| What's behind the latest European bid to save the Iran nuclear deal and how it could end up killing it Posted: 14 Jan 2020 04:22 PM PST  While the European powers hope they have found an avenue to fix the Iran nuclear deal, it may actually spell its end. France, Germany and the United Kingdom filed a formal complaint within the nuclear agreement on Tuesday to force its remaining parties to convene and discuss Iran's breaches of its commitments since last May. The step, known as the dispute mechanism, is meant to resolve differences within the deal when one party believes another is not meeting its commitments. If there's no resolution, it could lead to United Nations sanctions on Iran resuming as quickly as 65 days from now.
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| EU states launch process disputing Iran's nuclear compliance Posted: 14 Jan 2020 04:00 PM PST  Three EU countries on Tuesday launched a process charging Iran with failing to observe the terms of the 2015 deal curtailing its nuclear programme, a move that sparked anger and threats from Tehran at a time of growing tensions. A US State Department spokesperson said Washington fully supported the three countries, adding "further diplomatic and economic pressure is warranted". The decision to begin the so-called dispute mechanism process comes as tensions soar between the West and Iran following the killing of top commander Qasem Soleimani in a US air strike, and the admission by Tehran days later that it had accidentally shot down a Ukrainian airliner.
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| War powers measure has majority support in US Senate: Democrats Posted: 14 Jan 2020 03:52 PM PST  US Senate Democrats on Tuesday asserted that they have sufficient bipartisan backing to pass a war powers resolution as early as next week aimed at restricting President Donald Trump's military action against Iran. "We now have the 51 votes that we need for the version that's the bipartisan version," said Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, who introduced the measure intended to force Trump to seek authority from Congress if military hostilities with Iran last for more than 30 days. Kaine named four Republican senators -- Rand Paul, Mike Lee, Todd Young and Susan Collins -- who he said will join the 47 Democrats voting in favor in the 100-member chamber.
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| Europe Turns Up Heat on Iran in Bid to Save Nuclear Accord Posted: 14 Jan 2020 03:40 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- European nations insist they still want to save the Iran nuclear deal, but to do that they now need to turn up the pressure on Tehran.Germany, France and the U.K. triggered a dramatic escalation in the standoff with Iran on Tuesday, starting formal action against the Islamic Republic for breaching restrictions on uranium enrichment set out in the 2015 accord.Violating the terms of the deal marks a dangerous new course that could see Iran coming closer to developing a nuclear weapon and leaves the so-called EU-3 with little choice but to start the agreement's dispute resolution mechanism, according to European Union diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the decision was a strategic mistake.The three European signatories of the deal have been struggling to hold it together since President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out 20 months ago. But rather than buckle under pressure from Washington and finish off the accord -- a process that could ultimately lead to tougher sanctions on Iran, including on weapons imports -- EU governments are calling Tehran's bluff in an effort to force open a new diplomatic front that could salvage the deal, the diplomats said.And the timing couldn't be more delicate.The U.S. and Iran were on the brink of war less that two weeks ago after Trump ordered the killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. As Iranian forces launched retaliatory attacks on U.S. facilities in the Middle East, they accidentally shot down a Ukrainian airliner over Tehran, triggering protests against the regime."We're calling on Iran to participate in this process constructively," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told reporters in Berlin. "The goal of these negotiations will be to preserve the nuclear accord."The move opens a new phase for the European leaders who have been keeping the nuclear deal on life support.While Trump campaigned in 2016 on a pledge to dismantle the pact negotiated under his predecessor Barack Obama, the European allies have viewed it as an anchor for global efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation.Outreach in MoscowThe Europeans have been building up to Tuesday's decision since December when foreign ministers dispatched their top lieutenants to China and Russia -- the two other signatories -- to seek consensus on triggering the dispute mechanism, but found little support. The decision was made public following Iran's announcement on Jan. 5 that it would no longer be bound by the terms of the deal.A U.S. State Department official, who asked not to be identified, said in a statement that the UK, France, and Germany took the right step in response to a series of provocations Iran has taken to expand proliferation-sensitive nuclear activities.The resolution mechanism involves a complex series of steps that could ultimately bring the accord to an end if Iran refuses to return to compliance. But there's nothing automatic about the process and politicians can intervene along the way can to prevent the deal collapsing.The European nations aim to use an extended open-ended window allowed by the mechanism to push for a diplomatic resolution, the officials said.The EU will first try to resolve Iran's nuclear violations within an initial 15-day period set out in the accord. If that fails, the foreign ministers of signatory nations, including China and Russia, would gather to debate the matter and would have the option of sending Iran back to the UN Security Council to face even stiffer international sanctions.Along the way, the unity among the Europeans over Iran will also be tested.U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson alarmed allies when he told the BBC on Tuesday that the U.S. sees "many, many faults" in the deal and that "if we are going to get rid of it, let's replace it and let's replace it with the Trump deal."The comments, possibly an attempt to assuage the U.S. president as Johnson prepares to lead Britain out of the EU, were not welcomed in other capitals, one European diplomat said. Johnson's top foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, rowed back somewhat later Tuesday, insisting that triggering the mechanism was a tactic intended to save the deal."We do so with a view to bringing Iran back into full compliance," Raab told the House of Commons in London.(Updates with U.S. official in 11th paragraph)\--With assistance from Arne Delfs and Nick Wadhams.To contact the reporters on this story: Jonathan Tirone in Vienna at jtirone@bloomberg.net;Patrick Donahue in Berlin at pdonahue1@bloomberg.net;Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Thomas PennyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| U.K.'s Boris Johnson wants Britons to 'bung a bob for Big Ben bong' Posted: 14 Jan 2020 03:33 PM PST  U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is speaking English, as far as we can tell.Still, his latest nationwide plan could use a little bit of translating before Americans -- or perhaps anyone -- can understand it. Johnson is launching a new £500,000 push so the U.K. can "bong Big Ben on Brexit night," and he wants Britons to "bung a bob for a Big Ben bong" so that can happen.Johnson revealed his new tongue twister in an early-morning interview with BBC, describing how the famous Big Ben clock is under construction and has lost its famous "bong." But "the bongs cost £500,000," or about $650,000, Johnson said. So he's developing a plan where Britons can contribute to Big Ben's restoration, or, in Johnson-ese, "bung a bob for a Big Ben bong." > "The bongs cost £500,000… but we're working up a plan so that people can bung a bob for a Big Ben bong"> > Boris Johnson says "we need to restore the clapper, in order to bong Big Ben on Brexit night, and that is expensive"BBCBreakfast https://t.co/4A3CjflbN3 pic.twitter.com/0BXiu1DYkp> > -- BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) January 14, 2020British tabloid Daily Express boiled down Johnson's words into an alliterative -- and easier to pronounce -- demand for its Wednesday cover.> EXPRESS: Big Ben MUST bong for Brexit TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/CFixxSlw2Y> > -- Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) January 14, 2020American tabloids, may we suggest "Big (Ben) Buck Hunter" for all your cover needs?More stories from theweek.com The Senate is preparing an 'unprecedented crackdown' on Capitol reporters ahead of impeachment Bernie Sanders' appraisal of a woman's 2020 chances isn't shocking. It's conventional wisdom. What happens when women translate the Classics
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| House tees up more votes to halt Trump on Iran Posted: 14 Jan 2020 02:58 PM PST ![House tees up more votes to halt Trump on Iran]( "House tees up more votes to halt Trump on Iran") The announcement comes shortly after a meeting where Ro Khanna and Barbara Lee made a concerted push for the legislation amid last week's dramatic flare-up in tensions with Iran.
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| The backchannel: Here's how the United States and Iran communicate Posted: 14 Jan 2020 02:45 PM PST  "The diplomatic communication channel between [the] U.S. and Iran that is provided by Switzerland in the framework of the protective power mandate continues to operate," a Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said in an email to Yahoo News.
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| Senate Readies War Powers Bill to Limit Trump’s Iran Options Posted: 14 Jan 2020 02:45 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- The Senate is moving closer to a rebuke of Donald Trump over Iran, as Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said he has enough Republican votes to pass a resolution limiting the president's ability to carry out a military attack against that country without congressional authorization.The move reflects bipartisan dissatisfaction over the administration's varying justifications for the drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad, including a briefing last week that one GOP senator called insulting.Kaine said Tuesday he has 51 "declared votes" for a revised version of his war powers resolution. He said GOP senators Mike Lee, Rand Paul, Susan Collins and Todd Young will support his measure.Two of these Republicans -- Lee and Paul -- said last week they would support Kaine's effort after they blasted Trump administration officials including Secretary of State Michael Pompeo over the classified briefing. Lee said it was the worst briefing he'd ever received on military matters.Kaine told reporters Tuesday that he was approached by Republicans after that meeting with Trump administration officials turned tense."In conversations with Republican colleagues, especially after the briefing last week, they were discouraged that the attitude that was being communicated to us was that Congress is an annoyance" and they only wanted to provide "morsels of information," Kaine said.Lower-level officials from the departments of State and Defense will provide another classified briefing Wednesday to members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Briefers include Brian Hook, the special representative for Iran, and David Schenker, the assistant secretary of state for the Middle East.Revised ResolutionThe Senate Foreign Relations Committee has led some of the only efforts from Republican lawmakers to push back on Trump's policy priorities in the last three years. The panel has introduced resolutions to prevent the Trump administration from selling arms to Saudi Arabia and continuing to back the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.Trump vetoed those measures, and Congress failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed to override his veto. If the Kaine resolution passes the Senate, it will have to be adopted by the House before going to the president. Trump would probably veto it.The House already adopted a similar resolution that only got three Republican votes in the Democratic-led chamber. That bill was introduced under a slightly different procedure that wouldn't need Trump's signature but would likely face a challenge in court.Kaine's resolution would order the president to cease any hostilities against Iran, its government or its military without express authorization from Congress. The measure includes changes requested by Republicans who were frustrated by last week's briefing."After that they came to me and we have been able to make amendments that earned the support first of Senators Lee and Paul, but now the support also of Senators Young and Collins," Kaine said.The revised version of the bill did not attract the support of Senator Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah, who said in a statement that the resolution sends the wrong message to Iran during a time of heightened tensions in the region."This resolution would undermine our deterrent capability and send the wrong message to Iran," Romney said. "As it is currently drafted, this resolution would tie the president's hands in responding to further potential Iranian aggression."Also on Tuesday, a group of eight Democratic senators wrote to acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire asking for a briefing about claims by Trump and other administration officials that Soleimani was planning imminent attacks on U.S. embassies before he was killed earlier this month."There was no mention of any of this classified evidence during the all-senators briefing last Wednesday," said the senators, led by Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut.Majority SupportYoung said earlier Tuesday he informed the Trump administration that he plans to support Kaine's resolution after it was revised to remove some language he said was too political."The members of the administration with whom I spoke, who are important advisers to the president on issues of national security, were comfortable with my principled position," Young said.Collins said in a statement that the revised Kaine resolution doesn't prevent the president from defending U.S. forces abroad while reasserting Congress's "constitutional role.""Congress cannot be sidelined on these important decisions," Collins said. "Only the legislative branch may declare war or commit our armed forces to a sustained military conflict with Iran."Kaine said the resolution is eligible for floor consideration next Tuesday though it could get a vote earlier if a deal is reached with leadership. Kaine said that under Senate rules the measure can get an expedited vote and only needs a simple majority to pass.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was also optimistic that it has enough support to pass."We believe we will get 51 votes," Schumer told reporters Tuesday. "We believe this resolution is the right way to go."Kaine said he expects the Senate to be able to act on the resolution even though Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the chamber plans to begin Trump's impeachment trial on Tuesday. Schumer said senators will "work out the timing."(Updates with lawmaker comment beginning in the 13th paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: Daniel Flatley in Washington at dflatley1@bloomberg.net;Laura Litvan in Washington at llitvan@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Anna Edgerton, Laurie AsséoFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| 4 Republicans to back Senate war powers resolution, giving it a majority Posted: 14 Jan 2020 01:53 PM PST  It looks like the Senate will pass a resolution to restrict President Trump's military authority on Iran, following a similar vote from the House last week.Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who introduced the resolution, said Tuesday he has the 51 votes necessary to get it passed. It's a bipartisan effort, considering there are only 47 Democrats in Congress' upper chamber. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) joined three of her GOP colleagues -- Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) -- who had already announced they would back Kaine's bill.The resolution came about after Trump approved an airstrike in Iraq earlier this month that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, heightening already-simmering tensions between Tehran and Washington. Things have cooled down since then, but Congress is still trying to ensure the country isn't rushed into a major conflict. "This should be the hardest decision we make," Kaine said. "And because we're going to be ordering young men and women to risk their lives, we shouldn't do it unless we have the guts to have the debate." > Democrats have enough Republican votes to pass war resolution limiting Trump's military powers on Iran, says Sen Tim Kaine> > Full story w/ @karoun : https://t.co/CEB7vURN6o pic.twitter.com/KEVKbjAcWN> > -- Zach Purser Brown (@zachjourno) January 14, 2020More stories from theweek.com The Senate is preparing an 'unprecedented crackdown' on Capitol reporters ahead of impeachment Bernie Sanders' appraisal of a woman's 2020 chances isn't shocking. It's conventional wisdom. What happens when women translate the Classics
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| Syria says its air defenses intercept attack on airbase Posted: 14 Jan 2020 01:42 PM PST ![Syria says its air defenses intercept attack on airbase]( "Syria says its air defenses intercept attack on airbase") Syria's air defenses confronted an aerial "aggression" from Israel that targeted an air base in the country's center late Tuesday, state media reported quoting a military official. The official quoted by the state news agency SANA said the attack targeted the T-4 air base in Homs province shortly after 10 p.m. local time. Israel has carried out dozens of airstrikes on Syria over the past years but it rarely comments on what it targets.
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| Senators worried over Trump's power to start a war with Iran are mounting a bipartisan challenge Posted: 14 Jan 2020 01:36 PM PST  Senate Democrats on Tuesday said they have enough votes to pass a resolution to limit Trump's ability to attack Iran without congressional approval.
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| Dem senator says he has 51 votes to restrain Trump on Iran Posted: 14 Jan 2020 01:28 PM PST  A Democratic senator said Tuesday he has at least 51 votes to support a bipartisan resolution asserting that President Donald Trump must seek approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia said the Senate could vote as soon as next week on the measure, which is co-sponsored by two Republican senators and has support from at least two more Republicans. Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky have co-sponsored the measure, and GOP Sens.
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| Amid Iran and impeachment, Trump's focus is reelection Posted: 14 Jan 2020 01:27 PM PST  Impeachment, immigration and Iran have filled the White House agenda as the year begins. Trump, who announced his reelection bid the same day he took the oath of office, has long been an unabashedly political president. The president's focus on his reelection effort — the ultimate arbiter of his legacy, in his estimation — has not wavered in the midst of his biggest crises at home and abroad.
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| Trump news: Senate impeachment trial 'to begin next week' as Democrats prepare for latest 2020 debate Posted: 14 Jan 2020 01:23 PM PST  Donald Trump has been accused of "engaging in hate speech against an entire religion" after retweeting a meme of senior Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer in Muslim dress as press secretary Stephanie Grisham explained he posted it to attack the opposition for "almost taking the side of terrorists" in the Iran crisis.A US cybersecurity firm has meanwhile alleged that Russian military agents successfully hacked Ukrainian gas company Burisma — at the heart of the impeachment inquiry over its ties to Hunter Biden, son of Mr Trump's leading 2020 opponent Joe Biden — suggesting it attempted to steal emails with a view to again influencing an American presidential election.
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| Pompeo sees Japan, SKorea FMs as new sanctions hit NKorea Posted: 14 Jan 2020 01:18 PM PST  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Tuesday with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts to discuss stalled nuclear talks with North Korea and stress the importance of America's relationship with both countries. The meeting in California came as the Treasury Department announced new sanctions on North Korea for failing to comply with a U.N. requirement to bring home guest workers that provide the isolated nation with much needed foreign currency. Pompeo's discussions with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha in Palo Alto, California, also came as the Trump administration continues to send signals to Pyongyang that it's willing to resume talks on dismantling the North's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.
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| Venezuela's Maduro says EU, UN can monitor polls Posted: 14 Jan 2020 12:50 PM PST  Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro said Tuesday he was open to allowing United Nations and European Union observers to monitor legislative elections slated for later this year. Maduro said in his annual speech to the ruling Constituent Assembly that the "Euopean Union, the secretary general of the United Nations" and "all the international organizations" were welcome to observe the elections, for which a date has still to be set. Maduro warned however that Luis Almagro, head of the Organization of American States (OAS), would never be welcomed.
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| The person who posted the video showing the Ukrainian plane being taken down by an Iranian missile has been arrested Posted: 14 Jan 2020 12:46 PM PST  Iran initially denied wrongdoing in the plane crash last Wednesday, before ultimately accepting responsibility on Saturday.
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| New protests as Iran makes first arrests over downed airliner Posted: 14 Jan 2020 12:39 PM PST  Iran announced Tuesday its first arrests over the accidental shooting down of a Ukrainian passenger jet, as protesters vented their anger over the catastrophic blunder for a fourth consecutive day. Nearly two weeks after the US killed a top Iranian commander in Iraq, tensions with the West increased further as EU countries on Tuesday launched an arbitration process charging Tehran with failing to observe commitments in the 2015 nuclear deal, prompting Iran to warn of unspecified "consequences". The Ukraine International Airlines plane was brought down by a missile shortly after takeoff on Wednesday, killing all 176 passengers and crew on board.
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| U.K. Government Agrees to Rescue of Regional Airline Flybe Posted: 14 Jan 2020 12:31 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Britain agreed to back a plan to rescue Flybe, Europe's largest regional airline, from a collapse that would have left some of the most economically challenged parts of the U.K. with diminished transport links.The deal will allow Flybe to operate as normal to maintain flights and includes a review of the air passenger duty tax levy, the government said Tuesday. Support may include a state-backed loan, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be named discussing confidential deliberations.Flybe's parent Connect Airways, made up of Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd., private-equity firm Cyrus Capital and airport operator Stobart Group, has in turn committed to keep the carrier flying with additional funding, Connect Chairman Lucien Farrell said in a release.The rescue is unusual in a country that has long eschewed state bailouts. Monarch Airlines, Flybmi and Thomas Cook Group Plc all failed without government help in the past 2 1/2 years. But Flybe's unique business profile in serving provincial cities made it a different proposition, especially with many of those areas key to Prime Minister Boris Johnson's election win a month ago."The reviews we are announcing today will help level up our economy," Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid said in the release. "They will ensure that regional connections not only continue but flourish in the years to come."While Flybe carried only 8 million passengers last year, versus almost 100 million at EasyJet Plc, it ranks No. 1 on U.K. domestic routes and provides links to London and the continent from cities spanning Belfast in Northern Ireland to Exeter in England's far southwest and Inverness in the Scottish Highlands.Cities Cut Off and Airports at Risk: What's at Stake at FlybeThe British Airline Pilots' Association said the government should "be applauded for stepping up to the plate," after previously warning that if Flybe didn't exist "it would have to be invented" to maintain crucial links and support the economy. A collapse would have effectively left some locations without an air service or reliant on rail journeys spanning many hours.By contrast, Willie Walsh, chief executive officer of British Airways parent IAG SA, said the rescue amounts to "a blatant misuse of public funds," with U.K. taxpayers picking up the bill for the "mismanagement" of Flybe by Virgin and backer Delta Air Lines Inc.Johnson swept to victory in December in part by garnering the support of Brexit-voting former Labour-held seats in northern England and other areas away from the southeast, and has said his Conservative party needs to deliver economic growth there to hold on to those "borrowed" votes.The prime minister said in a BBC interview earlier Tuesday that he understood "the importance of Flybe in delivering connectivity across the whole U.K.," while acknowledging the deficiencies of transport infrastructure in some parts of the country.Flybe was delisted in March after its purchase by Connect Airways for 2.2 million pounds ($2.9 million), with the consortium also providing 100 million pounds in rescue funding. The carrier, which employs about 2,400 people, had struggled for years with the narrow margins on regional routes, where demand is lower, together with fluctuating fuel prices and uncertainty around Brexit.The carrier operates 68 planes on almost 140 routes serving 56 cities across the U.K. and Europe. Some of its flights, like a 130-mile service from Cardiff to Anglesey off the north Welsh coast, are among the shortest in the industry.(Updates with details from U.K. government starting in second paragraph.)\--With assistance from Alex Morales.To contact the reporters on this story: Siddharth Philip in London at sphilip3@bloomberg.net;Charlotte Ryan in London at cryan147@bloomberg.net;Thomas Penny in London at tpenny@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Kenneth Wong at kwong11@bloomberg.net, Christopher JasperFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Rights group says China is trying to silence critics abroad Posted: 14 Jan 2020 12:29 PM PST  The head of Human Rights Watch said Tuesday the Chinese government has not only constructed "an Orwellian high-tech surveillance state" at home but is using its growing economic clout to silence critics abroad. Roth held a news conference at the United Nations Correspondents Association in New York after being denied entry to Hong Kong, where he had been scheduled to release the rights group's annual report.
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| Priti Patel’s Comments About Meghan Markle Prove She Is A Dangerous Weapon Posted: 14 Jan 2020 11:46 AM PST  It's a sad truth that whenever British conservatives use the phrase "great country" it's usually just a smokescreen – employing supposedly "British values" to disguise racist rhetoric.Immigrants, they said, were "swarming" our great country. We can make Britain "the greatest place on Earth," they promised, with tougher prison sentences for foreign criminals. Brexit and the end to freedom of movement it promises would, they swore, Make Britain Great Again. This week was no different. Home Secretary in the United Kingdom Priti Patel was asked on BBC Radio 5 Live if she believed the media had been racist towards Meghan Markle. She responded: "I'm not in that category at all where I believe there's racism at all. I think we live in a great country," she said, before going on to describe Britain as a "great society, full of opportunity."It's interesting to hear Patel – a woman of color and daughter of immigrants who cites Margaret Thatcher as her political hero (and recently suggested that Extinction Rebellion's ethos should be categorized as extremist ideology – talk about the opportunities afforded to people in this country while actively limiting them. After all, she is a cabinet minister who voted for the bedroom tax, for reduced welfare benefits, for a stricter asylum system, a hostile environment, stronger enforcement for immigration rules and against equal gay rights. Only worse than her voting record is the fact that the Tories are able to utilize her to great effect. The political right amplifies women of color like Patel as evidence for the rejection of the existence of racism and structural inequality. Her very presence in their cabinet is used as evidence of diversity, showing what a supposedly liberal society we are. That's why I find her overt dismissal of the racially motivated media barrage that Meghan Markle has faced so sinister. When you think about it, if you can dismiss something so blatant, what else can you deny when it comes to race?> Priti Patel's very presence in the cabinet is used as evidence of diversity, showing what a supposedly liberal society we are. That's why I find her overt dismissal of the racially motivated media barrage Meghan has faced so sinister. Patel's comments about Meghan are not just a blind spot. They were a calculated refusal to listen to communities of color who bear the brunt of the sort of insidious racism to which the Duchess of Sussex has undeniably been subjected. From Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu explaining white privilege on This Morning to Danielle Dash writing on how misogyny and racism intersect, to the various pieces illustrating the double standard in media coverage of Kate Middleton and Meghan – it's been well documented that Markle has been a victim of misogynoir. > There can be no doubt that the vitriol aimed at Markle since her relationship with Prince Harry went public has stunk of anti-blackness.There can be no doubt that the vitriol aimed at Markle since her relationship with Prince Harry went public has stunk of anti-blackness. The implication has always been that she should "know her place," that she has trampled over our precious, fragile British values by marrying into our purest institution: the royal family. The fact that she, an outsider, dared to find it lacking and wanted to regain her independence outside of it is a crime punishable by yet more relentless media attacks. And for anyone who has ever been accused of playing the race card, dismissed when filing hate crimes or who believes – through their own experience – that black and brown people cannot amplify racism in our own communities, it really hits home. If Meghan Markle, someone with financial and social privilege in abundance, is subjected to such unabashed racism, what must Patel think everyday life is like for disenfranchised black women and women of color on the street? The idea that you must "show and prove racism" or it doesn't exist has long been a mainstay for white people on the right. It's the notion that you're not being subjected to racism unless it's overt, confrontational 'calling-you-a-pa**-in-the-street' racism, and the idea that you must prove your worth to be here in the first place (a test which, incidentally, it appears even Markle has failed, according to The Daily Mail). And so, for a powerful politician like Patel who currently heads up Britain's Home Office (a government department whose policy areas such as crime and immigration so crucially intersect with race issues) to deny structural racism in both her words and deeds is deeply sinister. > If Meghan Markle, someone with financial and social privilege in abundance, is subjected to such unabashed racism, what must Patel think everyday life is like for disenfranchised black women and women of color? Such a mentality has denied the implicit racism of what happened with Windrush, allowed for the continuation of detention centers like Yarl's Wood and reinforced our country's aggressive ethnic pay gaps. It also completely overlooks the fact that we have seen a 10% rise in hate crimes recorded by police in England and Wales in 2018-19.Patel's comments will only amplify anti-immigration voices on the right and racist voices on the far right. It's no coincidence that Piers Morgan gleefully thanked her on Twitter. They will be used to prop up narratives that disempower black women and women of color. It is especially dangerous that Patel is a woman of color herself. I believe she has become a weapon in the culture wars, deployed to disprove the lived experiences of discrimination of thousands and thousands of women of color across the country, disempowering them in the process. That Patel is (like me) a south Asian woman brings me personal shame. She does not speak for my community, or for me. She is reading straight from the Tory handbook – peddling the narrative that if you just work hard, you too could reach the lofty heights of government where you preside over trauma, destruction, detention and deportation, raids, evictions and imprisonment, when in fact, as a person of color, the odds are definitively stacked against you. We must speak out against Patel's denial of the racism Meghan Markle has experienced. We must link her comments back to what we know is happening on the ground, whether that's the Latinx community being turfed from their homes in Elephant and Castle, the Grenfell residents who were ignored when they raised concerns over the safety of their homes, or reports from the race disparity unit which flag up the huge differences in quality of life, pay, imprisonment, and quality of care for minorities. It's exhausting and relentless but all we can do is make it our duty to flag up racism where we see it because if it is said about Meghan Markle, you can bet it is said about people with less power and privilege – those in our courtrooms, care homes and classrooms. For now, we must stand in solidarity for the inevitably hard times that lie ahead.Related Content:Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?Meghan Markle Stands Up For South African Women8 Royals Who Stepped Down Before Meghan & HarryMegxit: Ditching Your Toxic In-Laws Is Fine
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| Justin Trudeau Says U.S. Is Partly to Blame for the 63 Canadians Killed When Iran Shot Down Plane Posted: 14 Jan 2020 11:39 AM PST  Justin Trudeau Blames U.S.-Iran Tensions for Ukraine Flight 752
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| Canadians feel like collateral damage of Trump's scattershot foreign policy Posted: 14 Jan 2020 11:37 AM PST  A plane crash that killed 57 Canadians amid Trump-stoked tension with Iran is the latest sign that Canada cannot rely on its US allyWhen a Canadian business magnate sent off a flurry of tweets blaming Donald Trump for provoking the crisis which eventually led to the accidental shooting-down of a Ukrainian passenger jet, the posts quickly went viral.Michael McCain, the billionaire CEO of Maple Leaf Foods, used the company's branded Twitter account to describe the US president as a "narcissist" and described the 176 passengers and crew as "collateral damage" from Trump's "irresponsible, dangerous, ill-conceived behaviour".It was a potentially risky move for a company employing 24,000 people and with operations in the United States, but the thread was liked more than 70,000 times on Twitter – suggesting that his comments had struck a nerve in Canada.Iran has admitted accidentally shooting down the plane, which was carrying 57 Canadian citizens.However, McCain's tweets highlight one strand of Canada's response to the disaster – the latest in a string of events in which the country has found itself caught up in feuds between the Trump administration and other countries.Justin Trudeau seemed to acknowledge such frustrations on Monday, when he said that the victims of the disaster would still be alive were it not for a recent crisis partly triggered by Trump's decision to kill Iran's top general, Qassem Suleimani."I think if there were no tensions, if there was no escalation recently in the region, those Canadians would be right now home with their families," he said.As a close ally of the US – and its largest trading partner – Canada has always been especially vulnerable to the ebbs and flows of policy decisions made in Washington DC.Such sensitivity has only heightened under the current administration."Canadians might not be holding Donald Trump directly responsible for this attack, but I believe there is increasing concern among Canadians that we are the collateral damage in erratic decisions made by the Trump administration," said Stephanie Carvin, a professor of international relations at Carleton University. "There's no real forethought from this administration in how policy might affect allies. And really there's no afterthought to how they might ameliorate the damage that comes from these situations."Canada was one of the first victims of Trump's aggressive trade policy, when the US slapped tariffs on aluminum and steel imports on the grounds of national security.And since then, the pain has only escalated.In August 2018, Canada prompted a furious response from Saudi Arabia after it criticized the kingdom's stance on human rights. Saudi Arabia expelled Canadian diplomats, recalled medical students and cut off trade – but the US refrained from comment."The fact that the Trump administration didn't defend us, was probably the first indication that this might be a serious challenge for Canada," said Carvin.In December 2018, Canada responded to a US arrest warrant and detained Huawei's chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, on suspicion of fraud. Bound by an extradition treaty between the two nations, Canada had no choice, but the consequences have been disastrous for the country.Shortly afterwards, two Canadian citizens – Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor – were arrested in China, a move widely viewed as retaliation for Meng's arrest. Both men remain in custody.Relations between China and Canada remain in the deep freeze, and a free trade deal – worth billions of dollars – was shelved.While Trudeau has spoken with Trump about the pain Canada has suffered – especially around the two detained citizens – little progress has been made in freeing Spavor and Kovrig."It's not helpful if the president of the United States says he'll say something to China and then doesn't follow through because he's more interested in getting a trade deal than he is in freeing the two Canadians," said Carvin. "China knows this and can use this as leverage against us."With his seemingly freewheel approach to policy, Trump has often left Canada officials scrambling to assess the impacts of his decisions."We can predict the coming consequences of many of his actions, massive and momentous and obvious," wrote former diplomat Scott Gilmore in a Maclean's magazine article linking the crash to US policy in the Middle East."But, in our inherently chaotic and unstable world, the impact of others, like withdrawing from the Paris agreement, are less immediate and recognizable and it may take us decades to fully appreciate the tornadoes to come."With much of the focus within Canada dedicated to navigating US foreign policy and not on its own, Canada has sidelined its own priorities, including pursuing a security council seat at the UN."We have benefited so much from the protection of the United States," said Carvin. "But we're starting to see what the world looks like when that protection isn't there."
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| Here's what's in the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that the country withdrew from amid heightened tensions with the US Posted: 14 Jan 2020 10:50 AM PST  Since Trump withdrew the US from the deal, tensions between the US and Iran have steadily risen and reached a boiling point in recent months.
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| Trump seizes on new Iran protests, but goal in question Posted: 14 Jan 2020 10:06 AM PST  With presidential tweets in Persian and stern warnings to the regime, Donald Trump's administration is rallying behind the latest protests in Iran -- and renewing suspicions that his real goal is regime change. Just a week ago, massive crowds took to the streets in Iran to mourn powerful general Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad, and Tehran fired retaliatory missiles at US forces in Iraq without inflicting casualties. Trump's response was, briefly, unusually conciliatory -- seeking a de-escalation with Iran and noting that they shared common interests, including fighting the Islamic State group.
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| Senator Predicts a Dozen GOPers Might Break with Trump over Iran Posted: 14 Jan 2020 09:50 AM PST  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's briefing to legislators last week went so badly that it may have galvanized Republican support to restrain President Trump from war with Iran, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) told The Daily Beast on Tuesday. Kaine, who will soon introduce a resolution to require Congress' approval before any such escalation of hostilities, now believes there are as many as a dozen potential GOP votes in the Senate—far more than expected, and also far more Republicans than were willing to vote on a similar initiative to get the U.S. out of the Saudi-led war in Yemen in 2018. "I wish I could say that the getting sponsors has been because I'm so persuasive," Kaine told The Daily Beast. At last Wednesday's briefing to senators, the senator said there was "an air of dismissiveness about the role of Congress" from Pompeo and the other briefers. Trump, Iran, and Where 'The Forever War' Was Always Headed"There were a couple of other problems I thought about that briefing," Kaine added. "Without getting into classified information, many of us were underwhelmed by the evidence of imminence. Not everybody was, some thought it was fine, but many of us were underwhelmed by that."Several legislators left that briefing last week infuriated with what they considered evasive or dismissive answers on a question of war and peace. Memorably, Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee, a close ally of the president, laced into the briefers—Pompeo, CIA Director Gina Haspel, Defense Secretary Mark Esper, and Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire—for "telling us that we need to be good little boys and girls and run along and not debate this in public." Several others predicted to The Daily Beast that it would cost the administration congressional support over Iran ahead of the upcoming war-powers votes. Since last week, Kaine has been in talks with GOP senators—including Lee, Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Todd Young (R-IN)—about shaping the text of his resolution in hopes of it garnering as much Republican support as possible.Those negotiations, Kaine said, have yielded compromise—including mutual support of striking text from the resolution that specifically mentions President Donald Trump. "We're trying to make it as palatable as we can for everybody," he said. Such efforts have proven fruitful so far. Young told reporters on Tuesday that he'd be backing Kaine's resolution—and with Lee and Paul already supportive, only one more GOP senator is needed to support the measure in order for it to pass the Senate. Kaine said he wasn't sure how large the pool of possible GOP 'yes' votes is. "Probably a dozen, but I could be surprised," he said. Lee, meanwhile, predicted to reporters that it would probably be close to the bloc of seven who voted with Democrats on the Yemen resolution.Last week, the House of Representatives passed a similar Iran war powers resolution by a 224 to 194 margin. That resolution, led by Michigan Democrat Elissa Slotkin, is unlikely to receive a Senate vote, however. It is what's known as a "concurrent" resolution—which, owing to obscure parliamentary procedure, doesn't provide an obvious mechanism for senators to get it onto the floor for a vote. Slotkin's measure, as a concurrent resolution, also doesn't require a presidential signature to pass. House Democratic leadership considered that a strength, since it avoids a presidential veto—something Trump exercised when Congress voted to get the U.S. out of the Yemen war. But avoiding a veto has an upside for Trump, argued Matt Duss, the chief foreign policy adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT)."If Trump wants to veto the second War Powers Resolution of his presidency and assert a unilateral right to escalate conflicts as he's sending thousands more troops to the Middle East, he can do that, but it will just further reveal that he's lying when he says he wants to end our country's endless wars," Duss told The Daily Beast. A representative for Slotkin did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In response, some Senate Democrats advocate passing the Kaine resolution and sending that back to the House, where the Democratic-controlled chamber can procure passage of a counterpart to send to the White House. Kaine said he was optimistic his bill would pass the House. In order to override a likely Trump veto, however, two-thirds support will be required from both chambers of Congress—a bar that the Senate will likely fail to meet. "I think it's a good thing to get this bill on the president's desk, you know, veto or not. We do our job, he does his," Kaine said. "This is about Congress—it's about Congress, because Congress has been the one that's kind of been willing to be a backbencher on this. It's time for us to stop. Hours after this story went to press, Joe Gould of Defense News tweeted that Kaine says he has four Republican votes—from Lee, Rand Paul, Todd Young and Susan Collins—that put support for his resolution at 51 senators.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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| Big Ben, big bucks: Brexit bell plan hits financial hurdle Posted: 14 Jan 2020 09:47 AM PST  Will Big Ben bong for Brexit? The bell of Britain's Parliament has been largely silent since 2017 while its iconic clock tower undergoes four years of repairs. Brexit-backing lawmakers are campaigning for it to strike at the moment Britain leaves the European Union - 11 p.m. (2300GMT) on Jan. 31.
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| 'Surviving was a miracle': Iran's missile attack on Iraq base Posted: 14 Jan 2020 09:40 AM PST  Ain al-Asad Air Base (Iraq) (AFP) - Waves of ballistic missiles, soldiers hunkered down in bunkers for hours, intense shock waves -- a top US commander said he reacted to Iran's unprecedented attack against an Iraqi base with "disbelief". In an exclusive interview with AFP at the Ain al-Asad airbase in western Iraq, Lt. Colonel Tim Garland said his superiors had given him "a couple hours of advance warning" last Tuesday night that an attack by Iran was coming. "My first reaction was shock, initial disbelief," he said, sceptical that Iran would be capable, and willing, to conduct a bold attack on Ain al-Asad.
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| Lebanon Erupts in Protest Again as Crisis Builds and Banks Fret Posted: 14 Jan 2020 09:29 AM PST ![Lebanon Erupts in Protest Again as Crisis Builds and Banks Fret]( "Lebanon Erupts in Protest Again as Crisis Builds and Banks Fret") (Bloomberg) -- Lebanese protesters spilled back into the streets on Tuesday after a brief letup, blocking major highways as they denounced the lack of a functioning government at a time of deepening financial and economic crisis.Demonstrators used burning tires and trash to build barriers in the capital, Beirut, and across the country, blaming politicians for deteriorating living conditions. They also rallied outside the central bank headquarters.Rudderless since Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned in late October as moves to raise fees and taxes triggered massive anti-government protests, Lebanon is gradually succumbing to its worst economic malaise in decades.Its currency is plumbing new lows, while the union of bank employees warned that lenders are at risk of having to close if the executive remains paralyzed.Rallies eased after the president appointed Hassan Diab to form a new government late last year. That appeared to give officials a chance to come up with a lineup that appeased the demands of protesters, who want an administration of experts capable of avoiding a financial meltdown. But disputes among politicians have delayed the process.Diab, a former education minister, has backed the idea of a technocratic government while President Michel Aoun and his allies are insisting on naming ministers with a political background.'Requires Time'Other politicians, including Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, have demanded Hariri, who still leads a caretaker government while Diab waits in the wings, adopt new programs to address the crisis.Aoun acknowledged Tuesday that obstacles had slowed the formation of a government that was expected to be announced last week."The lineup of the government must include capable people who are worthy of the people and parliament's confidence," Aoun said. "And that requires time."A new government must secure a vote of confidence from parliament. Representatives of the International Support Group for Lebanon and the United Nations have said that a new cabinet must meet the demands of demonstrators.Meanwhile, the union of bank employees warned that it would be forced to hold another strike if the impasse persisted. In November, bank employees walked off the job to protest their mistreatment by clients demanding the right withdraw more than their weekly cash limit.Dollar Restrictions"The situation is dangerous and cannot continue as such without an executive authority, and we might reach a point where we are forced to close," the MTV television channel cited the union as saying.Read more: Lebanon Eyes Voluntary Swap of March Eurobond Into New DebtLebanese lenders have tightened restrictions on dollar withdrawals and transfers abroad since protests erupted against the government's decision to raise fees and taxes.The central bank has also been rationing foreign currency and using its dwindling reserves to cover the import of essentials such as fuel and pharmaceuticals. The measures have forced traders to turn to money changers to meet their dollar needs, creating a parallel rate higher than the fixed exchange regime.Violence has been reported on several occasions at lenders, with some people smashing ATM machines, storming into banks and holding sit-ins at branches.To contact the reporter on this story: Dana Khraiche in Beirut at dkhraiche@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net, Paul Abelsky, Mark WilliamsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Ukraine Urges Five-Nation Probe Into Downed Jet, Even Without Iran Posted: 14 Jan 2020 09:19 AM PST ![Ukraine Urges Five-Nation Probe Into Downed Jet, Even Without Iran]( "Ukraine Urges Five-Nation Probe Into Downed Jet, Even Without Iran") (Bloomberg) -- Ukraine called for an investigation by five countries that lost citizens in last week's downing of a passenger jet leaving Tehran -- but said Iran isn't likely to participate in the probe.Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko will head to London to meet Thursday with his counterparts from the U.K., Canada, Sweden and Afghanistan after Iran belatedly admitted shooting down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 by mistake, killing all 176 people aboard."We'll elaborate on what we're going to do internationally and collectively against Iran," Prystaiko said Tuesday in an interview in Singapore. "We want to go deep down to the very bottom of it and have the people responsible brought to justice."Top prosecutors from the nations will create a criminal-investigation team and will pursue compensation, according to the minister, who said "so far we don't have Iran at the table." German officials could join the process, though, as some victims had dual German-Afghan citizenship, he said.The three-year-old Boeing Co. 737-800 abruptly stopped transmitting its position and plunged to the ground about two minutes after takeoff from Tehran on Jan. 8. The crash occurred hours after the Islamic Republic started launching rockets against Iraqi bases where U.S. forces are stationed, in retaliation for the killing of Iran's top general, Qassem Soleimani.On the day of the tragedy, Prystaiko said his opposite number in Iran didn't give away what really happened, with initial reports suggesting engine failure as the reason for the crash."In this conversation he never hinted to me that they actually shot down our plane," Prystaiko said. "It was a very formal conversation that something had happened: 'We send our condolences; we ask your team to help us with the investigation."'Iran said Tuesday that it's arrested a number of people linked to the downing of the plane."I promise that the government, with all its ability and using everything at its disposal, will investigate this matter," President Hassan Rouhani told officials in remarks broadcast live on state TV. "This is not an ordinary case. The entire world will be watching."Prystaiko welcomed the development but remains cautious, saying he wants to see "the real people, those responsible" brought to justice -- echoing calls for accountability from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.There's also tension over the fate of the flight's black boxes, which the government in Tehran indicated have been taken to France with investigators from Iran and Ukraine.Despite Iran accepting responsibility for the disaster, Ukraine wants a thorough investigation using data gleaned from the flight recorder that should be "in our possession on Ukrainian soil," according to PrystaikoIran's admission of culpability has prompted outrage and protests. Prystaiko said the demonstrations shouldn't impinge on the investigation."I expect full cooperation with us regardless of the political pressure," he said. "There are moments when the government has to explain to their own people that 'we're responsible for the deaths of these people and the crash of this plane shot down from our own skies."'\--With assistance from Daryna Krasnolutska.To contact the reporter on this story: Philip J. Heijmans in Singapore at pheijmans1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrea Dudik at adudik@bloomberg.net, Andrew LangleyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Warren Calls for SEC Probe Into Whether Trump Tipped Off Mar-a-Lago Pals to Soleimani Attack Posted: 14 Jan 2020 09:05 AM PST  2020 presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is calling on financial regulatory agencies to investigate whether associates and attendees at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago illegally traded in defense company stocks or commodities after he gave them a heads up that he was planning something "big" in response to Iran's killing of an American contractor in Iraq.The Daily Beast previously reported that Trump told allies at his Palm Beach club that he had something "big" in the works to address Iran's aggressive behavior in the region and that they would read about it "soon." The president specifically mentioned to some of his associates at Mar-a-Lago that he'd been in contact with his senior national security and military advisors on possible plans to hit back, two sources told The Daily Beast.He did not mention specific plans of attack or human targets for a military response, the sources noted. "He kept saying, 'You'll see,'" one of these club-goers said, describing a conversation with the president that occurred just days before the U.S. attack.Just days later the U.S. launched a mission to assassinate Iran's top military leader General Qassem Soleimani while driving near the Baghdad airport. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the administration decided to strike the Iranian general because he was planning "imminent" attacks against American interests. Those claims have since fallen apart, with the president himself tweeting that it "doesn't really matter" whether the threat was imminent or not.Trump Told Mar-a-Lago Pals to Expect 'Big' Iran Action 'Soon'Now, Senator Warren (D-MA) and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) are calling on the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission to determine "whether there may have been any illegal trading in defense company stocks or commodities related to individuals' advance knowledge," according to the letter Warren sent to the agencies, which cites The Daily Beast's reporting. Warren also asks the agencies for a briefing on the matter no later than Feb. 13."Individuals who were guests at President Trump's resort may have obtained confidential market-moving information," the letter says. "These private individuals ... would have had the opportunity to obtain significant profits simply by being guests or members at President Trump's private resort."Warren's letter notes that several contractor's stock prices jumped following the assassination of Soleimani. Northrop Grumman stock prices increased by over 5 percent and Lockheed Martin's stock prices increased by 3.6 percent, according to the letter.Warren said The Daily Beast's reporting about Trump's conversations at Mar-a-Lago went beyond what U.S. officials said publicly prior to the strike, including threats against Tehran on Twitter.And while Warren said her team has no way of knowing which individuals received information from President Trump in advance of the attack, if individuals had made securities or commodities trades based on that information, they could have violated the Insider Trading Sanctions Act of 1984. That law bars individuals from purchasing or selling a security while in possession of material, nonpublic information. The civil penalties are 'three times the amount of the profit gained or loss avoided', according to the letter and criminal penalties can add up to $5 million or 20 years imprisonment, or both.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| House Democrats Press White House for Drone-Strike Justification Posted: 14 Jan 2020 09:00 AM PST ![House Democrats Press White House for Drone-Strike Justification]( "House Democrats Press White House for Drone-Strike Justification") (Bloomberg) -- House Democrats demanded the White House provide a legal justification for the drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad as administration officials continue to provide divergent accounts for why the attack took place."What was the justification," Representative Eliot Engel, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, asked at a hearing on Tuesday, the first since Iran responded to the killing by firing a barrage of missiles at a U.S.-Iraqi base. "Was there any legal basis whatsoever with this strike that took us to the brink of open hostilities with Iran?"Engel said that the Trump administration's main justification for the strike -- that there was an imminent threat that was thwarted by the killing of Soleimani -- "makes you wonder if the word 'imminent' still has any meaning."Administration comments on the Jan. 3 strike have varied widely. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has said Soleimani was planning attacks on U.S. interests that were just "days" away when he was killed, but officials have been unable to provide details on that accusation. President Donald Trump on Monday suggested the justification didn't matter because of Soleimani's history, which includes helping send Iraqi-based militias technology for improved explosive devices used to kill and maim U.S. forces.The debate over the president's move isn't entirely partisan. While most Republicans in Congress have lined up behind the Trump administration, praising the strike as not only justified but necessary and effective, there are a few exceptions, particularly in the Senate.Following a similar measure in the House, Senators Mike Lee and Rand Paul, two libertarian Republicans, are backing a resolution by Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia that would order the president to cease any hostilities against Iran, its government or its military without express authorization from Congress. And two moderate Republicans, Susan Collins of Maine and Todd Young of Indiana, say they might support the resolution, citing concerns about constitutional authorization for military action.Paul went a step further Monday when asked whether he agreed with the Trump administration's justification for the strike."No," he said.Senators on the Foreign Relations Committee will receive a second classified briefing about the strike from administration officials Wednesday. Their briefers will include Brian Hook, the special representative for Iran, and David Schenker, the assistant secretary of state for the Middle East.Attorney General William Barr on Monday sought to dispel questions about the legality of Trump's decision to order the strike, saying "this was a legitimate act of self-defense because it disrupted ongoing attacks that were being conducted, a campaign against Americans, and it re-established deterrence.""Frankly, I don't think it was a close call," Barr told reporters.During Tuesday's hearing, Stephen Hadley, a former national security adviser to President George W. Bush, said that the fallout from the strike risks destabilizing the region further."The problem was that the strike occurred in Iraq," Hadley said. "To keep U.S. forces in Iraq, Iraqi authorities will have to manage the domestic political fallout from the strike on Soleimani."Democrats also pushed back on characterizations by Trump and others that they are apologists for terrorists."We're not asking these questions because we mourn the death of Soleimani or sympathize with terrorists -- and let me say right now that I will not tolerate any member of this committee making that sort of accusation against other members of this body, even in a general sense," Engel said. "We are all patriotic Americans -- Democrats and Republicans, alike."To contact the reporter on this story: Daniel Flatley in Washington at dflatley1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Bill Faries, Anna EdgertonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Sudan Says Spy Agency Mutiny Quelled After Intense Gunfire Posted: 14 Jan 2020 08:55 AM PST ![Sudan Says Spy Agency Mutiny Quelled After Intense Gunfire]( "Sudan Says Spy Agency Mutiny Quelled After Intense Gunfire") (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Next Africa newsletter and follow Bloomberg Africa on TwitterSudan's government said it contained a violent mutiny over pay by members of the intelligence services, the latest challenge for the North African country trying to overcome decades of dictatorship.Gunfire early Tuesday afternoon rocked parts of the capital, Khartoum, that are home to buildings used by the powerful security apparatus. Soldiers and allied militiamen quickly deployed and closed off major streets, while flights from the city's main airport were suspended until 8 p.m.The uprising was staged by intelligence staff objecting to the restructuring of the service and their financial compensation, Information Minister Faisal Mohamed Saleh said on state TV. He described mutinies in greater Khartoum's Riyadh, Suba and Bahri districts, as well as al-Obeid, a regional capital about 370 kilometers (230 miles) to the southwest, but said no casualties had been reported.Sudan, whose longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir was ousted in April amid mass protests, is being governed by a transitional administration that brings together civilians and the army. Later Tuesday, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok declared "the incidents which took place today are under control.""They will not stop us and our mission nor will they be a reason for us to retreat from the goals of this revolution," the former United Nations economist said on his Twitter account.Flights were suspended from 3 p.m. to protect passengers, the spokesman of the civil aviation authority, Abdul Hafiz Abdul Rahman, said by phone, without elaborating. Khartoum International Airport is close to the city's Riyadh district.(Updates with prime minister's comments starting in fourth paragraph)To contact the reporter on this story: Mohammed Alamin in Khartoum at malamin1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tarek El-Tablawy at teltablawy@bloomberg.net, Michael Gunn, Paul AbelskyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| The resolution to limit Trump's war powers is nothing but an empty political gesture Posted: 14 Jan 2020 08:54 AM PST  A war powers resolution won't stop Trump from doing anything he would do anyway in Iran. It's just a signal that Congress doesn't trust Trump.
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| Tuesday evening news briefing: Why Meghan Markle missed Sandringham summit Posted: 14 Jan 2020 08:25 AM PST  If you want to receive twice-daily briefings like this by email, sign up to the Front Page newsletter here. For two-minute audio updates, try The Briefing - on podcasts, smart speakers and WhatsApp. Duchess of Sussex 'unnecessary' for royal showdown The Duchess of Sussex did not join the royal summit with the Queen and senior royals by phone and instead relied on her husband to put their case for a new independent life. There has been speculation about whether the duchess, who is in Canada with baby son Archie, was able to participate in Monday's discussions convened by the Queen at Sandringham. A source explained the absence of the duchess, who is reportedly the driving force behind the Sussexes' wish to step back. Johnson officially denies Sturgeon second referendum Boris Johnson has officially rejected Nicola Sturgeon's demand for a second independence referendum, arguing she should respect her promise the last vote was a "once in a generation event". In a brief, six-paragraph response, the Prime Minister said he would "continue to uphold the democratic decision" of the Scottish people to remain in the UK. He said he cannot agree to a transfer of rights leading to further independence referendums after Ms Sturgeon asked for such powers to be permanently devolved. Her response to his letter did not hold back. And it seems the campaign for Big Ben to ring out on Brexit night is not dead yet. The Prime Minister announced the Government will run a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for the bell to ring at 11pm on January 31 to celebrate the UK's exit from the EU. Mr Johnson said people should be able to "bung a bob for a Big Ben bong" by contributing to the £500,000 cost of a one-off chime. Nigel Farage has also got in on the act. Link between blue light and sleep issues questioned There are many chapters and verses in the gospel of good sleep, from chamomile tea to a firm mattress. Arguably, though, the golden rule of our modern preoccupation with good sleep is a simple one: no blue light before bed. This has meant putting our phones, tablets, laptops, TVs and games consoles away in the hours leading up to bedtime. However, it might not be as straightforward as that. A recent study on mice from the University of Manchester found that comparing exposure to different colours of light threw up some interesting findings. Read on for details. News digest Problem gambling | Betting with credit cards to be banned this year Screen time | Young children more likely to have speech difficulties Pasty problems | Greggs forced to close only branch in Cornwall Iran nuclear deal | UK and allies trigger dispute process on violations Asian grooming gangs | Detective's claims on why girls were abused Video: Huge sinkhole swallows bus in China, killing six An enormous sinkhole swallowed a bus and pedestrians in northwest China, sparking an explosion, killing six people and leaving four more missing, state media said today. Footage showed people at a bus stop running from the collapsing road as the vehicle - jutting into the air - sank into the ground. It also triggered an explosion inside the hole. Comment Charles Moore | Time to demolish shanty town outside Parliament William Hague | Cummings should beware Whitehall reorganisation Tom Harris | Here's Labour's only chance of survival in Scotland Simon Heffer | Betjeman was mediocre but wrote one brilliant poem Julie Burchill | Moving in with husband nearly ended our marriage World news: The one story you must read today... Irish election | Ireland will go to the polls on February 8 after the prime minister called a snap general election. Leo Varadkar ended weeks of speculation about the timing of the election when he formally requested the president dissolve the current parliament. Mr Varadkar had said he preferred a summer election but power has been ebbing away from the minority government over the past few weeks. Read on for details. Editor's choice Death, lies and corruption | Hansie Cronje's brother lifts lid on shameful episode in cricket 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport review | Fairytale debut for revamped model Demand for data | Now Big Brother is watching how you type or hold your phone Business and money briefing BHS pensions | Former BHS owner Dominic Chappell has been ordered to pay £9.5m towards the now defunct retailer's pension scheme after he failed to convince a court he should not contribute. Read on for details. Flybe crisis | PM says airline key for 'connectivity' as duty cut explored Millennial investor | How to invest for 'free' – and why you shouldn't On top of markets | Live stocks and shares updates 24 hours a day Sport briefing The records Liverpool can break | Liverpool's 61 points from a possible 63 is the best ever start to a league season by any team in Europe's big five domestic leagues and they look certain to end their 30-year wait for a league title. Here are the records the side is on the cusp of breaking. Man Utd | Solskjaer insists club 'in good place' despite falling revenues Liam Plunkett exclusive | The hurt of being ditched by England Michael Vaughan | How it felt to play in match fixed by Hansie Cronje Tonight's TV How to Steal Pigs and Influence People, Channel 4, 10.00pm | Fancy becoming a vegan activist and using social media to help rid the world of animal products? Tom Costello's film might make you think again. Read on for more. And finally... Oscars history beckons | Only four years ago, British actress Cynthia Erivo was in two minds about going to the US after landing her big break in a Broadway musical. Erivo is now thankful that she boarded the plane. Her Broadway role as Celie in The Color Purple launched her Hollywood career and set her on the path to two Oscar nominations. And if she wins the Oscar she will make history as the youngest performer to join the 'EGOT' club. Read on for details.
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| Israel extradition of Australia sex-abuse suspect hits delay Posted: 14 Jan 2020 08:18 AM PST  An Israeli court on Tuesday said it would allow defense attorneys for a woman facing dozens of sexual abuse charges in Australia to review a psychiatrists' ruling that she is fit to stand trial for extradition. The lengthy legal battle over Leifer's extradition has strained ties between Israel and Australia and outraged Australia's Jewish community.
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| Iran announces arrests over downing of plane that killed 176 Posted: 14 Jan 2020 08:07 AM PST  Iran said Tuesday that authorities have made arrests for the accidental shootdown of a Ukrainian passenger plane, which killed all 176 people on board and set off protests in the country demanding accountability after officials initially concealed the cause of the crash. Iran's Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said "some individuals" were arrested after "extensive investigations." His statement on the judiciary's website did not say how many people had been detained or name those arrested. Iran at first dismissed allegations that a missile had brought down the plane, but in the face of mounting evidence officials acknowledged on Saturday — three days after — that its Revolutionary Guard had shot down the plane by mistake as the force braced for a possible military confrontation with the United States.
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| Kosovo woman, man repatriated from Syria charged with terror Posted: 14 Jan 2020 08:05 AM PST ![Kosovo woman, man repatriated from Syria charged with terror]( "Kosovo woman, man repatriated from Syria charged with terror") Kosovo prosecutors on Tuesday filed terrorism charges against an Albanian woman and a man for allegedly joining the Islamic State group in Syria. A prosecutors' office statement said the defendant woman identified as V.K. and the man identified as F.D. left Kosovo in March 2015 to first go to neighboring Skopje, North Macedonia, and then to Turkey where they crossed the Syrian border to join IS until early 2019 when they handed themselves over to Kurdish forces. In April, they were part of a group of 110 Kosovo citizens repatriated from Syria.
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| Iran calls for expulsion of British ambassador to Tehran for alleged role in anti-government protests Posted: 14 Jan 2020 08:04 AM PST  Iran declared the British ambassador to Tehran "persona non grata" on Tuesday, calling for him to be expelled for his alleged role in recent anti-government protests. Iran's judiciary spokesman said Robert Macaire had played a "provocative role" when he attended a vigil at the weekend for passengers killed in the passenger jet crash last week, amid ever-worsening tensions between the UK and Iran. Mr Macaire said he left the vigil as soon as the protests began and was arrested on his way to the embassy, in violation of the Vienna Convention. He was detained for several hours, before Iran's foreign ministry intervened and arranged for his release. An effigy of the ambassador, who took up the role two years ago, and a Union Jack flag were burned in Tehran. "It is not acceptable for us to see that the British ambassador went outside the embassy and took part in an illegal gathering, filmed it and had a provocative role in its continuation," Gholam-Hossein Esmaili, the spokesman for Iran's judiciary, told reporters. "This person is persona non grata ... while people's expectations and international regulations necessitate his expulsion." Iranian hardliners burn a cutout poster depicting British ambassador to Iran Robert Macaire Credit: REX Iran's general prosecutor urged the government to expel the ambassador. Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda, a prominent hardline cleric, said expelling the ambassador would be "the best thing that can happen to him" as otherwise loyal supporters of general Qassem Soleimani, killed in a US drone strike earlier this month, would "chop him to small pieces". Dominic Raab, the Foreign Minister, said the UK government had received no formal notification that Mr Macaire would be expelled, adding that any such action would be "regrettable". The UK has attempted to distance itself from the US decision to assassinate Soleimani, widely considered to be the second most important figure in the Islamic Republic. Britain was not given advance notice of the plan. Tehran, however, has kept up the pressure on the UK, which it often refers to as "Little Satan" to the US's "Big Satan". Iran crisis | Read more The ministry of foreign affairs issued a statement calling on the UK embassy in Tehran to "stop any meddling and provocative measure immediately". "The people of Iran do not accept foreign interference, particularly from governments with a record of colonialism, such as Britain," it said. The judiciary also announced the arrest of a number of people over the downing of the Ukranian Airlines jet by Iran's missile defence system, which killed all 176 on board. Justin Trudeau, prime minister of Canada, which lost 63 nationals in the crash, took an extraordinary swipe at Mr Trump, saying the victims would be with their families if not for the US president's decision to target Soleimani. "I think if there were no tensions, if there was no escalation recently in the region, those Canadians would be right now home with their families," Mr Trudeau said.
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| Ireland to hold early election on February 8 Posted: 14 Jan 2020 07:59 AM PST  Ireland will go to the polls next month in an early general election, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said Tuesday, seeking to capitalise on his part in brokering the Brexit deal. Varadkar, who was appointed taoiseach in 2017, was a central figure in the process which was marked by wrangling over border arrangements with British-run Northern Ireland. "The election will be held on Saturday, February 8th," Varadkar said in a speech in Dublin before asking President Michael D. Higgins to dissolve parliament.
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| UN says 'staggering' deaths of rights activists in Colombia Posted: 14 Jan 2020 07:34 AM PST ![UN says 'staggering' deaths of rights activists in Colombia]( "UN says 'staggering' deaths of rights activists in Colombia") The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed alarm Tuesday at the "staggering number" of social activists killed in Colombia despite a peace accord aimed at improving conditions in poor, rural areas. According to the U.N., 107 human rights defenders were killed in 2019, a worrying number that could grow to 120 as investigations are completed.
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| Prohibition began 100 years ago, and its legacy remains Posted: 14 Jan 2020 07:34 AM PST  In this era of bottomless mimosas, craft beers and ever-present happy hours, it's striking to recall that 100 years ago the United States imposed a nationwide ban on the production and sale of all types of alcohol. The Prohibition Era, which lasted from Jan. 17, 1920, until December 1933, is now viewed as a failed experiment that glamorized illegal drinking, but there are several intriguing parallels in current times.
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| Varney: Freedom fighters’ push for global democracy is ‘inspiring’ Posted: 14 Jan 2020 07:31 AM PST ![Varney: Freedom fighters' push for global democracy is 'inspiring']( "Varney: Freedom fighters' push for global democracy is 'inspiring'") The fight for democracy in nations like Iran and Taiwan should be fully supported, said Stuart Varney.
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| Ireland faces February polls after prime minister calls snap election Posted: 14 Jan 2020 07:26 AM PST  Ireland will go to the polls on February 8 after the prime minister called a snap general election. On Tuesday Leo Varadkar ended weeks of speculation about the timing of the election when he formally requested that the president dissolves the current parliament. Health, housing, Brexit and climate change are expected to be the main issues in the campaign. Mr Varadkar had said he preferred a summer election but power has been ebbing away from the minority government over the past few weeks. The government is supported by Fianna Fail, the biggest opposition party, in a confidence and supply arrangement but was expected to lose a no confidence motion in the health minister. The Fine Gael-led administration suffered a series of by-election losses just before Christmas which deprived it of its working majority. Profile | Leo Varadkar It is not expected that there will be any outright winner in the election. Parliament will convene again on February 20 but it could take months to form a new government. Opinion polls suggest that the next administration will either be a Fianna Fail or Fine Gael led coalition. Both parties, which are pro-EU with centrist economic policies, have ruled out any form of alliance with Sinn Fein after the election. Fine Gael's main appeal is its handling of Brexit negotiations and the economy. Ireland has had the highest growth rate of any EU member state for the past four years, but the country is experiencing a chronic shortage of housing and chaos in the health sector. Opinion polls suggest that the next administration will either be a Fianna Fail or Fine Gael-led coalition Credit: PA Fine Gael has been in office since February 2011. On that occasion it came close to an overall majority as voters blamed Fianna Fail for the economic crisis that forced the country into an EU-IMF bailout programme in November 2010. Fine Gael lost one-third of its vote in the February 2016 general election but was still able to form a minority government will the help of a number of independent MPs. The political landscape is more fragmented than at anytime in the history of the state, which makes it more difficult to form a government. There are ten political parties and groupings in parliament as well as a number of independents. There has been cross party consensus on the government's position on Brexit talks, so it is unlikely that a new administration will stray from the strategy adopted since 2016.
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| Iran says it is making arrests after its military shot down a passenger plane with a missile, killing 176 people Posted: 14 Jan 2020 07:22 AM PST  The arrests follow an admission over the weekend by Iran that it was responsible for shooting down Ukraine International Airlines flight 752
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| Barnier warns of post-Brexit 'consequences' for UK, EU citizens Posted: 14 Jan 2020 07:14 AM PST  Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, warned Tuesday that "concrete consequences" would follow for EU and UK citizens as Britain does away with freedom of movement. Speaking at a European Parliament debate on the issue in Strasbourg, Barnier stressed "we will continue to defend the interest of our citizens" as Brexit moves into the next phase of settling the terms of future relations between the EU and Britain.
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| Justin Trudeau blames escalation between Trump and Iran for the deaths of 63 Canadians in the crash of Flight 752 Posted: 14 Jan 2020 07:09 AM PST  The prime minister argued that 63 Canadians would be "home with their families" if tensions between the US and Iran hadn't recently escalated.
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| Trump news – live: Pelosi warns of impeachment 'cover-up' as Democratic candidates prepare for debate clash Posted: 14 Jan 2020 07:02 AM PST  Donald Trump has been accused of "engaging in hate speech against an entire religion" after retweeting a meme of senior Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer in Muslim dress as press secretary Stephanie Grisham explained he posted it to attack the opposition for "almost taking the side of terrorists" in the Iran crisis.A US cybersecurity firm has meanwhile alleged that Russian military agents successfully hacked Ukrainian gas company Burisma - at the heart of the impeachment inquiry over its ties to Hunter Biden, son of Mr Trump's leading 2020 opponent Joe Biden - suggesting it attempted to steal emails with a view to again influencing an American presidential election.
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| National security has barely made the debate stage. Here comes the Iran crisis. Posted: 14 Jan 2020 06:38 AM PST  The U.S.-Iran crisis has thrust foreign policy and national security—rarely decisive factors in elections—into the spotlight and, likely, onto the Democratic debate stage.
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