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ATLANTA — Ten Democrats took the stage here Wednesday night with less than three months to go before the Iowa caucuses — and after a day of high political drama at the impeachment hearings back in Washington. Here were the key takeaways:Buttigieg benefits from a lack of game-changing momentsADVERTISEMENTThe debate had some fireworks, but nothing that seemed consequential or viral enough to change the trajectory of the race.That is good news for South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete ButtigiegPeter (Pete) Paul Buttigieg2020 Dems slam Trump decision on West Bank settlements Overnight Health Care: GOP senator says drug price action unlikely this year | House panel weighs ban on flavored e-cigs | New York sues Juul Buttigieg surges to 10-point lead in New Hampshire: poll MORE, who has been on the rise. The 37-year-old Buttigieg has led major polls in both Iowa and New Hampshire recently. That being so, many pundits expected his rivals to go after him in Atlanta.Those attacks simply … [Read more...] about Five takeaways from the Democratic debate

Genocide is not the murder of people but the murder of a people. In his first publication using the term he had coined, the lawyer Raphael Lemkin explained, “The practice of extermination of nations and ethnic groups as carried out by the invaders [the Nazis] is called by the author ‘genocide,’ a term deriving from the Greek word genos (tribe, race) and the Latin cide (by way of analogy, see homicide, fratricide).” As difficult as it is to discern, intentionality is key as the starting point, and death is the result of the intention to eliminate or render impotent. Genocide, thus, is “ethnically inspired violence” but should be distinguished from ethnic cleansing, which may entail killing but more immediately involves displacement and deportation, the physical moving of a distinct population. The genocidal elimination need not be total, but it should render the “people” impotent, politically and possibly culturally. Few modern mass … [Read more...] about Yes, the Slaughter of the Armenians Was Genocide

It was a spring evening in 2006, and the cast of HBO’s hit series Entourage was dressed to the nines. The crew had cordoned off the main lobby of the trendy Roosevelt Hotel in order to shoot a big scene during the show’s third season, wherein Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), the series’ self-absorbed film star, agrees to be auctioned off for charity by his best friend's (and manager’s) girlfriend Sloan, played by the raven-haired beauty Emmanuelle Chriqui. When the crew took a little break from filming, Chriqui, clad in a strapless designer dress with diamond earrings, stepped outside the hotel just as the sun was setting, and stared down the palm-tree-lined street. “There’s the Walk of Fame stars along Hollywood Boulevard, I’m looking at Mann’s Chinese Theater, and I’m thinking, ‘Wow, I can’t believe this right now!’" said Chriqui in an interview with The Daily Beast. “I’m this little Canadian Jewish … [Read more...] about Emmanuelle Chriqui: ‘Entourage’ Star Tries ‘5 Days of War’ After Hit HBO Show

The Supreme Court on Friday will consider whether to take up a prominent climatologist's defamation suit against a venerated conservative magazine, in a case that pits climate scientists against the free speech rights of global warming skeptics.The dispute between scientist Michael Mann and the National Review has drawn attention from lawmakers, interest groups, academics and media, as the court weighs adding a potentially blockbuster First Amendment showdown to an already politically charged docket.Scientists hail Mann’s lawsuit as a necessary defense against efforts to erode public confidence in the scientific consensus that climate change is an urgent threat, while free speech advocates have rallied around the iconic conservative publication.ADVERTISEMENTThe case has made for strange bedfellows, with the National Review receiving backing from the Center for Investigative Reporting, which has produced award-winning coverage of climate change; Senate Majority Leader Mitch … [Read more...] about Supreme Court weighs lawsuit pitting climate scientist against skeptics

Democrats running for president are vowing to push for policies to rein in rising drug costs, a top issue for voters in 2020, according to polls. Democrats argue President TrumpDonald John TrumpFive takeaways from the Democratic debate As Buttigieg rises, Biden is still the target Leading Democrats largely pull punches at debate MORE has done little to address high drug prices, despite vowing to do so in his 2016 campaign. But within the Democratic field, there are a number of stark differences between the candidates on the issue.Here’s where the top Democratic presidential candidates stand on tackling high drug prices.ADVERTISEMENTFormer Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenFive takeaways from the Democratic debate As Buttigieg rises, Biden is still the target Leading Democrats largely pull punches at debate MOREBiden said he would repeal a provision of federal law that prohibits Medicare from negotiating prices with drug companies, a proposal that is popular among other Democrats … [Read more...] about Where top 2020 Democrats stand on drug pricing