PoliticsYahoo NewsWhite House dismisses criticism of persistent coronavirus supply chain problems as work of 'useful idiot'
The White House is objecting to a new report from the Government Accountability Office that concludes that seven months into the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. continues to struggle with supply chain logistics that have led to shortages of personal protective equipment and diagnostic tests. The authors of the nearly 400-page GAO report were concerned that not only did those issues continue to persist, but that the Trump administration did not take them seriously enough. “As supply constraints continue,” those investigators wrote, “we found that [the Department of Health and Human Services] and [the Federal Emergency Management Administration] have not developed plans outlining specific actions the federal government will take to help mitigate remaining medical supply gaps needed to respond to the pandemic.”
WorldThe TelegraphTibetan NYPD officer charged with spying for Chinese government
A New York City police officer has been arrested on charges he was secretly working as an agent of the Chinese government. Baimadajie Angwang, a community affairs liaison at the 111th Precinct in Queens and a member of the US Marine Corps Reserve, had for years been reporting back to “handlers” in the People's Republic of China (PRC), according to a criminal complaint filed at a New York federal court. Mr Angwang, 33, an ethnic Tibetan native of China and a naturalised American citizen, had allegedly been reporting back on the activities of fellow Tibetans in the US since 2014.
PoliticsThe Daily BeastSCOTUS Battle Pours Lighter Fluid on South Carolina’s Senate Race
Most everyone following the heated U.S. Senate contest in South Carolina recognizes that the opening of a U.S. Supreme Court seat—six weeks before Election Day—has shifted the balance of the race. Sen. Lindsey Graham was already facing a determined challenge from Democrat Jaime Harrison before Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death last Friday. Less than a day later, Graham officially discarded his stance from 2016 that high court appointments shouldn't be made in an election year—and fully embraced his role as President Donald Trump's warrior in securing a third Supreme Court justice.
U.S.Miami HeraldCurious mountain lion seen on video watching children play in California neighborhood
A mountain lion was seen on video watching unsuspecting kids play in a California neighborhood. Timothy Kerrisk says he went outside on Saturday evening to look for his cat and found a mountain lion in his front yard, watching children ride their bikes in Pacifica. “I screamed at them to run inside,” Kerrisk wrote in a Facebook post.
PoliticsThe IndependentNeon sign blaming Donald Trump for 200,000 coronavirus deaths placed in front of White House
A neon sign blaming Donald Trump for 200,000 coronavirus deaths in the US was placed outside the White House. The pointed message reading “Trump lied, 200,00 died” was held up by a group of Democrat politicians and paid for by the Democratic National Convention. They lit the sign on Sunday night as the death toll from Covid-19 continues to grow dramatically in the US.
U.S.Associated PressFormer Wisconsin police chief to review Jacob Blake shooting
Wisconsin's attorney general announced Monday that he has selected a former Madison police chief to serve as an independent consultant for prosecutors weighing whether to file charges against the officer who shot Jacob Blake, a Black man who was left paralyzed from the waist down. The shooting of Blake on Aug. 23 by a white Kenosha police officer made Wisconsin the epicenter of the nation's ongoing debate over police violence and racial injustice. It came three months after the death of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBetsy DeVos is under investigation for potentially violating the Hatch Act when she slammed Joe Biden in a Fox News interview
US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos speaks as Vice President Mike Pence listens during a White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefing at the US Department of Education July 8, 2020 in Washington, DC. The investigation is into comments she made on a Fox News interview slamming Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
BusinessMiami HeraldWalmart rolling back two of its COVID-19 precautions as customer behaviors change
If you're headed to Walmart sometime soon, operations may look a little different — the retailer says it plans to roll back two of its COVID-19 policies. Walmart is doing away with one-way aisles and will reopen second sets of doors that had previously been closed due to coronavirus concerns, the company told McClatchy News in an email. Walmart did not say when the changes will take place, but attributed the move to customer behavior.
- PoliticsFOX News Videos
Some Republicans changing stance on Supreme Court nomination process
Fox News' Chad Pergram breaks down the White House's approach to filling the Supreme Court vacancy.
PoliticsThe Independent'Desperate for ammunition': Trump accused of turning UN speech into election rally after railing against China over Covid
Donald Trump celebrated his administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic and blamed China for the “plague” the country “unleashed onto the world” in a speech delivered to the United Nations General Assembly in New York that was quickly decried by critics as a “virtual, campaign-like address”. The president attacked Beijing and demanded the world hold the nation “accountable for their actions”, suggesting China inadequately responded to its first-known outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan. “As we pursue this bright future, we must hold accountable the nation which unleashed this plague onto the world: China,” Mr Trump said in the pre-recorded remarks.
WorldAssociated PressSouth China Sea Watch: Taiwan alarm and Indonesia standoff
A look at recent developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple territorial disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons. China flooded the Taiwan Strait at the northern end of the South China Sea with warplanes over two days last week in an apparent attempt to intimidate the self-governing island democracy it claims as its own territory. The drills were timed to coincide with the visit to Taiwan by a high-ranking U.S. envoy for talks and to attend a memorial service for former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui, who led the island's transition to full democracy in the face of Chinese threats.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestWhy We’re Never Buying Rectangular Rugs Again
Squiggly, wavy, snaky textiles have captured our hearts Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsThe WeekMcConnell unexpectedly rejects Democrats' funding bill, leaving U.S. on the verge of government shutdown
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky. rejected the government funding resolution House Democrats introduced Monday, leaving the U.S. government on the verge of a shutdown. The current government funding package only lasts another nine days, so on Monday, Democrats released a draft resolution that would extend in through Dec. 11.
BusinessBusiness InsiderFacebook says it is ready for violent unrest in the US election, and has plans to restrict the spread of inflammatory posts
Facebook is preparing in case violence erupts after the November US presidential election. Nick Clegg, its head of global affairs, told The Financial Times the network has plans for scenarios like widespread civil unrest, or an unclear result if mail-in votes are counted slowly. He declined to explain Facebook's specific plan, but said that the company may make strong moves to "restrict the circulation of content."
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden news: Former VP says he is worried Americans are at risk of becoming numb to the coronavirus death toll
The Biden campaign released a new attack ad roasting Donald Trump's coronavirus response, latching onto Bob Woodward's revelations that "he knew" the true extent of the threat posed to Americans. It comes as the president himself gave Joe Biden praise as a professional that would do well in the upcoming debates, but not without slipping in a jab that the ex-VP is "not all there". The Democratic presidential challenger, meanwhile, accused Republicans of treating the fight to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court like “a game”.
U.S.Associated PressTrooper who faced firing in Black man's death dies in crash
Hours before, Hollingsworth had received word that State Police intended to terminate him following an internal investigation into the May 2019 death of Ronald Greene, a case that has drawn mounting scrutiny and become the subject of a federal civil rights investigation. Authorities initially said Greene died after crashing his vehicle into a tree following a high-speed chase in rural northern Louisiana that began over an unspecified traffic violation. But Greene's family alleges troopers used excessive force and “brutalized” him while taking him into custody.
WorldBBCAnne Webster: Australian MP and husband awarded A$875,000 in defamation case
An Australian MP and her husband have been awarded A$875,000 ($628,000; £493,000) in a defamation suit. The National Party's Anne Webster sued conspiracy theorist Karen Brewer over posts she wrote on Facebook in April and May. On Tuesday, Justice Jacqueline Gleeson called the claims "wholly indefensible".
PoliticsBusiness InsiderAbout 9 million people are likely to miss out on a $1,200 coronavirus stimulus check because of a lack of updated government records
The Government Accountability Office said in a report published Monday that 8.7 million Americans were likely to miss out on coronavirus relief checks of up to $1,200. Neither the Treasury nor the IRS kept up-to-date records on the number of people eligible to receive a stimulus check who have not yet received one, according to the congressional watchdog's report. A government watchdog concluded in a report Monday that millions of Americans might miss out on coronavirus relief checks because of incomplete records from the IRS and Treasury Department.
U.S.The IndependentLawyer who 'almost got away with the perfect crime' convicted of throwing his wife overboard on luxury cruise
A former California lawyer has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, after he was convicted of throwing his ex-wife's body off a cruise ship in the Mediterranean. Lonnie Loren Kocontes, of Safety Harbor, Florida, was convicted in June of first-degree murder with a special circumstances enhancement of murder for financial gain, for the incident that occurred in 2006, according to The Associated Press. Prosecutors said that the 62-year-old killed he ex-wife Micki Kanesaki while they were on holiday together, in order to inherit more than $1m (£781,005) from the combined money from their bank accounts and the sale of their home that they shared joint ownership of.
- ScienceKTRK – Houston
Whoa! Kemah Boardwalk pounded by storm surge
Galveston Bay communities like Seabrook and Kemah became flood and splash zones well before the tropical storm's landfall.
- PoliticsAssociated Press
Judge extends Wisconsin absentee cutoff 6 days post election
A federal judge ruled Monday that absentee ballots in battleground Wisconsin can be counted up to six days after the Nov. 3 presidential election as long as they are postmarked by Election Day. The highly anticipated ruling, unless overturned, means that the outcome of the presidential race in Wisconsin might not be known for days after polls close. Under current law, the deadline for returning an absentee ballot to have it counted is 8 p.m. on Election Day.
PoliticsThe WeekWhy Trump reportedly prefers to nominate Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court over Barbara Lagoa
President Trump on Monday said he'll probably announce his Supreme Court nominee on Saturday, and word is he's leaning toward the speculative favorite, appellate court judge Amy Coney Barrett, Bloomberg reports. Barrett, whom Trump reportedly met with Monday, is well-regarded in conservative circles, Bloomberg notes, and, because she hails from the Midwest, there's reportedly a sense that her selection could help sway swing voters in Rust Belt and Great Lakes states. Trump also already interviewed Barrett when filling the last Supreme Court vacancy, and he reportedly considers her, per Bloomberg, to be a "smart, hard-nosed conservative jurist who would come across well during televised confirmation hearings" and hold steady on issues like abortion, gun rights, and health care when they come before the court.
PoliticsThe Independent'Trouble spelling': AOC hits back at ex-QAnon supporter and GOP candidate Marjorie Greene over 'dumb blonde' jibe
New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) has hit back at GOP candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene after the former QAnon supporter made an apparent jibe at the New Yorker's intellect. Ms Greene, who has bleached blonde hair, first criticised AOC with a Twitter message on Sunday, thanking her for putting an end to all "dumb blonde" jokes. "As a blonde woman, I would like to take a moment to thank Congresswoman AOC," she wrote.
U.S.Business InsiderA Kennedy who worked on Jared Kushner's COVID-19 task force said he was asked to distort a coronavirus prediction to make the outbreak seem less bad
A member of the Kennedy dynasty who joined Jared Kushner's coronavirus task force spoke to The New Yorker about his time there. Max Kennedy Jr., a grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, said he was asked to falsify a model to downplay predicted deaths and cast doubt on other, more dire forecasts. Kennedy said he joined the team — intended to get personal protective equipment for the US — expecting it to be apolitical.
U.S.INSIDERCollege freshmen moved into dorms with hopes of having a 'normal' semester. 3 students told us why they quickly moved back home.
Insider spoke to students at the University of Alabama, University of Michigan, and the University of Missouri on why they made the decision to leave their campuses shortly after moving into dorms. The students had hoped for a traditional college experience but felt they were at risk while on campus. The students pointed to campus parties, a lack of rules, and inadequate testing as to why they decided to head back home.
“Enfranchising 16-year-olds would be good for them and good for our democracy.”
“At 16, most kids have little awareness of politics, civics, or American history.”
“Voting is habit forming...which underscores the importance of having as stable an environment as possible for the youngest voters.”
“Keeping the voting age at 18 is not a slap at 16-year-olds. It is recognition that an informed electorate is the best kind.”
“When young people’s participation lags badly, issues important to them receive short shrift in the public discourse.”