EveryMintNews: January 2020

Friday, 31 January 2020

GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander: 'There is no need for more evidence' to prove Trump's actions were 'inappropriate'

Retiring Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) announced on Thursday night that he will vote against allowing additional witnesses and documents in President Trump's impeachment trial.In a statement, Alexander acknowledged that it was "inappropriate for the president to ask a foreign leader to investigate his political opponent and to withhold United States aid to encourage that investigation. When elected officials inappropriately interfere with such investigations, it undermines the principle of equal justice under the law. But the Constitution does not give the Senate the power to remove the president from office and ban him from this year's ballot simply for actions that are inappropriate."Alexander declared that there is "no need for more evidence to conclude that the president withheld United States aid, at least in part, to pressure Ukraine to investigate the Bidens; the House managers have proved this with what they call a 'mountain of overwhelming evidence.'" He concluded that there is "no need for more evidence to prove something that has already been proven and that does not meet the United States Constitution's high bar for an impeachable offense."Alexander got in a few swipes at Democrats, calling the second article of impeachment "frivolous" and the entire process "shallow, hurried, and wholly partisan." If Trump is convicted, he said, it would "rip the country apart, pouring gasoline on the fire of cultural divisions that already exist. It would create the weapon of perpetual impeachment to be used against future presidents whenever the House of Representatives is of a different political party."More stories from theweek.com Mitch McConnell's rare blunder John Bolton just vindicated Nancy Pelosi All the president's turncoats

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White supremacist Coast Guard officer sentenced to 13 years in prison - NBC News

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Senate Impeachment Trial Of President Trump - Day 10 | NBC News (Live Stream) - NBC News

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Some Americans to leave China, many stay after US advisory - AOL

Some Americans to leave China, many stay after US advisory AOL

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American, Delta and United airlines suspend most US- China flights amid coronavirus outbreak - CNN

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WHO Declares Coronavirus A Global Health Emergency, Praises China’s ‘Extraordinary Measures’ - Forbes

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons Only Lets You Have One Island Per Switch Console - GameSpot

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Just Imagine Professor Umbridge As the Queen - The Cut

Just Imagine Professor Umbridge As the Queen The Cut
‘The Crown’: Netflix Royal Drama To End With Season Five As Imelda Staunton Confirmed As Final Queen Elizabeth II Yahoo Celebrity
Netflix 'The Crown' to End With Season 5; Imelda Staunton Set as Queen Hollywood Reporter
Imelda Staunton Will Play the Queen in The Crown's Final Season | InStyle.com InStyle
'The Crown' set to end with Season 5 CNN
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Fans without tickets asked to avoid L.A. Live during Kobe Bryant tribute - ESPN

Fans without tickets asked to avoid L.A. Live during Kobe Bryant tribute ESPN
Kobe Bryant's family says inaccurate reports are adding to the pain after his death CNN
Shaquille O'Neal Buys Fan a Laptop After He Expressed Condolences for Kobe Bryant's Death Yahoo Entertainment
Playing through grief can be therapy for athletes, but everyone is different The Guardian
I journeyed through Philadelphia to track Kobe Bryant’s Catholicism | Perspective The Philadelphia Inquirer
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Kobe Bryant helicopter firm was not allowed to fly in fog

Island Express Helicopters was restricted to flying in clear conditions, officials say.

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Could you handle the most remote campsite on earth?

Take a look inside an Antarctic campsite and find out how they survive.

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Australia fires: How a unique slug species survived

The bright pink species is only found in a small habitat in Australia, experts say.

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Amazon rainforest: The 90-year-old trying to stop destruction

Newsnight was given rare access to a once-in-a-generation meeting of indigenous groups trying to save the Amazon.

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Transfer window verdict: how every Premier League club fared in January

Manchester United scrambled around for a striker and Sheffield United broke their transfer record while Chelsea and Liverpool kept their powder dry

Mikel Arteta knew he would have limited wriggle room in his first transfer window as manager so was happy enough to add the defensive cover Arsenal desperately needed. A number of options were explored, ultimately bringing relatively risk-free loan deals for the centre-back Pablo Marí and right-back Cédric Soares. A month ago Arteta was concerned about the prospect of high-profile departures but Granit Xhaka’s situation was smoothed over and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is going nowhere for now. Nick Ames

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West Ham sign Hull forward Jarrod Bowen for £22m on deadline

• 23-year-old lured away from clutches of Crystal Palace
• Haggling over personal terms took deal to the wire

West Ham boosted their fight against relegation after completing the £22m signing of the highly rated Hull City forward Jarrod Bowen late last night. Uncertainty had hung over the deal as the 11pm deadline approached and West Ham, who had to work hard to agree personal terms with Bowen, were forced to request an extension after a day of delays and intrigue.

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Hillary Clinton Slams Bernie Sanders for Not Working to Unite Democrats in 2016

By BY SHANE GOLDMACHER from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2RM2iF6

Plans for Alabama’s Deadly Prisons ‘Won’t Fix the Horrors’

By BY KATIE BENNER from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3aZLFgP

Brexit Has Arrived. But Boris Johnson’s Reign Is Just Beginning.

By BY RICHARD SEYMOUR from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/2RNUGC1

Senators say they’ve settled on a schedule that would end the trial on Wednesday.

By BY PATRICIA MAZZEI AND MAGGIE HABERMAN from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2UbLc5b

Battle Lines Quickly Form Over Radical Property Tax Proposal

By BY EMMA G. FITZSIMMONS, MATTHEW HAAG AND JEFFERY C. MAYS from NYT New York https://ift.tt/2tgjTeQ

The Atlantic Politics Daily: The Impeachment Trial Nears Its End

It’s Friday, January 31. The United Kingdom officially exited the European Union on Friday. How will Brits remember Brexit Day?

In the rest of today’s newsletter: The Senate votes against more witness testimony. Plus: The publication that wants to be the anti-Breitbart.

« TODAY IN POLITICS »

(JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS)

Impeachment is nearing its end.

After nearly five months, countless hours of congressional hearings, and enough last-minute plot twists to last a lifetime, just about all the suspense to impeachment seems to be fully gone. On Friday, the Senate voted to not move forward with more witnesses testimony—after revelations from John Bolton had seemed to add a layer of new intrigue to the trial earlier in the week. Two GOP senators, Lisa Murkowski and Lamar Alexander, had flirted with voting yes before ultimately siding with the rest of their party. The whole affair was a damning indictment of the Mitch McConnell-led Senate, writes Todd Purdum.

Murkowski, who is routinely one of the handful of GOP senators who offer the slightest challenge to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s iron rule, lashed the impeachment articles from the Democratic House as “rushed and flawed.” … But even if her tears were crocodilian, it was the harshness of Murkowski’s criticism of the Senate itself that stood out. Her condemnation came at a moment when McConnell’s years-long legacy of hyper-partisanship, unremitting obstruction of Barack Obama, and unswerving loyalty to Donald Trump crystallized into a profound upending of the norms and procedures of the body he purports to revere.

Read the rest.

—Saahil Desai

« SNAPSHOT »

(Michelle Rohn)

Impeachment has turned Pat Cipollone, the White House counsel overseeing the president’s defense, into a household name. Read our profile of him from the fall.

« IDEAS AND ARGUMENTS »

(ROBERT GALBRAITH / REUTERS)

1. “If Californians aren’t moving more than in previous years, why are so many places suddenly freaking out about the influx of Golden Staters?"

Derek Thompson writes about why California migrants are making other states very anxious.

2. “ To make it any easier to remove a president would be to make it far too easy, introducing great instability to the system as a whole.”

The Founders knew what they were doing when they designed impeachment, argues Margaret Taylor.

« WEEKEND READ »

(JUSTIN GELLERSON)

The Conservatives Trying to Ditch Fake News

The Dispatch, a new conservative publication, wants to be something of the anti-Breitbart.

McKay Coppins writes:

Instead of chasing cheap clicks, the company is courting paid subscribers with a portfolio of email newsletters, podcasts, and a soon-to-be-paywalled website. Original reporting will be emphasized and petty internet squabbles downplayed, with editors pledging to ignore what they call “the daily race to be wrong first on Twitter.” Their target audience is not MAGA Kool-Aid drinkers or Beltway obsessives, but ordinary “center-right” people who want information and context from their news, not catharsis.

Read the rest here.

Today’s newsletter was written by Saahil Desai, an associate editor on the Politics desk.

You can reply directly to this newsletter with questions or comments, or send a note to politicsdaily@theatlantic.com.

Your support makes our journalism possible. Subscribe here.

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Trump administration expands travel ban to Nigeria and 5 other countries

President Donald Trump has signed an order to impose travel restrictions on a new group of six countries.

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Trump administration expands travel ban to Nigeria and 5 other countries

President Donald Trump has signed an order to impose travel restrictions on a new group of six countries.

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Thursday, 30 January 2020

No hot meals, blankets, magazines as airlines step up fight on virus

Passengers on some flights to China will have to make do without hot meals, blankets and newspapers, as airlines step up measures to protect crew and travellers from a new virus that has killed more than 130 in the country. Seeking to contain the spread of the coronavirus by reducing personal contact, Taiwan's China Airlines said it was encouraging passengers to bring their own drinks bottles and would limit re-usable items by replacing them with disposables. The airline and its regional arm Mandarin Airlines stopped from Monday serving hot meals and have replaced tablecloths and napkins with paper towels on cross-strait and Hong Kong flights.

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U.S. says first shipments of medicine to Iran delivered via Swiss humanitarian channel

ZURICH/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A humanitarian channel to bring food and medicine to Iran has started trial operations, the Swiss and U.S. governments said on Thursday, helping supply Swiss goods to the struggling population without tripping over U.S. sanctions. The Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement (SHTA) seeks to ensure that Swiss-based exporters and trading companies in the food, pharmaceutical and medical sectors have a secure payment channel with a Swiss bank through which payments for their exports to Iran are guaranteed, a government statement said. Three shipments of cancer and transplant drugs have been sent to Iran through this channel and the transaction has been processed, U.S. Special Representative Brian Hook told a press briefing.

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‘You know your client is guilty’: Trump impeachment lawyer’s defence accused of being ‘descent into madness’

Senator Adam Schiff, lead impeachment manager in the Senate trial of Donald Trump, has called arguments made by the president’s defence team a “descent into constitutional madness”.Mr Schiff’s indignation with the president’s defence came in response to comments made by Mr Trump’s lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, who argued his client couldn’t be impeached for an action he thought might get him re-elected.

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Iraq says anti-IS operations with U.S. coalition resume

Iraq's military said on Thursday it was resuming operations with the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State which had mostly halted after bases hosting U.S. troops came under rocket attacks and a U.S. drone strike killed a top Iranian commander. U.S.-Iranian tension threatens to derail the fight against the Sunni extremist group, which seeks a resurgence in northern Iraq three years after its military defeat at the hands of the coalition, Iraqi forces and Iran-backed Shi'ite Muslim militias.

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The Latest: Putin tells officials to prepare for new virus

Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged the country’s government to be prepared to deal with a possible outbreak of a new virus from China. “It is a new phenomenon, and the question is how well we are prepared for this challenge,” Putin said during a meeting with several Cabinet members. Russia shares a long border with China.

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McConnell: Republicans don't have the votes to block witnesses in impeachment trial, reports say

Mitch McConnell told Republicans that the GOP does not have the votes to block additional witnesses, according to multiple media reports.

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Roberts reportedly blocked Rand Paul's questions mentioning alleged whistleblower's name

Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday thwarted several attempts by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to submit a question naming the alleged whistleblower whose complaint about President Trump's interactions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spurred the impeachment inquiry, three people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post. Senators were given the opportunity to submit questions to the House impeachment managers and Trump's legal team, with Roberts screening the questions before reading them out loud. Paul drafted a query that included the alleged whistleblower's name, but Roberts declined to read it, two officials told the Post. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters there are Republicans "who have an interest in questions related to the whistleblower. But I suspect that won't happen. I don't think that happens. And I guess I would hope it doesn't."For months, Paul — who is one of the loudest voices during discussions about Americans' privacy rights — has been trying to get people to publicly say the name of the whistleblower. He hinted on Wednesday that he's not giving up, telling reporters, "it may happen tomorrow."More stories from theweek.com Mitch McConnell's rare blunder John Bolton just vindicated Nancy Pelosi 7 witheringly funny cartoons about the GOP's John Bolton problem

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'It's not up to Joe Manchin': Schumer dismisses Democrat for supporting Hunter Biden testimony - Washington Examiner

'It's not up to Joe Manchin': Schumer dismisses Democrat for supporting Hunter Biden testimony Washington Examiner
Trump’s impeachment defense offers two weak — and contradictory — arguments for investigating Biden The Washington Post
Joe Biden says he needs VP capable of being president because he's old Daily Mail
Schumer on Republicans and impeachment witnesses: ‘They realize we’re right’ The Washington Post
In Iowa, Biden Tries to Turn Impeachment Trial to His Advantage The Wall Street Journal
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Document shows Bernie Sanders’s team preparing dozens of potential executive orders - The Washington Post

Document shows Bernie Sanders’s team preparing dozens of potential executive orders The Washington Post
What I learned watching Bernie and Biden for hours on end POLITICO
WATCH: Plagiarized speech that sank Biden's 1988 presidential campaign Fox News
Can Bernie Sanders tackle the question of electability? Washington Examiner
Why Having Hunter Biden Testify Would Be Bad for Trump The New York Times
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House approves measure blocking funding for war with Iran | TheHill - The Hill

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American Airlines sued over coronavirus by pilot union seeking to cancel US-China flights - Fox News

American Airlines sued over coronavirus by pilot union seeking to cancel US-China flights Fox News
American Airlines pilots sue to halt US-China flights amid coronavirus epidemic CNN International
Coronavirus: death toll reaches 212 after WHO declares global emergency – live news The Guardian
Airlines remove hot food, blankets, magazines and more amid coronavirus outbreak Fox News
Here are the 20 U.S. airports where health officials are screening for coronavirus The Washington Post
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You can now reserve your spot to pay for a Samsung Galaxy S20 - The Verge

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The Super Bowl Is Only Good for Appliance Sales - Lifehacker

The Super Bowl Is Only Good for Appliance Sales Lifehacker
Super Bowl LIV Prop Bet Guide: MVP, Puppy Bowl Odds, and Bernie Sanders The Ringer
A running list of must-watch Super Bowl 2020 commercials Boston.com
Those two signs on Super Bowl stadium’s roof are illegal — and county officials know it | Opinion Miami Herald
Fans react to Super Bowl LIV without the Patriots WWLP-22News
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NBA changes All-Star Game format, adds Kobe Bryant tribute - ESPN

NBA changes All-Star Game format, adds Kobe Bryant tribute ESPN
NBA pays tribute to Kobe Bryant with All-Star Game changes YESNetwork
NBA changing All-Star Game format, adding a Kobe tribute The Associated Press
NBA All-Star Game Format Changes To Honor Kobe Bryant NESN
The 2020 NBA All-Star Reserves Include Jimmy Butler And Damian Lillard UPROXX
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Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

An unusual quandary for Manchester City, crunch games at Bournemouth and Newcastle, plus the rise of Wilfried Ndidi

Credit to Leicester. Or should that be shame on Chelsea? Wherever you choose to put the emphasis, the fact is that Wilfried Ndidi is now a more influential Premier League midfielder than N’Golo Kanté. The Frenchman has been good this season, of course, but Frank Lampard, like Maurizio Sarri, has not been getting the best out of him. Ndidi, meanwhile, has been outstanding and, if he dominates central midfield again on Saturday, then Leicester will probably put their Carabao Cup disappointment behind them, take a significant step closer to Champions League qualification, and make the jostling for fourth place very interesting. PD

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Fox News Breaking News Alert

Fox News Breaking News Alert

PROGRAMMING ALERT: Sen. Rand Paul talks impeachment fight on 'The Story,' 7 pm ET

01/30/20 3:52 PM

Republican senator laments starkly partisan nature of the trial.

By BY PATRICIA MAZZEI from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/38TGtZS

New York Is Urged to Consider Surge Pricing for Taxis

By BY BRIAN M. ROSENTHAL from NYT New York https://ift.tt/2GzItup

More American Troops Sustain Brain Injuries From Iran Missile Strike in Iraq

By BY THOMAS GIBBONS-NEFF from NYT World https://ift.tt/2t90lce

Everyone Wants a Piece

By BY LISA LERER from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2OgG4ZQ

¿Hará el papa Francisco un milagro con la deuda de Argentina?

By BY MARCELO J. GARCÍA from NYT en Español https://ift.tt/2RIDCgw

Alexander asks about the differences in bipartisanship under Nixon and Trump.

By BY EMILY COCHRANE from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2uKxHPa

Man charged with killing wife, missing for months, dies by suicide

Fotis Dulos was found unresponsive in his garage on Tuesday.

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Wednesday, 29 January 2020

Biden's final Iowa drive sweeps through rival territory

When U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden went to an Iowa university to campaign this week, one thing was in short supply: students who support him. Biden, 77, joked that it can be difficult to get college students to show up before 4 p.m. and, indeed, a few more young people appeared at a later campaign event at the University of Iowa. "I'm the only one that gets a significant portion of the young vote, as well as the old vote, in-between vote, black vote, Hispanic vote, all the vote," Biden said.

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Stunning drone video shows devastation from helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, 8 others

Stunning NTSB drone footage shows a swath of devastation from the California helicopter crash that killed NBA star Kobe Bryant and eight others.

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Mistrust Hampers Hong Kong’s Battle to Hold Back China Outbreak

(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong was always going to face a huge challenge holding back a disease outbreak raging in mainland China. Deep mistrust built up over seven months of protests in the city is making that task even harder.As new cases of a deadly new corona virus mounted this week, Chief Executive Carrie Lam was forced to cancel plans to turn a newly built housing estate into a quarantine facility after protesters set fire to the lobby. She’s denied rumors that the government was blocking shipments of surgical masks and found her efforts to dramatically curtail visits by mainlanders panned by health workers, as well as lawmakers.The outbreak left Lam facing a strikingly similar situation to one of her predecessors, Tung Chee-hwa, who in 2003 found himself grappling with an uprising against China-backed national security legislation and an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome that ended up killing almost 300 people in Hong Kong. Tung later resigned -- something Lam has so far refused to do, despite having even lower poll numbers.The current coronavirus scare threatens to erode what little support Lam has, as people worried about their safety join activists seeking more political freedom in the former British colony. Health sector employees and medical professionals say they have enrolled 15,000 people in a union and are threatening to strike Monday, unless the government meets demands including suspending all entries via the mainland.“What made our medical staff angry was that the government is not doing enough to prevent the virus from spreading and we could die because of that,” said Ivan Law, vice chairman of the union, the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance. “It’s our job to look after patients. We’re letting the government know that they have their job to protect Hong Kong people.”As of Wednesday, Hong Kong had confirmed at least 10 cases of the new strain of coronavirus first identified last month in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. That’s compared with almost 6,000 on the mainland -- a number exceeding the reported cases during the SARS epidemic -- where 132 people have died from the disease.Hong Kong’s case tally is expected to rise. More than 50 million mainland residents visited last year, thanks to a series of programs and projects backed by the Communist Party in Beijing, such as a bridge to neighboring Zhuhai and the former Portuguese colony of Macau, including several initiated after the SARS outbreak.The virus scare has thrown Hong Kong back into a state of siege, just as the pitched battles between police and protesters that gripped the Asian financial center for much of last year began to calm down. Bankers and other office workers have been ordered to work from home while residents strip food from grocery store shelves and line up for scarce supplies of face masks and hand sanitizer.The mask shortage has prompted unflattering comparisons between Hong Kong and Macau, which said it had secured 20 million masks for a fraction of the population. The world’s largest gaming hub also acted more quickly to curb travelers from Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province.Even lawmakers from Hong Kong’s largest pro-Beijing party broke ranks with Lam, advocating during a meeting Tuesday to seal off the border, the South China Morning Post newspaper reported. They also urged the government to release the number of Hong Kong visitors from Hubei.‘Last Nail’Lam pushed back against the idea of a total border closure at a news conference to announce the measures. “If we close the border and do not let anyone coming in and out of Hong Kong, the impact will be far-reaching,” she said Tuesday, without elaborating. Her office didn’t respond to a request for comment Wednesday.“What the Hong Kong government has done is to allow political considerations to prevail over scientific data,” said Alan Leong, a former leader of the opposition Civic Party who ran for chief executive in 2007. “This is inexcusable -- the last nail on Carrie Lam’s coffin.”Even before the outbreak, Lam’s approval rating hovered near record lows. Residents pegged her performance at 21.5 on a 100-point scale, compared with a low of 36.2 for Tung, according to a Hong Kong Public Opinion Program survey released earlier this month.Economic WoesSeven months of anti-government protests triggered by Lam’s unsuccessful efforts to pass a law allowing extraditions to the mainland have already pushed Hong Kong’s economy into recession. The outbreak is likely to deal a further blow to the all-important retail sales and tourism from mainland visitors. The benchmark Heng Seng Index is flirting with a 15-month low.The crisis reminded many in the city of the SARS outbreak, which battered the city’s massive property market and helped fuel suspicion of encroachment by mainland Chinese. Back then, the government’s solution to Hong Kong’s economic woes to open Hong Kong up to individual travelers from the mainland, a move that Beijing’s critics have long seen as part of effort to erode the local identity.Now, Lam is battling against the perception that she’s putting those visits over residents’ safety.“Hong Kong people fear Carrie Lam doesn’t have the health of the people as her top priority, but rather political considerations and the wishes of her masters in China,” said Emily Lau, a former leader of the Democratic Party who served on the Legislative Council for more than two decades. “During the SARS outbreak in 2003, hundreds of people died and the level of trust in the government was low, but now the confidence and trust in Carrie Lam’s government is zero.”\--With assistance from Fion Li, Kiuyan Wong, Lulu Yilun Chen, Natalie Lung and Rebecca Choong Wilkins.To contact the reporters on this story: Alfred Liu in Hong Kong at aliu226@bloomberg.net;Shelly Banjo in Hong Kong at sbanjo@bloomberg.net;Annie Lee in Hong Kong at olee42@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Karen LeighFor 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.

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Dylann Roof appeals death sentence for massacre at South Carolina black church

"Roof's crime was tragic, but this Court can have no confidence in the jury's verdict," says his appeal, filed with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday. A jury found Roof guilty of 33 federal charges, including hate crimes resulting in death, for the shocking mass shooting at the landmark Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston in June 2015. Roof dismissed his defense attorneys just before trial and represented himself during jury selection.

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A robot named Little Peanut is delivering food to people in quarantine amid the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak

"Hello everyone. Cute Little Peanut is serving food to you now," the robot said, according to a translation. "Enjoy your meal."

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Engel: Bolton 'strongly implied that something improper had occurred' with Yovanovitch's ouster

Rep. Engel's revelation comes amid a fierce partisan clash over whether the Senate should call Bolton as a witness in the Trump impeachment trial.

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Authorities find longest Southwest border smuggling tunnel

U.S. authorities on Wednesday announced the discovery of the longest smuggling tunnel ever found on the Southwest border, stretching more than three-quarters of a mile from an industrial site in Tijuana, Mexico, to the San Diego area. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it featured an extensive rail/cart system, forced air ventilation, high voltage electrical cables and panels, an elevator at the tunnel entrance, and a complex drainage system. “This one blows past (the second-longest),” said Lance LeNoir, a Border Patrol operations supervisor.

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LIVE: Facebook stock drops 7.5% as its growth slows - Business Insider - Business Insider

LIVE: Facebook stock drops 7.5% as its growth slows - Business Insider Business Insider
Facebook hits 2.5B users in Q4 but shares sink from slow profits TechCrunch
Here’s what to expect from Facebook’s Q4 2019 earnings report Yahoo Finance
Facebook Earnings, Revenue Beat Estimates But Stock Falls Investor's Business Daily
Major analysts predict for Facebook's earnings report CNBC
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New “Off-Facebook Activity” portal lets you know where you’re being followed - Ars Technica

New “Off-Facebook Activity” portal lets you know where you’re being followed Ars Technica

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Galaxy Note9 update with One UI 2.0 and Android 10 rolling out (Update: US) - Android Police

Galaxy Note9 update with One UI 2.0 and Android 10 rolling out (Update: US) Android Police
Massive Leak Reveals Pretty Much Everything About Samsung's Next Foldable Phone Gizmodo
The 64MP tele camera of the Galaxy S20 is for 8K video, not 4-in-1 binning - GSMArena.com news GSMArena.com
What's up with the Pocophone's new name? | ICYMI #259 SoyaCincau
Buy a Galaxy Watch Active, get a $50 gift card Tom's Guide
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Popeyes launched a clothing line that looks a whole lot like Beyonce's Ivy Park - CNN

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What's streaming on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon in February - CNN

What's streaming on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon in February CNN
Without Kids, Disney Plus Is A Desert Post-‘Mandalorian’ Forbes
How to Get Disney+ on Your TV Decider
Netflix Takes on the World: The 3 Best Streaming Services on the Planet The National Interest Online
The Streaming Wars Move To Madison Avenue Forbes
View full coverage on Google News

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‘I Thought I Was Going to Die.’ 6 People Hospitalized Fleeing High-Rise Fire in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES — Firefighters made a dramatic ladder rescue of a man about to jump from a burning Los Angeles high-rise apartment building Wednesday and helicopters plucked 15 people from the roof as other terrified residents fled through smoke-choked stairwells to safety.

Six people were hospitalized, two in critical condition, including the would-be jumper, in the fire that occurred in a building where a similar blaze broke out seven years ago, authorities said.

Residents described a frightening flight to safety, as they tried to move down crowded stairwells that forced some to turn back and go to the roof. Firefighters were coming up the stairs as people with children, pets and the some elderly tenants moved slowly downward.

A panicked Cecilee Mathieson tried to push past in her rush from her 25th floor penthouse. When she reached the floor on fire, she could see the orange glow under the door.

“I really thought I was going to die today,” Mathieson said hours later.

Firefighters had been at an office building fire two blocks away when the blaze broke out on Wilshire Boulevard on the edge of the tony Brentwood section of the city, allowing a rapid response.

Gavyn Straus was swimming in the pool in the courtyard when he saw black smoke waft by. As the smoke grew rapidly, Straus knew it was no kitchen fire and he ran into the building dripping wet to alert staff.

A woman at the front desk was calling police, so he hopped on an elevator with a maintenance man to alert residents on the 8th floor, where they thought the fire was coming from. A man who had been sleeping answered the first door they pounded on and they realized they were above the blaze and ran for the stairs.

They were overwhelmed with smoke when they opened the door to the burning floor below.

“It was a black wall,” Straus said hours later as he stood barefoot on the sidewalk, still wearing his surf trunks with only a towel draped over his shoulders and goggles around his neck. “Someone ran out from that side and they were completely covered in black char and they could barely breathe.”

The person said their friend was still inside, but Straus said he couldn’t help because he couldn’t see anything and it was too hot.

Instead, he ran to the 21st floor, where he lives, to alert friends and other tenants he knew. No alarm had yet been sounded and he was surprised to hear laughter coming through the doors as people ate breakfast unaware of the danger below.

“Get out, there’s fire. Get out,” he yelled.

Dr. Tom Grogan, an orthopedic surgeon who works in the building next door, was arriving at his office when he saw flames shooting from the building. His office manager called 911 and Grogan, who had seen the building burn in 2013, watched as firefighters struggled to get water to the fire on the 6th floor.

A resident of the building with burns on his arms was hanging from a window as if he was going to jump. Firefighters inflated an airbag below but managed to get a ladder to him to save him.

“It was scary to watch,” Grogan said.

More than 330 firefighters responded and it took about 90 minutes to knock down the blaze, Deputy Fire Chief Armando Hogan said. Arson investigators are looking into whether it was deliberately set.

“It is suspicious right now,” Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said.

Two 30-year-old men who were in the apartment where the fire began were in critical condition, and one was described as grave. Fire crews had to crawl on their bellies using bottled oxygen to reach the apartment where the blaze began. Five others were treated at the scene.

The fire left windows blown out and heavy black smoke or burn marks on three sides of building. Residents who fled in whatever they wearing or could quickly get into — some in pajamas and exercise clothes — gathered on nearby street corners and looked up as helicopters hovered and hoisted rooftop evacuees and small white dog to safety.

A fire at the Barrington Plaza high-rise in 2013 injured several people and displaced more than 100. The complex has 240 units that range in rent from $2,350 to $3,695 per month, according to Zillow.

Fire officials said the building was not equipped with sprinklers. It was built in 1961 before regulations required fire-suppression systems in buildings taller than 75 feet (22.8 meters) feet.

The building owners did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

___

Associated Press writers John Antczak, John Rogers and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

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Tottenham’s Danny Rose set to join Newcastle on loan until end of season

• Newcastle will pay £2m loan fee for England left-back
• Deal includes option to make move permanent in June

Danny Rose is set to join Newcastle until the end of the season after Steve Bruce’s side agreed to pay Tottenham a £2m loan fee for the England defender.

Rose has rarely featured for Spurs since José Mourinho succeeded Maurico Pochettino as head coach in November, having made just three Premier League starts in that time and he will now have the opportunity to stake a claim for Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2020 squad at St James’ Park. Bruce admitted last week that he was keen on bringing the 29-year-old to Tyneside after injuries to Jetro Willems and Paul Dummett ruled them both out for the rest of the season.

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Celtic thrash St Johnstone, Defoe injured in Rangers win over Ross County

• Celtic’s 3-0 win maintains five-point lead at the top
• Jermain Defoe taken off on stretcher in Rangers 2-0 victory

Celtic made it 30 goals without reply against St Johnstone after sweeping their hosts away in the opening half hour to win 3-0.

Olivier Ntcham, James Forrest and Leigh Griffiths struck inside 27 minutes as Celtic overran the Perth side to maintain their five-point lead in the Premiership. Celtic now have an aggregate score of 30-0 against Saints in the past nine games.

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As Coronavirus Explodes in China, Countries Struggle to Control Its Spread

By BY DENISE GRADY from NYT Health https://ift.tt/2RZZe7b

Coronavirus Spreads, and the World Pays for China’s Dictatorship

By BY NICHOLAS KRISTOF from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/2t8LoqF

6 Takeaways From Senators’ Questions to Impeachment Lawyers

By BY EILEEN SULLIVAN from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2RFaPcV

Everyone’s a Winner in Iowa

By BY LISA LERER from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2U2MgZ4

Day 8 of Trump’s Trial: Ask Me Anything

By BY MICHELLE COTTLE from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/2GxahiL

A frantic campaign schedule catches up with one senator.

By BY ALICIA PARLAPIANO from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2uKxnzM

Biden Plans a Counterattack at Trump as Impeachment Tensions Rise

By BY THOMAS KAPLAN AND KATIE GLUECK from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2vxYxuk

Legal Pads, Photographs and a Podcast: How Senators Are Documenting Impeachment

By BY EMILY COCHRANE from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2O6h7jy

Tuesday, 28 January 2020

As Coronavirus Spreads, Warren Unveils Disease-Prevention Plan

(Bloomberg) -- The coronavirus has been in the news for only a few weeks, but Elizabeth Warren already has a plan to fight it.With Hong Kong announcing restrictions on travel from mainland China as part of an effort to contain the SARS-like virus that has claimed more than 100 lives, Warren released a proposal Tuesday morning aimed at containing and treating infectious diseases.“Diseases like coronavirus remind us why we need robust international institutions, strong investments in public health, and a government that is prepared to jump into action at a moment’s notice,” she wrote in a Medium post announcing the plan.Warren criticized President Donald Trump’s response to the outbreak, calling it “a mess.” and assailed the administration’s proposed funding cuts for feeral health agencies.She said her administration would prioritize developing a universal flu vaccine and replenish funding for the Public Health Emergency Fund, with the goal of speeding outbreak response. She proposed restoring an Obama-era White House position for health security that Trump eliminated in 2018. Warren also cited outbreaks as a reason to move towards Medicare For All, a policy proposal that she has espoused, saying it would give infected people access necessary care.This post is part of Campaign Update, our live coverage from the 2020 campaign trail.To contact the author of this story: Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou in Washington at megkolfopoul@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Kathleen HunterFor 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.

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Warning shots fired as migrants rush Serbia's border with Hungary

A Hungarian security officer fired three warning shots early on Tuesday after about 60 migrants tried to force their way through a checkpoint on the border with Serbia, and Serbian police said later they had arrested 37 people for trying to cross the frontier illegally. No one was wounded in the incident, which took place at the Roszke/Horgos border crossing, Hungarian police spokeswoman Szilvia Szabo said. Hungarian police said the group tried to enter the European Union member state at the crossing at about 0430 GMT, prompting the security officer on site to fire the warning shots.

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Trump team wraps up opening arguments with old clips of Democrats railing against impeachment

The opening arguments in President Trump's impeachment trial officially wrapped up Tuesday, with a little help from 1990s Democrats.Trump's defense team concluded their arguments hours early on Tuesday, with White House counsel Pat Cipollone saying he "had kind of a lengthy presentation prepared, but ... I think we've made our case."Democrats previously utilized old clips of Republicans like Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) during their opening arguments, and Trump's team did the same, playing a montage of Democrats during former President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial making similar points as Trump's team."There must never be a narrowly voted impeachment, or an impeachment supported by one of our major political parties and opposed by the other," House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) says in one 1990s-era clip. In another clip, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voices concern that "we've lowered the bar on impeachment" and that "when a Republican wins the White House, Democrats will demand payback.""You were right," Cipollone quipped after the montage played. "But I'm sorry to say you were also prophetic."Cipollone concluded by echoing language previously used by Ken Starr, asking the Senate to "end the era of impeachment for good." With opening arguments concluded, the question period in Trump's impeachment trial will begin Wednesday, while a vote on whether to call witnesses will take place on Friday. > Schumer in 1998: "I expect history will show that we've lowered the bar on impeachment so much, we have broken the seal on this extreme penalty so cavalierly, that it will be used as a routine tool to fight political battles."> > "You were right," WH counsel Pat Cipollone says. pic.twitter.com/Ow3vARTbmK> > -- CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) January 28, 2020More stories from theweek.com John Bolton just vindicated Nancy Pelosi All the president's turncoats It's 2020 and women are exhausted

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Impeachment trial: Trump defence wraps up amid Bolton bombshell

The president's impeachment defence concludes, as reports say John Bolton could implicate Trump.

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Coronavirus: Australian scientists first to recreate virus outside China

Australian scientists say it is a "significant breakthrough" in efforts to contain the new coronavirus.

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US charges three researchers with lying about links to China

A Harvard professor and two Boston-based Chinese researchers are accused of aiding China's government.

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Trump's Middle East peace plan: Smiles and sorrow on the ground

President Donald Trump calls the strategy a win-win opportunity for both sides - but is it?

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Fans attack the home of Manchester United vice-chairman Ed Woodward

• Woodward understood not to be at home at the time
• ‘Anybody found guilty will be banned for life by the club’

The home of Ed Woodward was attacked on Tuesday night in a sickening escalation of the tensions between supporters and the Manchester United executive vice-chairman.

Fans, who are unhappy at the way in which the club is being run, have recently sung songs celebrating the death of the 48-year-old who has become a figure of hate among some sections of the United support.

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Championship: Bamford at the double to leapfrog Leeds over West Brom

• Leeds come back from 2-0 down to beat Millwall 3-2
• Previous leaders West Brom lose 2-1 to Cardiff

Patrick Bamford’s second-half brace helped send Leeds United come back from two goals down against Millwall and back to the Championship summit, aided by West Brom’s 2-1 loss to Cardiff. Forward Bamford scored in the 48th and 66th minutes either side of Pablo Hernández’s effort as their side recovered from an appalling start in which the visitors were 2-0 up after 23 minutes thanks to Shaun Hutchinson’s fourth-minute goal and a Jed Wallace penalty.

The Baggies, who went into last night’s fixtures top, were undone by Lee Tomlin 14 minutes from time after Charlie Austin had levelled from the spot following Callum Patinson’s opener.

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Aston Villa’s Dean Smith says he let himself go after goal ‘made in Egypt’

• Trézéguet’s late winner sends club to Carabao Cup final
• ‘If we could go and lift the trophy I’ll be a very proud man’

Dean Smith, an Aston Villa supporter long before he became the club’s manager, said he “certainly let myself go” when Trézéguet scored a stoppage-time goal to send his team into the Carabao Cup final.

Joyous scenes engulfed Villa Park after a thrilling semi-final in which Matt Targett opened the scoring for the hosts before Kelechi Iheanacho equalised. Leicester had several chances to win before Villa got what Smith hailed as “a goal made in Egypt”, with Trézéguet firing into the net from a cross by Ahmed Elmohamady.

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McConnell tells GOP senators he currently doesn't have votes to block witnesses

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Tuesday told GOP senators that he doesn't currently have the votes to block witnesses at President Trump's impeachment trial.

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