'The evidence is overwhelming': Combative hearing moves House closer to impeachment

Democrat Adam Schiff's committee formally presented its findings to the House Judiciary Committee on Monday, bringing the House one step closer to a formal vote to impeach President Trump. “The evidence is overwhelming that the president abused his power by pressuring Ukraine and its new president to investigate a political opponent,” said Barry Berke, staff attorney for the Judiciary Committee. “A president cannot abuse his power to secure an election,” Berke said.

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  House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler says a jury would convict Trump 'in about 3 minutes flat'

  Business Insider
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  AP FACT CHECK: Impeachment hearing draws too-simple answers

  Associated Press

Boston's trauma to be dissected as marathon bomber appeals death sentence

This city's deepest wound - the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings that killed three and injured hundreds more - will be re-examined Thursday when lawyers for bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev seek to have his death sentence lifted because the jury pool was too traumatized to render a fair verdict. The then-19-year old Tsarnaev and his 26-year-old brother Tamerlan sparked five days of panic in Boston that began April 15, 2013, when they detonated a pair of homemade pressure cooker bombs at the race's packed finish line. The pair eluded capture for days, punctuated by a gunbattle with police in Watertown that killed Tamerlan and led to a daylong lockdown of Boston and most of its suburbs while heavily armed officers and troops conducted a house-to-house search for Dzhokhar.

‘No More Survivors Expected’ Among Dozens of Tourists Caught in New Zealand Volcano

At least five people have died and more than 20 are still unaccounted for after the White Island/Whakaari volcano off the coast of New Zealand erupted without warning Monday as tourists hiked around the rim and walked inside the crater. Authorities say an estimated 30 to 38 of those on the island when the volcano erupted were on an adventure excursion from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship that was docked on North Island about 30 miles away. In a statement just after midnight local time, police officials said they feared the worst for those still on the island.

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  NZ police say no more survivors expected from volcano eruption

  Reuters
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  WATCH IN 60 SECONDS: Deadly volcano eruption, stolen dogs recovered, art festival canceled

  KGO – San Francisco

Elizabeth Warren reveals she earned $2 million from 30 years of private legal work as she feuds with Pete Buttigieg over financial transparency

Sen. Elizabeth Warren's campaign released new details about her private legal work on Sunday, revealing she earned approximately $2 million representing private clients over the course of 30 years. Shortly after the Warren campaign released more details about her legal work, the Buttigieg campaign announced they would allow reporters into Buttigieg's fundraisers and release the names of all his top fundraisers and bundlers. A spokesperson for McKinsey, the elite consulting firm where Buttigieg worked from 2007-2010, also said on Monday they would allow Buttigieg to discuss the clients he worked for, information that previously covered by Buttigieg's nondisclosure agreement with the firm.

The 25 Best Tower Defense Games

Build those structures. Keep them from harm. Collect that loot.

‘Bomb cyclone’ triggers 75ft wave off California coast

A 75ft wave was recorded off the Californian coast after a 'bomb cyclone' pounded the West Coast during Thanksgiving week. Scientists from the University of California said it was the tallest wave they had documented in the last 15 years. The Coastal Data Information programme noted the storm generated some of the largest waves ever recorded, with the behemoth wave measured at Cape Mendocino on 26 November.

Remember When Russian Diesel Submarines Chased Down A British Nuclear Sub?

Key Point: We'll probably never know what happened. 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.

Wisconsin Guard leader resigns in wake of sex assault review

The commander of the Wisconsin National Guard agreed to resign at Gov. Tony Evers' request Monday, following the release of a scathing federal report that found the Guard defied federal law, regulations and policies for years over the handling of soldiers' sexual assault and harassment complaints. The report from the National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C., found the Guard allowed internal investigations in defiance of federal law as well as Department of Defense and bureau policy; investigators falsely presented themselves as working for the federal bureau; case records were mismanaged; and Guard sexual assault response policies were not in compliance with federal regulations for more than five years.

Whistleblower goes public after leaked documents reveal China's crackdown on Uighur Muslims

A Uighur woman living in the Netherlands has gone public about helping to leak secret Chinese government documents regarding human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang province because of fears for her safety. Asiye Abdulaheb told Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant that she was involved in last month's leak of papers to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which highlighted the Chinese government's crackdown on Muslims in Xinjiang. The reveal, which followed an earlier document leak to the New York Times, showed how the Chinese government has indoctrinated and punished over a million Muslims, mainly members of the Uighur ethnic minority, in internment camps.

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  Chinese official blasts U.S. for Xinjiang bills

  Reuters Videos
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  China claims all Uighur Muslims have happily 'graduated' from its oppressive prison camp system, despite widespread reports that at least 1 million are detained

  Business Insider

GOP lawmaker says 'out-of-the-box strategy' could give Trump an 'advantage' in impeachment hearings 

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., on Sunday said it would play to the “president's advantage” to have his top administration officials, in an “out-of-the-box strategy,” testify in the upcoming impeachment hearings. “As it relates to the other members of the executive branch, the president has to make decisions not only for him but for the presidency,” he continued.

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  ‘Fox & Friends’ Host Presses Kellyanne Conway: Is Rudy Giuliani Working for Trump or Himself?

  The Daily Beast
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  Rep. Collins: The Democrats are moving too quickly to read all documents

  FOX News Videos

Baltimore County Police Officer Charged With Sexually Assaulting Three Women

A Baltimore County cop has been charged with sexually assaulting at least three women, including one he allegedly tricked into going to his house after claiming he was ordering her a car to her friend's home, court documents state. Baltimore County Police Officer Michael Westerman, 25, was charged Sunday with two counts of second-degree rape and three counts of second-degree assault. According to charging documents obtained by The Daily Beast, Westerman is accused of sexually assaulted three women using a series of predatory tactics to isolate them.

At least 5 dead after a New Zealand volcano erupted unexpectedly, sending ash plumes 12,000 feet into the air

At least five people are dead and several others injured after one of New Zealand's most active volcanoes erupted on Monday afternoon local time, sending huge plumes of smoke into the sky. According to The New Zealand Herald 100 people were thought to be on the Island when the volcano erupted, but it is not clear how many of these have been rescued. New Zealand's geological monitoring agency, GeoNet, said the eruption began at around 2:11 p.m. on Whakaari, also known as White Island.

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  Volcanoes

  AFP Videographics
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  New Zealand police open criminal probe into volcano deaths

  Associated Press

Cherry blossoms prompt full-blown scandal for Japan's PM

It might be the most Japanese of political scandals: a furore over Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's guest list at a party to mark the annual cherry blossom season. As scandals go, it has plenty of juicy elements -- alleged mafia guests, disappearing evidence, even gaffes by Abe, who appeared to lay blame for shredded documents on a disabled worker. It's the latest headache for Japan's longest-serving premier, who has already weathered two cronyism scandals in recent years and has faced an almost daily drubbing by opposition lawmakers since the scandal emerged in early November.

Boeing is promising 3 fixes to the faulty system behind the 737 Max crashes to let pilots stop it from forcing the plane into an unstoppable nosedive

Boeing is promising three key fixes to a system blamed for the fatal crashes of its 737 Max jet, according to a leaked presentation made public by CBS News. The presentation deals with changes to the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, which was identified as a factor in the two crashes that led to the jet's worldwide ban from service. MCAS was designed to automatically push the plane's nose down to keep it stable if it detects a stall.

'Old man' Trump is 'bluffing,' says North Korea: KCNA news agency

North Korea on Monday accused President Trump of “bluffing” and called him “an old man bereft of patience” as Pyongyang ramps up pressure on Washington over stalled nuclear talks.

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  Trump called for Seoul evacuation at height of North Korea tensions, new book says

  The Guardian
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  U.N. Security Council to meet over North Korea on Wednesday at U.S. request

  Reuters

Ramaphosa Faces Party Bid to Oust Him Over Reforms, Citizen Says

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's opponents within the ruling party are plotting to oust him over reforms that they say are failing to benefit the poor, the Citizen reported, citing people it didn't identify. A campaign being led by African National Congress Secretary-General Ace Magashule aims to discredit him over economic policies that his opponents argue are supplanting the party's pro-poor stance, the Johannesburg-based newspaper said. The anti-Ramaphosa faction wants Deputy President David Mabuza to become president, deputized by either Magashule or Water Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, the newspaper said.

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  Ramaphosa Pledges Tough Love for Ailing South African Firms

  Bloomberg
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  South African Airways May Only Get 5% of Money Owed by Zimbabwe

  Bloomberg

'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.

U.S. Supreme Court rejects Arizona opioid case against Purdue, Sackler family

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned away a novel case by Arizona seeking to recover billions of dollars that the state has said that members of the Sackler family - owners of Purdue Pharma LP - funneled out of the OxyContin maker before the company filed for bankruptcy in September. The justices declined to take the rare step of allowing Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich to pursue a case directly with the Supreme Court on the role the drugmaker played in the U.S. opioid epidemic that has killed tens of thousands of Americans annually in recent years. The lawsuit accused eight Sackler family members of funneling $4 billion out of Purdue from 2008 to 2016 despite being aware that the company faced massive potential liabilities over its marketing of opioid medications.

'I Got Tired of Hunting Black and Hispanic People'

At a police station tucked into an end-of-the-line subway terminal in South Brooklyn, the new commander instructed officers to think of white and Asian people as “soft targets” and urged them to instead go after blacks and Latinos for minor offenses like jumping the turnstile, a half-dozen officers said in sworn statements. The commander, Constantin Tsachas, was in charge of more than 100 officers who patrolled a swath of the subway system in Brooklyn, his first major command. Since then, he has been promoted to the second-in-command of policing the subway system throughout Brooklyn.

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  Crash in Brooklyn leaves 1 woman dead, 1 seriously injured

  WABC – NY
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  Police: 2 tourists violently attacked, tasered at subway stop in New York City

  WPVI – Philadelphia

‘Fox & Friends’ Host Presses Kellyanne Conway: Is Rudy Giuliani Working for Trump or Himself?

Kellyanne Conway spent nearly 10 minutes ranting and raving Monday morning on Fox & Friends, receiving mostly agreeable nods and words of encouragement from the three hosts. When the White House counselor called out Democrats for preparing their impeachment strategy over the weekend, Steve Doocy replied, “Well, they were rehearsing because it's a TV show and ultimately what they want to do is impeach the president. They want to impeach from day one,” Ainsley Earhardt said later.

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  The Republicans’ Closing Defense of Donald Trump Ended with a Whimper

  GQ
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  Rep. Collins: The Democrats are moving too quickly to read all documents

  FOX News Videos

The Russian Navy Has Some Problems

The Russia fleet in 2019 will take delivery of 23 new surface vessels, two new submarines and three new aircraft, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced. As such, 2019 continues the Russian fleet's long-term trend toward fewer and smaller ships. “We have paid and will pay the closest attention to the technical re-equipment of the armed forces, including, of course, the modernization of the Russian navy,” Putin said at a Dec. 3, 2019 meeting of top military and industry officials.

Isil 'matchmaker' who lured British teen bride to Syria is deported to France

Turkey has deported to France the “Islamic State matchmaker” who lured a British teen bride to Syria as part of a drive to send foreign fighters back to their countries of origin. Tooba Gondal, 25, is among 11 French nationals that Turkey repatriated early on Monday, according to France's Centre for Analysis of Terrorism, CAT, citing official sources. A French judicial source confirmed that four women and their seven children had arrived in France.

• UPDATE 1-Turkey says it has deported 11 French terrorist suspects

  Reuters
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  Turkey deports 11 French relatives of 'terrorist' suspects

  AFP