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October 1, 2019
As Beijing marks 70 years of Communist rule in China with a massive parade and a show of force and unity, protesters and police are mixing it up again on the streets of Hong Kong. One person was shot in the chest by police.
CNN "THIS JUST IN" A tale of two cities...
Tale of two citiesAs Beijing marks 70 years of Communist rule in China with a massive parade and a show of force and unity, protesters and police are mixing it up again on the streets of Hong Kong. One person was shot in the chest by police.
September 30, 2019
Nationally known Turban-wearing police officer murdered by convict.
The man accused of killing Texas county's first Sikh deputy was wanted for parole violation, officials say
By Faith Karimi and Jason Hanna, CNN
(CNN)A man accused of shooting and killing a pioneering Texas sheriff's deputy during a traffic stop was wanted at the time, and that may help explain why the shooting happened, authorities say.
Robert Solis, 47, was arrested Friday, shortly after police say he killed Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal, an observant Sikh who years ago gained national attention when he got permission to wear a turban as part of his Harris County Sheriff's Office uniform.
Dhaliwal had just stopped Solis for a traffic violation and walking back to his patrol car Friday afternoon when he was shot twice, including at least once in the back of the head, authorities said.
Authorities haven't said what Solis allegedly did to have violated his parole. Solis has been out of prison on parole since 2014, 12 years after he was convicted in Harris County of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, court records show.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/28/us/texas-sikh-deputy-shot-saturday/index.html?utm_source=CNN+Five+Things&utm_campaign=4781ecf3e9-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_09_30_07_40&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6da287d761-4781ecf3e9-104928233
It is widely known that in prison, prejudice, divides along racial lines, where new prisoners must join racist gangs - in deadly wars with each other - or go it alone, which is a type of death-sentence.
September 30, 2019
By Julia Hollingsworth, CNN
Updated 6:18 AM ET, Mon September 30, 2019
Hong Kong (CNN)Hong Kong police fired blue dye from a water cannon, rounds of tear gas and a live warning shot as protesters lit fires and threw petrol bombs and bricks on Sunday in clashes ahead of the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.
Despite organizers not requesting permission from authorities, thousands of protesters marched in the 17th consecutive weekend of unrest. Hong Kong's Hospital Authority said 48 people were admitted for treatment, including one person in critical condition.
More than 150 people were arrested over the weekend, police said in a news conference Monday. On Friday, police announced that a total of 1,578 people had been arrested over the course of the protests.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/29/asia/hong-kong-protests-weekend-before-anniversary-intl-hnk/index.html?utm_source=CNN+Five+Things&utm_campaign=4781ecf3e9-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_09_30_07_40&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6da287d761-4781ecf3e9-104928233
BREAKING Hong Kong protest increase: over 1,000 "arrested"
Hong Kong police and protesters clash ahead of 70th anniversary of People's Republic of ChinaBy Julia Hollingsworth, CNN
Updated 6:18 AM ET, Mon September 30, 2019
Hong Kong (CNN)Hong Kong police fired blue dye from a water cannon, rounds of tear gas and a live warning shot as protesters lit fires and threw petrol bombs and bricks on Sunday in clashes ahead of the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.
Despite organizers not requesting permission from authorities, thousands of protesters marched in the 17th consecutive weekend of unrest. Hong Kong's Hospital Authority said 48 people were admitted for treatment, including one person in critical condition.
More than 150 people were arrested over the weekend, police said in a news conference Monday. On Friday, police announced that a total of 1,578 people had been arrested over the course of the protests.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/29/asia/hong-kong-protests-weekend-before-anniversary-intl-hnk/index.html?utm_source=CNN+Five+Things&utm_campaign=4781ecf3e9-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_09_30_07_40&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6da287d761-4781ecf3e9-104928233
September 27, 2019
By Ashley Strickland, CNN
(CNN) - Bird populations in the United States and Canada have dropped by 29% since 1970, signifying 2.9 billion birds lost in almost 50 years, according to a new study.
The scientists involved in the study warn that like a canary in a coalmine, birds reveal environmental health. This steep loss of bird populations, including some of the most common birds like sparrows and finches, shows that human impacts on the continent's environment mean it can no longer support the wildlife systems it once did.
Almost 90% of the birds lost came from 12 common songbird families like sparrow, blackbirds, warblers, finches and swallows. Shorebirds have also lost one-third of their population, and grassland birds lost more than 720 million, resulting in a 53% population reduction. Forests across North America lost more than 1 billion birds.
The extreme loss matches a similar picture emerging around the globe. The loss of grassland birds in North America is similar to a decline in farmland birds across Europe, according to the study...
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/19/world/north-america-bird-population-loss-scn/index.html?utm_source=CNN+Five+Things&utm_campaign=d7e7cc108b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_09_27_07_20&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6da287d761-d7e7cc108b-104928233
Alarming, global decline in bird populations.
US and Canada have lost 2.9 billion birds since 1970, study saysBy Ashley Strickland, CNN
(CNN) - Bird populations in the United States and Canada have dropped by 29% since 1970, signifying 2.9 billion birds lost in almost 50 years, according to a new study.
The scientists involved in the study warn that like a canary in a coalmine, birds reveal environmental health. This steep loss of bird populations, including some of the most common birds like sparrows and finches, shows that human impacts on the continent's environment mean it can no longer support the wildlife systems it once did.
Almost 90% of the birds lost came from 12 common songbird families like sparrow, blackbirds, warblers, finches and swallows. Shorebirds have also lost one-third of their population, and grassland birds lost more than 720 million, resulting in a 53% population reduction. Forests across North America lost more than 1 billion birds.
The extreme loss matches a similar picture emerging around the globe. The loss of grassland birds in North America is similar to a decline in farmland birds across Europe, according to the study...
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/19/world/north-america-bird-population-loss-scn/index.html?utm_source=CNN+Five+Things&utm_campaign=d7e7cc108b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_09_27_07_20&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6da287d761-d7e7cc108b-104928233
September 26, 2019
Jeffrey Heller of REUTERS
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel’s president has thrown Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a political lifeline, asking him to try to form a government after he failed to secure a clear election victory twice in six months.
The inconclusive ballot on Sept. 17 left had Netanyahu weakened and his right-wing Likud party in second place, with 32 seats versus 33 for former armed forces chief Benny Gantz’s centrist Blue and White party in the 120-member parliament.
Under that game plan, Gantz would be able to abandon his vow not to sit in a government with a prime minister facing possible charges in three corruption cases.
Netanyahu, who denies the bribery and fraud allegations, could break up his current alliance with ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties. Gantz opposes that partnership, saying he seeks a liberal, or secular, government.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-election-explainer/explainer-israels-netanyahu-clutches-political-lifeline-idUSKBN1WB11N
"Netanyahu clutches political lifeline"
Explainer: Israel's Netanyahu clutches political lifelineJeffrey Heller of REUTERS
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel’s president has thrown Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a political lifeline, asking him to try to form a government after he failed to secure a clear election victory twice in six months.
The inconclusive ballot on Sept. 17 left had Netanyahu weakened and his right-wing Likud party in second place, with 32 seats versus 33 for former armed forces chief Benny Gantz’s centrist Blue and White party in the 120-member parliament.
Under that game plan, Gantz would be able to abandon his vow not to sit in a government with a prime minister facing possible charges in three corruption cases.
Netanyahu, who denies the bribery and fraud allegations, could break up his current alliance with ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties. Gantz opposes that partnership, saying he seeks a liberal, or secular, government.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-election-explainer/explainer-israels-netanyahu-clutches-political-lifeline-idUSKBN1WB11N
September 25, 2019
By The New York Times
SEPTEMBER 25, 2019
Less than a day after Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced an impeachment inquiry against President Trump, there are several big developments:
A call log released by the White House shows Mr. Trump pushing the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to consider investigating former Vice President Joe Biden.
A Justice Department official told The Times that after a whistle-blower raised concerns, two top intelligence officials referred the complaint for a possible criminal investigation into the president’s actions. The Justice Department concluded that there was no basis for a criminal investigation into Mr. Trump’s behavior.
In the call, Mr. Trump alluded to American aid, while not explicitly linking his request to unfreezing it, the document shows: “I will say that we do a lot for Ukraine. We spend a lot of effort and a lot of time.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/25/us/politics/ukraine-transcript-trump.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage&te=1&nl=morning-briefing&emc=edit_nn_20190925?campaign_id=9&instance_id=12629&segment_id=17324&user_id=cd25229822fb6350f11c6cb7ab0d25e8®i_id=90467985
The Trump Impeachment Inquiry
The Trump Impeachment Inquiry: What We Learned So Far TodayBy The New York Times
SEPTEMBER 25, 2019
Less than a day after Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced an impeachment inquiry against President Trump, there are several big developments:
A call log released by the White House shows Mr. Trump pushing the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to consider investigating former Vice President Joe Biden.
A Justice Department official told The Times that after a whistle-blower raised concerns, two top intelligence officials referred the complaint for a possible criminal investigation into the president’s actions. The Justice Department concluded that there was no basis for a criminal investigation into Mr. Trump’s behavior.
In the call, Mr. Trump alluded to American aid, while not explicitly linking his request to unfreezing it, the document shows: “I will say that we do a lot for Ukraine. We spend a lot of effort and a lot of time.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/25/us/politics/ukraine-transcript-trump.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage&te=1&nl=morning-briefing&emc=edit_nn_20190925?campaign_id=9&instance_id=12629&segment_id=17324&user_id=cd25229822fb6350f11c6cb7ab0d25e8®i_id=90467985
September 23, 2019
Trump's going to start a war! His best media distraction thus far
RUSSIA LAUNCHES MILITARY DRILLS DUE TO U.S.-IRAN TENSIONS AND TRUMP SENDING TROOPS NEAR BORDER, EXPERT SAYS
BY TOM O'CONNOR ON 6/24/19 AT 5:20 PM EDT
Russia has a strategic partnership with Iran in Syria, where they support the government against a rebel and jihadi uprising once backed by the U.S. and its regional allies. Moscow has also held the U.S. responsible for the deteriorating security situation in the Persian Gulf, pointing to Trump's decision last year to leave a 2015 nuclear deal and impose sanctions as part of a "maximum pressure" campaign to pressure Iran. The agreement's other signatories—China, the EU, France, Germany, Russia and the U.K.—all still support the accord and have called for calm in the region.
Trump signed into action Monday a new round of sanctions against Iranian officials, including supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. That same day, Ryabkov condemned such unilateral economic restrictions and pledged to "continue to counter this policy, particularly in cooperation with other forces in the international community," as reported by Tass.
BY TOM O'CONNOR ON 6/24/19 AT 5:20 PM EDT
BY TOM O'CONNOR ON 6/24/19 AT 5:20 PM EDT
Russia has a strategic partnership with Iran in Syria, where they support the government against a rebel and jihadi uprising once backed by the U.S. and its regional allies. Moscow has also held the U.S. responsible for the deteriorating security situation in the Persian Gulf, pointing to Trump's decision last year to leave a 2015 nuclear deal and impose sanctions as part of a "maximum pressure" campaign to pressure Iran. The agreement's other signatories—China, the EU, France, Germany, Russia and the U.K.—all still support the accord and have called for calm in the region.
Trump signed into action Monday a new round of sanctions against Iranian officials, including supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. That same day, Ryabkov condemned such unilateral economic restrictions and pledged to "continue to counter this policy, particularly in cooperation with other forces in the international community," as reported by Tass.
BY TOM O'CONNOR ON 6/24/19 AT 5:20 PM EDT
China, Russia, Iran ‘plan joint naval drill in international waters’
China, Russia and Iran are planning a joint naval drill in the Sea of Oman and northern Indian Ocean “soon”, a semi-official Iranian news outlet reported on Saturday, just days after the United States blamed Iran for a drone attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities.
General Ghadir Nezami Pour, head of international affairs and defence diplomacy of Iran’s General Staff of the Armed Forces, said the drill would take place in international waters, the Iran Press news agency reported.
“The exercises have different goals, including the exchange of tactical and military experiences, and sometimes they seek political goals which show a kind of convergence between participants,” he was quoted as saying.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3029819/china-russia-iran-plan-joint-naval-drill-international-waters
China, Russia and Iran are planning a joint naval drill in the Sea of Oman and northern Indian Ocean “soon”, a semi-official Iranian news outlet reported on Saturday, just days after the United States blamed Iran for a drone attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities.
General Ghadir Nezami Pour, head of international affairs and defence diplomacy of Iran’s General Staff of the Armed Forces, said the drill would take place in international waters, the Iran Press news agency reported.
“The exercises have different goals, including the exchange of tactical and military experiences, and sometimes they seek political goals which show a kind of convergence between participants,” he was quoted as saying.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3029819/china-russia-iran-plan-joint-naval-drill-international-waters
September 23, 2019
President Trump acknowledged on Sunday that he accused Joe Biden of corruption during a phone call in July with the leader of Ukraine, leaving Democrats increasingly inclined to file articles of impeachment against him.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the Trump administration would “be entering a grave new chapter of lawlessness” if it failed to turn over a related whistle-blower complaint by Thursday. (Read her letter.)
The allegations involve whether Mr. Trump pressured Ukraine’s newly elected leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, to hurt Mr. Biden’s election bid, possibly using U.S. military aid as leverage. The former Soviet republic has been fighting Russian-backed separatists, and the Trump administration temporarily withheld $250 million from Ukraine this summer.
Background: Mr. Trump has accused Mr. Biden of using his position as vice president to help a Ukrainian energy company in 2016 that was paying his son Hunter. There has been no evidence that the former vice president intentionally tried to help his son.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/22/world/europe/ukraine-trump-military-aid.html?te=1&nl=morning-briefing&emc=edit_NN_p_20190923§
Impeachment pressure builds
Impeachment pressure buildsPresident Trump acknowledged on Sunday that he accused Joe Biden of corruption during a phone call in July with the leader of Ukraine, leaving Democrats increasingly inclined to file articles of impeachment against him.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the Trump administration would “be entering a grave new chapter of lawlessness” if it failed to turn over a related whistle-blower complaint by Thursday. (Read her letter.)
The allegations involve whether Mr. Trump pressured Ukraine’s newly elected leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, to hurt Mr. Biden’s election bid, possibly using U.S. military aid as leverage. The former Soviet republic has been fighting Russian-backed separatists, and the Trump administration temporarily withheld $250 million from Ukraine this summer.
Background: Mr. Trump has accused Mr. Biden of using his position as vice president to help a Ukrainian energy company in 2016 that was paying his son Hunter. There has been no evidence that the former vice president intentionally tried to help his son.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/22/world/europe/ukraine-trump-military-aid.html?te=1&nl=morning-briefing&emc=edit_NN_p_20190923§
September 18, 2019
Adversely, the political and environmental climate in Brazil continues to deteriorate
Brazilian official blames "invading climate change activist" for Amazon fires
Indonesia arrests around 200 as thick smog from forest fires reaches hazardous levels
By Helen Regan, CNN
Updated 3:39 AM ET, Wed September 18, 2019
(CNN) - Dozens of people have been arrested over suspected involvement in massive forest fires in Indonesia, where thousands of hectares of ecologically rich land have been burned, engulfing the region in a thick toxic haze.
The country's National Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said Monday that 185 people had been arrested across six provinces hit by fires and four corporations were under investigation. He added that "99% of the forest and land fires occurred due to human factors."
Fires and ensuing smog are a persistent problem during the summer months caused by slash and burn techniques to clear the land -- the same practice that led to fires in the Brazilian Amazon earlier this year.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/18/asia/indonesia-malaysia-haze-arrests-intl-hnk/index.html?utm_source=CNN+Five+Things&utm_campaign=2c945b1ff1-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_09_17_02_36&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6da287d761-2c945b1ff1-104928233
By Helen Regan, CNN
Updated 3:39 AM ET, Wed September 18, 2019
(CNN) - Dozens of people have been arrested over suspected involvement in massive forest fires in Indonesia, where thousands of hectares of ecologically rich land have been burned, engulfing the region in a thick toxic haze.
The country's National Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said Monday that 185 people had been arrested across six provinces hit by fires and four corporations were under investigation. He added that "99% of the forest and land fires occurred due to human factors."
Fires and ensuing smog are a persistent problem during the summer months caused by slash and burn techniques to clear the land -- the same practice that led to fires in the Brazilian Amazon earlier this year.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/18/asia/indonesia-malaysia-haze-arrests-intl-hnk/index.html?utm_source=CNN+Five+Things&utm_campaign=2c945b1ff1-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_09_17_02_36&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6da287d761-2c945b1ff1-104928233
Adversely, the political and environmental climate in Brazil continues to deteriorate
Brazil is 'not the culprit' for the Amazon fires, says country's foreign minister
By Jessie Yeung, CNN
Updated 3:46 AM ET, Thu September 12, 2019
(CNN) - Brazil's foreign minister addressed the Amazon fires and climate change on Wednesday -- but not in the way you might expect.
In a speech at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ernesto Araujo denied that his country was responsible for the devastation of the rainforest, and accused other countries and activists of trying to "invade Brazil" under the guise of climate change action.
"It doesn't seem like a climate catastrophe to me, at least," he said. "But from the debate that is going on, it would seem that the world is ending."
He acknowledged that climate change was real and was scientifically observable, but questioned whether it was a manmade phenomenon, claiming computer models were largely wrong and "overestimated the increasing temperature."
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/12/americas/brazil-climate-minister-intl-hnk-scli/index.html?utm_source=CNN+Five+Things&utm_campaign=2c945b1ff1-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_09_17_02_36&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6da287d761-2c945b1ff1-104928233
By Jessie Yeung, CNN
Updated 3:46 AM ET, Thu September 12, 2019
(CNN) - Brazil's foreign minister addressed the Amazon fires and climate change on Wednesday -- but not in the way you might expect.
In a speech at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ernesto Araujo denied that his country was responsible for the devastation of the rainforest, and accused other countries and activists of trying to "invade Brazil" under the guise of climate change action.
"It doesn't seem like a climate catastrophe to me, at least," he said. "But from the debate that is going on, it would seem that the world is ending."
He acknowledged that climate change was real and was scientifically observable, but questioned whether it was a manmade phenomenon, claiming computer models were largely wrong and "overestimated the increasing temperature."
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/12/americas/brazil-climate-minister-intl-hnk-scli/index.html?utm_source=CNN+Five+Things&utm_campaign=2c945b1ff1-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_09_17_02_36&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6da287d761-2c945b1ff1-104928233
September 16, 2019
By Kate Sullivan and Ariane de Vogue, CNN
Updated 11:50 PM ET, Sun September 15, 2019
Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump called on his Justice Department Sunday to "rescue" Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh after The New York Times published an excerpt of a new book detailing sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh that he has previously denied.
The excerpt from "The Education of Brett Kavanaugh: An Investigation," written by Times reporters Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly, revisits an allegation raised during the Supreme Court justice's confirmation process in 2018. That allegation from Deborah Ramirez accused Kavanaugh of exposing himself to her at a party when he was a freshman at Yale, according to an account published in The New Yorker. Kavanaugh has repeatedly denied the allegation.
The book revisits Ramirez's claim and contains a former male classmate's new allegation which the authors say was corroborated by two sources. The authors reported the former classmate came forward to the FBI and senators concerning an incident he witnessed and said the FBI did not investigate the incident.
The New York Times Sunday evening published an Editor's Note saying the female victim declined to be interviewed and friends say she does not recall the incident.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/15/politics/brett-kavanaugh-trump-doj-rescue/index.html?utm_source=CNN+Five+Things&utm_campaign=5aef20c230-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_09_16_08_43&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6da287d761-5aef20c230-104928233
CNN - Trump asks DOJ to "rescue Kavanaugh"
Trump says his DOJ should 'rescue' Brett KavanaughBy Kate Sullivan and Ariane de Vogue, CNN
Updated 11:50 PM ET, Sun September 15, 2019
Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump called on his Justice Department Sunday to "rescue" Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh after The New York Times published an excerpt of a new book detailing sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh that he has previously denied.
The excerpt from "The Education of Brett Kavanaugh: An Investigation," written by Times reporters Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly, revisits an allegation raised during the Supreme Court justice's confirmation process in 2018. That allegation from Deborah Ramirez accused Kavanaugh of exposing himself to her at a party when he was a freshman at Yale, according to an account published in The New Yorker. Kavanaugh has repeatedly denied the allegation.
The book revisits Ramirez's claim and contains a former male classmate's new allegation which the authors say was corroborated by two sources. The authors reported the former classmate came forward to the FBI and senators concerning an incident he witnessed and said the FBI did not investigate the incident.
The New York Times Sunday evening published an Editor's Note saying the female victim declined to be interviewed and friends say she does not recall the incident.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/15/politics/brett-kavanaugh-trump-doj-rescue/index.html?utm_source=CNN+Five+Things&utm_campaign=5aef20c230-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_09_16_08_43&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6da287d761-5aef20c230-104928233
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