- PoliticsYahoo News
For Bill Taylor, first impeachment witness, 'everything's easy after Vietnam'
William B. Taylor Jr., was eating dinner in Berlin a few years ago with a group of former American diplomats when the group turned to him and asked him what it was like to fight in the Vietnam War. “He was the one person at the table who had been there,” Steven Pifer, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine who was at the dinner, told Yahoo News. Taylor described his 18 months as an officer in the Vietnam War, a conflict in which 58,220 American soldiers were killed, as “the most fulfilling job he ever had,” Pifer said.
WorldAFPVenezuela ex-intel chief missing in Spain ahead of US extradition: police
Venezuela's former military intelligence chief has gone missing in Spain just days after a court approved a request for his extradition to the United States on drug trafficking charges, police said Wednesday. "They are currently looking for him," said a spokeswoman for Spain's national police, referring to General Hugo Armando Carvajal. Judicial sources said police had gone to his house in Madrid after Friday's court decision but could not find him.
- WorldReuters
Gaza militants fire rockets into Israel
Palestinian militants fired rockets into Israel on Wednesday, the second day of a spike in cross-border violence, sending people rushing to shelters as sirens sounded, although there were no reports of casualties. The worst fighting in months began on Tuesday, after Israel killed in Gaza a top commander of the Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian militant group backed by Iran, accusing him of masterminding recent attacks against Israel. In response, Islamic Jihad gunmen fired about 200 rockets into Israel throughout the day.
- PoliticsUSA TODAY
Tulsi Gabbard's lawyers sent a letter to Hillary Clinton demanding she retract Russia comments
In the latest development of the feud between Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, lawyers for the Hawaii congresswoman sent a letter to Clinton demanding a retraction of comments alleging Gabbard is a "favorite of the Russians." A political firestorm was set off after Clinton's remarks, made during an October podcast interview, that triggered a bipartisan outpouring of support and defense of Gabbard, from President Donald Trump to 2020 Democratic rival Sen. Bernie Sanders.
- PoliticsBusiness Insider
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hasn't stopped blocking critics on Twitter despite settling a lawsuit charging she violated the First Amendment
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is continuing to block several critics on her personal Twitter account, despite settling a lawsuit and apologizing to one critic she blocked last week. Legal precedent and First Amendment scholars say it's unconstitutional for government officials to block users online over their point of view. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez apologized for blocking a former Brooklyn Assemblyman on Twitter on Monday and settled a lawsuit he filed alleging she violated the First Amendment by preventing him from viewing or engaging with her account.
- BusinessCar and Driver
2020 Toyota Camry, 2021 Toyota Avalon Adding All-Wheel Drive
Toyota will be adding all-wheel drive as an option on 2020 Camry and 2021 Avalon models. It comes with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and an eight-speed automatic transmission. The all-wheel-drive Camry goes on sale in spring, with the AWD Avalon following later, in fall 2020.
- WorldAssociated Press
Zimbabwe says 200 elephants have now died amid drought
More than 200 elephants have died amid a severe drought, Zimbabwe's parks agency said on Tuesday, and a mass relocation of animals is planned to ease congestion. Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesman Tinashe Farawo said at least 200 elephants have died in vast Hwange National Park alone since October and other parks are affected. Animals including giraffe, buffalo and impala are also dying, he said, and the situation can improve only after rains return.
- WorldThe National Interest
China's Submarines Can Now Launch a Nuclear War Against America
Key Point: If China could boost the JL-3's range to 7,500 miles, like the Trident, then it could reach the entire United States from subs stationed in waters near the Chinese coast. China has tested a new submarine-launched missile that can hit the United States. The first flight test of the JL-3 missile was conducted last November from Bohai Bay in the Yellow Sea, according to the South China Morning Post, citing an unnamed source.
- NewsINSIDER
A black man was put in handcuffs after a police officer stopped him on a train platform because he was eating
Steve Foster/Facebook Steve Foster was detained and cited at a Bay Area Rapid Transit station in Walnut Creek, California, on November 4. BART police said Foster violated state law by eating a sandwich on the platform. Foster told KTVU that he thinks he was detained because he is black and that that the officer who stopped him should be disciplined.
- WorldArchitectural Digest
A Closer Look at the Beautified Architectural Revolution Within China
A new book examines the striking works of Zaha Hadid, Steven Holl, Thomas Heatherwick, and Kengo Kuma, all luminaries who have changed China's skyline in their own way Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
- PoliticsYahoo News
Trump 'fighter' Jim Jordan likely won't get much airtime in impeachment hearings
For all the hype surrounding the move by House Republicans to place Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio on the Intelligence Committee so he can be part of the public impeachment hearings, the conservative firebrand is not likely to have much of a role to play based on the rules governing the hearings. Jordan, a former national champion collegiate wrestler known for his unflagging support for President Trump, was moved by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. The tactic was heralded as an aggressive maneuver by the GOP, increasing the odds of intense confrontations between Jordan and witnesses called by the Democrats.
- PoliticsNational Review
Condoleezza Rice Calls Giuliani’s Ukraine Involvement ‘Deeply Troubling’
Former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice said Monday that reports detailing the involvement of President Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani in the White House's Ukraine policy were “deeply troubling. What I see right now troubles me. I see a state of conflict between the foreign policy professionals and someone who says he's acting on behalf of the president but frankly I don't know if that is the case,” Rice said at a conference in Abu Dhabi.
- WorldReuters
REFILE -Uganda charges 67 after raid on gay bar
Removes extraneous letters from headline) KAMPALA, Nov 12 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A Ugandan court charged 67 people with causing a nuisance on Tuesday after they were arrested in a gay-friendly bar, in a move condemned by activists as the latest "homophobic" attack. The 67 - who were among 127 arrested at Ram Bar, in the capital, Kampala, on Sunday - could face up to one year in jail if found guilty, said Patricia Kimera, a lawyer for the group. "This is just a homophobic attack," LGBT+ activist Raymond Karuhanga told the Thomson Reuters Foundation outside the court.
WorldAFP'Blossom everywhere': Hong Kong protesters evolve tactics
From "be water" to "blossom everywhere", Hong Kong's black-clad pro-democracy protesters' tactics have evolved this week in their bid to overwhelm police by creating flashpoints in as many areas as possible. The campaign of massive disruption has seen small groups of protesters emerge all across the city of 7.5 million people from Monday to block intersections, vandalise shops, clash with police and damage the vital train network. "We must blossom everywhere to divert the police force," read an anonymous post on Wednesday morning on an internet message board popular with protesters, echoing other calls online.
- WorldThe Independent
Former Bolivia president Evo Morales flees to Mexico as country descends into chaos
Former Bolivian president Evo Morales has flown to Mexico after fleeing his South American homeland which has descended into chaos following an allegedly rigged election. Bolivia's first indigenous president came under Mexico's protection after he departed Bolivia late on Monday on a Mexican Air Force jet, Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said. Mr Ebrard wrote on Twitter: “The Mexican Air Force plane has already taken off with Evo Morales on board.
- NewsAssociated Press
Court rules against warrantless searches of phones, laptops
A federal court in Boston has ruled that warrantless U.S. government searches of the phones and laptops of international travelers at airports and other U.S. ports of entry violate the Fourth Amendment. Tuesday's ruling in U.S. District Court came in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation on behalf of 11 travelers whose smartphones and laptops were searched without individualized suspicion at U.S. ports of entry. ACLU attorney Esha Bhandari said the ruling strengthens the Fourth Amendment protections of international travelers who enter the United States every year.
WorldYahoo News VideoU.S. troops who remain in Syria are redeploying to bases: Senior commander
At a base in eastern Syria, a senior U.S. coalition commander said Monday that American troops who remain in Syria are redeploying to bases, including in some new locations, and working with the Kurdish-led forces to keep up the pressure on the ISIS militants and prevent the extremists from resurging or breaking out of prisons.
- WorldThe National Interest
F-35s Belong in a Museum: Europe Has Some Wild 6th-Generation Fighter Dreams
Nations such as Britain, France and Sweden could devise weapons of clever and innovative design. But when it came to weapons technology, the innovation came from the United States and the Soviet Union/Russia, who were willing to spend vast amounts of treasure on military research and development. But is a new generation of weapons coming that will put Europe on a par with America and Russia?
- NewsReuters
U.S. Supreme Court declines to shield gun maker from Sandy Hook lawsuit
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday dealt a blow to the firearms industry, rejecting Remington Arms Co's bid to escape a lawsuit by families of victims aiming to hold the gun maker liable for its marketing of the assault-style rifle used in the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre that killed 20 children and six adults. The justices turned away Remington's appeal of a ruling by Connecticut's top court to let the lawsuit proceed despite a federal law that broadly shields firearms manufacturers from liability when their weapons are used in crimes. The lawsuit will move forward at a time of high passions in the United States over the issue of gun control.
- PoliticsThe New York Times
Feud Between Trump Advisers Underscores a White House Torn by Rivalries
In the three years since his election, Trump has never been accused of running a cohesive, unified team. In the emerging picture, the Trump White House is a toxic stew of personality disputes, policy differences, political rivalries, ethical debates and a fundamental rift over the president himself. The fault lines were most clearly evident Monday when Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, abruptly withdrew his effort to join a lawsuit over impeachment testimony after a sharp collision with his onetime colleague John Bolton, the former national security adviser.
- NewsThe Daily Beast
Cops Bust Unicorn Protesting White Supremacy at Indiana Farmer’s Market
The arrest of an inflatable purple unicorn on Saturday wasn't even close to the strangest event to unfold at Bloomington, Indiana's Community Farmers' Market this year. Dressed in an inflatable purple pony suit with a golden horn, protester Forrest Gilmore was removed from the market by two police officers, each gripping one of his purple hooves. Gilmore is part of the Purple Shirt Brigade, an activist coalition that formed this year in response to allegations of white supremacists working at the Bloomington Community Farmers' Market.
- NewsAssociated Press
The Latest: Mother of missing girl charged with neglect
Authorities say they've charged the mother of a missing 5-year-old Florida girl with child neglect and giving false information to investigators. Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams announced the charges against Brianna Williams during a news conference Tuesday evening. Taylor Rose Williams was reported missing from her Jacksonville, Florida, home last Wednesday.
WorldAFPTaiwan seeks return of 'criminal income' from frigate scandal
Taiwan is seeking the return of hundreds of millions of dollars in ill-gotten funds linked to a controversial deal to buy French frigates over two decades ago, prosecutors said Tuesday. Taipei signed a $2.8 billion deal to buy six Lafayette-class frigates in 1991, a deal which strained French ties with China at the time and was later found tainted by up to $400 million in bribes. Taiwanese arms dealer Andrew Wang was indicted for corruption in 2006 for reaping hundreds of millions of dollars from the deal, and his family were also found guilty as his accomplices.
- WorldThe Independent
Bolivian senator declares herself president in Evo Morales’ absence
Bolivian opposition senator Jeanine Anez has declared herself interim president after Evo Morales resigned from office before fleeing to Mexico. Bolivia has been plunged into a state of crisis after Morales, who was first elected in 2006, was forced to stand down following weeks of protests and violence over a disputed presidential election result. Morales, the leader of the leftist Movement for Socialism party, which has governed Bolivia for the past 13 years, had defied the country's constitution by successfully running for a fourth term in October's election – though the result was subject to allegations of fraud and manipulation.
- WorldAssociated Press
Chinese, other students flee Hong Kong as violence worsens
University students from mainland China and Taiwan are fleeing Hong Kong, while those from two Scandinavian countries have been moved or urged to leave as college campuses become the latest battleground in the city's 5-month-long anti-government unrest. Marine police used a boat Wednesday to help a group of mainland students leave the Chinese University of Hong Kong, which remained barricaded by demonstrators after violent clashes with police on Tuesday. The protests have taken on a strong anti-China bent, with radical demonstrators trashing branches of mainland banks, China's official Xinhua News Agency and restaurant chains whose owners support the Beijing government.
