| Pelosi won't rule out new impeachment to delay Supreme Court vote if Biden wins Posted: 20 Sep 2020 07:56 AM PDT  "Well, we have our options," Pelosi told ABC's "This Week." "We have arrows in our quiver that I'm not about to discuss right now."
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| Family of Slain Louisville BBQ Owner Files Suit Over Notorious Killing Posted: 21 Sep 2020 10:13 AM PDT  The family of David McAtee, a Black Louisville, Kentucky restaurateur who was shot and killed in June by cops and the National Guard during protests over the police killing of local emergency medical technician Breonna Taylor, filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Monday, just over 48 hours after the man's nephew was shot and killed in virtually the same spot.It was the latest harrowing episode in a cycle of bloodshed that has seemingly singled out a beloved local family.The lawsuit targets the Louisville Metro Police Department, the Kentucky National Guard, and a slew of officers and National Guard members the family says were involved in the June 1 shooting. It also names the two white Louisville cops previously identified as having been party to the killing—Katie Crews and Austin Allen. When, after the shooting, it was revealed that neither officer had their body camera activated, Mayor Greg Fischer fired Steven Conrad, the local police chief.As has become routine in an era of increased scrutiny of police killings of people of color, the two officers were placed on leave, and a joint state-federal investigation was announced. But attorney Steve Romines, who is representing the McAtees, said the probe into the fatal shooting of the celebrated barbecue chef had been virtually invisible, and seemed to go nowhere."They had indicated that [the investigation] would be transparent and all the information would be provided," Romines told The Daily Beast. "Literally none of it has been provided, and we're left with no other option but to go forward [with our lawsuit]. I understand the need for a proper, thorough investigation to ensure justice, but there's a big difference between that and dragging it out like this."The elder McAtee was killed when police and National Guard arrived to enforce a curfew amid the peak of Black Lives Matter protests sparked in part by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis—as well as the killing Taylor—this spring. On the night in question, a large crowd was eating at McAtee's restaurant, Yaya's BBQ Shack, and McAtee's niece, Maychelle, was threatened by police projectiles as she stood by the doorway. In the lawsuit, McAtee claims she was hit three times. Police have said—and provided surveillance footage they say shows—that McAtee fired his own gun at least once from the restaurant as police and National Guard made their approach.Almost as soon as police say McAtee fired, a hail of police and National Guard gunfire erupted, killing him. State officials later said they concluded that the fatal shot was fired by a member of the National Guard, and that the shooting was justified.In a statement, a spokesperson for the Louisville Metro Police Department said it did not comment on pending litigation. Crews could not immediately be reached for comment on the lawsuit, and the National Guard did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Crews had reportedly mocked a demonstrator she encountered earlier that night, posting on Facebook: "I hope the pepper balls that she got lit up with a little later on hurt."When reached by phone Monday, Allen told "I wish I could comment, but you know how it is."Law enforcement officials claim McAtee fired at least two rounds from a 9mm pistol he wore on his belt. Crews and Allen fired at McAtee at least 19 times, according to officials. The family's lawsuit does not say McAtee fired on officers during the incident, but explains that he had been advised by police officers who regularly ate at YaYa's to carry a gun for his own protection.The family is seeking unspecified monetary damages, including funeral expenses. And now they are facing an even fresher tragedy.Marvin McAtee—David McAtee's nephew—took over YaYa's BBQ after his uncle's death. Over the weekend, Marvin was reportedly shot and killed in an apparently unrelated incident just steps from where David was gunned down. Police said they have not yet identified any suspects.Reached by phone, Odessa Riley, David McAtee's grandmother, said she was planning her second funeral in three months—and couldn't talk for long."Everybody's on their way over," Riley told The Daily Beast. "The family's on their way over, the funeral home people are on their way over. Today is a bad day."Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet 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 admits Uighur birthrate has dropped by nearly one-third Posted: 21 Sep 2020 10:48 AM PDT  Chinese officials have admitted that birth rates have plummeted among its ethnic Uighurs, fuelling claims that Beijing is subjecting its Muslim minority to a campaign of forced birth control. Official statistics show that in Xinjiang, the north-western province where most of the 10 million strong Uighur community live, birth rates dropped by almost a third in 2018. The figures follow accusations that Beijing is attempting to reduce the Uighur population by threatening women with fines or spells in mass detention camps if they flout harsh family planning measures. At least a million Uighurs are believed to have passed through the detention camps in recent years, which Beijing insists are voluntary schools to teach Uighurs of the dangers of Islamic extremism. Human rights groups say they are used to eradicate Uighur culture, in tandem with forced abortion and sterilisation policies that amount to "demographic genocide".
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| Black Lives Matter Removes Language about Disrupting the Nuclear Family from Website Posted: 21 Sep 2020 11:56 AM PDT  The official Black Lives Matter website no longer includes language encouraging the "disruption" of the "Western-prescribed nuclear family structure."The language had been featured on the site's "What We Believe" page, in which the group had laid out its support for various extreme policies and ideals that went beyond police reform and brutality. Attempts to access the page now yield a message that reads, "Page Not Found. Sorry, but the page you were trying to view does not exist," the Washington Examiner first discovered on Monday.The page had described the group as a "global Black family" that engages "comrades with the intent to learn about and connect with their contexts," according to an archive."We make our spaces family-friendly and enable parents to fully participate with their children. We dismantle the patriarchal practice that requires mothers to work 'double shifts' so that they can mother in private even as they participate in public justice work," the organization wrote. "We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and 'villages' that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable."The website still features an "About" page that explains the origin of the organization — it was founded in 2013 after the death of Trayvon Martin — and features a shorter list of its goals. The "About" page says the group's mission "is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.""We affirm the lives of Black queer and trans folks, disabled folks, undocumented folks, folks with records, women, and all Black lives along the gender spectrum," the page reads."We are working for a world where Black lives are no longer systematically targeted for demise," it adds.The organization has received criticism for its extremist views, including co-founder Patrisse Cullors 2015 admission that she and her fellow co-founders are "trained Marxists.""I actually do think we have an ideological frame. We are trained Marxists," Cullors said.
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| Tens of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts traveled to the Lake of the Ozarks for a bike rally weeks after a similar event in Sturgis was linked to COVID-19 cases in 8 states Posted: 20 Sep 2020 08:39 AM PDT  Lake Ozark Mayor Gerry Murawski said last week that he didn't expect motorcyclists to wear masks to Bikefest because "that's just the way they are."
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| Leaked files contain more evidence of Kremlin links to one of the biggest donors to Boris Johnson's Conservative party Posted: 21 Sep 2020 03:47 AM PDT  The husband of a major donor to Boris Johnson's Conservatives has allegedly been secretly funded by a Russian oligarch with links to Vladimir Putin.
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| 'A crazy year up north': Arctic sea ice shrinks to 2nd-lowest level on record Posted: 21 Sep 2020 02:20 PM PDT  The amount of summer sea ice in the Arctic has been steadily shrinking over the past few decades because of man-made global warming, experts say.
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| U.S. Space Force deploys troops to the Arabian Desert Posted: 21 Sep 2020 03:51 AM PDT  The newly formed U.S. Space Force is deploying troops to a vast new frontier: the Arabian Peninsula.
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| Trump mocks RBG’s dying wish and claims it was invented by ‘Pelosi or Schumer’ Posted: 21 Sep 2020 06:43 AM PDT  President falsely suggests the late Supreme Court justice's dying wish not to be immediately replaced was made up by Democratic leaders
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| Israel court says woman can be extradited in child sex case Posted: 21 Sep 2020 12:28 AM PDT  An Israeli court on Monday approved the extradition of a former teacher wanted in Australia on charges of child sex abuse, potentially paving the way for her to stand trial after a six-year legal battle. Malka Leifer, a former educator who is accused of sexually abusing several former students, has been fighting extradition from Israel since 2014. Leifer maintains her innocence and the battle surrounding her extradition has strained relations between Israel and Australia.
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| McConnell unexpectedly rejects Democrats' funding bill, leaving U.S. on the verge of government shutdown Posted: 21 Sep 2020 10:48 AM PDT  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) rejected the government funding resolution House Democrats introduced Monday, leaving the U.S. government on the verge of a shutdown.The current government funding package only lasts another nine days, so on Monday, Democrats released a draft resolution that would extend in through Dec. 11. But McConnell alleged the Democrats' proposal "shamefully leaves out key relief and support" for farmers via Commodity Credit Corp. funding — though CNN reports the Trump administration views those funds as "an unaccountable political slush fund."> Senior Dem aide says the Trump admin views the CCC funds as "an unaccountable political slush fund."> > McConnell makes clear Rs want it in any CR. > > 9 days til government funding deadline.... https://t.co/AgUazyMW2G> > — Phil Mattingly (@Phil_Mattingly) September 21, 2020House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Sunday rejected the idea that she'd use the spending bill as leverage to stop Senate Republicans from filling Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Supreme Court seat. "None of us has any interest in shutting down government, that has such a harmful and shameful impact on so many people in our country," she said, adding that "we have arrows in our quiver."More stories from theweek.com The audacious case for Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett Judge extends deadline for Wisconsin absentee ballots RBG will be the 1st woman to lie in state at the Capitol
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| Solomon Islands: Men working for WW2 bomb clearing agency die in explosion Posted: 20 Sep 2020 08:07 PM PDT  The men were working to help dispose of the many unexploded World War Two bombs on the islands.
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| Hawaii Health Department Chemist Cooked Up LSD for Air Force Members: Prosecutors Posted: 21 Sep 2020 05:16 PM PDT  A government chemist in Hawaii cooked up batches of LSD for active-duty members of the U.S. military who responded to ads for the powerful hallucinogen posted on social media, prosecutors allege.Trevor Keegan, an "extract tech" in the Disease Outbreak Control Division of the state Health Department, was charged earlier this month on one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. His alleged co-conspirator, Austin White, is not known to be affiliated with any government agency. He is facing the same charges as Keegan.The case came to the attention of investigators last September, when a confidential informant tipped off the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) about "an individual [who] was utilizing...Snapchat to advertise and conduct drug sales, particularly with active duty military service members." The existence of the investigation has not been previously reported.Air Force Vet Who Shot Woman for Stealing His Nazi Flag Claims He's Actually the Victim OSI turned the investigation over to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which was soon able to identify the Snapchat dealer as White, prosecutors said."White's public Snapchat account showed the public advertisement of various controlled substances for sale with listed prices," says a criminal complaint filed in Hawaii federal court. "One of the advertised controlled substances was Lysergic Acid Diethylamide ("LSD"), more commonly known as 'acid,' which is a schedule I controlled substance."LSD use within the armed forces has become an issue of late. In 2018, rampant LSD consumption by members of the Air Force's nuclear missile corps was exposed by the Associated Press. Since then, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service has reportedly launched nearly 200 investigations into LSD-related offenses, with cases spiking by 70 percent in the first four months of 2020. As recently as 2006, LSD use in the Air Force was so rare it was removed entirely from the standard drug tests given to airmen.In December 2019, an undercover DEA agent contacted White on Snapchat to arrange a purchase. During that meeting, White allegedly sold the agent 20 grams of "a suspected LSD mixture in the form of ingestible gummies" for $200. The following month, White sold the same undercover agent about $1,400 worth of gummies and tabs of blotter acid, the complaint states. White's source "work[ed] in chemistry," he told the undercover agent, and said he "makes his own stuff." White then agreed to have "the cook" make another 300 blotter tabs in advance of their next meeting, according to prosecutors.That's when White got sloppy. After getting $2,500 from his customer, White pointed to a car parked nearby. White allegedly told the undercover that the vehicle's driver—and lone passenger—was his supplier, before walking over to retrieve the drugs. DEA agents were able to identify the driver as Keegan, according to court filings.Both men were arrested at the beginning of May. The blotter acid tested positive for LSD, although the gummies did not."You would think that employees at the state disease outbreak control center would be too busy these days for such extracurricular activities," Dan Grazier, an ex-Marine Corps officer who now works for the nonprofit Project on Government Oversight, told The Daily Beast. "I don't recall a single instance of anyone testing positive for LSD when I was in the Marine Corps. I have heard it is becoming more common because it is quickly passed through the system and can't be detected in a urinalysis after 2 to 3 days."Former U.S. Air Force squadron commander Cedric Leighton, who retired from the service as a colonel, said he discovered at least three of his airmen using LSD during his 26-year career."Our service members are good people, but, like anyone else, they can be one bad decision away from ruining their careers and their lives," Leighton told The Daily Beast. "I saw it as my job to help them avoid those bad decisions."Keegan and White's attorneys did not respond to a request for comment, nor did the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations.Both men are free on $50,000 bail. Keegan is expected to plead guilty at the end of October.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet 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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| Snorkeler attacked by 10ft bull shark in Florida Keys Posted: 21 Sep 2020 12:56 PM PDT  Victim was airlifted to Miami hospital with a serious bite wound
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| Why We’re Never Buying Rectangular Rugs Again Posted: 21 Sep 2020 11:32 AM PDT |
| Florida man fights off attacking alligator by poking its eyes; survives with 65 stitches Posted: 21 Sep 2020 10:04 AM PDT  Mark Johnson, 61, was attacked by alligator and survived with 65 stitches. Here's the trick he used, which FWC warns doesn't always work.
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| More thyroid medicines recalled for being too weak. People have reported problems Posted: 20 Sep 2020 06:09 AM PDT  Testing and customer complaints of medical problems resulted in two lots of NP Thyroid tablets getting recalled by manufacturer Acella Pharmaceuticals.
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| Biden can thank Californians for his big lead in the money race Posted: 21 Sep 2020 01:39 PM PDT  Enthusiastic donors, many in California, swelled Joe Biden's campaign accounts this summer, and he headed into the fall with a huge financial advantage over Trump.
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| 'Never be seen again': Where Confederate statues go after being taken from public spaces Posted: 21 Sep 2020 12:26 AM PDT  More than 130 Confederate monuments and other historic statues were taken down across three dozen states amid a wave of protests and calls for racial justice over the past four months.
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| Police cancel vacations; prepare for Breonna Taylor decision Posted: 21 Sep 2020 01:36 PM PDT  Louisville, Kentucky, police said Monday that they had canceled vacations and were setting up barricades in preparation for the state attorney general's announcement about whether he will charge officers in Breonna Taylor's shooting death. A statement from the department said all requests for vacation and days off were being canceled "until further notice" as the city awaits Attorney General Daniel Cameron's announcement. "It is important to note that (Cameron) has said there is no timetable for the announcement," the statement added.
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| India's coronavirus infections surge to 5.4 million Posted: 19 Sep 2020 10:03 PM PDT  India's coronavirus case tally surged to 5.4 million as it added 92,605 new infections in the last 24 hours, data from the federal health ministry showed on Sunday. The country has posted the highest single-day caseload in the world since early August, and lags behind only the United States, which has 6.7 million cases in terms of total infections. A total of 1,113 people died of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said, taking mortalities to 86,752, which is a relatively low 1.6% of all cases.
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| DeKalb school board member accused of making racist remarks Posted: 20 Sep 2020 02:27 PM PDT  Joyce Morley, a DeKalb County school board member, said those accusing her of making racially insensitive comments during a recent meeting are mishearing what she actually said. During an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday, Morley explained that video from the emotionally-charged board meeting shows her saying the word "rights" and not "whites" when discussing the school district's plans to reopen schools. During the Monday meeting in question, Cheryl Watson-Harris, DeKalb schools superintendent proposed that students and staff return to in-person learning as early as October, but on a part-time basis.
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| Florida governor threatens 'unconstitutional' felony charges in sweeping proposal to curb protests Posted: 21 Sep 2020 02:16 PM PDT  Drivers who kill demonstrators while fleeing 'mob' not liable, Ron DeSantis says
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| Australian journalist says he fled China after authorities threatened to detain his teenage daughter Posted: 21 Sep 2020 05:35 AM PDT  Chinese authorities threatened to detain an Australian journalist and his 14-year-old daughter two years ago, in apparent retaliation for his coverage of China. Matthew Carney, then the Australian Broadcasting Corp's Beijing bureau chief, was already bracing for trouble after being reprimanded by Chinese foreign ministry representatives upset over his coverage, which they had deemed unfavourable to the country. The last meeting he had with representatives ended with him being told he had personally broken Chinese laws and was now under 'investigation.' The problems continued when Carney sought to renew his journalist visa. During the process, he was instructed to report to a facility and to bring his daughter, where a lead interrogator later alleged she had broken visa rules. He was told because his daughter is an adult under Chinese law, that "as the People's Republic of China is a law-abiding country, she will be charged with the visa crime."
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| The cruise industry will implement these COVID-19 precautions: testing, masks, ventilation, more Posted: 21 Sep 2020 10:03 AM PDT  The cruise industry has announced mandatory changes designed to make it safe to sail during the COVID-19 pandemic – ideally by the end this year.
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| Outcry after store employee says he was fired for stopping purse thief in Vermont Posted: 21 Sep 2020 08:45 AM PDT  "Hey, an old lady's purse just got stolen. I want to do something about it," Amir Shedyak said.
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| Keith Olbermann Airs Out Ex-MSNBC Colleague Chris Matthews for Terrible Take on Trump and RBG Posted: 21 Sep 2020 12:56 PM PDT  With a ratio of more than 10,000 replies to fewer than than 2,000 retweets and counting, this tweet from disgraced MSNBC host Chris Matthews is already being touted as the worst take of 2020."Trump is right to show respect for RBG," Matthews tweeted Monday morning, after President Donald Trump went on Fox & Friends and baselessly claimed that the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg's dying wish was some sort of left-wing hoax. "True presidential behavior," he added. "Far too rare."The most eye-popping replies, however, came from Matthews' former MSNBC colleague Keith Olbermann, who tweeted: "Every day. Every day I had to go through this.""I mean, anybody else see him on 'Mission Accomplished' night? I had to, I was co-anchoring," Olbermann added, appending the facepalm emoji to punctuate his point.> I mean, anybody else see him on "Mission Accomplished" night? I had to, I was co-anchoring. ����♂️ https://t.co/dj1eA9x578> > — Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) September 21, 2020Olbermann, a notoriously fierce critic of President George W. Bush during his eight years as host of Countdown on MSNBC, was referring to the infamous moment the 43rd president gave a speech to troops on an aircraft carrier in front of a giant "Mission Accomplished" banner less than two months after the start of the Iraq War.On that night, May 1, 2003, Matthews gushed over Bush on his show Hardball: "He won the war. He was an effective commander. Everybody recognizes that, I believe, except a few critics." Later that evening on Olbermann's Countdown, he added, "Women like a guy who's president. Check it out. The women like this war. I think we like having a hero as our president. It's simple."As the Iraq War continued to rage for years, Olbermann would end his show each night by telling viewers how many days had passed since Bush had declared "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq.Chris Matthews Accuser Laura Bassett Fires Back at Bill MaherRead 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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| Sen. Kelly Loeffler stages historically dubious re-enactment to claim she's 'more conservative than Attila the Hun' Posted: 21 Sep 2020 12:49 PM PDT  Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) is willing to reimagine history to prove how conservative she is.Loeffler is trying to fend off both Democrats and Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) to protect her relatively new seat, and rolled out a campaign ad Monday trying to prove she's the real conservative in the race. Playing off the idea that she's "more conservative than Attila the Hun," Loeffler's ad features a grunting Attila and a "liberal scribe" who translates for him: "Fight China" and "attack big government" are among his wishes.> It's true. pic.twitter.com/Yea3phqB2s> > -- Kelly Loeffler (@KLoeffler) September 21, 2020The ad begs a lot questions about the accuracy of Loeffler's ad. For starters, Attila didn't have much to do with China; Genghis Khan is probably who Loeffler was going for. Attila was instead focused on attacking western societies -- the sort of thing conservatives usually don't like.The New York Times' Paul Krugman meanwhile wasn't even sure if Attila could be considered conservative, at least for his time. > Of course there was the whole sacking cities and slaughtering their inhabitants thing. And I guess that's the part that appeals to modern Republicans 3/> > -- Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) September 21, 2020More stories from theweek.com McConnell unexpectedly rejects Democrats' funding bill, leaving U.S. on the verge of government shutdown The audacious case for Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett Judge extends deadline for Wisconsin absentee ballots
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| Navalny says nerve agent was found 'in and on' his body Posted: 21 Sep 2020 06:20 AM PDT  Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny demanded Monday that Russia return the clothes he was wearing on the day he fell into a coma in Siberia, calling it "a crucial piece of evidence" in the nerve agent poisoning he is being treated for at a German hospital. In a blog post Monday, Navalny said the Novichok nerve agent was found "in and on" his body, and said the clothes taken off him when he was hospitalized in Siberia a month ago after collapsing on a Russian flight are "very important material evidence." Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin's fiercest critic, fell ill on a domestic flight to Moscow on Aug. 20, was brought to a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk and was transferred to Germany for treatment two days later.
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| Botswana says toxins in water killed hundreds of elephants Posted: 21 Sep 2020 01:31 AM PDT  Toxins in water produced by cyanobacteria killed more than 300 elephants in Botswana this year, officials said on Monday, announcing the result of an investigation into the deaths which had baffled and alarmed conservationists. Cyanobacteria are microscopic organisms common in water and sometimes found in soil. Not all produce toxins but scientists say toxic ones are occurring more frequently as climate change drives up global temperatures.
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| The CIA sent a team of 4 operators on a spy mission targeting China. None came back. Posted: 20 Sep 2020 06:48 AM PDT  In 2008, the CIA sent a team of four operators on a spy mission targeting China. None came back. Internally, the CIA officers blamed the mission failure and deaths of four of their men on Bob Kandra, the Special Activities Division chief at the time.
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| US-China fight over fishing is really about world domination Posted: 21 Sep 2020 05:15 AM PDT  China's aggressive, sometimes illegal fishing practices are the latest source of conflict with the United States.China has the world's largest fishing fleet. Beijing claims to send around 2,600 vessels out to fish across the globe, but some maritime experts say this distant-water fishing fleet may number nearly 17,000. The United States has fewer than 300 distant-water ships. According to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, nations control marine resources within a 200-mile "exclusive economic zone"; beyond that are international waters. While the U.S. never signed the treaty, it has declared a 200-mile offshore exclusive economic zone.Bolstered by generous subsidies and at times protected by armed coast guard cutters, Chinese fishermen have been illegally fishing near the Korean Peninsula and in the South China Sea, a hotly contested area claimed by six countries. By exploiting these waters China has come to dominate the international squid market. Nearly half of this catch is exported to other Asian nations, Europe and the United States.Chinese ships have even pushed as far as Africa and South America, where fishermen have been known to remove their identifying flags to avoid detection. In 2017 Ecuador caught 20 Chinese fishermen in the environmentally protected Galapagos Marine Reserve and sentenced them to four years in prison for capturing thousands of sharks, the primary ingredient in a Chinese delicacy, shark fin soup.In August, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized China for "predatory fishing practices" that violate "the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of coastal states." China's Foreign Ministry said Pompeo was just trying "stir up trouble for other countries."But Pompeo's rebuke is about more than fish. Governments often use the fishing industry to advance their diplomatic agenda, as my work as a historian of fishing and American foreign relations shows. The United States used fishing, directly and indirectly, to build its international empire from its founding through the 20th century. Now China's doing it, too. Fishing its way from independence to imperialismBefore the 1800s, when international law began to define maritime rights, restrictions on fishing depended wholly on what a given nation could enforce. That's why, at the Paris negotiation to end the Revolutionary War in 1783, future president John Adams insisted that Great Britain recognize the right of Americans to fish the North Atlantic. Its rich waters were full of cod and mackerel, but that's not all: The fishing rights Adams won in 1783 extended the young country's presence well into the sea.Because American fishing rights were recognized alongside American statehood, my research shows, generations of U.S. diplomats associated the two. In 1797, Secretary of State Timothy Pickering called American fisheries "the fairest fruits of independence." Even so, for decades after independence, the U.S. and Great Britain quarreled over international fishing, leading to many new and renegotiated treaties. At each turn, the Americans uniformly defended their right to fish the North Atlantic, even threatening war to do so. By the 1860s, international fishing had become a key component of America's newly expansionist foreign policy. Between 1850 and 1898, the U.S. annexed numerous overseas territories, among them Alaska, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Guam and the Philippines. Today this empire gives both American fishing vessels and the U.S. military a global reach.Secretary of State William Henry Seward, who purchased Alaska and its rich North Pacific waters under Andrew Johnson in 1867, also tried unsuccessfully to buy Greenland and Iceland, hoping to further extend American fishing claims across the North Atlantic. During archival research I learned that Seward's like-minded successor, Hamilton Fish, toyed with the idea of purchasing the Canary Islands, near northwest Africa, as a naval depot and a base for American fishermen. Cold War fishFor a time around the turn of the 20th century, fishing took a back seat to military might in the U.S.'s international power plays. After World War II, though, Washington again turned to marine resources to serve its foreign policy agenda. This time the government used what I call "fish diplomacy" to help build a more America-friendly world order.American diplomats of the 1940s used the notion of "maximum sustainable yield" – that is, the idea that there is a level of fishing that maximizes the number of fish caught without damaging the long-term health of fisheries – to expand American maritime influence. The idea was more political tool than scientific discovery, as historian Carmel Finley has thoroughly explored. But the U.S. used this faux sustainability argument to pass laws and agreements that limited foreign incursions into American waters while giving American fishermen freer reign over the world's oceans. Citing maximum sustainable yield, the Truman administration declared conservation zones to protect certain fisheries in 1945. This move essentially barred Japanese salmon fishermen from Alaska's Bristol Bay. Just a few years later the State Department cited maximum sustainable yield to argue against restricting U.S. tuna fishing in Latin American waters.As the Cold War developed in the 1950s, fish diplomacy helped the U.S. shore up allies to counter the Soviet Union. Washington gave generous subsidies to expand the fishing fleets of various countries – most notably Japan, whose war-ravaged economy was revived in part by the U.S. boat-building subsidies that resurrected its own once vital empire-building fishing industry. The U.S. also lowered tariffs for strategically located fishing nations like Iceland, making their main export, cod, cheaper for Americans to buy.[The Conversation's science, health and technology editors pick their favorite stories. Weekly on Wednesdays.]Of course, the U.S. also fought communism with mutual defense alliances, arms sales to friendly nations and direct military interventions. But fishery politics was part of its Cold War plan. This history helps explain why the U.S. now sees China's enormous fishing fleet and international trawling as threat. In sending its fishermen far and wide, Beijing has, wittingly or not, followed America's lead.This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.Read more: * Why China may want a military base in Indonesia — and why Indonesia is right to reject the idea * How the decline in Chinese tourists around the world has hit the luxury sectorBlake Earle does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
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| Bull rider killed in Texas rodeo Posted: 21 Sep 2020 07:01 AM PDT  Rider was studying animal sciences at Oklahoma State University
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| Fact check: Kamala Harris is a natural-born U.S. citizen and eligible to serve as president Posted: 21 Sep 2020 06:01 AM PDT  A post claims Kamala Harris is not eligible to serve as president because of her parents' citizenship. That's false. Harris was born in the U.S.
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| Jawar Mohammed: Top Ethiopia opposition figure 'proud' of terror charge Posted: 21 Sep 2020 06:15 AM PDT  Jawar Mohammed did not admit guilt in court but accused the government of targeting opponents.
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| Drought-hit Mexicans demand that water sharing with U.S. end Posted: 21 Sep 2020 11:00 AM PDT  The treaty of 1944 details water sharing between Mexico and the United States, but Mexico is currently behind on their end of the deal.
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| Trump told Bob Woodward that with Mitch McConnell by his side, he's 'broken every record' on judges Posted: 20 Sep 2020 09:40 PM PDT  During several of his interviews with author Bob Woodward, President Trump proudly mentioned judicial appointments and how he and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have "broken every record," The Washington Post reports. The Post obtained audio recordings of their conversations, and Woodward also writes about the topic in his new book, Rage. During an interview last December, Trump told Woodward, "You know what Mitch's biggest thing is in the whole world? His judges." McConnell, he continued, "will absolutely ask me, 'Please, let's get the judge approved instead of 10 ambassadors.'"The Post notes that Trump would often get the numbers wrong, telling Woodward in March he signed his 220th judge and thought by the end of his first term he might be at "260, 270, maybe even 280, maybe even 300." As of this week, the Senate has confirmed 216 of his judges. In January, Trump boasted that "the only one that has a better percentage is George Washington, because he appointed 100 percent. But my percentage is, you know, like, ridiculous."In May, Trump said the more than 100 court vacancies left by former President Barack Obama were "golden nuggets," not mentioning that those were open because McConnell made sure to block and delay Obama's nominees. Woodward quipped to Trump that "maybe they'll put a statue of you outside the Supreme Court," a suggestion that thrilled the president. "Oh, what a good idea," he responded. "I think I'll have it erected tomorrow. What a great idea. I think I'll use it. I won't say it came from me." Read more at The Washington Post.More stories from theweek.com McConnell unexpectedly rejects Democrats' funding bill, leaving U.S. on the verge of government shutdown The audacious case for Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett Judge extends deadline for Wisconsin absentee ballots
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| Three jailed after being caught with 109 undersized lobsters in the Keys, police say Posted: 21 Sep 2020 02:39 PM PDT  Three Lower Keys residents were jailed Friday after state fish and wildlife police said they were found with more than 100 undersized lobsters and a haul of out-of-season stone crab claws.
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| Trooper wounded in crash faced firing in Black man's death Posted: 21 Sep 2020 12:32 PM PDT  A Louisiana state trooper was critically injured early Monday in a single-vehicle highway crash that came hours after learning he would be fired for his role last year in the in-custody death of a Black man. Master Trooper Chris Hollingsworth received word Sunday that State Police intended to terminate him following an internal investigation into the May 2019 death of Ronald Greene, a case that has drawn mounting scrutiny and become the subject of a federal civil rights investigation. State Police, despite growing pressure, have repeatedly declined to release body-camera footage and other records related to Greene's arrest, citing the ongoing investigations.
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| New Zealand ends all pandemic restrictions outside main city of Auckland Posted: 20 Sep 2020 06:33 PM PDT  New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday lifted all coronavirus restrictions across the country, except in second-wave hotspot Auckland, as the number of new infections slowed to a trickle. "Our actions collectively have managed to get the virus under control," she told reporters in Auckland. New Zealand, a nation of five million, appeared to have halted community transmission of COVID-19 earlier this year, but a fresh outbreak in Auckland in August prompted the government to place the city back in lockdown.
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| US faces ticking ‘feral swine bomb’ as millions of wild pigs run rampant across country Posted: 21 Sep 2020 09:58 AM PDT  The wild boars cause $2.5bn in damages annually
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| Didn't hear from contact tracers about that guy coughing on your flight? You might not – even if he had COVID-19 Posted: 21 Sep 2020 09:52 AM PDT  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention logged 1,600 COVID-19 investigations on commercial aircraft from January through August.
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| Armed and Black. How a group of men licensed to carry guns say they are seeking racial justice Posted: 21 Sep 2020 03:00 AM PDT  Armed Black groups like the Minnesota Freedom Fighters work to protect the streets as calls for racial justice mount.
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| US Supreme Court: Trump told Woodward judge appointments are 'golden nuggets' Posted: 20 Sep 2020 09:37 PM PDT  The US president bragged about appointing judges, audio reveals, talking to journalist Bob Woodward.
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| The Mississippi Senate race is tightening, a new poll shows Posted: 21 Sep 2020 01:29 PM PDT  Mississippi may have a real Senate race on its hands.At least that's what the latest Tyson Group poll suggests. The survey has incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) up just one point on her Democratic challenger, Mike Espy, who represented Mississippi in the House from 1987 to 1993 before serving as agriculture secretary in the Clinton administration for a time.> MISSISSIPPI (!!) SENATE RACE:> > Mike Espy (D): 40% > Cindy Hyde-Smith (R): 41%https://t.co/Sx0Y15R87z> > — Tim Hogan (@timjhogan) September 21, 2020As with all polling, there are caveats, and it's worth noting that although the Tyson Group survey was released Monday, it was conducted between Aug. 28-30. So it's tough to tell how well it reflects the current sentiment among Mississippi voters, especially since Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death will likely affect elections around the country. But it's the latest poll out of the state, and if recent fundraising is any indication, Espy does have some momentum. On Saturday, buoyed by a nationwide in Democratic donations, he raised more money in a singe day than any Mississippi candidate for federal office in history, The Mississippi Free Press reports.> Latest polls of Mississippi Senate race, from newest to oldest:> > Hyde-Smith +1 > Hyde-Smith +5 > Hyde-Smith +8> > The most recent poll, from late August, is +1 HS with margin of error +/- 1.> > You can see why Espy thinks national Dems should pay more attention. https://t.co/56ViPVCHCr> > — Ashton Pittman (@ashtonpittman) September 21, 2020Espy and Hyde-Smith faced off in a special Senate election in 2018. The latter emerged victorious, but it was the closest Senate race in Mississippi since 1988.The Tyson Group poll was conducted between Aug. 28-30 and consisted of responses from 600 likely Mississippi voters. The margin of error is 4 percent. Read the full results here.More stories from theweek.com McConnell unexpectedly rejects Democrats' funding bill, leaving U.S. on the verge of government shutdown The audacious case for Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett Judge extends deadline for Wisconsin absentee ballots
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| Millions in military gear vanishes — until eBay post unravels trooper’s plot, feds say Posted: 21 Sep 2020 01:18 PM PDT  The Illinois state trooper is accused of lifting more than $3 million worth of military equipment from a Marine Corps Air Station in North Carolina.
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| Des Moines says no to governor's demand for classroom return Posted: 20 Sep 2020 07:28 AM PDT  Students in Iowa's largest school system are facing the possibility that this most unusual school year could stretch into next summer, and the district could be hit with crippling bills because of a dispute with the governor over the safety of returning to classrooms during the coronavirus pandemic. Des Moines school officials have repeatedly refused to abide by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds' order requiring the state's 327 school districts to hold at least half their classes in-person rather than online. For Des Moines, it's a question of trying to keep its more than 33,000 students and 5,000 staffers from contracting the disease.
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