- PoliticsBBC
US Election 2020: Can Susan Rice help Democrats to victory?
A former Obama White House official, Susan Rice, is a top contender to be Joe Biden's running mate. Speaking at a White House cocktail party shortly before Donald Trump moved in, Susan Rice looked wistful. Today Ms Rice, the 55-year-old former national security adviser, is hoping for a return to power.
- WorldAssociated Press
Race in Mauritius to empty oil tanker before it breaks up
Urgent efforts increased in Mauritius on Monday to empty a stranded Japanese ship of an estimated 2,500 tons of oil before the vessel breaks up and increases the contamination of the island's once-pristine coastline. Already more than 1,000 tons of the fuel has washed up on the eastern coast of Mauritius, polluting its coral reefs, protected lagoons and shoreline. High winds and waves are pounding the Japanese bulk carrier MV Wakashio, which ran aground on a coral reef two weeks ago and is showing signs of breaking up and dumping its remaining cargo of oil into the Indian Ocean waters surrounding Mauritius.
- WorldReuters
Gunmen kill six French aid workers, their driver and guide in Niger, minister says
Gunmen on motorcycles killed six French aid workers, a Nigerien guide and a driver in a wildlife park in Niger on Sunday, officials said. The group was attacked in a giraffe reserve just 65 km (40 miles) from the West African country's capital Niamey, the governor of Tillaberi region, Tidjani Ibrahim Katiella, told Reuters. The six worked for an international aid group, Niger's Defence Minister Issoufou Katambé told Reuters.
- U.S.Yahoo News Video
Georgia school moves online after COVID-19 infections reported
A Georgia high school plans to start the week with all classes moving online after nine students and staff tested positive for the coronavirus when the school year opened last week with most students attending classes in-person.
- U.S.The Independent
Indian immigrant who drowned saving two children in US river had ‘big dreams’ of starting own business
An Indian immigrant who died saving two children from drowning in a California river had “big dreams” of starting his own business, his family said. Manjit Singh, 29, had been cooling off at Reedley Beach on the Kings River, Frenso, on Wednesday, shortly after finishing a driving lesson, when he heard a woman crying out for help. Three of the women's children had got into difficulty while swimming in the river, prompting Manjit, his friends and family to spring into action.
- U.S.Business Insider
Police searched a United Airlines jet after a reportedly hallucinating passenger claimed there was a bomb on board
Police met a United Airlines flight landing at Newark on Sunday after a passenger said that she thought there was a bomb on board. Police did not find a bomb, and believe that the passenger was hallucinating while under the influence of marijuana and Adderall. A United flight from Los Angeles to Newark was forced to stop short of the gate when it landed on Sunday, after a woman on the flight stood up and said that she thought there was a bomb on board.
- SportsUSA 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.
- U.S.Miami Herald
Man says he wasn’t allowed into an Arkansas casino because ‘men do not carry purses’
A man in Arkansas was hoping to enjoy a Friday night with his husband at an area casino, but says he was barred from entering because of his purse. Jordan Kirk was carrying a 9-inch by 10-inch cross-body purse when he and his husband tried to enter Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs on Aug. 7, KARK reported. A security guard stopped Kirk and told him he would have to return his purse to his car, despite several women carrying backpacks and large bags who were allowed to enter, Kirk wrote in a Facebook post.
- U.S.INSIDER
A body was recovered from the wreckage of the New Orleans Hard Rock hotel 10 months after it collapsed
Barry Lewis/InPictures via Getty Images A man's body was recovered from a Hard Rock Hotel construction site that collapsed last October, Nola.com reported. Quinnyon Wimberly was one of three workers killed in the collapse. His body was removed from the site on Saturday, after his remains laid in the wreck for 10 months.
- U.S.USA TODAY Opinion
Why Joe Biden and Kamala Harris would be a disastrous duo in the year of George Floyd
Such tactics worked four years ago, and Trump won by encouraging half the country to dislike the other half. But a lot has changed in this country in just the past four months. Given the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department in May, and the pain and destruction it caused, I'll bet that a lot of Americans have lost their taste for the red meat of racial division.
- WorldBBC
Jimmy Lai: Hong Kong media tycoon held amid sweep of arrests
The Hong Kong business tycoon Jimmy Lai has been arrested along with other pro-democracy and media figures, raising fears of a broad crackdown by China. Mr Lai's Apple Daily newspaper offices were raided on Monday over allegations of collusion with foreign forces. His case is the most high-profile arrest so far under a controversial security law imposed by China in June.
- U.S.Reuters
Mass looting breaks out in Chicago; shots fired, 100 arrested
Chicago police exchanged gunfire with looters and arrested more than 100 people after crowds swarmed Chicago's luxury commercial district Monday, looting stores, smashing windows and clashing with officers for hours, police said. Police Superintendent David Brown called the outbreak "pure criminality," and Mayor Lori Lightfoot sought to distance the incident from the "righteous uprising" in response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police on May 25. "This was not an organized protest.
- WorldThe Week
Mexico's coronavirus outbreak is now the third worst in the world
Mexico has had 52,000 confirmed coronavirus deaths, The New York Times reported Monday. A widespread distrust of hospitals has made the pandemic even deadlier, as Mexicans are reportedly frequently refusing to seek treatment until their COVID-19 symptoms have worsened past the point of possible recovery, or not at all. Additionally, the tendency to avoid hospitals has made it difficult to confirm the true number of coronavirus deaths — those who die at home often aren't tested, so their deaths aren't counted as part of the official death toll.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Sturgeon sorry for exams fiasco and admits student outrage a 'bigger problem' than grade inflation
Nicola Sturgeon has issued an apology to teenagers hit by this year's results day fiasco and promised to fix the "unfair" system. After spending much of last week defending the arbitrary downgrading of 124,000 qualifications, under a “moderation” process put in place following the cancellation of this year's exams, the First Minister on Monday confirmed a government u-turn over results. Opposition parties said the First Minister's apology did not go far enough, and claimed the reversal was motivated by a desire to keep her under-fire Education Secretary and deputy, John Swinney, in his job.
- U.S.Business Insider
'If I die from the virus, it was just meant to be': 250,000 descend upon tiny South Dakota town for world-famous motorcycle rally
Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images The world-famous Sturgis Motorcycle Rally kicked off its 10 days of festivities on Friday. Up to 250,000 bikers — a smaller crowd than usual — are expected to descend upon the small South Dakota town. Organizers shrugged off surging coronavirus cases in the US to hold the annual event, even as a majority of the town's citizens wanted it canceled.
- U.S.Associated Press
Appeals of Nazi camp guard conviction in Germany dropped
All appeals against the conviction of a 93-year-old Nazi concentration camp guard have been dropped, a Hamburg court said Monday, making the decision legally binding and easing the way for possible future prosecutions. Bruno Dey was convicted last month of 5,232 counts of accessory to murder in Hamburg state court — equal to the number of people believed to have been killed at Stutthof during his service there in 1944 and 1945. Because he was 17 and 18 at the time of his alleged crimes, Dey's case was heard in juvenile court and he was given a two-year suspended sentence.
- WorldThe Independent
Coronavirus: Brazil becomes second country to pass 100,000 deaths after US
Brazil's coronavirus death toll has surpassed 100,000, with the country's affliction showing no signs of abating as most cities reopen shops and restaurants. The nation became the second in the world to reach the grim milestone by official counts, 10 weeks after the United States. The virus, initially dismissed by president Jair Bolsonaro as a “little flu”, took three months to claim the lives of 50,000 people in Brazil, and just 50 days to kill the next 50,000.
- LifestyleArchitectural Digest
Where to Buy Wallpaper Online: 23 Stores With Unique Designs
Bring new life to your old walls Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
- U.S.USA TODAY Opinion
Dismantle the Department of Homeland Security. Its tactics are fearsome: ACLU director
As an organization dedicated to civil liberties, civil rights and the rule of law, we at the American Civil Liberties Union believe that the government has both the authority and responsibility to enforce its laws — laws that promote justice, equality and the general welfare. In recent weeks, the actions of federal agents have shown us all that the Department of Homeland Security isn't capable of acting consistently with the Constitution, and should no longer exist in its current state. The scenes unfolding in Portland, Oregon, and elsewhere are a reminder of the red flags many have raised about DHS throughout its history: that its powers are too great, and that it lacks the oversight and management to be effective.
- U.S.INSIDER
Louisville police said protesters, who have been marching against Breonna Taylor's death for more than 70 days, can no longer use public roads
The Louisville Metro Police Department said Sunday that protesters would no longer be allowed to march on public streets, and must stick to the sidewalks. A police spokesperson said the restrictions were in response to increasingly "aggressive behavior" by protesters over the past week. Protests have taken place in the Kentucky city every night for more than 70 days, in response to the police killing of Breonna Taylor in her home.
- U.S.NY Daily News
Jeffrey Epstein hanged himself one year ago, setting off wave of conspiracy theories and celebrity denials
A year after his death it is disappointing that we still don't have more answers to how it was that Jeffrey Epstein was allowed to die while in custody, or how he was able to manipulate the criminal justice system to evade real punishment for decades-long crimes,” Epstein accuser Teresa Helm said. The government let down Epstein's victims yet again. In 2007, then-Southern Florida U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta negotiated a sweetheart non-prosecution agreement with Epstein that allowed him to plead guilty to charges of procuring a minor for prostitution and serve a mere 13 months in Palm Beach County jail.
- U.S.The Week
At least 97,000 U.S. kids tested positive for coronavirus over last 2 weeks of July
During the last two weeks of July, at least 97,000 children in the United States tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a new report released Sunday by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association. More than seven out of 10 infections were reported in southern and western states, with the highest percent increase occurring in Missouri, Oklahoma, Alaska, Nevada, Idaho, and Montana. Since the beginning of the pandemic, at least 338,000 kids have been infected.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Germany imposes mandatory testing for arrivals from high risk areas
Germany has rolled out compulsory coronavirus testing for all arrivals from high-risk areas as infection rates continued to climb across the country. There have been more than 1,000 new infections reported for the past three days, the first time daily new infection numbers have reached four figures since May. Mandatory testing booths were set up at airports across the country.
- StyleBusiness Insider
The best and worst face masks, ranked by their level of protection
The researchers suggested that these options may even be better at filtering small particles than an N95 mask, though they weren't necessarily better at filtering larger particles. The team also found that two layers of 600-thread-count cotton or two layers of chiffon might be better at filtering small particles than a surgical mask. A layer of silk or three layers of cotton or are also highly protective.
- U.S.Associated Press
Seattle City Council OKs cuts to police positions, budget
The Seattle City Council approved proposals Monday that would reduce the police department by as many as 100 officers through layoffs and attrition — an action supported by demonstrators who have marched in the city following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis but strongly opposed by the mayor and police chief. On Monday, only council member Kshama Sawant voted against the budget package, saying it does not do enough to defund the police. Seattle currently has about 1,400 police officers and the reductions fell far short of the 50% cut to the department that many Black Lives Matter protesters are seeking.
“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.”