| Trump touts quote calling him 'second coming of God' to Jews in Israel Posted: 21 Aug 2019 06:54 AM PDT  A day after saying American Jews who vote for Democrats show "great disloyalty," President Trump touted comments from a conservative radio host who said that Jews in Israel "love him" like a king or the Messiah.
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| Beto O’Rourke: As president, I’d institute a mandatory buyback of assault weapons Posted: 22 Aug 2019 04:17 PM PDT  Only America has more guns than people. Follow the lead of moms demanding action and students marching for their lives, writes candidate Beto O'Rourke
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| Six people aged 62 to 85 arrested for 'sexual activity' in woods after police surveillance operation Posted: 22 Aug 2019 02:39 AM PDT  Six people aged 62 to 85 have been arrested after police officers went into the woods to watch them having sex.The group was arrested in a conservation area in Fairfield, Connecticut, which is some 87 acres in size.
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| UPDATE 1-U.S. will aggressively enforce sanctions over Iran tanker -State Dept official Posted: 22 Aug 2019 02:52 PM PDT ![UPDATE 1-U.S. will aggressively enforce sanctions over Iran tanker -State Dept official]( "UPDATE 1-U.S. will aggressively enforce sanctions over Iran tanker -State Dept official") The United States will aggressively enforce its sanctions to prevent the private sector from assisting an Iranian oil tanker that is traveling through the Mediterranean and that Washington wants seized, a State Department official said on Thursday. "The shipping sector is on notice that we will aggressively enforce U.S. sanctions," the official told Reuters days after warning countries not to allow the tanker to dock. Ship tracking data has shown the ship, Adrian Darya, formerly called Grace 1, last heading toward Greece, although Greece's prime minister said it was not heading to his country.
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| Newt Gingrich says slavery needs to be put 'in context,' calls 1619 project a 'lie' Posted: 22 Aug 2019 08:53 AM PDT  "There were several hundred thousand white Americans who died in the Civil War in order to free the slaves," Gingrich argued.
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| Overstock CEO resigns over relationship with Russian 'spy' Posted: 22 Aug 2019 03:56 PM PDT  The chief executive of the e-commerce firm Overstock.com stepped down Thursday over his relationship with an alleged Russian intelligence operative jailed for meddling in US politics. Patrick Byrne only recently admitted that he had a close relationship with Maria Butina for three years, during the period when she beguiled top Republican and National Rifle Association officials with talk of strengthening Moscow-Washington relations and her flair with guns.
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| 2020 Chevy Bolt EV Gets More Driving Range Posted: 22 Aug 2019 06:39 AM PDT  The Bolt goes from 238 miles to 259 and leapfrogs rival EVs from Tesla, Hyundai, and Kia.
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| 2016 Ford Mustang Roush Stage 3 Is A Wild Pony Posted: 21 Aug 2019 10:58 AM PDT  Here's your chance to get a babied, one-owner Roush Mustang at no reserve.Before Ford announced the return of the Shelby GT500 for the 2020 model year, the most performance you could squeeze out of a Mustang was from the aftermarket tuning world. The 2016 Ford Mustang Roush Stage 3 is a perfect example of how far the modern Mustang can be pushed, and this gorgeous, one-owner Roush Mustang will be auctioned off at no reserve by GAA Classic Cars.The highest of the Roush tuning levels, the Stage 3 transforms the Mustang into a track car. This starts by bolting a Roush supercharger atop the Mustang's 5.0-liter Coyote V8 resulting in 670 horsepower – a significant improvement over the 435 -horsepower Mustang GT. Roush also added an active performance exhaust system, adjustable coil-over suspension, extreme-duty half shafts and 20-inch wheels wrapped in high-performance tires.Roush made sure its tuned Mustangs wouldn't be confused with a factory Mustang by giving its car a distinctive, racecar-like appearance. Since all of the Roush Mustang tuning options (RS, Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3) had similar styling modifications, that meant any unsuspecting Camaro or Challenger will get a big surprise from this 670-horsepower monster Mustang. The revised front end is far more menacing than the base Mustang GT, but these changes aren't just for style as the hood scoop, heat extractors and larger grille openings are all functional to improve the car's overall performance. Inside, the Stage 3 Roush Mustang gets billet foot pedals with the Roush logo and an eight-ball-style shift knob.This particular car is one of 28 Roush Stage 3 Mustang coupes painted in this dark gray hue, called Magnetic, and it is being auctioned off at no reserve as part of the George Shinn Collection on Saturday, November 9. The George Shinn Collection is owned by George Shinn, the former owner of the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets who had started the NBA team and then moved it to New Orleans in 2002. Read More... * Rare 2010 Dodge Challenger Saleen In TorRed Goes To Auction * 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Stock Car Being Auctioned At No Reserve
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| Experts say there is still a clear route for Trump to win reelection in 2020 even if a recession strikes Posted: 22 Aug 2019 07:13 AM PDT  Many analysts believe that a recession would tank US President Donald Trump's chances of reelection in 2020, but that's not necessarily the case.
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| NYC Rules Ease Affordable Housing Path for Undocumented Migrants Posted: 21 Aug 2019 10:43 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio is making it easier for New York City's undocumented immigrants to qualify for scarce city-subsidized affordable housing.New eligibility rules de Blasio unveiled scrap credit-rating, Social Security and taxpayer identification requirements if applicants can show 12 consecutive monthly rent payments."For too long, families without access to credit have faced barriers to the affordable housing they need," de Blasio said Wednesday. "By allowing New Yorkers to submit rental history instead of credit checks, we are creating a fairer system for all New Yorkers."The mayor's goal of creating or preserving 300,000 units of affordable housing by 2026 has been one of his signature programs, which he's touted while campaigning for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. The city's 500,000 undocumented immigrants would be able to participate in a lottery that already attracts more than 500 applicants for each available unit, said Bitta Mostofi, commissioner for the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs.Unlike federal housing programs that bar undocumented immigrants from applying for U.S. funded public or subsidized housing, they were never legally disqualified from city housing programs, said Margy Brown, associate commissioner for housing opportunity in the city's Department of Housing Preservation & Development. By ending credit-rating requirements, there's no need for an applicant to provide Social Security and taxpayer documents, making it easier for non-citizens to qualify, she said."We are committed to ensuring that New Yorkers across the board have equal access to affordable housing," she said.The new policy was criticized as "a really bad idea" by Howard Husock, vice president for research and publications, at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative policy research group. "People who consistently pay their bills should be rewarded for their efforts, especially when property owners are being asked to take less-than-market rent, and deserve assurance they will get paid," he said.To contact the reporter on this story: Henry Goldman in New York at hgoldman@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Flynn McRoberts at fmcroberts1@bloomberg.net, Michael B. Marois, William SelwayFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Brexit: Boris Johnson warned US trade deal 'highly unlikely' if Ireland has hard border Posted: 21 Aug 2019 12:44 PM PDT  A post-Brexit trade deal with the US would be "highly unlikely" if there is a hard border on the island of Ireland, Boris Johnson has been warned.The Congressional Friends of Ireland, a group in the US Congress which supports and promotes peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland, has written to the prime minister warning that it will oppose any US-UK trade deal if it risks undermining the Good Friday Agreement.
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| Farmer's threat prompts U.S. Agriculture Department to pull staff from crop tour Posted: 21 Aug 2019 07:09 PM PDT  CORALVILLE, Iowa/CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. Agriculture Department said on Wednesday it had pulled all staff from an annual crop tour after an employee was threatened, and three sources said the threat of violence was made during a phone call from an angry farmer. U.S. farmers have complained this month that a government crop report did not reflect damage from historic flooding this spring. Lance Honig, crops chief at the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, was among the USDA staffers who had to leave the privately-run Pro Farmer tour, three sources with knowledge of the situation said.
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| 'Lord forgive them': Larry Swearingen executed for killing Conroe college student Melissa Trotter Posted: 21 Aug 2019 05:46 PM PDT  Up until the very end, Larry Swearingen maintained he was innocent in the abduction, rape and murder of Melissa Trotter in Conroe.
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| Iran unveils home-grown missile defence system Posted: 22 Aug 2019 01:36 AM PDT  Iran unveiled its new home-grown air defence system on Thursday at a time of increased tensions with the United States. Iranian officials have previously called Bavar-373 the Islamic republic's first domestically produced long-range missile defence system. Tehran began making Bavar -- which means "believe" -- after the purchase of Russia's S-300 system was suspended in 2010 due to international sanctions.
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| L.L. Bean's Huge End-of-Summer Sale Is Taking Up to 70% Off Posted: 22 Aug 2019 11:17 AM PDT |
| North Dakota court overturns life term in cut from womb case Posted: 22 Aug 2019 04:09 PM PDT  A judge overstepped by giving a life prison sentence to a man whose girlfriend cut the baby from the womb of an unsuspecting neighbor, the North Dakota Supreme Court ruled Thursday, ordering that the man be resentenced. William Hoehn, of Fargo, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping in the August 2017 attack on Savanna Greywind, who died of her injuries but whose baby survived. Hoehn's girlfriend, Brooke Crews, admitted that she sliced Greywind's baby from her womb.
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| Yale failed to stop professor who sexually assaulted students over decades, report says Posted: 21 Aug 2019 08:46 PM PDT ![Yale failed to stop professor who sexually assaulted students over decades, report says]( "Yale failed to stop professor who sexually assaulted students over decades, report says") A report commissioned by Yale says a professor assaulted at least five students, and an investigation in 1994 failed to stop him.
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| Trump again says he is 'very seriously' looking to end birthright citizenship Posted: 21 Aug 2019 12:35 PM PDT  Eight months after first raising the idea, the president said his administration is again "very seriously" looking into ending the practice of conferring U.S. citizenship on anyone born in the United States.
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| China State Media Says U.K. Consulate Worker Visited Prostitute Posted: 22 Aug 2019 05:45 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Want the lowdown on European markets? In your inbox before the open, every day. Sign up here.China detained a U.K. consulate staffer from Hong Kong for visiting a prostitute, a Chinese newspaper alleged, a new twist in a case that has raised concerns Beijing is trying to warn the British government against meddling in its former colony.Police in the border city of Shenzhen said Simon Cheng, 28, "violated the 66 article of China's law on administrative penalties for public security, which states that people who engage in prostitution or visit prostitutes shall be detained for no less than 10 days but no more than 15 days," the Communist Party's Global Times reported Thursday. Cheng's 15th day of detention is Friday.Cheng told the police not to notify his family about his detention, the newspaper said, adding that he faces a potential 5,000 yuan ($705) fine. It gave no evidence against Cheng. The UK consulate in Hong Kong did not answer a phone call seeking comment on the allegation. Cheng's girlfriend did not immediately respond to a question on the charge.Before the Global Times story was published, the consulate said it had raised the issue with authorities in China and Hong Kong and was in contact with Cheng's family and providing support.Allegations of visiting prostitutes have later proved false in other instances where Hong Kong residents have been detained in China. A Hong Kong lawmaker apologized after accusing bookseller and Communist Party critic Lee Bo of visiting prostitutes, the South China Morning Post reported in 2016.Separately, allegations of sexual impropriety have appeared alongside political corruption charges in the trials of senior Chinese politicians Bo Xilai, Zhou Yongkang and Sun Zhengcai.The Global Times said Hong Kong, Taiwanese and western media had politicized Cheng's case. "Those reports linked the incident to the current complicated situation in Hong Kong, politicized the case and highlighted his family's lack of knowledge on his whereabouts," the newspaper said.The allegation was also tweeted by the paper's editor-in-chief Hu Xijin, who's among a small number of prominent Chinese figures who comment on topics usually handled with extreme sensitivity by state agencies.China's Foreign Ministry confirmed Wednesday that Cheng, a Hong Kong citizen, was being held in administrative detention in Shenzhen on allegations of violating local laws, but didn't specify any allegations.Cheng is employed by the U.K. Consulate General and works for Scottish Development International, which encourages firms to do business with Scotland. He failed to return home to Hong Kong from an Aug. 8 meeting in Shenzhen.His detention occurred as historic pro-democracy protests have rocked the city since early June. On Wednesday evening, a small group of protesters staged a "Save Simon Cheng" rally outside the consulate in central Hong Kong.Cheng went to Shenzhen to attend a trade fair, leaving around noon on Aug. 8, according to an account circulated by his girlfriend, Annie Li. He was on his way back to Hong Kong after 10 p.m. when he messaged Li to say "passing through" and "pray for me." He then stop communicating. The next morning, Li and Cheng's family went to the U.K. consulate, which told them to file a police report. Police launched a missing person's investigation. (Adds details on Cheng's time in Shenzhen from eleventh paragraph. An earlier version corrected to clarify that allegation against Lee Bo was made by a Hong Kong lawmaker, who later apologized.)\--With assistance from Peter Martin.To contact the reporters on this story: Iain Marlow in Hong Kong at imarlow1@bloomberg.net;Sheryl Tian Tong Lee in Hong Kong at slee1905@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Karen Leigh, Sharon ChenFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Interpol issues red notice for former Colombian guerrilla leader Posted: 22 Aug 2019 08:06 AM PDT  Interpol on Thursday issued a red notice for a fugitive Colombian lawmaker and former FARC rebel commander who the United States wants extradited for alleged conspiracy to export 10 tonnes of cocaine. Seuxis Paucias Hernandez - known best by his guerrilla nom de guerre Jesus Santrich - was indicted in 2017 by a U.S. grand jury, setting off a legal saga that has seen him twice arrested and released. Hernandez has denied the U.S. allegations.
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| Former Manafort deputy Rick Gates testifies against Greg Craig Posted: 22 Aug 2019 05:38 AM PDT  Rick Gates was thrust into public view in August 2017 when he and Manafort were indicted in the first case publicly brought by Mueller's office.
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| Baltimore teen gets life in prison in police officer slaying Posted: 21 Aug 2019 04:59 PM PDT  A Baltimore teenager was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday, more than a year after he accelerated a stolen Jeep and fatally struck a Maryland police officer in a suburban cul-de-sac. Dawnta Harris, 17, was tried as an adult earlier this year and convicted of felony murder in the slaying of Baltimore County police Officer Amy Caprio. A judge in the suburban county that surrounds the city of Baltimore also sentenced Harris to 20 years in prison for burglary.
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| View Netflix Hyperdrive Photos Posted: 21 Aug 2019 02:33 PM PDT |
| Trump Invited Himself to Denmark Before Canceling Trip, Danes Say Posted: 22 Aug 2019 01:18 PM PDT  Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / Photos GettySpeaking to reporters on the White House's South Lawn in late July, President Donald Trump revealed that he was "looking at" a stop in Denmark after an upcoming trip to Poland to attend a World War II commemorative ceremony.For officials in Copenhagen, the comment came as a surprise. Although it is customary in Denmark for there to be a standing invitation for the U.S. president—and though officials in both countries had been discussing the possibility of an American delegation visiting—no formal invitation had actually been extended to Trump, according to two senior Danish officials and an individual who works closely with the Trump administration in Copenhagen.By the next day, Queen Margrethe II had issued the invite, and the White House had officially announced the president's plans to visit the country. Over the subsequent days, much planning went into preparing for the president's visit, which was supposed to include meetings with high-level officials from Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands. It was designed to be a decadent affair: the Queen's staff was in the midst of ordering the crystal for the tables and flowers for the palace for the big state dinner with Trump. Danish business leaders had finalized plans for roundtable discussions with White House officials about increasing investments in the U.S. Officials in the country's ministry of foreign affairs were preparing talking points to promote increased cooperation between the U.S. and Denmark in the Arctic. But the frenetic planning came to a stop this past week, when Trump abruptly cancelled the trip after being publicly rebuffed for his proposal that the United States buy Greenland from Denmark. The cancellation set off a round of largely critical commentary within the Danish press and among Danish officials, angry that the president canceled a trip he proposed. Some took to social media, saying the president had "invited himself" to the country. Even the former U.S. ambassador to Denmark posted about the invite situation.The White House did not return a request for comment about how the Denmark trip came to be. The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request for comment.The fallout from this most bizarre of geopolitical affairs has raised the possibility of tangible diplomatic riffs between two countries that have historically had strong working relations. Before Trump cancelled the trip, there was a growing likelihood that his arrival in Denmark would have been met with protests over his administration's climate policies. But while those hotspots were anticipated, officials in Copenhagen were caught off guard by Trump's suggestion the U.S. buy Greenland, following a report last week by the Wall Street Journal that revealed the idea. Greenland was never supposed to be a part of the talks during the president's visit, Danish officials say, and they weren't sure how to respond to questions from the country's press about it, two senior officials told The Daily Beast. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told one reporter, in Danish, that Trump's proposal "Det er en absurd diskussion," or, in English, "It is an absurd discussion."The word "absurd" set off a fire inside the White House, the president getting so frustrated that he took to the South Lawn, telling the press pool that Frederiksen's words were "nasty.""All she had to do was say no," Trump said Wednesday, explaining why he was scuttling the trip. Officials in Copenhagen were sent scrambling. As of Thursday afternoon U.S. diplomats said they were fielding calls from Danish officials who—in an attempt to smooth things over—offered up the explanation that "absurd" in Danish doesn't mean the same thing as it does in English. Individuals who work regularly with the U.S. State Department in Copenhagen said the line from officials in Denmark is that the word "absurd" can have a less severe meaning in Danish, including "it makes no sense" or "it is out of place in the context." "It looks like we have a lost-in-translation situation on our hands," one Danish diplomat told The Daily Beast.Back home, Trump's decision to scrap the visit was met with a mix of confusion, derision, and post-hoc rationalizations. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) told a local television station that he had been the one who had originated the idea of purchasing Greenland in conversations with Trump months back. Cotton called it patently obvious that the administration would seek to purchase the country from Denmark's stewardship. Other lawmakers were less convinced. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI), a member of both the House Ways and Means Committee and Budget Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday requesting an accounting of the funds spent by the State Department in preparation of Trump's trip. "Knowing the extensive background work that goes into planning any presidential travel, especially overseas, this action by the President raises important fiscal questions for Congress," the letter reads. "Our country is already suffering a nearly $1 trillion budget deficit as a result of the tax cuts pushed through by Republicans in the last Congress, while many Americans cannot afford their medicine or have access to safe drinking water. The President's reaction underscores his weakening of American credibility around the world as well as his carelessness with taxpayer dollars and resources."Though Trump has cancelled his trip to Denmark, there have been no changes to his plan to head to Poland, White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham told The Daily Beast. Meanwhile, officials and business leaders in Denmark said they were briefing their staff about how to talk about Trump and his Greenland proposal and have asked them to use softer language. "We just need to be extra careful how we frame this story and this issue because we are in such a delicate time period now," one official said. Two Danish officials who spoke to The Daily Beast said their administration was walking a fine line between apologizing to the U.S.—which would anger some constituents who oppose Trump—and maintaining strong diplomatic ties. The U.S. is Denmark's largest trade partner outside of Europe and Danish companies have increased their investment in the American technology and health sectors. According to State Department data, Danish investment supports about 75,000 jobs in the U.S. "At the end of the day the U.S. being an ally of Denmark is a big deal. We need to maintain the relationship," one official said. "We can have a discussion about the Arctic. We were planning on doing that."Despite the warnings, Danish officials have continued to use "absurd" in press interviews. Denmark's minister of foreign affairs, who held a call with Pompeo Wednesday, said on Danish television the same day that it was "absurd to discuss something that is not a reality." The press in Denmark has questioned Danish officials, including Frederiksen, about their use of the word "absurd" and if they would continue to use it in the face of diplomatic tensions between Copenhagen and Washington. "I'm not going to get into a war of words with anyone, including the American president," Frederiksen said. "Kim Kielsen has made it clear Greenland is not for sale and I support that." This Isn't the Madman Theory. This Is a Madman President.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Progressive Group That Backed AOC Takes Aim at Incumbents Across U.S. Posted: 22 Aug 2019 01:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The atmosphere at Buunni Coffee in the Bronx is thick with the aroma of roasted Ethiopian beans and anti-establishment fervor.The shop is in the Riverdale neighborhood represented for more than 30 years in the House by Democrat Eliot Engel, a close ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Wielding their personal laptops and cell phones, a crew of volunteers mostly in their 20s and 30s is trying to change that."Hello, I'm calling on behalf of Jamaal Bowman," begin most calls from a make-shift phone bank upstairs, introducing a progressive candidate few people in the district have ever heard of. A lot of the connections end abruptly. But occasionally, interest is piqued, and another potential voter's name is logged for the middle school principal endorsed by Justice Democrats, the progressive activist group that backed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a neighboring district.The group is hoping to repeat Ocasio-Cortez's stunning 2018 Democratic primary victory over Joe Crowley, who was a member of House leadership and a 20-year incumbent. Energized by that upset, the Justice Democrats who has endorsed candidates in Massachusetts, Texas and Ohio to challenge Democratic incumbents they deem as too moderate to reflect the progressive energy animating voters in solidly blue districts.It's a major 2020 headache for Pelosi. She often reminds her caucus that their House majority depends on defending and flipping swing districts where middle-of-the-road voters are turned off by progressive causes like Medicare for All and the Green New Deal.Losing her incumbents to upstart challengers risks ceding crucial seats to Republicans and playing into President Donald Trump's attempt to present Ocasio-Cortez and her closest allies -- Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota -- as the face of a Democratic Party trending towards socialism.EndorsementBowman, 43, an education-reform activist from Yonkers, is one of Engel's two leading primary challengers. Another is educator Andom Ghebreghiorgis, 33, of Mount Vernon. But it was Bowman who won the endorsement of Justice Democrats, a progressive badge of honor also sought by Ghebreghiorgis and about 10 others vying for the Democratic nomination in New York's 16th Congressional District.The district is heavily Democratic and Engel, 72, has been entrenched. He handily defeated three Democratic primary challengers in 2018 with 74 percent of the vote -- and didn't even have a Republican opponent in the general election.But for Bowman and other progressives, too many Democrats in such safe districts haven't changed with the times and don't reflect the more leftward tilt of their constituents."A corporate Democrat and a paper progressive," is how Bowman dismissively described Engel.The fight for Engel's seat is but one of the tests for whether Ocasio-Cortez's surprise 2018 victory was a template for efforts to yank the party further left, which aren't limited to Justice Democrats.Engel's fellow New Yorkers such as House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, Carolyn Maloney, Nita Lowey, Kathleen Rice, and Yvette Clark, are among those facing primary challenges, as are Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal of Massachusetts, Henry Cuellar in Texas and Minority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland.Engel's ConfidenceEngel said he wouldn't know Bowman "if I fell into him" and expressed confidence he won't lose the primary -- to anyone.He concedes that Justice Democrats "did catch lightning in a bottle" by backing the rise of Ocasio-Cortez in 2018. But he suggests the group is seriously miscalculating by "going around the country thinking they can catch lighting in a bottle again in many other places."Justice Democrats, which was founded by former staff members of the Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign, is trying to do just that.Along with Bowman, the organization so far this year has endorsed Jessica Cisneros to challenge Cuellar in Texas; Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse in his Massachusetts primary bid against Neal; and Morgan Harper in an Ohio challenge to Representative Joyce Beatty. The group also endorsed candidates who lost their 2018 challenges to Representatives Dan Lipinski in Illinois, and William Lacy Clay in Missouri. Progressive Betsy Sweet has the group's backing in the primary vying to defeat Republican Senator Susan Collins, as well as Kara Eastman in her bid to unseat Nebraska Representative Don Bacon.'AOC' TiesThe Justice Democrats' website plays up its ties with Ocasio-Cortez and the rest of the squad, but the four freshmen aren't now openly or actively campaigning against their House colleagues. One page sells t-shirts, hoodies and tank tops touting "Ayanna & Ilhan & Rashida & Alexandria" and "Green New Deal.""We thought Jamaal had the best shot to take on someone who is difficult to beat," said Justice Democrat spokesman Waleed Shahid. He pointed to Bowman's background founding the Cornerstone Academy for Social Action, and his advocacy for equitable school funding and opposition to standardized school testing.Shahid said the group's assistance for Bowman is similar to how it is operating for other insurgent House campaigns -- aiding in his launch, helping find staff and making voter contacts. Justice Democrats will use its "pretty wide net" of small-donation contributors to provide support, he said.Bowman and Ghebreghiorgis acknowledge they have a steep, uphill battle to unseat Engel. Ghebreghiorgis said eventually one of them should drop out to prevent a split of the progressive vote.Both seize on election data reflecting that only about 7% of the district's registered voters showed up to cast ballots in the 2018 Democratic primary, and the Bronx portion of district -- which stretches to southern Westchester County -- is under-represented in the turnout.Untapped VotersThey say that suggests voters aren't engaged by Engel and that there's a lot untapped votes that could be won by a challenger."It tends to make you think there's actually a capacity to mobilize and bring people into the fold in the Bronx, who have historically not been voting," Ghebreghiorgis said.Out on the stump, Bowman touts what is becoming a familiar progressive agenda. He is for Medicare for All, free public college tuition, overhauling the criminal justice system and the Green New Deal."My opponent voted for an unjust war in Iraq, deregulating Wall Street, school privatization and building more prisons," Bowman said in his launch video. "While the very few at the top continue to build their wealth and power, the majority of us continue to struggle."At a picnic by the grassroots "Indivisible" group that began in opposition to Trump's 2016 election, Engel made a point to highlight that he has joined the call for an impeachment inquiry, which now roughly half of the 235 House Democrats want to pursue.The incumbent congressman does have some progressive bona fides and a record of liberal achievements. Kenneth Jenkins, the Westchester deputy county executive, and former president of the Yonkers branch of the NAACP, said he's been an Engel supporter for years, dating from their work together on desegregation and housing issues."People forget that Eliot was the rabble-rouser of his time," Jenkins said. "He was the renegade and the liberal."When Engel first ran for the state Assembly in a 1977 special election, he was the insurgent liberal nominee who defeated both the Democratic and Republican candidates. And in his first race for a U.S. House seat, in 1988, he beat a 10-term congressman, Mario Biaggi, who had already resigned his seat after being convicted on racketeering charges, but remained on the primary ballot.At Buunni Coffee, some of the volunteers said they hadn't met Bowman yet. But nearly all were aware he'd gotten the backing of Justice Democrats, the group famous for backing Ocasio-Cortez's 2018 candidacy.Jatnna De La Cruz, 20, a City College of New York political science student, said that "overlap with the Justice Democrats and AOC" played some role in her wanting to canvass for Bowman, but it was not the only reason.Asked what she knew about Engel, she said, "I know is he has been in Congress for 30 years."When Bowman himself arrived, he was clearly happy to find such a crew of canvassers. He said he's proud of his endorsement from the Justice Democrats: "It comes up and I bring it up, I mention it because I want people to know our ideology and where we are coming up."He also recognizes a campaign to topple an incumbent won't be built overnight."It's still early," Bowman said. "We're just working. We have our heads down. We're grinding."To contact the reporter on this story: Billy House in Washington at bhouse5@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Anna EdgertonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Homes, college evacuated as wildfire erupts in Northern California Posted: 22 Aug 2019 03:23 PM PDT ![Homes, college evacuated as wildfire erupts in Northern California]( "Homes, college evacuated as wildfire erupts in Northern California") A fast-moving wildfire that broke out on Thursday on the outskirts of a National Forest in Northern California has prompted the evacuation of a community college, a major highway and some residents, officials said. The Mountain Fire, which erupted about noon PDT just north of the town of Bella Vista in Shasta County, had raced across some 600 acres (240 hectares) within a few hours, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said on its incident website. Photos of the blaze posted on Twitter by the Shasta County Sheriff's Office showed thick black and gray smoke billowing into the area over a highway near the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
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| Luntz: ‘I was wrong’ on climate change Posted: 21 Aug 2019 09:11 AM PDT  Luntz urged Democrats to "personalize, individualize and humanize" the impacts of climate change
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| Why are Jason Momoa and other Native Hawaiians protesting a telescope on Mauna Kea? What's at stake? Posted: 21 Aug 2019 05:55 PM PDT  Protests against the Thirty Meter Telescope at Mauna Kea on Hawaii's Big Island have elevated issues of Native Hawaiian rights and conservation.
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| Beijing hits back after Trudeau vows to stand up to China Posted: 22 Aug 2019 02:38 AM PDT  Beijing on Thursday accused Ottawa of worsening bilateral relations after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed to stand up to China amid deepening diplomatic and trade disputes. The two countries have been locked in a feud since last December, when Canada detained top Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou and -- in apparent retaliation -- China detained two Canadian nationals over espionage-linked accusations. On Wednesday, Trudeau pushed back against Beijing in a speech that promised to "always defend Canadians and Canadian interests" and to not "back down".
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| Parking lot shooter told detectives he feared severe injury Posted: 22 Aug 2019 01:50 PM PDT  Prosecutors played Michael Drejka's interview with Pinellas County detectives during his manslaughter trial in Clearwater, Florida. Drejka, who is white, shot while on his back from close range seconds after McGlockton shoved him as Drejka argued with McGlockton's girlfriend. Pinellas County Sheriff's Detective Richard Redman testified that Drejka, 49, willingly spoke to him and Detective George Moffett about five hours after the shooting without an attorney.
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| Hannity: There has never been a better friend and ally to the state of Israel than Donald J. Trump Posted: 21 Aug 2019 07:00 PM PDT  Sean Hannity weighs in on President Trump's relationship with Israel and 'the Squad's' feud.
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| The NRA's Wayne LaPierre: Washington's all-powerful gun man Posted: 21 Aug 2019 09:48 PM PDT  After a surge in mass shootings and reports of scandalous spending on his own luxury needs, Wayne LaPierre's time as Washington's preeminent power-broker appeared to be up. After two shocking massacres at the beginning of August, Trump initially promised tougher gun controls, a pledge which quickly melted away after he spoke on the phone Tuesday with LaPierre. Suddenly, Trump was again a hardliner defending the most absolutist interpretation of the US Constitution's Second Amendment guarantee of firearms ownership.
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| Dem. N.C. Governor Vetoes Bill Requiring Local, State Cops to Cooperate with ICE Posted: 22 Aug 2019 08:43 AM PDT  North Carolina's Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, vetoed a bill Wednesday that would have required local and state police to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.Under the legislation, which passed the state House along party lines on Tuesday, local and state police would be required to detain illegal immigrants in their custody until Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents could retrieve them."This legislation is simply about scoring partisan political points and using fear to divide North Carolina," Cooper said in a Wednesday statement. "This bill, in addition to being unconstitutional, weakens law enforcement in North Carolina by mandating sheriffs to do the job of federal agents."Republican state senator Chuck Edwards accused Cooper of prioritizing the interests of illegal immigrants over the safety of North Carolinians in response to the veto."Law-enforcement officers have a sworn responsibility to protect their citizens -- and that includes cooperating with federal authorities," Edwards told the Raleigh News & Observer. "Unlike Governor Cooper, who prefers to pander to his far-left supporters, we will protect North Carolinians and plan to override his irresponsible veto."Edwards went on to cite a recent case in which the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office, whose jurisdiction includes the city of Charlotte, ignored an ICE detainer request for a Honduran man who was arrested on rape and child-sex-abuse charges.Republicans enjoy a majority in both the state Senate and state House but they would require the cooperation of a few Democrats to override Cooper's veto.
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| Lone Analyst Who Cut Cathay to Sell Says He Faces Huge Pressure Posted: 22 Aug 2019 02:00 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The analyst who issued a report warning investors to dump shares of embattled Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. before they tumble to their lowest levels since 1998, is getting a lot of blowback after his controversial call."Never before in my 12 years of investment analyst career have I received this much pressure on a particular stock rating," Zhao Dongchen, who last week issued his inaugural report on Cathay with a "strong sell," said in an emailed response to Bloomberg queries. "Never before in my 36 years of life am I under such heavy pressure."Zhao, who's head of equity research at the investment-banking arm of state-run giant Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd., issued his report as Cathay was under fire from China and facing boycotts from government-run businesses because the carrier's employees joined the anti-Beijing protests in Hong Kong. No other analyst is advising investors to sell Cathay and Zhao's HK$6 target price is more than 40% below the stock's current price."We have one of China's biggest state banks issuing an especially bearish and unusual sell recommendation on a private company in H.K. that is already the target of the Chinese state," said George Magnus, a former UBS Group AG chief economist and author of "Red Flags: Why Xi's China Is in Jeopardy." "You don't have to try hard to conclude that the interests of Chinese state banking institutions and the government are closely aligned."Since Zhao's report, which preceded the abrupt resignation of Cathay's chief executive officer, shares of Hong Kong's flag carrier have rebounded 6.1%, making it the fifth-best-performer among 64 listed global airlines tracked by Bloomberg.Meanwhile, Zhao has been facing pressure to cancel or delay interviews, change his rating or target price, and refrain from issuing research updates on Cathay since his Aug. 13 report, he said. "A lot of people" tried to persuade him to "go easy" on the company, Zhao said.Still, nobody influenced the report or its timing, and he stands by the call, Zhao said. He said that his research was independent and that people shouldn't unfairly single out Chinese banks for having state ties because so do lenders in places like the U.K. and Singapore.In his report, entitled "Less Deserved to Fly," Zhao criticized the Hong Kong carrier for potentially causing "irreversible damage" to the company's brand because of "poor crisis management" in relation to the protests. The report said that a large-scale management reshuffle would be an "upside risk" for the company."My strong sell rating is based on the difference between Cathay's stock price and our target price," he said. "Simple as that." He said he won't shy away from a "shock rating" as he believes contrarian reports to be more helpful to investors.Zhao said Cathay currently trades at a premium to other airlines in Asia, which he believes will "evaporate" because of factors ranging from the unrest in Hong Kong to the effects of the U.S.-China trade war on global commerce.Also, the airline's management team has shown a "severe lack of composure" in dealing with crises, including a recent data breach and problems with the Chinese regulator, Zhao said.So what's Zhao's advice for Cathay now?"Be a better company," he said.Cathay Pacific declined to comment.Zhao, who typically focuses on raw materials research, runs a team of 21 equity analysts covering 8 sectors at Hong Kong-based ICBC International.Zhao's primary expertise lies away from airlines, with the analyst voted number one for China energy research by Institutional Investor this year, according to ICBC. He started covering Cathay for ICBC International only in March, though he said he has kept a close watch on industries such as transportation.In 2006, when he first started out in a mutual fund, Zhao said he covered airlines for about three months. "To me, the airlines sector has never been a stranger," he said.Yet Zhao stands alone among his peers in his bearish view of Cathay. Of the 19 analysts tracked by Bloomberg, 13 have the equivalent of a buy rating and 5 have holds."Strong sell is the wrong rating on the stock at the moment," said Mark Webb, an analyst at GMT Research in London who previously covered the stock for 18 years at HSBC Holdings Plc. "Only a significant deterioration in the situation in Hong Kong would make it go significantly lower from here."Asked why Zhao appears to only assign his harshest ratings to foreign companies such as Rio Tinto Plc, Vale SA and BHP Group Ltd, while only giving buy ratings for Chinese companies such as Shandong Gold Mining Co., Zhao said:"I did just issue a strong sell rating on Cathay Pacific, didn't I? That's a Hong Kong-incorporated company, not a foreign one."To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Evelyn Yu in Shanghai at yyu263@bloomberg.net;Gregor Stuart Hunter in Hong Kong at ghunter21@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Young-Sam Cho at ycho2@bloomberg.net, ;Christopher Anstey at canstey@bloomberg.net, Christopher JasperFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Hispanic Journalism Group Boots Fox News Over Immigrant ‘Invasion’ Rhetoric Posted: 22 Aug 2019 11:25 AM PDT  Kevin HagenA major organization for Hispanic journalists on Thursday gave Fox News the boot from its upcoming conference in response to the network's use "invasion" rhetoric when discussing immigration.Fox News was set to appear as a sponsor at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists' confab next month in San Antonio, but in a letter to the group's members, NAHJ President Hugo Balta said that invitation has been revoked."The line between commentary and journalism was crossed long ago by Fox News and is no longer even in sight," wrote Balta, who is currently an MSNBC senior producer. "To accept financial support from an entity that perpetuates the spread of disinformation to the public about the Hispanic and Latino community risks the integrity and credibility of NAHJ's 35 year mission."As such, the NAHJ head wrote, the journalist org will return $16,666 in sponsorship funds back to Fox News."It is unfortunate the country's main organization for Hispanic journalists has chosen to exclude FOX News from their upcoming convention," Marsheila Hayes, Fox News's vice president of diversity and inclusion, wrote in a statement. "As the leading news network in the country, we are committed to fostering a diverse and collaborative workplace environment, and have been recognized in the industry for our advancement in this area, most notably with our multimedia reporter program. We are proud of our inclusive team and their achievements in journalism."Balta explained that the final straw was a recent segment in which Todd Starnes, a Fox News pundit with a lengthy history of racist and anti-gay comments, described immigrants as a "rampaging horde of illegal aliens" and compared them to Nazis.Balta noted that Starnes' comments closely resembled rhetoric used in a racist manifesto written by the suspected gunman who killed more than 22 people earlier this month in El Paso, Texas."Starnes brazen language is symptomatic of a culture that provides a megaphone for disinformation by those in power with agendas, including the Trump administration at the cost of the most vulnerable – immigrant communities," Balta said.Although the organization singled out Starnes, Balta said Fox News was ultimately responsible for such rhetoric. Fox News management "accorded Starnes the license to use his program to sustain and cultivate fear," Balta wrote, adding that the NAHJ repeatedly met with and talked to Fox News about segments the organization found alarming and offensive. "The latest 'regret' by Fox News is one of many where the immigrant community and by association, all Hispanics and Latinos, have been demonized by voices with high visibility due to there being little to no consequences by management," Balta said.Though Fox News will no longer appear as a sponsor at the NAHJ event, Thursday's statement said the organization would continue to engage network brass, and will revisit future sponsorship should they "demonstrate real change and a true sincerity for their partnership with our association."NAHJ joins a number of other organizations who have shunned Fox News over its pervasive anti-immigrant rhetoric. Many advertisers have boycotted purchasing time during Tucker Carlson's primetime show over xenophobic comments he has made in the past year, including describing immigrants as making America "poorer and dirtier."Fox Host Compares Migrants to Nazis: 'We've Been Invaded by a Horde'Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| The Amazon is burning and smoke from the fires can be seen from space Posted: 21 Aug 2019 08:59 AM PDT  Smoke from record wildfires raging in the Amazon rainforest blanketed São Paulo on Monday and could be seen from space.
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| Brown bear that is killing livestock and startling hikers in Italy's Dolomites is wanted, dead or alive Posted: 22 Aug 2019 09:13 AM PDT  A bear that is raiding beehives, attacking livestock and startling hikers in the Dolomite mountains of Italy is now wanted dead or alive. The brown bear is known to scientists as M49 but was nicknamed Papillon, after the Henri Charrière novel about escaping from Devil's Island in French Guiana, when it managed to climb over a 16ft-high fence and flee an enclosure last month. It had been captured just a few hours before after being identified as a problem bear which posed a threat to farm animals. Since escaping the enclosure in a wildlife sanctuary in the province of Trentino on July 15, it has been slowly moving northwards, disemboweling a cow and encountering hikers. The province of South Tyrol has now issued an order which calls for the capture or, if necessary, the killing of the 140kg, three-year-old bear. It is normally illegal to kill or capture Italy's bears, which were introduced from Slovenia in the 1990s. The order was signed on Wednesday by Arno Kompatscher, the president of the autonomous, German-speaking province, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire until the end of the First World War when it passed to Italy. "We want to capture the bear in order to protect other bears, and also wolves, because if it continues to be a nuisance, then bears and wolves will never be accepted by the population," said Arnold Schuler, the deputy president of the province. The bear is roaming the Dolomites in northern Italy, between the provinces of Trentino and South Tyrol The authorities say the bear poses a risk to humans. In the last few days, it was seen snuffling around a caravan used by shepherds in a remote mountain spot, looking for discarded food. Two national park rangers fired shots into the air to scare it away. The bear was encountered this week by a hiker on a mountain trail near the Bletterbach Canyon in South Tyrol. "My legs were shaking," the 64-year-old man told a local newspaper. "People joke about meeting a bear in the wild, but when you really do encounter one, you're no longer laughing." Carlo Groff, an expert on large carnivores from Italy's Forestry Corps, says rangers are trying to keep track of the bear's movements and hope to tranquilise and capture it. "The safety of humans comes before the bear," he told La Stampa newspaper. Conservation organisations and animal rights groups have threatened to take legal action against the authorities if the bear comes to any harm. "The bear is simply living its normal life. It has never been dangerous to humans. It has caused a few thousand euros' worth of damage, and it is right that compensation should be paid, but we need to learn to value bears as an asset, not a threat," said Isabella Pratesi of WWF Italy. While the autonomous provincial government has called for the bear's capture or, if necessary, killing, Sergio Costa, the environment minister, has called for the bear to be spared.
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| 2 more El Salvador ex-officers to face trial in '81 massacre Posted: 22 Aug 2019 03:11 PM PDT  Two ex-military officers were notified Thursday that they will join more than a dozen others in being prosecuted for the 1981 El Mozote massacre, a particularly infamous moment from El Salvador's nation's civil war. A judge in San Francisco Gotera, about 100 miles (170 kilometers) east of the capital, summoned former Cols. Roberto Antonio Garay and José Antonio Rodríguez to inform them they will be tried on the charges of torture, forced disappearance and forced displacement.
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| The top 10 holiday destinations for... food poisoning Posted: 22 Aug 2019 06:31 AM PDT  The Daily Mail reports that tourists can sometimes bring back more than they bargained for from their vacations. According to the British newspaper, the site Sickholiday.com has been ranking the top 10 destinations for food poisoning, with Hurghada, Egypt coming in first. After steering its industry back into the favors of worldwide travelers, the Egyptian tourism bureau might have to work overtime to counter the effects of a recent ranking putting successful Red Sea resort destination Hurghada first in food poisoning cases since the start of of 2017.
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| The 10 Least Expensive New Compact SUVs to Own Posted: 21 Aug 2019 12:52 PM PDT |
| Pentagon chief confirms death of Qaeda's Hamza bin Laden Posted: 22 Aug 2019 07:58 AM PDT  US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has confirmed the death of Hamza Bin Laden, the son and designated heir of Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden. "That's my understanding," Esper said in an interview late Wednesday with Fox News, when asked if Hamza bin Laden was dead. "I don't want to comment on it," Trump told reporters when asked.
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| Half of Venezuela's Oil Rigs May Disappear If U.S. Waivers Lapse Posted: 22 Aug 2019 12:19 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- A looming U.S. sanctions deadline is threatening to clobber Venezuela's dwindling oil-rig fleet and hamper energy production in the nation with the world's largest crude reserves.Almost half the rigs operating in Venezuela will shut down by Oct. 25 if the Trump administration doesn't extend a 90-day waiver from its sanctions, according to data compiled from consultancy Caracas Capital Markets. That could further cripple the OPEC member's production because the structures are needed to drill new wells crucial for even maintaining output, which is already near the lowest level since the 1940s.A shutdown in the rigs will also put pressure on Nicolas Maduro's administration, which counts oil revenues as its main lifeline. The U.S. is betting on increased economic pressure to oust the regime and bring fresh elections to the crisis-torn nation, a founding member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and Latin America's biggest crude exporter until recent years.Venezuela had 23 oil rigs drilling in July, down from 49 just two years ago, data compiled by Baker Hughes show. Ten of those are exposed to U.S. sanctions, according to calculations by Caracas Capital Markets. The Treasury Department extended waivers in July for service providers to continue for three more months, less than the six months the companies had sought.Most other government agencies involved in the deliberations opposed any extension, a senior administration official said last month, adding that another reprieve will be harder to come by."Almost half the rigs are being run by the Yanks, and if the window shuts down on this in two months, then that's really going to hurt Venezuela unless the Russians and the Chinese come in," said Russ Dallen, a Miami-based managing partner at Caracas Capital Markets.Output RiskA U.S. Treasury official said the department doesn't generally comment on possible sanctions actions.More than 200,000 barrels a day of output at four projects Chevron Corp. is keeping afloat could shut if the waivers aren't renewed. That would be debilitating to Maduro because the U.S. company, as a minority partner, only gets about 40,000 barrels a day of that production.The departure of the American oil service providers would hurt other projects in the Orinoco region, where operators need to constantly drill wells just to keep output from declining. The U.S.-based companies are also involved in state-controlled Petroleos de Venezuela SA's joint ventures in other regions such as Lake Maracaibo.Limiting ExposureHalliburton Co., Schlumberger Ltd. and Weatherford International Ltd. have reduced staff and are limiting their exposure to the risk of non-payment in the country, according to people familiar with the situation. The three companies have written down a total of at least $1.4 billion since 2018 in charges related to operations in Venezuela, according to financial filings. Baker Hughes had also scaled back before additional sanctions were announced earlier this year, the people said.Schlumberger, Baker Hughes, Weatherford, PDVSA and Venezuela's oil ministry all declined to comment.Halliburton has adjusted its Venezuela operations to customer activity, and continues operating all of its product service lines at its operational bases, including in the Orinoco Belt, it said in an emailed response to questions. It works directly with several of PDVSA's joint ventures, and timely payments from customers are in accordance with U.S. regulations, it said.Hamilton, Bermuda-based Nabors Industries Ltd. has three drilling rigs in Venezuela that can operate for a client until the sanctions expire in October, Chief Executive Officer Anthony Petrello said in a July 30 conference call, without naming the client.The sanctions carry geopolitical risks for the U.S. If Maduro manages to hang on, American companies would lose a foothold in Venezuela, giving Russian competitors such as Rosneft Oil Co. a chance to fill the void. Chinese companies could also benefit. Even if the waivers get extended, the uncertainty hinders any long-term planning or investments in the nation by the exposed companies.Rosneft's press office didn't respond to phone calls and emails seeking comment on operations in Venezuela.\--With assistance from David Wethe and Debjit Chakraborty.To contact the reporters on this story: Peter Millard in Rio de Janeiro at pmillard1@bloomberg.net;Fabiola Zerpa in Caracas Office at fzerpa@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tina Davis at tinadavis@bloomberg.net, Pratish Narayanan, Joe RyanFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Parkland massacre survivors post sweeping U.S. gun-control plan ahead of 2020 election Posted: 21 Aug 2019 07:49 AM PDT  The group's leaders addressed the proposal, which includes a measure to register more young voters, to 2020 candidates seeking the presidential nomination, asking them to make gun control a top priority. The former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students have worked to inspire a sense of urgency about gun violence since they started the national campaign "March for Our Lives" after a former student massacred 17 people with an assault rifle at their high school on Feb. 14, 2018. It is now time for real change and real action," David Hogg, Parkland survivor and March for Our Lives co-founder, said in a statement.
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| A Michigan Court Case Shows the Right of Armed Self-Defense Is Broader Than You Might Think Posted: 21 Aug 2019 01:18 PM PDT  Yesterday the Michigan Court of Appeals handed down a decision in a highly public and very controversial case that gun owners across the United States should applaud. In short, it demonstrates and validates the value of armed self-defense even when you do not pull the trigger and -- crucially -- have no cause to pull the trigger. It justifies the brandishing of a gun as pre-emptive measure to block the use of unlawful force.What do I mean? Hang with me for a moment, because this case is a bit complicated. At its heart is a dispute between Siwatu-Salama Ra, an African-American concealed-carry permit holder from Detroit, and a woman named Channel Harvey. Ra was put on trial for assault with a dangerous weapon and possessing a firearm while committing a felony after she brandished her unloaded pistol at Harvey during a heated confrontation outside Ra's mother's house.The facts are hotly disputed, but Ra claimed that during the course of an argument, Harvey backed her car into Ra's vehicle -- while Ra's two-year-old daughter was inside, playing. Ra claims she grabbed her daughter out of the car, then grabbed her unloaded gun, "pointed the gun at Harvey's car" and then again demanded that Harvey leave. Harvey testified that Ra was the aggressor, and that she hit Ra's car on accident only after Ra pointed the gun at her. The jury apparently believed Harvey's version of events, and Ra received a two-year prison sentence.The case was immediately controversial, with critics of the verdict claiming that the case represented "yet another instance of a black gun owner, with the permits to legally carry, defending themselves against violence — and getting punished for it." The NRA tweeted in support of Ra:> No one should be imprisoned for exercising their right to self-defense. https://t.co/ZWkYJ5dL3K 2A> > -- NRA (@NRA) May 7, 2018Yesterday the Michigan Court of Appeals threw out her conviction. It didn't hold that the jury got the outcome wrong but rather that it didn't have a true opportunity to get it right. It was improperly instructed on the law, and the trial court placed too high a burden on Ra to justify her decision to brandish her weapon.The jury was instructed only on the affirmative defense of self-defense through the use of "deadly force." To prove that deadly force was appropriate, a defendant has to prove that she "reasonably believes that the use of deadly force is necessary to prevent the imminent death of or imminent great bodily harm to himself or herself or to another individual." (Emphasis added.)Under this reasoning, a person could brandish a weapon only when she has the legal right to fire the weapon.The court of appeals, however, said that's not the law. When one brandishes a weapon without firing it, they don't, in fact, use "deadly force." They use nondeadly force, and the legal standard for the use of nondeadly force only requires the defendant to prove that she "reasonably believes that the use of that force is necessary to defend himself or herself or another individual from the imminent unlawful use of force by another individual." (Emphasis added.)Under this reasoning, a person can brandish a weapon to prevent the imminent use of force from escalating to a threat of imminent death.As the court noted, "merely to threaten death or serious bodily harm, without any intention to carry out the threat, is not to use deadly force, so that one may be justified in pointing a gun at his attacker when he would not be justified pulling the trigger." There's a commonsense element to this conclusion. Police officers, for example, sometimes point a weapon at an individual as a means of preventing unlawful force even when they don't have the legal right to fire a shot.Crucially, this legal doctrine does not create a license to kill. Nondeadly force becomes deadly force the very instant a person pulls the trigger, and when a person pulls the trigger they have to prove the threat of imminent death or great bodily harm. The doctrine does -- as a practical matter -- allow citizens to use the threat of decisive force to deter unlawful violence.A contrary rule places civilians in an untenable position. They could not even pull their weapon until the threat of death is actively upon them. They would be forced to maintain maximum vulnerability right up until the point of maximum danger -- a legal position that would be most threatening to people of slight physical stature who lack alternative effective means of self-defense.Now, some important caveats. This is a Michigan case. It is not setting rules for other jurisdictions. Don't rely on Michigan law to determine your actions in, say, Ohio. Moreover, even under legal standards similar to Michigan's it's still a grave decision to pull a weapon from a holster or from the glove compartment of your car. It's legally consequential and extremely dangerous. But the Michigan case outlines what should be the proper legal standard. The sight of a gun has the power to deter violence, and banning its use outside of the threat of imminent death would -- perversely enough -- allow too many confrontations to escalate.Prosecutors have a right to appeal the decision to their state supreme court. They should not. Ra has suffered immensely. She gave birth while imprisoned, and her child was taken from her two days later. She spent months separated from her newborn – after a conviction under the wrong legal standard. The court of appeals reached the just result. Ra's legal ordeal needs to end.
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