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Anthony Scaramucci and Steve Bullock trade jabs over prank endorsement

Anthony Scaramucci, President Donald Trump’s former, short-lived White House communications director-turned-detractor, saw his fame exploited Thursday in a campaign stunt by a Democratic presidential candidate. The stunt unfolded on Twitter when Steve Bullock — Montana’s governor and a long-shot candidate who’s failed to qualify for all but one Democratic primary debate this year — posted a video recorded by “The Mooch” for the celebrity-shout-out site Cameo in which he appears to endorse Bullock’s campaign. “We support you, Steve B. I know you got a tough race ahead of you, but you’ve done this before,” Scaramucci says in the 19-second clip filmed from inside a moving car.

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California fires: new blazes as dangerous winds fan the flames

Firefighters in California struggled to contain a new fast-moving blaze on Wednesday that threatened thousands of homes and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, as rare "extreme" red flag warnings were issued for much of the Los Angeles region. The so-called Easy Fire in the Simi Valley northwest of Los Angeles erupted around 6:00 am, forcing the evacuation of the library and nearby homes as it spread to more than 1,500 acres (526 hectares), officials said. "The fire outflanked us very rapidly, pushed by those 40 to 50 mile-per-hour winds," Ventura County Fire Assistant Chief Chad Cook told reporters.

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Full coverage: House passes impeachment resolution

The House on Thursday voted to pass a historic resolution establishing formal procedures for the ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Trump. The 232-196 vote fell almost exclusively along party lines, with two moderate Democrats voting no.

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The Latest: Man accused of arson in California wildfire

Authorities say a man was arrested and accused of arson after a crew responded to a report of a wildfire in Northern California. A CalFire statement said engine crews were able to quickly contain the small fire in the Sonoma County community of Geyserville and identified a potential suspect. Authorities reported progress Wednesday in battling the Kincade fire in Sonoma County that started last week outside of Geyserville and forced the evacuation of the entire community, home to about 900 people.

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Convicted rapist mistakenly released from Georgia prison captured in Kentucky

UPDATE 2-American Airlines flight attendants stand up to Boeing CEO on 737 MAX

American Airlines' flight attendants union still has safety concerns about the Boeing 737 MAX and is demanding an active role in the relaunch of the grounded aircraft, its president told Boeing Co's chief executive in a letter seen by Reuters. "The 28,000 flight attendants working for American Airlines refuse to walk onto a plane that may not be safe and are calling for the highest possible safety standards to avoid another tragedy," Association of Professional Flight Attendants President Lori Bassani said in the letter.

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Police say body of British tourist missing in Cambodia found

The body of a British backpacker missing for more than a week in Cambodia was found at sea Thursday about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the island where she disappeared, officials said. The police chief for Preah Sihanouk province, Maj. Gen. Chuon Narin, said the body of 21-year-old Amelia Bambridge was discovered in the Gulf of Thailand northwest of Koh Rong, where she disappeared after attending a beach party on the night of Oct. 23. It was found near another island, Koh Chhlam, close to Cambodia's maritime border with Thailand.

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Israel rearrests Palestinian MP, daughter says

Israeli forces on Thursday rearrested a Palestinian lawmaker who was freed in February after being held without trial for 20 months over links to an outlawed leftist group, her daughter said. "My mother Khalida Jarrar was arrested from our house in Ramallah" at about 3:00 am (0100 GMT), Jarrar's daughter Yafa posted on Facebook. Spokespeople for Israel's Shin Bet security service, which generally directs such arrests, could not immediately be reached for comment.

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A California couple who was forced to evacuate their home and winery share what it's really like to endure the wildfires engulfing the state

House Democrats are just trying to invalidate the 2016 election of President Donald Trump

Brazil wildfires: Blaze advances across Pantanal wetlands

Informant who fingered IS leader likely to reap huge reward: report

An informant who provided crucial details on the movements of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Islamic State leader killed in a US commando raid, is likely to scoop up some or all of a $25 million reward, the Washington Post reported Wednesday. The Post said the informant was a well-placed Islamic State operative who facilitated al-Baghdadi's movements around Syria and helped oversee the construction of his Syrian hideout.

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Security Aide Tells of Ukraine Concerns: Impeachment Update

(Bloomberg) -- The House voted Thursday to adopt rules for the next, more public phase of the impeachment investigation. President Donald Trump and his lawyers would be allowed to participate more in the next steps of the inquiry.Also, the House committees conducting the inquiry heard closed-door testimony from Timothy Morrison, the National Security Council’s senior director for Europe and Russia.Here are the latest developments:National Security Aide Tells of Ukraine Moves (7:30 p.m.)Morrison told House impeachment investigators that he was concerned on multiple levels after learning of administration efforts to pressure the Ukraine government to investigate the president’s political rivals in return for military aid.He also specifically identified Gordon Sondland, Trump’s envoy to the European Union, as having communicated to a Ukrainian official that the American military aid would be released if the country investigated an energy company linked to Hunter Biden, former vice president Joe Biden’s son.According to Morrison’s prepared opening remarks Thursday to the Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight and Reform committees, he confirmed the substance of similar testimony given by William Taylor the acting ambassador to Ukraine, about what Sondland told the Ukrainian official.Morrison said that his resignation, which has been reported, has been delayed until after his involvement with the committees has been concluded.Pentagon Says Vindman Will Be Protected (6:25 p.m.)A U.S. Defense Department official said Thursday that “robust procedures” were in place to protect Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman after he testified in the House impeachment inquiry.Separately, an Army spokeswoman said in a statement that Vindman has been “afforded all protections anyone would be provided in his circumstances.”The statements, from the Pentagon official and the Army spokeswoman, were released after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote to top Army officials demanding to know what protections will be afforded to Vindman after the National Security Council aide’s patriotism was questioned by some conservatives who were angry over his testimony.Vindman testified Tuesday that he listened to Trump’s July 25 telephone call with Ukraine’s president and was so disturbed by the conversation that he reported it to the NSC’s lawyer.Judge Hears Arguments on McGahn Subpoena (4:39 p.m.)A Trump administration lawyer told a federal judge she doesn’t have jurisdiction to consider a House committee lawsuit seeking to force former White House counsel Don McGahn to testify to the House Judiciary Committee.“This kind of lawsuit can’t be here,” Justice Department attorney James Burnham told U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson Thursday in Washington.The Democratic-led Judiciary Committee subpoenaed McGahn in April to testify.McGahn, who resigned his White House post in October 2018, didn’t make his scheduled May 21 appearance before Congress after the White House asserted he was “absolutely immune” from compelled testimony. The House later cited him for contempt, then sued to enforce its subpoena.Lawyers for the House committee told the judge that while the Trump administration can assert executive privilege to prevent McGahn from answering specific questions, it can’t make a blanket assertion of immunity.NSC Aide Wasn’t Disturbed By July 25 Call (2:32 p.m.)Former National Security Council aide Timothy Morrison told House impeachment investigators Thursday he was not concerned that anything illegal was discussed during the July 25 call between Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said a congressional official familiar with his testimony.Morrison confirmed to members of the Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight and Reform committees that he was among the officials who listened in on that call, said the official. Morrison’s lawyer didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.Morrison left his NSC position a day before his testimony, a senior Trump administration official said.Representative Mark Meadows, a Republican on the Oversight Committee, told reporters that Morrison’s testimony is “at odds” with the deposition given earlier this week by NSC aide Alexander Vindman, who told the committees he was so disturbed by the July conversation that he reported it to the NSC’s lawyer. Meadows said Morrison’s testimony will form the core of the GOP’s defense of Trump. -- Billy HouseDemocrats Promise Equal Chance for Questions (12:53 p.m.)Republicans and Democrats will have an equal opportunity to question witnesses in the public impeachment inquiry hearings, House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff told reporters.Schiff said the rules adopted by the House Thursday will allow committee chairmen to begin releasing transcripts of the closed-door hearings held so far, adding that those transcripts will show that the GOP has had an equal chance to conduct questioning.House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel said that in the private hearings, “We’ve seen damning evidence that the president abused his power and jeopardized our national security to help his own political fortunes.”Americans “deserve to know the facts and they soon will,” Engel said.House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler said that when the probe advances to his committee the president will have more rights than during the initial fact-finding stage.“It is the duty of the house to vindicate the Constitution,” Nadler said. -- Emily Wilkins and Evan SullyWhite House Says Trump Did ‘Nothing Wrong’ (11:41 a.m.)Minutes after the House vote, White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham issued a statement saying Trump “has done nothing wrong and the Democrats know it.”“Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats’ unhinged obsession with this illegitimate impeachment proceeding does not hurt President Trump,” she said. “It hurts the American people.” She said Democrats are trying to “destroy” the president.Grisham said that the impeachment inquiry is proceeding at the expense of other priorities in the House, including lowering drug costs and passing a U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. -- Justin BlumTwo Democrats Break Ranks on Inquiry Vote (11:35 a.m.)Two Democrats, Collin Petersonof Minnesota and Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, broke ranks with their party and voted with Republicans against the rules for the inquiry.Independent House member Justin Amash of Michigan, who quit the Republican Party earlier this year, voted with Democrats for the inquiry. -- Billy House, Erik WassonHouse Votes to Open Public Trump Inquiry (11:29 a.m.)The House adopted the resolution that puts Trump on the path toward impeachment. The 232-196 vote fell along sharply partisan lines.All signs point to the House taking a formal vote on articles of impeachment on Trump, possibly before the end of the year. However, it would take a two-thirds majority vote in the Republican-controlled Senate to convict him, and therefore remove him from office, an outcome viewed at this point as highly unlikely.The resolution doesn’t establish a deadline for the investigation. It directs six House committees to continue investigating different aspects of Trump’s administration, business and associates, with the Intelligence Committee leading the probe of the Ukraine-related allegations. Public hearings could begin in two weeks. -- Billy HouseHouse Has Votes to Back Probe; Vote Ongoing (11:25 a.m.)The House has enough votes to adopt the resolution that puts Trump on the path toward impeachment. The vote is ongoing, falling along sharply partisan lines.With this measure, Democrats plan to hold public impeachment hearings to investigate whether Trump should ultimately be removed from office for pressuring Ukraine to investigate a political rival and other possible misdeeds. The closed depositions led by the Intelligence Committee will continue, along with probes in five other panels.Eventual articles of impeachment would be drafted by the Judiciary Committee for a final floor vote to impeach the president. It would then be up to the Republican-led Senate to decide whether Trump should be removed from office. -- Billy HousePelosi Says ‘Sad Day’ Ahead of Key Vote (10:33 a.m.)Speaker Nancy Pelosi said a decision on whether to impeach Trump “has not been made” as the House prepares to vote on rules for the next phase of the inquiry.”It’s a sad day because nobody comes to Congress to impeach the president of the United States,“ she told reporters.“It’s about the truth and it’s about the Constitution and we’re working very hard to defend our democracy,” she said. “The times have found us.” -- Erik Wasson, Billy HouseNSC Aide Morrison Arrives for House Testimony (8:32 a.m.)Former National Security Council aide Timothy Morrison arrived at the Capitol Thursday for his scheduled testimony before House committees undertaking an impeachment inquiry.Morrison left his position a day before his scheduled testimony, a senior Trump administration official said.Morrison, who served as special assistant to the president and the NSC’s senior director for Europe and Russia, has been identified as one of the officials who listened in on the July 25 call between Trump and Ukraine’s president where Trump pressed for an investigation of his political opponent Joe Biden and his son. -- Billy HouseKey EventsHouse investigators asked Trump’s former National Security Advisor John Bolton to testify on Nov. 7. Bolton was ousted from the White House last month, and it’s unclear how he’ll respond to the request. He would be a key witness to White House events on the administration’s interaction with Ukraine.Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan distanced the State Department from Rudy Giuliani’s claim that his work on Ukraine was done at the department’s request, suggesting it was part of a parallel process that Sullivan and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo weren’t engaged on. Sullivan spoke at his nomination hearing to be U.S. ambassador to Russia.The House Rules Committee advanced rules Wednesday for public hearings by the House Intelligence Committee and, after that, by the Judiciary Committee. Majority Democrats blocked a bid by Republicans to gain equal power to issue subpoenas. The full House plans to vote on the rules Thursday.\--With assistance from Steven T. Dennis, Erik Wasson, Emily Wilkins, Evan Sully, Daniel Flatley and Tony Capaccio.To contact the reporter on this story: Billy House in Washington at bhouse5@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, John Harney, Kevin WhitelawFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

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IS names Baghdadi successor, threatens US: statement

The Islamic State jihadist group confirmed the death of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a statement Thursday and named his replacement as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi. "We mourn you... commander of the faithful," said Abu Hamza al-Quraishi -- presented as the jihadist group's new spokesman -- in an audio statement. Baghdadi, who led IS since 2014 and was the world's most wanted man, was killed in a US special forces raid in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib on Sunday.

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The Latest: Evacuation orders lift for fire sparked by car

Evacuation orders have been lifted for a small brush fire sparked by a stolen car at the end of a police chase in Southern California. Officials say the 300-acre blaze in Jurupa Valley east of Los Angeles on Thursday destroyed three homes and two outbuildings before firefighters got a handle on it. Meanwhile, residents who fled a wildfire in San Bernardino could begin returning Thursday evening.

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George Papadopoulos, convicted Trump campaign adviser, files papers to run for Katie Hill's seat in Congress

Putin faces Syria money crunch after U.S. keeps control of oil fields

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says the revenge porn campaign targeting Rep. Katie Hill is a 'major crime' that wouldn't happen to a male member of Congress

UPDATE 4-Islamic State vows revenge against U.S. for Baghdadi killing

Islamic State confirmed on Thursday that its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a weekend raid by U.S. special forces in northwestern Syria, and vowed revenge against the United States. The Iraqi rose from obscurity to lead the ultra-hardline group and declare himself "caliph" of all Muslims, holding sway over huge areas of Iraq and Syria from 2014-2017 before Islsmic State's control disintegrated under U.S.-led attacks. The group confirmed his death in an audio tape posted online and said a successor, identified as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi, had been appointed.

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2 women have been criminally charged over their partners' suicides. Why do men escape the same blame?

Tulsi Gabbard says she wants to defeat the 'Bush-Clinton doctrine' on foreign policy

A California couple who was forced to evacuate their home and winery share what it's really like to endure the wildfires engulfing the state

Graphic: Examining the weapons and tactics used by police and protesters in Hong Kong

As the showdown between police and protesters in Hong Kong has intensified, officers have used increasing force, deploying an arsenal of crowd-control weapons, including tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, sponge grenades and bean bag rounds. Protesters have also stepped up their actions, hurling petrol bombs, vandalizing mainland Chinese banks and businesses believed to be pro-Beijing, throwing bricks at police stations and battling officers in the streets, sometimes with metal bars. Reuters scrutinized hundreds of images of the protests, as well as dozens of police reports and video footage, and combined this research with reporting on the ground to document the weapons used by the police and protesters, and how the violence has increased from day to day.

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Residents flee, power cut as crews battle California fire

Cody Rodriguez never went to sleep the night two years ago when wildfire roared out of tinder-dry hills in Northern California wine country, trapping people unaware in their homes and forcing thousands of panicked residents to flee in the dark. "It has brought a lot of anxiety," Rodriguez said outside an evacuation center Sunday at Napa Valley College.

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Biden Denied Communion at South Carolina Church Owing to Stance on Abortion

Former vice president Joe Biden was denied communion by a Catholic priest in South Carolina on Sunday because of his public stance on abortion.Father Robert E. Morey confirmed to the Florence Morning News via email on Monday that he had refused the sacrament to Biden.“Sadly, this past Sunday, I had to refuse Holy Communion to former Vice President Joe Biden,” Father Morey, pastor at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Florence, said. “Holy Communion signifies we are one with God, each other and the Church. Our actions should reflect that. Any public figure who advocates for abortion places himself or herself outside of Church teaching.”Biden, who is Catholic, would not confirm whether he had attended Mass at St. Anthony’s. The campaign told the Florence Morning News that “if he did attend, he did so in a private capacity.”Biden has said in the past that he is “personally opposed” to abortion, but publicly advocates for its protection, including the establishing of a federal law to preserve the right to abortion even if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.Biden flipped multiple times on the campaign trail earlier this year over support for the Hyde amendment, which bans federal funding of abortion under Medicaid except in rare circumstances.“I’ve been working through the finer details of my health care plan like others in this race, and I’ve been struggling with the problems that Hyde now presents,” Biden said during a Democratic National Committee gala in Atlanta in June. “If I believe health care is a right, as I do, I can no longer support an amendment that makes that right dependent on someone’s ZIP code.”Denial of communion to politicians who publicly support abortion has long been a hot-button topic. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote in 2004 that “such decisions rest with the individual bishop in accord with the established canonical and pastoral principles.” Morey’s email said that the matter of pro-choice Catholic politicians is a difficult situation, but his responsibility remains to minister to souls.“I will keep Mr. Biden in my prayers,” Morey’s statement concludes.

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Trump impeachment: Official says she was repeatedly urged to oust Ukraine ambassador by Republican lobbyist

A US government official has reportedly told politicians leading the impeachment hearings against Donald Trump that she was urged by a Republican-linked lobbyist to remove the US ambassador to Ukraine from her post, as the president's allies launched a smear campaign against her.Catherine Croft, a Ukraine expert who worked at the US State Department, said she was repeatedly contacted by lobbyist Robert Livingston about ousting Marie Yovanovitch, according to prepared remarks obtained by NPR.

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3 killed, 9 wounded in shooting at party in California home

A gunman who opened fire from an alley into a party killed three people and wounded nine others in California before fleeing in a vehicle, police said Wednesday. Police Chief Robert Luna called the shooter a coward and urged residents to come forward with any information that might lead to an arrest. Three men were killed, and seven women and two men were taken to hospitals with gunshot wounds.

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Italy's Matteo Salvini Is Back With a Vengeance

(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Matteo Salvini is back with a vengeance.The leader of Italy’s right-wing League had disappeared from the political limelight after he tried and failed to force a new election in August, falling out of government. A triumph in a local election on Sunday shows he’s primed for a return.Italy’s right-of-center coalition — made up of the League, the Brothers of Italy and Forza Italia — stormed to victory in the small central region of Umbria, traditionally a stronghold of the left. A number of local scandals assisted the parties in pulling off their unprecedented win. But the result is a warning shot to the ruling Democratic Party and Five Star Movement, and a sign that Salvini remains extremely popular with voters.In the past two months the left-of-center Democrats and their populist coalition partners Five Star have reassured international investors that Italy has no intention of clashing with the European Union (as it did under Salvini’s rule), let alone of leaving the single currency. A prudent budget has helped slash the country’s borrowing costs, pushing 10-year bond yields to 1%. But the two parties have failed to strike a chord with the electorate, as the budget also included tax hikes and new administrative burdens, some of which had to be reversed.The Democrats and Five Star have spent much of their time in government arguing with each other, leaving voters to wonder what they can achieve. These divisions have given Salvini heart after a difficult summer. The League leader had pulled the plug on the previous League-Five Star coalition government as he’d hoped this would trigger an election. He was outmaneuvered by his opponents and saw his poll ratings dip.Since then he has regrouped, rebuilding an alliance with his former partners in Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia and the far right Brothers of Italy, and attacking the government for its tax hikes. The League is now back at about 33% in the polls and the right of center parties look on course for an absolute majority in any future election.The “yellow-red” coalition between Five Star and the Democrats always looked like a bad idea. The two parties had spent years trading insults, especially after Five Star teamed up with the League. It would have been better to have given Salvini his election this year. He would have almost certainly won, but that would have provided a true test of governing alone.The League would have had to resolve its ambiguity over Italy’s membership of the euro, a vagueness it was allowed to maintain so long as it was (in name at least) the junior partner to Five Star in government. The Democrats and other parties would have had time to build a credible alternative from opposition.Five Star and the Democrats have a difficult road ahead. Luigi Di Maio, Five Star’s leader, is presiding over a number of internal revolts after his party slumped below 10% in Umbria. Nicola Zingaretti, the leader of the Democrats, faces an equally tough challenge from his predecessor Matteo Renzi, who has set up his own centrist party and could destabilize the government. Fear of Salvini is keeping this coalition together but that won’t be enough to glue together a cohesive and resolute governing agenda.Italy has found a short-term fix to the risk of market instability through this coalition government, but it is not a long-term solution. Slow growth, towering debt and highly uncertain politics will continue to daunt Rome.To contact the author of this story: Ferdinando Giugliano at fgiugliano@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: James Boxell at jboxell@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Ferdinando Giugliano writes columns on European economics for Bloomberg Opinion. He is also an economics columnist for La Repubblica and was a member of the editorial board of the Financial Times.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

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Special Report: In a working-class Hong Kong neighborhood, the protests hit home

From the top of Lion Rock, all of Hong Kong reveals itself: the sprawl of the Kowloon Peninsula directly below, the iconic Star Ferry plying the waters of Victoria Harbor, the moneyed heights of Hong Kong island beyond. In the shadow of the revered mountain rise huge monoliths, drab concrete tower blocks far removed from the glittering glass highrises of Hong Kong island's steroidal skyline. Here, in a neighborhood of public housing estates called Wong Tai Sin, seemingly endless stacks of aging windows heave with drying laundry and hum with air conditioners sweating droplets onto the pavement below.

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Liberia's child soldiers: 'I know I killed people'

Japan Justice Minister Kawai resigns, second minister to quit in a week

Activist Thunberg declines climate prize, urges more action

Two fellow climate activists spoke on Thunberg's behalf at an award ceremony Tuesday in Stockholm for the regional inter-parliamentary Nordic Council's prizes, reading a statement thanking the group for the honor. Thunberg, 16, is currently in California.

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China pushes higher 'moral quality' for its citizens

From budgeting for rural weddings to dressing appropriately and avoiding online porn, China's Communist Party has issued new guidelines to improve the "moral quality" of its citizens. Officials have released several sets of guidelines this week alongside a secretive conclave of high-ranking officials in Beijing which discusses the country's future direction. Public institutions like libraries and youth centres must carry out "targeted moral education" to improve people's ideological awareness and moral standards, according to the rules.

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Tucker Carlson and Guest Blame Diversity and ‘Woke’ Culture for California Fires

Fox NewsFox News host Tucker Carlson and his guest, conservative YouTube personality Dave Rubin, both insisted Tuesday night that the wildfires burning across California are due largely to progressive ideology, “woke” culture, and diversity in hiring.During Tuesday’s broadcast of Tucker Carlson Tonight, Carlson welcomed on Rubin, a political commentator and podcaster, to discuss the issues surrounding the large fires engulfing the state, including those related to the electrical grid and firefighting methods.“PG&E; strikes me as almost a metaphor for the destruction of the state,” Carlson said about the state’s power company. “Here’s the utility which doesn’t really know anything about its own infrastructure but knows everything about the race of its employees. How did we get there?”After noting that he lives near one of the fires in the Los Angeles area, Rubin immediately took aim at liberal politics as the main reason the wildfires have grown so large and dangerous.“The problem right now is that everything, EVERYTHING, from academia to public utilities to politics, everything that goes woke, that buys into this ridiculous progressive ideology that cares about what contractors are LGBT or how many black firemen we have or white this or Asian that, everything that goes that road eventually breaks down,” he declared.As Carlson nodded and said “that’s true,” Rubin continued, complaining that this isn’t how “freedom is supposed to operate.”“What is supposed to happen—imagine if your house was on fire,” he added. “Would you care what the public utility or what the fire company, what contractor they brought in, what gender or sexuality or any of those things he or she was? It’s just absolutely ridiculous.”The Fox News host continued to agree with Rubin, who went on to tie PG&E;’s preemptive blackouts to a lack of “libertarian or conservative-minded people in California to fight what the progressives are doing to the state.”“If you can’t keep the lights on and you can’t keep the place from burning down, you’ve reached the point where there is no kind of lying about it anymore,” Carlson concluded. “It’s falling apart. It’s a disaster. It’s not civilized anymore.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Get 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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Man loses foot, another seriously injured in shark attack while snorkeling in Australia

Exclusive: How Lebanon's Hariri defied Hezbollah

After hitting a dead end in efforts to defuse the crisis sweeping Lebanon, Saad al-Hariri informed a top Hezbollah official on Monday he had no choice but to quit as prime minister in defiance of the powerful Shi'ite group. The decision by the Sunni leader shocked Hussein al-Khalil, political advisor to Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who advised him against giving in to protesters who wanted to see his coalition government toppled. The meeting described to Reuters by four senior sources from outside Hariri's Future Party captures a critical moment in the crisis that has swept Lebanon for the last two weeks as Hariri yielded to the massive street protests against the ruling elite.

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A California couple who was forced to evacuate their home and winery share what it's really like to endure the wildfires engulfing the state

Ilhan Omar refuses to back vote recognising Armenian genocide

Ilhan Omar declined to vote in favour of a resolution recognising the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as a genocide, saying any "true acknowledgement" of such crimes must include other historical "mass slaughters".The Minnesota Democrat was one of just three House members to vote “present” on the resolution that passed in an overwhelming 405-11 vote.

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Michelle Obama: White Americans 'still running' from black neighbors

Michelle Obama said that white Americans are “still running” from their nonwhite fellow citizens during a summit in which she detailed how her own experience of white flight unfolded during her upbringing on Chicago’s South Side.

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What Baghdadi’s Death Means for al Qaeda—and Why It Matters

SITE Intelligence GroupWith ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed one day and the group’s official spokesman Abu Hassan al-Muhajir the next, there’s a giant hole in the pseudo-Caliphate structure of the so-called Islamic State. The group must now, by its strict religious tenets, find a new (supposed) descendant of the Prophet Muhammed to fill the role of Caliph. But the deaths of those two are equally consequential for al-Qaeda, the bitter rival of ISIS for leadership of global jihad. Al-Qaeda has spent the last six years branding the Caliphate as illegitimate, too extreme, and ultimately harmful. When ISIS declared the establishment of its so-called Caliphate spanning territory in Syria and Iraq in 2014, al-Qaeda and its affiliates unanimously rejected it. To this day, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri’s speeches rarely come without some critique of the “epidemic” put forth by ISIS.Trump Officials Had No Clue Where He Got ‘Whimpering’ Detail in His Baghdadi Raid AccountOddly, Baghdadi was killed in Idlib, a haven of al-Qaeda-linked fighters and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a Syrian Islamist faction led by Abu Muhammad al-Julani, a former al-Qaeda comrade who had become one of Baghdadi's most bitter foes. There has been some speculation Baghdadi was not just hiding out but trying to recruit from the ranks of his enemies.Neither al-Qaeda Central nor its affiliates have commented on Baghdadi’s death as yet, but within hours after the news broke, al-Qaeda ideologues and supporters already were celebrating the event and discussing what it will mean for the future of jihad. In chat groups online, al-Qaeda supporters voiced resentment after years of bitter strife with the group, and the scale of these responses illustrates just how much of a big deal and opportunity they see with Baghdadi’s death.“Based on his orders, thousands of the mujahideen were killed,” one post read.“How thrilled were they every time leaders from al-Qaeda were martyred?” read another.Some wished Baghdadi the ultimate condemnation: “May Allah send him to Hell.”Messages by others, however, particularly al-Qaeda-linked ideologues, balanced expressions of justice for the jihadi movement with restraint, making sure not to celebrate excessively the result of an operation by the United States.The tactful enthusiasm is calculated. Many ISIS fighters, much of its military infrastructure, many media officials, and supporters were pulled from al-Qaeda. Now, with ISIS’ “Caliph” dead and that Caliphate itself destroyed, al-Qaeda has been given its biggest opportunity yet to bring many of them back under its tent. SITE Intelligence GroupPerhaps the most profound instance of this outreach was a lengthy essay by “Adel Amin,” the pen name of a prominent ideologue linked to the Shabaab al-Mujahideen Movement, al-Qaeda’s branch in Somalia and most powerful affiliate. The message, disseminated widely across al-Qaeda-supporting channels and chat groups (many of which are also frequented by pro-ISIS users), demanded that ISIS supporters “return to the road of righteousness” after the Islamic State, in all of its excessive aggression and delusions of destiny, has proven itself a failure. Amin wrote:The situation here is not one in which to gloat. It is a situation for reminding and calling on those who remained in the ranks of al-Baghdadi, to reconsider… Indeed, we witnessed its back being broken, its leaders getting killed, and its banner falling, and we hope that we can witness whoever remains from its soldiers returning to righteousness.Statements by other ideologues and supporters voiced the same points. A statement by Sirajuddin Zurayqat, a former religious official in the now-defunct al-Qaeda-linked Brigades of Abdullah Azzam in Lebanon, urged: “Now [Baghdadi] is dead and there is not one from the Ummah grieving over him or giving condolences... Therefore, those who were deceived by him should reconsider before it is too late!”These messages echo the same calls heard from Zawahiri and al-Qaeda affiliates over the years calling on ISIS fighters to “repent” and leave the group. Yet despite these new circumstances, ISIS supporters will not easily be moved. Since the summer of 2016, the group’s followers have seen the loss of the major cities Mosul in Iraq and Raqqah in Syria as well as the death of revered ISIS figures like Omar Shishani, Abu Muhammad al-‘Adnani, and others. With the latest setbacks to its leadership, ISIS-linked accounts online already have poured out calls to stay steadfast and have even used Baghdadi’s death as a rallying point to carry out new attacks. Reinforcing this undeterred support is an ISIS military and media machine that has shown no sign of stopping in the last two days. While ISIS has not yet officially acknowledged the death of Baghdadi, it has continued reporting on day-to-day military activity across Iraq, Syria, and the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.ISIS' Yemen Province - AQAP Prisoners as Featured in the video “He Who Starts is More Unjust”SITE Intelligence GroupFurthermore, while al-Qaeda affiliates like the Shabaab serve as powerful representatives of the organization, al-Qaeda Central is weaker than it has ever been. These days, al-Qaeda Central’s role is largely symbolic, limited to leadership messages and other content while steering the big-picture ethos of the organization. Its attempts to bolster its image, already heavily weighed down by a less-than-charismatic leader in Zawahiri, were upended upon the death of Hamza bin Laden, the son of Osama, whom al-Qaeda likely was grooming for an eventual leadership position. These variables considered, al-Qaeda may not be the appealing alternative for jihadists that its supporters want it to seem. So, while some fighters might very well join the ranks of al-Qaeda affiliates in their region, we shouldn't expect to see any drastic migration from ISIS’ ranks into its rival’s.Despite any notions of good-riddance that al-Qaeda and its supporters attach to Baghdadi’s death, and for whatever number of defectors it may win over as a result of Baghdadi’s demise, ISIS is not going anywhere. The barriers between these terrorist organizations have only hardened over the years, fueling deadly clashes and jihadi PR wars. Baghdadi was not the sole barrier keeping ISIS members from joining al-Qaeda, and his death is unlikely to diminish existing disputes.How U.S. Commandos IDed a ‘Mutilated’ Baghdadi So QuicklyRead 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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The Latest: Islamic State leader buried at sea, US says

The head of United States Central Command says Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was buried at sea after a weekend raid on his compound. Gen. Frank McKenzie told reporters Wednesday that al-Baghdadi died after he exploded a suicide vest just before U.S. troops were going to capture him. McKenzie says two children were killed in the explosion set off by the Islamic State leader.

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Disaster for Trump? What If the Philippines Became Russia's Ally?

Biden's communion denial highlights faith-politics conflict

A Roman Catholic priest's denial of communion to Joe Biden in South Carolina on Sunday illustrates the fine line presidential candidates must walk as they talk about their faiths: balancing religious values with a campaign that asks them to choose a side in polarizing moral debates. The awkward moment for Biden came during a weekend campaign swing through South Carolina, a pivotal firewall in his hopes to claim the Democratic presidential nomination. The former vice president on Sunday visited St. Anthony Catholic Church in Florence, a midsize city in the state's largely rural northeast.

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