| Trump deploys more troops to Mideast after US embassy attack Posted: 31 Dec 2019 09:07 PM PST  Charging that Iran was "fully responsible" for an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, President Donald Trump ordered about 750 U.S. soldiers deployed to the Middle East as about 3,000 more prepared for possible deployment in the next several days. No U.S. casualties or evacuations were reported after the attack Tuesday by dozens of Iran-supported militiamen. U.S. Marines were sent from Kuwait to reinforce the compound.
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| 16 inmates killed in bloody two and a half hour prison riot after guns snuck into facility Posted: 01 Jan 2020 09:05 AM PST  At least 16 inmates were killed in a central Mexico prison and five others wounded after a bloody two-and-a-half hour riot.Four guns – believed to have been smuggled in during prison visits on Tuesday, where found at the scene of the violent melee at the Cienguillas state prison in the north-central Zacatecas region.
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| Carlos Ghosn reportedly fled prosecution in Japan by hiding in a box on a private jet. Meet Nissan's disgraced former chairman, who was charged in 2018 with underreporting his compensation. Posted: 31 Dec 2019 08:45 AM PST  Ghosn said he'd "no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is presumed, discrimination is rampant, and basic human rights are denied."
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| Russia’s Hypersonic ICBM Is Operational. So What? Posted: 01 Jan 2020 12:00 AM PST  Moscow might not even need them. Here's why.
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| In California: Blackouts, celeb scandals, crooked cops and wildfires Posted: 01 Jan 2020 03:32 PM PST  We closed out a year and ended a decade. ICYMI, here's a look back at last year's biggest stories from the Golden State
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| 4,000+ People Trapped on Pristine Australia Beach as Wildfires Close In Posted: 31 Dec 2019 03:20 AM PST  More than 4,000 people, including residents, hundreds of tourists, and children, are trapped on beaches near the town of Mallacoota on Australia's east coast, surrounded as raging wildfires fueled by strong winds are barreling toward them. Officials are telling them they may need to jump into the sea to save themselves. David Jeffrey, a local business owner, told BBC News that he and other residents sheltering on an adjacent beach nearby were preparing to jump into the sea before sudden winds pushed the flames in the other direction. "There's a rock wall that they've built to keep back the sea, and that was where we were going to jump into the water if the radiant heat had hit," he told BBC by Skype. "It looks a lot like Armageddon. It's terrifying." The Australian government announced that it is readying naval ships and military helicopters to carry out evacuations after all roads leading to the area are now blocked by raging blazes. More than 200 fires are now burning across the the states of New South Wales and Victoria.The apocalyptic images cut a stark contrast as fireworks lit up over Sydney Harbour as New Year's celebrations rang out, despite widespread protests over fears of the pyrotechnics starting more fires amid the country's heat and wildfire emergency.A father and son are reported to have died and four other people are missing after several people tried to escape through the fires, despite government warnings to shelter in place until they can be rescued, according to government officials. The Australian government has called for assistance from the U.S. and Canada, which are preparing to send fire crews to help fight the blazes that have burned some 10 million acres and killed more than a dozen people over the last several weeks. The fires have been fueled by extreme temperatures and strong winds coupled with a three-year drought. Several people are trapped on beaches around Batemans Bay, which is a popular New Year's Eve destination for those who travel to Australia to enjoy the summer in the Southern Hemisphere.Many of those trapped have posted eerie photos on social media of the blood-red skies and night-like conditions in the afternoon as smoke from the raging fires blocks the sun.One woman posted a terrifying photo of her young son wearing a mask and a life jacket on a boat as they tried to escape Mallacoota.Firefighters have also been trapped in the fires, with one unit posting a video as they tried to reach safety as the fire surrounded their truck. Australian authorities say they have no prediction for when the fires will be contained. 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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| GOP Sen. Collins says she's open to impeachment witnesses Posted: 31 Dec 2019 11:59 AM PST  Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine says she's open to calling witnesses as part of the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, but she says it is "premature" to decide who should be called until senators see the evidence that is presented. Collins also said it was inappropriate for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, to pledge "total coordination" between the White House and the Senate during the impeachment trial.
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| Holocaust education planned after WV jail guard Nazi salute Posted: 31 Dec 2019 08:09 AM PST  West Virginia plans to begin training its corrections department staff about the Holocaust after a photograph of correction officer cadets giving Nazi salutes led to dozens of firings and widespread outrage, officials said Tuesday.
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| Mystery over identity of decades-old headless torso found in cave partially solved – but not how he got there Posted: 01 Jan 2020 10:54 AM PST  The mystery over the identity of a headless torso that was hidden inside a cave for decades has finally been solved – partly.Investigators say the body belongs to Joseph Henry Loveless, an outlaw who murdered his wife with an axe and was not seen after he escaped from jail in 1916.
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| Jury awards $4 million to Disney Cruise worker Posted: 31 Dec 2019 01:07 PM PST  A Florida jury has decided that a Disney Cruise Line worker deserves $4 million from the company based on her claim that she got inadequate medical care from ship doctors after she was hit by a car during a port of call.
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| Nine Killed as Jakarta Hit by Worst Flooding Since 2013 Posted: 01 Jan 2020 04:28 AM PST ![Nine Killed as Jakarta Hit by Worst Flooding Since 2013]( "Nine Killed as Jakarta Hit by Worst Flooding Since 2013") (Bloomberg) -- Nine people have died as heavy monsoon rains lashed the Indonesian capital and nearby cities since New Year's Eve, triggering the worst flooding in almost seven years.The rains submerged homes and cars and shut one of Jakarta's airports. More than 700 areas in greater Jakarta region suffered from power outages, according to state-run electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara. Commuter trains suspended some operations, said PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia.The Jakarta provincial government is prioritizing the safety of residents and instructed schools and some offices to be prepared in providing shelter as the country's weather agency expects rainfall to continue in the next three days. The death toll was provided by the country's disaster mitigation agency.The Halim Perdanakusuma airport had to shut as the runway was flooded and authorities diverted several flights to Soekarno-Hatta. Many roads in Jakarta were also not passable.President Joko Widodo had instructed government agencies to prioritize rescue and to immediately normalize the operation of strategic public facilities, such as the Halim Perdanakusuma airport, he said on Twitter.In January 2013, more than 30 million residents of the city were affected by flooding that killed dozens of people and inundated areas including the central business district.Indonesia's weather agency, known as BMKG, urged people to store important documents in a safe place and to prepare for power supply backup.(Updates with latest death toll in first paragraph.)\--With assistance from Tassia Sipahutar, Yoga Rusmana, Fathiya Dahrul, Harry Suhartono and Rieka Rahadiana.To contact the reporters on this story: Arys Aditya in Jakarta at aaditya5@bloomberg.net;Eko Listiyorini in Jakarta at elistiyorini@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Thomas Kutty Abraham at tabraham4@bloomberg.net, Colum Murphy, Clarissa BatinoFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Can Iran Hope To Stop U.S. Stealth Drones? Posted: 01 Jan 2020 03:30 AM PST  America is increasing its presence in the Middle East.
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| Iraq warns US ties at stake after deadly strikes Posted: 30 Dec 2019 09:54 PM PST  Iraq's government warned Monday that its relations with the United States were at risk after deadly American air strikes against a pro-Iran group sparked anger on the streets, with protesters torching US flags. Baghdad said it would summon the US ambassador while Washington responded by accusing Iraqi authorities of having failed to "protect" US interests. The attacks came as Iraq is caught up in mounting tensions between its allies Tehran and Washington while it also grapples with huge street protests against corruption and Iran's growing political influence in the country.
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| Infowars founder who claimed Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax ordered to pay $100,000 Posted: 31 Dec 2019 12:38 PM PST ![Infowars founder who claimed Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax ordered to pay $100,000]( "Infowars founder who claimed Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax ordered to pay $100,000") Jones, founder of the Infowars radio show and webcast, has claimed the mainstream media and gun-control proponents conspired to fabricate the tragedy in which 20 school children and six school staff were shot dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Dec. 14, 2012. In response, several parents of the slain 6- and 7-year-old children sued Jones and Infowars for defamation and emotional distress in Texas, where Infowars is based, and in Connecticut. In Texas, Travis County District Court Judge Scott Jenkins on Dec. 20 ordered Jones and Infowars to pay more than $100,000 in a case brought by Neil Heslin, whose 6-year-old son, Jesse Lewis, was killed at the school.
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| Japan Airlines Is Giving Away 50,000 Free Flights to Tourists. Here's How to Get One Posted: 30 Dec 2019 11:21 PM PST  Tourists flying to Japan with Japan Airlines this summer can win free tickets to a surprise destination in the country
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| Hong Kong riot police use tear gas to answer firebombs to ring in New Year Posted: 31 Dec 2019 10:41 AM PST  Hong Kong protesters rang in the New Year with a wave of fresh mass demonstrations, as they tried to show they could maintain pressure on the Beijing-backed government into 2020.
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| Financial tug-of-war emerges over fire victims' settlement Posted: 31 Dec 2019 11:00 PM PST  A financial tug-of-war is emerging over the $13.5 billion that the nation's largest utility has agreed to pay to victims of recent California wildfires, as government agencies jockey for more than half the money to cover the costs of their response to the catastrophes. Pacific Gas & Electric declared bankruptcy nearly a year ago as it faced about $36 billion in claims from people who lost family members, homes and businesses in devastating wildfires in 2017 and 2018. PG&E settled with the insurers for $11 billion.
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| An Officer Admitted Making a Racist Threat. He Still Has a Job. Posted: 31 Dec 2019 11:54 AM PST  Michael J. Reynolds, a New York City police officer, landed in Nashville, Tennessee, on a Sunday morning in July 2018, court records show. He and six other men, two of whom he later identified as New York City officers, were on what was supposed to be a three-night bachelor-party junket.About 18 hours later, Reynolds, who is white, kicked in a black woman's door in a drunken rage, threatening her and her sons with a racist slur and obscenities."I'll break every bone in your neck," he said in a rant that included two expletives. He then fled to his nearby Airbnb rental just before police arrived.This month, he was sentenced to 15 days in jail and three years' probation after pleading no contest to four misdemeanors as a result of the episode, court records show.As of Monday, though, he remained an officer, stirring a growing backlash against the New York Police Department. More than 10,000 people signed an online petition demanding his dismissal and supporting the woman whose home he invaded, Conese Halliburton."Michael Reynolds is a violent and dangerous racist who has no business carrying either a badge or a gun," her lawyer, Daniel Horwitz, said via email. "Ms. Halliburton wants the NYPD to fire him immediately so that he can't hurt anyone else."The Police Department said last week that Reynolds was on "modified duty" and that the disciplinary process was awaiting the Nashville case's conclusion. Asked about the matter again Monday, a top department official said the process "was moving forward and questioning will take place imminently."Reynolds, 26, apologized in court for the episode and claimed that he had no memory of it because he had been drinking heavily."I'm sorry," he testified. "I made a mistake. I consumed too much alcohol."Edward Yarbrough, Reynolds' lawyer, said that because of the jail time, "We think his job is in jeopardy." Yarbrough had sought a sentence that could have allowed his client to keep his job and have his record expunged in several years.The case of Reynolds is again focusing scrutiny on the pace of the Police Department's disciplinary process. In a prominent example of how it can drag on, five years passed before Officer Daniel Pantaleo, whose use of a prohibited chokehold contributed to the 2014 death in police custody of Eric Garner, was fired and stripped of his pension benefits in August.The police commissioner has the ultimate say over firings, but police unions typically fight such moves. Officers who are ousted sometimes sue to try to get back their jobs and benefits, as Pantaleo is doing.Reynolds' crimes did not occur in the line of duty, nor did he cause physical injuries. But Halliburton testified that he had done significant psychological damage."My kids want to move," she said at the sentencing Dec. 6. "They don't want to be in that house anymore. We don't have peace. To know that you've been living somewhere all your life, and you don't have that anymore, and where would you go, it's not fair."In court, Halliburton, the prosecutor, the judge and Reynolds' own lawyer all used the same term -- terrorize -- to describe what Reynolds had done to Halliburton's family that night.The episode, some of which, including audio of Reynolds' ranting, was captured by a neighbor's security cameras, began shortly after 2:30 a.m. on July 9, 2018.At the time, Halliburton testified, she was lying in bed talking with her youngest son in her house in Nashville's 12 South section."I could hear, like, someone, like, yelling," she said.Looking out a window, her son saw a man who turned out to be Reynolds in the yard. Halliburton called 911. While she was on the phone, she said, she heard "like a boom, boom, boom.""It sounds like he's trying to come in my house," she recalled telling the 911 operator.Moments later, she said, Reynolds was inside. Her two dogs ran to protect her, barking and biting at his shorts. He tried to fight them off."He just kept coming down the hallway," she said.Halliburton said that her two eldest sons, who were 17 and 20 at the time, tried to stop him from coming any farther into the house. He did not budge."He was in the house for, like, seven, eight minutes," Halliburton testified.It was during this time that security cameras captured Reynolds screaming a racist slur at Halliburton and her family and threatening them with violence.He left, she said, after appearing to comprehend that the police were coming.When officers arrived, she described the intruder to them and suggested they talk to the men staying at the Airbnb two doors away.Before storming into Halliburton's house, Reynolds testified, he and his friends had been drinking in Nashville's Lower Broadway area. He said he did not know how much alcohol he had consumed.The only thing he remembered, he testified, was identifying himself as a police officer when speaking to a Nashville officer who answered Halliburton's call. He said he learned about what he had done from his friends later.Halliburton and two neighbors confronted Reynolds and his friends later that day in the street.Halliburton and the neighbors testified that the men, including Reynolds and a man he identified as a fellow New York City officer, apologized.Reynolds said he had gone into the home by mistake, thinking that it was their rental.But Halliburton and the neighbors also testified that the officers were laughing at the same time, saying that they had "immunity" because they were law enforcement officers.Nashville detectives later tracked down Reynolds, and Halliburton and her sons identified him from a photo array.After being charged with aggravated burglary and assault, he pleaded no contest in September to aggravated criminal trespassing and three counts of assault. He is to report to jail Jan. 15 if he does not appeal his sentence before then.In arguing that Reynolds, a five-year Police Department veteran previously assigned to the 33rd Precinct in Upper Manhattan, deserved jail time, Brian Ewald, the prosecutor, said Reynolds and his friends had tried to "bully their way through this or out of this.""Keep quiet, don't tell anybody a thing and we'll get out of this," Ewald said in describing the men's attitude. "You know, we went, we cut up in another city, what happens in Nashville stays in Nashville, let's get out of town early and live our lives."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2019 The New York Times Company
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| Giuliani Says He’s Prepared to ‘Do Demonstrations’ at Trump’s Impeachment Trial Posted: 31 Dec 2019 09:01 PM PST  Rudy Giuliani is prepared to do more than just testify at President Trump's upcoming impeachment trial. The former New York City mayor made clear in comments to reporters on Tuesday night that he's ready to pull out all the stops to defend his client—and that apparently includes giving "lectures" and doing "demonstrations." Asked if he would testify at the trial, Giuliani appeared unable to settle on a single, coherent answer. "I would testify, I would, um, do demonstrations. I'd give lectures, I'd give summations. Or, I'd do what I do best, I'd try the case. I'd love to try the case. Well I don't know if anybody would have the courage to give me the case, but, uh, if you give me the case, I will prosecute it as a racketeering case, which I kind of invented anyway," Giuliani said at a New Year's Eve gala at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. He also dodged a question about whether he had any plans for another trip to Ukraine, an activity that has been at the center of the impeachment proceedings against Trump, which center on allegations he abused his power to pressure Ukraine to do him political favors. Giuliani, accused of hijacking American foreign policy to run a dirt-digging mission in Ukraine that would boost Trump domestically, returned from his latest trip earlier this month claiming to have boatloads of evidence to exonerate Trump and incriminate Trump's political foes, including former vice president Joe Biden and many Democrats. So far, however, despite Trump claiming Giuliani would be filing a report with the Justice Department on his Ukraine findings and Giuliani saying he planned to brief the Senate on the matter, his findings have apparently not been embraced as the smoking gun against Democrats that he believed they would be. As The Daily Beast reported earlier this week, some Republican senators have actively avoided Giuliani ahead of the impeachment trial over concerns that his Ukraine findings may be mingled with Russian conspiracy theories. Even Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who first called on Giuliani to share his findings, has urged him to "make sure it's not Russian propaganda." 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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| Netanyahu to Ask Parliament for Immunity From Graft Charges Posted: 01 Jan 2020 10:32 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he'll ask parliament to grant him immunity from prosecution on corruption charges, blocking the start of his trial for months."Immunity is designed to protect public figures from being framed, so elected figures can serve the people at the will of the people," Netanyahu said in a televised statement, vowing to "tear to pieces all the baseless allegations against me." On Sunday, he called immunity "a cornerstone of democracy."Currently, Netanyahu's request doesn't appear to have majority backing in Knesset. But by asking for immunity in the absence of a fully functioning government, he essentially freezes his prosecution in three graft cases until after a new coalition is formed and the legislature can consider his request.He's gambling on being the man who forms that coalition."He is counting on an election outcome that will change the current dynamics of the Knesset and create a majority for his request," said Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute. Right now, Netanyahu "is pushing it down the line until April or May, maybe four to five months, assuming there will only be a third set of elections," he said.That might be an unfounded assumption. Israel is headed to its third round of voting in less than a year on March 2 following two inconclusive ballots, and polls show a similar outcome in election No. 3.Immunity is not a popular concept in Israel, where the absence of term limits means an investigation could be delayed for many years. In 2005, parliament amended the law to strip legislators of their previous automatic protection from prosecution.A survey for Channel 12 TV broadcast on Sunday showed 51% of Israelis oppose granting Netanyahu immunity, while 33% support it and 16% had no opinion. The poll of 507 people had a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.Hundreds of immunity backers gathered Monday evening in Tel Aviv to protest what they characterized as Netanyahu's unfair treatment by the legal system. "Only the people will decide" whether he's fit to serve, they chanted.The prime minister was indicted in November on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. The charge sheet painted a picture of a leader who abused his position to take gifts from wealthy friends and sacrificed the integrity of his office to win favorable media coverage. Netanyahu and his followers say he's the victim of a witch hunt launched by political rivals bent on driving him from power because they oppose his nationalist agenda.Netanyahu's main challenger, former military chief Benny Gantz of the Blue and White bloc, said he never imagined the day when a prime minister of Israel would try to avoid trial. "Netanyahu knows he is guilty," Gantz said.Parliament isn't the only forum to consider Netanyahu's legal woes. Israel's Supreme Court has been asked to rule whether an indicted lawmaker can serve as prime minister. It adjourned following its deliberation on Tuesday without a decision.Netanyahu says it's up to voters, not the courts, to decide this question. "In a democracy, it is the people who decide who will lead it and no one else," he said in a video clip he posted on Facebook.(Updates with Gantz comments in 11th paragraph)To contact the reporters on this story: Gwen Ackerman in Jerusalem at gackerman@bloomberg.net;Ivan Levingston in Tel Aviv at ilevingston@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Riad Hamade at rhamade@bloomberg.net, Amy Teibel, Michael GunnFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Israel Now Has a Second Squadron of Deadly F-35I Stealth Fighters Posted: 01 Jan 2020 10:13 AM PST  The first public photograph has appeared depicting an F-35 stealth fighter in the livery of Israel's second squadron of the radar-evading jets.
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| North Korean leader calls for ‘military countermeasures’ Posted: 30 Dec 2019 08:18 PM PST  Kim spoke for seven hours during the ruling Workers' Party meeting.
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| Algeria's richest man walks free on time served Posted: 31 Dec 2019 11:44 PM PST  Algeria's richest man Issad Rebrab walked free on time served early Wednesday after a court sentenced him to six months for tax, banking and customs offences. Prosecutors had sought a one-year prison sentence for the 74-year-old head of Algeria's biggest privately owned conglomerate Cevital, who was one of several tycoons arrested in April as part of a sweeping corruption investigation. The probe followed the resignation of president Abdelaziz Bouteflika after weeks of mass protests against his 20-year rule.
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| Hundreds arrested at huge New Year’s Day rally in Hong Kong Posted: 01 Jan 2020 08:53 AM PST  Police detain 400 and fire teargas as anti-government protests continue into 2020 A huge New Year's Day march in Hong Kong has ended in mass arrests and street clashes as the anti-government movement – now in its eighth month – continued into 2020.Police detained about 400 people on charges including illegal assembly and possession of offensive weapons after the rally on Wednesday, which organisers said was attended by more than a million people. It was one of the largest numbers of arrests in a single day since the unrest began.But the march had begun in a mood of carnival celebration – there were protesters in costumes and families with children and elderly people. Marchers chanted slogans including "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our era".Riot police fired teargas rounds in Wan Chai district after protesters threw objects at officers who had arrested several people for allegedly vandalising a bank.Some protesters retaliated by throwing molotov cocktails at the police, but many in the crowd were caught by surprise as the march was expected to be peaceful and most did not wear protective gear.Police demanded that the protest organisers, the Civil Human Rights Front, immediately call off the demonstration, but large crowds continued to march and police declared that they were taking part in an illegal assembly.As night fell, police used water cannon on crowds in Wan Chai and the financial district of Central. Protesters laid bricks across the main thoroughfare in Central in an attempt to impede the police's advance towards the area.A police statement said protesters had blocked roads with barricades, dug up bricks from pavements and set fires to banks and cash machines.At a late-night press briefing, Senior Supt Ng Lok Chun blamed radical protesters for "hijacking" and disrupting the march and said police had fired teargas because they were surrounded by protesters who were throwing objects at them.There had already been a bleak start to 2020: shortly after revellers counted down to midnight and shouted "Happy new year!", police in the central district of Mong Kok shot teargas at protesters who set off fireworks and set fire to roadblocks.On Tuesday night police deployed water cannon to disperse protesters while armoured vehicles cleared roadblocks. The crowd had gathered outside a metro station where people were leaving flowers to commemorate protesters rumoured to have died during a clash with police four months ago. The government denies that the deaths occurred.The anti-government movement in Hong Kong, sparked by an extradition bill that would have allowed individuals to be sent to China for trial, is showing no signs of abating. Protesters say they will not give up unless the government meets their demands, which include universal suffrage and an independent investigation into police brutality.As of last week, 6,494 people had been arrested since the movement started in June, some as young as 12, according to the police.Many in Hong Kong, including pro-democracy supporters, are weary of the frequent violent confrontations in the movement and are seeking new directions in their attempt to press the government into conceding to their demands.Some are urging fellow Hong Kongers on social media to use economic means to put pressure on the government instead, including joining trade unions so that they can launch strikes and other collective actions more effectively."We want to show our determination to the world that we will not back down on our resistance against an authoritarian regime," said Mary Chin, a former bank employee in her 40s.The Civil Human Rights Front condemned the police's abrupt revocation of its permission for the march, which it estimated was attended by a million people."The government has shown its unwillingness to listen to the voices of the mass and it has infringed on their right to assembly," it said in a statement. "Hong Kongers shall not back down and peace shall not resume with the ongoing police brutality."In his new year address, the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, acknowledged that "the situation in Hong Kong has been everybody's concern over the past few months" as he called for "a harmonious and stable environment" for Hong Kong.Sounding relatively conciliatory compared with earlier, more threatening remarks, Xi said in the televised address: "Hong Kong's prosperity and stability is the wish of Hong Kong compatriots and the expectation for the people of the motherland."
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| Pete Buttigieg Says He Raised Almost $25 Million in Fourth Quarter Posted: 01 Jan 2020 05:47 AM PST ![Pete Buttigieg Says He Raised Almost $25 Million in Fourth Quarter]( "Pete Buttigieg Says He Raised Almost $25 Million in Fourth Quarter") (Bloomberg) -- Pete Buttigieg's campaign said the presidential candidate raised more than $24.7 million in the fourth quarter, giving the South Bend, Indiana mayor one of the largest war chests among those fighting for the Democratic nomination.Buttigieg's money came from 326,000 donors who gave an average of $33, the campaign said in a statement on Wednesday. His was the first campaign to release fourth-quarter fundraising totals.Relying on a mix of in-person fundraisers and grassroots contributors, Buttigieg took in more than $76 million in 2019. He raised $19.2 million in the third quarter."These figures are even more astounding considering that Pete started this race less then a year ago as an unknown candidate, with just a few staffers and zero dollars in the bank," campaign manager Mike Schmuhl said in a memo.The campaign said its financial haul allowed it to increase its staff nationwide to 500 people. It's opened 65 field offices in early caucus and primary states, including 35 in Iowa, where Buttigieg is narrowly leading in polls, according to an average compiled by RealClearPolitics. He also has 100 organizers in the state.The presidential campaigns are due to file detailed, year-end reports with the Federal Election Commission on Jan. 31. But they often release fund-raising totals early to signal the strength of their support. Buttigieg has been the first candidate to release his numbers in each quarter.To contact the reporter on this story: Bill Allison in Washington DC at ballison14@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Christopher MaloneyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Secretary of State Pompeo postpones Ukraine trip to focus on Iraq Posted: 01 Jan 2020 10:34 AM PST  U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday postponed a trip to Ukraine so he could focus on the situation in Iraq after demonstrators attacked the U.S. embassy. Pompeo postponed his trip to Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Cyprus "due to the need for the Secretary to be in Washington, D.C., to continue monitoring the ongoing situation in Iraq and ensure the safety and security of Americans in the Middle East," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement. On Tuesday evening Pompeo had told Fox News the Ukraine trip was still on.
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| USA TODAY's guide to cruise ship gratuity fees and service charges Posted: 31 Dec 2019 10:57 AM PST ![USA TODAY's guide to cruise ship gratuity fees and service charges]( "USA TODAY's guide to cruise ship gratuity fees and service charges") In the world of cruising, gratuities and service charges are the apex controversy. Check out these fee listings on major cruise lines.
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| Legal marijuana sales may spark Midwest tension Posted: 31 Dec 2019 10:25 AM PST  Retailers legally selling marijuana for the past month in Michigan say they have seen customers from surrounding Midwestern states where the drug remains illegal and, as Illinois prepares to joins the recreational market on Wednesday, officials are renewing warnings to consumers against carrying these products over state lines.
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| Two Alaska snowboarders die in British Columbia avalanche Posted: 31 Dec 2019 03:36 PM PST ![Two Alaska snowboarders die in British Columbia avalanche]( "Two Alaska snowboarders die in British Columbia avalanche") Two Alaska men on a snowboarding trip to British Columbia died when they were caught in an avalanche, according to provincial officials. The two men and a third friend who survived the avalanche were from nearby Haines, Alaska, and were in their early 20s, Anchorage television station KTVA reported. The avalanche occurred Monday in Tatshenshini-Alsek Park, according to BC Coroner Service spokesman Andy Watson.
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| Mexico arrests seven suspects in Mormon family massacre Posted: 30 Dec 2019 11:29 PM PST  Mexican authorities have arrested seven suspects in connection with last month's massacre of nine Mormon women and children in the country's north, the attorney general's office said. A local police chief suspected of links to organized crime was among those taken into custody, according to local media. The victims -- six of them children -- had dual US-Mexican nationality and were shot dead on a rural road in a lawless region known for turf wars between drug cartels fighting over lucrative trafficking routes to the United States.
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| GOP Senator: President Trump 'Not a Role Model For Young People' Posted: 31 Dec 2019 09:27 AM PST  In an interview with Face The Nation, Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma said Trump isn't a good role model for young people
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| Japan Eyes New Tech Law to Fend Off Chinese Influence, Yomiuri Says Posted: 31 Dec 2019 11:17 PM PST ![Japan Eyes New Tech Law to Fend Off Chinese Influence, Yomiuri Says]( "Japan Eyes New Tech Law to Fend Off Chinese Influence, Yomiuri Says") (Bloomberg) -- Japan is planning a law to provide incentives for companies to use domestic parts in high-tech equipment to increase local competitiveness and fend off Chinese influence in security-related infrastructure, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, without citing how it obtained the information.The Japanese government plans to introduce the bill in the ordinary Diet session and have it in effect by this summer, according to the Wednesday report. The government sees the incentives initially being used with the introduction of 5G telecommunication equipment and drones, the Yomiuri said.Private companies can apply for tax subsidizes or government aid when installing high-tech equipment and will be judged on factors including safety, supply stability and international compatibility, the Yomiuri reported.China has said restrictions on Chinese technology could damage bilateral ties, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will have to tread carefully as he looks to host President Xi Jinping for a state visit planned for the spring of this year. If Xi makes the trip, it would crown Abe's drive to restore a relationship between the two largest economies in Asia that was in a deep freeze when he took office in 2012.Japan's sole military ally, the U.S., has been pushing for countries to ban equipment from China's Huawei Technologies Co. Japan has said it will exclude equipment with security risks without making an official decision on Huawei.To contact the reporter on this story: Lisa Du in Tokyo at ldu31@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Rachel Chang at wchang98@bloomberg.net, Jon Herskovitz, Karen LeighFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Israel Is Using Lasers to Shoot Down Flaming Kites (and Explosive Condoms) Posted: 31 Dec 2019 04:55 AM PST  Kites, balloons and even inflated condoms, launched across the Gaza border into southern Israel by Hamas and other Palestinian groups, have become a major problem for the Israeli military. A solution has arrived.
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| Cold War Between Biden and Mayor Pete Suddenly Burns Hot Posted: 01 Jan 2020 02:26 AM PST  If there was ever a Biden-Buttigieg cold war, it just got hot. For months, former Vice President Joe Biden and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg have avoided any major direct confrontation during the sporadic gloves-off skirmishes of the Democratic primary. Biden, the former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Buttigieg, a veteran of the Afghanistan war, have each sought to make cogent commander-in-chief cases on the campaign trail—hardly ever at each other's expense. But with just over a month until caucusing commences, the unpredictability of the political cycle has turned the notion of an inevitable winner upside down, with two of the leading contenders—a 77-year-old established politician and a 37-year-old Beltway neophyte—now on a collision course over one of their most powerful shared interests. The two men have markedly different approaches to highlighting contrasts with their rivals. Biden, who has reliably topped national polls since launching his campaign in April, tends to employ a simple approach: Stay (mostly) out of the fray; attack (mostly) only when attacked; and try, with varying degrees of success, to stick to the script.Biden Sneers at Millennials, and Vice VersaButtigieg, whose final term as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, officially ends at noon on Wednesday, prefers the opposite. When Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) hesitated for weeks to release financial details of her health care proposal, for example, the mayor made sure to note that resistance during a televised debate in front of millions of viewers. When Warren hit back in a subsequent event for Buttigieg's frequent appearance at high-dollar fundraisers, he reminded viewers she's the "wealthy person"—not him. Now, with the two moderate Democrats just three percentage points away from each other in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two early voting states that tee off the nominating contest in mere weeks, Buttigieg has gone on a rare offensive against Biden. The mayor has criticized the former senator's Iraq War vote—a favorite line of attack from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who was opposed to the effort—and changed his tone on Biden's son Hunter, who has been the subject of a coordinated misinformation campaign from President Donald Trump. "As I've said before, I don't think it's a smart strategy because those who have gone after the VP on the Democratic side have not lived politically to tell about it," Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist familiar with Biden's early state operation in the South, told The Daily Beast. One person directly familiar with Biden's thinking framed it more broadly. "The closer you get to voting, the more pot shots you take," the insider said. "He's seen his numbers go down. We've seen this with [Sen. Kamala] Harris up and down, Warren up and down, and Buttigieg. Campaigns and candidates at some point kind of can't help themselves."The insider's comments were made in reference to Buttigieg calling the Iraq War the "worst foreign policy decision made by the United States in my lifetime" in an interview with Iowa Public Television on Sunday. "I certainly respect the vice president, but this is an example of why years in Washington is not always the same thing as judgment," Buttigieg said. Buttigieg, who unlike Sanders did not say the vote was disqualifying, is unlikely to make Biden's Iraq War stance a focus of his offensive strategy but rather one data point in a larger thread of contrast among multiple contenders. Indeed, the Buttigieg campaign is more keen to double down on the previous line of contrast that's he's been discussing publicly for months: that "Washington experience" isn't the only type of relevant work history necessary to become president and that judgment is informed by many different personal and professional paths. That theme is so well known that one campaign adviser affiliated with a separate rival candidate acknowledged strategizing around Buttigieg's potential to bring up his military experience at some point on the debate stage."He had telegraphed this was going to be his set," the source said.In an interview on Monday, the mayor also weighed in on an issue that has infuriated Team Biden for months: his son Hunter Biden's work in Ukraine. When asked by the Associated Press how Buttigieg would have handled a hypothetical politically delicate situation similar to Biden's, he said he would have taken a different approach."I would not have wanted to see that happen," Buttigieg said, in reference to Hunter serving on the board of a Ukrainian natural gas company while his father served as vice president. A moment later, Buttigieg reiterated previous remarks that the line of questioning is nothing more than a distraction. "At the same time, again, I think this is being used to divert attention from what's really at stake in the impeachment process. There's been no allegation, let alone finding of any kind of wrongdoing," he said. Still, Buttigieg's criticism is a change in posture for the Indiana Democrat, who has defended the former vice president's son in the face of an onslaught of harassment from Trump.In an October appearance on CNN's State of the Union, Buttigieg lauded Hunter Biden's decision to step down from the board of a Chinese private equity company, citing it as an improvement on the Trump administration's embrace of nepotism."I think it demonstrates the difference in standards relative to the White House," Buttigieg said at the time. "I mean, here you have Hunter Biden stepping down from a position in order to make sure, even though there's been no accusation of wrongdoing, doing something just to make sure there's not even the appearance of a conflict of interest. While, in the White House, the president of the United States is a walking conflict of interest."That same month, Buttigieg dodged a question from the Washington Examiner about whether he would allow his own child to serve on the board of a foreign company, calling the issue a "shiny object" intended to divide the Democratic Party and deflect from the president's own actions."One thing that is really important right now is to deny this president [the opportunity] to change the subject, and the subject is that the president confessed on national television to an abuse of power," Buttigieg said at the time. "Let's deal with that and not get caught in the shiny objects he's going to throw out."The change of tone now matches the frenetic nature of the Democratic primary cycle, multiple campaign insiders and outside strategists said, when several candidates all competing for momentum in the first few early voting states throw out new lines of contrast in an effort to maximize attention.This week's remarks were not the first time Buttigieg signaled differences with Biden over foreign policy. In June, The Daily Beast reported early signs of the mayor quietly moving in on one of Biden's top issues: America's standing on the world stage. During competing campaign events on the same day, both Democrats used the word "existential" when discussing matters of national security, both arguing that the fundamental principle of democracy was under attack by Trump and highlighting parts of their own records to put the country back on track. Mayor Pete Buttigieg Quietly Moves in on Joe Biden's Top IssueSpokespeople from Biden's and Buttigieg's campaigns declined to comment on the record for this story. But as the Feb. 3 Iowa caucus approaches, Democratic strategists eagerly gamed out the polling implications of reigniting such contrasts again now. "A well-run campaign, which we have every reason to believe Buttigieg's is, wouldn't be attacking Biden unless their internal data showed it was necessary," one Democratic strategist said. "Likewise, they would only use a message that quantitative or qualitative data showed had a chance at success."The latest Real Clear Politics polling average reveals a hefty gap between Biden and Buttigieg's standing nationally. The former vice president has a commanding 20-point lead over Buttigieg, earing 28.4 percent of support to the mayor's 8.2 percent. In the early states, the space between the two aspirants is much narrower. In Iowa, where Buttigieg has surged in recent months, he tops polling averages at 22 percent. But Biden, who has focused the majority of his campaign strategy on winning more diverse areas, including South Carolina, is just behind Buttigieg at 18.8 percent, following an eight-day, 18-county bus tour there. In New Hampshire, it's a similar story. Buttigieg is approximately three points ahead of Biden there, earning 17.7 percent of support to the former vice president's 14.3 percent. Both of them trail Sanders, with 19 percent."I think Pete is worried he will lose voters to Biden," Liz Mair, a veteran Republican campaign operative, said simply. Still, other seasoned political hands offered a more optimistic end result for Buttigieg, who one former top campaign aide to Hillary Clinton said "isn't afraid to go on offense," suggesting that's a strategic advantage in a matchup against Trump. "The difference between what we are seeing from him and have seen from others in the past is that if he isn't the nominee, he will be at the front of the line to unite the party," the former Clinton aide said.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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| Uber, Postmates sue to block California gig worker law, claiming it's unconstitutional Posted: 30 Dec 2019 06:13 PM PST  In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles federal court on Monday, the companies and two app-based drivers said the law, which would make it harder for gig economy companies to qualify their workers as independent contractors rather than employees, was irrational, vague and incoherent. The office of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a statement on Monday it was reviewing the complaint. The law was signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom in September and has garnered national attention, largely owing to the size of California's workforce and the state's leadership role in establishing policies that are frequently adopted by other states.
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| Millions of working class Americans to get more money as 50 states and cities raise minimum wage Posted: 01 Jan 2020 12:11 PM PST  Millions of working class Americans are to receive more money after a record number of states and cities increased their minimum wages.Rises to the minimum wage went into effect on January 1 in 20 states and 26 cities and counties, most of them in California.
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| The Trump Administration is reportedly banning all sweet and fruity vape pod flavors nearly a year after the move was first outlined Posted: 31 Dec 2019 05:12 PM PST  The move comes amid growing concerns about teen vaping and a public safety scare over serious lung diseases tied to vaping.
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| Several thousand protest church bill in Montenegro Posted: 01 Jan 2020 12:25 PM PST  Several thousand people on Wednesday held protests in Montenegro against a religious property bill that is opposed by the Serbian Orthodox Church and Russia. Led by Serbian Orthodox Church priests, pro-Serb Montenegrins have been holding protest marches since last week. Peaceful religious protests were held Wednesday in the capital Podgorica and several other towns.
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