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Business InsiderTrump is reportedly planning a made-for-TV exit on Air Force One from the White House to a rally on Inauguration Day, hoping to pull viewers from Biden
Trump is reportedly considering breaking democratic tradition by boycotting Joe Biden's inauguration and staging a rally instead.
- The Telegraph
German prosecutors 'have evidence' suspect killed Madeleine McCann
There is compelling evidence the German prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann killed her but it cannot be shared with the public, German prosecutors said on Tuesday. “If you knew the evidence we had you would come to the same conclusion as I do,” Hans Christian Wolters, the prosecutor in charge of the case told the BBC. “But I can't give you details because we don't want the accused to know what we have on him — these are tactical considerations.” Christian Brückner, a 43-year-old convicted paedophile and rapist, was named as a suspect in the toddler’s disappearance in June. But German prosecutors have yet to charge him in connection with the case and say that while they have evidence it is not yet enough to secure a conviction. “I can't promise, I can't guarantee that we have enough to bring a charge but I'm very confident because what we have so far doesn't allow any other conclusion at all,” Mr Wolters told the BBC.
- The Conversation
The Taliban are megarich – here's where they get the money they use to wage war in Afghanistan
The Taliban militants of Afghanistan have grown richer and more powerful since their fundamentalist Islamic regime was toppled by U.S. forces in 2001. In the fiscal year that ended in March 2020, the Taliban reportedly brought in US$1.6 billion, according to Mullah Yaqoob, son of the late Taliban spiritual leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, who revealed the Taliban’s income sources in a confidential report commissioned by NATO and later obtained by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.In comparison, the Afghan government brought in $5.55 billion during the same period. The government is now in peace talks with the Taliban, seeking to end their 19-year insurgency.I study the Taliban’s finances as an economic policy analyst at the Center for Afghanistan Studies. Here’s where their money comes from. 1\. Drugs – $416 millionAfghanistan accounted for approximately 84% of global opium production over the past five years, according to the United Nation’s World Drug Report 2020. Much of those illicit drug profits go to the Taliban, which manage opium in areas under their control. The group imposes a 10% tax on every link in the drug production chain, according to a 2008 report from the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit, an independent research organization in Kabul. That includes the Afghan farmers who cultivate poppy, the main ingredient in opium, the labs that convert it into a drug and the traders who move the final product out of country. 2\. Mining – $400 million to $464 millionMining iron ore, marble, copper, gold, zinc and other metals and rare-earth minerals in mountainous Afghanistan is an increasingly lucrative business for the Taliban. Both small-scale mineral-extraction operations and big Afghan mining companies pay Taliban militants to allow them to keep their businesses running. Those who don’t pay have faced death threats.According to the Taliban’s Stones and Mines Commission, or Da Dabaro Comisyoon, the group earns $400 million a year from mining. NATO estimates that figure higher, at $464 million – up from just $35 million in 2016. 3\. Extortion and taxes – $160 millionLike a government, the Taliban tax people and industries in the growing swath of Afghanistan under their control. They even issue official receipts of tax payment.“Taxed” industries include mining operations, media, telecommunications and development projects funded by international aid. Drivers are also charged for using highways in Taliban-controlled regions, and shopkeepers pay the Taliban for the right to do business. The group also imposes a traditional Islamic form of taxation called “ushr” – which is a 10% tax on a farmer’s harvest – and “zakat,” a 2.5% wealth tax. According to Mullah Yaqoob, tax revenues – which may also be considered extortion – bring in around $160 million annually. Since some of those taxed are poppy growers, there could be some financial overlap between tax revenue and drug revenue. 4\. Charitable donations – $240 millionThe Taliban receive covert financial contributions from private donors and international institutions across the globe. Many Taliban donations are from charities and private trusts located in Persian Gulf countries, a region historically sympathetic to the group’s religious insurgency. Those donations add up to about $150 million to $200 million each year, according to the Afghanistan Center for Research and Policy Studies. These charities are on the U.S. Treasurey Department’s list of groups that finance terrorism. Private citizens from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran and some Persian Gulf nations also help finance the Taliban, contributing another $60 million annually to the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani Network, according to American counterterrorism agencies. 5\. Exports – $240 millionIn part to launder illicit money, the Taliban import and export various everyday consumer goods, according to the United Nations Security Council. Known business affiliates include the multinational Noorzai Brothers Limited, which imports auto parts and sells reassembled vehicles and spare automobile parts.The Taliban’s net income from exports is thought to be around $240 million a year. This figure includes the export of poppy and looted minerals, so there may be financial overlap with drug revenue and mining revenue. 6\. Real estate – $80 millionThe Taliban own real estate in Afghanistan, Pakistan and potentially other countries, according to Mullah Yaqoob and the Pakistani TV Channel SAMAA. Yaqoob told NATO annual real estate revenue is around $80 million. 7\. Specific countriesAccording to BBC reporting, a classified CIA report estimated in 2008 that the Taliban had received $106 million from foreign sources, in particular from the Gulf states.Today, the governments of Russia, Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are all believed to bankroll the Taliban, according to numerous U.S. and international sources. Experts say these funds could amount to as much as $500 million a year, but it is difficult to put an exact figure on this income stream. Building a peacetime budgetFor nearly 20 years, the Taliban’s great wealth has financed mayhem, destruction and death in Afghanistan. To battle its insurgency, the Afghan government also spends heavily on war, often at the expense of basic public services and economic development.[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.]A peace agreement in Afghanistan would allow the government to redirect its scarce resources. The government might also see substantial new revenue flow in from legal sectors now dominated by the Taliban, such as mining. Stability is additionally expected to attract foreign investment in the country, helping the government end its dependence on donors like the United States and the European Union.There are many reasons to root for peace in war-scarred Afghanistan. Its financial health is one of them.This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Hanif Sufizada, University of Nebraska Omaha.Read more: * How a troop drawdown in Afghanistan signals American weakness and could send Afghan allies into the Taliban’s arms * After US and Taliban sign accord, Afghanistan must prepare for peaceHanif Sufizada does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
- The Week
Tuesday's 'safe harbor' deadline essentially ends Trump's doomed election challenges
President Trump's janky legal and political campaign to overturn his loss to President-elect Joe Biden through the courts and state legislatures effectively dies Tuesday, when the "safe harbor" deadline presumptively locks in certified vote counts. As of Monday night, 47 states and the District of Columbia have certified their results, giving Biden electoral votes to spare, according to Reuters' tally. When the Electoral College formally casts ballots on Dec. 14, Biden should have 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232.Under the 1887 Electoral Count Act, each state's slate of electors chosen by the "safe harbor" date " is final and presumptively cannot be challenged in court or in Congress," CNN's Elie Honig explains. "The states are not required to finalize their electoral votes by the safe harbor date — but if they do, those determinations are protected by federal law," so this "should effectively extinguish any dying embers of hope even for the last few remaining election denialists.""Trump's legal team publicly says the safe harbor deadline is meaningless and they'll simply disregard it," since it isn't enshrined in the Constitution, Politico reports. "But the campaign's legal filings tell another story," and "as Trump attempts to bludgeon his way to a second term, judges and lawyers for both sides have also treated the safe-harbor deadline as a cause for urgency." There will still be a bit of drama as Trump allies in Congress challenge the final results Jan. 6, and Trump may have other reasons for publicly keeping up his losing fight.> Per its FEC report yesterday, Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the election have cost his campaign about $8.8 million so far, including about $2.3 million on lawyers. > > But they've helped him raise $207 million. https://t.co/lYZ63XODg8 https://t.co/3eR3uB1WYJ> > — Brad Heath (@bradheath) December 4, 2020But "Trump's allies have increasingly acknowledged their losing legal hand," Politico reports, and the accumulating losses "have all underscored a reality that seems to be sinking in inside Trump's orbit: It's over."More stories from theweek.com Fox's Lou Dobbs berates Stephen Miller for the White House not jumping on Ted Cruz's Supreme Court offer Arizona's Republican Party asks followers if they're willing to die to 'Stop the Steal' The post-Mitch McConnell GOP is going to be a carnival of madness
- The Telegraph
Hundreds pay respects at funeral of Chechen refugee who beheaded French teacher
Several hundred people paid their respects last week at a funeral in Russia for the Chechnyan teenager who beheaded a teacher in France over cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad. Samuel Paty, a 47-year old history teacher, became the target of a hostile online campaign after discussing the cartoons in a class on freedom of speech and was eventually attacked and murdered by Abdoulakh Anzorov, an 18-year-old Chechen refugee, in October. Anzorov was shot dead by police shortly after the attack on October 16. His body was repatriated to Russia last week to allow his family to bury him in his ancestral village in the predominantly Muslim region of Chechnya. Several hundred people attended the funeral on Friday in the village of Shalazhi, chanting prayers on their way to the cemetery, a video released by several media outlets showed. Salman Magamadov, the village chief, insisted in an interview with the Podyem media outlet on Monday that Anzorov received an ordinary burial without “any special honours”. Prominent Muslim clerics in Russia have used the attack to condemn French authorities for mocking their religion. Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of Chechnya, said French President Emmanuel Macron was to blame for allegedly encouraging insults against Muslims. Mr Kadyrov later sought to distance his region from the attack, insisting that the teenager, an ethnic Chechen, was born in Moscow and moved to France when he was a small child.
- Business Insider
Mohammed bin Salman rejected claims he sent an elite hit squad to kill a Saudi spy chief exiled in Canada, arguing he's immune from prosecution anyway
Saad al-Jabri sued Crown Prince Mohammed in Washington, DC, in August, claiming he was targeted because he knew damning secrets about the royal court.
- NBC News
Former Alabama state senator dies of Covid, warns in his last words, 'We messed up'
"We let our guards down. Please tell everybody to be careful. This is real, and if you get diagnosed, get help immediately," former Sen. Larry Dixon said.
- Reuters
Despite Biden pledge, coronavirus bill in Congress now may be all Americans get: analysts
President-elect Joe Biden has called the $908 billion coronavirus aid bill taking shape in Congress a "downpayment" toward a bigger stimulus next year, but if it passes, that is all U.S. businesses and workers should count on, economists and political analysts say. There is likely to be little appetite among Republicans for supporting a second round of $1 trillion-plus spending after Biden takes office on Jan. 20 - a task that would be made more difficult if Republicans retain control of the Senate in Jan. 5 runoff elections in Georgia - said John Lieber, managing director of the Eurasia Group political risk consultancy. "If they do the full bipartisan $900 billion, then I think it's a big ask to do anything new after Biden takes office," said Lieber, a former adviser to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
- The Week
Trevor Noah, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jimmy Fallon would rather joke about Rudy Giuliani's farts than his COVID
"On Sunday, President Trump announced over Twitter that Rudy Giuliani tested positive for coronavirus," Jimmy Fallon said on Monday's Tonight Show. "When the news broke, the coronavirus was like, 'Dammit, I knew I should have worn a mask!' I hope Rudy's okay -- when they did his nasal swab, it came out black." Still, "Rudy says he's feeling good and will be back to embarrassing himself on camera in no time," he added, a point Tariq Trotter highlighted with his Giuliani Bingo card.Meanwhile, "a doctor is warning that COVID could actually cause erectile dysfunction," Fallon noted. "So between their COVID vaccine and Viagra, Pfizer's about to make it rain."The Late Show had an alternate drug to fight COVID erectile dysfunction, Putonamasc."As much as you might have some schadenfreude about this thing, Rudy Giuliani testing positive for COVID-19 is a terrifying new development," Trevor Noah deadpanned at The Daily Show. "Up until now, we didn't think that dead guys could even get corona. But look, we all wish Rudy Giuliani a speedy recovery. I want him to get back to the days when his hair was melting off of his head. Nobody wants to make jokes about Rudy having a deadly disease. What we want is to make jokes about how Rudy farted on camera at an election hearing -- like, full-on trumpet blast." He showed the clip. "It was so loud," Noah said. "It sounded like his butt was demanding a recount of his lunch. Although to be fair, that fart is no worse than any of the other legal arguments Trump's campaign has made so far.""This COVID test is the only positive thing to come out of Rudy Giuliani in four years," Jimmy Kimmel joked on Kimmel Live. "He claims he's feeling good, he claims he's recovering quickly, he's feasting on the blood of newborn babies in the maternity ward." Giuliani has somehow "gone from America's mayor to America's sprayer, and you know if somebody made this story up, we'd say it was too much," he said, running through Giuliani's eventful past six weeks, concluding: "Nov. 2, he farts loudly during a pretend election hearing in Michigan. And here we are now on Dec. 7, and Count Flatula has the coronavirus. Have we ever seen a streak like this?" Kimmel turned that into a TV lawyer show. Watch below. More stories from theweek.com Fox's Lou Dobbs berates Stephen Miller for the White House not jumping on Ted Cruz's Supreme Court offer Arizona's Republican Party asks followers if they're willing to die to 'Stop the Steal' The post-Mitch McConnell GOP is going to be a carnival of madness
- Architectural Digest
10 Indoor Plant Stands That Seriously Stand Out
Take your home garden to the next level this winterOriginally Appeared on Architectural Digest
- INSIDER
Ohio law enforcement alleges that Casey Goodson, a 23-year-old Black man, was shot and killed after waving a gun. His family say he was only holding a sandwich.
A Franklin County sheriff's deputy identified as Jason Meade shot Casey Goodson while he was at his home's front door on December 4.
- The Telegraph
Emirati royal buys 50 per cent stake in Israeli football club
A member of the Emirati royal family has bought a 50 per cent stake in an Israeli premier league club, the latest major deal to emerge from a normalisation treaty struck by the Jewish state and the United Arab Emirates earlier this year. Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan signed the deal with Beitar Jerusalem, a controversial club which has never signed an Arab player and has battled with a reputation for anti-Muslim racism. "I am thrilled to be a partner in such a glorious club that I have heard so much of and in such a great city, the capital of Israel and one of the holiest cities in the world,” Sheikh Hamad said in a statement on the club's website. The reference to Jerusalem as the "capital" of Israel is noteworthy as the city is claimed by both the Israelis and the Palestinians as their own, and is one of the biggest sources of tension in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A spokesman for the club said that Beitar would set up a new board of directors and that Sheikh Hamad’s son would represent him on it. Sheikh Hamad has also pledged to invest 300m shekels (£69m) in the club over the next ten years. The purchase is the latest in a string of lucrative deals made possible by the Abraham Accords, an agreement to end hostilities between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain.
- Yahoo News Video
Former Florida health official posts video of state police entering her home, drawing their weapons
Rebekah Jones, a former Florida Health Department official, tweeted a video in which it appears state police entered her home to confiscate her computer and other devices. The video appears to show police drawing their weapons.
- Reuters
Italy wants heads of state to attend May G20 health summit -sources
Italy will stage a health summit in Rome next May during its presidency of the Group of 20 major economies and hopes world leaders, including U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, will attend, diplomatic sources said. If heads of state accept the invitation, it would be the first such in-person meeting for global chiefs since 2019, after the coronavirus reduced the main G20 and Group of Seven summits this year to virtual gatherings. Italy took over the annual G20 presidency at the start of the month and all scheduled events until at least mid-April are expected to be held via video-link.
- Business Insider
The Trump administration reportedly rejected an offer from Pfizer for more COVID-19 vaccine doses, and now other countries might get them
The Trump administration purchased 100 million doses of Pfizer and BioNTech's two-dose vaccine, enough to vaccinate 50 million Americans.
- NBC News
San Francisco officer who seriously injured suspect indicted
Accused burglar, whose leg was amputated after arrest, also charged; DA declines to give details before arraignment.
- Associated Press
Iran says US 'got the message' on tense exchanges in Gulf
Iran said Monday it was glad the United States “got the message” and modified its behavior in the Persian Gulf, after the top U.S. Navy official in the region said his forces had reached a state of deterrence with Iran after months of regional attacks and seizures at sea. “Unfortunately, the U.S. has often had an unprofessional approach toward Iran’s navy,” he said. Paparo, who oversees the Navy's 5th Fleet based in Bahrain, said the two sides had reached a state of “uneasy deterrence” and that he had a “healthy respect” for Iran's regular navy and the naval forces of its Revolutionary Guard.
- The Telegraph
Shark attack victim swam to shore and walked 300m in 'remarkable' survival story
An Australian man swam to shore and walked 300 metres to get help after suffering “extraordinary” injuries in a shark attack, in a story of survival paramedics have described as “remarkable”. The 29-year-old man was badly bitten by the shark while surfing in D’Estrees Bay off Kangaroo Island, South Australia. Paramedic Michael Rushby said that the surfer had “serious” lacerations on his back, backside and leg “consistent with quite a large shark bite”. Mr Rushby said it was “remarkable” that the man had managed to swim to shore and walk to the car park to get help. “He told me he swam back to the beach by himself… then he had to walk 300 metres to the carpark where he was able to get some help from bystanders. With the extent of his injuries, this was quite remarkable.” An off-duty paramedic who was nearby rushed to the beach in his own car to treat the victim, who received further treatment at the scene from Mr Rusby and another paramedic who came by ambulance before being taken to Flinders Medical Centre. “We stabilised him on the side of the road, treated his injuries and managed his pain,” Mr Rushby said. “The young man sustained serious lacerations and this was to his back, his backside and his thigh. These injuries were consistent with quite a large shark bite.” The surfer wrote a note describing his experience and thanking the paramedics and medical staff who saved him, which has been shared on social media. “I was sitting on my board when I felt a hit on my left side,” he wrote. “It was like being hit by a truck. “It bit me around my back, buttock and elbow, and took a chunk out of my board. I got a glimpse of the shark as it let go and disappeared.” Mr Rushby said that despite his injuries the man remained conscious and spoke with the paramedics as they treated him. “He was able to hold a conversation from the time I met him to the time I handed him over. He was doing well, he was able to recall the event, and was able to hold a conversation which was good and reassuring.” In hospital, the shark attack victim said he was “incredibly lucky” and “optimistic” that he would “make a full recovery”. Eight people have been killed in shark attacks in Australia this year, a sharp increase on the two fatal attacks in the previous three years combined. Climate change has been identified as a possible factor for increased shark activity. While great white sharks are not dependent on water temperature, most of the species they hunt are, and as their prey migrates closer to shore, the great whites follow. Daryl McPhee, Associate Professor of Environmental Science at Bond University, told The New Daily after the most recent fatal attack that increasing human marine activity was also a factor.
- National Review
Schumer: Biden ‘Considering’ Forgiving $50,000 in Student Loan Debt via Executive Action
President-elect Joe Biden is “considering” forgiving $50,000 in federal student loan debt for low-income and middle class students, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said Monday.Schumer held a press conference alongside Democratic Congressmen-elect Ritchie Torres, Mondaire Jones and Jamaal Bowman of New York, during which the group announced they have “come to the conclusion” that Biden can “forgive $50,000 of debt the first day he becomes president.”“You don’t need Congress, all you need is the flick of a pen and President-elect Biden — then President Biden — can make this happen,” Schumer said.> JUST IN: Sen. Chuck Schumer: President-elect Joe Biden is "considering" forgiving $50,000 in federal student loan debt for all borrowers. pic.twitter.com/KS4WNgAb79> > -- The Hill (@thehill) December 7, 2020He added that the group is urging Biden to choose a secretary of education who will support student loan forgiveness because “it’s up to the secretary of education officially, but if President Biden wants it, I’m sure it will happen.”“This debt is a huge burden on the backs of our students standing in the way of them and their economy and it stays with them for a very long time,” he said.He said they are calling on Biden to take executive action to administratively cancel up to $50,000 in student loan debt for federal student loan borrowers with an income below $125,000, and to do so in a way that the borrowers would have no tax liability when they receive the forgiveness.Schumer said he has spoken to Biden about "how important" the loan forgiveness is and that he is "considering" it.Asked if Biden will have the executive authority to forgive the debt, the New York Senator said the president-elect is researching that and "I believe when he does his research, he will find that he does."When asked what the forgiveness would mean for families who have “made sacrifices to pay off student loans” Schumer said it would be “good for everybody.”“Lots of students paid off student loans but it’s such a burden it’s good for everybody to make sure that this debt is vanquished,” he said. “It’s never been this high.”He added that when he finished college it cost $1,700 but “people can’t afford it now.”
- Business Insider
We just got our best look yet at the side effects of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine. Here's what you should expect if you get the shot.
New detailed data released Tuesday indicated Pfizer's vaccine had no major safety concerns but could cause temporary and minor side effects.