WorldThe IndependentGhislaine Maxwell complains of unusual guards and special uniform as she requests to be moved from ‘onerous’ New York jail
Ghislaine Maxwell has requested to be moved from her New York prison cell amid claims that she is being watched by guards who do not appear to be “regular personnel” at the jail where she is being detained. Lawyers for Ms Maxwell, 58, have written a motion to Judge Alison Nathan asking that their client be moved into the general prison population at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn. Ms Maxwell's legal team claim she has been subjected to multiple searches a day and is under constant surveillance by guards – despite being recently taken off suicide watch.
U.S.INSIDERSeattle's first Black female police chief announced her resignation after the city council voted to cut the department's budget and ax dozens of jobs
Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best announced her resignation on Monday, effective September 2. Best, who is the city's first Black female police chief, decided to quit hours after the City Council passed cuts to her department's budget. The Seattle Police Department's $409 million budget was reduced by $3.5 million for the rest of the year, which will likely result in about 100 officers being laid off.
WorldBusiness InsiderFauci has questioned whether Russia's coronavirus vaccine is safe amid concerns nations are cutting corners to win the vaccine race
ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday that Russia has approved a coronavirus vaccine for mass production. The drug — named Sputnik V in reference to Russia's Cold War satellite — will be made available for frontline health workers from August or September, Russian media reported. But the drug has raised concerns because it has not undergone phase-3 trials, which are considered essential to guarantee the safety of a vaccine.
U.S.Miami HeraldSuspicious husband sets up hidden camera to prove wife was poisoning him, NC cops say
A 72-year-old woman has been charged with attempted murder after a hidden camera, set up by her husband and stepson, caught her in the act, police said. Susan McNair was arrested Aug. 11, for trying to poison the two by adding paint primer and cleaning chemicals to their drinks, according to Wilmington police, and video shared with authorities by the would-be victims shows it. The son fell ill first, a Wilmington policespokeswoman told McClatchy News, and the father noted a burning sensation in his mouth when he took a drink.
HealthINSIDERWomen who use marijuana during pregnancy are 1.5 times more likely to have a child with autism, according to the largest study of its kind
Women who use marijuana during pregnancy are one and half times more likely to have a child with autism than those who don't. While the study had flaws like being unable to show cause-and-effect, the authors say it suggests pot use should be recommended against during pregnancy, just like alcohol is. Using marijuana during pregnancy is linked to 50% greater chance of having a child with autism, according to the largest study of its kind.
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump’s attorney general under fire for calling Black Lives Matter a ‘Bolshevik organisation’ with ‘fascistic’ tactics
US attorney general Bill Barr made waves with a Fox News interview this weekend in which he called the Black Lives Matter movement “Bolshevik” and “fascistic” – and the fallout is still simmering. Host Mark Levin, who conducted the interview, is now pushing back against the mainstream media's coverage of the segment, accusing newspapers' fact checkers of lying about Black Lives Matter's true nature and declaring that journalists are in cahoots with “violent Marxists”. “I think they would be, you know, generally for bringing down any administration,” said Mr Barr.
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump claims he would have beaten George Washington in election while bragging about non-existent poll numbers
If Donald Trump were to square off with US founding father George Washington in an election, the current president would have had a leg up — so says Mr Trump. George Washington would have had a hard time beating me before the plague came in, before the China plague. The president has blamed several factors for his decline in the polls this summer against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who has led him by a nearly double-digit margin at times during the pandemic.
U.S.Business InsiderUS Border Patrol agent arrested and charged with trafficking over 350,000 pills believed to be fentanyl
A US Border Patrol agent assigned to Tucson, Arizona, was arrested and charged with drug trafficking after he was found with thousands of pills and substances that tested positive for cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl. Roughly 350,000 pills that tested positive for fentanyl were found in bags that were transferred from the agent's car. Agents found nearly $330,000 in his home and $40,000 in his vehicle.
PoliticsFOX News VideosTrump tweets that he will give acceptance speech at Gettysburg or White House
ACU Chair Matt Schlapp and former D.C. Democrat Party Chair Scott Bolden weigh in on 'Outnumbered Overtime.
PoliticsINSIDERSturgis motorcycle rally attendees lounge in bikinis, pack into bars, and mock mask wearers: 'It's like COVID does not exist here'
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally attendees are packing bars, wrestling in bikinis, and scoffing at the few who wear face masks. One recovering coronavirus victim at the rally told Insider that he expects an uptick in cases after the event. Bill Converse had never attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally before, but this year he drove 29 hours from Georgia to sell his conservative pro-second amendment novelty T-shirts at the famous annual South Dakota event.
PoliticsPolitico‘He better pick a Black woman’: Biden faces Whitmer backlash
Anticipation has been growing for weeks that Joe Biden will make history by choosing the first Black woman as a running mate on a major party's presidential ticket. But after news broke over the weekend that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a white woman, had flown to meet with Biden to discuss the vice presidency, frustration and disappointment boiled over among Black female Democrats — including some in her own state. He better pick a Black woman.
PoliticsThe IndependentKellyanne Conway blames White House shooting on people ‘losing it’ over four more years of Trump
Trump administration adviser Kellyanne Conway has cast yesterday's security incident at the White House as an indictment of Democratic leaders who are “losing it” over the prospect of a second Trump term. In a Tuesday discussion on Fox News's morning show Fox & Friends, Ms Conway was asked for her view on the events of Monday evening, which saw an “aggressive” man shot by a Secret Service officer and Donald Trump bundled out of a press briefing for his own safety. Lauding Donald Trump for returning to the press briefing after the Secret Service declared the incident over – “that's very Donald Trump also, the show must go on” – Ms Conway gave her analysis that the violence erupting in various American cities can be blamed on a deep rage among some Democrats about Mr Trump's potential re-election.
U.S.Miami HeraldMother of arrested Key West boy sues city, police officers, teacher and school district
Lawyers for the mother of a now 10-year-old boy who Key West police officers tried to handcuff in 2018 at his elementary school after he was accused of punching a teacher filed a civil rights lawsuit Tuesday in federal court against the school district, the city, the individual officers involved as well as the teacher and two school officials. The video of the incident at Gerald Adams Elementary School in Key West received national attention this week after the attorney for the mother, civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump, posted it on his Twitter account Monday morning.
PoliticsThe WeekMark Meadows is reportedly the bad cop of coronavirus relief negotiations
Negotiations for the next coronavirus relief bill have not been going well, to say the least, and each side is eager to blame the other for the breakdown. But White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who has been representing the Trump administration alongside Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, is emerging as a particularly thorny player in the saga, as The Washington Post reports Meadows is the one drawing a "hard line" as negotiations continue. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.
PoliticsUSA TODAYUS immigration services set to furlough two-thirds of its workers after coronavirus stimulus talks fail
WASHINGTON – The federal agency tasked with offering citizenship, green cards and visas to immigrants is planning to furlough about two-thirds of its workers at the end of the month after Congress failed to reach a deal on a coronavirus stimulus package. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services notified about 13,400 of its 20,000 employees they would be furloughed Aug. 30 due to budget shortfalls, which the agency hoped Congress would fill in its next relief package before negotiations stalled last week. "In the past few months, USCIS has taken action to avert a fiscal crisis, including limiting spending to salary and mission-critical activities," an agency spokesperson said.
ScienceAccuWeatherTropical Depression 11 is here, and it could go on to shatter another Atlantic record
A disturbance spinning over the middle of the Atlantic organized enough to be named Tropical Depression 11 at 5 p.m. EDT Tuesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. AccuWeather meteorologists expect it to go on to strengthen into a tropical storm, becoming another one for the record books. Tropical Depression 11, which began as a batch of heavy storms that forecasters have been monitoring for days, was moving to the west-northwest at 16 mph and was located 1,450 miles to the east of the Lesser Antilles Tuesday.
PoliticsThe IndependentWillie Brown urges Kamala Harris to decline offer to be Joe Biden’s VP
Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown has advised senator Kamala Harris to “politely decline” if Joe Biden makes her an offer to be his presidential running mate. Mr Brown recommended that Sen Harris should ask for the position of attorney general instead, saying that the position has “legitimate power”. Mr Brown, who served as mayor in San Francisco from 1996 to 2004, has previously appointed Sen Harris to positions on the state Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board and the California Medical Assistance Commission.
EntertainmentArchitectural DigestWhere to Buy Wallpaper Online: 23 Stores With Unique Designs
Bring new life to your old walls Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsTimeThe 1918 Flu Pandemic Killed Hundreds of Thousands of Americans. The White House Never Said a Word About It
As the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread across the U.S., recent polls indicate dissatisfaction about the federal response to the pandemic: One Aug. 4 NPR/Ipsos poll found that two-thirds of Americans believe the U.S. pandemic response is worse than that of other countries. In recent months, the White House has vacillated on mask-wearing, challenged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines on reopening schools, and ordered hospitals to send coronavirus data to the Department of Health and Human Services instead of the CDC. Then, on Saturday, amid stalled congressional talks, President Trump signed executive orders extending coronavirus relief even though the legality of such a move is in question.
U.S.NBC NewsMap: State-by-state breakdown of coronavirus travel restrictions
Guidance on traveling and travel restrictions varies across the U.S. This patchwork of restrictions highlights the ability of states to take different approaches while making their way through the coronavirus pandemic. While all of the Northeast and most of the mid-Atlantic states have implemented statewide travel restrictions, 33 states, including two of the biggest, California and Texas, have no such restrictions. States hit the hardest when the epidemic began in the United States in the early spring, such as New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, have the toughest travel restrictions.
U.S.INSIDERThere's been a huge spike in Democratic voter registration in the epicenter of Black Lives Matter protests
Stephen Maturen/Stringer/Getty Images An analysis from TargetSmart, a Democratic political data firm, revealed a decline in voter registration during the start of the coronavirus pandemic and an increase in Democrat voter registration following national protests. The data firm discovered an increase in Democratic voters in protest hot spot, Minnesota, where George Floyd died by police officers on May 25. NBC News reported that protests could be linked to the surge in voter registration.
- WorldReuters
Taiwan says Chinese fighters approached Taiwan, were tracked by missiles
Chinese fighter jets briefly crossed the median line of the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Monday morning before being "driven out" by Taiwan's air force, the island's defence ministry said. The Chinese fighters were also tracked by Taiwan's land-based anti-aircraft missiles, the ministry said, citing the air force. The incident took place on the first full day of a high profile visit to Taiwan by U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar, which China has condemned.
PoliticsThe IndependentVideo of Portland 'Bible burning' seized on by Trump allies alleged to be Russian disinformation scam
A viral video of protesters burning a Bible in Portland may have been amplified as part of a Russian disinformation campaign. In the video, a pair of protesters appear to throw a Bible onto a fire. Though other protesters in the area do not seem to react to the event, the video, captured and shared by Russia Today owned video outlet Ruptly, became a sensation among right-wing media pundits and politicians as evidence that the protesters are godless book-burners.
HealthMiami HeraldWhy does COVID-19 strike some and not others? Fauci sees an answer in new study
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, said a new study could explain the extraordinary range that people experience with the novel coronavirus, from having no symptoms at all or a mild case to hospitalization or death. Fauci and other scientists said the study published in Science this month held promising findings for understanding why some individuals exposed to COVID-19 for the first time have a modest reaction to the virus. The study found that the immune systems of roughly half of its subjects appeared to remember past exposure to other, prevalent coronaviruses, including variants of the common cold, equipping them to respond more quickly to a COVID-19 infection once it appeared.
U.S.NBC NewsTop California health official resigns amid revelation of giant coronavirus record backlog
California's public health chief resigned Sunday, days after officials revealed a backlog of hundreds of thousands of coronavirus records that Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday were never reported to his administration. Pressed during a news conference about the abrupt resignation of Dr. Sonia Angell, the former director of the state Department of Public Health, Newsom declined to say if he asked her to quit. We're all accountable in our respective roles for what happens underneath us,” he said.
California Coronavirus Update: Daily New Infection Count Spikes By Nearly 40% Day Over Day As COVID Case Data Backlog HitsDeadline
California Coronavirus Update: Governor Gavin Newsom Addresses Major Data Issues Amid Resignations, New Ethics Complaint About $1B Deal: “I’m Governor, The Buck Stops With Me”Deadline
“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.”
