| Trump administration pursues rule that would remove 3.1 million people from food stamps Posted: 22 Jul 2019 09:12 PM PDT  The Trump administration on Tuesday will propose a rule to tighten food stamp restrictions that would cut about 3.1 million people from the program, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials said. Currently, 43 U.S. states allow residents to automatically become eligible for food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, if they receive benefits from another federal program known as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, according to the USDA.
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| Body found behind cooler at Iowa supermarket was employee who went missing 10 years ago Posted: 22 Jul 2019 05:56 PM PDT ![Body found behind cooler at Iowa supermarket was employee who went missing 10 years ago]( "Body found behind cooler at Iowa supermarket was employee who went missing 10 years ago") Authorities on Monday said they have identified the man as Larry Ely Murillo-Moncada who was reported missing in November of 2009.
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| French submarine lost in 1968 found at last in Mediterranean Posted: 22 Jul 2019 09:45 AM PDT  A French submarine that went missing in the western Mediterranean in 1968 has been found, officials said Monday, ending a 51-year wait for families of the crew who continue to seek answers to the naval disaster. The diesel-electric Minerve submarine was lost off France's southern coast with 52 sailors on board on January 27, 1968. "We found the submarine Minerve last night located 45 kilometres (30 miles) south of Toulon, about 20 kilometres further south than where it was searched for in 1968," the French maritime prefect of the Mediterranean, Vice Admiral Charles Henri du Che, told reporters in Toulon.
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| Sarah Huckabee Sanders shows up to govs shindig as Arkansas rumors swirl Posted: 22 Jul 2019 11:10 AM PDT  Sanders is seen as a possible 2022 Arkansas gubernatorial candidate.
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| Little Boy Is OK After Fish-Stealing Great White Shark Leaps at Him to Steal Fresh Caught Fish Posted: 22 Jul 2019 08:46 AM PDT  "It had come up and it lunged out of the water"
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| Stephen Colbert Goes Easy on Anti-Science Presidential Candidate Marianne Williamson Posted: 22 Jul 2019 09:48 PM PDT  Scott Kowalchyk/CBSOn Monday night, comedian Stephen Colbert welcomed Marianne Williamson, the "spiritual guru" turned 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, to his late-night program. After reading off her list of accomplishments, which includes activism work and a series of bestselling self-help books, Colbert asked Williamson what sets her apart from the rest of the packed Dem field. "I want to be an agent of change," offered Williamson, who was there to promote her new book, A Politics of Love. "Now, love is not always associated with the presidency… would you be able to order other people to go kill our enemies?" asked Colbert—a question that seemed mildly sexist when posed to a woman candidate. "Absolutely," Williamson replied. "I think that when you take an oath of office of the president of the United States, part of that oath means that you are commander-in-chief, absolutely. But if you're going to talk about peace, you can't just back up into peace." Then, well, Colbert served up a few softball questions, asking her "what it's like to be up on the stage with those nine other people" and whether she feels "marginalized" (Williamson blamed the "political media-industrial complex" for why she's considered a left-field candidate). The host then compared her to President Trump, saying, "We have someone who is a businessman with no political experience in office now. That makes someone who is from what we would think of as kind of the normative political track that we've seen in American history very appealing. That might be one of the reasons why Joe Biden is so appealing." "This might be the case where what you would consider the 'safe' choice is the most dangerous thing we could possibly do," said Williamson. "The president's problem is not that he lacked political experience, it's that he lacked ethics—and he seems to lack a visceral taste for democracy. I don't like this idea, you said I lack political experience?Hollywood's Embarrassing Embrace of Marianne Williamson for President"There's this almost Wizard of Oz idea that—this idea of this political class and something's going on behind the curtain and they know what to do in the ways that the rest of us don't. I think when we think of political qualifications today, we should expand our sense of what those qualifications are," she continued. "A political qualification today should include political vision; it should include moral certitude; it should include the capacity to move groups of people—large groups of people—toward a common goal, a common vision, a common democracy, a love for our world and a love for our planet." (It's rather unclear what Williamson's "political vision" is.) She added, "A lot of experienced politicians led us into Iraq. And anybody who says that I'm an amateur at what they do? I'm sorry, Stephen, they're an amateur at what I can do." "Nicely said," Colbert responded. All in all, it was a disappointing performance from Colbert, who failed to challenge Williamson on any of her controversial anti-science views—from her anti-vaxx stance (she's referred to vaccine mandates as "Orwellian" and "draconian" and compared vaccines to "the abortion debate"), to how she's questioned the validity of depression, to how she believes obesity can apparently be triumphed over by "surrendering your weight to God." Or, you know, this gem: And of course, Hollywood is on board. Colbert, on the other hand, should know better. SNL's Kate McKinnon Debuts Spot-On Marianne Williamson ImpressionRead 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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| 'Send her back' chants 'very, very painful, extremely divisive': Rep. Elijah Cummings Posted: 21 Jul 2019 04:21 AM PDT  House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings discusses President Trump's comments and supporter chants on "This Week."
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| 11,000-HP Dodge Hellcat Drag Racer Will Make Your Head Pop Posted: 22 Jul 2019 03:45 PM PDT |
| The Latest: Hospital sued over school principal's death Posted: 22 Jul 2019 02:19 PM PDT  A hospital sued by the family of a New Jersey high school principal who died after a procedure to donate blood marrow to an anonymous French teenager says it is saddened by the tragic death. Hackensack University Medical Center is a defendant in the suit filed by the fiancee and family of Derrick Nelson, who fell into a coma in February and died in April. A spokeswoman for Hackensack Meridian Health says the hospital isn't commenting on the lawsuit but says it has been in touch with Nelson's family and fiance Sheronda Braker.
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| REFILE-UPDATE 4-Trump, Pakistan's Khan discuss way out of Afghanistan war Posted: 22 Jul 2019 09:49 AM PDT ![REFILE-UPDATE 4-Trump, Pakistan's Khan discuss way out of Afghanistan war]( "REFILE-UPDATE 4-Trump, Pakistan's Khan discuss way out of Afghanistan war") President Donald Trump voiced optimism on Monday that Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan could help broker a political settlement to end the nearly 18-year-old U.S. war in Afghanistan and held out the possibility of restoring aid to Islamabad. "I think Pakistan is going to help us out to extricate ourselves," Trump said, with Khan sitting next to him at the start of a White House meeting. Trump spoke of possibly restoring $1.3 billion in American aid that he had cut last year, depending upon the results of the meeting, and offered to mediate in the longstanding dispute between Pakistan and India over the Kashmir region.
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| Parents blame Royal Caribbean for toddler's death after 11-story fall Posted: 22 Jul 2019 06:29 AM PDT  "I never want another mother to see what I had to see, or to scream how I had to scream," Kimberly Wiegand said in a TV interview Monday.
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| Trial to open for Philippine journalist critical of Duterte Posted: 22 Jul 2019 06:16 PM PDT  Ressa, who leads online outlet Rappler and was named a Time Magazine "Person of the Year" in 2018 for her journalism, is out on bail and faces years in prison if convicted. Prominent rights lawyer Amal Clooney, who joined Ressa's legal team this month, said the case echoed a recurring theme in her work, where "journalists who expose abuses face arrest while those who commit the abuses do so with impunity".
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| Why No Enemy Would Dare Sink a U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Posted: 22 Jul 2019 12:58 PM PDT  Circumstances obviously matter for an attack on a U.S. aircraft carrier. An out-of-the-blue attack from a conventionally armed state actor would enjoy the highest levels of success, but would also have an impact on elite and public opinion in the United States that might drive calls for dire retribution. Since the 1950s, the supercarrier has been the most visible representation of U.S. military power and maritime hegemony. Although supercarriers have participated in nearly every military conflict since the commissioning of USS Forrestal in 1955, no carrier has come under determined attack from a capable opponent. In part, this is because supercarriers are very difficult to attack, but the symbolic grandeur of the massive ships also plays a role; no one wants to know what the United States might do if one of its carriers came under attack.(This first appeared several months ago.)What would happen if a foe attacked a United States Navy (USN) aircraft carrier during a conflict? How would the United States react, and how would it respond?Circumstances:
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| Black Georgia Lawmaker Alleges White Man Told Her to 'Go Back Where You Came From' in Grocery Store Confrontation Posted: 21 Jul 2019 08:18 AM PDT  The man admits he called her lazy, but says he didn't utter the racist phrase
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| 6 men, some with triad links, held over Hong Kong mob attack Posted: 22 Jul 2019 11:13 PM PDT  Hong Kong police have detained six men, some with links to triads, following a violent attack on pro-democracy protesters at a subway station that saw dozens injured. Senior police official Chan Tin-chu said Monday the men, aged between 24 and 54, were held for "unlawful assembly" and is being investigated for taking part in the attack late Sunday night at the subway station in the Yuen Long neighborhood.
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| Diver Has Epic Nose-to-Nose Encounter with One of the Most Elusive Sharks Lurking in the Deep Sea Posted: 22 Jul 2019 08:33 AM PDT  You may have heard of megalodon, the massive prehistoric shark, but what about the bluntnose sixgill? This enormous, ancient shark was lurking in the deep long before its extinct cousin -- and still exists today at the bottom of the ocean. It's rarely seen even by scientists. But on a recent submarine dive shark expert Gavin Naylor caught amazing footage of one on camera cozying up to his research vessel, seeming to almost flirt and play with the vessel."I'm literally nose to nose with this animal," Naylor, who does research at the Florida Museum of Natural History, told Live Science, referring to his trip in a submersible.Bluntnose sixgills are the oldest living shark lineage, said Dean Grubbs, a deep-sea ecologist at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Although Grubbs wasn't on board the submarine that night, the dive was part of his ongoing research on the behavior and biology of these sharks. [Photos: Orcas Are Chowing Down on Great-White-Shark Organs]"This is like studying dinosaurs," Grubbs told Live Science.In fact, the sixgill predates most dinosaurs -- the species has been around for roughly 200 million years. Some scientists even believe they may have survived the largest mass extinction event, the Permian-Triassic, which killed 96% of sea life.Diver comes nose-to-nose with a huge six gill shark. OceanXThe 16-foot-long (4.9 meters) female sixgill was spotted about 3,250 feet (1,000 m) beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, just off the Cape of Eleuthera in the Bahamas. She appeared to show off for Naylor, opening her massive mouth ("big enough to swim into," Grubbs said) and blinking huge blue eyes. She seemed curious about the submarine, Naylor said, nudging it with her nose."She was quite gentle," Naylor added.That is, until she started tearing into the bait that was attached to the sub, shaking the entire vessel."They seem really slow and really graceful," Lee Frey, a deep-sea engineer who was piloting the submarine at the time, told Live Science, "but then, boy, when they go after a meal, they are just really powerful."Naylor's dive was the fourth attempt during a mission to track down and tag a sixgill shark in its deep-sea environment -- a tricky feat from the submarine.Tagging a sixgill shark in its natural environment poses an unusual challenge because they live so deep in the ocean -- between 2,500 and 3,500 feet (800-1,100 m) below the surface. In the past, researchers had pulled sharks to the surface to tag them. But that method didn't always paint a clear picture of shark behavior -- after surfacing, the tagged sharks would act erratically. So the researchers equipped a vessel with a dart gun that could shoot tags at the sharks. If they succeeded, they would be the first team of scientists to successfully tag an animal from a submarine.When Naylor saw this particular sixgill, it became clear that she was far too close to the research vessel to tag with a dart gun. But he wasn't about to miss a great camera shot. Luckily, a better opportunity to tag a shark arose later that night, when he spotted a male sixgill at perfect range; he pointed and shot.The tag, which will track the shark's movement, will help Grubbs' team better understand the behavior of these seldom-studied prehistoric creatures.The dive was part of an OceanX mission, an organization that conducts ocean research, sometimes alongside institutions. * 7 Unanswered Questions About Sharks * In Photos: Baby Sharks Show Off Amazing Ability * Photos: Great White Shark Mysteriously Washes Up on a California BeachOriginally published on Live Science.
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| US hotels caught in fight over housing detained migrants Posted: 21 Jul 2019 05:56 PM PDT  Advocacy groups and unions are pressuring Marriott, MGM and others not to house migrants who have been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. For decades, the U.S. government has occasionally detained migrants in hotels, and Acting ICE Director Matthew Albence says it might have to split up families if hotels don't help. American and United Airlines said last year they didn't want to fly migrant children separated from their parents.
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| Trump has not built single mile of new border wall since taking office Posted: 22 Jul 2019 01:43 AM PDT  It was the controversial campaign promise that Donald Trump built his 2016 electoral success on: to build what he called a "big beautiful wall" on the US border with Mexico.But, two and half years after he took office, supporters – who were so enamoured by the idea, they regularly chanted in favour of the structure – may be forgiven for wondering where exactly it is.Now, it has emerged that not a single new stretch of border wall has been built since Mr Trump took office in January 2017.A statement released by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency confirmed the 51 miles of fencing completed since Mr Trump took power has simply replaced barriers that already existed.No original wall or fencing has been created in areas that previously did not have any, it said.That is despite the fact that a total of 205 miles of both new and replacement wall and fencing has already been budgeted for since Mr Trump took office – including via the Treasury Forfeiture Fund which the president redirected through controversial executive action in February.Speaking anonymously to the Washington Examiner, a senior official in the Trump administration said engineers could move faster on so-called replacement projects than entirely new stretches of fence because the approval process for environmental and zoning permits was less extensive.Another official blamed Democrats for obstructing progress. He told the newspaper: "The wall projects are moving along as quickly as practicably possible given the unprecedented obstruction from Democrat lawmakers to protect and prolong open borders."Yet it seems the lack of progress will not deter Mr Trump from making the wall a central part of his 2020 election campaign.When crowds took up their now familiar refrain of "build that wall" at a recent rally in El Paso, Texas, Mr Trump responded by telling them: "Now, you really mean 'finish that wall,' because we've built a lot of it."The CBP recently said it will be continuing to build the approximately 205 miles of wall that have been funded so far this year, using Treasury Forfeiture Fund money that Mr Trump seized in February after the partial government shutdown.The Trump administration was sued for taking $6.6bn from the military and other departments to be used for building the border wall after Congress refused to grant the president the money he had requested.
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| Turkey seizes $271 mln in counterfeit U.S. currency -newspaper Posted: 22 Jul 2019 08:59 AM PDT ![Turkey seizes $271 mln in counterfeit U.S. currency -newspaper]( "Turkey seizes $271 mln in counterfeit U.S. currency -newspaper") The raid was carried out on Friday in Istanbul's Esenyurt neighbourhood and five people were arrested, it said. Hurriyet said one of those arrested was previously released after being detained for suspected membership in a network that Ankara blames for orchestrating a failed military coup in 2016. Turkish authorities accuse the leader of this network, U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, of masterminding the attempted putsch in July 2016.
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| 'Outrageous': Convicted criminals serve as Alaskan police amid public safety crisis, investigation finds Posted: 21 Jul 2019 04:09 PM PDT  Dozens of police officers with criminal records have worked in Alaska, despite state law that should have disqualified them, an investigation finds.
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| Gambian soldier names ex-president in reporter's 2004 murder Posted: 22 Jul 2019 12:49 PM PDT  A Gambian army officer on Monday accused ex-president Yahya Jammeh of ordering the 2004 murder of journalist Deyda Hydara and admitted he was involved in the killing. Hydara, who was editor and co-founder of the independent The Point daily and a correspondent for AFP and Journalists Without Borders (RSF), was killed by unidentified gunmen in his car on the outskirts of the Gambian capital Banjul in December 2004. The murder was widely condemned locally and abroad as another sign of Jammeh's despotic rule and his stifling of all opposition in the former British colony.
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| U.S. Army Invests In Studying ‘Hyperfit’ Women Who Pass Its Hardest Tests Posted: 22 Jul 2019 01:41 AM PDT  The U.S. Army is investing in studying the "hyperfit" women who pass some of the military's most grueling tests."This is a unique historical time," research physiologist Julie Hughes, who is assisting with the study at the base in Natick, Massachusetts, told The Associated Press. "There's this group of women who made it through the training so we want to get them to at least do these observational investigations to explore what makes them unique."She and Holly McClung, a nutritional physiologist at the Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, have already begun preparing to run tests, like measuring how much oxygen a person uses while exercising, on volunteers. McClung said she was notified July 12 that the tests were given the green light.The Pentagon lifted all combat job bans for women in December 2015. Since then, roughly 35 women have reached the elite levels of Army Ranger, graduating Marine infantry school or passing the initial assessment phase of Green Beret training, according to the AP.All of the women participating in the study will do so voluntarily, but McClung and Hughes said they already expect plenty of military women to raise their hands, metaphorically speaking. They plan to have groups of two or three women at a time undergo the testing — which includes mental, physical and psychological elements — to discover why they are able to do what so many men and women cannot.
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| There's a Warning for the Thousands Who Signed Up to 'Storm Loch Ness' Because 'Nessie Can't Hide From Us All' Posted: 22 Jul 2019 08:36 AM PDT  "Nessie can't hide from us all"
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| This Dem Slow-Walked Getting Trump’s Taxes—Now He’s Getting Primaried Posted: 22 Jul 2019 03:30 AM PDT  Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via GettyThe latest 2020 primary challenger has emerged in Massachusetts. Alex Morse, the 30-year-old mayor of Holyoke, announced Monday that he is challenging Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA), a 30-year-incumbent representing Massachusetts' 1st Congressional District, citing a lack of urgency from the established member and his acceptance of corporate PAC money. "There's an urgency to this moment in Massachusetts' First District and our country, and that urgency is not matched by our current representative in Congress," Morse said in a statement. "The fact is, the Congressman has been largely silent on the issues that matter most. He's been absent, unaccountable, and unavailable. It's not just that we need new leadership in Washington. We need new leadership that understands that we can no longer settle for small, incremental, and compromising progress. We need to be on offense. We need to be fighting for something, not just against." In his campaign launch video, Morse, Holyoke's youngest and first openly gay mayor, discusses the city's revitalization under his leadership, his parents' struggles with poverty, and his pledge to take no corporate PAC money. Since his election in 2011, at the age of 22, Morse has implemented a needle exchange program to fight the opioid epidemic, become the first mayor in the state to endorse legalizing marijuana, and declared Holyoke a sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants. Neal, 70, who first assumed office in 1989, has long seemed ripe for a primary challenge. Progressives have pointed to his reticence to call for impeachment hearings, his prior support for the Hyde Amendment, and his relationship with lobbyists and special interests as reasons for his potential vulnerability. Neal also reportedly discouraged the use of the phrase "Medicare for All" for a recent hearing on Medicare for All legislation. Upon becoming chair of the House Ways and Means committee, Neal was faced with immense pressure to immediately subpoena President Trump's tax returns, which included a campaign from billionaire and liberal activist Tom Steyer, who is now running for president. (Morse reportedly had lunch with Steyer earlier this year.) Neal did so in May, and in early July, the committee filed a lawsuit to enforce the subpoena. But the fact that it took months for any kind of action to occur has irked progressives. Recently, a bill passed in New York state with the intended purpose of allowing Neal to request state income tax returns, opening up another potential avenue for the chairman. However, he reportedly expressed concern that doing so could undermine the aforementioned suit. Neal is just the latest established, center-leaning Democrat to face a challenge from a younger, more progressive candidate. Already in 2020, Justice Democrats, the insurgent group that backed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), has fielded two challengers: one in Texas and another in New York. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) is also staring down multiple primary challengers, as the left has looked to replicate Ocasio-Cortez's success in other districts in New York. And in Illinois, Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL), a conservative anti-abortion Democrat who narrowly escaped a primary challenge in the last cycle, is facing the same candidate again in Marie Newman. Just last year, Massachusetts was home to a massive primary upset when Pressley defeated Rep. Mike Capuano (D-MA), who had served for 20 years in the 7th Congressional District, before being elected to the House.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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| Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez doubles down on eliminating the entire Department of Homeland Security Posted: 22 Jul 2019 03:21 AM PDT  National security expert Matt Pinsker explains exactly what the Department of Homeland Security does and why our country needs it.
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| Mexico, US to launch plan against arms smuggling at border Posted: 22 Jul 2019 10:56 AM PDT  The Mexican government said Monday it has reached agreement with the United States for a joint operation to combat gun smuggling along the U.S. border after seeing a spike in the number of illegal firearms detected. Seizures of assault rifles in Mexico are up 122% so far this year. Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said Mexico's military would coordinate with U.S. authorities to launch anti-gun-smuggling operations in five Mexican border cities — Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa and Matamoros.
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| Lawyer: Man who killed mob boss thought he was helping Trump Posted: 22 Jul 2019 12:21 PM PDT ![Lawyer: Man who killed mob boss thought he was helping Trump]( "Lawyer: Man who killed mob boss thought he was helping Trump") A man charged with killing a reputed New York mob boss was deluded by internet conspiracy theories and thought he was helping President Donald Trump defend Democracy, his attorney said in court papers filed Friday. Anthony Comello is facing murder charges in the March 13 shooting of Francesco "Franky Boy" Cali, an alleged leader in the Gambino crime family. In a legal filing, attorney Robert Gottleib said Comello was gripped by an irrational belief that Cali was part of a "deep state" that secretly controls the U.S., and went to the gangster's home on Staten Island with handcuffs with the intention of arresting him.
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| These Versatile Corn Recipes Are Perfect for Any Meal Posted: 22 Jul 2019 12:46 PM PDT |
| Kenyan finance minister arrested on corruption charges over mega dam project Posted: 22 Jul 2019 07:57 AM PDT  Kenya's Finance Minister Henry Rotich and other treasury officials were arrested on Monday on corruption and fraud charges over a multi-million dollar project to build two mega dams, police said. Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji had ordered the arrest and prosecution of Rotich and 27 other top officials on charges of fraud, abuse of office and financial misconduct in the latest scandal to rock graft-wracked Kenya. Mr Rotich, his principal secretary and the chief executive of Kenya's environmental authority then presented themselves to the police. Mr Haji claimed the conception, procurement and payment processes for the dam project - part of a bid to improve water supply in the drought-prone country - was "riddled with irregularities". The arrests are part of a drive by President Uhuru Kenyatta to combat corruption in the poverty-plagued country, which has seen hundreds of millions of dollars disappear due to fraud. A string of top officials have been charged since last year, when a damning report from the auditor general showed that the government could not account for $400 million (£321m) in public funds. But it is unprecedented for a sitting minister to be arrested for corruption. Detailing the charges, the chief prosecutor pointed to the awarding of the contract to Italian firm CMC di Ravenna in a manner that he said flouted proper procurement procedures, and despite financial woes that forced the company into liquidation and had led to it failing complete three other mega-dam projects. According to the contract, the project was to cost a total of $450 million (£361m), but the treasury had increased this amount by $164 million "without regard to performance or works," said Mr Haji. Some $180 million has already been paid out, with little construction to show for it, while a further $6 million was supposedly spent on resettlement but without the acquisition of any land. "Under the guise of carrying out legitimate commercial transactions, colossal amounts were unjustifiably and illegally paid out through a well-choreographed scheme by government officers in collusion with private individuals and institutions, Mr Haji said. Mr Rotich has previously denied any wrongdoing, as has CMC di Ravenna.
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| Iran claims arrest of 17 CIA spies; Pompeo: Iran has 'long history of lying' Posted: 22 Jul 2019 11:31 AM PDT  Iran claims its authorities arrested 17 spies recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency to spy on the Middle East nation's nuclear and military sites.
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| Putin gives Russian citizenship to Novatek's finance chief, a U.S. national Posted: 22 Jul 2019 07:38 AM PDT  President Vladimir Putin handed Russian citizenship to gas producer Novatek's veteran finance chief Mark Gyetvay on Monday, a move that could potentially help the U.S. national bypass some sanctions restrictions. U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia in 2014 ban U.S. nationals and companies from helping organize long-term funding for some major Russian firms, including Novatek. When the U.S. and the EU imposed sanctions on Russia, executives with foreign passports at companies affected including Novatek - the country's largest non-state natural gas producer - and state bank VTB handed over responsibility for organizing new debt or equity issuance to colleagues without EU or U.S. passports.
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| Caracas, other parts of Venezuela hit by massive power cut Posted: 22 Jul 2019 11:57 PM PDT  The lights went out in most of Caracas at 4:41 pm (2041 GMT) while people in other parts of the country took to social media to report their own power outages. "The first indications received from the investigation... point to the existence of an electromagnetic attack that sought to affect the hydroelectric generation system of Guayana," Communication Minister Jorge Rodriguez said in a statement on state television. Guayana in southern Venezuela is home to the Guri hydroelectric power station that produces 80 percent of the country's electricity.
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| Internal Probe Reveals SEAL Team 10 Operators’ Cocaine Use Posted: 22 Jul 2019 03:15 PM PDT  AFPSome SEAL Team 10 special warfare operators allegedly used cocaine or spiked their alcohol with it, according to an internal investigation obtained by the Navy Times following a Freedom of Information Act Request. In Little Creek, Virginia, six SEALs were caught using cocaine and other illicit substances, the report says. SEALs told investigators that the urinalysis tests were easy to beat, as they were not screened very often, and when they were, they'd often switch out tainted urine for clean urine samples, according to the report. No SEALs went to court-martial in the wake of the urinalysis screening, in Virginia, Naval Special Warfare Command spokeswoman Commander Tamara Lawrence told Navy Times, adding that four were administratively separated from the sea service. The urinalysis program has now been updated, said Lawrence, and will be given more often. The test administers will also be retrained. A command report obtained by the Navy Times shows that in mid-2018, the testing program "suffered from serious deficiencies, which did not maintain accountability for substance abuse and adversely affected readiness." 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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| Why Pakistan Should End Its Alliance with China Posted: 21 Jul 2019 01:23 PM PDT  Pakistan has made several major grand strategic mistakes since its creation in 1947, including the attack on India in 1971, which led to Pakistan's dismemberment. However, Pakistan is in the midst of making another grave mistake, and it is one seldom discussed. This is the high cost of its alliance with China. Due to the poverty in its long-term, strategic planning, Islamabad's conception that the Sino-Pakistani alliance is key to Pakistani security introduces dependence on Beijing and creates the avenue for Beijing's exploitation and manipulation of it—with the result that Pakistan finds itself less secure and alone in the world. We argue that Pakistan should reverse course. The alliance with China ultimately serves China's ambitions above Pakistan's. Islamabad should extricate itself from its alliance with China, and improve its position by aligning with other, democratic states.The rise of China has had profound impact on Pakistan's strategic calculations. A more powerful and outwardly amicable China causes a natural reaction in Pakistan to align itself more closely with China in order to balance against India, its long-term adversary. Pakistan's leadership believe that an alliance with China will somehow replace the long-term Pakistani dependence on the United States in mediating its relations with India. They also think that this relationship will help improve Pakistan's poor economic situation.
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| The 2019 Mercedes-Benz C300 Coupe Is Quicker, Still Looks Great Posted: 22 Jul 2019 05:00 AM PDT  We test an updated 2019 C300 coupe to see how its more powerful turbocharged engine stacks up.
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| 10 Spectacular Abandoned Places of Worship Posted: 22 Jul 2019 01:14 PM PDT |
| 'Let me guess, you want to nuke them all': Trump constantly baiting John Bolton in front of officials, report says Posted: 22 Jul 2019 12:57 AM PDT  Donald Trump likes to goad his national security adviser John Bolton about his lust for military action, according to officials who have spoken out on their relationship.As Iran claims to have captured spies working for the US and accuses Mr Bolton of trying to start "war of the century", new details have emerged of the president's fondness for baiting his adviser in the company of top officials – including foreign dignitaries.During a White House Situation Room meeting last year, Mr Trump reportedly said to his hawkish national security chief: "Ok, John, let me guess, you want to nuke them all?"According to the report by the Axios website, Mr Trump turned to Mr Bolton in an Oval Office meeting with Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar and said: "John, is Ireland one of those countries you want to invade?"Quoting unnamed senior administration officials, the account claimed the president recently joked that "John has never seen a war he doesn't like", repeating sentiments made in public. "If it was up to him he'd take on the whole world at one time, okay?" Mr Trump recently told NBC's Meet the Press.Yet the president is said to get "quite touchy" if critics of Mr Bolton complain the national security adviser could pull the US into unnecessary conflict against Mr Trump's will. "He doesn't want anyone to believe he's anybody's pawn."Sources said Mr Trump likes to keep Mr Bolton on his team because his aggressive reputation gives the president the opportunity to play "good cop" to his adviser's "bad cop" routine."He thinks that Bolton's bellicosity and eagerness to kill people is a bargaining chip when he's sitting down with foreign leaders," said one official. "Bolton can be the bad cop and Trump can be the good cop. Trump believes this to his core."On Sunday Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif tweeted about the White House hawk as Tehran's dispute with both the UK and US threatened to escalate over the seizure of a British oil tanker."Make no mistake. Having failed to lure Donald Trump into a War of the Century, and fearing collapse of his B Team, John Bolton is turning his venom against the UK in hopes of dragging it into a quagmire."> Make no mistake: > > Having failed to lure @realDonaldTrump into War of the Century, and fearing collapse of his B_Team, @AmbJohnBolton is turning his venom against the UK in hopes of dragging it into a quagmire. > > Only prudence and foresight can thwart such ploys.> > — Javad Zarif (@JZarif) > > July 21, 2019On Monday Iran announced it had arrested 17 people allegedly recruited by the CIA to spy on the country's nuclear and military sites.Intelligence chiefs said some of the group have already been sentenced to death following arrests made over the past few months. Iranian media published pictures purportedly showing intelligence "officers" working for the US."The identified spies were employed in sensitive and vital private sector centres in the economic, nuclear, infrastructure, military and cyber areas ... where they collected classified information," read a ministry of intelligence statement.The US has yet to respond to the claims.
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| Indiana police identify body of Detroit woman found in 1999 Posted: 21 Jul 2019 01:44 PM PDT ![Indiana police identify body of Detroit woman found in 1999]( "Indiana police identify body of Detroit woman found in 1999") Authorities on Sunday identified a Michigan woman who was found dead 20 years ago in a northeastern Indiana field, renewing the investigation into her "suspicious" death. The Steuben County Sheriff's Department said they followed hundreds of leads to try to identify the woman over two decades, including using an FBI lab in Virginia, the National Missing Persons DNA Database and a genetic genealogy database. Authorities were able to identify the woman — Tina L. Cabanaw of the Detroit area — through a family tree and confirm it after a DNA test of her daughter, Jessica Gallegos of Colorado.
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| A Massachusetts police department asked would-be criminals to 'hold off' during heat wave. They listened Posted: 22 Jul 2019 07:28 PM PDT ![A Massachusetts police department asked would-be criminals to 'hold off' during heat wave. They listened]( "A Massachusetts police department asked would-be criminals to 'hold off' during heat wave. They listened") The Braintree Police Department in Massachusetts asked criminals to "hold off" for the weekend and, on Monday, the department reported zero arrests.
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| Philippines mulls tourists for Thitu, bolstering S. China Sea claims Posted: 22 Jul 2019 11:20 PM PDT ![Philippines mulls tourists for Thitu, bolstering S. China Sea claims]( "Philippines mulls tourists for Thitu, bolstering S. China Sea claims") The Philippines is considering inviting tourists to its biggest and most strategically important outpost in the South China Sea, part of efforts to assert its claim to sovereignty over some of the world's most contested islands. Thitu island in the Spratly archipelago is in the midst of major upgrades to its dilapidated facilities, playing catch-up with China and Vietnam, which have been developing facilities on islands they either occupy or have built from scratch on top of submerged reefs. "We are on track in rebuilding or repairing our runway in Pagasa," said Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, referring to Thitu, some 280 nautical miles off the Philippine coast.
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| Britain plans European-led Gulf force after tanker seizure Posted: 22 Jul 2019 08:41 PM PDT  Britain on Monday said it was planning a European-led protection force for shipping in the Gulf after Iranian authorities seized a British-flagged tanker in a dramatic escalation of tensions in the region. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt condemned Iran's actions as "state piracy" while at the same time emphasising that Britain did not want confrontation. "We will seek to establish this mission as quickly as possible," Hunt said, adding that a second warship that Britain has sent to the region would arrive by July 29.
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| Insider says Apple’s iPhone 12 will have a revolutionary new OLED display Posted: 22 Jul 2019 05:21 AM PDT  Gaming Android phones are a thing these days, although they're already overkill in many ways. They're maxed-out machines supposed to deliver an even better gaming experience than regular high-end Android handsets. One of their signature features concerns the display, which supports 120GHz refresh rates -- Asus's just-announced ROG Phone II is one example. Apple, meanwhile, hasn't equipped any of its iPhones with 120Hz screens but has developed the same technology for the latest iPad Pro models, which feature 120Hz Pro Motion screens.An industry insider now claims that the iPhone 12 phones will also pack a 120Hz display, and it'll introduce an awesome new feature along with it.Apple made the switch to OLED for flagship iPhones a couple of years ago, with the iPhone X, XS, and XS Max all featuring 60Hz OLED screens that do support 120Hz touch sample rate. That's not to be confused with the actual refresh rate of the screen -- the ROG Phone II features a 120Hz display with a 240Hz touch sample rate. Of note, the 2018 iPad Pros come with LCD screens featuring 120Hz refresh rates.Ice Universe, an industry insider known for his Samsung-related leaks, also posts Apple rumors from time to time. And he did so a few hours ago, posting on Twitter the news that Apple is currently discussing its 2020 iPhone screens with suppliers Samsung and LG.https://twitter.com/UniverseIce/status/1152928927037308928These displays will reportedly feature a "switchable 60Hz/120Hz refresh rate," which means that Apple is considering bringing Pro Motion tech to the iPhone 12 screen. Having the refresh rate switch between 60Hz and 120Hz could also offer huge benefits where power consumption is concerned.Higher refresh rates coupled with higher touch sample rates should further improve the performance and responsiveness of a display, both when it comes to consuming content including videos and games, but also during regular smartphone use. It's only logical to assume that all handset makers out there are looking to offer better displays to their buyers.Earlier this year, OnePlus launched the OnePlus 7 series featuring 90Hz screens, and Android vendors that sell gaming phones will keep releasing 120Hz phones. Assuming Ice Universe has access to accurate intel, it means the iPhone 12 could be in for a massive screen upgrade. It also means the iPhone 11 will feature 60Hz screens, like its predecessors.
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| China's Debt Debacle Posted: 22 Jul 2019 05:09 AM PDT  On Friday, China Minsheng Investment Group announced that its subsidiary, Boom Up Investments, will not make principal or interest payments on August 2 on $500 million of three-year, dollar-denominated bonds.The default will be the first for the firm's dollar-bond creditors. CMIG, as the former high-flyer investment conglomerate is known, failed to make payments on renminbi-denominated obligations in January.CMIG's Friday announcement, although not a surprise, is nonetheless significant. As Bloomberg News reported, the firm was once thought to become "China's answer" to American giant JPMorgan Chase.The troubles of CMIG mirror problems at other companies and follow the shock failure of Baoshang Bank, which the government took over last month.Bond defaults are rocking China. This year, they will almost certainly top those in 2018, which itself set a record. The failures suggest, among other things, that the Chinese economy is in severe distress.
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| Britain waits for US before Huawei 5G decision Posted: 22 Jul 2019 05:00 PM PDT  Britain said Monday it was "not yet in a position" to decide what involvement China's Huawei should have in the UK's 5G next-generation telecoms network. Digital Secretary Jeremy Wright told parliament that London was still seeking clarity on the implications of US action against the Chinese telecoms giant, adding it would be "wrong to make specific decisions" beforehand. "The government is not yet in a position to decide what involvement Huawei should have in the provision of the UK's 5G network," he said.
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| Neighbors Say They Warned City About Giant Tree That Toppled on Homes Posted: 22 Jul 2019 12:41 PM PDT  A storm in St. Louis brought down a huge tree damaging four homes, but neighbors say they`ve been complaining about the tree for two years.
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| Iran oil tanker crisis: Mike Pompeo says ‘responsibility falls to UK to take care of its ships’ Posted: 22 Jul 2019 07:54 AM PDT  Mike Pompeo has called on the UK to "take care of their ships" in the Strait of Hormuz amid increasing tensions between Tehran and the West since Iran seized a British oil tanker .The US secretary of state said in an interview with Fox News on Monday "the responsibility in the first instance falls to the United Kingdom"."This is a bad regime, it's not honouring the people of Iran, they've not conducted what amounts to national piracy — a nation state taking over a ship that's travelling in international waters — this is the kind of behaviour we've seen out of Iran for 40 years."The United States has a responsibility to do our part, but the world has a big role in this too to keep those sea lanes open," said Mr Pompeo.Confrontation between the United States and Iran has spiralled since last year when President Donald Trump pulled out of an international agreement signed by his predecessor Barack Obama which guaranteed Iran access to world trade in return for curbs to its nuclear programme.Since then, Iran has stepped up its nuclear activity beyond limits in the deal and Washington has accused Tehran of attacking ships in the Gulf. In June, after Iran shot down a US drone, Trump ordered retaliatory air strikes, only to abort them minutes before impact, the closest the United States has come to bombing Iran in their 40 year history of animosity.Last week the United States said it had shot down an Iranian drone, which Tehran denied.Washington's major European allies Britain, France and Germany opposed Trump's decision to quit the nuclear deal and have tried to remain neutral. But Britain was drawn more directly into the confrontation on 4 July when its Royal Marines seized an Iranian tanker off Gibraltar, accused of violating European sanctions on Syria.Iran repeatedly threatened to retaliate for that incident and has made little secret that its capture of the Stena Impero two weeks later was intended as a retaliatory move. It says the ship is being held over safety concerns and the 23-member crew, including 18 Indians and no British citizens, are safe.On Monday, Mr Pompeo also dismissed Iran's announcement it had captured 17 spies working for the CIA and sentenced some to death.Iran made the announcement in state media, saying the alleged spies had been arrested in the year before March 2019. Such announcements are not unusual in Iran, but the timing has raised concerns that Tehran is hardening its position in its standoff with Western powers."The Iranian regime has a long history of lying ... I would take with a significant grain of salt any Iranian assertion about actions that they've taken," Mr Pompeo said.Mr Pompeo declined to comment about any specific cases, but added: "There's a long list of Americans that we are working to get home from the Islamic Republic of Iran."Donald Trump also refuted the reports in a tweet on Monday morning, writing, "The Report of Iran capturing CIA spies is totally false.""Zero truth," the president wrote. "Just more lies and propaganda (like their shot down drone) put out by a Religious Regime that is Badly Failing and has no idea what to do.""Their Economy is dead, and will get much worse," he added. "Iran is a total mess!"Additional reporting by Reuters
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| Four Inmates Faked a Fight to Escape Florida Juvenile Detention Center Posted: 21 Jul 2019 08:31 AM PDT  Jacksonville Sheriff's Office HandoutFour teenage inmates staged a fight inside their dorm-style cell late Saturday night at a Florida juvenile detention center as a ruse to escape, overpowering staff and stealing a staff member's car and a cell phone as they fled.Two of teens who escaped from the Florida Department of Juvenile justice facility in Jacksonville, remained at large Sunday and a manhunt was underway to apprehend them.According to a tweet from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, the four inmates faked a brawl in their room and then attacked the staff who responded to the scuffle. The boys were then able to overpower staff in the center's control room and pushed several buttons until one released the jail's main door. The boys then stole car keys from the handbag of one of the staff members and made off in the dark of the night with the a four-door Infiniti Q50 with Florida license plate LANE19.The foursome also took the staff member's county-issued cellphone and wallet with an unknown amount of cash. The Jacksonville Sheriff's office named the escapees still at large as Tajah Bing, 16, Davione Baldwin, 17. Tyjuan Monroe, 16, and Marcus Ledbetter, 17, were captured early Sunday morning. The inmates were serving jail time for offenses ranging from grand theft auto to robbery with a firearm and are considered dangerous, though are not known to be armed. One was serving time for "lewd and lascivious" behavior with a child under the age of 12-years-old. The Jacksonville sheriff's office has offered an award up to $3,000 for information that leads to the capture of the escaped individuals noting that the boys "could be anywhere."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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