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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  GOP counsel Steve Castor brought a reusable grocery bag instead of a briefcase to an impeachment hearing

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

  Associated Press

Biden Says Son Hunter Will Not Engage in Foreign Business if He Wins in 2020

Democratic presidential frontrunner Joe Biden said his son Hunter will not be engaged in any foreign business if the former vice president is elected in 2020. Hunter Biden raised eyebrows when it came to light that he held a lucrative position on the board of a Ukrainian gas company while his father was fighting corruption in Ukraine as vice president. The set-up prompted Trump to ask Ukraine to investigate the Bidens while temporarily withholding U.S. military aid, an alleged quid pro quo that became the basis for the impeachment inquiry against Trump.

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  Biden Says He Won’t Look Further into Hunter’s Ukrainian Business Dealings: ‘I Trust My Son’

  National Review
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  Everything you need to know about Trump's impeachment process: What's happened, who the players are, and what comes next

  Business Insider

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.

AOC calls out Trump after news that Amazon plans to hire 1,500 employees in New York City

Following reports that Amazon plans to open a new office in New York City, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that the Trump administration "should focus more on cutting public assistance to billionaires instead of poor families."

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  At a pro-Israel conference, Trump told Jewish voters they'd vote for him to avoid a wealth tax

  Business Insider
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  President Trump blasted by Jewish group for his ‘vile and bigoted remarks’

  MarketWatch

'It was beautiful': Acupuncturists help migrants stranded at Mexico border deal with stress

For months, Carlos Lopez's mind has been endlessly spinning with the fears and anxiety of leaving his home country of Honduras, traveling 1,700 miles with his 13-year-old son to this Mexican border town and the day-to-day survival of living in a squalid tent city. “All the bad thoughts went away,” Lopez, 41, said, as he emerged from his 45-minute-long acupuncture session. Lopez is one of a growing number of migrants stuck on the border under President Donald Trump's Migration Protection Protocols policy – which sends migrants to Mexican border towns to await their immigration court hearing in the U.S. To help the migrants pass the time and deal with stress, teams of volunteers led by Acupuncturists Without Borders, or AWB, a nonprofit that treats people in disaster zones and refugee camps and trains other acupuncturists around the world, are providing Lopez and others with free acupuncture treatment at border towns in Mexico.

Ed Smart, father of Elizabeth Smart: "There is no cure" for being gay

I mean, I literally called my bishop up one morning, and I said, 'You know, I feel like I've stabbed Lois in the heart,'" Smart told King in his first network television interview about his sexuality. "And I went to my other church leader, and I said to him, 'So am I gay? Am I gay?

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

China has imprisoned at least 1 million Uighur Muslims in prison-like detention camps in the western Xinjiang region, according to numerous activists and researchers. Shohrat Zakir, the governor of Xinjiang, claimed without evidence on Monday that everyone in the camps, which China euphemistically calls "vocational training centers" is now out. Zakir said everyone had now "graduated" from the facilities, where reports of psychological and physical torture are common.

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  Chinese official blasts U.S. for Xinjiang bills

  Reuters Videos
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  China claims without providing evidence that all Muslims it detained in re-education camps have ‘graduated’ and are happy

  The Independent

Pearl Harbor veteran interred on sunken ship

With speeches and salutes, veterans and officials on Saturday commemorated the 78th anniversary of the 1941 sneak attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor, which brought a previously reluctant United States into World War II. A ceremony in Hawaii honoring survivors was attended by US Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and Washington's ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris. It was held within sight of the sunken USS Arizona, which was bombed in the opening moments of the attack that killed more than 2,400 Americans.

Hong Kong protests mark 6-month mark with massive rally

Almost hidden among the throngs of demonstrators who marched in Hong Kong on Sunday was one woman who crawled, literally on hands and knees on the rough road surface — an apt metaphor for the arduous path traveled by Hong Kong's protest movement in the past six months. Dragging bricks and empty soda cans on pieces of string behind her, the young woman elicited shouts of encouragement from fellow protesters. "Her performance art is about the difficulty, or the repetitiveness, of demonstrations," said one of her friends, who walked alongside and identified herself by her surname, Chan.

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  Thousands march in Hong Kong as government urges calm

  Reuters Videos
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  Hong Kongers light up streets with glowing mobile phones as protesters rally again in their thousands

  Newsflare

Donald Trump could abuse power again if he is not impeached, Democrats claim

The Democrats have claimed that Donald Trump could abuse his presidential powers again if he is not impeached over the "brazen" Ukraine scandal. Spelling out their case for removing the US president in detail, a top lawyer for the party argued that what Mr Trump had done was a "big deal" and should not go unpunished. Barry Berke, a Democratic counsel for the House Judiciary Committee - which handles impeachment - argued that Mr Trump had "betrayed" the national interest and broken his oath of office.

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  Chris Wallace pushes back on Ken Starr's characterization of 'narrow' Trump impeachment

  FOX News Videos
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  Trump impeachment: 'World of facts' about to collide with 'world of conspiracy'

  The Independent

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. "Two Russian frigates and an anti-submarine aircraft are also thought to have been searching for the British boat as it maneuvered to put its Tomahawk cruise missiles within range of Syrian military targets," according to The Times of London."The Astute-class submarine is believed to have spent several days trying to evade detection in a tense and dangerous contest." 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.

'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.

Webcam live feed showed tourists inside New Zealand volcano right before it erupted and killed at least 5

A webcam photograph from the New Zealand geological hazards agency GeoNet showed a group of people inside the crater of a volcano moments before it erupted. The eruption occurred at Whakaari, also known as White Island, which is located about 50 kilometers, or 30 miles, from the east coast of the country's North Island. The New Zealand police confirmed in a press conference at 6 p.m. on Monday local time that at least five people were dead and many more were injured in the eruption.

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  Dozens of People Unaccounted For After Volcanic Eruption on White Island, New Zealand

  Storyful
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  Eye Opener: Desperate search for survivors in New Zealand

  CBS News Videos

Female Reporter Calls Out Runner Who Groped Her While She Was on TV

A young female local news journalist has spoken out after she was apparently groped by a runner while reporting live on a race in Savannah, Ga. Alexandrea Bozarjian, a WSAV3 journalist, was reporting on the Enmarket Savannah Bridge Run on Saturday as runners rush by her, waving to the camera, according to footage of the incident. Suddenly, a man throws back his arm, turns to her and appears to deliberately hit her on the rear end.

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  Journalist says man "violated" her during live TV report at race event

  CBS News
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  Reporter left stunned after runner gropes her on live television during a race

  AOL.com

The 25 Best Tower Defense Games

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

House impeachment report looks at abuse, bribery, corruption

Previewing potential articles of impeachment, the House Democrats on Saturday issued a lengthy report drawing on history and the Founding Fathers to lay out the legal argument over the case against President Donald Trump's actions toward Ukraine. The findings from the House Judiciary Committee do not spell out the formal charges against the president, which are being drafted ahead of votes, possibly as soon as next week. Instead, the report refutes Trump's criticism of the impeachment proceedings, arguing that the Constitution created impeachment as a “safety valve” so Americans would not have to wait for the next election to remove a president.

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  Judiciary hearing sets stage for President Donald Trump impeachment charges

  WTVD – Raleigh/Durham
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  Republicans, top Democrat clash at impeachment hearing

  Reuters 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.

Iran ready for full prisoner swap, 'ball is in the U.S.’ court': Zarif

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday the Islamic republic is ready for a full prisoner exchange with the United States, tweeting: "The ball is in the US' court". "After getting our hostage back this week, fully ready for comprehensive prisoner exchange," Zarif said. The United States and Iran on Saturday swapped prisoners - American graduate student Xiyue Wang, detained for three years on spying charges, and imprisoned Iranian stem-cell researcher Massoud Soleimani, accused of sanction violations - in a rare act of cooperation between two longtime foes.

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  US-Iran prisoner exchange sees thaw in tensions as domestic chaos takes centre stage

  The Independent
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  Iran ready for more prisoner swaps with US, not negotiations

  Associated Press

Man wearing reindeer slippers tips woman out of wheelchair on train as he tries to steal it

A man has been arrested after a would-be thief tipped a woman out of her wheelchair on a train and attempted to steal it. CCTV footage of the incident shows a man dressed in a red jacket and reindeer slippers, who lept out of his seat and grabbed the handles of the wheelchair as the train approached a station. The woman sitting in the chair can be seen desperately grabbing onto the railings inside the carriage as the attacker attempts to steer her out of the open doors.

American soldiers banned from Italian main street after vicious brawl

Around 2,000 US Army soldiers have been banned from one of the main streets in the Italian city of Vicenza after a  brawl between soldiers and locals. The temporary ban, which affects members of the 173rd Airborne Brigade stationed in the city, involves the quaint via  Contra' Pescherie Vecchie, where two young Vicenza men say they were surrounded and beaten by several soldiers after a verbal exchange just outside a popular watering hole for off duty combat paratroopers. City authorities are studying CCTV images to identify the culprits of the latest violent episode, which prompted Mayor Francesco Rucco to request special restrictive measures from the base commander.

Flu season arrives early, driven by an unexpected virus

The winter flu season is off to its earliest start in more than 15 years. An early wave of illness in the South has begun to spread more broadly, and there's a chance flu season could peak much earlier than normal, health officials say.

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  There's a lot of buzz on a new drug to treat the flu

  ABC News Videos
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  Flu Season Begins Earlier Than Usual as It Harshly Hits Southern States, CDC Reports

  People