Big Time News Blog: 01/16/20

Thursday, January 16, 2020

"Send me a 50k check": College admissions scam emails released

Emails reveal that the children of Loughlin and Giannulli were flagged by their high school counselors who said they knew the two were not on the crew team.

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South Korea Should Consult U.S. on North Korea Tours, Envoy Says

(Bloomberg) -- South Korea’s push to allow for private tourism to North Korea should be discussed with the U.S., said Ambassador Harry Harris, who added the visits are technically possible.“Tourism is allowed under sanctions, but what you take with you when you tour, some of those things might not be allowed under those sanctions,” the U.S. envoy to South Korea told reporters Thursday after President Moon Jae-in raised the proposal earlier this week. Harris said consultations with a designated U.S. government body should take place to “avoid misunderstandings.”Moon said at a news conference in Seoul on Tuesday that individual tourism is not restricted by international sanctions and he’s willing to “seek approval from the United Nations for exceptions when it comes to cooperation between South and North Korea.”Tourism allows cash-starved North Korea to obtain hard currency and significant flows of money to Kim’s regime could undermine President Donald Trump’s maximum pressure campaign to squeeze its economy through sanctions.Harris also said that the U.S. has made adjustments in its request for funding from South Korea to host U.S. troops and was looking for Seoul to do the same -- without mentioning any specific figures. His comments came after U.S. and South Korean negotiators failed to reach an agreement at their latest defense cost-sharing talks held in Washington, with the two sides saying there is still a “difference in stances,” according to a statement from South Korea’s foreign ministry.Their current deal technically expired at the start of the year and the tension over the new terms has raised questions about one of the U.S.’s closest military alliances and a key piece of the Pentagon’s strategy for countering North Korea and a rising China. There has been no major change to the U.S. military presence in the country as they two sides meet to discuss a new deal.U.S. Walks Out of Military Cost-Sharing Talks With South KoreaTrump has demanded South Korea contribute about $5 billion for hosting about 28,500 U.S. military personnel, well above the current one-year deal where Seoul pays about $1 billion. The price tag originated with the White House, according to people familiar with the matter, and administration officials justify it by saying it reflects the costs South Korea would incur if it takes operational control of combined U.S.-South Korean forces in the case of a conflict.To contact the reporter on this story: Jihye Lee in Seoul at jlee2352@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Jon Herskovitz, Chris KayFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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Lev Parnas wants to unload his dirt on Rudy Giuliani to federal prosecutors, his lawyer says

Lev Parnas, an associate of Rudy Giuliani in his Ukraine endeavors, "completed his break with the White House on Wednesday, asserting for the first time in public that the president was fully aware of the efforts to dig up damaging information on his behalf," The New York Times reported late Wednesday. And Parnas said through his lawyer that he's now eager to cooperate with federal prosecutors in Manhattan who are investigating Giuliani, President Trump's personal lawyer, and Giuliani's Ukraine dealings now at the center of Trump's impeachment.Parnas was arrested in October on tangentially related campaign finance charges, and federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York have both his case and the so-far-unannounced Giuliani investigation. "We very much want to be heard in the Southern District," Parnas' lawyer Joseph Bondy told the Times. "We very much want to provide substantial assistance to the government." Parnas has provided evidence already to federal prosecutors and House impeachment investigators, and he spoke with both the Times and MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Wednesday.Parnas told Maddow that "Trump knew exactly what was going on." He told the Times that while he met with the president several times, he knows Trump was aware of the Ukraine efforts mostly because Giuliani showed him so. He provided some evidence to back that up. "I am betting my whole life that Trump knew exactly everything that was going on that Rudy Giuliani was doing in Ukraine," Parnas said.Parnas also said he regrets his involvement in the Ukraine affair and "trusting so much" in Giuliani, who is a godfather to his son. "I thought I was being a patriot and helping the president," he told the Times, and he "thought by listening to the president and his attorney that I couldn't possibly get in trouble or do anything wrong." Giuliani texted the Times that Parnas is "a proven liar," suggested he's turning over evidence for "attention," and claimed it's "sad to watch how the Trump haters are using" him.More stories from theweek.com Ukraine gives Trump the corruption investigation he asked for Mitch McConnell should recuse himself NBC's streaming service Peacock will have several pricing tiers, including a free version

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Navy removes commander of San Diego-based destroyer Decatur

The commanding officer of the San Diego-based destroyer Decatur has been removed from command, the Navy announced Thursday. Cmdr. John “Bob” Bowen was relieved of his duties due to a “loss of confidence in his ability to command,” according to a Navy statement obtained by the San Diego Union-Tribune. Navy Capt. Dan Cobain, the commander of Destroyer Squadron 21, ordered the move, the statement said.

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Newborn dies from sepsis after being sent home from a hospital

A 5-week-old baby died from sepsis after being sent home twice from a U.K. hospital with what doctors thought was a common infection.

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DOJ Is Investigating Comey’s Role in Leak of Classified Document during Clinton-Email Probe

Department of Justice prosecutors reportedly are investigating the possibility that former FBI director James Comey leaked a classified Russian intelligence document to the media during the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s emails, according to a Thursday report from the New York Times.Per the Times, the investigation is centered around two 2017 articles from the Times and the Washington Post describing the Russian document, which played a key role in Comey’s unilateral decision to announce in July 2016 that the FBI would not pursue charges against Clinton for using a private email server to conduct official business during her time as secretary of state.The document, which Dutch intelligence shared with the U.S., includes an analysis of an email exchange between Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D., Fla.), who was then chairing the Democratic National Committee, and Leonard Bernardo, an official with the Soros-backed non-profit Open Society Foundations. Wasserman Schultz assures Bernardo in the email that then–attorney general Loretta Lynch would make sure Clinton wasn't charged in the email probe.Both Bernardo and Wasserman Schultz have denied ever having the exchange, and the FBI’s assessment claimed that the document was a fake and part of a Russian disinformation campaign.Department of Justice inspector general Michael Horowitz said in a review of Comey’s actions over the Clinton probe — and its subsequent reopening in October 2016 — that the former FBI director had a “troubling lack of any direct, substantive communication” with Lynch over his decisions.Both 2017 articles cite Comey’s private concern that if Lynch had announced no charges for Clinton, the Russians could have released the document to cast doubt on whether the investigation was ethical. They also cite Comey’s decision not to tell Lynch that he was declining to charge Clinton as a way of protecting the FBI’s political independence.Investigators are examining whether Comey’s personal lawyer, Daniel Richman, gave the Russian document to reporters. Richman played a key role in a different, confirmed leak that Comey orchestrated to hand over memos of his private encounters with President Trump in the early days of the Trump administration.“I asked a friend of mine to share the content of the memo with a reporter,” Comey testified to Congress in June 2017. “I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel.”In August, Horowitz found that Comey violated policy and set a “dangerous example” for the rank-and-file by retaining and leaking the memos. Horowitz referred Comey for potential prosecution over the matter, but the DOJ declined to prosecute.Comey has long taken criticism for his handling of the Clinton investigation from Republicans and President Trump, who suggested in December that Comey could get jail time.> So now Comey’s admitting he was wrong. Wow, but he’s only doing so because he got caught red handed. He was actually caught a long time ago. So what are the consequences for his unlawful conduct. Could it be years in jail? Where are the apologies to me and others, Jim?> > -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 15, 2019

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A Sketch Artist’s View of the Impeachment Trial

By TEXT BY ALICIA PARLAPIANO from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/38c4Ul1

Trump to Nominate a Critic and an Insider to the Fed Board

By BY JEANNA SMIALEK from NYT Business https://ift.tt/388fh9o

Directors, Let Your Gay Characters Be Gay

By BY KAT JERCICH from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/3al0I4b

The Senate adjourns the trial for the long weekend.

By BY NICHOLAS FANDOS from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/362aSDE

Ex-Texas nurse pleads guilty in 1981 death of 11-month-old

A former Texas nurse suspected in the killing of dozens of children pleaded guilty Thursday in the 1981 death of an 11-month-old boy, receiving a life sentence that a prosecutor said should ensure she dies in prison. Genene Jones, 69, was imprisoned in 1984 for killing one child and giving an overdose to another. “With this plea, the odds are she will take her last breath in prison,” prosecutor Catherine Babbitt said after the hearing in San Antonio.

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Countries demand Iran compensate relatives of plane-crash victims

Five countries whose citizens died when Iran shot down an airliner last week said on Thursday that Tehran should pay compensation to families of the victims, and warned that the world is watching for its response. Canada, Ukraine, Sweden, Afghanistan and Britain said Iran should hold a "thorough, independent and transparent international investigation open to grieving nations," in a statement issued after a meeting of officials in London. Iran admitted on Saturday it had shot down the Ukraine International Airlines plane in error, after initially denying it had a role in the incident.

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Australia’s Wildfire Crisis: Key Numbers Behind the Disaster

(Bloomberg) -- Australia is in the grip of deadly wildfires burning across the country, triggering an emotive debate about the impact of climate change in the world’s driest-inhabited continent. The unprecedented scale of the crisis, and images of terrified tourists sheltering on beaches from the infernos, has shocked many Australians.With the nation only midway through summer and suffering a prolonged drought, authorities fear the death toll will continue to mount as more homes and land are destroyed. Here are some key details of the crisis:How many people have died?Since the fire season began months ago during the southern hemisphere winter, at least 28 people have died. Among the fatalities are volunteer firefighters, including a young man who died when his 10-ton truck was flipped over in what officials have described as a “fire tornado.” Australia’s worst wildfires came in 2009 when the Black Saturday blazes left 180 people dead.How big an area has burned?Massive tracts of land have burned. Almost 12 million hectares (30 million acres) have been destroyed -- that’s almost the size of England. In New South Wales state alone, more than 5.2 million hectares of forest and bush has been destroyed, while more than 1.4 million hectares has been burned in Victoria. The fires are so large they are generating their own weather systems and causing dry lightning strikes that in turn ignite more. One blaze northwest of Sydney, the Gospers Mountain fire, has destroyed about 512,000 hectares -- about seven times the size of Singapore.The scale of the blazes dwarfs the California wildfires in 2018, which destroyed about 1.7 million acres, and about 260,000 acres in 2019.How many homes have been destroyed?Some 2,600 homes have been destroyed, mostly in New South Wales. Scores of rural towns have been impacted, including the community of Balmoral about 150 kilometers southwest of Sydney, which was largely destroyed before Christmas.What’s the economic impact?The near-term cost is mounting. Toxic smoke shrouding Canberra has shuttered businesses and government departments and forced national carrier Qantas Airways Ltd. to cancel flights. The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of 2020 that brings in an estimated A$290 million, has seen qualification games disrupted due to the smoke. Economists estimate the wildfires and associated drought could cut up to half a percentage point off GDP growth as agriculture, tourism and sentiment take a hit.How has wildlife been affected?The University of Sydney estimates that 800 million animals have been killed by the bushfires in New South Wales alone since September and one billion have died nationally. The “highly conservative figure” includes mammals, birds and reptiles killed either directly by the fires, or later due to loss of food and habitat. The fires have raised concerns in particular about koalas, with authorities saying as much as 30% of their habitat in some areas had been destroyed. Images of the marsupials drinking water from bottles after being rescued have gone viral on social media.How can I help?Donations are flooding in to help with the relief effort, led by wealthy philanthropists, companies, investment banks and a string of celebrities. Mining billionaire Andrew Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation has pledged A$70 million. Morgan Stanley Chief Executive Officer James Gorman, who is Australian, is pitching in A$1 million, while pledges have come in from stars such as Elton John, Chris Hemsworth, Bette Midler and Nicole Kidman.\--With assistance from Jason Scott.To contact the reporter on this story: Edward Johnson in Sydney at ejohnson28@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Edward Johnson at ejohnson28@bloomberg.net, Jason ScottFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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Bureaucracy to brutality: New evidence reveals IS hierarchy

Documents compiled by a U.S.-based Syrian rights group reveal how Islamic State militants used one of their most powerful bureaucratic bodies to regulate daily life and impose and execute penalties. The Washington-based Syria Justice and Accountability Center said Thursday that the evidence — documents produced by IS itself — could help identify individuals responsible for atrocities during the militants' four-year reign of terror and lead to criminal prosecutions. The 24-page report, called “Judge, Jury and Executioner,” is based on dozens of documents obtained by SJAC from inside Syria and collected by a local activist from abandoned IS offices in Raqqa province, where the militants also had their self-declared capital in a city that carries the same name.

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Trump threatened UK with 25% car tariffs unless it agreed to accuse Iran of breaking nuclear deal

Donald Trump threatened the UK with a 25 per cent tariff on its cars unless the British government officially accused Iran of breaking the 2015 nuclear deal, it has been reported.The secret threat last week, first reported by The Washington Post, which cited unnamed European officials, would have seen the tariff imposed on all European automobile imports to the US unless Britain, France and Germany agreed to the ultimatum.

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Race to save animals on Australia's fire-ravaged 'Galapagos'

On an island famed as Australia's "Galapagos" for its unique and abundant wildlife, rescuers are racing to save rare animals in a bushfire-ravaged landscape. The charred forest floor on Kangaroo Island is littered with corpses of animals incinerated by the blazes that swept through two weeks ago. Unprecedented fires across swathes of southern and eastern Australia over the past five months have killed an estimated billion animals.

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USC officials doubted Lori Loughlin's daughters were 'serious' athletes, according to newly released emails in the college admissions scandal

Federal prosecutors released dozens of emails and call logs between Rick Singer and parents accused of taking part in the college admissions scandal.

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The Latest: Inhofe off on family matter for Trump trial open

The Senate is one man short on the opening day of President Donald Trump's impeachment trial. Republican James Inhofe is back in Oklahoma “to be with a family member facing a medical issue," his office says. Inhofe says he'll return to Washington in time for the start of opening arguments on Tuesday.

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Mexico said latest migrant caravan won't pass - Guatemala president

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told the Guatemalan government that a caravan of migrants heading towards the United States from Honduras would not be allowed to enter Mexico, new Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei said on Wednesday. "Today in the conversation with foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard we asked about that caravan," Giammattei said after meeting the Mexican minister.

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