Proposed GM contract lifts wages, closes 4 plants

General Motors' proposed agreement to end a labor strike includes a wage increase and faster transition to fulltime status for temporary workers but permanently shuts four plants, according to a union summary released Thursday. The United Auto Workers said they achieved "key gains" during negotiations held during a strike launched on September 26, according to a 19-page summary released by the union, while UAW leadership met with local chapters to discuss the deal. The UAW announced Wednesday it had reached a preliminary bargain but said the strike would continue until its national council approved the agreement and the stoppage could be extended until the full membership votes.

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Tulsi Gabbard Calls Syria ‘Regime Change War,’ Mayor Pete Buttigieg Says She’s ‘Dead Wrong’

Shannon Stapleton/ReutersIn a tense exchange, the two military veterans in the Democratic primary sparred over President  Trump’s decision to pull back U.S. troops in Syria. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), who has long opposed any U.S. efforts to undermine Bashar al-Assad’s brutal regime, sparred with Mayor Pete Buttigieg over how the U.S. should extract itself from the long-running conflict.“Donald Trump has the blood of the Kurds on his hand, but so do many of the politicians in our country from both parties who have supported this ongoing regime change war in Syria that started in 2011, along with many in the mainstream media, who have been championing and cheerleading this regime change war,” she said. Last week, Trump announced that 50 U.S. troops stationed on Syria’s northern border with Turkey would be pulled deeper south into the country. After the announcement, Turkey immediately invaded, slaughtering Kurdish fighters and civilians, and horrifying the international community. The Kurds fought ISIS alongside U.S. troops, and Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. protection for them was widely viewed as a betrayal that seriously harms America’s international credibility. “We need to get out, but we need to do this through a negotiated solution,” Gabbard said. Buttigieg lit into Gabbard.“Respectfully, Congresswoman, I think that is dead wrong,” he said. “The slaughter going on in Syria is not a consequence of American presence, it is a consequence of a withdrawal and a betrayal by this president of American allies and American values. Look, I didn’t think we should have gone to Iraq in the first place. I think we need to get out of Afghanistan, but it’s also the case that a small number of specialized, special operations forces and intelligence capabilities were the only thing that stood between that part of Syria and what we’re seeing now, which is the beginning of a genocide and the resurgence of ISIS.” Gabbard pressed him on his answer, asking if he would keep the U.S. in Syria indefinitely. “You can put an end to endless war without embracing Donald Trump’s policy, as you’re doing,” he retorted.“What is an endless war if it’s not a regime change war?” she replied. “What we were doing in Syria was keeping our word,” he replied. The skirmish encapsulated the tension within the Democratic Party on foreign policy. But neither is wooing voters in an outsize way: Buttigieg polls at just over 5 percent of the Democratic primary vote in the RealClearPolitics polling average, while Gabbard is just under 1 percent.  Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

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Texas pastors seek federal action after police shoot black woman in her home

Jefferson's killing on Saturday by a rookie Fort Worth officer was the latest in a string of fatal shootings that has made the city's African American community wary of police, said Pastor Kyev Tatum.

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Assad: Syria to Resist Turkish Invasion by ‘All Legitimate Means’

After agreeing to an alliance with Kurdish forces on Sunday, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad said Thursday that Syrian forces will help the Kurds repel Turkey’s invasion by “all legitimate means.” Assad’s comments come a day after Turkey accused Syria of a “dirty deal” with Kurdish forces.Syria “will respond to [Turkey] and confront it, in all its forms, anywhere in Syria, using all legitimate means at our disposal,” Assad said during a press conference with Iraqi national-security adviser Faleh al-Fayad.Although the Kurds and Assad’s regime have long been rivals, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi explained in an article published Sunday that — in the absence of American forces — the Kurds needed support in order to repel the Turks, which necessitated making “painful compromises” with the Syrian government.“If we have to choose between compromises and the genocide of our people, we will surely choose life for our people,” Abdi wrote.Thursday marks the ninth day of Turkey’s incursion into Northern Syria, which has resulted in the deaths of dozens of civilians and over 300,000 new refugees.Turkey began negotiations with the United States over a prospective ceasefire Thursday, as Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Vice President Mike Pence for over two and half hours behind closed doors before delegation talks began. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow told CNBC in an interview Thursday that the U.S. may levy additional sanctions on Turkey to keep the Erdogan regime “in line.”

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Tropical storm likely to hit northern Gulf Coast

A disturbance in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico is likely to become a tropical storm that will hit the northern U.S. Gulf Coast with wind and rain, forecasters said Thursday.

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GM workers to stay on picket line until vote on new contract

Striking General Motors workers will stay on the picket lines for at least another week until they vote on a tentative contract with the company. Factory-level officials from the United Auto Workers union voted to recommend the agreement to members at a daylong meeting in Detroit Thursday. About 49,000 workers have been on strike for more than a month, paralyzing GM's U.S. factories and costing the company an estimated $2 billion.

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Atatiana Jefferson's neighbor thought he asked police to do a wellness check, but the police didn’t investigate it that way

Atatiana Jefferson, 28, was killed in her home on Saturday by Aaron Dean, a Fort Worth police officer who has resigned and been charged with murder.

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Trump defends Middle East policy, says Islamic State is under control

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday defended his Middle East policy, as he comes under bipartisan criticism over his administration's move to withdraw U.S. troops from northeast Syria and an agreement for a 120-hour pause to a Turkish incursion of the area.

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Mexican media reports capture of druglord 'El Chapo' Guzman's son

Mexican security forces captured one of notorious drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman's sons on Thursday, media reports said, after rumors of the detention led to fierce gunbattles in the city of Culiacan, a stronghold of the Sinaloa cartel.

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Martin Luther King's daughter tells Facebook disinformation helped kill civil rights leader

Disinformation campaigns helped lead to the assassination of Martin Luther King, the daughter of the U.S. civil rights champion said on Thursday after the head of Facebook said social media should not factcheck political advertisements.

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Read Mulvaney’s Conflicting Statements on Quid Pro Quo

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A Young God Steps Into His Light

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Hong Kong Activist Renews Call for March After Hammer Attack

(Bloomberg) -- One of Hong Kong’s most prominent protest organizers -- including a march planned for Sunday -- was recovering after being attacked on the street by men wielding hammers.Jimmy Sham -- convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front, which has organized many of the city’s largest peaceful protests -- issued a plea from his hospital bed Thursday for police to allow the march go ahead in the Tsim Tsa Tsui area as planned. Sham was assaulted by four to five men Wednesday while on his way to a meeting in nearby Mong Kok -- the second time he’s been attacked since August.“When Jimmy was at his street counter, many of the citizens expressed that they really hope there will be a safe march on Sunday,” the Civil Human Rights Front said in a statement Thursday. “Jimmy therefore urges the Police to issue Letter of No Objection, so that Hongkongers can express their views.”The Civil Human Rights Front has helped organize several of the largest protests ever held in the former British colony, including two largely peaceful marches in June that drew more than a million people. The demonstrations have since mushroomed into a broader push for greater democracy, leading to regular clashes between protesters and police and occasional incidents of mob violence.On Thursday, Hong Kong’s embattled leader, Carrie Lam, was forced to repeatedly halt a question session in the city’s legislature as opposition lawmakers demanded her to step down and address other protester demands. The coming weekend will be the Asian financial center’s 20th-straight weekend of unrest.See also: Hong Kong Police Targeted With Remote-Controlled ExplosiveNg Tak-nam, chief police inspector for the Mong Kok area, condemned the attack on Sham, which he said appeared to have been premeditated. “The police will investigate impartially and seriously, regardless of the person’s background and identity,” Ng told reporters.Sham, who is planning to join the district council elections next month, was attacked in August by two masked men with a baseball bat and knife. Police have arrested three men in connection with that earlier case, charging two of them with conspiracy to assault causing bodily harm. The third is on bail pending further investigation.The Civil Human Rights Front said that the assailants in the latest attack appeared to be aiming for Sham’s head, elbows and knees. The group said he suffered several wounds, but had no broken bones.“The Civil Human Rights Front strongly condemns the acts of the perpetrators,” the group said. “It is not hard to link this incident to a spreading political terror in order to threaten and inhibit the legitimate exercise of natural and legal rights.”(Updates with recovery in headline and first paragraph)\--With assistance from Justin Chin.To contact the reporter on this story: Shelly Banjo in Hong Kong at sbanjo@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Ben SharplesFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

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UAW will keep GM strike going while members vote on new contract

DETROIT/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United Auto Workers union said on Thursday workers at General Motors Co will stay off the job while they vote on a proposed contract that delivers higher pay for full-time workers and better terms for temporary workers, but allows the automaker to close three U.S. plants. Union leaders are giving the 48,000 striking workers until Oct. 25 to vote on the contract terms, but have recommended ratification of the deal. The decision to keep the strike going for another week reflects the pressure on top UAW leaders amid a continuing federal corruption probe of the union.

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Beto O’Rourke Dunks on ‘Disgraced TV Host’ Bill O’Reilly

Bill O’Reilly, who was ousted by Fox News two-and-a-half years ago following decades of sexual-harassment allegations and payouts to victims, made a desperate bid for relevance this week when he decided to live-tweet the fourth Democratic presidential primary debate. Among O’Reilly’s insights were that he found the “Trump bashing festival” by the candidates “boring,” he wanted Joe Biden to “fight back” harder and that Elizabeth Warren “wants a wealth tax to pay for free stuff, lots of free stuff. Lots.” Later, he added, “The Democrats on the stage hate Turkey. The country, not the meal. They might be right.” Then came former Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s answer to a question about Warren’s wealth tax proposal. “I think it's part of the solution,” he said, before going on to accuse Senator Warren of being “more focused on being punitive and pitting some part of the country against the other instead of lifting people up and making sure that this country comes together around those solutions.” “I think of a woman that I met in Las Vegas, Nevada,” O’Rourke continued. “She's working four jobs, raising her child with disabilities, and any American with disabilities knows just how hard it is to make it and get by in this country already.” It was this anecdote that caught O’Reilly’s ear. He wasn’t buying it. “Beto says he met a woman working FOUR jobs,” he tweeted. “And raising a special needs child. I don’t believe him. Sorry.” The response from O’Rourke came with receipts. Along with a photo of the woman and her disabled daughter, he replied, “This is her. Her name is Gina. Her daughter's name is Summer. The problem with our economy is she has to live in her car—while a disgraced TV host like you makes millions.” O’Reilly, who at one point had enough money to shell out at least $32 million in sexual harassment settlements before Fox News finally decided to cut him loose, had nothing to say in response to that.But the tweet did get a response from health care expert and former Obama administration official Andy Slavitt, who tweeted, “I would invite @BillOReilly to get a real understanding of what life is like for many in the disability community or raising a special needs or chronically ill child. But that would be cruel to the people who’d have to meet him.” Stephen Colbert Takes Bill O’Reilly to Task Over His $32 Million Sexual-Harassment SettlementRead more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

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Former Vice President Al Gore Says President Trump’s Conviction After Impeachment Is Unlikely — But Not Impossible

"Listening to what president Trump has said out of his own mouth, when he publicly asks foreign governments to dig up dirt on one of his principal political opponents, that is an impeachable offense," Gore said

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Fox’s Judge Napolitano: G7 at Trump Doral Is as ‘Profound a Violation’ as ‘One Could Create’

Immediately after acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney announced Thursday that President Donald Trump’s Doral golf club will host next year’s G7 summit, Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano declared such a move represents a clear emoluments clause violation.During Thursday’s broadcast of Fox Business Network’s Cavuto: Coast to Coast, eponymous host Neil Cavuto noted that the announcement of the G7 location “is effectively saying the president has given himself this contract.”Pointing out that previous summits in the United States took place at Camp David and Sea Island, Cavuto said the White House is arguing that holding the event at the president’s property is not a violation of the emoluments clause. “I believe the judge has a different notion of that,” Cavuto added, turning to Napolitano.“It’s not my notion,” the judge replied. “It’s the Constitution’s notion. The Constitution does not address profits, it addresses any present, as in a gift, any emolument as in cash of any kind whatever. I’m quoting the emoluments clause, from any king, prince or foreign state.”Explaining that this wouldn’t be an issue if this were a meeting of U.S. government officials, Napolitano once again stated that the emoluments clause is to prevent the president from receiving gifts or cash from foreign entities. “He has bought himself an enormous headache now with the choice of this,” he continued. “This is about as direct and profound a violation of the emoluments clause as one could create.”Cavuto, meanwhile, went on to say that there will also be a “spillover effect,” asserting that the Doral resort will become a greater attraction in the future because it hosted the international summit.Napolitano, who in recent months has assessed that the president has engaged in numerous unethical and criminal activities, observed that this is “exactly what the emoluments clause was written to prohibit.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

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This Is What Happens When a U.S. Navy Attack Submarine Crashes Into a 'Mountain'

Well, an 'underwater mountain', that is.

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Chicago Teachers Strike, Demanding Higher Pay, Smaller Class Sizes

Members of the Chicago Teachers Union went on strike on Thursday as 27,000 educators began picketing near schools at 6:30 a.m. The strike leaves 300,000 students unsure of when they will return to school.The union listed thirteen demands on its website, which include salary raises for all school employees, smaller class sizes, and hiring more support staff such as teacher's assistants."Our students deserve smaller class sizes. They deserve nurses. They deserve social workers. They deserve bilingual educators," special education teacher Linda Perales told CNN.School social worker Emily Penn said teachers face a continuing struggle to work in neighborhoods with socio-economic difficulties."Our students suffer from trauma. They suffer from so many things they need help coping with," Penn commented, adding that some students even face the threat of death "by suicide and by guns. This is a fact in Chicago."75 percent of Chicago students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and many depend on schools to provide meals. Chicago Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Janice Jackson said schools will remain open during the strike to provide "breakfast, lunch, and supper," but that school buses will not be running.While students are not required to attend school, administrators are encouraging families to send their children anyway. Administrative and non-union staff will be working.The Chicago Board of Education had put forward a series of proposals on Friday to avoid a strike, without success."We have tried to provide the best deal that's fiscally responsible — that's fair to teacher and fair to taxpayers," said Mayor Lori Lightfoot, calling the offer "the best in the Chicago Teachers Union's history."The deal includes a $1 million investment toward reduced class sizes and a 16 percent pay raise for all school employees.

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Trump official: Birthright citizenship can end without amending Constitution

At a Monitor Breakfast, acting USCIS Director Ken Cuccinelli said, 'The question is, do you need congressional action or can the executive act on their own?'

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Goodbye, Rikers

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Trump Cease-Fire Deal Cements Turkey’s Gains in Syria

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