| The orphans of Angola's secret massacre seek the truth Posted: 05 Sep 2020 04:00 PM PDT  In May 1977 a ruling party killed thousands, but the purge has been shrouded in mystery for decades.
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| North Korea may be prepping submarine-launched ballistic missile test, U.S. weapons experts warn Posted: 05 Sep 2020 02:15 PM PDT  U.S. weapons experts believe North Korea may be preparing to test a new strategic weapon system that would vastly expand Kim Jong Un's arsenal and defy President Donald Trump's threshold requirements for continued engagement with the U.S. The experts, led by Dr. Victor Cha of the Center for Strategic and International Studies "Beyond Parallel" website, have posted new and unusually clear satellite images taken Friday that show North Korea may be preparing its first submarine-launched ballistic missile test, potentially a major new development for the North.
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| North Korea may be prepping submarine-launched ballistic missile test, U.S. weapons experts warn Posted: 05 Sep 2020 02:15 PM PDT U.S. weapons experts say they believe North Korea may be preparing to test a new strategic weapon system that would vastly expand Kim Jong Un's arsenal and defy President Donald Trump's threshold requirements for continued engagement with the U.S. The experts, led by Dr. Victor Cha of the Center for Strategic and International Studies "Beyond Parallel" website, have posted new and unusually clear satellite images taken Friday that show North Korea may be preparing its first submarine-launched ballistic missile test, potentially a major new development for the North.
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| Israelis protest against PM as coronavirus infections spike Posted: 05 Sep 2020 01:22 PM PDT  Thousands of Israelis protested outside the official residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night, pressing ahead with a monthslong campaign demanding the embattled Israeli leader resign. The protest came as Israel is coping with record levels of coronavirus infections. Demonstrators have been protesting Netanyahu's handling of the coronavirus crisis, which has led to soaring unemployment, and they say he should step down while on trial for corruption charges.
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| 'We haven't had any proof yet': Trump refuses to condemn Russia over opposition leader Alexei Navalny's poisoning Posted: 05 Sep 2020 11:59 AM PDT  President Trump refused to condemn Russia after the poisoning of opposition leader and Putin critic, Alexei Navalny, saying: "We haven't had any proof yet."Mr Trump made the remarks during a press conference on Friday, saying that while the incident was "tragic", the press should focus on China over Russia.
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| Powerful Typhoon Haishen bears down on southern Japan Posted: 05 Sep 2020 11:08 AM PDT  Typhoon Haishen is bearing down on Japan and South Korea, and the storm's timing couldn't be worse. It will come on the heels of Typhoon Maysak, which made landfall in South Korea early Thursday, Sept. 3, local time.Haishen became the first super typhoon of the season in the western Pacific Ocean this past Friday, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Despite losing some wind intensity and no longer holding that status, Haishen remains a powerful and dangerous typhoon as it nears land.The Korean Peninsula is bracing for its third significant typhoon strike within a week's time following Maysak and Typhoon Bavi, which made landfall in North Korea on Aug. 27. Residents still recovering from those two powerful storms will have little time to prepare for Haishen. AccuWeather As of Saturday night, typhoon warnings were in place across the Ryukyu Islands and southwestern Kyushu as Haishen began to move over the region.Minamidaitojima, a small island in southern Japan, spent much of Saturday and Saturday night in the eye wall of Haishen and reported a wind gust of 185 km/h (115 mph).As of Saturday evening, local time, thousands of residents are without power across mainland Japan ahead of the arrival of the main impacts from Haishen.On Thursday, Japanese officials told residents to brace for impacts from the storm, urging many to evacuate their homes, reported the Japan Times. A satellite view of Typhoon Haishen bearing down on Japan during Saturday night, local time. (CIRA/RAMMB) "People in affected areas should not hesitate to evacuate their homes and find shelter, even though they may be worried about becoming infected with the new coronavirus," the official said.Ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Haishen, the search and rescue mission for missing sailors in the East China Sea has been temporarily suspended. Dozens of sailors have been missing since the middle of last week after a cargo ship carrying cattle capsized in the rough surf from Typhoon Maysak.CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APPTracking in an area of light wind shear and very warm ocean waters, Haishen surpassed Maysak as the strongest storm in the West Pacific so far this season. The former super typhoon was packing 10-minute sustained winds of 185 km/h (115 mph) as of Saturday night, local time. This is equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale."Haishen is expected to follow right behind Maysak and aim for southern Japan and the Korean Peninsula this weekend, bringing a second dose of tropical impacts," explained AccuWeather Lead International Meteorologist Jason Nicholls."This has the potential to be particularly devastating for some parts of southern Japan and South Korea as two strong typhoons, both the equivalent of major hurricanes in the Atlantic, could strike in almost the same spot in less than a week," AccuWeather Meteorologist Jake Sojda warned. AccuWeather "Any building or infrastructure that was weakened or sustained minor damage from Maysak could then be taken out by Haishen. There simply will not be enough time to repair and reinforce things," Sojda added.Areas expected to be at the greatest risk from Haishen will be from the northern Ryukyu Islands and southern Kyushu in Japan into southern and eastern South Korea. The well-defined eye of Haishen could be seen on satellite on Friday night, local time, after the storm strengthened into a super typhoon over the Philippine Sea. (CIRA/RAMMB) These areas could go through devastating impacts in terms of widespread power outages, flooding, mudslides and extensive wind damage.Haishen is expected to be the equivalent strength to that of a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale, while crossing southern Japan and a Category 3 equivalent typhoon when making landfall in South Korea. Wind gusts in excess of 160 km/h (100 mph) are expected in both of these areas. AccuWeather An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ wind gust of 240 km/h (150 mph) is possible and most likely across the northern Ryukyu Islands or the southern coast of Kyushu, dependent on the final track of Haishen.Widespread heavy rain will also fall across southern Japan, the Korean Peninsula and northeastern China. Rainfall from Haishen, in addition to the recent heavy rain from Maysak, could lead to significant and widespread flooding. AccuWeather Many areas along the path of the storm are expected to receive 100-200 mm (4-8 inches) of rain. An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 400 mm (16 inches) is possible across southern Japan.Coastal surge will exacerbate flooding across parts of Japan and South Korea. Busan, a port city along the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula, has been hit hard by flooding this year. If the track of Haishen wobbles farther west, strong onshore winds and heavy rain can once help floodwaters inundate the city.Because of these anticipated impacts, Haishen is expected to be a 4 on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Tropical Cyclones in Japan and a 4 in South Korea. The RealImpact™ Scale is a six-point scale with ratings of less-than-1 and 1 to 5. In comparison to the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale, which has been used by meteorologists for decades and classifies storms by wind speed only, the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale is based on a broad range of important factors. The scale covers not only wind speed, but also flooding rain, storm surge and economic damage and loss. This communicates a more comprehensive representation of the potential impact of a storm to lives and livelihoods.Widespread flooding across North Korea and China could lead to significant agricultural impacts and crop loss as the storm eyes these regions into the beginning of the week.North Korea is a country that relies heavily on agriculture, so the threat for widespread flooding may put a strain on the country's food supply.The West Pacific tropical season was suspiciously quiet earlier this summer, but has turned active and even record breaking through August and the beginning of September.Meteorologist Robert Speta, a Western Pacific weather expert, stated that Typhoon Haishen could rival Hurricane Laura, a storm that made landfall along the Louisiana coast in August, as the strongest storm on the planet in 2020 so far.In addition to becoming the strongest typhoon so far this year, Haishen is forecast to become the fifth named tropical system to make landfall in South Korea in 2020. Should this happen, the five landfalls would break the record number of landfalls in the country in a single year.According to Nicholls, Haishen would also be the fourth tropical system to impact the Korean Peninsula in the past 30 days, with each system stronger than the last.Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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| Exclusive: Leaked meeting notes show Boris Johnson said Trump was 'making America great again' Posted: 05 Sep 2020 10:12 AM PDT  Boris Johnson privately told US diplomats that Donald Trump was "making America great again", according to a cache of official notes taken during high-level UK-US meetings whose details have leaked to The Telegraph. The Prime Minister is quoted telling the US ambassador to Britain in August 2017, when he was foreign secretary, that Mr Trump was doing "fantastic stuff" on foreign policy issues like China, Syria and North Korea. Other records show Mr Johnson claimed the US president was becoming "increasingly popular" in Britain in 2017 and spoke warmly about how under his leadership America was "back and engaged in the world". Mr Johnson's praise for Mr Trump in private goes much further than he usually does in public, and is eye-catching given polls consistently show a majority of the British people disapprove of the US president. Its disclosure could see the Prime Minister get dragged into the US election campaign, with the president eager to tout overseas support and Democratic nominee Joe Biden already on-record once calling Mr Johnson a Trump "clone". The contemporaneous notes were taken by US officials during seven meetings and calls involving either the leader or top foreign minister of Britain or America. Additionally this newspaper has spoken to more than 20 people who saw the UK-US relationship up-close under Mr Trump, including from senior posts in the White House, Downing Street, Foreign Office and State Department. Taken together, they paint one of the most detailed pictures to date of how strained the 'special relationship' has been behind closed doors during Mr Trump's first term. It can also be reported: Mr Trump pushed back hard on Theresa May's pleas to expel Russian diplomats after the Skripal poisoning, saying "I would rather follow than lead" The US president wondered why there was so much "hatred" in Northern Ireland and asked Mrs May during a lunch why Mr Johnson was not prime minister Mr Johnson built close working relationships with Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, and adviser Stephen Miller, while forging ties with the Trump inner circle The president was at times "hectoring" towards Mrs May in "nightmare" phone calls and would ask other world leaders what they thought of her Mr Trump cancelled his planned first visit to Britain as president at the last minute over the schedule and scrapped a call with Mrs May due to a foreign policy clash. Since taking office in January 2017 Mr Trump has dealt with two prime ministers, first Mrs May until she stood down in July 2019 and then Mr Johnson, her successor. While his personal relationship with Mrs May was strained at times, he has developed a warmer bond with Mr Johnson, who he has called a friend and "Britain Trump". The information leaked to The Telegraph includes details of three conversations Mr Johnson had with senior US officials when foreign secretary, and shows how he praised Mr Trump away from the cameras. One meeting described in the notes saw Mr Johnson meet Woody Johnson, the then newly appointed US ambassador to the UK, in the Foreign Office on 29 August 2017.
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| Albania arrests woman wanted in Italy for terror conviction Posted: 05 Sep 2020 09:08 AM PDT |
| Charlie Hebdo, market attacks turned widow into fugitive Posted: 05 Sep 2020 08:50 AM PDT  The fugitive widow of the Islamic State killer who plotted attacks against the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper and a kosher market calls home to France once a year to catch up, her sisters testified, offering new details about one of the world's most wanted women. Hayat Boumeddiene is the only woman among 14 people being tried in French terrorism court for the January 7-9, 2015, attacks that left 17 people dead along with all three attackers, including her husband. Boumeddiene left for Syria a few days before the attacks.
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| Exclusive: Russia’s aggression against its neighbours and the West 'risks a new Cold War' Posted: 05 Sep 2020 08:17 AM PDT  Russia's aggression towards its neighbours and the West risks a new Cold War, Nato's Secretary General has warned. In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph following the disclosure that Russia's opposition leader had been poisoned with Novichok, Jens Stoltenberg warned that Moscow's behaviour and attempt to establish a new "sphere of influence ... requires a response from Nato". "We don't want a new Cold War, we don't want a new arms race, but at the same time we have to make sure that we are adapting as the world is changing," Mr Stoltenberg said. "So we are responding to what Russia is doing." Mr Stoltenberg first learned of the probability that Alexei Nalvany had been poisoned with a chemical weapon in a private briefing with Angela Merkel a week before the German Chancellor announced the findings to the world.
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| Former FBI agent says Russia held back in 2016 election interference Posted: 05 Sep 2020 08:17 AM PDT  Peter Strzok hasn't been an employee of the FBI since 2018 when he was fired for sending text messages critical of President Trump during the bureau's investigation into 2016 Russian election interference, but he remains concerned about Moscow's ability to influence the upcoming presidential contest, Politico reports.Strzok, who has a new book about the Crossfire Hurricane investigation coming out next week, told Politico that classified intelligence he saw in 2016 suggested Russia did not leave it all on the table in 2016, and he subsequently suspects the Kremlin hasn't been resting on its laurels since then. "We knew there was information and techniques and means of attacks that they could have used that they chose not to, or for whatever reason didn't do, in 2016," Strzok said. "So not only did they hold back, but they then had several years to refine those techniques and gather more information that I think they can use both in the runup, during, and after the election, to throw into doubt any number of things."It remains to be seen if, how, or to what extent Russia will affect the November election, but U.S. intelligence has expressed concern that Moscow and other governments, including China and Iran, are attempting to sway the vote in some capacity. Read more at Politico.More stories from theweek.com 2020 Kentucky Derby horse names, ranked Fox News journalist Trump wants fired over reports on his alleged U.S. troops insults: 'My sources are unimpeachable' John Bolton 'didn't hear' Trump's reported comments disparaging troops but says they're not out of character
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| Voting in person Nov. 3? Expect drive-thrus, sports arenas Posted: 05 Sep 2020 08:02 AM PDT  States are turning to stadiums, drive-thrus and possibly even movie theaters as safe options for in-person polling places amid the coronavirus pandemic and fears about mail-in ballots failing to arrive in time to count. The primary season brought voters to an outdoor wedding-style tent in Vermont and the state fairgrounds in Kentucky. The general election on Nov. 3 is expected to include voting at NBA arenas around the country, part of an agreement owners made with players to combat racial injustice.
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| NY attorney general to form grand jury after Prude death Posted: 05 Sep 2020 07:35 AM PDT  New York's attorney general on Saturday moved to form a grand jury to investigate the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died after being hooded and held down by Rochester police earlier this year. "The Prude family and the Rochester community have been through great pain and anguish," Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement about Prude's death, which has sparked nightly protests and calls for reform. Prude's death after his brother called for help for his erratic behavior in March has roiled New York's third-largest city since video of the encounter was made public earlier this week, with protesters demanding more accountability for how it happened and legislation to change how authorities respond to mental health emergencies.
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| Colleges using COVID dorms, quarantines to keep virus at bay Posted: 05 Sep 2020 06:54 AM PDT  With the coronavirus spreading through colleges at alarming rates, universities are scrambling to find quarantine locations in dormitory buildings and off-campus properties to isolate the thousands of students who have caught COVID-19 or been exposed to it. Sacred Heart University has converted a 34-room guest house at the former Connecticut headquarters of General Electric to quarantine students. The University of South Carolina ran out of space at a dormitory for quarantined students and began sending them to rooms it rented in hotel-like quarters at a training center for prosecutors.
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| Harris' mostly virtual campaign to get Wisconsin road test Posted: 05 Sep 2020 06:40 AM PDT  Kamala Harris told a friendly crowd of Hollywood donors on Thursday they'd be surprised by how many states she's visiting daily, if only virtually. Harris hasn't been on a plane in more than a month. Three weeks after joining Joe Biden as the Democratic vice presidential nominee, the California senator is still campaigning largely in front of a computer screen to relatively small audiences.
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| No payoff: Summer without fairs leaves farm kids heartbroken Posted: 05 Sep 2020 06:07 AM PDT  Well before the sun rises and then again after school, Arrissa Swails feeds and waters her goats, fancy chickens and three dairy cows. This week, she'd be parading her livestock at the Hancock County Fair, hoping to win a grand champion ribbon during her last turn in the show ring. Not many county or state fairs in the U.S. are continuing on without major changes, about 80% have been called off or drastically scaled down by eliminating carnival rides, concerts and tractor pulls, according to the International Association of Fairs and Expositions.
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| AP FACT CHECK: Trump on McCain; Biden's stretch on virus Posted: 05 Sep 2020 05:44 AM PDT  President Donald Trump said he never called John McCain a loser — he did — and denigrated the record of the late Republican senator on veterans affairs despite routinely appropriating one of McCain's crowning achievements on that front as his own. Trump distorted events in Kenosha, Wisconsin, over the past week and his own hand in them before a furor over his reported comments on fallen soldiers diverted his rhetoric. Democratic rival Joe Biden claimed to have been the first person to have called for the use of emergency production powers in the pandemic, when he was not, and he tried to shed light on the history of the incandescent bulb, but was a bit hazy.
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| Grandeur or grandstanding: what is Emmanuel Macron up to in the Middle East? Posted: 05 Sep 2020 05:30 AM PDT  President Emmanuel Macron embarked on a high-stakes, headline-grabbing tour in the Middle East this week that has prompted claims France is seeking to re-activate its once-mighty "Arab policy". Just as France relived the trauma of the al Qaeda-inspired Charlie Hebdo 2015 attack with the opening of the trial of alleged accomplices in Paris, Mr Macron descended on Lebanon's capital, Beirut. In his second visit in a month following the gigantic explosion that killed 190 and destroyed half the city, he wrested a promise from Lebanon's discredited political class to conduct lightning reforms or face a funding drought or, worse, targeted sanctions. The 42-year-old then went on to pay a whirlwind, three-hour visit to Iraq, where he urged the battle-scarred country to assert its "sovereignty" in the face of US-Iran tensions and an increasingly intrusive Turkey. The back-to-back visits prompted Le Parisien to headline: "Macron kick starts France's Arab policy."
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| 'World's loneliest elephant' okayed to quit zoo for new life Posted: 05 Sep 2020 05:11 AM PDT  An elephant who has become a cause celebre for animal rights activists around the world will be allowed to leave his Pakistani zoo and transferred to better conditions, the animal welfare group helping with the case said Saturday. Dubbed the 'world's loneliest elephant' by his supporters, Kaavan has languished at a zoo in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad for more than 35 years. Martin Bauer, a spokesman for Four Paws, said the elephant has been finally given medical approval to travel, most likely to Cambodia, where he will find companionship and better conditions.
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| Niger mass graves: Army accused of executing over 70 civilians Posted: 05 Sep 2020 04:54 AM PDT  Niger's human rights commission has said the killings happened during counterinsurgency operations.
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| Coronavirus: Is the rate of growth in Africa slowing down? Posted: 05 Sep 2020 04:45 AM PDT  The overall rate of increase may be changing, but there have still been sharp rises in some countries.
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| Sudan declares state of emergency over deadly floods Posted: 05 Sep 2020 04:33 AM PDT  Sudanese authorities declared their country a natural disaster area and imposed a three-month state of emergency across the country after rising floodwaters and heavy rainfall killed around 100 people and inundated over 100,000 houses since late July. Flooding caused by seasonal heavy rainfall, mostly in neighboring Ethiopia, led the Nile River to rise about 17.5 meters late in August, the highest level it has reached in about a century according to the Sudanese Irrigation Ministry. The ministry said water levels of the Blue Nile are higher than the 1988 flood levels that destroyed tens of thousands of homes in several parts of Sudan and displaced over one million people.
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| Ex-FBI agent: Attacks from Trump 'outrageous' and 'cruel' Posted: 05 Sep 2020 03:00 AM PDT  Peter Strzok spent his FBI career hunting Russian and Chinese spies, but after news broke of derogatory text messages he had sent about President Donald Trump, he came to feel like he was the one being hunted. FBI security experts advised him of best practices — walk around your car before entering, watch for unfamiliar vehicles in your neighborhood — more commonly associated with mob targets looking to elude detection. A new book by Strzok traces his arc from veteran counterintelligence agent to the man who came to embody Trump's public scorn of FBI and his characterization of its Russia investigation as a "witch hunt."
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| As Africa's COVID-19 cases rise, faith is put to the test Posted: 05 Sep 2020 01:05 AM PDT  The COVID-19 pandemic is testing the patience of some religious leaders across Africa who worry they will lose followers, and funding, as restrictions on gatherings continue. "Uganda is a God-fearing nation but, unfortunately, due to the lockdown, the citizens of our great country cannot gather to seek God's intervention," Betty Ochan, leader of the opposition in Uganda's national assembly, recently wrote in the local Daily Monitor newspaper. From Nigeria to Zimbabwe, people are speaking out — or sneaking out to worship — as they argue that limits on religion could lead to a crisis of faith.
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| Iran begins new school year amid virus concerns Posted: 05 Sep 2020 12:24 AM PDT  Iran on Saturday opened the new school year after nearly seven months of closure. In a video conference, President Hassan Rouhani said the education of 15 million students is as important as the health system. "Education will not be closed in our country even under the worst situation," he said, urging authorities to implement health measures in schools to the level of those in military garrisons.
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| UN chief warns of famine risk in 4 countries Posted: 04 Sep 2020 11:40 PM PDT  U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that there is a risk of famine and widespread food insecurity in four countries affected by conflict — Congo, Yemen, northeast Nigeria and South Sudan — and the lives of millions of people are in danger. In a note to Security Council members obtained by The Associated Press on Friday, the U.N. chief said the four countries rank "among the largest food crises in the world," according to the 2020 Global Report on Food Crises and recent food security analyses. "Action is needed now," Guterres said.
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| Spanish doctors hope beach trips can help ICU virus patients Posted: 04 Sep 2020 11:27 PM PDT  After nearly two months of being sedated and connected to IV lines in a hospital's intensive care unit, Francisco Espana took a moment to fill his ailing lungs with fresh air at a Barcelona beachfront. Lying on a hospital bed at the beach promenade and surrounded by a doctor and three nurses who constantly monitored his vital signs, Espana briefly closed his eyes and absorbed as much sunshine as possible. A medical team at the Hospital del Mar — the Hospital of the Seas — is seeing if short trips to the beach just across the street can help COVID-19 patients after long and sometimes traumatic ICU stays.
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| Marijuana Is Making Its Mark on Ballots in Red States Posted: 04 Sep 2020 09:43 PM PDT  By Justin Franz, Kaiser Health NewsWhen Tamarack Dispensary opened in the northwestern Montana city of Kalispell in 2009, medical marijuana was legal but still operating on the fringes of the conservative community.Times have changed. Owner Erin Bolster no longer receives surprised or puzzled looks when she tells people what she does. Now, her business sponsors community events and was recently nominated as a top marijuana provider by a local newspaper."We've become a normal part of the community, and it feels good that the community has finally accepted us," Bolster said.How far that acceptance goes will be tested when voters in Montana and a handful of other states this fall decide whether to legalize recreational or medical marijuana. Five of the six states with ballot questions lean conservative and are largely rural, and the results may signal how far America's heartland has come toward accepting the use of a substance that federal law still considers an illegal and dangerous drug.Since Colorado first allowed recreational use of marijuana in 2014, 10 other states have done the same. Most are coastal, left-leaning states, with exceptions like Nevada, Alaska and Maine. An additional 21 states allow medical marijuana, which must be prescribed by a physician.Trump Is Petrified That Pro-Weed Forces Will Roast HimThis year, marijuana advocates are using the November elections to bypass Republican-led legislatures that have opposed legalization efforts, taking the question straight to voters.Advocates point to a high number of petition signatures and their own internal polling as indicators that the odds of at least some of the measures passing are good.One unknown is what role the pandemic will play in the marijuana measures' fate. Demand for marijuana appears to be rising with people feeling stressed and isolated by COVID-19 lockdown measures, according to a United Nations report on the implications of COVID policies on drug manufacturing, distribution and use. That increased use could work in advocates' favor.Mississippi and Nebraska voters will decide on medical marijuana measures.South Dakota will be the first state to vote on legalizing both recreational and medical marijuana in the same election.Montana, Arizona and New Jersey, all medical marijuana states, will consider ballot measures in November to allow recreational sales, a move opponents consider evidence of a slippery slope."This is how all these states have gotten recreational marijuana. They start with medical," said Ed Langton, a member of the Mississippi Board of Health, who opposes his state's legalization efforts.If all or most of the ballot questions pass, that will leave only a handful of states that have not legalized marijuana in some way, potentially putting pressure on federal lawmakers to change national policy. For now, growers and sellers can't use banks or credit cards or export their products.A Brief Global History of the War on WeedThe Marijuana Policy Project is helping to coordinate the Montana legalization effort. Its deputy director, Matthew Schweich, said the organization does so only when polling suggests at least half of voters would support the measure."It's becoming normalized for people," Schweich said. "People know that other states are legalizing it and the sky has not fallen."An effort to legalize marijuana in rural, conservative states would have been an uphill battle even a few years ago. But several factors have worked toward changing attitudes there, Schweich said.They include a gradually increasing acceptance in red states of neighbors that have legalized recreational pot—and seeing the tax revenue that legal marijuana brings. But perhaps the biggest catalyst toward normalizing pot use is having an established medical marijuana program, Schweich said.After 15 years, Montana's medical cannabis program is firmly rooted and has survived several legislative attempts to restrict it or shut it down. According to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, more than 500 marijuana providers were serving 38,385 people as of July, which represents nearly 4 percent of the state's population.A survey conducted by the University of Montana earlier this year found that 54 percent of respondents thought marijuana should be legalized for recreational use, up from 5 percent the year before. Six years earlier, a Montana State University-Billings poll found that 60% of residents were against legalization.Changing attitudes could also stem from states' changing demographics. An analysis of census data by the Montana Free Press in 2019 found that 53 percent of Montanans 25 and older were born outside the state.Among them is Brandon Powers, who moved to Montana from Missouri last year. Powers supports legalization and believes its passage will depend largely on who turns out."If people like me dominate the polls, then it will pass. But if people like my neighbor who thinks 'the [marijuana] they have today is just too powerful' dominate the polls, then it will fail," he said.In Mississippi, 20 medical marijuana bills have failed over the years in the Statehouse. This year, 228,000 state residents signed petitions in support of a medical marijuana initiative to allow possession of up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana to treat more than 20 qualifying medical conditions.In response, lawmakers put a competing measure on the ballot that would restrict marijuana use to terminally ill patients and require them to use only pharmaceutical-grade marijuana products.Jamie Grantham, spokesperson for Mississippians for Compassionate Care, called the measure an effort by the state to split the vote and derail legalization efforts."I'm passionate about this because it's a plant that God made and it can provide relief for those who are suffering," said Grantham, who described herself as a conservative Republican. "If this is something that can be used to help relieve someone's pain, then they should be able to use it."But opposition is starting to build. Langton, the Mississippi Board of Health member, is working with Mississippi Horizon, a group fighting legalization. Langton said he opposes the original initiative because he believes it's "overly broad" and would allow dispensaries within 500 feet of schools and churches. It could also put Mississippi on a path toward legalized recreational use, he said.He added: "They say that marijuana is a natural plant, but poison ivy is natural, too. Just because something is natural doesn't mean it is good for you." KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) that is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| How Donald Trump Helped Kneecap the Robert Mueller of Latin America Posted: 04 Sep 2020 09:37 PM PDT  This story was produced by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit news organization. Get their investigations emailed to you directly by signing up at revealnews.org/newsletter.A crusading anti-corruption prosecutor, both U.S. presidential candidates, forged passports, the relocation of an embassy to Jerusalem and accusations of collaboration with Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime. This is the story of how the Trump administration turned the United States' relationship with Guatemala upside down.At the center of the story is an alleged quid pro quo between Donald Trump and Jimmy Morales, a former television comedian who was elected president of Guatemala.The man making the allegation: Iván Velásquez, a relentless Colombian prosecutor whom many call the Robert Mueller of Latin America. He's known for jailing presidents and paramilitaries–and he had the backing of the United Nations and then-Vice President Joe Biden when he took on the challenge of rooting out corruption in Guatemala.But Velásquez met his match when he took on Morales, and Trump backed up Morales."Look what happened in reality. It's a transaction where both parties seek to win something," Velásquez told Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting. "You help us by ending this persecution … and we will help you."Like the alleged Ukraine quid pro quo that sparked Trump's impeachment last year, the details can appear confusing–but ultimately, Velásquez says, the exchange was simple: Trump withdrew U.S. support for an international anti-corruption force that was investigating Morales and his family. Morales offered Guatemala's material support for policies at the heart of Trump's re-election bid.Velásquez's anti-corruption force "was a bargaining chip," a senior policy adviser in the State Department told Reveal. He said he had no direct evidence of a quid pro quo. But the commission "was clearly something Morales wanted to get rid of, and we were happy to oblige by not backing it, supporting it when it needed us most." The key for the administration was securing Morales' support for policies intended to keep Central Americans from arriving at the U.S. border, the official said. "Nothing mattered except stopping brown people from coming into this country," the adviser said. "All of our other policies were just subordinate to that goal."The turn of events served up political wins for both Morales and Trump.But in Guatemala, the impact of the end of the anti-corruption force has been undeniable, a collapse of the rule of law reminiscent of the bad old days when military strongmen ruled.It fed into a feeling that many Guatemalans have felt for generations, that the only way to a better future is to leave and find it elsewhere. So despite Trump's harsh immigration policies, record numbers of desperate migrants fled the country for the U.S. border, until the COVID-19 pandemic locked down the globe.Morales' former presidential spokesperson Alfredo Brito declined to comment for this story, and the State Department and White House did not respond to multiple inquiries.* * *Our story begins in 2013. That's the year Iván Velásquez was put in charge of a special United Nations body called the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, better known by its Spanish acronym, CICIG.The U.N. and Guatemalan government, with the backing of the U.S., set up the commission to root out corruption in Guatemala, after decades of civil war and military rule left 200,000 dead, the vast majority of whom were Indigenous Maya, and the nation's civil and political systems in tatters. CICIG was a revolutionary development– a rare case in which a country invited in an outside force to help make its society more equitable. The commission created court systems in rural communities, sought to root out bribery in hospitals and brought embezzlement charges against high-ranking members of the former military junta. "It was a stellar example of what works," said Stephen Rapp, a former U.N prosecutor who served as U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues under President Barack Obama. As head of CICIG, Velásquez would be a powerful figure. He could investigate anyone, even the president, and could bring charges in Guatemalan court with the cooperation of Guatemala's aggressive chief prosecutor, Thelma Aldana–much like a special counsel does in the United States. At the time, Velásquez, now 65, was already a towering figure in Latin America. After probing allegations of torture and extrajudicial killings in his hometown of Medellín, Colombia, the tall, bearded prosecutor went to work for the Colombian Supreme Court, where he investigated 139 members of Congress for their links to paramilitaries. The so-called "parapolitica" scandal ultimately led to the convictions of seven governors and 60 members of Congress. Some of the closest aides to former President Álvaro Uribe, Uribe's cousin and the director of state security police were thrown in prison, and the intelligence agency was dismantled.Velásquez had stepped away from public life and was lecturing at universities when the U.N. called about the Guatemala posting. "I thought it would be an interesting experience," he told Reveal. It would be more interesting than he expected.* * *When Velásquez arrived in Guatemala, the fight against corruption already was tied up with the issue of outmigration to the United States. By the summer of 2014, more than 50,000 unaccompanied children had arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border, most of them from Central America. Calling it an "urgent humanitarian situation," Obama turned to his most trusted lieutenant: Vice President Joe Biden.Biden flew to Guatemala, posed for photographs with then-President Otto Pérez Molina and drew a straight line between migration and corruption. "We have to deal with immigration, but also the root causes," he said later, while pushing for an aid package to Central America that ultimately would send more than $1 billion to Guatemala over five years. The money, Biden said, would go to help farmers and small businesses and professionalize the police, improving conditions so that Guatemalans would stay in their country and not end up at the U.S. border. But that would work only if the Guatemalan government ensured equal opportunity for everyone. If only those close to the ruling elite could start a business, file a land claim or receive medical care, then families–even unaccompanied children–would continue to flee the country. So, Biden said, the help came with strings attached. "I made it clear that U.S. funding for Guatemala hinged on CICIG being allowed to continue its work," Biden wrote after leaving office.In the years to come, Biden would prove to be a huge supporter of CICIG. What he might not have predicted was that one of Velásquez's first targets would be the Guatemalan president with whom he'd just shaken hands."Justice is not only for the dispossessed," Velásquez likes to say. For citizens to believe in the rule of law, they must see it also applied to people in power. When evidence surfaced that Pérez Molina was involved in a multimillion-dollar customs fraud ring at the airport, Velásquez authorized wiretaps that led to bribery and fraud charges. Just one year after Biden's visit, Pérez Molina landed in prison. The former president is still in prison awaiting trial today. To Rapp, the former ambassador on war crime issues, the Guatemalan president was a case well chosen. Before the peace accords, as a senior military officer, Pérez Molina was implicated in the scorched-earth policies of dictator Efraín Ríos Montt in the 1980s. But those older alleged crimes were not part of CICIG's purview. "I'm a great fan of the Al Capone approach," Rapp said, referring to the American gangster who eventually was imprisoned for tax evasion. "I'd much prefer to get them for the worst thing they did, but either way, impunity has ended."* * *With Pérez Molina behind bars, Guatemala held new elections, giving rise to a political figure whom many have compared to Donald Trump.Jimmy Morales was a television comedian famous for his crude and racist humor.On almost every episode of his weekly show, Morales appeared in blackface or brownface. One episode opens with Morales on a flying carpet, and in the space of a single minute, he makes fun of Black people and blind people and makes a joke about female anatomy.Like Trump, Morales also positioned himself as a reformer. While Trump pledged to drain the swamp, Morales' campaign slogan was "Ni corrupto, ni ladron"–"neither corrupt, nor a thief."That slogan not only convinced the Guatemalan electorate, but it also drew plaudits from Washington. When Morales was sworn in to office Jan. 15, 2016, Biden returned to Guatemala to attend. Morales met him on the tarmac, and the two leaders later sat in heavy armchairs just a few feet apart at the InterContinental hotel in Guatemala City. The mood was congratulatory. "I want to compliment you on your head-on commitment to take on corruption in your country," Biden told Morales, announcing another U.S. aid package. "We are all in."The U.S. money kept flowing. A year later, in January 2017, just a few days before Obama and Biden left office, Velásquez was photographed holding an oversized check to the anti-corruption commission, made out by the U.S. Embassy, for $7.5 million. "I also believed that he could have good intentions," Velásquez said of Morales. "But I, too, was fooled."* * *Velásquez's relationship with Morales started to unravel over breakfasts.Velásquez was investigating a case of fraud in which someone charged the government about $12,000 for 564 breakfasts that were never served. As the probe unfolded, some familiar names turned up, including one of the president's sons, Jose Manuel Morales, and the president's older brother, Sammy, a close adviser. So Velásquez reached out to the president."I told the president, 'Did you hear about this investigation?' " he recalls. "'Your son's name appeared and it seems he has committed fraud.'" Velásquez says he told Morales that his son should stand before a judge. "But my son is studying in the U.S.," Morales responded, according to Velásquez. "Should he come back?""Yes," Velásquez replied, he should.It wasn't a lot of money, but for Velásquez, that wasn't the point. To end the culture of impunity, there had to be equal justice for everyone. "In this country, what we have known and seen is that justice does not reach the powerful," he told Reveal.On Jan. 18, 2017, two days before Trump was sworn in as president, Velásquez and Aldana had Sammy Morales and Jose Manuel Morales arrested for fraud.Both proclaimed their innocence. In a recent interview, Sammy Morales claimed Velásquez was "only interested in publicity." "He sent a SWAT team to my home," he said. "He made a scandal over $11,000."The president stood by Velásquez and CICIG. "The support to my family is 100 percent," he said. "My respect for the law, as a citizen and president, is also 100 percent."What Jimmy Morales didn't know at the time was that Velásquez also was investigating Morales himself.On Aug. 25, 2017, Velásquez joined with Aldana in asking the Supreme Court to strip Morales of his presidential immunity. The prosecutors said they identified at least $825,000 in illicit, anonymous contributions to Morales' presidential campaign–and they wanted him to stand trial.* * *Morales lashed out. He took to Twitter and, in a video message, declared Iván Velásquez "persona non grata" and ordered him expelled from the country. "With that decision, the masks came off," Velásquez said. "Everyone was who they really were."Velásquez refused to leave the country, and thousands of people took to the streets to support him. Guatemalans young and old–grandmas and students–clamored outside the presidential palace, banging drums and carrying signs. They were worried that without Velásquez, the country would return to an era in which the powerful could do anything, even kill people, and get away with it.Morales found himself increasingly isolated. Several members of his cabinet–including the foreign minister–were forced out or resigned after declining to implement the expulsion order. Guatemala's constitutional court, the United Nations and the U.S. government all sided with Velásquez, too. Eventually, Morales backed down. But a few weeks later, there was another blow. After the Supreme Court ruled that Morales could be prosecuted, the Guatemalan Congress stepped in, and by a margin of 2 to 1, lawmakers voted to shield Morales from prosecution. Lawmakers also voted by an equally large margin to protect themselves, passing a new law exempting members of Congress from prosecution for campaign finance violations. According to The Wall Street Journal, senior members of the country's two largest political parties also faced potential prosecution from CICIG.The commission would be able to continue its other anti-corruption work, but high-ranking government officials now would be off-limits. It was an uneasy stalemate. And it wouldn't last.* * *Donald Trump's election fundamentally changed U.S. foreign policy toward Latin America. Gone were Joe Biden and his commitment to address the "root causes" of immigration, such as poverty and corruption. In its place was Trump's promise to build a "big, beautiful wall" at the border to halt Central American migration altogether. Those who were able to get past border agents were to be detained, separated from family and deported.Those harsh policies cast a pall over relations between the U.S. and many Latin American leaders. But Jimmy Morales held his fire, instead cultivating political ties with Trump.In December 2017, three months after Morales' failed attempt to oust Velásquez, an opportunity opened up. Trump announced that he would be moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a maneuver that regional experts said could undermine prospects for a peace settlement, as both the Israelis and Palestinians claim the holy city as their capital. The U.N. General Assembly voted 128 to 9 to condemn the move, with Guatemala joining the dissent. Moving the U.S. Embassy had been a key campaign promise from Trump to his Christian right base, but the decision left him isolated on the world stage, the only nation to take this provocative step. That is, until Christmas Eve, when Morales, an evangelical Christian himself, delivered a holiday gift. He, too, would move his country's embassy to Jerusalem, he announced on Facebook. The decision "was immediately seen as an effort to curry favor with Mr. Trump," The New York Times reported. "Moving the Guatemalan Embassy to Jerusalem sends a message," Velásquez said. "It tells President Trump: 'Whatever you need, we are at your disposal.' " Morales started to make more regular visits to Washington, beginning with the National Prayer Breakfast.The two leaders chatted together at the Washington Hilton before the early February event. The White House said Trump thanked Morales for moving his country's embassy and talked about "Guatemala's underlying challenges to security and prosperity." According to Velásquez, the two world leaders may have also bonded over their shared distaste of overzealous prosecutors: "You have Robert Mueller in the United States. I suffer the persecution of Iván Velásquez in Guatemala," Velásquez said. "We share the same problem. Get CICIG out. And if you can't do that – get Velásquez out!" * * *Following that meeting, the U.S. posture toward the anti-corruption commission changed.A few weeks later, Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, paid Velásquez a visit. In front of the cameras, she expressed support for the commission's work, but in her meeting with Velásquez, he recalls, she told him to tone it down. Stop bragging that you're more popular than the government, she said, and get rid of promotional material, such as "I love CICIG" bumper stickers.Haley wanted him to be "completely anonymous," Velásquez said. He described Haley's visit as "a clear expression of support for President Morales." Haley did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Within days of Haley's return from Guatemala, she and Morales appeared in Washington at the annual convention of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the nation's largest pro-Israel lobby."God bless Guatemala," she declared to thunderous cheers. "They even joined us in moving their embassy to Jerusalem!"Still, Velásquez pressed ahead in his case against Morales, attending a press conference the following month in which the president was accused of accepting illegal campaign contributions from food, cement and financial services companies.Despite Morales' close relationship with the Trump administration, the commission's U.S. funding was secure thanks to broad support in Congress. But that support was about to collapse.* * *In March, right before the coronavirus shut down much of the country, we traveled to a small coffee shop in a fogged-in section of San Francisco, about a mile from the Golden Gate Bridge. We were there to meet a foreign agent, David Landau, the American frontman for a dark money organization – one of several groups that had lobbied the Trump administration and Congress to pull U.S. support for Iván Velásquez and the commission he ran. In December 2017, Landau had filed paperwork with the Justice Department as the director of the Association for the Rule of Law in Central America under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.Landau, a 70-year-old Harvard graduate who claims to have written "the most authoritative book on Henry Kissinger," boasts of long-standing friendships with many anti-Castro Cubans. For years, he ran a small money-losing publishing house for anti-Communist authors. Now, he volunteers his time editing a conservative website focused on Guatemala. When we arrived, Landau greeted us kindly and treated us to vegan cookies. But he was cagey when we asked for details of the lobbying campaign he helped orchestrate in Washington against Velásquez and the commission."I was helping the funders of this activity," he said, "but it really wouldn't be responsible for me to say who they were."When it came to his own role in the lobby group, he was equally vague. "The fact is, I happen to be the one with an American address, post office box, whatever it was," was all Landau would offer.Landau was forthright on their goal, however: "We wanted CICIG out," he said. And he lit up when he described the family of Russian multimillionaires who played a key role in Velásquez's undoing.* * *The Bitkovs were a family of Russian tycoons who had made their wealth in the timber industry. But when a powerful government-linked bank went after them for embezzlement, they fled, arriving in Guatemala in 2009. Then they bought fake passports, falsified identity cards and assumed new Guatemalan identities.For Velásquez, this was just another case of the rich buying justice. Working with Guatemalan prosecutors, he threw the book at dozens of foreign nationals who had used false documents to obtain entry through a criminal network in Guatemala's passport office. Three members of the Bitkov family were charged with identity fraud, and in January 2018, they each were sentenced to more than a decade in prison, with the father, businessman Igor Bitkov, getting 19 years. As far as Velásquez was concerned, the case was another front in his wide-ranging campaign against corruption. But Landau and his lobby group saw an opportunity – and quickly turned the case into an international cause célèbre."He was working with Vladimir Putin," Landau claimed of Velásquez, without providing evidence. "He took money from Vladimir Putin. He made a deal with Vladimir Putin."CICIG never received any funding from Russia, and no evidence of ties with Russia has emerged. Velásquez denies any relationship and notes that Russia was opposed to the commission. "I have never been to Russia. I don't have any relationship with Russians, CICIG has never received a cent from Russia, and I don't know Vladimir Putin," he told Reveal. Yet Landau's baseless narrative moved into the mainstream with a series of columns in The Wall Street Journal. Influential lawmakers, including Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, began to ask questions. And in April 2018, an open discussion of pulling CICIG's funding began in the halls of Congress.On April 27, 2018, while Morales and Trump were bonding over Israel, the Helsinki Commission, a special congressional body set up during the Cold War, convened a hearing. Rep. Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican, co-chaired the hearing, titled, "The Long Arm of Injustice: Did a U.N. Commission Founded to Fight Corruption Help the Kremlin Destroy a Russian Family?" In his opening statement, Smith declared that the sentences given to the Bitkovs were "harsher than sentences given to rapists and to murderers.""More shocking, the facts of the case strongly indicate … that CICIG acted as the Kremlin's operational agent in brutalizing and tormenting the Bitkov family," he said.Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas piled on, making a link between Velásquez's prosecution of the Bitkovs and Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election."I think the important point for the world to hear is that Russia acts as an international thug," she said. "We have to say to the Russian government, the intelligence agency, Vladimir Putin, that enough is enough in thuggery. So I hope that we will pursue this."Velásquez declined to appear at the hearing, saying it would have been inappropriate for him, as a United Nations official, to testify. Velásquez told Reveal that he continued to press the case, despite immense pressure from Washington, because he saw it as important to defend "the prosecutors of Guatemala, the judges of Guatemala who have made these decisions." Yet the narrative solidified and congressional support for CICIG withered.A week after the hearing, Rubio put a hold on the commission's funding, saying he wouldn't allow it to be released "until we have clear answers on its role in the mistreatment of the Bitkov family.""I am concerned that CICIG, a commission mostly funded by the United States, has been manipulated and used by radical elements and Russia's campaign against the Bitkov family," he announced. CICIG, Rubio said, was established "to prosecute official corruption and human rights abuses, not to participate in it."The Bitkovs were released on bail that summer after Guatemala's constitutional court vacated their sentences, sending the case back to a lower court. As of publication, the legal saga continues.Its work done, David Landau's organization terminated its lobbying contract at the end of that month.* * *On Aug. 31, 2018, Velásquez turned on the TV. Cameras showed Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales entering a hall flanked by 50 military officers standing at attention. Many in Guatemala worried it was the end of democracy – a military coup – but Morales was there to announce CICIG's expulsion. The commission, he said, was guilty of sowing "judicial terror." Tanks circled the CICIG office, along with a dozen jeeps with mounted artillery that were provided by the U.S. military patrol to fight drug trafficking.All of this shook Guatemalan society to the bone – a dark reminder of the civil war and military rule. "Guatemala is a country that suffered decades of military dictatorship and merciless repression," Velásquez told Reveal. "The dictatorship killed an entire generation of intellectuals. There was a genocide, thousands of Indigenous people murdered, disappeared, tortured. The simple fact of a military presence – and tanks with artillery – in front of the commission, it was a way to remind those over 40 years old how things were."In this tense situation, Velásquez picked up the phone. "I talk to the U.S. ambassador," he told us.But this time, the United States wouldn't help. The next day, the Trump administration threw its public weight behind Morales. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted, "Our relationship with Guatemala is important," while maintaining silence on the commission's ouster and the tanks and U.S. vehicles in the streets. Pompeo later followed up the tweet with a phone call to Morales in which a State Department readout again shows an absence of censure. Instead, it said, Pompeo expressed support for a "reformed CICIG." Velásquez's old ally Joe Biden was horrified, writing in a column some months later: "There could not have been a clearer message to kleptocrats throughout the region that the United States is no longer in the anti-corruption business. That hurts all of us." But by now, Biden was long out of government.Velásquez tried to stick it out, but when he departed for U.N. meetings in New York, Morales issued another public statement, saying Velásquez would not be let back into Guatemala.Velásquez's personal belongings eventually were shipped to him in his home country, Colombia. That's where we met him earlier this year.Velásquez tried to run CICIG from Colombia, with a skeleton crew of international prosecutors and Guatemalan nationals staying behind. But that proved impossible. In August 2019, Jimmy Morales' son and brother were acquitted of fraud charges stemming from the breakfast scandal. The following month, a year after Velásquez was forced to leave Guatemala, the anti-corruption commission died. Without U.S. funds or Guatemalan support, there was no hope of the U.N. extending its mandate. So the remaining staff in Guatemala packed the commission's records into boxes, cleaned out the office and locked the doors forever. The anti-corruption force had taken on everyone from presidents to drug traffickers and ousted more than a dozen judges and thousands of police officers. It had represented a beacon of hope for a generation of Guatemalans. Now, it was no more.* * *As Jimmy Morales tightened the screws on Iván Velásquez and his international anti-corruption force, Guatemalans voted with their feet. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the number of Guatemalan families apprehended at the Southwest border more than doubled from 23,000 in fiscal 2016, when Morales took office, to 50,000 in 2018.The following year, after Velásquez was expelled, those numbers exploded, with 185,000 Guatemalan families apprehended at the border. The functional nation that CICIG was supposed to usher in felt more distant than ever.Meanwhile, Morales' political partnership with Donald Trump deepened. He mustered only a mild rebuke on Facebook when the U.S. president implemented his family separation policy, taking migrant children away from their parents and incarcerating them in warehouses, gyms and even cages.Instead, in July 2019, Morales and Trump announced an immigration accord. Although his own people were fleeing in record numbers, Morales agreed to make Guatemala a "safe third country" for migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. Under the deal, migrants from other Central American countries such as Honduras and El Salvador can't apply for asylum in the U.S. Instead, they have to ask for asylum in Guatemala first.The agreement was widely unpopular in Guatemala and earned Morales another rebuke from the country's constitutional court. But the agreement was nonetheless made and, with that, Velásquez told Reveal, the quid pro quo was complete. In December, shortly before Morales left office, constitutionally barred from seeking another term, he traveled to Washington once again, this time for an Oval Office meeting with Trump. "We've signed agreements with Guatemala that have been tremendous in terms of really both countries, but our country, with respect to illegals coming into our country," Trump told reporters.Then the U.S. president, when asked whether he would be watching the impeachment hearings the next day over an alleged quid pro quo with Ukraine, lamented that his main antagonist, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, could not face prosecution in the United States and suggested that he should instead face justice Guatemala-style."In Guatemala, they handle things much more diff- – much tougher than that," he said. Reporter Maria Martin contributed to this story with support from the Fund for Investigative Journalism. It was edited by Esther Kaplan and copy edited by Nikki Frick.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Portland protests reach 100 consecutive days Posted: 04 Sep 2020 09:19 PM PDT  As unrest continues in Portland amid 100 straight days of protests, authorities released additional court documents late Friday detailing the moments before the slaying of a right-wing protester last weekend. The documents included shots of security footage that showed the suspect, Michael Forest Reinoehl, ducked into a parking garage and reached toward a pocket or pouch at his waist before emerging to follow the victim, Patriot Prayer supporter Aaron "Jay" Danielson. Danielson was holding bear spray and an expandable baton and had a loaded Glock handgun in a holster at his waist, according to the documents.
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| India coronavirus caseload crosses 4M, stretching resources Posted: 04 Sep 2020 09:14 PM PDT  India's coronavirus caseload surpassed 4 million on Saturday, deepening misery in the country's vast hinterlands, where surges have crippled the underfunded health care system. Initially, the virus ravaged India's sprawling and densely populated cities.
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| Dueling versions of reality define 1st week of fall campaign Posted: 04 Sep 2020 09:06 PM PDT  On the campaign trail with President Donald Trump, the pandemic is largely over, the economy is roaring back, and murderous mobs are infiltrating America's suburbs. With Democrat Joe Biden, the pandemic is raging, the economy isn't lifting the working class, and systemic racism threatens Black lives across America.
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| Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile is 10 times over limit, claims United Nations nuke watchdog Posted: 04 Sep 2020 08:50 PM PDT  Iran is enjoying too much of a good thing. The Asian nation possesses an alarming 10 times more than its allotted amount of enriched uranium, warned a United Nations' nuclear watchdog on Friday. The International Atomic Energy announced that Iran's stockpile exceeds 4,600 pounds, reported BBC News late Friday.
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| North Korea blames officials' inaction for typhoon casualties Posted: 04 Sep 2020 08:32 PM PDT |
| EU demanding potential veto on Britain's post-Brexit laws, regulations -The Times Posted: 04 Sep 2020 08:01 PM PDT |
| Trump targets 'white privilege' training as 'anti-American' Posted: 04 Sep 2020 06:59 PM PDT  President Donald Trump has directed the Office of Management and Budget to crack down on federal agencies' anti-racism training sessions, calling them "divisive, anti-American propaganda." OMB director Russell Vought, in a letter Friday to executive branch agencies, directed them to identify spending related to any training on "critical race theory," "white privilege" or any other material that teaches or suggests that the United States or any race or ethnicity is "inherently racist or evil." Trump has spent much of the summer defending the display of the Confederate battle flag and monuments of Civil War rebels from protesters seeking their removal, in what he has called a "culture war" ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
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| Satellite imagery suggests North Korea is preparing to launch ballistic missile Posted: 04 Sep 2020 05:51 PM PDT  Satellite imagery of a North Korean shipyard on Friday shows activity suggestive of preparations for a test of a medium-range submarine-launched ballistic missile, a US think tank reported on Friday. The Center for Strategic and International Studies said the images it published on its website of North Korea's Sinpo shipyard showed several vessels within a secure boat basin, one of which resembled vessels previously used to tow a submersible test stand barge out to sea. It said the activity was "suggestive, but not conclusive, of preparations for an upcoming test of a Pukguksong-3 submarine launched ballistic missile from the submersible test stand barge". North Korea said last October it had successfully test-fired a Pukguksong-3, a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), from the sea as part of efforts to contain external threats and bolster self-defense. That launch was seen by analysts as the most provocative by North Korea since it entered dialogue with the United States over its nuclear weapons and missile programs in 2018. North Korea has suspended long-range missile and nuclear tests since 2017, but efforts led by US President Donald Trump to persuade it to give up its nuclear and missile programs have achieved little. Mr Trump is seeking reelection in November and a North Korean missile test before that would highlight the lack of progress despite Mr Trump's unprecedented meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. There was no immediate comment from the State Department or the Pentagon on the CSIS report. At news conference earlier on Friday, Mr Trump hailed his relationship with North Korea, saying that when he was elected people had predicted he would be at war with the country within a week. "In the meantime, we've gotten along with them. We didn't get to war," he said. Mr Trump has held up the absence of intercontinental ballistic missile and nuclear tests by North Korea since 2017 as a success from his diplomacy and has sought to play down numerous shorter-range tests in the period. "North Korea already tested a PKS-3 SLBM last October. And it didn't cross Trump's redline then, and is unlikely to this time. Trump won't care," Vipin Narang, a non-proliferation expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, wrote on Twitter. South Korea's military said the Pukguksong-3 tested last year flew 450 km (280 miles) and reached an altitude of 910 km (565 miles) and would have had a range of about 1,300 km (800 miles) on a standard trajectory. News of the activity at Sinpo comes amid signs that North Korea may be preparing for a major military parade in October, which some analysts believe could be used to show off new missiles as the country has done at such events in the past.
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| Gas pipeline blast kills 16 praying at Bangladesh mosque Posted: 04 Sep 2020 12:33 PM PDT  An underground gas pipeline near a mosque exploded during evening prayers outside Bangladesh's capital, leaving 16 Muslim worshipers dead and dozens injured with critical burns, officials said Saturday. The blast occurred Friday night as people were finishing their prayers at Baitus Salat Jame Mosque at Narayanganj, local police chief Zayedul Alam said. Doctors at a burn unit of a state-run hospital were treating at least 37 people with burns on up to 90% of their bodies, said Samanta Lal Sen, a coordinator of the unit.
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