Letter 83: Australia’s ‘Hollowed Out’ Politics, Explained

Is there a void at the center of Australian politics? And who is to blame? This week’s Australia Letter seeks answers.

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As U.S.-China Trade War Rages, Some Australian Farmers See an Opportunity

Rising tariffs could lead Chinese buyers to look for alternatives to American products. But Australia could suffer if the conflict slows China’s growth.

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Falling Oil Prices May Make Trump Happy but They Pose Risks for U.S.

While falling prices help consumers, another big decline of the kind the president is seeking could hurt the economy in oil-producing states like Texas.

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G-20, Yemen, Nancy Pelosi: Your (New) Thursday Briefing

Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

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North Korea Accuses Washington of Weaponizing Human Rights as Nuclear Talks Stall

President Trump may have said he and Kim Jong-un were “in love,” but the two countries are sparring over the North’s human rights record.

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Salome Zurabishvili Wins Georgia Presidential Runoff

As the country transitions to a parliamentary republic, opponents sought to depict the French-born Ms. Zurabishvili as a pro-Russia candidate.

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Wildfires Burn Across Eastern Australia in Sweltering Heat Wave

The wildfires marked the first time the Queensland government rated the danger “catastrophic” in the state’s history. Thousands of people have been evacuated.

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South Korean Court Orders Mitsubishi of Japan to Pay for Forced Wartime Labor

The ruling against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is likely to further complicate ties between America’s two key allies in Asia.

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Border Agents Shot Tear Gas Into Mexico. Was It Legal?

Rights experts say the tear gas canisters fired into Mexico by American border protection forces violated Mexican sovereignty under international law. The weapons may also have blocked asylum seekers from exercising their legal rights.

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Overlooked No More: Noor Inayat Khan, Indian Princess and British Spy

Khan, who was recently suggested as the new face of the £50 note, was an unlikely candidate to engage in espionage in World War II, but she did so with a “steely strength of will.”

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Russia-Ukraine crisis clouds G20 summit in Buenos Aires

Leaders gather in Argentina amid tension with Russia over Ukraine and a US trade row with China.

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Charlottesville driver Alex Fields Jr acted in anger, trial told

The trial opens of Alex Fields Jr, who drove a car into a crowd in Virginia in 2017, killing a woman.

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Berta Cáceres: Seven convicted of murdering anti-dam activist

A Honduran court finds seven men guilty of killing renowned environmental campaigner Berta Cáceres.

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South Korean train crosses DMZ into North Korea

A group of experts will travel around North Korea working out how to update its ageing train network.

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Whale stranding: Another 50 pilot whales die off NZ

The mass stranding on Chatham Island means more than 200 whales have died off NZ in the past week.

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MeToo founder Tarana Burke: Campaign now 'unrecognisable'

Tarana Burke first used the phrase 12 years ago before it became a global movement last year.

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Australian students in mass climate protest

Thousands skip school to urge action on climate change, despite criticism from Australia's PM.

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Michael Cohen in court: Trump ex-lawyer admits lying to Congress

Michael Cohen says he lied "out of loyalty" to Mr Trump, while the president says he is "weak".

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Merkel's plane makes unscheduled landing after technical hitch

The German chancellor will miss the start of the G20 in Argentina after her flight had to turn back.

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Southwest Airlines apologises for mocking girl's name

Southwest Airlines has offered its "sincere apology" after staff mocked five-year-old Abcde Redford.

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Georgia woman jailed as 'cops mistake candy floss for meth'

A Georgia woman was charged with meth trafficking due to a faulty police drug test, says a lawsuit.

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G20: So how does the summit work?

The G20 summit of the world's most powerful leaders begins in Buenos Aires on Friday.

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Michael Cohen: What Trump lashing out at his ex-lawyer reveals

Michael Cohen is a liar and a "weak person", according to the president. Anthony Zurcher analyses his response.

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How Disney's Wreck It Ralph is challenging Disney's stereotypes

Why Ralph Breaks The Internet is the Disney sequel that is not afraid of poking fun at a Disney stereotype.

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'Miss Environment': The 11-year-old girl 'saving Lagos'

Misimi Isimi is an 11-year-old environmentalist on a mission to clean up Lagos.

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Syrian on 'sound and smell of freedom' after months in airport

Syrian Hassan al-Kontar had not been outside for nine months - but now has a new home in Canada.

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How do you make a vinyl record?

Watch behind the scenes as a vinyl record is processed from start to finish.

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Like Ali v Frazier, how Magnus Carlsen kept his World Chess title after 50 hours and 12 draws

Norway's world number one Magnus Carlsen retains his World Chess Championship after 12 draws and more than 50 hours of play - eventually beating Fabiano Caruana in a tie-breaker.

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Starbucks to block porn on free wi-fi in US

The coffee chain says watching porn has always been banned, but it will now block access to content.

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Shenzhen Half Marathon: Traffic cameras catch cheats taking shortcut

Almost 250 runners in the Shenzhen Half Marathon are caught cheating by traffic cameras that show them taking a shortcut through bushes.

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China employees fined for walking fewer than 180,000 steps

Staff at a real estate firm had to walk 6,000 steps a day in order to avoid a fine.

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Finnish lake reveals Stone Age rock art

New Stone Age art has been found at a lake in Finland.

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Sabarimala: India activist held for 'explicit' thigh photo

Rehana Fathima made an unsuccessful attempt last month to enter one of Hinduism's holiest temples.

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The French village that fears for its British community

Alet-les-Bains has benefited from a British influx and many there fear the aftermath of Brexit.

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Carmichael project: Visiting Australia's controversial Adani mine

The BBC's Vineet Khare visited the controversial Carmichael project by Indian energy giant Adani.

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'Hermione has taught me how to be angry'

The actress Noma Dumezweni, best known for playing Hermione Granger in the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, says women need to learn how to be angry.

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Africa's week in pictures: 23-29 November 2018

A selection of the best photos from across Africa this week.

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Make my cabinet great again: Name every official Trump has fired?

The administration has been characterized by the turmoil of turnover in high-level jobs. Have you kept track of who’s who?

While the US unemployment rate recently hit a 48-year low, it has soared among White House staffers with Donald Trump in office. As his presidency approaches the two-year mark, it’s worth recapping its biggest departures so far.

Do you know the whos, whats, and whens of Trump’s White House firings?

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Donald Trump Jr may face legal peril after Cohen admits lying to Congress

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s willingness to prosecute should make the president’s son and other aides who testified worried

Donald Trump’s eldest son and other associates of the president may be at greater risk of prosecution after Robert Mueller, the special counsel, showed he is willing to criminally charge people for lying to Congress.

Mueller on Thursday obtained a guilty plea from Michael Cohen, one of Trump’s closest advisers for more than a decade, who admitted giving an untrue account to Congress about the Trump Organization’s effort to develop a tower in Moscow during 2016.

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Hawaii politician stops voting, claiming islands are 'occupied sovereign country'

Jennifer Ruggles, a county councilwoman for two years, says working as a US agent could leave her open to war crimes charges

A Hawaii politician has refused to attend months of meetings because she believes Hawaii may not actually be a part of the US.

Jennifer Ruggles has served two years as the Hawaii county councilwoman for the district of Puna – the same part of the Big Island that was devastated by the eruption of the Kilauea volcano earlier this year. On 21 August, Ruggles caused a stir at a routine committee meeting when she announced she was concerned that Hawaii was not a part of the US, but instead an occupied foreign country.

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Second top Republican says he will vote against Trump judge pick

Senator Tim Scott says he will oppose nominee Thomas Farr, criticized for defending laws that discriminated against African Americans

A second Republican senator, Tim Scott of South Carolina, has said he will vote against Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as a district judge in North Carolina, likely dooming the prospects of Thomas Farr filling the country’s longest court vacancy.

Civil rights groups such as the NAACP have heavily criticized Farr for his work defending state laws found to have discriminated against African Americans. Farr is nominated to serve as a district court judge in North Carolina.

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Trump: 'Michael Cohen is weak and trying to get a reduced sentence' – video

The US president, Donald Trump, told reporters that Michael Cohen was 'a weak person and not a very smart person' and claimed, without evidence, that his former legal fixer was lying to secure a reduced punishment for other crimes.

Trump said he had decided not to go ahead with the Moscow project, although he did not specify when he decided against pursuing it. The president has sought to distance himself from Cohen despite their long relationship

• Michael Cohen pleads guilty to lying to Congress over Trump project in Russia
  

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Ben Carson stresses 'positive aspect' of migrant caravan, contradicting Trump

• ‘We’ve created an amazing country,’ says housing secretary
• Carson tells state lawmakers: ‘We’re not each other’s enemies’

A Trump cabinet member is striking a tone at odds with the president’s calls to meet immigrants at the Mexico border with force and demands that Congress fund a border wall.

Ben Carson, the secretary of housing and urban development and Trump’s only black cabinet appointee, delivered a speech to conservative state lawmakers reframing the issue.

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Charlottesville driver begins trial over woman's death: 'Was it a malicious act?'

Jury heard conflicting accounts of what caused a man to drive his car into a group of counter-protesters, killing Heather Heyer

Nearly 15 months after a white nationalist rally erupted into violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, a jury heard conflicting accounts of what caused a man to drive his car into a group of counter-protesters, killing one and injuring several others.

Related: Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes quits 'extremist' far-right group

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Nancy Pelosi urges Congress to protect Mueller investigation – as it happened

Alabama mall shooting suspect arrested after police kill wrong man

Erron Brown charged in Thanksgiving incident after police fatally shot Emantic Bradford, initially identified as the shooter

The accused shooter in a Thanksgiving night mall shooting in Alabama, which resulted in another man being fatally shot by police, has been arrested, authorities said.

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None of 42 migrants arrested in Tijuana border clash will face charges

• US border patrol detained 42 people for illegal entry
• Unclear if arrested migrants will be deported

No criminal charges will be filed against any of the 42 migrants arrested in a clash that ended with US authorities firing teargas into Mexico, the Associated Press has learned.

Rodney Scott, chief of the border patrol’s San Diego sector, has said those arrested for illegal entry included 27 men, with the rest being women and children.

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After Cohen's guilty plea, the threads of Trump Inc are fraying | Richard Wolffe

The spectacle of Mueller cornering Trump’s gang is fascinating to watch and essential to the rebuilding of the rule of law

The great unraveling has begun. Between the latest guilty plea by Donald Trump’s fixer and the breakdown of a guilty plea by his campaign chairman, the threads are fraying on the scheming enterprise that is Trump Inc.

The man pulling at the many loose ends of this loosey-goosey business is working methodically in ways that are only clear in hindsight. Robert Mueller, the special counsel, is a strategic mastermind cornering a gang of simpletons watched by a peanut gallery of gawkers and hecklers.

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The new wave of Democrats owes a huge debt to people power | Gary Younge

The party was the natural political conduit for the protest movement. It must not betray that trust

With just a few thousand votes between the two candidates for governor, election night during the US midterms in Wisconsin could not have been more tense. The slender lead kept flipping between Republican and Democrat as various precincts reported their results. Then shortly before midnight a local news presenter suggested, almost as an aside, that there could be about 40,000 more votes yet to be counted from the Democratic stronghold of Milwaukee. A week earlier, at a Republican event in nearby rural Kenosha, Milwaukee had been a punchline – an emblem of crime-ridden, multiracial, urban dysfunction. But they weren’t laughing now.

When the numbers were crunched, the Republicans were done. After eight years of austerity, occupations, demonstrations and a failed attempt to recall conservative governor Scott Walker, who was twice re-elected, Democrats took back the governor’s mansion.

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The ticking bomb of climate change is America's biggest threat | Michael H Fuchs

It’s time for the United States to treat climate change as the national security challenge it is

Imagine that US leaders were told that hundreds of nuclear weapons were set on a timer to detonate across the planet, progressively and in increasing numbers, over the coming years and decades. The lives of millions would be upended, if not made nearly impossible to survive, by transformed weather patterns and resource scarcity. Tens of millions would become migrants as regions became uninhabitable. Millions would die, more and more as time went on. If this science fiction were reality, US leaders would lead an international effort to immediately disarm and dismantle the weapons.

But this isn’t science fiction. Climate change is a ticking time bomb, literally threatening to end human life on earth over the coming centuries. As climate journalist Peter Brannen describes it, Earth faced a similar crisis hundreds of millions of years ago during the “Great Dying” when volcanoes spewed so much carbon dioxide into the air – including magma that blanketed an area as large as the lower 48 US states, 1km deep – that it almost killed all life. Today, Brannen says, “we’re shooting carbon dioxide up into the atmosphere 10 times faster than the ancient volcanoes”.

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Calling this exodus a 'migrant caravan' obscures the heart of the matter | Mark Isaacs

We need a new term that acknowledges the dire circumstances that have caused Central Americans to leave their homes

When I first heard of the “migrant caravan” I thought it was a grossly inadequate way to describe this mass movement of people. The more I have learned about the movement, the more convinced I am of its inappropriateness as a definition. Thus far, I have been using it for social media purposes but I want to break down the terminology.

The term “migrant” is a misnomer. It gives the impression that these people have similar situations to us. It implies they can apply for a visa, get a job and relocate their families the legal way just like an Australian might migrate to the United Kingdom for work. It is misleading to use the term migrants for a group of people who are fleeing criminal violence, authoritarian governments, corrupt security forces, economic failure and extreme poverty. It is misleading to imply that these people have the same opportunities to migrate as people from Australia, the US or other wealthy nations.

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What's Trump hiding in the climate report? That global warming’s effects are here | Ken Kimmell and Brenda Ekwurzel

The administration tried to bury the assessment, but as residents flee wildfires and wade through flooded streets, let’s hope decision-makers get the message

Talk about cognitive dissonance. Just two days before 13 federal agencies released a report laying out the devastating human and economic toll that climate change already is taking in the United States, Donald Trump tweeted: “Whatever happened to global warming?” The tweet was based on a spurt of cold weather in the north-east, never mind that the rest of the world was experiencing higher than normal temperatures.

The administration was so concerned about what the report, called the National Climate Assessment (NCA), would reveal – including the fact that the president’s thinking on climate change is hopelessly flawed – that it chose to release it on Black Friday, hoping no one would pay attention. A member of Trump’s transition team, Steven Milloy, was candid about this strategy, saying: “Do it on a day when nobody cares, and hope it gets swept away by the next day’s news.” Fortunately for the Earth and its residents, news coverage about the report continued over the weekend and into the following week.

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‘White supremacy’ is really about white degeneracy | Keith Kahn-Harris

Today’s far-right populists relish the idea that they can be morally contemptible, yet still prevail

The concept of “white supremacy” is having a moment right now, and understandably so. White resentment, entitlement and bigotry never went away, but it is closer to the political mainstream now than it has been for decades.

The rhetoric of the likes of Donald Trump, Viktor Orbán, Steve Bannon and other figures in the ascendant populist right might not openly embrace “white power”, but there is no doubt that open white racists have been emboldened by them. Trump may have not wanted Richard Spencer (who coined the term “alt right”) to gleefully exclaim: “Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory” just after the 2016 US election, but he was not particularly bothered by it either.

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Floyd Mayweather and DJ Khaled fined over cryptocurrency promotion

Boxer and music producer to pay combined $767,500, says SEC after accusing celebrities of failing to disclose payments

The boxer Floyd Mayweather and the music producer DJ Khaled have been fined for unlawfully touting cryptocurrencies.

The two have agreed to pay a combined $767,500 in fines and penalties, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said in a statement on Thursday. They neither admitted nor denied the regulator’s charges.

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Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder's press conference descends into chaos – video

Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder had to be pulled apart at the final press conference before their WBC heavyweight title fight in Los Angeles, as the event almost descended into a mass brawl. The two fighters exchanged insults and Fury removed his shirt before their teams ushered them offstage. The pair face off in the ring on Saturday night.

• Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder clash in feisty LA face-off before world title fight

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'A coach is a coach': Chantal Vallée on leading a men's professional team

The Canadian is one of the few women to have crossed the gender divide in professional sports. But her main focus is on winning

Chantal Vallée tells a story about her early days as coach of the University of Windsor’s women’s basketball team.

Despite minimal experience, the novice from Montreal arrived in the southern Ontario city with an ambitious five-year masterplan: to transform the worst team in the country into champions. But by the end of her second year, the Lancers – regularly labelled the ‘doormat’ of the league – had somehow managed to go backwards.

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Magnus Carlsen beats Caruana in tie-breakers to retain World Chess crown

• Deadlock finally broken after nearly three weeks
• Norwegian seals third successful defence of title

For 20 days the world’s two best grandmasters sat in a soundproof studio in central London, with only a chessboard, their thoughts, and each other for company. But finally, after 15 games, 773 moves and 51 hours of simmering tension, the Norwegian world champion Magnus Carlsen held his nerve, and his crown, with an emphatic rapid-play victory over the US challenger Fabiano Caruana.

Some had wondered whether Carlsen, the world’s No1 ranked player for the past eight years and the world champion since 2013, had lost his mojo because of his diffidence during the classical matches, which were all drawn. Yet over the shorter four-game rapid-play format – where players have just 25 minutes for all their moves, along with a 10-second increment – he was a different animal, crushing his opponent 3-0.

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Michael Cohen deal a critical step for Mueller that exposes Trump to new risk

An agitated Trump tried to play down his ex-aide’s deal with prosecutors – but experts call it ‘potentially very significant’

A deal announced on Thursday between Michael Cohen, the longtime personal lawyer and fixer for Donald Trump, and federal prosecutors has left the president and his family vulnerable to new legal hazards and could represent one of the most significant advances so far in the work of special counsel Robert Mueller, legal analysts said.

Related: Michael Cohen pleads guilty to lying to Congress over Trump project in Russia

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Christopher Wylie: 'The fashion industry was crucial to the election of Donald Trump'

The Cambridge Analytica whistleblower reveals how certain brands were weaponised during the US election campaign

Christopher Wylie, the whistleblower who exposed the widespread misuse of data by his former employer, Cambridge Analytica, has revealed how the company “weaponised” the fashion industry in the run up to the 2016 US election, which he claims helped Donald Trump get elected.

Speaking at the annual BoF Voices festival in Oxfordshire, Wylie revealed for the first time a matrix based on data collected by the firm which he claims can show how users’ preferences for particular brands on social media platforms – Facebook, in particular – were then used to help target these same users with pro-Trump messaging. He compared the misuse of fashion-based data as one of the campaign’s lesser reported “weapons of mass destruction”.

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Stormy Daniels says Michael Avenatti sued Trump without her permission

Porn star also says her lawyer has not been transparent about money raised on her behalf via an online fundraising appeal

Stormy Daniels, the adult film actor who claims she had an affair with Donald Trump 12 years ago, has said her lawyer sued the president this year without her permission and has not been transparent about money raised on her behalf via an online fundraising appeal.

In a statement given to the Daily Beast, Daniels said Michael Avenatti “has been a great advocate in many ways” but he “has not treated me with the respect and deference an attorney should show to a client”. She said she had not decided “what to do about legal representation moving forward”.

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Cliven Bundy rebukes Trump over attack on migrants: 'We should have a heart'

The Trump-supporting rancher and his sons have now become unexpected critics, telling the Guardian: ‘I don’t like walls’

Cliven Bundy is not a fan of walls.

A hero to some in the far right due to his family’s armed standoffs with the US government, the Nevada rancher is an avid supporter of Donald Trump. But there’s one major issue where they diverge.

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Bernie Madoff scam victims receive $695m from compensation fund

• Nearly $2bn allocated to swindler’s 27,000 victims to date
• Funds recovered from Madoff’s friend, family and bank

Victims of the fraudster Bernard Madoff are set to receive another $695.3m from a government compensation fund, the Department of Justice announced on Thursday.

The payout – the third made by the Madoff Victim Fund – will be distributed starting Thursday to 27,000 victims of the infamous scammer around the world. It will bring the total paid out to victims so far to nearly $2bn, out of more than a total of $4bn that will eventually be paid.

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New York to consider banning shops from going cashless

Cashless policies have drawn critics in other cities as well, who say it discriminates against the poor and people of color

Cashless businesses would be banished from New York City under new legislation introduced on Wednesday that is aimed at protecting the poor.

A growing number of businesses in New York and cities around the country have adopted cashless policies, refusing to accept paper currency and requiring customers to pay with debit or credit cards.

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Fed chair Jerome Powell softens line on interest rate rises after Trump attack

• Rates currently ‘just below’ range Fed officials consider neutral
• President had said he was ‘not a little bit happy’ with Powell

The Federal Reserve chairman, Jerome Powell, appeared to cautiously climb down on the central bank’s interest rate policy on Wednesday after another assault on his tenure from Donald Trump.

Powell has been gradually raising rates since he was confirmed to his position by Trump in January. The increases have infuriated Trump, who has consistently criticized Powell. This week the president blamed recent stock market sell-offs and General Motors’ decision to lay off 14,700 people in part on Powell.

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'No jobs on the horizon': workers respond to General Motors' decision to close plant

Following announcement that company will close three plants, Oshawa employees wonder why theirs is shutting down

Wet flurries blanketed a sombre Oshawa as hundreds of workers quietly shuffled out of the General Motors assembly plant as they finished work for the day. Many were still processing the previous day’s devastating news: by next year, the plant – the city’s main employer – would be no more.

Related: Trump says he isn't happy with General Motors' decision to shed 14,700 jobs

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Donald Trump warns China he won't back down on trade tariffs

US president says he expects to move ahead on plans to raise tariffs to 25% from 1 January

Donald Trump has raised the stakes in the escalating global trade dispute between the US, China and some of America’s traditional allies ahead of a major gathering of world leaders this week.

Ahead of the G20 meeting in Argentina, which begins on Friday, the US president used a newspaper interview to warn China that he expects to move ahead on the imposition of higher import tariffs on Chinese goods.

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'Individual 1': Trump emerges as a central subject of Mueller probe - Washington Post

Washington Post

'Individual 1': Trump emerges as a central subject of Mueller probe Washington Post In two major developments this week, President Trump has been labeled in the parlance of criminal investigations as a major subject of interest, complete with an opaque legal code name: “Individual 1.” New evidence from two separate fronts of special ... Cohen Pleads Guilty and Details Trump's Involvement in Moscow Tower ProjectNew York Times Mueller starts to piece together Russia puzzle in most significant move yetCNN 'The perfect witness': Dems want Cohen to testify on the HillPolitico Yahoo News -Vanity Fair all 2,776 news articles »

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Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg requested investigation into George Soros - CBS News

CBS News

Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg requested investigation into George Soros CBS News Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's second-highest ranking executive and one of CEO Mark Zuckerberg's closest confidantes, asked her communications team to look into the finances of billionaire investor George Soros after he criticized Facebook at a global ... Facebook's Sandberg asked company to probe George Soros following his critical remarksNBCNews.com Facebook confirms Sandberg directed staff to research Soros' financial activityPolitico Facebook's Sandberg Asked Staff to Inquire About Soros HoldingsBloomberg MarketWatch -Slate Magazine -New York Times -Facebook Newsroom all 58 news articles »

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CNN ends contract with contributor Mark Lamont Hill after speech on Israel - The Guardian

The Guardian

CNN ends contract with contributor Mark Lamont Hill after speech on Israel The Guardian CNN has parted ways with contributor Marc Lamont Hill after a speech the college professor made on Israel and Palestine at the United Nations. A CNN spokesperson confirmed Hill was no longer under contract. The network did not give a reason, but the ... CNN fires Marc Lamont Hill following controversial Israel commentsNew York Post CNN Fired Marc Lamont Hill For Saying Palestinians Deserve Equal RightsHuffPost Marc Lamont Hill at UN calls for "Free Palestine from the River to the Sea" to chorus of applauseYouTube Mediaite -Jewish Journal all 351 news articles »

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Senator Tim Scott Sinks Thomas Farr's Judicial Nomination Amid Racial Controversy - New York Times

New York Times

Senator Tim Scott Sinks Thomas Farr's Judicial Nomination Amid Racial Controversy New York Times WASHINGTON — Tim Scott of South Carolina, the lone black Republican senator, said on Thursday that he would oppose the judicial nomination of Thomas A. Farr, a lawyer who defended a North Carolina voter identification law and a partisan gerrymander ... GOP Senator Tim Scott opposes Trump's judicial nominee, ending his chances of confirmationUSA TODAY Trump Judicial Nominee Set To Fail Amid Voter Suppression ChargesNPR Tim Scott announces opposition to controversial judicial pick, sinking his nominationCBS News Slate Magazine -CNN all 281 news articles »

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Years After Plea Deal in Sex Case, Jeffrey Epstein's Accusers Will Get Their Day in Court - New York Times

New York Times

Years After Plea Deal in Sex Case, Jeffrey Epstein's Accusers Will Get Their Day in Court New York Times MIAMI — The sordid case against Jeffrey E. Epstein, who was accused of paying dozens of underage girls for sexual massages in Florida, appeared to end a decade ago. The wealthy New York financier struck a deal to avoid any federal criminal charges, ... Report sinks labor secretary's hopes of being Trump's attorney generalPress Herald Alexander Acosta gave Jeffrey Epstein the deal of a lifetime | Miami HeraldMiami Herald all 170 news articles »

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Netflix cancels Marvel's 'Daredevil' after three seasons - USA TODAY

USA TODAY

Netflix cancels Marvel's 'Daredevil' after three seasons USA TODAY "Daredevil" is the latest Marvel casualty at Netflix. The streaming service Thursday confirmed it won't be going ahead with a fourth season of the superhero drama, issuing a statement to USA TODAY. "'Marvel's Daredevil' will not return for a fourth ... Daredevil canceled by Netflix after three seasonsEW.com (blog) 'Daredevil' Canceled by Netflix and Marvel After Three SeasonsIndieWire 'Daredevil' Canceled at Netflix as Marvel Roster Shrinks to TwoHollywood Reporter Deadline -Variety all 154 news articles »

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Feds raid Alderman Edward Burke's office in Chicago, cover windows in brown paper - CBS News

CBS News

Feds raid Alderman Edward Burke's office in Chicago, cover windows in brown paper CBS News Last Updated Nov 29, 2018 5:01 PM EST. CHICAGO — Federal agents raided the offices of powerful city Alderman Edward Burke on Thursday, papering over doors and windows to keep out prying eyes, CBS Chicago reports. FBI officials confirmed the raids ... and more »

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High-speed border patrol chase: 3 die after pickup carrying 11 crashes - USA TODAY

USA TODAY

High-speed border patrol chase: 3 die after pickup carrying 11 crashes USA TODAY Three people died and another eight were injured after a high-speed Border Patrol chase ended in a crash near San Diego on Thursday. The chase involved a Chevrolet Silverado with two people in the cab and nine in the bed, the San Diego Union-Tribune ... 3 dead, 8 injured after pickup chased by Border Patrol crashesfox5sandiego.com At least 3 people killed when a truck carrying passengers in cargo bed overturns while fleeing from Border PatrolBusiness Insider 2 dead and several others hurt in crash possibly tied to Border Patrol in San Diego CountyThe San Diego Union-Tribune all 30 news articles »

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Alleged kingpin 'El Chapo' Guzman once made Forbes billionaires list. He now dons Kmart suits at his trial - CNN

CNN

Alleged kingpin 'El Chapo' Guzman once made Forbes billionaires list. He now dons Kmart suits at his trial CNN New York (CNN) The late mobster John Gotti, the self-styled "Dapper Don," was a natty dresser known for his custom-tailored, double breasted suits, silk ties with matching pocket squares and handmade shoes. If the first week of testimony in Joaquín ... and more »

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'Destined for failure': Evangelicals question John Chau's sincere, ill-advised plan - USA TODAY

USA TODAY

'Destined for failure': Evangelicals question John Chau's sincere, ill-advised plan USA TODAY When John Chau landed on North Sentinel Island, he brought gifts for the tribespeople he hoped to reach for Jesus: Fish, safety pins, some cord. They shot an arrow into his Bible in response, he later wrote. “Please do not be angry at them or at God if ... Doomed missionary John Allen Chau was obsessed with North Sentinelese tribeNew York Post all 53 news articles »

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What the Movies Taught Me About Being a Woman

By MANOHLA DARGIS from NYT Movies https://ift.tt/2FMnAi4

Australian Students Stage School Strikes Over Climate Change Inaction

By LIVIA ALBECK-RIPKA from NYT World https://ift.tt/2RqCQlW

Oklahoma Quarterback Kyler Murray Nears the End of a Two-Sport Career

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A European Goes to Trump’s Washington

By IVAN KRASTEV from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/2zwhaxE

Astrology

By KATHERINE SCHULTEN from NYT The Learning Network https://ift.tt/2PbnzDx

Word + Quiz: subterfuge

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The Beauty of Brazil’s Rain Forest, in Jewelry

By RACHEL GARRAHAN from NYT Fashion https://ift.tt/2Rnvj7u

The Luckenbooth: Scotland’s Love Brooch

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How Jewelry Makes Us Who We Are

By VICTORIA GOMELSKY from NYT Fashion https://ift.tt/2BGFSx9

Emerald and Gold Jewelry Pushes Up Quality at the Met Shop

By LAURA NEILSON from NYT Fashion https://ift.tt/2TX9ayy

Engraving That Endures

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She Calls Her Stock ‘Jewelry, Made by Artists’

By DIANE DANIEL from NYT Fashion https://ift.tt/2DST9UQ

Emojis: Dressed Up and Ready to Party

By MILENA LAZAZZERA from NYT Fashion https://ift.tt/2Q0TrjE

The Secret History of Women, Told in Earrings

By LAURA RYSMAN from NYT Fashion https://ift.tt/2Rokn9H

Sparkle Comes Pretty Cheap

By RACHEL FELDER from NYT Fashion https://ift.tt/2FZ1KYq

Will Blockchain Be a Boon to the Jewelry Industry?

By ELIZABETH PATON from NYT Fashion https://ift.tt/2Pc3dtY

The Canadian Jeweler Who Caught Meghan Markle’s Eye

By ELAINE SMITH from NYT Fashion https://ift.tt/2zwMxIL

Auction Houses Grow a Different Kind of Jewelry Sale

By MELANIE ABRAMS from NYT Fashion https://ift.tt/2Q4vKab

Grindr President Defends Same-Sex Marriage Comments

By DANIEL VICTOR from NYT Business https://ift.tt/2PcGjTr

What’s on TV Friday: ‘A Very Nutty Christmas’ and ‘The Shining’

By DANYA ISSAWI from NYT Arts https://ift.tt/2DQOHG0

As of November 30, 2018 at 08:00AM, 1 USD equals 1 USD.

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David Edelstein, the “butter scene” in “Last Tango” and the darkness of the internet

Prominent film critic fired by NPR after a tasteless Facebook joke — another lesson in why the internet is terrible

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Donald Trump’s band of losers: Getting desperate as Mueller closes in

Jerome Corsi blows the whistle on Roger Stone to CNN and NBC. Meanwhile, Donald Trump starts to panic for real

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New “must-run” from Sinclair defends the Trump administration’s use of tear gas on migrant children

The commentary came from the company’s chief political analyst Boris Epshteyn, himself a former Trump adviser

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Stacey Abrams files federal lawsuit detailing Georgia’s extensive voter suppression in 2018

Why electing a Democrat as secretary of state in next week’s runoff might be a quicker solution to these problems

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Bruce Springsteen has no kind words for President Donald Trump: “He’s deeply damaged at his core”

“I do believe we’ll survive Trump, but I don’t know if I see a unifying figure on the horizon,” The Boss predicts

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Can the US auto industry bounce back again?

A bombshell announcement sparks fury from the White House, but is it too late?

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The case against Nancy Pelosi collapses

House Problem Solvers Caucus, who said they will not vote for Pelosi unless she agrees to changes, get their change

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Upgrade your cooking with these copper core pans

These pans evenly distribute heat to execute any recipe perfectly

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Supreme Court may let iPhone users sue Apple over App Store terms

A legal challenge against Apple that could take a huge bite out of one of the company’s biggest revenue-drivers

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General Motors slams the brakes on Trump

President Donald Trump threatened the automaker after it announced midwest plant closings and layoffs

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Meghan McCain and Abby Huntsman blame Obama for inhumane policies against immigrants on “The View”

“Trump is in office, and he’s destroying the country. This ‘but Obama’ defense doesn’t work,” Sunny Hostin responds

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Ivanka Trump: “There’s no equivalency” between Hillary Clinton’s private email use and my own

The senior White House adviser defends her email use after both Democrats and Republicans call for an investigation

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Rudy Giuliani confirms Paul Manafort was a Trump mole in Robert Mueller’s investigation

Giuliani, Donald Trump’s lawyer, was fed information by Manafort to discredit the Mueller investigation

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How the Manafort bombshell explains Trump’s WikiLeaks obsession

CNN finds clues for Trump’s WikiLeaks obsession from Mueller document

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Fox News disciplines employees after emails reveal Trump official approved “Fox & Friends” script

“It would and should get you fired from any news organization with integrity,” Fordham’s David Hawkins says

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Nadler warns Trump: “Dangling a pardon” in front of Manafort is “dangerously close to obstruction”

Rep. Jerry Nadler will lead the House Judiciary Committee when Democrats take back control of the House in January

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Mueller documents: Corsi told Stone about planned WikiLeaks email dump ahead of the 2016 election

“Word is friend in embassy plans 2 more dumps,” Corsi reportedly wrote on Aug. 2, 2016, referring to Julian Assange

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Film critic David Edelstein fired by NPR over “Last Tango in Paris” rape joke

Edelstein received backlash online after making a joke to comment on the death of Bernardo Bertolucci

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Mueller probe nears a climax: And “collusion” is definitely back on the menu

As the Paul Manafort saga gets more tangled and the noose tightens around Roger Stone, Donald Trump is losing it

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House Republicans want to ram through another tax bill for the rich

Defeated but still loyal, lame-duck House Republicans hope to push through more tax cuts for the wealthy

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Trump’s disapproval rating soars after midterm elections

Trump started off his week with his highest disapproval rating in nearly a year

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Connecticut’s new governor, Ned Lamont, has a familiar name: His history runs deeper than you think

Political junkies may recall Lamont for his run against Joe Lieberman in 2006. But there’s much more than that

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Trump Rips Robert Mueller As 'Prosecutor Gone Rogue' After Paul Manafort Complaint

President Donald Trump lobbed fresh insults at special counsel Robert Mueller

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Doomed Lion Air jet was 'not airworthy' on penultimate flight: investigators

A preliminary report unveiled fresh details of efforts by pilots to steady the jet as they reported a "flight control problem", including the captain's last words to air traffic control asking to be cleared to "five thou" or 5,000 feet. Indonesia's transport safety committee (KNKT) focused on airline maintenance and training and the response of a Boeing anti-stall system to a recently replaced sensor but did not give a cause for the crash that killed all 189 people on board. "At this stage I do not have the answer," KNKT investigator Nurcahyo Utomo told reporters.

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Backlog of asylum seekers at US-Mexico border

Border Patrol agents said they won't be able to begin processing the asylum claims of the growing migrant caravan for at least five weeks. ABC News' Kendis Gibson reports.

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US waived FBI checks on staff at growing teen migrant camp

TORNILLO, Texas (AP) — The Trump administration has put the safety of thousands of teens at a migrant detention camp at risk by waiving FBI fingerprint checks for their caregivers and short-staffing mental health workers, according to an Associated Press investigation and a new federal watchdog report.

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San Francisco Giants Face Backlash Over Owner's Donation To Cindy Hyde-Smith

The San Francisco Giants are facing calls for a boycott after a report that

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Every Photo You Need to See of the 2020 Jeep Gladiator Pickup

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This website will send you to the most remote island in the entire world for free

Our daydreams can often take us to far away lands and uncharted territories

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Donald Trump Shares Meme Showing Obama, Clintons Behind Bars For Treason

President Donald Trump went on a retweeting spree Wednesday, sharing posts to

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Facebook was warned of alleged Russian meddling back in 2014

Facebook acknowledged on Tuesday that its engineers had flagged suspicious Russian activity as early as 2014 -- long before it became public -- but did not confirm evidence of a coordinated campaign. The revelation came as the British Parliament held hearings featuring lawmakers from nine countries into how the social media behemoth was being used to manipulate major election results. Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg refused to attend the meeting and organisers pulled up an empty chair in front of a spot with his nameplate at the shoehorn-shaped table in the House of Commons committee room in London.

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Elon Musk ducks out of one Los Angeles tunnel but pursues another

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has scrapped plans for a high-speed passenger tunnel under the West side of Los Angeles but is moving ahead with a similar proposal across town designed to whisk baseball fans to and from Dodger Stadium. Musk's aptly named underground transit venture the Boring Company gave up on its development of a 2.7-mile (4.4-km) tunnel in West L.A. to settle litigation brought by community groups opposed to the project, the two sides said in a joint statement on Wednesday. The move came six months after Musk, the high-tech baron better known as founder of electric car company Tesla Inc and CEO of rocket maker SpaceX, made a rare personal appearance at a Los Angeles public event to promote his controversial tunnel project.

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