- PoliticsYahoo News
Trump rips his own FBI director for agreeing with IG report
President Trump on Tuesday lashed out at Christopher Wray after the FBI director — whom he handpicked after firing James Comey — agreed with the conclusions of the Justice Department inspector general report that the FBI's Russia probe was justified and not politically biased. I don't know what report current Director of the FBI Christopher Wray was reading, but it sure wasn't the one given to me,” Trump tweeted. With that kind of attitude, he will never be able to fix the FBI, which is badly broken despite having some of the greatest men & women working there!
- BusinessThe Daily Beast
Pete Buttigieg Reveals His List of Clients From ‘Amoral’ McKinsey
Following weeks of increasing pressure for presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg to break one of the corporate world's most famously stringent non-disclosure agreements, the Indiana Democrat on Tuesday night revealed a comprehensive list of clients he worked with during his time at McKinsey & Co., one day after the management consulting behemoth announced that it would give Buttigieg permission to disclose their identities. The client list includes a Canadian grocery store chain, a Michigan insurance company, a handful of environmental non-profits, multiple U.S. government departments and agencies, and Best Buy, all of which gave permission to McKinsey for their identities to be revealed.
- WorldUSA TODAY
Newlyweds burned by volcanic eruption on New Zealand honeymoon cruise
A Virginia couple who were on their honeymoon in New Zealand are among those severely injured after a volcano violently erupted Monday. The newlyweds, Lauren and Matt Urey of Richmond, were touring the White Island volcano on the Royal Caribbean cruise Ovation of the Seas, according to WTVR-TV. Lauren's mother, Barbara Barham, told The Washington Post while leaving Virginia to New Zealand that she had no idea what happened until Royal Caribbean called her a little after midnight Eastern time on Monday.
PoliticsYahoo News Video'S*** just got real': DOJ watchdog uncovers pro-Trump text messages between FBI agents
The Justice Department's inspector general, Michael Horowitz, uncovered a series of text messages between two FBI agents expressing support for President Trump right after the 2016 election.
- 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.
- 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.
- BusinessPopular Mechanics
The Best War Movies on Netflix
For when only a war film will do. From Popular Mechanics
- ScienceBusiness Insider
Greenland's ice is melting 7 times faster than it did in the early 90s — suggesting scientists' worst-case predictions may come true
Caspar Haarloev from "Into the Ice" documentary via Reuters The Greenland ice sheet is melting seven times faster than it was in 1992 — an increase that's even greater than scientists expected. According to a new study, Greenland has lost more than 4.2 trillion tons of ice in the last quarter-century, which raised global sea levels 0.4 inches. The melt rate is expected to increase, especially during years like this one, since a heatwave in July caused Greenland's ice sheet to lose 55 billion tons in just five days.
- 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.
- 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...
- 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.
WorldAFPHeroism, devastation after deadly N. Zealand volcano eruption
Tales of heroism, devastation and horrifying injuries emerged Tuesday after New Zealand's smouldering White Island volcano exploded, killing an estimated 14 people and turning what should have been an intrepid day trip into a nightmare. The number of confirmed fatalities rose to six Tuesday night after an injured person died in an Auckland hospital, police said. Eight more people were presumed dead after Monday's eruption, while dozens of others injured were being treated in hospital burns units across the country.
- WorldReuters
Austria's Handke receives Nobel Literature Prize amid protests, criticism
Demonstrators braved freezing temperatures on Tuesday to protest against the awarding of the 2019 Nobel Prize for Literature to Austrian writer Peter Handke because of his support for the late Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic. Handke and the Nobel laureates in chemistry, medicine, physics and economics received their prizes from the Swedish king in a lavish ceremony at Stockholm Concert Hall on Tuesday evening. The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded separately earlier on Tuesday in Oslo to Ethiopia's prime minister.
- NewsAssociated Press
Court to hear resentencing bid in Arizona death penalty case
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear an appeal Wednesday by an Arizona death row inmate who is seeking a new sentencing trial, arguing the horrific physical abuse that he suffered as a child wasn't fully considered when he was first sentenced. The appeal of James Erin McKinney could affect as many as 15 of Arizona's 104 death row inmates. Attorneys say the Arizona courts used an unconstitutional test in examining the mitigating factors considered during the sentencing trials of the inmates.
- 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.
- SciencePopular Mechanics
How Saturn Cracked Open Enceladus's Icy Surface
Scientists have discovered how the four famed fissures on Saturn's moon, Enceladus, formed. The largest of the “tiger stripes” formed due to gravitational pressure exerted on the moon's poles, according to a paper published December 9 in Nature Astronomy. The other three fissures formed soon after, as pressure on nearby ice built up.
- PoliticsThe Week
How Nancy Pelosi could lose the impeachment vote
The Democratic majority in the House will vote "yes" on impeachment and the Republican-controlled Senate will decline to convict. Likewise, polling shows the impeachment inquiry has overwhelmingly served to reinforce Americans' previously held opinions about the president. Fully 95 percent of those who came away more convinced of Trump's guilt already thought he was guilty, and an equal 95 percent of those freshly persuaded of his innocence already believed he hasn't done anything impeachable.
- PoliticsUSA TODAY Opinion
Democrats' December debate lineup could be all white, but diversity isn't only about race
The latest tempest: With Sen. Kamala Harris of California out of the race, the Democratic National Committee's Dec. 19 presidential debate might include only white candidates! Fact is, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro came close to qualifying and remain active candidates. Let's be clear: Harris wasn't booted off the debate stage in some hostile act of racial discrimination, or because of a flaw in the DNC's system.
- 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.
- BusinessBloomberg
A 5,000-Year-Old Plan to Erase Debts Is Now a Hot Topic in America
Moody's Investors Service listed the headwinds from student debt -– less consumption and investment, more inequality -- and said forgiveness would boost the economy like a tax cut. While the current debate centers on college costs, long-run numbers show how debt has spread through the economy. The U.S. relies on consumer spending for growth -– but it hasn't been delivering significantly higher wages.
- NewsThe New York Times
5-Year-Old Carries Baby in Subzero Cold After They Are Abandoned, Police Say
A 5-year-old, wearing just socks and light clothing, carried an 18-month-old through subzero temperatures in the Yukon Flats of Alaska after the power went out at the home where they had been left alone, according to the authorities. The power failure scared the older child, who then carried the baby to a home about half a mile away in Venetie, Alaska, Tuesday, the Alaska State Department of Public Safety said in a statement Friday. The children are expected to make a full recovery, Ken Marsh, a department spokesman, said Sunday.
PoliticsYahoo News VideoBarr warned Trump that Giuliani was a liability: Report
Attorney General William Barr became so concerned about Rudy Giuliani's actions that he warned President Trump that his personal attorney was becoming a liability, three people familiar with the conversations told the Washington Post.
- ScienceReuters
Climate change hitting top U.S. fishery in the Arctic: NOAA
WASHINGTON/ANCHORAGE (Reuters) - Climate change is causing chaos in the Bering Sea, home to one of America's largest fisheries, an example of how rising temperatures can rapidly change ecosystems important to the economy, U.S. federal government scientists said in a report on Tuesday. Rising temperatures in the Arctic have led to decreases in sea ice, record warm temperatures at the bottom of the Bering Sea and the northward migration of fish species such as Pacific cod, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, said in its 2019 Arctic Report Card.
