| Fox News host baselessly claims that 'something's going to happen' to Joe Biden, forcing her colleague to walk her comment back Posted: 12 Aug 2020 03:59 PM PDT  "I have a sense that something's going to happen before the election, and he's not even going to be on the ticket," she said.
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| An admitted KKK leader has been sentenced to 6 years in prison after driving a truck through a crowd of protesters in June Posted: 12 Aug 2020 11:48 AM PDT  A Virginia man who boasted to police of his Ku Klux Klan rank was sentenced to six years in prison after driving his truck into a crowd of protesters.
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| Andrew Yang on Democratic National Convention: 'I kind of expected to speak' Posted: 11 Aug 2020 03:21 PM PDT  Yang voiced his apparent disappointment in not being on the list of speakers at the upcoming Democratic National Convention.
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| Mexican president wants graft testimony from predecessors Calderon and Pena Nieto Posted: 12 Aug 2020 06:13 AM PDT  Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday the two presidents who preceded him should testify about corruption after a complaint by a former head of state oil firm Petroleos Mexicanos, known as Pemex. Lopez Obrador's position that both former President Enrique Pena Nieto and his predecessor Felipe Calderon should speak to prosecutors raises the stakes in his drive to root out corruption he says plagued previous governments. "Ex-President Calderon, ex-President Pena (Nieto), the lawmakers who are mentioned, the senators, all those mentioned have to testify," Lopez Obrador said at his daily morning news conference.
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| Pro Poker Player Was Bound, Sexually Assaulted, ‘Lit on Fire’ After Motel Meeting Posted: 12 Aug 2020 09:29 AM PDT  Susie Zhao, the professional poker player whose charred remains were found in a remote Michigan park in July, was allegedly bound with zip ties and sexually assaulted before she was "lit on fire until she died" after meeting with a convicted sex offender, according to new court documents. Zhao, 33, was last seen around 5:30 p.m. on July 12 by her mother, the White Lake Township Police Department previously told The Daily Beast. The next day, her "badly burned" body was discovered at around 8:05 a.m. in a parking lot near the Pontiac Lake Recreation Area, about an hour outside of Detroit. Last week, Jeffrey Bernard Morris, 60, was charged from his hospital bed with first-degree premeditated murder. Authorities discovered the convicted sex offender allegedly met Zhao in a motel room the night before her body was found. Morris, who is homeless and has a "lengthy criminal history" is currently in jail after being denied bail. A Pro Poker Player Was Found 'Badly Burned.' Was She Murdered Over Gambling?"This is not the end of the investigation into Susie's death but the beginning of the pursuit of justice for her and her family," White Lake Township Detective Chris Hild said in a press conference. "We can only hope that where we are today brings some level of comfort to the healing process."In new court documents, first obtained by WXYZ, authorities revealed what occurred the night the pro poker player, known on the circuit as "Susie Q," went missing. Cell phone records indicate Morris and the rising poker star first met on July 12. In an interview with police the night of his arrest on July 31, Morris admitted to picking up Zhao on Watkins Lake Road before they both checked into the Sherwood Motel at around 9:26 p.m. Morris told investigators the pair left the motel at some point to buy some alcohol and that Zhao left the motel at around midnight and took everything with her. Cell phone records, however, show the 33-year-old's phone didn't leave the motel until around 5 a.m on July 13, according to the court documents. Surveillance footage near the motel and cell phone records also show Morris left the room at around 5 a.m., before driving to a secluded section of the Pontiac Lake Recreation area—where Zhao was found. Court documents say that evidence suggests Morris was at the 3,745-acre park for about seven minutes. When Zhao was found the following morning, she was identified by fingerprints and was bound with zip ties. She had been sexually assaulted with a large object before being "lit on fire until she died," the court documents state. A spokesperson for the Oakland County Medical Examiner told The Daily Beast that Zhao's cause of death is currently unknown, pending an autopsy and toxicology results. When authorities pulled Morris over on a warrant in Ypsilanti weeks later, investigators found several hairs and other evidence with possible bloodstains. They also found duffle bags with a fitted bed sheet that appeared to have blood on it and a wooden baseball bat that also appeared to have a bloodstain. The items were taken to Oakland County Crime Lab for testing. Authorities are now scrambling to understand the motive behind the "mysterious death" that occurred just weeks after Zhao moved back to her home state of Michigan from California on June 9. Two childhood friends of Zhao previously told The Daily Beast that the poker player bounced between several cities—including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Florida—both for her job and because she was "a jet-setter." According to PokerNews.com, Zhao was successful in the professional worker world, garnering several deep runs in the World Series of Poker Main Event—placing 90th in 2012 to earn $73,805. Over the course of her career, Zhao won $224,671, according to the poker database The Hendon Mob. Despite earlier speculation, authorities have said there is no evidence that Zhao's death was connected to her gambling."I don't think there was ever anything else that she wanted to do. She was playing poker from a very young age," Meredith Rogowski, a childhood friend, told The Daily Beast. "It was not a surprise. She was very bold and did whatever she wanted to do. Whenever we talked about her job, she was very nonchalant. But I do know it was exhausting to be in that world—it was long hours and some of the people she met weren't always genuine."Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| China warns US against 'playing with fire' over Taiwan visit Posted: 12 Aug 2020 03:20 AM PDT  China warned Washington not to "play with fire" on Wednesday as a US delegation wrapped up a historic trip to the self-ruled island of Taiwan. Beijing has been infuriated by the highest-profile visit in decades to Taiwan, which it sees as part of its territory, as US-China relations plunge to a record low over a range of issues from trade to military and the coronavirus pandemic. Health chief Alex Azar finished a three-day visit to Taiwan, during which he criticised China's handling of the pandemic and visited the shrine of a former Taiwan president hated by the Communist Party leadership.
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| Coronavirus may spread farther than 6 feet indoors Posted: 12 Aug 2020 04:25 AM PDT  A classroom simulation shows how the spread of the virus is significantly cut down simply by placing ventilation near a teacher.
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| In These Uncertain Hours, the Classic Cool of a Gentleman’s Watch Endures Posted: 12 Aug 2020 05:00 AM PDT |
| Kamala Harris: How the former prosecutor who skewered Biden in the debates built her career on being first Posted: 11 Aug 2020 06:54 AM PDT  Kamala Harris has made her political career out of being the first.When she was just 40 years old, Ms Harris – who started out as a prosecutor in Alameda County, California – was elected as the district attorney for San Francisco, making her the first woman and first person of colour to hold that position.
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| A Florida sheriff banned his deputies from wearing face masks the same day the county saw its highest number of COVID-19 deaths Posted: 12 Aug 2020 02:00 PM PDT  Deputies in Marion County, Florida, are prohibited from wearing masks, according to an email obtained by the Ocala Star-Banner. So are visitors.
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| 3 charged with threatening R. Kelly accusers Posted: 12 Aug 2020 12:58 PM PDT  Federal prosecutors announced charges Wednesday against three men accused of threatening and intimidating women who have accused R&B singer R. Kelly of abuse, including one man suspected of setting fire to a vehicle in Florida.
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| A broken cable smashed a hole 100 feet wide in the Arecibo Observatory, which searches for aliens and tracks dangerous asteroids Posted: 11 Aug 2020 05:08 PM PDT  The cable ripped through the observatory's reflector dish and damaged the dome that directs the telescope to its targets in space.
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| Can’t find Lysol disinfectant spray? Here’s what to buy instead Posted: 12 Aug 2020 06:31 AM PDT  Lysol products were approved by the EPA for protecting against the coronavirus, making them hard to find. Here are cleaning wipes and spray you can buy right now.
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| Thunderstorms have hospitalized 52K Americans for breathing issues, study says. Why? Posted: 11 Aug 2020 10:46 AM PDT  As global warming continues, more respiratory hospitalizations are expected.
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| Three killed in Bangalore clashes over Prophet Muhammad post Posted: 12 Aug 2020 03:00 AM PDT  Police in the southern city of Bangalore opened fire on protesters angered by the Facebook post.
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| Cop posted "Kill em all" on protest livestream, investigation finds Posted: 11 Aug 2020 07:43 PM PDT  The CSPD police chief chose not to fire Sergeant Wrede, calling his actions "an isolated incident of an error in judgment."
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| South Dakota's Noem to build security fence around residence Posted: 12 Aug 2020 12:22 PM PDT  South Dakota officials said Wednesday they plan to build a security fence budgeted for $400,000 around the official governor's residence to protect Gov. Kristi Noem. Noem's office did not give specifics on any threats, but her spokeswoman Maggie Seidel said her security team recommended the fence. Noem's administration had proposed the fence last year, but she abandoned the plan.
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| Op-Ed: If Biden wins, don't expect Trump to accept defeat and head for the exit Posted: 12 Aug 2020 05:00 AM PDT  The only way to guarantee Trump doesn't ignore election results is a Biden win so decisive it's apparent on election night.
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| Ghislaine Maxwell says she is being mistreated in jail and that she should be taken out of solitary confinement Posted: 11 Aug 2020 01:13 PM PDT  Lawyers for Ghislaine Maxwell, who is in jail awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, want her released into her jail's general population.
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| Mother says son with autism was 'kicked out' of church by priest Posted: 11 Aug 2020 01:47 PM PDT  Julia Vicidomini said her son, Nicholas, was instructed to leave the church after he dropped a toy.
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| Rudy Giuliani on weak leadership and crime in cities Posted: 12 Aug 2020 03:24 AM PDT  Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani speaks out.
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| 13 Clever-Approved Bookshelves That’ll Make You Look Smart Posted: 12 Aug 2020 07:00 AM PDT |
| Why are COVID-19 cases in kids rising? It's mostly the adults around them Posted: 12 Aug 2020 03:07 PM PDT  The pediatric cases are a direct reflection of what's happening in their surrounding communities, experts said.
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| Who will Biden pick as VP? Odds surging for two women ahead of expected announcement Posted: 11 Aug 2020 10:01 AM PDT  Biden is expected to announce his pick ahead of the Democratic National Convention.
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| Drones reveal shark fests, though US bites remain rare Posted: 11 Aug 2020 06:24 AM PDT  It's shark week. While you're watching sharks on Discovery, scientists are using drones to watch how they really interact with people.
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| Georgia city dismantling Confederate monument from 1872 Posted: 11 Aug 2020 10:50 AM PDT |
| Trump and his aides reportedly think they have Democrats in a 'real pickle' with the COVID-19 aid stalemate Posted: 12 Aug 2020 04:44 AM PDT  The Democratic-led House passed a huge COVID-19 aid package in May, the Republican-led Senate began discussing its more modest alternative in July, but after talks between congressional Democrats and the White House negotiating team broke down last Friday, it may well be September before any relief package reaches President Trump's desk. "In fact, we are told it could be weeks before any serious talks resume barring any significant events like Wall Street sell-offs or a run of truly dismal economic data," Ben White reports at Politico."The impasse leaves millions of jobless people without a $600-per-week pandemic bonus jobless benefit that has helped families stay afloat, leaves state and local governments seeking fiscal relief high and dry, and holds back a more than $100 billion school aid package," The Associated Press reports. "Money for other priorities, including the election, may come too late, if at all."House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are all in Washington, though rank-and-file members of Congress have returned to their districts and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, the other key member of Trump's negotiating team, "left Washington this week for an unspecified amount of time," The Washington Post reports.Talks are on hold for now because "Meadows is out for the week but mostly because the administration feels confident they have the upper hand politically," thanks to Trump's less-than-advertised executive orders, Politico's White reports. "One official said the White House feels it has Democrats in a 'real pickle.'" Pelosi and Schumer, meanwhile, "have adopted hardball negotiating tactics as they survey a tactical landscape that favors them," AP reports. "They have given some ground on the overall price tag, but say it's up to Republicans to acknowledge the scope of the crisis." Senate Republicans are sharply divided on whether more relief is even necessary.Schumer, Pelosi, and Mnuchin negotiated four huge COVID-19 relief packages in short order earlier in the pandemic, before Meadows took over as Trump's chief of staff, and Democrats largely blame his participation — and his pushing Trump to sidestep Congress with executive orders — for derailing the talks. "What the president doesn't understand is that Meadows knows how to do one thing — be a Freedom Caucus member," one senior administration official told the Post. "He isn't some consensus-builder or a dealmaker."More stories from theweek.com Trump has pretty much eliminated daily intelligence briefings. Biden has already started receiving them. The case against American truck bloat Kamala Harris hammers Trump's coronavirus 'failure' in 1st speech as VP candidate
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| China retaliates against US sanctions with its own, targeting 11 US citizens in ongoing political skirmish Posted: 10 Aug 2020 09:07 PM PDT  "That is little more than an effort to distract attention from its wholesale assault on the rights of the people of Hong Kong," Kenneth Roth said.
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| ‘This Is Reparations’: Black Lives Matter Holds Rally to Support Suspects in Recent Chicago Looting Posted: 11 Aug 2020 09:40 AM PDT  Members of Black Lives Matter Chicago held a rally on Monday night in support of more than 100 people arrested following widespread looting and rioting in the city the night prior. Speaking at the rally outside a police station in the South Loop where organizers said the suspected looters are in custody, organizer Ariel Atkins excused the looting — which reportedly caused at least $60 million in property damage and left 13 police officers injured — calling the theft "reparations," NBC Chicago reported."I don't care if someone decides to loot a Gucci or a Macy's or a Nike store, because that makes sure that person eats," Ariel Atkins, a BLM organizer, said. "That makes sure that person has clothes.""That is reparations," Atkins added. "Anything they wanted to take, they can take it because these businesses have insurance."Hundreds of people swarmed downtown Chicago early Monday, breaking the windows of dozens of businesses and stealing anything they could, including merchandise and cash machines, after Chicago police officers shot an armed man in Englewood on Sunday. Latrell Allen, 20, had fired shots at police prompting them to return fire, striking and wounding him, police said. Allen now faces attempted murder charges after the incident. "This person fired shots at our officers," CPD Superintendent David Brown said. "Officers returned fire and struck the individual."Black Lives Matter organizers expressed skepticism over the shooting, showing concern that none of the officers involved had worn body cameras."Police say a lot of things," Atkins said. "Even though the Department of Justice said with the consent decree they are no longer allowed to chase people, they decided they were going to chase, and they shot this young man multiple times."The unrest was sparked by a social media post urging people to descend on Chicago's business district after the officer involved shooting. A video posted on Facebook around 6:30 p.m. falsely claimed that officers had shot and killed a 15-year-old boy, Fox News reported. "This was not an organized protest. Rather, this was an incident of pure criminality," Police Superintendent David Brown told reporters of the looting. "This was an act of violence against our police officers and against our city."Hoping to prevent additional looting in the Central Business District, police are setting up barriers and raising bridges in downtown Chicago. Expressway exits are also closed and CTA trains and buses are running limited routes, NBC Chicago reported.
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| Mexico City lets bars open as restaurants to boost economy Posted: 11 Aug 2020 07:40 AM PDT  "I repeat, the bars are not opening," said Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, stressing they are opening as establishments that serve food and follow social distancing measures.
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| Salmonella in shrimp ignites a recall at Costco, Fresh Market, BJ’s Wholesale and others Posted: 12 Aug 2020 03:24 PM PDT  The FDA found salmonella in shrimp imported by Kader Exports, causing a recall of various frozen shrimp products, including those sold under the house brands Costco, BJ's Wholesale and Tops grocery chains.
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| These states require travelers to self-quarantine or present negative COVID-19 test Posted: 12 Aug 2020 09:37 AM PDT  States are opening back up, but some still require or recommend visitors self-quarantine for two weeks. Find out where.
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| Downfall: BP worker sacked after Hitler meme wins payout Posted: 11 Aug 2020 12:03 AM PDT  Scott Tracey used the scene from Downfall to portray scenes from company wage negotiations.
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| US contractor told Lebanese port official of chemicals risk Posted: 11 Aug 2020 02:16 PM PDT  About four years before the Beirut port explosion that killed dozens of people and injured thousands, a U.S. government contractor expressed concern to a Lebanese port official about unsafe storage there of the volatile chemicals that fueled last week's devastating blast, American officials said Tuesday. There is no indication the contractor communicated his concerns to anyone in the U.S. government. The cable, labeled sensitive but unclassified, dealt largely with the Lebanese responses to the blast and the origins and disposition of the ammonium nitrate, which ignited to create an enormous explosion.
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| Wave of evictions sweeps US amid impasse over coronavirus protections Posted: 11 Aug 2020 07:02 AM PDT  * Moratorium in federal housing expired at end of July * Trump stopgap measures seen as of doubtful efficacyA huge wave of evictions is gathering pace across the US, with tens of millions of people facing the looming prospect of being ejected from their homes with the expiry of federal government protections.A moratorium on evictions from most federally backed housing, along with a $600-a-week unemployment benefit, helped ensure many Americans avoided being made homeless from an economic crash sparked by the coronavirus pandemic.But these protections expired at the end of July and a slew of evictions are starting to unfurl across the country, while party leaders are at an impasse over further economic relief and a slew of stopgap measures from Donald Trump are on an uncertain path.A picture shared widely on the internet described "eviction cairns" in New Orleans, showing belongings heaped beside the road, reportedly from a family of six that had been evicted from their home after being unable to pay rent.According to the Aspen Institute, a non-profit thinktank, at least 30 million Americans out of the 110 million who live in rental housing are at risk of eviction by the end of September.The organization warned the Covid-19 crisis will cause "long-term harm to renter families and individuals, disruption of the affordable housing market and destabilization of communities across the United States".The lapsing of eviction protections means that many people, unable to afford rent or mortgages, have been plunged into a precariously vulnerable situation. "There's tremendous urgency," Diane Yentel, president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, told NPR. "There are millions of renters who can't sleep at night because they don't know what they're going to do if they become homeless."The fresh disaster to stem from the pandemic is set to reach all corners of the US. A study by UCLA found that as many as 120,000 households in Los Angeles county, including up to 184,000 children, will probably become homeless when evictions resume.Meanwhile, in South Carolina, 52% of renters cannot afford their rent and risk eviction, with about 185,000 evictions possible across the state by the end of the year, according to Stout Risius Ross, a consultancy firm."A lot of the safety net things that people relied on are gone," said John Pollock, coordinator of the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel. Stripped of federal assistance, and with many states also scaling back help, many people are having to rely upon savings or credit in order to retain their homes.On Saturday, Trump signed an executive order on evictions that the White House said would address the situation. In the action, the president vowed to defer payroll taxes, waive student loan payments and secure unemployment benefits, albeit at a lower rate of $400 a week. The order also pledged to help renters facing eviction, although all of the measures were provisional on other actions or studies, and sowed confusion and controversy about certainty and timescale."I'm protecting people from eviction," Trump said on Saturday. "You've been hearing a lot about eviction, and the Democrats don't want to do anything having to do with protecting people from eviction."However, the order doesn't actually extend the moratorium on evictions, nor provide any rental assistance to those unable to pay. Instead, it orders federal agencies, such as the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, to look at options for protecting renters. Housing advocates attacked the order as a toothless gesture."The president alluded to 'stopping evictions', but the executive order fails to provide any meaningful relief to the millions of renters who are at risk of losing their homes," Yentel said. "President Trump failed even to use his existing authority to reinstate the limited federal eviction moratorium that expired on July 24, which covered 30% of renters nationwide."Deferring evictions is only one part of the action required, advocates argue. Even though many landlords have been barred from removing renters unable to pay until now, the owed amount of rent has continued to accumulate, meaning that tenants will face a huge bill once protections are lifted. About half of landlords are small, family-run operations, meaning that they, along with renters, may require substantial financial assistance to avoid ruin.
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| This is what it looks like in Sturgis, South Dakota, where hundreds of thousands of unmasked bikers are partying like the coronavirus isn't real Posted: 12 Aug 2020 01:01 PM PDT  Bikers at the Sturgis Rally say they're enjoying the freedom and crowds they haven't been able to experience elsewhere during the pandemic.
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| Germany records biggest jump in new coronavirus cases since early May Posted: 11 Aug 2020 08:08 PM PDT  Germany recorded the biggest daily increase in new coronavirus cases in more than three months, data showed on Wednesday, with the health minister warning of outbreaks in nearly all parts of the country due to holiday returnees and party-goers. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose by 1,226 to 218,519, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) showed. The number of coronavirus deaths remained relatively low, edging up by six to a total of 9,207.
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| Air Force helicopter shot at from ground while flying over Virginia, crew injured Posted: 12 Aug 2020 08:13 AM PDT  FBI investigating shot fired at UH-1N Huey flying over Virginia which injured a crew member.
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| Venezuela inflation accelerating, parliament says Posted: 12 Aug 2020 02:22 PM PDT  Crisis-wracked Venezuela's yearly inflation rate rose to over 4,000 percent in July, the opposition-controlled parliament said on Wednesday. The National Assembly has been releasing inflation figures since 2017 due to a lack of data from the government of President Nicolas Maduro. July's inflation was 55 percent, up from the 19.5 percent in June, opposition legislator Alfonso Marquina said.
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| Agnes Chow: Hong Kong activist hailed as the 'real Mulan' Posted: 12 Aug 2020 04:09 AM PDT  The 23-year-old democracy activist arrested under a new security law is a folk hero to her supporters.
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| US immigration services set to furlough two-thirds of its workers after coronavirus stimulus talks fail Posted: 12 Aug 2020 12:09 PM PDT  The federal agency tasked with offering green cards and visas plans to furlough about two-thirds of its workers at the end of the month.
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| The Department of Energy Learned How to Turn Carbon Dioxide Into Liquid Fuel Posted: 12 Aug 2020 05:30 AM PDT  Carbon + copper = magic.
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| Appeals court seems wary of ordering dismissal of Flynn case Posted: 11 Aug 2020 11:21 AM PDT  A federal appeals court in Washington appeared inclined Tuesday to let a judge decide on his own whether to grant the Justice Department's request to dismiss the criminal case against former Trump administration national security adviser Michael Flynn. Many members of the court expressed repeated skepticism at arguments from the Justice Department and Flynn's attorneys that a judge was not empowered to probe the motives behind the government's decision to abandon the prosecution of Flynn, who pleaded guilty as part of the special counsel's Russia investigation to lying to the FBI. The case will almost certainly persist for months if the court rejects Flynn's efforts to get a speedy dismissal and returns it to U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, who refused to immediately grant the department's request to drop the prosecution.
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| Police officers set dog on black man and say ‘good boy, good boy’ as it bites his leg Posted: 12 Aug 2020 10:08 AM PDT  A police dog in Salt Lake City was ordered to attack an African American man who was on his knees with his hands in the air.Police officers arrived at Jeffery Ryans's house in April in Salt Lake City, Utah, after they responded to a call made by someone who said they had heard him arguing with his wife, according to the Daily Mail.
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| 6-year-old boy being treated at CHOP for MIS-C after COVID-19 infection: Mother Posted: 10 Aug 2020 07:54 PM PDT  A mother says it's been a nightmare in the hospital as her 6-year-old son continues to recover from Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) at CHOP.
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