| Pentagon chief fired via Trump tweet Posted: 09 Nov 2020 12:00 PM PST  Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Monday became the latest Trump administration official to be fired by presidential tweet.
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| South Dakota governor is asking for donations for Trump, but watchdog says the money will likely stay with her Posted: 09 Nov 2020 09:25 PM PST  South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) was quick to launch a fundraising campaign over the weekend that asked supporters to "help us bring it home for the president," but it looks like the donations will help her campaign rather than President Trump.The Associated Press reports that the website asking for donations says "Kristi Noem for Governor" at the top of the page, along with a message saying Trump "needs our support while the far-left Dems declare a victory for Biden before all the votes are counted." After agreeing to make a donation, contributors have the option of giving extra for processing fees, "so 100 percent of my donation goes to Kristi for Governor."Noem's campaign committee chairman told AP he had no comment on how the money will be used. Paul S. Ryan, vice president of policy and litigation at the campaign finance watchdog Common Cause, said under federal law, the most Noem can give to the Trump campaign is $2,800, and "in all likelihood, she is keeping this money that she is raising."To really boost Trump, Noem could have directed donors to his own fundraising efforts. He has been sending out solicitations for money to cover his current legal battles, but the fine print shows half of the funds will go to paying off campaign debt. "He's setting the example at the top of the party, at the top of the ticket," Ryan told AP. "It doesn't surprise me to see Noem doing something similar."More stories from theweek.com GOP operative: Trump voters will turn on congressional Republicans if they publicly concede election Does it matter if Donald Trump never concedes? Fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper predicted his successor would be 'a real yes man. And then God help us.'
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| 'Inhumane exploitation': California store owners forced man to work long hours, sleep in closet, bathe in mop bucket, DA's office says Posted: 09 Nov 2020 05:49 PM PST  California liquor store owners Amarjit and Balwinder Mann were arrested on charges of labor human trafficking, witness intimidation and wage theft.
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| After Democratic Losses in House, Cheri Bustos Won't Run for Leadership Position Posted: 09 Nov 2020 12:27 PM PST  Capping off a contentious two-year stint, Rep. Cheri Bustos, the head of House Democrats' campaign arm, has decided against running for a second term in that role, she tells TIME. Bustos had faced enormous criticism during her turn as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which is in charge of the effort to get Democrats elected to the House. "At the start of this cycle, we understood that we had a very tough playing field and most of us expected we'd be on defense most of the cycle," says Ami Bera, a California Democrat and one of Bustos' deputies tasked with incumbent retention.
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| Afghan woman shot, blinded, for getting a job Posted: 09 Nov 2020 06:35 PM PST  The last thing 33-year-old Khatera saw were the three men on a motorcycle who attacked her just after she left her job at a police station in Afghanistan's central Ghazni province, shooting at her and stabbing her with a knife in the eyes. In recent months, the Taliban have said they will respect women's rights under Sharia law but many educated women say they have doubts.
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| Dr. Marcella Nunez Smith to co-chair Biden coronavirus task force Posted: 09 Nov 2020 12:40 PM PST  President-elect Joe Biden has named Dr. Marcella Nunez -Smith, the Yale School of Medicine professor, to his newly formed COVID-19 advisory board. As President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office, he announced a new COVID-19 task force as he plans to make coronavirus a priority. Among those hired for the newly formed advisory board include Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, serving as co-chair.
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| 'We're not some demonic cult': Democrats fume over faulty messaging Posted: 10 Nov 2020 01:30 AM PST  Rank-and-file lawmakers are anxious, but major leadership changes are unlikely.
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| Virgin Hyperloop pod transport tests first passenger journey Posted: 09 Nov 2020 01:00 AM PST  The "sci-fi" travel concept involves travelling in pods inside vacuum tubes at very high speeds.
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| DOJ's election crimes chief resigns after Barr directs prosecutors to probe voter fraud claims Posted: 09 Nov 2020 07:58 PM PST  Barr on Monday issued a memo authorizing prosecutors "to pursue substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities prior to the certification of elections."
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| Landscaping company at centre of farcical Trump press conference launches merchandise line Posted: 09 Nov 2020 02:21 AM PST  A small landscaping company in Philadelphia has begun selling merchandise today after finding global fame as the location of a briefing from Donald Trump's lawyers. Four Seasons Total Landscaping, located in between a crematorium and a sex shop, was the unlikely venue for a press briefing in which the outgoing president's attorney Rudy Giuliani pressed Mr Trump's unsubstantiated claims about voter fraud.
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| What next for Pence? Vice President ‘heading to Florida on personal trip’ as Trump refuses to concede Posted: 09 Nov 2020 09:23 PM PST  Vice President Mike Pence, who spent months on the campaign trail alongside his boss Donald Trump right up to the small hours of the morning after election day, now seems ready to take some time off. Mr Pence has kept a low profile since the results began turning against the Republican, and will now be heading to the holiday island of Sanibel, Florida on a "personal trip", according to the Associated Press. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, Mr Pence is expected to be in Florida until Saturday.
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| Blocking Taiwan at WHO will increase hostility to China, premier says Posted: 09 Nov 2020 09:10 PM PST  China's efforts to block Taiwan's participation at the World Health Organization (WHO) during the coronavirus pandemic will only increase the world's hostility towards the country, the island's premier said on Tuesday. Chinese-claimed but democratically run Taiwan says its inability to fully access the WHO, because of China's objections, has created a gap in global pandemic prevention. China and the WHO say that is untrue.
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| 'You are my wildest dream': Sydney Barber will be first Black woman to serve as US Naval Academy brigade commander Posted: 09 Nov 2020 06:42 PM PST  Midshipman 1st Class Sydney Barber, of Lake Forest, Illinois, is "the perfect person" to lead the U.S. Naval Academy brigade, says her predecessor.
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| Biden advisor says the US-UK 'special relationship' may not matter any more because of Brexit Posted: 09 Nov 2020 04:17 AM PST  Charles Kupchan said the UK-US relationship might not exceed "a comfortable old friendship that doesn't really produce much in terms of cooperation."
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| Minnesota deer hunter gets bang for buck with alligator haul Posted: 09 Nov 2020 01:56 PM PST |
| Parler 'free speech' app tops charts in wake of Trump defeat Posted: 09 Nov 2020 08:40 AM PST  The self-styled "free speech" application topped US download charts in the wake of the election.
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| 2024 Republican candidates to descend on Georgia to keep Senate Posted: 09 Nov 2020 12:59 PM PST  Candidates for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination are set to descend on the state of Georgia in the coming weeks ahead of two high-profile Senate runoffs. The pair of races will take on huge importance because, if Democrats can beat both sitting Republican senators, they would achieve a 50-50 tie in the Senate. When the Senate is split the vice president casts the deciding vote, meaning Kamala Harris would give Democrats control. With the White House, and control of both the Senate and House of Representatives, Democrats would have a greatly increased chance of forcing through their agenda. As Georgia became a rallying cry for Republicans potential 2024 candidates, including Florida senator Rick Scott, and South Carolina senator Tim Scott indicated they would be there shortly. Nikki Haley, Donald Trump's former UN Ambassador and a probable 2024 contender, wrote on Twitter: "All eyes will go to Georgia as we look at the fate of the Senate. Take a moment and show your support today and let's win this in January!" Responding to Democrat Senate leader Chuck Cchumer's comment that "we take Georgia, then we change the world," Ms Haley wrote: "Not on our watch. The fight may move to Georgia but victory is in our future." Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr also pushed the importance of Georgia on social media. A spokesman for Mr Trump Jr said he would be "very involved" in the fight to keep the two Georgia seats on Jan 5. In Georgia if no candidate reaches 50 per cent there is a runoff. The first Georgia race saw Republican senator David Perdue, who is seeking a second term, receiving 49.8 per cent of the vote last week, compared to Democrat Jon Ossoff, who got 47.9 per cent. In the other contest, black Democrat Reverend Raphael Warnock got 32.9 per cent to sitting Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler's 25.9 per cent. But there were several other Republican and Democrat candidates in that race, and when the totals were added up by party they proved about equal. Georgia has not elected a Democrat senator for two decades but changing demographics and the trend of recent elections suggest Demcorats have a chance at winning the runoffs, according to political analysts. Andra Gillespie, a professor of political science at Emory University, said: "Whichever party has the better turnout operation will be the one that wins."
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| Landmines cleared from Falkland Islands 38 years after conflict Posted: 10 Nov 2020 02:32 AM PST |
| Will Mitch McConnell strangle Joe Biden's legislative program at birth? Posted: 09 Nov 2020 12:00 AM PST  The Kentucky senator revels in the nickname the Grim Reaper and tried to frustrate the previous Democratic president at every turnAfter celebrating the winning of a Joe Biden presidency, Democrats are waking to the hangover of figuring out how to govern under the shadow of a runaway pandemic and the potential for gridlock imposed by the man who likes to call himself the Grim Reaper, the Republican Senate leader, Mitch McConnell.The imagined "blue wave" that was to bring Democratic control over the Senate did not materialize, but Biden's party has not entirely given up hope. There will be two Senate run-off races in Georgia on 5 January, and if Democrats win both, that will scrape a 50-50 tie in the chamber, allowing Kamala Harris, as vice-president, to cast tie-breaking votes.It is not impossible. Voter registration drives look to have succeeded in turning the state blue in the presidential election for the first time since 1992. But it will be an uphill task, and most Georgia observers expect the parties to emerge from the runoffs with one seat apiece, leaving the Senate split 51-49 in the Republicans' favor.In that case, a Biden presidency would have to contend with the veteran senator from Kentucky who relishes the nickname of Grim Reaper for his lethal treatment of almost all Democratic legislation. He said in 2010 that "the single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president".McConnell failed in that task but made up for it by killing off mounds of Democratic legislation and Obama nominations for administrative positions. So despite winning more votes than anyone in US political history, Biden will have to share power with the head of a chamber in which Wyoming (population 586,107) has the same clout as California (nearly 40 million)."Mitch McConnell will force Joe Biden to negotiate every single cabinet secretary, every single district court judge, every single US attorney with him," the Democratic senator Chris Murphy told Politico. "My guess is we'll have a constitutional crisis pretty immediately."The immediate impact will be on Biden's freedom to pick a cabinet. Left-of-centre candidates like Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders, would be ruled out, as would be officials that Senate Republicans have a grudge against, like the former national security adviser Susan Rice and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams who helped Biden's likely win in Georgia.It will also crush Biden's aspirations of becoming a latter-day Franklin Delano Roosevelt, with large-scale public investment aimed at creating a low-carbon US economy.Biden could try peeling off the small handful of moderate Republican senators for critical votes, like Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah or Alaska's Lisa Murkowski, but the fear of attacks from the right will remain a powerful disciplinary tool on Republicans even after Trump has left office. Recruiting centrist Republicans might work for individual pieces of legislation but it is unlikely to represent a reliable strategy for governing.That ultimately might depend on the potential for compromise between two old men, both born in 1942, who spent much of their lives in the Senate. The optimists point that McConnell was the only Republican senator to attend the funeral of Biden's eldest son, Beau, in 2015."When President Obama and Senator McConnell were at loggerheads over legislation, on more than one occasion McConnell's office let it be known that if the White House would send Biden to negotiate, the chances of reaching a successful compromise would be substantially enhanced, and that is in fact what happened. So there's a history here that's not entirely discouraging," said William Galston, who was deputy assistant for domestic policy in the Clinton administration.But Galston, now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, added that McConnell's obstructionist record under Obama was significantly less hopeful portent."If Senator McConnell makes the same decision this time, we're in for a very grim two years," he saidWendy Schiller, political science professor at Brown University, argued that Biden might be able to sell some Republicans on infrastructure-building legislation as long as it was not sold as green investment.But overall, Schiller thought Biden would have to be realistic over what will be possible under cohabitation with McConnell."I think he understands what his job is. It's not going to be to pass sweeping legislation – this is no FDR or Lyndon Johnson. This is a guy trying to get us back on track to some sort of normalcy in governance," she said. "That's Biden's job, and anybody who's expecting any grand legislative measures is just living in fantasyland."• This article was amended on 9 November 2020. Mitt Romney is senator for Utah, not Massachusetts as an earlier version had indicated.
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| As US tries to close 'icebreaker gap' with Russia, its only working icebreaker is making a rare trip north Posted: 09 Nov 2020 03:10 PM PST  As the Arctic opens up, the US is worried about an "icebreaker gap" with Russia, but experts say the number of ships isn't the only measure of security.
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| Trump is asked to cooperate with Biden team on transition Posted: 09 Nov 2020 03:37 AM PST  President Trump is facing pressure to cooperate with President-elect Joe Biden's team to ensure a smooth transfer of power when the new administration takes office in January.
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| 'What is happening?': A Fox News anchor frowns and rolls her eyes while a guest questions the election results Posted: 09 Nov 2020 10:18 AM PST  "What? What is happening?" the Fox News host Sandra Smith said off the air while a guest was casting doubt on the election results.
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| 2 suspected QAnon supporters were arrested after the discovery of a Hummer full of rifles and pistols near a Philadelphia ballot-counting center Posted: 09 Nov 2020 11:28 AM PST  QAnon supporters and other far-right extremists have appeared at nationwide protests as they refuse to accept President-elect Joe Biden's projected win.
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| New England was hit by strongest earthquake in the region for decades Posted: 08 Nov 2020 03:13 PM PST  At 9am on Sunday, the area was hit by a 3.6 magnitude earthquake that was centered in Buzzards Bay, off the coast of New Bedford, Massachusetts, according to the US Geological Survey's National Earthquake (USGS) information centre. The earthquake hit the area at a depth of around 9.3 miles and was felt in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and as far away as Long Island, New York. It was the strongest to have hit the area since 1976, when a magnitude 3.5 earthquake was recorded, USGS geophysicist Paul Caruso told the Associated Press.
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| Biden aide deletes tweet suggesting team may have hostile attitude towards Facebook Posted: 09 Nov 2020 09:45 AM PST  One of Joe Biden's top campaign advisors posted and swiftly deleted a tweet suggesting that his incoming administration may be on track for a hostile relationship with Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg in particular. The tweet, first reported by The Financial Times, was posted on Saturday by Bill Russo, a Deputy Communications Director for Biden's campaign press team, according to the newspaper.
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| Man arrested in Chicago after killing girlfriend and her family Posted: 08 Nov 2020 12:39 PM PST  A Chicago man was arrested for killing his girlfriend, her mother and her sister because his girlfriend did not agree to cook him breakfast or braid his hair. On Friday, John Matthews was sent to jail without bail on three counts of first-degree murder for the death of his 24-year-old girlfriend, Shonta Harris, her mother, 56-year-old Frances Neal, and her sister, 27-year-old Jasmine Neal. Harris was dating Matthews for two years when the fight took place.
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| Third World War a 'risk', the head of the military warns, as he calls on Government for long-term funding Posted: 08 Nov 2020 09:55 AM PST  There is a "risk" of a Third World War due to growing global uncertainty, the head of the military has warned, as he called on the Government to commit to "long term" funds for the armed forces. General Sir Nick Carter said that the increase in regional conflicts playing out across the world could ramp up into a "full-blown war". The Chief of the Defence Staff said that the world was a "very uncertain and anxious place" during the coronavirus pandemic and suggested that "you could see escalation lead to miscalculation". "We have to remember that history might not repeat itself but it has a rhythm and if you look back at the last century, before both world wars, I think it was unarguable that there was escalation which led to the miscalculation which ultimately led to war at a scale we would hopefully never see again," Sir Nick said. He told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday that the military also needed long-term investment from the Treasury in order to deliver on "modernisation". It comes after reports of a clash between the Prime Minister and the Chancellor on the issue of defence spending. Boris Johnson is said to have called for a £15 billion package of funding until 2025 while Rishi Sunak is in favour of a one year settlement worth £1.9 billion as part of the spending review. However, Sir Nick said negotiations with Downing Street and the Treasury were "going in a very constructive way". Confirming he would be seeking a multi-year package, he said: "Clearly we're going to argue for something like that because we need long-term investment because long-term investment gives us the opportunity to have confidence in modernisation."
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| HIV shot protects women better than daily pills Posted: 09 Nov 2020 12:50 PM PST  "This is a major, major advance," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease doctor at the NIH.
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| Trump and Pence celebrate Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine success, but the government didn't fund its development Posted: 09 Nov 2020 09:58 AM PST  The US government has ordered 100 milion doses of the vaccine, which will not be immediately distributed as it must still be evaulated by the FDA.
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