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• Trump tweet attacks former ambassador during her impeachment testimony

  As Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, testified in front of the House Intelligence Committee, President Trump attacked her on Twitter.

  
  

• Man caught at Houston airport with 35 pounds of liquid cocaine in shampoo bottles

  The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol says an arriving passenger tried to smuggle 35 pounds worth of liquid cocaine in shampoo bottles into the country.

  
  

• Marine deserter’s mother names him in fatal shooting

  The mother of a wanted Marine told investigators that she saw her son kill her boyfriend, according to a federal criminal complaint. The criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Roanoke, Virginia, on Wednesday shows Vanessa Hanson told a U.S. Marshal that she witnessed Michael Alexander Brown, 22, fatally shoot her boyfriend, Rodney Wilfred Brown, last Saturday at a home in Hardy. The vehicle was later found near Clarendon County, South Carolina, about four hours southwest of Camp Lejeune, in North Carolina, where he had been stationed as a U.S. Marine until leaving his post last month.

  
  

• Hong Kong leader condemns London protester 'attack' on minister

  Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam on Friday condemned a "barbaric attack" on her justice minister, who fell while being surrounded by a crowd of jeering pro-democracy protesters in London. It was the most physical confrontation involving a member of Lam's cabinet since the protests, now in their sixth month, erupted in the international finance hub. Teresa Cheng, Hong Kong's deeply unpopular Secretary for Justice, was ambushed by around a dozen masked demonstrators as she prepared to attend a speaking event on Thursday night in London.

  
  

• These are the 10 sports cars that have the best resale value 5 years after purchase

  The Porsche 911 coupe tops the list, losing only 37.2% of its value over five years, but the others might surprise you.

  
  

• Off-duty officers were the first responders to the California high school shooting — because they were dropping off their own family members for school

  The first responders reported to the scene at approximately 7:40 a.m., shortly after the first shots rang out, and began treating the gunshot victims.

  
  

• North Korea calls Joe Biden a 'rabid dog' that 'must be beaten to death'

  North Korea launched a visceral diatribe against Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, calling the former vice president a "rabid dog."

  
  

• 20 Great Gifts for Boys Who Love to Tinker

  
  

• Penultimate C7 Corvette Being Enshrined At National Corvette Museum

  While the last C7 will be in a private collection, this '19 Corvette Stingray will be on display for all to see.The final C7 Corvette rolled off the assembly line on November 14th at around 3:10 pm CT marking the end of the line for the front-engine Corvette before production begins for the all-new, mid-engine C8 'Vette. The final Corvette – a black Z06 – was auctioned off earlier in the year for $2.6 million to a software company CEO, but the second to last Corvette isn't going far. This car will be delivered at and then donated to the National Corvette Museum, which is right across the street from the Corvette's assembly plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky.This penultimate C7 was purchased by the NCM's lifetime member and supporter, Ivan Schrodt, who will take delivery of the car on November 20th via Chevy's museum delivery program. Immediately afterward, he will hand the keys over to the museum where this Corvette will be enshrined among all of the other important and significant Corvettes on display. This Corvette will be a permanent fixture at the museum, and it is a fitting send off for the C7 Corvette ahead of the highly anticipated launch of the C8.As for the second to last Corvette, it is painted in Arctic White with a Jet Black and Adrenaline Red interior. This car came in the mid-level 2LT trim level with the upgraded Z51 performance suspension, and it was also equipped with Carbon Fiber and Painted Body Color removable roofs, Carbon Flash exterior trim accents, chrome emblems, red calipers, personalized plate package, brake package, performance exhaust and chrome aluminum wheels. All in, this well-equipped Corvette had a sticker price of just over $70,000, making it quite an impressive donation to the museum.This donation ceremony will take place at the National Corvette Museum on November 20th starting at 2:00 p.m. CT, and the museum has invited the public to attend. More C7 News... * Last C7 Sells For $2.7 Million At Barrett-Jackson Auction * C7 Grand Finale: 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

  
  

• Stefanik embraces spotlight at impeachment hearings

  The second day of the impeachment inquiry’s public hearings, on Friday, began the same way as the first: with an attempt by Rep. Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican, to interrupt proceedings with a procedural objection.

  
  

• After Roger Stone conviction, star witness against him feels 'horrible'

  Randy Credico told Yahoo News that he was in tears upon learning of the verdict and did not want to see Stone go to jail because of his testimony.

  
  

• American IS suspect repatriated from Turkish-Greek border

  An American citizen suspected of being an Islamic State group member was deported to the U.S. on Friday after spending five days in no man’s land between Turkey and Greece, the Turkish interior minister said. Two German IS suspects were also removed from Turkey on Friday, the minister added. Since the start of the week, Ankara has stepped up the return of suspected foreign IS members back to their countries of origin.

  
  

• St Mark's closed as Venice faces more floods

  Another exceptional high tide swamped flood-hit Venice on Friday, prompting the mayor to order St Mark's square closed after Italy declared a state of emergency for the UNESCO city. Luigi Brugnaro ordered the iconic square closed as the latest sea surge of around 1.6 metres (over five feet) struck and strong storms and winds battered the region -- lower than Tuesday's peak but still dangerous. "We've destroyed Venice, we're talking about one billion (euros) in damage and that's just from the other day, not today," Brugnaro said, as far-right leader Matteo Salvini joined the list of politicians to visit the stricken city.

  
  

• Chicago teachers approve 'historic' contract that ended 11-day strike

  The Chicago Teachers Union voted Friday to accept a contract deal that ended an 11-day strike in the third-largest school district last month.

  
  

• Nicaraguan judge sentences man to 30 years in NY killing

  A Nicaraguan judge sentenced a man to 30 years behind bars in the killing of a young nursing student in upstate New York, a district attorney in the state said Friday. The trial of Orlando Tercero in the 2018 killing of Haley Anderson marked an exceedingly rare legal proceeding in which the defendant was prosecuted under Nicaragua’s legal system for a slaying that happened on American soil. Tercero is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Nicaragua.

  
  

• After 50 years, it's past time to bring human LGBTQ+ characters to America's Sesame Street

  International versions of Sesame Street reflect local audiences. America is ready for gay characters but cancellation is a risk in some countries.

  
  

• Scientists Are Fighting Over One of the Hottest Places on Earth

  Some say life can exist there. Others say no way.

  
  

• A federal judge ruled that New Jersey-born, ISIS-bride Hoda Muthana is not a US citizen

  Hoda Muthana's father was a Yemeni diplomat at the time of her birth, which raised the question of whether or not she gained US citizenship at birth.

  
  

• Cuba cries foul as doctors head home from Bolivia

  The first of around 700 Cuban doctors were scheduled to fly home from strife-torn Bolivia on Saturday as officials railed against what they charged was slander and mistreatment by Bolivia's conservative interim government. Cuba said Saturday that 10 doctors, including the coordinator of its medical mission, were detained this week and four remained in custody. On Friday, the foreign ministry said it was terminating its medical mission as officials were fostering violence against the doctors by claiming they were instigating rebellion.

  
  

• Trump impeachment hearings: 3 key takeaways from Yovanovitch's testimony

  The second day of public impeachment testimony featured the former ambassador to Ukraine and a cameo from the president’s Twitter account.

  
  

• See Photos of the 2020 Nissan Titan

  
  

• Vietnam jails music teacher for 'undermining' state

  Vietnam sentenced a music teacher to 11 years in prison on Friday for Facebook posts that allegedly undermined the one-party state, which has been accused of tightening the noose on online dissent. Communist Vietnam has long jailed its critics but has come under fire recently for targeting users on Facebook, a popular forum for activists in the country where all independent media is banned. Nguyen Nang Tinh is the latest activist jailed for his Facebook comments, including posts about police brutality, land rights, and a Taiwanese steel firm that dumped toxic sludge into the ocean, killing masses of fish off the coast of Vietnam.

  
  

• Look Out, Israel: China May Have Stolen The Iron Dome

  Chinese hackers, that is.

  
  

• Nearly 200 officers search Staten Island marshland for missing NJ woman Stephanie Parze

  Setphanie Parze, 25, of Freehold Township, New Jersey, disappeared on Oct. 30 after returning from an outing with friends to a psychic medium.

  
  

• Beshear to Kentucky teachers: Help is on the way

  On election night, long before his win in the Kentucky governor’s race became official, Democrat Andy Beshear made clear who he thought helped make it happen. “To our educators, this is your victory,” Beshear proclaimed in a Nov. 5 victory speech as he maintained a slim 5,000-vote margin. Now that Republican Gov. Matt Bevin has conceded, Beshear is moving quickly to translate the political activism of teachers that began in 2018 and persisted through this year’s election into tangible school improvements.

  
  

• An expert in fraternity hazing deaths says coddling parents are part of the problem

  Hank Nuwer, a journalist who keeps a database on fraternity deaths, thinks parents aren't teaching their children "self-restraint."

  
  

• One of Jamal Khashoggi’s close friends said Twitter is the 'only free platform' for many Saudis, but it also may have led to Khashoggi’s brutal murder

  Omar Abdulaziz, a Saudi activist and close friend of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi, wrote in an op-ed that Twitter is "crucial" for Saudi freedom.

  
  

• Rashida Tlaib referred to House Ethics Committee for a potential violation of federal law

  The House Ethics Committee released texts and emails on Thursday that show Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., repeatedly asking her campaign for funds to defray personal costs. The committee’s announcement comes after the board of the Office of Congressional Ethics unanimously voted in August to refer Tlaib for a potential violation of federal law.

  
  

• Congressman Raskin condemns "moral degeneration" of Republicans

  The Maryland Democrat compared the withholding of aid to Ukraine to an attempted bank robbery

  
  

• Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on streets of Hong Kong for clean-up operation

  China’s People’s Liberation Army troops appeared on the streets of Hong Kong yesterday as part of a clean-up mission that risked a backlash from pro-democracy protesters who have brought the city to a standstill in recent months. The appearance of the PLA soldiers outside their barracks - even dressed in shorts and t-shirts - to help clear away barricades and debris from another night of protests could be seen as an incremental raising of the political stakes from Beijing. Demosistō, a pro-democracy organisation, said the clean-up operation could set a "grave precedent" if the city's government invites the military to deal with internal problems. A member of Chinas People's Liberation Army (PLA) stands guard inside Osborn Barracks in Kowloon Tong in Hong Kong on November 16, 2019. - China's President Xi Jinping warned on November 14 that protests in Hong Kong threaten the "one country, two systems" principle governing the semi-autonomous city that has tipped into worsening violence with two dead in a week. Credit: AFP Hong Kong’s city government clarified that it did not request assistance from PLA forces which have remained in their barracks during five months of protests, issuing a statement describing the deployment as a “voluntary community activity” by the military. Foreign envoys and security analysts estimate up to 12,000 troops are now based across Hong Kong - more than double the usual garrison number following an additional deployment last August. Chinese troops have appeared on streets only once since the 1997 handover to help clear up after a typhoon in 2018.  It was not clear how many were involved yesterday, but by late afternoon, the PLA soldiers had left the streets outside Baptist University beside their barracks in Kowloon Tong. An anti-government protesters stands at a blocked outlet of the Cross Harbour Tunnel near the Polytechnic University in Hong Kong Credit: Reuters The PLA garrison in Hong Kong said that when some residents began cleaning, some troops "helped clear the road in front of the garrison gate". Clashes between protesters and police have become increasingly violent, with China warning that any attempt at independence for Hong Kong will be crushed. Chinese state media has repeatedly broadcast comments made on Thursday by President Xi Jinping, in which he denounced the unrest and said “stopping violence and controlling chaos while restoring order is currently Hong Kong's most urgent task”. Read More | Hong Kong crisis The clean-up followed some of the worst violence seen this year, after a police operation against protesters at the Chinese University of Hong Kong on Tuesday. The authorities have since largely stayed away from at least five university campuses that had been barricaded by thousands of students and activists who stockpiled petrol bombs, catapults, bows and arrows and other weapons.

  
  

• S. African asylum-seekers held on trespassing charges

  South African police detained more than 180 foreign nationals for storming the UN refugee agency in Pretoria, where they had been staging a sit-in protest, police said Saturday. Hundreds of asylum-seekers started camping in front of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on October 8, asking to be relocated to another country after a spate of xenophobic violence in September. Protesters broke into the UNHCR premises on Thursday after they were informed of a court order giving them three days to vacate the site.

  
  

• The Army Plans To Use These 6 Weapons In A War Against Russia Or China

  The Army is transitioning away from fighting terrorism.

  
  

• South Carolina teen gets life in prison for deadly elementary school shooting

  Jesse Osborne, the teenager responsible for a shooting at a South Carolina elementary school in 2016, was sentenced to life in prison.

  
  

• Man who shot, wounded school bus driver sentenced to prison

  A Minnesota man who shot and wounded a school bus driver on a Minneapolis freeway during a snowstorm has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison. Thirty-two-year-old Kenneth Lilly, of St. Paul, pleaded guilty in August to first-degree assault for the February attack that left Thomas Benson deaf in one ear and unable to continue working as a bus driver due to nerve damage in his hand. Lilly was sentenced Friday to 86 months.

  
  

• Pro-Life Investigators Found Guilty in Lawsuit After Filming Planned Parenthood Execs Discussing Sale of Fetal Body Parts

  A San Fransisco district court on Friday found pro-life activists guilty in a lawsuit brought by Planned Parenthood after the activists surreptitiously filmed executives of the abortion group discussing the sale of fetal body parts.A ten person federal jury convicted activists David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt of the anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress on charges of conspiracy to commit fraud, breach of contract and trespass and violation of state and federal recording laws in Maryland, California and Florida. Planned Parenthood will be awarded $870,000 in punitive damages.Daleiden and Merritt released videos in 2015 of Planned Parenthood executives as well as footage from the 2014 National Abortion Federation conference, which they obtained while posing as researchers for a fake fetal tissue research company they called Biomax.In the videos, abortion industry players could be seen admitting to illegally altering abortion procedures in order to provide fresher, more intact fetal parts, as well as haggling with the investigators over prices. The investigators have also accused Planned Parenthood of illegally profiting off the sale of fetal tissue for medical research, using their footage as evidence.The verdict set "a dangerous precedent for citizen journalism and First Amendment civil rights across the country, sending a message that speaking truth and facts to criticize the powerful is no longer protected by our institutions," read a statement from CMP.Planned Parenthood has consistently denied any activities portrayed in the videos were illegal, and have accused CMP of deceptively editing the footage."The jury has spoken loud and clear," said Planned Parenthood attorney Rhonda Trotter after the verdict. "Those who violate the law in an effort to limit access to reproductive rights and health care will be held accountable."The trial made headlines in September when California obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Forrest Smith, who has administered thousands of abortions, testified on behalf of the CMP activists."There’s no question in my mind that at least some of these fetuses were live births," Smith told the court while describing the abortion procedures elaborated by Planned Parenthood executives in the CMP footage.

  
  

• ‘No discipline. No plan. No strategy.’: Sen. Kamala Harris campaign in meltdown

  As Sen. Kamala Harris crisscrosses the country trying to revive her sputtering presidential bid, aides at her fast-shrinking headquarters are deep into the finger-pointing stages. And much of the blame is being placed on campaign manager Juan Rodriguez.

  
  

• 14 of the Best-Designed Hotel Restaurants in the U.S.

  
  

• Russia Loves the Impeachment Hearings Because GOP Is Parroting Kremlin Propaganda

  Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily BeastAs Russia’s state media watch impeachment proceedings against U.S. President Donald J. Trump they’re loving what they see. They don’t think the man they brag about getting elected is in much danger. They listen in delight as Republicans parrot conspiracy theories first launched by  Russians. And they gloat about the way Trump removed U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, because they blame her for promoting democratic “color revolutions” that weakened Moscow’s hold on the former Soviet empire. Best of all, from the Kremlin’s point of view, they see Trump pushing Ukraine back into the Russian fold.Republicans Thought Yovanovitch Would Be a Pushover. She Beat Them Up InsteadSo while the historical impeachment inquiry, after two days of public hearings, has been deemed by some pundits to lack “pizzazz,” the Kremlin is  having a ball. Instead of disseminating their usual conspiracy theories, the Russians watch gleefully as the Republicans do that for them. From the long-debunked “Crowdstrike” cyber plot positioning Ukraine as the fall guy for what undoubtedly was Russian interference in the 2016 elections, to anti-Semitic conspiracy theories centering around Jewish financier and philanthropist George Soros, rivers of Russian dezinformatsiya are flowing down from the President of the United States and the GOP, through the impeachment hearings, to Trump’s cult-like devotees. The Kremlin also enjoys the Trump-GOP treatment of the Mueller report as a colossal hoax, or even a joke, letting Russian President Vladimir Putin off the hook, and putting him in a position to make light of the whole matter.During a public appearance for Russian Energy Week, Putin “jokingly” promised to interfere in the upcoming presidential elections in the United States. Speaking at the Paris Peace Forum, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pledged to “solve the problem” of the American elections in 2020. When President Trump pulled a news report out of his pocket at his Louisiana rally featuring the picture of Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko denying there was a quid pro quo of security assistance for an investigation of Joe Biden and his son, Olga Skabeeva, the host of Russian state television news show 60 Minutes, complained with sharp irony: “When we—here in Russia—were electing Trump, we were certain that to express his gratitude, he would carry a picture of Putin in his pocket.” This desensitizing mirth mirrors Trump’s infamous public dare: “Russia, if you’re listening,” but treating a serious matter as a joke does not diminish its real gravity.Russian experts and state media propagandists constantly reiterate that President Trump cannot and will not be impeached, because the Republicans are controlling the Senate. On 60 Minutes, Skabeeva mockingly told some sacrificial Ukrainian panelists: “We appointed Trump and you can’t unseat him.” Leading Russian state media outlets repeatedly publicize the name of the alleged whistleblower. State TV channel Rossiya-1 smeared Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch as a Soros-linked architect of post-Soviet color revolutions. The co-host of 60 Minutes, Evgeny Popov, warned Ukraine of the threat if faces if it does not cooperate with Trump’s demands: “If Trump gets re-elected, and you don’t investigate Biden... [Ukraine] won’t get anything from America. Not a thing.”The Kremlin is eager to help Trump, in fact, because his presidency has proven to be exceedingly beneficial for the Kremlin—having brought chaos into American politics, undermined trust in democratic institutions, weakened transatlantic alliances, delivered Syria into the hands of Putin, Syria's Bashar al-Assad and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, thereby elevating the international image of Russia as a global force to be reckoned with. State Dept. Aide Says He Overheard Sondland Tell Trump Ukraine President Would Do ‘Anything’The ongoing impeachment inquiry is a twofold gift for the Kremlin. On the one hand, President Trump and the Republican Party are doing Putin’s work by assailing U.S. intelligence agencies, career diplomats and institutions. On the other hand, the impeachment inquiry revealed an unprecedented rift between the United States and Ukraine—America’s strategic partner that enjoyed decades of strong bipartisan support.Witnesses in the impeachment inquiry laid bare President Trump’s reported indifference toward Ukraine’s plight of deterring Russian aggression—treating this fledgling democracy as a mere tool for his personal needs, while disregarding national interests of the United States. The statement of State Department aide David Holmes revealed a candid assessment by Gordon D. Sondland, the U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, who surmised that President Trump couldn’t care less about Ukraine or its war with Russia. Holmes wrote in his opening statement that—according to Ambassador Sondland—President Trump “did not give a s--t about Ukraine,” concerning himself instead with "big stuff" that could benefit him personally, “like the Biden investigation."In stark contrast to Trump’s ambivalence, Putin hungers after the restoration of Russia’s control and influence over Ukraine. As the late Zbigniew Brzezinski once said, "Without Ukraine, Russia ceases to be a Eurasian empire." During National Security Council staffer Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman’s deposition in the ongoing impeachment probe, he reaffirmed a geopolitical reality that none of Russia’s post-Soviet neighbors are of greater significance than Ukraine. Putin could not possibly envision a sweeter gift than Ukraine falling away from the West into the welcoming—albeit bloodied—hands of the Kremlin. Popov on 60 Minutes urged all Ukrainians to “finally sober up and understand that the only country willing to lovingly cover Ukraine with its nuclear shield is Russia.” (Note that when the Soviet empire collapsed, Ukraine was left with a substantial nuclear arsenal which it gave up in exchange for an agreement with Russia that its territorial integrity would remain inviolable—an agreement Putin trampled on when he annexed Crimea and launched the war in eastern Ukraine.)During a press conference at the BRICS Summit (an association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) on Thursday,  Putin told Ukrainians: “Don’t look for happiness overseas, don’t look across the oceans... but make deals with your neighbors.”Using the treasure trove of documents released during the impeachment inquiry, Russia’s master propagandists are weaponizing the information to demoralize the Ukrainians. State TV hosts, experts and talking heads are browbeating visiting Ukrainian guests and audiences by painting a picture where the West is merely using Ukraine for its own ends—predicting Trump will soon abandon the country just as he did America’s Kurdish allies in Syria. There is a common thread permeating the Russian media blitz: Ukraine is all alone and has nowhere left to turn, except to Russia.“Everyone is laughing at you,” scoffed Skabeeva, addressing a Ukrainian panelist on 60 Minutes. Maksim Yusin, the editor of international politics at the leading Russian business daily Kommersant exclaimed, “Ukraine is toxic, everyone will want to avoid it now.”  When Ukrainian panelist Alexander Goncharov said that his country is relying on the support of Republicans, the hosts and other panelists broke out in uproarious laughter. “Listen to Rand Paul,” said the co-host of 60 Minutes, playing the clip of the Kentucky senator bluntly stating: “I wouldn’t give them anything.” The Kremlin is poised to reap more rewards from the presidency of Donald Trump—and suddenly, Ukraine seems to be within reach.Appearing on the Russian state TV program, The Evening with Vladimir Soloviev, analyst Dmitry Drobnitsky said that Trump is fulfilling the dreams of anti-American strategists by withdrawing U.S. forces from the Middle East and retreating to domestic affairs. Drobnitsky predicted: “If Trump manages “to defeat his enemies and gets re-elected, he will start doing whatever he wants—and the world will see ‘Trump unchained.’ He will fulfill all of his promises.” The host, Vladimir Soloviev, threw in another prediction: “And after that, his daughter will become the next president.” The Kremlin sees another trump card in its future.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

  
  

• Khamenei: Iran not calling for elimination of Jews, wants non-sectarian Israel

  Iran is not calling for the elimination of the Jewish people, but believes people of all religions should decide Israel's future, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday. Since its Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran has refused to recognize Israel and has backed militant Palestinian groups. Israel has long accused Iran of seeking its destruction and regards Tehran as its main enemy in the Middle East.

  
  

• Australia intel chair blocked from China after criticising Beijing

  Australia's parliamentary intelligence committee head, who has previously criticised Beijing, said he had been blocked from entering China due to his "frankness about the Chinese Communist Party". Andrew Hastie warned several months ago that the world's approach to containing China's rise resembles the "catastrophic failure" to prevent the advance of Nazi Germany. Hastie, along with fellow government politician James Paterson, had planned to travel to China for a study tour next month but both have been banned from entering the country.

  
  

• No More Air: How An Entire Chinese Submarine Crew Died a Tragic Death in 2003

  A cruel death.

  
  

• 5 family members, including 3 children, dead in murder-suicide in San Diego, police say

  Five family members have died and a boy was injured after a man shot his family and then turned the gun on himself in San Diego, police say.

  
  

• California school shooter dies with motive a mystery

  A 16-year-old boy who killed two students and wounded three others at his Southern California high school before turning a gun on himself died Friday without investigators discovering the motive for the attack, authorities said. Nathaniel Tennosuke Berhow, died from a head wound. “It still remains a mystery why,” Sheriff Alex Villanueva told a press conference.

  
  

• Here's everything we know about Mina Chang, who rapidly rose from a self-described singer to a State Department official with a dubious résumé

  A closer look at her history reveals the Trump official may have misrepresented her work history and educational background.

  
  

• Black South Carolina Leaders Distance Themselves from Buttigieg Campaign’s ‘Douglass Plan’

  Several black leaders in South Carolina who were listed as supporters of the Buttigieg campaign's “Douglass Plan” distanced themselves from the proposal and the campaign when pressed for comment, saying that the campaign was “intentionally vague” in asking for their endorsements.According to a report from The Intercept, three South Carolina black leaders — Columbia City Councilwoman Tameika Devine, Rehoboth Baptist pastor and state Representative Ivory Thigpen, and Johnnie Cordero, chair of the state party’s Black Caucus — all expressed misgivings over the way that the Buttigieg campaign featured their names prominently in an open letter published in the the HBCU Times touting the plan’s details.“We are over 400 South Carolinians, including business owners, pastors, community leaders, and students. Together, we endorse his Douglass Plan for Black America, the most comprehensive roadmap for tackling systemic racism offered by a 2020 presidential candidate,” the letter reads.Buttigieg, who polled at zero percent among black voters in South Carolina earlier this year, recently called his plan “the most comprehensive vision put forward by a 2020 candidate on the question of how we’re going to tackle systemic racism in this country.”When reached for comment, Devine, Thigpen, and Cordero all denied that they intended their correspondence with the Buttigieg campaign over the plan to be read as an endorsement of the candidate.“Clearly from the number of calls I received about my endorsement, I think the way they put it out there wasn’t clear, that it was an endorsement of the plan, and that may have been intentionally vague. I’m political, I know how that works,” Devine said. “I do think they probably put it out there thinking people wouldn’t read the fine print or wouldn’t look at the details or even contact the people and say, ‘Hey, you’re endorsing Mayor Pete?’”“How it was rolled out was not an accurate representation of where I stand,” Thigpen added. “I didn’t know about its rolling out. Somebody brought it to my attention, and it was alarming to me, because even though I had had conversations with the campaign, it was clear to me, or at least I thought I made it clear to them, that I was a strong Bernie Sanders supporter — actually co-chair of the state, and I was not seeking to endorse their candidate or the plan.”Cordero, who has since been removed as a public supporter, said he did not know “how my name got on there,” and was simply emailed the plan by the campaign and asked for feedback.“What I was talking back and forth with them about was, who drafted the plan? I know Pete didn’t draft the plan. I’m sure he had his advisers do it. But I wanna know who was involved in this plan such that you can claim that you speak for black America,” Cordero said. “The long and the short of it was they never sufficiently answered my questions, so I never actually endorsed the plan. They went ahead and used my name.”In a statement to National Review, the Buttigieg campaign said that “we never gave the impression publicly that these people were endorsing Pete, only that they supported the plan.”“After they indicated their support, we reached out to people multiple times giving them the opportunity to review the language of the op-ed and the option to opt-out. We did hear from people who weren't comfortable being listed and we removed them,” the statement said.A source with knowledge of the situation said that the campaign reached out to Devine on Thursday night, who remained supportive of the plan. It is unclear whether the campaign also reached out to Thigpen.

  
  

• Sanders and Warren want to tax the rich. Here’s why their plans could work.

  Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have been facing charges that the proposals won’t work. Critics of the Warren (D-Mass.) and Sanders (I-Vt.) plans say it’s too hard to figure out how much wealth there is in the U.S., and they point out that wealth taxes failed in Europe. It didn’t work in Europe, so why will it work here?

  
  

• Kellyanne Conway confronts CNN anchor after he says ‘I know there are issues with your marriage’

  Donald Trump’s adviser and frequent spokesperson Kellyanne Conway has confronted a senior CNN anchor after he suggested there were “issues” with her marriage to a prominent critic of the president.In an an interview with Ms Conway, who frequently speaks on behalf of the administration, veteran journalist and presenter Wolf Blitzer played clips from a rival channel from the day before, in which her husband was seen criticising Mr Trump.

  
  

• UPDATE 1-Palestinian rockets, Israeli airstrikes jolt tenuous Gaza truce

  Palestinian militants fired two rockets deep into southern Israel from Gaza on Saturday, and the Israeli military responded with a number of air strikes on militant targets, shaking an already tenuous truce. The military said its missile defenses intercepted the two rockets.

  
  

• China targets one of Asia's biggest meth cartel: deputy drug tsar

  Chinese drug police are working with Mekong countries to strike at the heart of a mega-rich meth syndicate, a senior Beijing drugs tsar said, as the region targets top-level drug traffickers instead of street dealers. In large part responsible for the dramatic shift to synthetic drugs is a mega-cartel known as "Sam Gor", which UN's Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) believes is Asia's biggest crime syndicate led by a Chinese-born Canadian citizen named Tse Chi Lop. China is now stepping up efforts with Mekong countries -- Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam -- to take down Sam Gor in a "joint operation", said an official from China's National Narcotics Control Commission.

  
  

• The U.S. Marine Corps Is Making Big Changes (Thanks to Threats from Russia and China)

  It’s no secret that the U.S. Marine Corps is changing in order to better prepare for major warfare with China and Russia. Gen. David Berger, the Marine commandant, is overseeing several studies that could result in the Corps cutting some units and adding others and, in the process, radically changing how and why it functions.