| For Trump’s faithful, the Supreme Court ‘game’ brings excitement as protests spark fear Posted: 23 Sep 2020 09:14 AM PDT  The White House is preparing to backstop any lawsuits tied to the election with a 6-3 majority in the country's highest court.
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| Stranger tries to snatch child from moving SUV outside Costco, California cops say Posted: 23 Sep 2020 08:09 AM PDT  "I'd do anything I could to stop him because that's the worst nightmare."
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| Naomi Biden writes personal tribute to dad Hunter in response to political attacks Posted: 23 Sep 2020 02:32 PM PDT  The 26-year-old spoke out just hours after GOP senators published a controversial report about her father
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| Real estate tycoon and critic of China's President Xi Jinping jailed for 18 years Posted: 21 Sep 2020 08:56 PM PDT  The former chairman of a state-owned real estate company who publicly criticised President Xi Jinping's handling of the coronavirus pandemic was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Tuesday on corruption charges, a court announced. Ren Zhiqiang, who became known for speaking up about censorship and other sensitive topics, disappeared from public view in March after publishing an essay online that accused Mr Xi of mishandling the outbreak that began in December in the central city of Wuhan. Mr Xi, party leader since 2012, has suppressed criticism, tightened censorship and cracked down on unofficial organisations. Dozens of journalists, labour and human rights activists and others have been imprisoned. Mr Ren, 69, was convicted of corruption, bribery, embezzlement of public funds and abuse of power, the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court announced on its social media account. It cited Mr Ren as saying he wouldn't appeal. The former chairman and deputy party secretary of Huayuan Group was expelled from the ruling party in July. In a commentary that circulated on social media, Mr Ren criticised a Feb. 23 video conference with 170,000 officials held early in the pandemic at which Mr Xi announced orders for responding to the disease. Mr Ren didn't mention Mr Xi's name but said, "standing there was not an emperor showing off his new clothes but a clown who had stripped off his clothes and insisted on being an emperor". Mr Ren criticised propaganda that portrayed Mr Xi and other leaders as rescuing China from the disease without mentioning where it began and possible mistakes including suppressing information at the start of the outbreak. "People did not see any criticism at the conference. It didn't investigate and disclose the truth," Mr Ren wrote, according to a copy published by China Digital Times, a website in California. "No one reviewed or took responsibility. But they are trying to cover up the truth with all kinds of great achievements." Mr Ren had an early military career and his parents were both former high officials in the Communist party. Some called him a princeling, a term for offspring of the founders of the communist government, a group that includes Mr Xi. He appeared to have crossed a political line by criticising Mr Xi's personal leadership.
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| Only in Arizona: Bobcats clinging to a saguaro cactus caught on camera Posted: 22 Sep 2020 08:04 AM PDT  "At first, obviously, it was exciting to see them but then I kind of realized, 'Oh they're up there for a reason,' " Mindy King said.
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| China 'coercing' thousands of Tibetans into mass labour camps - report Posted: 23 Sep 2020 01:54 AM PDT  Researchers warn the "militarised vocational training" can lead to a loss of cultural heritage.
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| House passes temporary funding bill, averting shutdown Posted: 23 Sep 2020 03:27 AM PDT  The House on Tuesday night passed a sweeping bipartisan funding bill, averting a government shutdown.
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| Conjoined twins are successfully separated after being locked in embrace Posted: 23 Sep 2020 12:28 PM PDT  Amelia and Sarabeth Irwin were born attached at the chest and upper abdomen in June 2019. Luckily, the conjoined twins did not share a heart.
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| Former Fox News Regular Joe diGenova Claims Network Is Beholden to George Soros Posted: 23 Sep 2020 10:22 AM PDT  Long-time Trump ally and former Fox News regular Joe diGenova lashed out at the conservative-leaning network on Wednesday, claiming Fox News "fears George Soros" and wondering aloud what the liberal philanthropist "has on" Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott.For more than a week now, right-wing media outlets and pro-Trump pundits have railed against Fox News for an on-air segment that featured multiple hosts shutting down Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich just as he began a conspiratorial rant against Soros—who has long been the target of anti-Semitic tropes from the right. After Gingrich asked if the topic was "verboten," the discussion ended in a long awkward silence.Amid a growing backlash from conservatives—who felt Gingrich was being silenced from criticizing a right-wing bogeyman—Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner later issued an on-air apology for the segment, describing the former speaker as "beloved" and "needed to be allowed to speak." Gingrich, meanwhile, authored an op-ed complaining that he was the victim of a "Soros cover-up."DiGenova, who has been absent from Fox airwaves for nearly a year after baselessly accusing Soros of controlling the State Department, appeared on former Fox News contributor Sebastian Gorka's radio program on Wednesday to claim Fox is in the pocket of the liberal billionaire. (Gorka, a one-time Trump assistant, continues to make frequent guest spots on Fox Business Network.)> Banned Fox News guest and right-wing attorney Joe DiGenova and Seb Gorka are going all in, alleging that "Fox News fears George Soros, " while further theorizing about what Soros "has on" Fox CEO Suzanne Scott. pic.twitter.com/gWEI8nHBws> > — Zachary Petrizzo (@ZTPetrizzo) September 23, 2020Alongside his wife Victoria Toensing—both have served as attorneys for President Donald Trump—diGenova argued that Faulkner personally owed Gingrich an apology for interrupting his anti-Soros tirade, adding that she "didn't correct the record" and acknowledge that Soros has funded local district attorney races. (Gingrich alleged that "George Soros-elected, left-wing, anti-police, pro-criminal district attorneys who refuse to keep people locked up" was the main cause of violence at protests.)"Let me just tell you something: Fox fears George Soros," diGenova exclaimed. "I don't know what it is, I don't know what George Soros has on Suzanne Scott—the head of Fox—but the bottom line is this: that network is compromised when it comes to Soros!"At the same time, the Trump-boosting attorney applauded Fox News star Tucker Carlson's recent anti-Soros monologues, saying the far-right host is "strong enough" to do it while lamenting others will not."But there are other nighttime hosts who will not touch Soros," he concluded. "They've been told not to. I don't know why they won't do it. It's unbelievable!"Fox News came under fire last year from several Jewish organizations after diGenova said on Lou Dobbs' show that Soros "controls a very large part" of the State Department and has "corrupted FBI officials," dabbling in the right-wing trope that the Jewish billionaire was a political puppeteer.Several groups called on Fox to explicitly ban diGenova from its airwaves and issue a public apology, citing the network's decision to bar a previous guest for similar remarks. While the network never publicly declared that diGenova was no longer welcome, he hasn't appeared on air since late last year.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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| The Trump campaign is reportedly 'discussing contingency plans to bypass election results' Posted: 23 Sep 2020 08:31 AM PDT  President Trump's campaign is discussing "contingency plans" that would involve bypassing the result of November's election, reports The Atlantic.The report delves into possible scenarios if Trump apparently loses the 2020 presidential election but doesn't concede, noting that although we're used to electors being selected based on the popular vote, "nothing in the Constitution says it has to be that way." Citing Republican Party sources, The Atlantic says that Trump's campaign is "discussing contingency plans to bypass election results and appoint loyal electors in battleground states where Republicans hold the legislative majority."The campaign would reportedly assert that this step was necessary due to claims of supposed voter fraud, which experts have noted is extraordinarily rare, ahead of the "safe harbor" deadline to appoint 538 electors on Dec. 8."Trump would ask state legislators to set aside the popular vote and exercise their power to choose a slate of electors directly," The Atlantic reports. "The longer Trump succeeds in keeping the vote count in doubt, the more pressure legislators will feel to act before the safe-harbor deadline expires."A Trump campaign legal adviser who spoke to The Atlantic said that in this scenario, "the state legislatures will say, 'All right, we've been given this constitutional power. We don't think the results of our own state are accurate, so here's our slate of electors that we think properly reflect the results of our state." Lawrence Tabas, chair of the Pennsylvania Republican Party, also told The Atlantic he has discussed the direct appointment of electors with the Trump campaign, saying, "I've mentioned it to them, and I hope they're thinking about it too." The Trump campaign said it is "fighting for a free and fair election."This potential scenario is just one part of the broader piece in which experts warn "conditions are ripe for a constitutional crisis." Read more at The Atlantic.More stories from theweek.com America needs to hear the bad news first A mild defense of Republican hypocrisy on the Supreme Court Trump is the only one being honest about the Supreme Court fight
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| McCarthy threatens long-shot bid to oust Pelosi if Dems impeach over SCOTUS Posted: 23 Sep 2020 09:36 AM PDT  "She may think she has a quiver. We do too," he says.
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| Anthony Bottom: Man convicted in killing of two police officers in 1971 is granted parole Posted: 23 Sep 2020 03:09 PM PDT  'He has completely changed, transformed his life and helped an entire generation transform their lives,' says former inmate Jose Saldana
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| Operation Warp Speed advisers held investments in COVID vaccine firms, records show Posted: 22 Sep 2020 02:27 PM PDT  Former pharmaceutical officials now guiding White House vaccine efforts held stocks, raising questions on conflict of interest
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| California's Bobcat Fire not expected to be contained until Oct. 30; 4,000 forced to evacuate Posted: 22 Sep 2020 12:37 PM PDT  Up to 85 structures may have burned, officials say. The blaze has torched more than 106,000 acres and full containment is not expected until Oct. 30
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| France's Macron says U.S. maximum pressure on Iran not working Posted: 22 Sep 2020 10:55 AM PDT  The United States' maximum pressure campaign on Iran has so far failed, France's president said on Tuesday, and he dismissed U.S. efforts to restore U.N. sanctions against Tehran because Washington had left the 2015 nuclear deal. "The maximum pressure strategy, which has been under way for several years, has not at this stage made it possible to end Iran's destabilising activities or to ensure that it will not be able to acquire nuclear weapons," Emmanuel Macron said in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly. "This is why France, along with its German and British partners, will maintain its demand for the full implementation of the 2015 Vienna Agreement and will not accept the violations committed by Iran."
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| Kenosha protesters who say they were assaulted by right wing militias are suing Facebook for hosting a 'Kenosha Guard' page Posted: 23 Sep 2020 08:53 AM PDT  The lawsuit challenges the precedent of Section 230, a federal law that shields platforms like Facebook from being held liable for users' posts.
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| Great power competition heats up in the thawing Arctic, and the US must respond Posted: 23 Sep 2020 07:53 AM PDT  Russia and China have been busy in a rapidly changing Arctic, and America seems to have barely noticed.
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| Missouri governor, opponent of mandatory masks, has COVID-19 Posted: 23 Sep 2020 11:40 AM PDT  Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican who has steadfastly refused to require residents to wear masks, tested positive for the coronavirus, his office said Wednesday. Parson was tested after his wife, Teresa, tested positive earlier in the day. Teresa Parson had experienced mild symptoms, including a cough and nasal congestion, spokeswoman Kelli Jones said.
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| Trump attacks Susan Collins on Fox News as she struggles in the polls against Democratic rival Posted: 21 Sep 2020 07:44 PM PDT  "I think that Susan Collins is going to be hurt very badly — her people aren't going to take this," Trump says
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| Senate fails to pass RBG resolution as dysfunction mounts Posted: 22 Sep 2020 02:35 PM PDT  Democrats and Republicans couldn't agree on a nonbinding resolution to honor the late Supreme Court justice.
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| Why the case of a maid who battled a millionaire has gripped Singapore Posted: 23 Sep 2020 05:41 PM PDT  The case described by some as a "David versus Goliath battle" has stirred up debate in Singapore.
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| ‘Super pigs’ can have piglets at only 3 months old. They’re terrorizing US, experts say Posted: 22 Sep 2020 05:10 PM PDT  "I've heard it referred to as a feral swine bomb," one expert said.
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| An RV-size asteroid will zip by the Earth Thursday, closer than the moon and some satellites Posted: 23 Sep 2020 08:53 AM PDT  An asteroid about the size of a small school bus will zoom past the Earth on Thursday, passing within 13,000 miles of the Earth's surface.
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| Marines' 1st-Ever Littoral Regiment Will Include Combat, Logistics and Anti-Air Personnel Posted: 22 Sep 2020 12:42 PM PDT  Plans are moving ahead to form the first-ever Marine littoral regiment, or MLR.
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| Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny mocked Putin for suggesting that he poisoned himself Posted: 23 Sep 2020 11:08 AM PDT  Putin's critics and opponents have routinely been poisoned and some have been killed. Navalny is seemingly the latest victim.
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| UK fraud office seizes jewels, Rolex watches linked to fugitive Posted: 23 Sep 2020 11:01 AM PDT |
| UC schools admitted students based on 'inappropriate' factors: State auditor Posted: 22 Sep 2020 03:47 PM PDT  The University of California "inappropriately admitted" at least 64 wealthy, mostly white students over the past six years as "favors to donors, family, and friends," according to an audit released Tuesday that found hundreds more questionable cases of students accepted to the top UC schools.
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| Trump news: President will name Scotus pick at 5pm Saturday as McConnell reveals his choice Posted: 22 Sep 2020 05:22 PM PDT  US reaches 200,000 Covid-19 deaths as White House defends president's false claims
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| Trump Campaign Spent Nearly Half a Million on Fireworks Posted: 22 Sep 2020 01:17 PM PDT  The Trump campaign finds itself in an unexpected financial crunch heading into the election's homestretch: substantially behind Joe Biden in the cash it has on hand despite years of advanced preparation. If the president is looking to cast blame, however, the receipts suggest that it starts with himself.During the month of August, the Trump campaign spent nearly half-a-million dollars on fireworks, almost certainly for the display that was put on over the south lawn of the White House during the Republican convention. That display was indisputably ostentatious—a seemingly never ending stream of lights that culminated in the words "Trump" and "2020" bedazzling the sky above the Washington Monument. But the price tag—$477,000—made the company behind the show, Grucci Inc., the campaign's ninth largest vendor of the entire month. The campaign paid more to the Long Island fireworks company in August than it spent on legal bills for its top firm, Jones Day, or its top pollster, Fabrizio Lee & Associates. It was well more than half of the $762,826.08 the campaign spent on its entire payroll.Considering how much the Trump campaign brought in during August—$61,750,338—the fireworks expense may seem like a drop in the bucket. But Trump is badly trailing Biden in terms of money in the bank. The president and the Republican National Committee currently have $325 million cash on hand, compared to the $466 million Biden and the Democratic National Committee enjoy.With the map of battleground states i expanding, that means that dollars must be spent wisely. And buried in the Trump campaign's latest FEC report are other expenditures that suggest the president's personal proclivities—from over-the-top displays of grandeur to his incessant feuds with the media—are having a literal cost.The Trump campaign did not respond to questions about its August financial report.That same month, the Trump campaign paid $202,911.15 to Harder LLP. The firm, run by mega-lawyer Charles Harder, specializes in targeting media outlets. He's one of a coterie of Trump lawyers who have concocted lawsuits and legal threats against authors, news organizations, opposing political groups, and former aides whom the president accuses of wronging him. All told, Trump's campaign has spent over $3.3 million on legal consulting fees for Harder LLP. But that's just a portion of what he's spending on lawyers. In total, the Trump campaign has spent more than $11 million for legal fees—about ten times what the Biden campaign has paid for the same services.That's not the only area where the campaigns' different priorities are evident in their balance sheets. As COVID-19 has spread, Biden's team has largely opted against in-person canvassing and campaign events, instead steering resources towards advertising and remote voter contacts such as peer-to-peer text messaging.The Trump campaign, in contrast, has built a robust ground game. And Trump continues to jet around the country to his signature large-scale rallies, events that come with new challenges—and expenses—in the midst of a deadly viral pandemic. The campaign has retained a company called Wellness Coaches to staff its events with registered nurses and lab technicians who can handle COVID testing for campaign and event staff and temperature checks for attendees, according to a source familiar with the campaign's advance work. The campaign has paid Wellness Coaches more than $675,000 for its services since June.The Trump campaign has also beefed up more traditional aspects of its campaign of late, such as its polling operation. The campaign brought on a new polling firm in August called D13 Strategies. The company was formed in Wyoming in May, lists a Texas P.O. box as its address, and lists no other public information about what it does or who is behind it. The Trump campaign paid the company $257,800 in August, part of a polling services tab that exceeded $650,000 that month.That was less than the nearly $800,000 the Biden campaign spent on polling over the same period of time. And while voter surveys are traditionally activities for which national parties foot much of the bill, the Biden team's payments to polling companies in August more than doubled its total polling expenses for the cycle.But at just over $1.5 million in polling related expenditures, Biden's campaign has still spent just a fifth of what the Trump campaign has on surveying potential voters.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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| 2nd Texas death row inmate declared intellectually disabled Posted: 23 Sep 2020 03:09 PM PDT  For the second time in as many weeks, Texas' highest criminal court on Wednesday commuted the death sentence of an inmate after agreeing with findings that he was ineligible to be executed because of an intellectual disability. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals changed the death sentence that Gilmar Guevara had faced to life in prison. Guevara, 50, of El Salvador, was convicted and sentenced to death for the June 2000 fatal shootings of 48-year-old Tae Youk, of South Korea, and 21-year-old Gerardo Yaxon, of Guatemala, during the attempted robbery of a Houston convenience store.
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| A man didn’t like being arrested, so he fought back — through a Florida deputy’s pants Posted: 23 Sep 2020 08:51 AM PDT  Ouch. Pass the Neosporin.
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| 'Placed intentionally to cause harm': Michigan city closes playgrounds after discovery of 41 razor blades Posted: 22 Sep 2020 08:13 PM PDT  The Eaton Rapids Police Department found razor blades at two playgrounds, prompting the city to temporarily close all parks to ensure safety.
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| Map: State-by-state breakdown of coronavirus travel restrictions Posted: 22 Sep 2020 02:10 PM PDT  U.S. states and territories are making new rules for travelers. Find which ones across the United States have implemented travel restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19.
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| Elizabeth Warren, AOC blast Wells Fargo CEO for blaming 'very limited pool of Black talent' for the bank's trouble hitting its diversity-hiring goals Posted: 23 Sep 2020 01:12 PM PDT  "Its CEO has an unfathomable blind spot," Warren said, adding Wells Fargo is "part of a financial system that scams Black families disproportionately."
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| My generation is being raised to hate America — it’s time to stand up for our history Posted: 23 Sep 2020 04:00 AM PDT  You can't love what you don't know. When young Americans say they aren't proud of their country, it proves our education system has failed them.
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| College freshmen moved into dorms with hopes of having a 'normal' semester. 3 students told us why they quickly moved back home. Posted: 22 Sep 2020 09:32 AM PDT  Students at the University of Alabama, University of Missouri, and the University of Michigan told Insider why they decided to move out of their dorms.
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| Louisiana trooper who faced firing in Black man's death dies in crash Posted: 22 Sep 2020 05:15 PM PDT  A Louisiana state trooper died following a single-vehicle highway crash that happened hours after he learned he would be fired for his role last year in the in-custody death of a Black man.
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| Iran compares George Floyd’s death to 'the feet of arrogance on the neck of independent nations’ Posted: 22 Sep 2020 01:09 PM PDT  'The footage broadcast to the world concerning the treatment of an African American by the US police is reminiscent of our own experience'
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| The Latest: Protest marches in US cities over Kentucky case Posted: 23 Sep 2020 01:37 PM PDT  People protesting a grand jury's decision not to indict any police officers directly for the fatal shooting of a Black woman in Kentucky have rallied in such U.S. cities as New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Philadelphia. The outpouring came on a night when hundreds gathered in Louisville, Kentucky, to protest a grand jury's decision to not indict officers on criminal charges directly related to the shooting death of Breonna Taylor in a police narcotics raid gone bad.
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| Is Bloomberg breaking Florida law if he helps felons pay fines, fees? Inquiry ordered. Posted: 23 Sep 2020 03:37 PM PDT  Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis asked her office to look into Bloomberg's fundraising plan.
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| Belarus's neighbours open doors to tech talent Posted: 22 Sep 2020 08:57 PM PDT  With Belarus in upheaval, its neighbours are eyeing its tech sector in the hope of attracting the talent behind global successes such as calling app Viber and the game World of Tanks.
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| 'Zombie' storm Paulette regains some strength, adding to weird 2020 weather Posted: 22 Sep 2020 01:42 PM PDT  NOAA's National Hurricane Center issued an advisory late Monday saying Tropical Storm Paulette had re-formed southeast of the Azores islands.
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| Delta has now banned some 350 passengers for refusing to wear masks during flights — and it's adding 100 people a month to its no-fly list Posted: 22 Sep 2020 11:38 AM PDT  CEO Ed Bastian said that Delta has banned about 350 people from its flights, for refusing to wear masks on board during the pandemic.
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| Sailing stopped as killer whales attack yachts off Spanish coast Posted: 23 Sep 2020 12:43 PM PDT  A mysterious spate of attacks by orca whales on boats off Spain's coast has prompted authorities to ban people setting sail from the country's northwestern tip. The unprecedented attacks have crippled vessels and terrified crew members, and created a slew of theories as to what could have angered the whales. Spain's Merchant Marine agency has decreed an approximately 60-mile stretch of Atlantic coastline between Ferrol and the Estaca de Bares cape in Galicia out of bounds for small boats in response to the destructive ramming raids. "I never expected to have to ban sailing in an area due to orca attacks," Benito Núñez, Merchant Marine director, told local media. Mr Núñez says the thinking behind the sailing ban is so that "the orcas stop seeing boats they find attractive in the area, and move on". The agency says that it has registered 29 orca attacks, most of which are on fibreglass yachts, in the same area near Spain's northwestern tip, with several leading to damage to rudders and crews begging for help to return to shore. Mr Núñez wants to prevent conflict between people and orcas, whose apparent sense of fun could put sailors in danger.
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| Jeffree Star company Killer Merch took hundreds of thousands of dollars in coronavirus relief loan Posted: 22 Sep 2020 09:36 AM PDT  Killer Merch, an apparel company that's partnered with internet celebrities like James Charles and Shane Dawson, appears to have received a PPP loan.
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| In which I witness someone falling in love Posted: 23 Sep 2020 03:00 AM PDT  Should we even be here at the dog shelter, given COVID-19 strictures? Then a police officer pulled up.
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| Republicans to ask Supreme Court to curb mail-in voting in Pennsylvania as first key post-RBG decision Posted: 22 Sep 2020 01:45 PM PDT  State court ruled with Democrats to allow election officials to count mail-in ballots that arrive up to three days after Election Day
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| Trump ally Pam Bondi calls Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, 'a little boy' trying to protect community Posted: 23 Sep 2020 01:30 PM PDT  Bondi's comments drew fire on social media from critics who said she was fanning Trump's rhetoric about lawlessness in cities.
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| Seoul: Missing South Korean official may be in North Korea Posted: 23 Sep 2020 12:05 AM PDT  A South Korean official who disappeared off a government ship near the disputed sea boundary with North Korea this week may be in North Korea, South Korea's Defense Ministry said Wednesday. The Defense Ministry said in a statement it had information that the missing official was on North Korean shores on Tuesday afternoon. The ministry said officials will contact North Korea to ask about the missing official and take other steps to find more details.
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| Four in 10 Miami-Dade households have not filled out the census. That’s going to hurt us | Opinion Posted: 23 Sep 2020 04:56 PM PDT  The 2020 U.S. Census could fall short of its intended constitutional purpose: counting all the people living within our borders. We may currently have more uncounted households at this stage than in any previous census. These circumstances are made even more critical by the accelerated deadline, which gives experts less time than ever before to check the data.
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