World Sports

Trump Pressed Ukraine’s Leader as Giuliani Pushed for Biden Inquiry – The New York Times

Friday, September 20, 2019

“Not one single outlet has given any credibility to his assertion,” Mr. Biden told reporters after a campaign event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He said he had no more comment, but added: “The president should start to be president.” The existence of the complaint, submitted by a member of the intelligence community to its inspector general, emerged late last week and exploded into the open late on Wednesday when The…

California, 22 other states sue Trump over change to auto emission rules – NBCNews.com

Friday, September 20, 2019

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California and 22 other states sued Friday to stop the Trump administration from revoking the authority of the nation’s most populous state to set emission standards for cars and trucks. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra sued the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration a day after it issued a regulation designed to pre-empt the state’s authority to set its own rules for how much pollution can come from…

Trump Blames ‘Partisan Whistleblower’ For Allegation Of Improper Conversation – NPR

Friday, September 20, 2019

President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Trump says reports of an improper conversation with a foreign leader are “ridiculous.” Susan Walsh/AP hide caption toggle caption Susan Walsh/AP President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Trump says reports of an improper conversation with a foreign leader are “ridiculous.” Susan Walsh/AP Updated at 12:05 p.m. ET President Trump blamed “a political hack job” for reports that a whistleblower has…

Texas Is Drowning Under One of the Wettest Storms in US History – Livescience.com

Friday, September 20, 2019

Record-breaking rainfall from the tropical storm Imelda is soaking southeastern Texas. Some areas have been swamped with 20 to 42 inches (51 to 107 centimeters) of rain over just three days, causing catastrophic flooding that is among the worst in U.S. history.   Imelda, the first named storm to strike this part of Texas since 2017’s devastating Hurricane Harvey, is currently the fifth-wettest tropical storm to drench the contiguous U.S.,…

Trump, Australian PM Morrison hold a joint press conference – Fox News

Friday, September 20, 2019

President Trump hosts a Joint Press Conference with Prime Minister Scott Morrison. #FoxNews FOX News operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Radio, FOX News Headlines 24/7, FOXNews.com and the direct-to-consumer streaming service, FOX Nation. FOX News also produces FOX News Sunday on FOX Broadcasting Company and FOX News Edge. A top five-cable network, FNC has been the most watched news channel in the country…

U.S. lifts tariffs on 400 Chinese products, Trump cites trade progress – Reuters

Friday, September 20, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration was “making a lot of progress” with China on Friday, as deputy-level trade talks continued for a second day and Washington lifted tariffs on over 400 Chinese products. Trump, speaking to reporters at a White House meeting with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, said the United States was taking in billions of dollars from tariffs imposed on Chinese products, adding…

Storm Area 51, Alienstock, and Basecamp: this weekend’s Area 51 events, explained – Vox.com

Friday, September 20, 2019

Against all odds, the unglamorous, top-secret government facility known as Area 51, located in the remote Nevada desert, has become the hottest weekend getaway of the fall. Or, at least, it could be: A tongue-in-cheek Facebook page proposing a mid-September “raid” on the place, which some conspiracy theorists have long insisted holds the clues to extraterrestrial life, has amassed the attention of millions since it popped up in early July….

Global climate strike: Greta Thunberg and school students lead climate crisis protest – live updates – The Guardian

Friday, September 20, 2019

It’s important that I lend my voice to this cause … a lot of people who aren’t as privileged as I am don’t have the opportunity to speak out against these sorts of issues, who live where the air is unbreathable, where toxic waste is dumped in rivers, those people don’t have a voice to speak out … Also I am here to educate people about these issues and to…

”Catastrophic Flooding” Threatens Heart Of Texas Oil Industry – OilPrice.com

Friday, September 20, 2019

Flooding from a tropical storm hit the Houston area on Thursday, with some calling the situation worse than Hurricane Harvey. Heavy rainfall inundated the Texas coast, flooding Houston and Beaumont, home to massive oil refining, petrochemical and export facilities. The storm was downgraded to just a tropical depression, but those classifications only measure wind speed. The real threat from Imelda was “major, catastrophic flooding,” according to the National Weather Service….

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio drops 2020 bid – NBC News

Friday, September 20, 2019

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio dropped out of the 2020 presidential race Friday, ending a long shot bid for the Democratic nomination that never went anywhere. “I feel like I have contributed all I can to this primary election, and it’s clearly not my time, so I’m going to end my presidential campaign,” de Blasio said in an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “We have a chance to…

Extremism Researchers Struggle With The Mental Toll Of Their Work – NPR

Friday, September 20, 2019

ISIS attacks abroad and a series of deadly right-wing attacks in the U.S. have fueled a demand for more information on extremist networks. Understanding them is the first step in fighting them. But there has been little discussion about potential harm to the researchers tasked with looking deep inside the world’s most dangerous movements. Stuart Kinlough/Ikon Images/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Stuart Kinlough/Ikon Images/Getty Images ISIS attacks abroad and…

Trump Lawyers Argue He Cannot Be Criminally Investigated – The New York Times

Friday, September 20, 2019

The federal prosecutors who charged Mr. Cohen said in a court filing in July that they had “effectively concluded” their investigation into possible crimes committed by the president’s company, the Trump Organization, or its executives. Neither the company nor any of its leaders were charged. However, the office of the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., is exploring whether the reimbursements violated any New York state laws. The lawsuit…

Justin Trudeau apologizes again, blames ‘privilege’ as third blackface instance emerges. Here’s what we know – USA TODAY

Friday, September 20, 2019

CLOSE Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized and asked for forgiveness for dressing up in brown and blackface in the past. At a news conference Thursday, Trudeau said it is something he deeply regrets. (Sept. 19) AP, AP WASHINGTON–Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s re-election campaign was rocked again Thursday as he issued a second apology after another instance of him in dark makeup was reported by the media. After a second picture and…

Trump gets victory on California tax return law – CNBC

Friday, September 20, 2019

One dead, five hurt in shooting on streets of Washington One person was killed and five others wounded on Thursday in a shooting on the streets of Washington, D.C., not far from the White House, police said. U.S. Newsread more

Trump’s feud with California over emissions standards and homelessness, explained – Vox.com

Friday, September 20, 2019

President Donald Trump attacked the state of California on two different fronts on Wednesday, both times using environmental regulations as his weapon. First, Trump announced on Twitter that he intends to rescind a federal waiver allowing California to have more stringent automobile emissions standards, something that has been in place for decades and has changed how car manufacturers make cars nationwide. Hours later, Trump told reporters riding with him on…

U.S. Cuts $100 Million in Aid to Afghanistan, Citing Government Corruption – The New York Times

Friday, September 20, 2019

In a closed-door hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday morning, the American diplomat who led the negotiations, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, briefed lawmakers for about an hour. It was not clear what he disclosed, or whether his explanation satisfied the panel. Representative Eliot L. Engel, Democrat of New York and the committee’s chairman, initially had issued a subpoena to compel Mr. Khalilzad to testify publicly, but ultimately backed…

An unshackled Trump finally gets the presidency he always wanted – POLITICO

Friday, September 20, 2019

President Donald Trump. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo White House No longer hemmed in by aides, Trump has bent the presidency into the mold of the Trump Organization. By NANCY COOK 09/19/2019 05:00 AM EDT Updated 09/19/2019 10:48 AM EDT 2019-09-19T10:48-0400 The China trade war, talks with the Taliban, the response to Iran after Saudi attacks, gun control, new tax legislation and a long list of other policy issues are up…

Whistleblower complaint about President Trump involves Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the matter – The Washington Post

Friday, September 20, 2019

Two and a half weeks before the complaint was filed, Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a comedian and political newcomer who was elected in a landslide in May. That call is already under investigation by House Democrats who are examining whether Trump and his attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani sought to manipulate the Ukrainian government into helping Trump’s reelection campaign. Lawmakers have demanded a full transcript and a list…

Justin Trudeau brownface speech today: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologizes for brownface and blackface photos – CBS News

Friday, September 20, 2019

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized Thursday afternoon about the controversy of him appearing in photos from years ago dressed in blackface and brownface. At least three photos have been released that show Trudeau wearing darkened makeup on his face.  “This is something I deeply, deeply regret,” Trudeau told reporters in Winnipeg. He said wearing blackface is “always unacceptable because of the racist history of blackface. I should’ve understood it then, and…

Exxon Shuts Major Texas Refinery After Flooding | OilPrice.com – OilPrice.com

Friday, September 20, 2019

ExxonMobil started on Thursday morning to shut down its 369,024-bpd crude oil refinery at Beaumont in Texas as tropical storm Imelda brought flooding to parts of southern Texas, sources familiar with Exxon’s refinery operations told Reuters on Thursday. The Houston and Galveston areas and southeast Texas were bracing this week for the tropical storm Imelda which moved inland from just south of the coast where it had formed in the…