🇺🇸 **Prosecutors Charge LGBT Activist with Burning Down Own Home with Pets Inside**
*Breitbart* - <https://archive.is/SH3g1>

The Detroit News reported Monday that law enforcement charge Joly, a transgender man from Jackson, Michigan, burned down her own home, killing five pets inside, in what was initially investigated by the FBI as an alleged hate crime in 2017. The newspaper, citing two individuals who worked along Joly at St. Johns United Church of Christ, where the Jackson Pride Center is based from, reported that Jolly, 54, had become “frustrated the controversy over gay rights had died down with the passage of the nondiscrimination law.”
---------------

🇮🇳🇵🇰 **Nuclear-Armed India and Pakistan Face Off in Renewed Escalation**
*Bloomberg* - <https://archive.fo/5jL3B>

It’s the biggest escalation between South Asia’s nuclear-armed rivals in decades and with a bitterly contested national election in India just weeks away, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quick to exploit his military’s air strikes on a terrorist camp inside Pakistan Tuesday.

Speaking to a huge, cheering crowd at an election rally in the state of Rajasthan, Modi twice stated that India was “in safe hands” and declared it a “glorious day,” without explicitly mentioning the attack.

India’s fighter jets destroyed a major terrorist camp in Pakistan early Tuesday “in the face of imminent danger,” Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said in New Delhi. More than 300 people were killed in the air strikes on militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed, according to an Indian official speaking on condition of anonymity.

Pakistan had its own version of events.

After scrambling its jets in response to India’s early-morning incursion across the border, it released photographs of missile remnants it said had fallen on unoccupied territory. Prime Minister Imran Khan’s office said Pakistan would respond “at the time and place of its choosing,” rejecting India’s claim that it had hit a terror camp or inflicted heavy casualties. “Once again the Indian government has resorted to a self-serving, reckless and fictitious claim,” a statement from Khan’s office said.

Facing the first major geopolitical challenge of his term, Khan directed the country’s armed forces and the public to “remain prepared for all eventualities.”

With both nations able to demonstrate a show of military strength, it now gives diplomats a chance to try and ensure the situation does not further deteriorate.
----------------

🇺🇸 **Bernie Sanders staff shake-up: Top strategists leave his presidential campaign**
*NBC News* - <https://archive.fo/vi9CL>

In a major shake-up to Bernie Sanders' just-launched presidential bid, some of his top strategists have left the campaign.

Tad Devine, Mark Longabaugh and Julian Mulvey, partners in a political consulting firm who all played leading roles in Sanders' 2016 campaign for the White House, are parting ways with the senator, citing creative differences.

"The entire firm has stepped away. We're leaving the campaign," Longabaugh told NBC News on Tuesday. "We just didn't have a meeting of the minds."

Devine, a veteran Democratic presidential operative, was a familiar presence on TV in 2016 as Sanders' chief strategist, responsible for setting the early direction of the campaign when few other Washington insiders believed the little-known Vermont independent could be a serious contender for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Longabaugh helped design and implement the campaign's delegate-hunting roadmap and negotiated with key outside players like the Democratic National Committee on issues like debates.

Mulvey helped craft the firm's ads for Sanders, including his best-known commercial, which featured the Simon & Garfunkel song "America."

All together, the firm produced 275 television, radio and digital ads for that campaign and was involved in much of the campaign's top decision-making.

"The campaign appreciates all the good work DML has done and wishes them well," Sanders' new campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, said in a statement, referring to the name of their firm.
----------------

🇺🇸 **U.S. House Democrats introduce sweeping 'Medicare for All' bill**
*Reuters* - <https://archive.fo/EonEE>

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives unveiled an ambitious proposal on Tuesday to move all Americans into the government's Medicare health insurance program, tapping into public frustration over the rising cost of healthcare that has become a key issue for the party as it seeks to gain control of Congress and the White House in 2020.

The bill, unveiled by Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal from Washington state, would transition the U.S. healthcare system to a single-payer "Medicare for All" program funded by the government in two years. The legislation is the party's most high-profile and ambitious single-payer proposal in the new Congress and has more than 100 co-sponsors, many from the party's progressive flank.

It is unlikely to gain the support of any Republicans in the House or the Senate, who have derided single-payer healthcare as a socialist policy and oppose government interference in healthcare. It also remains unclear whether Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will bring the legislation up for a vote.

"Americans are literally dying because they can't afford insulin or they can't get the cancer treatment they need," Jayapal said on a call with reporters on Tuesday. "There are some things that should not be provided through the for-profit market."
----------------

🇺🇸 **Pentagon spent nearly $8 million to treat 1,500 transgender troops since 2016**
*Usa Today* - <https://archive.fo/tElnE>

The Pentagon has spent nearly $8 million to treat more than 1,500 transgender troops since 2016, including 161 surgical procedures, according to data obtained by USA TODAY.

As of Feb. 1, 1,071 service members have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Public Health Service on active duty and in the reserve force.

Most of them are senior enlisted personnel, but there are 20 senior officers – majors and lieutenant commanders and higher – as well.

Overall, the troops represent a fraction of the total force of 2.1 million. The number of transgender troops serving who have not sought treatment through the military is not known.

Transgender troops and their medical and psychological treatment has been a flash point for controversy since President Donald Trump tweeted in July 2017 that he wanted to ban them from the military. In January, the question reached the Supreme Court, which ruled that a modified ban could take effect while lower court challenges continued.

On Wednesday, the House Armed Services Committee will hear testimony on the military's policy, which bans most troops with a diagnosis of gender dysphoria.

Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have blasted the Pentagon policy as bigoted. She invited transgender troops to Trump's State of the Union address this month.
----------------

🇺🇸 **Gambino mob heir predicts Michael Cohen will get WHACKED in prison because 'inmates love Trump and hate rats'**
*Daily Mail* - <https://archive.fo/UiWCh>

An heir to the Gambino crime family has issued a stark warning to Michael Cohen, predicting that President Donald Trump's former personal attorney may face retaliation behind bars over his Congressional testimony.

'A message for Michael Cohen: He better keep his mouth shut,' Giovanni Gambino told DailyMail.com on Wednesday morning, blasting Trump's former fixer shortly before he publicly testified.

Giovanni, the 43-year-old son of late Sicilian mob boss Francesco 'Ciccio' Gambino and cousin to infamous crime boss Carlo Gambino, speculated that Cohen's withering testimony could have harsh consequences.

'Inmates love Trump, and hate rats. If he wants to get out alive, he better keep his mouth shut about Trump,' Giovanni said.

Cohen is due to report to federal prison in May. He has been sentenced to serve three years after pleading guilty to campaign finance violations, tax fraud, bank fraud and lying to Congress.
----------------

🇺🇸 **Virginia first lady criticized for handing cotton to black students on mansion tour**
*Philadelphia Inquirer* - <https://archive.fo/DFC2Z>

A Virginia state employee has complained that her eighth-grade daughter was upset during a tour of the historic governor's residence when first lady Pam Northam handed a ball of cotton to her and another black child and asked them to imagine being enslaved and having to pick cotton.

"The Governor and Mrs. Northam have asked the residents of the Commonwealth to forgive them for their racially insensitive past actions," Leah Dozier Walker, who oversees the Office of Equity and Community Engagement at the state Department of Education, wrote Feb. 25 to lawmakers and to the office of Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat.

"But the actions of Mrs. Northam, just last week, do not lead me to believe that this Governor's office has taken seriously the harm and hurt they have caused African Americans in Virginia or that they are deserving of our forgiveness," she wrote.
----------------

🇺🇸 **New York Boy, 12, Arrested After Anti-Semitic Graffiti Appears on Playground: 'Hail Hitler', 'No Jews Allowed'**
*NewsWeek* - <https://archive.fo/QimJj>

Police in New York have arrested a 12-year-old boy after anti-Semitic graffiti was found scrawled across an elementary school playground.

The chalk graffiti, which included dozens of swastikas and anti-Semitic messages including “Hail Hitler" (sic) and "No Jews Allowed,” were found at the school in the Queens area of the city on February 22.

The arrest of the boy, who has not been identified, was confirmed by NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot F. Shea.

“On Fri, 2-22-19, anti-Semitic graffiti was found throughout a Queens playground,” Shea tweeted. “The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force now have the suspect—a 12-year-old male—in custody. Great job NYPD Hate Crimes.

“No matter the face of hate, the NYPD, partnered with the community, has ZERO tolerance.”

The child has been processed as a juvenile and released to his family, Shea added.

Following the appearance of the graffiti, councilman Chaim Deutsch urged New York Mayor Bill de Blasio to take action on the rise of hate crimes against Jewish people in the city.

"Yet another act of anti-semitism in our city brings the total of anti-semitic hate crimes in our city to nearly 50 since the start of the new year,” Deutsch said in a statement reported by WABC.

“This has gotten completely out of hand. I urge Mayor de Blasio to immediately implement mine and Councilmember Mark Levine's bills that recently passed in the City Council, which would require educational outreach to teach about the impact of hate, bias, and anti-Semitism."
----------------

🇺🇸 **WikiLeaks Veteran: I ‘Cooperated’ With Feds ‘in Exchange for Immunity’**
*The Daily Beast* - <https://archive.fo/yL6Lh>

Chelsea Manning isn’t alone.

Late Thursday, Manning revealed that she’s fighting a subpoena to testify before a grand jury that’s been investigating Julian Assange for nearly nine years. But Manning isn’t the only one being dragged into the aging probe of WikiLeaks’ first big haul. A former WikiLeaks volunteer who was also personal friends with Manning was subpoenaed last May. But unlike Manning, he did not fight the subpoena. He accepted an immunity deal offered by prosecutors.

It’s the second person in Assange’s broader orbit publicly known to have cooperated with prosecutors in their nearly decade-long pursuit of WikiLeaks.

Manning told the New York Times that she’s been subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia on March 5th. Manning, who was released from prison in 2017 on a clemency grant from Obama, vowed to fight the subpoena in court. “I am not going to contribute to a process that I feel is dangerous and could potentially place me in a position where I am forced to backtrack on the truth,” she told the paper.

She made good on that vow Friday morning by filing a motion to quash the subpoena, according to her attorney, New York lawyer Moira Meltzer-Cohen. “At the insistence of the clerk, the motion was filed under seal,” said Meltzer-Cohen in an email to The Daily Beast. “Our position is that litigation regarding the enforceability of a subpoena does not implicate grand jury secrecy, and we will move to have it unsealed. Chelsea, as you might expect, wants to bring some transparency to this process and hopes to be able to share the filing soon.”.
----------------

🇺🇸 ** Ian McKellen: Bryan Singer, Kevin Spacey alleged abuse occurred because they 'were in the closet' **
*USA Today* - <https://archive.fo/HYqpn>

Ian McKellen is making some controversial comments about men who have been accused of sexual misconduct in Hollywood.

During a live recording of the #QueerAF podcast during National Student Pride 2019, the actor shared his reaction to the allegations against Bryan Singer and Kevin Spacey, two people he has worked with before.

He first noted that the director and actor weren't out during the time the alleged incidents occurred, and then he made a puzzling statement citing that as the cause of their alleged behavior.

"Most of them were in the closet. Hence, all their problems as people and their relationship with other people," he said. "If they had been able to be open about themselves and their desires, they wouldn’t have started abusing people in the way they’ve been accused."
----------------

🇺🇸 **Alan Dershowitz suggests curbing press access to hearing on Jeffrey Epstein sex abuse**
*Miami Herald* - <https://archive.fo/i8bAS>

A court hearing on whether to unseal sensitive documents involving the alleged sex trafficking of underage girls by Palm Beach multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein — and the possible involvement of his influential friends — will play out in a New York City courtroom next week.

But it may happen behind closed doors, with the news media and public barred — at least in part.

An attorney for lawyer Alan Dershowitz wrote a letter to the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Tuesday, asking whether the media should be excluded from the proceeding because his oral arguments on behalf of his client could contain sensitive information that has been under seal.

The appeals court had not responded to his concern as of Friday, but if the hearing is closed during his lawyer’s argument, it would represent the latest in a long history of successful efforts to keep details of Epstein’s sex crimes sealed.

Dershowitz, a professor emeritus at Harvard, constitutional law expert and criminal defense attorney, represented Epstein, who in 2008 received what many consider an unusually light sentence for sexually abusing dozens of girls at his Palm Beach mansion. Two women — one of whom was underage — have said Epstein and his partner, British socialite and environmentalist Ghislaine Maxwell, directed them to have sex with Dershowitz, 80, and other wealthy, powerful men. Dershowitz and Maxwell have denied the claims.
----------------

🇦🇹 **Austria's Jews wary of far-right charm offensive**
*France24/AFP* - <https://archive.fo/e3JdR>

David Lasar's family is sadly not unusual among Austria's Jewish community in having lost several members in the Holocaust. But in one respect Lasar stands out -- his membership of the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe).

At its foundation, the FPOe was led by two former members of the Waffen SS, so 66-year-old Lasar's choice of political home might well be considered surprising.

Lasar says he initially joined in the late 1990s as the FPOe was "the only party close to the people, to employees and workers who had been forgotten by the left, while the centre-right was the party of capitalism and big business".

Now as an FPOe MP he says he has an added reason for throwing his lot in with the party.

"We are fighting tirelessly against anti-Semitism, especially anti-Semitism imported through immigration.

"We are the only party to be fighting against this, together with our partners in government," he says, referring to the centre-right People's Party (OeVP) of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.
----------------

🇺🇸 **Lifestyles of the rich and socialist: Bernie Sanders has 3 houses, makes millions**
*Fox News* - <https://archive.is/rgMO0>

Notably, he owns three houses. In 2016, he bought a $575,000 four-bedroom lake-front home in his home state. This is in addition to a row house in Washington D.C., as well as a house in Burlington, Vermont.

The multiple homes, though, bring into question past statements -- like when he asked in 2017: "How many yachts do billionaires need? How many cars do they need? Give us a break. You can't have it all." Sanders has also earned more than $1 million annually in recent years, though he remains on the lower end of Senate Democrats in terms of net worth.
----------------

🇺🇸 **'I'm not running': Hillary Clinton rules out 2020 bid for first time on camera in exclusive interview with News 12**
*News 12 Westchester* - <https://archive.fo/0Es7Z>

Hillary Clinton ruled out a 2020 presidential run for the first time on camera in an exclusive interview with News 12, pledging instead to take an active role by working with the candidates in the crowded Democratic field.

"I'm not running, but I'm going to keep on working and speaking and standing up for what I believe," she told News 12's Tara Rosenblum.

In her first local TV interview since the midterm elections, the former first lady and secretary of state opened up about 2016, 2020 and beyond. She expressed deep concerns about the state of American politics today -- and vowed to be vocal about those concerns.

"I want to be sure that people understand I'm going to keep speaking out," Clinton said. "I'm not going anywhere. What's at stake in our country, the kind of things that are happening right now are deeply troubling to me. And I'm also thinking hard about how do we start talking and listening to each other again? We've just gotten so polarized. We've gotten into really opposing camps unlike anything I've ever seen in my adult life."
----------------

🇬🇧 **UK ‘porn block’ starts April 1 – but you can unlock it by handing over ID or buying £5 ‘porn card’ on your local high street**
*The Sun* - <https://archive.fo/CyS5m>

WATCHING free porn in Britain is about to get a lot trickier thanks to new rules that aim to protect children from online smut.

As early as next month, porn sites will be required to get proof of ID from UK residents before showing any X-rated clips.

That includes free porn sites like PornHub and YouPorn – which attract nearly 2billion visits a month between them worldwide.

They'll join a number of other sites in using the AgeID system, which requires users to verify their age via an official form of ID such as a driver's license or passport.

From April, when the new system is expected to launch, randy internet lurkers will be shown a non-pornographic "landing page", according to AgeID spokesman James Clark.

"When a user first visits a site protected by AgeID, a landing page will appear with a prompt for the user to verify their age before they can access the site," he told The Metro.

"Each website will create their own non-pornographic landing page for this purpose."

When someone first clicks on a site, they'll be asked to register with AgeID and verify their age using a Mobile SMS, credit card, passport, or driving licence.

Users will then be able to use their AgeID username or password to access all porn sites that use AgeID – though some may use different age verification systems.

Clark said: "It is a one-time verification, with a simple single sign-on for future access. If a user verifies on one AgeID protected site, they will not need to perform this verification again on any other site carrying AgeID."

The new rules were approved as part of the Digital Economy Act 2017.
----------------

🇺🇸 **'Rape Day' computer game where players sexually assault and murder women amidst scenes of necrophilia and incest sparks outrage**
*The Daily Mail* - <https://archive.fo/ohNE4>

A new PC game that lets players rape and kill women as they progress through its story of 'violence, sexual assault, necrophilia and incest' is due to be released this month despite outrage.

The developer of 'Rape Day' claims the game is aimed at the 'four per cent of the general population [who] are sociopaths' and would enjoy playing a 'menacing serial killer rapist during a zombie apocalypse'.

Desk Plant, the one-man developer, even brags about its twisted story line in the description on gaming platform Steam.

It wrote: 'Annoy, murder and rape women as you continue the story. It's a dangerous world with no laws. The zombies enjoy eating the flesh off warm humans and brutally raping them but you are the most dangerous rapist in town.'

In a gruesome screenshot uploaded to Twitter, one scene showed the main character forcing a pistol into a young woman's mouth with the subtitles: 'I could blow your brains out and f*** your tight little p****right here.'

The game also included a disturbing scene of a zombie drowning a baby before 'mashing it up into pulp'.

Steam has put the game under review after being inundated with complaints following its release on February 19.
----------------

🇺🇸 **Aide: US hasn’t used phone data collection program in months**
*AP* - <https://archive.fo/mQQQl>

A secret U.S. surveillance program that was revealed to the public by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden has been at least temporarily halted, according to a senior congressional aide.

The NSA program, which involved the mass collection of information about phone calls, has not been used over the past six months, the aide, Luke Murry, said in a podcast interview.

Murry, a specialist in national security who works for California GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy, did not go into detail about why the program was halted but mentioned “problems” with the way information was collected.

McCarthy’s office would not comment Tuesday beyond a written statement that noted Murry was not speaking on behalf of the Trump administration when he gave the interview to the Lawfare podcast.

The White House and NSA declined comment.

The U.S. began bulk data collection of the time, length and participants — but not the content — of phone calls as part of a surveillance program started after the Sept. 11 attacks. The program prompted widespread controversy after it was publicly exposed by Snowden in 2013.

Authority for the program is due to expire this year unless Congress renews it.
----------------

🇫🇷 **French prosecutors call for far-Right leader Marine Le Pen to face TRIAL over violent pictures of ISIS atrocities that she posted on Twitter**
*Daily Mail* - <https://archive.fo/fazzw>

Prosecutors have called for French far-right leader Marine Le Pen to be tried for tweeting pictures of atrocities committed by the Islamic State group, judicial sources said Friday.

This could hike further pressure on Le Pen, 50, who already faces legal problems over alleged misuse of EU parliamentary funds.

Le Pen shared the gruesome images in December 2015, a few weeks after ISIS jihadists killed 130 people in attacks in Paris. Her move sparking widespread condemnation in France.

Prosecutors demanded that another member of her National Rally party, Gilbert Collard, also be tried on similar charges.

It will be up to an investigative magistrate to decide whether a trial takes place, with a conviction for 'circulating violent pictures liable to be seen by children' carrying a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a fine of £65,000.

Le Pen, who lost to Emmanuel Macron in the 2017 presidential elections, was stripped of her parliamentary immunity over the pictures and charged with circulating violent messages.

Last year, she expressed outrage after the investigative magistrate called for her to undergo psychiatric tests in connection with her tweeting.
----------------

🇺🇸 **Twitter finally shared how big its daily user base is — and it’s a lot smaller than Snapchat’s **
*Recode* - <https://archive.fo/C0v2G>

Twitter has 126 million daily users compared to Snap’s 186 million.

For years, Twitter has been asking investors to judge the company by looking at user growth for its daily active users. But Twitter never shared how many daily active users it actually had, which made the year-over-year growth hard to appreciate.

That changed on Thursday when Twitter shared its daily user total for the first time: Twitter has 126 million daily users, which is 60 million fewer users than Snapchat (and a lot fewer users than the core apps owned by Facebook). That means roughly 39 percent of Twitter’s monthly active users are on the app every day.

The new metric matters to Twitter because it paints a picture that Twitter is growing. Twitter’s monthly active user base — the user metric it has shared quarterly since its IPO in 2013 — is shrinking, and has been for some time. So focusing on DAU instead of MAU lets Twitter show that it’s growing, which is a much happier story to tell. In fact, Twitter said it will stop sharing the MAU total altogether beginning this year.

The DAU metric also helps put Twitter’s user growth, which it’s been touting for years, into perspective. And it helps us compare Twitter’s audience to competitors like Snapchat, which it competes with for advertising dollars.

Twitter will tell you that it’s not fair to compare directly to Snapchat. That’s because Twitter says it is only counting users who could be exposed to ads — what it’s referring to as its “monetizable” audience. Snapchat, Twitter would argue, counts users who open the app, send a message, and leave without ever getting to the part of the app where Snapchat serves ads. (Though in reality, it seems like someone could use Twitter for the same purpose.)
---------------

🇺🇸 **Jussie Smollett update: 'Empire' actor indicted on 16 felony counts by grand jury**
*ABC Chicago* - <https://archive.fo/1Hlnh>

A Cook County grand jury has returned a 16-count indictment against "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett, according to court records.

The Cook County State's Attorney's Office confirmed the indictment, which they said was returned by a grand jury on Thursday.

Smollett was originally charged with one felony count of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report by the Cook County State's Attorney's Office on Feb. 20.

Now the grand jury has returned 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report.

The grand jury returned two separate sets of charges, one of each lie Smollett allegedly told. The first set are related to what Smollett told officers about the alleged attack, including that the attackers called him racial and homophobic slurs, struck him with their hands, put a noose around his neck, and poured some sort of chemical substance on him.

The second set of charges are related to the second interview Smollett had with police about the alleged attack later that day, saying the men attacked him from behind and they fell to the ground, at which point the men continued kicking him. Smollett also told police on this occasion that one of his attackers was white.
---------------

🇺🇸 **Exclusive poll: Young Americans are embracing socialism**
*Axios* - <https://archive.fo/0vK7E>

Generation Z has a more positive view of the word "socialism" than previous generations, and — along with millennials — are more likely to embrace socialistic policies and principles than past generations, according to a new Harris Poll given exclusively to Axios.

Why it matters: The word "socialism" does not carry the same stigma it did in the past, now that it has been resurrected by celebrity politicians like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Young people's political views often change as they grow older, but their support for socialistic policies is a sign that the old rules of politics are changing fast.
Gen Z and millennials are projected to make up 37% of the electorate in 2020, and what they're looking for in a presidential candidate is shifting.

The top three voting issues for Gen Z, according to the Harris poll, are mass shootings, racial equality, and immigration policy and treatment of immigrants.
Millennials' top issues are access to health care, global warming/climate change and mass shootings.
Gen X's top issues are: access to health care, terrorism/national security and the national debt — the same top issues for boomers and older.

Go deeper:

Generation Z prefers "socialism" to "capitalism"
Millennials and Gen Z will make up 37% of the 2020 electorate
How Gen Z could change the GOP
---------------

🇬🇧 **The Brexit Plan Just Failed Again in Parliament: What Happened, and What’s Next?**
*NY Times* - <https://archive.fo/B4Dd1>

Parliament’s rebuke to Prime Minister Theresa May, on the issue that has dominated British politics for three years, casts the nation’s political and economic future into confusion with just 17 days left until its scheduled exit from the European Union.

The vote is sure to intensify calls for her to either step down, call a general election, or both. Plenty of Conservative lawmakers would like to take her place as party leader and prime minister, but there is no obvious front-runner, and the outcome of a general election is just as unclear.

Mrs. May’s plan, painstakingly negotiated with the European Union, would have set the terms for Britain’s scheduled exit on March 29.

Unless Parliament takes some other action, Britain will leave the bloc on that date without a deal in place, which Brexit hardliners insist would be fine, but which most lawmakers and economists say would be disastrous.

Parliament is set to vote Wednesday on whether to reject the prospect of a “no-deal” Brexit, and to vote Thursday on whether to seek a postponement of the March 29 deadline.

The bloc would have to agree to a postponement, which appears likely, but the duration of such a delay is uncertain.

“Let me be clear,” Mrs. May said after the defeat. “Voting against leaving without a deal and for an extension does not solve the problems we face. The E.U. will want to know what use we will make of such an extension.”

Tuesday’s vote was Parliament’s second rejection of the plan, and there was talk of a third vote, even closer to the deadline.
---------------

🇺🇸 **Michael Avenatti cuts ties with Stormy Daniels**
*Fox News* - <https://archive.fo/fOvIJ>

Attorney Michael Avenatti announced Tuesday that he was no longer representing adult film star Stormy Daniels, cutting ties with a client who had propelled him into the national limelight.

In a statement posted to Twitter, Avenatti said he had informed Daniels "in writing" last month that his firm was terminating its representation of her "for various reasons that we cannot disclose publicly due to the attorney-client privilege."

"This was not a decision we made lightly and it came only after lengthy discussion, thought and deliberation, as well as consultation with other professionals," Avenatti added. "We wish Stormy all the best."

In a tweet of her own, Daniels announced that she had retained Oklahoma-based trial attorney Clark Brewster as her personal lawyer and said he would review "all legal matters involving me."

"I anticipate Mr. Brewster will serve as my primary counsel on all legal issues," Daniels concluded.
---------------

🇸🇾 **Hundreds surrender as Islamic State nears defeat in last enclave**
*Yahoo/Reuters* - <https://archive.fo/mvGES>

Islamic State faced imminent defeat in its final enclave on Tuesday as hundreds of jihadist fighters and their families surrendered and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said the battle was as good as over.

A Reuters journalist in Baghouz saw hundreds of people surrendering to the SDF, which launched its final attack to capture Baghouz on Sunday, backed by U.S.-led international coalition air strikes after weeks of siege.

The enclave is the last shred of territory held by the jihadists who have been driven from roughly one third of Iraq and Syria over the past four years.

The ferocious assault continued late on Tuesday. Live footage broadcast by the Kurdish Ronahi TV showed a series of large explosions lighting up the night sky over Baghouz, apparently from an ammunitions dump blowing up.

Smoke billowed past burning buildings, lit orange by flares and raging fires, as tracer fire poured into the enclave amid the sound of constant shooting and blasts.

SDF official Mustafa Bali said on Twitter on Tuesday that the number of Islamic State members who had surrendered has risen to 3,000.

"Once our forces confirm that everyone who wants to surrender has done so ... the clashes will resume," he said, adding that the jihadists' defeat was very near.

The coalition said in an email earlier on Tuesday there were an estimated "few hundred" foreign Islamic State fighters remaining in Baghouz who had decided to fight to the end.
---------------

🇺🇸 **Paul Manafort: Ex-Trump chief gets 43 more months in jail**
*BBC* - <https://archive.fo/4ssUq>

US President Donald Trump's former campaign chief Paul Manafort has been jailed for 43 more months on charges stemming from the Russia investigation.

It comes a week after the 69-year-old was given a 47-month prison sentence for fraud in a separate case.

The latest sentencing arises from two conspiracy charges Manafort pleaded guilty to last year.

Speaking from a wheelchair, he told the federal court in Washington DC that he wanted to apologise for his actions.

In a separate development, Wednesday also saw Manafort charged in New York with residential mortgage fraud and other crimes.

President Trump has the power to pardon his former aide for the federal crimes - but not for the charges brought in New York.

"I do feel badly for Paul Manafort, that I can tell you," Mr Trump told reporters after the sentencing on Wednesday.

Asked if he was planning to pardon Manafort, the president answered: "I have not even given it a thought, as of this moment. It's not something that's right now on my mind."

Both cases for which Manafort has been convicted stem from an inquiry into alleged Russian election meddling in the 2016 US elections.

None of Manafort's charges, however, relates to allegations of collusion with Russia. Mr Trump has always denied the charge, describing the inquiry as a "witch hunt".
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🇺🇸 **Sanders Aide Apologizes After Questioning Loyalty of Jewish Americans**
*Free Beacon* - <https://archive.fo/Eyens>

A campaign official working for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) apologized Tuesday for suggesting Jewish Americans and the U.S. government may have "dual allegiance."

Belén Sisa is Sanders's national deputy press secretary on his 2020 presidential campaign. In a Facebook post last month, Sisa shared an article likening the relationship between Democrats and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) to that between Republicans and the National Rifle Association (NRA). Sisa was defending comments from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) about the Jewish community. Sanders has defended the same comments, refusing to condemn Omar.

When a Jewish friend of Sisa's worried about the murderous history of suggestions that Jews are less than loyal to their country of residence, Sisa responded by defending the accusation.

"This is a serious question: do you not think that the American government and American Jewish community has a dual allegiance to the state of Israel?" Sisa wrote in a now-deleted comment.

When another commenter asked whether the question applied to her boss, Sisa replied: "I think I would probably have to ask him? But his comments make me believe other wise as he has been very blunt on where he stands."

Rep. Lois Frankel (D., Fla.) condemned Sisa's remarks. "I would totally disagree with that. It’s ridiculous," she told Politico. "That’s just a terrible statement to make."

The accusation that Jewish Americans are loyal to Israel as opposed to their country of citizenship is a classic anti-Semitic canard. A 2018 publication from the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies explains that, "[i]n its most extreme form, the charge of dual loyalty amounts to an accusation of treason."
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🇺🇸 **Beto O'Rourke starts presidential run with video tweeted an hour late and won't officially launch campaign for two weeks – but says in 2020 announcement that immigration is 'the best possible problem' for the U.S.**
*Daily Mail* - <https://archive.fo/Ad7m8>

Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke formally announced Thursday that he'll seek the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, ending months of intense speculation over whether he would try to translate his newfound political celebrity into a White House bid.

Until he challenged Republican Sen. Ted Cruz last year, O'Rourke was little known outside his hometown of El Paso. But the Spanish-speaking 46-year-old former punk rocker became a sensation during a campaign that used grassroots organizing and social media savvy to mobilize young voters and minorities.

O'Rourke's online campaign began Thursday with announcements emailed in English and Spanish, an interview with CBS News will air Friday morning, and he will head to Iowa for three days of hand-to-hand campaigning. But in a head-scratching political move, he won't have an official launch speech until March 30.

And while his campaign website was heavy on merchandise and fundraising buttons as he announced his candidacy, there was no sign at all of policies, political positions or his video — only a photo of a sweaty Beto with microphone in hand.

His much-anticipated rollout was marked by a clumsy lack of coordination that left his supporters looking for a launch video for an hour before his organization posted it on Twitter. O'Rourke's hometown newspaper, the El Paso Times, had it ahead of time, but no other news organization.

The video features an up-and-down bobbing O'Rourke speaking as his wife Amy holds his arm and smiles. Tapping into the marquee issue that defines border zones like his native El Paso, Texas, he declares that 'if immigration is a problem, it's the best possible problem for this country to have.'
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🇺🇸 **Flipping off cop is free speech, court says**
*The Seattle Times* - <https://archive.fo/6bB8J>

Woman gets stopped for speeding. Cop shows mercy and gives her a ticket for a nonmoving violation. As police officer pulls away, however, woman gives him the finger – or, as a U.S. District Court puts it, “flips him the bird.”

Cop takes offense, switches on lights and siren and stops her again, ploughing into her car in the process and then, on top of that, changing the original ticket to a moving violation.

She sues the officer for violating her constitutional rights.

Did he?

That question, plucked from everyday life in the town of Taylor, Michigan, confronted the U.S.Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in the case of Debra Lee Cruise-Gulyas v. Matthew Wayne Minard, in which Cruise-Gulyas was the motorist and Minard the cop.

Normally, cases like this one don’t get quite this far.

For one thing, most drivers don’t ordinarily give cops the finger as they pull away, especially when the officer has just let them off with a nonmoving violation.

But Cruise-Gulyas told The Washington Post that she was unhappy because, according to her, the area where she was pulled over in June 2017 about 18 miles southwest of Detroit is a notorious “speed trap” for the Taylor Police Department.

“I know this is a bunch of B.S.,” she said, so “when I pulled off I gave him the middle finger.”

And Minard went to the appeals court claiming immunity from the suit, arguing that even if he did violate her rights, which he did not admit to doing, those rights were not clearly established.

Judge Jeffrey Sutton, writing for a unanimous three-judge panel Wednesday, disagreed.

To justify the second stop, he wrote, Minard needed “probable cause that she had committed” a violation.

He didn’t have it, the judge said. Giving the finger is not a crime. That “all too familiar gesture,” as he put it, is “protected by the First Amendment.”
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🇺🇸 **Boeing 737 Max aircraft grounded 'until May at least'**
*BBC* - <https://archive.fo/kFBzj>

The aircraft will not fly until a software update can be tested and installed, the US regulator said.

Sunday's crash, shortly after take-off from Addis Ababa, killed 157 people from 35 nations.

It was the second crash involving a 737 Max in six months.

Some people have pointed to similarities between the incidents, with some experts citing satellite data and evidence from the crash scene as showing links between Sunday's disaster and October's crash in Indonesia of the Lion Air jet that killed 189 people.

US Representative Rick Larsen said the software upgrade would take a few weeks to complete, and installing it on all the aircraft would take "at least through April".

The FAA said on Wednesday that a software fix for the 737 Max that Boeing had been working on since the Lion Air crash would take months to complete.

Meanwhile, investigators in France have taken charge of the crashed Ethiopian Airlines aircraft's black boxes as they attempt to uncover what caused the Boeing 737 Max disaster.

The Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) received the flight data and cockpit voice recorders on Thursday.

The first readings could take days, but a lot depends on the boxes' condition.

Regulators across the world continue to ground the Boeing aircraft.

On Thursday, Russia, Japan and Tunisia banned the jet from their airspace. Late on Wednesday, the FAA told the country's airlines to ground their fleets, but was criticised for not doing it sooner.
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🇺🇸 **Morris Dees, a Co-Founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Is Ousted**
*NY Times* - <https://archive.fo/MiZkA>

The Southern Poverty Law Center said Thursday that it had fired its co-founder and chief trial lawyer, Morris Dees, after nearly a half-century, during which he helped build the organization into a fearsome powerhouse that focused on hate crimes and with an endowment that approached half a billion dollars.

The group’s president, Richard Cohen, did not give a specific reason for the dismissal of Mr. Dees, 82, on Wednesday. But Mr. Cohen said in a statement that as a civil-rights group, the S.P.L.C. was “committed to ensuring that the conduct of our staff reflects the mission of the organization and the values we hope to instill in the world.”

“When one of our own fails to meet those standards, no matter his or her role in the organization, we take it seriously and must take appropriate action,” Mr. Cohen said.

Mr. Cohen’s statement suggested that Mr. Dees’s firing was linked to workplace conduct. He said the center, which is based in Montgomery, Ala., had requested “a comprehensive assessment of our internal climate and workplace practices” in a bid to ensure that the organization was a place where “all voices are heard and all staff members are respected.”

In an interview on Thursday evening, Mr. Dees said he had reviewed the S.P.L.C.’s statement on his dismissal but noted that it did not include any specific allegations against him.

“All I can say is it was not my decision,” said Mr. Dees, who added that he had limited involvement with the organization in recent years.

Asked whether he had engaged in any behavior that could have been perceived as improper, he replied, “I have no idea how people take things.”
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🇺🇸 **Feds charge 5 from New Mexico compound, where 11 children were found, with terror, kidnapping offenses**
*Fox News* - <https://archive.fo/aeCaH>

The residents of a makeshift New Mexico compound -- where 11 emaciated children were found during an August raid -- were charged by federal authorities Wednesday with terror, kidnapping and firearms offenses.

“The indictment alleges that the defendants conspired to provide material support in preparation for violent attacks against federal law enforcement officers and members of the military,” Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers for the Department of Justice's National Security Division said.

Jany Leveille, 36, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, 40, Hurjah Wahhaj, 38, Subhanah Wahhaj, 36, and Lucas Morton, 41, were charged “with federal offenses related to terrorism, kidnapping and firearms violations,” the Department of Justice said in a press release. In the original indictment, Leveille was also charged with "possessing firearms and ammunition as an alien illegally and unlawfully in the United States."

The suspects were previously charged by indictment on Sept. 11 “with a conspiracy relating to the possession of firearms and ammunition by an alien illegally and unlawfully in the United States,” the DOJ said.

“The superseding indictment alleges a conspiracy to stage deadly attacks on American soil,” U.S. Attorney John C. Anderson said in a statement. “These allegations remind us of the dangers of terrorism that continue to confront our nation, and the allegation concerning the death of a young child only underscores the importance of prompt and effective intervention by law enforcement. I commend our law enforcement partners for their ongoing diligence and outstanding work in identifying and disabling imminent threats of targeted violence.”
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🇺🇸 **Study finds a race gap in air pollution — whites largely cause it; blacks and Hispanics breathe it**
*USA TODAY* - <https://archive.fo/FLojh>

The air that Americans breathe isn't equal.

Blacks and Hispanics disproportionately breathe air that's been polluted by non-Hispanic whites, according to a study. This new research quantifies for the first time the racial gap between who causes air pollution – and who breathes it.

"Pollution is disproportionately caused by whites, but disproportionately inhaled by black and Hispanic minorities," the study said.

Poor air quality remains the largest environmental health risk in the United States, the study warns. In fact, with 100,000 deaths per year, more Americans die from air pollution than car crashes and murders combined.

“Even though minorities are contributing less to the overall problem of air pollution, they are affected by it more,” said study co-author Jason Hill, an engineering professor at the University of Minnesota, who is white. “Is it fair (that) I create more pollution and somebody else is disproportionately affected by it?”

Hill said that while the air in the U.S. has gotten cleaner in the past decade, pollution inequity has remained stubbornly high.

"What is especially surprising is just how large pollution inequity is and has been for well over a decade," Hill said.
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🇳🇿 **Christchurch Shooting 49 Are Dead After 2 Mosques Are Hit**
*NY Times* - <https://archive.fo/lgNnD>

Forty-nine people were killed in shootings at two mosques in central Christchurch, New Zealand, on Friday, in a terrorist attack that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described as “an extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence.”

Officials said that one man in his late 20s had been charged with murder, and that two explosive devices were found attached to a vehicle that they had stopped.

A Muslim leader in New Zealand said the attack was especially shocking as it took place around Friday prayers. The police urged people to stay away from the mosques until further notice.

A video and manifesto that appeared to be by a gunman involved in the shooting were posted online on the day of the attack.

The country’s police commissioner, Mike Bush, said in an evening news conference that 41 people had been killed at Al Noor Mosque and seven at Linwood Mosque, and that a further victim had died at Christchurch Hospital.

The police said that four people, including three men and one woman, had been taken into custody. Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia said that one of them was Australian
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🇺🇸 **Alan Greenspan: Social Security solvency may require benefit cuts**
*Fox Business* - <https://archive.is/z73Iv#0%>

Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Friday that the potential for a slowdown in the U.S. economy could stem from an overloading of entitlement programs that aren’t being funded, and that the goal should be to resolve the basic Social Security system.

The Atlanta Federal Reserve said earlier this week that it estimates real GDP growth a key figure for measuring the pace of economic activity – for the first quarter of 2019 is just 0.4 percent (seasonally adjusted annual rate). The data comes from its GDPNow forecasting model, which it says provides a “nowcast” of the official estimate before its release by estimating GDP growth using an approach similar to that of the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Opens a New Window. .

“We’re creating an odd imbalance in the system,” Greenspan said during an interview on “Mornings with Maria.” The best way to solve this problem is to fund our benefits, get a balanced budget, and the system will work.”

The former Fed chair, who served in the position from 1987 to 2006, added that “the actuaries of the Social Insurance system say that in order to be actuarially solvent through the life of the programs, we would have to cut benefits by 25 percent right now and extending into the future.”

He called the issue a “fascinating problem” and noted that officials should “come to grips” with it because “the end of the road is very serious trouble,” while adding that defined benefits have been a big problem.

“Sweden had very much the same problems we did,” Greenspan said. “What they did first to resolve them is go from a defined benefit program, which is what we have now, to a defined contribution. What we have is 401(k). 401(k)s cannot go broke – you can only spend what you get.”
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🇺🇸 **James Gunn: Disney rehires sacked Guardians of the Galaxy director**
*BBC* - <https://archive.fo/Ibugl>

It comes after famous cast members from the Marvel series signed an open letter pleading for Gunn's return.

In a tweet he thanked Disney and his supporters and said he is "excited to continue making films that investigate the ties of love that bind us all".

He was fired last July over the tweets that Disney called "indefensible".

Stars from the first two films in the franchise had openly supported Gunn after his dismissal, including Bradley Cooper, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel and Dave Bautista.

The Guardians of the Galaxy series has grossed over $1.6bn (£1.2bn) worldwide, with the sequel surpassing the earnings seen by the first film.

According to Deadline, the decision was made by Disney executives months ago after he publicly apologised in July and took blame for the incident.

He will reportedly begin production of Guardians of the Galaxy 3 after he completes Suicide Squad 2, which is being produced by Marvel rival DC, Deadline reports.

Before his dismissal, he confirmed that he had written the script for a third Guardians movie.
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🇺🇸 **Gillibrand makes it official, launching her 2020 White House campaign**
*Fox News* - <https://archive.fo/HdA0a>

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is officially running for president, formally declaring her candidacy Sunday morning.

“We need a leader who makes big, bold, brave choices. Someone who isn’t afraid of progress. That’s why I’m running for president. And it’s why I’m asking you for your support,” the New York Democrat says in a video announcing the official launch of her campaign.

The move comes two months after Gillibrand set up a presidential exploratory committee -- which allowed her to raise money and build a campaign structure -- and began introducing herself to voters in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina – three of the four states that kick off the primary and caucus calendar - as well as California and Texas, which hold contests immediately after the early voting states.

In her video – titled "Brave Wins" – the senator uses "The Star-Spangled Banner" to say that bravery has been a constant choice in the nation’s history, and so many Americans have chosen to be brave.

Gillibrand also takes aim at President Trump, claiming the Republican has promoted an “agenda of cowardice, hate and fear.”

“Brave doesn’t pit people against each other. Brave doesn’t put money over lives. Brave doesn’t spread hate. Cloud truth.

"Build a wall. That’s what fear does,” she charges in the video.

Gillibrand says that if America could land astronauts on the moon, “we can definitely achieve universal health care. We can provide paid family leave for all, end gun violence, pass a Green New Deal, get money out of politics and take back our democracy.”
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🇳🇿 ** Facebook removed 1.5 million videos of New Zealand attack within 24 hours **
*USA Today* - <https://archive.fo/0iW6x>

Facebook said Sunday that it removed or blocked from the social media site 1.5 million videos of a gunman's rampage on two New Zealand mosques that killed 50 people and wounded dozens more.

Mia Garlick, spokeswoman for Facebook New Zealand, said that about 300,000 videos were removed within the first 24 hours of the terrorist attack Friday. More than 1.2 million were blocked at upload, she said.

"Out of respect for the people affected by this tragedy and the concerns of local authorities, we're also removing all edited versions of the video that do not show graphic content," Garlick said in a tweet.

Garlick said that Facebook was using technology and people "around the clock" to remove content that violates its violence policy.

Minutes before the attack, the alleged shooter posted a 74-page manifesto on Twitter and sent it to numerous officials and media outlets in New Zealand. The gunman also livestreamed the rampage via helmet-cam on Facebook and Twitter.

Footage of the massacre circulated for hours after the shooting, despite efforts by Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Reddit to take it down as quickly as possible. Twitter and YouTube said they were continuously monitoring and removing any content depicting the tragedy.

"Our hearts are broken over today’s terrible tragedy in New Zealand," YouTube tweeted within hours of the attack. "Please know we are working vigilantly to remove any violent footage."
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🇳🇿 **Man Arrested for Distributing New Zealand Mosque Attack Video Online**
*NewsWeek* - <https://archive.fo/nz1C4>

A 22-year-old from New Zealand has been arrested and charged in connection with circulating a graphic video of the mass shootings that took place at two mosques in Christchurch on Friday.

The man, who has not been named by authorities, has been formally charged under New Zealand’s Films Videos and Publications Classification Act and is expected to appear in court on Monday, ABC News reported Sunday.

Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian national, allegedly carried out the Friday attacks, which left at least 50 people dead and 50 others injured, while he shared a livestream of the mass shootings to Facebook. Although the social media platform responded quickly to remove the video, others continued to re-upload the clip.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and local police have repeatedly called on individuals and media organizations to restrain from sharing the graphic footage. Police also said that they are not charging the 22-year-old for being directly involved with the attack.

“We would like to remind people that it is an offense to distribute or possess an objectionable publication (under the Films Videos and Publications Classifications Act 1993), which carries a penalty of imprisonment," local police said in a statement, according to ABC News. "The live stream video of the shootings in Christchurch has been classified by the Chief Censor’s Office as objectionable," it continued.
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🇺🇸 **Family says Obama's top economic adviser killed himself**
*Washington Examiner* - <https://archive.fo/u8r2l>

The family of a Princeton University economist and former top economic adviser to former President Barack Obama, has said he committed suicide.

Alan Krueger, 58, died on Saturday, according to a university announcement. His family said in a statement: "It is with tremendous sadness we share that Professor Alan B. Krueger, beloved husband, father, son, brother, and Princeton professor of economics, took his own life over the weekend.

"The family requests the time and space to grieve and remember him. In lieu of flowers, we encourage those wishing to honor Alan to make a contribution to the charity of their choice."

Princeton had not provided a cause of death. The university said in its statement: "In addition to his scholarship, Alan’s life exemplified a commitment to public service. He was married with two children.

Krueger was chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under Obama from 2011 to 2013. In that role, he sought to draw attention to the problem of inequality and promote ways of increasing economic mobility.

He also served in the Clinton administration as an economist for the Labor Department.
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