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Ford, Kavanaugh Testify; Now Senators Must Decide It was a day of drama, tears and tempers in the U.S. Capitol on Thursday with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh angrily denying a charge of sexually assaulting Christine Blasey Ford at a party in 1982 when they were teenagers. Both got the chance to tell their stories to the Senate Judiciary Committee during a nearly nine-hour-long hearing. "I have never sexually assaulted anyone, not in high school, not in college, not ever," Kavanaugh told the senators. "I have never done this to her or to anyone." Hours earlier, Ford told the panel she was "100 percent certain" it was a drunken Kavanaugh who pinned her down on a bed, groped her, tried to take off her clothes, and put his hand over her mouth to muffle her screams for help. Kavanaugh told the senators he attended no such party. He accused Democrats of seeking to avenge Hillary Clinton's election loss by mounting a calculated attack for political gain and engaging in grotesque character assassination. Kavanaugh vowed he will not be intimidated into withdrawing. The Judiciary Committee, with 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats, plan to vote on Kavanaugh's nomination Friday and, if approved, will send it to the entire Senate, which will begin procedural votes Saturday. Ford's testimony Earlier in the day, Ford testified that she feared that Kavanaugh was "going to accidentally kill" her during the alleged incident in 1982. She said what she remembers most was Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge's "uproarious laughter" during the incident and "having fun at my expense." Democratic senators repeatedly praised Ford for her courage in coming forward. A prosecutor, Rachel Mitchell, questioned Ford on behalf of Senate Republicans. She asked Ford about timelines and peripheral issues and did not challenge her basic account of sexual assault. But Ford's account lacked firm corroboration of her claims by others at the party. Kavanaugh's testimony Kavanaugh was much angrier, strident and emotional. He "unequivocally and categorically" denied the charges and cried as he spoke of how the ordeal has wrecked his family. He presented the senators with what he said were handwritten calendars from 1982 showing his activities and whereabouts. He says they did not include the party. Kavanaugh said he welcomes whatever the investigation the committee wants, but would not directly answer whether he would approve an FBI probe. Admitting he loves drinking beer, he pointed to what he says was his outstanding academic record and dedication to high school sports and church. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley defended Kavanaugh and blamed Democrats for not disclosing the accusations earlier. "As part of Judge Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court, the FBI conducted its sixth full field background investigation of Judge Kavanaugh since 1993, 25 years ago. Nowhere in any of these six FBI reports ... was there a whiff of any issue, any issue at all related to anyway inappropriate sexual behavior." But Democrats did not buy Kavanaugh's self-portrayal of an angelic choir boy. Senator Patrick Leahy pointed to Kavanaugh's high school yearbook page and its jokes about heavy drinking and sex. Republican Senator Lindsay Graham lost his temper during his time to question Kavanaugh. He accused Democrats of an "unethical sham" and warning Republicans that if they vote not to confirm Kavanaugh, they would legitimize "the most despicable thing I've ever seen in my time in politics." Trump stands by his man President Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh to replace the retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. He tweeted that the judge showed Americans exactly why he was chosen. Trump's tweet did not mention Ford. No clear winner Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, Ilya Shapiro, says it is unclear if anyone came out ahead after Thursday's testimony. "We're at a dangerous point because if we have no more evidence and Kavanaugh's rejected, that sets the precedent that accusations are enough to derail ... and if he's approved, then still there will be people who think that he's a sexual assaulter or rapist and there he is sitting at the Supreme Court." If Kavanaugh is confirmed, the court will have a clear 5-4 conservative majority, which could be solidified for a generation or longer.
September 28, 2018 at 10:49AM
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1 Hearing, 2 Witnesses, But Vastly Different Takeaways It was one hearing with just two witnesses but, in an era of deep political polarization and yawning cultural divisions, Americans came away Thursday having heard very different things. Millions of men and women listened to a nervous-but-composed college professor Christine Blasey Ford tell the Senate Judiciary Committee she was "100 percent" certain that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually abused her as a teenager, and they lauded her courage in speaking out. Millions of others saw a woman with a spotty memory who failed to prove Kavanaugh was her abuser, and believed the judge as he repeatedly choked up and vigorously defended himself. "The allegation of misconduct is completely inconsistent with the rest of my life," he said. Americans followed the hours of testimony and subsequent questions from their homes, in their cars, in offices and in classrooms. Wherever they were, though, it seemed most responded through the prism of their political bents and personal experiences. Few Americans interviewed by The Associated Press seemed to have had their minds changed by anything they heard. Heather Lake of Omaha, a stay-at-home mother of four and registered Democrat, said she went into the hearings believing Ford and that the professor's testimony only solidified her belief. "Just seeing how vulnerable she is, it strikes me how cruel all the attacks on her have been," said Lake, 38, who was sexually assaulted in her teens. "This is why women keep their sexual assaults to themselves." But Connie Cook Saunders, a 52-year-old fitness director for a San Diego athletic club who considers herself a moderate Republican, wasn't convinced by Ford's appearance. "I personally feel like it's a witch hunt," she said. "It's political. If it happened to her I am sorry, but it doesn't make sense to bring it up now." The hearing was to be the culmination of a Supreme Court nomination process that will determine the political bent of the court for decades, and quite likely decide issues such as the legality of abortion and gay marriage in the United States. It took place in a week when "America's Dad," Bill Cosby, was declared a sexual predator and sentenced to jail, and at a time when the U.S. president himself has battled multiple accusations of sexual misconduct. The major backdrop was (hash)MeToo, in which women across the country have brought down powerful men they accused of sexually assaulting or harassing them. Ford's detailed testimony brought many to tears in the wood-paneled hearing room and beyond as she described being assaulted as a 15-year-old by two drunk boys whom she identified as Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge. She said Kavanaugh groped her, tried to take off her clothes and covered her mouth to keep her from screaming. "Both Brett and Mark were drunkenly laughing during the attack," she said, adding that she eventually escaped to a bathroom. The effect of the assault, she said, was years of struggle in college, a lifetime of claustrophobia and panic. She was "terrified" to testify, she said, but did so because "I believe it is my civic duty to tell you what happened to me while Brett Kavanaugh and I were in high school." Beginning on a note of barely contained fury, Kavanaugh labeled Ford's accusation and two other allegations that have followed as "smears," "character assassination" and part of a "calculated and orchestrated political hit" fueled by a hatred of Trump and funded by left-wing opposition groups. He repeatedly fought to control his tears as he talked about how the allegation has destroyed his family. "The truth is that I have never sexually assaulted anyone - not in high school, not in college, not ever," he said. His supporters focused on what Ford could not remember. How is it possible, they wondered, that she didn't recall the exact address where the assault took place or how she got to and from the house? Mary Ann Almeida, who said she was raped as a 14-year-old, thought Ford came across as untruthful. "When you're a true victim, you remember where it happened," said Almeida, now 60, who watched the hearing from her home in southeastern Kentucky. "You know who was in the room, you also remember every single detail." But it was Kavanaugh who Jalon Alexander, a 25-year-old Democrat and law student at the University of Pittsburgh, did not find credible. "The more I listened to him, there was nothing he said that made me doubt Dr. Ford's accusation," Alexander said. "What makes him so special that we're willing to undermine the integrity and legitimacy of the court?" One viewer saw the hearing as an attack on a successful white man. "He's on trial for being basically a white conservative who went to an elite school," said Mike Glasoe of West Fargo, North Dakota, who considers himself independent politically and said he has voted for both Democrats and Republicans. But in Raleigh, North Carolina, artist and retired state employee Penney De Pas called it part of a movement of Americans fed up with men in positions of power abusing their status to get away with sexual assault. "You have a group of baby boomers and Gen Xers and millennials ... who are like `We're not going to put up with this anymore,"' De Pas said. Many of the Americans who remembered the Clarence Thomas hearings in 1991 found themselves comparing the treatment of accuser Anita Hill and Ford. "I remember one of the questions asked of Anita Hill was something like, `Are you a woman scorned?"' recalled Helen Anderson, 72, of Sioux City, Iowa. "I think some lessons have been learned since Ms. Hill was treated the way she was." Thomas was confirmed in 1991 despite Hill's allegations of sexual harassment, which he strenuously denied. At least one thing seemed clear Thursday: The country's awareness and understanding of sexual assault has evolved markedly in the years since. "Culturally, there's been movement toward needing to believe women and feeling that these women are being brave, that it takes some courage to go through that and that is kind of a new thing for our culture as a whole," said John Cowles, a former federal prosecutor and practicing attorney in Kansas City, Kansas. "Anita Hill happened at a time in our culture where women were not as empowered as they are now at all levels," he said. "It makes sense to me women are believed more now than they were back in the 80s." RAINN, the anti-sexual violence organization, estimated that its National Sexual Assault Hotline saw a 147 increase over normal volume Thursday.
September 28, 2018 at 10:36AM
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Ex-State Senator Found Dead While Awaiting Trial Former Massachusetts state Sen. Brian Joyce, who was awaiting trial on federal corruption charges, was found dead in his home Thursday, authorities said. Joyce, 56, was found dead by his wife, according to a statement from Gregg Miliote, a spokesman for the Bristol District Attorney's office. "Foul play is not suspected in the death at this time," Miliote said. The state's chief medical examiner planned to conduct an autopsy and the investigation remained "active and ongoing," the spokesman said. A Democrat who served as assistant majority leader, Joyce was first elected in 1998 and left the Senate after not seeking re-election in 2016 amid the federal probe. He moved to Westport, Massachusetts, from Milton after his political career ended. In December 2017, Joyce was named in a 113-count indictment charging him with racketeering, extortion, wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors said he accepted up to $1 million in bribes and kickbacks in exchange for helping companies and then laundering the money through his law office, disguising it as legal fees. Then-acting U.S. Attorney William Weinreb said at the time that Joyce violated his duty to his constituents "by accepting bribes and kickbacks in exchange for his official action." Joyce pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and was free on $250,000 bond. A trial date had not been set. Joyce's attorney, Howard Cooper, had maintained that his client was innocent of all the charges against him. WCVB-TV reported Thursday that Joyce had been involved in a car crash Wednesday, but it was unclear if that incident was connected in any way to his death.
September 28, 2018 at 10:09AM
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Kavanaugh and Accuser Face Off in Dramatic Hearing A high-stakes political drama played out in Washington Thursday with emotional testimony from both Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and from university professor Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault that allegedly took place in 1982. Kavanaugh has denied the allegation, but complaints brought by Ford and other women have put his appointment to the high court in jeopardy. More on Thursday's dramatic hearing now from VOA National correspondent Jim Malone.
September 28, 2018 at 10:09AM
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#2: Chris Beat Cancer: A Comprehensive Plan for Healing Naturally
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Ida (nurse of Zeus)
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Ida (mother of Minos)
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Kavanaugh clashes with Democratic senator over yearbook entries Words written by Brett Kavanaugh in his 1983 Georgetown Prep yearbook have been in the spotlight over the past few days after a New York Times article pointed out comments the Supreme Court nominee made about a female student.
September 28, 2018 at 06:35AM
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Kavanaugh: I Did Not Sexually Assault Ford Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh denied Thursday that he sexually assaulted Dr. Christine Blasey Ford in 1982. Speaking to the Senate Judiciary Committee, an angry and strident Kavanaugh said he was not at the party described in testimony by Ford and that he never sexually assaulted her or anyone else at any time in his life. He accused Democratic senators and those opposed to his joining the Supreme Court of executing a calculated political hit and a grotesque and coordinated character assassination. Kavanaugh said he would not be intimidated into withdrawing. He said the Supreme Court confirmation process had become a circus and a national disgrace. The judge shed tears and paused several times as he described his life throughout the summer of 1982, when the attack is alleged to have occurred. He also cried when he talked about how his daughter said she wanted to pray for Ford and about the longtime female friends who support him. Ford's testimony Earlier Thursday, Ford provided detailed and emotional testimony, saying she was "100 percent" certain it was Kavanaugh who sexually assaulted her and that she feared he was "going to accidentally kill" her during the alleged attack. Ford recalled the 1982 house party that she attended and said Kavanaugh, his friend Mark Judge and others were present. She alleged Kavanaugh and Judge locked her in a bedroom and that Kavanaugh forced himself on top of her. "He began running his hands over my body and grinding into me. I yelled, hoping that someone downstairs might hear me, and I tried to get away from him, but his weight was heavy," she told the Judiciary Committee. Ford said Kavanaugh tried to unclothe her but "had a hard time because he was very inebriated" and because she was wearing a bathing suit under her clothes. "I tried to yell for help," Ford testified. "When I did, Brett put his hand over my mouth to stop me from yelling. This is what has terrified me the most." She alleged Kavanaugh and Judge were "drunkenly laughing during the attack," which she maintained "has drastically altered" her life. A prosecutor, Rachel Mitchell, asked questions at the hearing on behalf of Senate Republicans on the committee. She asked Ford about timelines and peripheral issues but did not challenge her basic account of sexual assault. Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley opened the hearing by defending the Supreme Court nominee and criticizing Democrats for not disclosing the accusations earlier. "As part of Judge Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court, the FBI conducted its sixth full field background investigation of Judge Kavanaugh since 1993, 25 years ago," he said. "Nowhere in any of these six FBI reports ... was there a whiff of any issue, any issue at all," related to inappropriate sexual behavior. Political allegations Grassley also criticized the committee's ranking Democrat, Dianne Feinstein, for not revealing accusations she received from Ford in July. Feinstein defended her handling of what was originally an anonymous allegation by Ford, and said the FBI should have investigated the matter. President Donald Trump selected Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy, who was a "swing" vote on the Supreme Court and sometimes sided with liberal justices on key cases. Kavanaugh's confirmation could solidify a conservative majority on the court for a generation. On Wednesday, Trump accused Democrats of drumming up sexual misconduct charges against Kavanaugh. "They are actually con artists because they know how quality this man is and they have destroyed a man's reputation and they want to destroy it even more, and I think people are going to see that in the midterms, what they have done to this family, what they have done to these children, these beautiful children of his, and what they have done to his wife. They know it is a big fat con job," Trump said. Other women have come forward in the past few days with detailed complaints about Kavanaugh. He has denied all the allegations. Trump said he would watch Thursday's hearing and that he could still change his mind about his nominee once he heard what Ford had to say. VOA's Jim Malone, Wayne Lee and Kenneth Schwartz contributed to this report.
September 28, 2018 at 06:01AM
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Antonio Santucci (bishop)
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List of STX Entertainment films
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Palestinian President Urges Trump to Rescind Jerusalem, Aid Decisions Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday called on the United States to reverse its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and cuts in aid to the Palestinians, saying these had undermined the two-state solution to the conflict. "With all of these decisions, this administration has reneged on all previous U.S. commitments, and has undermined the two-state solution," Abbas said in his address to the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations. "I renew my call to President Trump to rescind his decisions and decrees regarding Jerusalem, refugees and settlements." The last Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed in 2014 and there are doubts U.S. President Donald Trump can secure what he has called the "ultimate deal" since he recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December and moved the U.S. Embassy there in May. The Palestinians want to establish a state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israel captured those territories in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognized internationally. Israel regards all of the city as its eternal and indivisible capital. Trump has equivocated on whether he supports the idea of a two-state solution, with one for the Israelis and one for the Palestinians, a plank of U.S. policy for decades. On Wednesday, in his administration's clearest support for the idea, he said "I like a two-state solution. That's what I think works best," but later in the day backed off, saying he would also support a one-state solution if both sides wanted it.
September 28, 2018 at 02:40AM
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Woman Representing Republicans at Kavanaugh Hearing Is Seasoned Prosecutor The woman questioning Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and sexual assault accuser Christine Blasey Ford separately at Thursday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing is a seasoned prosecutor with decades of experience handling such cases. Rachel Mitchell has served as a prosecutor in the southwestern state of Arizona for about 25 years. She is currently the deputy county attorney in the Maricopa County Attorney's office in Phoenix. Mitchell will represent the all-male Republican majority on the committee by handling much of their questioning. Her role helps the 11 Republicans avoid the appearance of heavily scrutinizing Ford's allegations. Although the Republican members are expected to yield their time to Mitchell, each of them will also have five minutes to ask one round of questions. Democratic senators on the 21-member committee are set to ask their own questions. Ford, a college professor in California, said that when she and Kavanaugh were high school students in 1982, he forced her onto a bed, groped her and tried to remove her clothes at a house party. Kavanaugh has denied Ford's accusation.
September 27, 2018 at 11:53PM
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Kananaugh, Ford hearing live blog: Supreme Court nominee and professor testify on sexual assault accusations Christine Blasey Ford and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the California professor's sexual assault allegations against the judge.
September 27, 2018 at 10:45PM
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Fake Bruce Springsteen, claiming troubles with 'gold stash,' reportedly scams woman out of more than $10G If "Bruce Springsteen" comes to you asking for help shipping his stash of gold home from Dubai, you'd better be born to run.
September 27, 2018 at 10:19PM
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Antoine Curé
LouisAlain: ←Created page with ''''Antoine Curé''' (born 11 April 1951) is a French classical trumpeter. He is a professor at the Conservatoire de Paris. == Life == Curé started lear...'
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Trump Defends Kavanaugh in Wake of Additional Allegations On Wednesday, President Donald Trump claimed a concerted effort by Democrats to drum up sexual-misconduct charges against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, the Supreme Court nominee who has been accused by five women of sexual misconduct. "They are actually con artists because they know how quality this man is and they have destroyed a man's reputation and they want to destroy it even more and I think people are going to see that in the midterms, what they have done to this family, what they have done to these children, these beautiful children of his and what they have done to his wife. They know it is a big fat con job," Trump said. The president made the comments in a nearly 90-minute, often rambling press conference following his meetings with world leaders at the United Nations in New York. Five women Kavanaugh will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday along with Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault. Four other women have come forward in the past few days with detailed complaints about Kavanaugh. He has denied all the allegations. On Wednesday evening, NBC News reported that an anonymous complaint was sent to Republican Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado. According to the complaint, the sender said in 1998, she and her daughter were out with Kavanaugh and several friends, when an inebriated Kavanaugh "shoved her friend up against the wall very aggressively and sexually." According to media reports, Kavanaugh was also questioned Tuesday during a phone call with Judiciary Committee staff about an allegation that he sexually assaulted a woman in Rhode Island in the mid-1980s. The office of Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island received a phone call Tuesday morning "making allegations concerning a rape on a boat in August of 1985," according to transcripts of a call between committee staff and Kavanaugh released Wednesday to the media. Kavanaugh denies the allegations. Trump said he would watch Thursday's potentially explosive Senate hearing and that he could still change his mind about his nominee once he hears what Ford has to say. "It's possible I'll hear that and I'll say, 'Hey, I'll change my mind,'" Trump said. "I can't tell you. I have to watch tomorrow." Asked whether his own history, with numerous women accusing him of sexual assault, has shaped how he views accusations against Kavanaugh, the president said he knows what it's like to be falsely accused and suggested Kavanaugh was being presumed "guilty until proven innocent." "This is beyond Supreme Court. This has everything to do with our country," Trump said. "When you are guilty until proven innocent, it is just not supposed to be that way. ... In this case, you are guilty until proven innocent. I think that is a very, very dangerous standard for our country." In a CNN Poll conducted in August, most women across the country said they don't want Kavanaugh to become the next Supreme Court justice. Only 28 percent of women polled were in favor of his appointment. Trump's pick also had the lowest approval rating overall of any Supreme Court nomination in the past 30 years. Kavanaugh prepares In prepared testimony for Thursday, Kavanaugh again denied Ford's allegation, describing it as part of what he called "last minute smears" and "obvious character assassination." Democrats, including Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, continue to press for a full investigation of all the allegations. "They should all be heard in a timely fashion and this notion that we are going to rush through simply Dr. Ford and then immediately have the committee move to a vote that is not a fair process," Warner said. Republicans, such as South Dakota Sen. John Thune, have accused Democrats of waging a smear campaign against Kavanaugh. "I think the Democrats in the Senate have had one goal since the beginning of this process and that is to sink Judge Kavanaugh's nomination, and we are finding that they will go to any lengths to do that," Thune said. Moving forward A committee vote on Kavanaugh's nomination is set for Friday, Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell said. "We are going to be moving forward. I'm confident we are going to win. I'm confident that he will be confirmed in the very near future," he added. Democrats, including Washington state Sen. Patty Murray, are warning of a political backlash if Republicans ram Kavanaugh's nomination through the Senate. "This is not just a box to check. Women and their experiences are not just things to be plowed through. Women and all survivors should be heard and they should be respected," she said. Anti-Kavanaugh protesters have taken to the halls of Congress to pressure undecided Republicans, chanting, "Vote no or we will fund your opponent and defeat you." Among the undecided on Capitol Hill is Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. "Do I feel pressure? Sure. But I don't feel pressured to make a decision until I'm ready," she said. If confirmed, Kavanaugh could solidify a conservative majority on the court for a generation. A final Senate vote on his nomination could come next week.
September 27, 2018 at 11:49AM
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Video of burglars ransacking Dodgers star Yasiel Puig's home released The Los Angeles Police Department released surveillance video of two burglary suspects who caused $10,000 worth of damage to Dodgers star Yasiel Puig's home last week while attempting to steal a safe.
September 27, 2018 at 11:30AM
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Iranian Truckers Launch Another Strike to Protest Rising Costs Iranian truck drivers have begun another prolonged nationwide strike to protest rising costs, three months after an earlier lengthy strike drew international support and caused shortages at gas stations. Video clips posted online by striking Iranian truck drivers and verified by VOA Persian showed trucks being idled Wednesday in at least six regions: Ahvaz, Ardabil, Borujerd, Qazvin, Shahreza and Urmia. It was the fourth consecutive day that VOA Persian has verified reports of widespread strike action by truckers in Iran. Iranian truckers say they are protesting wage levels that they see as unfairly low, given a prolonged period of rising costs for parts and supplies such as tires. In one of several videos sent to VOA Persian, a striking driver filmed idled trucks in the northern province of Qazvin. Truckers on strike in Qazvin, Iran, Sept. 26, 2018 Another video narrated by an Iranian trucker speaking Arabic showed trucks idled in the southwestern province of Ahvaz, home of many minority Iranian Arabs. Trucks idled by strike in Ahvaz, Iran, Sept. 26, 2018 A third video showed idled trucks at a cargo terminal in the central Iranian city of Shahreza in Isfahan province. Idled trucks at cargo terminal in Shahreza, Iran, Sept. 26, 2018 The recent sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial versus the U.S. dollar has contributed to the rising prices of parts and supplies for truckers. The rial hit a record low of 190,000 to the dollar in unofficial trade Wednesday, according to Bonbast.com, a website that tracks Iran's unofficial exchange rates. It was the third straight day of record lows for the rial. In a report published Wednesday, Iranian state news agency Mehr quoted some truck drivers as saying the price for a particular type of tire should be about $450, based on the official Iranian exchange rate of 42,000 rials to the dollar. But the drivers said dealers have been charging them as much as $1,300 for such tires. Similar grievances about rising costs and stagnant wages prompted Iranian truckers to launch a strike May 22 in several parts of the country. The strike, which continued for several weeks, won statements of support from the London-based International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), which represents 19 million workers in 140 countries, and from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents American and Canadian transportation and supply chain workers. The participation of gasoline tanker drivers in the strike caused shortages at Iranian gas stations in some Iranian cities. Iran has seen frequent nationwide protests this year, involving Iranians angered by local and national officials and business leaders whom they accuse of mismanagement, corruption and oppression. This article originated in VOA's Persian service.
September 27, 2018 at 11:09AM
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Ginsburg Voices Support for #MeToo on Eve of Kavanaugh Hearing U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg voiced support for the #MeToo movement Wednesday in a striking statement on the eve of a high-stakes U.S. Senate hearing into allegations of sexual misconduct by President Donald Trump's nominee to the court, Brett Kavanaugh. During a question-and-answer period after an address to first-year law students at Georgetown University in Washington, Ginsburg was asked if there was anything she was excited or disappointed about regarding the current women's movement. After discussing the problem of "unconscious bias" that leads to gender discrimination, she said she was "cheered on" by the #MeToo movement, a national reckoning with sexual assault and harassment that has brought down dozens of rich and powerful men. "Every woman of my vintage has not just one story but many stories, but we thought there was nothing you could do about it — boys will be boys — so just find a way to get out of it," said Ginsburg, 85. Ginsburg said that the #MeToo movement showed women coming together in numbers. "So it was one complaint and then one after another the complaints mounted. So women nowadays are not silent about bad behavior," she said. Ginsburg did not mention Kavanaugh or the women who have accused him of sexual misconduct. During a Senate hearing Thursday, one accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, will testify about an alleged 1982 incident in which she said Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when both of them were in high school. Two other women have come forward with allegations. Kavanaugh, who was named by Trump to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy, who retired in July, has denied the allegations. The Supreme Court's 2018 term officially begins on Oct. 1.
September 27, 2018 at 09:58AM
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Trump Slams Canada Over NAFTA, Says Rejected Trudeau Meeting U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday blasted Canada over the slow pace of talks over NAFTA, saying he was so unhappy that he had rejected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's request for a one-on-one meeting. The remarks by Trump, who repeated a threat to impose tariffs on Canadian autos, knocked the Canadian dollar down to a one-week low against the U.S. greenback. The comments also mark a new low in relations between the two leaders. Trudeau spokeswoman Chantal Gagnon said: "No meeting was requested. We don't have any comment beyond that." The attack cast further doubt on the future of the three-nation North American Free Trade Agreement, which underpins $1.2 trillion in annual trade between Canada, Mexico and the United States. Markets and business groups are openly fretting about the damage that a collapse could provoke. Trump, who wants major changes to the 1994 treaty, has already concluded a text with Mexico and is threatening to leave out Canada unless it signs up by this Sunday. Trump told reporters he had rebuffed a Trudeau request for a meeting "because his tariffs are too high and he doesn't seem to want to move and I told him 'forget about it.' And frankly we're thinking about just taxing cars coming in from Canada." Earlier on Wednesday, Trudeau shrugged off U.S. pressure to quickly agree to a deal and indicated it was possible the three member nations might fail to conclude a new pact. The two sides are still far apart on major issues such as how to settle disputes and U.S. demands for more access to Canada's protected dairy market. "We're very unhappy with the negotiations and the negotiating style of Canada. We don't like their representative very much," Trump said in an apparent reference to Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland. Relations between the Canadian and U.S. leaders have been chilly since June, when Trump left a Group of Seven summit in Canada and then accused Trudeau of being dishonest and weak. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer — Freeland's counterpart at the talks — on Tuesday had complained Canada was not making enough concessions and said time was running out. Canadian officials said they do not believe Trump can rework NAFTA into a bilateral deal without the approval of Congress. "We will keep working as long as it takes to get to the right deal for Canada," Trudeau earlier told reporters at the United Nations. He has repeatedly said he is ready to walk away from the talks rather than sign a document he thinks is bad. Asked about the challenge that autos tariffs would pose, Trudeau said Canada would need to feel confident "about the path forward as we move forward — if we do — on a NAFTA 2.0." The three nations' auto industries are highly integrated and tariffs on Canadian cars would be hugely disruptive. Speaking separately, Canada's ambassador to Washington said that on a scale of 1 to 10, the chances of an agreement by the Sept. 30 deadline were 5. "If it doesn't happen by the end of the week, we'll just keep working away and trying to get the best deal for Canada," David MacNaughton told a Toronto event arranged by Politico Canada. A Trump administration official said the text of the agreement with Mexico was set to be published on Friday. The official declined to be named because the matter has not yet been made public. A spokesman for the U.S. Trade Representative's Office declined to comment. Trudeau said existing U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum in late May would have to be scrapped before Canada felt comfortable signing a new NAFTA. The Trump administration has said the text of an agreement between the three nations is needed by Sunday to allow the current Mexican government to sign it before it leaves office at the end of November.
September 27, 2018 at 09:40AM
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Trump: I'd 'Certainly Prefer Not' to Fire Rosenstein President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would "certainly prefer not" to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and that he might delay a highly anticipated meeting with the Justice Department's No. 2 official. Trump said Rosenstein denied making remarks first attributed to him in a New York Times report, including that he had discussed possibly secretly recording the president and using the Constitution's 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. "I would much prefer keeping Rod Rosenstein," Trump said at a news conference in New York. "He said he did not say it. He said he does not believe that. He said he has a lot of respect for me, and he was very nice, and we'll see." Trump added, "My preference would be to keep him and to let him finish up." Rosenstein is overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and his dismissal would put that probe in jeopardy and create a political storm. In suggesting that he might postpone Thursday's meeting, Trump said he was focused on the extraordinary Senate Judiciary Committee hearing set for the same day with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and a woman who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault when they were teenagers. "I may call Rod tonight or tomorrow and ask for a little bit of a delay to the meeting, because I don't want to do anything that gets in the way of this very important Supreme Court pick," Trump said. The Justice Department referred questions about the scheduling of the meeting to the White House. Uncertainty Any delay in the meeting would prolong the uncertainty of Rosenstein's status. Rosenstein headed to the White House on Monday morning preparing to be fired and had discussed a possible resignation over the weekend with White House officials. But after meeting with chief of staff John Kelly and speaking by phone with Trump, he got a reprieve with the Trump meeting scheduled for Thursday. Since then, the White House has sought to tamp down anxiety that Rosenstein would be fired. White House officials called senators Monday to say Trump had said he wouldn't be firing Rosenstein at the meeting, according to two people familiar with the conversations who spoke on condition of anonymity to talk about private discussions. Aides have advised Trump against taking any extreme actions ahead of the midterm elections, with his party's majorities in Congress already under threat. "Not wanting to fire Rod Rosenstein is consistent with what I have understood for weeks, not just days," said Rep. Mark Meadows, a North Carolina Republican who talks to Trump often. Friends and former colleagues of Rosenstein say they didn't expect him to step aside and give up oversight of the Russia investigation and the enormous swath of Justice Department operations for which he is responsible. Rosenstein, who has spent his entire career in government, "has tremendous loyalty to the department," said former Justice Department lawyer and longtime friend James Trusty. "He's a very long-run, historical-minded guy in a lot of ways," Trusty said. "I think he may have some confidence that history will be kinder to him than politicians are." Trump's remarks Wednesday followed a chaotic period that began Friday with reports that Rosenstein had last year discussed possibly secretly recording the president and invoking the Constitution to remove Trump from office. The Justice Department issued statements Friday aimed at denying the reports, including one that said the wiretap remark was meant sarcastically. Mueller defender Rosenstein appointed Mueller in May 2017, oversees his work and has repeatedly defended the breadth and scope of the probe. Trump has been critical of Rosenstein's oversight of the probe, but the two have at times displayed a warm working relationship, and Rosenstein has been spared some of the more personal and antagonistic broadsides leveled against Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Even if Rosenstein survives the week, it's not clear how much longer he'll be around. Trump has signaled that he may fire Sessions after the midterms, and Rosenstein could go with him. But it could be sooner: Some officials around Trump believe Rosenstein's reported musings about invoking the 25th Amendment could make it defensible for Trump to part with him, even during the final sprint to Election Day. Rosenstein's friends and former colleagues describe him as exceptionally committed to the Justice Department — one said he "bleeds" for the agency — and unlikely to leave on his own, though they say he respects the chain of command enough to resign if asked. He joined the department in 1990, serving as a public corruption prosecutor, a Tax Division supervisor and a member of independent counsel Ken Starr's Whitewater team. He was named U.S. attorney in Maryland by President George W. Bush and held the position throughout the Obama administration — remarkable longevity for a position that typically turns over with changes in political power. Within weeks of being confirmed as deputy attorney general, he was engulfed in controversy by writing a memo critical of then-FBI Director James Comey, which the White House cited as justification for Comey's firing.
September 27, 2018 at 09:36AM
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CDC Official: 80,000 Died of Flu Last Winter in US An estimated 80,000 Americans died of flu and its complications last winter, the disease's highest death toll in at least four decades. The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Robert Redfield, revealed the total in an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press. Flu experts knew it was a very bad season, but at least one found the size of the estimate surprising. "That's huge," said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University vaccine expert. The tally was nearly twice the figure previously seen by health officials as representing a bad year, he said. In recent years, flu-related deaths have ranged from about 12,000 to 56,000, according to the CDC. Last fall and winter, the U.S. went through one of the most severe flu seasons in recent memory. It was driven by a kind of flu that tends to put more people in the hospital and cause more deaths, particularly among young children and the elderly. The season peaked in early February and it was mostly over by the end of March. Making a bad year worse, the flu vaccine didn't work very well. Experts nevertheless say vaccination is still worth it because it makes illnesses less severe and saves lives. CDC officials do not have exact counts of how many people die from flu each year. Flu is so common that not all flu cases are reported, and flu is not always listed on death certificates. So the CDC uses statistical models, which are periodically revised, to make estimates. Fatal complications from the flu can include pneumonia, stroke and heart attack. CDC officials called the 80,000 figure preliminary, and it may be revised. But they said it was not expected to go down. The 80,000 figure eclipsed estimates for every flu season going back to the winter of 1976-77. Estimates for many earlier seasons were not readily available. Last winter was not the worst flu season on record, however. The 1918 flu pandemic, which lasted nearly two years, killed more than 500,000 Americans, historians estimate. It's not easy to compare flu seasons through history, partly because the nation's population is changing. There are more Americans — and more elderly Americans — today than in decades past, noted Dr. Daniel Jernigan, a CDC flu expert. How bad will the coming flu season be? So far, the flu that's been detected is a milder strain, and early signs are that the vaccine is shaping up to be a good match, Jernigan said. The makeup of the vaccine has been changed this year to try to better protect against expected strains. "We don't know what's going to happen, but we're seeing more encouraging signs than we were early last year," Jernigan said.
September 27, 2018 at 08:53AM
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Milena Calderón Sol de Escalón
Alsoriano97: ←Created page with ''''Milena Calerón Sol de Escalón''', is a Salvadoran politician, first female mayoress of Santa Ana since 1 May 2018.<ref>[https://w...'
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List of colonial governors of Papua New Guinea
Sundostund: ←Created page with 'Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2) Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2) This article lists the '''colonial governors of Papua New Guinea''', from the establis...'
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Callie Brownson
Hmlarson: added Category:Dartmouth Big Green football coaches using HotCat
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Christine Ford releases prepared testimony ahead of Senate hearing: 'I believed he was going to rape me' Christine Blasey Ford, the California professor alleging that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a party more than three decades ago, released prepared remarks she's poised to deliver at Thursday's scheduled hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
September 27, 2018 at 08:00AM
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US Flies Bombers Over Disputed South China Sea The United States again flew bombers over the disputed South China Sea this week, U.S. officials disclosed Wednesday, a move likely to intensify the already fraught tension between Beijing and Washington. This is at least the second time this month the U.S. has flown bombers over the area. China has long claimed ownership of a vast swath of the South China Sea, an important international trade route through which billions of dollars worth of cargo is shipped annually, and it holds potentially billions of dollars worth more in untapped mineral resources. The area China claims stretches far below its southern coast, hugging and sometimes overlapping the shorelines of Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines, all of whom have made their own, smaller, claims in the region. China argues it has had sovereignty over the area going back hundreds of years, first issuing a map showing the area as a part of their country in the 1940s. The nation has spent years trying to protect its claim by building military installations on artificially created islands, replete with naval vessels, nuclear bombers, and fighter jets. The U.S. regularly tries to undermine China by sending ships and planes into the region on "freedom of navigation" missions, displays of defiant disregard for the claim. The move comes at at a tense time — China and the U.S. currently are embroiled in a trade war, and U.S. President Donald Trump accused China Wednesday of trying to meddle in U.S. elections.
September 27, 2018 at 06:22AM
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Artak
Hebrides: new page
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Trump speaks on Kavanaugh, UN General Assembly at press conference President Trump is expected to address the ongoing controversy surrounding Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Wednesday when he holds his first formal news conference in 19 months.
September 27, 2018 at 06:15AM
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Michigan river sees 13,000 hawks, other predatory birds within 3-day span In recent days, the lower part of the Detroit River in Michigan has seen an influx birds of prey, such as hawks, eagles and falcons which, as the weather begins to cool and leaves begin to change colors a crispen, are preparing to fly south for the winter.
September 27, 2018 at 06:06AM
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Asia Cup 2018 finalAsia Cup Final 2018, IND vs
September 26, 2018 at 08:00PM
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Anthony MacGregor Grier
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Somalia to Get First Direct World Bank Grants in Decades Somalia's finance minister says World Bank grants to the government are a sign the country has "trustable leadership" again after decades of chaos and corruption. The World Bank said Tuesday it will provide $80 million in grants to Somalia's federal government, the bank's first direct grants to a Somali central authority in 27 years. In an interview with VOA's Somali service, Finance Minister Abdirahman Duale Beileh said the grants are "proof of Somalia's merit." Beileh said $60 million will be used to increase the capacity of Somalia's financial institutions, and $20 million will go toward education and energy projects to build the country's resilience. He said the grants show that international financial agencies have faith the government is capable of fighting against corruption. "The work we have done and the trustworthiness we have earned brought us here," he said. The World Bank cut ties with Somalia in 1991, following the collapse of the Mohamed Siad Barre government and the start of a long civil war. Beileh said that in recent years, Somalia's government has made tangible improvement in management of the economy and its institutions. However, the latest global index of Transparency International put Somalia as the world's most corrupt country. Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohammed, also known as Farmajo, took power last year in an election by parliament that observers said was characterized by bribes and vote-buying. Beileh acknowledged the government's fight against corruption is "far from over." "There is a perception that Somalia cannot be trusted because of its corruption history. Most of that is not perception," he said. He added: "We are proud that we made progress to at least a transparent level that both the World Bank and the IMF can notice."
September 27, 2018 at 04:21AM
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DA: Man who killed parents had 'grudge against the world' A man who fired shots at his ex-wife, killed his parents at a retirement center and then took his own life during a police chase "had a grudge against the world," a Pennsylvania prosecutor said Wednesday.
September 27, 2018 at 04:19AM
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Fed Lifts Rates for Third Time in '18; One More Expected The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised a key interest rate for the third time this year in response to a strong U.S. economy and signaled that it expected to maintain a pace of gradual rate hikes. The Fed lifted its short-term rate — a benchmark for many consumer and business loans — by a quarter-point to a range of 2 percent to 2.25 percent. It was the eighth hike since late 2015. The central bank stuck with its previous forecast for a fourth rate increase before year's end and for three more hikes in 2019. The Fed dropped phrasing it had used for years that characterized its rate policy as "accommodative'' by favoring low rates. In dropping that language, the central bank may be signaling its resolve to keep raising rates. Many analysts think the economy could weaken next year, in part from the effects of the trade conflicts President Donald Trump has pursued with China, Canada, Europe and other trading partners. The tariffs and countertariffs that have been imposed on imports and exports are having the effect of raising prices for some goods and supplies and potentially slowing growth. Compounding the effects of the tariffs, other factors could slow growth next year. The benefits of tax cuts that took effect this year, along with increased government spending, for example, are widely expected to fade. Still, some analysts hold to a more optimistic scenario. They think momentum already built up from the government's economic stimulus will keep strengthening the job market and lowering unemployment — at 3.9 percent, already near a 50-year low. A tight employment market, in this scenario, will accelerate wages and inflation and prod the Fed to keep tightening credit to ensure that the economy doesn't overheat. Full-year growth The U.S. economy, as measured by the gross domestic product, is expected to grow 3 percent for 2018 as a whole. That would mark the strongest full-year gain in 13 years. For the first nine years of the economic expansion, annual GDP growth averaged only around 2.2 percent. The robust job market has helped make consumers, the main drivers of growth, more confident than they've been in nearly 18 years. Business investment is up. Americans are spending freely on cars, clothes and restaurant meals. All the good news has helped fuel a stock market rally. Household wealth is up, too. It reached a record in the April-June quarter, although the gain is concentrated largely among the most affluent. Many economists worry, though, that Trump's combative trade policies could slow the economy. Trump insists that the tariffs he is imposing on Chinese imports, for which Beijing has retaliated, are needed to force China to halt unfair trading practices. But concern is growing that China won't change its practices, the higher tariffs on U.S. and Chinese goods will become permanent, and both economies — the world's two largest — will suffer. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has so far been circumspect in reflecting on Trump's trade war. Powell has suggested that while higher tariffs are generally harmful, they could serve a healthy purpose if they eventually force Beijing to liberalize its trade practices.
September 27, 2018 at 04:11AM
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Citizens' Group Wants Prosecution Over CIA Rendition Program North Carolina state and local officials should prosecute participants in a CIA program that ferried terrorism suspects to secret sites where they were tortured, an advocacy group seeking to stir action over the former U.S. policy is demanding. Prosecution is one of dozens of recommendations to be released Thursday by the private, 11-member North Carolina Commission of Inquiry on Torture. The academics, lawyers, retired military officers and clergy who make up the self-appointed group held a public teach-in in Raleigh last year. Such non-governmental inquiry commissions have no official power, though others succeeded in bringing attention to American military atrocities in Vietnam and war crimes in Bangladesh during that country's 1971 civil war. The anti-torture activists now say they want government admissions and compensation for those tortured. State and county legal authorities also should prosecute the pilots and others involved in transporting prisoners since Washington won't under "laws that criminalize kidnapping, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and conspiracies to commit such unlawful acts," the group said. In the years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by al-Qaida terrorists on the United States, CIA interrogators employed tactics like simulated drownings and mock executions that are now widely viewed as torture. A 2014 report from the Senate Intelligence Committee concluded the agency understated the brutality of the techniques, while overstating the value of information obtained by using them. The group's focus on North Carolina springs from the reported involvement in the CIA program of Aero Contractors Limited. The private air carrier, whose website says it originated due to a "market need for dependable and discreet airlift," operates out of a county airport about 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of Raleigh and 80.5 kilometers (50 miles) east of Fort Bragg, home to the Army's anti-terrorist Delta Force and other Special Operations units. Flights operated by Aero Contractors delivered at least 49 people to secret CIA sites from Thailand to Poland or to foreign intelligence services for interrogation and possible torture, said the group's report, which relied on the work of an academic at London's University of Westminster who studies the CIA program. "Instead of holding Aero accountable, the State of North Carolina and Johnston County until now have effectively endorsed its activities. This support has taken the form of hosting the company's headquarters at the Johnston County Airport and providing it with various airport and other county services," the report said. The CIA, Aero Contractors president Dolph Overton IV and other company officials did not return phone calls or emails seeking comment on the commission's statements. Neither North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein nor Gov. Roy Cooper, who served as attorney general for 16 years before Stein took over last year, have given any indication they wanted to explore the state's ties to the CIA detention and interrogation program shuttered by President Barack Obama in 2009. Nor have any local prosecutors. Spokesmen for Cooper did not respond when asked why he hasn't investigated or discussed North Carolina's connections to the CIA program. "Based on our understanding of the situation, this appears to be a federal matter," Stein spokeswoman Laura Brewer said in an email. Cooper and Stein are Democrats. Commission members and their supporters will pressure federal, state and local officials to acknowledge that the CIA program involved illegal acts that needlessly harmed innocent people, former Guantanamo Bay defense lawyer and commission co-chair Frank Goldsmith said in an interview Wednesday. "We want the government to come clean about it, both the federal government and the state government," said Goldsmith, of Asheville. The Guantanamo military prison held more than 700 men swept up by U.S. agencies and allies in an attempt to capture terrorists. By this summer, all but 40 had been released by Presidents George W. Bush, Obama and Donald Trump, nearly all without trials. Fifteen men were designated as "high-value detainees," including five facing trial for planning and aiding the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the U.S. Those numbers indicate that rather than keeping Americans safe as its defenders contend, the CIA program caused hundreds of people to be unjustly imprisoned and pointlessly abused, said Goldsmith, who earned security clearances while defending five Guantanamo detainees. "Most of these men had nothing to do with terrorism, they had nothing to do with 9/11," he said. Cooper, Stein and other politicians haven't taken action because they "realized it probably was politically unpopular because of this deep-seated belief, widespread belief, that these people really were guilty of something or they would not have been picked up."
September 27, 2018 at 03:51AM
