- PoliticsYahoo News
'He'd do it again': Former Obama official says Trump must be impeached
Former acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal, the author of the new bestseller “Impeach: The Case Against Donald Trump,” believes the GOP notion that Congress can responsibly let voters decide if President Trump's conduct is impeachable at the ballot box “makes no sense. This is the election that the president was trying to cheat in, the 2020 election,” Katyal said during an interview on the Yahoo News podcast “Skullduggery. Asked about the dangers of pursuing impeachment when there is no national consensus on whether it is the right course of action, Katyal said Democrats have no choice.
- NewsYahoo News
Nikki Haley claims Dylann Roof 'hijacked' the 'heritage' of the Confederate flag in church massacre
Nikki Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said that white supremacist Dylann Roof “hijacked” the Confederate flag by carrying out a mass killing of African-Americans in a Charleston, S.C., church in 2015. Haley was governor of South Carolina at the time. “Here is this guy who comes out with this manifesto, holding the Confederate flag, and had just hijacked everything that people thought of,” Haley said in an interview with host Glenn Beck published Friday on his website, the Blaze.
- NewsAssociated Press
Chase with stolen UPS truck ends with shootout, 4 dead
Four people, including a UPS driver, were killed Thursday after robbers stole the driver's truck and led police on a chase that ended in gunfire at a busy South Florida intersection during rush hour, the FBI said. Both robbers were shot and killed, and the fourth victim was in a nearby vehicle when shots rang out at a crowded intersection in Miramar, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of where the incident began, FBI Special Agent in Charge George Piro said during a news conference Thursday night. Television news helicopters showed first responders tending to at least one person who fell out of the UPS truck, moments after several shots were fired when the chase ended.
PoliticsAFPBloomberg says his reporters must 'live with' limits on coverage
Democratic presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg on Friday defended the policy implemented by his news agency to steer clear of investigating him, saying doing so would not be credible. Bloomberg told CBS News he "hired somebody outside" to run the Bloomberg News organization and establish policies for ethics. When asked about complaints from Bloomberg journalists that the policy to avoid investigating him or other Democratic candidates, he replied, that they "have to live with some things" about the job.
- WorldBusiness Insider
Reddit has said that Russia likely posted leaked UK trade documents as part of a vast covert influence campaign
Reddit has said that leaked documents on US-UK trade deal discussions were likely posted on the site as part of a Russian influence campaign. The documents were cited by Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the UK's opposition Labour party, as evidence that his opponent in the UK general election, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, was poised to sell out the NHS in trade negotiations with the US. Researchers earlier in the week said that the accounts that posted the documents on Reddit indicated links to a vast Russian influence campaign uncovered on Facebook dubbed Secondary Infektion.
- Tory minister says 'we should be concerned' about Russian election interference, but report on Russian interference cannot be published before electionThe Independent
- General election news LIVE: Boris Johnson wants to 'get to the bottom' of alleged Russian interference amid leaked documents rowEvening Standard
- LifestylePopular Mechanics
13 Mythical Creatures, Ranked
Did your favorite make the list? From Popular Mechanics
- NewsUSA TODAY
'This is mercy, not justice': Las Vegas shooting victims to split $800M. But how much is pain worth?
Las Vegas shooting: 2 years after shooting, another victim dies, making it the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history even deadlier Lawyers working for plaintiffs say that two mediators were chosen instead of one because of the complexity of the various cases. While one hails from the town where the incident happened, it was felt that the other should be from California given that many of the plaintiffs and their attorneys were from that state. The judges declined a request for comment on how the valuation process works, citing an agreement made with attorneys for both MGM and the plaintiffs.
- NewsNational Review
Virginia Commission Calls for Repeal of ‘Explicitly Racist’ and ‘Segregationist’ Laws
A Virginia state commission released a report Thursday calling for the official repeal of “deeply troubling” state laws still on the books that contain “explicitly racist language and segregationist policies. The Commission to Examine Racial Inequity in Virginia Law published a lengthy report saying that the outdated laws should not “remain enshrined in law” despite no longer being in effect. The commission believes that such vestiges of Virginia's segregationist past should no longer have official status,” the report states.
- WorldThe National Interest
China Is Building Its Very Own Stealth Bombers: Meet the H-20 and JH-XX
China is developing not one but two new stealth bombers, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency claimed in a January 2019 report. While the People's Liberation Army has not been shy about discussing the H-20 strategic bomber that the Xian Aircraft Industrial Corporation is developing for the PLA Air Force, there are many fewer public references to the other stealth bomber, which apparently carries the designation JH-XX. If the report is accurate and China completes development of the JH-XX, the Chinese air force could become the first air arm in the world to deploy a radar-evading fighter-bomber whose main mission is long-range ground-attack.
- PoliticsBloomberg
Biden Says He Would Consider Giving Ambassadorships to Donors
Joe Biden said Friday he would not rule out appointing donors as ambassadors, but wouldn't make decisions about those roles based on someone's financial contributions. Nobody in fact will be appointed by me based on anything they contributed,” he told a group of reporters aboard his “No Malarkey” bus in Decorah, Iowa. But, for example, you have some of the people who are out there that are prepared to in fact, that are fully qualified — head of everything from being the ambassador to NATO to be the ambassador to France or any other country — who may or may not have contributed, but that will not be any basis upon which I in fact would appoint anybody.
- NewsThe Telegraph
Saudi gunman called US 'nation of evil' before Florida shooting, monitoring group says
A Saudi trainee military pilot reportedly condemned the United States as a "nation of evil" before carrying out a mass shooting at a top US Navy base in Florida. Lieutenant Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani killed three people and injured eight before being shot dead himself by police at the Naval Air Station Pensacola. The Saudi Air Force officer, who was on a US-sponsored training programme, reportedly posted a manifesto on Twitter in which he wrote: "I'm against evil, and America as a whole has turned into a nation of evil."
- NewsAssociated Press
Mom, grandmother charged in baby's overdose death
Two Baltimore women have been charged in the death of a 9-month-old baby who police say fatally overdosed on fentanyl and heroin. Alexus Lorraine Taylor, 17, and Laurie Ann Taylor, 43, were arrested Thursday on charges including manslaughter and first degree child abuse resulting in the July 27 death of Niyear Taylor, news outlets report. Anne Arundel County police called to their home in Curtis Bay were told the baby was unreponsive and had been wheezing before he fell asleep the night before.
- WorldReuters
Official documents shed light on Tokyo's role in 'comfort women': Kyodo
The Imperial Japanese Army asked the government to provide one "comfort woman" for every 70 soldiers, Japan's Kyodo news agency said, citing wartime government documents it had reviewed, shedding a fresh light on Tokyo's involvement in the practice. "Comfort women" is a euphemism for the girls and women - many of them Korean - forced into prostitution at Japanese military brothels. The issue has plagued Japan's ties with South Korea for decades.
- 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.
PoliticsYahoo 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.
WorldAFPBelarus crowds rally against closer Russia ties
Roughly 1,000 Belarusians joined an unauthorised demonstration on Saturday against the prospect of a closer union with Russia. Long-time ruler Alexander Lukashenko was meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Russia on Saturday to discuss "key issues in our bilateral relations, including the prospects for deepening integration", according to the Kremlin. Angered by the potential deal, crowds of mostly young Belarusians headed towards the government headquarters in the capital Minsk carrying signs that read "it's not integration, it's an occupation" and "the president is selling our country".
- PoliticsUSA TODAY
House Ethics Committee tells indicted Rep. Duncan Hunter to 'refrain from voting'
WASHINGTON – The House Ethics Committee instructed indicted Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif. to "refrain from voting" on legislation in the House of Representatives after he pleaded guilty to a campaign finance charge on Tuesday. In a two-page letter dated Dec. 5, the committee told Hunter his guilty plea could bring a sentence of "two or more years of imprisonment," meaning that under House rules, Hunter "should refrain from voting on any question at a meeting of the House or of the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union."
- 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.
- PoliticsThe Daily Beast
Is Melania Secretly the Smartest Trump?
I often thought of Laura Bush while reading Free, Melania: The Unauthorized Biography, Kate Bennett's thoughtful life of Melania Trump. Like Bush, Melania is no fan of the spotlight, her wardrobe choices to the contrary notwithstanding. She is, in fact, so intensely private that, as Bennett notes, she has been called the Greta Garbo of the East Wing.
- 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.
- WorldAssociated Press
UN office: Iranian forces were ‘shooting to kill’ protesters
Iranian security forces were “shooting to kill” in their deadly crackdown against protesters in recent weeks, according to credible video footage, the U.N. human rights chief said Friday. The unrest left at least 208 people dead nationwide, the office of High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said, echoing a count also tallied by Amnesty International. Iran disputes death toll figures released by foreign organizations but has so far refused to any countrywide casualty or arrest figures.
- WorldReuters
Why many Indians cheered police for killing gang rape accused
Many Indians took to social media on Friday to applaud the police killings of four men accused in the gang rape and murder of a 27-year-old veterinarian in the southern city of Hyderabad. Police said the men tried to snatch the weapons of accompanying policemen when they were taken to the scene of the crime to reconstruct events. All four of the accused were killed and two policemen were injured.
- 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
- WorldBusiness Insider
The acting Navy secretary promises he'll fix the Ford aircraft carrier because he's tired of it being a 'whipping boy for why the Navy can't do anything right'
Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly said this week that fixing the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is now a top priority, Military.comreported. Explaining at an event in DC that the president is very concerned about the Ford, which is over budget, behind schedule, and still experiencing problems with certain key technologies, Modly reportedly said that the Navy needs "to fix that ship and make sure that it works." He said that there is "nothing worse" than having this ship out there in its current condition, as it is able to be used as a "whipping boy for why the Navy can't do anything right."
- LifestyleINSIDER
A bride was angry her African American friend didn't want to attend her wedding at a plantation, and people think she's in the wrong
A woman is angry that one of her bridesmaids bowed out of her wedding after she decided to hold it at plantation. The friend, who has been identified as J, sent a message to the bride explicitly stating her personal and professional reasons for feeling uncomfortable being a part of a plantation wedding. The original Reddit post detailing the situation has since been deleted, but it has been reshared on Twitter, where it went viral.
