NASA lander captures marsquakes, other Martian sounds

NASA's InSight lander on Mars has captured the low rumble of marsquakes and a symphony of other otherworldly sounds. InSight's seismometer has detected more than 100 events, but only 21 are considered strong marsquake candidates. The French seismometer is so sensitive it can hear the Martian wind as well as movements by the lander's robot arm and other mechanical "dinks and donks " as the team calls them.

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State Department Backs $39 Million ‘Javelin’ Package For Ukraine

(Bloomberg) -- The State Department approved and Congress has informally signed off on a $39 million sale of additional Javelin anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, according to three officials familiar with the decision.The sale of 150 anti-tank missiles and two additional missile launchers could be announced later on Tuesday, according to one of officials, all of whom asked not to be identified since the decision hasn’t been announced. Ukraine requested the weapons early this past summer. The U.S. sold Ukraine over 200 missiles and 37 launchers in 2018.This sale is separate from the $250 million of congressionally authorized military aid to Ukraine that was held up by the Trump administration for months until after President Donald Trump’s heavily scrutinized July 25 call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that’s at the center of a Democratic impeachment inquiry in the House.Defense Department officials said $214 million of that aid has been obligated to buy equipment for Ukraine but the Pentagon Comptroller’s office declined to give a list of equipment bought. The potential equipment includes .50-caliber sniper rifles capable of disabling armored vehicles, night vision goggles, shoulder-fired grenade launchers and additional radar to pinpoint Russian artillery, according to documents.The Javelin is the U.S. Army and Marine Corps’ premier anti-tank weapon that allows a soldier or Marine to fire and move quickly because the missile guides itself to the target. Assuming the U.S. Congress gives formal approval within 30 days, the new Javelin sale would be paid for with Ukrainian funds.The officials said there’s no evidence the proposed Javelin sale was held up by the administration after the Ukrainian request, which appeared to be going through the normal channels. Ukraine has sought to bolster its capabilities since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and backed forces in eastern Ukraine.The weapons system took a star turn during the July 25 call when Zelenskiy told Trump that “we are ready to continue to cooperate for the next steps, specifically we are almost ready to buy more Javelins.” The president, according to a partial transcript released by the White House last week, then replied: “I would like you to do us a favor though.”(Updates to add potential additional new gear for Ukraine in fourth paragraph)To contact the reporter on this story: Tony Capaccio in Washington at acapaccio@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Bill Faries at wfaries@bloomberg.net, Justin BlumFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

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Cheers in Beijing Can’t Drown Out the Protesters in Hong Kong

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Republicans, You’re Not Helping Trump

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Missouri executes killer despite concern about painful death

A Missouri man was executed Tuesday for killing a man during a violent 1996 crime spree, despite concerns that the inmate's rare medical condition would cause a gruesome lethal injection. Russell Bucklew was executed at the state prison in Bonne Terre. It was Missouri's first execution since January 2017.

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A 72-year-old Dallas man fatally shot a burglar, then went back to sleep, police say

A 72-year-old Dallas man fatally shot a suspected burglar outside his home, authorities said, and went back to sleep before calling police.

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With a Strong Foundation, the Nationals Seek a Crowning Achievement

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A student at Karen Pence's school alleged students cut her dreadlocks. She just took it back.

The Virginia private school student who claimed three classmates pinned her down and forcibly cut off her dreadlocks has now retracted the story.Reports emerged last week about an allegation from 12-year-old Amari Allen, who is black, that three white sixth-grade boys pinned her down during recess at Immanuel Christian School and cut her dreadlocks while saying "my hair was nappy and I was ugly and I shouldn't have been born," as she told The Washington Post. The story quickly went viral online in part because second lady Karen Pence teaches art part time at the school.But the Post now reports Allen has told the school that this incident, which was being investigated by the Fairfax County Police Department, did not happen, with her family apologizing in a statement. "To the administrators and families of Immanuel Christian School, we are sorry for the damage this incident has done to trust within the school family and the undue scorn it has brought to the school," Allen's grandparents said in a statement. "To the broader community, who rallied in such passionate support for our daughter, we apologize for betraying your trust."The principal of the school, Stephen Danish, confirmed that Allen now says the allegations are false, saying, "We recognize that we now enter what will be a long season of healing."

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Setting the Record Straight on Vaping

There’s a lot to unpack from this recent piece in The Federalist written by my friend and former White House advisor, Katy Talento, which endorses government plans to limit access to e-cigarette devices and flavors. I’ll take her main arguments — which are the ones most commonly made to support vaping bans — one at a time.Vaping Is Just as Bad as SmokingKaty belittles the idea that vaping is a public health win. Yet harm reduction is a valid goal, and vaping has helped millions quit traditional, combustible cigarettes. This is in part because vaping allows people to continue to mimic the physical act of smoking (which is particularly important to women) but with a device that delivers the nicotine in a safer, non-carcinogenic way.Don’t take my word for it. Consider the positions of Public Health England, the Royal College of Physicians, and Cancer Research U.K., all of which endorse e-cigarettes as an effective smoking cessation tool. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine confirms the efficacy of these devices, finding that smokers who used e-cigarettes were twice as likely as those who used other smoking cessation tools to successfully quit smoking. And these public health organizations estimate that vaping is 95 percent less harmful than smoking. Even the FDA admits that vaping is safer than traditional smoking.Vaping and NicotineKaty describes how e-cigarettes work and writes that vape liquid is a “concoction of chemicals containing high-concentration of nicotine.” Yet in reality, vape liquid typically includes a combination of three main ingredients: propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, and flavorings, all of which are approved for use in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. And with many but not all e-cigarette devices, nicotine is optional. If a user chooses to include nicotine in their vape liquid, most e-cigarettes are designed to allow the user to control how much nicotine they are vaping.Many former smokers report being able to quit smoking and vaping entirely because of this dose control — easing off by slowly lowering the amount of nicotine they vape until eventually they can stop completely (In a podcast I did with Liz Mair, she tells a compelling story about using e-cigarettes to stop smoking, and eventually stop vaping too).“Big Vape” Is Just the New Big TobaccoKaty claims the teen vaping issue is due to the nefarious actions of “Big Vape.” Yet, while there are larger e-cigarette companies, like Juul and Phillip Morris (which manufactures an e-cigarette device called IQOS, only sold outside the U.S.), the e-cigarette industry in the United States is largely made up of small, individually run vape shops. In fact, currently, there are about 10,000 of these small retail outfits (that are not connected to nor supported by “Big Vape”). These small businesses employ more than 90,000 people and most of these shops manufacture their own e-liquids and flavors.Most will close if e-cigarette and flavor bans are enacted.Flavors Are Just for KidsAccording to multiple studies, fruit flavors are the preferred flavor of all e-cigarette users — and most importantly, the preferred flavor of former smokers who have switched to e-cigarettes. Candy or dessert flavors are the next most popular. Tobacco flavor is generally found to be the least preferred flavor in all age groups. In other words, vape liquid manufacturers are producing fruit flavors to respond to consumer demand, not to bait kids into illegally vaping.Of course, as with any industry, there are bad actors and those who act in bad faith. And yes, there have been vape liquid manufacturers who have packaged flavors to attract youth. That’s terrible and shouldn’t happen. But those products were taken off the shelf by the FDA.Selling e-cigarette products to kids is already illegal and many vape companies actually agree that the legal age to purchase e-cigarettes should be increased from 18, the legal age in most states, to 21. (I do not hold this view, but “Big Vape” does.)Epidemic Levels of VapingKaty writes, “Every kid, including yours, has tried vaping.” She’s correct that lots of kids “try” vaping. But the good news is that very few make it a habit. The CDC has found that only about 5.7 percent of teens (that includes 18 and 19 year olds) habitually vape (I analyzed the CDC data at length here).It’s certainly worth examining what we can do to reduce this small number of habitual teen e-cigarette users and advise teens not to vape. But it’s folly to introduce prohibition policies on a product that has helped millions of adults quit the much more dangerous habit of smoking. How is that not a public health failure?Vaping Is a Gateway to Traditional Cigarette Use for TeensKaty suggests that vaping is a gateway to smoking traditional cigarettes, saying that “studies show that kids vape first, and then switch to conventional cigarettes.” Except that’s not at all what the study says. Instead, the study says, “kids who vape the highest level of nicotine are the most likely to switch to cigarettes.” That’s troubling, but hardly surprising given the highly addictive nature of nicotine, which makes them vulnerable to nicotine addiction.Moreover, as Katy mentions elsewhere, there has been a major decline in teen cigarette smoking and cigarette smoking across the board. In fact, teen smoking is at a historic low. That’s despite — and perhaps even because of — the increase in vaping. If vaping were a gateway to smoking, surely teen smoking rates would increase. They have not.Throwing Innovation out with the Vape LiquidCalls to ban vaping are largely being driven by the recent outbreak of lung disease overwhelmingly associated with people using black market THC-tainted vape liquid. Bans on vaping products, such as bans on popular, FDA-regulated flavors, won’t solve that problem, but rather will grow the already thriving black market for vape products.It’s unfortunate that Katy ends her piece by suggesting that those who warn about the dangers of prohibition policies are being paid off by “Big Vape” to do so. Groups tend to get funding from a wide variety of financial backers, including corporations. But corporations tend to support organizations that share their principles already. For example, the group I work for has received some small support (about 1 percent of our budget) from corporations related to vaping. Yet I wrote on these issues long before we received that support and would continue to, absent their contribution. Rather than impugning motives, it would be far better to focus on the merits of the policy.We Can’t Outlaw All Bad ChoicesOf course, we all wish that people would make healthier choices, such as not smoking or engaging in addictive behaviors. But we don’t ban junk food or alcohol for adults, nor do we limit access to retail stores to help those with shopping addictions (thank God!). The government should focus on enforcing the restrictions on selling vaping products to minors and work diligently to warn the public against illegal, black-market vaping products. But the government has no business wiping out an industry that actually has saved lives and will, if left in the marketplace, save millions more.

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Stranded Asylum Seekers Ask Appeals Court to Let Them In

(Bloomberg) -- Central Americans seeking asylum in the U.S. said they’ve waited long enough in Mexico for their applications to be assessed under a Trump administration policy they call unlawful.On Tuesday, their advocates asked the federal appeals court in San Francisco to rule that the policy is illegal. Such a ruling would open the border gates to about 45,000 people, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.The three-judge panel didn’t decide whether to uphold a judge’s ruling to block the “forced return” policy, as the ACLU asked, but it expressed concern why the government doesn’t ask immigrants whether they had any fears about being sent back to Mexico. It’s standard practice for asylum seekers to be asked if they are fearful of returning to their home countries.The appeals court previously has allowed the policy to remain in effect during the litigation -- which the ACLU says is endangering the tens of thousands of people.“Individuals returned to Mexico are sent to areas with some of the highest murder rates in the world,” the ACLU said in a court filing. “They face extreme dangers -- killings, kidnappings, sexual assault, robbery, and other forms of violence -- from cartels, the gangs they fled their home countries to escape, corrupt government officials, and an anti-migrant sentiment.”The lawsuit is one of the many fronts on which immigrant rights’ advocates have been battling the administration’s efforts to block entry to the swelling number of migrants from Central American countries.The government also is trying to stop people from applying for asylum in the U.S. if they didn’t make such an application in another country on their way to the U.S. -- so a person from El Salvador should have applied for asylum in Guatemala, or Mexico, according to the U.S.In another case the appeals court heard Tuesday, the U.S. is seeking to overturn a judge’s decision that found it was illegal to require asylum seekers to apply only at official border crossings.An appeals panel in December rejected the government’s request to put the judge’s ruling on hold while the case was tried. The panel said it was likely the rule was “arbitrary and capricious.”The cases are: East Bay Sanctuary Covenant v. Trump, 18-17274, and Innovation Law Lab v. McAleenan, 19-15716, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth District (San Francisco).(Updates with hearing in second paragraph.)To contact the reporter on this story: Edvard Pettersson in Los Angeles at epettersson@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net, Peter Blumberg, Steve StrothFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

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Fresh clashes in Indonesia as protesters adopt 'Hong Kong-style' tactics in fight for rights

Indonesian police fired tear gas in central Jakarta on Monday after a new round of protests against controversial legal reforms descended into running street battles.  Several thousand students and activists had gathered near the parliament to rally against a new law which they say will undermine anti-corruption efforts, and a draconian draft penal code that would outlaw sex outside of marriage as well as severely curbing civil liberties and freedom of speech.  Some 20,000 police and military personnel were deployed to the capital to maintain security but chaos ensued when cars were trapped and a subway was closed as officers used tear gas to disperse the crowds. Last week saw some of the biggest rallies since 1998 when student protests fuelled unrest that led to the fall of former President Suharto, and Indonesian students have increasingly begun to adopt the tactics of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy demonstrators in their cry for greater rights.  Do not give up. Hongkongers will stand with you. Fight for justice and freedom together. Be safe and careful. indonesiaStandwithindonesiahttps://t.co/AM3f2QqnhV— Freehk���� (@Carmen_wu_elf) September 28, 2019 Ahead of major nationwide protests, a video of “Tips from Hong Kong” translated into Bahasa, and which explains how to deal with tear gas and riot police, went viral, reported Reuters. Other posts shared translated advice on what equipment to bring to protests.  Indonesia also appears to have embraced Hong Kong’s use of social media to help coordinate its leaderless movement.   Hashtags, including ReformasiDikorupsi (reformcorrupted), and LogistikAksi (logisticalaction) have been used, alongside a Twitter account that tracks the protests, @AksiLangsung (direct action), to crowdsource for medical help and supplies, and amplify the movement’s message.   Indonesian journalist Veby Mega Indah is treated by medics after she is struck in the face by a projectile fired by the Hong Kong police Credit: Local Press HK/Reuters Hong Kong protesters, now in their 18th week of demonstrations against Beijing’s rule, have sent messages of support and advice through social media, creating their own StandWithIndonesia hashtag.  “Do not give up. Hongkongers will stand with you. Fight for justice and freedom together,” urged one Hong Kong Twitter account. Another warned: “Plz brace for state propaganda!,” while one advised using English to attract international attention.  As videos of Indonesian riot police deploying tear gas began to flood Twitter, Hong Kongers, now experienced with crowd control measures, condemned the use of force. “The insanity can become infectious..be safe Indonesian friends,” said one supporter, @RaptorBuzz.  Indonesian riot police clash with protesters in Medan, northern Sumatra Credit: Antara Foto/Reuters “With smart phones and social media, information spreads like wildfire -- so it’s no surprise the Indonesian students are taking tips from the Hong Kong demonstrators,” said Phil Roberson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch.  “Just as governments share worst practices like what rights abusing laws to pass and how to suppress freedom of expression and peaceful public assembly, now protesters are sharing lessons learned on how to respond to government repression,” he said.  “The question now is whether the Hong Kong or Indonesia authorities will further escalate their conflicts with protesters, or seek compromises by finally paying attention to people’s grievances and demands for official accountability for abuses.” On Sunday, as violent clashes gripped Hong Kong, the two mass movements witnessed a grim crossover when Veby Mega Indah, an Indonesian journalist, was badly injured after being struck in the face by a projectile fired at the media by a Hong Kong police officer.   Dear friends in Indonesia, I'm a Hong Kong citizen. Hongkongers have protests against an unwanted bill in HK in recent 3 months. The situation is very similar to yours, so I'm very worry about the incident in your country...HidupMahasiwaReformasiDikorupsipic.twitter.com/cfsBH8SX9D— Moira ��101 CCP's 70th Anniversary Celebration (@Moira_Ooops) September 27, 2019 The journalist now plans to file a criminal complaint the Commissioner of Police and the officer who fired either a bean bag or rubber bullet at close range.  Indonesia faces its own reckoning with allegations of excessive police force. Last week close to 300 people, mainly students, were injured.  On Monday, Detik.com reported that 37 students were treated in hospital for tear gas inhalation, while @AksiLangsung posted several appeals in real time for oxygen, water and medication.   Joko Widodo, the Indonesian president, has promised an investigation into the deaths last week of two students in Sulawesi – one by blunt-force injuries to the head and another by a live bullet. The police deny that any live rounds were fired.   A Hong Kong protester throws back a tear gas canister at the police Credit: Andolu Agency via Getty Protesters have vowed to continue until their demands are met. Mr Widodo has offered to meet student leaders, but he must tread a careful line between their reformist agenda and hardline, conservative Islamic groups who have previously whipped up crowds that crippled the nation’s capital. As with Hong Kong’s opposition to a now withdrawn extradition bill, the latest Indonesian protests have been anchored in objections to a controversial draft law, but have morphed into a wider push for democratic reform.  Indonesian students have been angered by plans for a draconian new penal code that would heavily infringe on civil liberties, including a ban on extramarital sex but also curbs on political beliefs and an expansion of already harsh blasphemy laws.  A student holds an Indonesian flag at a rally outside the parliament Credit: Getty Images/Oscar Siagian But their list of seven demands – which emulates Hong Kong’s “five demands, not one less” motto – are also aimed at demilitarising the restive Papua region, and tackling the widespread forest fires in Sumatra and Borneo that are causing toxic haze across Southeast Asia.  Students also oppose a new law governing the country’s anti-graft agency, which many believe would undermine its powers.  The similarities in protest movements have raised the question of whether Indonesia is having its own “Hong Kong moment.” “In both cases, the students can see that the political elite has struck deals that reflect given political interests but they don't find their own interests represented,” said Rainer Heufers, Executive Director of the Centre for Indonesian Policy Studies in Jakarta. “In Hong Kong, the students fear a law that exposes them to the autocratic governance system of China. In Indonesia, they fear laws that enforce an outdated, paternalistic morality and that reduce the accountability of the political elite.” es.”

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Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger on President Donald Trump's 'Civil War' threat: 'Beyond repugnant'

Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, ripped President Donald Trump for tweeting about 'Civil War.'

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North Korea launches at least one more projectile after announcing U.S. talks

North Korea carried out at least one more projectile launch on Wednesday, the South Korean military and Japanese officials said, a day after North Korea announced it will hold working-level talks with the United States at the weekend.

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Johnson proposes to leave Northern Ireland in special relationship with EU until 2025: Telegraph

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's new Brexit plan will leave Northern Ireland in a special relationship with Europe until 2025, the Telegraph newspaper reported on Tuesday.

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Impeachment Rules Say Senate Must Act, but Its Act Might Be a Swift Dismissal

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A New Leader for the Minneapolis Institute of Art

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‘This Game Is My Life’

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Prosecutors Face Increased Pressure to Make Decision in McCabe Case

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Hunter Biden's work in Ukraine is a problem, but not just for Democrats

The former vice president's son sat on the board of directors of the Ukrainian gas company Burisma Holdings. Does that matter?

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People's Views of China Are Mixed, According to Global Study

The People's Republic of China celebrates its 70th anniversary on Tuesday, and the views of the country by people around the world are mixed, according to new research by the Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C. Negative views of China have turned most sharply turned negative in North America, Western Europe and across the Asia-Pacific, while positive views of the East Asian giant were recorded in Russia, Ukraine, the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, according to the report, released on Monday. Overall, a median of 41% in a total of 32 countries included in the Pew Global Attitudes survey expressed a favorable opinion of China, while a median of 37% said they had an unfavorable opinion.

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'She completely objectified me': Husband of 2020 candidate Elizabeth Warren jokes about how his relationship with the senator began

The 2020 candidate Elizabeth Warren and her husband participated in the couple's first joint interview since the beginning of her campaign.

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China’s new missiles could reach U.S. in 30 minutes

Military planners in Washington and elsewhere will be taking note of new missile technology displayed by China, particularly a hypersonic ballistic nuclear missile believed capable of breaching all existing anti-missile shields deployed by the U.S. and its allies.

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Meghan Markle stuns in Banana Republic trench dress while on royal tour

Meghan Markle stepped out solo Tuesday morning on the second to last day of the royals' South African tour.

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