| Congressman defends posting fake Obama photo: 'No one said this wasn't photoshopped' Posted: 06 Jan 2020 02:17 PM PST  Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., stood by his decision Monday to post a fake photograph of former President Barack Obama shaking hands with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani despite the fact that the two men never met in person.
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| Passengers flying between the UK and India endured a nightmarish 36-hour delay as their airline plotted a new route because of US-Iran tensions Posted: 07 Jan 2020 07:21 AM PST  TUI flyers between London Gatwick and Goa were reportedly told restrictions were in place due to 'recent political issues in the Middle East.'
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| Official quits amid charges he paid women to give up babies Posted: 07 Jan 2020 01:49 PM PST  An elected official in metro Phoenix resigned Tuesday, months after being charged with running a human smuggling operation that paid pregnant women from the Marshall Islands to give up their babies in the U.S. The resignation of Maricopa County Assessor Paul Petersen came after leaders in the one of the nation's most populous counties suspended and pressured him to resign after his arrest nearly three months ago. The county's governing board voted in late December to start the process of removing Petersen, who also works as an adoption attorney.
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| 40 suspects in Mexico Mormon massacre: lawyer Posted: 07 Jan 2020 01:25 PM PST  Mexican authorities believe at least 40 people were involved in killing nine Mormon women and children in the north of the country in November, a lawyer for one of the families said Tuesday. The three women and six children from a breakaway Mormon community with dual US-Mexican nationality were on a remote road in a lawless region between the states of Chihuahua and Sonora when gunmen attacked their cars, a crime that sparked outrage on both sides of the border.
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| Philippines Prepares to Evacuate Citizens in Middle East Posted: 06 Jan 2020 01:00 AM PST |
| Gangs allegedly run Mississippi prison where inmates were killed Posted: 06 Jan 2020 09:56 PM PST  Almost half the roughly 1,300 corrections positions in three major facilities in Mississippi remain unfilled.
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| India asks refiners to stop buying Malaysian palm oil after political row - sources Posted: 07 Jan 2020 01:28 AM PST  MUMBAI/NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has informally asked palm oil refiners and traders to avoid buying Malaysian palm oil, government and industry sources said on Tuesday, following Malaysian criticism of India's actions in the Kashmir region and its new citizenship law. India is the world's biggest buyer of the oil and palm oil inventories could spike in Malaysia, putting prices under pressure if Indian refiners reduce purchases from the country. Malaysian prices are the global benchmark for palm oil prices.
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| US military tells Iraq it is preparing to 'move out': official letter Posted: 06 Jan 2020 01:32 PM PST  The US military informed its counterparts in Baghdad on Monday it was preparing for "movement out of Iraq," a day after the Iraqi parliament urged the government oust foreign troops. The head of the US military's Task Force Iraq, Brigadier General William Seely, sent a letter to the head of Iraq's joint operations command, a copy of which was seen by AFP. The letter said forces from the US-led coalition in Iraq would "be repositioning forces over the course of the coming days and weeks to prepare for onward movement".
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| This Would Be Iran's Opening Shot in a War With America Posted: 06 Jan 2020 11:31 AM PST  A suicidal gambit.
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| This is how the US and Iran rank among the world's 25 most powerful militaries Posted: 07 Jan 2020 01:48 PM PST  Comparing the power of conventional military forces is complicated. But an annual ranking does just that — and these are the 25 most powerful.
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| Strike against Iran could cause issues with North Korea Posted: 07 Jan 2020 09:29 AM PST  The U.S. strike that killed Iran's top military commander may have had an indirect casualty: a diplomatic solution to denuclearizing North Korea.
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| CNN Settles Lawsuit Brought by Covington Catholic Student Nicholas Sandmann Posted: 07 Jan 2020 12:12 PM PST  CNN agreed on Tuesday to settle a lawsuit brought by Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann.Sandmann sought $275 million from CNN over its coverage of the confrontation he and his classmates had with an elderly Native American man while visiting Washington, D.C., on a school trip in January of last year. The amount of the settlement was not made public during a hearing at the federal courthouse in Covington on Tuesday, according to a local Fox affiliate."CNN brought down the full force of its corporate power, influence, and wealth on Nicholas by falsely attacking, vilifying, and bullying him despite the fact that he was a minor child," reads the suit, which was filed in March 2019.Sandmann and his family still have lawsuits pending against NBC Universal and the Washington Post over their coverage of the incident. The Sandmann family sought a combined $800 million in damages from CNN, the Post, and NBC Universal."This case will be tried not one minute earlier or later than when it is ready," Sandmann's attorney Lin Wood said of the remaining lawsuits.Numerous national media outlets painted Sandmann and his classmates as menacing — and in some cases racist — after an edited video emerged of Sandmann smiling, inches away from the face of Nathan Phillips, an elderly Native American man, while attending the March for Life on the National Mall. A more complete video of the encounter, which emerged later, showed that Phillips had approached the Covington students and begun drumming in their faces, prompting them to respond with school chants.The lawsuit filed by Sandmann's attorneys in the Eastern District of Kentucky claimed that 53 statements included in CNN's coverage of the incident were defamatory. One such statement, included in a CNN opinion piece, accused the students of acting with "racist disrespect" towards Phillips. Meanwhile, Bakari Sellers, a CNN contributor, publicly mused about assaulting the 16-year-old Sandmann, and HBO host Bill Maher called him a "little prick."CNN filed a motion to dismiss the suit in May on the grounds that accusations of racism are not actionable in defamation cases because the allegation can't be proven true or false. They similarly argued they could not be held liable for uncorroborated claims that Sandmann and his classmates chanted "build the wall" during the encounter.It is not defamatory to say the Covington students "expressed support for the President or that he echoed a signature slogan of a major political party," CNN's motion to dismiss claims.An investigation conducted by an outside firm contracted by the Diocese of Covington found "no evidence that the students performed a 'Build the wall' chant" and that Phillips's account of the incident "contain some inconsistencies" that could not be explored because investigators were unable to reach him.Phillips initially claimed that the boys approached him but later admitted that he walked into their group after a video emerged disproving his initial claim. According to his second account, Phillips was attempting to defuse a confrontation between the students and a group of Black Hebrew Israelites, who can be heard on video shouting racial and homophobic slurs at the boys.Roger J. Foys, the bishop of Covington, celebrated the report as a vindication of the students. "Our students were placed in a situation that was at once bizarre and even threatening," he said in a statement. "Their reaction to the situation was, given the circumstances, expected and one might even say laudatory."
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| VP says Philippine president's drug campaign is a failure Posted: 06 Jan 2020 07:39 AM PST  Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo said only about 1% of the estimated supply of methamphetamine, a powerful banned stimulant locally known as shabu, has been seized in the last three years, since the crackdown was launched by Duterte when he took office in mid-2016.
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| Rand Paul Rails Against Trump’s Soleimani Strike: ‘I Hate This’ Posted: 07 Jan 2020 08:47 AM PST  Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on Tuesday railed against President Donald Trump's killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, calling it the "death of diplomacy" and declaring that the U.S. was safer before the president pulled out of the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal.The libertarian-leaning senator, who has long been opposed to military intervention abroad, was asked by Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer on Tuesday morning how he could be opposed to the airstrikes following National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien's new claim that American diplomats were saved because of it."I think you have to ask yourself the general question, are attacks more or less likely now that Soleimani is gone?" Paul responded. "The person who has replaced them has been his assistant general for 22 years, is a hard-liner, and now the whole country of Iran is consumed with revenge."The Kentucky lawmaker went on to say that Soleimani's assassination has "taken diplomacy off the table" and that the only possibility moving forward will be military escalation. Hemmer, meanwhile, wondered if there was much diplomacy with Iran to begin with."There was with the Iran agreement," Paul pushed back. "The Iran agreement wasn't perfect, and I was a critic of the Iran agreement, however, I think it was a big mistake to pull out of the agreement. You should have tried to build upon the Iran agreement."The Republican senator, who has become one of Trump's biggest supporters on Capitol Hill, further criticized the administration for placing an embargo on Iran, saying an "act of an embargo is like an act of war.""I think it is the death of diplomacy, and I see no way to get it back started again until, sort of, the revenge of the Iranian people is somehow sated," Paul noted. "I hate this. I hate that this is where we are going.""I have been someone who has been for engagement, but there was much less killing, there was much less violence after the Iran agreement," he continued. "In fact, there was a lull, a period in which I think we were headed towards a much more stable situation in Iran, and now I think that's gone. And I think it may be gone for a lifetime."Hemmer, meanwhile, pointed out that Trump recently told right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh that Soleimani "should have been taken out a long time ago," asking Paul if he took exception to that."Is Soleimani a bad guy? Yes. Is the guy who replaces him a bad guy? Yes," the Kentucky senator replied, adding, "Saddam Hussein was a bad guy but taking him out destabilized the region. It is about the broader implications of killing someone, not whether they're evil or not."In a Monday interview with CNN, Paul said that one would have to be "brain dead" to think that Soleimani's death will lead to diplomatic negotiations, calling the death of the Iranian military commander "the death of diplomacy."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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| South Korea's Moon cites 'desperate need' for ways to improve ties with North Posted: 06 Jan 2020 05:16 PM PST  There is a "desperate need" for practical ways to improve ties with North Korea, the South's President Moon Jae-in said on Tuesday, adding that he was ready to meet with the reclusive leader in Pyongyang repeatedly if necessary. Moon, sidelined from his leading role in the diplomatic effort with North Korea in 2018, said he regretted the past year's lack of progress in negotiations. In an annual New Year's speech in Seoul, Moon called for new talks with Kim Jong Un, and vowed to keep up work to facilitate U.S.-North Korea communication.
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| 'Not a standard deployment': 3,500 US paratroopers deploying amid soaring Iran tensions were told to leave their cellphones and electronics behind Posted: 07 Jan 2020 11:24 AM PST  The unusual decision of banning personal phones, an Army spokesman said, is intended to protect soldiers and their missions in the Middle East.
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| How many women in Puerto Rico must die before there's change? Women are done waiting. Posted: 07 Jan 2020 12:15 AM PST  Feminist groups in Puerto Rico are demanding that their government take violence against women seriously. But that's just the beginning.
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| The 'most prolific rapist' in UK history was known by his friends as bubbly and cheerful Posted: 07 Jan 2020 04:11 PM PST  Reynhard Sinaga lured victims with a place to stay for the night, as many were intoxicated, while others had lost their cell phones or credit cards.
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| Wildfire-Weary Australians See No End to Unprecedented Calamity Posted: 05 Jan 2020 10:41 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Exhausted firefighters welcomed cooler weather and patchy rain in blaze-ravaged southeastern Australia Monday after a calamitous few days, even as authorities warn of a return to dangerous conditions later this week.With no end in sight to the months-long crisis, authorities are counting the cost after the weekend saw properties in small towns on the south coast of New South Wales and alpine villages in neighboring Victoria state razed by fires that grew so large they generated dry thunderstorms. Thousands of people have been evacuated to recreation grounds hastily converted into makeshift camps that are shrouded in toxic smoke."There is no room for complacency, especially since we have over 130 fires burning across the state still," New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney on Monday. She said that two more people were missing on the state's south coast; the national death toll since the fire season began unseasonably early in September has risen to 24.Prime Minister Scott Morrison has faced criticism for his belated response in pooling national resources to combat the fires. On Monday he again signaled his conservative government won't toughen policies to combat climate change, which has been blamed for exacerbating a crippling drought that's helped create tinderbox conditions.On Saturday he announced an unprecedented level of military support to boost firefighting and recovery efforts, while on Monday after an emergency meeting of cabinet he said his government will commit A$2 billion ($1.4 billion) over two years to assist recovery efforts, focused on repairing infrastructure and boosting mental-health care."Today's cabinet was one of great resolve," Morrison told reporters in Canberra. "It was one where we stood together and said, whatever it takes, whatever it costs, we will ensure the resilience and future of this country and we will do it by investing in the work that needs to be done."Asked whether government relief funding and lost revenue due to the fires could jeopardize the government's promise to return the budget to surplus this fiscal year, Morrison said the surplus wasn't a focus compared to dealing with the human cost of the crisis. He said the economy's position of strength was allowing the government to adequately respond to the disaster and its economic implications.Hard HitCanberra, an inland city of about 500,000 people, has been one of the hardest hit by the smoke haze that's shrouded southeast Australia for weeks. Early on Monday, the capital again had the world's worst air quality, conditions which at the weekend prompted the release of about 100,000 particulate-filter masks from the national stockpile.There's little improvement expected in conditions that have already caused the cancellation of dozens of flights as well as postal services. On Monday, child-care centers were closed and shops and museums shuttered. The Department of Home Affairs has closed its Canberra offices until at least Wednesday, with non-essential staff told to stay home.The hazardous smoke on Monday reached Melbourne, the largest city in Victoria. Australia's navy was deployed at the weekend to rescue hundreds of stranded holiday-makers in the state who had been forced to huddle on the beach at Mallacoota as a ferocious blaze bore down on the tourist town last week.About 200 homes have been destroyed in Victoria, and four people are still missing in the state. An airlift evacuation of 300 people from Mallacoota on Monday had to be delayed due to thick smoke.Key authorities in New South Wales and Victoria welcomed the weekend news of the deployment of as many as 3,000 army reservists, but voiced disappointment that they weren't consulted ahead of the decision or briefed before Morrison detailed his response plans to the media.A 50-second advert about the deployment by Morrison's Liberal Party was widely criticized for appearing to opportunistically politicize the crisis. It's another misstep by Morrison, who was lambasted for taking an unannounced pre-Christmas vacation to Hawaii amid the crisis, and was filmed turning his back on a pregnant woman appealing for more resources to tackle the blazes as he toured a bushfire-ravaged community.The unfolding tragedy, that's blackened almost 5 million hectares (12.3 million acres) in New South Wales state alone, has prompted millions of dollars of donations and support from international celebrities, sports stars, and the British Royal Family.New Zealand-born actor Russell Crowe, who is in Australia to protect his properties, had a statement read to the audience when he won an award at the Golden Globes in Los Angeles."Make no mistake, the tragedy in Australia is climate change-based," Crowe said in the statement read by actress Jennifer Aniston. "We need to act based on science, move our global workforce to renewable energy and respect our planet for the unique and amazing place it is. That way, we all have a future."The resource-rich state of Western Australia will be completely cut off by road from the rest of the nation on Monday as fires and flood force the closure of main access routes, the West Australian newspaper reported. As well as the blazes that have affected major roads for weeks, the only highway out of Broome is due to close later Monday as Tropical Cyclone Blake bares down on the northwest coast.Australia's Wildfires Hurt Nation's Biggest Names Such as QantasOn Saturday, two people died in wildfires that destroyed more than a third of South Australia's Kangaroo Island, devastating the national park and farmland, and severely damaging the luxury Southern Ocean Lodge resort. Penrith, on the outskirts of Sydney, reached a record 48.9 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) Saturday, symbolic of the dangerous weather conditions that have fanned ferocious flames and sparked new blazes further south.While Berejiklian said conditions weren't expected to worsen to those levels in coming days, there are fears two huge fires in the southern highlands could merge to become a "mega blaze."Berejiklian said her state was in "uncharted territory" due to the length and severity of the fire season. An estimated 60 homes were destroyed in New South Wales at the weekend, meaning more than 1,400 houses have been lost since September."The weather activity we're seeing, the extent and spread of the fires, the speed at which they're going, the way in which they're attacking communities who've never ever seen fire before, is unprecedented," Berejiklian said on Sunday.(Updates with Western Australia road closures)\--With assistance from Jason Gale.To contact the reporter on this story: Jason Scott in Canberra at jscott14@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Tony Jordan, Edward JohnsonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Republican John James Out-Raises Incumbent Dem Gary Peters by $1 Million in Fourth Quarter of Michigan Senate Race Posted: 07 Jan 2020 10:16 AM PST  Republican Senate candidate John James out-raised incumbent Gary Peters (D., Mich.) for the second straight quarter, further tightening an already competitive race for a vulnerable Senate seat.James's campaign said it raised $3.5 million in the fourth quarter, $1 million more than Peters in the same time frame, securing a higher margin than James's $600k advantage in the third quarter. While Peters' campaign says it has $8 million in cash on hand, a poll last month showed James surging to a narrow lead in the race, and Peters' job disapproval rating increasing to 7 percent.In a December interview, Peters seemed to endorse the Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal resolution, saying "I believe we can" when asked if the U.S. can realistically transition the economy to zero-net emissions by 2050."We have to push the technology as aggressively as we can," the senator said. ". . . We should look at this as an economic opportunity to drive our economy while also doing the right thing for the environment."Peters, who voted "present" when the resolution was brought to the Senate floor for a vote in March, said a month later that he backed certain aspects of the Green New Deal, but remained vague on what specifically attracted him, save for one specific detail."There's no question we're going to need to make a massive effort to deal with this issue [climate change], and there are many aspects of the Green New Deal I support, particularly when it comes to retrofitting buildings," Peters said at the time.
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| Pakistani air force jet crashes in training, 2 pilots killed Posted: 07 Jan 2020 05:17 AM PST |
| Did A Russian Built Submarine 'Sink' A U.S. Navy Sub Back in 2015? Posted: 06 Jan 2020 10:55 PM PST  How could that be?
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| Philippines prepares to evacuate workers in Middle East on rising tensions Posted: 07 Jan 2020 02:19 AM PST |
| California has sued tech billionaire Vinod Khosla over beach access, reviving a decade-long legal battle Posted: 06 Jan 2020 06:06 PM PST  The billionaire tech investor has previously said he regretted buying the beach, but will continue defending his property rights
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| Boy Scouts face a 'flood of litigation' over child sexual abuse Posted: 07 Jan 2020 10:17 AM PST  Two mass action lawsuits filed Monday add to mounting legal liability for Boy Scouts of America over child sexual abuse allegations.
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| U.S. implements agreement to send Mexican asylum seekers to Guatemala Posted: 06 Jan 2020 11:25 AM PST  Mexicans seeking asylum in the United States could be sent to Guatemala under a bilateral agreement signed by the Central American nation last year, according to documents sent to U.S. asylum officers in recent days and seen by Reuters.
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| Police, Secret Service mum after new incident at Mar-a-Lago Posted: 07 Jan 2020 12:50 PM PST  There was an unspecified incident involving the Secret Service at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, but authorities would not say Tuesday what happened — the latest in a series of incidents at the club since the president took office three years ago. Palm Beach police records show officers were called to Mar-a-Lago on Monday night to assist the Secret Service but most of the report is redacted, including the name of the individual who was contacted. Police spokesman Michael Ogrodnick said the Secret Service is the lead investigative agency in the matter and his department has no comment.
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| Lawyer: West Virginia gov cleared in federal investigation Posted: 07 Jan 2020 09:55 AM PST  West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice's personal lawyer said Tuesday that a federal investigation of the governor's private businesses has ended with no finding of wrongdoing. Justice attorney George Terwilliger told reporters at a hastily assembled press conference that the governor's legal team was notified Monday by "career Justice Department prosecutors" that the investigation has ended. A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment.
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| Saudi Arabia Says ‘Very Keen’ to Avoid Regional Escalation Posted: 06 Jan 2020 04:22 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabia's foreign minister hopes all actors involved in the recent Middle East flare-up take steps to avoid escalation."We are very keen that the situation in the region doesn't escalate any further," Prince Faisal bin Farhan said at a press conference in Riyadh Monday. "It's certainly a very dangerous moment and we have to be conscious of the risks and dangers not just to the region but to wider global security."Read: Iran Warns Those Who Supported Soleimani Killing 'Will Pay' (1)Prince Faisal was speaking days after a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad killed top Iranian and Iraqi commanders, raising prospects of a military confrontation in the Middle East.To contact the reporter on this story: Vivian Nereim in Riyadh at vnereim@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Shaji Mathew at shajimathew@bloomberg.net, Abbas Al Lawati, Claudia MaedlerFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| These 5 Air Forces Control The World's Skies Posted: 06 Jan 2020 07:30 PM PST  Don't violate their air space.
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| Iran's enrichment decision could trigger end of nuclear deal: Germany Posted: 05 Jan 2020 11:44 PM PST  Iran's announcement on Sunday that it would abandon limitations on enriching uranium could be the first step towards the end of a 2015 nuclear deal with six major powers, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday. Iran had been expected to announce its latest stance on the deal this weekend.
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| 'Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated': US Army general says he's still alive after terrorist attack in Kenya Posted: 06 Jan 2020 12:41 PM PST  "This is yet another example of the lies, propaganda and fake news," US Army Gen. Stephen Townsend said in a statement.
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| Pill bottles full of bedbugs found in Walmart jacket, men’s department prompt investigation Posted: 07 Jan 2020 01:23 PM PST  Police in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, are investigating after Walmart employees found pill bottles filled with bed bugs.
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| Former I.Coast rebel leader dies in New York Posted: 06 Jan 2020 05:44 AM PST  Issiaka Ouattara, a key figure in the years-long unrest that gripped Ivory Coast at the start of the century, has died in a New York hospital at the age of 53, associates said on Monday. "He died from illness this morning in a New York hospital," where he had been admitted several weeks ago, Affoussiata Bamba-Lamine, an attorney linked to former rebel commander Guillaume Soro, told AFP. "One of the pillars of September 19 2002 has fallen," Soro said on Twitter, referring to the start of a revolt in northern Ivory Coast that split the country in two.
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| Hong Kong leader says new year will be a challenging one Posted: 06 Jan 2020 08:32 PM PST  Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said Tuesday that the city faces multiple challenges in the new year, including violence, economic tribulation and a health scare as anti-government protests enter their eighth month. The mass protests began in June to oppose proposed extradition legislation that would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be sent to stand trial in mainland China, where activists are routinely jailed. A former British colony, Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 under the framework of "one country, two systems," which promises the territory certain rights not afforded to the mainland.
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| Elizabeth Warren Shuts Down Meghan McCain’s Defense of Trump on Iran Posted: 07 Jan 2020 09:04 AM PST  On Monday morning, during The View's first new show of 2020, Meghan McCain defended President Donald Trump's targeted killing of top Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani. "For me, when a big, bad terrorist gets blown up, I'm happy about it," she said. When Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) appeared on the show Tuesday, she was quick to shut that position down. The drama started when McCain began to praise the 2020 presidential candidate, saying, "I believe you respect the American military and respect our troops. You have traveled overseas many times. I just want to say that first and foremost." Warren must have known there was a "but" coming. Seth Meyers Exposes 'Self-Serving Hypocrite' Fox News Host Ainsley Earhardt"You issued a statement calling Soleimani a murderer," McCain continued. "Later, you issued a second statement saying that he was 'an assassination of a senior foreign military official.' Now, this is a man who is obviously responsible for hundreds of American troops' deaths, carnage that we can't even imagine." After noting that both the Treasury and State departments have designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a "terrorist organization," she added, "I don't understand the flip-flop. I don't understand why it was so hard to call him a terrorist, and I would just like you to explain the change." Warren insisted that there wasn't a "change" in her position on Soleimani, arguing that both things can be true at the same time. "The question is what is the response that the president of the United States should make, and what advances the interests of the United States of America?" she asked. Saddam Hussein may have been a "bad guy," she added, "however, going to war in Iraq was not in the interest of the United States." The senator continued to make her case, but McCain was stuck on semantics. "Do you think he's a terrorist?" she asked, interrupting Warren. When Warren said Soleimani was "part of a group that has been designated as terrorists," McCain sneered and shook her head as she asked, "So he's not a terrorist?" "Of course, he is," Warren answered finally. "He's part of a group that our federal government has designated a terrorist. The question though, is what's the right response? And the response that Donald Trump has picked is the most incendiary and has moved us right to the edge of war, and that is not in our long-term interests." By the end of her appearance on the show, Warren was actively ignoring McCain's repeated attempts to interrupt her as she extolled the virtues of her 2 percent wealth tax. "Can we just switch gears for a second?" McCain asked, but Warren kept making her points undeterred. She simply wasn't having it.How Andrea Savage Finds the Sweet Spot Between Cringing and ComedyRead 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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| India Could Become the Next Breeding Ground for Radicalism Posted: 07 Jan 2020 07:34 AM PST  The way India has clamped down on Kashmir, the only Muslim majority state of India since August and the systematic violation of human rights there and across the country can only be described as state-sponsored Islamophobia.
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| China eyes increased ties with Kiribati, site of space tracking station Posted: 06 Jan 2020 04:11 AM PST  China said on Monday it hoped to expand newly restored ties with the Pacific state of Kiribati, site of a strategic but mothballed Chinese space tracking station, in comments that may further stoke U.S. anxiety about Beijing's growing influence. A senior Chinese diplomat said Beijing was "open" to all sorts of projects in Kiribati, an ex-British colony made up mainly of atolls in the central Pacific, in waters dominated by the United States and its allies since World War Two. Speaking to reporters after Chinese President Xi Jinping met Kiribati's President Taneti Maamau in Beijing, the diplomat, Lu Kang, did not respond directly to a question about whether Beijing planned to reopen the space tracking station.
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| American families are paying a hidden $8,000 'poll tax' to cover their healthcare costs, 2 economists argue Posted: 07 Jan 2020 10:31 AM PST  Two Princeton economists say that American families pay an exorbitant amount of money to access healthcare in the US compared to other countries.
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| India court orders execution of convicts for 2012 deadly rape on Jan. 22 Posted: 07 Jan 2020 07:46 AM PST  Four men sentenced to death for the gang rape and murder of a woman on a New Delhi bus in an attack that sent shockwaves across the world will be hanged on Jan. 22, an Indian court ruled on Tuesday. The four men were convicted in 2013 of the rape, torture and murder of the 23-year-old physiotherapy student in a case that triggered large protests in India. The attack prompted India to enact tough new laws against sexual violence, including the death penalty for rape in some cases, but implementation has been poor and the attacks have shown no signs of let-up.
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