Wooster

Bloomberg 'weathered the storm' during fiery Democratic debate, his campaign says

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg came under heavy fire from his rivals during Wednesday’s Democratic presidential debate at the Paris Casino but “weathered the storm,” his senior adviser Howard Wolfson said. 

A Google manager has been arrested and charged with murder after his wife was reported missing in Hawaii

His wife, a Microsoft business program manager, was reported missing Tuesday while the Seattle couple was vacationing in Hawaii.

Pope tenderly kissed on forehead by man in front-row seat

Well-wishers at Pope Francis' weekly audience have thrust soccer T-shirts, flowers and many a wailing baby into his arms. On Wednesday, Francis seemed to thoroughly enjoy a surprise expression of affection: a long, tender kiss planted on his forehead by a man in one of the front-row seats reserved for ailing or disabled people at the end of his audience. Francis appeared to be smiling when the man, who stood up when the pontiff approached to greet him and others in the front row, pulled the pope's head toward him and gave a kiss lasting several seconds, pressing his nose against Francis' forehead in the process.

Coronavirus: Princess Cruises boss under fire for blowing kisses at ship where two have died and 3,000 have been quarantined for weeks

The president of Princess Cruises welcomed a coronavirus-quarantined ship by blowing kisses and making heart signs, captured on a video set to upbeat music and posted on social media the same day as reports of the deaths of two passengers had surfaced.In a video posted to the company's social media on Wednesday, Jan Swartz is seen wearing a surgical mask and forming heart hands over her head as the cruise ship finally begins to disembark after its passengers were forced to remain at a port in Yokohama, Japan for several weeks following a shipwide outbreak of the flu-like respiratory virus.

China says will help manage Mekong as report warns of dam danger

VIENTIANE/BANGKOK (Reuters) - China on Thursday said it was helping its downstream neighbors cope with a prolonged drought by releasing more water from its dams on the Mekong River, adding it would consider sharing information on hydrology to provide further assistance in the future. The statement came as a new economic report predicted that the building of dams to harness hydropower on the Mekong River would reshape the economies of five countries along the waterway, fuelling long-term inflation and dependence on China. The drought over the past year has severely hurt farming and fishing in Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam, and many blame China's 11 dams on the upper Mekong - which China calls the Lancang River - as well as climate change.

Warren Reverses Pledge to Refuse PAC Money, Implies She’s Been Held to Sexist Double Standard

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) changed her tune on the nefarious influence of super PACs just days after receiving the backing of a newly formed PAC, telling reporters on Thursday that because “all of the men” in the race refused to rely entirely on individual donors, she shouldn't be expected to either.“It can't be the case that a bunch of people keep them and only one or two don’t,” she said.Warren, speaking to reporters in Nevada, tried to square her past disavowals of super PAC funding with her refusal to disavow a new PAC that made a $1 million television ad buy on her behalf this week. She argued that because she failed to convince other candidates to commit to her proposal of no PAC funding, she was forced to accept PAC support.“The first day I got in this race, over a year ago, I said ‘I hope every presidential candidate who comes in will agree — no Super PACs for any of us,” Warren explained. “I renewed that call dozens of times, and I couldn’t get a single Democrat to go along with me.”The pro-Warren “Persist” PAC filed with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday and booked $800,000 in television ads to run in Nevada, despite Warren’s previous criticisms of PAC money. During the New Hampshire Democratic Debate, she touted her lack of PAC support, saying “everyone on this stage except Amy [Klobuchar] and me is either a billionaire or is receiving help from PACs that can do unlimited spending.”The day of the New Hampshire primary last week, Warren tweeted that she “won’t take a dime of PAC money in this campaign.”> Let’s be clear: I won't take a dime of PAC money in this campaign. I won't take a single check from a federal lobbyist, or billionaires who want to run a Super PAC on my behalf. > > And I challenge every other candidate who asks for your vote in this primary to do the same.> > -- Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) February 9, 2019“Senator Warren is the best candidate to take on Donald Trump and win, and we’re going to ensure primary voters and caucusgoers hear her message,” Persist PAC spokesman Joshua Karp told The New York Times on the new venture. Warren’s campaign released a statement on Wednesday in response, which said her stance was “unchanged” on PACs, but did not direct the newly formed PAC to stand down.Speaking Thursday, Warren went further, implying that she could not hold out any longer after “all of the men” still running against her “had either Super PACs, or they were multi-billionaires.”“Finally, we reached the point a few weeks ago where all of the men who were still in this race and on the debate stage, all had either Super PACs, or they were multi-billionaires, and could just rummage around in their sock drawers and find enough money to be able to fund a campaign. And the only people who didn’t have them were the two women,” Warren argued.Warren signaled that after a pro-Klobuchar PAC sprang up earlier this week to support the Minnesota Senator, she was not going to stand in the way.“At that point, there were some women around the country who said, ‘you know, that’s just not right.’ So here’s where I stand — if all the candidates want to get rid of super PACs, count me in. I'll lead the charge. But that's how it has to be. It can't be the case that a bunch of people keep them and only one or two don’t,” she stated.> NEW: Here is video of Warren declining to disavow the new super PAC supporting her:> > “If all the candidates want to get rid of super PACs, count me in. I'll lead the charge. But that's how it has to be. It can't be the case that a bunch of people keep them and only 1 or 2 don’t.” pic.twitter.com/byxQRjGMfs> > -- Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) February 20, 2020The shift in tone comes after Warren slammed former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg during Wednesday’s Nevada debate for a history of sexist comments and non-disclosure agreements with female employees.

Don't Sleep on Russia's Super-Fast "Avangard" Hypersonic Missile

It'll keep you up at night.

'Cheap shot': Sanders fires back when Bloomberg goes after 'socialism'

Michael Bloomberg attacked Sen. Bernie Sanders at Wednesday’s debate in Las Vegas, with the billionaire former New York City mayor claiming the self-described democratic socialist’s ownership of multiple homes makes him a hypocrite.

Trump Offered Assange Pardon if He Covered Up Russian Hack, WikiLeaks Founder’s Lawyer Claims

LONDON—A lawyer for Julian Assange has claimed in court that President Donald Trump offered to pardon Assange if the WikiLeaks founder agreed to help cover up Russia’s involvement in hacking emails from the Democratic National Committee. Assange’s lawyers said on Wednesday that former Republican congressman Dana Rohrabacher offered Assange the deal in 2017, a year after emails that damaged Hillary Clinton in the presidential race had been published. WikiLeaks posted the stolen DNC emails after they were hacked by Russian operatives.The claim that Rohrabacher acted as an emissary for the White House came during a pre-extradition hearing in London.Assange has argued that he should not be extradited to the U.S. because the American case against him is politically motivated. He spent almost seven years hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in Central London claiming that he would be jailed in the U.S. if he wasn’t granted asylum. He was kicked out of the embassy last year.His lawyers told the court that Trump’s alleged offer to pardon Assange proved that this was no ordinary criminal investigation.Edward Fitzgerald, who was representing Assange in court, said he had evidence that a quid pro quo was put to Assange by Rohrabacher, who was known as Putin’s favorite congressman.GOP Lawmaker Got Direction From Moscow, Took It Back to D.C.Fitzgerald said a statement produced by Assange’s personal lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, included a description of “Mr. Rohrabacher going to see Mr. Assange and saying, on instructions from the president, he was offering a pardon or some other way out, if Mr Assange... said Russia had nothing to do with the DNC leaks.”Rohrabacher weighed in on Wednesday afternoon, insisting he never spoke to Trump about Assange prior to his personally-funded “fact finding mission” to London. He said he told Assange that he would “call on” Trump to pardon him if he was able to say who gave him the hacked emails.“I was not directed by Trump or anyone else connected with him to meet with Julian Assange,” he said in a statement. “At no time did I offer Julian Assange anything from the President because I had not spoken with the President about this issue at all.”Rohrabacher said he spoke briefly with then chief of staff John Kelly after the trip to let him know that Assange would provide information about the hacked DNC emails in exchange for a pardon. “No one followed up with me including Gen. Kelly and that was the last discussion I had on this subject with anyone representing Trump or in his Administration,” he said.District Judge Vanessa Baraitser, who is presiding over the pre-trial hearing in Westminster Magistrates’ Court, said the allegation would be admissible during Assange’s extradition hearing, which is due to begin next week.If Assange appears in court in the U.S., he will face 18 charges including conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, which could total a prison sentence of 175 years.On Twitter, WikiLeaks’ verified account claimed there were more “bombshells” to come in the court hearing.Two months after Rohrabacher’s trip to visit Assange, the Wall Street Journal reported that he was trying to arrange a deal for Trump to pardon Assange. The White House confirmed at the time that Rohrabacher had spoken to Kelly about the plan to free Assange, but it was not clear if Trump had personally spoken to Rohrabacher either before or after his mission to London. In 2018, Rohrabacher told The Intercept that he had been blocked from discussing the plan with the president because Kelly and other White House staffers were scared it would look like collusion. Rohrabacher, who lost his California re-election fight in 2018, has been accused of helping push Kremlin lines in the U.S. in the past. A few months before he went to London to meet Assange, his staff director was ousted after a report by The Daily Beast exposed close links between Russia and Rohrabacher. The congressman had worked with Natalia Veselnitskaya, the Russian lawyer who met Trump’s campaign team at the infamous 2016 Trump Tower meeting, part of a lobbying operation designed to promote Kremlin aims in Washington.Stephen Colbert Can’t Believe Trump Trusts Julian Assange More Than American IntelligenceWhite House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham on Wednesday denied that Trump played any role in the offer of a pardon. “The President barely knows Dana Rohrabacher other than he’s an ex-congressman,” she said in a statement. “He’s never spoken to him on this subject or almost any subject. It is a complete fabrication and a total lie. This is probably another never ending hoax and total lie from the DNC.”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.

Suspects in abduction, murder of 7-year-old Mexican girl detained

Mexican authorities arrested a couple believed to have kidnapped, tortured and murdered a seven year-old girl on Wednesday, days after the discovery of the victim's body sparked protests in the violence-wracked country. The suspects "were detained in a town in the State of Mexico," Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum tweeted, without giving more detail. Prosecutors on Tuesday released pictures of the two suspects -- identified as Giovana and Mario Alberto "N" -- after searching a house near the victim's home.

Coronavirus: CDC issues new travel notices for Hong Kong, Japan

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new advisories on Wednesday for travelers going to Hong Kong and Japan due to coronavirus.

Germany's immigrant community in Hanau reeling after attack

In the German town of Hanau, a longtime immigrant destination with decades of coexistence between people of different origins, residents were left with the fear Thursday that their community was targeted after a gunman shot and killed nine people of foreign background. Residents shook their heads at a level of violence that is rare in Germany, and wondered at the degree of anti-foreigner hatred expressed by the attack in a place where Turks and ethnic Kurds patronize the same hookah bars, and where members of both groups were among the victims along with people with roots in Bulgaria, Bosniaand Romania, according to media reports. Among the dead was the owner of the Midnight Shisha Bar, an immigrant from Turkey who worked and saved to buy his own business, along with the gaming kiosk next door.

More than half of all coronavirus cases outside China are from the Diamond Princess, but the cruise ship is already planning to set sail again in April

An infectious-diseases expert said the hygiene conditions on the Diamond Princess were abysmal, making him "so scared" of contracting the coronavirus.

Stone’s sentencing to begin after judge refuses new trial request

Roger Stone, a longtime ally of President Trump and a self-described political dirty trickster, is set to be sentenced on Thursday for his attempts to sabotage a congressional investigation that posed a political threat to the president.

US military truck caught on camera ramming Russian jeep off the road in Syria

A video circulating on Twitter shows US military forces in Syria running a Russian military vehicle off the road.

Coronavirus fears create ghost town in South Korea after church 'super-spreader'

SEOUL/BEIJING (Reuters) - The streets of South Korea's fourth-largest city were abandoned on Thursday, with residents holed up indoors after dozens of people caught the new coronavirus in what authorities described as a "super-spreading event" at a church. The deserted shopping malls and cinemas of Daegu, a city of 2.5 million people, became one of the most striking images outside China of an outbreak that international authorities are trying stop from becoming a global pandemic. In China, where the virus has killed more than 2,100 people and infected nearly 75,000, officials changed their methodology for reporting infections, creating new doubt about data they have cited as evidence their containment strategy is working.

Bloomberg campaign suggests other candidates drop out so Bloomberg can stop Sanders

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) could soon build an "insurmountable" delegate lead, Michael Bloomberg's campaign warned in a memo, per Axios. And they think other, more centrist candidates should get out of the billionaire's way so he can stop him."The fact is if the state of this race remains status quo – with [former Vice President Joe] Biden, [former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor] Pete [Buttigieg], and [Sen.] Amy [Klobuchar (D-Minn.)] in the race on Super Tuesday — Bernie is likely to open up a delegate lead that seems nearly impossible to overcome," said Kevin Sheekey, Bloomberg's top strategist. "I don't think many people understand the dire consequences here."In the memo, Sheekey and his colleague Howard Wolfson, wrote the three candidates mentioned above have "no path" to accruing delegates and would essentially block Bloomberg from ably challenging Sanders.Former President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign manager David Plouffe backed up Sheekey's claim that Sanders could be close to locking things up, saying he'll "never relinquish" his lead if projections hold true and he's still on top after Super Tuesday in March. Read more at Axios.More stories from theweek.com The growing crisis in cosmology Weinstein jury wraps 3rd day of deliberations with plans to revisit Annabella Sciorra's cross-examination The Democrats gave Mike Bloomberg what he deserved

'We don't have a history of murdering our citizens': A Saudi official says reports that the Saudi Crown Prince is connected to the death of Jamal Khashoggi are 'ridiculous'

Saudi Arabia has made "great progress in terms of human rights," Adel al-Jubeir said, urging outsiders to educate themselves better on its state of affairs.

Four things to know about Pope Pius XII's archives

The March 2 unsealing of the archives of Pope Pius XII, the controversial World War II-era pontiff, whose papacy lasted from 1939 to 1958, has been awaited for decades by Jewish groups and historians. The controversy over Pius XII hinges on whether the head of the Catholic Church, a former diplomat of the Holy See in Germany, remained too silent during the Holocaust, never publicly condemning the Nazis. The most sensitive archives, comprising the World War II period, have already been largely published by the Vatican.

E. Jean Carroll, columnist who says Donald Trump raped her, fired from Elle

E. Jean Carroll, who helmed the "Ask E. Jean" column for Elle magazine since 1993, was fired in December, according to a court filing.

Abbott says top Malaysian leaders suspected pilot of MH370

Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said the “top levels” of the Malaysian government long suspected that the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 almost six years ago was a mass murder-suicide by the pilot. Australia, working on Malaysia's behalf, coordinated what became the largest search in aviation history, but it failed to find the plane before being ended in 2017. Speaking in a Sky News documentary to air on Wednesday and Thursday, Abbott said high-ranking Malaysian officials believed veteran pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah deliberately downed the jet.

Coronavirus updates: 2 passengers die after leaving 'chaotic' cruise ship

The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak climbed to 2,118 in China. Here is the latest for Thursday.

2 socialites have reportedly died after their Mercedes fell off a ferry leaving the most expensive ZIP code in the United States

The only way to get to Miami's exclusive Fisher Island is by a seven minute ferry, and two women inexplicably fell off it and died last night.

Virginia lawmakers reject assault weapons ban over fears of potential civil war

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's push to ban the sale of assault weapons has failed after members of his own party balked at the proposal. Senators voted to shelve the bill for the year and ask the state crime commission to study the issue, an outcome that drew cheers from a committee room packed with gun advocates.

Warren: Bloomberg will drop 'another $100 million' just to 'erase America's memory' of the Las Vegas debate

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) was not pulling her punches in Wednesday night's Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas, and her most potent haymakers landed on former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, standing to her right. MSNBC's post-debate panel showed the moment she started pummeling Bloomberg, and Chris Matthews described it in elaborate boxing metaphors.The Daily Show was a little more succinct:> Elizabeth Warren rn pic.twitter.com/HbrrAFVNRx> > -- The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) February 20, 2020Warren's biggest blow was set up by Bloomberg himself, and Joe Biden jumped in to help her finish him off.After the debate, Matthews asked Warren why she went after Bloomberg so hard. "I think it's important for people to know exactly what Michael Bloomberg has said and done," she said. "It is important to know who this guy is," and "he is a threat because he's already dropped $400 million in this campaign, and understand this: After his performance tonight, I have no doubt he is about to drop, tonight, another $100 million in this campaign ... to try to erase America's memory of what happened on that debate stage."Warren repeated her "arrogant billionaire" critique and when Matthews asked, she said Bloomberg's treatment of women should be disqualifying for the Democratic nomination. "Can we please keep in mind" that women have "finally been acknowledged to be important in electing our candidates?" she said. "You just can't lead with a guy who's got this kind of history."The Daily Show, again, had a similar idea, but with a different, less likely destination for Bloomberg's millions. > DemDebate pic.twitter.com/nqCtm6BxDK> > -- The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) February 20, 2020More stories from theweek.com The growing crisis in cosmology Weinstein jury wraps 3rd day of deliberations with plans to revisit Annabella Sciorra's cross-examination The Democrats gave Mike Bloomberg what he deserved

Obama Team Asked Harry Reid to Quash Bernie Sanders’s 2011 Primary Challenge: Report

Former Senate Majority Leader and Nevada Democrat Harry Reid convinced Bernie Sanders not to mount a primary run against former President Barack Obama in 2011, according to The Atlantic.Reid was reportedly tasked by an “absolutely panicked” Obama campaign team to dissuade Sanders — who had privately disclosed his intentions to fellow Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy — because they were fearful that Sanders would pose a serious challenge.“Every president who has gotten a real primary has lost a general,” Obama’s 2012 reelection-campaign manager Jim Messina told The Atlantic.After being told of the situation by Leahy, Messina then asked Reid to talk Sanders out of the race. The two men reportedly discussed the matter twice over the summer of 2011, with Reid telling Sanders that he needed to stop. The dialogue proved fruitful: Sanders never entered the race.Reid, though retired, made headlines Wednesday by telling Bloomberg News that Sanders’s primary opponents need to “speak up” if they “don’t like what Bernie’s doing.”“If Bernie is the one that comes out ahead, we’ll just have to see what happen,” Reid said, remaining coy on who he supported in the race. “But if people don’t like what he does, they’re going to have to start saying they don’t like it rather than pat him on the back.” He added that the other Democrats need to shift their strategy and start taking initiative, rather than thinking “‘if I say something negative, maybe people won’t like me.’”Reid also said Saturday that “people should not be counting Joe Biden out of the race yet.”Last week, Nevada's politically-powerful culinary union decided not to endorse a Democratic nominee for the state’ upcoming primary caucus, with Politico reporting that the union’s top adviser helped the group arrive at its decision after “multiple conversations” with Reid.The culinary union circulated a flyer to its 60,000 members ahead of the announcement which highlighted that Sanders would “end Culinary Healthcare.”

Mormon Brigham Young University has removed its 'homosexual behavior' ban from the school's honor code

BYU said the removal of its "homosexual behavior" ban was made to be in "alignment with the doctrine and policies" with the Mormon Church.

Fox News Anchor Argues Trump Shouldn’t Pay Any ‘Political Price’ for Pardoning Roger Stone

Moments before Judge Amy Berman Jackson handed down a 40-month prison sentence to longtime Trump ally Roger Stone amid speculation that President Donald Trump would issue a pardon to his former adviser, Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner argued that Trump shouldn’t pay any “political price” if he gives the “dirty trickster” clemency because all presidents can do it.Discussing Stone’s sentencing on Fox News mid-afternoon panel show Outnumbered, co-host Carley Shimkus noted that the news cycle moves so quickly that Trump could afford to make a “controversial decision” on Stone’s pardon as the election is still months away.Faulkner, meanwhile, said it would be in Trump’s “character” to act quickly on this before reacting to liberal co-host Marie Harf’s observation that Trump “loves this ability to pardon” because it’s a unilateral power.“All presidents can,” the Fox News anchor stated.Later in the discussion, Harf said that she is “outraged when any president pardons a personal friend” and that it’s “inappropriate.” At the same time, she said she wasn’t that confident there will be “any political cost” if Trump moves forward with a pardon.“Why should there be? It’s a pardon. You said moments ago any president can do this,” Faulkner interjected.“Because you shouldn’t pardon your friends,” Harf exclaimed.“Either you can do it or you can’t,” Faulkner retorted. “Just because you don’t like it is one thing.”Harf went on to say the question is actually whether a president “should” and whether there should be a “political price” to pay.Faulkner, meanwhile, brought up former President Barack Obama pardoning Chelsea Manning while the female-centric show’s lone male guest Brian Kilmeade complained that Manning did “massive damage” to the country by leaking national intelligence documents.“Did that offend you?” Faulkner asked Harf. “That’s my question for you. Because you said you are offended.”Harf suggested a better comparison for a potential Stone pardon would be former President Bill Clinton giving financier and donor Marc Rich clemency in 2001, a move that was highly criticized at the time.“I get the similarities,” Faulkner said. “But if you just wash all of friendships and that away, a president can pardon. If you want to change the right for presidential pardon, I guess we could start there.”After Harf said that just because a president has a power doesn’t mean he should always use it, the Fox News anchor replied, “What kind of political price do you think the president should pay? Did Bill Clinton have to pay that price for pardoning his friend?”It should be noted that Clinton’s pardon of Rich came on the final day of his second term, mere hours before he left office for good.In the following segment, Faulkner welcomed on Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano—who has recently been featured more prominently on Fox News programming for his criticism of Stone’s conviction—to weigh in on Jackson’s sentence.After saying the judge was attempting to make the case “bullet-proof” to pardon by following the Justice Department’s revised sentencing recommendation, Napolitano openly groused about the DOJ refusing the go after one of Trump’s political nemeses: “The decision not to prosecute Andy McCabe is utterly inexplicable.”Trump, meanwhile, was closely watching, tweeting out Napolitano’s quote while also tagging Faulkner in the post.The president, meanwhile, has been laser-focused on Fox News’ coverage of Stone over the past few days as he possibly weighs giving his longtime associate clemency. Currently, he has a clip of Fox News host Tucker Carlson arguing for Stone’s pardon pinned to the top of his Twitter timeline. He also quoted the primetime host—who has been on a yearlong mission to convince Trump to clear Stone—in another tweet.As for Faulkner, who is often branded as one of the network’s “straight news” anchors, this isn’t the first time she’s suggested the president would be better off pardoning Stone. Following the uproar the DOJ and Attorney General William Barr faced for overruling the Stone prosecutors sentencing recommendation after Trump blasted it on Twitter, Faulkner said it would all be “completely avoidable” if the president just pardoned his “friend” Stone.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.

US judge sides with migrants in case against Border Patrol

A U.S. judge in Arizona sided Wednesday with migrants who have long-complained about inhumane and unsanitary conditions in some U.S. Border Patrol facilities in the state. The ruling came weeks after the conclusion of a seven-day trial in which attorneys for migrants who sued in 2015 argued that the agency holds immigrants in extremely cold, overcrowded, unsanitary and inhumane conditions. The order makes permanent a preliminary injunction that U.S. District Court Judge David C. Bury issued in 2016 requiring the Tucson Sector to provide clean mats and thin blankets to migrants held for longer than 12 hours and to allow them to clean themselves.

Former Mexico President Pena Nieto investigated in corruption probe: report

Mexican law enforcement authorities are investigating a former president, Enrique Pena Nieto, as part of an inquiry into corruption, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. Pena Nieto has become embroiled in the investigation of Emilio Lozoya, the former chief executive of Mexico's state oil firm Petróleos Mexicanos, or Pemex. Lozoya is accused of corruption related to a wide-ranging bribery and money-laundering case involving Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht SA. Lozoya, who was arrested in Spain last week, has denied wrongdoing.

China kicked out 3 Wall Street Journal reporters after it published an op-ed using a term that invokes the biggest humiliation in Chinese history

China's foreign ministry cited a February 3 headline, titled "China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia," as the immediate reason for the expulsions.

Colorado River flow shrinks from climate crisis, risking ‘severe water shortages’

Millions of people rely on the 1,450-mile waterway as increasing periods of drought and rising temperatures reduce flow of riverThe flow of the Colorado River is dwindling due to the impacts of global heating, risking “severe water shortages” for the millions of people who rely upon one of America’s most storied waterways, researchers have found.Increasing periods of drought and rising temperatures have been shrinking the flow of the Colorado in recent years and scientists have now developed a model to better understand how the climate crisis is fundamentally changing the 1,450-mile waterway.The loss of snow in the Colorado River basin due to human-induced global heating has resulted in the river absorbing more of sun’s energy, thereby increasing the amount of water lost in evaporation, the US Geological Survey scientists found.This is because snow and ice reflect sunlight back away from the Earth’s surface, a phenomenon known as the albedo effect. The loss of albedo as snow and ice melt away is reducing the flow of the Colorado by 9.5% for each 1C of warming, according to the research published in Science.The world has heated up by about 1C since the pre-industrial era and is on course for an increase of more than 3C by the end of the century unless planet-warming emissions are drastically cut. For the Colorado this scenario means an “increasing risk of severe water shortages”, the study states, with any increase in rainfall not likely to offset the loss in reflective snow.The magnitude of the Colorado’s decline as outlined in the Science paper is “eye popping”, according to Brad Udall, a senior scientist at Colorado State University and an expert on water supplies in the west who was not involved in the research.“This has important implications for water users and managers alike,” Udall said. “More broadly, these results tell us that we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as soon as we possible can.“We’ve wasted nearly 30 years bickering over the science. The science is crystal clear – we must reduce greenhouse gas emissions immediately.”The Colorado rises in the Rocky Mountains and slices through ranch lands and canyons, including the Grand Canyon, as it winds through the American west. It previously emptied into the Gulf of California in Mexico but now ends several miles shy of this due to the amount of water extraction for US agriculture and cities ranging from Denver to Tijuana.The river’s upper basin supplies water to about 40 million people and supports 16m jobs. It feeds the two largest water reserves in the US, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, with the latter supplying Las Vegas with almost all of its water.Snowpacks that last into late spring have historically fed streams that have nourished the Colorado River, as well as reducing the likelihood of major fires. As the climate heats up, the river is evaporating away and the risk of damaging wildfires is increasing.The climate crisis is compounding existing threats to the river, which include intensive water pumping for agriculture, water use by urban areas and the threat of pollution from uranium mining. Lake Mead, the vast reservoir formed by the Hoover dam, has dropped to levels not seen since the 1960s.A 19-year drought that racked stretches of the river almost provoked the US government to impose mandatory cuts in water use from the river last year, only for seven western states to agree to voluntary reductions. The problems are set to become more severe, however, as the climate becomes hotter and drier at a time when demand for water from expanding cities in the American west increases.

South Korea Posts Surge in Coronavirus Cases Tied to Church

(Bloomberg) -- Confirmed coronavirus cases in South Korea have more than doubled within a day, with a surge tied to a fringe religious sect whose members may have contracted the virus from a single person.South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement Thursday that of the 31 new confirmed cases, 24 attended the “same Korean cult” with at least five of them having an “epidemiological link“ to a patient confirmed with the coronavirus earlier this week.The Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, formerly known as Shincheonji Church of Jesus, said in a statement on its website that the patient identified as No. 31 by KCDC attended a worship service in one of its churches in Daegu. The pastor told local media that some 1,000 people attended the same service.The outbreak in Daegu, a city about 235 kilometers (150 miles) south of Seoul, has raised renewed concerns about the virus after a lull in reported cases last week. On Tuesday, President Moon Jae-in warned that the impact from the virus on the economy could be bigger and longer-lasting than the 2015 MERS epidemic that killed 38 people in South Korea.“We have closed down our Daegu church as of the 18th morning and are continuing to investigate, disinfect, and take preventive measures,” the group said in a statement. “We have also ordered our 12 regional branch churches and its assembly premises to block entrances, and to replace services and meetings to online or family services instead.”(Updates with latest number of confirmed cases)To contact the reporters on this story: Jihye Lee in Seoul at jlee2352@bloomberg.net;Peter Pae in Seoul at ppae1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Peter Pae at ppae1@bloomberg.net, Kazunori TakadaFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

Mike Bloomberg’s Monumental Failure to Prepare

The mogul had a story to tell, and a few apologies to make. He managed neither.

Coronavirus may be detectable before symptoms start

It's still unclear at what point a person with the virus can spread it to others.

House leaders reportedly learned Russia was trying to get Trump re-elected — and Trump was angry about it

President Trump would rather keep the facts to himself.Last week, the House Intelligence Committee reportedly received a briefing detailing how Russia was once again interfering in the 2020 election. The next day, Trump attacked his outgoing national intelligence director for letting the briefing happen, people familiar with the exchange told The New York Times.The committee, led by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), learned from intelligence official Shelby Pierson that Russia was working to get Trump re-elected this fall, five people familiar with the matter said. Pierson has a reputation for bluntness, and some officials who heard about the briefing suggested Pierson should've left out the bit on Russia to avoid riling up Republicans in the room. Trump's allies at the briefing "challenged the conclusions, arguing that Mr. Trump has been tough on Russia and strengthened European security," the Times writes.An even bigger uproar came the next day from Trump himself, who attacked Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire for what was said in the briefing. This happened last Friday, and by Wednesday, Trump announced he was replacing Maguire with U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, who's unabashedly loyal to the president. Read more at The New York Times.More stories from theweek.com The growing crisis in cosmology Weinstein jury wraps 3rd day of deliberations with plans to revisit Annabella Sciorra's cross-examination The Democrats gave Mike Bloomberg what he deserved

Tennessee governor won't intervene in execution

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said on Wednesday that he will not grant clemency to a death row inmate whose group of supporters includes family members of his victims and prison workers.

India's Military Is Quite Deadly (China and Pakistan Should Worry)

Missiles, carriers, and more.

Apple has been granted a temporary restraining order against a man it says has been stalking Tim Cook

Apple alleged the man has been harassing Tim Cook, and has shown up at his house in Palo Alto twice, once with champagne and flowers.

Family of man killed by trooper seeking more than $10M

Relatives of a black Connecticut man killed by a state trooper are seeking more than $10 million in wrongful death damages from state and local police, according to legal notices filed Thursday. Lawyers for the family of Mubarak Soulemane, 19, asked the state claims commissioner for permission to sue the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection and top state police officials including Public Safety Commissioner James Rovella for $10 million. West Haven's counsel, Lee Tiernan, said the town's policy is not to comment on pending litigation.

Virus Surge in Japan Risks Undoing Abe’s Efforts to Woo China

(Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has so far managed to keep the coronavirus outbreak from damaging his hard-won relationship with China. That’s getting even more difficult with each new case confirmed in Japan.Abe has taken a softer approach to China over the virus than the Trump administration, winning Tokyo praise in Beijing. That chimes with his efforts to nurse Japan’s relationship with its giant neighbor and biggest trading partner back to health since he took office in 2012 amid the worst crisis in decades.Unlike others including the U.S., Australia and Singapore, Abe’s government has avoided a blanket ban on visitors from its neighbor, instead restricting entry from just two provinces. While acting quickly to evacuate its citizens from the virus epicenter of Hubei, Japan also used the planes to fly in aid packages for China.That’s contrasted with Japan’s counterparts in the U.S., who have questioned China’s commitment to transparency during the crisis -- leading to bickering between the two sides. China is also keen to keep ties strong with Abe amid a painful trade war with the U.S. that has battered its economy.“Japan’s attitude has been very helpful for China,“ said Noriyuki Kawamura, a professor at Nagoya University of Foreign Studies. “China’s initial response to the virus was insufficient. The question is what Japan will do when those problems are exposed. Will it criticize China or close its eyes?”China has shown its appreciation for Japan’s approach, marking an unusual interlude in a relationship between Asia’s two biggest economies long rocked by disagreements over history and territory. Personal touches like a fragment of ancient Chinese poetry attached to aid packages from a Japanese group and a video of a Tokyo-based ballet troupe singing the Chinese national anthem won widespread praise on Chinese social media.But as coronavirus infections rise in Japan, Abe is likely to find his position harder to maintain, especially given that an earlier alert from China could have slowed the spread of the disease. Before global warning flags were raised, thousands of Chinese tourists visited all parts of Japan and have since been linked to cases of virus transmission. Three people have so far died of the infection in Japan.‘Cherry Trees Bloom’Chinese visitors to Japan in January rose 22.6% from a year ago, data released Wednesday showed. Even though infection numbers in China grew dramatically in late January, Abe’s government only banned entry from Hubei province on Feb 1.While the virus outbreak initially provided an opportunity for Japan to show solidarity, it’s likely to interfere with Abe’s plans for a state visit by President Xi Jinping, meant to crown the seven-year slog to restore relations. Japanese officials have repeatedly said there’s no change to the plan to treat Xi with full state honors “when the cherry trees bloom” in early April, but both sides may find the trip harder to manage.The virus also appears to be eating away Abe’s long-solid voter support. A poll published this week by the conservative Yomiuri newspaper, which generally backs Abe, showed 52% of respondents were dissatisfied with the way the government has been handling the outbreak. His support rate dropped in all three media surveys published Monday.Japan’s Abe Arrives in China Vowing to Lift Ties to ‘New Level’The opposition Democratic Party for the People has called for a ban on all foreigners visiting from China. Former premier Yukio Hatoyama’s Twitter announcement that an organization he heads had donated a million masks to China was met with a barrage of online criticism amid a serious shortage of such items in Japan.Clampdown coming?Some in Abe’s own ruling Liberal Democratic Party oppose Xi’s state visit, partly because of the ongoing incursions by Chinese ships into what Japan sees as its territorial waters around disputed East China Sea islands.Japan Needs to Do More to Fix China’s Image Problem, Xi SaysAn annual poll by think tank Genron NPO published in October found 46% of Chinese had a favorable impression of Japan, the highest since the survey began in 2005, as more tourists experience the country for themselves. Nearly 10 million Chinese visited Japan last year.Almost 85% of Japanese respondents to the same poll said they had an unfavorable impression of China. By contrast, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying said gratitude would bring the two peoples together.“Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the Japanese government and people have expressed sympathy, understanding and support to us,” she told reporters Feb. 4. “What the virus has done is cruel and will not last. What the people have done is touching and will be remembered forever.”Skeptics point out that there are still deep divisions between the neighbors, including over Japanese citizens detained in China and restrictions on Muslims in the western region of Xinjiang. The territorial dispute over East China Sea islands that brought them close to a military clash in 2012-13 is no nearer resolution.“Neither side has reduced its number of patrols close to the islands,” said Tsai Hsi-hsun, director of Tamkang University’s Graduate Institute of Japanese Political and Economic Studies in Taiwan. “They still don’t trust each other in terms of national security and that distrust is deeply ingrained on both sides even though, on the surface, the relationship looks better.”\--With assistance from Samson Ellis.To contact the reporters on this story: Isabel Reynolds in Tokyo at ireynolds1@bloomberg.net;Dandan Li in Beijing at dli395@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Jon HerskovitzFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

No, you step aside: Democratic competitors 'shocked' by Bloomberg suggesting they leave the race

Michael Bloomberg's Democratic competitors don't think much of his suggestion that they leave the race to him and Bernie Sanders.

Airports warn of chaos with looming Real ID license deadline

Without a special Real ID driver's license or card, airline passengers will be required to present a passport, military ID or Global Entry card to pass through security, even for domestic flights, starting in October.

'Could you live on $170 a month?' Russian woman asks Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday faced what appeared to be a rare unscripted grilling from a Russian woman who asked him how much he earns and whether he could live on her income of $170 a month. While visiting his native city of Saint Petersburg, Putin had laid a wreath at a political mentor's grave and was approached by people passing nearby, who filmed him on cell phones. "I think it's very hard," Putin said quietly in video footage posted by Russian media.

Trump news – live: Judge says Roger Stone's crimes should cause 'dismay and disgust' while lambasting president for 'totally inappropriate' tweets

Donald Trump is being ridiculed online after having the audacity to criticise Washington Post reporter Jennifer Rubin for making a typo in a tweet, the president being well known for regularly making ludicrous spelling errors in his own posts.He has also been busy deriding his Democratic 2020 rivals on the campaign trail in Phoenix, Arizona, using a rally speech to push an election rigging conspiracy theory, call the FBI “dishonest scum” and complain that Conan, the US military’s war hero dog, “got more publicity” than him over the killing of Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Students are protesting a Catholic school in Washington after two teachers said they were forced out for being gay

Two teachers say they were forced out of a Catholic school in Washington state because of recent engagements to same-sex partners.