Pompeo appeared to coordinate with Giuliani on Ukraine, new documents show

WASHINGTON — “Pls have Mr. G bring the documents,” reads the March 27, 2019, email from a State Department official to someone who worked for “Mr. G.,” better known as former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a central figure in the Ukraine pressure campaign that culminated in the impeachment of President Trump. “S is happy to meet with him tomorrow for 10 minutes,” went an email, apparently between State Department officials, the next day (both sender and recipient are redacted, though the title “Office Manager to the Secretary of State” is visible in the sender's signature). “S” was Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is suspected by Democrats to have had a more central role in that Ukrainian campaign than has yet been publicly acknowledged.

Bloomberg adviser accuses Warren of 'running interference' for Sanders

The Bloomberg campaign seems a little exasperated with Democratic presidential primary competitor Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who has directed a bevy of criticism at their candidate, billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Over the weekend, Warren was asked whether she considered the Democratic frontrunner Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) a risky candidate — a term which she has used to describe Bloomberg. Warren didn't directly respond to the question about Sanders, instead reiterating her feelings about Bloomberg, who she said has a history of hiding his taxes, harassing women, and supporting racist policies, before launching into an argument about why she's the least risky candidate.

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  Bernie Sanders wants to transform America but his supporters could hand Trump another term

  The Independent
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  'It's the classic glass half empty': Bernie Sanders hidden health records raise questions

  USA TODAY

A California man drove his Jeep off the roof of a six-level parking garage and crashed into a McDonald's, police say

Police in California are investigating after a man drove his Jeep off the roof of a six-level parking garage and into a McDonald's across the street. Police responded just after midnight Sunday and found a newer-model Jeep against a building, the Santa Monica Police Department said in a press release. The Santa Monica Fire Department reported it received information that the Jeep had been driven off the top of a parking garage.

China sentences Swedish bookseller Gui Minhai to 10 years

A Chinese court has sentenced Swedish book publisher Gui Minhai to 10 years in prison on charges of illegally providing intelligence abroad in a case that has rattled relations between Beijing and Stockholm. Gui, one of five Hong Kong-based booksellers known for publishing salacious titles about Chinese political leaders, was snatched by Chinese authorities while on a train to Beijing in February 2018, the second time he disappeared into Chinese custody. The court in the eastern city of Ningbo said Gui was convicted on Monday and that he had his Chinese citizenship reinstated in 2018, but it was not immediately clear if he had given up his Swedish nationality.

Shaky truce appears to take hold in Israel-Gaza fighting

A shaky cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad appeared to be taking hold early Tuesday, ending a two-day round of violence that had threatened to disrupt next week's Israeli national elections. Musab al-Berim, a spokesman for Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, said the cease-fire went into effect at 11:30 p.m. Monday, several hours after an earlier truce quickly unraveled. During two days of fighting, Israeli aircraft pounded dozens of targets in the Gaza Strip while Islamic Jihad militants bombarded southern Israel with heavy rocket fire.

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  Islamic Jihad renews rocket fire on Israel amid ongoing air strikes

  AFP
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  Israeli jets strike targets in Syria and Gaza

  Reuters Videos

Iran Prepares to Suffer the Wrath of the Coronavirus

The spread of coronavirus has rapidly come to the Middle East after almost two months of being mostly contained in China, where it has killed more than two thousand people. Iran's leadership has responded by either ignoring the crisis or denying that it exists, even as all of Iran's neighboring countries have closed the borders that they share with Iran and began to institute checks on Iranians traveling abroad. The reaction of Middle Eastern states reveals a lack of coordination in responding to the emerging crises and also creates questions about what kind of impact a virus can have on a region that has deep divisions and smoldering conflicts.

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  Coronavirus Outbreak: Death toll in Iran is now at 50, news agency says

  KTRK – Houston
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  Coronavirus Cases Soar to Alarming Numbers in Italy, South Korea and Iran with Hundreds Infected

  People

Coronavirus updates: 5 dead and 200 infected in Italy as Europe braces for COVID-19

Number of coronavirus deaths in China nears 2,600 • Italy records fifth coronavirus death as it becomes worst-hit country in Europe • Dow plunges by more than 900 points on fears of coronavirus • Two more doctors die of coronavirus in China • More than 800 confirmed cases, 8 dead in South Korea • China postpones key political meeting because of virus • China bans illegal wild animal trading amid coronavirus outbreak: state media • Coronavirus deaths spike to 12 in Iran; 47 cases confirmed Dow plunges by 950 points on fears coronavirus will tank global economic growth Wall Street plunged at Monday's opening bell after a spike in the number of reported cases of coronavirus fueled fears that th...

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  WHO Head Warns of ‘Potential Pandemic’ after Initially Praising China’s Response to Coronavirus

  National Review
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  Iran COVID-19 Death Toll Reaches 8, With 43 Confirmed Infection Cases

  Meredith Videos

Trump Admin. Considers Booting Chinese Reporters in Response to ‘Egregious’ Expulsion of WSJ Journalists: Report

The Trump administration is considering whether to expel Chinese journalists in response to China's own expulsion of three Wall Street Journal reporters, Bloomberg News reported on Monday. A meeting will be held at the White House on Monday to discuss the administration's options. The meeting will be led by deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, who himself was a Journal reporter based in Beijing.

Chris Wallace Relentlessly Grills Top Pence Aide on Russia Briefing: ‘You Say None of This Happened?!’

Marc Short, Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, struggled during a pair of Sunday morning talk show appearances as he was grilled relentlessly over the White House's assertion that Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire wasn't fired over a House briefing on Russian interference in the 2020 election to assist President Donald Trump. In an interview on Fox News Sunday, after host Chris Wallace asked why Trump was attacking Democrats over the Russia story, Short insisted early on that “there's no intelligence that said the Russians are trying to help Donald Trump win elections,” prompting Wallace to immediately push back.

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  National security adviser Robert O'Brien disputes Russian meddling to favor Trump's reelection

  ABC News
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  Claims of Russian Election Meddling Are Still a Scam

  National Review

The coronavirus death toll is still rising, but US interest in the outbreak is plummeting

Richard Baker/In Pictures via Getty Images Google Trends data show that Americans are losing interest in the coronavirus, even though the death toll continues to rise in mainland China and other countries. The World Health Organization said Monday that the epidemic peaked and plateaued in China between January 23 and February 2. Cases have been reported in 34 countries outside of China, with the most severe outbreaks in Italy, Iran and South Korea.

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  Xi says China facing 'big test' with virus, global impact spreads

  AFP
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  Asian Markets: South Korea Plunges More than 3%; Airlines, Smartphone Industry at Risk

  FX Empire

Greyhound will stop allowing immigration checks on buses

Greyhound, the U.S.'s largest bus company, said on Friday that it will stop allowing Border Patrol agents without a warrant to board its buses to conduct routine immigration checks.

Idaho's governor says he's hoping to speed up the extradition of doomsday mom Lori Vallow so she can face charges connected to her 2 missing kids

Idaho Gov. Brad Little said he's hoping to speed up the process of bringing doomsday mom Lori Vallow back from Hawaii. Vallow, who's two children have been missing since September, was arrested on charges related to their disappearance last week. Idaho Gov. Brad Little said he's hoping to speed up the extradition process to get doomsday prepper Lori Vallow back from Hawaii to face trial for charges connected to the disappearance of her two children.

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  Lori Vallow's Niece Allegedly Knows Where 2 Missing Kids Are, Says Ex  — as Video of Son Surfaces

  People
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  Lori Vallow: Tracking the Movements of Idaho Mom Now Under Arrest After Her 2 Kids Went Missing

  People

GOP lawmakers walk out after Oregon climate bill advances

Republican senators slipped out of the Oregon State Capitol on Monday, preventing the state Senate from convening in an attempt to doom a bill aimed at stemming global warming. The walkout was a repeat of action the GOP took last year to kill similar climate change legislation, a maneuver that prompted threats of having state police forcibly return lawmakers to the Statehouse. The walkout threatens to derail the main legislation that Democrats had hoped to pass during a 35-day session: A bill to limit greenhouse gas emissions that threaten the planet.

Bernie Sanders Wants a Universal, Federally Financed Childcare Plan

Last evening Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, announced a new childcare plan he would enact if elected president in November. Speaking with Anderson Cooper on CBS' 60 Minutes, Sanders described why he felt a universal, federally financed childcare plan was necessary and how he would attempt to pay for such a far-reaching proposal. This is an addition to Sander's current platform of Medicare for All (which would provide publicly funded healthcare to all residents of the United States), the Green New Deal, free admission to public colleges, and the cancellation of all student debt.

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  Warren Buffett says he'd 'certainly' vote for Mike Bloomberg, but will have to 'see what happens' with Bernie Sanders

  The Week
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  Bernie Sanders’ Nevada Coalition Gives Him Clearest Path to Nomination

  Bloomberg

14 products dermatologists recommend for soothing redness and rosacea

To help you tackle red, irritated skin, we consulted top dermatologists for their favorite products. "This cleanser is very gentle on reactive or sensitive skin, which most patients with rosacea have. It also contains feverfew, an ingredient known to decrease redness and help with irritation," said Noelani González, MD, director of cosmetic dermatology at Mount Sinai West in New York City.

Nine of the World’s Most Beautiful Outdoor Saunas

From Seattle to Oslo, these outdoor saunas take relaxation and high-design to the next level Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

With mask and hashtags, Ukraine minister fights coronavirus rumors from quarantine

When Ukraine Health Minister Zoriana Skaletska felt her messages about the coronavirus epidemic were not cutting through, she decided to join nearly 100 people in a quarantine facility to stop panic from spreading among the general public. Ukraine has not recorded a single coronavirus case but the arrival last week of a planeload of evacuees from China, none of whom are believed to be infected, sparked violent protests outside the sanatorium where they were housed. Skaletska moved into the facility for the duration of their two-week quarantine.

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  Coronavirus: British couple evacuated from cruise ship are 'in a really bad way'

  Yahoo News UK
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  Coronavirus: Four new UK cases confirmed as cruise ship evacuees test positive

  The Independent

Susan Collins Breaks With Trump on Director of National Intelligence Pick

Republican Senator Susan Collins, a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, on Monday rejected President Trump's pick to lead the intelligence community, saying Richard Grenell does not have the experience to serve as director of national intelligence. “I would have much preferred that the president nominate the acting director Maguire for the post,” Collins said, referring to the former director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire. “As one of the four authors of the law that created the DNI back in 2004, I care deeply about that position and believe the person needs experience in the intelligence community, which regrettably Ambassador Grenell does not have,” Collins continued.

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  Officials Dispute Briefing on 2020 Russian Interference Favoring Trump: ‘The Intelligence Doesn’t Say That’

  National Review
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  Trump security adviser slammed for 'politicizing intelligence' on Russian meddling

  The Guardian

China said it would relax its lockdown of Wuhan's 11 million residents, only to immediately reintroduce it

Wuhan announced on Monday that some people who are deemed healthy will be allowed to leave the city, whose transport links have been severed since January 23. China's decision to lock down Wuhan and nearby cities is the largest quarantine in human history, with the World Health Organization calling it an unprecedented step that's it's not sure will work. The Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, relaxed the unprecedented quarantine restrictions on its 11 million citizens on Monday, only to almost immediately reverse that decision and reimpose the lockdown of the city.

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  WHO experts visit Chinese virus epicentre

  AFP Relax News
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  The Coronavirus Is Starting to Go Global

  Bloomberg

Trump fumbles his pronunciation of several Indian names and a Hindi word at India speech

President Trump managed on Monday to mangle his pronunciation of several Indian names and a Hindi word on an otherwise successful first day of his state visit to India.

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  Eye Opener at 8: Trump greeted with rally in India

  CBS News Videos
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  Trump's host on his India visit is a fervent vegetarian. The White House is apparently nervous about the menus.

  The Week

Tennessee continues push for executions, setting 2 more

Tennessee on Monday set two new execution dates, days after putting to death its seventh inmate in the past year and a half. The Tennessee Supreme Court ordered an Oct. 8 execution date for Byron Black and a Dec. 3 execution date for Pervis Payne. Black was convicted by a Nashville court of murdering his girlfriend Angela Clay and her daughters Latoya, 9, and Lakesha, 6, at their home in 1988.

NASA space telescope spots a double star system with an alter ego

A volatile double star system appears to change its behavior rapidly and unpredictably like a cosmic story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The pair consists of a neutron star — an extremely dense remnant of a supernova explosion — and a smaller, sunlike star. Using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the National Science Foundation's Karl F. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), astronomers found that this binary star system switches between two alter egos every few years.