Hurricane Dorian is churning towards Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina – Here is where and when it's due to strike

Hurricane Dorian's path is nearing Florida, where it is no longer projected to make landfall, but still cause 'devastating hurricane-force winds.'

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What If Obama Endorses Warren?

Barack Obama thinks about his brand and his legacy a lot, and he dreads what Joe Biden might do to it. This month alone, Biden mistook New Hampshire for Vermont even though the sole reason he was in that part of the country was the first-in-the-nation primary, which is famously not held in Vermont. He said RFK was assassinated in the 1970s. He said he couldn’t remember the name of the British prime minister in the midst of bragging about his foreign-policy chops. And he speculated about what it might have been like if Obama had been assassinated.This last, ghastly gaffe might be too much for Obama to take. Obama believes his brand is cool, technocratic, tightly controlled, a bit wonkish and professorial, inspirational, buttoned-down, Ivy League, definitely forward-looking. Biden is warm, free-wheeling, intellectually ungifted, frank and unguarded to the point of outright sloppiness, so old he served in the Senate alongside segregationist Democrats, and so out of touch he actually touts his friendship with these guys. Obama thought back in 2008 Biden was so old that he would never again run for president, his team strongly discouraged Biden from entering the race in the fall of 2015, and Biden’s jaw-dropping string of verbal blunders indicates a strong possibility of incipient cognitive decline.As Barack Obama surveys the Democratic contenders for 2020, he must be thinking: 1) None of these people has half my political skills but 2) Elizabeth Warren is my kind of gal. Warren is also cool, wonky, and professorial, also a Harvard product. Though she is 70, she looks younger and hasn’t displayed any signs of cognitive decline. Like Obama, she would be labeled a “historic” president. If she reached the Oval Office, he wouldn’t have to cringe every time she opened her mouth. He wouldn’t have to worry that her back-slapping tendencies would allow her to get rolled by Mitch McConnell. He trusts her so much that he let her guide one of his signature achievements, setting up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.One poll released in late August gave Warren a one-point lead over Biden. Two other polls released in the second half of August show her within three points of Biden. True, most others give him a double-digit lead, and some have her in third place, albeit narrowly, behind Bernie Sanders. Yet she’s close enough that Obama must be wondering if his endorsement could vault her into the lead position.What then? Like everyone else on earth, Obama notices that Biden looks like a much stronger candidate than Warren in a matchup against Trump. Warren might well be Hillary 2.0: She’s off-putting. She’s smug. She’s . . . a she. Polls show Democrats are extremely worried that the American people won’t accept  a woman president. The more she uses words like “My Daddy” and ostentatiously drinks beer, the less relatable she is. It’s hard to imagine the American people are thinking, “Yes, this is the voice I want to listen to every day for the next four years.”So there would be risk involved in backing Warren. But from Obama’s perspective, there’s also risk involved in Biden’s becoming president and embarrassing him every day. Maybe even, in his dotage, Biden might let what’s left of the Obama legacy slip away. If Obama thinks like most Democrats, he probably believes that nonsensical hullabaloo about email servers, not Hillary Clinton’s deficiencies as a candidate or sexism, was what cost her the presidency.Obama proved to be a failure at almost everything except getting Obama elected to office, but he is not a man notable for a modest view of his own skills. He must be thinking his star power could restore black turnout to levels approaching where it was when he was on the ballot. He must be thinking that with a push from him, and a little help from his turnout wizards, Elizabeth Warren could avoid Hillary Clinton’s errors and enter the White House.If Obama were to endorse Warren, the 2020 Democratic primaries would be upended, and Obama would be praised for lighting a path to a genuinely progressive presidency. And if Biden won the nomination anyway, no biggie: Obama could simply campaign for him in the general election and settle for a less-than-ideal Democratic presidency. I’m guessing Obama comes out strong for Warren.

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Hurricane Dorian path update shows storm track could turn, potentially impact Carolinas

Hurricane Dorian has gained fearsome new muscle as an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm. Latest models show Dorian turning before landfall in Florida meaning possible impact near the NC coast later this week.

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President says decision on whether to order evacuations in Florida will be made on Sunday

Donald Trump has said the decision on whether to evacuate residents of Florida to protect them from Hurricane Dorian, would be made on Sunday after meeting with officials.As he left the White House for the presidential retreat at Camp David in Maryland, he said members of the federal emergency management agency (FEMA) would be joining him to monitor events.

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Utah man found guilty of running massive opioid ring

A Utah man was convicted Friday of running a multimillion-dollar opioid ring that sent hundreds of thousands of potentially deadly pills across the country in a scheme that authorities said helped fuel the nation's opioid epidemic. A jury reached the verdict after deliberating less than a day in the case against Aaron Shamo. "He's 29 and his life is over," defense attorney Greg Skordas said after the verdict was read.

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Japan PM wraps up Africa meet with debt warning aimed at China

Investors in Africa must beware of burdening countries with "excessive" debt, Japan's prime minister warned Friday, an apparent swipe at China whose Belt and Road policy has been accused of saddling poor nations with crippling debt. Speaking to reporters at the end of an African development conference outside Tokyo, Shinzo Abe emphasised that countries in the G20 group of top economies, including China, had committed to the concept of "debt sustainability". "In providing assistance to Africa, we have to take note of the debt burden of the recipient country and take care that the debt burden does not become excessive," Abe said when asked about China's influence in Africa.

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Look Closely for Coco Gauff’s Homage to New York Tennis

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Woman dies in Death Valley as temps approach 120 degrees - Los Angeles Times

1. Woman dies in Death Valley as temps approach 120 degrees  Los Angeles Times
2. Tourist dies in Death Valley as temperatures soar above 120 degrees  USA TODAY
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Trump's tariffs on $112 billion of Chinese imports hit at midnight - CNBC

Trump's tariffs on $112 billion of Chinese imports hit at midnight  CNBC

Barring an agreement or a tweet, it will soon be 15% more expensive for U.S. companies to import everything from milk to diapers to sports equipment from ...

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Live: Tracking Hurricane Dorian - Fox News

1. Live: Tracking Hurricane Dorian  Fox News
2. 6 counties in Florida have run out of gas ahead of Hurricane Dorian  ABC News
3. Florida Braces For Impact As Hurricane Dorian Moves In | NBC Nightly News  NBC News
4. How Florida officials are preparing for Dorian  CBS News
5. 'It could get ugly': Orlando residents prepare for Dorian  Washington Post
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'I love Tiffany': Donald Trump defends daughter after Madeleine Westerhout ousted from White House - CNN

'I love Tiffany': Donald Trump defends daughter after Madeleine Westerhout ousted from White House  CNN

Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump on Saturday doubled down on defending his youngest daughter, Tiffany Trump, on the heels of his longtime ...

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Intel veterans react to Trump tweet of Iran launch pad photo from briefing - Business Insider

Intel veterans react to Trump tweet of Iran launch pad photo from briefing  Business Insider

President Donald Trump's decision to tweet out a photo of an Iranian launch pad that he got from a classified intelligence briefing this week has astonished ...

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US blacklists Iranian oil tanker 'headed to Syria' - Aljazeera.com

US blacklists Iranian oil tanker 'headed to Syria'  Aljazeera.com

Adrian Darya 1 on its way to Syrian port of Tartus in contravention of EU sanctions, Secretary of State Pompeo says.

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'They're On,' Trump Says of Tariffs Set to Kick In on Sunday - RealClearPolitics

1. 'They're On,' Trump Says of Tariffs Set to Kick In on Sunday  RealClearPolitics
2. Trump's tariffs on $112 billion of Chinese imports hit at midnight  CNBC
3. Baucus Says China and U.S. Aren't Any Closer to Deal, Trade War Will Last Months  Bloomberg Politics
4. Amid Recession Worries, Trump Points Finger at American Businesses  The New York Times
5. It Is Very Bad That Our President Reportedly Lied About Trade Negotiations With China  Slate
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6 counties in Florida have run out of gas ahead of Hurricane Dorian - ABC News

6 counties in Florida have run out of gas ahead of Hurricane Dorian  ABC NewsView full coverage on Google News

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October Democratic presidential primary debate to be held in Ohio, state party says

The debate could stretch into two nights if more candidates meet the polling and fundraising qualifications before Oct. 1.

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Boston's Straight Pride Parade draws hundreds of marchers and even more counter protesters

After months of debate, a Straight Pride Parade took place place Saturday in Boston. They were outnumbered by counter protesters.

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After long gap, China's ruling elite to gather for October conclave

Top officials of China's ruling Communist Party will hold a key meeting in October to discuss improving governance and "perfecting" the country's socialist system, state media said on Friday, more than a year after the last was held. Unexpectedly, however, one was not held last autumn, amid speculation in Beijing of disagreements at the top of the party about the direction of the country, amid a bruising trade war with the United States and slowing economic growth. State news agency Xinhua did not specify an exact date for October's plenum, a closed-door meeting in Beijing of the party's Central Committee, which is roughly 370-strong and the largest of its elite bodies that rule China.

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'Your numbers are fake': Puerto Rico newspaper slams Trump for touting hurricane aid claim

"Mr. President: Your Numbers Are Fake," reads El Nuevo Dia's headline, referring to Trump's claim that the U.S. has allocated $92 billion for P.R.

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View Photos of the 2020 Ford Explorer ST

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Iran goes further in breaching nuclear deal, IAEA report shows

Iran has gone further in breaching its nuclear deal with world powers, increasing its stock of enriched uranium and refining it to a greater purity than allowed, the U.N. atomic agency report said on Friday. The quarterly report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is policing the 2015 deal, confirms Iran is progressively backing out of the deal in retaliation for Washington's withdrawal form the accord and renewal of sanctions that have hit Iranian oil sales. Iran has said it will breach the deal's limits on its nuclear activities one by one, ratcheting up pressure on parties who still hope to save it.

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Swedish teen climate activist leads protest near UN

Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg drew crowds on land Friday after her two-week sail across the Atlantic as the 16-year-old Swede led a protest march in front of the United Nations. Hundreds of activists, many of them teenagers, surrounded her outside U.N. headquarters, chanting, "Fossil lobbyists have got to go" and, "It's too hot!" — referriang to global warming. It was the New York edition of her weekly Fridays For Future, the student school strikes she has inspired in about 100 cities worldwide.

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Dorian is forecast to become a Category 3 'major' hurricane. What does this mean?

The latest forecast has Dorian strengthening into a major Category 3 hurricane with winds of 115 mph by Sunday off the U.S. East Coast.

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Trump: US to keep 8,600 troops in Afghanistan after deal with Taliban

President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States will keep a permanent presence in Afghanistan, with 8,600 troops initially, even after a deal is reached with the Taliban. "We're going down to 8,600 and then we make a determination from there," Trump said in an interview with Fox News radio. Despite overwhelming advantages in firepower, the US military has little to show for its efforts and Trump is hoping he can declare the war over in time for his 2020 reelection campaign.

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A grim discovery on the beach in Torrance. - KABC

1. A grim discovery on the beach in Torrance.  KABC
2. Two men found dead on beach in Torrance  Los Angeles Times
3. 2 Men Found Dead on Torrance Beach  KTLA Los Angeles
4. 2 men found dead on Southern California beach  The Mercury News
5. 2 men found dead on beach in Torrance  KABC-TV
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Hurricane Dorian on track for Florida after strike in Caribbean - CNBC

1. Hurricane Dorian on track for Florida after strike in Caribbean  CNBC
2. Hurricane Dorian: Latest NOAA update - Deadly Dorian to bring ‘dangerous’ storm surge  Express.co.uk
3. Satellite footage shows Hurricane Dorian approach Florida  INSIDER
4. Hurricane Dorian – Florida declares state of emergency as monster storm could be among worst to hit in d  The Sun
5. Hurricane Dorian satellite image: The BLACK eye of monster hurricane headed for Florida  Express.co.uk
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United extends flight cancellations due to 737 Max - CNN

United extends flight cancellations due to 737 Max  CNN

United Airlines has pushed back its flight cancellations due to the Boeing 737 Max grounding until December 19.

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Hurricane Dorian brings threat of storm surge | ABC News - ABC News

Hurricane Dorian brings threat of storm surge | ABC News  ABC NewsView full coverage on Google News

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Joe Biden war story: Former vice president and 2020 presidential candidate unapologetic after reportedly mistelling military story - CBS News

Joe Biden war story: Former vice president and 2020 presidential candidate unapologetic after reportedly mistelling military story  CBS News

Presidential hopeful Joe Biden is on the defensive after reportedly mistelling a story on the campaign trail about a heroic Navy captain. Biden has been telling ...

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Hurricane Dorian upgraded to Category 3 storm - Fox News

Hurricane Dorian upgraded to Category 3 storm  Fox NewsView full coverage on Google News

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'Operation Cookout': Enough fentanyl to kill 14 million seized in massive drug bust - Washington Examiner

1. 'Operation Cookout': Enough fentanyl to kill 14 million seized in massive drug bust  Washington Examiner
2. Law enforcement seize enough fentanyl to kill 14 million people  CNN
3. Fentanyl drug bust: Investigators seize enough fentanyl to kill 14 million people  CBS News
4. Feds announce seizure of enough fentanyl to kill 14 million people, 35 arrested  NBC News
5. Feds: Drug ring had enough cheap fentanyl to kill 14 million  Washington Post
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New top story on Hacker News: Enter the dragon on the road to a trade war

Enter the dragon on the road to a trade war
3 by tomohawk | 1 comments on Hacker News.

Hurricane Dorian on track for Florida after strike in Caribbean - CNBC

1. Hurricane Dorian on track for Florida after strike in Caribbean  CNBC
2. Hurricane Dorian: Latest NOAA update - Deadly Dorian to bring ‘dangerous’ storm surge  Express.co.uk
3. Satellite footage shows Hurricane Dorian approach Florida  INSIDER
4. Hurricane Dorian – Florida declares state of emergency as monster storm could be among worst to hit in d  The Sun
5. Hurricane Dorian path map: Latest euro model, NOAA charts and spaghetti models  Express.co.uk
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Ex-Canadian PM apologizes for 'rooting' for Hurricane Dorian to hit Trump's Mar-a-Lago - NBC News

1. Ex-Canadian PM apologizes for 'rooting' for Hurricane Dorian to hit Trump's Mar-a-Lago  NBC News
2. Former Canadian PM 'rooting for a direct hit' of Hurricane on Mar-a-Lago  Fox News
3. Former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell 'rooting' for Hurricane Dorian to hit Trump's Mar-a-Lago  USA TODAY
4. Cal Thomas: Hurricane Dorian shouldn't trigger Trump Derangement Syndrome. Lives are in danger  Fox News
5. Ex-Canada PM apologizes about Trump property hurricane tweet  Washington Post
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The Surge: Biden still on top, the debate narrows to 10, Kirsten Gillibrand drops out, and Joe Walsh jumps in. - Slate Magazine

1. The Surge: Biden still on top, the debate narrows to 10, Kirsten Gillibrand drops out, and Joe Walsh jumps in.  Slate Magazine
2. Bernie Sanders’s supporters find anger not as compelling this time around  The Washington Post
3. Warren lovefest ending as 2020 competitors fear her rise  POLITICO
4. A Warren-Sanders ticket would be an unmitigated disaster  The Independent
5. Very few Democratic contenders have support from a key constituency  The Washington Post
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Heart-stopping video shows a car blow past stopped school bus, narrowly missing a child - WBAL Baltimore

Heart-stopping video shows a car blow past stopped school bus, narrowly missing a child  WBAL Baltimore

Terrifying video shows a car nearly hitting a child getting off her school bus on the second day of school in Houston.

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Poland still counts losses from WW2 invasion

As the world marks the 80th anniversary of the start of World War Two, Poland has reparations on its mind.

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ICE says it will not conduct immigration enforcement operations in affected areas during Hurricane Dorian

A spokesman for the federal agency said in a statement Friday that "we must stand as one community to focus on aiding the victims."

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Appeals court reinstates lawsuit in SC church shooting case

A lawsuit over a faulty background check that allowed a South Carolina man to buy the gun he used to kill nine people in a racist attack at a Charleston church was reinstated Friday by a federal appeals court. A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a ruling from a lower court judge who threw out the claims brought by relatives of people killed by Dylann Roof in the 2015 massacre, and by survivors. The FBI has acknowledged that Roof's drug possession arrest in Columbia, South Carolina, weeks before the shooting at AME Emanuel Church should have prevented him from buying a gun.

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155 migrants force entry into Spain's Ceuta enclave

A group of 155 migrants forced their way into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco on Friday, Spanish authorities said. "They are all from sub-Saharan Africa, the majority from Guinea," a spokesman for the central government's office in Ceuta told AFP.

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Why the Resignation of a Key Scottish Leader Is a Sign the U.K. Could Break Apart Over Brexit

The leader of the Conservative Party in Scotland has quit her post one day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson moved to suspend Parliament ahead of Brexit.

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Destination remains obscure for Iran oil tanker sought by US

An Iranian oil tanker pursued by the U.S. on Friday again listed its destination as Turkey but the Turkish foreign minister added to the confusion by saying the vessel is headed to Lebanon — statements that were promptly denied in Beirut. The flurry of contradictory statements further muddies the waters for the Adrian Darya 1, formerly known as the Grace 1, and obscures where its 2.1 million barrels of oil will ultimately go. The tanker has taken center stage recently amid a crisis roiling the Persian Gulf and escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers over a year ago.

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President says decision on whether to order evacuations in Florida will be made on Sunday

Donald Trump has said the decision on whether to evacuate residents of Florida to protect them from Hurricane Dorian, would be made on Sunday after meeting with officials.As he left the White House for the presidential retreat at Camp David in Maryland, he said members of the federal emergency management agency (FEMA) would be joining him to monitor events.

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Brigitte Macron speaks out against sexism amid G7 Amazon fire funding row with Brazilian president

France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, hit back on Thursday at mockery of her age and appearance on Jair Bolsonaro’s Facebook page amid a war of words between the Brazilian president and her husband that has left £18m in emergency funding for the Amazon in limbo. Her comments came as Mr Bolsonaro, accused by critics of allowing tens of thousands of fires to rage unchecked in the Amazon rainforest, announced a two-month ban on fires deliberately started by farmers. Critics have accused the Brazilian president of allowing farmers to start fires in order to clear forest for crops or grazing. Mrs Macron, 65, did not mention Mr Bolsonaro by name, but implied that the 64-year-old president was out of tune with contemporary attitudes to women.  Mrs Macron thanked the thousands of Brazilians who had offered apologies on social media for their president’s approval of a post deriding her for being nearly 25 years older than her husband, Emmanuel Macron, the French president. The post implied that Michelle Bolsonaro, the 37-year-old wife of Mr Bolsonaro, 64, was better looking than the French first lady. Mrs Macron said: “Times are changing. There are those who are on the train of change, women are there with you, like you, you’ve almost all understood, gentlemen. Not everyone, some are still on the platform and I’m sure they will soon get on the train.” A fireman works to extinguish a fire at a forest near Porto Velho, Brazil, 28 August 2019 Credit: REX Her comments won sustained applause as she inaugurated a newly refurbished museum devoted to the Battle of Agincourt at a ceremony with the British ambassador, Edward Llewellyn, at the site of the 1415 English victory over the French in northern France. “It’s not just for me, it’s for all women,” Mrs Macron said. “Things are changing and everyone must realise it.” The diplomatic clash between the French and Brazilian presidents came as Mr Macron tried to lead international efforts to help Brazil put out the fires, which he sees as a global problem because the world’s largest rainforest produces 20 per cent of its oxygen. Mr Bolsonaro, whose critics have labelled him “Captain Chainsaw” because of what they say is his disregard for the environment, rejected £18 million in aid from the G7 announced at a summit hosted by Emmanuel Macron, the French president, in the coastal resort of Biarritz at the weekend. But he has accepted a separate £10m offer of assistance from the United Kingdom. State governors and agribusiness leaders from the Amazon region have implored Mr Bolsonaro to accept financial aid from the G7, fearing that continued tensions could harm Brazil’s exports. Mr Bolsonaro has now outlawed all uses of fire in the region except for farming in indigenous communities, but he stressed that the ban was only temporary. “The people there set these fires, it's a tradition,” he said. Data from Brazil's Institute of Space Research has shown the increase in fires this year is linked to a rise in deforestation, with illegal land grabbers clearing areas of virgin forest in order to sell to agribusiness firms. Under domestic and international pressure, the government is expected to launch a series of environment-related measures next week including curbs on deforestation and gold panning. Local media have warned of a new Amazon gold rush stemming from relaxed oversight and poverty. On Wednesday, Donald Trump lent his support to Mr Bolsonaro. “I have gotten to know [Mr Bolsonaro] very well during our dealings with Brazil”, Mr Trump tweeted. “He is working very hard on the Amazon fires and in all respects doing a great job for the people of Brazil.” Mr Bolsonaro thanked him, saying that the “fake news campaign built against [Brazilian] sovereignty will not work.”

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Wave of child sex abuse lawsuits threatens Boy Scouts

The Boy Scouts of America is facing a threat from a growing wave of lawsuits over decades-old allegations of sexual abuse. The Scouts have been sued in multiple states in recent months by purported abuse victims, including plaintiffs taking advantage of new state laws or court decisions that are now allowing suits previously barred because of the age of the allegations. A lawyer representing 150 people who say they were abused as Boy Scouts is planning a suit in New Jersey when the state's new civil statute of limitations law takes effect Dec. 1.

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5,000 bodies found in unmarked graves in Mexico since 2006

Nearly 5,000 bodies have been found in more than 3,000 unmarked graves since Mexico deployed the army to fight drug trafficking in 2006, the government said Friday in its first comprehensive report on the carnage. Mexico has been hit by a wave of violence since launching the so-called "drug war," and activists and family members of the country's 40,000 missing persons have been denouncing mass graves for years. It found 3,024 unmarked graves nationwide, with at least 4,974 bodies, Karla Quintana, head of the national search commission for missing persons, told a news conference alongside President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on International Day of the Disappeared.

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Joe Biden warned about ‘welfare mothers driving luxury cars’ in a 1988 column

Former VP Joe Biden's half-century of public life has drawn extensive attention to his record on race and civil rights in the 2020 Democratic primary.

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China calls on police to guard 'southern gate' as Hong Kong leader eyes emergency powers

China’s public security chief has called on the country's police officers to guard its "southern gate" and be ready to crack down on "violent and terrorist activities” as anti-government protests rage on in Hong Kong. Forces must be vigilant against anything that could “infiltrate, subvert, or sabotage the country,” urged Zhang Kezhi, the minister of public security, on a visit this week to a police station in the southern province of Guangdong, which borders Hong Kong.  Officers must “firmly safeguard the ‘southern gate’ of our national political security,” he said, alluding to the crisis in Hong Kong without directly mentioning the ongoing demonstrations.  China has escalated its rhetoric as the unrest continues, issuing ominous warnings that paramilitary forces in a city next to Hong Kong are ready to deploy to suppress the protests. Doing so, however, would be reminiscent of the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 when the Chinese military opened fire at peaceful student demonstrators. Mr Zhang’s comments come as Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam refused to rule out the possibility of invoking emergency powers, saying she would look at all legal means to "stop violence and chaos" in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.  The ordinance provides for the city's leader to assume near-absolute authority to “make any regulations whatsoever which he [or she] may consider desirable in the public interest”. It would not need approval from city lawmakers, and would grant Ms Lam sweeping powers, including censorship and suppression of publications and communications; arrests, detentions and deportations; control over ports and all transport; the appropriation of property; and authorising the entry and search of premises, with life imprisonment as the maximum penalty for offences under the emergency ordinance.  Mass protests kicked off early June against a now-suspended extradition bill that would have sent suspects to face trial in mainland China where Communist Party influence of courts leads to a 99.9 per cent conviction rate.  But protesters continue to demand the formal withdrawal to prevent the proposal from being passed quickly after demonstrations end. Calls have also expanded to include an independent inquiry into police action, the resignation of Ms Lam and direct leadership elections.  Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific fired staff who attended protests, under pressure from Beijing Credit: Vincent Yu/AP Beijing has also put the squeeze on companies to warn them against siding with protesters. For some, that has meant making a series of staffing changes. Cathay Pacific was rocked recently by the surprise resignation of its CEO – widely seen as an attempt to curry political favour with Beijing as it piled pressure on the Hong Kong airline following the arrest of a pilot at a protest.  Ryan Lo says he was fired two weeks ago after six years with Hong Kong Airlines over his anti-government political views.  “People around me to a certain extent are scared, but as Hong Kongers, we cannot be too scared - otherwise, our speech and point of views will disappear,” he said at a protest on Wednesday. “I hope that [companies] will think twice before terminating their valuable staff. A few thousand people also turned out for a separate protest over claims that police have sexually assaulted and harassed detained female demonstrators.  K Wong, a 28-year old-woman attending the rally with four friends who asked to be identified by her first initial, told The Telegraph that alleged sexual assault cases were "absolutely unacceptable". "Police are who we are supposed to go to if a sexual assault case happens. They are supposed to be protecting us in those events," she said, adding that she did not feel safe when officers were present. Police representatives have dismissed such reports as "online rumours". Hong Kong police have arrested more than 880 people since mass demonstrations began early June, formally charging around 140. About 200 police officers have been injured.

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Ohio man accused of planning to attack Jewish center faces federal charge

James Reardon, 20, whose case is one of many thwarted potential mass shootings reported by U.S. law enforcement in recent weeks, faces one count of transmitting threatening communications via interstate commerce, federal prosecutors said as his indictment was unsealed on Thursday. Federal authorities said their investigation is ongoing.

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Good Riddance, Kirsten Gillibrand

Yesterday evening, New York senator Kirsten Gillibrand ended her presidential bid after nine months of futile campaigning, failing ever to crest 3 percent in major polls. Her decision to bow out was precipitated by her failure to qualify for the third Democratic debate, slated for September 12. “Without it, I just didn’t see our path,” she said yesterday.The senator has a point. From the beginning, her upstart campaign was characterized by an enormous amount of virtue-mongering, insisting not only that her progressive bona fides made her superior to you, but that only she could help you comprehend exactly how backwards you are. In the last debate, for instance, she promised to traverse the suburbs explaining “institutional racism” and white privilege to white women.It was an interesting tactic from a candidate attempting to distinguish herself as a female candidate running for women, and it’s easy to see why the effort failed to gain much traction. The major policy centerpiece of her campaign was called “Fighting for women and families” and focused exclusively on issues like unlimited abortion rights, universal paid family leave, public education, and sexual harassment. Perhaps the most news attention she got all campaign came when she compared being pro-life to being racist. Light on substance, she needed a forum to peddle her platitudes, and without the debate stage, she had little hope of convincing Democrats to listen to her at all.The news that she had terminated her campaign came just a few days after a former Gillibrand staffer told the New York Post, “I don’t know that anyone even wants to see her on the debate stage. Everyone I have talked to finds her performative and obnoxious.”(Emphasis added.)The staffer noted, too, that the senator “comes across as an opportunist.” It’s a common complaint, and one I’ve made myself. When she ran for the Senate in 2010, for instance, Gillibrand achieved an A rating from the National Rifle Association. Immediately after she won the election, she reversed her stance on the Second Amendment to conform to her party’s position, and her NRA rating was downgraded to an F.Almost unbelievably, Gillibrand managed to turn herself into a champion of the Me Too movement, even to the point of losing the support of Democratic donors upset that she pushed former Minnesota senator Al Franken to resign last January after he was credibly accused of sexual misconduct.In reality though, Gillibrand waited nearly three weeks after the initial allegation surfaced to pressure Franken to step down, clearly wanting to see which way the political winds were blowing. Even as half a dozen additional accusations against Franken came to light, Gillibrand told reporters, “It’s his decision” when asked whether he should resign.It wasn’t until 20 days after the first claim had surfaced that she leapt out ahead of her colleagues to call for Franken’s resignation. Her statement was followed, within minutes, by similar calls from other Democratic senators. She’d like us to believe she was a hero demanding accountability from Day One; she was really just the first lemming to jump off the cliff.In a 2018 interview on The View, Gillibrand hand-waved away her long-time friendship with Bill and Hillary Clinton, dodging a question about Hillary’s mismanagement of sexual harassment within her presidential campaign. She excused her own failure to condemn Bill’s sexual misconduct with this mealy-mouthed line: “I think this moment of time we’re in is very different. I don’t think we had the same conversation back then, the same lens.”“Do you regret campaigning with him, though?” Meghan McCain pressed.“It’s not about any one president, and it’s not about any one industry,” Gillibrand replied. “And if we reduce it to that, we are missing the opportunity to allow women to be heard, to allow women to have accountability and transparency, and to allow women to have justice.”Anyone who watched that interview — or Gillibrand’s uncomfortable campaign launch on Steven Colbert’s show — couldn’t be terribly surprised to see her presidential run begin with a whimper and end with a fizzle. It’s only a pity it took Gillibrand herself so long to figure it out.

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Trump may have made up 'high-level' Chinese phone calls at the G7 summit to boost jolted markets

"We were called and we're going to start very shortly to negotiate," Trump said. But China said the calls never happened.

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Satellite images suggest Iranian rocket blew up on launch pad - Fox News

1. Satellite images suggest Iranian rocket blew up on launch pad  Fox News
2. Iranian Rocket Launch Ends In Failure, Imagery Shows  NPR
3. Iranian rocket explodes on launch pad  CNN
4. Iranian space rocket 'blows up' and the smouldering remains are pictured on the launch pad  Daily Mail
5. Satellite photos show burning Iran space center launch pad  Washington Post
6. View full coverage on Google News

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‘Today I Played to Win.’ Taylor Townsend Stunningly Upsets Simona Halep at U.S. Open

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Has Suspended the U.K.'s Parliament. What Happens Next?

In short, a constitutional crisis is what comes next.

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Serial rape suspect arrested by Georgia police more than a year after they hired him

Georgia police have been searching for a serial rapist since 2015. They arrested a man Tuesday who was hired as a police recruit more than a year ago.

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Detained writer urges Australia to help free him from China

A Chinese Australian writer detained in Beijing on suspicion of espionage since January has urged Australia to maintain diplomatic pressure for his release. "I implore the prime minister to help me go home as soon as possible," Yang, 54, said in the statement provided to The Associated Press by Feng Chongyi, an academic who was detained in China for two weeks in 2017 while researching human rights lawyers. Yang was taken into custody upon arriving in southern China's Guangzhou from New York on Jan. 19 with his wife, Yuan Xiaoliang, and his 14-year-old stepdaughter.

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U.S. driver Jessi Combs killed in bid to break land-speed record

Race car driver Jessi Combs, host of the television series "All Girls Garage," was killed in a high-speed crash while trying to set a new land-speed record, her family said on Wednesday. Combs, 39, was attempting to become the fastest woman on Earth when she was killed while racing on Tuesday on the Alvord Desert, a dry lake bed in southeastern Oregon, the family said in a statement.

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North Carolina student arrested with guns in his dorm room was planning shooting spree, police say

A 19-year-old freshman arrested in his dorm room at a North Carolina university with two firearms was planning a shooting spree, police say.

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Brazil's president said he would accept $20 million from the G7 to tackle the Amazon fires, but only if Emmanuel Macron apologizes for calling him 'extraordinarily rude'

French President Macron called Jair Bolsonaro rude after he appeared to endorse a Facebook post mocking the age gap between Macron and his wife.

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Hurricane Dorian set to pummel Florida after cutting power on Caribbean islands

Hurricane Dorian is gaining strength at it approaches Florida, with forecasters warning it could grow into a dangerous storm before it hits the east coast state.The hurricane has moved out into open waters after hitting Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, where it caused power cuts and flooding in places.

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Video from raid on Jeffrey Epstein's Palm Beach mansion showed nude images of young women - Fox News

1. Video from raid on Jeffrey Epstein's Palm Beach mansion showed nude images of young women  Fox News
2. How a Ring of Women Allegedly Recruited Girls for Jeffrey Epstein  The New York Times
3. Prosecutors investigating Epstein's alleged sex-trafficking ring  Business Insider
4. More Than 12 of Jeffrey Epstein's Alleged Victims Speak Out in Court: 'The Pain Will Never Go Away'  PEOPLE.com
5. Only one-third of Americans believe Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide  New York Post
6. View full coverage on Google News

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Someone calls cops on Upstate NY kid's lemonade stand, so police show up thirsty - NewYorkUpstate.com

Someone calls cops on Upstate NY kid's lemonade stand, so police show up thirsty  NewYorkUpstate.com

It seems to happen every summer. Some entrepreneurial kids decide to set up a lemonade stand in their neighborhood, and some cranky neighbor tries to have ...

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‘Today I Played to Win.’ Taylor Townsend Stunningly Upsets Simona Halep at U.S. Open

Joe Biden warned about ‘welfare mothers driving luxury cars’ in a 1988 column

Former VP Joe Biden's half-century of public life has drawn extensive attention to his record on race and civil rights in the 2020 Democratic primary.

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The Latest: Power company secures 13,000 workers for Dorian

Florida's largest power company says it has secured about 13,000 employees and additional personnel to work to restore powerlines and equipment damaged by Hurricane Dorian. Florida Power and Light also said Thursday that it is working with utilities nationwide to send additional crews and equipment ahead of the landfall. FPL President and CEO Eric Silagy says they're taking Hurricane Dorian seriously and have activated an emergency response plan in anticipation of its impact.

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UPDATE 4-Colombian dissident rebel leader issues new call to arms 3 years after peace deal

A group of former rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) said in a video posted overnight that they will embark on a new offensive, threatening to resume five decades of armed conflict against the government. Two former commanders from the group, known by their aliases Ivan Marquez and Jesus Santrich, appear in the 32-minute YouTube announcement, which Marquez said was filmed in Colombia's Amazon jungle.

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Married couple suspected of murder escape after overpowering guards while being extradited

A married couple wanted for murder have escaped from custody after overpowering guards who were transporting them through Utah in the United States.Blane Barksdale, 56, and Susan Barksdale, 59, broke free from two guards on Monday evening.

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Rep. Ilhan Omar holds forum on immigration

Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar on Tuesday held a community forum in Minneapolis on immigration to discuss Department of Homeland Security's current practices for detention and deportation of migrants. (Aug. 28)

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Jessi Combs Killed In Jet-Car Crash During Speed Record Attempt

An automotive legend gone too soon.The automotive world has suffered a huge loss. Racer, television personality, fabricator, and all-around female gearhead, Jessi Combs, was attempting to break her own land speed record behind the wheel of a 52,000-horsepower jet car in Oregon’s Alvord Desert. For reasons yet unknown, the jet-powered car she was driving crashed during the land-speed record attempt, killing Combs.Combs held the title of “fastest woman on four wheels” after driving that same North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger to a staggering 398 miles per hour back in 2013. Last year, she attempted to beat her speed record and clocked a 483.227 mph shakedown run, but mechanical issues arose and ended the attempt early.At just 36 years old, Combs has accomplished so much in the automotive industry, and her untimely death is mourned by many. She has appeared on multiple television shows such as Overhaulin’, All Girls Garage, Mythbusters, and she was a co-host on Extreme 4x4 on PowerBlock TV (now PowerNation).A role model for women in the motorsports industry, Combs was a skilled automotive builder and fabricator. Whatever she set her mind to, she accomplished. Combs represented the American Welding Society and designed a line of women’s welding gear.Combs was also a force to be reckoned with in the off-road world, competing in the Baja 1000. At a King of Hammers event, she was the first woman to place. Given the nickname “Queen of Hammers”, Combs finished first place overall in 2016 at King of Hammers.Combs’ accident follows a couple of jet-powered car crashes that have also ended in tragedy. Katarina “Kat” Moller, just 24 years of age, died from her injuries after her Larsen Motorsports “American Dream” jet dragster crashed at Sebring International Raceway during an exhibition run in November. Doug Rose, 80, was behind the wheel of his own Green Mamba jet dragster at Norway Speedway in Michigan’s northern peninsula last August when a failed turn sent him into a guardrail resulting in his death. Back in 1966, Rose had both legs amputated below the knees after the Green Monster jet car he was driving also hit a guard rail, but that didn’t stop his love for the sport.It’s safe to say that Jessi Combs was a female advocate in the automotive world, a hands-on role model for women in a male-dominated industry. She paved a path doing what she loved, but the world lost a bright light in the automotive world and beyond. Our condolences go out to her loved ones. Rest in peace, Jessi.

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Trump thinks Fox News isn't doing enough to promote his presidency - CNN

1. Trump thinks Fox News isn't doing enough to promote his presidency  CNN
2. Fox News Stars Push Back as Trump Demands Loyalty: We Don't 'Work for You'  The Daily Beast
3. Report says Rep. Ilhan Omar had affair with a married man  Fox News
4. Trump accuses Fox News of ‘heavily promoting the Democrats,’ urges followers to look for another news outlet  The Washington Post
5. Trump attacks Fox News: It's not working for us  CNN
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Be wary of national primary polls - Washington Examiner

1. Be wary of national primary polls  Washington Examiner
2. Polling Picture Comes Into Focus: Biden Leads a 3-Way Race at the Top  The New York Times
3. Monmouth University backs off its own poll showing Biden plunging, calls it an ‘outlier’  Fox News
4. New poll shows several Democrats could beat Trump  CBS News
5. Why outlier polls are a good thing  CNN
6. View full coverage on Google News

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Palestinian Harvard student denied entry to US because 'friends posted anti-American statements'

A Palestinian Harvard student claims that he has been denied entry into the US because his friends had posted anti-American statements on social media. Ismail Ajjawi, 17, who is due to begin his studies at the prestigious university next Tuesday, said he was detained when he arrived at Boston's Logan International Airport on Friday night. Mr Ajjawai told the Harvard Crimson, the student newspaper, that immigration officers subjected him to hours of questioning and demanded access to his phone and computer. Mr Ajjawai, who lives in Lebanon, said he was asked about his religious beliefs and practices before officers trawled through his technology devices. The teenager said that after five hours an officer called him into a room and “started screaming" at him. "She said that she found people posting political points of view that oppose the US on my friend[s] list,” he said.   Mr Ajjawi said he stressed to the officer that he had not made any political posts himself and that he should not be held responsible for others’ posts. “I have no single post on my timeline discussing politics,” he added. However he claimed that the officer cancelled his visa and informed him that he would be deported back to Lebanon. A spokesman for Harvard University told The Telegraph that the university is working closely with Mr Ajjawi's family "and appropriate authorities to resolve this matter so that he can join his classmates in the coming days”. US immigration officials have refused to divulge the specifics of Mr Ajjawi's case or why he was denied entry into the country but confirmed that the Customs and Border Protection agency found him "inadmissible".  "Applicants must demonstrate they are admissible into the US by overcoming all grounds of inadmissibility including health-related grounds, criminality, security reasons, public charge, labour certification, illegal entrants and immigration violations, documentation requirements, and miscellaneous grounds," a spokesman for the CBP told the Crimson in a statement. "This individual was deemed inadmissible to the United States based on information discovered during the CBP inspection.” Mr Ajjawi, who was granted a scholarship by the Washington-based Amideast non-profit organisation, said that he is receiving assistance from an immigration lawyer and hopes to resolve his visa issues in time for the start of classes next week.

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Man accused of killing family, including toddler, of Tampa Bay Rays prospect Blake Bivens

The suspect, Matthew Bernard, was caught on camera naked chasing after officers as they tried to arrest him in the triple murders.

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Man crosses 3,000 miles of Pacific Ocean by paddleboard and sees plastic pollution 'every day'

An adventurer has completed a 2,951-mile solo paddleboard voyage from San Francisco to Hawaii, a feat of endurance which lasted 76 days.Antonio de la Rosa travelled alone across the Pacific Ocean without supporting boats. He braved choppy waters and glimpsed whales – as well as a constant stream of plastic pollution.

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'Fox isn’t working for us anymore!': Trump slams Fox News for 2020 coverage

Over the past couple of weeks, Donald Trump has increasingly blasted Fox News' coverage.

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Disaster feared if 'ticking time bomb' Yemen tanker explodes

An abandoned oil tanker anchored off war-torn Yemen that is degrading along with its cargo could explode and cause an environmental disaster, experts said Wednesday as UN inspectors prepared to visit. The ship "Safer", used as a floating storage platform, is laden with some 1.1 million barrels of crude oil and has been stranded with no maintenance since early 2015, leaving it to deteriorate and potentially allowing explosive gases to build up. United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday that a technical assessment team was waiting in nearby Djibouti preparing to board the Safer for a first-hand evaluation.

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Couple wanted for murder in Arizona escape from guards during transport

Blane Barksdale, 56, and Susan Barksdale, 59, broke free on Monday evening from two guards in Blanding, a rural town in southeast Utah, the Tucson Police Department said in a statement. The couple later obtained a GMC Sierra pickup truck and drove off, Tucson police spokesman Pete Dugan said. "Investigators have information that they are possibly traveling through Arizona," Tucson police said in a statement.

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FBI searches Detroit-area home of UAW president

Federal agents on Wednesday searched the suburban Detroit home of the president of the United Auto Workers, apparently another step in a corruption investigation that has netted labor leaders and auto industry officials, and damaged the union's reputation during contract talks with U.S. car companies. The UAW criticized the remarkable search of Gary Jones' home in Canton Township, insisting it has fully cooperated with authorities. "President Jones is determined to uncover and address any and all wrongdoing, wherever it might lead," the UAW said in a written statement.

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Israel’s Strategy against Tehran: Revealing the Iranian Threat

On Thursday, August 22, members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force took a drone to an area near the Golan Heights, seeking to attack Israel. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) monitored the men, took video of them walking through a field, and struck back two nights later. The air strikes targeted a villa in southern Syria that Jerusalem says was being used by the IRGC and Shiite militias. This includes Hezbollah, a Lebanese ally of Iran that has played a major role in Syria in recent years.The air strike is part of an increasingly firm stand Israel is taking against Iran’s regional ambitions in the Middle East. This includes several recent air strikes in Iraq that Iranian-linked paramilitaries have blamed on Israel. It also includes near-daily reports in media from Lebanon to Kuwait asserting that Israel is targeting Iran’s network of proxies and their bases in Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria. Jerusalem is no longer secretive about this widespread campaign. In January former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eizenkot said Israel had carried out thousands of air strikes on Iranian targets.Now IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani has warned Israel that these strikes will be Israel’s last. Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah has threatened retaliation. This is part of a rising Iranian-backed chorus against Jerusalem, which includes real threats such as continuing rocket fire from Hamas in Gaza. It also includes threats by Iranian proxies such as Iraqi-based Kata’ib Hezbollah against U.S. forces in Iraq.What is Israel’s strategy in all this? The goal is to draw Iran and its allies out of the shadows. Over the past decade, inflamed by the 2015 Iran deal, Tehran has increased its weapons transfers to Hezbollah, sent thousands of advisers to support the Syrian regime, and helped mobilize a network of militias in Iraq. Some of this was used to fight ISIS, or enemies of Bashar al-Assad. But with the ISIS war and Syrian conflict winding down, these groups are turning their threats toward Iran’s adversaries. Tehran is obsessed with destroying Israel, as can be seen in its frequent statements and militaristic parades. It has launched drones from Syria into Israel in February 2018, rockets in May 2018, and a rocket in January 2019. Hezbollah threatens that its 150,000 rockets can strike all of Israel.Air strikes on Iran’s network of proxies force the network out of the shadows. It can’t hide in villas in southern Syria, or launch drones at night, or stockpile ballistic missiles in Iraq if it is looking over its shoulder and increasingly making mistakes through its aggressive and open threats. Iran is used to playing a double game of moderates and hard-liners, sending its smiling foreign minister to the recent G7 while boasting of its allies’ drone technology striking Saudi Arabia.The Israeli air strikes couple well with the Washington-led campaign of “maximum pressure.” Iran now faces two fronts, the sanctions and strikes, that together are designed to blow the lid on its regional strategy. Tehran will be tempted to make a misstep in its otherwise calculated reactions. Iran has a playbook: If a Western power seizes its tanker, as the U.K. did in July, Iran seizes a tanker. It downed a sophisticated U.S. drone in June but hasn’t harmed anyone in six sabotage operations on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf. More than anything, Iran wants to preserve its regional power, based in proxies and allies that are often Shiite coreligionists. Its long-term goal is to get Hezbollah and its Shiite paramilitary allies in Iraq into more government positions and build up their parallel-state structures of armed fighters and bases. A war with the U.S. or Israel, or a direct confrontation with Saudi Arabia, as opposed to using proxies such as the Houthis, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad in Gaza, is not in Tehran’s interest. This is the strategic calculation that underpins Israel’s actions, but it can go only so far. A game of whack-a-mole against Iran’s drones and missiles is just a setback for Tehran. If Tehran doesn’t gamble on a major conflict with Israel, it will continue its creeping annexation of neighboring states.

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