- PoliticsThe Daily Beast
Chris Wallace Schools Ken Starr: Trump Impeachment ‘Much Bigger’ Than Clinton’s Sex Lies Were
Fox News anchor Chris Wallace on Monday dressed down Kenneth Starr, the Clinton impeachment-era independent counsel, objecting to Starr's insistence that the current allegations against President Donald Trump are “narrow” and “slanted. During a break in Monday's House impeachment hearing, Wallace addressed Starr directly, letting him know he was going to “push back a bit respectfully” on his previous analysis of the impeachment inquiry while referencing Starr's own role in former President Bill Clinton's impeachment two decades ago. He said that the presentation of the case against the president is narrow, prosecutors look at the world through dirty windows.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- PoliticsCBS News
Infowars host interrupts House impeachment hearing
An Infowars host interrupted the opening minutes of the House Judiciary Committee's impeachment hearing on Monday, accusing Chairman Jerry Nadler and other Democrats of committing "treason" while declaring President Trump innocent. The protester, Owen Shroyer, began shouting just seconds after Nadler gaveled in the hearing and posted live video of the interruption to his Twitter feed. "Jerry Nadler and the Democrat party are committing treason against this country, and you can kick me out, but he's the one committing crimes.
- 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.
- 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.
- BusinessPopular Mechanics
The Best War Movies on Netflix
For when only a war film will do. From Popular Mechanics
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- PoliticsThe Independent
TV crew laugh at Ted Cruz in live interview after he endorses Trump's baseless conspiracy theory
Ted Cruz was laughed at by a TV crew during a live interview after he endorsed Donald Trump's baseless conspiracy theory about Ukraine. The Texas senator, who challenged Mr Trump to be the Republican nominee in 2016, was mocked for saying he believed there was “considerable evidence” that Ukraine meddled in the most recent presidential election. The US intelligence community has concluded that Russia, not Ukraine, interfered in the 2016 election and senior officials have said it is a “fictional narrative” to suggest Ukraine was involved.
WorldAFPUS tightens sanctions on Myanmar army chief
The United States on Tuesday stiffened sanctions against Myanmar's army chief over the mass killings of Rohingya, as his country defended itself against genocide charges before the top UN court. The United States in July banned military chief Min Aung Hlaing from visiting, but Tuesday's move goes further by freezing any US assets and criminalizing financial transactions with him by anyone in the United States. The Treasury Department imposed the same sanctions on three other senior Myanmar commanders, as well as 14 individuals from other countries, to observe International Human Rights Day.
- 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.
- WorldThe Telegraph
New Zealand volcano: Hero tour guide skipper who turned his boat around after eruption to save injured tourists
As New Zealand Police announced a criminal investigation into the deaths on White Island and a sixth person died as a result of the volcanic eruption, it emerged that the death toll could have been higher were it not for the efforts of one tour boat captain in helping the rescue mission. Paul Kingi was a skipper on the White Island Tours boat, working alongside his friend Hayden Marshall-Inman, who did not survive the explosion. In a post on his company website, Pursuit Fishing Charters owner Rick Pollock, a 40-year veteran of the industry, said he had worked with Mr Kingi for five years and described him as "an outstanding man" and "amazingly resourceful".
- 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.
WorldYahoo News Video'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.
- NewsAssociated Press
2 St. Louis police officers fired over Facebook posts
Two of nearly two dozen St. Louis police officers accused this summer by a watchdog group of posting objectionable Facebook messages have been fired. Sgt. Ronald Hasty and Detective Thomas Mabrey are appealing, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Their attorney, Brian Millikan, said the posts were made as private citizens and did not violate any city or police policy.
- WorldReuters
Brazil's Bolsonaro calls activist Thunberg a 'brat'
Brazil's right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro called Swedish climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg a "brat" on Tuesday after she criticized mounting violence against indigenous people in which two Amazon tribesmen were shot dead three days ago. "Greta said the Indians died because they were defending the Amazon (forest). How can the media give space to a brat like that," Bolsonaro told reporters, using the Portuguese word "pirralha."
- PoliticsBusiness Insider
Republicans hijacked the House Judiciary Committee's impeachment hearings and turned them into a circus
Reuters The House Judiciary Committee's public impeachment hearings have been a circus dominated by theatrics from Republican lawmakers hoping to crater public support for President Donald Trump's impeachment. The panel's hearings drew a sharp contrast to the House Intelligence Committee's hearings, which captured the nation's interest with career, nonpartisan officials testifying about Trump's efforts to solicit foreign interference in the 2020 election. As the intelligence committee's hearings were underway, net public support for impeachment steadily grew.
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