| Kentucky's Black Republican attorney general comes under fire in Breonna Taylor probe Posted: 29 Sep 2020 09:55 AM PDT  In the continuing fallout from the death of Breonna Taylor, many residents of Louisville appear to view Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who is Black, as an obstacle to justice in the case.
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| Who won the debate? Early polls say Joe Biden. Posted: 29 Sep 2020 09:12 PM PDT  Early polls show that Democratic nominee Joe Biden was the runaway winner of the first presidential debate, with CNN's survey showing a full 60 percent of Americans believe he won the night, compared to 28 percent who believe President Trump did — a two-to-one margin.> CNN instant poll of debate watcher: 60% say Biden won, 28% say Trump won. pic.twitter.com/5qIhkFQrwe> > — Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) September 30, 2020Other polls were a little tighter, with a CBS News poll of battleground states finding that 48 percent of debate watchers believed Biden won, compared to 41 percent who thought Trump did and 10 percent who thought it was a tie. "There was no winner, certainly not the United States," wrote Nate Cohn of The New York Times. "And that makes Biden the winner. He's the frontrunner. It's Trump who needed the win, and I think most anyone would agree, as Chris Wallace said, that the president was largely responsible for the debate." Trump trails Biden in RealClearPolitics' average of polls by 6.1 percent.More stories from theweek.com 3 reasons the stakes for the NBA Finals are extra high GOP Sen. Tim Scott calls for Trump to correct his Proud Boys comments: 'If he doesn't correct it, I guess he didn't misspeak' Trump pummels Biden — and America
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| A 'super healthy' 19-year-old college student has died from coronavirus complications Posted: 30 Sep 2020 09:13 AM PDT  Chad Dorrill, a "super healthy" student at Appalachian State University and former star basketball player, died from complications of the coronavirus.
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| Marine fighter jet lands safely after crashing in mid-air with another plane in Southern California Posted: 30 Sep 2020 10:14 AM PDT  Jet makes emergency landing in farm field after colliding with another plane
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| Marco Rubio on Trump-Biden debate, Supreme Court and Russia probe Posted: 30 Sep 2020 05:52 AM PDT  Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., reacts to the presidential debate and other topics on 'Fox & Friends.'
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| Vatican Accuses Team Trump of Trying to Exploit Pope Francis Posted: 30 Sep 2020 06:06 AM PDT  ROME—U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is not having a very good Roman holiday. His 30-plus car motorcade glided over the cobblestone streets of the uncharacteristically dreary, overcast Italian capital Wednesday morning for his second visit in a year. But rather than receiving a hero's welcome, as he did last time—complete with a private audience with Pope Francis and a visit to his ancestral home outside of Rome, he was accused of trying to exploit the pope on President Trump's behalf.The trilateral meeting between the U.S., Italy, and the Holy See should have been a pre-election opportunity to show that U.S. relations with Rome are stronger than ever. Instead, it was overshadowed by Italian headlines mocking Trump's debate debacle in Ohio Tuesday night, topped off by an icy cold shoulder from Pope Francis, who refused to meet Pompeo this time around.Pompeo instead headlined an event called, "Advancing and Defending International Religious Freedom through Diplomacy," put on by U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Callista Gingrich in a socially distanced conference room at the posh Excelsior Hotel on the Via Veneto near the U.S. embassy. Bishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States, gave an address after Pompeo spoke, but the most he could give by way of papal blessing was to say, "His holiness is aware of this meeting."When pressed earlier in the week about why the pontiff was seemingly snubbing Pompeo after having so warmly welcomed him just one year ago, the Vatican press office said the pope doesn't like to hold audiences with high ranking government officials so close to important elections. Immediately after speaking, ANSA news agency asked Gallagher to confirm if the reason "amounted to exploitation of the pope in the final stages of the U.S. presidential campaign." Gallagher answered affirmatively, "Yes, that is precisely why the pope will not meet American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo."The pope was also said to be upset by Pompeo's comments regarding the Holy See's growing warmth with China and the renewal of a 2018 agreement that aims to bring Chinese Catholics into the fold by legitimizing the Beijing-mandated Chinese Catholic Church.Pompeo wasted no time on Gingrich's stage in calling out such a move. "Nowhere is religious freedom under assault more than it is inside of China today," Pompeo said. "As with all communist regimes, the Chinese Communist Party deems itself the ultimate moral authority."Pompeo reportedly angered the pontiff earlier this month by pressuring the Vatican to abandon the agreement in the conservative Catholic magazine First Things. "The Holy See has a unique capacity and duty to focus the world's attention on human rights violations, especially those perpetrated by totalitarian regimes like Beijing's," he wrote. "What the church teaches the world about religious freedom and solidarity should now be forcefully and persistently conveyed by the Vatican in the face of the Chinese Communist party's relentless efforts to bend all religious communities to the will of the party and its totalitarian program."The Chinese Catholic Church has been a priority for Francis since his election in 2013 and it would seem no amount of pressure from abroad will in any way deter the pope's desire to give Chinese Catholics an opportunity to be blessed by the Vatican.Pompeo's Roman itinerary also includes meetings with Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, a member of the Five Star Movement, which has just called for many of their parliamentarians to isolate after a small COVID cluster seemed to be spreading among the party members. He will also get a private tour of the Borghese Gallery before being hosted at the ambassador's residence for a small but glitzy dinner Wednesday night. Thursday, Pompeo will visit a Catholic charity that deals with Syrian refugees and meet privately with the Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, where China relations will top the agenda.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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| Kuwait's emir Sheikh Sabah dies in US hospital at 91 Posted: 29 Sep 2020 12:20 PM PDT  Kuwait's emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, architect of the nation's modern foreign policy and mediator in some of the worst crises to grip the Gulf, died on Tuesday at the age of 91.
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| Turkey begins developing its first surface-to-surface, laser-guided missile Posted: 30 Sep 2020 06:46 AM PDT  The missile is expected to complement Turkey's unarmed TB2 Akinci drone fleet.
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| Seagram's heir faces sentencing in branded sex slave case Posted: 29 Sep 2020 10:07 PM PDT  A wealthy benefactor of Keith Raniere, the disgraced leader of a self-improvement group in upstate New York convicted of turning women into sex slaves who were branded with his initials, faces sentencing Wednesday in the federal conspiracy case. Seagram's liquor fortune heir Clare Bronfman is due to appear in federal court in Brooklyn. Bronfman, 41, admitted in a guilty plea last year that she harbored someone who was living in the U.S. illegally for unpaid "labor and services" and that she committed credit card fraud on behalf of Raniere, leader of the group called NXIVM.
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| Trump's abrasive debate behavior may have worsened his relationship with female voters Posted: 30 Sep 2020 05:50 AM PDT  During the debate, Trump spoke to Joe Biden and moderator Chris Wallace more than he spoke to the American people and that's not going to cut it.
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| Coronavirus antibody cocktail shortens recovery time, new data shows Posted: 30 Sep 2020 06:44 AM PDT  New data on Regeneron's coronavirus monoclonal antibody cocktail shows the drug is "moving in the right direction," Stat News reports.A high dose of the cocktail led viral levels to decrease more quickly in non-hospitalized patients. The drug also appeared to have a bigger effect in COVID-19 patients who had not created high levels of antibodies on their own, shortening their recovery time, even at a lower dose.Regeneron's chief scientific officer George Yancopoulos said "we are highly encouraged by the robust and consistent nature of these initial data," adding that the company is discussing its findings with regulatory authorities while trials continue.Non-affiliated observers like Eric Topol of the Scripps Research Translation Institute, meanwhile, told Stat that the data looks good so far, but "you just can't say much about how transformative this is going to be." Topol doesn't believe the treatment is ready for any sort of emergency authorization.Still, the data comes on the heels of other promising results from Eli Lilly's monoclonal antibody candidate, adding to the hope that they could play a significant role in combating the virus. Read more at Stat News.More stories from theweek.com 3 reasons the stakes for the NBA Finals are extra high GOP Sen. Tim Scott calls for Trump to correct his Proud Boys comments: 'If he doesn't correct it, I guess he didn't misspeak' Trump pummels Biden — and America
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| Sonic boom heard in Paris and suburbs caused by fighter jet breaking sound barrier Posted: 30 Sep 2020 03:08 AM PDT  A loud blast heard throughout Paris on Wednesday briefly caused panic as edgy residents feared a bombing five days after a terrorist attack outside the former offices of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. The noise was caused by a sonic boom as a military jet broke the speed of sound, police said. Pierre Duclos, who was in a café around the corner from the site of the attack on Friday when the explosion-like noise was heard, said: "Everyone looked at each other and a few people got up and went outside. For a while, we thought another terrorist attack was coming and we were all shocked. Some people asked the café owner to close and lock the door. I was here on Friday and frankly I was really worried again today.
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| Mitch McConnell ‘refusing to debate his election rival if there is a female moderator’ Posted: 29 Sep 2020 11:57 AM PDT  'He continues to resist allowing women to host debates,' said McConnell's opponent in the Kentucky Senate race
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| The U.S. is once again giving away 55,000 green cards to foreigners. It’s simple and free. Posted: 30 Sep 2020 02:16 PM PDT  The U.S. State Department announced on Wednesday that it will officially open registration for the Diversity Visa Program for Fiscal Year 2022 (DV-2022), better known as the visa lottery.
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| China Accelerates Its Crackdown on Foreign Journalists Posted: 30 Sep 2020 03:30 AM PDT  These days, foreign journalists are facing unprecedented challenges in China.A March report from the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China (FCCC) finds that in 2019, "82% of [foreign] reporters [in China] experienced interference or harassment or violence while reporting. . . . 43% said digital/physical surveillance affected reporting. And 70% reported interviews cancelled due to actions taken by Chinese authorities." The FCCC also finds that Chinese authorities continue to restrict foreign journalists' access to certain parts of China, including Xinjiang, where millions of Uighur Muslims languish in internment camps. The most striking finding of the report, however, is that not even a single foreign journalist said working conditions in China had improved from 2018 to 2019.It seems that this state of affairs has only gotten worse in 2020. Just this week, the Washington Post's Anna Fifield published a story about the difficulties she'd faced as a foreign reporter in China. "Reporting in China increasingly feels like reporting in North Korea," she tweeted. Beijing has expelled around 17 foreign journalists this year, including 15 Americans, and is threatening to expel more. Chinese authorities also continue to punish some foreign journalists by refusing to renew their visas.In August, Cheng Lei, an Australian citizen of Chinese descent who worked for the state-owned China Global Television Network (CGTN), was detained by Chinese authorities. No charges were filed, and Cheng simply "disappeared." China's foreign ministry waited until early September to announce that she was suspected of "criminal activity endangering China's national security." Her family and friends still do not know her whereabouts, and it is unclear if she has any legal representation.The Chinese Foreign Ministry's announcement of Cheng's detention came after the Australian government was forced to mount a frantic mission to extricate the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC) Bill Birtles and the Australian Financial Review's (AFR) Mike Smith from the country. Both had been questioned by Chinese authorities regarding their dealings with Cheng, and both sought help from the Australian consulate. They were allowed to leave China only after a five-day diplomatic standoff. Birtles's former boss, the ex-ABC China bureau chief Matthew Carney, recently disclosed the threats and interrogations that he and his family, including his 14-year-old daughter, had to endure from Chinese authorities back in 2018, which eventually led them to leave the country, too.Early this month, a Los Angeles Times reporter was detained by Chinese police in Inner Mongolia while investigating the central government's push to teach Mongolian children key curriculums in Mandarin rather than Mongolian. Many parents and students have been protesting that effort, which they view as Beijing's latest attempt to erase their cultural identity. The Times reporter said plainclothes men "took her to a police station, where she was interrogated and separated from her belongings, despite identifying herself as an accredited journalist. She was not allowed to call the U.S. Embassy; one officer grabbed her throat with both hands and pushed her into a cell."Beijing's treatment of foreign journalists is appalling. But surprisingly, this wasn't always the case. In fact, for decades, the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) welcomed foreign journalists when it found them to be of use in helping achieve its strategic policy goals.The most famous example of this phenomenon was American journalist Edgar Snow. In the 1930s, Snow visited the CCP's stronghold in the Chinese countryside and interviewed its leaders, including Mao Zedong. Back then, the People's Liberation Army was no more than a ragtag bunch of poorly fed, ill-equipped guerrilla fighters. Mao was dismissed by the ruling Nationalist Party as a "bandit," and he was virtually unknown to the West. Mao recognized the help that Snow could provide in solving that problem. He granted Snow access that was unavailable to any Chinese journalist and charmed the American. Snow, who was somewhat naive and ideologically left-leaning, fell for Mao's charisma. Mao asked that the texts of Snow's interviews be translated from English back to Chinese so he could "correct any inaccuracies" prior to the publication, and Snow granted him his wish.The final output was Snow's 1937 book, Red Star Over China, which presented Mao as a great leader who was candid, thoughtful, and funny. It described the goal of the Communist revolution as the creation of a new China that would be egalitarian and democratic. Nowhere did it mention Mao's brutal purge of a rival faction within the Communist Party, which ended with the arrest of over 100 party members and the execution of more than a dozen. The purge was an early indication of Mao's ruthlessness in quashing dissent, and there would be many more like it to come.Unfortunately, the inaccurate portrait painted by Snow's book cast Mao and the Communists in such a positive light that it won them many domestic and international supporters. This, in turn, set a precedent. Recognizing the propaganda value that Snow had provided, Mao invited him back to China several more times over the next three-plus decades. Each time, he manipulated Snow into serving as his mouthpiece for domestic and international audiences.After Mao's death, a succession of Chinese Communist Party leaders followed the same template, welcoming foreign journalists to China as the regime launched its campaign of economic reform and opened up to the rest of the world. These leaders recognized that they needed the foreign press to tell stories about China, and sure enough, the resulting stories helped attract badly needed foreign investment and tourism to boost the country's economy.In a country where corruption is rampant and justice is whatever local authorities say it is, many Chinese people have come to believe that the fastest way to get their grievances heard and resolved is through reporting by journalists, especially foreign journalists. As Yuan Yang, the Financial Times's deputy Beijing bureau chief, has noted, "Sometimes it is not the coverage itself, but the mere appearance of a foreign journalist on the scene, that gets officials to start listening intently to their problems."Sadly, even that means of getting authorities' attention is increasingly being closed off by China's current leader, Xi Jinping, who demands absolute loyalty from all corners of China including the media. Unlike his predecessors, Xi doesn't see foreign media as a friend or a useful tool, but rather as a threat to the narratives advanced by his propaganda and an obstacle to his goal of building a new, China-centric world order. Especially after the coronavirus outbreak, Xi has needed an obedient media to tell a story of Chinese success under his leadership, which has only increased his incentive to keep a tight leash on critical reporting.Xi seems to believe that China is now wealthy, powerful, and resourceful enough that it no longer needs the prestige that foreign media outlets once lent it; state media can tell the stories he wants told both at home and abroad. Since Xi doesn't see foreign journalists as useful to his own strategic objectives, Chinese authorities have intensified their attacks on foreign journalists. If any informed observer had any remaining doubts about the true nature of the Chinese regime, this crackdown should have dispelled them.
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| San Jose officer facing assault charge in violent arrest of driver Posted: 29 Sep 2020 05:42 PM PDT  Video contradicted the officer's claim that the driver resisted commands, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office said.
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| ‘Fox & Friends’ Hosts Look On in Horror as Rudy Giuliani Blurts Out Biden Dementia Conspiracy Theory Posted: 29 Sep 2020 05:50 AM PDT  Everyone knows that live television isn't easy. Anything can go wrong—from a faulty connection, a verbal slip-up, or, as was the case on Tuesday morning's Fox & Friends, Rudy Giuliani bellowing insane conspiracy theories at the nation with no obvious way to stop him.It's always a risk to allow Giuliani to share his wildly unpredictable stream of consciousness live. The man who was named Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2001 has long since been reduced to sharing the latest Trumpist conspiracy theories on any cable news channel that has the budget to cover any possible subsequent defamation lawsuits.This time, his F&F hosts looked on with visible horror in their eyes as Giuliani shared his completely baseless belief that Joe Biden is suffering from dementia. If you have the time, it's worth watching the clip at least three times so you can see each of the hosts panicking in their own unique way as the former New York City mayor rambles on and on.> On Fox & Friends, Rudy Giuliani says Joe Biden "has dementia. There's no doubt about it. I've talked to doctors. ... The president's quite right to say maybe he's taken adderall." The hosts get visibly uncomfortable. pic.twitter.com/2Ma7DKNBpS> > — Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) September 29, 2020With a mischievous cackle, Giuliani began: "The man [Biden] has dementia. There's no doubt about it. I've talked to doctors. I've had them look at a hundred different tapes of his five years ago and today." Trying his very best to shut Giuliani down, host Steve Doocy interjected that Biden's team has said the Democrat has no serious medical problems.Giuliani then made an extraordinary noise at Doocy that can best be typed as "Oowughawughawugh," before continuing: "He can't recite the Pledge of Allegiance and he's fine? He was in the Senate for 160 years? I mean, he can't do the prologue to the... to the... con... to the... uh... Constitution of the United States or the Declaration of Independence, any of them."Getting louder and increasingly excited about his armchair diagnosis, Giuliani went on: "He can't do NUMBERS. Wow, are the numbers screwed up. He actually displays symptoms that two gerontologists told me are classic symptoms of middle level dementia." Doocy and co-host Ainsley Earhardt both responded to that claim by softly saying, "Right." The third host, Brian Kilmeade, can just be seen blinking rapidly.Fox News Lobotomizes Its 'Brain Room,' Cuts Fact-Based JournalismNevertheless, Giuliani persisted. "That's when [Biden] does that 'I pledge allegiance to the United States... uh... uh... um... I think,' he's done that twice," said the ex mayor. "That's a classic symptom in the DSM-V, it's the fifth symptom, of dementia, he's got eight of the 10."Then, seemingly remembering that he was on the show to talk about tonight's presidential debate, he went on: "Look, that isn't the debate. He can get through it. I think the president is quite right to say maybe he's taken Adderall or some kind of attention deficit disorder thing."As Giuliani began pulling prescription medicine brands out of the air, Doocy had finally had enough and told him firmly, "None of us are doctors, that is your opinion." Giuliani fought back, saying it was actually the opinion of some very professional-sounding doctors that he knows.But the game was up. Kilmeade, in his first verbal interjection of the entire exchange, said with exasperation, "We can stay away from that." Earhardt then moved on to pick Giuliani's brain on the Supreme Court.This particular line of attack is one that Giuliani—whose work as President Trump's lawyer and top dirt-digger on Hunter and Joe Biden kicked off a chain of events that got his client impeached last year—has enthusiastically embraced as one of his primary functions now for Team Trump.Shortly before midnight on Monday night, Giuliani started texting The Daily Beast to say that Trump did "great" in recent White House debate prep (for which the president said on Sunday that Giuliani and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie took part), and to rail against Biden as a "senile," "broken down old crook" who's supposedly suffering from "dementia" and needs "ADD drugs" to get through the Tuesday debate. The Trump attorney also claimed that someone had told him how stupid Biden was in law school.Giuliani also mentioned late Monday evening that he'd be flying with Trump on Air Force One on Tuesday and would be at the Cleveland debate. Asked about what kinds of questions he peppered the president with during the prep, the former New York City mayor replied, "It really doesn't work like that with him. It's much more of a discussion rather than a rehearsal. Plus you are dealing with a very smart, very alert human being, not a senile old man."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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| White House says there's no need to clarify Trump's response to white supremacists debate question Posted: 30 Sep 2020 08:13 AM PDT  President Trump's team doesn't think he did anything wrong at Tuesday's night's debate, especially when it came to denouncing white supremacists.Trump's refusal to denounce far-right extremists led even Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade to declare the president blew "the biggest layup in the history of debates" and ask Trump to "clear it up." But when Fox News tried to do just that with White House Communications Director Alyssa Farah on Wednesday morning, Farah said "I don't think that there's anything to clarify. He told them to stand back."> Sandra Smith: "The president saying, 'Proud Boys, stand back and stand by', does the White House or the president want to clarify or explain what he meant by that, because they're celebrating it, the group."> > WH Comms director: "I don't think that there's anything to clarify." pic.twitter.com/Qome1VjVmY> > — Lis Power (@LisPower1) September 30, 2020Trump campaign press secretary Hogan Gidley also didn't think there was anything wrong with Trump telling the far-right Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by." "He wants them to get out of the way," Gidley said.> "He wants [Proud Boys] to get out of the way. He wants them to not do the things they say they want to do. This is a reprehensible group," says the Trump campaign press secretary Hogan Gidley on what Trump meant during the debate when he asked the far-right group to "stand by." pic.twitter.com/J3sHZ0LRJb> > — New Day (@NewDay) September 30, 2020But Proud Boy members didn't take it that way. As NBC News reports, the group's chat rooms and social media accounts lit up with praise for Trump after his refusal to denounce them, and some even turned Trump's words into a meme and rallying cry, calling Trump the "general of the Proud Boys."More stories from theweek.com 3 reasons the stakes for the NBA Finals are extra high GOP Sen. Tim Scott calls for Trump to correct his Proud Boys comments: 'If he doesn't correct it, I guess he didn't misspeak' Trump pummels Biden — and America
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| Men flock to military recruitment centers in Azerbaijan during a partial mobilisation Posted: 29 Sep 2020 11:22 AM PDT  SHOTLIST BAKU, AZERBAIJANSEPTEMBER 29, 2020SOURCE: AFPTV 1. Wide shot men queueing in front of a military recruitment centre2. Wide shot men queueing in front of a military recruitment centre3. Wide shot men queueing in front of a military recruitment centre4. Wide shot man wrapped in Azerbaijan flag in crowd5. Wide shot people waiting in hall 6. SOUNDBITE 1 - Mirkamran Hashimli (male, Azerbaijani, 16 sec): "This is a very proud feeling. Of course, as other zealous citizens of the republic, I do not regret going to fulfill this task wholeheartedly and through my own choice. I hope Karabakh is ours, it will be ours!" 7. Cutaway: Wide shot man holding passport 8. Cutaway: Wide shot passports on table 9. Cutaway: Mid shot man registering 10. SOUNDBITE 2 - Shaddin Rustamov (male, Azerbaijani, 18 sec): "That is a very proud feeling. That is something we have been waiting for a long time. It's something we've been waiting for for 25 years. Hopefully this year will be the last. Future generations will rest in Kalbajar and Shusha." 11. Cutaway: Wide shot people waiting in recruitment station hall 12. Cutaway: Wide shot men seated 13. Mid shot officer calling out names of conscripts 14. Wide shot man getting on bus15. Wide shot men getting on bus ///-----------------------------------------------------------AFP TEXT STORY: CHRONOEscalation in disputed Nagorny KarabakhParis, Sept 29, 2020 (AFP) - Nagorny Karabakh, a breakaway region of Azerbaijan mainly inhabited by Armenians, has since Sunday been the scene of deadly clashes which have sparked international concern.Here is a timeline: - 'Counter-offensive' - Armenia and Azerbaijan, two former Soviet republics in the Caucasus, have accused each other of initiating deadly clashes, the worst since 2016, that broke out on Sunday in their decades-long territorial dispute.Ethnic Armenian separatists seized the Nagorny Karabakh region from Baku in a 1990s war that claimed 30,000 lives. Since then, clashes have been a regular occurence between Azerbaijani troops and the rebels, but also between Baku and Yerevan.On Sunday, Azerbaijan's defence ministry said it launched a "counter offensive to suppress Armenia's combat activity and ensure the safety of the population."The enclave's separatist authorities claimed its troops shot down two Azerbaijani helicopters and three drones. Azerbaijan says it has just lost one helicopter.Talks to resolve one of the worst conflicts to emerge from the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union have been largely stalled since a 1994 ceasefire agreement.France, Russia and the United States have mediated peace efforts as the "Minsk Group" but the last big push for a peace deal collapsed in 2010. - 'Mobilisation' - From the announcement of the first clashes, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Nagorny Karabakh authorities declare martial law and military mobilisation.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country is a firm supporter of Azerbaijan and has poor relations with Armenia, promises Baku support.Yerevan and the Nagorny Karabakh authorities denounce Turkish "meddling" and accuse Ankara of providing weapons, military specialists and pilots of drones and planes to Azerbaijan. Pashinyan says "we are on the brink of a full-scale war in the South Caucasus, which might have unpredictable consequences". Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev promises to win against Armenian and separatist forces. - International concern - International reaction is quick, with former Soviet-era master Moscow calling for an immediate ceasefire and talks between the arch-rivals.The European Union warns regional powers not to interfere in the fighting and condemns a "serious escalation" that threatens regional stability.The United States urges "both sides to cease hostilities immediately".Iran says it is ready to launch talks between the two neighbouring sides. - Positions lost - By late Sunday, Azerbaijan says it has retaken a handful of villages under Armenian control, something denied by Yerevan.Azerbaijani forces also capture from rebels a strategic mountain, the Murovdag peak, in Karabakh.Azerbaijan declares martial law and a curfew in the capital Baku and several other cities. - Erdogan weighs in - On the 28, Turkey's Erdogan demands Armenia put an end to its "occupation" of Nagorny Karabakh and vows complete support for Baku.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says he is "extremely concerned over the fresh resumption of hostilities".The authorities of Nagorny Karabakh say they have regained territory lost the day before, while Azerbaijan says it has made advances, using rockets, artillery and air power.On Monday evening Armenia's defence ministry says Azerbaijani forces launched a "massive offensive at the Karabakh frontline's southern and north-eastern sectors". - UN Security Council meets - By Tuesday, the third day of fighting, the total number of confirmed deaths has risen to 98 -- including 84 separatist fighters and 14 civilians. But each side claims to have killed hundreds of enemy troops.The UN Security Council schedules emergency talks Tuesday behind closed doors on the crisis, at the request of Germany and France, according to diplomats.US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calls for an end to fighting and a return to negotiations "as quickly as possible".kd/jmy/cdw
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| Fire on Navy Cruiser Antietam Injures 13 in Philippine Sea Posted: 29 Sep 2020 05:15 PM PDT  The fire is the fourth to break out on a Navy ship in recent months.
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| Fact check: Picture of 'Black Lives Matter protesters' attacking a white man is misleading Posted: 30 Sep 2020 01:47 PM PDT  The event where the picture was taken was not a Black Lives Matter protest, USA TODAY found. It was an event in St. Louis involving a statue.
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| McConnell shields Judge Amy Coney Barrett from questions about election outcome as she meets with senators Posted: 29 Sep 2020 12:51 PM PDT  The Senate majority leader refused to answer if Ms Barrett should recuse herself from election-focused cases
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| 2021 Ford F-150 Preview Posted: 29 Sep 2020 03:00 AM PDT  Competition is fierce in the full-sized pickup truck arena as Ford launches its all-new warrior, the redesigned 2021 F-150. It's clear that the popularity and profitability of this truck provides...
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| High road at Chilling: India builds Himalayan bridges and highways to match China Posted: 29 Sep 2020 01:58 AM PDT  Ligen Eliyas deftly turns the excavator's hydraulic arm to push a huge boulder into the Zanskar river below in a cloud of dust, clearing another bit of land for a strategic highway that India is hurriedly building near the Chinese border. The construction site near the hamlet of Chilling in the Ladakh region is around 250 km (150 miles) west of the area where Indian and Chinese troops are locked in the most serious confrontation in decades.
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| Hathras gang rape: India victim's death sparks outrage Posted: 29 Sep 2020 05:33 AM PDT  The 19-year-old woman died after fighting for her life in a hospital for two weeks.
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| 'Healthy' college student, 19, with 'so much life ahead' dies from COVID-19 Posted: 30 Sep 2020 11:12 AM PDT  Chad Dorrill, a second-year student at Appalachian State University, had recovered from flu-like symptoms before developing complications.
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| GOP loses bid to suspend Wisconsin absentee ballot ruling Posted: 30 Sep 2020 07:55 AM PDT |
| Rep. Katie Porter eviscerates pharma CEO with a brutal math lesson about his $13 million salary Posted: 30 Sep 2020 01:51 PM PDT  Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) never wastes an opportunity to roast a CEO.On Wednesday, three pharmaceutical executives, including former Celgene CEO Mark Alles, testified on drug pricing for the House Oversight Committee. While at the company, Alles saw a massive increase in the price of the cancer drug Revlimid -- and Porter broke down just what it got Alles in return.Porter started her takedown by asking Alles if he knew what a Revlimid pill cost in 2005: $215, she reminded him with the help of a whiteboard. And by the time Alles left the company late last year, after its sale to Bristol-Myers Squibb, a single Revlimid pill cost $763. "Did the drug get substantially more effective in that time? Did cancer patients need fewer pills?" Porter questioned, trying to figure out why Celgene upped the price. Alles answered by saying Revlimid proved effective in more patients. "So you discovered more patients who might benefit from paying $763 a pill?" Porter rhetorically responded, outlining how the average senior in her district couldn't even afford one pill.Porter then moved on to tear apart the $13 million Alles made in 2017 as Celgene's CEO. "It's 200 times the average American's income and 360 times what the average senior makes on Social Security," Porter noted. She then reminded Alles just how he made "half a million dollars, personally, just by tripling the price of Revlimid." "The drug didn't get any better, the cancer patients didn't get any better, you just got better at making money," Porter concluded. Watch her questioning below. > Half a million dollars.> > That's the bonus a Big Pharma CEO got for hiking the price of ONE cancer treatment drug.> > How many patients lost their lives because they couldn't afford this medicine? Here's our conversation: pic.twitter.com/mkke6y9tnw> > -- Rep. Katie Porter (@RepKatiePorter) September 30, 2020More stories from theweek.com 3 reasons the stakes for the NBA Finals are extra high GOP Sen. Tim Scott calls for Trump to correct his Proud Boys comments: 'If he doesn't correct it, I guess he didn't misspeak' Trump pummels Biden — and America
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| Mnuchin presents counteroffer on COVID bill in meeting with Pelosi Posted: 30 Sep 2020 02:34 PM PDT  The treasury secretary said he and Pelosi are prepared to give negotiations over a coronavirus relief bill "one more serious try."
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| Texas man had 13-year-old drive him for ice cream because he was too drunk, cops say Posted: 29 Sep 2020 05:40 PM PDT  The driver told the officer she was "driving her stepfather to get ice cream because he was drunk."
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| Italy set to extend COVID state of emergency as cases tick up: official Posted: 29 Sep 2020 05:47 AM PDT  Italy is likely to extend a state of emergency to help keep the coronavirus crisis under control, a senior official said on Tuesday as the government looks to avoid the surge in new cases hitting other European countries. The state of emergency, which is due to expire in mid-October, gives greater powers to both regional and central government, making it easier for officials to bypass the bureaucracy that smothers much decision-making in Italy. "I believe the government will need to ask for a further extension," Health Undersecretary Sandra Zampa told state broadcaster RAI.
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| Woman says she’s unsure why she tried to kidnap Joe Montana’s granddaughter Posted: 30 Sep 2020 10:13 AM PDT  Sodsai Predpring Dalzell faces eight years in prison after California arrest
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| Sen. Tim Scott says Trump may have ‘misspoke’ when he refused to condemn white supremacists at Tuesday’s debate Posted: 30 Sep 2020 10:08 AM PDT  Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Tim Scott, the only Black republican in the Senate, suggested that President Trump "misspoke" when he didn't condemn white supremacists in Tuesday night's presidential debate. Scott added, "I think he should correct it. If he doesn't correct it I guess he didn't misspeak."
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| US Air Force adds vendors to list of companies that could make autonomous Skyborg drone Posted: 30 Sep 2020 11:17 AM PDT  The list of potential Skyborg vendors is now up to 13 companies.
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| North Carolina senate candidate commits grievous sin: confusing grilling for barbecuing Posted: 29 Sep 2020 01:56 PM PDT  You've got to hand it to North Carolina — they have some truly scrumptious scandals down in the Tar Heel State.Democratic Senate candidate Cal Cunningham found himself in hot water on Monday night after tweeting a photo of himself standing next to a gas grill, spatula in hand as he apparently readied hot dogs and hamburgers. "There's nothing better than BBQ — except for winning this Senate seat, of course," he wrote as a caption.> There's nothing better than BBQ—except for winning this Senate seat, of course. pic.twitter.com/oEsDXIZ5O2> > — Cal Cunningham (@CalforNC) September 28, 2020But North Carolinians quickly took issue with the fact that "the tweet itself appears to suggest, wrongly, that barbecue can be made on a gas grill, or worse, that grilling falls within the realm of barbecue," explains the Raleigh-based News & Observer. Sure enough, Cunningham was soon the target of many angry foodies online:> My dude, folks are not going to think you really have a whole hog on that tiny grill. And I know you are not referring to cooking hotdogs & burgers as "BBQ." > > It may behoove you to issue a statement on NC barbecue forthwith. You can thank me later.> > — Aylett "What's your voting plan?" Colston (@EveryVoiceNC) September 29, 2020> This is Dukakis in a tank bad in North Carolina. Why. https://t.co/POTba6FIot> > — Rory Cooper (@rorycooper) September 29, 2020Sure enough, the North Carolina GOP even issued a statement, slamming Cunningham by writing, "In North Carolina, we have Eastern BBQ and Western BBQ but neither involves a spatula, hot dog buns or gas grills. Cunningham is an elitist trial lawyer, and this BBQ gaffe demonstrates that he is out of touch with North Carolina voters who actually know what North Carolina BBQ is."Cunningham, a native of Lexington, quickly backtracked, telling The News & Observer that he would never mix up grilling with barbecuing. "No self-respecting son of Lexington would ever do that," he emphasized, claiming he'd only used the term because he was showing off his new campaign swag, an apron which reads — perhaps now rather audaciously — "Ambassador for North Carolina BBQ."More stories from theweek.com The worst presidential debate of all time Undecided voters describe Trump as a 'crackhead,' 'arrogant' in post-debate focus group Trump pummels Biden — and America
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| Small study finds Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine may work equally well in older people as it does in younger adults Posted: 30 Sep 2020 07:57 AM PDT  Moderna's coronavirus vaccine appears to create as strong an immune response in older people as it does in younger adults. That's a positive sign.
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| Pro-Life Senator Joni Ernst Says There’s a ‘Very Minimal’ Chance Supreme Court Will Overturn Roe v. Wade Posted: 29 Sep 2020 06:52 AM PDT  Pro-life Senator Joni Ernst (R., Iowa) said on Monday that she thinks the likelihood of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that made abortion legal, is "very minimal."Ernst's comments during an hour-long debate for the U.S. Senate race against her pro-abortion opponent, Democrat Theresa Greenfield. Moderator David Yepsen asked what each candidate would do if the Court overturned the ruling, which President Trump has suggested may happen now that he has nominated pro-life Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the high court. If confirmed, Barrett's appointment would create a 6-3 conservative majority on the Court. Ernst explained that she is "proudly pro-life" and thinks "every life has value and is worthwhile" but expressed skepticism that the ruling would be overturned."I think the likelihood of Roe v. Wade being overturned is very minimal. I don't see that happening, truly I don't see that happening," she said.The Iowa Republican went on to say that what pro-lifers can do, in lieu of a Court decision, is educate the public on how important life is."I think that the views that are being taken by Theresa Greenfield and those that are backing her from the coasts, from California and New York, it's inappropriate and not acceptable to most Iowa voters," she said. Ernst has supported overturning the ruling in the past, and in January joined 206 other members of Congress in petitioning the Supreme Court to reconsider Roe v. Wade. Greenfield said she believes abortion rights are "settled law.""I will always defend a woman's right to make her own health care decisions with the guidance of her doctor," she said. Barrett, when asked in 2016 about ways a future Supreme Court might allow states to pass more restrictions on abortion, said she didn't believe the core case behind Roe v. Wade would change."I think don't think the core case – Roe's core holding that, you know, women have a right to an abortion – I don't think that would change. But I think the question of whether people can get very late-term abortions, how many restrictions can be put on clinics – I think that would change," she said.Greenfield is currently polling 2.6 points ahead of Ernst, according to a RealClearPolitics average of polling totals. Editor's Note: A previous version of this article identified Theresa Greenfield as anti-abortion, when she is in fact pro-abortion.
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| She tried to board a flight barefoot in Miami, airline says. Then came the meltdown Posted: 30 Sep 2020 12:52 PM PDT  Another day, another public meltdown. But this latest melee wasn't over masks.
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| Up to 50,000 airline workers could lose their job tonight if Congress doesn't approve more aid Posted: 30 Sep 2020 11:36 AM PDT  "Hundreds of thousands of airline workers are facing financial ruin through no fault of our own. How will we take care of our families without a paycheck and health insurance?" said one airline worker.
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| ‘It Was a Purposeful Trap.’ NYPD Planned Attack and Mass Arrests of Protesters, Human Rights Group Says Posted: 30 Sep 2020 08:00 AM PDT  Human Rights Watch says in a new report that video shows NYPD officers trapping protesters in the Bronx before beating and arresting them
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| Judge drops suit alleging racist efforts to oust prosecutor Posted: 30 Sep 2020 01:24 PM PDT  A federal judge on Wednesday tossed out a federal rights lawsuit filed by St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner and blasted her claims that she was the victim of a coordinated and racist conspiracy aimed at forcing her from office. Gardner, the city's elected prosecutor, claimed in the suit that "entrenched interests" were intentionally impeding her efforts to reform racist practices that have led to a loss of trust in the criminal justice system.
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| Lindsey Graham on Spreading Potential Russian Disinformation: It Doesn’t Matter If It’s True Posted: 29 Sep 2020 05:13 PM PDT  Former Hillary Clinton aides, ex-intelligence officials and Senate Democrats are accusing Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe of laundering Russian disinformation before an election after Ratcliffe suggested Clinton attempted to manufacture a scandal about Russian interference in the 2016 election on behalf of President Trump.On Tuesday, Ratcliffe, a loyalist whom Trump placed atop U.S. intelligence in the spring, sent Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) a letter claiming that in late July 2016, U.S. intelligence acquired "insight" into a Russian intelligence analysis. That analysis, Ratcliffe summarized in his letter, claimed that Clinton had a plan to attack Trump by tying him to the 2016 hack of the Democratic National Committee. Trump, in late July 2016, had publicly called for Russia to purloin Clinton's emails. And both U.S. intelligence and former special counsel Robert Mueller have since attributed that hack to Russia.None of the subsequent Trump-Russia investigations have verified the claims Ratcliffe published, although top House intelligence-committee Republican Devin Nunes of California has insisted baselessly that Clinton and not Trump colluded with Russia.Ratcliffe stated that the intelligence community "does not know the accuracy of this allegation or to the extent to which the Russian intelligence analysis may reflect exaggeration or fabrication." Though he subsequently insisted that his letter was not itself a disinformation campaign by Russian officials, his move to send the letter, and Graham's decision to release it, was roundly criticized."DNI Ratcliffe should be ashamed of his blatant politicization of his position," said Nick Shapiro, the former CIA deputy chief of staff to John Brennan, who was CIA director in 2016 and whose notes are cited in Ratcliffe's summary.Trump's Pick for Intelligence Chief Follows a Slew of QAnon AccountsGraham, who spoke to The Daily Beast on the phone Tuesday evening, said he did not know whether the information presented by Ratcliffe was true and said he was not concerned with releasing the uncorroborated allegations to the public even with the presidential election just 35 days away."There are allegations from the CIA that the Clinton campaign was involved in Russia. I don't know if that is true," Graham said. "It's not about whether it is true. It's about whether the FBI took [the allegations] seriously. That's the question. I supported the Mueller investigation. I don't get why you wouldn't look with the same suspicion with both campaigns. The point is what did they [the FBI] do with the information?"Graham's post-facto rationalization was just the latest illustration of how uniformly invested Trump allies have become in the narrative that Russian involvement in U.S. politics is either overstated or deliberately fabricated as a means of delegitimizing the president. Now that belief has been adopted at the senior most level of U.S. intelligence, something Democrats and former intelligence officials greeted with alarm."It's all straight-up Russian disinfo," said Jesse Lehrich, the foreign-policy spokesperson for the 2016 Clinton campaign.Since the 2016 presidential election, U.S. intelligence officials have paid particularly close attention to the ways in which Russia uses disinformation to sow chaos among Americans. As early as March of 2019, officials in the intelligence apparatus and within the national security community have tracked how Moscow uses proxies, including journalists and Russia-friendly politicians, to propagate conspiracy theories about Biden, his son Hunter, and their dealings in Ukraine.Several internal reports warned of the efforts of Andrii Derkach, a Ukrainian parliamentarian, to dig up dirt on the Bidens. Derkach worked closely with Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, to do so, and his talking points showed up in Giuliani's cable appearances on Fox News and One America News throughout 2019 and 2020. Last month, the Treasury Department listed Derkach as a "Russian agent" and for his attempts to meddle in the 2020 election.Despite several warnings from the intelligence communities that Russia is actively trying to denigrate the Biden campaign and interfere in the 2020 election, Democrats now say that Graham and Ratcliffe have themselves engaged in proliferating Russian propaganda. Indeed, both the substance and the timing of the Ratcliffe summary, coming hours before the first presidential debate, drew the ire of former Clinton aides, intelligence veterans and the vice chairman of the Senate intelligence committee for politicizing intelligence."It's very disturbing to me that 35 days before an election, the director of national intelligence would release unverified Russian rumint," or rumors-intelligence, said Sen. Mark Warner, the panel's top Democrat. Politico reported that the Senate intelligence committee, on a bipartisan basis, rejected the allegation Ratcliffe published as false. "I'm very, very proud of the bipartisan work of the intelligence committee [over] three and a half years and five volumes, and that work speaks for itself," Warner told reporters on Tuesday.Mueller Defends Russia Investigation After Top Aide's Criticism in Tell-All BookWarner's Democratic colleague on the panel, Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, said Ratcliffe was abusing his power "exactly as I feared he would" shortly before November's election."His politicization of intelligence, including through selective releases to political allies, damages the country and undermines the intelligence community he purports to lead," Wyden said in a Tuesday statement. "Ratcliffe is even willing to rely on unverified Russian information to try to concoct a political scandal, a shocking abdication of his responsibilities to the country."Ratcliffe's summary comes two days after Maria Bartiromo reported for Fox News that it was unlikely a Justice Department prosecutor scrutinizing the intelligence agencies' origins of the Trump-Russia probe was unlikely to bring charges before the election. Attorney General William Barr claimed earlier this month that bringing charges prior to the election was a possibility, despite the long-standing policy of the Department to not announce charges so close to Election Day. Ratcliffe's statement suggested that Barr concurred with the decision to release the summary, saying Barr "has advised that the disclosure of this information will not interfere with ongoing Department of Justice investigations."The office of the Director of National Intelligence did not clarify Barr's role in the Tuesday release of the summary.A former senior intelligence official stopped short of claiming Ratcliffe was laundering Russian disinformation, claiming a lack of familiarity with the underlying intelligence."This should be taken with an entire shaker of salt unless the actual documents are released," the ex-intelligence official said. "The selective release of information is getting rather obvious. Fits right in the pattern in the Flynn case, where they are releasing every document that suggests that an individual agent had a concern."Representatives for the director of national intelligence did not respond when asked if they would release the material undergirding Ratcliffe's summary.Ratcliffe's summary alleged that then-CIA Director John Brennan briefed President Obama and others on both the alleged Russian intelligence and a claim that Clinton had approved a plan to "vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference from Russian security forces." That interference remains the assessment of U.S. intelligence.Ratcliffe cited Brennan's "handwritten notes" as the basis for that heretofore unknown assessment. Clinton's alleged approval came, per Ratcliffe, on July 26, 2016, the day she accepted the Democratic presidential nomination—an assertion her former campaign staffers found preposterous."Hillary would never sign-off on manufacturing a scandal the way the alleged Russian intel, as summarized in Brennan's notes, indicate," said Lehrich, the former Clinton campaign spokesperson. "For one thing, she would've been incensed that anyone would think she needed to cheat to beat Donald Trump."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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| Space Force Now Has an Official Uniform Posted: 30 Sep 2020 01:57 PM PDT  The U.S. Space Force members will wear the Operational Camouflage Pattern as the official service duty uniform.
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