Va. attorney general: Gun sanctuary resolutions have 'no legal effect'

Resolutions passed by local governments declaring themselves “Second Amendment Sanctuaries” have “no legal effect,” Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said Friday.

Elizabeth Warren has a blunt response to economists who say her wealth tax is a bad idea

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is always ready to shut down criticisms of her wealth tax proposal.Warren was one of seven candidates on the stage for Thursday night's Democratic presidential debate and she was quickly faced with a question about her proposed wealth tax. Some economic models have suggested the taxes focused on the wealthiest Americans could end up hurting economic growth, but Warren used just three words to respond: "They're just wrong."> Elizabeth Warren's answer to critics who say her tax plans would stifle growth in the economy? "Oh, they're just wrong!" DemDebate pic.twitter.com/FT4GCTRlKO> > — MTV NEWS (@MTVNEWS) December 20, 2019Warren has proposed a 2-percent annual tax on people who have more than $50 million in wealth, and a 3-percent tax on assets over $1 billion. The money raised would be used to fund Warren's Medicare-for-all proposal and to implement a Green New Deal, among other things.Economic models, such as one from the Penn Wharton Budget Model, have said the taxes would slow economic growth by a few tenths of a percentage point. Warren has since disputed that model's assumptions, as have other economists. Read columnist Jeff Spross' case for why Warren is right at The Week.More stories from theweek.com Trump is now attacking Christianity Today — and its editor is doubling down Rise of Skywalker dominates box office despite devastating reviews Epstein conspiracy theorists have conveniently forgotten about Trump

DNA test frees Texas man from life sentence - and leads to confession of a new murder suspect

Lydell Grant, who was serving a life sentence, has been freed after a new DNA test of a murder victim's fingernail pointed to a different suspect.

How Europe’s Top Christmas Market Could Swing an Election

(Bloomberg) -- Frequently named Europe’s best, the Christmas market in Croatia’s capital is bringing little festive cheer to the country’s president this year.The issue for Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic as she heads into elections on Sunday is a video of her handing a cake and singing ‘happy birthday’ to Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic, who’s at the center of a scandal over preferential access at the city’s mulled wine and trinket stalls.Kitarovic, a former NATO executive, had been riding high on a carefully managed image as a globe-trotting diplomat. She was also the face of Croatia with her enthusiastic support during the national soccer team’s historic run to the World Cup final last year.But the storm over the market is turning the election into a close race.For the European Union’s newest member-state, even the whiff of murky dealings is bad. The Adriatic nation of 4.2 million people, which joined the bloc in 2013, is pushing to adopt the euro and has seen corruption concerns delay similar efforts in nearby Bulgaria.Other Balkan countries also targeting EU membership won’t benefit either.It’s not the first time Kitarovic has flirted with controversy. Previous instances include claiming Croatia’s World War II-era Nazi salute was just a historical greeting -- a position she later reversed -- and the appearance at her inauguration of a right-wing media personality convicted of paying prostitutes and using cocaine to do so.Then there’s the bizarre. Kitarovic has begun singing at some official meetings and was recently mocked on social media for vaguely claiming she’d stuck a deal with “some countries” for young Croats to earn 8,000 euros ($9,000) a month “via the internet.”“All this begs a question: Who is Kitarovic?” said Tvrtko Jakovina, a contemporary history professor at the University of Zagreb. “Is she a skilled international diplomat and fighter for women’s rights, as she presents herself abroad? Or is she someone who doesn’t know her country’s past and is friendly with characters who see laws as obstacles.”The latest headlines have hurt the 51-year-old incumbent, who’s polling only slightly ahead of ex-Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic and right-wing newcomer Miroslav Skoro, a popular folk singer, before the first round of voting. A runoff is almost certain two weeks later.While the president’s role is largely ceremonial, defeat for Kitarovic could reverberate through the government of Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, who’s backed her strongly and would risk unrest from within the ruling Croatian Democratic Union.Plenkovic has enough on his plate as he tries to rein in a bulging bureaucracy, stem outflows of workers to richer EU nations and improve corruption that’s seen as the bloc’s fifth-worst in Transparency International’s latest annual survey.After years of stagnation, the economy is expanding at a steady 3%, below the pace of other eastern EU members.While vowing to continue beating the drum for Croatia abroad, Kitarovic has also created a “traveling office” so she can meet citizens in smaller towns back home. Milanovic, from the opposition Social Democrats, is pushing a more conventional center-left agenda, while Skoro is running on a nationalist platform.All three have promised things beyond the scope of the presidency.But it’s Kitarovic’s integrity, not her policy agenda, that’s come into question. And she’s doubled down on her support of Bandic, who’s fought graft accusations for much of his career, since the clip with him surfaced.If he’s convicted for alleged abuse-of-office, she said she’ll “bring him cookies in jail.”To contact the reporter on this story: Jasmina Kuzmanovic in Zagreb at jkuzmanovic@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrea Dudik at adudik@bloomberg.net, Andrew Langley, Balazs PenzFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

Trump Largely Ignores Impeachment as He Rallies Young Conservatives

By BY MICHAEL D. SHEAR from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2Q7RdvX

Matt Bevin Drew Outrage Over His Pardons. These Governors Have, Too.

By BY NICHOLAS BOGEL-BURROUGHS from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/34NujPK

Brendan Dassey of ‘Making a Murderer’ Is Denied Clemency

By BY MARIEL PADILLA from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/35KGQ7W

Pelosi and McConnell, masters of the congressional chessboard, face off over impeachment

The fate of the Trump impeachment — in fact, the fate of the entire Trump presidency — now rests on the outcome of a battle between the two ablest political generals in recent American history: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

These Are the Big Brexit Battles Ahead

(Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.As Brexit enters its final phase, the European Union is preparing to navigate the most complex negotiation in its history: its future relationship with Britain.It promises to be an even bigger and more complicated fight than the political skirmishes over the U.K.’s decision to leave, with everything from trade to security cooperation up for discussion. A deal will require the approval of the remaining 27 members of the bloc -- and all have their own different national interests at stake.U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has made the path to an agreement even more difficult by pledging to use Brexit as an opportunity to break from what he claims are stifling EU rules. His decision to leave himself only 11 months to reach an accord is being taken in European capitals as a sign he intends to seek only a limited agreement with the EU.“We will now have a competitor at our front door,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said last week. “A competitor who will strive to show what it has in front of our door.”Most EU members insist they share a common agenda in the looming negotiations. They want to form a zero-tariff, zero-quota trade relationship; protect the integrity of the single market; and defend regulatory standards that ensure a level playing field. But all countries have their own individual red lines. Here’s a guide to some of the likely flashpoints, based on interviews with officials in capitals across the EU.SequencingOn the surface, the EU appears to have the upper hand in any negotiations given the advantages that come from access to the bloc’s gigantic single market. Then there’s the fact the Britain will need to reach agreement with the bloc on topics that extend far beyond trade -- security co-operation and aviation rules, for example.“All this needs to be coordinated so that we maximize our negotiating leverage,” Sabine Weyand, the commission’s director general for trade, said this week.But Johnson’s abbreviated time-line might put the bloc’s all-or-nothing strategy at risk. If there isn’t enough runway to negotiate all the topics simultaneously, the EU would be forced to choose which issues to prioritize, something that would inevitably upset some member states.“Time is very short,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said this month. “We’ll put specific focus on those issues that are an economic cliff-edge at the end of 2020 if they would not be done,” she said. “These are issues where we have neither an international framework to fall back on nor the possibility to take unilateral contingency measures.”Even if the timetable is tight, each EU member state will want to defend their own industrial interests.AutomobilesOfficials in Germany, Poland, Austria, Romania, and the Czech Republic all singled out cars and auto parts as one of their most important sectors that need to be protected.The U.K. imported almost 1.5 million autos made by German, French and Italian-owned brands from the continent in 2018, worth a total estimated sales value of 35 billion euros ($39 billion), according to Bloomberg Intelligence. Some of Munich-based BMW AG’s production is based in Britain. Any customs barriers would affect the industry’s complicated global supply chains.AgricultureThis was highlighted by France, Italy, Denmark and Latvia.Agriculture is so fundamental to the U.K.-EU trading relationship, it’s difficult to imagine it wouldn’t be included in the deal. The question is how detailed an agreement can be struck in a matter of months.Today, EU member states enjoy free access to British agricultural markets, something they will want to continue -- but not at any cost. If the U.K. lowers its food safety standards to attract trade from other countries, in particular the U.S., a deal between the U.K. and the EU will be complicated.FisheriesThis is a major concern for Ireland, the Netherlands, France and Spain.France has already made access to British waters after Brexit a key demand. But the U.K. government has vowed to leave the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy and to protect its own fishing industry by reasserting control over territorial waters.GibraltarThat the rocky outcrop at the western entrance to the Mediterranean has belonged to Britain has been sore for Spain for more than three centuries. While Madrid only has a temporary government at present, any successor may seek to use the outpost’s anomalous status as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations with the U.K.IrelandIreland has special sensitivities when it comes to Brexit. It is the only EU member to share a land border with the U.K., and about 1 billion euros of trade is carried out between the two every week.Read more: Why Ireland’s Border Remains Brexit’s Sticking Point: QuickTakeThe Withdrawal Agreement allows for an uneasy fudge that will avoid any reappearance of the physical border that has scarred the island -- but a comprehensive trade deal would help to render that messy compromise obsolete.SecurityIn an increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment marked by cyber-attacks and terrorism, both sides have indicated they intend to cooperate closely. As a military power with extensive intelligence capabilities, the U.K. has leverage in this area.\--With assistance from Ian Wishart, Jonathan Stearns, Helene Fouquet, Birgit Jennen, Dara Doyle, John Follain, Marek Strzelecki, Joao Lima, Boris Groendahl, Jasmina Kuzmanovic, Slav Okov, Morten Buttler, Andra Timu, Leo Laikola, Jan Bratanic, Aaron Eglitis, Zoltan Simon, Lenka Ponikelska and Ott Ummelas.To contact the reporter on this story: Richard Bravo in Brussels at rbravo5@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Edward Evans, Jonathan StearnsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

Muslim nations consider gold, barter trade to beat sanctions

Iran, Malaysia, Turkey and Qatar are considering trading among themselves in gold and through a barter system as a hedge against any future economic sanctions on them, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Saturday. At the end of an Islamic summit in Malaysia, Mahathir praised Iran and Qatar for withstanding economic embargoes and said it was important for the Muslim world to be self-reliant to face future threats.

Vegans charged with murder after baby dies of starvation

A vegan couple who fed their children only raw fruits and vegetables have been charged with murder after their son allegedly died of starvation.

Georgia jury awards $8.6M in 'Walking Dead' stuntman's death

A Georgia jury has awarded $8.6 million to the family of a stuntman killed during the production of a “Walking Dead” episode in 2017. The Daily Report reports the verdict Thursday comes after a weeklong trial before Gwinnett County State Court Judge Emily Brantley. Lawyers for defendants AMC and production company Stalwart Films had argued that John Bernecker’s death in a fall from a balcony during a staged fight was an unforeseen accident that happened when the trained stuntman missed a landing pad 25 feet (7.62 meters) below.

5 key takeaways from the 6th Democratic debate

Pete Buttigieg on the defensive, climate change finally gets its due and septuagenarian candidates brush off questions about their age.

A stark call for Trump's removal by an evangelical Christian magazine suggests he could lose a previously rock-solid part of his base

The editor of Christianity Today, founded by late famous televangelist Billy Graham, called Trump's dealings with Ukraine "immoral."

China Rules Out Commission Probe Into H.K. Police, SCMP Says

(Bloomberg) -- Chinese authorities responded negatively to the idea of launching a commission to examine police conduct during six months of social unrest, South China Morning Post reported Saturday.Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam sought feedback during her four-day trip to Beijing last week, the Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper said, citing an unidentified person close to the government. Protesters have been demanding an independent inquiry into police conduct, something Lam fears could alienate the police force.Several retired judges approached by the government have also declined to chair an independent review committee to probe the underlying causes of the protests, the person told the South China Morning Post.Lam’s spokespeople did not immediately answer a phone call and email seeking comment.To contact the reporter on this story: Bei Hu in Hong Kong at bhu5@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Katrina Nicholas at knicholas2@bloomberg.net, Michael S. Arnold, Siraj DatooFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

China says case of detained Canadians turned over to prosecutors

China's foreign ministry said on Friday that an investigation into two Canadians detained on state security charges since December last year had ended, and the case had been turned over to prosecutors. Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig were detained in China shortly after Canadian authorities arrested Huawei Technologies Co's [HWT.UL] Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver on a U.S. warrant. Canada says their arrests were "arbitrary", and has been in a diplomatic dispute with China since then.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders apologizes for mocking Joe Biden's story about helping kids with stutters

There is apparently a not-insignificant number of people who are both so interested in the 2020 Democratic race they spent the Thursday night before Christmas watching a three-hour debate on TV — and also don't know that former Vice President Joe Biden, the longtime frontrunner, had a stutter, even after a much-discussed recent article about it in The Atlantic. That list includes former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.Biden said in Thursday's debate that he has a long list of people he or his wife call every month to check in on, using as an example a kid who has sought his advice on how to overcome a stutter. He illustrated this by stuttering.Sanders tweeted, then deleted, a textual representation of a stutter expressing her confusion about "what Biden is talking about."> pic.twitter.com/HRZicdTk0P> > — Gillian Brockell (@gbrockell) December 20, 2019Before Sanders deleted the tweet, Biden responded, explaining that he's "worked my whole life to overcome a stutter" and is honored "to mentor kids who have experienced the same." Sanders replied that she "actually didn't know that about you," apologized, and said she "should have made my point respectfully."> I actually didn’t know that about you and that is commendable. I apologize and should have made my point respectfully. https://t.co/fbmVAqDoWI> > — Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) December 20, 2019It is nice to see people apologize when they make a mistake. It's also unclear what her "point" was, after you strip away the mockery.More stories from theweek.com Porn is evil. Don't ban it. Elizabeth Warren's attack on Buttigieg's wine cave fundraiser 'plays into hands' of GOP, former Obama campaign aide says Trump is now attacking Christianity Today — and its editor is doubling down

U.S. Diplomat's Wife Charged Over Teen's 'Death by Dangerous Driving' in U.K. Crash

After the incident, Anne Sacoolas claimed diplomatic immunity and left the United Kingdom

ICC to probe 'war crimes' in Palestinian territories

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor said Friday she wanted to open a full investigation into alleged war crimes in the Palestinian territories, sparking a furious reaction from Israel and condemnation from the United States. The Palestinians welcomed the move by the ICC as a "long overdue step" following a nearly five-year preliminary probe by the prosecutor into the situation since the 2014 war in Gaza.

Everyone ganged up on Pete Buttigieg at the Democratic debate, and these numbers show why that was basically guaranteed

We're getting closer and closer to votes. At this point, Buttigieg, considered a top-tier candidate, is vulnerable.

Venezuela detains lawmaker ahead of Guaido re-election vote: opposition

Venezuelan police detained a lawmaker from Juan Guaido's opposition party on Friday, the party said, the latest in a wave of legal actions against lawmakers ahead of Guaido's bid for re-election as National Assembly leader on Jan. 5. The Popular Will party, known for its hardline approach to seeking to oust socialist President Nicolas Maduro, said a special forces police unit known as FAES detained lawmaker Gilber Caro and one of his assistants in Caracas. Venezuela's information ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and it was not immediately clear what charges, if any, Caro faced.

Philippines' Duterte won't answer to ICC over drugs deaths

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte dared the International Criminal Court on Friday to jail him or hang him over alleged extrajudicial killings in his war on drugs but said he would refuse to cooperate with foreigners if put on trial.

MS-13 arrests deal blow to gang leadership on Long Island

Authorities said Friday they have dealt an unprecedented blow to the violent MS-13 street gang, announcing charges against nearly 100 of the group's members and associates on Long Island. Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini revealed a sweeping indictment that he said “decimated” the gang's leadership and drug suppliers on Long Island. The two-year investigation by state and federal authorities thwarted more than a half-dozen murder plots, Sini said, and also provided authorities insights into the gang's structure and recruiting patterns.

Mitch McConnell, Master of the Blockade, Plots Impeachment Strategy

By BY CARL HULSE from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/35FIA2i

Administration Threatened Veto Over Ukraine Aid in Spending Package

By BY EMILY COCHRANE AND ANNIE KARNI from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2SdXokY

Official: Gun sanctuary resolutions have 'no legal effect'

Resolutions passed by local governments declaring themselves “Second Amendment Sanctuaries” have “no legal effect," Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said Friday. Since Democrats won majorities in the state Senate and House of Delegates in November, more than 100 cities, towns and counties have passed such resolutions, vowing to oppose any new gun laws they believe violate the Second Amendment. On Friday, Herring issued an advisory opinion on the resolutions.

Junior Johnson, Good-Old-Boy Auto Racing Star, Is Dead at 88

By BY RICHARD GOLDSTEIN from NYT Sports https://ift.tt/36X43UF

At Yeshiva U., Man Breaks Into Dorm and Sets Fires as Students Sleep

By BY ED SHANAHAN from NYT New York https://ift.tt/2QjWVv5

Aceh tsunami survivor hopes next generation will learn lessons

Armilla Yanti was returning from her regular Sunday trip to the market in this Indonesian city when a towering tsunami wave crashed ashore. She and her parents survived, but her two sisters were killed on that fateful day on Dec. 26, 2004.Fifteen years on, she frequently relives the traumatic events when recounting her story to visitors at the Aceh Tsunami Museum, where she works as a guide.

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Boy, 14, Sought in Killing of Tessa Majors, Barnard Student

By BY EDGAR SANDOVAL AND ASHLEY SOUTHALL from NYT New York https://ift.tt/2sa33h7

Treasury Completes Rules for Opportunity Zone Tax Breaks

By BY JIM TANKERSLEY from NYT Business https://ift.tt/2rdEPCb

Fox News Breaking News Alert

Fox News Breaking News Alert

NYPD releases photos of teenage suspect in fatal stabbing of Barnard student Tessa Majors

12/20/19 3:38 PM

Va. attorney general: Gun sanctuary resolutions have 'no legal effect'

Resolutions passed by local governments declaring themselves “Second Amendment Sanctuaries” have “no legal effect,” Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said Friday.

'A very cruel act': At least 15 horses were shot and killed in Kentucky, police say

Authorities are investigating after at least 15 horses were reportedly found fatally shot Tuesday near a strip mining site in Eastern Kentucky.

Confessed serial killer indicted in 1984 slaying in Georgia

The man the FBI calls the deadliest serial killer in U.S. history has been indicted in Georgia in the slaying of a woman whose body was found on a pile of construction debris more than three decades ago. A grand jury in Savannah returned an indictment Wednesday bringing a new murder charge against 79-year-old Samuel Little. Little has said he killed two women in Savannah decades ago.

Photos show why Boeing was forced to stop production of its grounded 737 Max

Boeing has hundreds of 737 Max airplanes in storage, and the company decided making more while then the FAA says they can't fly is no longer tenable.

A Law Professor’s Provocative Argument: Trump Has Not Yet Been Impeached

By BY ADAM LIPTAK from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2rdVZQa

Kansas man admits killing Missouri girlfriend on cruise ship

A Kansas man has pleaded guilty to killing his girlfriend by strangling her then pushing her over a balcony on a cruise ship off the coast of Florida last year, federal prosecutors said Thursday. Eric Duane Newman, 55, of Topeka, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the January 2018 death of his longtime girlfriend, Tamara Tucker, 50, of Lawson, Missouri, the Department of Justice said in a news release. The couple was on a Carnival cruise from Jacksonville, Florida, to the Bahamas and was staying in a cabin on the 13th deck.

Surveillance Court Orders Review of Actions by Ex-F.B.I. Lawyer

By BY CHARLIE SAVAGE from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2Mgk0NQ

Sarah Sanders: Trump’s ex-press secretary apologises to Joe Biden for mocking his stutter

Sarah Sanders, the former press secretary to Donald Trump, has apologised after mocking Joe Biden’​s reference to stuttering during Thursday night’s Democratic presidential debate.Mr Biden, who has carried a speech impediment throughout his life, was discussing those individuals who have reached out and asked him for help over the course of his political career.

Holiday Stress Can Be Unbearable. But You Will Miss It When It’s Gone.

By BY MIMI SWARTZ from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/2MefnnC

New Jersey Is Third State to Ban Discrimination Based on Hair

By BY MARIEL PADILLA from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2sPS7Fk

Australia's NSW braces for catastrophic fire conditions

Firefighters in the Australian state of New South Wales were bracing for "catastrophic" fire conditions on Saturday as temperatures well above 40C (104F) and strong winds were set to fuel more than 100 fires burning across the state.

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U.S. conservative activist, Venezuelan pastor team up on aid effort

A conservative U.S. activist has teamed up with a prominent Venezuelan evangelical pastor to bring a $500,000 humanitarian aid shipment to the crisis-stricken country, the two men said in interviews this week.

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