| For Gaetz to raise Hunter Biden's substance abuse is 'the pot calling the kettle black,' Johnson says Posted: 12 Dec 2019 10:54 AM PST  The House Judiciary Committee debate over articles of impeachment against President Trump took an ugly turn Thursday when Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., brought up Hunter Biden's past drug use.
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| Nearly 20% of workers illegally fired for union activity: report Posted: 12 Dec 2019 07:43 AM PST  A new report highlights that anti-union activities are on the rise.
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| Democrats say they won't cross picket line over union conflict at debate host site Posted: 13 Dec 2019 03:09 PM PST  A local union at Loyola Marymount University will picket at the university ahead of Thursday's debate.
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| Britain’s Political Map Changes Color in Ways Few Could Imagine Posted: 12 Dec 2019 11:24 PM PST ![Britain's Political Map Changes Color in Ways Few Could Imagine]( "Britain's Political Map Changes Color in Ways Few Could Imagine") (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.Towns in northern England share a history of mining, faded industry and neglect. For generations they also had another thing in common: staunch support for the Labour Party.From Workington on the west coast to Bishop Auckland and Blyth on the east, the dominoes fell as the results from the U.K. election rolled in through the small hours of Friday morning. The U.K.'s tortured efforts to leave the European Union redefined political tribes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservatives took seats his party has never held before.Johnson declared the victory as "historic." That will be even more apparent in places where most voters have never known a Conservative lawmaker.Workington, where mines and steelworks shut years ago, last voted Conservative in 1976. Back then Britain was in the grip of an economic crisis. It turned back to the red of Labour three years later. On Thursday it voted Conservative by a margin of 10 percentage points.Bishop Auckland, in the mining area south of Newcastle, had never turned Tory blue in more than a century. Elsewhere, Bassetlaw in Nottinghamshire elected a Conservative for the first time since the 1930s, as did swathes of the Midlands and Yorkshire. Labour's so-called "Red Wall" had fallen.Many of these former mining and steel towns endured mass unemployment under the Conservative governments of the 1980s. They then voted for Brexit in the 2016 referendum amid a wave of anger at austerity, frustration over immigration and dismay at joblessness and lack of opportunity. Today, they are embracing the Tories in their determination to finally quit the EU. Backing for Brexit also comes with a rejection of the socialist promises of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who now says he will step down.In Scotland, Labour's vote had already collapsed in the wake of the independence referendum in 2014. This time around the pro-independence Scottish National Party took the vast majority of districts again, even in some of the post-industrial regions that Labour had won back in 2017.In that election, the Conservatives planted a giant poster on a dilapidated building near the seafront in Redcar, a town in England's northeast haunted by steelworks that finally collapsed a few years ago. The Tories had never won in Redcar, and failed in 2017 as well. But as people demanded their voice be heard over Brexit, the voters of Redcar did in 2019 as so many did across the north of England: They abandoned Labour -- and embraced Boris Johnson.To contact the reporter on this story: Rodney Jefferson in Edinburgh at r.jefferson@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Heather Harris at hharris5@bloomberg.net, Adam Blenford, Alan CrawfordFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Chile: Plane that vanished en route to Antarctica found Posted: 12 Dec 2019 07:37 AM PST  Searchers combing Antarctic seas have recovered parts of a military transport plane and human remains belonging to some of the 38 people aboard who vanished en route to the frozen continent, Chilean officials said Thursday. Air Force Gen. Arturo Merino said at a news conference that based on the condition of the remains, he believed it would be "practically impossible" that any survivors would be pulled from the water alive. An international team of searchers continued the hunt, while officials on shore said they would use DNA analysis to identify the crash victims.
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| Russia said it was alarmed after the U.S. tested a ground-launched ballistic missile Posted: 13 Dec 2019 07:16 AM PST  Russia said on Friday it was alarmed after the United States tested a ground-launched ballistic missile that would have been banned under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the RIA news agency reported.
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| Some 1,100 car shoppers said they'd rather buy an electric pickup truck from Ford or GM than Tesla's Cybertruck — but there's a silver lining for Tesla in the survey Posted: 12 Dec 2019 09:35 AM PST  Tesla's Cybertruck may have a hard time converting Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado owners, but it might open up a new segment of the pickup market.
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| The 10 Best Tech Gadgets of 2019 Posted: 13 Dec 2019 11:58 AM PST |
| How North Korea Could Start a War: Test a Nuclear Weapon in the Atmosphere Posted: 13 Dec 2019 12:04 AM PST  Ah, yes, the infamous 'Juche Bird'.
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| Mitch McConnell laughs about stopping Obama hiring judges, allowing Trump to fill courts with conservatives Posted: 13 Dec 2019 08:27 AM PST  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell boasted about blocking former president Barack Obama's judicial appointments, a two-year effort that allowed Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled congress to stack courts with conservative judges and create a conservative majority on the nation's high court.Fox host Sean Hannity told the Kentucky senator that he was shocked that the Obama administration "left so many vacancies and didn't try to fill those positions".
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| Spokane Cop Accused of Sex Assault Finally Loses Pay After More Accusers Come Forward Posted: 13 Dec 2019 10:32 AM PST  A Washington state police officer once told a coworker he would "say exactly what's on my mind, unless I'm on body camera." This week, his boast came back to haunt him. The Spokane Police Department suspended Officer Nathan Nash without pay after a domestic violence victim accused him of assaulting her, and a police investigation found he had turned off his body camera during the event.The investigation began in October, when a domestic violence victim told the police department Nash had sexually assaulted her in a follow-up call to her house. The woman says she called Nash to ask about the location of her evidence photos, according to court documents obtained by KXLY. Nash allegedly asked her to meet in a private place to "go over the bruises on her body" and then pressed her to let him come over before her mother returned. On his way to the woman's apartment, Nash allegedly turned off both his body camera and tracking equipment, resulting in a 36-minute location gap that a police analyst later described as "peculiar." Once inside, the woman says, Nash followed her into her bedroom and directed her to take off her pants and underwear. She told investigators she was confused by the request, but complied because he was a police officer. The woman says Nash then penetrated her with his fingers for 30 seconds to a minute. She says she panicked, but thought it might be what he was supposed to do. Eventually, she says she told Nash "OK, that's enough." She later told investigators the alleged assault was the worst thing that has ever happened" to her.Before leaving, the woman says, he gave her his personal cellphone number. He did not photograph or otherwise document her bruises.When questioned by investigators, Nash blamed the incident on the domestic violence victim, suggesting that she had come on to him and become "embarrassed, mad, or upset," when he ended the sexual contact, according to court documents. He added that the police department's body camera manual was more than 100 pages and "there's no way I'm gonna know all that content." In a statement after Nash's arrest, his personal attorney Rocco Treppiedi said Nash "categorically denies the allegation of sexual assault and any criminal activity." "Ofc. Nash considered the additional evidence she provided, and immediately followed up on the information she provided," Treppiedi said. Nash's attorneys did not respond to The Daily Beast's request for comment.In the weeks after the initial report, two more women came forward with concerns about Nash. One was a second domestic violence victim, who told investigators that Nash had come on to her while he was investigating her complaint in May. During a visit to her home, the woman said, Nash made a point of turning off his bodycam, then gave her his personal cellphone number and said he would respond faster than 911. Over the following weeks, she says he friended her on Facebook and started liking photos of her in lingerie, and sending her "creepy" and "needy" messages. According to court documents, she told investigators she felt he "had a hidden agenda of starting a relationship with her."A police department volunteer also complained about Nash, claiming he had given her his personal number and sent her inappropriate texts, including a Jeopardy-themed message reading, "Things I would like to do to you for $600," and "Answer: what is a naked back rub?""I'm too old to play games, no need in beating around the bush," Nash allegedly wrote in another message. "I just say exactly what's on my mind, unless I'm on body camera."Nash was arrested on Nov. 22 and pleaded not guilty to second- and third-degree rape and official misconduct. His trial is set to begin in February.Nash was originally placed on administrative leave while the investigation progressed. This week, the police department put him on "unpaid lay-off status," meaning he will not work or be paid until the outcome of his case is determined. If he is found not guilty, he will be reinstated while the department investigates whether he violated any department policy, City spokesperson Marlene Feist told local news station KREM."The alleged conduct is completely unacceptable and in absolute conflict with the high standards of the Spokane Police Department," Chief Craig Meidl said in a press release. "Our men and women took an oath to protect and serve the community in which we live. We will not shy away from that oath and it will be upheld."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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| Stomach flu outbreak terrorizes school in Washington state, sickening over 100 students, staff Posted: 13 Dec 2019 04:31 AM PST  A number of schools from Seattle Public Schools and Vancouver Public Schools were forced to close to disinfect and clean because of the outbreak.
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| Senior China diplomat says U.S. seriously damaged hard-won mutual trust Posted: 12 Dec 2019 06:11 PM PST  Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi said on Friday that the United States had seriously damaged the hard-won mutual trust between the countries by criticizing Beijing over issues such as Hong Kong and the treatment of Muslim Uighurs. "Such behavior is almost paranoid, and is indeed rare in international exchanges, seriously damaging the hard-won foundation of mutual trust between China and the United States, and seriously weakening the United States' international credibility," said State Councillor Wang.
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| Death toll in aircraft carrier fire in Russia rises to 2 Posted: 13 Dec 2019 05:35 AM PST  A crew member who went missing during a fire on Russia's only aircraft carrier was found dead Friday, raising the death toll from the blaze to two, the nation's military officials said Friday. The fire on the Admiral Kuznetsov broke out during welding work at a shipyard in the Arctic port of Murmansk on Thursday and spread quickly through the carrier's internal compartments. The military reported two crew members dead, and authorities in Murmansk said 11 other people were injured.
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| Taiwan Probes Security Lapse Allowing Chinese to Enter Illegally Posted: 11 Dec 2019 07:53 PM PST ![Taiwan Probes Security Lapse Allowing Chinese to Enter Illegally]( "Taiwan Probes Security Lapse Allowing Chinese to Enter Illegally") (Bloomberg) -- Taiwanese authorities believe thousands of mainland Chinese, including government officials, may have illegally entered Taiwan over the past two years, highlighting a security risk to the island ahead of a national election.More than 5,000 Chinese citizens are suspected of entering Taiwan illegally between 2017 and 2019, Taipei District Prosecutors Office spokeswoman Chen Yu-ping said by phone. Many of the arrivals are believed to have been government officials, according to the Taipei-based Central News Agency.Taiwanese prosecutors are now investigating 20 travel agencies and 10 civic associations for assisting Chinese nationals to travel to Taiwan under false pretenses, CNA reported Wednesday.The travel agencies were suspected of passing the personal details of prospective mainland visitors along to local associations, who in turn issue invitations allowing visitors to secure travel permits from Taiwan's immigration authorities.The investigation into the possible national security lapse comes a month before Taiwanese voters head to the polls to elect their president. President Tsai Ing-wen, who has received a boost in the polls amid anti-China protests in Hong Kong, is up against Han Kuo-yu, of the more Beijing-friendly Kuomintang, in January's vote.Since Tsai came to power in 2016, Beijing has ratcheted up the diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan in an attempt to force her to accept its negotiating framework that both sides are part of "one China." Tsai, whose Democratic Progressive Party supports independence, has refused to do so.To contact the reporters on this story: Samson Ellis in Taipei at sellis29@bloomberg.net;Adela Lin in Taipei at alin95@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Iain MarlowFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Jamal Khashoggi: US spy chief given deadline to name Saudi writer's killers Posted: 12 Dec 2019 11:30 PM PST  * Trump ally Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accused * Congress gives intelligence chief 30 days to assign responsibilityUS intelligence agencies will be given a month to make a formal declaration on whether the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, was responsible for the murder of the Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi.The annual military spending bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), was passed by a large majority in the House of Representatives on Wednesday and is expected to be approved by the Senate next week before being signed into law by Donald Trump.In negotiations before the NDAA's passage, sections stipulating that Khashoggi's murderers be subject to punitive measures were stripped from the bill, on the insistence of the White House – as were clauses that would have cut US support for the Saudi war in Yemen.According to the New York Times, the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, took a leading role in negotiations on behalf of the White House, and was insistent that the punitive clauses on Saudi Arabia should be removed.But the final version of the bill retained language requiring the director of national intelligence (DNI) to present a formal determination within 30 days on who was responsible for the murder and dismemberment of Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October last year.In April, the US barred entry to 16 Saudis for their role in the murder plot, including one of the crown prince's closest aides, Saud al-Qahtani. This week, the state department added the former Saudi consul general in Istanbul, Mohammed al-Otaibi.In a closed-door briefing in December 2018, the CIA director, Gina Haspel, told senators that the agency was convinced the murder had been ordered by the crown prince (colloquially known by his initials MBS)."We know that the intelligence community has assessed with high confidence that MBS bears at least some responsibility for Khashoggi's murder and the cover-up that has followed," Tom Malinowski, the Democratic congressman from New Jersey who drafted the Saudi human rights accountability legislation, told the Guardian. "So if they answer the question, honestly, MBS will be on the list."The congressional demand for a formal declaration, will be a test of the independence of the office of the DNI, since the ousting of Dan Coats from the post in the summer. His former deputy, Joseph Maguire, has been acting in the position since August."I wouldn't be surprised if the White House put some pressure on the director of national intelligence to come to a different conclusion," Malinowski said. "So we'll be watching this with great interest. We do have the advantage of knowing in advance what the intelligence community thinks because they've already told us in a classified setting. So it will be quite striking if they tell us something that is different in response to this."Bruce Riedel, a former senior CIA officer and Saudi expert, said that Haspel is likely to have given the agency's assessment of Prince Mohammed's role in the Khashoggi murder in verbal form to the Senate, leaving the intelligence community enough wiggle room to hand over a list of the names of suspects the US has already named, excluding the crown prince."I'm doubtful [the CIA assessment] was conveyed in a written product. More likely it was in answer to questions," Riedel said. He added that obscuring the crown prince's involvement "is going to be a tight line to run, but no doubt this administration will run it".He said that the White House would have found it more "problematic" to convince Coats to issue a determination to Trump's liking."The acting DNI is a fine person, but he's not going to fall on his sword, nor is the director of central intelligence," Riedel said.
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| 29 photos show how climate change has ravaged the Arctic in the past decade Posted: 13 Dec 2019 12:14 PM PST  NOAA's Arctic Report Card warns that climate change is transforming the Arctic. These photos show its dire effects on the region so far this decade.
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| In 2030, What Countries Will Have the Most Power Airforces? Posted: 12 Dec 2019 06:30 PM PST  We can tell you.
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| Pompeo warns Iran of 'decisive response' if harm in Iraq Posted: 13 Dec 2019 12:58 PM PST  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday warned Iran of a "decisive" response if US interests are harmed in Iraq, after a series of rocket attacks on bases. "We must... use this opportunity to remind Iran's leaders that any attacks by them, or their proxies of any identity, that harm Americans, our allies or our interests will be answered with a decisive US response," Pompeo said in a statement. "Iran must respect the sovereignty of its neighbors and immediately cease its provision of lethal aid and support to third parties in Iraq and throughout the region," he said.
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| Meghan McCain Confronts Tom Steyer: ‘You Bought Your Way’ Onto Debate Stage Posted: 13 Dec 2019 09:30 AM PST  2020 Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer got a warm welcome from every co-host of The View except one on Friday morning. "Mr. Steyer, between you and Mayor Bloomberg, you have now spent $200 million on political ads," Meghan McCain told their guest. "It hasn't really helped you very much in the polls, but you did make it to the next debate stage. I think you bought your way there, and I don't think it's fair that you're there and Cory Booker isn't. Change my mind." After letting out an uncomfortable chuckle, Steyer skirted the question by touting his message about a "broken" government "bought by corporations." When the candidate pointed out that he has been spending time in the early primary states—unlike that other billionaire—McCain shot back, "Cory Booker has too, who doesn't have $200 million." "I'm talking about breaking a corporate stranglehold on our government that is preventing it from acting on anything," Steyer said. "And no one can say that I have been purchased, but I also have 10 years of putting together coalitions like the people in this audience to stand up for our rights and to take on unchecked corporate power that has bought our government." "But it's good you have $100 million to buy Facebook ads to get you on a debate stage," McCain said, interrupting him. "I'm completely unconvinced by this, but we can move on." Later in the segment, after Steyer vowed to help elect whoever the Democratic nominee ends up being and reminded the hosts that he started "one of the biggest grassroots organizations in the United States," McCain came back with, "That doesn't make you a good politician, with all due respect." "Mayor Bloomberg was mayor for three terms, and so if you're going to go the billionaire route," she continued, with a dramatic eye roll, "he's a lot more compelling than you are." Meghan McCain: Greta Thunberg Didn't 'Earn' Person of the YearRead 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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| Jersey City shooter was Army veteran with a lengthy criminal history Posted: 12 Dec 2019 03:36 PM PST  David Anderson, was arrested at least five times since 2003, the year he was discharged from the Army, records show.
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| Turkey adds former Palestinian politician Dahlan to most wanted list Posted: 13 Dec 2019 04:26 AM PST  Turkey has added exiled Palestinian politician Mohammed Dahlan to its "red list" of most-wanted terrorism suspects, offering a reward of up to 10 million lira ($1.75 million) for information leading to his capture, the Interior Ministry said on Friday. Arrest warrants have been issued for Dahlan on accusations of playing a role in the 2016 attempted coup in Turkey, seeking to change the constitutional order by force, and various spying-related charges, the ministry said in a statement. Dahlan has also recently been an outspoken critic of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
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| As California thins forests to limit fire risk, some resist Posted: 12 Dec 2019 10:39 PM PST  Buzzing chainsaws are interrupted by the frequent crash of breaking branches as crews fell towering trees and clear tangled brush in the densely forested Santa Cruz Mountains south of San Francisco. With California's increasingly warm, dry and overgrown landscape, wildfire has become a perpetual danger. State lawmakers committed more than $200 million annually to fire prevention efforts and Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to spend even more, motivated by infernos such as one last year that killed 85 people in Paradise, California, some who died in their cars while trying to flee.
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| Italy Government Braces for Upheaval After Five Star Defections Posted: 13 Dec 2019 01:21 AM PST ![Italy Government Braces for Upheaval After Five Star Defections]( "Italy Government Braces for Upheaval After Five Star Defections") (Bloomberg) -- Italy's ruling coalition, rocked by the defection of three senators, prepared for a period of heightened instability as some lawmakers warned that more exits could be coming.A day after Senators Francesco Urraro, Stefano Lucidi and Ugo Grassi left the Five Star Movement to join the opposition League party, Lucidi warned that another "20-30 people will leave" Five Star's delegation in the two houses of parliament, possibly to form a new political group, in comments reported by Corriere della Sera.The defections leave Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's Five Star-Democratic Party coalition with a razor-thin majority in the upper house, although senators from other parties as well as independent lawmakers could continue to support the government.Conte doesn't expect any further lawmakers to leave the coalition, the premier said in Brussels Friday. "Everyone who wants to work with us can do so until 2023," he added.With the state budget for 2020 due for parliamentary approval by the end of the year, Conte's challenge will be to hammer out a government agenda in January, in a bid to lock in the coalition's divided partners on a raft of future policy measures.While the defections complicate the parliamentary math for Conte, his problems don't end there. Lawmakers from both Five Star and the Democrats suspect that League leader Matteo Salvini has struck a deal with ex-premier Matteo Renzi, who leads a small party within the coalition, to bring the government down and force early elections, daily la Repubblica reported Friday.To contact the reporters on this story: Jerrold Colten in Milan at jcolten@bloomberg.net;John Follain in Rome at jfollain2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, Marco Bertacche, Karl MaierFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| The Tiny, Simple Nuclear Reactor That Could Change Energy Posted: 13 Dec 2019 03:31 PM PST  The next step in nuclear power is 1/100th the size of today's reactors.
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| Trump threatens Democrats who he says are 'trivializing' impeachment: 'Some day there will be a Democrat president and there will be a Republican House, and I suspect they're going to remember it' Posted: 13 Dec 2019 10:39 AM PST  On Friday the House Judiciary Committee voted to advance two articles of impeachment against Trump for abusing his office and obstructing Congress.
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| Taiwan Still Has a Giant World War II-Era Artillery Gun (Pointed at China) Posted: 13 Dec 2019 12:49 AM PST  Could it fight?
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| Heavy, gusty storms to rattle Florida, Georgia into Friday night Posted: 13 Dec 2019 09:21 AM PST  While an outbreak of severe weather is not anticipated, storms capable of producing strong gusts and flash flooding will pester parts of the southeastern United States into Friday night.The thunderstorms are part of a large and strengthening storm that is producing an expanding swath of heavy rain in the eastern third of the nation. The risk is greatest from the central part of the Florida Peninsula to southeastern Georgia and the immediate coast of South Carolina. The risk also extends westward over part of the Florida Panhandle as well.People in this area should keep an eye on the weather. Heavy, gusty thunderstorms can briefly become severe with high winds, small hail and perhaps an isolated tornado. A satellite image showing precipitation over the southeastern U.S. on Friday, December 13, 2019, around midday. (AccuWeather) What adds to the threat is the likelihood of storms developing after dark Friday.By Saturday, dry air is forecast to sweep from west to east across the region and end the thunderstorm threat.Download the free AccuWeather app to check the forecast in your area. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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| The 25 Best Adventure Games Posted: 12 Dec 2019 06:00 AM PST |
| Revolution 101: For hardened teens of Hong Kong protests, violence is one way forward Posted: 13 Dec 2019 04:03 AM PST  Fiona's rebellion against the People's Republic of China began slowly in the summer months, spreading across her 16-year-old life like a fever dream. With each slap up against the police, each scramble down the subway stairs to avoid arrest as tear gas ate at their eyes, they hardened.
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| Republican congressman publicly identifies purported whistleblower Posted: 12 Dec 2019 02:52 PM PST  On Wednesday, Rep. Louie Gohmert publicly named a person some Republicans and allies of President Trump claim is the alleged whistleblower who first brought the Trump-Ukraine scandal to light.
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| George P. Bush says GOP can't let 'racist' episodes slide Posted: 12 Dec 2019 01:28 PM PST  Republican George P. Bush, the only member of the Bush dynasty still in public office, condemned Thursday recurring episodes of what he described as racist or hateful rhetoric within the Texas GOP, and ripped what he called false accusations fanned by his Hispanic heritage. Bush, Texas' land commissioner, first denounced a white GOP state legislator who suggested "Asian" challengers on the ballot in 2020 were motivated by race.
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| California police officer involved in two fatal shootings in one year Posted: 13 Dec 2019 12:05 PM PST  A new report has found that a California police officer was involved in two fatal shootings in just one year, highlighting the deadly results of American police policies that generally allow officers to use deadly force when they deem necessary.In both instances, according to an analysis by the Washington Post, Ceres police officer Ross Bays shot at individuals who had stumbled out of a car and began running away — and experts say that the timing of the shootings should be worrisome, even though both were ultimately ruled justified.
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| 'Disgusted.' Trump rails against Democrats after impeachment vote, backs short Senate trial Posted: 13 Dec 2019 09:23 AM PST  President Trump lashed out at Democrats less than an hour after the House Judiciary Committee voted to approve two articles of impeachment against him.
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| The US and NATO are preparing for Russia to go after troops in the field and at home Posted: 13 Dec 2019 07:43 AM PST  NATO is designed for air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace operations, but on the fringes of those, hybrid activity poses a new kind of challenge.
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| South Africa’s Worst Polluter Eskom Wants Emission Exemptions Posted: 12 Dec 2019 12:28 AM PST ![South Africa's Worst Polluter Eskom Wants Emission Exemptions]( "South Africa's Worst Polluter Eskom Wants Emission Exemptions") (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Next Africa newsletter and follow Bloomberg Africa on TwitterEskom Holdings SOC Ltd., South Africa's biggest polluter, has asked for additional emission exemptions at two of its biggest plants, a request that will increase environmental protests against the state-owned utility at a time when it's already being slammed for rolling power cuts.Eskom, which is struggling to meets its costs and has 454 billion rand ($31 billion) in debt, has applied to the environment ministry to delay complying with sulfur dioxide emission limits at its Medupi coal-fired plant by five years. It's also seeking permission not to install emission reduction equipment at its Matimba plant at all, saying it's not cost-effective.Emissions of particulate matter, which cause respiratory disease, are already at a 20-year high since equipment at the utility's Kendal plant was damaged during a strike. While independent studies allege that Eskom's pollution kills about 2,000 people a year, the company puts the number at 320. Environmentalists have taken the government to court over its failure to rein in emissions from the utility."The exemptions sought by Eskom for just these two power plants would cause an estimated 6,000 to 12,000 premature deaths over the remaining life of the plants, a health burden and economic burden that far exceeds the costs of the equipment required to comply with the standards," said Finland-based Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst for the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.Acid RainIn addition to respiratory problems, sulfur dioxide has been linked to low birth weight and causes acid rain.With a combined capacity of more than 8,700 megawatts, or about a fifth of current total capacity, Medupi and Matimba are crucial to Eskom. The company operates 15 coal-fired plants, with many of them nearing their de-commissioning dates. As a result of that and inadequate maintenance, South Africa has this week been hit by record power cuts that have prompted public anger and an apology from President Cyril Ramaphosa.The Centre for Environmental Rights says Eskom's applications are illegal as these had to be made by the end of March 2019."This is Eskom's fifth application to delay compliance with national air pollution laws that primarily exist to protect people's health, children in particular," said Timothy Lloyd, an attorney at the Centre for Environmental Rights. "We dispute the lawfulness of this belated application for weaker emission limits."While Eskom planned to cut sulfur dioxide emissions at its 228-billion-rand Medupi plant from 2025, it's now asked the ministry to postpone that to 2030. Installation at Medupi of flue-gas desulfurization equipment, which reduces sulfur-dioxide emissions, at a cost of 38 billion rand has yet to begin and will only be completed by 2030, said Bryan McCourt, the manager of Eskom's Air Quality Centre of Excellence.Air QualityThe delays are due to issues with construction and project management, he said. Medupi was initially scheduled to be completed by 2015 at about at third of its current projected cost of about $15 billion. In its application, Eskom also seeks exemptions on emissions of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter at Matimba, citing a lack of money and water availability issues. McCourt said fitting Matimba with a flue-gas desulfurization plant wouldn't considerably improve air quality.Instead of complying with the government's planned limit of 1,000 milligrams of the pollutant per normal cubic meter, already double an earlier plan and significantly higher than limits in India and China, Eskom wants to increase its current limit of 3,500 milligrams per normal cubic meter at Medupi to 4,000 milligrams. At Matimba, it wants a limit of 4,000 milligrams at a plant that's scheduled to close between 2038 and 2042. The exemption would last until decommissioning.If the permission is not granted the plants could be forced to close, according to regulations.McCourt said Eskom got permission from the ministry to submit the application by the end of November. Albi Modise, a spokesman for the ministry, didn't answer a call to his mobile phone.In addition to sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, Eskom accounts for about two-fifths of South Africa's greenhouse gas emissions. South African is the world's 14th largest emitter of the gases, matching the U.K., which has an economy eight times the size.(Adds Medupi cost in 10th paragraph)\--With assistance from Hilton Shone.To contact the reporter on this story: Antony Sguazzin in Johannesburg at asguazzin@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: John McCorry at jmccorry@bloomberg.net, Pauline Bax, Hilton ShoneFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Ocasio-Cortez condemns 'white supremacist sympathizer' Tucker Carlson Posted: 12 Dec 2019 08:04 AM PST  Top Democrat says host's Fox News show an 'hour-long production of unmitigated racism' after racist and xenophobic debateDemocratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has condemned Fox News and Tucker Carlson, calling the TV host a "white supremacist sympathizer" and saying his show represents an "hour-long production of unmitigated racism".The comments came following a segment on Carlson's show in which he and his guest, City Journal editor Seth Barron, commented on footage of an unremarkable amount of trash on the streets of Ocasio-Cortez's New York City district and blamed it on immigrants, whom Barron said had "occupied" the district and made it "one of the least American districts in the country".Carlson asked: "How can we take seriously anything she says about the environment when this is her congressional district? She should be ashamed of this."Using racist and xenophobic tropes, Barron responded that "her district is actually one of the least American districts in the country, and by that, I don't mean that it's not part of America, but it's occupied by relatively few American citizens."He went on: "The way they inhabit housing there is such that they live in a lot of illegal spaces like basements, and many people live there, so they wind up producing a lot of garbage that the landlords don't want thrown out normally. Hence, you wind up with a lot of garbage on the streets. You have illegal food vendors pouring their pig grease in the gutters."It was unclear where he was getting this information from.Carlson and his guests, much like the president, frequently imply that immigrants are making the country "poorer and dirtier".Carlson has called the idea of white supremacy in America a hoax.On Wednesday night on Twitter, Ocasio-Cortez shared video of the segment and wrote: "I go back and forth on whether to go on Fox News."She said: "The main reason I haven't is squaring the fact that the ad revenue from it bankrolls a white supremacist sympathizer to broadcast an hour-long production of unmitigated racism, without any accountability whatsoever."She added: "'Immigrants are dirty' is a lazy, tired, racist trope."Barron later apologized on Twitter, saying he had not done "justice to a complicated issue" of crowded housing conditions.
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| A British doctor was treated in an American emergency room and said it revealed how broken US healthcare really is Posted: 13 Dec 2019 03:09 PM PST  Adam Kay, the former British doctor who wrote "This Is Going to Hurt," says the UK's National Health Service actually works.
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| Catholic dioceses spar over Archbishop Sheen sainthood Posted: 12 Dec 2019 12:34 PM PST  In an unusual public spat, the Roman Catholic diocese of Peoria, Illinois, is accusing the Rochester, New York, diocese of trying to "sabotage" the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen. Sheen, who before his death in 1979 was famous for his radio and TV preaching, had been scheduled to be beatified — the last step before sainthood — in a ceremony in Peoria on Dec. 21.
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| The real story behind a charred Iraqi shrine: Resentment of Iran Posted: 12 Dec 2019 09:18 AM PST  Is Iran's power waning in Iraq? Popular resentment toward Iranian overreach is growing, as the violence at a Najaf shrine showed.
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| 'Let me explain it to you: wars, people die': Republican lawmaker fires back at Democrat after being accused of downplaying Ukrainian deaths Posted: 12 Dec 2019 10:31 PM PST  "That's the most ridiculous comment, and there's been a lot of them here," Collins said. A nearby Republican lawmaker replied: "You got that right."
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| German Industry Slump Set to Cast Shadow on Economy Through 2020 Posted: 13 Dec 2019 12:10 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Explore what's moving the global economy in the new season of the Stephanomics podcast. Subscribe via Apple Podcast, Spotify or Pocket Cast.Germany's worst manufacturing downturn in a decade is set to drag on economic growth at least through 2020 as domestic demand will increasingly be hurt by a weakening labor market, according to the latest projections by the country's central bank.The Bundesbank cut next year's GDP forecast for Europe's largest economy in half. While exports should start to recover in the course of the year, bolstering industrial production, consumer spending is seen slowing. The projections show momentum will pick up in the following two years.Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann said the recovery will ultimately be carried by supportive fiscal policy and the European Central Bank's ultra-expansionary monetary policy, but pointed to continued downside risks. "There are still external danger zones, which could aggravate and lengthen the downturn in industry," he said.Germany and the wider euro region have seen growth suffer amid a host of uncertainties including trade tensions between the U.S. and China, and the U.K.'s planned exit from the European Union. The forecasts offer a first glimpse of Germany's economy in 2022 and the one that will likely be inherited by its next government, and come one day after the ECB confirmed it will maintain its accommodative stimulus stance.ECB President Christine Lagarde, who held her first press conference in that capacity on Thursday, said downside risks have become "somewhat less pronounced." Trade talks have shown some signs of improvement and Germany dodged a recession in the third quarter.At the same time, data from the country's manufacturing sector has yet to demonstrate a pickup after months of deterioration. A slump in factory orders and industrial production unexpectedly deepened in October, figures last week showed.Inflation is seen gradually accelerating across the projection horizon, in part because of higher energy costs related to the government's measures to fight climate change. The Bundesbank predicts consumer-price growth of 1.9% in 2022 -- the rate the ECB aims to achieve for the euro area as a whole.To contact the reporter on this story: Carolynn Look in Frankfurt at clook4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Paul Gordon at pgordon6@bloomberg.net, Jana RandowFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Man dresses as mother to take driving test after she failed three times Posted: 13 Dec 2019 03:23 AM PST  A man has been arrested for attempting to take a driving test on his mother's behalf – by dressing like her in a bold attempt to fool examiners.Heitor Márcio Schiave, 43, wore a stuffed bra, floral top, long skirt, earrings, and a handbag to impersonate his mother at the State Department of Traffic in Novo Mutum Parana, in the Brazilian Amazon.
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| Pirates release three oil tanker crew kidnapped off Togo Posted: 13 Dec 2019 05:44 AM PST  A fourth hostage, a Filipino, died from illness during captivity, European Products Carriers Ltd added.
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| Taliban fighters hit with a series of airstrikes after failed attempt to breach Bagram Air Base Posted: 12 Dec 2019 06:38 AM PST  A series of airstrikes were called in following a failed attempt by the Taliban to breach Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, according to a Resolute Support spokesman.
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