Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calls for ousting White House adviser Stephen Miller as a 'white supremacist'

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., called for the ouster of key White House adviser Stephen Miller after the release of emails that she says establish him as a “white supremacist” — a mindset she suggested President Trump shares. Ocasio-Cortez described Miller's presence as one of the more “disturbing” aspects of the Trump administration. “Stephen Miller has just been exposed as, frankly, a neo-Nazi and a white supremacist,” she said.

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  Stephen Miller Targeted Marco Rubio In Breitbart Coverage, Emails Show

  HuffPost
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  Mitt Romney Wants Answers From Stephen Miller About Leaked Emails

  HuffPost

'Vicious, senseless': Patrick Frazee gets life sentence for killing fiancée, burning body

Lee, who lives in Hansen, Idaho, testified that Frazee asked her to clean up the scene of the killing and that she watched him burn a plastic tote she believed contained Berreth's body. Lee acknowledged she took Berreth's cellphone with her to Idaho at Frazee's request to try to deceive investigators about Berreth's whereabouts. She reached a plea deal with prosecutors for tampering with evidence and faces up to three years in prison.

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  Colorado man convicted of killing his fiancée

  ABC News Videos
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  Colorado Rancher Found Guilty of Murdering Fiancée, Sentenced to Life Without Parole

  KDVR - Denver

Gay Saudi journalists detained in Australia after asylum bid

Two gay Saudi journalists who sought asylum in Australia after being threatened at home over their relationship have been held for weeks at an immigration detention centre, their lawyer said Wednesday. The couple arrived in Australia in mid-October on tourist visas but was singled out by airport customs officials -- then taken into detention -- when they admitted plans to seek asylum, lawyer Alison Battisson told AFP. "Australia being very well known for being... a safe place for LGBTI people, they were incredibly surprised and distressed," she said.

7 Amazing Facts About Jaguars, One of the World's Coolest Cats

The big cats are among the fiercest apex predators in the world. From Popular Mechanics

California puts brakes on fracking permits in oil crackdown

California Gov. Gavin Newsom cracked down on oil producers Tuesday, halting approval of hundreds of fracking permits until independent scientists can review them and temporarily banning new wells using another drilling method that regulators believe is linked to one of the largest spills in state history. The state Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources announced it will not approve new wells that use high-pressure steam to extract oil from underground. It's the type of process Chevron uses at an oil field in the Central Valley that leaked more than 1.3 million gallons (4.9 million liters) of oil and water this summer.

• California Bans High-Pressure Steam Oil Wells

  Rigzone.com
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  California halts fracking permits and pauses steam-extraction wells in crackdown on oil producers

  MarketWatch

Syracuse University has suspended all fraternity activities for the rest of the semester after a black student said a group of students accosted her and called her a racial slur

Elstad Ranch/Flickr Syracuse University's fraternities had their social activities canceled for the rest of the semester after a black student said members of the Alpha Chi Rho fraternity called her the N-word. It was the latest in a series of reported racist and anti-Semitic incidents to sweep the upstate New York campus since November 7. Syracuse University has canceled all fraternity social activities for the rest of the semester after a black student reported a racist attack.

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  Syracuse suspends fraternity activities after student reports racist slur

  CBS News Videos
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  Cuomo Calls for Monitor to Probe Racist Incidents at Syracuse University

  The Wall Street Journal

India Army to Cut Sniper Rifle Orders by About 70%

The Indian Army plans to buy just 1,800 state-of-the-art sniper rifles and 2.7 million rounds of ammunition -- less than a third of its total requirement -- driven by budgetary constraints and the need to speed up deliveries, people with knowledge of the matter said. The military pruned its original requirement of 5,720 sniper rifles and 10 million rounds of ammunition, which would have cost $140 million, to prioritize spending and advance the purchase of more modern equipment, they said, asking not to be identified as the information isn't public. Indian Army spokesman Aman Anand said he had no comment to offer on the change in procurement plans.

Meet What Could be The U.S. Navy's Ultimate Weapon (As in a New Destroyer)

Washington D.C.) The Navy has laid the keel for its first new, Flight III DDG 51 surface warfare destroyer armed with improved weapons, advanced sensors and new radar 35-times more sensitive than most current systems, changing attack and defensive options for the surface fleet. Navy Flight III Destroyers have a host of defining new technologies not included in current ships such as more on-board power to accommodate laser weapons, new engines, improved electronics, fast-upgradeable software and a much more powerful radar. The Flight III Destroyers will be able to see and destroy a much wider range of enemy targets at farther distances.

Ocasio-Cortez: Trump was 'clearly engaged in extortion and bribery'

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who began calling for President Trump to be impeached earlier this year, believes we have now reached “the point of no return” where it is inarguably clear that he has committed criminal acts. Ocasio-Cortez discussed the issue with Yahoo News on Capitol Hill on Tuesday as the third day of public hearings was being conducted in the Democrats' ongoing impeachment inquiry. “We're kind of knee-deep here in impeachment inquiry and so at this point, I think we're beyond the question as to whether Trump has committed a crime or whether he's violated the Constitution,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

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  Trump impeachment: Four key moments from bombshell Sondland testimony

  The Independent
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  The Impeachment Clock

  National Review

A Catholic priest condemned a teen's suicide at his own funeral. Now, his mom is suing

A Michigan mother is suing the Archdiocese of Detroit alleging that the priest who spoke at her son's funeral questioned whether her son would go to heaven after dying by suicide, adding to the family's suffering. Linda Hullibarger and her husband, Jeff, said they met with Rev. Don LaCuesta in 2018 to plan funeral services for their 18-year-old son, Maison, a straight-A student and outstanding athlete who died on Dec. 4. According to the complaint filed Thursday in Wayne County, the parents met with LaCuesta well before the funeral to make clear they wanted the priest to deliver a positive and uplifting message that celebrated the life of their son.

Sewer campus escape bid by Hong Kong protesters ends in arrest

Two pro-democracy protesters were arrested Wednesday as they emerged from a manhole on a Hong Kong road outside a besieged campus, in a thwarted escape bid from inside the university. Two male protesters holed up in the campus for days were detained along with four people lowering ropes to help them out from the drainage system, police said. They apparently crawled through fetid sewers to a manhole outside a housing estate around half a kilometre from city centre grounds of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), the scene of the dramatic siege by police.

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  Hong Kong citizens deserve more from the UK – starting with permanent residency

  The Independent
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  SOS: Diehards hold out at Hong Kong campus as foreign pressure rises

  AFP

American Airlines admitted a mid-air accident that knocked out 2 flight crew and forced an emergency landing was not caused by spilled soap

Flickr/Oliver Holzbauer American Airlines admitted Tuesday that whatever knocked out two flight attendants and forced an emergency landing in October was not spilled soap, as the airline had previously claimed. On October 21, American Airlines flight 729 was flying from London Heathrow to Philadelphia, but was forced to land in Dublin, Ireland, when two staff members passed out. American Airlines said at the time that the incident was caused by "an odor caused by a spilled cleaning solution in the galley."

• American Airlines admits 'soap spill' did not divert flight

  BBC News
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  Doubts raised over American Airlines ‘fume event’ that left two cabin crew unconscious

  The Independent

Judge: Death row inmate hasn’t proven prejudice by juror

A Tennessee death row inmate nearing execution has failed to prove a juror was prejudiced against him when she helped sentence him to death decades ago, a judge ruled Tuesday. In his ruling, Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Don Poole declined to reopen 53-year-old Lee Hall's case, but also wrote that Hall wouldn't be entitled to relief even if he could consider the claim of juror bias. Hall's attorneys contend he was deprived of his constitutional rights because the juror acknowledged she had failed to disclose during jury selection nearly 26 years ago that she had been raped and abused by her ex-husband.

A Saudi Arabian princess and rights activist who 'fell off the radar' in late 2018 is reportedly detained under house arrest with 24/7 surveillance

A Saudi princess and activist has been detained and placed under house arrest on suspicion of trying to flee to Europe, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported. Sources close to Princess Basmah told the publication she disappeared in December 2018 and was detained in March 2019 on suspicion of seeking to flee under the guise of urgent medical care in Switzerland. When Princess Basmah finally responded to Bennett's phone calls she was "sounding very much like a hostage," he told DW.

She can't vote, but 2020 Democratic candidates want her support anyway

One of the most sought-after presidential endorsements in a key early voting state is from a woman who cannot vote.

What If Iran Could Take down the F-35?

The best of Iran's decrepit fighter aircraft fleet is the Grumman F-14 Tomcat. The Imperial Iranian Air Force purchased 80 of the powerful fourth generation fighters before the 1979 Islamic revolution, but deliveries were halted at 79 aircraft. Additionally, Iran had purchased 714 Hughes (now Raytheon) AIM-54A Phoenix long-range semi-active/active radar guided air-to-air missiles, which have a range of roughly 100 nautical miles.

Army officer on Trump phone call said it was his 'duty' to report president

The second decorated U.S. military combat veteran to testify in the House impeachment inquiry told Congress Tuesday that he listened to President Trump's July phone call with the president of Ukraine and immediately knew it was his “duty” to report Trump's “improper” behavior to White House lawyers. I knew that I had to report this to the White House counsel. It was improper for the president to demand an investigation into a political opponent,” Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a 44-year-old Army officer detailed to the White House for the past 18 months, told the House Intelligence Committee.

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  Trump impeachment hearing: Witness hits out at 'vile character attacks' following president's tweets

  The Independent
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  'Do not go there!': Fox News hosts shout at each other in furious on-air row over Trump impeachment

  The Independent

Chinese bishop 'on the run' after refusing to join state-sanctioned church

A Catholic bishop in China is believed to be on the run from state security after refusing to bring his church under a government-sanctioned religious association. Guo Xijin, 61, has fled the custody of state agents and has gone into hiding, reported Catholic Asia News, a website, and cannot be immediately reached for comment. Mr Guo is part of a group of bishops that many religious and human rights experts feared would be persecuted after the Vatican inked a deal with Beijing last year on the ordaining bishops.

Germany to Put Intense Pressure on France to Open EU Enlargement

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will pressure France so that two Western Balkan nations can begin negotiations to join the European Union after President Emmanuel Macron moved to restrict new memberships. We must now talk with France, and we will do this very intensely, about which elements exactly will have to improved or changed in the accession process,” Merkel told reporters in Zagreb on Wednesday. We want an agreement about this as soon as possible so that we will be able to make progress in the concrete cases.

Epstein accuser says his alleged accomplice told her: "There's so many ways to die"

Maria Farmer, who has accused Jeffrey Epstein and his friend Ghislaine Maxwell of assaulting her in 1996, said Maxwell threatened her life after the assault. In her first TV interview, Farmer spoke to "CBS This Morning" co-host Anthony Mason about working for Epstein, how the FBI "failed" her and what she's doing to heal. Farmer, who was a young artist when she met Epstein and Maxwell at an art show in New York City in 1995, wasn't able to paint for more than 20 years, since the alleged assault.

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  Fallout from Prince Andrew's Ties to Jeffrey Epstein Hits His Initiatives and Royal Patronages

  People
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  Prince Andrew to 'step back from public duties for the foreseeable future' over Epstein relationship

  The Telegraph

Norwegian freed in Moscow spy swap 'deceived' by secret services

A Norwegian man freed by Moscow from an espionage jail term as part of a spy swap between Lithuania and Russia said on Tuesday he felt "deceived" by his country's intelligence service. Frode Berg, 64, a retired Norwegian border guard, was detained in Moscow in 2017 following a sting operation by Russia's FSB security service and freed on Friday as part of an exchange reminiscent of the Cold War. Prosecutors accused him of spying on the country's nuclear submarines and a Russian court sentenced him to 14 years imprisonment in April.

Son of former German president stabbed to death in Berlin

The son of former German president Richard von Weizsaecker was stabbed to death while he was giving a lecture at a hospital in Berlin where he worked as a head physician, police said Wednesday. A 57-year-old German man is in custody after he jumped up from the audience at the Schlosspark-Klinik and attacked Fritz von Weizsaecker with a knife on Tuesday evening. Von Weizsaecker died at the scene from a knife wound to the neck despite immediate attention from colleagues, said Martin Steltner, a spokesman for Berlin prosecutors.