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  • VP-elect Harris picks Tina Flournoy to be her chief of staff

    Vice President-elect Kamala Harris has named Tina Flournoy, a veteran Democratic strategist and aide to the Clintons, as her chief of staff, the transition team announced Thursday. Flournoy's appointment as Harris' top staffer adds to a team of advisers led by Black women. Harris, who is of Jamaican and Indian heritage, is the nation's first female vice president.

  • Joint Chiefs chair sparks backlash after stating U.S. has 'achieved a modicum of success' in Afghanistan

    Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley, speaking during a Brookings Institution event Wednesday, said that, after nearly 20 years in Afghanistan the U.S. has "achieved a modicum of success" with its military operations in the country. That's true, he argued, despite a current "state of strategic stalemate" and the inability to defeat the Taliban militarily.The comments, which come as the military looks to execute President Trump's partial troop withdrawal order, sparked a backlash, with critics suggesting -- some more explicitly -- that a "modicum" is a fairly paltry amount of success to earn for such a high cost> CJCS Gen. Milley, asked about Afghanistan withdrawal, says 20 years of constant U.S. effort has produced a "modicum" of success. > > Quite the optimist.> > -- Brian Everstine (@beverstine) December 2, 2020> Milley, on the state of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan: > > "We believe now that after 20 years, two decades of consistent effort, that we he have achieved a modicum of success."> > More than 775,000 service members have deployed to Afghanistan. Nearly 2,400 dead, and 20K wounded.> > -- Dan Lamothe (@DanLamothe) December 2, 2020Others added that Milley's analysis of the situation, even if it's interpreted as defeatist, still downplays the reality on the ground over the last two decades. > Some people will give Milley some credit here. Oh he's telling the truth. No. It's been an abject failure. By every metric. Especially when most of the metrics are currently classified. They don't usually do that when they are successful.> > -- Paul Szoldra (@PaulSzoldra) December 2, 2020More stories from theweek.com 5 absurdly funny cartoons about Trump's desperate fraud claims The naked corruption of Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue Florida attorney reportedly under investigation after telling Republicans to change 'your address for the next 2 months' for Georgia runoffs

  • China is already targeting Joe Biden and his team, a top US intelligence official warned, calling it an attack 'on steroids'

    Bill Evanina, head of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, said his agency had expected China to move its target from Trump to Biden.

  • France to investigate 76 mosques suspected of 'separatism' in 'unprecedented' crackdown on Islamist extremists

    French authorities will swoop Thursday on dozens of mosques and prayer halls suspected of radical teachings as part of a crackdown on Islamist extremists following a spate of attacks, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said. Mr Darmanin told RTL radio that if any prayer hall was found to promote extremism it would be closed down. The inspections to be carried out on Thursday afternoon are part of a response to two gruesome attacks that particularly shocked France - the beheading of a teacher who showed his pupils cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed and the stabbing to death of three people in a church in Nice. Mr Darmanin did not reveal which places of worship would be inspected. In a note he sent to regional security chiefs, seen by AFP, he listed 16 addresses in the Paris region and 60 others around the country. The Right-wing minister told RTL said the fact that only a fraction of the around 2,600 Muslim places of worship in France were suspected of peddling radical theories showed "we are far from a situation of widespread radicalisation". "Nearly all Muslims in France respect the laws of the Republic and are hurt by that (radicalisation)," he said. The killing of teacher Samuel Paty, who had shown his pupils cartoons of Mohammed in a class on free speech, sent shockwaves through France, where it was seen as an attack on the republic itself. In the aftermath of his murder the authorities raided dozens of Islamic sports groups, charities and associations suspected of promoting extremism. They also ordered the temporary closure of a mosque near Paris that shared a vitriolic video inciting hatred of Paty. The latest inspections come as Mr Darmanin attempts to fend off fierce criticism over cases of police brutality caught on camera that have forced the ruling party to revise a controversial bill restricting filming of the police.

  • Navy Brings Back US Atlantic Fleet as Russian Threats Intensify

    The Atlantic Fleet will confront the Russian navy, which has been "deploying closer and closer to our East Coast."

  • 10 Remote Airbnbs As Stunning As They Are Secluded

    From a private island to a tiny Vermont tree houseOriginally Appeared on Architectural Digest

  • Freshly pardoned Michael Flynn shares message telling Trump to 'suspend the Constitution' to hold a new presidential election

    Retired Gen. Michael Flynn is fresh off a presidential pardon and ready to get back into some trouble.President Trump pardoned his short-lived national security adviser last week, after Flynn had previously pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with a Russian ambassador. Flynn has since been sharing dubious allegations of voter fraud, and on Wednesday, boosted a message telling Trump to take some radical actions to stop it.In a full-page Washington Times ad from something called the We the People Convention, Ohio Tea Party leader Tom Zawistowski tries to draw a comparison between Lincoln trying to save the union in 1863 and Trump trying to claw back the 2020 election, using some disputed facts along the way. Zawistowski alleges a lot of similarities between the two times, from "Democrat/Socialist federal officials plotting to finish gutting the U.S. Constitution" to big tech "actively censoring free speech and promoting leftist propaganda." So to counter that, the We the People Convention suggests Trump "declare limited Martial Law to temporarily suspend the Constitution" in order to hold a presidential election re-vote overseen by the military.> Big pro-authoritarian energy in Trumpland today:> > The president's (recently pardoned) former national security adviser, Mike Flynn, shared a message encouraging President Trump to "temporarily suspend the Constitution," impose martial law and "silence the destructive media." pic.twitter.com/cQh0wl7oWw> > — Brad Heath (@bradheath) December 2, 2020Flynn shared the ad on Twitter on Wednesday, seemingly trying to encourage a bunch of Fox News hosts and QAnon supporters to share it. It's just one of many disputed facts and allegations about the election that are apparently flowing through the mind of the man who used to oversee America's national security.More stories from theweek.com 5 absurdly funny cartoons about Trump's desperate fraud claims The naked corruption of Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue Florida attorney reportedly under investigation after telling Republicans to change 'your address for the next 2 months' for Georgia runoffs

  • Man, 41, had no teeth and could barely speak after his mother locked him in their suburban apartment for 28 years, say reports

    A 70-year-old Swedish woman has been arrested for imprisoning her son in her Stockholm flat. He was found by a relative covered in wounds and pus.

  • OAS head urges international prosecutor to act on Venezuela

    The leadership of a broad coalition of Western Hemisphere nations on Wednesday accused the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor of failing to take swift action on allegations that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government committed crimes against humanity. The General Secretariat of the Organization of American States said in a report that ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s failure to open a formal investigation into Venezuela is “stunning” and “inexplicable.” The leadership of the 35-member body said the slow pace of the ICC's review of Venezuela's situation has emboldened Maduro's government to commit more crimes believing that it can act with total impunity.

  • Joe Biden says 'no trade deals' until he has invested in America first

    Joe Biden delivered an apparent further blow to British hopes of a quick trade deal with the US, suggesting he would concentrate on building up industries at home first. The president-elect echoed the language of Donald Trump, saying he would put "America first". "I want to make sure we’re going to fight like hell by investing in America first," Mr Biden said in an interview with the New York Times. "I’m not going to enter any new trade agreement with anybody until we have made major investments here at home and in our workers." His top priority will be getting a generous stimulus package through Congress to counter the economic impact of the pandemic. Mr Biden mentioned energy, biotech, artificial intelligence, infrastructure and education as areas where his administration would invest heavily. His comments were made in the context of how the US would compete with China when he is in the White House. But they appeared to signal a further setback for a US-UK trade deal. It followed Mr Biden's public intervention last week when he said there must be no guarded border in Ireland. In September, he warned that the Good Friday Agreement must not become a "casualty of Brexit" and that a UK-US trade deal was dependent on that. Mr Biden has been a strident critic of China's human rights record and indicated he will maintain a tough trade posture towards Beijing, including keeping tariffs imposed by Mr Trump. He said: "I'm not going to make any immediate moves, and the same applies to the tariffs. I'm not going to prejudice my options." Mr Biden said he would pursue policies targeting China's "abusive practices" such as "stealing intellectual property, dumping products and illegal subsidies to corporations". He added: "The best China strategy, I think, is one which gets every one of our - or at least what used to be our - allies on the same page. "It’s going to be a major priority for me in the opening weeks of my presidency to try to get us back on the same page with our allies." On Iran, Mr Biden stood by his view that his administration would lift sanctions if Tehran returned to "strict compliance with the nuclear deal."

  • 'Stop the Steal' rally asks Trump supporters not to vote in Georgia's Senate runoffs

    A team of Trump-adjacent lawyers are turning on the electoral process as a whole.Sidney Powell, a former lawyer for the Trump campaign who has since been disavowed, and high-profile lawyer Lin Wood, along with a bunch of other people falsely alleging the whole 2020 election was rigged, gathered Wednesday in Georgia for a so-called "Stop the Steal" rally. There, they brought up some old favorite Trump rally chants and election conspiracy theories, though with a decidedly non-GOP-approved twist.With Trump campaign flags flying, the scantily masked crowd was reminiscent of a rally for the outgoing president. But the "lock him up" chants at this rally were actually targeted at Brian Kemp, Georgia's Republican governor. Wood initiated the chants, calling for a protest outside Kemp's house and his resignation because he hasn't moved to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's win in the state.Powell added to that, calling for ballots that are signed and marked with a thumbprint -- an idea that doesn't jibe with the secret ballots mandated in Georgia and most of the U.S. "I would encourage all Georgians to make it known that you will not vote at all unless your vote is secure," Powell added, essentially advocating for a boycott of the January runoffs that will decide control of the Senate. And when Rep. Vernon Jones (R-Ga.) tried to butt in and encourage people to turn out, Wood jumped back in, telling everyone to stay home until Trump is given the win and even suggesting Trump should split from the GOP altogether.If all that wasn't enough, someone brought a literal pitchfork to the event. > Someone at the rally literally carrying a pitchfork. pic.twitter.com/y4lteN9Xwn> > -- Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) December 2, 2020More stories from theweek.com 5 absurdly funny cartoons about Trump's desperate fraud claims The naked corruption of Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue Florida attorney reportedly under investigation after telling Republicans to change 'your address for the next 2 months' for Georgia runoffs

  • Californians flee as strong winds push fire through canyons

    Powerful winds pushed flames through Southern California canyons early Thursday as an out-of-control wildfire burned near homes and forced residents to flee. The blaze in Orange County's Silverado Canyon began late Wednesday as a house fire that quickly spread to tinder-dry brush as gusts topped 70 mph (113 kph). Firefighters struggled in steep terrain amid unpredictable Santa Ana winds that have raised fire danger for much of the region.

  • ‘I can’t begin to explain the level of anger I have right now over this’: Georgia election official speaks out about threats against staff

    On Tuesday Gabriel Sterling of the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office spoke forcefully against post-election threats and rhetoric directed at election staff.

  • Obama compares his younger self to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and says she should've been given more time to speak at the Democratic convention

    "New blood is always good," Obama said. "I say that as somebody who used to be the young, shiny cool guy, but now is the gray-haired old grizzled vet."

  • I saw Donald Trump’s presidency come crashing down at Four Seasons Total Landscaping

    The Trump presidency ended in the parking lot of a landscaping company next to an adult bookstore. Richard Hall was there

  • Rev. Raphael Warnock's allies warn of backlash in Georgia Senate runoff race over sermon attacks

    The GOP is hoping to undercut Rev. Warnock with Georgia voters by playing up comments from his sermons but his allies say the attacks could backfire.

  • Dispatch: Knife-wielding Armenian refuses to leave home as Azerbaijani troops move in to reclaim final swathe of territory

    As trucks packed with Azerbaijani soldiers rolled through the empty streets of Lachin on Tuesday, Levon Kevorkyan sat outside his shop armed only with a knife. Mr Kevorkyan, a 48-year-old Armenian, moved to the town in Nagorno-Karabakh at the end of the last war over the territory between his country and Azerbaijan, two former members of the Soviet bloc. Now he swears he will not leave, despite the Armenian government’s pledge to return the land as part of a bitterly contested peace deal following the latest eruption of hostilities. “I will stay here until they raze this place to the ground,” he told the Telegraph, wearing camouflage and a leather biker jacket. “We built this place with our sweat. I have no concerns about dying here.” On Tuesday, Lachin district was the last of three areas of Nagorno-Karabakh ceded by Yerevan to Azerbaijan under the terms of a Russia-brokered peace deal that ended weeks of armed conflict.

  • He killed a woman and held her roommate hostage on Thanksgiving, cops say. He’s charged.

    A man is facing charges including murder and attempted murder, after Broward Sheriff’s Office detectives say he broke into a home on Thanksgiving Day, choked and battered one victim and killed another.

  • Hundreds of Ethiopian immigrants get warm welcome in Israel

    BEN-GURION INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Israel (AP) — Hundreds of Ethiopian immigrants arrived on Thursday to a festive ceremony at Israel’s international airport, as the government took a step toward carrying out its pledge to reunite hundreds of families split between the two countries. Many were dressed in traditional Ethiopian robes, and many women held babies in their arms.

  • How China's special forces stack up against the US's special operators

    Chinese special operators are getting more resources and going through more training, but there are something you can't teach.