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The Trump administration reversed decades of foreign policy and handed a win to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, all in one fell swoop. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the US no longer considers Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank to be "inconsistent with international law." This defies a 1978 State Department decision and goes against the views traditionally held by US allies. The West Bank, as you know, is one of the focal points of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This pro-Israel move not only nods to President Trump's conservative base, it also gives Netanyahu a big political gift. Israel is in a sort of political free-for-all following September's inconclusive elections, and Trump's signal of support could give Netanyahu a leg up in trying to form a government.
2. Impeachment investigation
Prepare yourself for three days of crucial impeachment testimony on the Hill. Today, the House Intelligence Committee will hear from a powerful quartet of witnesses, including several officials who actually heard Trump's July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. But President Trump isn't taking the ongoing testimony sitting down. Last week, the President's reelection campaign ran more than 6,000 Facebook ads mentioning impeachment (often with the word "hoax") and aimed to turn the probe into a campaign fundraising opportunity. In the White House, Trump's aides have allegedly considered dismissing some impeachment witnesses from their temporary White House jobs and moving them back to their home departments, even though Trump's advisers have warned such moves would look suspiciously like retaliation.
Google isn't staying on defense in the face of a multistate antitrust probe. The search giant has requested a massive trove of documents related to the probe, which would essentially reveal all the information supplied to investigators by Google's biggest rivals and critics. The investigation is being carried out by 50 attorneys general representing 48 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, and it's being led by the attorney general from Texas. Google previously tried keep the attorney general from releasing confidential information about the company to consultants working on the probe. Critics say Google's latest move is another attempt to strong-arm the process and intimidate possible witnesses.
Iran has gone almost entirely offline in what may be the country's largest internet shutdown ever. The blackout is happening as authorities try to stem the rising tide of protests that have rocked the country since Friday. Internet watchdogs say the outage started Sunday night and continued through Monday. Social media often plays a key role in mobilizing protesters, but it's unclear if the outage, decried by activists, will actually help the situation. The latest round of protests started in response to a proposed fuel hike, but in reality, discontent over Iran's leadership has been brewing for years. Cutting internet access shows that the government is probably rattled by its citizens' demonstrations.
5. Chick-fil-A
Is Chick-fil-A adding a side of social progress to its menu? The fast food chain announced it will no longer donate to two major charities that have been criticized as anti-LGBTQ. Chick-fil-A said it won't donate to the Salvation Army or the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in favor of charities that focus exclusively on education, homelessness and hunger. The chain and its delicious chicken sandwiches have long been a subject of debate and moral conflict, held up by conservatives as a rare corporation that sticks to ostensibly conservative Christian principles and decried by others for supporting groups that discriminate against LGBTQ communities. Gay rights organization GLAAD says Chick-fil-A's news should be greeted with "cautious optimism."
BREAKFAST BROWSE
Fox has filed a trademark application for a TV show called 'OK boomer'
Man's mystery illness was caused by his feather duvet
It's called Feather Duvet Lung disease, and it sounds like, pardon us, a nightmare.
Are airline passengers getting more unruly?
Stoke your flying anxiety -- just in time for the holiday travel rush!
That viral 'Secret Sisters' gift exchange idea is actually a scam
A pyramid scheme by any other name is still morally questionable at best, illegal at worst.
TODAY'S QUOTE
"Asking for personal favors and using United States assets as collateral is wrong."
Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, when asked what he would have done if he were in the White House and a situation similar to the Ukraine calls being examined in the impeachment investigation were to play out
TODAY'S NUMBER
The number of square miles of Amazon rainforest that were lost in the 12 months ending in July. That's a 29.5% increase over the previous 12-month span and the highest rate of Amazon deforestation in 11 years.
HAPPENING LATER
It's debate time
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will field questions and fling barbs in the first of several debates leading up to the UK's general election next month.
TODAY'S WEATHER
AND FINALLY
Captured in crystal
You've probably seen examples of these fascinating images suspended in crystal or glass. The process is known as sub-surface laser engraving, and it feels almost TOO futuristic. (Click here to view.)
"thing" - Google News
November 19, 2019 at 06:10PM
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5 things to know for November 19: Israel, impeachment, Google, Iran, Chick-fil-A - CNN
"thing" - Google News
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