Tuesday, December 31, 2019

From the Brig to Mar-a-Lago, Former Navy SEAL Capitalizes on Newfound Fame

After receiving presidential clemency, Edward Gallagher has left the SEALs to become a pitchman and conservative activist.

from NYT > Top Stories https://ift.tt/2tni27y

Protect Veterans From Fraud

Congress could do much more to protect Americans who have served their country from predatory for-profit colleges.

from NYT > Top Stories https://ift.tt/2QDFBkv

The Extremely Online Decade of ‘Get Out,’ Fake Meat and Crystals

The 2010s, reviewed.

from NYT > Top Stories https://ift.tt/39vM6Pe

Alabama man caught with meth, heroin asks for photo with arresting deputies

An Alabama man who was found in possession of meth and heroin during his arrest on Saturday had an unusual request for the arresting officers: to be photographed with them.

from FOX News https://ift.tt/2QckB5C

Rep. Al Green: The 'genesis' of Trump's impeachment began when he was 'running for office'

One of the most prominent pro-impeachment Democratic lawmakers admitted that the "genesis" of President Trump's impeachment began long before the Ukraine scandal. 

from FOX News https://ift.tt/2tg3Bm2

Matt Lauer dating marketing executive Shamin Abas: report

Matt Lauer is moving on.

from FOX News https://ift.tt/2ZEBtoJ

Rep. Adam Kinzinger applauds Trump's Iran response after attack on US Embassy in Baghdad

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., applauded President Trump's response to rising tensions with Iran following the attack at a U.S. Embassy compound in Iraq earlier Tuesday.

from FOX News https://ift.tt/2MMaHFB

Britney Spears dances with sister Jamie Lynn, nieces in sweet video

Britney Spears is ringing in the New Year by dancing with her nieces and her sister, Jamie Lynn.

from FOX News https://ift.tt/2MFlJMX

Pompeo: US will hold Iran 'accountable' for any 'malign activity,' after Baghdad embassy attack

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reacted to the Tuesday attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad by suspected Iranian-backed militants, telling Fox News' Mike Emanuel that Tehran will always be held accountable for any "malign activity."

from FOX News https://ift.tt/2SHfQ5D

Dana Perino calls Bloomberg's 'open office plan' the 'worst' idea of Democratic primary

Dana Perino criticized Democratic Presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg's "open office plan" idea the former New York City mayor tweeted out Monday, saying it was the "worst" idea put forth so far by a Democratic candidate.

from FOX News https://ift.tt/39t4zvM

Protesters burn security post at U.S. Embassy in Iraq in new foreign policy test for Trump

Protesters angry about U.S. air strikes on Iraq hurled stones and torched a security post at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday, setting off a confrontation with guards and posing a new challenge for U.S. President Donald Trump.


from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/36fVtQS

Iraqi protesters breach U.S. Embassy complex in Baghdad amid anger over airstrikes

Iraqi protesters breach U.S. Embassy complex in Baghdad amid anger over airstrikesAnger over U.S. airstrikes Sunday against Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah boiled over in Baghdad on Tuesday as militia supporters broke into the U.S. Embassy complex and set fire to a reception area, The Associated Press reports. Iraqi officials say the U.S. ambassador and other staff evacuated the embassy as militia supporters started gathering outside, but the security forces who remained fired tear gas at the dozens of protesters who breached a side gate. AP reporters at the scene also heard sounds of gunfire and saw U.S. troops on the embassy roof with guns pointed at the attackers.Leaders of several Iran-backed militias were in the crowd at the embassy shouting "Down, Down U.S.A." and "Death to America." Sunday's airstrikes killed 25 Kataib Hezbollah militants, a response, U.S. officials said, to an attack Friday that left one U.S. contractor dead. The attack on the U.S. Embassy followed funerals for the militants in a Baghdad neighborhood. Before breaking down the side gate, protesters smashed security cameras, torched three empty trailers used by security guards, and spray-painted "Closed in the name of the people" on the embassy gates.More stories from theweek.com The Obama legacy is not what many liberals think Trump's scandals will haunt America for years The first decade in history




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2tf9wYq

Bailed tycoon Ghosn flees to Lebanon from 'rigged' Japan

Bailed tycoon Ghosn flees to Lebanon from 'rigged' JapanFormer Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn said Tuesday he had fled to Lebanon to escape injustice in Japan, where he was on bail awaiting trial on financial misconduct charges. The auto tycoon's abrupt departure was the latest twist in a rollercoaster journey that saw him fall from boardroom to detention centre and sparked questions over an embarrassing security lapse in Japan. It was not clear how he managed to leave Japan, as his bail conditions barred him from exiting the country he had been held in since his sudden arrest in November 2018 sent shockwaves through the business world.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2sB1nxl

Greta Thunberg said it would be a waste of time for her to talk to Trump about climate change

Greta Thunberg said it would be a waste of time for her to talk to Trump about climate changePresident Donald Trump, who is withdrawing the US from the Paris climate accord, has a long record of expressing skepticism on climate science.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2Q97wtQ

North Korean leader calls for ‘military countermeasures’

North Korean leader calls for ‘military countermeasures’Kim spoke for seven hours during the ruling Workers’ Party meeting.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2QD2h4q

Swiss Embassy worker detained in Sri Lanka gets bail

Swiss Embassy worker detained in Sri Lanka gets bailA Sri Lankan Court on Monday granted bail to a Swiss Embassy employee who was detained pending charges that she made statements to create disaffection toward the government and fabricated evidence. Before her arrest, the employee, a Sri Lankan national, had reportedly said she was abducted, held for hours, sexually assaulted and threatened by captors who demanded that she disclose embassy-related information. Sri Lankan authorities have said they investigated her complaint but found no evidence to file charges against anyone.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2F5rTSj

Trump says he has been denied due process. But the Constitution does not afford him that.

Trump says he has been denied due process. But the Constitution does not afford him that.Like Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson before him, President Trump does not have the same constitutional protection afforded to criminal defendants.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2tjBZMz

Indonesia protests to China over border intrusion near South China Sea

Indonesia protests to China over border intrusion near South China SeaIndonesia said on Monday it had protested to Beijing over the presence of a Chinese coastguard vessel in its territorial waters near the disputed South China Sea, saying it marked a "violation of sovereignty".




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/37uzNRv

Immigration in 2019: Trump restricts asylum and overhauls legal immigration

Immigration in 2019: Trump restricts asylum and overhauls legal immigration2019 was arguably the Trump administration's most successful one in its quest to severely restrict asylum and overhaul the legal immigration system.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2ZG0AYn

Powerful winter storm lingers in Upper Midwest

Powerful winter storm lingers in Upper MidwestA fierce winter storm that created blizzard conditions in parts of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota shut down interstates, led to hundreds of vehicle crashes and brought a metropolitan area of more than 200,000 people to a standstill on Monday morning. Residents in the Fargo and Moorhead, Minnesota area who are used to snowstorms were told to stay home after a foot of heavy, wet snow made that fell on top of a sheet of ice made travel difficult and stoked early fears about spring flooding. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning in northeastern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where periods of heavy snow and gusty winds were expected to create difficult travel conditions.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2QdKZw1

Why Does Russia Want the United States to Buy the F-15EX Fighter?

Why Does Russia Want the United States to Buy the F-15EX Fighter?We shouldn't take Moscow's advice.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/354aofK

Here's who will be onstage for the January Democratic presidential debate in Iowa and how to watch it

Here's who will be onstage for the January Democratic presidential debate in Iowa and how to watch itCNN and the Des Moines Register will co-host the seventh Democratic presidential debate in Des Moines three weeks before the Iowa caucuses.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/39pIsq3

GOP Senator: President Trump 'Not a Role Model For Young People'

GOP Senator: President Trump 'Not a Role Model For Young People'In an interview with Face The Nation, Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma said Trump isn't a good role model for young people




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2sA7Zfq

Monday, December 30, 2019

Double the Federal Minimum Wage

State and local governments are proving that higher minimum-wage standards are good for workers. Congress should take the lesson.

from NYT > Top Stories https://ift.tt/2ZFex8B

The Legacy of Destructive Austerity

The deficit obsession of 2010-2015 did permanent damage.

from NYT > Top Stories https://ift.tt/36bxen1

Pompeo to Meet With Ukraine’s Zelensky in Kyiv

The secretary of state will “reaffirm U.S. support for Ukraine’s sovereignty,” becoming the first cabinet official to meet with the Ukrainian leader since President Trump’s impeachment inquiry began.

from NYT > Top Stories https://ift.tt/2Q8rViC

Racism Dispute Roils Romance Writers Group

Eight board members and the former president of the organization have resigned amid outcry over how it handled a member’s criticism of another member’s book.

from NYT > Top Stories https://ift.tt/36eyhCw

After Death From Falling Debris, Violations Found at 220 Buildings

The infractions, which can include dangling signs and cracks in walls, were considered so risky that the city said they must be fixed immediately.

from NYT > Top Stories https://ift.tt/2MHypTg

MSNBC panel uses anti-Semitic attacks to bash Trump, invoking Charlottesville, 'white supremacy'

An MSNBC panel pulled no punches against President Trump Monday during a discussion on the recent wave of anti-Semitic attacks that have plagued New York and New Jersey in recent days.

from FOX News https://ift.tt/2F4yGeY

Baltimore Ravens' Mark Ingram trolls Cleveland Browns over reported request to interview coach

Baltimore Ravens running back Mark Ingram trolled the Cleveland Browns on Monday over their reported interest in interviewing offensive coordinator Greg Roman for their head coaching job.

from FOX News https://ift.tt/2sAFjTx

‘Ozark’ star Julia Garner marries Foster the People frontman Mark Foster

Julia Garner had herself December to remember, capping off 2019 in style by marrying fiancé Mark Foster.

from FOX News https://ift.tt/36bDwmF

Kevin Durant should disregard critics during Achilles rupture rehab, Hall of Famer says

Basketball Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins knows what Kevin Durant is going through.

from FOX News https://ift.tt/2QwBJC2

Miami house fire traps children inside, at least 3 killed

At least three children are dead after being trapped in a house fire in Miami late Monday morning, according to reports.

from FOX News https://ift.tt/39kbOGa

'There may be something there': The Five on Biden's response to potential Senate subpoena

"The Five" panel reacted Monday to Joe Biden's claim that there would be no legitimate reason for him to testify at President Trump’s upcoming Senate impeachment trial, even as the former vice president and Democratic presidential frontrunner sought to clarify earlier comments about whether he'd comply with a subpoena.

from FOX News https://ift.tt/35g9tcl

Pompeo to visit Ukraine, meet with its president for 1st time since Trump's impeachment

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will embark on a multi-nation tour this week, where he will make a stop in Ukraine, his first visit to the country at the center of impeachment efforts against President Trump.

from FOX News https://ift.tt/2QdlQl8

Buccaneers' Jameis Winston evaluates 30-interception season: 'You look at my numbers and I'm ballin''

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston on Sunday became the first player to throw 30 touchdown passes and 30 interceptions in a single season while also throwing a record seven pick-sixes.

from FOX News https://ift.tt/2thU8dE

Bernie Sanders Condemns Rise of Anti-Semitism in Iowa Menorah Lighting

Bernie Sanders Condemns Rise of Anti-Semitism in Iowa Menorah Lighting(Bloomberg) -- Bernie Sanders helped light a menorah at a “Chanukah on Ice” event at an Iowa ice skating rink Sunday night, and condemned a rise in anti-semitism in America and “all over the world.”It’s rare to see the U.S. senator from Vermont, who is a secular Jew, in a religious setting while running for the Democratic presidential nomination.The annual Hanukkah event, organized by Des Moines Rabbi Yossi Jacobson, came less than 24 hours after an intruder stabbed five people at a rabbi’s home in the New York City suburb of Monsey Saturday night.“What we’re seeing right now -- we’re seeing it in America, we’re seeing it all over the world -- is a rise in anti-semitism. We’re seeing a rise in hate crimes,” Sanders said.“We’re seeing somebody run into a kid here in Des Moines because that child was a Latino. We’re seeing people being stabbed yesterday in New York City because they were Jewish. We are seeing people being assaulted because they are Muslim,” he told an audience of about 90 gathered on a frigid Iowa winter night.“And as the rabbi indicated, if there was ever a time in American history where we say no to religious bigotry, this is the time,” he said.Sanders talked about his father immigrating at age 17 from Poland, “fleeing anti-semitism and fleeing violence and fleeing terrible, terrible poverty.”Sanders joked about not burning down the ice skating rink before lighting the menorah candles with a blowtorch provided by the event organizers. He joined in, reading the words, as the rabbi sang a blessing. An icy wind blew his borrowed kippah off his head at one point.As Jacobson and his wife, Chana, who run Maccabee’s Kosher Deli in Des Moines, handed out latkes and doughnuts, the rabbi noted that Sanders rarely talks about Judaism on the campaign trail.That has raised questions about whether he’s uncomfortable with his Jewish identity, Jacobson said.Jacobson said Sanders was reluctant at first to accept the invitation to light the menorah candles, but once he did, he embraced the evening with enthusiasm.Jacobson said he asked Sanders his Hebrew name. Binyamin, Sanders answered.The rabbi said he gave Sanders a blessing, “for his health.”To contact the reporter on this story: Jennifer Jacobs in Washington at jjacobs68@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Elizabeth Wasserman, Kasia KlimasinskaFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2MGxDpD

Greta Thunberg said it would be a waste of time for her to talk to Trump about climate change

Greta Thunberg said it would be a waste of time for her to talk to Trump about climate changePresident Donald Trump, who is withdrawing the US from the Paris climate accord, has a long record of expressing skepticism on climate science.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2Q97wtQ

U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria hit sites linked to Iran

U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria hit sites linked to IranThe United States carried out airstrikes in Iraq and Syria on Sunday, targeting weapons and munitions depots used by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia.Over the last two months, there have been 11 rocket attacks against bases used by the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State. U.S. officials said Sunday's airstrikes were in response to an attack that took place in Kirkuk, Iraq, on Friday, which left one U.S. contractor dead and four U.S. troops injured.Kataib Hezbollah is connected to Iran's paramilitary Quds Forces, U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal, and the Pentagon said the airstrikes are meant to serve as a warning to stop attacking the coalition's bases. A Kataib Hezbollah official said 25 members of the militia were killed in the airstrikes.More stories from theweek.com The best headlines of 2019 Giants, Browns fire head coaches on otherwise quiet 'Black Monday' The White House always knew Trump's order to freeze Ukraine aid could blow up, New York Times details




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2F6tozw

Hasan Minhaj’s 2020 Advice: Be Like Mitch McConnell

Hasan Minhaj’s 2020 Advice: Be Like Mitch McConnellBefore signing off for 2019, Hasan Minhaj has turned his eye towards 2020. The host of Netflix’s Patriot Act ended his final episode of the year by sharing some updates from stories he covered earlier in the year, including an interview during which he tried to get Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to accept Islam as his “one true faith.” Two weeks later, his brownface scandal erupted. “Little did I know he had actually converted decades ago,” Minhaj joked.  The biggest problem of 2019, he went on to argue, is that “we’re exposed to all the news, all the time, which makes us feel like we have to care about everything all the time.” It’s called “compassion fatigue” and Minhaj compared it to feeling like you have “50 tabs open in our mental browsers and we’re about to crash.” “You know who really figured out 2019?” he asked, before adding, “You’re not going to like this.” He was talking about Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “We’ve shat on Mitch McConnell all year. ‘He’s a goblin, he’s a skin tag with glasses, he looks like something from a wax museum dumpster.’ He doesn’t give a fuck.” To extend Minhaj’s analogy, McConnell “closed all tabs, except for the Republican Party and locking down the courts.” And he thinks those on the other side of the political divide should do the same.Hasan Minhaj Fires Back at Saudi Arabia for Censoring His Netflix Show ‘Patriot Act’“So here’s what I’m pitching,” he continued. “For 2020, give yourself a break. Just pick a couple things to not care about, for your sanity. I’m not saying shut down your browser. Just close a couple tabs.” For himself, Minhaj has decided to let other people worry about plastic straws, North Korea and brownface. “I know, that’s supposed to be my issue,” he said. “But I’ve got other tabs to focus on. So if someone comes up to me and is like, ‘Did you hear? Joe Biden dressed up as Apu for Halloween!’ I’d be like, ‘Yo, I bet the accent was funny.’” Minhaj acknowledged that it was “weird” to hear this advice from a host—much like his fellow Daily Show alum John Oliver—who “tells you to care about something new every week.” And he promised to keep doing so in 2020, something that was an open question before Patriot Act aired the 32nd episode of its initial 32-episode order this past week. “I’ll see you guys in 2020,” he concluded. “We’ve got a few more tabs to open.” For more, listen to the most recent episodes of The Last Laugh podcast. 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.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2F78DDY

Trump National Security Aide Is Rebuffed in Impeachment Lawsuit

Trump National Security Aide Is Rebuffed in Impeachment Lawsuit(Bloomberg) -- A federal judge is taking a pass -- for now -- on deciding whether President Donald Trump’s former deputy national security advisor must comply with a congressional subpoena to testify at the impeachment hearings.Charles Kupperman, who served under John Bolton, sued Trump and House Democrats in October seeking a ruling on whether the president’s order for him to ignore the subpoena was legal. The president claims to have absolute power to decide whether his advisers can testify.The House ultimately withdrew its subpoena, and the Justice Department said it wouldn’t go after Kupperman for flouting it, making the dispute moot, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington said Monday in dismissing the case.“Kupperman no longer faces the ‘irreconcilable commands’ of two coordinate branches of government,” Leon wrote in a 14-page decision.The Democrats never issued a subpoena to Bolton, who was forced out of his job in September, even though testimony in the impeachment inquiry suggested he was opposed to the president’s efforts to force Ukraine to investigate Trump’s political rival Joe Biden.Read More: Ex-Trump Adviser Bolton Asked to Testify in Impeachment InquiryLeon balked at the claim that even though the House had withdrawn the subpoena, Kupperman could still face criminal prosecution for ignoring it. The judge noted that the Justice Department had guaranteed it wouldn’t take legal action against Kupperman. He suggested he’d hear the case again “should the winds of political fortune shift” and the House reissues the subpoena.“If so, he will undoubtedly be right back before this court seeking a solution to a constitutional dilemma that has long-standing political consequences: balancing Congress’s well-established power to investigate with a president’s need to have a small group of national security advisors who have some form of immunity from compelled congressional testimony,” Leon wrote.Kupperman had said in his complaint that he faced “irreconcilable commands” -- a subpoena from House Democrats requiring him to cooperate and an order from the White House not to testify.The case is Kupperman v. House of Representatives, 19-cv-3224, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia (Washington).(Updates with details starting in fifth paragraph)To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Larson in New York at elarson4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net, Peter Jeffrey, Anthony LinFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2F7NKsd

Battle to save Australian wildlife as bushfires rage

Battle to save Australian wildlife as bushfires rageA possum severely burnt by bushfires in Australia's Blue Mountains laps water from a bowl as her rescuer holds her gently in a towel, while at a nearby home a kangaroo with bandaged feet is rocked like a baby by another carer. As Australia battles wildfires that have razed more than 4 million hectares (9.9 million acres) across five states, volunteers are trying to save wild animals caught in the inferno. Australia's bushland is home to a range of indigenous fauna, including kangaroos, koalas, wallabies, possums, wombats and echidnas.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2ZALaEr

Wisconsin election officials deadlock on culling voter rolls

Wisconsin election officials deadlock on culling voter rollsThe Wisconsin Elections Commission deadlocked Monday on whether to comply with a judge's order to remove anywhere from 144,000 to more than 200,000 names from the state's voter rolls before a higher court can weigh in — a move that could influence the outcome of next year's presidential election in the key swing state. The commission's three Republicans wanted to remove the voters in question from the rolls but were blocked by the panel's three Democrats, the Milwaukee Journal Sentine l reported. The affected voters are in heavily Democratic areas of Wisconsin, a battleground state in the 2020 presidential election.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2QChVNu

A sports reporter who died in a Louisiana plane crash tried to contact her husband before the aircraft went down. He didn't see her text.

A sports reporter who died in a Louisiana plane crash tried to contact her husband before the aircraft went down. He didn't see her text.A sports journalist named Carley McCord was one of five people who died in a plane crash near Louisiana's Lafayette Regional Airport on Saturday.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2F4pYxi

Juul employees vape at desks despite company threat to dock bonuses for e-cigarette use, report says

Juul employees vape at desks despite company threat to dock bonuses for e-cigarette use, report saysJuul banned vaping at its offices last year, but some employees continue to use e-cigarettes at their desks, in hallways and in meetings, according to the Wall Street Journal.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2MJ39mW

Cyprus court finds British woman guilty of false rape claim

Cyprus court finds British woman guilty of false rape claimA court in Cyprus on Monday found a British woman guilty of falsely claiming she was gang-raped by a group of Israeli tourists in the holiday resort of Ayia Napa. "The statements you have given were false," the judge told the defendant in remarks translated by the court interpreter. The Israelis, aged 15 to 18, were released without charge the same month after the woman was arrested on suspicion of making a false statement.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2ZBd6bh

Sunday, December 29, 2019

John Lewis, Congressman and Civil Rights Icon, Has Pancreatic Cancer

Mr. Lewis said he had Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, but would return to Washington to continue work and begin treatment.

from NYT > Top Stories https://ift.tt/2QsChc9

For China’s Pickup Artists, Sex Is the Goal and Urging Suicide Is a Tactic

In China, teaching men the manipulative ways of the pickup artist became big business. A crackdown is revealing a curriculum of abuse.

from NYT > Top Stories https://ift.tt/2SC3Ylf

Baker Mayfield snaps back at hecklers before Cleveland Browns game vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was getting into a spat with Cincinnati Bengals fans while in the tunnel before his team took the field Sunday.

from FOX News https://ift.tt/364tqns

Ukraine, pro-Russian separatists swap prisoners in step to end 5-year war

Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in the east swapped some 200 prisoners Sunday in a step closer ending the country’s five-year war.

from FOX News https://ift.tt/2tism0D

Tyreek Hill impresses with blazing speed as he nearly beats ball-carrying teammate to end zone

Kansas City Chiefs star Tyreek Hill showed off his incredible speed against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday -- only it appeared that he was running just for the fun of it.

from FOX News https://ift.tt/2tUVewj

Odell Beckham Jr. makes highlight-reel catch in Cleveland Browns loss

The Cleveland Browns' Odell Beckham Jr. made a catch bound for highlight reels Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

from FOX News https://ift.tt/364sDD0

Patriots' Ben Watson marvels at Tom Brady's physical and mental toughness: 'He's an inspiration'

New England Patriots tight end Ben Watson has been Tom Brady’s teammate on two different occasions, and he’s awestruck.

from FOX News https://ift.tt/2F6iSbH

Patriots linebacker Elandon Roberts catches first career touchdown pass in fullback role

New England Patriots linebacker Elandon Roberts scored his first touchdown on a pass from Tom Brady during Sunday’s loss to the Miami Dolphins.

from FOX News https://ift.tt/2tVsIdY

Small plane crashes into Maryland house, killing pilot

A small plane crashed in the Maryland suburbs of the nation’s capital Sunday, killing the pilot, according to investigators.

from FOX News https://ift.tt/2rDjsdL

US military carries out ‘strikes’ in Iraq, Syria against Kataib Hezbollah



from US News Headlines, Latest USA News, America Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/2ZElZRt

US promises action on any North Korea missile test



from US News Headlines, Latest USA News, America Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/39lYEZi

Trump retweets post naming alleged Ukraine whistleblower



from US News Headlines, Latest USA News, America Breaking News - Times of India https://ift.tt/2teOt8a

Democrat Warren's U.S. presidential campaign issues fundraising plea

Democrat Warren's U.S. presidential campaign issues fundraising pleaElizabeth Warren's presidential campaign told supporters on Friday its fundraising haul stands at just over $17 million and made a plea for more donations with just days left in the fourth quarter. The figure was a sharp drop from the previous quarter and accompanied the progressive Democrats' slight slide in opinion polls in recent weeks in the Democratic contest to face Republican Donald Trump in the November 2020 election. In the third quarter of 2019, Warren's campaign reported raising $24.6 million, slightly behind the $25.3 million raised by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, the only other 2020 Democratic candidate to swear off big-money fundraisers.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/364YraO

5 people were stabbed during a Hanukkah celebration at a rabbi's home in what New York's governor is calling an 'act of domestic terror'

5 people were stabbed during a Hanukkah celebration at a rabbi's home in what New York's governor is calling an 'act of domestic terror'The Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council for the Hudson Valley region said five patients — all Hasidic — had been taken to local hospitals.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2Q3AQ4T

Christianity Today's split with Trump highlights deeper issue in white evangelical America

Christianity Today's split with Trump highlights deeper issue in white evangelical AmericaAfter evangelical publication Christianity Today published a blistering editorial on what it called Donald Trump's "grossly immoral character", some church leaders and the U.S. president himself denounced the criticism as elitist and out-of-touch. The Dec. 19 editorial sparked a Christmas holiday debate over religion in U.S. politics, and posed new questions about the close alignment between white evangelical voters and Trump, who has given their beliefs strong political support. There has been a big drop-off in white evangelical church participation among adults under 40, and publications such as Christianity Today and religious leaders are struggling to engage "Gen Z," or those born after 1996.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2MDoGxg

Turkey says it won't evacuate NW Syria observation posts

Turkey says it won't evacuate NW Syria observation postsTurkey's defense chief said Sunday that his country's troops won't evacuate their 12 observation posts in rebel-held northwestern Syria. Turkey — a strong backer of some of the rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces — has a dozen observation posts in Idlib province, as part of an agreement reached last year with Russia, a main supporter of Assad.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2tdbd8y

Biden would "honor" whatever Congress "legitimately" asks

Biden would "honor" whatever Congress "legitimately" asksSome Republicans and President Trump have floated subpoenaing Joe and Hunter Biden to appear before the Senate.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/37iBtNO

Hawaii tour helicopter wreckage found on Kauai island

Hawaii tour helicopter wreckage found on Kauai islandThe wreckage of a tourist helicopter carrying seven people has been discovered in Hawaii a day after it was reported missing.Two children are thought to have been onboard the aircraft, which was reported overdue from a tour of the Na Pali Coast on Thursday evening.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2F2Ku1b

What Is the Hottest Place on Earth?

What Is the Hottest Place on Earth?Death Valley brings the heat, but there are other hot spots on this sweltering planet.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2SBnI8L

Put away phones at mealtimes and talk to each other, says pope

Put away phones at mealtimes and talk to each other, says popePope Francis on Sunday urged people to talk to each other at mealtimes instead of using their mobile phones, citing Jesus, Mary and Joseph as an example for families to follow. "I ask myself if you, in your family, know how to communicate or are you like those kids at mealtables where everyone is chatting on their mobile phone ... where there is silence like at a Mass but they don't communicate," the pope said. "We have to get back to communicating in our families," Francis said in his unscripted remarks.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/359XOLU

Elizabeth Warren's campaign is 30% behind in quarterly fundraising 4 days before deadline

Elizabeth Warren's campaign is 30% behind in quarterly fundraising 4 days before deadlineThe campaign said it was doing "something different" as it "probably won't" raise as much as last quarter by the December 31 FEC reporting deadline.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/39nV0yf

At Least 79 Dead in Truck Bomb Attack in Somalia’s Capital

At Least 79 Dead in Truck Bomb Attack in Somalia’s Capital(Bloomberg) -- At least 79 people, many of them university students, died when a truck bomb exploded during rush hour at a busy intersection in Somalia’s capital of Mogadishu, according to the Associated Press and other news reports.An explosives-laden vehicle hit the taxation office near a junction in Mogadishu, Ahmed Abdi Hussein, a Somali police officer, told Bloomberg News by phone. Another police official said the target was Turkish engineers who were in a vehicle near the intersection, without elaborating on how he got the information.Two Turks were killed in the attack, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported, citing Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.At least 125 people were wounded and were being treated at nearby hospitals. The number of dead could exceed 100, Anadolu Agency said, quoting Ambassador Mehmet Yilmaz.The explosion took place at a checkpoint after police blocked the truck from entering the city, the Associated Press reported, citing the nation’s police chief.No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. The al-Qaeda-linked militant group al-Shabab last week said they carried out a car bombing that killed eight people in central Somalia and the group has been blamed for an October 2017 bombing that killed more than 500 people.Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed blamed al-Shabab for what he called a “heinous act of terror.”“This dark day has robbed our nation of dozens of innocent lives, the perpetrators of this heinous act of terror will never dim the spirits of the people of Somalia,” he said in a statement posted on Twitter. “Let’s join hands in countering this evil in our midst. Let’s move fast and help out the survivors.”The U.S. embassy in Somalia, speaking on behalf of Ambassador Donald Yamamoto, sent its “deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims” in a Twitter message.The United Nations issued a statement on behalf of Secretary General Antonio Guterres that “strongly condemns” the attack and expressed condolences to the injured and families of the victims.“He stresses that the perpetrators of this horrendous crime must be brought to justice,” the UN said in the statement. “The Secretary-General reiterates the full commitment of the United Nations to support the people and Government of Somalia in their pursuit of peace and development.”The African nation is among the world’s poorest, and is struggling to rebuild after decades of civil war.(Updates death toll in first paragraph.)\--With assistance from Taylan Bilgic and Susan Decker.To contact the reporters on this story: Mohammed Omar Ahmed in Garowe at mahmed76@bloomberg.net;Mohamed Sheikh Nor in Mogadishu at msheikhnor@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Shamim Adam at sadam2@bloomberg.net, Ros Krasny, Matthew G. MillerFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2Sy2WXB

Navy Seal Edward Gallagher described by his own unit as 'evil', 'toxic' and 'perfectly OK with killing anybody'

Navy Seal Edward Gallagher described by his own unit as 'evil', 'toxic' and 'perfectly OK with killing anybody'The navy SEAL whose demotion after being convicted of posing next to the corpse of a captured Islamic State prisoner was overturned by Donald Trump has been described as “toxic” and “evil” by members of his own unit. Explosive testimony obtained by the New York Times has reignited the controversy over Chief Petty Officer Eddie Gallagher, one of three US servicemen facing war crimes allegations who were pardoned by the American president. The Gallagher case polarised American public opinion with Fox News taking up his case as well as the US president. Mr Trump’s intervention angered the Pentagon with senior figures fearing it would undermine military discipline. The row culminated in the sacking of the US Navy Secretary, Richard Spencer. Gallagher, 40, had been accused of war crimes following the fatal stabbing of a captured ISIS fighter and the shooting of two civilians in Iraq in 2017. At a court-martial in July he was acquitted of six out of seven charges, including murder and attempted murder after a key witness changed his testimony. Corey Scott, who had been granted immunity, took responsibility for the wounded prisoner’s death, telling the hearing he blocked the man’s breathing tube as an act of mercy rather than allow him to be tortured by the Iraqi security forces. A military jury in San Diego did convict Gallagher of posing next to the prisoner’s body and demoted him one rank and stripped him of the prestigious Trident Insignia. Mr Trump described the soldier as one of America's 'great fighters' and invited him to Mar-a-Lago Credit: LEAH MILLER/REUTERS The punishment was overruled by Donald Trump who ordered that Gallagher’s insignia should be restored and that he should be allowed to retire with his rank intact. Earlier this month Mr Trump invited Gallagher and his wife to Mar-a-Lago and described him at a recent rally as one of America’s “great fighters”. However, the footage of evidence presented to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), obtained by the New York Times and broadcast on “The Weekly” paints a very different picture of Gallagher, who was the leader of Alpha Platoon, SEAL Team 7. Members of the team told investigators that they spent much of their time trying to protect civilians from Gallagher. Special Operator Craig Miller described Mr Gallagher as "freaking evil", while another member of the team said he was ”toxic” describing the incident as "the most disgraceful thing I've ever seen in my life." Corey Scott, whose testimony was pivotal in the court-martial, told investigators “You could tell he was perfectly OK with killing anybody that was moving.”  In a statement, Gallagher voiced his “surprise and disgust” at the testimony which he described as “blatant lies”. He added: "I felt sorry for them that they thought it necessary to smear my name, but they never realised what the consequences of their lies would be.  “As upset as I was, the videos also gave me confidence because I knew that their lies would never hold up under real questioning and the jury would see through it.  “Their lies and NCIS's refusal to ask hard questions or corroborate their stories strengthened my resolve to go to trial and clear my name." Gallagher’s lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, told the New York Times the videos were full of inconsistencies and falsehoods which “a clear road map to the acquittal.”




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/352t0wK

Saturday, December 28, 2019

Dallas dismissed from lawsuit over police shooting

Dallas dismissed from lawsuit over police shootingA federal judge has ruled the city of Dallas is not liable for an off-duty police officer fatally shooting a man in his own apartment last year. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn dismissed the city from civil lawsuit that the family of Botham Jean brought after the 26-year-old was killed by Amber Guyger. The ruling leaves the 31-year-old former officer as the sole defendant in the suit, which argues she used excessive force and that better police training could have prevented Jean's death.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2SCKrB8

Philippines bans two U.S. senators, considers tighter entry restrictions for U.S. citizens

Philippines bans two U.S. senators, considers tighter entry restrictions for U.S. citizensThe Philippines has banned two U.S. lawmakers from visiting and will introduce tighter entry restrictions for U.S. citizens should Washington enforce sanctions over the detention of a top government critic, President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman said on Friday.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2F3QPte

Trump claims homelessness 'so easy' to handle in attack on Democrats

Trump claims homelessness 'so easy' to handle in attack on DemocratsPresident says governors of New York and California should ‘politely’ ask him for help in latest broadsideDonald Trump has continued to use America’s homelessness crisis to attack his political opponents in California and New York, tweeting on Saturday that homelessness should be “easy” to handle and that the governors of the two liberal states should ask him for help.Workers and activists on the front lines of the crisis have repeatedly said that Trump’s “tough talk” on homelessness is concerning, and that some of his proposed policies will only make the situation worse.As the number of homeless people has increased sharply in cities across California, some local politicians have already tried to try to penalize people for being homeless, rather than addressing root causes of the crisis, including unaffordable rents and evictions pushing people on to the streets.Meanwhile, Trump has continued to fuel anxiety by repeatedly suggesting he might try to implement some kind of police crackdown in California to clear the streets of encampments.On Christmas Day, Trump attacked California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, for his “bad job” on “taking care of the homeless population in California”.“If he can’t fix the problem, the Federal Govt. will get involved!” the president said.On Thursday, Trump attacked Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat who has lead the effort to impeach him, and told her to “clean up her filthy dirty District & help the homeless there”.On Saturday, Trump wrote that fixing the homeless crisis “would be so easy with competence!”The governors of California and New York “must do something”, Trump wrote, and if they “can’t handle the situation, which they should be able to do very easily, they must call and ‘politely’ ask for help.”In September, a report from Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers concluded that “policing may be an important tool to help move people off the street and into shelter or housing where they can get the services they need”.Trump told reporters that month he was concerned about homeless people living on “our best streets, our best entrances to buildings”, places “where people in those buildings pay tremendous taxes, where they went to those locations because of the prestige”.“We can’t let Los Angeles, San Francisco, and numerous other cities destroy themselves,” he said, citing his concern that “foreign tenants” who moved to the cities because of the “prestige” now wanted to leave because of the homeless people and tents on the streets.Violent attacks directly targeting homeless people have risen in California in the past year: in Los Angeles alone, there have been at least eight incidents in which people threw makeshift explosives or flammable liquids on homeless people or their tents, according to officials and the Los Angeles Times.Trump’s repeated tweets about homelessness have been labeled “vile and reprehensible” by activists.Diane Yentel, the president and chief executive of the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), noted on Thursday that Trump had proposed drastically shrinking or eliminating federal programs that keep the lowest-income people affordably housed, an important prevention measure that keeps people from becoming homeless.“In California, over 37,000 of the lowest-income people are at risk of eviction from this Trump proposal alone,” Yentel said.She also noted that Trump’s Department of Housing and Urban Development had “proposed allowing homeless shelters to discriminate and refuse shelter to transgender and other LGBTQ people, subjecting them to high risk of violence”.Homelessness is continuing to rise across California: a year-end Guardian investigation found that homelessness had increased 16% in Los Angeles, 17% in San Francisco, 42% in San Jose, 47% in Oakland, and 52% in Sacramento county, home to the state’s capital. Many people were experiencing homelessness for the first time, and both families and seniors are increasingly struggling with homelessness.Trump’s focus on homelessness in California and elsewhere is not the first time he has suggested that he could “easily” solve complex social problems in cities where Democrats hold political power.During his presidential campaign, Trump claimed that an unnamed Chicago police official had told him that violence in Chicago could be stopped “in one week” if officers were allowed to be “very much tougher than they are right now”.Chicago typically has the highest total number of murders of any American city, though other smaller cities, including St Louis, have higher per capita murder rates.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2F1L8MI

Man who made 27,000 crosses for shooting victims is retiring

Man who made 27,000 crosses for shooting victims is retiringAn Illinois man who made more than 27,000 crosses to commemorate victims of mass shootings across the country is retiring. Greg Zanis came to realize, after 23 years, his Crosses for Losses ministry was beginning to take a personal and financial toll on him, according to The Beacon-News. “I had a breaking point in El Paso,” he said, referring to the mass shooting outside of a Walmart in El Paso, Texas.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2MzABw5

Marines in California took the Corps' new Amphibious Combat Vehicle out for a nighttime test in the ocean

Marines in California took the Corps' new Amphibious Combat Vehicle out for a nighttime test in the oceanThe Corps has used the Amphibious Assault Vehicle since 1972. But starting in late 2020, the Amphibious Combat Vehicle will carry Marines into battle.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/376JDZw

North Korea Could Have 100 Nuclear Warheads (And Soon)

North Korea Could Have 100 Nuclear Warheads (And Soon)What can America do?




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2Q2wGu3

Look Up

Put down your phone and take in the wonders around you.

from NYT > Top Stories https://ift.tt/2SwpAzD

Florida veteran gets dying wish to make a snow angel

Vietnam veteran and Florida resident Albert Septien achieved his dying wish of making a snow angel after he was diagnosed with stage four melanoma, following his exposure to Agent Orange during his service in the Army. 

from FOX News https://ift.tt/367R5U1

Leading House Dem claims Senate GOP 'breaking the rules' by working with White House on impeachment

Progressive Caucus co-chair Mark Pocan, D-Wis., accused Senate Republicans of "breaking the rules" on Friday as he discussed their coordination with the White House in planning for a trial following the House's impeachment vote.

from FOX News https://ift.tt/37orEOt

Rick McDaniel: We all have regrets – But you can change your life by pursuing your dreams with 2020 vision

It is absolutely possible to take care of your responsibilities and also pursue your dreams.

from FOX News https://ift.tt/37jeUbQ

U.S. Contractor Is Killed in Rocket Attack on an Iraqi Base

U.S. Contractor Is Killed in Rocket Attack on an Iraqi Base(Bloomberg) -- A rocket attack on an Iraqi military base killed an American contractor and wounded several U.S. and Iraqi military personnel, the Defense Department said on Friday evening.Iraqi security forces were “leading the response and investigation” following the Friday night assault on the base in Kirkuk, where coalition forces are based, the Pentagon said in a statement.The names of the contractor and the wounded Americans were not immediately released, and the statement did not provide any further details.Rocket assaults on or near Iraqi installations that host American troops and personnel have occurred since the fall, and Pentagon officials, including Defense Secretary Mark Esper, have expressed increasing concern about Iranian involvement.Those attacks occurred as widespread anti-government protests intensified, eventually leading to the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi.Tensions have been rising across the region, with Iran violently putting down its own protests, and Turkey invading Kurdish territory in northern Syria after President Donald Trump announced a pullout of American forces there.Early this month, rockets were fired at two Iraqi air bases where American forces are stationed. Seven rockets struck the perimeter of the Al Asad base, and five projectiles landed inside Balad. At Al Asad, the Iraqi army later found a truck rigged to fire rockets with seven empty tubes and eight unfired projectiles.No one was hurt in those attacks, which were believed to be the work of militants with ties to Iran, according to a U.S. official.On Thursday, Iraqi President Barham Saleh offered to resign as weeks of deadly protests showed no sign of easing. Mahdi remains in office until a successor is found. Protesters rejected one nominee, and Saleh rejected the candidacy of a second.Some 500 people have died in clashes between security forces and protesters since Oct. 1, according to Iraq’s independent High Commission for Human Rights. Iraqis, mostly from the Shiite majority population, are protesting against corruption, poor services, and Iran’s sweeping influence in the country.\--With assistance from Khalid Al-Ansary and Tony Capaccio.To contact the reporter on this story: John Harney in Washington at jharney2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Bill Faries at wfaries@bloomberg.net, Larry Liebert, John HarneyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/37d01HS

Blumenthal: Some GOP 'have very severe misgivings' about McConnell impeachment strategy

Blumenthal: Some GOP 'have very severe misgivings' about McConnell impeachment strategyRichard Blumenthal stated he believes some Senate Republicans are concerned with McConnell working with the White House on Trump's impeachment trial.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2MyfFpx

A New York Times column exploring why 'Jews are smart' is prompting heavy criticism and canceled subscriptions

A New York Times column exploring why 'Jews are smart' is prompting heavy criticism and canceled subscriptionsColumnist Bret Stephens relied on a study about IQ tests written in part by a professor who is associated with white supremacist groups.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2ta1MHe

Pete Buttigieg's Christmas tweet inadvertently sparked a war over whether Jesus was a poor refugee

Pete Buttigieg's Christmas tweet inadvertently sparked a war over whether Jesus was a poor refugeePete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and top-tier 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, tweeted a Christmas message: "Today I join millions around the world in celebrating the arrival of divinity on earth, who came into this world not in riches but in poverty, not as a citizen but as a refugee. No matter where or how we celebrate, merry Christmas." In 2019, those are apparently fighting words.Some conservative Christians protested that Joseph, the terrestrial father of Jesus of Nazareth, wasn't poor — though it's hard to see how a carpenter from an otherwise insignificant village in Galilee would be well-off — or faulted Buttigieg for not saying "Jesus" in his tweet. "But it was perhaps Buttigieg’s classification of Jesus as a refugee — a common line among the Christian left — that received almost immediate pushback from evangelicals," says The Washington Post's Eugene Scott.The Daily Wire's Matt Walsh tied the criticisms together in one tweet, and he got some pushback from Jack Jenkins, a religion reporter with a master's degree in divinity from Harvard.> Hi! Religion reporter here. > > Christians who argue Jesus was a refugee are typically referring to what happened AFTER Jesus was born, when Mary, Joseph, and the newborn child fled to Egypt. > > This exegesis is easily Google-able. Or you could just, you know, read it in the Bible. https://t.co/DBL1by2maW> > — Jack Jenkins (@jackmjenkins) December 26, 2019Walsh, who is Catholic, argued back that Jesus wasn't a refugee because Galilee and Egypt were both part of the Roman Empire. Fr. James Martin, a Jesuit priest who's nobody's idea of a theological conservative, explained in 2017 why Jesus and his family were clearly refugees, at least according to the Gospel of Matthew. And fellow Jesuit priest Jeremy Zipple noted that Pope Benedict XVI — nobody's idea of a liberal — disagrees with Walsh, as did Pope Pius XII.> What an absurd position to take. Here’s Pope Benedict XVI quoting Pope Pius XII on this question. https://t.co/V7WXrIPUJr https://t.co/7Ee8CziytK pic.twitter.com/XTUlm0lXda> > — Jeremy Zipple (@jzipple) December 26, 2019Jesus' citizenship status "has real implications for how Christians on both sides of the aisle conduct policy" and view President Trump's hardline, restrictive immigration and refugee policies, Scott reports. And Buttigieg dropped his Christmas tweet into a tender moment for evangelicals being internally challenged to square their faith with their fealty to an unrepentantly flawed president. Read The Week's Bonnie Kristian on how evangelicals might fix this moral dissonance.More stories from theweek.com The evangelical resistance? The best novels published in 2019 Trump retweets, deletes post containing alleged whistleblower's name




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3574H0I

Netanyahu’s Big Win Means His Party Is in Real Trouble

Netanyahu’s Big Win Means His Party Is in Real TroubleJERUSALEM—After weeks of bad news, Thursday was a very good night for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faced the first serious challenge to his leadership of the Likud party since 2005.At the end of a tense, stormy primary day, in which Netanyahu’s side emitted text messages with invented commandments—“thou shalt not betray”—and supporters of his opponent, Gideon Saar, cried foul over electoral misbehavior, Netanyahu won, convincingly.The final result was 72.5 percent for Netanyahu, and 27.5 percent for Saar, a former minister who ran on a nationalist agenda a notch harsher than Netanyahu’s and argued for a return to civility and decency in politics.The only way to guarantee the continuation of the right-wing’s monopoly over the Israeli government was for new leadership to take over in the Likud, Saar said.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Will Be Indicted. But Will He Step Down?Netanyahu failed to win a majority of votes in two successive elections held this year, in April and in September, and has presided over the Israeli government as an interim prime minister, with limited powers, for a full year.A ruthless political operator, Netanyahu has never nurtured successors. Most of the men who have served him, including former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman and former Education Minister Naftali Bennet found themselves out of the Likud when their popularity began to threaten Netanyahu.Saar is the only prominent Likud figure with the courage to state out loud what the Israeli public already knows: there is no path for Netanyahu to form a new government after the national elections on March 2, 2020.In fact, the exuberance at this victory among the party faithful could fade as early as Sunday, when Avichai Mandelblit, the Israeli attorney general, has been forced to produce his opinion on a legal conundrum never before seen here.In November, Mandelblit announced a raft of corruption charges against Netanyahu, including bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.In order to protect a legally elected head of government from frivolous legal challenges, an Israeli Basic Law—a constitutional act—allows an indicted prime minister to serve out his or her term in office even while facing trial.But another law legislated by the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, does not allow any indicted person to be appointed to high office.Neither of these laws has ever been tested. Israel’s Supreme Court, which is grappling with several petitions claiming Netanyahu cannot legally remain in office, has compelled Mandelblit to present his decision on Netanyahu’s ability to continue in office, a sort of forced amicae curiae, by Sunday.In the coming months, the court will rule on Netanyahu’s fitness for office as a candidate under criminal indictment.Blue and White—the Likud’s opposition in the general election, which bested Netanyahu’s party in September—is led by the centrist former army chief, Benny Gantz, who ran on clean government platform. Throughout the failed coalition talks, he said his party hoped to form a broad national unity government with the Likud— but would not serve with an indicted criminal.Saar, during the primary,  claimed that Gantz would win the March vote if the Likud was not able to renew its leadership, offering a new coalition government, and that Netanyahu’s stubborn hold on power would bring defeat.Knowing he faced serious charges, Netanyahu has been scrambling to evade judgement. The law allows him to remain in office, but not to evade trial. During the last year, Netanyahu has tried to pass a personal immunity law through the Knesset and, created an even greater public uproar, tried to pass a law that would override supreme court decisions.But having failed, but he will now run a scorched earth campaign aimed at a single target: a large enough parliamentary majority to pass an immunity law.Before the primary results were even announced, Netanyahu confidant Miki Zohar, a rambunctious Knesset member for the Likud, said, “Netanyahu got the answer about whether he should ask for immunity.”But Netanyanhu’s big night may result in very bad news for his party, the Likud, who will be running an indicted candidate who’s twice lost and wants only one thing: legal immunity, which the voters hate. Israelis are generally indulgent about Netanyahu’s various offences and peccadillos, but deeply oppose parliamentary immunity, and Gantz accuses him of seeking only an “immunity government,” not a real governing coalition, and of holding the nation hostage to his legal imbroglios. Netanyahu Is Using Trump's Tactics to Try to Survive His Corruption and Bribery ScandalIn May, when Netanyahu presented the initial bills, 62% of the Israel public opposed immunity for Netanyahu. Recent polls show that figure now above 70%, from voters across the political spectrum.Netanyahu has until January 1 to request immunity against the criminal charges, but would need a majority of members to support it—and, for now, he hasn’t got it. The primary victory is expected to emboldened him to demand parliamentary support from the entire right wing block.If Netanyahu does not succeed whipping a majority of Israel's 120 lawmakers to support immunity, he will be put on trial in Jerusalem immediately after the next government is formed.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.




from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2rzCbqI