2018-12-04

Headlines:

From Al Jazeera, Associated Press, BBC News, Reuters, The Globe and Mail, New York Times, and Wired

‘He Did Not Lead on AIDS’: For Bush, Activists See a Mixed Legacy – (The New York Times)
The 41st president signed two important H.I.V./AIDS laws, but many activists saw him as a barrier to addressing the crisis in the 1980s and 1990s.

Ordinary Americans honor late President Bush at Capitol – (Reuters)
Ordinary Americans paid respects at the historic U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday to the late U.S. President George H.W. Bush, who died last week at the age of 94 after a life of service as a World War Two hero, head of the CIA and wartime president.

Trump will visit Bush family on Tuesday – (Reuters)
President Donald Trump said he will visit the mourning family of former President George H.W. Bush on Tuesday at Blair House, near the White House.

Ukraine resumes grain shipments from Azov Sea – (Reuters)
Ukraine said on Tuesday it had resumed grain shipments from the Azov Sea, blocked for around 10 days after a military standoff with Russia in the Kerch Strait off Crimea.

France suspends fuel tax hike, protesters vow to fight on – (Associated Press)
PARIS (AP) — The French government’s decision to suspend fuel tax and utility price hikes Tuesday did little to appease protesters, who called the move a “first step” and vowed to fight on after large-scale rioting in Paris last weekend. In a major U-turn for…

Wall Street drops on trade truce doubts, bond market jitters – (Reuters)
U.S. stocks dropped on Tuesday, as skepticism over chances of a breakthrough in the U.S.-China trade talks weighed on industrial and technology companies, while banks fell as flattening U.S. bond yield curves raised fears of a slowing domestic economy.

Tired of waiting for asylum, migrants from caravan breach U.S. border – (Reuters)
Central American migrants stuck on the threshold of the United States in Mexico breached the border fence on Monday, risking almost certain detention by U.S. authorities but hoping the illegal entry will allow them to apply for asylum.

White House hails China trade truce as skeptics raise doubts – (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is celebrating the 90-day truce it reached in its trade war with China as a significant breakthrough despite scant details, a hazy timetable and widespread skepticism that Beijing will yield to U.S. demands anytime s…

Trump: if no China trade deal possible, ‘I am a Tariff Man’ – (Reuters)
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that if a trade deal with China was possible it would get done, but if the two sides could not resolve their disputes he would revert to tariffs.

CIA chief Haspel to brief Senate leaders on Khashoggi’s death – (Reuters)
CIA Director Gina Haspel will give a closed briefing to leaders of several U.S. Senate committees on Tuesday on the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to two sources familiar with the planned meeting.

France’s Yellow Vest Protests: The Movement That Has Put Paris on Edge – (The New York Times)
The grass-roots protests present President Emmanuel Macron with a potential political crisis. More mayhem may put his ability to govern into question.

Cut in China tariffs on cars a ‘litmus test’ for trade talks: Kudlow – (Reuters)
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Tuesday that a reduction in Chinese tariffs on U.S. cars and agricultural and energy commodities would be a “litmus test” for whether U.S.-China trade talks are on track to succeed.

Wealthy sex offender settles suit, averting victim testimony – (Associated Press)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A last-minute settlement has been reached in Florida in a long-running lawsuit involving a politically-connected financier accused of sexually abusing dozens of teenage girls. The deal came Tuesday just before jury selection was t…

EU court adviser says UK can exit Brexit as May begins parliament quest – (Reuters)
A senior European Union legal adviser said on Tuesday Britain had the right to withdraw its Brexit notice, opening a new front in a battle over Prime Minister Theresa May’s plans to leave the bloc, which could be rejected in parliament next week.

For undocumented migrants, wildfires bring on additional worries – (Al Jazeera English)
Fund helps undocumented immigrants who lost homes and work and developed health conditions due to California wildfires.

As Trump touts trade war truce, China holds its tongue – (Reuters)
As White House officials fanned out to talk up what U.S. President Donald Trump called “an incredible deal” with China to hit pause in their trade war, Beijing has said little on a pact that cheered markets but left many questions unanswered.

Israel launches operation to thwart Hezbollah border tunnels – (Associated Press)
METULA, Israel (AP) — The Israeli military launched an operation Tuesday to “expose and thwart” tunnels it says were built by the Hezbollah militant group that stretch from Lebanon into northern Israel. The military said the tunnels are not currently being us…

France Suspends Fuel Tax Increase That Spurred Violent Protests – (The New York Times)
Through weeks of unrest, President Emmanuel Macron has been accused of ignoring the complaints of the “Yellow Vest” movement.

Wisconsin Republicans to vote on weakening governor’s power – (Associated Press)
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Republicans, just weeks away from losing control of both the governor and attorney general’s offices, planned dramatic lame-duck votes Tuesday on a sweeping attempt to limit the powers of incoming Democrats, a move that opponent…

CIA head to brief Congress on Khashoggi – (BBC News)
Gina Haspel’s absence from a recent briefing on the Saudi writer’s killing angered some lawmakers.

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From various sources

European Christian Political Movement to host pro-Israel conference – (The Jerusalem Post)
Many European Parliament members, representatives of the European commission and NGO leaders are expected to attend this event in a show of support for Israel.

Coronated Lion vows to succeed King David – (The Jerusalem Post)
Jerusalem welcomed its new mayor with open arms at Safra Square on Tuesday.

Hezbollah tunnel operation pulls curtain back on much bigger picture – (The Jerusalem Post)
Sometimes mysteries remain mysteries for years. Other times they are cleared up pretty quickly.

Palestinians vow to foil anti-Hamas U.S. resolution – (The Jerusalem Post)
The sources said that Fatah cannot support the US resolution out of fear of being accused of “colluding” with the US administration and Israel against a Palestinian group.

America’s farmers ‘won’t gain back everything’ they’ve lost in Trump’s trade war – (Business Insider)
America’s farmers ‘won’t gain back everything’ they’ve lost in Trump’s trade war

Source close to Eisenkot: Northern Shield is a public relations operation – (The Jerusalem Post)
“Hezbollah will argue that we violated their sovereignty, but they were the ones who violated it.”

Algorithmic auditors are exposing employee expense fraud – (Hacker News)

bluewaysw/pcgeos – (Hacker News)
#FreeGEOS source codes. The offical home of the PC/GEOS operating system technology. For personal computing fans. For all developers and assembly lovers. For YOU! – bluewaysw/pcgeos

H.W.’s diplomatic legacy of the end of the Cold War – (Fox News)
Clark Judge, former special assistant and speech writer to President George H.W. Bush when he was vice president, says that the former president’s skill in diplomacy to end the Cold War was the ‘most remarkable diplomatic achievement, perhaps in the history o…

Job opening: Senior Software Engineer at Jerry – (Hacker News)
Job opening: Senior Software Engineer at Jerry. Apply at Workable.

James Comey reaches deal with House Republicans – (Fox News)
House Judiciary Committee Republican member Rep. Doug Collins says that the former FBI director will testify behind closed doors on Friday, where he will be unable to ‘filibuster’ and must answer questions truthfully.

TiDB 2.1 GA: Battle-Tested to Handle an Unpredictable World – (Hacker News)
PingCAP, a leading distributed database company that created the popular MySQL-compatible cloud-native NewSQL database TiDB, announces that TiDB 2.1 is ready for General Availability.

George H.W. Bush’s journey to end in College Station, Texas – (Fox News)
41st president will be laid to rest at The George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum at Texas A&M University; William La Jeunesse reports on the preparations.

Author: Russia probe hysteria endangers national security – (Fox News)
The ongoing intense focus on the Russia collusion investigation is preventing President Trump from dealing freely with President Putin, says NYU professor emeritus Stephen Cohen, author of ‘War with Russia? From Putin and Ukraine to Trump and Russiagate.’

Scientists develop 10-minute universal cancer test – (The Guardian (UK))
Colour-changing fluid reveals likelihood of whether patient’s DNA contains cancerous cells

Body found ‘in shallow grave’ in search for Brit beautician missing in Jamaica – (Mirror)
Karen Cleary, 44, from north London, had been in the Caribbean island since November 25 and detectives have arrested a labourer on suspicion of her murder

Can Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Ruin A Friendship? – (Buzzfeed)
Would two friends really throw an entire friendship away over oatmeal raisin cookies? Yes, yes they would.

Kylian Mbappé Names One Player Who We Wants At Paris Saint-Germain – (The Sport Bible)
World Cup winner Kylian Mbappé has told France Football one player who he would love to play alongside at Paris Saint-Germain.

‘He Did Not Lead on AIDS’: For Bush, Activists See a Mixed Legacy – (The New York Times)
The 41st president signed two important H.I.V./AIDS laws, but many activists saw him as a barrier to addressing the crisis in the 1980s and 1990s.

Apple Scrambles to Boost iPhone Sales as Analysts and Markets Sour – (Fortune)
Investors worry as iPhone sales appear to drop so Apple shifts marketing resources to the critical product line.

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All about Trump

America’s farmers ‘won’t gain back everything’ they’ve lost in Trump’s trade war – (Business Insider)
America’s farmers ‘won’t gain back everything’ they’ve lost in Trump’s trade war

Author: Russia probe hysteria endangers national security – (Fox News)
The ongoing intense focus on the Russia collusion investigation is preventing President Trump from dealing freely with President Putin, says NYU professor emeritus Stephen Cohen, author of ‘War with Russia? From Putin and Ukraine to Trump and Russiagate.’

Trump will visit Bush family on Tuesday – (Reuters)
President Donald Trump said he will visit the mourning family of former President George H.W. Bush on Tuesday at Blair House, near the White House.

The internet mocks Donald Trump’s new superhero alter-ego ‘Tariff Man’ – (Mashable)
Trump’s latest alter-ego is the most boring superhero never created.

Bush family promised Trump he wouldn’t be criticized at George H.W.’s funeral, report says – (Newsweek)
The 41st president “wouldn’t want anyone there to feel uncomfortable, including the incumbent president,” a source told The Washington Post.

White House hails China trade truce as skeptics raise doubts – (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is celebrating the 90-day truce it reached in its trade war with China as a significant breakthrough despite scant details, a hazy timetable and widespread skepticism that Beijing will yield to U.S. demands anytime s…

Trump: if no China trade deal possible, ‘I am a Tariff Man’ – (Reuters)
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that if a trade deal with China was possible it would get done, but if the two sides could not resolve their disputes he would revert to tariffs.

Salute fail? Donald Trump is roasted for unusual gesture during George H.W. Bush Tribute – (Newsweek)
The president has been mocked online for saluting the casket in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.

Trump warns China: ‘I am a tariff man’ – (The Hill)
President Trump on Tuesday declared himself a “Tariff Man,” stressing that he will not hesitate to raise tariffs on China if it does not agree to fundamentally change its trade practices.

Michael Flynn sentencing: Mueller could recommend prison term for former Trump aide – (Newsweek)
Michael Flynn is only Trump administration official to plead guilty in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation so far.

As Trump touts trade war truce, China holds its tongue – (Reuters)
As White House officials fanned out to talk up what U.S. President Donald Trump called “an incredible deal” with China to hit pause in their trade war, Beijing has said little on a pact that cheered markets but left many questions unanswered.

John Bolton Calls for Tougher Stance on Intellectual Property Theft – (The Wall Street Journal)
President Trump’s national security adviser called for legislation that would bar imports of products or services generated from American intellectual property theft.

Eric Trump blasts George Conway for ‘utter disrespect’ toward wife, Kellyanne – (NBC News)
Conway suggested on Twitter Monday that President Donald Trump committed witness tampering and obstruction of justice.

Trump to visit Bush family Tuesday – (The Hill)
President Trump said he plans to visit the Bush family on Tuesday following the passing of George H.W.

CNN panel trashes Trump after Capitol visit to honor George H.W. Bush – (Fox News)
A CNN panel blasted President Donald Trump on Monday immediately following his visit to the U.S. Capitol where he paid his respect to former President George H.W. Bush.

Michael Cohen believed Trump would pardon him – CNN Video – (CNN)
Michael Cohen, the former personal attorney for President Donald Trump who is now a key witness in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, was under the impression Trump would offer him a pardon in exchange for staying on message in support of …

Mike Pompeo says US is building a ‘new liberal order’ around the world – (ABC News (AU))
In a speech aimed at concerned diplomats across Europe, the US Secretary of State says Donald Trump is not undermining international institutions like NATO or abandoning American leadership around the world.

Trumps pay brief respect to Bush – (Google News (Australia))
US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump made an unexpected — and brief — visit to pay their respects to late president George H.W. Bush in Washington.

Michael Flynn: Mueller to recommend sentence for former Trump adviser – (The Guardian (AU))
Flynn’s sentencing was delayed four times after Mueller said he needed more time ‘due to the status of the investigation’

Russia Won’t ‘Beg’ for Talks With Trump, Kremlin Aide Says – (Bloomberg)

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