Monthly Archives: January 2020

BRITAIN: 87% Of Pharmacists Fear Brexit Shortages

The European Review reports: A new survey has found that 87 percent of pharmacists are concerned about the supply of medicines to the UK after Brexit on 31 January. Conducted by Medicspot and supported by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), the findings show that 84 percent of pharmacists believe that their pharmacy will be impacted by the UK’s departure from …

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Dershowitz: You’re Distorting My “So What?” Defense

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump’s defense lawyer Alan Dershowitz now says his headline-dominating argument against impeaching the president was ‘distorted.’ In a day-after tweet, the former Harvard Law professor complained Thursday about the portrayal of his testimony at Trump’s Senate Trial that a president, if he believes his re-election is in the “national interest,” is essentially immune from …

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Trump To Rescind Obama’s Restriction On Landmines

CNN reports: The Trump administration is expected to loosen restrictions on the US military’s ability to use landmines in the coming days, weapons that have been banned by more than 160 countries due to their history of killing and wounding civilians, multiple Defense Department officials tell CNN. The move represents a major reversal from the approach of the Obama administration …

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Gabbard’s Lawyer: Hillary Is Dodging Defamation Suit

Law & Crime reports: What lawsuit? Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s (D) Secret Service agents and attorney David Kendall have refused service of 2020 presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s (D-Hawaii) defamation lawsuit, according to Gabbard’s lawyer. Gabbard attorney Brian Dunne said on Wednesday that he found it “rather unbelievable that Hillary Clinton is so intimidated by Tulsi Gabbard that she …

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Joe Biden +5 Over Bernie Sanders In New National Poll

The Hill reports: Former Vice President Joe Biden has a 5-point advantage over Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the Democratic presidential race, according to an exhaustive national survey from the Pew Research Center. The Pew survey of 5,861 registered Democrats finds Biden in the lead at 26 percent support, followed by Sanders at 21 percent and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) …

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Ex-Trump Aide Carter Page Sues DNC Over Dossier

Fox News reports: Former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page filed a lawsuit Thursday in federal court against the Democratic National Committee, law firm Perkins Coie and its partners tied to the funding of the unverified dossier that served as the basis for highly controversial surveillance warrants against him. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in the Northern District …

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Bloomberg’s Super Bowl Ad: Emotional Plea On Guns

The New York Times reports: After the dazzle and pop of Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s Super Bowl halftime show this Sunday, Michael R. Bloomberg’s presidential campaign is hoping to “stop people in their tracks” with an emotional ad featuring a mother who lost her son to gun violence. In the minute-long ad, which the campaign released on Thursday, Calandrian Kemp …

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ITALY: 6000 Held On Cruise Ship Over Virus Fears

ABC News reports: About 6,000 people are being held on an Italian cruise ship after a woman on board fell ill amid fears of the deadly new coronavirus outbreak that originated in China. The Costa Smeralda Vessel is currently being held off the coast, 35 miles north of Rome. The 54-year-old woman, who reportedly came down with a fever, and …

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Feds Slam Southwest Airlines On Maintenance Records

The Wall Street Journal report: A government report to be released in coming days says Southwest Airlines Co. failed to prioritize safety and the airline’s regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration, hasn’t done enough about it. Southwest pilots flew more than 17 million people on aircraft with unconfirmed maintenance records over a two-year period, according to a U.S. Department of Transportation …

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GEORGIA: Republican Civil War Over US Senate Contest

Politico reports: The conservative Club for Growth plans to air a massive ad campaign attacking Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), adding fuel to the intraparty battle that kicked off after the GOP congressman launched a Senate campaign this week. Collins announced Wednesday he is challenging Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), who was sworn in this month to replace Sen. Johnny Isakson after …

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Wilbur Ross: China’s Coronavirus Is Good For US Jobs

NBC News reports: Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Thursday that the coronavirus outbreak in China could lead businesses to bring jobs back to the U.S. and Mexico. “Well, first of all, every American’s heart has to go out to the victims of the coronavirus. So I don’t want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very …

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Commerce Dept Report: 2019 Economy Missed Target

Reuters reports: The U.S. economy maintained a moderate pace of growth in the fourth quarter, and again fell short of attaining the Trump administration’s coveted but elusive 3% annual growth target because of slumping business investment amid damaging trade tensions. The Commerce Department’s snapshot of gross domestic product on Thursday will show the Federal Reserve’s three interest rate cuts in …

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FLORIDA: Discrimination Against LGBT Students Spurs Banks To Stop Donations To Private School Vouchers

NBC News reports: Two of the largest banks in the U.S. say they will stop donating millions of dollars to Florida’s private school voucher program after a newspaper investigation found that some of the program’s beneficiaries discriminate against LGBTQ students. In a statement to NBC News and CNBC on Wednesday evening, Wells Fargo confirmed that it would no longer participate. …

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LGBTQ Group Equality California Endorses Buttigieg

The New York Times reports: Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has won the backing of Equality California, one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ membership organizations, and its Nevada partner organization, an endorsement that could give him a boost in critical Western primaries. While Buttigieg is the only openly gay candidate in the race, his endorsement by the organizations wasn’t a …

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US Life Expectancy Rises For First Time In Four Years

The Associated Press reports: Life expectancy in the United States is up for the first time in four years. The increase is small — just a month — but marks at least a temporary halt to a downward trend. The rise is due to lower death rates for cancer and drug overdoses. “Let’s just hope it continues,” said Robert Anderson, …

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DC Mayor Muriel Bowser To Endorse Bloomberg

The Washington Post reports: D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser is to endorse Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg during a joint appearance Thursday afternoon in the District, according to the Bloomberg campaign. Bloomberg, New York’s former three-term mayor, is to deliver a speech outlining his plan to create affordable housing and ease the homeless crisis that is posing challenges for large …

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Wind Blows Down Section Of Trump’s Border Wall

CNN reports: Newly installed panels from the US border wall fell over in high winds Wednesday, landing on trees on the Mexican side of the border. The area is part of an ongoing construction project to improve existing sections of the wall. Agent Carlos Pitones of the Customs and Border Protection sector in El Centro, California, told CNN that the …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Playbill reports: Check out Christopher Lloyd working the stage door above as Marty McFly and Doc show up late (another fan call-back) for places in a preview for the upcoming Back to the Future musical. The musical opens February 20 in Manchester, England, ahead of a West End bow. Olly Dobson stars as the time-traveling teen opposite Tony winner Roger …

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Bolton Demands Expedited WH Review Of Book: There’s Nothing Classified In There And I Might Be Testifying

The Washington Post reports: An attorney for John Bolton has pushed back against the White House’s assessment that his book manuscript contains classified material and asked for an expedited review of a chapter about Ukraine in case the former national security adviser is called to testify in the Senate impeachment trial. The Jan. 24 email to the White House from …

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Roberts Faces Possibility Of Tied Vote On Witnesses

Politico reports: Ahead of a tight vote on whether to hear new witnesses in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, the Senate is preparing for the possibility that this crucial roll call has an asterisk in the history books: it ends in a tie. And it’s a scenario that would suddenly put a spotlight on Chief Justice John Roberts. For weeks, …

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