| US opposes lifting key sanctions against North Korea Posted: 17 Dec 2019 04:13 PM PST  The United States said Tuesday that it opposes a draft resolution proposed by China and Russia that would terminate U.N. sanctions on key North Korean exports, calling the measure "premature" at a time when Pyongyang is threatening to conduct "an escalated provocation" and is refusing to meet with U.S. officials to discuss denuclearization. The U.S. State Department said President Donald Trump "remains committed to making progress toward commitments" he made with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at their first summit in Singapore in June 2018 on transforming relations between the two countries, building lasting peace and ensuring complete denuclearization.
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| Blair Tells U.K. Labour Party it Needs Total Change After Defeat Posted: 17 Dec 2019 04:01 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- The British Labour Party's recriminations over its catastrophic election defeat will continue Wednesday when former leader Tony Blair urges it to undertake a wholesale change of approach.At a private meeting of its surviving members of parliament on Tuesday evening, leader Jeremy Corbyn was heavily criticized for leading the party to its worst result since 1935. According to his office, he told them he was "very sorry" but that the election was "ultimately about Brexit."Blair, now the only person to lead Labour to an election victory in 45 years, will tell an audience in central London that the party cannot simply carry on with Corbyn's policies under a new leader. "Labour needs not just a different driver, but a different bus," he'll say, according to advance extracts."The choice for Labour is to renew itself as the serious, progressive, non-Conservative competitor for power in British politics, or retreat from such an ambition, in which case over time it will be replaced," he will say. "So, at one level, sure let's have a period of 'reflection', but any attempt to whitewash this defeat, pretend it is something other than it is, or the consequence of something other than the obvious, will cause irreparable damage to our relationship with the electorate."Tuesday night's meeting lasted more than two hours. One of the MPs present, Margaret Hodge, described the mood. "It was fury, despair, miserable," she told reporters. She described Corbyn's position as "denial and corporate amnesia."Wes Streeting, another of those present, said afterward that it was essential the party changed direction: "If we try to go for Corbynism without Corbyn, we're just setting ourselves up for generations out of power."Corbyn was criticized not just for the election, but for his response to the defeat. Jess Phillips, one possible candidate to replace the leader, said she read out a message from Melanie Onn, a colleague who lost her seat, and who had heard nothing from the party since then. "She'd been let down by the leadership," Phillips said. "There's loads and loads of complaints about how nobody has been called."Last week's election saw Labour finish the night with 59 fewer seats, while Prime Minister Boris Johnson won the biggest Conservative majority since 1987.To contact the reporter on this story: Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Edward JohnsonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Giuliani associate got $1 million from indicted Ukrainian Posted: 17 Dec 2019 02:51 PM PST  A business associate of Rudy Giuliani received a $1 million payment in September from an indicted Ukrainian oligarch who is a fugitive from justice in the U.S., federal prosecutors revealed Tuesday. The disclosure came during a court hearing in New York for Lev Parnas, who is awaiting trial on charges that he made illegal campaign contributions to U.S. politicians, including some made to try to influence policy on Ukraine. At the hearing, a judge rejected the government's arguments that Parnas' bail should be revoked because he failed to disclose the payment from Dmytro Firtash and other assets to the court when he was asked about his finances.
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| Vladimir Putin reportedly runs an outdated version of Windows on his computer, which is vulnerable to hacking Posted: 17 Dec 2019 02:20 PM PST  Photos show Putin running Windows XP on his computer, software that hasn't been updated since 2014 and poses a security risk.
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| Vladimir Putin reportedly runs an outdated version of Windows on his computer, which is vulnerable to hacking Posted: 17 Dec 2019 02:20 PM PST  Photos show Putin running Windows XP on his computer, software that hasn't been updated since 2014 and poses a security risk.
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| Splintered US moves to subject Trump to 'profound disgrace' Posted: 17 Dec 2019 02:04 PM PST  Donald Trump stands on the threshold of what two ex-presidents called the "profound disgrace" of impeachment, a permanent stain on his legacy. Or what Trump mockingly dismisses as impeachment lite. The U.S. may be witnessing the trivialization of impeachment for charges that are anything but trivial, said Jeffrey A. Engel, a presidential historian and lead author of a book on impeachments that has found its way into the hands of senators as they prepare to hold a January trial on the House's expected indictment.
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| Venezuelan politicians resort to virtual lawmaking Posted: 17 Dec 2019 01:27 PM PST  Opposition lawmakers in Venezuela who say they fear persecution by President Nicolas Maduro's government can now cast their votes though the cloud, the National Assembly decided Tuesday. The opposition-led congress adopted a rules change that allows its members to virtually cast their votes and participate in debates. It precedes a key vote on Jan. 5, when members of the National Assembly will decide whether opposition leader Juan Guaido will remain head of the body, allowing him to continue to claim to be interim president of Venezuela in his bid to oust Maduro.
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| Americans steadfastly divided over impeachment as vote nears Posted: 17 Dec 2019 01:16 PM PST  As the U.S. House of Representatives prepares to take a historic vote on the impeachment of President Donald Trump, the American public is following along, steadfast in its views. Many polls since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the start of an impeachment inquiry on Sept. 24 show that Americans are closely divided over whether Trump should be removed from office. Heated public hearings on network television that reached millions of Americans alongside a White House on the defensive have done little to move public opinion on the issue.
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| Macau Chooses Chinese Riches Over Democracy, Unlike Hong Kong Posted: 17 Dec 2019 01:00 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Macau has long provided Chinese leaders with a glimmering showcase for the virtues of obeying Beijing.The former Portuguese colony has marched on to become the world's largest gambling hub over the past few decades, surpassing its more rebellious brother Hong Kong along the way. President Xi Jinping is expected to use a visit marking 20 years of Chinese rule over Macau this week to send a message to the protest-stricken financial hub some 50 kilometers (30 miles) to the east: work with us and get rich."Jobs are chasing after Macau people, instead of the other way around," said Alexandra, a 29-year-old human resources worker in Macau, who declined to give her last name. "Young people can see a much brighter future here than in Hong Kong. They are indifferent, or even cold toward politics."During his visit, Xi will likely highlight a raft of recent policies intended to help diversify Macau's tourism industry while -- in a possible signal to Hong Kong -- establishing a yuan-denominated financial market there. National People's Congress Chairman Li Zhanshu, the party's No. 3 official, urged Hong Kong to be more like Macau in remarks in Beijing earlier this month, according to the South China Morning Post.While Hong Kong and Macau share the Cantonese language, a common past as European trading outposts and a similar promise of autonomy from Beijing, they couldn't look more different to the Communist Party. Today, the enclave of 670,000 people ranks as the world's second-richest territory by per capita economic output, according to data compiled by the World Bank, and almost 80% wealthier than Hong Kong.Macau has suffered little of the unrest that has gripped Hong Kong since the latter attempted to pass legislation earlier this year allowing extraditions to mainland China. Unlike Hong Kong, the government passed a Beijing-mandated national security law a decade ago, and hasn't seen mass protests since the government withdrew legislation fattening the retirement packages for top officials in 2014."While Hong Kong people can be mobilized by fighting for abstract value as democracy and freedom, Macau is 'interest-oriented,'" said Ieong Meng U, an assistant professor at the University of Macau's Department of Government and Public Administration. "Only very few government policies can trigger widespread social grievances."Much of Macau's stability can be traced to its monopoly over casino gambling in China, an industry that accounts for 80% of the government's total revenue and supports a roughly $1,000 annual handouts for residents. How long that will last is unclear, as slowing Chinese growth and increased overseas competition cut into the returns of operators including Las Vegas Sands Corp., MGM Resorts International and Wynn Resorts Ltd.Still, Macau's success would seem to bolster Communist Party arguments that Hong Kong's problems stem from its yawning wealth gap and outdated national security laws. Macau has been effectively under Beijing's control since left-wing protesters -- and a few Chinese warships -- forced its Portuguese governor to sign an apology for his policies under a portrait of Mao Zedong.Macau's charter broadly resembles Hong Kong's, but lacks key provisions such as the goal of selecting the city's leader "by universal suffrage." Incoming Macau Chief Executive Ho Iat-seng, who Xi will swear in Friday, was chosen by 98% of the votes cast by a 400-member election committee.To prevent any of Hong Kong's protests from spilling over, authorities have tightened immigration checks into Macau ahead of the president's visit, with the head of the local American Chamber of Commerce branch among those denied entry. Xi's expected to attend a banquet and cultural performance before delivering a speech to commemorate the city's return.During a similar anniversary visit to Hong Kong two years ago, Xi urged the city to profit from China, not defy it. Growth held "the golden key to resolving various issues in Hong Kong," the president said at the time."The messaging is clear to Hong Kong and the rest of the world, but primarily to Hong Kong -- there is a way out, there is an easy and good way out, and it's called Macau," said Steve Tsang, director of the University of London's SOAS China Institute and author of "A Modern History of Hong Kong.". "But what they completely and utterly fail to see, is that if Macau is the future, most people in Hong Kong will say, thank you very much, you can keep it for yourself."The message still carries well in Macau, where rent, restaurants and groceries are all cheaper, according to cost-of-living data from Numbeo. In Hong Kong, an influx of mainland Chinese have gobbled up university slots, driven an expansion of luxury shopping and helped make it the world's least-affordable housing market for nine straight years.Although Macau is much smaller -- roughly half the size of Manhattan -- its residents have been largely insulated from such pressures by policies that make jobs and passports harder to come by for mainlanders or foreigners."Hong Kong has long been a metropolitan center, but Macau was just a little city prior to opening up the gaming licenses," said Simon Sio, chairman of real estate and investment firm Lek Hang Group. "Macanese don't have enough confidence in ourselves, as we have fewer opportunities in the world compared to Hong Kong. Macau benefits from the motherland a lot. We residents know this well."Still, not everyone is satisfied with the local government, as the 2014 protests suggest. And enough conversations with participants in Hong Kong's protests will turn up demonstrators from neighboring Macau.That points to a possible source of long-term concern for the Communist Party as casino growth slows."In my opinion, the economy of Macau is actually not so stable because the income from the gambling industry has gradually declined since the protests in Hong Kong started," said Christine, a 21-year-old Macau resident who has participated in Hong Kong protests. "The Communist Party wants to grab out all the money in Macau to maintain their regime."\--With assistance from Dandan Li.To contact the reporters on this story: Jinshan Hong in Hong Kong at jhong214@bloomberg.net;Iain Marlow in Hong Kong at imarlow1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, ;Rachel Chang at wchang98@bloomberg.net, Karen LeighFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Mormons pulling 400,000 youths out of struggling Boy Scouts Posted: 17 Dec 2019 12:37 PM PST  For decades, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was one of Boy Scouts of America's greatest allies and the largest sponsor of troops. The change brings excitement and some melancholy for members of the faith and may push the Boy Scouts closer to the brink of bankruptcy as it faces a new wave of sex abuse lawsuits. Losing the church will mean about an 18% drop in Boy Scout youth membership compared with last year's numbers and mark the first time since the World War II era that the figure will fall below 2 million.
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| Party-switching NJ congressman draws Trump praise, Dems' ire Posted: 17 Dec 2019 12:29 PM PST  A party-switching congressman drew praise Tuesday from President Donald Trump and condemnation from Democrats, underscoring how his political fate could hinge on how forcefully he is backed by the president whose impeachment he is refusing to support. A day before the House was set to cast party-line votes impeaching Trump, New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew stopped short of saying he will become a Republican but acknowledged he's considering it. Van Drew told his staff over the weekend that he will become a Republican, a former aide said, prompting at least six top aides to quit in a reaction that underscored the partisan animosity that the impeachment fight has spawned.
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| U.S. sending more food aid to Haiti to reach 100,000 people in need Posted: 17 Dec 2019 12:26 PM PST  The U.S. Agency for International Development is providing additional food aid to Haiti, and is making sure it gets to those in greatest need by donating an additional $1 million to the U.N. World Food Program to support its ongoing humanitarian operations.
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| UK PM vows to work 'flat out', outlaw Brexit transition past 2020 Posted: 17 Dec 2019 12:13 PM PST  Britain's government said Tuesday it will legislate to ensure a post-Brexit transition period does not extend beyond 2020, sending the pound sinking as the European Union warned of a race against time to agree new trade terms. Prime Minister Boris Johnson won a big majority in Thursday's general election on a promise to "get Brexit done" by taking Britain out of the European Union by January 31. A transition period will follow until December 31, 2020, during which London and Brussels hope to negotiate a new economic and security partnership to replace 46 years of integration.
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| US senator proposes money, oversight to boost dam safety Posted: 17 Dec 2019 12:07 PM PST  U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Tuesday called for more federal money and oversight to shore up the nation's aging dams following an Associated Press investigation that found scores of potentially troubling dams located near homes and communities across the country. Gillibrand said new legislation in the works should ensure that federal standards are in place to make dams more resilient to extreme weather events that are becoming more common because of a changing climate. "We should not wait for a catastrophic dam failure or major flooding event to spur us to action," Gillibrand, a Democrat from New York, said in a letter to leaders of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which is crafting a new water resources bill.
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| US indicts Indonesian for breaking Iran sanctions Posted: 17 Dec 2019 11:29 AM PST  Washington (AFP) - The US Justice Department charged an Indonesian Tuesday with violating sanctions on Iran in supplying millions of dollars worth of new and refurbished aircraft parts to Iran's blacklisted Mahan Air.
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| Archaeologists in Greece find 3,500-year-old royal tombs Posted: 17 Dec 2019 11:07 AM PST  American archaeologists have discovered two monumental royal tombs dating from about 3,500 years ago near a major Mycenaean-era palace in Greece's southern Peloponnese region, the Greek culture ministry said Tuesday. A ministry statement said the dome-shaped roofs of both tombs near the Bronze Age palace of Pylos collapsed during antiquity, and the chambers became filled with so much earth and rubble that grave robbers couldn't get in to plunder them. Recovered grave goods from the two tombs included a golden seal ring and a golden amulet of an ancient Egyptian goddess, highlighting Bronze Age trade and cultural links.
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| 5 years after detente with US, Cubans say hope has dwindled Posted: 17 Dec 2019 11:04 AM PST  At midday on Dec. 17, 2014, the sound of church bells echoed in Havana as presidents Barack Obama and Raúl Castro announced that the United States and Cuba would reestablish diplomatic relations and end nearly 60 decades of hostility. Five years later, it feels almost as if that historic moment never happened, Cubans said in interviews in the capital Tuesday. President Donald Trump has spent roughly as much time undoing detente as Obama spent constructing it, and relations between the two countries are at one of their lowest points since the end of the Cold War.
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| Air Force general says the US military is preparing responses in case North Korea's 'Christmas gift' is a long-range missile Posted: 17 Dec 2019 10:17 AM PST  "What I would expect is some type of long-range ballistic missile would be the gift," Gen. Charles Brown said of North Korea's supposed "gift."
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| Air Force general says the US military is preparing responses in case North Korea's 'Christmas gift' is a long-range missile Posted: 17 Dec 2019 10:17 AM PST  "What I would expect is some type of long-range ballistic missile would be the gift," Gen. Charles Brown said of North Korea's supposed "gift."
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| Israel allows shipment of rescue vehicles into Gaza Posted: 17 Dec 2019 10:09 AM PST ![Israel allows shipment of rescue vehicles into Gaza]( "Israel allows shipment of rescue vehicles into Gaza") Israel allowed the import of around 20 rescue and firefighting vehicles into the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Palestinian officials said. The equipment, which was donated by Qatar, includes several SUVs fitted with water pumps. Gaza's Civil Defense previously had just 33 vehicles to serve the territory's 2 million people, including a single fire truck with a hydraulic platform.
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| Germany to investigate own police and military in crackdown on far-Right Posted: 17 Dec 2019 10:02 AM PST  Germany is to investigate its own civil service, police and military for far-Right links. The move is part of a wider crackdown against following a series of incidents, including the assassination of a politician and a failed terror attack on a synagogue by lone far-Right gunmen. "Germany has to become more active against the far-Right," Horst Seehofer, the interior minister, said at a press conference to introduce the measures on Tuesday. The far-Right is responsible for more than half of politically motivated crimes in Germany, he said. Under the new plans, 600 new positions are to be created at the police and domestic intelligence service to focus exclusively on combating the far-Right. A special "central office for far-Right extremists in public service" will be set up by the BfV domestic intelligence service to uncover cases in the police, military and civil service. The move comes after it emerged earlier this month that a sergeant in the German army's special forces has been suspended from duty on suspicion of far-Right activism. Two staff officers are reportedly under investigation for showing the Hitler salute at a private ceremony involving the suspended sergeant. None of the soldiers involved have been named. There have also been a number of cases in the German police. Almost 40 police officers have been questioned in the state of Hesse alone. In Frankfurt, one officer has been arrested and several others questioned over a neo-Nazi threatening letter to a prominent laywer. A bloodbath was narrowly averted in the city of Halle when a far-Right gunman tried to forces his way into a packed synagogue Credit: ANDREAS SPLETT/AFP The wider government crackdown follows two particularly shocking incidents this year. A bloodbath was narrowly avoided in the east German city of Halle in October when a lone far-Right gunman failed to force his way into a synagogue packed with worshippers celebrating Yom Kippur. The gunman, Stephan Balliet, killed two passers by in frustration. He published a "manifesto" ahead of the attack in which he detailed his support for far-Right ideology. In the other incident, Walter Lübcke, a local politician from Angela Merkel's Christian Democrat party (CDU), was shot dead outside his home in June. Stephan Ernst, a known far-Right sympathiser arrested on suspicion of killing Lübcke initially admitted responsibility but later retracted his confession In his initial confession he told police he was motivated by Lübcke's public support for asylum-seekers. "For a long time now the far-Right has been responsible for half of politically motivated crimes. There is also an increase in serious crime and a significant increase in hate speech on the Internet," Holger Munch, the head of Germany's Federal Criminal Police told Tuesday's press conference, "We even see intimidating measures such as the publication of threatening lists in order to hound volunteers and local politicians out of office, posing a threat to democracy."
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| Saudi student in alleged 'kill list' plot ordered held Posted: 17 Dec 2019 10:00 AM PST ![Saudi student in alleged 'kill list' plot ordered held]( "Saudi student in alleged 'kill list' plot ordered held") A Saudi Arabian student who prosecutors say illegally obtained a gun in the U.S. and told someone he wanted to kill a professor and others was ordered Tuesday held until his trial on a federal gun charge. U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura Fashing ruled Tuesday that Hassan Alqahtani posed a danger and should be kept in federal custody after she heard allegations of domestic violence and threats reportedly made to others. Federal prosecutor George Kraehe told Fashing at a detention hearing in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that his wife's family reported allegations of domestic violence and the mother of a girlfriend told FBI agents her daughter was scared Alqahtani might attack her.
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| With or without Huawei? German coalition delays decision on 5G rollout Posted: 17 Dec 2019 09:26 AM PST  Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and their Social Democrat partners have delayed until next year a decision on security rules for Germany's 5G network that could bar China's Huawei, a highly divisive issue in an unhappy alliance. Merkel's right-left government, under pressure from the United States to bar Huawei, wants to toughen up technical certification and scrutiny of telecoms equipment suppliers, without excluding any specific country or vendor. Social Democrat (SPD) lawmakers on Tuesday backed an internal proposal that, if adopted by the government, could effectively translate into shutting out Huawei.
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| Greece's Parthenon temple has had the wrong name for centuries, new research by archeologists claims Posted: 17 Dec 2019 09:17 AM PST  Sitting on top of the Acropolis, the Parthenon is one of the most dazzling buildings from antiquity, but for 2,000 years we have been getting its name wrong, according to new research. Dutch scholars claim that the name "Parthenon" – popularised in the Roman period - originally belonged to an entirely different building, not the vast stone temple that looms over Athens and attracts millions of tourists a year. The real Parthenon was in fact an ancient Greek treasury which contained offerings to the goddess Athena, according to the research by Utrecht University. Today known as the Erechtheion, it is located about 100 yards from the main temple on the Acropolis, the massive rocky escarpment that rises from central Athens. Rather than being known as the Parthenon, the big temple should be known by its original ancient Greek name, the tongue-twisting Hekatompedon. Lightning over the Parthenon Credit: Getty "That means 'the hundred-foot temple' and the main room of the big temple was indeed exactly 100 feet long," Janric van Rookhuijzen, the archeologist behind the research, told The Telegraph. He acknowledges that Hekatompedon, which is mentioned in archives dating back 2,500 years, does not exactly roll off the tongue. A more user-friendly name would be "The Great Temple of Athena." "Hekatompedon is a difficult name to pronounce. That may be part of the reason that Parthenon caught on – it was much more catchy," he said. Dr van Rookhuijzen says his research, based on a study of archeological data and ancient texts, did not go down very well initially with Greek archeologists. "My Greek friends and colleagues were of course very suspicious – who is this Dutch guy saying the name should be changed? But they're now saying there is some merit to the theory I have put forward." Parthenon means "house of virgins" and the smaller temple is indeed decorated with stone caryatids, sculpted female figures which act as pillars, holding up the roof. Devoted to the ancient cult of Athena, it would have housed a treasury containing precious objects associated with the goddess, including musical instruments and swords from Persia. "Where the scientific community is concerned, Van Rookhuijzen's insight will cause a minor seismic shift," said Josine Blok, professor emeritus of ancient cultures at Utrecht University. "Not only will the names need to be adjusted, this changes our image of the cult of the goddess Athena and the Acropolis as a whole." Ineke Sluiter, professor of Greek language and literature at Leiden University, said: "This study demonstrates the permanent importance of never blindly trusting that the commonly-held wisdom is actually true." A detail from the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum Credit: Getty The research has been published in the American Journal of Archaeology and the Dutch edition of National Geographic Magazine. An icon of ancient Greek culture, the Parthenon and its marbles have been a bone of contention between Greece and Britain for 200 years, ever since Lord Elgin brought some of the friezes back to London. They are held by the British Museum, which has resisted Greek demands that they be permanently returned to Athens. Last month Xi Jinping, China's president, pledged his support for the Greek campaign to recover the marbles. "Not only do I agree with the return of the Parthenon sculptures but you will also have our support, as we too have our own [artefacts] of Chinese culture outside the country and are trying to get them home," he said during a two-day visit to Athens.
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| Secrets of the Cold War: When American And Russian Jets Battled Over Siberia Posted: 17 Dec 2019 09:00 AM PST  All because of North Korea.
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| Boris Johnson's Brexit Is More “Slow Deal” Than “No Deal” Posted: 17 Dec 2019 08:45 AM PST ![Boris Johnson's Brexit Is More]( "Boris Johnson's Brexit Is More") (Bloomberg Opinion) -- The financial markets had a rude awakening on Prime Minister Boris Johnson's first day back at the office. Instead of using his new parliamentary majority to push for an ambitious trading relationship with Europe post-Brexit, Johnson doubled down on his election pledge to rush ahead and complete trade talks next year, suggesting there will be either a bare-bones deal or no deal at all. Either way, that would be bad for the U.K. economy.The Brexit deal struck by Johnson in October allows for a one- or two-year extension for more considered trade negotiations; Johnson is waiving that option. Instead, his Withdrawal Agreement Bill to be presented to Parliament on Friday will contain a new provision making it illegal for Britain to request an extension to the current transition period, which runs until the end of 2020.It may seem odd that a government with an 80-seat majority would tie its own hands when setting out on the country's most important negotiations in a generation. But Johnson's move speaks to two domestic audiences: the Leave voters who gave him his majority, and the Brexit ultras in his parliamentary party who still carry weight. Fortunately, he has left himself more wriggle room than might be obvious at first glance. In order to win over Brexiters, and neutralize Nigel Farage's Brexit Party, Johnson pledged not to extend that initial transition period. He has also indicated that he won't agree to European Union demands on "level playing field" provisions, which would keep Britain aligned with the bloc on areas such as state aid and social and environmental regulations. He's sending this electoral base a signal that he's as good as his word.To the public, his move says "I know why I'm here." If his election proved anything, it was that people are tired of Brexit and are less bothered by the terms of exit than how quickly it happens. Johnson is well aware that trust in politicians is extremely low, and that his own reputation for honesty is poor. He doesn't want to be seen to renege on something that won him the election.His move also signals to the class of new MPs, especially those from Leave-voting northern England, that they must deliver on Brexit if they're to hold those seats in future. Ultimately, that will mean finding ways to make the lives of these largely blue-collar voters visibly better, something that Brexit will make much harder. But many British voters appear deaf to the threat of economic damage from quitting the EU: the political imperative is just to get it done. Sticking to a hard Brexit line also speaks to the parliamentary Tory party's euroskeptic wing. Johnson's majority is mighty, but the European Research Group of hard-core Brexiter lawmakers — the ones largely responsible for ending his predecessor Theresa May's time in office Brexit — hasn't gone away. While Johnson has a "stonking mandate," as he calls it, a war of attrition around the negotiating table in Brussels could wear on that support.The New Statesman's Stephen Bush notes that the former Labour prime minister Tony Blair was dealt a major defeat by his own party at the height of his powers in 1997, and so was Margaret Thatcher in 1986, when 72 MPs voted against her plans to change restrictions on Sunday shop openings. Of course, neither of these votes was on such an historic issue. But Bush's point — that it only takes 40 angry Brexiter lawmakers to overturn Johnson's majority — is worth noting.None of this will be of particular comfort to business, which has promised to be more vocal during the trade talks. Johnson's stance means that a smaller deal, on a narrower range of trade areas, is in play than company bosses would like. It also makes a damaging no-deal conclusion to the talks more likely — hence the pound's plunge on Tuesday.And there's unlikely to be any certainty until well into 2020. Neither the EU nor the U.K. have set out clear negotiating objectives nor agreed the sequencing of the talks. A shortened time-frame means plenty of thorny issues — from services to data — probably won't be tackled. Nor is it clear that negotiators in Brussels will work in quite the same way as during the withdrawal talks. Michel Barnier is still running the discussions, but this is a new European Commission with major reforms and budget talks of its own to worry about. And trade talks offer more opportunity for differences to emerge between EU member states.There are two slim silver linings. First, the worst-case scenario isn't the economically cataclysmic "No Deal" we worried about for much of 2019. The terms of the divorce are already agreed, EU citizens rights secured and the Irish border question resolved (in a fashion). There have been plenty of preparations by governments and business for extra customs and regulatory checks.What is more likely is what one might call a "low-deal Brexit" — or even a "slow-deal Brexit" since the first trade deal may agree a few basic areas and leave the door open to forging closer ties on others later. The second reason not to panic is that Brexit deadlines tend to be delayed. Whatever blocks against extending the transition are passed in Parliament, nobody really thinks that the EU and U.K. governments, if they chose, couldn't find a way to give themselves more time. It's been done before.To contact the author of this story: Therese Raphael at traphael4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: James Boxell at jboxell@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Therese Raphael writes editorials on European politics and economics for Bloomberg Opinion. She was editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal Europe.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Congress takes aim at Syrian war crimes, Russian aggression Posted: 17 Dec 2019 08:43 AM PST ![Congress takes aim at Syrian war crimes, Russian aggression]( "Congress takes aim at Syrian war crimes, Russian aggression") Congress on Tuesday ratcheted up pressure on Syria, Russia and China while making it more difficult for the Trump administration to reduce commitments to allies from Europe to Asia. As part of a defense policy bill that passed the Senate, lawmakers will impose sanctions on Syrian troops and others responsible for atrocities committed during Syria's civil war and fund war crimes investigations and prosecutions. The bill also registered strong congressional concern about Russia and China, will bind the U.S. to supporting Ukraine militarily and bar the Trump administration from any move to recognize Russia's annexation of Crimea.
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| Trump conservative critics launch PAC to fight reelection Posted: 17 Dec 2019 08:39 AM PST  The new organization, known as the Lincoln Project, represents a formal step forward for the so-called Never Trump movement, which has been limited largely to social media commentary and cable news attacks through the first three years of Trump's presidency. Organizers report fundraising commitments exceeding $1 million to begin, although they hope to raise and spend much more to fund a months-long advertising campaign in a handful of 2020 battleground states to persuade disaffected Republican voters to break from Trump's GOP.
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| EU Warns of Brexit Cliff as U.K. Excludes Longer Transition Posted: 17 Dec 2019 08:38 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan to stick to a 2020 Brexit transition period revives the risk of the country's ties to the European Union being severed disruptively, according to the bloc's chief civil servant for trade policy.Sabine Weyand, director general for trade in the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, cautioned that Johnson's intention to prevent any prolongation of the Brexit transition period beyond 2020 would require the bloc to plan accordingly."We are well advised to take seriously that the U.K. does not intend to go for an extension of the transition," Weyand told a European Policy Centre conference on Tuesday in Brussels. "We need to be prepared for that. And that means that, in the negotiations, we have to look at those issues where failing to reach an agreement by the end of 2020 would lead to another cliff-edge situation."The U.K. is on course to leave the EU by Jan. 31 after Johnson scored an overwhelming victory in national elections last week on a pledge to "get Brexit done."U.K. parliamentary approval of a hard-fought withdrawal agreement between Britain and its 27 EU partners would trigger a transition phase until the end of 2020. During this period, the economic status quo would be maintained while both sides negotiate on their future trade, political, security and other relations.Under the Brexit deal, which Weyand helped craft in her previous commission position, the transition phase could be prolonged by as long as two years. Such a decision would have to be taken by mid-2020.While the EU has said its ties to post-Brexit Britain should prevent any tariffs and quotas from emerging, top officials in the bloc have indicated that the timetable for wrapping up negotiations with the U.K. by end-2020 is too tight.EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan signaled on Dec. 6 that the bloc and post-Brexit Britain would struggle to reach a free-trade accord by the end of 2020. And on Tuesday German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a closed-door gathering of her Christian Democratic parliamentary allies in Berlin that Johnson's goal of completing negotiations next year is "very ambitious," according to a party official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.EU officials have also stressed the need for post-Brexit Britain to avoid undercutting the bloc's rules promoting social and environmental protection and limiting subsidies to companies."We will wait and hear from the U.K. how they want to handle that," Weyand said. "The ambition for duty-free, quota-free trade under a free-trade agreement has to come accompanied by a level playing field."(Updates with Merkel comments in eighth paragraph)\--With assistance from Patrick Donahue.To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan Stearns in Brussels at jstearns2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Raymond Colitt, Richard BravoFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Protests of India's citizenship law grow, along with clashes Posted: 17 Dec 2019 08:34 AM PST  Protests spread Tuesday across India against a new law that provides a path to citizenship for non-Muslims entering illegally from several neighboring countries, with angry demonstrators clashing with police. Police fired tear gas in the Seelampur area of New Delhi to push back demonstrators who burned a police booth and two motorbikes after throwing stones and swarming barricades. Roads leading to the Muslim-majority neighborhood were littered with stones, tear gas canisters and broken glass.
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| AFN National Chief Bellegarde Addresses United Nations General Assembly Urging Action on Indigenous Languages and Support for an International Decade on Indigenous Languages Posted: 17 Dec 2019 08:34 AM PST  Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Perry Bellegarde addressed the full United Nations (UN) General Assembly today and spoke forcefully about the need to protect, reclaim, and revitalize Indigenous languages. It is exceedingly rare for a First Nations leader to address the UN General Assembly, and this is National Chief Bellegarde's second time delivering such an address.
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| Boris Johnson’s New Priorities See the U.K. Boycott Davos Posted: 17 Dec 2019 08:21 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson will not attend the World Economic Forum in Davos next year, nor will any of his ministers, a U.K. official said.The prime minister won an 80-seat majority in last week's election by promising to deliver on the priorities of ordinary British people, principally getting Britain out of the European Union Jan. 31.He's now branding his administration as "the people's government," an image that might be undermined by the sight of him or his team brushing shoulders with the global elite at a Swiss ski resort.Johnson hasn't always been against attending the summit. As Mayor of London he went at least twice, to urge attendees to invest in the U.K. capital."You just have to chuck a snowball into a cocktail party at Davos and you'd hit someone with a sovereign wealth fund who would fund a piece of infrastructure," he told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper in 2013. The same year he described the gathering as "a great big constellation of egos involved in massive mutual orgies of adulation," in an interview with the BBC.He was also photographed enjoying a pizza with then-Prime Minister David Cameron on the eve of the release of disappointing economic data, an experience that showed the risks of attending the event.Johnson's predecessor, Theresa May, used Davos to promote Britain's international face as it negotiated its withdrawal from the European Union, while chancellors of the exchequer have often addressed a lunch of British business leaders.Domestic demands meant May didn't go this year and nor did French President Emmanuel Macron -- though both sent representatives. President Donald Trump canceled the U.S. delegation's trip this year amid a government shutdown.Rupert Harrison, an adviser to David Cameron's government and now a portfolio manager at BlackRock Inc., said on Twitter the decision not to attend is "ridiculous," as there's no other forum where the case for inward investment can be made "more efficiently.""Are they campaigning or governing?" he asked.While Johnson was feted when he attended as mayor, it's possible that in his new guise, as someone who's been accused of putting up trade barriers as a result of Brexit, he might be less welcome at the summit.It's even possible some attendees might remember Johnson's 2014 assurance to the Wall Street Journal, while attending Davos, that the chances of Britain leaving the EU were "vanishingly unlikely."(Updates with former prime ministers' visits from sixth paragraph)\--With assistance from Simon Kennedy.To contact the reporter on this story: Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs, Thomas PennyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Leaders of Russia, Turkey discuss fighting in Libya Posted: 17 Dec 2019 08:05 AM PST  The leaders of Russia and Turkey discussed the fighting in Libya in a phone call Tuesday, the Kremlin said. It said in a statement that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced their readiness to help establish contacts between the warring parties and expressed support for mediation efforts by the United Nations and Germany. Libya plunged into turmoil after the 2011 civil war that ousted and killed long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
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| Johnson Signals Priorities With Davos Boycott: Brexit Update Posted: 17 Dec 2019 07:56 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson issued a strong message that his government will remain focused on Brexit by banning his ministers from attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, next month. The prime minister, who will also not attend, said he wants to "get on with delivering the priorities of the British people."Key Developments:U.K. official says no ministers will go to World Economic Forum in DavosJohnson says Parliament should resist SNP calls for Scottish independencePrime minister plans to change the law to prevent extension of the Brexit transition period; pound fell as much as 1.5%EU warns ruling out an extension risks a new Brexit cliff-edgeMembers of Parliament being sworn in from todayParliamentary Labour Party meets this evening for the first time since its comprehensive election defeat, with candidates to replace leader Jeremy Corbyn already jostling for positionCity Warns Over Rush to Deal (3:45 p.m.)The City of London warned against a hasty Brexit agreement that could damage services -- which make up about 80% of the U.K. economy."The December 2020 deadline is ambitious and it is critical the services sector is not sacrificed in the rush to get a deal" said Catherine McGuinness, policy chief at the City of London Corporation, which administers the financial district. "This is just the beginning of the Brexit process."The future framework deal with the EU must focus on "securing maximum market access and developing a structure for the U.K. economy to prosper in the years ahead," she said.Johnson Calls for Divisions to be Healed (3:15 p.m.)Boris Johnson said he wants a "new and generous" spirit of cross-party cooperation as he pledged to get Brexit out of the way and concentrate on the U.K.'s domestic priorities."We are going to be able to get on with delivering the priorities of the British people," the premier told the House of Commons. "After three-and-a-half years of wrangling and division, we in this government will do whatever we can to reach out across this House to find common ground, to heal the divisions of our country and to find a new and generous spirit in which we conduct all our political dealings."Johnson also said Parliament "should resist the calls of those who would break up the United Kingdom," a reference to calls (see 2:45 p.m.) from the Scottish National Party for a second referendum on Scottish independence.Sturgeon Calls for Scottish Referendum (2:45 p.m.)Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon reiterated her plan to demand the right to hold another independence referendum."This is a watershed moment for Scotland," Sturgeon told lawmakers in Edinburgh on Tuesday. "So this week I will take the next steps to secure Scotland's right to choose."Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament she will submit a so-called Section 30 request for the transfer of power with the aim of holding a referendum in 2020. After her Scottish National Party won 48 of the 59 seats in Scotland in last week's election, Sturgeon has said she has the mandate for another vote on breaking away from the rest of the U.K. in the wake of Brexit.Business Lobby Supports Ban on Brexit Extension (2 p.m.)There's support from business for Boris Johnson's decision to explicitly rule out in legislation any chance of an extension to the Brexit transition phase beyond the end of 2020."Business has had enough of uncertainty and shares the prime minister's ambition for a fast EU trade deal," Carolyn Fairbairn, Director-General of the country's biggest business lobby, the Confederation of British Industry, said in a statement. "Speed and ambition can go hand in hand if the right approach is taken. There's no time to lose, with a top priority being to build a best-in-class trade architecture, with business round the table, enabling EU trade talks to begin early in the new year."Gardiner: Next Labour Leader Should Be Woman (1:25 p.m.)Barry Gardiner, Labour's trade spokesman, told Bloomberg Radio he thinks the party's next leader should be a woman and suggested she should be from the Midlands or Northern England -- a verdict that would rule out two potential candidates, the party's Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer, who's one of the favorites, and its foreign affairs spokeswoman Emily Thornberry, whose constituency is in London."I think it is natural that it should be a woman," Gardiner said, before adding it's important that it should be someone from "those northern towns, the midlands, the industrial heartlands" that have traditionally voted Labour. "There are many, many women in our party from those areas where we can see leadership potential," he said.Gardiner, who was born in Scotland though represents a London constituency in Parliament, said he's "not made any decision whatsoever" as to whether he will stand for leader or deputy leader.EU Warns of Brexit Cliff-Edge (1 p.m.)While U.K. officials have expressed their intention to wrap up the future partnership with the European Union by the end of the Brexit transition period on Dec. 31, 2020, the bloc's officials are sounding less convinced.Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said the EU will find Johnson's move "strange," adding that it will limit the U.K.'s options in negotiations.Earlier Sabine Weyand, director general for trade in the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, cautioned that Johnson's intention to prevent any prolongation would require the bloc to plan accordingly. "That means that, in the negotiations, we have to look at those issues where failing to reach an agreement by the end of 2020 would lead to another cliff-edge situation," she told a European Policy Centre conference in Brussels.Johnson, Von der Leyen Agree to Get to Work (12:45 p.m.)Boris Johnson spoke with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen by phone on Tuesday and they will start Brexit talks as soon as possible, the prime minister's spokesman James Slack told reporters in London."They agreed to work together with great energy to agree a future partnership by the end of 2020," Slack said. The "greater clarity" of passing a law to stop an extension to the transition period means "the U.K. and EU will be able to get on with it and have a great future relationship wrapped up" by the end of the year, he said.Businesses will need to prepare for the U.K. to be outside the bloc's single market and customs union, Slack said. "In all circumstances we will be leaving the single market and customs union and the EU regime associated with that," he said.Tory Voters Get Younger (11:25 a.m.)Conservative voters got younger on average in Thursday's election compared with 2017, according to pollster YouGov. Two years ago, the age at which a voter was more likely to vote Tory than Labour was 47. This time around it was 39, according to YouGov's survey of 42,000 people.The survey also found that class is no longer a key indicator of how people vote, with the Tories beating Labour in every social grade group.Tuesday's Ceremonial Proceedings (11 a.m.)Tuesday's proceedings in the House of Commons are largely ceremonial and start at 2:30 p.m. Initially, they'll be presided over by the longest-standing Member of Parliament, Father of the House Peter Bottomley. Then, through a process that involves Sarah Clarke, a senior Commons official known as "Black Rod" and MPs processing to the House of Lords and back, Speaker of the House Lindsay Hoyle is set to be re-elected.Shortly afterward, MPs will be sworn in one-by-one, taking an oath of allegiance to the crown -- or making a solemn affirmation that doesn't make reference to God. They must do so in English and can follow it with an oath or affirmation in Welsh, Scottish Gaelic or Cornish.Johnson: Voters Have High Expectations (10:45 a.m.)Boris Johnson hosted the first meeting of his cabinet since the election and invited the TV cameras in as he addressed his top team, repeating lines from his stump speech during the campaign."People have a high level of expectation and we have to deliver for them," he said. "There's a huge, huge agenda of delivering social justice and addressing every problem from social care to homelessness."The prime minister also emphasized the importance of swift action to seal the support of people in traditionally Labour voting areas who backed him in last week's vote. "We must recognize that people lent us their votes at this election, It was quite a seismic election but we need to repay their trust and work 24 hours a day, work flat out, to deliver on this."Gove: U.K. Can Get EU Trade Deal in Time (Earlier)Cabinet minister Michael Gove said the next phase of Brexit negotiations on a free-trade deal will be concluded by the end of the transition period which expires on Dec. 31, 2020, meaning the U.K. will avoid a no-deal divorce from the European Union."We're going to make sure we get this deal done in time," Gove told the BBC on Tuesday, adding that the bloc has promised to conclude negotiations by the end of 2020. "We've seen before how deadlines can concentrate minds."But EU leaders have warned it's highly unlikely negotiators can complete the kind of deal Johnson wants in time, pointing out that Canada's agreement with the EU -- the model he refers to -- took seven years to finalize. Sabine Weyand, director general for trade at the European Commission, said Johnson's move meant the bloc should prepare for a potential "cliff-edge situation."Rayner, Long-Bailey in Leadership Pact: Guardian (Earlier)Angela Rayner is ready to stand aside in favor of her friend and shadow cabinet colleague Rebecca Long-Bailey in the race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party, the Guardian reported.Rayner will instead concentrating on running for the deputy leadership of the party, which was comprehensively beaten in last week's general election, the Guardian said, citing unidentified allies of the two women.Read more: Life After Corbyn? The Politicians Vying to Become Labour LeaderEarlier:Boris Johnson Revives No-Deal Brexit Threat With Change to LawPound Election Rally Erased by Johnson's 2020 Brexit PledgeLife After Corbyn? The Politicians Vying to Become Labour Leader\--With assistance from Greg Ritchie, Thomas Penny, Roger Hearing, Caroline Hepker, Alastair Reed and Silla Brush.To contact the reporters on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net;Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs, Thomas PennyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Emails: NAACP leader chided women who made harassment claim Posted: 17 Dec 2019 07:52 AM PST  The NAACP's national president chastised women who recently went public with a sexual harassment claim and he was reluctant to swiftly deal with the accusations against a former North Carolina officer, according to emails and recordings obtained by The Associated Press. The emails also indicate that he knew about the complaint two years before he says he did. NAACP President Derrick Johnson spoke in October at the state convention of the North Carolina conference, which was roiling because less than two weeks earlier, a former employee had held a news conference where she accused her supervisor of sexual harassment.
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| Germany Redoubles Efforts to Attract Qualified Foreign Workers Posted: 17 Dec 2019 07:46 AM PST ![Germany Redoubles Efforts to Attract Qualified Foreign Workers]( "Germany Redoubles Efforts to Attract Qualified Foreign Workers") State and private sector representatives in Germany – including Chancellor Angela Merkel, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier and Labor Minister Hubertus Heil - came together for a top-level summit on Monday, 16 December, to accelerate efforts to attract qualified workers to the country.
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| 2020 Outlook: The Fear Of The Fear Of Missing Out Posted: 17 Dec 2019 07:32 AM PST ![2020 Outlook: The Fear Of The Fear Of Missing Out]( "2020 Outlook: The Fear Of The Fear Of Missing Out") In 2019, investors waded through significant economic and geopolitical uncertainty to push U.S. equity markets to new all-time highs as the developments around Brexit and the U.S.-China trade negotiations arrived at less than dire outcomes. While we believe that equity markets will likely end 2020 higher, market risks seem skewed to the downside. On the other hand, economic risks have become more balanced as a result of a 180-degree shift in monetary policy year-over-year that is supportive for risk assets.
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| Scotland’s Sturgeon to Request Right to Hold Independence Vote Posted: 17 Dec 2019 06:41 AM PST ![Scotland's Sturgeon to Request Right to Hold Independence Vote]( "Scotland's Sturgeon to Request Right to Hold Independence Vote") (Bloomberg) -- Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon reiterated her plan to demand the right to hold another independence referendum.Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh that she will submit a so-called Section 30 request for the transfer of power with the aim of holding a referendum in 2020. After her Scottish National Party won 48 of the 59 seats in Scotland in last week's election, Sturgeon has said she has the mandate for another vote on breaking away from the rest of the U.K. in the wake of Brexit. "This is a watershed moment for Scotland," Sturgeon told lawmakers in Edinburgh on Tuesday. "So this week I will take the next steps to secure Scotland's right to choose."The election set up a renewed standoff over the future of the U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he won't allow another vote and that Scotland should stand by the result of the last referendum in 2014, when Scots chose 55% to 45% to remain in the U.K. Sturgeon says it's undemocratic to deny permission because of Scotland's rejection of Brexit.Sturgeon's semi-autonomous government sent a Section 30 demand in March 2017 following the U.K.s decision to trigger the process of leaving the European Union.To contact the reporter on this story: Alastair Reed in Edinburgh at areed12@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Rodney Jefferson at r.jefferson@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| 4 dead, several injured across South in outbreak of twisters Posted: 17 Dec 2019 06:32 AM PST  A swarm of tornadoes and other storms that left a trail of destruction across the Southeast killed four people, injured at least a dozen more and left victims to bundle up against the cold as they picked through pieces of their homes on Tuesday. The death toll rose to four after heavy overnight rains caused flooding in Greenup County, Kentucky. Water rescue crews were called in about 8 a.m. Tuesday to aid two people, and at least one of them died, Kentucky State Police Trooper Bobby King said.
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| US proposes new rules to increase organ transplants Posted: 17 Dec 2019 06:05 AM PST  The U.S. government is overhauling parts of the nation's transplant system to make sure organs from the dead no longer go to waste — and to make it easier for the living to donate. The rules proposed Tuesday aim to ease an organ shortage so severe that more than 113,000 Americans linger on the transplant waiting list — and about 20 die each day. Part of the reason: An Associated Press analysis recently found some of the groups that collect organs at death secure donors at half the rate of others, missed opportunities that could have saved lives.
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| Kuwait forms new Cabinet after row by ruling family members Posted: 17 Dec 2019 05:38 AM PST ![Kuwait forms new Cabinet after row by ruling family members]( "Kuwait forms new Cabinet after row by ruling family members") Kuwait has formed a new government after the previous Cabinet was dissolved amid a dispute among powerful members of the country's ruling family, the Kuwait News Agency said Tuesday. The new Cabinet is led by Prime Minister Sabah al-Khalid Al Sabah, formerly the foreign minister in the previous government. Kuwait's ruling emir Sheikh Sabah Al Sabah had fired his son, Nasser Al Sabah, who was defense minister, and Khaled Al Sabah, who was interior minister and is also a member of the ruling family, after they publicly feuded over accusations of corruption.
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| Giuliani brags about forcing out Trump's Ukraine ambassador Posted: 17 Dec 2019 05:05 AM PST  Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal attorney, is now openly admitting that he pushed President Donald Trump to dismiss the former ambassador to Ukraine — a key factor in the Democrats' impeachment case against his boss. In a series of interviews ahead of Wednesday's historic impeachment vote by the House of Representatives, Giuliani bragged that he "forced" out Marie Yovanovitch and provided the president with information allegedly showing that she impeded investigations that could have benefited Trump politically. The admission from Giuliani, who does not work for the U.S. government, is the latest example of his highly unusual meddling in official diplomatic channels.
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| Egyptian officials unveil new archaeological finds Posted: 17 Dec 2019 04:56 AM PST  Archaeologists in Egypt have unveiled two new artifacts from antiquity, a rare statue of one of the country's most famous pharaohs and a diminutive ancient sphinx. Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the three-and-a-half-foot statue was crafted in a style that ancient Egyptians used to portray and capture an individual's essential nature, adding that it was the first such statue to be found fashioned from granite.
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| Airstrikes, shelling kill 16 in Syria's rebel-held areas Posted: 17 Dec 2019 04:49 AM PST  Airstrikes and artillery shelling killed at least 16 civilians — including six members of the same family — amid intensified violence in rebel-held areas of northwestern Syria, opposition activists said Tuesday. The bombardments hit three villages in Idlib province, Syria's last major rebel stronghold. Increased strikes targeting Idlib province in recent weeks seem to indicate that Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces are preparing for a ground offensive.
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| Assailants attack several protest camps across Lebanon Posted: 17 Dec 2019 04:31 AM PST  Assailants attacked several protest camps in north and south Lebanon early on Tuesday, according to state-run media, demolishing tents and burning down others as anger boiled over in the capital following a video deemed offensive to the country's Shiites. The violence — some of it apparently carried out by Hezbollah supporters and their allies — threatened to plunge Lebanon further into chaos amid two months of anti-government protests and a spiraling financial crisis. In Beirut, charred remains of several torched cars were scattered on a main avenue.
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| Deported Afghan man is likely father of 2 abandoned children Posted: 17 Dec 2019 04:21 AM PST ![Deported Afghan man is likely father of 2 abandoned children]( "Deported Afghan man is likely father of 2 abandoned children") Danish police believe a deported Afghan man is the father of two young children who were found abandoned on a busy street in Denmark's second-largest city. Police in the city of Aarhus said Tuesday that the 34-year-old man was deported after he allegedly committing a crime and that investigators were still looking for the children's mother. "Our suspicion is that (the mother) isn't in Denmark," Aarhus police spokesman Michael Kjeldgaard said.
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| The daily business briefing: December 17, 2019 Posted: 17 Dec 2019 04:15 AM PST ![The daily business briefing: December 17, 2019]( "The daily business briefing: December 17, 2019") 1.Boeing has decided to temporarily halt production of its 737 MAX jet, which has been grounded since March after the second of two fatal crashes. The accidents, which occurred in Indonesia and Ethiopia, killed 346 people. Boeing has continued to build the planes since the grounding, and now has a backlog of 400 of the aircraft with no planned date for the planes to return to the skies. Airlines and government officials expect the planes to be cleared to fly in February or later. Boeing is aiming to suspend production in January, although it has no immediate plan to lay off any of workers. Boeing's 737 assembly plant in Washington employs 12,000 people with thousands more jobs in its supply chain. [The Wall Street Journal] 2.Tyson Foods has received approval to export poultry to China from its 36 U.S. processing plants, Reuters reported Monday, citing a chief supply chain officer for the company. Beijing banned imports of U.S. poultry and eggs in January 2015 due to an avian flu outbreak. At the time, U.S. producers were selling about $500 million worth of poultry products to China annually. U.S. chicken producers have been hoping to get the sales going again since Beijing last month lifted a five-year ban on imports as the country seeks alternatives to pork after a deadly hog disease drove up prices. Sales of chicken feet, wing tips, and legs could boost U.S. agricultural exports to China, a priority for the Trump administration in its trade negotiations with Beijing. [Reuters] 3.U.S. stocks climbed to record highs on Monday, buoyed by rising optimism about a U.S.-China trade deal and strong economic data from China, the world's second largest economy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up by 0.4 percent, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq gained 0.7 percent and 0.9 percent, respectively. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq have set records in three straight days. The "phase one" U.S.-China trade deal came in time to head off new tariffs that would have affected consumer products, including Apple's iPhone. Apple shares rose by 1.7 percent, helping to lift the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq. Chipmakers also gained. U.S. stock index futures struggled for footing early Tuesday, fluctuating between slight gains and losses before the opening bell. [Reuters, CNBC] 4.Congressional negotiators on Monday unveiled a $1.37 trillion federal spending bill aiming to avert a partial government shutdown. Congress is expected to pass the compromise, with the House voting Tuesday and the Senate later in the week. The proposal includes $25 million for federal gun violence research, a 3.1 percent pay raise for civilian federal employees, and the repeal of several Affordable Care Act taxes, The Washington Post reports. President Trump's border wall will receive $1.375 billion in funding, but the administration will have the ability to take funds from other accounts. The legislation includes $7.6 billion in funding for the 2020 Census, $425 million in election security grants, and a $22 billion boost in Pentagon funding, while also increasing the age for purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 21. [The Washington Post] 5.European stocks retreated from record highs on Tuesday and the British pound fell by more than 1 percent due partly to renewed fears of a possible hard Brexit. The losses followed reports by local media that the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, newly strengthened by last week's election landslide, was preparing a bill that would rule out extending the transition period for the country's departure from the European Union past 2020. The U.K. is heading for a Jan. 31 departure from the EU. That would leave just 11 months to finalize terms under the new Brexit bill, raising the likelihood of a harder Brexit. [MarketWatch, CNBC]More stories from theweek.com How the fall of Elizabeth Warren has shaken up the 2020 race Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort hospitalized 6 powerful phrases every parent should use
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| Take our Republican party impeachment quiz Posted: 17 Dec 2019 03:15 AM PST  An anonymous source leaked me this hush-hush Republican document on impeachment – and it's a real shocker! Now that the House judiciary committee has approved the articles of impeachment against Donald Trump, Republicans have prepared a quiz meant to test Republican lawmakers' support for the president. Following are excerpts from the Republican quiz.1\. The term "high crimes and misdemeanors" in the US constitution's impeachment clause refers to:> A. Acts grossly incompatible with the proper function of the office of the presidency such as using the power of the office for personal gain, whether or not such acts are in violation of a specific criminal statute.> B. Conduct that satisfies Answer A, but that clearly also violates a criminal statute.> C. Bill Clinton> > D. Bill and/or Hillary Clinton2\. In creating the impeachment process, the founders meant to show:> A. No one is above the law, including the president.> > B. No one is above the law, but the president should get to decide that for himself.> > C. No one is above the law, but the president is the law, so where's the problem?> > D. This is a sad example of a hyper-partisan question drafted by witch-hunting haters.3\. President Trump's 25 July phone conversation with President Zelenskiy was> A. Manifestly unethical.> > B. Perfect.> > C. Not perfect, but pretty darn good.> > D. Quite problematic, but it didn't happen.> > E. Still better than his conversations with Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron, Boris Johnson and Justin Trudeau.4\. In withholding $400m in military aid to Ukraine appropriated by Congress, President Trump was:> A. Transparently trying to force the newly elected president of a fledgling democracy to participate in a corrupt act.> > B. Waiting for President Zelenskiy to visit him at the White House so he could hand him the aid in person.> > C. Punishing Congress for not being more generous to a faithful ally.> > D. Caught completely by surprise. It was Adam Schiff who secretly held up the aid.5\. The theory that Ukraine and not Russia was responsible for meddling in the 2016 election is:> A. Itself a bogus conspiracy theory concocted and spread by Russian intelligence, a fact made clear in Fiona Hill's disturbing testimony before the House intelligence committee.> > B. Hard to prove but also hard to disprove. Kind of like whether the Earth is round.> > C. Probably true, especially as we now know false things can be true.> > D. Flatly rejected by the CIA, FBI, NSA and the National Weather Service, and therefore indisputably true.6\. Democrats are seeking to impeach President Trump because:> A. He has acted in a manner that any unbiased lawmaker, reviewing the case without knowledge of the party affiliation of the president, would consider a textbook example of impeachable conduct.> > B. They know they can't beat him fair and square in an election marked by the systematic suppression of minority vote and yet more Russian interference.> > C. They're witch-hunting haters.> > D. The Ukrainian intelligence service told them to.7\. Consider the following scenario:A mobster pays a visit to a small jewelry store in a dangerous part of town, and says to the young store owner, "Word has it you were robbed last week. That's such a shame, a nice business like yours – robbed. So, I wanna offer you my help.""Gee," says the young store owner, "that's awfully generous of you.""Yeah, I'm a generous guy. So I'm gonna make sure nothing happens to you or your lovely store because there are some very bad people out there.""Thank you so much, how can I ever repay you?""Funny you should ask … It just so happens that you have a regular customer named Sleepy Joe.""Sure, I know Mr Joe.""Well, I want you to put up a little sign in your shop window that says 'Sleepy Joe is a shoplifter'.""But Mr Joe has never stolen from my store!""Listen, my friend, just put up the sign, you hear me? This is a tough neighborhood, a very tough neighborhood."Can the conduct described here be analogized to the president's conversation with the Ukrainian president?> A. Yes, because both supply classic examples of a shakedown in the form of a quid pro quo.> > B. No, because even if Sleepy Joe hasn't shoplifted in the past, he very well may in the near future.> > C. No, because there are very few jewelry shops in Ukraine.> > D. Yes, because both supply heartwarming examples of a leader acting altruistically to provide security while calling attention to criminal acts.8\. If the supreme court orders the president to release his tax returns, he should:> A. Obviously comply as that is what our system of constitutional governance requires.> > B. Comply, but only if Hunter Biden provides the White House with all his Snapchat photos from the last 10 years.> > C. Comply, but only if President Zelenskiy releases his tax returns.> > D. Create a supremer court to which he could appeal the supreme court's ruling.9\. As a GOP lawmaker, I would be prepared to support President Trump's impeachment, should evidence prove that:> A. The president clearly and indisputably withheld desperately needed military aid from an ally simply to extract dirt on a political rival to tilt an upcoming election.> > B. President Putin has turned Mr Trump into a cyborg-zombie-ventriloquist's dummy working for Russian intelligence.> > C. President Trump shot a person in cold blood on Fifth Avenue.> > D. 1, 2, and 3 and Trump's popularity among Republican voters slipped below 50%.> > E. No point even asking.Answer: 1. (C or D); 2. (B, C, or D); 3. (C, D, or E); 4. (D.); 5. (D); 6 (B or C); 7 (D); 8 (B or D); 9 (E).
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