November, 2019 | últimas notícias

Live updates: Trump calls whistleblower ‘a disgrace to our country’; Mulvaney defies impeachment inquiry subpoena – The Washington Post

“I didn’t mean disrespect, but I do think what I said is accurate, and let me say it again: I think what Speaker Pelosi is doing is not only dumb, it’s dangerous,” Kennedy said. “It’s a partisan impeachment, clearly. All impeachments, I guess, are political, but this one’s 100 percent political, and it’s going to establish a new norm for America that I think is bad for us.”

Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry-live-updates/2019/11/08/2b1e67dc-01b2-11ea-8501-2a7123a38c58_story.html

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What Michael Bloomberg means for the 2020 Democratic field – CNN

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Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/08/politics/michael-bloomberg-2020-election-joe-biden-democrats/index.html

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Trump says he has not agreed to roll back tariffs on China, after week of trade optimism – CNBC

The U.S. and China have worked to sign what the White House has described as a “phase one” trade deal. Trump hopes to resolve outstanding gripes with Beijing’s trade practices, including forced technology transfers and intellectual property theft, while securing more Chinese purchases of U.S. agricultural goods.

The Trump administration has slapped tariffs on more than $500 billion in Chinese goods, while Beijing has put duties on about $110 billion in American products. China has pushed for the U.S. to remove tariffs, which have the potential to wreak havoc on the global economy, as part of an agreement.

The White House declined to comment on Trump’s remarks.

Skepticism quickly grew Thursday about China’s statement that the U.S. agreed to roll back tariffs. Some administration officials and outside advisors opposed the prospect of scrapping duties, worrying it would reduce American leverage in ongoing talks, Reuters reported.

On Thursday night, Trump trade advisor Peter Navarro also denied the reports. He told Fox Business Network that “the only person who can make [the decision to roll back tariffs] is Donald J. Trump.”

Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have looked for a venue to sign the first piece of the trade deal. They had planned to sign the agreement at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in Chile later this month, before that country’s president canceled the event due to protests.

On Friday, Trump said he and his Chinese counterpart would sign the first part of the deal in the United States. He has previously suggested the sides could meet in Iowa for the signing.

— CNBC’s Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report

WATCH: Tariff deal faces pushback within the White House

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/08/trump-says-he-has-not-agreed-to-roll-back-tariffs-on-china-after-week-of-trade-optimism.html

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Some of the key claims from the book ‘A Warning’ by ‘Anonymous’ on the Trump administration – USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – The ‘Anonymous’ author purporting to be at the top of the Trump administration is soon releasing a book titled “A Warning,” a behind the scenes look into the president of Donald Trump.

The author, identified as “a senior official in the Trump administration,” according to news reports, first came to prominence with an anonymous op-ed published in September 2018 in The New York Times that described efforts by the author and other senior officials to protect the country from Trump.

The publisher says the anonymous book author did not take an advance payment for the book, and plans to donate a substantial amount of royalties to “non-profit organizations that focus on government accountability and on supporting those who stand up for the truth in repressive countries around the world,” a representative of the author, Matt Latimer, told The Washington Post.

The White House publicly condemned the excerpts of the book that have emerged so far.

“The coward who wrote this book didn’t put their name on it because it is nothing but lies,” said White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham.

‘Anonymous’ book:Trump staffers mulled mass resignations, reports say

Here are some of the most explosive claims so far from the book:

Officials thought Pence would support removing Trump from office

According to an excerpt obtained by HuffPost, senior White House officials did “a back-of-the-envelope tally” of the number of Cabinet members who would support the invocation of the 25th Amendment, which allows for the removal of a president if the majority of the Cabinet and the vice president deem the president unfit for office.

They believed, according to the author, that Pence would support such a move. The discussions allegedly took place after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey in May 2017.

Pence responded to the claim while speaking with reporters in New Hampshire on Thursday, calling the book “appalling.”

“I never heard anything in my time as Vice President about the 25th amendment. And why would I?” he said, adding that “Those rumors – I dismissed them several years ago and. I’m happy to dismiss them…today.”

Karen Pence:Second lady embraces bigger role on 2020 campaign trail

‘Midnight self-massacre’

The Washington Post reported that the book plans to discuss how White House officials considered a mass resignation last year as part of a “midnight self-massacre,” echoing an incident from the Richard Nixon White House when administration officials refused to carry out Nixon’s orders were fired en masse.

The mass resignation was considered in order to draw public attention to Trump’s conduct, but the officials decided to remain in office rather than destabilize the U.S. government, the official writes.

The author says op-ed was wrong

The author’s September 2018 op-ed in the Times claimed there were White House officials standing between Trump and his worst impulses, and that they could keep the president in check. The Post reports the author admitted to being wrong on this point.

“Many Trump appointees have vowed to do what we can to preserve our democratic institutions while thwarting Mr. Trump’s more misguided impulses until he is out of office,” the author wrote last year.

“I was wrong about the ‘quiet resistance’ inside the Trump administration,” the author writes now. “Unelected bureaucrats and cabinet appointees were never going to steer Donald Trump the right direction in the long run, or refine his malignant management style. He is who he is.”

Mitt Romney:a solitary GOP voice battling Trump for the soul of the Republican Party

Trump is ‘like a twelve-year-old in an air traffic control tower’

According to the Post, the author also plans to criticize Trump’s character and whether he’s fit for office.

The author describes Trump as “like a twelve-year-old in an air traffic control tower, pushing the buttons of government indiscriminately, indifferent to the planes skidding across the runway and the flights frantically diverting away from the airport” in an excerpt provided to the outlet.

In another excerpt, the author writes, “I am not qualified to diagnose the president’s mental acuity” but adds:

“All I can tell you is that normal people who spend any time with Donald Trump are uncomfortable by what they witness. He stumbles, slurs, gets confused, is easily irritated, and has trouble synthesizing information, not occasionally but with regularity. Those who would claim otherwise are lying to themselves or to the country.”

Bill Barr:Trump wanted Bill Barr to publicly declare Trump broke no laws in Ukraine call

Misogynistic and racist comments

The author alleges Trump makes misogynistic and racist comments, based on excerpts provided to the Post.

“I’ve sat and listened in uncomfortable silence as he talks about a woman’s appearance or performance,” the author says in the excerpts. “He comments on makeup. He makes jokes about weight. He critiques clothing. He questions the toughness of women in and around his orbit. He uses words like ‘sweetie’ and ‘honey’ to address accomplished professionals. This is precisely the way a boss shouldn’t act in the work environment.”

The author also says Trump attempted to put on a Hispanic accent during a meeting about immigration.

“We get these women coming in with like seven children,” Trump said, according to the author. “They are saying, ‘Oh, please help! My husband left me!’ They are useless. They don’t do anything for our country. At least if they came in with a husband we could put him in the fields to pick corn or something.”

George Kent:Top takeaways from Kent’s newly released impeachment inquiry testimony

Trump fearful of notes

According to the excerpts published by the Post, Trump is particularly fearful of internal White House fights and of notes of meetings.

The Post reports that during one meeting, the president yelled at a staffer who was writing notes.

“What the [expletive] are you doing?” Trump allegedly said. “Are you [expletive] taking notes?” after which the aide closed his notebook.

Contributing: David Jackson, Jeanine Santucci

Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/11/08/anonymous-trump-book-most-explosive-claims/2527647001/

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Made in America. Dead in Mexico. The massacre of a family this week highlights ‘grave problem’ of gun smuggling – USA TODAY

Correction: This story originally cited an incorrect figure for the number of firearms sold in Mexico. The error has been corrected.

Like a rifle shot echoing in a canyon, the slaughter of nine women and children this week by suspected cartel members in Mexico has reemphasized the lethal role of U.S.-manufactured firearms in narco violence south of the border.

The members of the LeBaron family – three women and six children – were gunned down as they traveled along a rural road between Sonora and Chihuahua. The killings occurred in a nation that has set homicide records the past two years and is on course to do it again in 2019.

President Donald Trump, within hours of the attack, put out a tweet calling on Mexico “to wage WAR on the drug cartels and wipe them off the face of the earth.”

Mexican counterpart Andres Manuel López Obrador balked, saying bellicose tactics produced the bloodshed that now terrorizes his nation. In a report updated last month, the Council on Foreign Relations summarized that point:

“The country has seen over 300,000 homicides since anti-drug campaigns began in 2006. In 2018, homicides, many linked to drug cartels, hit a new high of almost 36,000. This trend continued in 2019, with about 90 murders daily.”

Back near the crime scene, in a tiny outback municipality known as Bavispe, police quickly gathered and counted American-made rifle cartridges.

Gen. Homero Mendoza Ruiz, the nation’s defense secretary, told reporters the 200 shell casings were from .223 caliber rounds produced by Remington, a U.S. manufacturer.

“These caliber bullets are used in M-16 and AR-15 rifles,” he said.

Alfonso Durazo, Mexico’s minister of security, announced that a bi-national committee of representatives from the U.S. and Mexico has been created to control the trafficking of guns.

“This is a grave problem we have in the our country because trafficking of guns, particularly from the United States, is what has elevated the firepower of criminal groups,” Durazo said.

The southward flow of firearms (and money) across the border – going in the opposite direction of pot, cocaine, heroin and meth – is a decades-old dilemma with no known solution.

According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, of 132,823 guns recovered from Mexican criminals from 2009 to 2018, about 70% were traced to U.S. origins.

The trafficking of firearms is a ‘go-to issue’ for US and Mexican officials

No one knows how many guns make it to Mexico annually. Researchers at the University of San Diego estimate more than 750,000 were smuggled from the United States – the world’s largest firearm manufacturer – between 2010 and 2012.

The study concluded that nearly half of U.S. gun dealers are to some extent dependent on sales that ultimately lead to Mexico, and authorities “are seizing a comparatively small number of firearms at the border” – about 15%.

David Shirk, director of the university’s Transborder Institute and a co-author of that study, said firearms trafficking becomes “a go-to issue” for U.S. and Mexican officials “whenever they don’t have an answer to the violence.”

He noted that, just three weeks ago, Trump and López Obrador announced a new initiative to stop guns at the border. That accord came days after Mexican authorities arrested Ovidio Guzmán , the son of Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who is serving a lifetime prison sentence.

After the younger Guzmán’s capture, cartel members went on a rampage, outgunning Mexican security forces as they seized control of Culiacan, the Sinaloa capital. Within hours, López Obrador ordered police to stand down and release the prisoner.

Last week, Shirk said, he crisscrossed the border into Tijuana several times to see how the new gun-stopping measures – random vehicle checks and the use of laser-scanners – are working.

Traffic was a bit more clogged, he said. A couple times, U.S. and Mexican border officers gave him cursory looks. “But they didn’t stop me, Approximately two seconds, and they waved me on. They didn’t search.”

Shirk noted there have been past efforts to stem the flow of southbound firearms, with few seizures, and the new initiative does not seem to be faring better. “If they were successful at it, they’d be bragging about it. And they’re not.”

In fact, during the Obama administration, agents for a time did exactly the opposite: They let guns “walk” into Mexico after watching illegal purchases. More on that in a bit.

‘Operation Fast and Furious’ futility

Last year, Mexico saw 20,005 gun homicides – nearly seven times as many as in 2003, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

Which is curious, because Mexican law does not allow gun possession without a permit.

In fact, the Times noted, there is only one gun store in the country, located on a military base, and the licensing process is so stringent that it sold just 15,754 weapons last year.

So, how is it that firearms are ubiquitous in Mexico?

The border gun-smuggling business is a multi-million-dollar enterprise, and a multi-faceted business.

Often, weapons are acquired in the United States via private-party transactions or at gun shows. Such sales are unregulated, so there is no record of the buyer, seller or firearm. And, until recently, traffickers could simply drive them across the border with little concern about getting caught.

The use of straw buyers also is common. Individuals with clean records are hired to purchase weapons from licensed firearm dealers – often gun stores – who are required to maintain records. The straw buyers turn those weapons over to cartel-related smugglers, collecting a fee.

Beginning in 2009, the ATF in Arizona launched a plan known as Operation Fast and Furious with a purported goal of following illegally purchased weapons to Mexico and catching kingpins. Instead, however, about 2,000 firearms bought at metro Phoenix stores were allowed to cross the border, where they disappeared.

ATF whistleblowers exposed the program, leading to congressional investigations, a criminal contempt citation against Attorney General Eric Holder and termination of high-ranking Justice Department officials.

‘Who wants to be the hero cop?’

Meanwhile, guns from Fast and Furious began popping up at shooting scenes all over Mexico. Most notoriously, one of the weapons was used in the 2010 ambush murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in southern Arizona.

The ensuing furor led to renewed talk of stanching the river of guns into Mexico, but Shirk said efforts have been largely futile. A real solution, he said, would involve regulation of firearm sales, but the U.S. political climate won’t allow it.

Meanwhile, U.S. government may contribute to the problem in another way. An audit by the State Department’s inspector general this year found that the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls repeatedly fell short in regulating firearm exports.

The directorate approved 21 gun export license applications in 2017-18 – even though 20 of them lacked required information. Moreover, the agency failed to notify Congress of 17 large transactions as required by law.

According to The Intercept, the United States exported about $123 million worth of firearms and ammunition to Mexico from 2015-17, apparently for military use. The publication added, “Legally exported US firearms have been used in massacres, disappearances, and by security forces that collude with criminal groups in Mexico on a broad scale,” according to the Intercept report.

Shirk said the gun dilemma is compounded in Mexico by a “lack of capacity and integrity” among the nation’s police, prosecutors and security forces.

About 5% of all homicides in Mexico result in arrests and convictions. The rest of the perpetrators get away with murder, in part due to law enforcement corruption or fears, and because witnesses are too terrified to testify.

Referring to the massacre in Sonora, Shirk said, “There is, I think, no hope of bringing the perpetrators of this crime to justice in Mexico. Not just this crime, but any crime …

“Who wants to be the hero cop when they know there’s a high probability they’re going to die?”

Contributing: Daniel Gonzalez, Arizona Republic

Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/11/08/mexico-homicides-rising-us-arms-weapon-choice/2522384001/

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Diplomat testified that Putin, Orban poisoned Trump’s views on Ukraine – NBC News

WASHINGTON — A senior U.S. diplomat told Congress that he was briefed on conversations President Donald Trump had with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban in which the two foreign leaders talked Trump into a negative view about Ukraine and its new leader.

George Kent, a senior State Department official responsible for Europe, told House investigators that Putin and Orban, along with Trump personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, had “shaped the president’s view of Ukraine and (President Volodymyr) Zelenskiy.” He said Trump’s conversations with the two leaders accounted for the change in Trump’s view of Zelenskiy from “very positive” after their first call on April 21 to “negative” just one month later when he met with advisers on Ukraine in the Oval Office.

In the interim, Trump spoke by phone with Putin on May 3, and hosted Orban at the White House on May 13.

Kent’s description of those conversations, included in the transcript of his deposition by the House released Thursday, feeds into longstanding concerns from national security experts that the president’s views on key foreign issues are being influenced by Putin and other autocratic leaders such as Orban. The far-right leader of Hungary has been at the helm of a nationalist movement in Europe that has at times found common cause with Trump’s foreign policy.

Kent testified that he took notes in mid-May of a conversation he had with Fiona Hill, then the top White House official for Europe. In that role Hill frequently participated directly in Trump’s meetings and phone calls with foreign leaders, and Kent said that Hill described to him what had occurred in both the Putin call and the Orban meeting.

“Fiona assessed the conversations as being similar in tone and approach. And both leaders, both Putin and Orban, extensively talked Ukraine down, said it was corrupt, said Zelenskiy was in the thrall of oligarchs,” Kent said. “Specifically mentioning this one oligarch Kolomoisky, negatively shaping a picture of Ukraine and even President Zelenskiy himself.”

Ihor Kolomoisky, a major Ukrainian businessman, has close ties to Zelenskiy pre-dating his presidency that have been frequently cited by Zelenskiy’s critics.

Hill, through her attorney, had no immediate comment. But in her own deposition before the House, Hill described how normal White House channels on Ukraine were circumvented by others in and out of the U.S. government who ran a “shadow” foreign policy on Ukraine.

Kent’s testimony provides the first public confirmation by a senior diplomat that Orban and Putin pushed a damaging image of Ukraine to Trump, although officials previously described such a scenario to The Washington Post and The New York Times. Kent’s testimony is also pointed in saying that Orban and Putin’s views apparently wore off on Trump and succeeded in altering his view of Ukraine.

Kent testified that top Trump administration officials who had attended Zelenskiy’s inauguration in May were “very positive” about the new Ukrainian leader, who had come into office pledging to clean up corruption.

“We were cautiously optimistic that this was an opportunity to push forward the reform that Ukraine needs to succeed in resisting Russian aggression, building a successful economy, and, frankly, a justice system that will treat American investors and Ukrainian citizens equally before the law,” Kent said.

He said that was a “different” assessment of Zelenskiy than Trump got from Putin, Orban and his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani.

Kent, whose portfolio includes several former Soviet Union countries, said Putin’s motivation for turning Trump against Ukraine was “very clear.” Putin denies Ukraine’s sovereign existence and wants it to fail as an independent nation. He said Orban’s view derives from his vision of a “Greater Hungary,” including some 130,000 ethnic Hungarians who Kent said live in Ukraine.

“I would say that that’s Putin’s position,” Kent said. “I think 0rban is just happy to jam Ukraine.”

Source Article from https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/diplomat-testified-putin-orban-poisoned-trump-s-views-ukraine-n1078551

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Another Arctic Surge to Deliver Record Mid-November Cold Next Week to the Plains, Midwest, South and East – The Weather Channel

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Trump impeachment inquiry, Camp Fire one year later, Black Friday preview: 5 things to know Friday – USA TODAY

Mick Mulvaney called to testify in impeachment inquiry

Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney is scheduled to testify Friday before the House impeachment inquiry, but the White House said he won’t appear. White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said Mulvaney won’t “participate in such a ridiculous, partisan, illegitimate proceeding.” Mulvaney acknowledged during an Oct. 17 news conference at the White House that President Donald Trump withheld military aid to Ukraine in part to encourage an investigation of the 2016 election, a trade-off that Mulvaney described as being common in diplomacy. But he later issued a statement saying there was no quid pro quo to provide aid in exchange for an investigation.

Bolton a no-show: Refuses summons to testify

Prefer to listen? Check out the 5 things podcast below and subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts:

A year after deadly Camp Fire, Paradise pauses to remember

Friday marks one year since the deadliest wildfire in California history — the Camp Fire — broke out and burned for 17 days through 240 square miles of Butte County in Northern California. The fire killed at least 85 people, destroyed more than 10,000 homes and laid to waste the town of Paradise. Investigators determined the cause of the blaze was a faulty transmission line owned by Pacific Gas & Electric — the utility eventually filed for bankruptcy, facing billions in liabilities from the Camp Fire and other wildfires in Northern and Central California. Local officials are asking people to pause for 85 seconds beginning at 11:08 a.m. — one second for every person who was killed.

The Camp Fire’s 85th victim: Nearly a year later, authorities still have no explanation
Camp Fire survivorwho lost home in deadly blaze bilked of thousands of dollars, police say

Ex-Twitter employee recruited by Saudi Arabia to spy on critics due in court

A former Twitter employee charged with acting as an unregistered agent for Saudi Arabia to spy on the kingdom’s critics is due for a detention hearing Friday. According to a complaint unsealed this week in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, federal prosecutors allege the Saudis paid Ahmad Abouammo and Ali Alzabarah tens of thousands of dollars through secret bank accounts to entice them to snoop on the private information of more than 6,000 Twitter users.The complaint also alleges that Abouammo, who left his job as the media partnership manager responsible for Twitter’s Middle East region in 2015, falsified documents and lied to FBI agents when they questioned him at his Seattle home. Abouammo appeared Wednesday in Seattle federal court and was ordered to remain in custody at least until Friday’s hearing.

Shunning political ads: Trump campaign slams Twitter’s ‘dumb’ ban on political ads as 2020 Democrats applaud the ‘bold step’

Target’s two-day ‘HoliDeals’ kicks off as preview to Black Friday

Target’s “HoliDeals” – savings on thousands of items throughout the season – kicks off Friday with a two-day Black Friday preview sale. According to a news release, the preview sale held Friday and Saturday offers four times the number of early deals compared to last year, including 5% off Target digital gift cards. “This is the busiest time of year for our guests, and with the shortened season, we want to make it as easy as possible for them to cross everything off their holiday list at Target,” said Rick Gomez, the company’s executive vice president, chief marketing and digital officer. Others deals include a $200 Target gift card with a purchase of the newest generation iPhones and Beats Solo3 for $129.99, regularly $299.99.

Black Friday 2019: The best Black Friday deals you can already get
Target Circle guide: Here’s what you need to know about the new shopper loyalty program

Man wanted in connection with slain couple to appear in court

A Utah man wanted in connection with the missing New Hampshire couple found buried at a Texas beach is scheduled to appear in court Friday after being apprehended in Mexico. Adam Curtis Williams, 33, was booked into the Kleberg County jail in South Texas late Wednesday on suspicion of felony theft of service and assault on a peace officer. His bond was set at $1 million, according to online records. He is expected to appear before a Kleberg County judge Friday morning. Amanda Noverr, who was considered a person of interest in the case, was also apprehended. Authorities would not say if Williams and Noverr are suspects in the murder. The bodies of James and Michelle Butler were found buried in a shallow grave Oct. 27 on North Padre Island in South Texas.

Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/11/08/trump-impeachment-inquiry-camp-fire-black-friday-preview-5-things-know/4153195002/

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US election 2020: Michael Bloomberg mulls presidential bid – BBC News

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Getty Images

Image caption

Michael Bloomberg has highlighted climate change and gun control as key issues

Billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg is strongly considering entering the race for the US Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.

The ex-New York City mayor is concerned the current field of candidates is not good enough to beat Donald Trump in the 2020 election, his adviser says.

The 77-year-old is expected to file paperwork this week for the Democratic presidential primary in Alabama.

A total of 17 Democratic candidates are vying to take on President Trump.

Former Vice-President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders are the frontrunners.

Some recent opinion polls have suggested that Ms Warren and Mr Sanders – who are regarded as to the left of Mr Biden – might lose against Republican Mr Trump if either won the party’s nomination.

So far, three Republicans have said they will challenge Mr Trump in the party’s primary contest.

Long-time Trump critic joins Republican race to unseat Trump

But it is seen as almost impossible that anyone will take the Republican mantle from the president.

What did Bloomberg’s adviser say?

In a statement, Howard Wolfson said: “We now need to finish the job and ensure that Trump is defeated.

“But Mike is increasingly concerned that the current field of candidates is not well positioned to do that.

“Based on his record of accomplishment, leadership and his ability to bring people together to drive change, Mike would be able to take the fight to Trump and win,” Mr Wolfson said.

President Trump, 73, has so far made no public comments on the issue.

The Democratic nominee for the presidential election on 3 November 2020 will be selected after a series of electoral contests across the country.

In Alabama, candidates must by Friday submit the necessary paperwork to get on the Democratic primary ballot.

If Mr Bloomberg does indeed enter the race, he will still have to register in other states which have later filing deadlines.

A New York billionaire as president?

So far this is only a single toe entering the water, but it’s a significant one. The presence of the former New York mayor and multi-billionaire would set alight the race for the Democratic Party nomination.

The politician closest to Mr Bloomberg’s centrist outlook is Joe Biden – but his campaign appears to be fading.

Mr Bloomberg has, I understand, been doing a lot of polling in early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire.

This isn’t the first time that he’s eyed a run at the presidency, only to eventually decide against.

But in the past he’s ruled himself out because he thought Americans wouldn’t vote for a billionaire New York businessman. That concern no longer applies.

Who is Michael Bloomberg?

Mr Bloomberg’s net worth is $52bn (£40bn), according to Forbes. This is nearly 17 times more than that of Mr Trump ($3.1bn).

Mr Bloomberg was a Wall Street banker who went on to found the financial publishing empire that bears his name.

A philanthropist, he has donated millions of dollars to educational, medical and other causes.

Originally a Democrat, he became a Republican to mount a successful campaign for mayor of New York City in 2001.

He went on to serve three terms as mayor until 2012, rejoining the Democratic Party only last year.

Image copyright
Getty Images

Image caption

From friends to bitter rivals: Michael Bloomberg (left) and Donald Trump

Regarded as a moderate Democrat, he has highlighted climate change as a key issue, but he had appeared to dismiss a potential run for the presidency earlier this year.

Mr Bloomberg is a large financial backer of gun-control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, which he helped found in 2014.

The group, and Mr Bloomberg, were seen as playing a major role in a sweeping victory for Democrats in Virginia state elections earlier this week.

They vastly outspent gun lobby group the National Rifle Association – which is based in Virginia – by pumping $2.5m into the state race.

Source Article from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50340989

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Democrats’ impeachment inquiry hits overdrive – CNN

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what’s happening in the world as it unfolds.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/08/politics/donald-trump-impeachment-democrats-hearings-republicans/index.html

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Michael Bloomberg taking steps to run for president in 2020 Democratic race – CBS News

Washington — Michael Bloomberg is taking steps to enter the 2020 Democratic presidential campaign, a person familiar with his plans tells CBS News.

Bloomberg, 77, has dispatched aides to Alabama to file paperwork in the state to run as a Democrat. The Cotton State doesn’t hold an early Democratic presidential primary, but has the earliest filing deadline for the presidential campaign. Taking steps to file paperwork is the most serious signal yet that the former New York mayor and billionaire is seriously planning for a White House run.

The New York Times first reported Bloomberg’s plans to file to run in Alabama.

Howard Wolfson, a longtime Bloomberg adviser, said in a statement that Bloomberg “is increasingly concerned that the current field of candidates is not well positioned” to defeat President Trump.

“If Mike runs he would offer a new choice to Democrats built on a unique record running America’s biggest city, building a business from scratch and taking on some of America’s toughest challenges as a high-impact philanthropist,” Wolfson said. “Based on his record of accomplishment, leadership and his ability to bring people together to drive change, Mike would be able to take the fight to Trump and win.”

In an interview with “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan in late October, Bloomberg expressed his reservations about the Democratic field.

“I have my reservations about the people running and their campaigning, the promises they’re making that they can’t fulfill, and their willingness to admit what is possible and what isn’t and their inconsistency from day to day,” he said. “This is not the way to run a railroad.”

Michael Bloomberg talks 2020 field, reverses course on impeachment

This is a developing story.

Source Article from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-bloomberg-age-president-taking-steps-to-run-for-president-in-2020-democratic-race-today-2019-11-07/

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Lawyer for Ukraine whistleblower sends White House cease and desist letter to stop Trump’s attacks – CNN

Trump impeachment tracker: Following all the action in Congress

Who’s Who: Meet the key players

Visual timeline of the Ukraine scandal

READ: The whistleblower complaint, annotated

READ: Trump’s July 25 call with the Ukraine president, annotated

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/07/politics/ukraine-whistleblower-trump-cease-and-desist/index.html

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New book by anonymous op-ed author details the challenge of briefing the president | TheHill – The Hill

Excerpts from a new book by an anonymous White House official titled “A Warning” released Thursday evening detailed the difficulties Trump’s staff encountered trying to brief him.

During “The Rachel MaddowRachel Anne Maddow Saagar Enjeti praises Yang for cautioning Democrats on impeachment Tyler Perry Studios named site of next Democratic debate Harris struggling with substance to match the aspiration MORE Show,” MSNBC host Rachel Maddow read excerpts from the upcoming book, which alluded to challenging characteristics of the president, such as “inattentiveness” and “impulsiveness” that had a “powerful impact on the people serving in the administration.” These characteristics, the author writes, manifested themselves when advisors and staffers would try to brief the president.

“A Warning,” was written by the same anonymous author that penned the New York Times op-ed last year titled, “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration.”

Throughout all of the excerpts obtained by the host, the nameless author repeatedly brings up the “Steady State”, the group of White House officials that attempted “to keep the wheels from coming off.”

“A Warning” author also notes in the various shared pages that the when discussing matters of life and death, or particularly weighty matters, the president would not prepare himself for meetings. Briefers were told early on in the administration not to bring in lengthy memos because “Trump wouldn’t read them.”

The book also described the ways in which briefing material had to be simplified and broken down to a few points in a visual presentation.

“PowerPoint was preferred because [Trump] is a visual learner” recalls “A Warning” author.

But the whittling down of the briefing process didn’t stop there, according to the excerpts.

The author writes, “then officials were told that the PowerPoint decks needed to be slimmed down. The president couldn’t digest too many slides. He needed more images to keep his interest – and fewer words.”

Further still, briefers were told “to cut back the overall message (on complicated issues such as military readiness or the federal budget) to just three main points,” but even doing that “was still too much.”

Soon, the author notes, the best practice to briefing the president became “come in with one main point and repeat it – over and over again, even if the president inevitably goes off on tangents – until he gets it.”

When briefers did attempt to give Trump a traditional memo and it didn’t end well, the author writes.

“’What the f*** is this?’” the president would shout, looking at a document one of them handed him. ‘These are just words. A bunch of words. It doesn’t mean anything.’”

Continuing, the author completes their thought, writing “sometimes he would throw the papers back on the table. He definitely wouldn’t read them.”

The White house has condemned the book. White House Press Secretary Stephanie GrishamStephanie Grisham Overnight Defense: Trump, Erdogan confirm White House meeting | Public impeachment hearings set for next week | Top defense appropriator retiring White House to add two aides to lead impeachment messaging White House doubles down on ‘no quid pro quo’ MORE told The Hill in a statement that “the book is nothing but lies.”

The White House previously released a lengthier statement responding to The Washington Post’s article on the excerpts.

“Real authors reach out to their subjects to get things fact checked — but this person is in hiding, making that very basic part of being a real writer impossible. Reporters who choose to write about this farce should have the journalistic integrity to cover the book as what it is — a work of fiction,” she added in the statement to the Post.

Source Article from https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/469550-maddow-anonymous-op-ed-author-details-the-challenge-of-briefing-the

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Buffalo Wild Wings employee dies after exposure to ‘common’ cleaning agent, 10 others hospitalized – USA TODAY

An employee of a Buffalo Wild Wings in Massachusetts died and 10 others were hospitalized Thursday night after being exposed to a floor cleaner inside the restaurant.

Just after 5:30 p.m. Thursday, emergency responders in Burlington were called to the scene following the report of a “sick individual and a potential chemical release,” interim Fire Chief Michael Patterson told reporters in a video from the scene.

Patterson said the fire department arrived and found a man being treated by paramedics outside of the restaurant. He was transported to a hospital, where he died.

The man, an employee of the restaurant, was exposed to a sodium hypochlorite floor cleaner called “Super 8,” which Patterson said is commonly used. Of the 11 total people hospitalized as a result of the incident, only two were customers, Patterson said.

‘I was appalled’:Black customers recount alleged racist request at Buffalo Wild Wings near Chicago

A Buffalo Wild Wings spokesperson in a statement referred questions to local authorities, citing an ongoing investigation.

“We are shocked and saddened to learn of this tragic accident at our franchise-owned sports bar and are working closely with our franchisee and the authorities while they conduct an investigation,” the spokesperson said.

Another worker “prepared the floor” with the cleaner and then immediately stepped outside for fresh air, according to Patterson. The worker who died then tried to squeegee the cleaning agent out of the restaurant “when he was overcome,” Patterson said.

Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/11/07/buffalo-wild-wings-employee-dies-chemical-accident/2526696001/

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Juul Ends E-Cigarette Sales of Mint-Flavored Pods – The New York Times

Virginia tobacco

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/07/health/vaping-juul-mint-flavors.html

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Hong Kong protests weigh on Disney’s international parks’ profits – CNBC

Disney says “circumstances” in Hong Kong weighed on its theme park profits at international Disneyland resorts.

The company said Thursday during an earnings call that growth in Disneyland Paris and the Shanghai Disney Resorts were offset by lower results at the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort.

“Circumstances in Hong Kong have led to a significant decrease in tourism from China and other parts of Asia and based on the trends we saw in Q4, and what we are seeing so far in Q1,” Christine McCarthy, chief financial officer at Disney, said. “We expect operating income at Hong Kong Disneyland to decline by about $80 million for Q1.”

Operating income in the Hong Kong park declined by $55 million during the fourth quarter, she said.

The “circumstances” Disney is alluding to are the major protests occurring in Hong Kong. The protests started in early June over a controversial extradition bill. What began as largely peaceful demonstrations have turned increasingly violent, with protesters torching metro stations and police firing tear gas.

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/07/hong-kong-protests-weigh-on-disneys-international-parks-profits.html

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Michael Bloomberg expected to file for Alabama 2020 primary – CNN

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what’s happening in the world as it unfolds.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/07/politics/michael-bloomberg-alabama-2020-primary/index.html

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Bolton willing to defy White House and testify if court clears the way, according to people familiar with his views – The Washington Post

Last month, Charles Kupperman, who served as a deputy to Bolton at the National Security Council, filed a lawsuit seeking a judicial ruling on whether he should comply with a congressional subpoena or follow instructions from the White House not to appear. Kupperman’s attorney, Charles Cooper, also represents Bolton.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bolton-willing-to-defy-white-house-and-testify-if-court-clears-the-way-according-to-people-familiar-with-his-views/2019/11/07/dd72d73c-00aa-11ea-9518-1e76abc088b6_story.html

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Trump Foundation ordered to pay $2M to group of nonprofits as part of civil lawsuit – ABC News

President Donald Trump has been ordered by a New York State judge to pay $2 million to a group of nonprofit organizations as part of a settlement in a civil lawsuit stemming from persistent violations of state charities laws.

The payment is the final resolution to a case brought by the New York attorney general’s office after the Trump Foundation held a fundraiser for military veterans during the 2016 campaign.

The televised fundraiser took in nearly $3 million in donations that were dispersed on the eve of the Iowa caucuses as directed by then-campaign chief Corey Lewandowski.

The two million must be paid by President Trump himself for breaching his fiduciary duty to properly oversee the foundation that bears his name.

“I direct Mr. Trump to pay the $2,000,000, which would have gone to the Foundation if it were still in existence, on a pro rata basis to the Approved Recipients,” Judge Saliann Scarpulla wrote.

The lawsuit filed by the state’s attorney general accused President Trump — along with his children, Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka — of conflating charity with politics, repeatedly using charitable donations for personal, political and business gains, including legal settlements, campaign contributions and even to purchase a portrait of Trump to hang at one of his hotels..

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, FILE

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his family (L-R) son Donald Trump Jr, son Eric Trummp, wife Melania Trump and daughters Tiffany Trump and Ivanka Trump at the new Trump International Hotel, Oct. 26, 2016, in Washington, DC.

Filed in state Supreme Court by the attorney general’s Charities Bureau, the suit sought to dissolve the private New York-based foundation and prevent the Trumps from serving as directors of any nonprofits in the future.

The foundation has already agreed to cease operations and must pay the two million to a consortium of nonprofit organizations.

Attorneys for Trump argued that the money was always used for charitable purposes within the law, such as in 2014 when Trump bid $10,000 of foundation money on a portrait of himself at a charity auction benefiting the Unicorn Foundation. Trump Organization attorney, Alan Futerfas told the court Trump only donated to start the bidding, but when no one else would bid, the Donald J. Trump Foundation was stuck with the painting.

When the lawsuit was filed in June 2018, President Trump attacked it and claimed the lawsuit was politically motivated.

“The sleazy New York Democrats, and their now disgraced (and run out of town) A.G. Eric Schneiderman, are doing everything they can to sue me on a foundation that took in $18,800,000 and gave out to charity more money than it took in, $19,200,000,” the president said in a tweet referencing the former state attorney general.

Susan Walsh/AP

President Donald Trump walks over to talk to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Nov. 1, 2019.

The judge repeatedly rejected attempts by Trump to have the case dismissed.

After reviewing the record, Judge Scarpulla determined that “Mr. Trump breached his fiduciary duty to the Foundation and that waste occurred to the Foundation.”

“Mr. Trump’s fiduciary duty breaches included allowing his campaign to orchestrate the Fundraiser, allowing his campaign, instead of the Foundation, to direct distribution of the Funds, and using the Fundraiser and distribution of the Funds to further Mr. Trump’s political campaign,” Scarpulla wrote.

Source Article from https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-foundation-ordered-pay-2m-collection-nonprofits-part/story?id=66827235

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Live updates: State Department official says Giuliani was engaged in a campaign ‘full of lies and incorrect information’ about former ambassador – The Washington Post

Here’s what you need to know to understand the impeachment inquiry into President Trump.

How we got here: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the beginning of an official impeachment inquiry against President Trump on Sept. 24, 2019. Here’s what has happened since then.

What’s happening now: Lawmakers are conducting an inquiry, which could lead to impeachment. An impeachment would mean the U.S. House thinks the president is no longer fit to serve and should be removed from office. Here’s a guide to how impeachment works.

What’s happening next: The House will hold public impeachment hearings, beginning on November 13. House committees conducting the investigation have already held closed-door hearings and subpoenaed documents from dozens of witnesses relating to the president’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Here are key dates and what’s next.

Stay informed: Read the latest reporting and analysis on the impeachment inquiry here.

Get email updates: Get a guide to the latest on the inquiry in your inbox every weekday. Sign up for the 5-Minute Fix.

Listen: Follow The Post’s coverage with daily updates from across our podcasts.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry-live-updates/2019/11/07/a2fa1ad0-00e5-11ea-9518-1e76abc088b6_story.html

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Donald Trump Jr.’s wild interview on ‘The View’ went off the rails – INSIDER

Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son and top surrogate, appeared on ABC’s “The View” on Thursday and used the opportunity to personally criticize a few of the show’s left-leaning cohosts.
Trump Jr. was asked a series of tough questions about his decision to spread the alleged name of the Ukraine whistleblower and about his father’s attacks on a Gold Star family.
In response, Trump Jr. accused Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar of being hypocrites and brought up some of their past offensive actions.
Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son and top surrogate, appeared on ABC’s “The View” on Thursday and used the opportunity to personally criticize the show’s left-leaning cohosts. Appearing alongside him was his partner, the former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle.

After being asked a series of tough questions about his decision to spread the alleged name of the Ukraine whistleblower and his father’s attacks on a family whose son was killed while serving in the US army in Iraq, Trump Jr. went on the offensive.

—The View (@TheView) November 7, 2019

The president’s son, who also helps run the Trump Organization with his brother Eric, pivoted to controversial things the hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar have said or done.

“We’ve all done things that we regret,” he said. “I mean, if we’re talking about bringing the discourse down.”

He then accused Behar of wearing blackface. Behar has said she dressed as an “African woman” for Halloween decades ago but did not wear blackface.

He also accused Goldberg of excusing the rape charge against film director Roman Polanski by saying in 2009 that he wasn’t guilty of “rape rape.”

Trump Jr.’s Twitter account pushed out the attacks on Goldberg and Behar while Trump Jr. was still on the show.

—Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) November 7, 2019

The president’s son appeared on the show to promote his new book, “Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us.” Ironically, much of the book details how Trump Jr. feels his family is being victimized and maligned by the “mainstream media” and political opponents.

Both Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle celebrated “triggering” the show hosts on Thursday.

“I don’t think I’ve enjoyed an interview this much in my life,” Trump Jr. tweeted shortly after the interview. “Guess you could say that I just #Triggered The View!!!”

Guilfoyle tweeted: “We had the ladies of @TheView absolutely TRIGGERED! Hah! Proud to stand with @DonaldJTrumpJr, @realDonaldTrump, and the entire Trump family. America loves the Trumps!”

The couple spent much of their interview accusing the “biased” media of treating the president unfairly.

—Brad Parscale (@parscale) November 7, 2019

Source Article from https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-jr-interview-the-view-off-the-rails-2019-11

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