Liz Shield
The Morning Briefing
May 31, 2019
A wild raccoon dog has been terrorizing a U.K. village, terrifying locals and attacking pets.
SWNS reports that police were called to Clarborough in Nottinghamshire this week after some residents were subjected to a two-hour standoff with the strange-looking animal.
Villager Mandy Marsh was woken by a “blood-curdling scream” early on Tuesday morning and her husband Dale ran outside to see a raccoon dog confronting the couple’s pet goat and pony. "He came back and he said to me 'you are going to have to come and see this, there is something in the field attacking the pony and I have absolutely no idea what it is’,” she told SWNS.
"I don't feel safe," says a Harvard student in a video.In Other News
What threatens her? The dean of her Harvard dormitory, law professor Ronald Sullivan, agreed to be part of accused sexual harasser Harvey Weinstein's legal defense team.
Sullivan and his wife were deans of the dormitory for years, but no matter. Now the professor is apparently an evil threat.
A group calling itself "Our Harvard Can Do Better" demanded Sullivan be removed from his dean job.
On Tuesday afternoon, the deputy commander of the U.S.-led coalition of forces in Iraq and Syria — Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) — insisted that the forces had seen "no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces." U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) disputed the statement, saying forces are on a "high level of alert."
British Maj. Gen. Chris Ghika denied an increased threat in comments reported by Politico. Ghika insisted that his position did not contradict messaging from the White House and the Pentagon. Last week, the Pentagon claimed it had intelligence of impending Iranian-sponsored action against U.S. forces and interests, including in Iraq.
The coalition has observed "no change in their posture since the recent exchange between the United States and Iran and we hope and expect that will continue," Ghika told reporters. He was referring to Shiite militias in Iraq receiving support from Iran. "We don't see an increased threat from them at this stage."
Ghika insisted that his statements do not contradict those coming from the White House and CENTCOM. "We're on exactly the same page," he said. "I don't think we're out of step with the White House at all."
CNN is planning to cut up to 300 jobs, "many being older employees with years at the network," according to a report on Monday.In Other News
According to FTVLive, a website that monitors the television industry, "Word is that just under 200 people will be pink slipped and just over 100 will be offered a buyout." Staffers are reportedly calling the cuts a "massive brain drain" because so many veteran employees are being given pink slips.