Delay in Iowa Democratic Primary Results Causes Confusion, Mixed Messages
FEB 04, 2020
The outcome of the Iowa Democratic caucuses is still undecided after purported “inconsistencies” led to confusion in the reporting of the results. The Iowa Democratic Party says it expects to release the results at some point today. Issues with a new app being used in the caucuses are believed to be partly to blame for the delay. The app, built by the company Shadow, was reportedly not tested at scale or vetted by the Homeland Security Department’s cybersecurity agency before being deployed in the caucuses. The D.C.-based Shadow is connected to the digital strategy firm Acronym, founded by a former staffer of Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.
Early this morning, Bernie Sanders’s campaign released internal caucus numbers from 40% of the precincts in Iowa showing the Vermont senator in first place, followed by former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg. This is Senator Bernie Sanders speaking Monday night.
Sen. Bernie Sanders: “When those results are announced, I have a good feeling we’re going to be doing very, very well here in Iowa. And the message that Iowa has sent to the nation — it’s a message shared by the American people — is that we want a government that represents all of us, not just wealthy campaign contributors and the 1%.”
Pete Buttigieg, meanwhile, claimed victory in Iowa, despite the lack of official results. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar told supporters, “We are punching above our weight,” while Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren said the race was too close to call. And former Vice President Joe Biden said his campaign would be leaving Iowa with “our share of delegates.” We’ll have more on the chaos and confusion in Iowa after headlines.
Final Arguments Made in Impeachment Trial of President Trump Ahead of SOTU
FEB 04, 2020
House impeachment managers and President Trump’s defense team presented their closing arguments in Trump’s impeachment trial Monday, as the Republican-controlled Senate is poised to acquit Trump in a final vote on the two articles of impeachment Wednesday. This is lead impeachment manager, California Congressmember Adam Schiff.
Rep. Adam Schiff: “He has betrayed our national security, and he will do so again. He has compromised our elections, and he will do so again. You will not change him. You cannot constrain him. He is who he is. Truth matters little to him. What’s right matters even less. And decency matters not at all.”
As the historic impeachment is set to wrap up, President Trump will address the nation tonight for the State of the Union. Several Democratic lawmakers say they will boycott the address, while others are expected to wear white outfits to send a message to Trump — a reference to the suffragette movement.
Hong Kong Medical Workers Demand Border Closure as Coronavirus Claims Life of Hong Kong Man
FEB 04, 2020
A 39-year-old man in Hong Kong became the second person to die from coronavirus outside of mainland China today. Hong Kong has shut 13 of its 16 border checkpoints with mainland China as pressure mounts to seal off the semiautonomous region completely. Over 2,500 medical workers in Hong Kong are on strike to demand the border closure as the infectious disease spreads. This is Hong Kong nurse Leslie Lee.
Leslie Lee: “Since I’ve experienced SARS, I don’t want Hong Kong to become just like it was 17 years ago. I hope the government listens to our demands, quickly closes all of the borders and brings this epidemic under control.”
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus is surging by over 2,000 per day and the death toll topped 425 earlier today, surpassing that of the deadly SARS outbreak in 2003. Click here to see our extended discussions about the coronavirus with Laurie Garrett, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.
Leaked Audio Shows Iran Knew It Downed Ukraine Jet Despite Early Denials
FEB 04, 2020
A leaked audio recording between an air traffic controller and an Iranian pilot appears to show aviation authorities were aware that a Ukrainian passenger jet had been shot down last month, killing all 176 people on board. The Iranian government denied it was involved in the plane’s downing for three days following the crash, before conceding the Iranian Revolutionary Guards accidentally launched a missile at the Boeing 737 jet. Tehran has said it is halting cooperation with Kiev following the release of the leaked exchange by Ukrainian media Sunday.
Syrian and Turkish Forces Escalate Attacks as Turkey Suffers First Losses from Direct Combat
FEB 04, 2020
In Syria, Turkish warplanes launched airstrikes against Syrian regime troops after at least six Turkish soldiers were killed by artillery strikes. The Turkish airstrikes represent a major escalation of the battle in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, where a Russian-backed Syrian regime offensive has already sent nearly three-quarters of a million Syrian civilians fleeing toward the Turkish border.
Massachusetts Prisoners Allege Violent Retaliatory Abuse by Guards
FEB 04, 2020
Prisoners at a maximum-security prison in Shirley, Massachusetts, say guards have beaten and tasered them, as well as withheld food and denied them access to lawyers over recent weeks, as retaliation for an attack on correctional officers last month. A lawyer who interviewed prisoners at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center says several had to be hospitalized because of the severity of their injuries. A lawsuit has been filed against the Massachusetts Department of Correction over the prison’s refusal to let inmates meet with lawyers. Defense attorney Lisa Newman-Polk, who represents an affected prisoner, told Boston Public Radio, “Targeting the prison as a whole through collective punishment is not only an ineffective strategy to shape behavior, it’s criminal.”
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Trial Begins For Ex-CIA Software Engineer Accused of “Vault 7” Leak
FEB 04, 2020
In New York, the trial is set to begin today for a former CIA software engineer who is charged with leaking thousands of agency documents, known as “Vault 7,” to WikiLeaks. Joshua Schulte was charged with violating the Espionage Act in 2018 for the leak, which revealed CIA programs and tools that are capable of hacking into both Apple and Android cellphones.
Weinstein Rape Accuser Breaks Down During Harsh Questioning
FEB 04, 2020
Image Credit: Jane Rosenberg
A dramatic scene unfolded in a New York City courtroom Monday as Harvey Weinstein accuser Jessica Mann broke down and went into an apparent panic attack during questioning from the disgraced movie mogul’s lawyers, forcing the judge to adjourn proceedings for the day. Mann was made to read past emails to a boyfriend, in which she disclosed she had been sexually assaulted before meeting Weinstein. She accuses Weinstein of raping her in New York and Los Angeles and said she had an “extremely degrading” relationship with him. She is one of six women testifying against Weinstein in his New York rape trial.
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Shooting at Texas College Campus Kills 2; One Dead in California Bus Shooting
FEB 04, 2020
Two people were killed and a child was injured Monday after a shooting at a residential hall at Texas A&M University in Commerce, Texas. No details about the shooter or their motivations have been released.
In another incident of gun violence Monday, a gunman killed one person and injured at least five others after opening fire inside a Greyhound bus traveling from Los Angeles to the Bay Area.
In another incident of gun violence Monday, a gunman killed one person and injured at least five others after opening fire inside a Greyhound bus traveling from Los Angeles to the Bay Area.
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Maryland Voters Go to Polls in Primary for Elijah Cummings’s Congressional Seat
FEB 04, 2020
Maryland is holding a special primary election today to fill the congressional seat left empty following the death of Elijah Cummings last October. One of the candidates is Cummings’s widow, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings. A special general election will take place in April to determine the winner.
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“American Dirt” Publisher Agrees to Increase Latinx Representation Thanks to Dignidad Literaria Campaign
FEB 04, 2020
In New York City, leaders of the Dignidad Literaria campaign — or “literary dignity” in English — are celebrating after the publisher Macmillan, which owns Flatiron Books, has agreed to expand Latinx representation in its staff and its publications. The movement formed in response to the controversial novel “American Dirt,” which critics say exploits and misrepresents Mexico and the experience of Mexican migrants and erases the experience of Central Americans. The author, Jeanine Cummins, who is not Mexican, received a seven-figure advance for the book, which was widely lauded by public figures including Oprah Winfrey. Flatiron was forced to cancel Cummins’s book tour over the mounting criticism. The campaign is also calling for an investigation into discriminatory practices in the publishing industry at large.
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