- PoliticsYahoo News
Sorry, Hillary: Democrats don't need a savior
Reminder: There are 84 days until the Iowa caucuses and 358 days until the 2020 election. With the Iowa caucuses fast approaching, Clinton is just the latest in the colorful cast of characters who seem to have surveyed the sprawling Democratic field, sensed something lacking and decided that “something” might be them. Never mind, for instance, that billionaire businessman and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg already closed the door on a run earlier this year, declaring in March that he was “clear-eyed about the difficulty of winning the Democratic nomination” and that “the best way for me to help our country is by rolling up my sleeves and continuing to get work done” as a political philanthropist.
- NewsYahoo News
Immigration officer blows whistle on 'morally objectionable' Trump asylum policy
A new anonymous whistleblower has accused the Trump administration of requiring U.S. asylum officers to enforce an illegal and immoral policy “clearly designed to further this administration's racist agenda of keeping Hispanic and Latino populations from entering the United States. The policy in question is the so-called Migrant Protection Protocols, or MPP, the controversial program requiring that most asylum seekers who attempt to request protections in the United States via the southern border be returned to Mexico to await their immigration proceedings there rather than inside the U.S. Under the MPP, which was first announced at the end of last year, more than 50,000 migrants have been s...
- WorldReuters
Iran starts gasoline rationing, hikes prices - state TV
Iran introduced gasoline rationing and price hikes on Friday with an official saying that the revenue would be used for subsidies for 18 million needy families, state television reported. Iran, which has some of the world's cheapest fuel prices due to heavy subsidies and the fall of its currency, has been fighting rampant fuel smuggling to neighbouring countries. State TV said the price of a litre of regular gasoline was increased to 15,000 rials (12.7 U.S. cents) from 10,000 rials and the monthly ration for each private car was set at 60 litres per month.
NewsUSA TODAYSaugus school shooting in California: What we know now
A shooting at a Southern California high school Thursday has left two students dead and four others wounded, including the gunman. A student at the school was taken into custody and was being treated at a hospital, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said, adding that the 16-year-old male suspect was in "grave'' condition. Police officers swarmed Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, upon reports of a shooting around 7:30 a.m.
- NewsThe Daily Beast
Jewish Groups Blast Fox News for Joe diGenova’s Anti-Semitic Soros Conspiracy Theory
Fox has come under fire from Jewish organizations following a Wednesday night segment on Fox Business Network's Lou Dobbs Tonight in which Trump-boosting lawyer Joe diGenova seemingly trafficked in anti-Semitic tropes by accusing Jewish financier George Soros of controlling “very large parts” of the U.S. Department of State. Speaking with host Lou Dobbs—who has a history of peddling Soros-based conspiracies—diGenova dismissed the impeachment testimony of senior diplomat George Kent by baselessly claiming he is part of an insidious Soros plot to take over Ukraine with the help of State and the FBI.
- WorldThe National Interest
China Needs Imperial Realism on Hong Kong
Hong Kong can only be kept in the Chinese empire if accommodated as a distinctive society. Hong Kong was declared in 1997 an autonomous “system” within China, but it was always more than that. A decade of threats from China since 2008 has driven the difference to grow further: from distinctive society into a distinctive nation.
- WorldBusiness Insider
An Air India flight was delayed nearly 12 hours after a stowaway rat was spotted in the cabin
An Air India flight flying from Hyderabad to Visakhapatnam was delayed for 12 hours after a rat was spotted in the cabin. Flight AI-952 was due to depart at 06:10 a.m. on Sunday but after the rat was spotted passengers were told to disembark the plane— which did not leave until later in the day at 5.30 p.m. according to the Times of India. A domestic flight in India was delayed for 12 hours after a rat was spotted in the cabin as the flight was about to take off.
- NewsThe Guardian
Cows swept off island during Hurricane Dorian found after swimming for miles
Three cows swept off an island during the raging storm of Hurricane Dorian have been located on North Carolina's Outer Banks after apparently swimming four miles during the storm. The extraordinary swimming bovines were grazing on their home of Cedar Island when the giant storm hit on 6 September, generating an 8ft “mini tsunami” that swept away wildlife, including 28 wild horses and about 17 cows from the island's herd. Cows are recognized as adept swimmers comfortable with covering a few hundred yards.
PoliticsYahoo News VideoRudy Giuliani is confident the president will remain loyal to him
Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump's personal lawyer, has said he is confident the president will remain loyal to him as an impeachment inquiry unfolds in which the former New York mayor has become a central figure. But Giuliani joked that he had good “insurance” in case Trump did turn on him, amid speculation Republicans will seek to frame him as a rogue actor.
- WorldAssociated Press
N. Korea calls Biden a ‘rabid dog’ for insulting its dignity
North Korea called former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden a “rabid dog” that “must be beaten to death with a stick” in its latest swipe against foreign and political leaders it sees as hostile to the North's leadership. The commentary by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said the U.S. presidential hopeful “reeled off a string of rubbish against the dignity” of the North's supreme leadership, an act it said deserves “merciless punishment. It referred to him only with his surname and as vice president under Barack Obama, and in some versions spelled his name as “Baiden.
- PoliticsBloomberg
DNC Announces 10 Candidates in Atlanta Democratic Debate
The Democratic National Committee on Thursday announced the 10 candidates who will participate in the fifth Democratic primary debate in Atlanta on Wednesday. They are: Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Tulsi Gabbard, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer, Elizabeth Warren and Andrew Yang. Julian Castro, who participated in previous debates, most recently in October at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio, didn't make the cut.
WorldAFPVietnam jails music teacher for 'undermining' state
Vietnam sentenced a music teacher to 11 years in prison on Friday for Facebook posts that allegedly undermined the one-party state, which has been accused of tightening the noose on online dissent. Communist Vietnam has long jailed its critics but has come under fire recently for targeting users on Facebook, a popular forum for activists in the country where all independent media is banned. Nguyen Nang Tinh is the latest activist jailed for his Facebook comments, including posts about police brutality, land rights, and a Taiwanese steel firm that dumped toxic sludge into the ocean, killing masses of fish off the coast of Vietnam.
- NewsThe Independent
American war veteran who spent several days in ICE detention receives $190k settlement
A US citizen and military veteran suffering from a mental health condition will reportedly receive $190,000 (£147,988) from a Michigan city after local officials transferred him to ICE detention following an arrest last year. Jilmar Ramos-Gomez, a decorated Marine veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, was arrested while experiencing an episode in which he lost all recollection, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Police found the veteran, who was born and raised in Michigan, on the helipad of a hospital after he started a small fire and pulled an alarm, according to reports.
- PoliticsThe Week
GOP congressman's impeachment hearing tweets spell out 'Epstein didn't kill himself'
On Wednesday, over the course of seven hours, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz. posted 23 tweets, all pertaining to the public impeachment hearings going on over at the House Intelligence Committee. In reverse chronological order, the first words of each tweet were: "Evidence," "President," "Schiff," "The," "Every," "It's," "No," "Democrats," "It," "Donald," "Neither," "The," "Kent," "In," "Let," "Lying," "Hillary," "It's," "Maxine," "Schiff," "Even," "Let's," and "Finally."
- PoliticsPolitico
Bill Clinton weighs in on how impeachment could affect Trump White House
Former President Bill Clinton on Thursday rejected the White House's assertion that it's unable to work with Democrats in Congress on legislative priorities in the midst of impeachment proceedings, dismissing such claims as an “excuse. The former president phoned in to CNN to weigh in on a high school shooting in Santa Clarita, Calif. as he traveled to Washington to receive an award from the Brady Center for his work on gun control.
- WorldBusiness Insider
Pirates attacked an Italian ship off the coast of Mexico — the latest sign of a growing criminal industry
Gunmen boarded a ship in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday night, robbing the passengers and leaving two of them wounded. It's only the latest attack on oil infrastructure in the Gulf, as fuel theft becomes more common on land and at sea in Mexico. A pirate attack on an Italian ship in the Gulf of Mexico that left two sailors wounded isn't the first such incident, and with Mexico struggling to address rising insecurity, it's not likely to be the last.
- WorldReuters
Russia blames fatal plane crash on pilots, including one who lied to get license
A plane crash that killed all 50 people on board at Russia's Kazan Airport in 2013 was the result of errors made by two pilots, including one who got his license using falsified documents, Russian investigators said on Thursday. The Boeing 737-500 aircraft was operated by the now-defunct Tatarstan Airlines, which later had its license revoked by Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsiya. The plane from Moscow had been trying to abort its landing when it nose-dived into the runway and burst into flames.
- EntertainmentArchitectural Digest
A History of Modern American Architecture
A new book surveys the stunning work of Ezra Stoller, the most prominent photographer of 20th-century American architecture Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
- WorldAssociated Press
The Latest: Hong Kong highway blocked after deadline passes
Protesters in Hong Kong have once again blocked a highway in an outlying area after the government did not meet their demand that it pledge to go ahead with local elections later this month. The protesters had allowed one lane of traffic to re-open in each direction and gave the government 24 hours to meet their demand. Constitutional Affairs Secretary Patrick Nip said the government hopes the election will be held on schedule but warned that it could be postponed if conditions are unsafe and roads and other transportation are blocked.
- BusinessBloomberg
U.S. Farm Finances Worsen Despite Trump Trade War Aid
Farm finances deteriorated across a swath of agricultural states during the summer and early fall despite the Trump administration's second round of trade aid payments and slightly higher prices, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City reported Thursday. The report underscores the mounting economic pressure on a key Donald Trump constituency as he confronts a re-election campaign and impeachment struggle while undertaking negotiations with Beijing on a partial trade deal that could provide relief from retaliatory tariffs hitting American farmers. The trade talks have bogged down as Trump seeks assurances that Beijing will deliver on commitments on agricultural purchases.
- LifestyleCar and Driver
View Photos of the 2020 Morgan Plus 4
The ancient British roadster is a brand-new barn find. From Car and Driver
- NewsUSA TODAY
A gun known as the 'cop-killer' used in killing of Ohio detective during drug raid, officials said
An Ohio man lied so he could illegally buy the gun used to kill a Dayton police detective during a drug raid, officials said. Delano Wells, 50, of Trenton, has been charged in federal court in Dayton with making false statements on a federal firearms form. Nine kilograms of suspected fentanyl, six plastic tubs of marijuana and about $50,000 were found in the basement, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Dayton.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Bolivia interim leader recognises Guaido as legitimate Venezuelan leader as balance shifts
Interim president Jeanine Anez moved Thursday to consolidate power in deeply polarized Bolivia, winning recognition from the United States and immediately shifting the country's foreign policy on erstwhile ally Venezuela. Anez was expected to complete her government line-up, having named new military chiefs and half of her proposed 20-member cabinet - including Defense Minister Fernando Lopez Julio - the night before. "We have come to pacify the country," Lopez Julio said in a speech at the military college in La Paz.
- PoliticsNational Review
Nancy Pelosi Says Finalized USMCA Deal ‘Imminent’
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif. said during a press conference Thursday that the Trump administration's renegotiated USMCA trade deal with Mexico and Canada will pass the House imminently. I do believe that if we can get this to the place it needs to be, which is imminent, that this can be a template for future trade agreements.
- WorldThe National Interest
How Baghdadi Used Religion to Sell the Islamic State's Twisted Tribe
Just days after the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Oct. 27, the Islamic State named Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi as the new “caliph. In 2014, IS conquered vast swaths of Iraq and Syria and declared itself to be the “caliphate. Defined and applied in different ways over the centuries, the fundamental idea behind the caliphate is the just ordering of society according to the will of God.
