Newz Monkey

One crew member has been found dead and 10 others are still missing after a supply vessel operated by a French oil services group sank in hurricane conditions in the Atlantic, the ship's operator said on Monday. The Luxembourg-flagged Bourbon Rhode, crewed mainly by Ukrainians, ran into difficulty in the Atlantic late last week as it ran into hurricane Lorenzo, and was later confirmed to have sunk. A major search operation was then launched for the 14 people who were on board the tug supply vessel. from https://news.yahoo.com/one-dead-10-missing-vessel-sinks-atlantic-150614978.html

Former National Security Adviser John Bolton is out of the White House, but he's not done talking about the United States' foreign policy.Bolton spoke about the Trump administration's approach toward North Korea in less-than-glowing terms Monday during a talk at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. He reportedly said the U.S. should stop trying to organize summits between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and instead opt for a tougher path that could ultimately include regime change or even military force to halt North Korea's nuclear program."I don't think the North Koreans will ever voluntarily give up enough," Bolton said, referring to the negotiation strategy, which remains Washington's preferred option at the moment. "There is no basis to trust any promise that regime makes."Bolton also reportedly added that the White House is not being harsh enough when it comes to North Korea's United ...

China wants to do what it can to make sure an end to this issue is reached. We must emphasize though, that this problem is not ultimately our own. from https://news.yahoo.com/chinese-ambassador-doing-part-combat-150006924.html

Kayleigh Davis was hiking on a trail Friday evening at Antelope Island State Park in Utah chasing the sunset, when she was suddenly, violently, flipped into the air by a bison. When she looked up, the bison was hovering over her. The incident left her with a broken ankle and a gash on her leg. from https://news.yahoo.com/utah-woman-says-bison-flipped-171112675.html

The video message posted on Twitter came in response to Democratic lawmakers' investigation of accusations that Trump tried to strong-arm the Ukrainian president into providing dirt on Joe Biden, one of the American President's main 2020 election rivals. In subsequent tweets, Trump repeated his charges that the impeachment investigation is a "Witch Hunt," adding that Democratic lawmaker Adam Schiff, who is leading the impeachment probe, had defamed and libeled him, and should resign from Congress. from https://news.yahoo.com/trump-supporters-country-stake-never-235446752.html

(Bloomberg) -- Six coal states are pressing the Trump administration to wrap up an almost two-year inquiry into whether coal and nuclear plant retirements are threatening the electric grid.In letters to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which overseas U.S. power markets, utility commissioners from Alabama, Kentucky, Montana, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wyoming warned that plant closures are accelerating and “bringing increased attention to grid resilience and fuel security.”The appeal comes almost two years after the commission rejected a Trump administration bid to bail out money-losing coal plants, dismissing the proposal as unlawful. But the agency left the door open to future action, by opening an inquiry into whether regulatory changes are needed to keep the lights on. More than 200 comments have been filed with the commission since then, and more than a dozen coal-fired power plants have been decommissioned.Now the states hardest hit by coal’s decline are asking the ener...

Speaking to CBS News' "60 Minutes," the Saudi Crown Prince admitted that Khashoggi's murder was a "heinous crime" but denied his involvement. from https://news.yahoo.com/mohammed-bin-salman-says-takes-060745116.html

It is still unclear why President Trump withheld nearly $400 million in military and other aid to Ukraine from mid-July until Sept. 11 -- he has given shifting explanations, none of which seem to hold much water -- but it was his decision, and he acted alone, Fox News reported Sunday. The Pentagon, State Department, and Trump's National Security Council were "unanimous" in their support for giving Ukraine the aid, approved by Congress in the spring, Fox News' Chris Wallace reported Sunday. He also had some news on Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer.Giuliani has said the State Department asked him to intercede in Ukraine -- and his saved text messages apparently helped prompt the State Department's official Ukraine envoy, Kurt Volker, to resign on Friday -- but Fox News reports that Giuliani was working "off the books" with two other pro-Trump lawyers, Joe DiGenova and wife Victoria Toensing, to dig up Ukraine dirt on Joe Biden. The Trump administ...

Republican leadership clarified that the Senate must take action if the lower chamber approves articles of impeachment against President Trump. from https://news.yahoo.com/republican-leadership-memo-suggests-senate-cant-block-trial-if-house-votes-to-impeach-144837220.html

Whistleblower Edward Snowden, currently promoting a new memoir, has claimed a surge in the use of private contractors by US intelligence agencies, has led to a “creeping authoritarianism”.Against the backdrop of the whistleblower complaint being examined by Congress that alleges Donald Trump pressured the leader of Ukraine to dig up dirt on Joe Biden, the 36-year-old Mr Snowden said private contractors – as he once was – had very few legal prohibitions on what they could do. from https://news.yahoo.com/edward-snowden-claims-private-contractors-223825027.html

REUTERSA delegation of Democratic and Republican lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee is traveling to Ukraine this week, a Democratic aide to the committee confirmed to The Daily Beast on Monday.The trip has been in the works for some time and includes stops elsewhere in Europe, but it is moving forward at a moment when Ukraine is dominating American politics. In the last week, an anonymous whistleblower’s allegation that President Trump repeatedly pressed the president of Ukraine to dig up dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden has gone public, and the expanding congressional probe into those claims is forming the basis of an official impeachment inquiry from House Democrats. The delegation is the first group of U.S. lawmakers to travel to Ukraine since early September, before any details of the whistleblower’s complaint were publicly known. The Democratic committee aide affirmed the trip is unrelated to the current Ukraine news, and said that lawmakers are headin...

A parade by China’s secretive military will offer a rare look at its rapidly developing arsenal, including possibly a nuclear-armed missile that could reach the United States in 30 minutes, as Beijing gets closer to matching Washington and other powers in weapons technology.The Dongfeng 41 is one of a series of new weapons Chinese media say might be unveiled during the parade marking the ruling Communist Party’s 70th anniversary in power. from https://news.yahoo.com/china-military-parade-beijing-poised-073835400.html

The jury in the trial of Amber Guyger, a former Dallas police officer who is charged with murdering her neighbor in his apartment, can consider the "Castle Doctrine" as part of Guyger's defense, Judge Tammy Kemp ruled Monday, hours before final deliberations in the murder trial.The Castle Doctrine, which was passed by the Texas Legislature in 2007, “presumes that the use of force is reasonable and necessary when someone is unlawfully and with force entering or attempting to enter your occupied home, car, or place of business, or when someone is committing or trying to commit a crime against you.”Guyger, who shot and killed Jean in his own apartment on Sept. 6, 2018, was initially charged with manslaughter, but the district attorney’s office subsequently reviewed the case and indicted her on murder charges, with the implication that the shooting could not be considered manslaughter because Guyger admitted it was intentional.The shift also allowed for Guyger’s defense to ce...

I am not a crook.Some 46 years ago, President Richard Nixon made that infamous declaration during a press conference in Orlando, Florida. While the quote is not exactly another "ask not what your country can do for you," his five words, perhaps more than anything else, came to define an era of American history. Today they are printed in countless history books as a study in irony, corruption, and holding our leaders accountable.Now, nearly half a century on, the murmurs of impeachment have started once again. And although no one can know the future, we very well may be listening to the words -- or reading the tweets -- that will write the chapters of our future history books. Here are seven quotes from the past week alone that students could be reciting in classrooms half a century from now.1\. "In the course of my official duties, I have received information from multiple U.S. government officials that the president of the United States is using the power of his office ...

A San Francisco tour guide has been charged with being an agent of the Chinese government, accused of picking up U.S. national security secrets from furtive locations and delivering them cloak and dagger style to Beijing, federal prosecutors said on Monday. Xuehua Peng, also known as Edward Peng, was arrested on Friday in the San Francisco suburb of Hayward, California, and was denied bail during an initial court appearance by a U.S. magistrate judge that same day, federal prosecutors said at a Monday morning news conference. "Defendant Xuehua (Edward) Peng is charged with executing dead drops, delivering payments, and personally carrying to Beijing, China, secure digital cards containing classified information related to the national security of the United States," Anderson said. from https://news.yahoo.com/1-naturalized-u-citizen-charged-183209614.html

The Al-Shabaab militant group claimed responsibility for an attack on a US base in Somalia on Monday, as the European Union confirmed a separate strike against a convoy of Italian advisers. The raid on the base prompted a counter-attack by US forces who staged "two air strikes and used small arms fire targeting al-Shabaab terrorists," Major General William Gayler, US Africa Command (AFRICOM) director of operations said, adding that 10 "terrorists" died and a vehicle was destroyed. from https://news.yahoo.com/al-shabaab-attacks-us-eu-convoy-somalia-000843450.html

United Airlines flight 293 had to turn back to Denver International Airport over what United called a "mechanical issue with one of the engines." from https://news.yahoo.com/passenger-filmed-engine-cover-coming-140845198.html

A California man was caught and arrested by police Saturday morning, but not before he managed to elude them for two hours while hiding inside a corn maze. from https://news.yahoo.com/california-man-arrested-leading-police-185004816.html

More than half of Americans — and an overwhelming number of Democrats — say they approve of the fact that Congress has opened an impeachment inquiry into President Trump. But as the inquiry begins, there is no national consensus on how to assess the president's actions. from https://news.yahoo.com/cbs-news-poll-majority-americans-193322163.html

The German government says it will respond to an “alarming” rise in weapons seizures during raids on far-Right extremists by handing police more powers to fight radicalism. Close to 1,100 weapons were confiscated in the course of investigations into Right-wing crime in 2018, marking a 61 per cent rise on the previous year when 676 weapons were found, new statistics show. Horst Seehofer, the interior minister, said the figures represent an “alarming increase” but also show that “our investigations are having an impact and authorities are keeping a close eye on the scene." Mr Seehofer, a member of the conservative Christian Social Union party, said police capabilities would be beefed up in response. "I am determined to strengthen the security services both in personnel and in structure and to give them the necessary legal tools to cope with this threat," he stated. A veteran law-and-order man, Mr Seehofer has previously faced criticism from civil liberties groups for intro...

Trump needs the protection that comes with staying president. But Ukraine has accomplished what Robert Mueller could not: America is paying attention. from https://news.yahoo.com/why-trump-increasingly-desperate-avoid-071509793.html

A 22-year-old Palatine man was charged with terrorism early Sunday morning after plowing his SUV through Woodfield Mall in a bizarre-and still unexplained-incident more than a week ago. from https://news.yahoo.com/man-charged-terrorism-driving-suv-155416021.html

Mexican activists took to the streets in large cities to demand safe and legal abortions, many wearing green bandannas that have become a symbol with the abortion rights movement in Latin America. from https://news.yahoo.com/protesters-streets-mexico-demand-safe-103340847.html

A potential Senate impeachment trial is a long way away, but there is already some speculation that, if the House does wind up voting to impeach President Trump after launching an inquiry, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) could deploy some stall tactics, Politico reports.McConnell has said in the past that the Senate would have "no choice" to hold a trial if Trump were ever impeached, but not everyone is convinced. For starters, there is some disagreement over whether the Senate is required by the Constitution to hold a trail if a president is impeached. "The Senate makes the decision," Don Ritchie, a retired Senate historian, said. Others have argued that the law is actually not ambiguous, and that it would require a lot more work for the Republicans to try to prevent a trial rather than to defeat a conviction.> This is wrong. The rules allowed the Senate to not act on Garland (they also allowed any senator to force a vote in relation to that decis...

Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's personal attorney, says he met Ukrainian officials in Madrid, Paris and Warsaw this year as he pushed an investigation into one of Trump's main political rivals in the 2020 presidential election, former Vice President Joe Biden. Giuliani has emerged as a central figure in a scandal that has now engulfed Trump and left him facing an impeachment inquiry into whether he misused his office for his own political gains. One of the key questions is who financed Giuliani's globe-trotting as he pursued unsubstantiated allegations that Biden had tried to fire Ukraine's then chief prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, to stop him investigating an energy company on which his son Hunter served as a director. from https://news.yahoo.com/giuliani-says-trump-did-not-223500619.html

"We'd rather die in the fight then slowly suffocate to death after we lose the fight," one protester told Business Insider. from https://news.yahoo.com/hong-kong-protesters-theyre-prepared-131800239.html

Famous murals celebrating Iran's Islamic revolution daubed on walls of the former US embassy in Tehran have been erased to make way for new paintings to be unveiled on the fortieth anniversary of the hostage crisis. Three workers were on Sunday afternoon seen removing the original artwork with a sandblaster against the wall of Taleqani avenue, bordering the south side of what was once dubbed a US "spy nest" in central Tehran. On November 4, 1979, less than nine months after Iran's last shah was toppled, pro-revolution students took Americans hostage at the embassy to protest the ex-shah's admission to hospital in the US. from https://news.yahoo.com/irans-iconic-anti-us-murals-way-generation-artwork-191634753.html

"Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace said that top U.S. officials confirmed President Trump was working with more than one personal lawyer "off the books" to pressure Ukrainian officials for damaging information on former Vice President Joe Biden. from https://news.yahoo.com/trump-reportedly-worked-2-off-201525427.html

(Bloomberg) -- Spain’s acting Prime Minister called on leaders of Catalonia’s independence movement to repudiate violence in any form as the country braces for protests that could follow the trial of separatist leaders.“Their error has been total,” Pedro Sanchez told a meeting of Socialist Party officials in Madrid, referring to the leaders of the Catalan independence campaign. “I ask them to condemn any kind of violence.”The verdict is due soon in a trial of 12 leaders over a bid in 2017 to split Catalonia from Spain, raising the prospect of protests if they are found guilty of charges including rebellion. On Sept. 23, Spanish police arrested nine pro-independence activists on suspicion of terrorism after they were found to have materials that could be used to prepare explosives.“They want to demobilize us. They want to frighten us. They will not succeed,” Joaquim Torra, the pro-independence president of Catalonia, said on Twitter after the arrests.To contact the reporter on this stor...

The U.S. Justice Department filed a statement saying the First Amendment protects the right of the Archdiocese to apply Catholic doctrine. from https://news.yahoo.com/us-department-justice-supports-indianapolis-220855594.html

French police repeatedly used tear gas and water cannons to break up a protest Saturday by nearly a 1,000 yellow vest demonstrators in the southwest city of Toulouse. Police there said four officers were slightly injured and nine demonstrators arrested for offences including throwing projectiles. A police statement in Toulouse said officers made five arrests after being targeted by missiles thrown by some of the protesters. from https://news.yahoo.com/french-police-break-yellow-vest-protest-tear-gas-195024902.html

Rep. Mark Amodei, a four-term member of Congress, said he was not expressing support for impeachment, but wants the inquiry. from https://news.yahoo.com/nevada-congressman-first-house-republican-111032395.html

Almost two-thirds (64 per cent) of Americans believe that Donald Trump pressuring the leader of Ukraine to investigate his potential 2020 presidential rival is a serious issue, according to a new poll.A total of 43 per cent of respondents to the ABC/Ipsos survey said the allegations were “very serious” while 21 per cent agreed the situation was at least “somewhat serious". from https://news.yahoo.com/trump-impeachment-majority-americans-ukraine-140740332.html

Thousands rallied in Sydney and Taipei to support Hong Kong democracy protesters Sunday, kicking off a day of planned "anti-totalitarianism" demonstrations globally. In one of the largest solidarity marches in Australia since Hong Kong's latest pro-democracy movement began in June, black-clad participants took to the streets chanting "Add oil", a protest slogan denoting encouragement. Some Sydney protesters held signs that read "Save Hong Kong" and "Stop tyranny", while others carried yellow umbrellas or handed out paper cranes in scenes that played out in other major cities across the country Sunday. from https://news.yahoo.com/sydney-rally-kicks-off-global-protests-hong-kong-072148160.html

White House senior adviser Stephen Miller defended President Trump’s attempts to have the Ukrainian president open an investigation into Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, claiming on Sunday that the scandal was a “political hit job” by the “deep state” and that Trump was really the “whistleblower.” from https://news.yahoo.com/white-house-adviser-says-trump-190332130.html

Donald Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani said he would not cooperate with House Democrat impeachment enquiries, before immediately contradicting himself when pressed.Mr Giuliani was being interviewed on ABC News when he said that he would not cooperate with investigations in the House Intelligence Committee while representative Adam Schiff was in charge. from https://news.yahoo.com/rudy-giuliani-trump-lawyer-immediately-200523869.html

Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal, the county's first Sikh officer, was killed Friday during a traffic stop near Houston. Police have arrested Robert Solis. from https://news.yahoo.com/houston-area-deputy-first-local-124245706.html

An Iowa newspaper reporter who exposed racist tweets by a charity fundraiser has found himself out of a job after his own offensive posts were uncovered.  Aaron Calvin, a journalist for the Des Moines Register, began looking into sports fan Carson King when his jovial plea for beer money turned into a national fundraiser for a children's hospital. But his profile of Mr King led to a public backlash and the newspaper was forced to hire extra security after receiving threats. Public scrutiny turned to Mr Calvin himself, who left the newspaper after it emerged he had made comments mocking same-sex marriage and used a racial slur. Mr King gained national fame on September 14, when his hand-drawn sign for donations for his "Busch Light Supply"  at an Iowa State University American football game was featured in the background of a TV broadcast.  He initially received around $600 (£488) from amused spectators but as donations topped $1 million (£814,650), Mr King said he would d...

China's tightly choreographed 70th birthday bash next week risks being upstaged by pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, which offer a starkly different take on the strength and power of the Communist Party being feted in Beijing. As President Xi Jinping gets ready to preside over a huge military parade and gala event on Tuesday, the former British colony is in tumult over the erosion of its special freedoms by Beijing. Hong Kong has been rocked by the worst political unrest since its handover to China in 1997, with another round of clashes between protesters and riot police on Saturday and Sunday. from https://news.yahoo.com/hong-kong-crisis-threatens-spoil-chinas-70th-party-024418122.html

Kurt Volker, the State Department's special envoy for Ukraine, resigned Friday amid a formal impeachment inquiry of President Trump and his communications with the Ukrainian government, including the country's president, Volodymyr Zelensky. Volker did not provide a public explanation for leaving his post, but a source familiar with his decision said Volker concluded he could not perform the job effectively as a result of the recent developments.One person familiar with the matter told NBC News that Volker's resignation will likely enable him to be much freer in what he can say about his time at his post if he is called at some point to testify before Congress.The whistleblower complaint that sparked the impeachment inquiry alleges that Volker went to Kiev to help guide Ukrainian officials on how to handle Trump's alleged demands that the government investigate former Vice President Joe Biden's son, Hunter. He also reportedly spoke with Trump's personal lawyer Ru...

The man who slammed his SUV into a suburban Chicago mall has been formally charged with terrorism and criminal damage to property, authorities said. from https://news.yahoo.com/terrorism-charge-filed-against-man-160450345.html

Wildlife officials found three more dead wild elephants in central Sri Lanka Saturday, raising the number believed to have been poisoned by angry villagers to seven. The animals were found at a forest reserve near Sigiriya, a fifth-century rock fortress and UNESCO-protected heritage site, police said. "Since Friday, we have found the remains of seven cow elephants, including a tusker," police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said. from https://news.yahoo.com/three-more-elephants-killed-sri-lanka-bringing-toll-134517077.html

Hong Kong protesters are to join a global "anti-totalitarianism rally" on Sunday, following another night of violent clashes with police after weeks of pro-democracy unrest in the Chinese-ruled city. Police fired tear gas and water cannon on Saturday night to disperse protesters who threw petrol bombs and rocks, broke government office windows and blocked a key road near the local headquarters of China's People's Liberation Army. Thousands, young and old, gathered peacefully on Saturday at a harbourside park to mark the fifth anniversary of the "Umbrella" pro-democracy movement which gridlocked streets for 79 days in 2014. from https://news.yahoo.com/hong-kong-protesters-rally-another-022342830.html

Expert Steven Amstrup says ‘the longer the sea ice is gone from the productive zone the tougher it is on the bears’This year’s annual minimum of the Arctic sea ice tied with the second-lowest extent on record. Photograph: Chase Dekker/Getty ImagesThe loss of Arctic ice from glaciers, polar land and sea is declining faster than many scientists expected, as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) report on oceans and the cryosphere said this week.That’s bad news for polar bear populations, a top expert involved in field studies on the endangered animals has told the Guardian.This year’s annual minimum of the Arctic sea ice tied with the second-lowest extent on record, a mere 1.6m sq miles, and badly affected polar bear populations that live and hunt on the north slope of Alaska, plus those that live on the ice floes in the Bering Sea.“Now the ice has gone way offshore we know that the bears aren’t feeding, and the bears that are forced on to land don’t find much to eat. Th...

How Trump impeachment is polling, Warren's continued rise, Gabbard qualifies for the fourth debate, and campaign cash troubles plague some Democrats. from https://news.yahoo.com/2020-vision-impeachment-polling-warren-biden-185013463.html

The list of people Democrats may seek information from regarding President Trump's attempt to obtain dirt on Joe Biden seems to grow by the minute. from https://news.yahoo.com/democrats-have-a-long-list-of-possible-targets-for-trump-impeachment-inquiry-212224633.html

Never had a chance. from https://news.yahoo.com/surprise-u-f-22-stealth-080400040.html

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Trump took to cable news and Twitter on Friday morning as the first week of the impeachment battle came to a close in Washington. from https://news.yahoo.com/pelosi-trump-prayers-barr-schiff-apostrophe-tweet-135005946.html

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has denounced terrorism but avoided any mention of India's crackdown in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan denounced India's crackdown and warned of a "bloodbath." (Sept. 27) from https://news.yahoo.com/pakistan-warns-kashmir-bloodbath-india-212107687.html

Wilson's ex-wife, Valerie Plame, a former CIA officer now running for Congress, told the Times his cause of death was organ failure. Wilson died at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Times reported. Wilson served in several diplomatic posts during a 23-year career that began in 1976. from https://news.yahoo.com/joseph-wilson-u-diplomat-spoke-202036936.html