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If the House is willing to hold out just a little bit longer, John Bolton might have something to say. But no one’s got much of a grasp on what that might be.President Trump’s former national security adviser apparently knows about “many relevant meetings and conversations” connected to the House impeachment inquiry that have not yet been discussed in previous testimonies, his lawyer Charles Cooper wrote in a letter to the House general counsel.House investigators want to interview Bolton about Trump’s interactions with Ukraine, but they have so far refrained from issuing a subpoena to avoid getting drawn into lengthy court proceedings. In the letter, Cooper said Bolton would be willing to talk to cooperate, but only if a court rules he can ignore the White House’s objections to his doing so. Bolton’s former deputy Charles Kupperman filed a lawsuit asking for a judiciary ruling on whether potential witnesses are obligated to ignore the White House’s directions and comply with the investigation, but the House doesn’t seem willing to let that play out right now.Nobody is really sure what Bolton would say in a potential hearing, so it remains to be seen if the possibility of his testimony is tantalizing enough for the House to reconsider its options. CNN reports, though, that Bolton — who historically has supported executive power — might not think Trump “acted inappropriately” toward Kyiv “even if he’s willing to help take down others in the administration.” The New York Times, on the other hand, notes that Bolton would at least be able to bring direct knowledge of what Trump has said about the matter, rather than just describing what people around the president have said. Read more at The New York Times and CNN.More stories from theweek.com 5 brutal cartoons about Trump’s environmental assault Angela Merkel leads ceremony marking 30th anniversary the fall of the Berlin Wall How the law barely protects whistleblowers
November 9, 2019Read More
As Cambodia kicks off a three-day water festival, fishermen are struggling to make a living in the face of climate change and hydropower dams.
November 9, 2019Read More
Whistleblowers who hold public servants to account are protected by law — but they often suffer consequences anyway. Here’s everything you need to know:What’s a whistleblower? It’s a government employee who reports fraud, waste, crimes, or threats to public safety. The origin of the term is uncertain, but it’s probably a reference to policemen or referees who blow whistles when they see a crime or foul play. As far back as 1778, the Founding Fathers called reporting official misconduct a “duty,” commending 10 sailors and Marines for alerting Congress to the Navy’s abuse of British prisoners. But the term “whistleblower” wasn’t applied to this kind of truth telling until the 1970s. It was during that tumultuous decade that military analyst Daniel Ellsberg disclosed the Pentagon Papers, which revealed the Vietnam War’s false premises. A year later, The Washington Post broke the Watergate scandal, thanks to leaks from “Deep Throat” (who turned out to be disgruntled FBI Associate Director Mark Felt). To encourage such truth tellers to come forward, Congress passed the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989, which outlined a process for federal employees to report misconduct and challenge retaliation they might face for doing so. Despite that law, whistleblowers often pay a steep price for reporting misdeeds by superiors, said Mandy Smithberger of the Project on Government Oversight, a nonpartisan organization. “One has to go in with the assumption,” she said, “that it’s career suicide.”What safeguards exist? Federal law protects whistleblowers from being fired, demoted, or reassigned as a form of punishment. But those protections are void if whistleblowers fail to follow protocol and file their complaint through official channels — generally, with a federal agency’s inspector general. Among those who did not qualify for whistleblower status are Chelsea Manning, who disclosed a massive trove of military secrets to WikiLeaks in 2010; Edward Snowden, who revealed the National Security Agency’s global surveillance programs in 2013; and Reality Winner, who leaked a U.S. intelligence report about Russia’s election interference efforts in 2017. Since they leaked information to the media, all were charged with crimes under the 1917 Espionage Act. That law “is blind to the difference between whistleblowers and spies,” said Jameel Jaffer, head of the Knight First Amendment Institute. If indicted under the Espionage Act, an employee in the intelligence agencies is prohibited from arguing that a leak was made in the public interest.Where does the law fall short? Even if whistleblowers follow all procedures, their legal protection can prove to be more theoretical than real. More than one-third of government whistleblowers responding to a 2010 survey said they faced threats or punishments. “I thought what all whistleblowers think,” former FBI agent Jane Turner said. “I thought, ‘The truth will rescue me.'” Assigned to the World Trade Center investigation, Turner noticed a Tiffany crystal globe on a colleague’s desk. After finding out that FBI employees claimed it as a “souvenir” from Ground Zero, Turner reported them. The story became a national embarrassment for the FBI, yet rather than receive pats on the back, Turner says, she was treated like a “snitch” and later fired. Last year, four high-ranking officials at the Environmental Protection Agency flagged rampant wasteful spending by their administrator, Scott Pruitt, who paid $43,000 for a soundproof phone booth for Pruitt’s office. The four were reassigned, demoted, or placed on leave without pay.What about the Ukraine whistleblower? In August, a CIA officer working at the White House filed an official whistleblower complaint to the intelligence community’s inspector about a July 25 phone call President Trump made to President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. That complaint led to the impeachment inquiry now underway in the House. In response, Trump branded the White House whistleblower a “spy,” accused him of “treason,” and suggested he be treated the way traitors were “in the old days.” Republican defenders of the president have reportedly made an educated guess at his identity in an effort to portray him as a Democratic partisan. Under the law, the motivations of whistleblowers are irrelevant, and many do have axes to grind; what matters is whether what they report is true.What if he’s identified? Whistleblowers are guaranteed the right to anonymity within the process, but that protection is thin. If Trump or his allies manage to figure out the identity of the whistleblower, there’s no law barring them from naming him publicly. There are other loopholes in the protections as well: If Trump orders that the whistleblower be fired, the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act does not empower the inspector general to force the CIA to rehire him. In 1982, after whistleblower A. Ernest Fitzgerald sued President Richard Nixon for wrongful termination, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that presidents can’t be sued for monetary damages, even if they’ve broken the law. (A dissenting opinion said the court had placed the president “above the law.”) The whistleblower also won’t be able to sue if he’s publicly identified and suffers adverse consequences, such as damage to his career or continuing death threats. Trump’s threats are “absolutely shocking,” said whistleblower attorney David Colapinto. “If the identity of the whistleblower is unmasked against that person’s will, then retaliation is sure to follow.”The ‘SOB’ fired by Nixon A. Ernest Fitzgerald was long known as “the patron saint of government whistleblowers,” or, alternatively, “the most hated man in the Air Force.” A financial manager in the Air Force, Fitzgerald appeared before Congress in 1968 to discuss the purchase of a fleet of Lockheed’s C-5A transport planes. Superiors told him to gloss over the rising costs of the plane, but Fitzgerald did not, informing astonished legislators the planes were running $2 billion over budget. Fitzgerald said he was merely “committing truth.” In an Oval Office tape revealed later, President Nixon admitted he had instructed an aide to “get rid of that son of a bitch.” Fitzgerald was stripped of his duties, sent off to study cost overruns on an Air Force bowling alley in Thailand, and finally had his position eliminated. After three years of fighting the government in court, he finally had his position reinstated. That case underscored the need for formalized whistleblower protections.More stories from theweek.com 5 brutal cartoons about Trump’s environmental assault Angela Merkel leads ceremony marking 30th anniversary the fall of the Berlin Wall Beto O’Rourke reportedly considered Pete Buttigieg a ‘human weather vane’
November 9, 2019Read More
For 30 years my wife and I have owned a getaway home 95 miles north of New York City. Our village has many charms and there’s much to do, from foraging at the farmer’s market to riding a scenic rail trail. There’s a great book store and first-run movie theater, plus horse, dairy, and alpaca farms within a 10-minute drive. I’ve spent many an afternoon shagging fly balls to my two sons at the local ball fields.But one of my favorite weekend activities — I kid you not — is taking out the garbage. Let me explain.In the city, garbage and recycling bags are piled on the sidewalk, stuffed down trash shoots, and jammed into tiny containers outside of brownstones, which are magnets for oversized rats. I live in a service building, so I’m lucky I can place my trash and recyclables outside the kitchen door in a stairwell where a porter comes to whisk them away. I dutifully break down boxes, separate the bottles and yogurt containers, and bundle the newspapers but I can’t wait to get it over with and get back into our apartment.The country is different.At our house, the garbage bins stand at the far end of our backyard fronting the street behind us. Of course, I could simply march through the yard to reach them but at night the grass is wet and there are bats flying around. Recently some mammal — a groundhog or raccoon — has been leaving piles of dung. Plus, you have to slip through a tricky gate, where I’ve twisted my ankle more than once.Instead, I wait until the kitchen is spotless after dinner — usually around 10:30 p.m. — grab the garbage and haul it around the block to the bins. I look like a hobo Santa carrying two large Hefty bags over my shoulder, sometimes in my socks. But I get a glimpse into people’s homes, sample the night air and take stock of worldly affairs in the way that mindless chores allow. I could just go for a walk, but taking the trash has its own purpose and satisfaction that has nothing to do with exercise and everything to do with closure. It’s the perfect punctuation to an otherwise stressful week.Therapy works in all sorts of surprising ways. Recently I learned how therapeutic garbage detail can be. Something bad happened at work the week before, an outlier, black swan mistake for a client. But it had consequences and none of my usual coping mechanisms — walking the dog, listening to jazz, being with family — were helping shake the nauseating kick to my self-esteem. I was losing sleep and heading to dire places. Another few days of this negative loop and I would have sought out a trained professional.It was the last night of a holiday weekend at the house and I dreaded restarting the cycle of doubt going back to work, so I took extra time with my route around the block. Rewinding for the hundredth time the what-ifs around what happened as I slogged down the street with my Heftys, I noticed the crickets were especially noisy and a streetlamp was flickering, animating the trees and bushes. Someone had left a bunch of FREE stuff on their curb — including a vintage sewing machine.I saw a small bonfire in a neighbor’s yard — “Just getting rid of kindling and old letters,” she said going in and out of her shed. I stopped to admire her enchanted garden with its illuminated orbs and a plastic bird light that slowly changed from cardinal red to green to amber. My bag of bottles and cans clanked when I set them down. Continuing around the corner and up the hill, I looked in on the extended South American family watching a soccer game together on a large-screen TV in their den. Something rustled past me — a cat? No, a skunk, which left a mild, telltale sign of its presence.I arrived at the bins and dragged them away from the fence to line up for the carting truck, which would make its appointed rounds on Tuesday after the holiday. Lifting the lids, I glanced up and was overwhelmed by a sky awash in stars — clusters, constellations, asterisms, loners in deep space. I located Orion’s belt and tried to guess the billions of miles stretching from the Big Dipper’s handle to the farthest end of the pot in another galaxy. I think I spotted Venus glowing over our garage roof.Standing under the show until my neck strained, I suddenly knew that what happened at work was of zero consequence, not only among the heavens, but to my own life. I looked back down at our house a few dozen yards away — my wife and daughter were talking in the kitchen and I knew our granddaughter was asleep upstairs. I closed the lids and walked briskly back home, letting go at last.Thank you, garbage therapy.More stories from theweek.com 5 brutal cartoons about Trump’s environmental assault Angela Merkel leads ceremony marking 30th anniversary the fall of the Berlin Wall How the law barely protects whistleblowers
November 9, 2019Read More
Iran said Saturday it is prepared if necessary to release footage of an incident with a UN nuclear inspector last week that led to it cancelling her accreditation. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of “an outrageous and unwarranted act of…
November 9, 2019Read More
(Bloomberg) — Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Europe to fight harder for its values as Germany marked 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall on Saturday.“The values on which Europe is based — freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, safeguar…
November 9, 2019Read More
1\. Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS200 ($698)People must be tiring of smartphone cameras, because “a creative renaissance” is happening in the category of compact point-and-shoots. Most new models can also shoot HD video, but few if any rivals offer the 15X optical zoom of Panasonic’s new 12-ounce ZS200. Buy it at Amazon.2\. Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VI ($1,100)Though the latest addition to Sony’s RX100 series costs hundreds more than its excellent predecessors, “it’s pretty much the best compact camera around right now,” according to Digital Camera World. Features include “super-smooth” 4K video and a pop-up electric viewfinder. Buy it at Amazon.3\. Canon PowerShot G9 X Mark II ($430)Novice shutterbugs should check out this “supremely compact” Canon. Though it lacks 4K video, it’s the smallest and cheapest camera with a 1-inch image sensor, and the intuitive interface “makes transitioning from smartphone shooting simple,” per The Wirecutter. Buy it at Amazon.4\. Olympus Tough TG-6 ($450)Need something indestructible for an outdoor adventure? This shockproof, waterproof, coldproof, and “just plain durable” camera works up to 50 feet underwater. And though images come in at just 12 megapixels, the Olympus measures up in every other respect. Buy it at Amazon.5\. Ricoh GR II ($546)Though it’s “on the big side” and “not great for video,” the Ricoh GR II has developed a cult following online, and for good reason. Thanks to its DSLR APS-C sensor, “it’s capable of downright gorgeous photos,” according to Wired. And it’s far cheaper than the new GR III, Ricoh’s admittedly more capable update. Buy it at Amazon.Editor’s note: Every week The Week’s editors survey product reviews and articles in websites, newspapers, and magazines, to find cool and useful new items we think you’ll like. We’re now making it easier to purchase these selections through affiliate partnerships with certain retailers. The Week may get a share of the revenue from these purchases.More stories from theweek.com 5 brutal cartoons about Trump’s environmental assault Angela Merkel leads ceremony marking 30th anniversary the fall of the Berlin Wall How the law barely protects whistleblowers
November 9, 2019Read More
Here are three of the week’s top pieces of financial advice, gathered from around the web:End-of-the-year tax checklist Now is the time to make moves to lower your tax bill, said Laura Saunders at The Wall Street Journal. Many filers are still getting used to the new rules following the 2017 tax overhaul. At the top of many tax advisers’ to-do lists: “Check your withholding or estimated taxes.” One more late-in-the-year project: setting up a solo 401(k) if you are self-employed. These plans have higher contribution limits than other tax-advantaged retirement accounts — generally $56,000 a year. You can fund your solo 401(k) for 2019 until Oct. 15, 2020. “But the plans must usually be set up by Dec. 31, 2019, even if contributions come later.”Two-tier pickups for airport Ubers “Is there a good solution to the Uber crunch at airports?” asked Josh Barro at New York magazine. Because ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft require each driver to find “a specifically assigned passenger, rather than picking up whichever passenger the driver finds first,” congestion is at an all-time high. More airports have now started to move Uber pickups to locations far from the terminals. At Los Angeles International, for instance, to hail an Uber you first need to take a shuttle bus — with some wait times reportedly as long as the flights themselves. But LAX is also testing out a two-tier pricing strategy. If you want to take a standard UberX, Lyft, or taxi, hop on the shuttle. “But if you call an Uber Black car or Uber SUV,” which are more expensive, you can get picked up at the terminal. “Uber Black was already about twice the cost of UberX, and the price gap may only grow.”Airline credit cards improve With better bonuses and new perks, airline credit cards are getting a much-needed makeover, said Eric Rosen at Bloomberg. After getting left in the dust by rewards cards in recent years, airline-sponsored plastic is making “an aggressive bid to attract” travelers. The United Explorer card from Chase now earns two miles for every dollar spent at hotels and restaurants on top of “airline-specific perks like free checked bags.” Delta’s Reserve card from American Express caters more to the frequent flier — it is “adding access to Amex’s excellent Centurion lounges and boosting earning bonuses” to three points per dollar — for a fee of $550 per year. But the Blue Delta SkyMiles American Express is “attractive enough for relatively new and infrequent travelers,” waiving foreign transaction fees and earning two points per dollar on restaurants.More stories from theweek.com Angela Merkel leads ceremony marking 30th anniversary the fall of the Berlin Wall 5 brutal cartoons about Trump’s environmental assault How motherhood changes the brain
November 9, 2019Read More
Get the best political cartoons delivered to your inbox with our free daily cartoon newsletter. Sign up here.More stories from theweek.com 5 brutal cartoons about Trump’s environmental assault Angela Merkel leads ceremony marking 30th anniversary the fall of the Berlin Wall How the law barely protects whistleblowers
November 9, 2019Read More
Newton. This six-bedroom, Queen Anne Victorian on 0.6 acre lies near two parks. The 1898 home retains original details like leaded glass windows, carved oak paneling and wainscoting, and dentil crown molding.The chef’s kitchen was updated in 2014. Lined with stone paths and walls, the property has a patio, mature trees, and perennial landscaping. $3,050,000. Jayne Friedberg, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage-Brookline, (617) 899-2111.Lincoln. Lying on 17.1 acres next to conservation land, this mid-century modern, four-bedroom home was built in 1972 and restored in 2012. The living room has a double-height ceiling and an oversize fireplace, and the chef’s kitchen includes Viking appliances and a full pantry.The property features two ponds, a saltwater gunite pool, a Zen garden, and a three-stall horse stable. $3,750,000. Thomas Kennedy, Gibson/Sotheby’s International Realty, (617) 947-9201.Cohasset. This 2011 modern structure has two full sides of floor-to-ceiling retractable glass doors that open onto a private beach. The three-bedroom house includes vaulted ceilings and exposed rafters.Outside, there’s a deck that runs the length of the home and leads directly onto the 1.5-acre beachfront property. $3,495,000. Frank Neer, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage-Cohasset, (781) 775-2482.Weston. Built in 2019, this five-bedroom, 8,000-square-foot modern home on 1.7 acres abuts conservation land. The open-concept house, with 75 architectural-grade windows that look onto mature trees, has a kitchen with quartz slab walls, an island, and pale wood floors throughout.The property includes a privacy fence, a stone patio, and a three-car garage. $4,195,000. Andrea Jackson, Barrett/Sotheby’s International Realty, (617) 571-1888.Natick. Known as the Jeremiah Bacon home, this five-bedroom, 1710 farmhouse lies next to the Charles River. There are six fireplaces, and original wood details include wide-plank floors and exposed beams. Updates have been made to the eat-in kitchen and master suite.The 4.3-acre property has a two-car garage with a workshop and spans woods, lawns, and gardens. $950,000. Stephanie Barber, William Raveis Real Estate, (508) 314-0398.Chelsea. This one-bedroom, renovated condo sits on the top floor of an 1857 brick townhouse.Featuring exposed brick walls, hardwood floors, and high ceilings, the apartment includes exclusive roof rights and is a short walk to shops and the Chelsea River. $299,900. Paul Campano, Keller Williams Real Estate-Cambridge, (617) 304-3686.More stories from theweek.com 5 brutal cartoons about Trump’s environmental assault Angela Merkel leads ceremony marking 30th anniversary the fall of the Berlin Wall How the law barely protects whistleblowers
November 9, 2019Read More
Iran defended on Saturday its decision to block an U.N. inspector from a nuclear site last week. A spokesman for Iran’s atomic agency, Behrouz Kamalvandi, said that the Iranian government “legally speaking” had done nothing wrong in stopping the femal…
November 9, 2019Read More
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