Ruth Bader Ginsburg praises Brett Kavanaugh as 'very decent' man

Liberal Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has defended the two most recent additions to America’s highest court as “very decent, very smart” individuals, in spite of ongoing controversy surrounding their nomination.Ms Ginsburg defended justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, on Wednesday during a Q&A with a former law clerk of hers, Neil Siegel, at Duke University.The defence came after Mr Siegel suggested to her that “nominees for the Supreme Court are not chosen primarily anymore for independence, legal ability, [and] personal decency, and I wonder if that’s a loss for all of us.”Ms Ginsburg responded then: “My two newest colleagues are very decent, very smart individuals.”Mr Gorsuch and Mr Kavanaugh were both nominated to the court by Donald Trump, and both attracted their fair share of criticism.Mr Gorsuch, who was the president’s first Supreme Court nominee, was controversial from the beginning, after Republicans in the Senate held his seat open for months at the end of Barack Obama’s presidency, breaking from tradition in nominating new justices.Mr Kavanaugh’s controversy stems from his Senate confirmation hearings, when he was accused of sexual misconduct as a high school and college student.Ms Ginsburg had previously praised Mr Kavanaugh for hiring an all-female law clerk team.

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House Democrats to Ask Court for Mueller Grand Jury Information

(Bloomberg) -- House Democrats will ask a federal court Friday to force compliance with congressional demands for grand jury information underlying former special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 election.“Our task now is to get the evidence behind that out to the American people and we will do that starting today,” Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said Friday on CNN.All grand jury testimony was redacted from Mueller’s report and has been withheld by the Justice Department on the traditional grounds of protecting the secrecy of grand jury proceedings, but Nadler is seeking a court ruling allowing Congress to see it.The move represents the latest round of sparring between House Democrats and the Trump administration over the reach of congressional overnight.Nadler said Democrats will again be in court on Monday or Tuesday of next week seeking to enforce their subpoena compelling former White House counsel Don McGahn to testify and turn over documents."That’s particularly important, because the excuses that the White House gives for McGahn not testifying are the same excuses for all the other fact witnesses. And, if we break that, we’ll break the logjam," Nadler said during a press conference following Mueller’s Wednesday testimony on Capitol Hill.Nadler and other Democratic House chairmen are pursuing efforts in the courts as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has resisted demands by some members to move promptly toward impeachment of President Donald Trump.To contact the reporter on this story: Terrence Dopp in Washington at tdopp@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Kasia Klimasinska at kklimasinska@bloomberg.net, Elizabeth Wasserman, Kathleen HunterFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

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Russia warns of 'consequences' after Ukraine seizes tanker

Ukraine on Thursday seized a Russian tanker it said was used in a naval confrontation last November amid sensitive prisoner swap talks between the two countries who have been at loggerheads since 2014. Kiev's SBU security service said it stopped the tanker, the Neyma, as it entered the port of Izmail in the southern Odessa region. Investigators seized documents onboard and questioned crew members, an SBU statement said.

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View Photos of our New Long-Term 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt

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No 'day in court': U.S. deportation orders blindside some families

SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Carin, a 39-year-old subsistence farmer from Honduras, crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with her two sons late last year. Carin said she made sure to check the mailbox regularly at the apartment in Colorado where they were living. It was a deportation order.

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House Dems back subpoenas for Ivanka, Jared private emails

The House Oversight Committee voted along party lines Thursday to authorize subpoenas for personal emails and texts used for official business by top White House aides, including Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner. Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the panel's chairman, said the committee has obtained "direct evidence" that the president's daughter, Kushner and other top aides were using personal accounts for official business in violation of federal law and White House policy. "What we do not yet know is why these White House officials were attempting to conceal these communications," Cummings said, adding that the White House has refused to produce a single piece of paper this year in response to the investigation.

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Basil From Mexico Is Likely Cause of Cyclospora Food Poisoning Outbreak

A food poisoning outbreak tied to 132 cyclospora illnesses in 11 states was likely caused by fresh basil imported from Mexico by Siga Logistics de RL de CV, the Food and Drug Administration annou...

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MSNBC Host Says Democrats Aren’t Going To ‘Play Fair’ To Put Trump In Jail

MSNBC host Donny Deutsch said Democrats have to remove “this criminal President,” and they are not going to “play fair” to put President Donald Trump in jail.Deutsch went on MSNBC‘s “Morning Joe” Friday to talk about what he thinks Democrats should do in order to beat Trump in the 2020 election and ultimately send him to jail. Co-host Joe Scarborough gave Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, the nickname “Moscow Mitch” during the segment.The MSNBC host said Democrats are “at war” with Trump.“What you said in a couple of minutes yesterday to me is the most important thing that’s ever been said on this show – on any show on this air. We are at war,” Deutsch said. “It is time for the Democrats to wake up … We may not have won the battle of impeachment, but we’re going to win the war of putting him in jail. Whatever we have to do. And we’re not going to necessarily play fair…”“We are playing against cheaters and liars or stealers, and with all due respect to Michelle Obama, when they go low … we’ve got to do whatever we have to do,” he added.Deutsch also gave Democrats some advice on how they should refer to Trump. “Playing fair” is when you “call him President Trump,” Deutsch noted. However, since he suggested that Democrats not play fair, Deutsch stated that Trump should be called “criminal Trump.”

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Guatemala agrees to new migration measures to avoid Trump sanctions threat

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he agreed to drop the threat of economic sanctions against Guatemala after the country said it would implement new measures aimed at reducing U.S. asylum claims from migrants fleeing Honduras and El Salvador.

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Fake presidential seal at Trump's Turning Point USA event was created by a former Republican, reports say

A graphic artist created a fake presidential seal that mocked President Donald Trump back in 2016, reports say. On Tuesday, it reappeared.

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Kellyanne Conway signals the GOP line on Mueller: He 'may be feeble'

The White House counselor on Thursday endorsed a talking point that has emerged in the aftermath of the former special counsel’s testimony before Congress.

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CORRECTED-WIDER IMAGE-Reuters photo captures Guatemalan mother begging soldier to let her enter U.S.

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North Carolina Woman Uses Racial Slur to Insult Black Restaurant Customers

North Carolina Woman Uses Racial Slur to Insult Black Restaurant Customers

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US warship sails through Taiwan Strait, China 'concerned'

An American warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait, the US Navy and Taiwanese authorities said Thursday, triggering concern in Beijing. The transit came as China, which views Taiwan as a renegade province, unveiled a defence white paper Wednesday stressing its willingness to use force to thwart any move towards the self-ruled island's independence, and accusing the United States of undermining global stability. According to the US Navy's Seventh Fleet, the USS Antietam, a guided-missile cruiser, conducted a routine transit through the narrow waterway separating the Chinese mainland and Taiwan during July 24-25.

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US Navy Seals platoon sent home from Iraq for drinking alcohol as sexual assault allegations investigated

The commander of a US Special Operations task force in Iraq has sent home a platoon of Navy SEALs for drinking while deployed after an alleged sexual assault by one of them, US defence officials said, the latest discipline incident that has emerged for an elite force relied upon heavily by the Pentagon.US Special Operations Command said in a statement on Wednesday night that the platoon was forced out early to San Diego by the commander of the task force, Major General Eric Hill, “due to a perceived deterioration of good order and discipline within the team during non-operational periods” of their deployment.“The Commander lost confidence in the team’s ability to accomplish the mission,” the statement said. “Commanders have worked to mitigate the operational impact as this SEAL platoon follows a deliberate redeployment.”The statement did not say what led to the decision, but a defence official with knowledge of the situation said that a female service member working with their platoon reported being sexually assaulted by one of the SEALs during the Fourth of July holiday weekend.The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, said the report triggered scrutiny of the platoon, including drinking while deployed.The SEALs declined to cooperate with investigators, prompting Maj Gen Hill to send them home for both that and the alcohol use, the official said. The reported assault was first reported on Thursday by the New York Times.A second person, a senior US Navy official, said on Thursday that he was aware of alleged sexual misconduct being a part of the case, but was not sure if an assault had been reported.The officials said that the SEALs involved violated General Order No. 1, which bans alcohol use while deployed.The SEALs were members of SEAL Team 7, which has headquarters in San Diego when not deployed, one of the defence officials said.The defence official familiar with the sexual assault report said that the Naval Criminal Investigative Service is overseeing the sexual assault case, while other military officials investigate administratively the culture and actions in the unit.Commander Tamara Lawrence, a spokeswoman for Naval Special Warfare Command, said in a statement on Wednesday night that her unit is “actively reinforcing” with the entire force “basic leadership, readiness, responsibility and ethical principles that must form the foundation of special operations”.“Leaders at all levels must lead in a way that sustains and sharpens that foundation,” she said. “Discipline is a competitive advantage, and enforcing those standards is critical to our success on the battlefield.”The disclosure by the military comes two days after the independent Navy Times reported that six members of SEAL Team 10 in Virginia Beach tested positive last year for cocaine use.Some of them had masked their use of it in previous tests, some of the SEALs told investigators, Navy Times reported.The Iraq incident also comes after Navy SEALs were implicated in the death of Army Staff Sergeant Logan Melgar, a Special Forces soldier who was strangled in Mali in June 2017.Two members of SEAL Team 6 – Chief Special Warfare Operator Adam Matthews and Chief Special Warfare Operator Anthony DeDolph – and two Marine Raiders were charged with murder.Mr Matthews and one of the Marines, Staff Sergeant Kevin Maxwell, have pleaded guilty to lesser charges, and testified that Mr Melgar was accidentally killed in what the military has called a hazing incident involving alcohol.Another SEAL, Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward Gallagher, recently faced court-martial on war-crimes charges that included murder.He was acquitted of the most serious charges but was convicted of posing for an unlawful photo with the remains of an Isis fighter.The government’s case against him fell apart after another SEAL who was offered immunity from prosecution to testify said under oath that he, not Mr Gallagher, had been the one who killed a wounded Isis fighter.Washington Post

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Gunmen dressed as police steal £24 million of gold destined for New York and Zurich from Sao Paulo airport

Eight armed men carried out a sophisticated heist at Sao Paulo's main international airport and managed to escape with some 750 kilos of precious metals, airport authorities said Thursday. GRU Airport, which holds the Guarulhos operation concession, said the thieves hauled away gold destined for Zurich and New York by using two cars that looked like police patrol vehicles. They also dressed as officers, covered their faces and carried long weapons before making their getaway, according to security camera footage shown on Globo TV. The television outlet said the vehicles were later abandoned in Jardim Pantanal, a neighborhood located 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the airport. The operator said there were no shootings or injuries during the assault. But a police officer said an airport official and eight members of his extended family, including four minors, had been kidnapped for 12 hours. They were expected to give testimony in the next few hours, he added. The officer requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. Sao Paulo police said they had reinforced surveillance around the area and were searching for the stolen cargo. GRU Airport said flights continue to operate normally.

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Parkland parents deliver message to Congress: 'We know the next school mass murderer is already out there'

Two parents of Parkland shooting victims testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Thursday.

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House panel chairman says Mueller court action imminent

U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said on Friday that he will go to court on Friday to seek access to grand jury evidence compiled by former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's 22-month probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. A second pending legal move by Democrats, a federal lawsuit to compel testimony from former White House Counsel Don McGahn about Republican President Donald Trump's efforts to impede the Russia probe, will come early next week, Nadler told CNN. McGahn, a star witness in the 448-page Mueller report released in April, told federal investigators that Trump directed him to seek Mueller's removal and then to deny that he had been instructed to do so.

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Impeachment Would Probably Cost Democrats the House

The New York Times reports that House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerrold Nadler has “gradually become convinced that his panel should proceed with impeachment hearings and do so as expeditiously as possible, though he has not stated so publicly,” citing “lawmakers and aides familiar with his thinking.”Nadler should not be surprised that he’s encountering so much resistance to this idea from House speaker Nancy Pelosi. A great deal has been written about how impeaching Trump — in a move that would by entirely symbolic, insofar as the Republican-held Senate would never convict and remove him from office — could improve his odds of reelection. Less-discussed is the very good chance that it would cost Democrats control of the House.Thirty-one Democrats from districts Trump carried in 2016 currently sit in the House. Moving forward with impeachment would force an incredibly difficult vote on all of those Democrats, including the 13 from districts Trump won by more than six percentage points. Democrats currently have 235 House seats. Republicans currently have 197 seats, with two vacancies in GOP-leaning districts in North Carolina. If the GOP keeps those two seats, it would need to flip 19 seats in 2020 to retake control of the lower chamber.Pro-impeachment Democrats were thrilled that 95 House members voted for the recent impeachment resolution offered by Representative Al Green of Texas. But that vote revealed that purple-district Democrats have no appetite for impeachment. While it’s possible that the revelations in the Mueller report or the president’s other flaws have reduced Trump’s level of support in the 31 Democrat-held House districts he won, not a single one of the 31 Democrats in question voted for Green’s resolution, and not a single one has publicly supported impeachment so far. That suggests Trump is probably still pretty popular in their districts — or at least that they remain wary of rocking the boat.If all 31 Democrats in Trump districts voted no and every other Democrat voted yes, impeachment would fail with just 205 votes, 13 short of the 218 needed. (For the sake of this math, assume that there are no vacancies or members voting “present” on such a consequential matter, and that every Republican votes no, as all indications are they would.) Democratic leaders could allow 18 members to vote “no” and pass impeachment by a single vote, but that would leave 13 of their colleagues voting to impeach Trump from districts he carried in 2016. Winning those seats would put Republicans at 212, just six short of what they need to flip the House. (Representative Justin Amash, who recently left the GOP and supports impeachment, intends to run for reelection as an independent. This math assumes that Amash is not defeated by a GOP challenger in 2020. His district scores R+6 in the Cook Partisan Voting Index, and Trump carried it by ten points in 2016.)There’s another complication to this scenario: how the Democratic grassroots back home would react to the 18 Democrats who vote against impeachment. They might accept that their representatives’ votes reflected the will of their districts, or they might see the votes as an unacceptable betrayal and organize primary challenges or Election Day boycotts. House Democrats might insist that only a small portion of the base would be mad enough to punish a House member who opposed impeachment in 2020. But a lot of these purple-district Democrats won in 2018 by the skin of their teeth.Ben McAdams won his 2018 race in Utah by 694 votes. Lucy McBath won by 3,264 votes in Georgia. Kendra Horn won perhaps the biggest upset of the cycle in Oklahoma by 3,338 votes. Xochitl Torres Small won by 3,722 votes in New Mexico, Andrew Kim by 3,973 votes in New Jersey, and Joe Cunningham by 3,982 in South Carolina. The last thing these vulnerable incumbents need is an impeachment vote that gives them the option of angering either their party’s base or the electorate as a whole.A successful impeachment vote would probably end the careers of at least 13 House Democrats and create serious turnout headaches for at least 18 more. Maybe in Nadler’s mind, it would be worth it to America, no matter the political consequences. But Pelosi’s concerns — and those of the 137 Democrats who voted against Green’s resolution — are not difficult to understand.

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EU partners warn Johnson against Brexit 'provocations'

Britain's European partners Friday warned Boris Johnson that his hardline Brexit stance was putting the UK on a "collision course" with the EU and called on the new premier to avoid "provocations". Johnson is planning meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the next few weeks, officials said Friday, as the British premier insists he will renegotiate the UK's divorce accord with the European Union. Macron extended the invitation to Johnson in a call late Thursday from his official summer vacation residence in the south of France, where he is expected to stay for the next three weeks, said an aide.

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Flaws seen in Trump's calm response to North Korean missile launches

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday played down North Korea's latest launch of short-range ballistic missiles, calling them "very standard," a response some analysts said exposed flaws in his approach to Pyongyang and ignored the threat posed to allies Japan and South Korea as well as the U.S. troops they host.

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Bombing halts pumping on Colombia's Transandino pipeline

Colombia's state-run oil company Ecopetrol said on Friday it halted pumping on the Transandino pipeline after a bombing in southwestern Narino province.

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Thousands of Colombians march to protest activist killings

Thousands marched in cities around Colombia on Friday in protest of the murder of hundreds of human rights activists, a spat of deadly violence which the country has been unable to quell in spite of a 2016 peace deal with Marxist rebels.

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