- NewsYahoo News
House Democrats to vote on restoration of Voting Rights Act this month
House Democrats will vote this month on a bill intended to lay the foundation for a restoration of the full Voting Rights Act, a significant step in a years-long effort to respond to a 2013 Supreme Court decision that significantly weakened the law. “I think we're very close to getting that on the floor,” House Administration Committee Chair Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., told Yahoo News in an interview, predicting a vote in the House before the end of the year. For the past year, the House subcommittee on elections, chaired by Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, has conducted a series of eight field hearings in states across the country, compiling evidence to support the assertion that voter suppression not only remains a problem but has increased since the Supreme Court's 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision.
- NewsBusiness Insider
William Barr warned that communities that don't 'support and respect' cops could lose 'the police protection they need'
Attorney General William Barr said in a speech Tuesday that communities may lose the "police protection they need" if they don't show respect for officers. Barr was speaking at a Justice Department ceremony honoring police officers, but chastised Americans failing to recognize the "sacrifice and service" of police. Barr's remarks were widely interpreted by civil-rights activists to be a threat against those who have protested in recent years against fatal police shootings or instances of excessive force and misconduct.
- WorldAssociated Press
Activists apologize for use of Holocaust victims’ remains
An activist group has apologized to Jewish organizations outraged over their use of purported Holocaust victims' remains in an installation outside Germany's parliament building meant to draw attention to the perils of far-right extremism. The Center for Political Beauty, a Germany-based activist group known for provocative stunts, installed an urn outside the Reichtstag building on Monday, saying it contained victims' remains that it had unearthed from 23 locations near Nazi death and concentration camps in Germany, Poland and Ukraine. “We want to apologize especially to Jewish institutions, associations and individuals who see our work as disturbing or touching the peace of the dead according to Jewish religious law,” the group said on its website in a post late Wednesday.
- NewsThe Telegraph
Pearl Harbour shooting: two people killed after US sailor attacks base in Hawaii
Two people have been killed and one injured after a gunman opened fire before taking his own life at Pearl Harbour military base in Hawaii. The Pearl Harbour Naval Shipyard was locked down on Wednesday afternoon after the shooting which is believed to have started at 2.30pm local time (10.30pm GMT). The shooting took place at Dry Dock 2, near the south entrance of a combined US Air Force and Navy base about 8 miles (13 km) from Honolulu.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Soldier stationed in Afghanistan raises thousands to bring home his buddy, Sully the cat
In fact, a Delaware man in Afghanistan is raising money to bring home his buddy, Sully the cat. Dan Brissey is on his fourth overseas tour as part of the National Guard. Brissey is stationed in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital and largest city, working as an engineer at a construction site.
- BusinessReuters
U.S. trade deficit narrows to 1-1/2-year low on weak imports, exports
The U.S. trade deficit dropped to its lowest level in nearly 1-1/2 years in October, suggesting trade could contribute to economic growth in the fourth quarter, though a fall in imports of consumer goods hinted at a slowdown in domestic demand. The Commerce Department said on Thursday the trade deficit tumbled 7.6% to $47.2 billion, the smallest since May 2018, as both imports and exports of goods declined. The decreases in imports and exports suggested the White House's "America First" agenda, marked by a 17-month trade war with China, was reducing trade flows.
- WorldThe National Interest
Why Iran's 'Stealth' Qaher 313 Is Nothing to Fear
Tensions have escalated in the Persian Gulf region in the aftermath of U.S. president Donald Trump's decision unilaterally to withdraw the United States from the agreement limiting Iran's nuclear program. The U.S. military has implicated Iranian agents in several summer 2019 attacks on civilian ships sailing near Iran. The U.S. Air Force deployed B-52 bombers and F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters.
- BusinessBloomberg
Trump’s $28 Billion Trade War Bailout Is Overpaying Farmers
President Donald Trump's $28 billion farm bailout may be paying many growers more than the trade war with China has cost them. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's calculations overshot the impact of the trade conflict on American soybean prices, according to six academic studies, a conclusion that is likely to add to criticism that the bailout has generated distortions and inequalities in the farm economy. “It's clear that the payment rates overstated the damage suffered by soybean growers,” said Joseph Glauber, the USDA's former chief economist who published a review of the research in late November.
WorldAFPIn Gaza, 'American hospital' fuels suspicions
Volunteers with a US Christian charity group pose for a selfie in front of tents and crates of equipment to build a contentious new field hospital on the Israel-Gaza border. The facility, to be located right next to a crossing into Israel, has rare joint support from the Jewish state and Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas as part of an informal truce deal. But its existence, and the way it has been advertised by the US non-government group running it, is fuelling suspicions and rumours among some Palestinians.
- PoliticsNational Review
2020 Democrats Expose Extreme Abortion Policies in New Survey
The New York Times has released the results from a set of questions posed to each Democratic presidential candidate about his or her views on abortion. Thus far in the primary race, very few of the candidates have been pushed to account for their position on a variety of abortion policies, especially during the debates. The Times should be commended for this effort to get candidates on the record on specific policy questions.
- WorldNational Review
Pakistan Backs Off Prosecuting Chinese Sex Traffickers to Preserve Economic Ties to Beijing: Report
Pakistan has been seeking closer ties with China for years as Beijing continue to make major investments in the country's infrastructure. Pakistani investigators have compiled a list of 629 girls and women who were brought to China to be sold as brides. Traffickers often target members of Pakistan's Christian minority, one of the poorest communities in the Muslim-majority country, and some even bribe ministers to advise churchgoers to sell their daughters.
- NewsAssociated Press
Police chief firing puts spotlight on cops who let him go
For officers, pulling over a fellow cop can be an awkward dilemma, one that's magnified when it's the head of one of the nation's largest police departments. It's a worst-nightmare situation for a police officer to encounter their superior or chief who has been drinking,” said Philip Stinson, a criminal justice professor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. They're damned if they do, and they're damned if they don't in terms of how they respond or act.
- ScienceThe Telegraph
Hermit crabs dying after mistaking plastic for shells, study finds
Hermit crabs are mistaking plastic for shells and the problem has killed more than half a million of the crustaceans, a new study by the Natural History Museum has found. The creatures do not make their own shells but instead move from discarded shell to discarded shell as they grow. Once they crawl into a piece of plastic debris, the crabs frequently get stuck and starve to death.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Harvard grad student workers go on strike, seeking $25 an hour minimum wage, other demands
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Slogging through snow showers and slush, hundreds of Harvard University graduate student workers picketed Tuesday at Harvard Yard, as thousands went on strike seeking higher pay and other demands. It marked the first strike of graduate students on the Ivy League campus since 1973, when teaching fellows and protested the university's financial aid program. The strike threatened some of the university's educational operations before final exams.
- WorldReuters
Hong Kong gives protesters green light for big march on Sunday
Hong Kong authorities granted protesters permission to march this weekend, organisers said on Thursday, giving the green light to a rally seen as a gauge of the pro-democracy movement's support following its sweeping victory in local elections. The Civil Human Right Front, the group that organised million-strong marches in the China-ruled city in June, said it had received permission from police for a planned Human Rights Day rally on Sunday. Tsang Chi-kin, who had been hospitalised after the October shooting incident, walked into a Hong Kong court and left about an hour later after his case was adjourned until February.
- WorldThe National Interest
China Built The DF-26 Missile To Take Down America's Prized Aircraft Carriers
Key point: Anti-ship missiles pose a growing threat to America's navy. The Chinese People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) commissioned the DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) into service earlier this year in April. “The newly commissioned weaponry of the Rocket Force is Dongfeng-26 missile,” Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesman for China Ministry of National Defense, told reporters on April 26.
- PoliticsYahoo News Video
Schiff responds to Nunes phone calls in impeachment inquiry report
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said it's “deeply concerning” that members of congress could be involved in the allegations against President Trump. He was responding to a question about calls by the ranking member of the committee, Devin Nunes, being listed in the impeachment inquiry report.
- StyleArchitectural Digest
18 Clever-Approved Coat Racks You Don’t Need to Hide
Corral your coats, scarves, and hats in style Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldAFP'In cold blood': Syria Kurds say killed, robbed by Turkey proxies
Syrian Kurdish mother Shara Sido says the news came to her via a messaging application. Sitting inside a modest house in the de-facto Syrian Kurdish capital of Qamishli, the displaced 65-year-old scrolls through her phone to find a picture. Turkish troops and their Syrian proxies have overrun a swathe of northern Syria since October, after a deadly military campaign against Kurdish forces that caused tens of thousands to flee their homes.
- WorldThe Telegraph
London Bridge terrorist was upgraded to a 'high risk' category A prisoner after threats to staff
London Bridge terrorist Usman Khan was upgraded to a “high risk” category A prisoner after making threats to senior prison staff, The Telegraph can reveal. Prison sources claim it was one of a number of incidents including violence early on during the eight years he served for a terror plot to blow up the London stock exchange. The disclosure challenges suggestions he was consistently a model prisoner who had reformed his beliefs, ultimately resulting in him being allowed to go unescorted to a prisoner rehabilitation conference at London Bridge where he stabbed to death two Cambridge University graduates.
- WorldAssociated Press
Iran leader calls for ‘Islamic mercy’ after bloody crackdown
Iran's supreme leader called Wednesday for those detained in recent gasoline price protests to be treated with “Islamic mercy” even after authorities acknowledged government forces shot and killed demonstrators nationwide in unrest that reportedly killed over 200 people. The comments by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say over all state matters in the Islamic Republic, appear to signal how much the mid-November protests shook the pillars of power in the theocracy. Amnesty International believes at least 208 people were killed in the protests and security force crackdown that followed.
- BusinessThe Daily Beast
Trump Campaign Uses Footage From Poland, South Africa in ‘American Dream’ Thanksgiving Ad
President Donald Trump's campaign released a Thanksgiving-themed ad earlier this week celebrating America's inherent greatness. The 43-second video displayed various, traditionally patriotic scenes: families gathering in the kitchen, a kid looking into a telescope, a game of catch, and steelworkers leaving a steel mill. However, two of those vignettes were filmed in, respectively, Poland and South Africa. The ad, posted on Twitter Monday, features a narrator touting the “American dream” while the clips play and emotional orchestral music swells in the background.
LifestyleAFP Relax NewsNorwegian, Holland America win big in Cruise Critics awards 2019
From the best new ocean liner of 2019 to the best cruises for food, families and high rollers, experts at Cruise Critic have released their picks of the best cruise lines of the last year. One of the big winners of Cruise Critic's Editors' Picks Awards is the Norwegian Encore, which was named the best new ship of the year for features like virtual-reality rides, go-kart racing, onboard Broadway musicals, and exclusive accommodations. Holland America's newly launched In-Depth Voyages program, which offers itineraries in remote destinations and expedition-style experiences, along with its Grand Voyages package -- a 128-day cruise that circumnavigates the globe, helped the brand nab the award f...
- PoliticsUSA TODAY
'Why are you parroting Russian propaganda?': Hillary Clinton slams Sen. Kennedy for Ukraine claim
WASHINGTON – Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned Sen. John Kennedy on Monday for "parroting Russian propaganda" after the Louisiana Republican said he believed "both Russia and Ukraine meddled in the 2016 election." "Sen. Kennedy, why are you parroting Russian propaganda that U.S. intelligence officials tell us are designed to divide our country?"
- WorldThe National Interest
North Korea's Underground Air Bases Would Be Key In a War Against America
Key point: Underground headquarters, fortifications and troop depots have the potential to not only enhance the Korean People's Army's ability to mount a surprise attack, but also to prolong the war. North Korea, one of the most secretive countries in the world, is no stranger to building underground military facilities. Whether a tunnel dug under the demilitarized zone designed to pass thousands of troops an hour, or bunkers to accommodate the regime's leadership, North Korea has built extensive underground facilities designed to give it an edge in wartime.
