- PoliticsYahoo News
Mueller witness bragged about access to Clintons secured with illegal campaign cash, says Justice Department
An emissary for two wealthy Arab princes boasted to unnamed officials of a Middle Eastern government about his direct access to Hillary and Bill Clinton while funneling more than $3.5 million in illegal campaign contributions to the former secretary of state's 2016 presidential campaign and Democratic fundraising committees, according to a federal indictment announced by the Justice Department this week. Wonderful meeting with Big Lady. Can't wait to tell you all about it,” George Nader allegedly wrote to an official of one of the foreign governments he advises in the Middle East after attending a political fundraiser with Hillary Clinton on April 16, 2016.
- PoliticsReuters
California congressman Duncan Hunter announces resignation after corruption plea
U.S. Representative Duncan Hunter will resign from Congress following his guilty plea to a federal charge of conspiring to misuse campaign funds, he said on Friday. Hunter's announcement that he would step down came days after the leading California lawmaker, a former U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran, entered his guilty plea in federal court in San Diego. "Shortly after the Holidays I will resign from Congress," Hunter, 42, said in a written statement released by his communications director.
- WorldAssociated Press
Lebanon’s journalists suffer abuse, threats covering unrest
Lebanese journalists are facing threats and wide-ranging harassment in their work — including verbal insults and physical attacks, even death threats — while reporting on nearly 50 days of anti-government protests, despite Lebanon's reputation as a haven for free speech in a troubled region. Local media outlets — some of which represent the sectarian interests protesters are looking to overthrow — are now largely seen as pro- or anti-protests, with some journalists feeling pressured to leave their workplaces over disagreements about media coverage. The deteriorating situation for journalists in Lebanon comes despite its decades-old reputation for being an island of free press in the Arab world.
- BusinessBusiness Insider
Tesla changed the release dates for the most and least expensive versions of the Cybertruck by a year
Tesla has changed the production timelines for the most and least expensive trims of its Cybertruck pickup truck. It said production for the three-motor, all-wheel-drive Cybertruck, which starts at $69,900, would begin in 2021, a year earlier than Tesla first announced. The single-motor, rear-wheel-drive Cybertruck, which starts at $39,900, will enter production in late 2022, a year later than its original timeline, Tesla said.
- PoliticsNational Review
Biden Claims the Media Inflated AOC’s Role as Party Leader: ‘You Guys Got it All Wrong’
Former Vice President Joe Biden is accusing the media of “bad judgment” in their coverage of progressive Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, saying reporters and commentators have exaggerated her political rise as indicative of the direction of the overall party. “You guys got it all wrong about what happened,” Biden told Axios on HBO in Iowa. “I do,” Biden responded.
- WorldBloomberg
U.K. Labor Market Freezes Amid Brexit, Election Uncertainty
Political uncertainty is “playing havoc” with the U.K. labor market, with demand for workers rising at the slowest pace for a decade and wage pressures easing, according to a report. The survey by KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation published Friday found companies delaying or canceling hiring plans and people hesitating to take on new jobs last month amid the confusion over Brexit and the upcoming general election. Clearly employers and job-seekers are taking a wait-and-see approach before committing to growth or movement,” said James Stewart, vice chair at KMPG.
- BusinessThe National Interest
Bombs Away! The Powerful B-52 Bomber Is Getting Even More Deadly
Key point: The Pentagon may end up flying the B-52 for 100 years. Sixty-seven years after the U.S. Air Force received its last B-52 from Boeing, the flying branch finally has firmed up plans to fit the heavy bomber with new engines. Air Force magazine in its January 2019 issue took a deep dive into the re-engining effort.
- NewsTime
Trump Administration Authorizes 'Cyanide Bombs' to Kill Predators Again, Months After Backlash
The Trump Administration will reauthorize the use of so-called “cyanide bombs” to poison coyotes, foxes and feral dogs that could threaten private livestock. The decision comes four months after halting their authorization amid public backlash. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Thursday it would include new safety requirements to protect humans and pets, such as additional signs and increased distances the distance the “cyanide bombs” must be from homes and roads.
- WorldReuters
Thailand detains wife, children of Rakhine insurgent group leader
The Thai authorities have detained the wife and children of a top commander of Arakan Army, an insurgent group who are fighting for greater autonomy in neighboring Myanmar's Rakhine State, Thai officials told Reuters on Friday. Hnin Zar Phyu, 38, the wife of Major General Tun Myat Naing, 41, and their daughter Saw Pyae Shun, 11, and 11-month-old son, Myat Lin Zan, were arrested on Wednesday in Chiang Mai, a city in northern Thailand that has long been sanctuary for dissidents from Myanmar, and charged with illegal entry.
- NewsThe Independent
Video shows people scaling US border wall in seconds - despite Trump insisting it 'can't be climbed'
Donald Trump has praised construction of newly constructed wall along the US-Mexico border, which the president has insisted “can't be climbed”. In September, the president stood in front of the construction of a portion of the wall, which he said had been tested by “world-class mountain climbers” who found that “this was the one that was hardest to climb”. In a now-viral video uploaded this week, three men climbed a similar portion of border fencing within seconds.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Blind inmate to be executed by electric chair, first since death penalty reinstated
On Thursday, Tennessee is set to carry out the second-ever execution of a blind prisoner in the United States since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The state's highest court refused to push back the execution of Lee Hall, 53, who was convicted in the 1991 burning death of his estranged girlfriend Traci Crozier in Chattanooga. Attorneys asked the Tennessee Supreme Court to intervene ahead of his death in order to allow an ongoing legal appeal to finish in appellate courts.
- WorldAssociated Press
Russia suspends project with Iran due to uranium enrichment
A Russian state company suspended a research project with Iran because of its decision to resume enriching uranium, a move a senior official said Thursday was necessary after the U.S. canceled a waiver to allow the joint venture. The TVEL company said in a statement that Iran's decision to resume uranium enrichment at the Fordo facility makes it impossible to convert the facility to produce radioactive isotopes for medical purposes. Iran agreed to stop uranium enrichment under a 2015 deal with world powers to prevent it from building a bomb, but it has resumed such activities after the U.S. pulled out of the pact last year and imposed new sanctions.
- LifestylePopular Mechanics
13 Mythical Creatures, Ranked
Did your favorite make the list? From Popular Mechanics
- PoliticsNational Review
Adam Schiff’s Attack on the Free Press
Where are all the self-styled champions of the free press now that Adam Schiff has used the surveillance powers of the state to smear not only his political rivals but a journalist? With the release of the House Intelligence Committee's impeachment report Tuesday came the revelation that Giuliani and his Ukrainian affiliate Lev Parnas, whose metadata Schiff apparently subpoenaed, had exchanged calls with former The Hill columnist John Solomon, ranking Intelligence Republican Devin Nunes, and attorney Jay Sekulow.
- NewsThe New York Times
Police Officer Under Investigation After Footage Said to Show Him Groping Dead Woman
A Los Angeles police officer has been placed under investigation, a police spokesman said Wednesday. Body camera footage was said to show him groping a deceased woman's breasts, according to a person familiar with the case. The unidentified male officer was not working while the case was under investigation, Josh Rubenstein, the department spokesman, said.
- NewsThe National Interest
History Book Nightmare: Russia Could Have Nuked Away America's Submarine Fleet
Key point: Issues of command and control remain important to keeping America's nuclear deterrent secure and reliable. A key component of the U.S. doctrine of mutually assured destruction — commonly and appropriately known as MAD — was that American troops would still be able to retaliate if the Soviet Union launched a nuclear attack. In 1968, the Defense Intelligence Agency's Scientific Advisory Committee found dangerous gaps in the communications network supporting the nation's so-called Fleet Ballistic Missile boats, or FBMs.
- WorldBloomberg
Turkey’s Maritime Muscle Flexing Roils Eastern Mediterranean
The Nov. 27 preliminary agreement demarcates an 18.6-nautical mile (35-kilometer) line that will form the maritime boundary separating the two countries' respective exclusive economic zones. Libya's presidential council and Turkey's parliament approved the memorandum of understanding, Anadolu Agency said Friday. “This agreement also amounts to a political message that Turkey can't be sidelined in the eastern Mediterranean and nothing can be really achieved in the region without Turkey's participation,” Cagatay Erciyes, a senior foreign ministry official in charge of maritime and aviation boundary affairs, said Thursday.
BusinessYahoo News VideoBloomberg says ending 'nationwide madness' of gun violence drives his presidential bid
Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg said on Thursday he wants to become president to end "the nationwide madness" of U.S. gun violence, calling it evil and saying he would allow its victims to file lawsuits against gun manufacturers.
- WorldReuters
Turkey's Halkbank will use all rights to halt U.S. Federal Court ruling
Turkey's majority state-owned Halkbank said on Friday that it will use all its legal rights to challenge a U.S. Federal Court ruling that it must enter a formal plea to charges that it helped Iran evade sanctions. Halkbank said it requests the right to defend its position that the U.S. court lacks jurisdiction over claims made against the bank as Halkbank does not have any branch or physical operation in the United States. The bank has so far declined to make a formal appearance in the case.
- PoliticsBusiness Insider
Here's how Trump could be impeached, removed from office, and still win re-election in 2020
On Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the House is moving forward with drafting articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, but he could still be re-elected in 2020 even if Congress removes him from office. If a simple majority of the House votes to impeach Trump on one or more articles of impeachment, they go to the US Senate, which holds a trial. Two-thirds of the Senate would have to vote to convict Trump to remove him from office.
- HealthAssociated Press
Officials list pot vape brands reported in US outbreak
Health officials investigating a nationwide outbreak of vaping illnesses have listed, for the first time, the vape brands most commonly linked to hospitalizations. Most of the nearly 2,300 people who suffered lung damage had vaped liquids that contain THC, the high-inducing part of marijuana. In a report released Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed the products most often cited by patients, noting that some of them said they vaped more than one.
- NewsThe Daily Beast
Epstein Lawyers Fight to Get Accusers’ Lawsuits Dismissed
Lawyers for Jeffrey Epstein's $577-million estate are wasting no time in trying to dismiss victims' claims for damages, as more women come forward with lawsuits alleging sexual abuse, court records show. On Monday, an attorney for Darren K. Indyke and Richard D. Kahn—two mysterious Epstein employees who've worked for the financier's charities and serve as the executors of his will—wrote U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla, asking for a conference before they file a motion to dismiss one accuser's claims for punitive damages. The woman's case is just one of 17 lawsuits filed against Epstein's estate since August, when the 66-year-old killed himself in jail as he faced sex-trafficking charges in New York.
- NewsNational Review
Judge Allows Criminal Trial to Proceed against Pro-Life Investigators
A San Francisco judge ruled Friday that the criminal trial may move forward against the pro-life investigators who went undercover to record abortion industry executives talking about procuring fetal body parts. Judge Christopher Hite deemed the evidence sufficient to send to trial the case against David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt of the Center for Medical Progress, who are charged with nine felony counts, one count of conspiracy and eight counts of illegal taping. Daleiden, 30, and Merritt, 64, several years ago surreptitiously recorded executives from Planned Parenthood and other organizations haggling about compensation for the procurement of fetal parts for researchers who request them.
WorldAFPPhilippines floods force 66,000 from homes
The Philippines' north has been hit by some of its worst flooding in decades, with torrents of muddy runoff forcing 66,000 from their homes and prompting rescues of trapped locals, authorities said Friday. Luzon island, the nation's largest, has been hit by a string of storms that have battered its northern tip while monsoon rains were intensified by the passage of Typhoon Kammuri this week. "This is one of the biggest floods in decades," Rogelio Sending, information officer for Cagayan province in the northeast of Luzon, told AFP.
- EntertainmentPopular Mechanics
The 25 Best Sci-Fi Movies on Netflix Right Now
Rouge robots, deep space planets, and a voice assistant love story. From Popular Mechanics
