- PoliticsYahoo News
Trump says Biden is 'against God'
President Trump attacked former Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday by accusing him of being “against God.” “He's following the radical left agenda: take away your guns, destroy your Second Amendment, no religion, no anything, hurt the Bible, hurt God,” Trump said during a campaign visit to Ohio. “Joe Biden's faith is at the core of who he is: He's lived it with dignity his entire life, and it's been a source of strength and comfort in times of extreme hardship,” Biden spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement.
- HealthYahoo News
Most of the coronavirus tests the U.S. does are worthless. But there's a solution that could actually work — and stop the spread.
To stop its raging coronavirus outbreak, which is currently spreading at a rate of about 60,000 new cases per day, the United States can do one of two things. The good news is that there might be a simple solution: new tests that prioritize speed over sensitivity.
- WorldBusiness Insider
The Russian owner who abandoned the ship full of ammonium nitrate that caused the Beirut explosion has been questioned by police in Cyprus, reports say
Hasenpusch/picture alliance via Getty Images/Business Insider Igor Grechushkin, the Russian owner of the ship that carried a huge cargo of explosives to Beirut, which exploded years later, was questioned by Cypriot police on Thursday, reports say. Grechushkin abandoned the MV Rhosus and its cargo of 2,750 tons of explosive ammonium nitrate in 2014. Lebanese authorities impounded the cargo until Tuesday's catastrophic explosion.
- U.S.Miami Herald
Take a look inside the ‘most sophisticated’ smuggling tunnel found on US-Mexico border
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents found a smuggling tunnel along the U.S.-Mexico border on Tuesday that was described as the “most sophisticated tunnel in U.S. history.” On July 27, Yuma Sector Border Patrol started drilling near the sinkhole. “Homeland Security Investigations and our esteemed law enforcement partners swiftly and effectively worked together to uncover and dismantle a cross-border tunnel for smuggling purposes into the United States,” Scott Brown, special agent in charge of HSI Phoenix, said in the release.
- U.S.USA TODAY
Crystal Rogers disappearance: FBI takes over case of missing Bardstown, Kentucky mom, 5 years later
Five years and a month after the disappearance of Crystal Rogers, the FBI has taken over the investigation and is launching a new search for the 35-year-old Kentucky mother of five. More than 150 state and federal law enforcement officers on Thursday were executing nine federal search warrants and will be conducting more than 50 interviews in Bardstown, Kentucky, the FBI said in a press release. FBI officials said they would work with the IRS, Kentucky State Police and the U.S. Attorney's Office to bring a "fresh perspective" to the case, which has attracted national attention over the years as family members in Nelson County and investigators seek answers.
- WorldPopular Mechanics
Could a World War II Shipwreck Cause the Next Beirut-Like Explosion?
The SS Richard Montgomery was carrying ammunition when it ran aground and sank in 1944. An American cargo ship that accidentally sank off the coast of London during World War II could cause a major explosion rivaling that of the devastating blast in Beirut earlier this week. In August 1944, the SS Richard Montgomery, a ship ferrying supplies back and forth to Europe after the D-Day invasion, sank at the mouth of the Thames River on the sea approach to London.
- PoliticsYahoo News
Manchin counters Obama on eliminating filibuster: 'I will do everything I can to prevent it'
He said he didn't see Obama's full eulogy, but when asked about the former president's contention that the filibuster has been used to quash civil rights legislation, Manchin fired back that it has been used to stop many kinds of legislation. On Thursday, former Vice President Joe Biden signaled his willingness to do away with the filibuster, but cautioned that it “has also saved a lot of bad things from happening too. For Manchin, however, keeping the filibuster in place will ensure stability no matter which party prevails in the November elections.
- U.S.CBS News
Weather experts issue most threatening hurricane forecast yet
The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is racking up storms at breakneck speed. To date, the season is about two weeks ahead of record pace and it's only one third of the way through. On Wednesday, the news became more concerning as the research team at Colorado State University (CSU) — the standard bearer for seasonal forecasts — released the most dire forecast in their 37-year history.
- WorldAssociated Press
Mauritius declares emergency as stranded ship spills fuel
The Indian Ocean island of Mauritius declared a “state of environmental emergency” late Friday after a Japanese-owned ship that ran aground offshore days ago began spilling tons of fuel. Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth announced the development as satellite images showed a dark slick spreading in the turquoise waters near environmental areas that the government called “very sensitive.” Mauritius has said the ship was carrying nearly 4,000 tons of fuel and cracks have appeared in its hull.
- PoliticsThe Independent
New 2020 election map predicts resounding victory for Biden against Trump
With months to go until one of the most unprecedented elections in American history, anything can happen — but at least one new prediction has forecasted a resounding victory for Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee. The first 2020 battleground electoral map by NBC News was released on Friday, showing the former vice president with a lead of 334 electoral votes. President Donald Trump was trailing behind Mr Biden in the new forecasting with just 125 electoral votes.
- U.S.Yahoo News
Marijuana sent him to prison for decades. Now he has COVID-19 and is seeking release.
As an elderly Michigan inmate's bid for early release amid the coronavirus pandemic continues, garnering support from everyone from a local prosecutor to a reality star, his situation is becoming more dire. Michael Thompson, a 69-year-old former Flint resident, is serving a 40- to 60-year sentence for selling marijuana to an informant in 1994. Thompson, who lost his parents and son while incarcerated, isn't eligible for release until 2038.
- WorldReuters
India seizes 740 tonnes of chemical that caused Lebanon blast
Indian customs authorities have seized a container with 740 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, the chemical that caused this week's deadly blast in Lebanon's capital. Nearly 150 people were killed and more than 5,000 were injured when a large stock of the chemical exploded at Beirut's port on Tuesday. Customs authorities in the south Indian port city of Chennai said a large consignment of the chemical had been stored at a site about 20 km from the city.
- U.S.Miami Herald
Students at Georgia school snapped photos of maskless peers. Now, they face expulsion
Students at a Georgia high school are being threatened with suspension and other punishments after “negative” photos of their first day back to class circulated on social media. One North Paulding High School student has already been suspended after snapping a photo of crowded hallways — with few students wearing masks — upon their return to school Monday, local station WSB-TV reported. The image was one of many “back-to-school” photos that went viral this week, sparking criticism amid rising coronavirus cases across Paulding County and the state.
- U.S.USA TODAY
California hotel brawl near Disneyland involves about 100 people, police say
A brawl at a hotel near Disneyland on Wednesday involved as many as 100 people and two people were hospitalized, police said. The fight involved hotel guests and grew to include between 60 and 100 people, Sgt. Shane Carringer of the Anaheim Police Department confirmed to USA TODAY. Broomsticks and bottles were used as weapons during the fight at the Cambria Hotel & Suites, witnesses and police said.
- BusinessBusiness Insider
McDonald's, Burger King, and other fast-food packaging contains toxic 'forever chemicals,' according to a new report
Irene Jiang / Business Insider A new study found PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in packaging at chains including McDonald's, Burger King, and Sweetgreen. PFAS are chemicals that can linger in water and air for thousands of years and have been linked to cancer, liver damage, and other health issues. Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration announced it had reached a voluntary agreement with three major producers of food packaging to phase out the use of PFAS.
- U.S.The Daily Beast
How Is New York Having Crazy Parties With No COVID Surge?
Spectacular scenes of COVID-19 recklessness have emerged from New Jersey in recent weeks, alarming state leaders into implementing new restrictions to curb the tide of rising coronavirus cases and prompting plenty of snickering about the Jersey Shore. New Jersey and New York have had similar regulations, travel restrictions, and contact tracing efforts. Giant, raucous boat parties in New York are making headlines, too.
- LifestyleArchitectural Digest
A Sampling of Work From Mexico City’s Top Talents
A look at some of the design coming out of the cultural capital Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
- U.S.FOX News Videos
Virginia business owner reacts to employee's house arrest for defending shop from robber
Worker arrested after defending himself from armed robbery; Arlington Smoke Shop owner Jowan Zuber speaks out.
- U.S.CBS News
Schumer, Pelosi call on postmaster general to reverse service changes
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Thursday to ask him to reverse recent operational changes made in the Postal Service. Pelosi and Schumer met with DeJoy on Wednesday, along with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, in what Schumer later described as a "heated" meeting. Pelosi and Schumer said in their letter that they confronted DeJoy Wednesday over "reports of a dramatic increase in delayed and undelivered mail impacting mail delivery times and quality of service."
- WorldBBC
India landslide: Dozens feared dead after flooding in Kerala
At least 15 people have been killed after monsoon-season floods triggered a landslide in the southern Indian state of Kerala, officials say. Houses in Idukki district were swept away after torrential rain and flooding late on Friday night. Officials say dozens remain trapped under debris, with the death toll expected to rise.
- WorldAssociated Press
Officials long warned of explosive chemicals at Beirut port
At least 10 times over the past six years, authorities from Lebanon's customs, military, security agencies and judiciary raised alarm that a massive stockpile of explosive chemicals was being kept with almost no safeguard at the port in the heart of Beirut, newly surfaced documents show. Yet in a circle of negligence, nothing was done — and on Tuesday, the 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate blew up, obliterating the city's main commercial hub and spreading death and wreckage for miles around. President Michel Aoun, in office since 2016, said Friday he was first told of the dangerous stockpile nearly three weeks ago and immediately ordered military and security agencies to do “what was needed.
- U.S.Miami Herald
ICE detained hundreds of Mississippi chicken plant workers. Now managers are charged
Close to 700 immigrants working in the U.S. illegally were detained last year during what federal prosecutors have called “the largest single-state worksite enforcement operation in our nation's history.” Now four higher-ups at the Mississippi chicken plants where they were employed face criminal charges. The U.S. District Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Mississippi unsealed indictments Thursday against two supervisors at A&B Foods Inc. as well as a human resources manager and plant manager at Pearl River Foods Inc.. They are accused of hiring undocumented workers and lying to law enforcement, according to a news release.
- WorldUSA TODAY
These states require travelers to self-quarantine or present negative COVID-19 test
USA TODAY has an update on the states that are discouraging interstate travel by requiring or recommending that visitors and residents returning from other states quarantine. Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced that beginning August 11, non-Alaska residents need a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours before arrival in the state or proof they are waiting on results from a test taken in that 72-hour period. Testing is free for Alaska residents.
- WorldReuters
Joshua Wong and other Hong Kong activists charged over banned June 4 vigil
Two dozen people in Hong Kong, including pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, have been charged with participating in an illegal assembly at a vigil on June 4 commemorating the crackdown on protesters in and around Beijing's Tiananmen square in 1989. It was the first time the vigil had been banned in semiautonomous Hong Kong, with police citing coronavirus restrictions on group gatherings in refusing permission for it to take place. The anniversary struck an especially sensitive nerve in the former British colony this year, falling just as China prepared to introduce national security legislation later that month in response to last year's often violent pro-democracy demonstrations.
- WorldThe Daily Beast
Putin’s Got Big Problems in Russia’s Provinces
MOSCOW—The city of Khabarovsk, a sprawling, industrial metropolis about 5,000 miles east of the capital—the Bolsheviks turned it into a hub for serving Siberian prison camps, in the middle of nowhere by design—is about as far from the seat of Russian power as geographically possible. Despite the Kremlin's best efforts to hide them, problems have been bubbling up in Russia's provinces, transforming local issues into the most dynamic arena for dissent, protest, and opposition in the country's political system and fueling Russia's version of post-lockdown unrest. The arrest of Khabarovsk's popular regional governor sparked the anti-Putin uprising that has drawn up to 60,000 people into the streets in this usually sleepy backwater.
“He’s not a radical. But he is running on the most liberal policy platform of any Democratic candidate in modern history.”
“Public opinion has been shifting leftward, and Biden’s thinking has shifted with it.”
“Biden shows that he’s more moderate than some in his party.”
“Biden has always been a creature of his time, and the COVID-19 crisis could force him to veer further left.”
“Liberal activists have lauded the campaign’s outreach to progressives.”