing lawsuits against pro-life investigator David Daleiden, who who went undercover several years ago to record abortion industry executives discussing and haggling over their procurement fetal body parts for researchers.
- BusinessPopular Mechanics
The Best War Movies on Netflix
For when only a war film will do. From Popular Mechanics
U.S.Yahoo News VideoSaudi who killed 3 sailors was infuriated by ‘Pornstache’ nickname
The Saudi air force trainee who killed three sailors at a U.S. Navy base last week reportedly made an official complaint about being called “Pornstache” by one of his instructors.
- NewsThe Daily Beast
Justice Department Backs Free-Speech Lawsuit Against Mississippi Junior College: U.S. Is ‘Not a Police State’
The Justice Department weighed in on a federal campus free-speech lawsuit on Monday, proclaiming that neither Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Mississippi, nor any other public educational institution, can “trample on” its students' First Amendment rights. Former student J. Michael Brown—along with the non-profit group Young Americans for Liberty—filed the lawsuit in September, claiming that the college had instituted a policy requiring campus administrators to pre-approve all “meetings or gatherings” at least three days before any event for any purpose anywhere on campus, The Clarion-Ledger reported at the time. Brown's lawsuit alleged that college officials twice called the campus police on him when he “sought to engage on campus with fellow students about topics such as free speech and civil liberties” and the legalization of marijuana, according to a press release from the Justice Department on Monday.
- PoliticsThe Independent
Trump impeachment hearing: Pro-Trump Infowars host who called for Obama to be lynched thrown out of inquiry
A host on the far-right US conspiracy and disinformation website InfoWars has been removed from the latest impeachment hearing by police, after interrupting House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerry Nadler with pro-Donald Trump messages. The interruption came from a host on the fringe conservative website who led a racist call earlier this year for the lynching of Barack Obama, America's first African American president. The host was seen being led out by Capitol Police after the interruption on Monday, shortly after the start of the hearings in which politicians are to question the counsels hired by the House Intelligence Committee to spearhead questioning during earlier impeachment hearings.
- PoliticsBusiness Insider
Barr warned Trump for months that Rudy Giuliani was becoming a liability, but the president ignored him because he loves Giuliani's fiery media appearances
AP Photo/Seth Wenig Attorney General William Barr has reportedly warned President Donald Trump that his attorney, Rudy Giuliani, is becoming a liability, sources told The Washington Post. Giuliani's role in seeking announcements from Ukraine about two criminal investigations that Democrats allege would have benefitted the president politically is one of the chief focuses of the House impeachment probe. Giuliani has denied any claims of wrongdoing in either his work in his efforts to secure the Ukraine investigations, claiming he was simply acting in defense of his client, Trump.
- WorldThe National Interest
Missile Race: Does America or China Dominate the South China Sea?
Key point: In an actual war, both Washington and Beijing would employ their conventional missile arsenals to sink each other's ships. The Chinese military lobbed anti-ship ballistic missiles into the South China Sea in tests in early July 2019. The missile trials underscored Beijing's increasing militarization of resource-rich waters on which several countries have conflicting claims.
- WorldReuters
Brazil's Bolsonaro calls activist Thunberg a 'brat'
Brazil's right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro called Swedish climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg a "brat" on Tuesday after she criticized mounting violence against indigenous people in which two Amazon tribesmen were shot dead three days ago. "Greta said the Indians died because they were defending the Amazon (forest). How can the media give space to a brat like that," Bolsonaro told reporters, using the Portuguese word "pirralha."
- WorldAssociated Press
Turkey hints it could bar US from using key air bases
Turkey's foreign minister suggested Wednesday that the United States could be barred from using two strategic air bases in retaliation to possible U.S. sanctions against his country, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Mevlut Cavusoglu comments came amid reports that U.S. lawmakers had agreed on a defense bill that also includes calls to sanction Turkey over its decision to proceed with the purchase and deployment of Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems. "In the event of a decision to sanction Turkey, the Incirlik and Kurecik airbases can be brought to the agenda," Anadolu quoted Cavusoglu as saying.
WorldAFPRussian court sentences 11 for Saint Petersburg bombing
A Russian court on Tuesday sentenced 11 people to terms including life in prison after finding them guilty of a deadly bomb attack on the Saint Petersburg metro in 2017. Abror Azimov, a 29-year-old from Kyrgyzstan, was sentenced by a military court in Russia's second biggest city to life in prison for organising and participating in a terrorist group. The bomb blast in April 2017 killed 15 people in the Saint Petersburg metro and wounded dozens more.
NewsUSA TODAYCities are criminalizing homelessness by banning people from camping in public. That's the wrong approach, report says
More cities are punishing homeless people for sleeping in public, a new report shows, amid an increase in Americans living on the streets. Arresting or ticketing people who have nowhere else to go doesn't help them find permanent housing, according to the National Law Center for Homelessness and Poverty report. Instead, policies criminalizing homelessness can make it more difficult to afford and qualify for housing.
U.S.Yahoo News VideoSupreme Court rejects a challenge to free speech about Berkeley cellphone law
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a free speech challenge brought by a trade group against a regulation issued by the California city of Berkeley that requires cellphone retailers to tell customers of certain radiation risks.
