- U.S.USA TODAY
43 felony charges, new task forces: Here's what Chicago is doing to combat potential looting
Prosecutors approved 43 felony charges in connection with looting across Chicago earlier this week, and city officials laid out a series of plans Friday that they say would prevent future incidents. "What happened Sunday night into Monday morning should never have happened," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a press conference Friday afternoon. "There can never be any place in Chicago where businesses are afraid to open, where residents and visitors are afraid to travel and shop, or where employees are afraid to go to work."
- WorldAssociated Press
Kabul begins release of final 400 Taliban, talks to follow
Afghanistan has released the first 80 of a final 400 Taliban prisoners, paving the way for negotiations between the warring sides in Afghanistan's protracted conflict, the government said Friday. Javid Faisal, spokesman for the Afghan National Security Council, made the announcement. Taliban officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media, said 86 prisoners were freed.
- U.S.Business Insider
9 accusers bring new lawsuit against Epstein's estate, alleging sexual abuse dating back to 1978, including an accusation that Epstein raped an 11-year-old
Nine new accusers brought forth a lawsuit against Jeffery Epstein's estate. Nine new accusers brought forth a lawsuit against Jeffery Epstein's estate alleging sexual abuse as early as 1978, far before any other abuse allegations against the sex offender, The Daily Beast reported. Five of the women in the lawsuit allege Epstein abused them when they were underage.
- LifestyleArchitectural Digest
You Need These High-Design Lawn Games to Maximize Summer Fun
Classic lawn games are perfect for enjoying what's left of summer 2020, plus they'll look great in your yard Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
- U.S.The Independent
Chainsaw-wielding men covered in blood arrested on Toronto beach
Witnesses alleged that they menaced and “charged” at various people gathered at Toronto's Cherry Beach on Sunday morning, before police quickly intervened, responding to reports of a large fight. The gatherings have become weekly occurrences during the coronavirus pandemic and are thought to be frequented by protestors against face coverings and lockdown measures. Footage showed the two men covered in blood from apparent head wounds, wielding the running saws and shouting “who hit me”.
- U.S.TODAY
3 women arrested for allegedly attacking a Chili's host for enforcing social distancing
Three women are accused of assaulting a 17-year-old restaurant hostess in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, because they were upset they could not all be seated together due to coronavirus social-distancing rules, police said. The incident occurred Sunday after a large group of women entered a Chili's restaurant and asked to be seated at the same table, Baton Rouge police said in a news release. "The employee advised the group that due to social distancing requirements, the business only allowed six at a table," the release said.
- U.S.NBC News
Truck driver in school bus crash helps free trapped kids, then collapses
A man driving a rental truck that collided with a school bus in Georgia helped free trapped students before he collapsed and died. Johnathon Grayer, 25, of Jacksonville, Florida, was driving a rental truck on Wednesday afternoon when it collided with the back of a school bus that had stopped for students to get off, according to a preliminary investigation by the Georgia State Patrol. Both Grayer and the bus driver helped children get out of the bus after the crash, Georgia State Trooper Shane Copeland told WSAV, NBC's affiliate in Savannah.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Wild boar who stole German nudist's clothes to be culled
A trained marksman is to be deployed to shoot a wild boar that stole the clothes of a naked German man, Berlin authorities said on Friday. The boar made international headlines last week after photographs of the portly nudist giving chase were shared on social media. “You have to put yourself in the boar's position,” Katja Kammer of the Grunewald forestry department told local RBB television.
- WorldBBC
Rise in threats against Justin Trudeau, police warn
The number of threats against Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has risen compared to the same period last year, Canadian police have warned. Figures from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) show there were 130 threats against Mr Trudeau and ministers from January to July. This is a jump from 100 threats made in the same period in 2019.
- U.S.Miami Herald
‘Wish I had my baby back.’ Suspect who shot Indiana toddler in mom’s car wanted by FBI
The FBI is seeking answers on the “senseless” fatal shooting of a 2-year-old Indiana girl late last month. A $10,000 reward is now being offered by the FBI for information related to the arrest of the person who shot Joette “JoJo” Malone on July 29 in Hammond, Indiana. JoJo was in the backseat of her mom's car outside an apartment complex when she was caught in the crossfires of a shooting between two people, according to the Northwest Times of Indiana.
- U.S.National Review
Federal Appeals Court Rules Hillary Clinton Does Not Have to Testify in Lawsuit Over Her Emails
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her former chief of staff do not have to appear for a private deposition in a lawsuit about her use of a private email server for government work, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. The 3-0 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit overturns an earlier ruling by a federal judge that granted conservative watchdog Judicial Watch its request to depose Clinton and her former chief of staff Cheryl Mills. In his March ruling, Judge Royce C. Lamberth said Clinton's past responses regarding her emails left much to be desired.
- WorldBusiness Insider
North Korea's leader is tapping his own private food reserve to feed the country, and it could be a worrying sign
Nearly 1,500 acres of rice fields were flooded and about 730 singe-story homes and 179 housing blocks destroyed as of early August, North Korea says. "It reflects the perfect storm of economic stresses that North Korea is suffering right now," a former chief of the CIA's branch in South Korea told Insider. Severe flooding caused by intense monsoon rains have prompted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un into an atypical response that may signal a dire situation in the isolated country amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- U.S.Associated Press
Dallas police plan changes after examining protest response
A report released by Dallas police on their response to protests that followed the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis outlines changes the department plans to make, including who can authorize the use of tear gas and how to train for incidents involving mass arrests. Dallas police released the report late Friday, detailing the first four nights of protests that began May 29 following the death days earlier of Floyd, a Black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee against Floyd's neck. Floyd's death sparked protests around the globe against racial injustice and police brutality.
- U.S.The Daily Beast
Far-Right Militia, Pro-Confederacy Groups, Anti-Facists Face Off in Tense Stone Mountain Protest
Far-right militia, pro-Confederacy groups and anti-fascist counter-protestors faced off on Saturday in tense scenes at Stone Mountain, Georgia, home of the largest monument to the Confederacy. Videos on social media showed far-right protestors attacking anti-facism protesters with pepper spray, and anti-facism protesters grabbing Confederate flags and setting them alight. Police presence was initially minimal outside a church where protesters converged, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.
- U.S.Yahoo News Video
Authorities to allow sea lion killing to help struggling salmon population
U.S. authorities on Friday gave wildlife managers in Washington, Oregon and Idaho permission to start killing hundreds of sea lions in the Columbia River basin in hopes of helping struggling salmon and steelhead trout.
- WorldUSA TODAY
#LoveIsNotTourism: Some European countries lift travel restrictions for couples — but you may have to show proof
The European Union's border restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic has left binational unmarried couples in limbo, but more European countries are making exceptions so they no longer have to remain separated. Since March, European countries have shut their borders to noncitizens, essentially separating citizens of the EU from their foreign partners. Last week, the European Commission asked all 27 member countries to open their borders to such couples, and so far 10 have done so.
- U.S.The Independent
Trump budges on post office funds for mail-in ballots – but he has demands
Donald Trump says he would agree to Democrats' calls for new funding for the United States Postal Service to deal with mass mail-in ballots if they agree to more of his demands in stalled talks about a fifth coronavirus relief bill. As part of his recent pushback on some states' intention to send ballots to all registered voters amid fears about voting in person during the coronavirus outbreak, the president has expressed skepticism that the post office will be able to collect so many ballots and get them where they need to go before Election Day. All week, he said he would not agree to Democrats' demands for $25bn in extra USPS funding be included in a possible fifth Covid-19 recovery bill because mail-in voting automatically leads to voter fraud.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Coronavirus has exposed extent of slavery in UK, says Sir Iain Duncan Smith
Coronavirus has shone a light on a “lawless state” within Britain, where people are held as slaves and criminal gangs steal from the taxpayer, says Sir Iain Duncan Smith. The former Conservative Party leader tells of the “enormous criminal sub-society thriving in the UK”, whose practices have been exposed during the pandemic.
- U.S.Miami Herald
He was working security at a Key West bar. Police say he’s part of a murder plot
Key West police and U.S. Marshals arrested a man working security at a bar in the Southernmost City this week who is a suspect in a stalking and attempted murder case in Nebraska. Joshua Lytle, 27, is in county jail in Key West Friday night waiting to be extradited to Nebraska where he faces conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and aiding and abetting charges/terrorist threat charges. Police and Marshals arrested Lytle around 9:15 p.m. Wednesday night at the Bourbon Street Pub, where he worked, according to a Key West police arrest report.
- U.S.Yahoo News Video
Killings of two female U.S. service members prompt families to demand change
The recent killings of two young servicewomen, Vanessa Guillen and Natasha Aposhian, highlight issues of sexual harassment and assault in the U.S. military. Their families are now leading the fight for a change in the way the military investigates those crimes.
- HealthBusiness Insider
CDC clarifies that science does not imply people are immune to coronavirus in the 3 months after infection
The CDC released a statement on Friday clarifying that it was not saying those people have immunity against reinfection — instead, they're less likely to be infectious. It's still unclear how long people who recover from the virus are immune to reinfection. Research on the subject is so inconclusive that the CDC has hesitated to define that time period.
- U.S.Associated Press
Navajo man loses latest bid to delay federal execution
The only Native American on federal death row lost a bid Thursday to push back his execution date. Unless Lezmond Mitchell gets relief from another court or is granted clemency, he will be put to death on Aug. 26 at the federal prison in Indiana where he is being held. Mitchell's attorneys sought a delay from the U.S. District Court in Arizona where he was sentenced in the 2001 slayings of a 63-year-old fellow Navajo tribal member and her 9-year-old granddaughter.
- U.S.INSIDER
An Arizona school district canceled its reopening plans because too many teachers refused to show up
The J.O. Combs Unified School District in Arizona canceled plans to reopen on Monday, August 17, after widespread backlash from teaching staff. "Due to these insufficient staffing levels, schools will not be able to reopen on Monday as planned," Superintendent Gregory A. Wyman said in a Friday statement. Virtual classes will also be suspended until further notice, Wyman said.
- WorldBBC
US labels Confucius Institute a Chinese 'foreign mission'
The US has designated the Confucius Institute (CI), the Chinese government-run global education programme, as a foreign propaganda mission. It comes amid worsening relations between China and the US. In a statement announcing the move, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the Confucius Institute "an entity advancing Beijing's global propaganda and malign influence campaign" on American classrooms and campuses.
- U.S.USA TODAY
Iowans grapple with aftermath of Monday's deadly derecho, 'a disaster that we have never seen'
Iowa will submit its application for a federal disaster declaration on Monday, and Iowans should have power fully restored by Tuesday, Gov. Kim Reynolds said Friday. Her comments came as she provided updates on the state's response in Cedar Rapids, where thousands of residents are still coping with the aftermath of Monday's derecho. "I want Cedar Rapids and Linn County, and all those that have been impacted by this national disaster, to know that the entire state of Iowa stands with you," she said.
“It may be a campaign tactic, but older workers, be forewarned. Ageism runs deep in our culture.”
“Genuine concerns about the capacities of people who want the world’s most powerful job mingle bizarrely with insults.”
“Joe Biden and Donald Trump are both old. But the media should not be making mental illness a campaign issue, on either side.”
“The Trump campaign is now betting his reelection’s already slim chances on Biden proving Trump’s diagnosis is right.”
“The nightmare scenario for Democrats is that, at a pivotal moment, Biden will struggle to put together a coherent thought.”