2019 October

'Every hero becomes a bore at last'

Hillary Rodham Clinton could not stop him, and Robert Mueller so far has landed something less than a fatal blow. So the task of defeating Donald Trump in 2020 may now fall to Ralph Waldo Emerson. “Every hero,” wrote 19th-century America’s foremost man of letters a century before Trump was born, “becomes a bore at […]

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A spy stole ISIS leader Baghdadi’s underwear for DNA test, Kurds say

Officials from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) described how they tracked the elusive Baghdadi from one end of Syria to the other in the months leading up to this weekend’s operation which left the world’s most wanted terrorist dead. ### “Through our own sources, we managed to confirm that Al Baghdadi had moved from […]

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Lebanon’s Hariri resigns after nearly two weeks of nationwide protests

The three-time prime minister has led a national unity government, which included some of his political adversaries, for less than two years. In recent months, the country saw rapid economic deterioration, ballooning debt and rising prices. ### On October 17, the government proposed imposing a tax on Whatsapp calls, along with other austerity measures, sparking […]

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Iraq on edge after al-Sadr calls for removal of prime minister

Muqtada al-Sadr, who leads the largest political block in parliament, invited Iraq’s second largest party on Tuesday to cooperate with him in “immediately” holding a vote of no confidence in Mahdi. ### In a letter addressed to the prime minister, al-Sadr said Tuesday that “I thought asking you to call for early elections will preserve […]

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Israel’s embassies around the world closed over pay dispute

No one was allowed into the closed missions, and services for Israelis abroad were unavailable. Signs bearing the word “Strike” were hung on railings and the outside walls of the Israeli embassy in Washington. ### A tweet from Elad Strohmayer, spokesperson at the embassy, said: “We’re on strike! … No consular services will be provided, […]

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Warner calls on Facebook to reconsider political ad policy

Sen. Mark WarnerMark Robert WarnerHillicon Valley: Amazon poised to escalate Pentagon ‘war cloud’ fight | FCC’s move to target Huawei garners early praise | Facebook sues Israeli firm over alleged WhatsApp hack | Blue Dog Dems push election security funding FCC proposal targeting Huawei garners early praise Dem senator on impeachment proceedings: ‘The sooner the […]

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Missouri's state health director says he tracked Planned Parenthood patients' periods

Missouri’s state health director testified Tuesday that he had kept a spreadsheet tracking the periods of women who visited a Planned Parenthood clinic in the state as a means of identifying patients who had undergone failed abortions. Dr. Randall Williams, head of Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services, told a state hearing that he […]

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China: US equipment ban amounts to 'economic bullying behavior'

China accused the United States of “economic bullying behavior” after U.S. regulators proposed barring U.S. telecommunications providers from using Federal Communications Commission (FCC) funding to buy equipment from certain Chinese companies.  China Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang was quoted in The Associated Press as saying that China would “resolutely oppose the U.S. abusing state power to suppress […]

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Overnight Health Care: House Dems clash over Pelosi drug pricing bill | Senate blocks effort to roll back Trump ObamaCare moves | Number of uninsured children rises

Welcome to Wednesday’s Overnight Health Care. Senate Democrats forced a vote on a resolution to overturn the Trump administration’s insurance rules but fell short, and a new study showed the number of uninsured children has topped 4 million.  But we’ll first start over in the House where there’s a fight over drug pricing:   House […]

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California governor declares statewide emergency over fires

California Gov. Gavin NewsomGavin Christopher NewsomCalifornia governor declares statewide emergency over fires The Hill’s 12:30 Report — Presented by Nareit — State of the states: Political fights heat up Hillicon Valley: Zuckerberg would support delaying Libra | More attorneys general join Facebook probe | Defense chief recuses from ‘war cloud’ contract | Senate GOP blocks […]

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