New Threats Put Wildfire Fighters’ Health on the Line

By BY JULIE TURKEWITZ from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/34hJr8d

Mumbai, Hyderabad enter Unesco Creative Cities list

Mumbai & Hyderabad were designated Unesco creative cities on the occasion of World Cities Day on Thursday. Mumbai entered the global network of creative cities under the film category & Hyderabad under gastronomy. The network brings together cities that base development on creativity in music, arts & folk crafts, design, cinema, literature, digital arts or gastronomy.

from India News | Latest News Headlines & Live Updates from India - Times of India https://ift.tt/322XzAR

US military returns to Syria to protect oil fields; Kurdish leader accuses Turkey of 'continuing its war' - Fox News

US military returns to Syria to protect oil fields; Kurdish leader accuses Turkey of 'continuing its war'  Fox NewsView full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2Nx5Tnd

Proposed Ford-UAW deal includes plant closure, $9,000 ratification bonuses - CNBC

Proposed Ford-UAW deal includes plant closure, $9,000 ratification bonuses  CNBCView full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/34ifuF5

Ellen DeGeneres Transforms into 'Cardi E' for Halloween - Entertainment Tonight

1. Ellen DeGeneres Transforms into 'Cardi E' for Halloween  Entertainment Tonight
2. Cardi B Meets Cardi E  TheEllenShow
3. FYI—Ellen Degeneres Just Won Halloween With This Cardi B Costume  Yahoo Lifestyle
4. Cardi B Teaches Ellen How To Twerk & Reveals She May Sign "Rhythm + Flow" Rappers  HotNewHipHop
5. Cardi B shows 'stripper' Ellen DeGeneres how to twerk  CANOE
6. View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/324g4Vi

2 women have been criminally charged over their partners' suicides. Why do men escape the same blame?

Experts told Insider they could not recall a similar instance of a man being charged with manslaughter in connection with his partner's suicide.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2BVkx29

Informant who fingered IS leader likely to reap huge reward: report

An informant who provided crucial details on the movements of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Islamic State leader killed in a US commando raid, is likely to scoop up some or all of a $25 million reward, the Washington Post reported Wednesday. The Post said the informant was a well-placed Islamic State operative who facilitated al-Baghdadi's movements around Syria and helped oversee the construction of his Syrian hideout.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/31ZmWDB

Security Aide Tells of Ukraine Concerns: Impeachment Update

(Bloomberg) -- The House voted Thursday to adopt rules for the next, more public phase of the impeachment investigation. President Donald Trump and his lawyers would be allowed to participate more in the next steps of the inquiry.Also, the House committees conducting the inquiry heard closed-door testimony from Timothy Morrison, the National Security Council’s senior director for Europe and Russia.Here are the latest developments:National Security Aide Tells of Ukraine Moves (7:30 p.m.)Morrison told House impeachment investigators that he was concerned on multiple levels after learning of administration efforts to pressure the Ukraine government to investigate the president’s political rivals in return for military aid.He also specifically identified Gordon Sondland, Trump’s envoy to the European Union, as having communicated to a Ukrainian official that the American military aid would be released if the country investigated an energy company linked to Hunter Biden, former vice president Joe Biden’s son.According to Morrison’s prepared opening remarks Thursday to the Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight and Reform committees, he confirmed the substance of similar testimony given by William Taylor the acting ambassador to Ukraine, about what Sondland told the Ukrainian official.Morrison said that his resignation, which has been reported, has been delayed until after his involvement with the committees has been concluded.Pentagon Says Vindman Will Be Protected (6:25 p.m.)A U.S. Defense Department official said Thursday that “robust procedures” were in place to protect Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman after he testified in the House impeachment inquiry.Separately, an Army spokeswoman said in a statement that Vindman has been “afforded all protections anyone would be provided in his circumstances.”The statements, from the Pentagon official and the Army spokeswoman, were released after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote to top Army officials demanding to know what protections will be afforded to Vindman after the National Security Council aide’s patriotism was questioned by some conservatives who were angry over his testimony.Vindman testified Tuesday that he listened to Trump’s July 25 telephone call with Ukraine’s president and was so disturbed by the conversation that he reported it to the NSC’s lawyer.Judge Hears Arguments on McGahn Subpoena (4:39 p.m.)A Trump administration lawyer told a federal judge she doesn’t have jurisdiction to consider a House committee lawsuit seeking to force former White House counsel Don McGahn to testify to the House Judiciary Committee.“This kind of lawsuit can’t be here,” Justice Department attorney James Burnham told U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson Thursday in Washington.The Democratic-led Judiciary Committee subpoenaed McGahn in April to testify.McGahn, who resigned his White House post in October 2018, didn’t make his scheduled May 21 appearance before Congress after the White House asserted he was “absolutely immune” from compelled testimony. The House later cited him for contempt, then sued to enforce its subpoena.Lawyers for the House committee told the judge that while the Trump administration can assert executive privilege to prevent McGahn from answering specific questions, it can’t make a blanket assertion of immunity.NSC Aide Wasn’t Disturbed By July 25 Call (2:32 p.m.)Former National Security Council aide Timothy Morrison told House impeachment investigators Thursday he was not concerned that anything illegal was discussed during the July 25 call between Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said a congressional official familiar with his testimony.Morrison confirmed to members of the Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight and Reform committees that he was among the officials who listened in on that call, said the official. Morrison’s lawyer didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.Morrison left his NSC position a day before his testimony, a senior Trump administration official said.Representative Mark Meadows, a Republican on the Oversight Committee, told reporters that Morrison’s testimony is “at odds” with the deposition given earlier this week by NSC aide Alexander Vindman, who told the committees he was so disturbed by the July conversation that he reported it to the NSC’s lawyer. Meadows said Morrison’s testimony will form the core of the GOP’s defense of Trump. -- Billy HouseDemocrats Promise Equal Chance for Questions (12:53 p.m.)Republicans and Democrats will have an equal opportunity to question witnesses in the public impeachment inquiry hearings, House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff told reporters.Schiff said the rules adopted by the House Thursday will allow committee chairmen to begin releasing transcripts of the closed-door hearings held so far, adding that those transcripts will show that the GOP has had an equal chance to conduct questioning.House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel said that in the private hearings, “We’ve seen damning evidence that the president abused his power and jeopardized our national security to help his own political fortunes.”Americans “deserve to know the facts and they soon will,” Engel said.House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler said that when the probe advances to his committee the president will have more rights than during the initial fact-finding stage.“It is the duty of the house to vindicate the Constitution,” Nadler said. -- Emily Wilkins and Evan SullyWhite House Says Trump Did ‘Nothing Wrong’ (11:41 a.m.)Minutes after the House vote, White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham issued a statement saying Trump “has done nothing wrong and the Democrats know it.”“Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats’ unhinged obsession with this illegitimate impeachment proceeding does not hurt President Trump,” she said. “It hurts the American people.” She said Democrats are trying to “destroy” the president.Grisham said that the impeachment inquiry is proceeding at the expense of other priorities in the House, including lowering drug costs and passing a U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. -- Justin BlumTwo Democrats Break Ranks on Inquiry Vote (11:35 a.m.)Two Democrats, Collin Petersonof Minnesota and Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, broke ranks with their party and voted with Republicans against the rules for the inquiry.Independent House member Justin Amash of Michigan, who quit the Republican Party earlier this year, voted with Democrats for the inquiry. -- Billy House, Erik WassonHouse Votes to Open Public Trump Inquiry (11:29 a.m.)The House adopted the resolution that puts Trump on the path toward impeachment. The 232-196 vote fell along sharply partisan lines.All signs point to the House taking a formal vote on articles of impeachment on Trump, possibly before the end of the year. However, it would take a two-thirds majority vote in the Republican-controlled Senate to convict him, and therefore remove him from office, an outcome viewed at this point as highly unlikely.The resolution doesn’t establish a deadline for the investigation. It directs six House committees to continue investigating different aspects of Trump’s administration, business and associates, with the Intelligence Committee leading the probe of the Ukraine-related allegations. Public hearings could begin in two weeks. -- Billy HouseHouse Has Votes to Back Probe; Vote Ongoing (11:25 a.m.)The House has enough votes to adopt the resolution that puts Trump on the path toward impeachment. The vote is ongoing, falling along sharply partisan lines.With this measure, Democrats plan to hold public impeachment hearings to investigate whether Trump should ultimately be removed from office for pressuring Ukraine to investigate a political rival and other possible misdeeds. The closed depositions led by the Intelligence Committee will continue, along with probes in five other panels.Eventual articles of impeachment would be drafted by the Judiciary Committee for a final floor vote to impeach the president. It would then be up to the Republican-led Senate to decide whether Trump should be removed from office. -- Billy HousePelosi Says ‘Sad Day’ Ahead of Key Vote (10:33 a.m.)Speaker Nancy Pelosi said a decision on whether to impeach Trump “has not been made” as the House prepares to vote on rules for the next phase of the inquiry.”It’s a sad day because nobody comes to Congress to impeach the president of the United States,“ she told reporters.“It’s about the truth and it’s about the Constitution and we’re working very hard to defend our democracy,” she said. “The times have found us.” -- Erik Wasson, Billy HouseNSC Aide Morrison Arrives for House Testimony (8:32 a.m.)Former National Security Council aide Timothy Morrison arrived at the Capitol Thursday for his scheduled testimony before House committees undertaking an impeachment inquiry.Morrison left his position a day before his scheduled testimony, a senior Trump administration official said.Morrison, who served as special assistant to the president and the NSC’s senior director for Europe and Russia, has been identified as one of the officials who listened in on the July 25 call between Trump and Ukraine’s president where Trump pressed for an investigation of his political opponent Joe Biden and his son. -- Billy HouseKey EventsHouse investigators asked Trump’s former National Security Advisor John Bolton to testify on Nov. 7. Bolton was ousted from the White House last month, and it’s unclear how he’ll respond to the request. He would be a key witness to White House events on the administration’s interaction with Ukraine.Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan distanced the State Department from Rudy Giuliani’s claim that his work on Ukraine was done at the department’s request, suggesting it was part of a parallel process that Sullivan and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo weren’t engaged on. Sullivan spoke at his nomination hearing to be U.S. ambassador to Russia.The House Rules Committee advanced rules Wednesday for public hearings by the House Intelligence Committee and, after that, by the Judiciary Committee. Majority Democrats blocked a bid by Republicans to gain equal power to issue subpoenas. The full House plans to vote on the rules Thursday.\--With assistance from Steven T. Dennis, Erik Wasson, Emily Wilkins, Evan Sully, Daniel Flatley and Tony Capaccio.To contact the reporter on this story: Billy House in Washington at bhouse5@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, John Harney, Kevin WhitelawFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

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

Death sentence confirmed against four men in Morocco backpacker murders

A Moroccan appeals court upheld, late on Wednesday, death sentences against three Moroccan men for murdering two Scandinavian women in the Atlas mountains last December. A fourth man was also handed capital punishment after he was sentenced to life in prison by an anti-terrorism court on July 18. The other three were handed death sentences at the time.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2NvE3HI

Putin faces Syria money crunch after U.S. keeps control of oil fields

Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing an unwelcome new financial challenge in Syria after the U.S. pullback enabled his ally Bashar Assad to reclaim the biggest chunk of territory in the country still outside his control.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/332gzkj

Tulsi Gabbard says she wants to defeat the 'Bush-Clinton doctrine' on foreign policy

"Those who follow the Bush-Clinton doctrine believe the only way to interact with other nations is by bombing them or starving them with draconian sanctions," Gabbard wrote.

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

The Latest: Evacuation orders lift for fire sparked by car

Evacuation orders have been lifted for a small brush fire sparked by a stolen car at the end of a police chase in Southern California. Officials say the 300-acre blaze in Jurupa Valley east of Los Angeles on Thursday destroyed three homes and two outbuildings before firefighters got a handle on it. Meanwhile, residents who fled a wildfire in San Bernardino could begin returning Thursday evening.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2q9Sycg

George Papadopoulos, convicted Trump campaign adviser, files papers to run for Katie Hill's seat in Congress

George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign aide who went to prison for lying to the FBI, has filed papers to run for the House of Representatives.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2WnSFx0

Five hundred goats save the Ronald Reagan library from wildfires

Animal team charged with eating through 13 acres of scrubland that could have fueled California’s Easy fireGoats are released at the Ronald Reagan library in Simi Valley, California, during a similar crisis in 2012. Photograph: Juan Carlo/APDiligent work by a team of 500 goats has helped save the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library from wildfires that are ravaging parts of California.The library deployed the goat squadron during the spring in order to munch their way through around 13 acres of scrubland around the library that could’ve provided tinder-like fuel to a wildfire.This preventive action created a fire break between the library and the Easy fire, which has menaced thousands of homes in the Simi Valley near Los Angeles. More than 1,000 firefighters are tackling the blaze, which caused flames to approach the presidential library from a nearby hillside. Treasures saved include a piece of the Berlin Wall and Air Force One.“We actually worked with the Ventura county fire department in May and they bring out hundreds of goats to our property,” Melissa Giller, a spokeswoman for the library, told ABC. “The goats eat all of the brush around the entire property, creating a fire perimeter.”The goats were sourced from a firm called 805 Goats, which oversees an army of horned contractors, including Vincent van Goat, Selena Goatmez, Goatzart and, more prosaically, Oreo. The company charges fire-threatened clients about $1,000 per acre of goat-cleared land. It plans to expand its herd to cope with a growing wildfire threat in California, fueled by the climate crisis.Goats are growing in popularity as a tool to combat wildfires across the western US, as they are viewed as cheaper and more environmentally friendly than teams of human workers using chemicals. They are also used for general weed clearance in other parts of the country, such as in New York City’s Prospect Park.A heavy dependence upon goats does carry risks, however, as residents of West Boise, Idaho, found out to their cost last year when a herd of more than 100 goats rampaged through the neighborhood. The invaders caused carnage in flowerbeds and lawns before breaking a fence and it took two hours for the goats to be rounded up.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/31ZKM1T

Photos: Ileana celebrates her bday & Halloween

Ileana D'Cruz has come a long way in Bollywood and has made a place for herself in the industry. The actress rules millions of hearts and she loves to treat them with her stunning pictures on her Instagram.

from Latest Entertainment News, Movies News, Celebrity News, Breaking News | Entertainment - Times of India https://ift.tt/2C2QPrW

Can't help but fall in love with Ananya's pics

Ananya Panday marked her debut with Punit Malhotra's 'Student Of The Year 2' and received appreciation for her performance in the film. The actress is one of the young sensations of Bollywood and a fashion icon for a lot of girls out there!

from Latest Entertainment News, Movies News, Celebrity News, Breaking News | Entertainment - Times of India https://ift.tt/2plLqd4

Abhishek wishes Aishwarya on her birthday!

Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan got married in the year 2007. The duo has been giving us major couple goals for a long time now.

from Latest Entertainment News, Movies News, Celebrity News, Breaking News | Entertainment - Times of India https://ift.tt/2NyUXFs

Fire in California: Latest news on Easy Fire in Simi Valley, Getty Fire in Los Angeles, Kincade Fire and evacuations today — live updates - CBS News

Fire in California: Latest news on Easy Fire in Simi Valley, Getty Fire in Los Angeles, Kincade Fire and evacuations today — live updates  CBS NewsView full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2Nxu84H

'No further discussion': Talks halt between whistleblower lawyers and Schiff staff amid expectation he won't testify - Washington Examiner

1. 'No further discussion': Talks halt between whistleblower lawyers and Schiff staff amid expectation he won't testify  Washington Examiner
2. House approves rules for impeachment process  CBS News
3. 'Bigger problems': Republican lawmaker says Schiff should confirm name of whistleblower  Washington Examiner
4. Judge Andrew Napolitano: Proof of Trump’s impeachable offenses plain to see  Fox News
5. Adam Schiff denies impeachment rules are unfair  CBS Evening News
6. View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/323XOeX

Diablo 4 leak has good news for Diablo 2 fans - SlashGear

1. Diablo 4 leak has good news for Diablo 2 fans  SlashGear
2. Diablo 4 is one big throwback to Diablo 2, according to latest BlizzCon 2019 leak  GamesRadar
3. What to Expect from Blizzcon 2019: Diablo 4, Overwatch 2, Protests  IGN
4. Why It’s Important That Gamers Are Calling to #BoycottBlizzard  The New York Times
5. When Will Overwatch 2 Come Out?  The Game Haus
6. View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/336vHgr

Kim Kardashian recreates the Elle Woods 'Legally Blonde' video essay for Halloween - USA TODAY

1. Kim Kardashian recreates the Elle Woods 'Legally Blonde' video essay for Halloween  USA TODAY
2. Kim Kardashian Recreates Elle Woods' Admissions Video For Halloween And Reese Witherspoon Approves!  Access
3. Legally Blonde! Kim Kardashian Recreates Elle Woods' Iconic Harvard Video Essay for Halloween  Yahoo Entertainment
4. Kim Kardashian recreates Legally Blonde for Halloween  The Week
5. View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2WA9EMD

The Warriors' owner told me tanking is out of the question - Nick Friedell | The Jump - ESPN

1. The Warriors' owner told me tanking is out of the question - Nick Friedell | The Jump  ESPN
2. Muck Dynasty: The Bleak Outlook for the Curry-Less Warriors  The Ringer
3. Warriors were bad before Stephen Curry’s injury: Now the nightmare begins  San Francisco Chronicle
4. Stephen A. hopes Steph Curry sits out the remainder of the season | First Take  ESPN
5. Stephen Curry's sister Sydel criticizes Chase Center fans: 'Definitely not Oracle'  SF Gate
6. View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2WxdhmD

Wikipedia article of the day for November 1, 2019

The Wikipedia article of the day for November 1, 2019 is No Such Thing as Vampires.
"No Such Thing as Vampires" is the pilot episode of the American paranormal romance television drama Moonlight. Premiering on CBS on September 28, 2007, it was written by series creators and executive producers Trevor Munson and Ron Koslow and directed by executive producer Rod Holcomb. The pilot introduces Mick St. John (Alex O'Loughlin, pictured), a private investigator and a vampire, along with his love interest Beth Turner (Sophia Myles), his mentor Josef Kostan (Jason Dohring), and his ex-wife Coraline Duvall (Shannyn Sossamon). Originally titled Twilight, the project was renamed and recast when picked up by CBS for the 2007–2008 American television season. Although received poorly by critics, the pilot managed to finish first for its night among total viewers and adults 18–49. Many critics faulted the acting and writing, but some thought that the series showed promise, and Dohring's performance was praised.

Italy's Matteo Salvini Is Back With a Vengeance

(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Matteo Salvini is back with a vengeance.The leader of Italy’s right-wing League had disappeared from the political limelight after he tried and failed to force a new election in August, falling out of government. A triumph in a local election on Sunday shows he’s primed for a return.Italy’s right-of-center coalition — made up of the League, the Brothers of Italy and Forza Italia — stormed to victory in the small central region of Umbria, traditionally a stronghold of the left. A number of local scandals assisted the parties in pulling off their unprecedented win. But the result is a warning shot to the ruling Democratic Party and Five Star Movement, and a sign that Salvini remains extremely popular with voters.In the past two months the left-of-center Democrats and their populist coalition partners Five Star have reassured international investors that Italy has no intention of clashing with the European Union (as it did under Salvini’s rule), let alone of leaving the single currency. A prudent budget has helped slash the country’s borrowing costs, pushing 10-year bond yields to 1%. But the two parties have failed to strike a chord with the electorate, as the budget also included tax hikes and new administrative burdens, some of which had to be reversed.The Democrats and Five Star have spent much of their time in government arguing with each other, leaving voters to wonder what they can achieve. These divisions have given Salvini heart after a difficult summer. The League leader had pulled the plug on the previous League-Five Star coalition government as he’d hoped this would trigger an election. He was outmaneuvered by his opponents and saw his poll ratings dip.Since then he has regrouped, rebuilding an alliance with his former partners in Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia and the far right Brothers of Italy, and attacking the government for its tax hikes. The League is now back at about 33% in the polls and the right of center parties look on course for an absolute majority in any future election.The “yellow-red” coalition between Five Star and the Democrats always looked like a bad idea. The two parties had spent years trading insults, especially after Five Star teamed up with the League. It would have been better to have given Salvini his election this year. He would have almost certainly won, but that would have provided a true test of governing alone.The League would have had to resolve its ambiguity over Italy’s membership of the euro, a vagueness it was allowed to maintain so long as it was (in name at least) the junior partner to Five Star in government. The Democrats and other parties would have had time to build a credible alternative from opposition.Five Star and the Democrats have a difficult road ahead. Luigi Di Maio, Five Star’s leader, is presiding over a number of internal revolts after his party slumped below 10% in Umbria. Nicola Zingaretti, the leader of the Democrats, faces an equally tough challenge from his predecessor Matteo Renzi, who has set up his own centrist party and could destabilize the government. Fear of Salvini is keeping this coalition together but that won’t be enough to glue together a cohesive and resolute governing agenda.Italy has found a short-term fix to the risk of market instability through this coalition government, but it is not a long-term solution. Slow growth, towering debt and highly uncertain politics will continue to daunt Rome.To contact the author of this story: Ferdinando Giugliano at fgiugliano@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: James Boxell at jboxell@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Ferdinando Giugliano writes columns on European economics for Bloomberg Opinion. He is also an economics columnist for La Repubblica and was a member of the editorial board of the Financial Times.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2q0A1PH

Special Report: In a working-class Hong Kong neighborhood, the protests hit home

From the top of Lion Rock, all of Hong Kong reveals itself: the sprawl of the Kowloon Peninsula directly below, the iconic Star Ferry plying the waters of Victoria Harbor, the moneyed heights of Hong Kong island beyond. In the shadow of the revered mountain rise huge monoliths, drab concrete tower blocks far removed from the glittering glass highrises of Hong Kong island's steroidal skyline. Here, in a neighborhood of public housing estates called Wong Tai Sin, seemingly endless stacks of aging windows heave with drying laundry and hum with air conditioners sweating droplets onto the pavement below.

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

New top story on Hacker News: Which Planet Is Closest?

Which Planet Is Closest?
3 by vl | 0 comments on Hacker News.

Ahead of Congress stir, Rahul goes abroad again ‘to meditate’

from India News | Latest News Headlines & Live Updates from India - Times of India https://ift.tt/2Pxg7Xe

Wikipedia article of the day for October 31, 2019

The Wikipedia article of the day for October 31, 2019 is Michael Collins (astronaut).
Michael Collins (born October 31, 1930) is a former astronaut and test pilot who was the command module pilot of Apollo 11 in 1969. The first person to perform more than one spacewalk, he is one of 24 people to have flown to the Moon. Collins joined the U.S. Air Force after graduating from West Point in 1952. He graduated in 1960 from the Air Force Experimental Flight Test Pilot School and was selected for NASA's third group of astronauts in 1963. He made two spacewalks on his first mission on Gemini 10 in 1966. During Apollo 11, he remained in orbit around the Moon in the command module Columbia while his crewmates Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made the first crewed landing on the surface. After retiring from NASA, Collins became Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs and later director of the National Air and Space Museum. Under his guidance, the museum opened on time and within budget for the United States Bicentennial in 1976.

McConnell: Democrats would rather impeach Trump than fund our military - Fox News

1. McConnell: Democrats would rather impeach Trump than fund our military  Fox News
2. Pelosi and McConnell make push on spending deal — but Trump's wall looms  POLITICO
3. McConnell: We'll see if Pelosi's impeachment rules resolution 'passes the smell test' | TheHill  The Hill
4. Laura Ingraham calls on Senate Republicans to 'step up or get out,' says Democrats will go on a 'revenge to...  Fox News
5. After McConnell advice, Trump lays off GOP senators on impeachment  POLITICO
6. View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpM0F-co4Jc

Grenfell Tower Inquiry Criticized for Faulting Fire Brigade - The New York Times

1. Grenfell Tower Inquiry Criticized for Faulting Fire Brigade  The New York Times
2. Jeremy Corbyn: Grenfell tower fire was an 'avoidable tragedy'  Guardian News
3. How 59 senior fire officers sat through presentation on tower block blazes in 2016  Daily Mail
4. My uncle died at Grenfell. This report must lead to action  The Guardian
5. London Fire Brigade faulted in new report on Grenfell Tower tragedy  The Washington Post
6. View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2NitdEU

Apple Watch, AirPods and services are Apple's big winners, not iPhone - CNET

Apple Watch, AirPods and services are Apple's big winners, not iPhone  CNETView full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/36ke273

The Pixel 4 is a disaster - CNET

1. The Pixel 4 is a disaster  CNET
2. Apple Just Killed The Google Pixel's Killer Feature: Review  Bloomberg
3. Google is right — and wrong — to focus on the camera  Android Authority
4. Google Pixel 4 review: the best Pixel yet might not be good enough  T3
5. Google Stadia expands to Pixel 2, 4, sign-in on iOS, Android  SlashGear
6. View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HcwR8uUJj0

Activist Thunberg declines climate prize, urges more action

Two fellow climate activists spoke on Thunberg's behalf at an award ceremony Tuesday in Stockholm for the regional inter-parliamentary Nordic Council's prizes, reading a statement thanking the group for the honor. Thunberg, 16, is currently in California.

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

China pushes higher 'moral quality' for its citizens

From budgeting for rural weddings to dressing appropriately and avoiding online porn, China's Communist Party has issued new guidelines to improve the "moral quality" of its citizens. Officials have released several sets of guidelines this week alongside a secretive conclave of high-ranking officials in Beijing which discusses the country's future direction. Public institutions like libraries and youth centres must carry out "targeted moral education" to improve people's ideological awareness and moral standards, according to the rules.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2BZ5uEw

Man loses foot, another seriously injured in shark attack while snorkeling in Australia

The shark attack occurred in Hook Passage in the Whitsunday Islands off Australia's Queensland coast, rescuers say.

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

Exclusive: How Lebanon's Hariri defied Hezbollah

After hitting a dead end in efforts to defuse the crisis sweeping Lebanon, Saad al-Hariri informed a top Hezbollah official on Monday he had no choice but to quit as prime minister in defiance of the powerful Shi'ite group. The decision by the Sunni leader shocked Hussein al-Khalil, political advisor to Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who advised him against giving in to protesters who wanted to see his coalition government toppled. The meeting described to Reuters by four senior sources from outside Hariri's Future Party captures a critical moment in the crisis that has swept Lebanon for the last two weeks as Hariri yielded to the massive street protests against the ruling elite.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/36cyvdQ

A California couple who was forced to evacuate their home and winery share what it's really like to endure the wildfires engulfing the state

California's Sonoma wine country dealt with destructive wildfires in 2017. Here's how one winery is dealing with 2019's Kincade Fire.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2BUhQ0N

Ilhan Omar refuses to back vote recognising Armenian genocide

Ilhan Omar declined to vote in favour of a resolution recognising the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as a genocide, saying any "true acknowledgement" of such crimes must include other historical "mass slaughters".The Minnesota Democrat was one of just three House members to vote “present” on the resolution that passed in an overwhelming 405-11 vote.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/36jWJmB

Michelle Obama: White Americans 'still running' from black neighbors

Michelle Obama said that white Americans are “still running” from their nonwhite fellow citizens during a summit in which she detailed how her own experience of white flight unfolded during her upbringing on Chicago’s South Side.

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

What Baghdadi’s Death Means for al Qaeda—and Why It Matters

SITE Intelligence GroupWith ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed one day and the group’s official spokesman Abu Hassan al-Muhajir the next, there’s a giant hole in the pseudo-Caliphate structure of the so-called Islamic State. The group must now, by its strict religious tenets, find a new (supposed) descendant of the Prophet Muhammed to fill the role of Caliph. But the deaths of those two are equally consequential for al-Qaeda, the bitter rival of ISIS for leadership of global jihad. Al-Qaeda has spent the last six years branding the Caliphate as illegitimate, too extreme, and ultimately harmful. When ISIS declared the establishment of its so-called Caliphate spanning territory in Syria and Iraq in 2014, al-Qaeda and its affiliates unanimously rejected it. To this day, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri’s speeches rarely come without some critique of the “epidemic” put forth by ISIS.Trump Officials Had No Clue Where He Got ‘Whimpering’ Detail in His Baghdadi Raid AccountOddly, Baghdadi was killed in Idlib, a haven of al-Qaeda-linked fighters and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a Syrian Islamist faction led by Abu Muhammad al-Julani, a former al-Qaeda comrade who had become one of Baghdadi's most bitter foes. There has been some speculation Baghdadi was not just hiding out but trying to recruit from the ranks of his enemies.Neither al-Qaeda Central nor its affiliates have commented on Baghdadi’s death as yet, but within hours after the news broke, al-Qaeda ideologues and supporters already were celebrating the event and discussing what it will mean for the future of jihad. In chat groups online, al-Qaeda supporters voiced resentment after years of bitter strife with the group, and the scale of these responses illustrates just how much of a big deal and opportunity they see with Baghdadi’s death.“Based on his orders, thousands of the mujahideen were killed,” one post read.“How thrilled were they every time leaders from al-Qaeda were martyred?” read another.Some wished Baghdadi the ultimate condemnation:  “May Allah send him to Hell.”Messages by others, however, particularly al-Qaeda-linked ideologues, balanced expressions of justice for the jihadi movement with restraint, making sure not to celebrate excessively the result of an operation by the United States.The tactful enthusiasm is calculated. Many ISIS fighters, much of its military infrastructure, many media officials, and supporters were pulled from al-Qaeda. Now, with ISIS’ “Caliph” dead and that Caliphate itself destroyed, al-Qaeda has been given its biggest opportunity yet to bring many of them back under its tent. SITE Intelligence GroupPerhaps the most profound instance of this outreach was a lengthy essay by “Adel Amin,” the pen name of a prominent ideologue linked to the Shabaab al-Mujahideen Movement, al-Qaeda’s branch in Somalia and most powerful affiliate. The message, disseminated widely across al-Qaeda-supporting channels and chat groups (many of which are also frequented by pro-ISIS users), demanded that ISIS supporters “return to the road of righteousness” after the Islamic State, in all of its excessive aggression and delusions of destiny, has proven itself a failure. Amin wrote:The situation here is not one in which to gloat. It is a situation for reminding and calling on those who remained in the ranks of al-Baghdadi, to reconsider… Indeed, we witnessed its back being broken, its leaders getting killed, and its banner falling, and we hope that we can witness whoever remains from its soldiers returning to righteousness.Statements by other ideologues and supporters voiced the same points. A statement by Sirajuddin Zurayqat, a former religious official in the now-defunct al-Qaeda-linked Brigades of Abdullah Azzam in Lebanon, urged: “Now [Baghdadi] is dead and there is not one from the Ummah grieving over him or giving condolences... Therefore, those who were deceived by him should reconsider before it is too late!”These messages echo the same calls heard from Zawahiri and al-Qaeda affiliates over the years calling on ISIS fighters to “repent” and leave the group. Yet despite these new circumstances, ISIS supporters will not easily be moved. Since the summer of 2016, the group’s followers have seen the loss of the major cities Mosul in Iraq and Raqqah in Syria as well as the death of revered ISIS figures like Omar Shishani, Abu Muhammad al-‘Adnani, and others. With the latest setbacks to its leadership, ISIS-linked accounts online already have poured out calls to stay steadfast and have even used Baghdadi’s death as a rallying point to carry out new attacks. Reinforcing this undeterred support is an ISIS military and media machine that has shown no sign of stopping in the last two days. While ISIS has not yet officially acknowledged the death of Baghdadi, it has continued reporting on day-to-day military activity across Iraq, Syria, and the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.ISIS' Yemen Province - AQAP Prisoners as Featured in the video “He Who Starts is More Unjust”SITE Intelligence GroupFurthermore, while al-Qaeda affiliates like the Shabaab serve as powerful representatives of the organization, al-Qaeda Central is weaker than it has ever been. These days, al-Qaeda Central’s role is largely symbolic, limited to leadership messages and other content while steering the big-picture ethos of the organization. Its attempts to bolster its image, already heavily weighed down by a less-than-charismatic leader in Zawahiri, were upended upon the death of Hamza bin Laden, the son of Osama, whom al-Qaeda likely was grooming for an eventual leadership position. These variables considered, al-Qaeda may not be the appealing alternative for jihadists that its supporters want it to seem. So, while some fighters might very well join the ranks of al-Qaeda affiliates in their region, we shouldn't expect to see any drastic migration from ISIS’ ranks into its rival’s.Despite any notions of good-riddance that al-Qaeda and its supporters attach to Baghdadi’s death, and for whatever number of defectors it may win over as a result of Baghdadi’s demise, ISIS is not going anywhere. The barriers between these terrorist organizations have only hardened over the years, fueling deadly clashes and jihadi PR wars. Baghdadi was not the sole barrier keeping ISIS members from joining al-Qaeda, and his death is unlikely to diminish existing disputes.How U.S. Commandos IDed a ‘Mutilated’ Baghdadi So QuicklyRead 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/2C54XkN

Trump Administration Challenges California Sanctuary Law in Supreme Court

The Trump administration has petitioned the Supreme Court to strike down California's "sanctuary law," which hinders cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.The administration is challenging several provisions in the California Values Act, or S.B. 54. The law prohibits officials from sharing information with ICE about a suspect's release from custody, eliminating any opportunity for ICE agents to take illegal immigrants into custody before they are released from local jails. It also prohibits local law-enforcement officers from sharing physical descriptions of suspects with immigration authorities."The practical consequences of California’s obstruction are not theoretical; as a result of SB 54, criminal aliens have evaded the detention and removal that Congress prescribed, and have instead returned to the civilian population, where they are disproportionately likely to commit additional crimes," the Trump administration argued in its petition, which was filed Monday.While the provisions of S.B. 54 do not technically apply to suspects with a violent criminal history, since the law effectively prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with ICE, immigration officials must stake out jails and police stations to await the release of non-citizen suspects from custody, and only then make arrests.Last week at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee, ICE official Timothy Robbins claimed that the Los Angeles police department was releasing as many as 100 illegal immigrants per day from custody."Cooperation between ICE and state and local law enforcement agencies is critical to the agency’s efforts to identify and arrest removable aliens, and to protect the nation’s security,” Robbins said at the time. “Unfortunately, we are seeing more jurisdictions that refuse to work with our officers, or directly impede our public safety efforts."

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2BTcwL3

The Latest: Islamic State leader buried at sea, US says

The head of United States Central Command says Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was buried at sea after a weekend raid on his compound. Gen. Frank McKenzie told reporters Wednesday that al-Baghdadi died after he exploded a suicide vest just before U.S. troops were going to capture him. McKenzie says two children were killed in the explosion set off by the Islamic State leader.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2qR1fsn

Disaster for Trump? What If the Philippines Became Russia's Ally?

How could that happen?

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/333x4fJ

Biden's communion denial highlights faith-politics conflict

A Roman Catholic priest's denial of communion to Joe Biden in South Carolina on Sunday illustrates the fine line presidential candidates must walk as they talk about their faiths: balancing religious values with a campaign that asks them to choose a side in polarizing moral debates. The awkward moment for Biden came during a weekend campaign swing through South Carolina, a pivotal firewall in his hopes to claim the Democratic presidential nomination. The former vice president on Sunday visited St. Anthony Catholic Church in Florence, a midsize city in the state's largely rural northeast.

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

New top story on Hacker News: Show HN: A minimal Fortran TCP client and server

Show HN: A minimal Fortran TCP client and server
2 by milancurcic | 0 comments on Hacker News.

New top story on Hacker News: Grandmaster level in StarCraft II using multi-agent reinforcement learning

Grandmaster level in StarCraft II using multi-agent reinforcement learning
12 by Jyaif | 0 comments on Hacker News.

House Passes Resolution Recognizing Armenian Genocide

By BY CATIE EDMONDSON AND RICK GLADSTONE from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2Nq4qPo

Despair for Many and Silver Linings for Some in California Wildfires

By BY THOMAS FULLER, JULIE TURKEWITZ AND JOSE A. DEL REAL from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/32WbkCw

Can the Nationals and Astros Turn This World Series Into a Classic?

By BY TYLER KEPNER from NYT Sports https://ift.tt/2NnCk7r

‘Fear’ Review: 3 Men in a Shed, 1 Missing Girl on Their Minds

By BY ELISABETH VINCENTELLI from NYT Theater https://ift.tt/2MVLF7q

Catholic priest says he denied Joe Biden Holy Communion at Mass in South Carolina because of abortion views

"Any public figure who advocates for abortion places himself or herself outside of Church teaching." Rev. Robert Morey said in a statement.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2Pr8WzJ

Chile’s Pinera Fires Top Economic Ministers Amid Protests

(Bloomberg) -- Ten days of riots, protests and reprisals claimed their first political victims Monday as Chile’s President Sebastian Pinera fired eight ministers, including the biggest hitters in the cabinet.The interior, finance and economy ministers were all dismissed, with Pinera naming a younger, more centrist team to convince protesters that their voice has been heard.A wave of riots, looting and protests has caused more than a billion dollars of damage this month, before spawning the largest peaceful demonstration in the country’s history. Yet, today’s announcement is unlikely to placate a movement that has demands ranging from tax reform to constitutional change, via the resignation of the billionaire president himself.“These have been difficult days,” Pinera said at a ceremony in the presidential palace. “Our government has heard the loud and clear message of the Chilean people who want a more fair and more inclusive society.”The president’s approval rating slumped to 14% last week as the protests all but paralyzed the country’s largest cities, according to a survey by pollster Cadem. Opposition lawmakers have announced a constitutional accusation against Pinera on the grounds of human rights violations.Outgoing CousinPinera appointed Gonzalo Blumel as interior minister and Ignacio Briones as finance minister.Briones is dean of the school of government at Universidad Adolfo Ibanez. He has a PhD in political economy from Institut d´Etudes Politiques de Paris and was a senior adviser to the Finance Minister during Pinera’s first term in office.“I have a very positive opinion of Briones as an academic and an expert in public policy, but he doesn’t have much experience in the political arena and this may eventually show,” said Tomas Izquierdo, an economist and chief executive officer of research firm Gemines Consultores.Today’s firings also included Andres Chadwick, the interior minister and Economy Minister Juan Andres Fontaine.Chadwick was a particular source of anger because of the violent suppression of the protests and the fact he is Pinera’s cousin. His replacement, Blumel, 41, was until now minister of the presidency, coordinating the passing of government bills with Congress.Fontaine was another target of protesters after remarking that to avoid the higher subway prices, people should just get up earlier to take the subway at non-peak hours. A study earlier this year showed that Santiago residents face commutes as long as two hours.Mounting AngerThe firings are unlikely to quell mounting anger over how Pinera has dealt with the protests. More than 1,000 people have been injured and over 3,000 arrested, according to the Chilean Human Rights Institute. Police and the armed forces between them are responsible for five deaths for which it is bringing homicide charges, the institute said on Oct. 22.Protests resumed in front of the government’s Moneda palace after the announcement, according to images on TV.“Chileans have been marching against Pinera’s agenda and the new interior minister is precisely the person that was in charge of pushing that agenda,” said Yasna Provoste, a senator for the opposition Christian Democrats party. “Pinera’s government just can’t get a grasp of the citizens’ demands.”The extent of the protests shows the challenge facing Pinera’s center-right government. Pinera initially tackled the violence as a law-and-order matter, stating the country was at war with criminals. That only made things worse. He then apologized for failing to recognize genuine grievances and announced measures including raising taxes for high-income earners and lifting basic pensions.While more than 600 supermarkets have been looted, the occurrence of serious violence has slowed. Losses for Chile’s retail sector due to looting and lost sales reached $1.4 billion since the protests began, according to the Santiago Chamber of Commerce.Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, now the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said she would send a team to look into allegations of human-rights violations, a move the government welcomed.(Updates with comment from opposition senator in 13th paragraph)To contact the reporter on this story: Eduardo Thomson in Santiago at ethomson1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Daniel Cancel at dcancel@bloomberg.net, Philip SandersFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

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

Correction: Puerto Rico-Cruise Ship Death story

In a story Oct. 28 about charges brought in a cruise ship death, The Associated Press reported erroneously that a child who died was 2 and the man's niece. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A man who police say dropped his young granddaughter from the 11th floor of a cruise ship docked in Puerto Rico in July has been accused of negligent homicide.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/34gP7PJ

Elected Arizona official accused of selling babies suspended

An elected official in Arizona was suspended Monday after he was charged with running a human smuggling scheme that brought pregnant women from the Marshall Islands to the U.S. to give birth and then paid them to give up their children for adoption. Leaders in Arizona's most populous county suspended Assessor Paul Petersen without pay for 120 days. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors doesn't have the power to permanently remove him from his office, which determines the value of properties for tax purposes in Phoenix and its suburbs.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2BSLJP7

Federal Prosecutors Are Lining Up Witnesses Against Jeffrey Epstein’s Cronies

Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Photos GettyIt’s been more than two months since Jeffrey Epstein killed himself, but the investigation into possible accomplices is still very much alive. In recent days, federal prosecutors probing the financier’s sex-trafficking ring have been asking Epstein victims if they could serve as witnesses in the criminal case they are building.Representatives from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York traveled to Florida for an Oct. 15 meeting with several of Epstein’s victims and their counsel. The staffers, who worked in the victim services unit, held a similar meeting in New York on Oct. 23, lawyers for the women and a law enforcement source told The Daily Beast.Two people familiar with the investigation said that prosecutors have heard from “dozens” of witnesses or victims since Epstein’s arrest in July.Following Epstein’s death in August, which was ruled a suicide by hanging, the Department of Justice said that it would continue to investigate anyone who helped Epstein procure underage girls or helped him to cover up crimes. A spokesman for the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment on where the probe stands, only saying that the “investigation is continuing.”The Biggest Bombshells in Newly Unsealed Epstein DocumentsSpencer Kuvin, a Palm Beach attorney who represents two women who were abused by Epstein, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York offered counseling services to the group of victims who gathered in Miramar, Florida.The representatives also worked to debunk conspiracy theories, which the victims have encountered online, related to Epstein’s jailhouse suicide. According to Kuvin, prosecutors continue to battle wild speculation on how the 66-year-old money-manager died, along with rumors that he isn’t dead at all.“The U.S. Attorney’s Office wanted to put to rest some of those conspiracy theories—that he was killed, that he’s still alive. There are people still talking about that,” Kuvin told The Daily Beast. “There are still people that think this was an absolute ruse and he’s sitting pretty in another part of the world.” Kuvin said investigators assured the women that their probe into Epstein’s alleged co-conspirators was ongoing. The lawyer declined to comment on the identities of those suspected accomplices.“They wanted to meet with some of the victims to discuss whether or not they could be potential witnesses in that ongoing investigation,” Kuvin said. “One of my clients is going to meet with them privately about that issue.”Epstein Victim: Ghislaine Maxwell Made Me Recruit ‘Youngest-Looking’ Girls for EpsteinDuring the Florida meeting, coordinators for federal prosecutors answered questions from the women, some of whom felt burned over their treatment 12 years ago, when the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami secretly negotiated a cushy plea deal for Epstein. Back then, the feds promised the women they’d prosecute the creepy multimillionaire; instead, they collaborated with his legal team to downgrade the charges.“The focus really is: What are you doing now and are you honestly going to pursue the co-conspirators or are those just words?” Kuvin said.“They’ve been wronged by the system numerous times,” Kuvin added of his clients and other victims of Epstein, “from the late 2000s all the way up to him killing himself. Every time an official comes forward and says, ‘Don’t worry. We’re going to do the right thing,’ they shake their heads and say, ‘We’ll see.’”In New York last week, prosecutors met with victims at a federal building downtown where local FBI headquarters is housed to inform the women of their rights and offer counseling services.Duncan Levin, a former assistant U.S. Attorney and chief of asset forfeiture at the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, said Epstein’s inner circle shouldn’t rest easy. “There is at least some evidence that other people facilitated his crimes, and there’s obviously enough public interest in the case that [prosecutors] aren’t going to drop it just because he’s dead,” said Levin, managing partner at Tucker Levin, PLLC.Levin said prosecutors are likely to thoroughly investigate Epstein’s alleged enablers and seek forfeiture of Epstein’s properties that were used to facilitate the sex crimes. Jeffrey Epstein Reveals His Fortune Includes $56 Million in CashA bare-bones rundown of Epstein’s assets submitted by his lawyers following his arrest, and bank records obtained by prosecutors, provided a glimpse into Epstein’s net worth which is estimated at more than $550 million, but it may not be a complete accounting. The listed assets included $56 million in cash and another $500 million in properties and investments.The properties include $85 million worth of real estate in the U.S. Virgin Islands—including his own private island—an $8.6 million Paris apartment, a $12 million Palm Beach estate, a $17 million New Mexico ranch, and his Manhattan mansion—which Epstein claimed is worth $55 million but prosecutors have said is worth $77 million.“Justice is a slow-moving train,” Levin said. “This is par for the course. Investigations are measured in months and years not days and weeks.”“I would be very nervous if I were somebody who helped Jeffrey Epstein at this point and would be seeking legal counsel,” Levin added.Epstein was arrested on July 6 and charged with sex-trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex-trafficking. The indictment referred to three victims and three unnamed employees of Epstein who allegedly assisted in the sex pyramid scheme.According to the complaint, Epstein created a “network of minor victims in multiple states to sexually abuse and exploit” and “worked and conspired with others, including employees and associates who facilitated his conduct by, among other things, contacting victims and scheduling their sexual encounters with Epstein.”From 2002 to 2005, the indictment states, Epstein “enticed and recruited” minor girls as young as 14 to visit his mansions and engage in sex acts with him, after which he or his assistants gave the victims hundreds of dollars in cash.It’s unclear which alleged co-conspirators prosecutors are targeting.In one July court filing, prosecutors requested a protective order, indicating they planned to produce certain documents and materials that “would impede, if prematurely disclosed, the Government’s ongoing investigation of uncharged individuals.”In 2008, when Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges, his non-prosecution agreement with the feds granted immunity to his alleged accomplices, “including but not limited to Sarah Kellen, Adriana Ross, Lesley Groff, or Nadia Marcinkova.”Where Are Jeffrey Epstein’s Alleged Accomplices Now?Groff’s lawyer, Michael Bachner, previously told The Daily Beast: “At no time during Lesley’s employment with Epstein did she ever engage in any misconduct.”Attorneys for Marcinkova told CNN last month that she was a victim herself and “is and has been severely traumatized.” They added: “She needs time to process and make sense of what she has been through before she is able to speak out.”According to the report, Kellen’s spokeswoman had a similar explanation. “Very soon after Sarah was brought into Epstein's world, he began to sexually abuse her, and this abuse went on for years. Sarah continues to struggle with the trauma of her experiences and has chosen not to speak publicly at this time.”Ross hasn’t spoken publicly on the allegations.One lawsuit, filed by a Jane Doe in September against Epstein’s estate, describes Kellen and Groff as a pair of adult employees who “specifically facilitated his abuse.” The women scheduled the girl’s visits to Epstein’s Manhattan mansion and “often asked Doe to bring other girls with her,” paying her every time she did so.Meanwhile, Groff, a former assistant to Epstein, is facing a lawsuit from Jennifer Araoz, who says she was in high school when Epstein raped and abused her. A second assistant, Cimberly Espinosa, is also listed as a defendant in the case.Araoz’s complaint also targets Epstein’s alleged madam, Ghislaine Maxwell—who’s kept a low profile since the hedge-funder’s arrest and has long faced accusations of recruiting underage girls and taking part in sexual abuse herself.Ghislaine Maxwell.Mark Mainz/GettyAnother lawsuit, recently filed by Priscilla Doe, alleges that “in addition to providing sexual instruction, Ghislaine Maxwell further made sure that Plaintiff and the other young females were constantly on call to sexually service Jeffrey Epstein.”Maxwell isn’t the only Epstein friend under scrutiny in the press. Authorities in France are looking into sexual misconduct claims against talent scout Jean-Luc Brunel, accused in civil court filings of procuring young models for Epstein to exploit.“Jeffrey Epstein has told me that he has slept with over 1,000 of Brunel’s girls, and everything that I have seen confirms this claim,” said accuser Virginia Giuffre in a 2015 affidavit. Giuffre says she was 16 when Maxwell recruited her into Epstein’s trafficking ring.In response, Brunel issued a statement denying Giuffre’s claims, saying he never participated “directly nor indirectly, in the actions Mr. Jeffrey Epstein is being accused of.”Models Say Jeffrey Epstein’s Closest Pal Drugged, Raped ThemLast year, Epstein may have attempted to buy the silence of alleged co-conspirators just as his name re-emerged in the press.Prosecutors say Epstein wired payments to two unnamed women—one received $250,000 while the other got $100,000—shortly after the Miami Herald’s exposé on Epstein’s 2007 sweetheart deal. Those individuals were listed as possible co-conspirators in Epstein’s non-prosecution agreement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in July.At a bail hearing that month, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Rossmiller told the court that “after seven days of this case being public following months of a covert investigation, the evidence is already significantly stronger and getting stronger every single day.“Many individuals identifying themselves as victims and witnesses have contacted the government,” Rossmiller continued, “and we are in the process of receiving and corroborating this additional evidence.”Brad Edwards, an attorney who sued the government on behalf of victims over Epstein’s lenient plea deal, said, “I assume that if there are others that should be held accountable for crimes that can still be prosecuted, then they will.”Edwards said he trusts that New York prosecutors “are trying to leave no stone unturned.”Last month, U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra refused to scrap the non-prosecution agreement that shielded Epstein and his alleged co-conspirators from facing serious charges—despite Marra’s ruling that the agreement was illegal. Marra also denied the victims’ requests for other relief: attorneys’ fees, a hearing where victims could speak, and the release of documents including grand jury materials. The decision was part of a 2008 lawsuit Jane Does 1 and 2 filed against the United States, alleging the feds violated the Crime Victims’ Right Act. Courtney Wild, who has come forward as Jane Doe 1, has appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. Oral arguments are scheduled for January.“A ruling rescinding the immunity provisions would have permitted the victims to confer with government prosecutors about the possibility of obtaining prosecution of Epstein’s co-conspirators in the Southern District of Florida — i.e., would have afforded them their rights under the CVRA,” Wild’s appeal states.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/2WswPIL

Schiff to handle impeachment witness testimony in break from precedent

Under past precedent in 1974 and 1998 — the last two times the House conducted an impeachment inquiry — the House Judiciary Committee was the hub for investigations, hearings, and a committee vote on articles of impeachment.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2Nia3z6

Don’t award sentences in a cavalier manner, rules SC

Holding that punishment should be proportional to the seriousness of an offence and accused should not be let off lightly, the Supreme Court has expressed concern over the “cavalier manner” in which high courts and trial courts award insufficient or wrong sentence in some criminal cases.

from India News | Latest News Headlines & Live Updates from India - Times of India https://ift.tt/36gHCKM

Naga group hopes for deal, govt refuses to relax deadline

from India News | Latest News Headlines & Live Updates from India - Times of India https://ift.tt/32YCDfC

Wikipedia article of the day for October 30, 2019

The Wikipedia article of the day for October 30, 2019 is Sorga Ka Toedjoe.
Sorga Ka Toedjoe is a film from the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) which had its premiere in Surabaya on 30 October 1940, one of fourteen domestic productions released that year. The black-and-white film featured traditional kroncong music and was targeted at native audiences. It was directed by Joshua and Othniel Wong for Tan's Film, a company owned by the ethnic Chinese brothers Khoen Yauw and Khoen Hian. The Wongs had worked for Tan's since 1938, when they directed the hit film Fatima featuring Rd Mochtar. Sorga Ka Toedjoe was the first production by Tan's Film after Mochtar left the company. Starring Roekiah and Djoemala as a younger couple and Kartolo and Annie Landouw as an older couple, it was a commercial and critical success. Roekiah and Djoemala took leading roles in three more films before Tan's closed in 1942, following the Japanese occupation of the country. Sorga Ka Toedjoe is now believed to be lost.

White House: Dem resolution shows impeachment is 'illegitimate sham' | TheHill - The Hill

1. White House: Dem resolution shows impeachment is 'illegitimate sham' | TheHill  The Hill
2. Newt Gingrich: Pelosi announces Trump impeachment inquiry vote – Here's what I am on the lookout for now  Fox News
3. Schumer: 'Increasingly worried' Trump will shut down government over impeachment | TheHill  The Hill
4. Making impeachment inquiry official undoes a Trump talking point  Los Angeles Times
5. GOP Reps who oppose impeachment proceedings will fail in their duties  Washington Examiner
6. View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2MVruqk

Nepalese Climber Summits World's 14 Highest Peaks In 6 Months, Smashing Record - NPR

1. Nepalese Climber Summits World's 14 Highest Peaks In 6 Months, Smashing Record  NPR
2. Ex-soldier smashes record for climbing world's 14 highest mountains  CNN
3. Former British army soldier shatters record for climbing 14 tallest peaks in just 189 days  Fox News
4. Climber scales world's 14 highest peaks in just over 6 months, breaks record  NBC News
5. Nepali man shatters speed record for scaling the world’s tallest mountains ‘to show human capacity’  The Washington Post
6. View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2Wt7crd

Bannon to escalate Trump impeachment defense with his own political operation

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is launching an increasingly aggressive defense of President Trump, promising to soon open a staffed “war room” that will forcefully counteract the fast-moving Democratic impeachment effort.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/31QgU89

With raging fires, high winds and blackouts, California is living a disaster movie. Is this the 'new normal'?

Californians have come to expect the fall fires. The power outages are a new — and unwelcome — twist to a reality that's playing out like a bad movie.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2JtnET1

English tourists seriously injured in Australia shark attack

An English tourist had his foot bitten off by a shark while another was bitten during the attack in the Whitsunday Islands near Australia's Great Barrier Reef on Tuesday, officials said. In the latest in a string of shark attacks in the tourist area, a 28-year-old man's right foot was bitten off while a 22-year-old man suffered serious lacerations to his lower left leg, according to Mackay Base Hospital. The pair were in a "serious but stable" condition in hospital after being airlifted from the resort town of Airlie Beach, an official told AFP.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2pcRJQ6