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Brazil
Brazil's Bolsonaro calls activist Thunberg a 'brat'

Brazil's right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro called Swedish climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg a "brat" on Tuesday after she criticized mounting violence against indigenous people in which two Amazon tribesmen were shot dead three days ago. The teen activist retorted by changed the biographical description on her Twitter account to "Pirralha".

Mexican ex-security chief charged in US in drug conspiracy
Mexican ex-security chief charged in US in drug conspiracy

A man who served as secretary of public security in Mexico from 2006 to 2012 has been indicted in New York City on drug charges alleging he accepted millions of dollars in bribes to let the Sinaloa cartel operate with impunity in Mexico. Genaro Garcia Luna, 51, a resident of Florida, was charged in Brooklyn federal court with three counts of cocaine trafficking conspiracy and a false statements charge, authorities said in a release.

Democrats unveil two articles of impeachment against Donald Trump
Democrats unveil two articles of impeachment against Donald Trump

Democrats in the House of Representatives have unveiled two articles of impeachment against Donald Trump, accusing the US president of abusing power and obstructing Congress.  The move sets Mr Trump on course to be just the third president in US history to be impeached. Speaking behind a wooden panel covered in American flags, the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the heads of six committees outlined their reasons for moving to a historic vote on impeachment on Tuesday.  "We must be clear: no one, not even the president, is above the law," said Jerry Nadler, the chair of the Judiciary Committee, as he announced the formal charges.  The first article charges Mr Trump with abusing his power by...

Trump Faces Two Impeachment Articles on Abuse of Power and Obstruction
Trump Faces Two Impeachment Articles on Abuse of Power and Obstruction

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats formally announced their articles of impeachment against President Trump on Tuesday morning. Flanked by the committee chairs who led the inquiry, Pelosi said the House would move to impeach Trump on two counts: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress."Today, in service to our duty to the Constitution and to our country, the House Committee on the Judiciary is introducing two articles of impeachment, charging the president of the U.S., Donald J. Trump, with committing high crimes and misdemeanors,"  said House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY). The introduction of articles effectively concludes the impeachment inquiry that began in September...

A 29-year-old mayor is giving his city
A 29-year-old mayor is giving his city's poorest residents a basic income of $500 per month. He says the program is a success so far.

Preliminary results show that most participants in Stockton, California's basic-income trial used their stipends to buy groceries and pay their bills.

China says detained Canadians treated in
China says detained Canadians treated in 'civilised way'

China defended on Tuesday its year-long detention of two Canadians after Ottawa accused Beijing of "arbitrarily" arresting the men in what was widely seen as retaliation for the arrest of a Huawei executive. Former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor have been languishing in China's opaque legal system since they were apprehended on December 10, 2018, just nine days after the arrest of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou.

Hong Kong Police Defuse Homemade Bombs at Catholic School
Hong Kong Police Defuse Homemade Bombs at Catholic School

(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong police defused two homemade bombs at a local Catholic school, in a reminder of the potential for escalation in the restive financial center after a lull in protest violence.Police dismantled two improvised explosive devices Monday evening at Wah Yan College in Wan Chai, Bomb Disposal Officer Alick McWhirter told a news briefing Monday. The radio-controlled bombs were complete, fully functional and ready to be activated by mobile phone, McWhirter said, adding that the bombs appeared intended "to kill and to maim people.""Given the quantities of the explosive and the fragmentation, had these devices been placed and had they functioned, they would have killed and...

Missile Race: Does America or China Dominate the South China Sea?
Missile Race: Does America or China Dominate the South China Sea?

Here's how they compare.

Pete Buttigieg
Pete Buttigieg's real 'black problem': He has been convicted of white privilege

Acknowledge the original sin, but also that white men risked their lives to end slavery and a black man led the way to gay marriage equality.

Infowars host interrupts House impeachment hearing
Infowars host interrupts House impeachment hearing

Owen Shroyer, the host of a talk show on Infowars, filmed himself protesting at the start of the House Judiciary Committee's impeachment hearing Monday.

Trans women are targets behind bars, lawsuit claims
Trans women are targets behind bars, lawsuit claims

Class-action lawsuit claims trans women are discriminated against and face abuse in Colorado prisons due to their gender identity.

Blanketed in ash, no survivors: Paramedic describes New Zealand volcano devastation
Blanketed in ash, no survivors: Paramedic describes New Zealand volcano devastation

The intensive care paramedic works with the Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter emergency service, which was sent to Whakatane to assist in the rescue efforts. Whakatane, on the North Island's east coast, is the main base for tours to White Island, about 50 km (30 miles) off the coast.

Here
Here's China's Plan To Fight A Nuclear War Against America: Nuke U.S. Cities

Millions would die.

Hong Kong police defuse bombs designed
Hong Kong police defuse bombs designed 'to kill and to maim'

Hong Kong police said they defused two large homemade bombs packed with nails and designed "to kill and to maim people" in the latest reported seizure of weaponry during six months of anti-government protests that have shaken the city.

Epstein-Funded Scientist George Church Is Creating a Genetics-Based Dating App
Epstein-Funded Scientist George Church Is Creating a Genetics-Based Dating App

Harvard biologist George Church already had to apologize for palling around with Jeffrey Epstein even after the financier pleaded to guilty to preying on minors a decade ago. Now he's raising eyebrows again-with plans for a genetics-based dating app.In an interview with 60 Minutes, Church said his technology would pair people based on the propensity of their genes, when combined in children, to eliminate hereditary diseases. "That sounds like eugenics," Fordham adjunct ethics professor and science journalist Elizabeth Yuko, who studies bioethics, told The Daily Beast on Monday. (The tech and science news site Gizmodo called Church's idea "an app only a eugenicist could love.")Yuko...

Apple is worried 2 ex-employees will flee to China after allegedly stealing secrets from its self-driving car project
Apple is worried 2 ex-employees will flee to China after allegedly stealing secrets from its self-driving car project

Former Apple engineers Xiaolang Zhang and Jizhong Chen have both been accused of stealing secrets from the company's self-driving car program.

Rejecting Michael Bloomberg just because he's worth billions of dollars makes no sense

Bloomberg worked his way through college parking cars, and the three-term ex-NY mayor has more governing experience than most candidates: Our view

Justice Department Backs Free-Speech Lawsuit Against Mississippi Junior College: U.S. Is
Justice Department Backs Free-Speech Lawsuit Against Mississippi Junior College: U.S. Is 'Not a Police State'

The Justice Department weighed in on a federal campus free-speech lawsuit on Monday, proclaiming that neither Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Mississippi, nor any other public educational institution, can "trample on" its students' First Amendment rights.Former student J. Michael Brown-along with the non-profit group Young Americans for Liberty-filed the lawsuit in September, claiming that the college had instituted a policy requiring campus administrators to pre-approve all "meetings or gatherings" at least three days before any event for any purpose anywhere on campus, The Clarion-Ledger reported at the time. Brown's lawsuit alleged that college officials twice called the...

Look Out Russia, The U.S. Army
Look Out Russia, The U.S. Army's M-1A2C Abrams Tanks Are Getting An Upgrade

The latest Abrams is here.

'You guys are based in California, not Ukraine, right?' - an analyst mocked Trump's CrowdStrike conspiracy on the firm's earnings call

Trump brought up false rumors about the US cybersecurity firm during his infamous phone call with Ukraine's president in July.

U.S. border arrests dropped again in November amid Trump crackdown on migrant crossers
U.S. border arrests dropped again in November amid Trump crackdown on migrant crossers

Border arrests - which are used to estimate illegal crossings - initially plummeted after U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January 2017. The Trump administration credits the decline to tougher asylum policies and increased cooperation with Mexico and Central American nations. Acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan said on Monday that Congress needs to take legislative action to discourage illegal crossings in the long term.

Saudi pilot who attacked US Navy base had lodged complaint over
Saudi pilot who attacked US Navy base had lodged complaint over 'pornstache' jibe

A Saudi trainee military pilot launched a terror attack at a US Navy base after an instructor called him "Porn Stash," suggesting his moustache resembled that of a pornographic film actor. Mohammed Alshamrani, 21, a second lieutenant in the Royal Saudi Air Force, had complained about use of the derogatory comment, which he said left him embarrassed and angry, in April. The incident happened at the end of a training session in which about a dozen student flyers were learning about meteorology at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida. An instructor looked at Alshamrani and asked if he had any questions, addressing him as "Porn Stash". The phrase was spelled that way in...

GM lending $40M to startup company buying closed Ohio plant

General Motors has agreed to loan $40 million to a newly formed company that wants to make electric pickup trucks at a massive Ohio assembly plant GM shut down earlier this year. The agreement between the two companies also would allow GM to buy back the plant up until next May, documents filed last week show. Lordstown Motors Corp. announced a month ago that it had bought the the once-bustling factory near Youngstown that made the Chevrolet Cruze up until last March.

Erdogan says Turkey aims to settle 1 million refugees in Syria offensive area
Erdogan says Turkey aims to settle 1 million refugees in Syria offensive area

Turkey aims to settle one million Syrian war refugees in the area of northern Syria where it carried out a military incursion in October, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday. Turkey and its Syrian rebel allies launched the offensive against the Kurdish YPG militia, which Ankara views as a terrorist group. After seizing a strip of land inside Syria 120 km (75 miles) long and around 30 km (18 miles) wide running from the town of Ras al Ain to Tel Abyad, Turkey signed separate deals with the United States and Russia to halt its assault.

'S--- just got real': DOJ watchdog uncovers pro-Trump text messages between FBI agents after 2016 election

"I saw a lot of scared MFers on...[my way to work] this morning," one FBI agent texted another. "Start looking for new jobs fellas. Haha."

Elizabeth Smart
Elizabeth Smart's dad, Ed, in first interview since coming out as gay: 'There is no cure'

Ed Smart told Gayle King he wanted to speak out publicly because he wanted to reach out to other gay men "who are struggling in the same spot."

Saudi Arabia Tightens Purse Strings But Aramco Cash Beckons
Saudi Arabia Tightens Purse Strings But Aramco Cash Beckons

(Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabia will earmark less money for subsidies, social benefits and the military, embarking on three years of spending cuts as the government looks to private businesses to pull a greater load in channeling investment.A fiscal program unveiled on Monday marks a shift away from stimulus that helped power non-oil economic growth this year to the fastest since 2015. With output curbs negotiated by OPEC still a drag on the world's biggest crude exporter, Saudi Arabia is expecting its sixth consecutive deficit to widen next year.Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan said in an interview that Saudi Arabia would tap both the international and local bond markets in 2020 to help...

Walmart apologizes for selling a Christmas sweater that showed Santa at a table with lines of white powder and the words
Walmart apologizes for selling a Christmas sweater that showed Santa at a table with lines of white powder and the words 'let it snow'

Walmart Canada also pulled a sweater showing Santa, naked from the waist, by a fireplace with the words "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire."

Inspector General Finds FBI Probe into Trump Campaign Was Justified, But Not Perfect
Inspector General Finds FBI Probe into Trump Campaign Was Justified, But Not Perfect

Inspector General Michael Horowitz found the FBI had adequate cause to open its probe into links between the Trump campaign and Russia

Here are the biggest takeaways from the DOJ watchdog
Here are the biggest takeaways from the DOJ watchdog's highly anticipated report on the Russia probe's origins

Inspector General Michael Horowitz's report on the origins of the Russia probe debunked many of President Trump's claims but found some wrongdoing.

Greta Thunberg, Megan Rapinoe, and Rudy Giuliani made Time
Greta Thunberg, Megan Rapinoe, and Rudy Giuliani made Time's Person of the Year shortlist for 2019

Time magazine's 2019 Person of the Year will be announced Wednesday on the "Today" show. Last year's winner were a group of journalists.

Twin 4-year-olds freed themselves from a car crash that killed their father and climbed to safety, police say
Twin 4-year-olds freed themselves from a car crash that killed their father and climbed to safety, police say

Police said that on Friday, Corey Simmons of Langley, Washington, was driving with his twin daughters when their car careened down an embankment.

A formerly vegan influencer followed the meat-only carnivore diet for 30 days and her fans are not happy
A formerly vegan influencer followed the meat-only carnivore diet for 30 days and her fans are not happy

Alyse Parker grew her 728,000-strong following by posting about veganism under the name "Raw Alignment." She's now performed a complete U-turn.

UK PM Johnson criticized for response to photo of sick child
UK PM Johnson criticized for response to photo of sick child

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson came under fire on Monday for his response to being shown a photo of a sick child lying on a hospital floor ahead of the Dec. 12 election. Johnson's Conservatives lead the opposition Labour Party in opinion polls, with Brexit and the future of the country's public health service the two most prominent campaign issues.

Climate change threatens food supplies
Climate change threatens food supplies

A team from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) based in Austria said climate change not only resulted in higher temperatures but is also producing more severe climatic events such as drought, heatwaves and floods. "Climatic shocks to agricultural production contribute to food price spikes and famine, with the potential to trigger other systemic risks, including political unrest and migration," IIASA lead author Franziska Gaupp said.

Modi criticised after excluding Muslims from religious persecution citizenship offer
Modi criticised after excluding Muslims from religious persecution citizenship offer

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing renewed criticism after tabling legislation today which will exclude Muslims from an offer of citizenship rights to religious refugees. The Citizenship Amendment Bill will see nationality defined by religion for the first time in India's history but only to followers of six faiths - including Christians, Sikhs and Hindus - from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. It will allow them to acquire Indian citizenship if they live or work in the country for six years and are fleeing religious persecution. However, critics argue it is the latest move to discriminate against Muslims. "[The Bill is] couched in the language of refuge and seemingly...

Milo, the cat who went missing at Dulles airport in October, is reunited with owner

"Guess who's home for the holidays!" wrote Molly McFadden, who has been reunited with Milo the cat, who went missing at Dulles Airport in October.

NASA says core stage of next Moon rocket now ready
NASA says core stage of next Moon rocket now ready

NASA has completed the giant rocket that will take US astronauts back to the Moon, the space agency's head announced Monday, pledging the mission would take place in 2024 despite being beset by delays. The Space Launch System (SLS) is the tallest rocket ever built at a towering 212 feet (65 meters), the equivalent of a 20-story building. It is also the most powerful, designed to reach a record-breaking speed of Mach 23 before separating from its upper stage, the Orion crew capsule.

U.S. Supreme Court rejects inmate's bid for sex reassignment surgery

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear an appeal by a convicted murderer who filed a civil rights lawsuit because Texas prison officials denied her request to be considered for gender reassignment surgery. The justices let stand a lower court's decision to reject the claim by inmate Vanessa Lynn Gibson that denying the surgery request violated the U.S. Constitution's Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. Gibson, 41, who is transgender and also goes by the name Scott in court papers, was assigned male at birth and has lived as a female since age 15.

Serial rapist given 33 life sentences after UK rampage while wrongly free

A convicted burglar who assaulted and raped women and children during a two-week rampage across Britain while wrongly free from jail was given 33 life sentences on Monday, with the judge saying he would never cease to be a danger to society. Joseph McCann, 34, was convicted of 37 offences relating to 11 victims aged between 11 and 71, committed in April and May this year. Sentencing him at London's Old Bailey Court, judge Andrew Edis said he was "a coward, a violent bully and a paedophile".

Iraqis rally against government as Baghdad summons Western envoys
Iraqis rally against government as Baghdad summons Western envoys

Iraqis turned out Monday to mourn a prominent activist gunned down the previous evening, the latest violent episode in anti-government demonstrations in which more than 450 people have died. Iraq's capital and its Shiite-majority south have been gripped by more than two months of rallies against corruption, poor public services and a lack of jobs. Prominent civil society activist Fahem al-Tai was killed in a drive-by shooting in Iraq's shrine city of Karbala late Sunday while returning home from protests.

2020 election crucial for US to catch up on climate action
2020 election crucial for US to catch up on climate action

A significant expansion of state, city, and business climate action could reduce US greenhouse gas emissions by up to 37 percent by 2030 over 2005 levels even without federal support, according to projections published Monday. The figures were compiled by America's Pledge, a group founded in 2017 and financed by billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who last month announced he was running to be the Democratic candidate for the 2020 US presidential election. Climate change experts quoted in the report, from the University of Maryland and the Rocky Mountain Institute, estimate the US is presently set to reduce emissions by 25 percent by 2030 if sub-federal climate ambitions remain at their...

U.S. Supreme Court rejects Arizona opioid case against Purdue, Sackler family
U.S. Supreme Court rejects Arizona opioid case against Purdue, Sackler family

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned away a novel case by Arizona seeking to recover billions of dollars that the state has said that members of the Sackler family - owners of Purdue Pharma LP - funneled out of the OxyContin maker before the company filed for bankruptcy in September. The justices declined to take the rare step of allowing Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich to pursue a case directly with the Supreme Court on the role the drugmaker played in the U.S. opioid epidemic that has killed tens of thousands of Americans annually in recent years. The lawsuit accused eight Sackler family members of funneling $4 billion out of Purdue from 2008 to 2016 despite being aware that...

U.S. Supreme Court rejects challenge to Berkeley cell phone law
U.S. Supreme Court rejects challenge to Berkeley cell phone law

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a free speech challenge brought by a trade group against a regulation issued by the California city of Berkeley that requires cell phone retailers to tell customers of certain radiation risks. The justices left in place a July 2019 decision by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that refused to block the 2015 regulation that industry group CTIA appealed. CTIA said the regulation violates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects free speech rights, because the government, without the necessary justification that supports other types of regulations, is forcing retailers to spread a message they disagree with.

Tesla on Autopilot crashes into parked police car
Tesla on Autopilot crashes into parked police car

Yet another Tesla on Autopilot was involved in a crash, this time with a parked police car that was assisting a driver with a disabled vehicle.

Man buried in Alaska mountain avalanche saved by other hiker

An Alaska hiker is lucky to be alive after he was buried during an avalanche and another hiker saw his feet and freed him, officials said. The hiker was alone on Flattop Mountain around 1 p.m. Saturday when an avalanche buried him, the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center said. Alex Kuprienko of Anchorage was hiking past the area around 2:30 p.m. and saw moving feet sticking out of the snow, he said.

Wisconsin Guard leader to make changes after assault probe
Wisconsin Guard leader to make changes after assault probe

The head of the Wisconsin National Guard said Monday that he intends to implement all recommendations made following an investigation into multiple reports of sexual assault and harassment. Major General Don Dunbar was briefed Saturday on the probe by the National Guard Bureau's Office of Complex Investigations. "We intend to implement all of the recommendations," Dunbar said.

Michigan man died of overdose from prison drug ring run by guards, lawsuit says

The operation was allegedly orchestrated by a corrections officer and a prisoner with whom she had a romantic relationship with, the lawsuit says.

New Zealand launches criminal investigation into deadly volcanic eruption
New Zealand launches criminal investigation into deadly volcanic eruption

New Zealand police said on Tuesday they were launching a criminal investigation after a volcanic island erupted with ash and steam on Monday, killing five people, injuring more than 30 and leaving eight people missing, presumed dead. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said reconnaissance flights showed no signs of life on White Island, as eyewitnesses detailed the horrific burns suffered by survivors, most of them tourists. "The scale of this tragedy is devastating," Ardern said in parliament.

Biden Says Son Hunter Will Not Engage in Foreign Business if He Wins in 2020
Biden Says Son Hunter Will Not Engage in Foreign Business if He Wins in 2020

Democratic presidential frontrunner Joe Biden said his son Hunter will not be engaged in any foreign business if the former vice president is elected in 2020."They will not be engaged in any foreign business because of what's happened in this administration," Biden told "Axios on HBO."Hunter Biden raised eyebrows when it came to light that he held a lucrative position on the board of a Ukrainian gas company while his father was fighting corruption in Ukraine as vice president. The set-up prompted Trump to ask Ukraine to investigate the Bidens while temporarily withholding U.S. military aid, an alleged quid pro quo that became the basis for the impeachment inquiry against...

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