lightblink: May 2019

Friday, 31 May 2019

New Mexico town gets death threats after halting crowd-funded border wall

A New Mexico mayor on Thursday said he and his staff received multiple death threats after they briefly halted construction of a crowd-funded, private border wall by a group that then urged supporters to tell the city to "stop playing games," and alleged it was tied to drug cartels. The Florida-based group has raised $23 million via crowd-funding site GoFundMe.com to build private border walls to halt smuggling and a surge in undocumented migrants, after funding for President Donald Trump's promised wall was blocked. Perea described the tactics of We Build the Wall as a "cheap blow," and the American Civil Liberties Union accused it of pursuing a "white Nationalist" agenda.

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Disney says it won't make any more films in Georgia if draconian abortion laws come into force in the US state

Disney's chief executive has warned Georgia that the company's film and TV productions are likely to abandon the state if its controversial abortion bill becomes law. Bob Iger said it would be "very difficult" for the entertainment giant to continue working in the state if the so-called "heartbeat bill", which outlaws terminations from as early as six weeks, comes into force. The Walt Disney Company has shot some of its biggest films in the US state, including Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame. Speaking to Reuters, Iger said: "If it becomes law, it'll be very difficult. "I think many people who work for us will not want to work there, and we will have to heed their wishes in that regard. "Right now we are watching it very carefully." Sen John Milkovich speaks outside the State Capitol in Louisiana where the House passed Milkovich's 'fetal heartbeat' bill Georgia has been dubbed the "Hollywood of the South" after it lured production companies with favourable tax laws. The state offers a tax credit that has lured many film and TV productions. The industry is responsible for more than 92,000 jobs in Georgia, according to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), and some 455 productions were shot in Georgia in 2018, according to the state. However, its proposed abortion laws have caused fury across the industry, with leading stars lining up to condemn the bill. Netflix has also warned it could pull out of the state. Georgia's bill bans abortions in cases where a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which can be as early as six weeks. It is due to come into effect on January 1 2020, although campaigners have already said they will fight it in the courts. It came as last night Louisiana on Wednesday also passed a bill banning abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, becoming the seventh state to do so. The bans are expected to be blocked in lower courts, but supporters plan to appeal such decisions until they reach the Supreme Court.

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Florida Gov. DeSantis meets with Netanyahu in Israel

JERUSALEM (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis met with Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, calling the embattled Israeli prime minister a "strong leader" on the governor's final day of a trade mission to Israel.

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Pork Producers, Corn Growers Urge Trump to Drop Mexico Tariffs

The president said Thursday that 5% duties could be placed on all imports from Mexico on June 10, rising in increments to 25% in October unless Mexico halts the flow of immigrants heading to the U.S. border. “We appeal to President Trump to reconsider plans to open a new trade dispute with Mexico,” David Herring, president of the National Pork Producers Council and a hog farmer from Lillington, North Carolina, said Friday in an emailed statement.

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How the 2016 Debates Are Still Haunting Democrats

Democrats are trying to avoid the missteps of the 2016 primary debates — a goal that has proven elusive as more candidates have announced.

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Amit Shah: Modi's enforcer emerges from behind India's throne

As the battle-hardened drill sergeant for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah has long been considered India's second most-powerful person, and his appointment Friday as home minister elevates his position to leader-in-waiting. While Modi is the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party's people person, firing up rallies and mastering Twitter, Shah has for years made sure that Modi's orders are carried out to the letter while turning the world's biggest political party into the undisputed force across the nation of 1.3 billion people. Shah's piercing stare and strongarm tactics have made him a feared and respected figure in the Hindu nationalist party -- opposition parties and critics call him "ruthless" -- a status only increased by his role masterminding the BJP's second straight landslide election victory this month as the party president.

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Jussie Smollett: Possible deal was in the works a month before charges dropped, documents show

New documents on the Jussie Smollett case show that prosecutors told Chicago police detectives that a possible deal with the actor was in the works a month before charges against him were dropped.Smollett was charged in March with 16 counts alleging he lied to police when reporting he'd been the victim of a racist, anti-gay attack in January. Police contend the black and openly gay actor allegedly staged the attack because he was unhappy with his salary and wanted publicity.Prosecutors dropped charges on 26 March without Smollett admitting guilt. Then Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and police Superintendent Eddie Johnson expressed outrage over the prosecutors' decision. Smollett has maintained his innocence. The approximately 460 pages of new documents show that detectives investigating Smollett's allegations were told by Cook County prosecutors a deal with the Empire actor could include a $10,000 fine and community service. The detectives did not pass the information to superiors. "They didn't pass it on because they didn't know it (the case) was going to be handled the way it was," said Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. In the documents released on Thursday, detectives note the Chicago Police Department was informed by the Cook County State's Attorney's office on 28 February that they could no longer investigate the crime. Smollett was indicted on 7 March. The lead investigators in the case met with Assistant State's Attorney Risa Lanier, who informed detectives "that she felt the case would be settled with Smollett paying the city of Chicago $10,000 in restitution and doing community service". The detectives closed the case at that point because an arrest was made and the alleged offender was being prosecuted, according to Guglielmi.It was the attorneys for Smollett who announced charges alleging he lied to police about attack had been dropped. At the time, Johnson said he learned of the deal prosecutors made with Smollett when the deal was announced by lawyers, adding he didn't think justice was being served. However, he didn't directly criticise prosecutors."My job as a police officer is to investigate an incident, gather evidence, gather the facts and present them to the state's attorney," Johnson said. "That's what we did. I stand behind the detectives' investigation." The Illinois Prosecutors Bar Association said the dismissal of the charges was "an affront to prosecutors across the state" as well as police, victims of hate crimes and the county as a whole.The city of Chicago is seeking $130,000 from Smollett to cover the costs of the investigation into his reported beating. The city claims about two dozen detectives and officers investigated the entertainer's report that he was attacked, resulting in a "substantial number of overtime hours."Additional reporting by agencies

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Stone Was Like ‘Uncle Roger,’ Miller Testifies to Grand Jury

Prosecutors focused their examination on Miller’s relationship with Stone and Stone’s connection to WikiLeaks founder Assange, Miller’s attorney Paul Kamenar told reporters after the proceeding. Stone was indicted by the grand jury in January on charges of lying to Congress about communications with Assange, obstruction and witness tampering.

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MALEAH DAVIS: Remains found in bag amid search for girl in Arkansas

After a revelation in the disappearance of the 4-year-old, Quanell X has told ABC13 a body was located during the search for the girl in Arkansas

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Barr: Counter-intelligence Probe of Trump Campaign Crossed ‘Serious Red Line’

Attorney General William Barr said Friday that the FBI's counterintelligence investigation of the Trump campaign "crossed" a "serious red line" and should be "carefully looked at.""The use of foreign intelligence capabilities and counterintelligence capabilities against an American political campaign to me is unprecedented and it's a serious red line that's been crossed," Barr said in an interview with CBS.The attorney general is currently investigating the origins of the probe to determine whether the U.S. intelligence community's surveillance of the Trump campaign was warranted. He has expressed skepticism about the explanations for some of the investigative actions taken.During testimony to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee last month, Barr stated that "spying did occur" on the Trump campaign, angering Democratic lawmakers."I guess it's become a dirty word somehow," Barr told CBS. "I think there is nothing wrong with spying. The question is always whether it is authorized by law.""There were counterintelligence activities undertaken against the Trump campaign, And I'm not saying there was not a basis for it, that it was legitimate, but I want to see what that basis was and make sure it was legitimate," he added.The New York Times reported that the FBI sent an undercover agent posing as a research assistant to ask former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos whether the campaign was working with Russia. Papadopoulos was told by a Maltese professor in early 2016 that Russia had damaging information on Trump's opponent, Hillary Clinton, but said he told the undercover agent he had “nothing to do with Russia.”"Republics have fallen because of Praetorian Guard mentality where government officials get very arrogant, they identify the national interest with their own political preferences, and they feel that anyone who has a different opinion, you know, is somehow an enemy of the state," Barr remarked. "That can easily translate into essentially supervening the will of the majority and getting your own way as a government official."FBI director Chris Wray said earlier this month that he had seen no evidence that the FBI illegally spied on the Trump campaign.

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Showdown over Missouri abortion clinic postponed as governor weighs in

Gov. Mike Parson said court intervention in the fight over whether to renew the license of Missouri's lone abortion provider would be "reckless."

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Trump Tariffs on Mexico Irk Key Republican Allies in Congress

The president’s announcement Thursday surprised many Republicans who hoped to focus on passing a new trade deal with Mexico and Canada known as the USMCA. Trump said he will impose a 5% tariff on all imports from Mexico -- ramping up 5 percentage points every month until hitting 25% in October -- unless Mexico takes "decisive measures" to stem migrants entering the U.S.

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Netanyahu shows off a map of Israel sent by Trump - Daily Mail

Netanyahu shows off a map of Israel sent by Trump Daily Mail

The Israeli PM waved around the map (picturde left) during a TV appearance last night in a political move that comes as Israel is plunged into its second ele...

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Trump heads to London amid Brexit furor and political upheaval in Europe. What could go wrong? - Los Angeles Times

Trump heads to London amid Brexit furor and political upheaval in Europe. What could go wrong? Los Angeles Times
Trump UK state visit: Full details including lunch with the Queen revealed Daily Mail
How Trump Undermined Theresa May The Atlantic
Britain is in crisis. So why is President Trump coming to visit? The Washington Post
Trump and May End Relationship That Began Strained and Only Got Worse Bloomberg
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Passengers May Pay a Lot More. Drivers Won't Accept Much Less. - The New York Times

Passengers May Pay a Lot More. Drivers Won't Accept Much Less. The New York Times
Uber reports $1 billion loss in first post-IPO quarterly results Ars Technica
Uber lost more than $1 billion in the first quarter CNN
Uber's Earnings Call Provides More Fuel For Lyft's Shares Than Uber's TheStreet
How Uber Hopes to Profit From Public Transit The New York Times
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from Top stories - Google News https://nyti.ms/2HOKMev

Knicks draft target RJ Barrett's longtime coach: 'He wants New York' - SNY.tv

Knicks draft target RJ Barrett's longtime coach: 'He wants New York' SNY.tv
REPORT: Trading pick No. 3 for Nos. 8 and 10 “under consideration” by the Knicks Posting and Toasting
Report: R.J. Barrett declines workout with Grizzlies, excited about Knicks, who could trade down or out Yahoo Sports
Knicks 2019 NBA Draft Rumors: NY Considering Trading 3rd Pick; Hawks in Mix Bleacher Report
2019 NBA Draft: Ja Morant not Memphis Grizzlies only NBA draft option The Commercial Appeal
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FOX NEWS: Ambassador: Trump's visit is more about celebrating Britain's relations with the US than politics

Ambassador: Trump's visit is more about celebrating Britain's relations with the US than politics

British Ambassador to the U.S. Sir Kim Darroch weighs in ahead of President Trump's state visit to the United Kingdom.

Palestinians say U.S. 'deal of the century' will finish off their state - Reuters

Palestinians say U.S. 'deal of the century' will finish off their state Reuters

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The U.S. blueprint to end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, still in draft form after almost two years, is seen by Palestinians, ...

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from "news" - Google News https://reut.rs/2XjhEBk

Nadler: 'There certainly is' justification for impeaching Trump - POLITICO

Nadler: 'There certainly is' justification for impeaching Trump POLITICO

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said on Friday that there “certainly is” justification for launching impeachment proceedings against President ...

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ted Cruz agree on ban of lawmakers taking paid lobbying positions - CNN

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ted Cruz agree on ban of lawmakers taking paid lobbying positions CNN

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and GOP Sen. Ted Cruz came together Thursday on Twitter in a professed effort to ban former lawmakers from ...

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from "news" - Google News https://cnn.it/2HKEKvf

Trump administration to send DHS agents, investigators to Guatemala-Mexico border - The Washington Post

Trump administration to send DHS agents, investigators to Guatemala-Mexico border The Washington Post

Dozens of Homeland Security agents and investigators will deploy to Guatemala as part of the Trump administration's desperate attempt to slow unauthorized ...

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from "news" - Google News https://wapo.st/2HPdEmR

Barr brushes off critics of his reputation: 'Everyone dies' | TheHill - The Hill

Barr brushes off critics of his reputation: 'Everyone dies' | TheHill The Hill
Attorney General Barr stokes the conspiracy fires The Washington Post
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Challengers of census citizenship question tell Supreme Court they have new evidence that shows political motivation - CNN

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Erosion forcing Nigerian families to abandon their homes and farms

A community in southern Nigeria face losing their homes and food shortages due to erosion.

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Philippines sends rotting exported waste back to Canada

Exported waste, intended for recycling, is being sent back to Canada by the Philippines.

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Adel al-Jubeir: 'Saudi Arabia does not want a war with Iran'

The kingdom is hosting two summits of Gulf and Arab leaders to discuss growing tensions in the region.

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Weighing little more than an apple at birth, Saybie is the smallest baby to ever survive

Saybie is believed to be the world's smallest infant to survive after weighing just 8.6 ounces or 245 grams at birth.

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Fukushima: How to move a mountain of radioactive soil

Eight years after the disaster at the Japanese nuclear power station, the clean-up is continuing.

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Motorola just unveiled the $499 Moto Z4 with 2-day battery life and upgradeable 5G

The cat was let out of the bag a little early regarding Motorola's new Moto Z4, the $499 handset the company officially unveiled this morning -- and which Amazon mistakenly sold to a user two days before we were supposed to, er, know it existed. Nevertheless, it's here now -- or, rather, it will be soon, as it hits Verizon in the US two weeks from today. In keeping with past Z flagships, Verizon has got the exclusive stateside, and as with the announcement of the Moto Z3 as the world's first "5G-upgradeable" smartphone, the Z4 will likewise be upgradeable to 5G via the company's "Moto Mod" component once 5G networks are available in your area.Among the highlights of this newest addition to Moto's Z series: it will run Android 9 Pie out of the box and sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 octa-core processor. You'll have 4GB of memory and 128 GB of internal storage, with up to 512 GB of expandable storage via microSD. The device also comes with an in-display fingerprint sensor and promises a battery life of "up to 2 days."Movies, games, and photos should look stunning on the 6.4-inch Max Vision OLED display that stretches from edge to edge and offers a screen-to-body ratio of 85%. The massive 3600 mAh battery here is also the largest ever on a Moto Z. Additionally, the device is equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack and the company's largest-ever 48-megapixel rear camera sensor that uses new Quad Pixel technology to capture high-quality 12 MP images.The Z4's rear camera also includes 4x better light sensitivity, in addition to optical image stabilization plus AI-guided portrait lighting, AR stickers, live filters, support for Google Lens and much more. Motorola specifically touts Night Vision, which is included in the rear camera software and layers together eight separate frames taken with different exposure values. After performing some dynamic noise reduction and sharpening, the result is an image with enhanced detail and more accurate colors even in situations with challenging lighting.Verizon will start selling the Z4 in Flash Gray on June 13, and in Frost White later this summer, for $499. It will be available for $20.83 for 24 months on a Verizon Device Payment plan, but for a limited time if you switch to Verizon or add a new line and get a Z4 you can pay $10 for 24 months, an overall savings of more than $200.Existing Verizon customers can upgrade to a Z4 and save $100 when they buy a new phone on a Verizon Device Payment plan. Starting June 6, meanwhile, a universally unlocked version of the Z4 will be available for $499 bundled with the Moto 360 camera Mod at Best Buy, B&H Photo and at Amazon, with pre-sales starting today.

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The Chevrolet Trailblazer Is Back, and It Now Splits the Difference between Trax and Equinox

Chevy's latest crossover is small, boxy, stylish, and wears a classic nameplate.

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Police: Ex-Jaguars LB pointed gun, threatened to kill woman

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Former Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Blair Brown pointed a gun at a woman and threatened to kill her, according to the Jacksonville's Sheriff's Office.

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The Latest: Group behind private border wall has more plans

SUNLAND PARK, N.M. (AP) — The latest on the crowd-funded barrier built on the U.S.-Mexico Border (all times local):

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Ex-NBA Star Scottie Pippen Names 5-Year-Old in Lawsuit Over Home Damages

Phillip Faraone/GettyFormer Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen has named a 5-year-old girl in a lawsuit over alleged damage to his Florida mansion, claiming she ruined his pad by “defacing” it with crayons and markers.The former basketball player had initially filed the lawsuit against lawyer-turned-comedian Lindsay Glazer and her husband, Jacob Woloshin, in 2018, but amended it this week to include the couple’s young daughter. In court documents, Pippen accused Glazer and Woloshin of a “failure as parents” for supposedly allowing their child to “deface certain elements of the property with markers, crayons, and/or cause damage of similar nature” while they rented his six-bedroom, nine-bathroom mansion.The lawsuit alleges that damages totaled nearly $110,000 and seeks compensation “in excess of $15,000,” excluding legal fees, costs, and interest. In addition to the child’s alleged “defacing” of the property with crayons and markers, Pippen has also accused the couple of “neglecting the care of the home,” “causing the home to become infected with insects,” allowing pets to urinate in the home, and “literally stealing personal household items,” among other things. Glazer, who last year jokingly set up a GoFundMe page to “replace [Pippen’s] missing knife set” and raised over $700 for charity, laughed off the latest allegations. “All jokes aside, who would have ever thought that Dennis Rodman would be strengthening relations with North Korea, and Scottie ‘no tippin’ Pippen would be the crazy one suing little girls?” Glazer told the New Times Broward Palm Beach.“With all of the publicity this ridiculous case was getting, we thought it good to use it as an opportunity to raise funds for the Fisher House Foundation, which assists military and veteran's families,” the comedian told the New Times about the fundraising page.According to The Sun-Sentinel, Pippen was ordered to pay $13,190 more in taxes on the home the same year he sued Glazer. Pippen misidentified the home as his primary residence when he was actually renting the home out, which makes him ineligible for a tax break.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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Democratic Louisiana governor signs six week abortion into law

Governor John Bel Edwards has signed Louisiana’s abortion ban into law, making the southern state the fifth to enact a law prohibiting abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, typically as early as six weeks, which is before most women know they’re pregnant. Alabama’s law, which bans abortions from the moment of conception, surpasses these states in severity. But like that law, Louisiana’s new ban does not contain any exceptions for pregnancies that result from rape or incest.Governor Edwards is the first Democrat to back one of the many attempts to overturn Roe v Wade with deliberately unconstitutional language currently sweeping the US. Like all the bans, it will not take effect immediately, and abortion remains legal and accessible in Louisiana for now. However, restrictive laws already in place, which work around the Supreme Court decision to make abortion difficult to access, leave the state in an already precarious position. Mr Edwards has been open about his stance against abortion rights throughout his career, and was clear that he would sign the bill when it reached him. Though differing on abortion rights from most of his party, he was still supported by the Democratic National Committee. In a statement celebrating his election in November 2015, then-DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz wrote: “John Bel Edwards’ commitment to expanding quality health care to hundreds of thousands of Louisianans … is a message that Democrats all across the country can run on and win with in 2016.”The bill was also sponsored by a Democrat, state senator John Milkovich. Nola.com reports that Louisiana legislators overwhelmingly supported the ban, with a 79-23 House vote and 31-5 Senate vote.A tweet from Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, which covers Louisiana, called Thursday “a dark day in Louisiana’s history”.“But as our supporters showed today,” the tweet said, “we will never stop fighting these attacks on our reproductive rights and freedoms. Louisianans deserve better.”

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Navy official confirms White House requested USS McCain be kept away during Trump visit

U.S. Navy officials tell Fox News that all ships were in their normal configuration during the president's visit; national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin reports.

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The Updated Tesla Model S Could Crib Model 3 Content

Tesla's largest all-electric hatchback will reportedly have an extended driving range and a simpler cabin design.

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Trump planning 'dramatic' policy statement on border

President Donald Trump said he is planning to make a major statement on US immigration policy on Thursday or Friday, amid continuing frustration over thousands of migrants pouring over the border with Mexico. "I'm going to be making a statement, probably tomorrow but maybe today," Trump told reporters. Trump accused Democrats in Congress of not supporting legislation to end what he called "ridiculous" US policy on asylum seekers.

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Body believed to be missing Utah girl is found

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A body believed to be a missing 5-year-old Utah girl was found Wednesday less than a block from her home, bringing a wide-ranging search to a grim close five days after the child was taken from her home and killed by her uncle, police said.

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Tankers almost certainly damaged by Iranian naval mines, John Bolton says

John Bolton, the US national security advisor, has publicly accused Iranian forces armed with naval mines of carrying out an attack on oil tankers earlier this month. Speaking in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Mr Bolton said Iran “almost certainly” used mines in the sabotage attack which damaged two oil tankers and two smaller ships at the Emirati port of Fujairah. “There is no doubt in anybody’s mind in Washington who is responsible for this and I think it’s important that the leadership in Iran know that we know,” he said. But Mr Bolton also adopted a softer tone than in the past, saying the US was not planning military action in response to the Fujairah attack. However, he warned and Iran its proxy groups that “that these kind of activities risk a very strong response from the Americans.” Mr Bolton also said Iran had unsuccessfully tried to carry out an attack at the Saudi port of Yanbu but gave no further details. Persian gulf sabotage attacks Iran denied responsibility and said Mr Bolton’s accusations were “ridiculous”. Western officials have long suspected that Iran was behind the May 12 sabotage attack in the UAE, which damaged a Saudi and a Norwegian oil tanker, but Mr Bolton’s comments about naval mines are the first time a possible method has been revealed. The UAE is continuing to lead an international investigation into the sabotage and has not formally accused any state of responsibility. Meanwhile, Hassan Rouhani, the Iranian president, said the “road is not closed” for negotiations between the US and Iran if Washington agrees to lift crippling sanctions and return to the negotiating table. Mr Trump pulled the US out of the Iran nuclear agreement last year and imposed sanctions designed to completely choke off Iran’s oil exports. The president has repeatedly expressed his hope that Iran would stop supporting militant groups across the Middle East and enter negotiations with the US. “I'm sure that Iran will want to talk soon,” he said last week. The US has been building up its forces in the Middle East since early May, when Mr Bolton announced that an American aircraft carrier and bomber squadron was being sent to the region in response to Iranian threats. While Mr Bolton has taken a consistently hard line on both Iran and North Korea, Donald Trump has publicly distanced himself from his aide’s hawkish approach.

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Showdown over Missouri abortion clinic postponed as governor weighs in

Gov. Mike Parson said court intervention in the fight over whether to renew the license of Missouri's lone abortion provider would be "reckless."

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SpaceX's Starlink Satellites Put on a Celestial Show Over the Netherlands

But stargazers worry more satellites could hinder our views of the night sky.

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Trump says he 'can’t imagine the courts allowing' him to be impeached

President Trump renewed his assertion that Robert Mueller’s report exonerated him of wrongdoing, claiming that the special counsel "would have brought charges" if he could, and adding that he “can’t imagine the courts allowing” him to be impeached.

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Is the Syrian regime about to retake Idlib?

Syria's regime has increased its deadly bombardment of Idlib in recent weeks, but analysts say that is unlikely to signal an all-out offensive on the jihadist bastion. Eight years into Syria's civil war, the government has notched up a series of victories against rebels and jihadists, and controls around 60 percent of the country. Two regions largely remain beyond its control: a Kurdish-held swathe of the northeast and a northwestern region controlled by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

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Tour boat sinking revives memories of SKorea ferry disaster

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The sinking of a boat carrying South Korean tourists in Hungary is touching a nerve in South Korea, where many are still traumatized over a 2014 ferry sinking that killed more than 300 people, mostly students. The grief is compounded by claims by some South Korean tour agents and travelers that there were past safety issues on the Danube River where the accident happened.

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As of May 31, 2019 at 07:00AM, 1 USD equals 1 USD.

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Thursday, 30 May 2019

Missing Millions Put an American-Funded Afghan College Under Scrutiny

The American University of Afghanistan is at risk of closing after United States government investigators said they could not account for $63 million in spending.

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Mueller, Huawei, Brexit: Your Thursday Briefing

Here’s what you need to know.

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Punching Iran Over Its Foreign Policy Could Lead to a Faster Path to War

Wrestling with Iran’s diplomacy and military activity could prompt a confrontation between Washington and Tehran well before any showdown over a nuclear program.

from NYT > World https://nyti.ms/2EIjIeL

Edward Seaga, Who Led Jamaica on a Conservative Path, Dies at 89

Promising “deliverance is near” amid economic turmoil, Mr. Seaga ousted Michael Manley to become prime minister and grew close to the U.S. and Britain.

from NYT > World https://nyti.ms/2EG4zuA

An Experimental Ebola Cure May Also Protect Against Nipah Virus

African green monkeys survived infection with the Nipah virus after they received remdesivir. The virus, a pandemic threat carried by bats, has killed dozens of people in Asia.

from NYT > World https://nyti.ms/2QAC7iC

Robert Mueller, Tornadoes, Israel: Your Wednesday Evening Briefing

Here’s what you need to know at the end of the day.

from NYT > World https://nyti.ms/2W0uH9p

South Africa’s President Reappoints Deputy Accused of Graft

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa reappointed David Mabuza, a power broker long accused of corruption, as his deputy president.

from NYT > World https://nyti.ms/2EIbx23

Mueller, Mount Everest, Pokémon: Your Thursday Briefing

Mueller breaks his silence.

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One Thing You Can Do: Boil Water Efficiently

Also this week, millennial attitudes about climate change.

from NYT > World https://nyti.ms/2HJ7MLS

Khamenei Dismisses Idea of Renegotiating Iran Nuclear Deal With U.S.

Washington withdrew last year from the international deal signed in 2015 and is now ratcheting up efforts to shut down Iran’s economy.

from NYT > World https://nyti.ms/2Xf4fdl

A Signal in Giant Earthquakes That Could Save Lives

The full power of the biggest temblors could be determined in as little as 10 to 15 seconds after they begin, a new study finds, and long before it ends.

from NYT > World https://nyti.ms/2Kd737a

Pokémon Sleep Wants to Make Snoozing a Game Too

Pokémon Go got people walking for hours in the summer of 2016. Now, its makers want to make sleep the next frontier.

from NYT > World https://nyti.ms/30TmPu3

Anchors From Fox and Chinese State TV Hold Live Debate on Trade

Experts say the debate between Trish Regan and Liu Xin will help a Communist Party-controlled television network raise its profile in America, where it has struggled to gain a foothold.

from NYT > World https://nyti.ms/2EEmORa

Former Tehran Mayor Confesses to Killing His Wife, Prosecutor Says

Mohammad Ali Najafi turned himself over to the police hours after his second wife, Mitra Ostad, 35, was discovered shot dead in a bathtub.

from NYT > World https://nyti.ms/2Xdqh0h

John Bolton, Tornadoes, Abortion: Your Wednesday Briefing

Here’s what you need to know.

from NYT > World https://nyti.ms/2I4SAaV

Bolton Says Iran Is Likely Responsible for Oil Tanker Attacks

John R. Bolton, President Trump’s national security adviser, accused Iran on Wednesday of being behind reported attacks on ships off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.

from NYT > World https://nyti.ms/2VWULCm

A secretive marsh bird faces existential threat from rising seas

Louisiana wetlands are eroding faster than almost anywhere in the world – and endangering the wildlife that call them home

Biologists crouched in the mud squint past their headlamps at the secretive marsh bird.

They have tramped through tall cordgrass for two hours, trying to stir the creature up by shaking cans of bolts and metal pellets. A few hundred feet away, the stretch of Louisiana marshland gives way to the Gulf of Mexico. Closer to their faces, mosquitoes swarm.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2WcoY5p

The world needs topsoil to grow 95% of its food – but it's rapidly disappearing

Without efforts to rebuild soil health, we could lose our ability to grow enough nutritious food to feed the planet’s population

The world grows 95% of its food in the uppermost layer of soil, making topsoil one of the most important components of our food system. But thanks to conventional farming practices, nearly half of the most productive soil has disappeared in the world in the last 150 years, threatening crop yields and contributing to nutrient pollution, dead zones and erosion. In the US alone, soil on cropland is eroding 10 times faster than it can be replenished.

If we continue to degrade the soil at the rate we are now, the world could run out of topsoil in about 60 years, according to Maria-Helena Semedo of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. Without topsoil, the earth’s ability to filter water, absorb carbon, and feed people plunges. Not only that, but the food we do grow will probably be lower in vital nutrients.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2QzTiR3

Crispr gene-editing will change the way Americans eat - here's what's coming

The technology will be labeled and subject to stringent health and environment review in the EU, but not in the US, where produce could be radically changed

Soon, soybeans will be bred to yield oil without dangerous trans fats. Lettuce will be grown to handle warmer, drier fields. Wheat to contain less gluten. And pigs bred to resist deadly viruses. Someday, maybe even strawberry plants whose delicate berries can be picked by machine instead of by hand.

Ten years ago, such genetic changes would have been considered science fiction – or so far off into the future of breeding as to be almost unimaginable. But gene editing, particularly with a tool called Crispr-Cas9, has made it much easier and more efficient to tinker with the genomes of plants and animals. The first Crispr-edited products will begin reaching the market this year, and researchers believe it’s only a matter of time before US grocery shelves could be filled with gene-edited produce, grains and meat.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2EJ9o6x

'Out of sight': White House reportedly steers USS John McCain away from Trump

Officials wanted ship bearing the name of Trump’s nemesis blocked from view during president’s trip to Japan

The White House made it clear that Donald Trump was not to catch sight of a warship named after his Republican nemesis, the late Arizona senator John McCain, during his visit to a naval base in Japan this week, according to media reports.

Citing an email dated 15 May from an official at the US Indo-Pacific Command to US navy and air force officials, the Wall Street Journal said the USS John McCain “needs to be out of sight” during Trump’s Memorial Day visit to Yokosuka base on Tuesday, the final day of his state visit to Japan.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2W22RcK

Ashton Kutcher 'freaked out' after date found killed, Los Angeles court told

Actor testifies at trial of ‘Hollywood Ripper’, who is charged with murder of Ashley Ellerin in 2001 along with two others

Actor Ashton Kutcher told a Los Angeles jury on Wednesday that he was “freaking out” after learning that a young woman was found dead in Hollywood the day after he called at her home for a date.

The former Two and a Half Men star was testifying as a witness at the trial of a man dubbed the Hollywood Ripper who is charged with the murder of the young woman and two others.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Kd6ZEu

Pelosi condemns Facebook over 'false information' after doctored video – as it happened

Gig economy: California bill granting employee status passes assembly

Uber and Lyft drivers, considered contract workers, could be entitled to protections and benefits if the bill is signed

The state assembly in California passed legislation on Wednesday that would require employers to recognize hundreds of thousands of gig workers as employees and could have far-reaching implications for contractors across the US.

In a win for labor advocates, Bill 5 passed 53-11 in the assembly and will now move to the senate. If signed by the governor, the legislation would put into action a decision made by the California state supreme court in May 2018 known as Dynamex, which uses a three-part test to determine if contractors qualify as employees entitled to protections and benefits.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2wp9LhS

World's tiniest surviving baby born in California

Saybie, girl weighing 245g (8.6oz), discharged from San Diego hospital as healthy infant

A San Diego hospital on Wednesday revealed the birth of a girl believed to be the world’s tiniest surviving baby, who weighed just 245 grams (about 8.6 ounces) before she was discharged as a healthy infant.

The baby, named Saybie, was born at 23 weeks and three days and was sent home this month weighing 5lbs (2kg) after nearly five months in the neonatal intensive care unit, Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns said in a statement.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2EFz4ko

Louisiana is latest to pass six-week abortion ban

In a 79-23 vote, Louisiana house passed bill that would prohibit the procedure before some women even know they are pregnant

Louisiana lawmakers on Wednesday passed a strict new abortion ban that would prohibit the procedure before some women even know they are pregnant, joining a half-dozen conservative states with similar measures.

In a 79-23 vote, the Louisiana house gave final passage to a bill barring abortion beyond the sixth week of pregnancy. The law is described inaccurately by its supporters as banning abortion after a “fetal heartbeat” is detected, but experts have pointed out that this terminology is wrong on both accounts.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2IaQsyn

Mueller fails to cut through partisan noise surrounding Trump-Russia report

Republicans stood by president as some Democrats embraced impeachment inquiry in response to special counsel’s comments

For two years, Robert Mueller, the special counsel, led one of the most consequential investigations in the history of American politics – a pursuit that was the subject of endless speculation and cast an indelible cloud over Donald Trump’s presidency.

On Wednesday, Mueller sought to cut through the noise in a rare public statement that plainly laid out the facts, despite the sharply partisan lens through which his work has been viewed in American politics.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2VYH3P2

Missouri may lose its last abortion clinic this week. That's dark news for us all | Jill Filipovic

Anti-abortion activists know that you don’t need to outlaw abortion outright if you can make getting a safe, legal one nearly impossible

By the end of the week, women in Missouri may live in a state without a single abortion clinic. While restrictive laws in states like Alabama have made headlines, Missouri shows the other side of the anti-abortion strategy: steadily shave away at abortion rights. You don’t need to outlaw the procedure outright if you can make getting a safe, legal one nearly impossible.

The reason there’s only one remaining clinic in Missouri in the first place is because the state has tried to regulate abortion out of existence. A series of unnecessary rules and regulations makes it harder both for women to access abortions and for medical professionals to provide them. Missouri’s misogynistic laws already don’t trust women to make their own decisions – they mandate that any woman seeking an abortion in the state has to come to a clinic, request the procedure, and then go home and think about it for three days before it can be legally proffered. They also require that young people under the age of 18 notify both parents and get the notarized consent of at least one parent before they can terminate a pregnancy – a serious hardship for girls who live with abuse, or who don’t have a good relationship with their parents, or who don’t want to be mothers but want to keep their medical decisions private.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2JNwNrx

There's a climate crisis – but Trump's cabinet continues to backtrack on science | Kate Aronoff

Conservative donors and fossil fuel companies have the most to lose from large-scale decarbonization – and they know it

In an effort to suppress federal climate research, the Trump administration will direct state agencies to no longer consider worst-case scenarios of global warming. Climate modelers working for federal agencies will only be permitted to forecast to 2040, decades before the as-much-as 8C degrees of global warming that could take place by 2100 if we continue on our current path.

William Happer – most recently famous for complaining that the “demonization” of carbon dioxide “really differs little from the Nazi persecution of the Jews” – will lead a team charged with reviewing the science produced by government researchers, no doubt hunting for references to the disastrous sea-level rise, crop failures and health impacts continued warming stands to create.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2JLSXdQ

Women, being married needn’t make you unhappy – if you choose the right man | Hadley Freeman

A happiness expert says wives are more miserable than other women. Is it because they find they’ve married another child?

Tchuh, women. Never bloody happy, are they? Except, it turns out, they are, just not in the way they were told to be, and thought they should be. According to a new book by Paul Dolan, a professor of behavioural science at the London School of Economics, marriage and children do not – despite several millennia of literature claiming otherwise – give women the sought after happy ending. In fact, they put them at “higher risk of physical and mental conditions than their single counterparts”. (Dolan does not specify whether those mental conditions include insanity from watching the same Peppa Pig episode 1,174 times.)

Now, I’m going to take some things for granted, the first of which is that Dolan is referring to heterosexual married couples, as is implied by how he has discussed his findings so far. The second is that the people Dolan interviewed are answering honestly, or at least do so eventually. By some measure, my favourite part of these findings is that while married people express greater happiness than other groups, they do so only when their spouse is in the room. “When the spouse is not present: fucking miserable,” Dolan said at the Hay festival last weekend. And yet, while married men reap some benefits from their misery – longer life, better earnings – married women can only look forward to dying sooner than their single, happier counterparts.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2EGBXBs

Most of us feel sleepy in the afternoon. Why can’t work fit round that? | Andre Spicer

Even medieval monks complained of an afternoon lull. Now a third of Britons are sleep-deprived, work should be flexible

In the early afternoon, I often catch myself listlessly staring into the computer screen. I have things to do, but I can’t concentrate. I try writing the same sentence five times and delete it six. During one of these afternoon torpors, I came upon a word: acedia. It seemed to perfectly define my mid-afternoon weariness. I discovered this originally Greek word was widely used by medieval Christian monks to describe a sense of indolence, a mood of lethargy, a feeling of being completely unconcerned about their duties and purpose in the world. Christian mystics who lived in the Egyptian deserts during the 3rd century AD often complained about being haunted by the “noon-day demon”.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/311A9fY

Britain is in the grip of an existential crisis that reaches far beyond Brexit | Aditya Chakrabortty

Nearly three years after the referendum, Westminster has still not come to terms with the grievances that drove the result

The person who is best qualified to hold up a mirror to British politics today is neither a minister nor an academic. He is not even British. No: he is, of course, Michel Barnier, the French-born servant of Brussels. In his 1,036 days as the EU’s chief negotiator, he has sat for numbing hours opposite Theresa May, haggled with David Davis and Dominic Raab and their junior ministers and faced down countless Whitehall officials. He is the outsider who knows our system inside out. So when he popped up right at the end of the BBC’s fly on the wall Storyville documentaries on the Brexit negotiations, I leaned in to listen.

Barnier doesn’t do florid, so his words leapt out … It wasn’t even Brexit at all. The UK is in a crisis as big as the country itself.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2QwdGmr

Trump needs to make peace with China and get a cut in interest rates | Larry Elliott

US president’s target has tended to be Beijing but his focus is likely to turn more to the Federal Reserve

Stock markets around the world are sending a message to Donald Trump: end your trade war with China or face the nightmare scenario of running for a second term in the White House with the economy in serious trouble.

The big falls seen on the world’s major bourses this week are the result of one thing: the growing fear of the impact of the standoff between Washington and Beijing on trade, industrial production and business confidence.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2wpOwfT

Overtime goal gives St Louis Blues their first-ever win in Stanley Cup finals

Carl Gunnarsson scores game-clinching goal for Blues
Victory over Boston Bruins levels series at 1-1

Carl Gunnarsson scored on a delayed penalty in overtime, Jordan Binnington made 21 saves and the St Louis Blues beat the Boston Bruins 3-2 on Wednesday night to tie the Stanley Cup Final at one game apiece.

Robert Bortuzzo and Vladimir Tarasenko also scored to help St Louis win a Cup finals game for the first time in 14 tries in franchise history. It was the first overtime in a Cup final since Game 2 of 2016. Charlie Coyle and Joakim Nordstrom scored for Boston and Tuukka Rask made 33 saves. The Bruins won 4-2 in Game 1 on Monday night and had won eight straight games. Gunnarsson also hit the post behind Rask with about two minutes left in regulation. In the final minute, Boston’s David Pastrnak had a chance off a faceoff, but Binnington turned it away.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Ib5tjy

Albert Almora in tears after striking child with foul ball in Cubs-Astros game

Outfielder’s line drive enters stands and hits girl
Cubs player consoled by teammates after accident

A young fan at Wednesday night’s game between the Cubs and Astros was struck by a foul ball hit by Albert Almora Jr, shaking up the Chicago center fielder.

Almora hit a fourth-inning line drive into the stands down the third base line, where it hit a young girl. He immediately put his hands on his head and took a couple of steps toward the stands. He then fell to his knees near the plate and was consoled by teammate Jason Heyward and manager Joe Maddon. It took several minutes for Almora, who appeared to be crying, to compose himself and continue the at-bat, and players from both teams also appeared shaken up by the scene.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2JLrg4C

Kawhi Leonard: the man standing between the Warriors and yet another NBA title

Golden State are predicted to win a fourth NBA title in five seasons. But the Toronto Raptors have a player capable of making a difference everywhere on court

The Toronto Raptors didn’t quite come from nowhere to make the NBA finals but they hardly entered the playoffs as the favorites to come out of the East. Past demons loomed largely. So did the Sixers, Celtics and Bucks. But this Toronto team, built differently to their disappointing predecessors of the last half-decade, advanced to the franchise’s first NBA finals, thanks to the acquisition of a true paradigm-shifter: Kawhi Leonard. He’s also perhaps the only player on earth with a realistic chance of stopping the Golden State Warriors juggernaut from winning a fourth NBA title in five seasons.

Leonard is the definition of a franchise player. He elevates a good team into a championship contender. Along with veteran addition Marc Gasol and youngster Pascal Siakam, Leonard helped shatter the mental block of previous Raptors teams in the postseason, as Toronto came back from 0-2 down to win four straight games against Milwaukee and the likely league MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2QxObAR

Robert Mueller breaks silence to insist he did not exonerate Trump

Mueller’s statement seen by many as signal to Congress to act
Special counsel ‘not confident’ Trump did not commit a crime

Robert Mueller, the special counsel, on Wednesday reignited demands for Donald Trump’s impeachment by breaking his two-year silence to deny that the US president is innocent of a crime.

In a sudden and dramatic turn, Mueller, whose report on Russian election interference and Trump campaign links to Moscow was published last month, delivered a sombre nine-minute statement that many construed as a signal to Congress to act on his finding that Trump sought to obstruct justice.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Wz3f6M

More Democratic candidates call for Trump's impeachment after Mueller statement

Booker, Warren, Harris, Castro, Moulton and O’Rourke speak out
‘Beginning impeachment proceedings is the only path forward’

There were fresh calls on Wednesday from Democratic presidential candidates for Donald Trump’s impeachment after Robert Mueller’s statement on his investigation.

Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey for the first time fully threw his support behind impeachment proceedings after hearing Mueller say his investigation did not clear Trump of committing a crime.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2MqMo26

'We were guided by principles of fairness': Mueller's statement in full

Special counsel made his first public comments on the Trump-Russia report since his appointment two years ago

Two years ago, the acting attorney general asked me to serve as special counsel, and he created the special counsel’s office.

The appointment order directed the office to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. This included investigating any links or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump campaign.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Mh8tAq

Robert Mueller gives first public statement on Trump-Russia investigation – video

Special prosecutor says investigators did not have confidence that the US president did not commit a crime. Delivering his first statement on the Trump-Russia investigation, Mueller explained the investigation was bound by the longstanding Department of Justice policy that a sitting president cannot be indicted

Mueller: 'If we had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so' – live

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2wshZWI

Global markets fall as China prepares to hit back at US in trade war

Dow Jones slumps after Beijing signals readiness to restrict exports of rare-earth elements

Financial markets around the world have sold off sharply after Beijing signalled a readiness to strike back at Washington in their escalating trade war by restricting exports of rare-earth elements.

Wall Street recorded steep losses on Wednesday as the Dow Jones slumped to the lowest level in almost four months, losing about 221 points to trade at 25,126. The S&P 500 index also fell to a two-month low, sliding by 19 points to 2,783.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2QuEdjS

Stock markets fall as ECB adds to warnings on trade war – as it happened

US-China trade: what are rare-earth metals and what's the dispute?

The metals are used to produce a number of goods, including mobile phones and cameras

What are rare-earth metals?
Rare earths refer to a group of 17 elements that are prized for their unique magnetic and electrochemical properties.

They include elements such as gadolinium, lanthanum, cerium and promethium, and are vital in the production of cancer treatment drugs, smartphones and renewable energy technologies.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2WaZSnf

Bernanke, Paulson and Geithner: revisiting the 2008 financial crisis | Howard Davies

Three of the key players co-author a book about lessons of the past and make proposals for the future

Journalists, the adage goes, write the first rough draft of history. It’s a grand claim but perhaps the best of them achieve something close to that. In the case of the great financial crisis of 2008, Andrew Ross Sorkin of the New York Times did so in his book Too Big to Fail, which remains a useful description of how it felt on Wall Street when the markets began to collapse. Sorkin had good access to the key people involved.

The second draft of history is often written by the key people themselves. After the second world war, Winston Churchill confidently asserted that history would treat him kindly because “I propose to write that history”. When the financial crisis erupted, the same thought may have crossed the minds of Hank Paulson, Ben Bernanke and Tim Geithner, who were US Treasury secretary, chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank and president of the New York Fed, respectively. All three published lengthy memoirs explaining why they did and didn’t, do what they did and didn’t do – inevitably, with a degree of self-justification in each case.

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from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2JJZmpD